Congress shall make no law...
I've spent what spare time I have researching a little bit about the philosophy behind the freedom of speech and listening intently to Dr Brandenburg’s lectures in order to write this piece. It is a break from the usual strongly worded politics that I am fond of and instead forms a response to a comment on a previous piece by a reader. Now that I do finally write this, I am more convinced of my

The Joy of Sex: Teenage Pregnancies
Underage pregnancies have always been a worry in the United States. The traditional family values that a large number of Americans still believe in are contradicted by pregnancy rates in young girls, and irresponsible teaching of sexual education and safe practice of sex have done nothing to combat this. In the 1960s the teenage pregnancy rate was over double what it is today, and a decline of

Frau Merkel must lose her fuzz
This week Germans went to the polls to vote in the federal election largely described as a plebiscite on the future of incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. The Bundestag, Germany’s lower chamber, is elected on a proportionally representative system in which coalitions are almost guaranteed. After four years of the ruling grand coalition between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and

El Paso’s reformers challenge drug policy
The American attitude to drugs is one of complete and utter disdain. Their view of the whole concept as immoral and harmful to both society and government is deep rooted. Yet, does it really do the damage most Americans expect? In El Paso, Texas, this week, the city council passed a motion supporting the need for a free and open debate on the legalisation of narcotics in their neighbouring town,

Citizens Peacefully Assembled
When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they left off some basic rights of the people. The Bill of Rights was passed by the Congress four years after the first state ratified the Constitution but is recognised with similar, if not greater, importance to the original document. The First Amendment guaranteed the right to free speech, free press, free assembly and the ability to practice