The current world crisis has its roots in the hypocritical Western insistence on so-called “universal values.” Originally from the Enlightenment, these included such laudable concepts as juridical equality, political freedom, natural rights, and religious tolerance. But these political values have been interpreted in myriad ways by Western thinkers, and only rarely in the strict sense; as protection of private property.

Duke University is perhaps best known for its very successful men’s basketball program, which is always ranked each year among the best collegiate teams. Unfortunately, a number of Duke faculty members 20 years ago, along with its president, board chairman, and other Duke administrators encouraged a corrupt district attorney to file false rape, kidnapping, and sexual assault charges against three members of its highly-ranked lacrosse team and did everything possible to try to prop up his case.

The US Supreme Court now has before it the case of Trump vs. Barbara. The Trump administration is arguing that birthright citizenship is not guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. Since the Amendment’s adoption in the 1860s, advocates of immigration and widespread naturalization have argued that the amendment applies to anyone born on US soil, even if his or her parents are only temporarily traveling within the US.

I attended this year’s Libertarian Scholars Conference—my first time at a conference organized by the Mises Institute. It was an excellent conference—engaging, intellectually stimulating, well-organized, and carried by a genuinely great atmosphere.