Yesterday in Mises Wire I looked at how citizenship in the United States was originally determined by the member states themselves. There was no definition of citizenship in either the original US constitution (i.e., the Articles of Confederation) on in the later 1787 constitution. Thus, the way to “US citizenship,” to the degree that it existed at all, was to become a citizen of one of the US’s member states.

The common phrase “Might does not make right” resonates as a universal principle as it neatly relates the idea that being powerful does not inherently make one’s actions just. Most people intuitively agree with this concept. Indeed, suggesting otherwise would likely provoke suspicion and, if acted upon, condemnation. A person who justifies their actions solely on their power or strength would be seen as a bad actor and avoided by others.

A 64-year-old woman with deep family roots in Alabama recently said to me that she was taught in Alabama public school that Abraham Lincoln was “the best president ever.” That would be a good example of the consequences of what the New England Yankee conquerors labeled “reconstruction.” The truth is that Lincoln was by far the worst president in American history. He was certainly the most “reviled” (by the people of the North during his lifetime), as Larry Tagg documented in his book, The Unpopular Mr.

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The editors of the New York Times still are in shock.

Except for a small number of diplomatic passports, there is no such thing as an EU passport. In practice, to be a citizen of the European Union means to be a citizen of one of the member states of the EU. It is the EU member states themselves which ultimately determine who is a citizen of the EU. As The Economist put it, “Deciding who is and is not a citizen is a jealously guarded right of EU member states.”

The right to property is considered a fundamental human right, recognized worldwide, as stated in international human rights documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It is historically linked to natural rights. The Declaration of the Rights of Man regarded property as “an inviolable and sacred right.”

As Elon Musk continues to take over and wind down parts of the federal bureaucracy, establishment figures from across media and politics are growing increasingly resentful of the tech entrepreneur. If you read a national newspaper, turn on a major news channel, or tune into one of the establishment’s many late-night “satire” shows, you’re bound to see Musk getting mocked and criticized relentlessly.