Wendy McElroy Article Archive
(NOTE: These older articles may contain some time-expired links.)
Beans and Bullets and Bear Markets. Oh my!
It used to be that only survivalist cranks and their sympathizers expounded on ’the coming economic collapse’ that would devastate society. Intellectually-speaking, people would cross to the other side of the street when they saw such an exponent coming. Read more
Who Polices the Police?
Without police, there could be no police state. Everytyrannical law needs flesh-and-blood enforcement agents who are willingto break down doors at midnight and spit on human rights. Withoutthem, unjust laws are nothing more than ink on paper. But with them,no door is strong enough to stay closed against government; no homeis safe. Readmore
Why Do Good Men Do Nothing?
In his book Thoughtson the Cause of Present Discontents (1770), the British philosopherEdmund Burke wrote, "When bad men combine, the good must associate;else they will fall one by one." This sentiment has survivedas "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good mendo nothing." Why do good men do nothing in the face of evil,especially when evil aggressively invades their lives? Readmore
Anti-Gun Myths Harm Women
It is rare for a prestigious institution to nakedlycompromise its research integrity to promote a political agenda. Yetthis is what the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) does in ananti-gunpress release (April 17) that trumpets its recent study on themurder of women. Read more
Girls, Get Your Guns
The spotlight on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’sposition on abortion has shone so brightly that the issue has overshadowedanother controversial question: Where does he stand on gun ownership?It is just one example of how gun rights have been temporarily pushed aside. Read more
Gun-Proof Your Children
On May 9th -- Mother’sDay -- the "anti-gun" MillionMom March will gather on the West Lawn in D.C. in protest. Meanwhilethe pro-gun SecondAmendment Freedoms for Everyone (SAFER) will rally nearby. Bothorganizations claim to speak against violence and for children’s safety.Yet each espouses diametrically-opposed positions on gun legislation.Who really speaks for children? Readmore
Do Gun Control Activists Pad Gun Death Statistics?
Last week’s release of policedocuments and evidence (sorry - link expired) on the April, 1999, Columbine school shootingshas sparked many questions -- not only on the specifics of Columbinebut also on the general issue of guns. The answers are unsatisfyingon all counts. Read more
The Right to Self Defense
On June 27, in the case of CastleRock v. Gonzales, the Supreme Court found that Jessica Gonzalesdid not have a constitutional right to police protection even in thepresence of a restraining order.By a vote of 7-to-2, the Supreme Courtruled that Gonzales has noright to sue her local police department for failing to protecther and her children from her estranged husband. Readmore
Women with Guns Fight Back
Women need to defend themselves, especially singlewomen or those with husbands overseas. And the media has a responsibilityto discuss honestly the issue of gun ownership. The John WalshShow on NBC may have dealt a blow (4/29) to both goals by "ambushing"three women who agreed to discuss their gun ownership and advocacyon air. Read more
War May Redefine Gun Control
Despite the high emotions that surround war --or perhaps because of them -- people are focusing again on "normal"life. But what is normal has shifted in ways both obvious and subtle.Consider how war has affected just one issue: the debate over guncontrol. Readmore
Arm the Afghan Women
It is commonplace to assume that toppling theTaliban will free Afghan women. But in an unstable country where soldierscelebrate conquest by raping — and where there is currently noguarantee that whatever form of government eventually assumes controlwill not be equally oppressive toward females — women have toprotect themselves to remain free. Readmore