Category Archives: Mere Opinion

Thoughts, often reaction, off-the-cuff and perhaps short on research

Geld the Veto (Some Constitutional Amendments #1)

by James J Heaney Posted on 3 October 2021

Many writers propose constitutional amendments in order to demonstrate their fantasy vision of the perfect regime. In this series, I propose realistic amendments to the Constitution aimed at improving the structure of the U.S. national government, without addressing substantive issues. … Continue reading →

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Some Principles for Proposing Constitutional Amendments (On One’s Blog)

by James J Heaney Posted on 1 October 2021

The Constitution at the National Archives. Warms your heart just to look at her, don’t it? Let’s recklessly start another series! Worthy Reads is going well, but I don’t want the blog to be taken over by my clippings from … Continue reading →

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Worthy Reads for 2021 July 28: Resisting Temptation

by James J Heaney Posted on 28 July 2021

Retweets are not endorsements! I found these articles thought-provoking. There’s a good chance I agreed with something important in each, but maybe not, and, in any case, I absolutely do not endorse each and every claim made in each and every article. “Giving the … Continue reading →

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Worthy Reads This Week (2021 July 9): Lies, Damned Lies, and The Resultant Bipartisan Epistemic Crisis

by James J Heaney Posted on 9 July 2021

Retweets are not endorsements! I found these articles thought-provoking. There’s a good chance I agreed with something important in each, but maybe not, and, in any case, I absolutely do not endorse each and every claim made in each and every article. “Repudiating Roe,” … Continue reading →

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An Asymmetry Observed: Partisan Obituaries

by James J Heaney Posted on 6 July 2021

Let’s talk about Donald Rumsfeld, sort of. As longtime readers know, I generally cleave to the theory that the two American parties are symmetrical: in general, for every bad thing Party A does, Party B is doing exactly the same … Continue reading →

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Worthy Reads This Week (2021 June 25)

by James J Heaney Posted on 25 June 2021

After finishing up my interview with Commissioner Simington, I immediately left for vacation, so this feature was delayed. However, I kept reading. As a result, my list is a bit longer than usual. Retweets are not endorsements! I found these … Continue reading →

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My Chat with Commissioner Simington (Or: Fifteen Questions I Asked a Republican FCC Commissioner)

by James J Heaney Posted on 9 June 2021

Readers, I owe you an apology. Three weeks ago, when I posted Fifteen Questions I Would Like To Ask a Republican FCC Commissioner, I very strongly implied that it was a hypothetical exercise. See? Senate-confirmed Officers of the United States … Continue reading →

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Worthy Reads This Week (2021 May 27)

by James J Heaney Posted on 31 May 2021

Instead of just sharing articles on Facebook when I feel like it, I thought I might try rolling all the “shareworthy” things I encounter into a single weekly blog post. Like most “new features” on De Civitate, I expect I … Continue reading →

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Reading the Tea Leaves in the Supreme Court’s Grant of Dobbs

by James J Heaney Posted on 17 May 2021

Quickly dashing one off after today’s big news… The Supreme Court has “granted cert” in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, regarding a Mississippi ban on most second- and third-trimester abortions. (“Granting cert” means it will hear the case.) It is … Continue reading →

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Fifteen Questions I Would Like To Ask A Republican FCC Commissioner

by James J Heaney Posted on 16 May 2021

(UPDATE: This whole post was secretly just preparation for my interview with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington a couple weeks later.) (TW: net neutrality, pasta racism, NCTA v. Brand X, brief but alarmingly favorable quotation of Justice Breyer, Ted Stevens Dance … Continue reading →

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