The head grows ever larger

“In time of actual war, great discretionary powers are constantly given to the executive magistrate.  Constant apprehension of war has the same tendency to render the head too large for the body.” James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 29, 1787 Producing a book on James Madison presents a great many challenges.  A major one, I am…

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Give the Little Man a Chance!

While attending the Washington Nationals’ Opening Day on Thursday, I immediately collided with the team’s one tremendous success:  its marketing of the mid-game Presidents’ Race.  For those of you who have not enjoyed a game at Nationals Park, this involves four individuals wearing costumes with giant heads that dimly resemble Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and TR. …

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Anti-whose-trust? The Problem of E-Books

I rise on a point of personal privilege.  My government, in the form of the U.S. Department of Justice, has just brought a legal action that will make my life considerably worse.  It has sued five publishing houses and Apple under what we somewhat nostalgically still call the “antitrust” laws.  As an author of three…

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