Dateline: Vilnius, Lithuania "I don't know which is better: the European Union, or the Soviet Union." So said a friend of mine here in Vilnius the other day as we discussed the...
American fascism and the death of the West
Dateline: Dana Point, California This isn’t a destination where you’ll see me regularly. In fact, it takes a lot these days to get me to show up in The Land of the Free. A suite...
Just how bad can an immigration checkpoint be?
Has airport security become a threat to personal freedom? Dateline: O'Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois I have to admit, I'm glad to be flying out of the USA today. While it's nice...
The Freest State in the United States: Does it Matter?
I’ve always loved lists. Even as a teenager, I would read the annual Index of Economic Freedom and marvel at the freedom a place like Hong Kong offered as the world’s freest...
Top 10 Countries for Medical Tourism and Overseas Healthcare
Medical procedures are a fact of life. Whether answering a medical emergency or resolving a more elective desire, many of us know someone – a family member, a friend, a...
Christmas in the Philippines… and out of prison
Dateline: Davao, Philippines There are perhaps few places on earth where Christmas is more widely and lovingly celebrated than the Philippines. In the extended family culture...
The 5 most famous people to renounce US citizenship
Dateline: Manila, Philippines Thousands of people renounced their US citizenship last year. In fact, citizenship renunciations reached record levels. And the Federal Register,...
What are “American Values”? Are they just clinging to the past?
Dateline: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia We hear a lot these days about "American Values". Everyone from politicians of every stripe to talk show hosts extol these mythical virtues with...
The world’s five largest prison populations per capita
They call it "The Land of the Free", but just how free are you in the United States? When police in the USA aren't tasing fathers saving their kids from burning buildings,...
The mystique of country borders and the best government mafias
Dateline: Johor Bahru, Malaysia I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of borders. Growing up on the United States, we learned early on about The Land of the Free’s only two...
Why is the United States called America?
Reporting from: Bangkok, Thailand To be honest, I didn't even realize today was Columbus Day. I guess any excuse for lazy government workers to take a paid day off and celebrate...
The US government shutdown shows just how unfree “America” is
Reporting from: Bangkok, Thailand I have to say, I'm a little embarrassed. No, not for "my" country and all of the crazy things they're doing to innocent people during the...
The rise and fall of societies and the death of the Constitution
Reporting from: Angkor Wat - Siem Reap, Cambodia I love to walk, but I have to admit yesterday’s journey through the temples of Siem Reap - including Angkor Wat - has left my...
Why I choose flight over fight
Reporting from: Phnom Penh, Cambodia Last month in Vietnam, a local business owner told me a story about doing business with the Vietnamese. He talked about just how important...
The government slaves that couldn’t get a Cambodian passport
Reporting from: Phnom Penh, Cambodia I'm not a big fan of the United Nations. If you don't know just how ridiculous, condescending, and useless the UN is, go take a tour of their...
A reminder of big government power and Manifest Destiny
Reporting from: Bavet, Cambodia I’ve always found borders to be an interesting thing. As an eight year old, I would stand in my bedroom and stare at the large world map my mother...
Is “transparency” overrated? Is political corruption good?
Reporting from: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam There’s a notion in the western world that “transparency” - a word largely co-opted by western governments to prove their superiority to...
Are Taxes the Price We Pay for Civilization?
Last updated October 15, 2020 Dateline: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. claimed: “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized...
Shadow statistics: why government statistics are lies
Reporting from: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The idea of a census has been around for thousands of years. The Babylonians are believed to have taken the first government census over...
Thank You for Smoking: A Vietnam Smoking Ban No One Follows
Reporting from: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam This past Saturday night, the scene was dizzying. The taxi driver here in Ho Chi Minh City didn’t know where the relaxed, chill “Skybar”...
