05/17 -- Hillary's terrorists; Marriage: Politics vs. society
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 17, 2012, 12:35:53 AM5/17/12
to Freedom News Daily
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Top Mexican generals detained in alleged ties to drug cartels
2) Greece: New election set for June 17
3) Iraq: 17 bodies found
4) Afghanistan: Three tribal elders killed
5) Pakistan: Karachi attacks kill six
6) German to sue over treatment in CIA-run prison
7) Mexico: Eight charged in Saint Death cult killings
8) Yemen: Regime claims 29 al Qaeda fighters killed
9) Bangladesh: Regime announces probe into Grameen Bank units
10) CA: Gay community challenges naming of "USS Harvey Milk"
11) Liberia: Charles Taylor says prosecution "paid witnesses"
12) FDA panel backs first take-home HIV test
13) SC: Homeowner shoots teen car burglar
14) Poland: Beekeepers win ban on Monsanto's Mon810 corn
15) TN: Drug testing for welfare recipients maybe unconstitutional
16) On eve of Facebook IPO, GM pulls millions in ads
17) Zimmerman's head wounds after Martin shooting likely bolster self-
defense claims
18) Russia: Riot police break up anti-Putin encampment
19) OR: Medical marijuana supporter wins AG primary
20) MS: State warns phony cop may be killing motorists
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Hillary's terrorists
22) Marriage: Politics vs. society
23) If cops can't taze a pregnant woman, the terrorists win
24) The comforting lie
25) So who is our keeper, Mr. President?
26) Thirtieth President of the United States
27) Obama "evolves;" Romney "flip-flops"
28) A state-federal standoff over death penalty
29) Another case of the anticapitalistic mentality
30) OK, suppose they GET their "grand bargain?"
31) Sorry, but SYRIZA won't save Europe
32) Will John McCain save campaign finance reform?
33) When will Obama evolve on the drug war?
34) The US Department of Double Standards
35) The scariest judicial opinion you haven't heard about
36) Unconventional energy meets conventional politics
37) Let's lose LOST
38) Ten Thousand Commandments 2012
39) Money center banks and strict financial oversight
40) Brace yourselves, there's another bank holiday coming
41) Diablo III shows us how digital rights management damages gaming
42) Mitt Romney: The foreign policy of Know-Nothingism
43) Things that should be obvious
44) de Jasay and the model of the total state
45) Romney's gay marriage challenge
46) Financial stability or irrational exuberance in liberty projects?
47) Durability vs. stability: The Kim dynasty and the stationary
bandit model
48) Ron Paul, the paleo fusion, and partisan bias at The American
Conservative
49) The administrative state vs. the social insurance state
50) Some historical perspective for Ron Paul activists
Today's Freedom Audio and Video:
51) Free Talk Live, 05/15/12
52) The Tea Party: Three principles
53) Anarchast, episode 25
54) Tim Cavanaugh talks California budget mess
55) Yousaf Butt on Antiwar Radio
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FREEDOM NEWS
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1) Top Mexican generals detained in alleged ties to drug cartels
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Investigators are questioning Mexico's former deputy defense minister
and a top army general for suspected links to organized crime, in the
highest level scandal to hit the military in the five-year-old drug
war. Mexican soldiers on Tuesday detained retired general Tomas
Angeles Dauahare and general Roberto Dawe Gonzalez, and turned them
over to the country's organized crime unit, military and government
officials said." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c6gye5w
-----
2) Greece: New election set for June 17
Source: MSN Philippines
"Greece will go to the polls for the second time in less than two
months on June 17, the Athens News Agency said Wednesday, as fears
grew of more instability over the country's eurozone future. State-
controlled ANA said Council of State president Panagiotis Pikrammenos,
the head of Greece's top administrative court, will be caretaker prime
minister and organise the ballot after a May 6 poll failed to produce
a government ready to implement in full a tough EU-IMF bailout
accord." (05/16/12)
http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/greek-election-set-for-june-31
-----
3) Iraq: 17 bodies found
Source: Antiwar.com
"Eleven mutilated or burned bodies were found in the greater Kirkuk
region. Gunmen killed a Kurdish civilian. Three beheaded bodies were
found in Aziria. They may be part of a group of mutilated bodies found
in the Kirkuk region. In Mosul, the body of a woman who had been
tortured and shot was found. A pharmacist's body was found in
Shirqat." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K99wHz
-----
4) Afghanistan: Three tribal elders killed
Source: Khaama Press [Afghanistan]
"According to local authorities in western Herat province, unknown
gunmen on Wednesday shot dead at least 3 local tribal elders in this
province. ... Provincial police chief spokesman Noor Khan Nikzad said
the incident took place around 6:30 am local time after unknown gunmen
attacked the tribal elders in a mosque at Shindand
district." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K99boe
-----
5) Pakistan: Karachi attacks kill six
Source: United Press International
"Six people were killed and 10 wounded in separate acts of violence in
Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, officials said. ... a former Muttahida
Qaumi Movement Union Council counselor was killed when unidentified
gunmen opened fire on him .... The other attack was on a hotel in the
Quaidabad area of the city .... the attack killed one person and
injured seven others, including a child. ... Earlier, four people,
including a Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, died in separate
incidents across the city ..." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K98zyU
-----
6) German to sue over treatment in CIA-run prison
Source: MSNBC
"A German man who claims he was beaten and held in a secret prison in
Afghanistan by the CIA has begun a lawsuit in Europe. Khaled el-Masri,
who is of Lebanese origin, alleges that he was the subject of a secret
"rendition" operation and held in a concrete cell near Kabul for
months, according to a press release issued by the European Court of
Human Rights." (05/16/12)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47448711/ns/world_news-europe/
-----
7) Mexico: Eight charged in Saint Death cult killings
Source: Raleigh News & Observer
"Mexican prosecutors have formally charged eight people in the grisly
cult slayings of two 10-year-old boys and a 55-year-old woman. The
suspects are mainly members of an extended family whose purported
leader has said they killed the victims as an offering to 'Santa
Muerte,' or Saint Death, between 2009 and 2012." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cmun6af
-----
8) Yemen: Regime claims 29 al Qaeda fighters killed
Source: Huntington Herald-Dispatch
"Government troops and warplanes pounded al-Qaida positions in
southern Yemen on Wednesday, killing at least 29 militants as part of
a ramped up campaign against the group, military officials said. Al-
Qaida-linked fighters have taken over a swath of territory and several
towns in the south, including the Abyan provincial capital of
Zinjibar, in the past year, pushing out government forces and setting
up their own rule." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cvo4p8e
-----
9) Bangladesh: Regime announces probe into Grameen Bank units
Source: Boston Herald
"Bangladesh has ordered a four-member commission to investigate 54
businesses linked to the pioneering microlender Grameen Bank founded
by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The probe came weeks after Finance
Minister A.M.A. Muhith said the bank's board had not authorized most
of the affiliates. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
urged Bangladesh's government on a recent visit here to not to do
anything that might undermine the effectiveness of the bank. Muhith
later dismissed her remarks as unwarranted." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cryaesq
-----
10) CA: Gay community challenges naming of "USS Harvey Milk"
Source: Fox News
"A California Democratic congressman is asking the Navy to name a ship
after the late San Francisco lawmaker and gay activist Harvey Milk,
but some of the strongest opposition appears to be from the gay
community. Rep. Bob Filner has written a letter to the heads of the
Navy and Defense Department saying he 'wholeheartedly' agrees with
local efforts in San Francisco and his San Diego district to honor
Milk, a Navy diver better known for his term as San Francisco city
supervisor. Milk was gunned down in 1978 by a former city
supervisor." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7o7c5uy
-----
11) Liberia: Charles Taylor says prosecution "paid witnesses"
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has accused the prosecution
of paying and threatening witnesses in his war crimes trial. Taylor,
who was convicted last month, also told judges in The Hague he was 'no
threat to society.' It was the 64-year-old's last chance to speak at
the international court before he is sentenced later this month.
Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone
during its civil war." (05/16/12)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18082584
-----
12) FDA panel backs first take-home HIV test
Source: Arizona Republic
"American consumers may soon be able to test themselves for the virus
that causes AIDS in the privacy of their own homes, after a panel of
experts on Tuesday recommended approval of the first rapid, over-the-
counter HIV test. The 17 members of the Food and Drug Administration
advisory panel voted unanimously that the benefits of the OraQuick HIV
test outweigh its potential risks for consumers. While the test, which
uses a mouth swab to return a result in 20 minutes, does not appear to
be as accurate as professionally-administered diagnostics, panelists
said it could provide an important way to expand HIV
testing." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/74bh8ta
-----
13) SC: Homeowner shoots teen car burglar
Source: WSPA News
"A teenager was wounded before being arrested for a suspected
autobreaking incident in Greenville County. ... a homeowner on North
Haven Drive said he heard noise outside his home around 1:30 a.m.
Sunday. The man was armed when he went outside the house and said he
saw the 16-year old suspect breaking into a vehicle in the driveway.
Deputies say the homeowner thought the teenager pulled out a
weapon. ... The homeowner eventually shot and wounded the suspect who
was arrested when deputies arrived." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K97IhI
-----
14) Poland: Beekeepers win ban on Monsanto's Mon810 corn
Source: Project NSearch
"Monsanto's Mon810 corn, genetically engineered to produce a mutant
version of the insecticide Bt, has been banned in Poland following
protests by beekeepers who showed the corn was killing honeybees.
Poland is the first country to formally acknowledge the link between
Monsanto's genetically engineered corn and the Colony Collapse
Disorder (CCD) that's been devastating bees around the world. Many
analysts believe that Monsanto has known the danger their GMOs posed
to bees all along." (05/14/12)
http://bit.ly/J903Dw
-----
15) TN: Drug testing for welfare recipients maybe unconstitutional
Source: The Tennessean
"Yolanda Powers is willing to take a drug test in order to qualify for
welfare. But she doesn't think people struggling to get back on their
feet should have to pay for it. Like many of the thousands of
Tennesseans receiving benefits under the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families program, Powers says new legislation passed by the
state legislature this month doesn't bother her. The legislation,
which Gov. Bill Haslam has said he will sign, is similar in nature to
a number of controversial and constitutionally suspect laws in other
states." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/72ekw29
-----
16) On eve of Facebook IPO, GM pulls millions in ads
Source: Christian Science Monitor
"Facebook, by all accounts, will soon become the most valuable company
ever to go public ... Much of that value is tied to its the ability to
rake in cash from online and mobile advertisements. For its part,
Facebook has bragged that it offers its advertisers unparalleled reach
and accuracy. According to The Wall Street Journal, which first broke
the news, car-maker General Motors is set to yank its advertisements
from Facebook -- a direct result of the failure of the ads to impact
consumers' purchases." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/79h5lm5
-----
17) Zimmerman's head wounds after Martin shooting likely bolster self-
defense claims
Source: CBS News
"Medical records showing that George Zimmerman was treated for a
fractured nose and cuts to the back of his head after fatally shooting
17-year-old Trayvon Martin will likely bolster Zimmerman's argument
that Martin attacked him, CBS News legal analyst Jack Ford said on
'CBS This Morning' Wednesday. The records came to light Tuesday. CBS
News has also confirmed they show that Zimmerman had a pair of black
eyes when he was examined by a doctor Feb. 27, the day after he shot
Martin in a gated Florida community." (05/16/12)
http://cbsn.ws/JGCUGH
-----
18) Russia: Riot police break up anti-Putin encampment
Source: New York Times
"The Russian authorities pressed their crackdown on antigovernment
protesters on the streets, and in Parliament, on Wednesday .... The
protesters had been warned ahead of a court order to remove them by
noon Wednesday, and though more than 20 were detained, many slipped
into the subway and set off for another city square." (05/16/12)
http://nyti.ms/JGwKqa
-----
19) OR: Medical marijuana supporter wins AG primary
Source: Reuters
"In a primary election race for Oregon's top law enforcement post, the
candidate who pledged to protect medical marijuana patients scored a
decisive victory Tuesday night over a rival who led a cannabis
crackdown last year. Retired judge Ellen Rosenblum, strongly backed by
proponents of liberalized marijuana laws, captured 63 percent of the
vote in the Democratic primary .... Because no Republicans sought
their party's nomination for attorney general, the Democratic primary
victor, Rosenblum, becomes the presumptive winner in November's
general election, making her the first woman to claim that
office." (05/16/12)
http://reut.rs/JGtxa3
-----
20) MS: State warns phony cop may be killing motorists
Source: CNN
"Someone who may be posing as a police officer is pulling cars over on
Mississippi highways and then shooting drivers dead, authorities said.
After two such shootings this month, the Mississippi Bureau of
Investigation is asking for the public's help to find the person. ...
Authorities were asking citizens to be careful if they are pulled over
and feel uneasy. They advise drivers to call 911 and verify that a
legitimate officer is pulling them over or drive to a well-lit,
crowded place before stopping, actions permitted under Mississippi
state law." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K8mjJC
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HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 05/17/12
Iraqi Deaths Due to US Invasion: 1,455,590
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/iraq)
US Deaths in Afghanistan: Bush 575, Obama 1296
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/obamavsbush)
------------------------------------------------------------------
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FREEDOM COMMENTARY
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21) Hillary's terrorists
Source: Antiwar.com
by Justin Raimondo
"The MEK's campaign to get their terrorist group legitimized has been
characterized by large cash payments to prominent politicians and
public figures in both parties: the list of MEK endorsers reads like a
political Who's Who of Washington bigwigs. The payments are ostensibly
for speaking engagements at MEK rallies, but the size of these
disbursements -- ranging upward from $50,000 -- indicates some good
old-fashioned bribery. There is an awful lot of MEK cash sloshing
around the halls of Congress, and the cultists haven't been shy about
handing it out." (05/16/12)
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2012/05/15/hillarys-terrorists/
-----
22) Marriage: Politics vs. society
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Thomas L. Knapp
"Marriage has existed, in one form or another, for as long as
humankind. Monogamous, (theoretically) life-long heterosexual marriage
with property equality between partners is only one such form. If that
form was truly superior to all conceivable others in all ways, it
wouldn't need a politician with a tin badge and a .44 Magnum to
'protect' it from competing alternatives." (05/16/12)
http://c4ss.org/content/10357
-----
23) If cops can't taze a pregnant woman, the terrorists win
Source: Pro Libertate
by Will Grigg
"In a reasonably free society, police (actually, peace officers) would
not presume to 'enforce' the law; they would track down and arrest
people plausibly suspected of committing crimes against person and
property. They would not be permitted to violate the unconditional law
of non-aggression by initiating force, or issue what they assume to be
'lawful orders' to people who are not suspected of actual crimes. They
certainly would not be permitted to employ 'pain compliance' in any
situation that didn't involve legitimate defense against an actual
aggressor." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K96K52
-----
24) The comforting lie
Source: Strike the Root
by Vahram G. Diehl
"I know you feel alone in this. I know at times you feel completely
lost and overwhelmed against the seemingly insurmountable forces
stacked against you. I know you wish you could just forget all this
and fade into nothingness. The temptation is truly unbearable at
times. But the most important revelation you can have is that it is
not the world that needs changing. It is this very mentality you must
do away with." (05/16/12)
http://www.strike-the-root.com/comforting-lie
-----
25) So who is our keeper, Mr. President?
Source: Acton Institute
by Samuel Gregg
"In case you missed it, President Obama visited the People's Republic
of Vermont in late March. It was, as the President reminded his
adoring fans at a rally, the first time a sitting president had
visited the land of Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Democratic
Socialist) since 1995 (when another Democratic president was running
for re-election)." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7tzr4lc
-----
26) Thirtieth President of the United States
Source: Liberty For All
by staff
"Calvin Coolidge (July 4, 1872-January 5, 1933) was the 30th President
of the United States (1923-1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont,
Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics,
eventually becoming governor of that state. His conduct during the
Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight
and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. Soon after, he
was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the
Presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in
1923." (05/16/12)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=7611
-----
27) Obama "evolves;" Romney "flip-flops"
Source: Orange County Register
by Ron Hart
"Obama got it right about gay marriage. ... Kudos. The president
overturned Bill Clinton's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy last year,
and now he has come out in support of gay marriage. My guess is that
he felt homosexuals could endure brutal wartime combat but until now
were not quite ready for marriage. ... Between enlisting in the
military and marriage, gays must not feel their lives are complete
until they can be yelled at in the confines of a sanctioned
institution. ... When Mitt Romney changes positions, he 'flip-flops,'
but the media's Messiah, Obama, of course, simply 'evolves.'
Conservative Republicans never believed in evolution, anyway, so they
are torn on this." (05/16/12)
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/gay-354258-marriage-gays.html
-----
28) A state-federal standoff over death penalty
Source: The American Prospect
by Garrett Epps
"A principled governor invoking 'states' rights' to defy federal
policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A
federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent
attacking a power-hungry Congress. United States v. Pleau has all the
elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely
symbolic stakes). But don't expect to see Rhode Island Governor
Lincoln Chafee's 'state's rights' stand hailed by Republican
conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to
show his disapproval of the federal death penalty." (05/16/12)
http://prospect.org/article/state-federal-standoff-over-death-penalty
-----
29) Another case of the anticapitalistic mentality
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by David Gordon
"Michael Sandel, a popular government professor at Harvard, asks a
good question, but his answer leaves a great deal to be desired. Are
there things, he wants to know, that should not be bought and sold on
the free market? What role should markets play in public life and
personal relations? How can we decide which goods should be bought and
sold, and which should be governed by nonmarket values?" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/bngz4ug
-----
30) OK, suppose they GET their "grand bargain?"
Source: Our Future
by Dave Johnson
"Suppose the 'deficit hawk' plan unfolds just as it is being presented
-- right after the election and before those we elect can take office,
the Congress meets and hammers out a 'grand bargain' to 'reform' taxes
and cut back on government and the things democracy does for We, the
People. Will that be the end of it? Will the country move on from
deficit hysteria to a new lobbyist-manufactured 'crisis?'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/87bycgv
-----
31) Sorry, but SYRIZA won't save Europe
Source: Spiked
by Brendan O'Neill
"The radical Greek leftists, along with Hollande in France, pose as
anti-austerity yet promote ideas which will condemn Europe to long-
term penury." (05/16/12)
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/12448/
-----
32) Will John McCain save campaign finance reform?
Source: The Nation
by George Zornick
"The Hill published an intriguing scoop this morning--one that
suggests campaign finance reform, all but left for dead in the 112th
Congress, may suddenly have new life. Senator John McCain is
reportedly huddling with Democrats on the DISCLOSE Act, a major piece
of campaign finance legislation that would require outside groups that
spend more than $10,000 on electioneering to file a disclosure report
with the Federal Elections Commission within twenty-four
hours." [editor's note: Ironic that "the enemy" of 2008 holds the key
for "progressive" ends now? - SAT] (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7uezb6x
-----
33) When will Obama evolve on the drug war?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Sheldon Richman
"Much is made of how President Obama's position on same-sex marriage
has 'evolved' to an endorsement of legalization. One hopes his
position on the atrocity called the 'war on drugs' is evolving. It's
not really a war on drugs. It's a war on people, most of whom have
committed no violence or other aggression against person or
property." (05/16/12)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1205l.asp
-----
34) The US Department of Double Standards
Source: In These Times
by Leonard C. Goodman
"It's not that the DOJ doesn't criminally prosecute people who pay
bribes. ... The feds prefer to bring such cases against people who
don't have access to corporate lobbyists. On April 21, The New York
Times reported that Wal-Mart de Mexico paid $24 million in bribes to
local land use officials in exchange for allowing the company to build
stores in virtually every corner of the country, and to make
environmental objections vanish. Although its top executives
apparently approved of and helped conceal the bribery scheme -- in
violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act -- the chances that any
of them will face criminal prosecution is remote." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6p5gah7
-----
35) The scariest judicial opinion you haven't heard about
Source: The New Republic
by Jeffrey Rosen
"For the past few months, the legal discussion in Washington has
centered around the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on health care
reform. Far less attention has been paid to a decision issued by the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on April 13 -- even though
it may prove, in the long run, to be similarly significant. At first
glance, the case, Hettinga v. United States, doesn't seem to merit
much attention, since it concerns a less-than-scintillating subject:
the production and distribution of milk." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7pxs9yg
-----
36) Unconventional energy meets conventional politics
Source: Freedom Politics
by Steven F. Hayward
"I vividly recall a conversation about seven years ago with someone in
the oil and gas exploration business whom I assumed was ramping up oil
drilling because of the rising price of crude. But the answer
surprised me. 'No, we're not doing oil. We're putting all of our chips
on shale gas and coal-bed methane.' To which I responded: 'What's
that?'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cwtmsqy
-----
37) Let's lose LOST
Source: OpenMarket.org
by Iain Murray
"The Law of the Sea Treaty would drastically undermine American
sovereignty, giving massive powers to the U.N. (aka the Dictators'
Club of New York), but the Senate is actually considering passing it
-- get this -- as a tribute to Dick Lugar, whose voters
unceremoniously dumped him last week. Seriously, couldn't they just
give him a medal? This is enough to make me think the House of Lords
is a good idea." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/77qwq8c
-----
38) Ten Thousand Commandments 2012
Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Clyde Wayne Crews
"The scope of federal government spending and deficits is sobering.
Yet the government's reach extends well beyond the taxes Washington
collects and its deficit spending and borrowing. Federal
environmental, safety and health, and economic regulations cost
hundreds of billions -- perhaps trillions -- of dollars every year
over and above the costs of the official federal outlays that dominate
the policy debate." (05/15/12)
http://cei.org/studies/ten-thousand-commandments-2012
-----
39) Money center banks and strict financial oversight
Source: Breaking All The Rules
by James Hall
"The sociable regulatory atmosphere that turns the revolving door
relationship of Wall Street and government regulation is so chummy
that only insignificant fines are levied, when the major money center
banks gets caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Earnest and
comprehensive restructuring of the financial system is impossible as
long as the banksters dictate economic policy to their favorite
legislative proteges." (05/16/12)
http://www.batr.org/negotium/051612.html
-----
40) Brace yourselves, there's another bank holiday coming
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Vuk Vukovic
"Using event like the Royal Wedding to justify a double-dip recession
can only be done by those hiding their own incompetence for being
unable to achieve a recovery. In the end, it's not how many days in a
week people work, it's how much value an economy can create. This is
where the UK is lagging behind. And it won't fix it with giving
businesses extra money but by giving them an equal, unconstrained
opportunity to compete and succeed." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/IYFq9j
-----
41) Diablo III shows us how digital rights management damages gaming
Source: VentureBeat
by Sean Bassinger
"Before the west coast clock hit midnight on May 15, gamers across the
globe flooded social networks in excitement over the launch of Diablo
III. Many years and numerous teaser trailers later, this was the grand
experience many of us had waited for. And when the moment finally
arrived: silence ... followed by another social media flood cursing
Blizzard's name. ... Enough publishers don't realize this yet, but
heavily enforced DRM implementations will cost them greater amounts of
money over time." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JGBs7b
-----
42) Mitt Romney: The foreign policy of Know-Nothingism
Source: Cato Institute
by Doug Bandow
"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has become the inevitable
Republican Party presidential nominee. Despite the weak economy, he
faces an uphill race. It's never easy to defeat an incumbent
president. Moreover, Romney can't rely on the GOP's traditional
foreign-policy advantage." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JGABU7
-----
43) Things that should be obvious
Source: QandO
by Dale Franks
"Reality is a great test of belief. Sometimes, the things you believe
are confirmed by experience. Sometimes they aren't. And sometimes,
reality is so at odds with what people believe, they have to be
complete dolts to keep believing it. But, I constantly see people who
believe things that simply can't be true, and it bothers
me." (05/15/12)
http://www.qando.net/?p=13026
-----
44) de Jasay and the model of the total state
Source: Liberale et Libertaire
by dL
"A naive 'first-order' rational choice analysis will argue the need
for the State as means for a credible enforcement of commitments
between rational, self-interested actors. A more realistic 'second-
order' analysis will also extend this same rational,self-interested
agency to State actors. A second-order analysis is then concerned with
examining the logic of an Agency that is endowed with the same
properties of agency that supposedly necessitates its role of external
Agency in the first place." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JGyCPD
-----
45) Romney's gay marriage challenge
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"What does he mean by 'domestic partnership?'" (05/16/12)
http://reason.com/archives/2012/05/16/romneys-gay-marriage-challenge
-----
46) Financial stability or irrational exuberance in liberty projects?
Source: Daily Anarchist
by Davi Barker
"There is an axiom libertarians use to talk about government spending;
that which is economically unsustainable cannot endure. This applies
to liberty projects too. I'm concerned that if our liberty projects
are sustained by irrational exuberance, and not by actual economic
incentives, these projects, maybe the movement itself, is
unsustainable without the zeal of converts, because eventually the
enthusiasm bubble pops." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JGsrLq
-----
47) Durability vs. stability: The Kim dynasty and the stationary
bandit model
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"The stationary bandit model fails to clearly distinguish durability
from stability. But on reflection, the model's hopeful implications
presuppose not mere durability, but stability. A stationary bandit who
knows he'll retain power whatever he does has a solid selfish motive
to adopt pro-growth policies. But the latest scion of a rigid thousand-
year dynasty can't afford to be so open-minded." (05/16/12)
http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2012/05/durability_vs_s.html
-----
48) Ron Paul, the paleo fusion, and partisan bias at The American
Conservative
Source: Independent Country
by James Leroy Wilson
"[I]n the end, which side got the better of the paleo 'fusion,'
libertarians or conservatives? What attracted young people to Paul,
his anti-war, pro-liberty message, or his anti-abortion, states rights
views? Did those who knew nothing about politics become more
libertarian after listening to Paul, or more conservative? Was it more
likely that Paul's campaign led hard-core libertarians to become more
conservative, or hard-core paleo-conservatives to become more
libertarian?" (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/K8ftUH
-----
49) The administrative state vs. the social insurance state
Source: Bleeding Heart Libertarians
by Jason Brennan
"The administrative state directly interferes with citizens' economic
liberty. To expand the scope of the administrative state's power just
is to limit the scope of individual citizens' economic liberty. What
about the social insurance state, especially one that works pretty
well? If you regard all taxation as theft, then you'll see the social
insurance state as a direct assault on property rights. But, even
then, the social insurance state does not, in itself, directly curtail
most economic liberties." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JvzdXh
-----
50) Some historical perspective for Ron Paul activists
Source: LewRockwell.com
by Ryan McMaken
"I've been somewhat surprised by the absolutely hysterical reaction
among some RP activists to Ron Paul's announcement that he's shifting
resources toward winning more delegates instead of blowing it on straw
polls in new primaries. In some of the forums, alleged 'supporters'
are hurling insults at both Ron and his staffers." (05/16/12)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/mcmaken/mcmaken140.html
------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM AUDIO & VIDEO
------------------------------------------------------------------
51) Free Talk Live, 05/15/12
Source: Free Talk Live
"Derrick J checks in from jail :: Free Market Protection from Scary
People :: Borders and Nations :: Ron Paul Out? :: Incrementalism ::
Increasing Tyranny for Liberty? :: War on Drugs :: Altered States --
At what age? :: Cops Stealing Cash :: Cop Holds Pizza Dude with Gun to
Head :: Keene Statism :: Keys to Happiness :: Mark Interviews Matthew
Southworth from the Friends Committee on National Legislation." [MP3]
(05/15/12)
http://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2012-05-15/download
-----
52) The Tea Party: Three principles
Source: Cato Institute
Cato video featuring Roger Pilon, Michael Barone, Elizabeth Price
Foley and Doug Kendall. [Flash video] (05/15/12)
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/tea-party-three-principles
-----
53) Anarchast, episode 25
Source: Anarchast
"In this episode of Anarchast, we talk with Josh Luther in beautiful
Acapulco, Mexico." [Flash video] (05/14/12)
http://bit.ly/IYI3rN
-----
54) Tim Cavanaugh talks California budget mess
Source: reason.tv
"Tim Cavanaugh, Managing Editor of Reason.com, talks to FOX 11 Los
Angeles about California's increased spending despite proposed
cuts." [Flash video] (05/14/12)
http://reason.tv/video/show/tim-cavanaugh-talks-california-3
-----
55) Yousaf Butt on Antiwar Radio
Source: Antiwar.com
"Yousaf Butt, scientific consultant to the Federation of American
Scientists, discusses his article 'Debunking the Missile-Defense
Myth' ..." [Flash audio or MP3] (05/14/12)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2012/05/14/yousaf-butt/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Top Mexican generals detained in alleged ties to drug cartels
2) Greece: New election set for June 17
3) Iraq: 17 bodies found
4) Afghanistan: Three tribal elders killed
5) Pakistan: Karachi attacks kill six
6) German to sue over treatment in CIA-run prison
7) Mexico: Eight charged in Saint Death cult killings
8) Yemen: Regime claims 29 al Qaeda fighters killed
9) Bangladesh: Regime announces probe into Grameen Bank units
10) CA: Gay community challenges naming of "USS Harvey Milk"
11) Liberia: Charles Taylor says prosecution "paid witnesses"
12) FDA panel backs first take-home HIV test
13) SC: Homeowner shoots teen car burglar
14) Poland: Beekeepers win ban on Monsanto's Mon810 corn
15) TN: Drug testing for welfare recipients maybe unconstitutional
16) On eve of Facebook IPO, GM pulls millions in ads
17) Zimmerman's head wounds after Martin shooting likely bolster self-
defense claims
18) Russia: Riot police break up anti-Putin encampment
19) OR: Medical marijuana supporter wins AG primary
20) MS: State warns phony cop may be killing motorists
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Hillary's terrorists
22) Marriage: Politics vs. society
23) If cops can't taze a pregnant woman, the terrorists win
24) The comforting lie
25) So who is our keeper, Mr. President?
26) Thirtieth President of the United States
27) Obama "evolves;" Romney "flip-flops"
28) A state-federal standoff over death penalty
29) Another case of the anticapitalistic mentality
30) OK, suppose they GET their "grand bargain?"
31) Sorry, but SYRIZA won't save Europe
32) Will John McCain save campaign finance reform?
33) When will Obama evolve on the drug war?
34) The US Department of Double Standards
35) The scariest judicial opinion you haven't heard about
36) Unconventional energy meets conventional politics
37) Let's lose LOST
38) Ten Thousand Commandments 2012
39) Money center banks and strict financial oversight
40) Brace yourselves, there's another bank holiday coming
41) Diablo III shows us how digital rights management damages gaming
42) Mitt Romney: The foreign policy of Know-Nothingism
43) Things that should be obvious
44) de Jasay and the model of the total state
45) Romney's gay marriage challenge
46) Financial stability or irrational exuberance in liberty projects?
47) Durability vs. stability: The Kim dynasty and the stationary
bandit model
48) Ron Paul, the paleo fusion, and partisan bias at The American
Conservative
49) The administrative state vs. the social insurance state
50) Some historical perspective for Ron Paul activists
Today's Freedom Audio and Video:
51) Free Talk Live, 05/15/12
52) The Tea Party: Three principles
53) Anarchast, episode 25
54) Tim Cavanaugh talks California budget mess
55) Yousaf Butt on Antiwar Radio
------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Top Mexican generals detained in alleged ties to drug cartels
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Investigators are questioning Mexico's former deputy defense minister
and a top army general for suspected links to organized crime, in the
highest level scandal to hit the military in the five-year-old drug
war. Mexican soldiers on Tuesday detained retired general Tomas
Angeles Dauahare and general Roberto Dawe Gonzalez, and turned them
over to the country's organized crime unit, military and government
officials said." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c6gye5w
-----
2) Greece: New election set for June 17
Source: MSN Philippines
"Greece will go to the polls for the second time in less than two
months on June 17, the Athens News Agency said Wednesday, as fears
grew of more instability over the country's eurozone future. State-
controlled ANA said Council of State president Panagiotis Pikrammenos,
the head of Greece's top administrative court, will be caretaker prime
minister and organise the ballot after a May 6 poll failed to produce
a government ready to implement in full a tough EU-IMF bailout
accord." (05/16/12)
http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/greek-election-set-for-june-31
-----
3) Iraq: 17 bodies found
Source: Antiwar.com
"Eleven mutilated or burned bodies were found in the greater Kirkuk
region. Gunmen killed a Kurdish civilian. Three beheaded bodies were
found in Aziria. They may be part of a group of mutilated bodies found
in the Kirkuk region. In Mosul, the body of a woman who had been
tortured and shot was found. A pharmacist's body was found in
Shirqat." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K99wHz
-----
4) Afghanistan: Three tribal elders killed
Source: Khaama Press [Afghanistan]
"According to local authorities in western Herat province, unknown
gunmen on Wednesday shot dead at least 3 local tribal elders in this
province. ... Provincial police chief spokesman Noor Khan Nikzad said
the incident took place around 6:30 am local time after unknown gunmen
attacked the tribal elders in a mosque at Shindand
district." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K99boe
-----
5) Pakistan: Karachi attacks kill six
Source: United Press International
"Six people were killed and 10 wounded in separate acts of violence in
Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, officials said. ... a former Muttahida
Qaumi Movement Union Council counselor was killed when unidentified
gunmen opened fire on him .... The other attack was on a hotel in the
Quaidabad area of the city .... the attack killed one person and
injured seven others, including a child. ... Earlier, four people,
including a Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, died in separate
incidents across the city ..." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K98zyU
-----
6) German to sue over treatment in CIA-run prison
Source: MSNBC
"A German man who claims he was beaten and held in a secret prison in
Afghanistan by the CIA has begun a lawsuit in Europe. Khaled el-Masri,
who is of Lebanese origin, alleges that he was the subject of a secret
"rendition" operation and held in a concrete cell near Kabul for
months, according to a press release issued by the European Court of
Human Rights." (05/16/12)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47448711/ns/world_news-europe/
-----
7) Mexico: Eight charged in Saint Death cult killings
Source: Raleigh News & Observer
"Mexican prosecutors have formally charged eight people in the grisly
cult slayings of two 10-year-old boys and a 55-year-old woman. The
suspects are mainly members of an extended family whose purported
leader has said they killed the victims as an offering to 'Santa
Muerte,' or Saint Death, between 2009 and 2012." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cmun6af
-----
8) Yemen: Regime claims 29 al Qaeda fighters killed
Source: Huntington Herald-Dispatch
"Government troops and warplanes pounded al-Qaida positions in
southern Yemen on Wednesday, killing at least 29 militants as part of
a ramped up campaign against the group, military officials said. Al-
Qaida-linked fighters have taken over a swath of territory and several
towns in the south, including the Abyan provincial capital of
Zinjibar, in the past year, pushing out government forces and setting
up their own rule." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cvo4p8e
-----
9) Bangladesh: Regime announces probe into Grameen Bank units
Source: Boston Herald
"Bangladesh has ordered a four-member commission to investigate 54
businesses linked to the pioneering microlender Grameen Bank founded
by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The probe came weeks after Finance
Minister A.M.A. Muhith said the bank's board had not authorized most
of the affiliates. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
urged Bangladesh's government on a recent visit here to not to do
anything that might undermine the effectiveness of the bank. Muhith
later dismissed her remarks as unwarranted." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cryaesq
-----
10) CA: Gay community challenges naming of "USS Harvey Milk"
Source: Fox News
"A California Democratic congressman is asking the Navy to name a ship
after the late San Francisco lawmaker and gay activist Harvey Milk,
but some of the strongest opposition appears to be from the gay
community. Rep. Bob Filner has written a letter to the heads of the
Navy and Defense Department saying he 'wholeheartedly' agrees with
local efforts in San Francisco and his San Diego district to honor
Milk, a Navy diver better known for his term as San Francisco city
supervisor. Milk was gunned down in 1978 by a former city
supervisor." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7o7c5uy
-----
11) Liberia: Charles Taylor says prosecution "paid witnesses"
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has accused the prosecution
of paying and threatening witnesses in his war crimes trial. Taylor,
who was convicted last month, also told judges in The Hague he was 'no
threat to society.' It was the 64-year-old's last chance to speak at
the international court before he is sentenced later this month.
Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone
during its civil war." (05/16/12)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18082584
-----
12) FDA panel backs first take-home HIV test
Source: Arizona Republic
"American consumers may soon be able to test themselves for the virus
that causes AIDS in the privacy of their own homes, after a panel of
experts on Tuesday recommended approval of the first rapid, over-the-
counter HIV test. The 17 members of the Food and Drug Administration
advisory panel voted unanimously that the benefits of the OraQuick HIV
test outweigh its potential risks for consumers. While the test, which
uses a mouth swab to return a result in 20 minutes, does not appear to
be as accurate as professionally-administered diagnostics, panelists
said it could provide an important way to expand HIV
testing." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/74bh8ta
-----
13) SC: Homeowner shoots teen car burglar
Source: WSPA News
"A teenager was wounded before being arrested for a suspected
autobreaking incident in Greenville County. ... a homeowner on North
Haven Drive said he heard noise outside his home around 1:30 a.m.
Sunday. The man was armed when he went outside the house and said he
saw the 16-year old suspect breaking into a vehicle in the driveway.
Deputies say the homeowner thought the teenager pulled out a
weapon. ... The homeowner eventually shot and wounded the suspect who
was arrested when deputies arrived." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K97IhI
-----
14) Poland: Beekeepers win ban on Monsanto's Mon810 corn
Source: Project NSearch
"Monsanto's Mon810 corn, genetically engineered to produce a mutant
version of the insecticide Bt, has been banned in Poland following
protests by beekeepers who showed the corn was killing honeybees.
Poland is the first country to formally acknowledge the link between
Monsanto's genetically engineered corn and the Colony Collapse
Disorder (CCD) that's been devastating bees around the world. Many
analysts believe that Monsanto has known the danger their GMOs posed
to bees all along." (05/14/12)
http://bit.ly/J903Dw
-----
15) TN: Drug testing for welfare recipients maybe unconstitutional
Source: The Tennessean
"Yolanda Powers is willing to take a drug test in order to qualify for
welfare. But she doesn't think people struggling to get back on their
feet should have to pay for it. Like many of the thousands of
Tennesseans receiving benefits under the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families program, Powers says new legislation passed by the
state legislature this month doesn't bother her. The legislation,
which Gov. Bill Haslam has said he will sign, is similar in nature to
a number of controversial and constitutionally suspect laws in other
states." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/72ekw29
-----
16) On eve of Facebook IPO, GM pulls millions in ads
Source: Christian Science Monitor
"Facebook, by all accounts, will soon become the most valuable company
ever to go public ... Much of that value is tied to its the ability to
rake in cash from online and mobile advertisements. For its part,
Facebook has bragged that it offers its advertisers unparalleled reach
and accuracy. According to The Wall Street Journal, which first broke
the news, car-maker General Motors is set to yank its advertisements
from Facebook -- a direct result of the failure of the ads to impact
consumers' purchases." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/79h5lm5
-----
17) Zimmerman's head wounds after Martin shooting likely bolster self-
defense claims
Source: CBS News
"Medical records showing that George Zimmerman was treated for a
fractured nose and cuts to the back of his head after fatally shooting
17-year-old Trayvon Martin will likely bolster Zimmerman's argument
that Martin attacked him, CBS News legal analyst Jack Ford said on
'CBS This Morning' Wednesday. The records came to light Tuesday. CBS
News has also confirmed they show that Zimmerman had a pair of black
eyes when he was examined by a doctor Feb. 27, the day after he shot
Martin in a gated Florida community." (05/16/12)
http://cbsn.ws/JGCUGH
-----
18) Russia: Riot police break up anti-Putin encampment
Source: New York Times
"The Russian authorities pressed their crackdown on antigovernment
protesters on the streets, and in Parliament, on Wednesday .... The
protesters had been warned ahead of a court order to remove them by
noon Wednesday, and though more than 20 were detained, many slipped
into the subway and set off for another city square." (05/16/12)
http://nyti.ms/JGwKqa
-----
19) OR: Medical marijuana supporter wins AG primary
Source: Reuters
"In a primary election race for Oregon's top law enforcement post, the
candidate who pledged to protect medical marijuana patients scored a
decisive victory Tuesday night over a rival who led a cannabis
crackdown last year. Retired judge Ellen Rosenblum, strongly backed by
proponents of liberalized marijuana laws, captured 63 percent of the
vote in the Democratic primary .... Because no Republicans sought
their party's nomination for attorney general, the Democratic primary
victor, Rosenblum, becomes the presumptive winner in November's
general election, making her the first woman to claim that
office." (05/16/12)
http://reut.rs/JGtxa3
-----
20) MS: State warns phony cop may be killing motorists
Source: CNN
"Someone who may be posing as a police officer is pulling cars over on
Mississippi highways and then shooting drivers dead, authorities said.
After two such shootings this month, the Mississippi Bureau of
Investigation is asking for the public's help to find the person. ...
Authorities were asking citizens to be careful if they are pulled over
and feel uneasy. They advise drivers to call 911 and verify that a
legitimate officer is pulling them over or drive to a well-lit,
crowded place before stopping, actions permitted under Mississippi
state law." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K8mjJC
------------------------------------------------------------------
HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 05/17/12
Iraqi Deaths Due to US Invasion: 1,455,590
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/iraq)
US Deaths in Afghanistan: Bush 575, Obama 1296
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/obamavsbush)
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM COMMENTARY
------------------------------------------------------------------
21) Hillary's terrorists
Source: Antiwar.com
by Justin Raimondo
"The MEK's campaign to get their terrorist group legitimized has been
characterized by large cash payments to prominent politicians and
public figures in both parties: the list of MEK endorsers reads like a
political Who's Who of Washington bigwigs. The payments are ostensibly
for speaking engagements at MEK rallies, but the size of these
disbursements -- ranging upward from $50,000 -- indicates some good
old-fashioned bribery. There is an awful lot of MEK cash sloshing
around the halls of Congress, and the cultists haven't been shy about
handing it out." (05/16/12)
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2012/05/15/hillarys-terrorists/
-----
22) Marriage: Politics vs. society
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Thomas L. Knapp
"Marriage has existed, in one form or another, for as long as
humankind. Monogamous, (theoretically) life-long heterosexual marriage
with property equality between partners is only one such form. If that
form was truly superior to all conceivable others in all ways, it
wouldn't need a politician with a tin badge and a .44 Magnum to
'protect' it from competing alternatives." (05/16/12)
http://c4ss.org/content/10357
-----
23) If cops can't taze a pregnant woman, the terrorists win
Source: Pro Libertate
by Will Grigg
"In a reasonably free society, police (actually, peace officers) would
not presume to 'enforce' the law; they would track down and arrest
people plausibly suspected of committing crimes against person and
property. They would not be permitted to violate the unconditional law
of non-aggression by initiating force, or issue what they assume to be
'lawful orders' to people who are not suspected of actual crimes. They
certainly would not be permitted to employ 'pain compliance' in any
situation that didn't involve legitimate defense against an actual
aggressor." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/K96K52
-----
24) The comforting lie
Source: Strike the Root
by Vahram G. Diehl
"I know you feel alone in this. I know at times you feel completely
lost and overwhelmed against the seemingly insurmountable forces
stacked against you. I know you wish you could just forget all this
and fade into nothingness. The temptation is truly unbearable at
times. But the most important revelation you can have is that it is
not the world that needs changing. It is this very mentality you must
do away with." (05/16/12)
http://www.strike-the-root.com/comforting-lie
-----
25) So who is our keeper, Mr. President?
Source: Acton Institute
by Samuel Gregg
"In case you missed it, President Obama visited the People's Republic
of Vermont in late March. It was, as the President reminded his
adoring fans at a rally, the first time a sitting president had
visited the land of Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Democratic
Socialist) since 1995 (when another Democratic president was running
for re-election)." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7tzr4lc
-----
26) Thirtieth President of the United States
Source: Liberty For All
by staff
"Calvin Coolidge (July 4, 1872-January 5, 1933) was the 30th President
of the United States (1923-1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont,
Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics,
eventually becoming governor of that state. His conduct during the
Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight
and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. Soon after, he
was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the
Presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in
1923." (05/16/12)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=7611
-----
27) Obama "evolves;" Romney "flip-flops"
Source: Orange County Register
by Ron Hart
"Obama got it right about gay marriage. ... Kudos. The president
overturned Bill Clinton's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy last year,
and now he has come out in support of gay marriage. My guess is that
he felt homosexuals could endure brutal wartime combat but until now
were not quite ready for marriage. ... Between enlisting in the
military and marriage, gays must not feel their lives are complete
until they can be yelled at in the confines of a sanctioned
institution. ... When Mitt Romney changes positions, he 'flip-flops,'
but the media's Messiah, Obama, of course, simply 'evolves.'
Conservative Republicans never believed in evolution, anyway, so they
are torn on this." (05/16/12)
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/gay-354258-marriage-gays.html
-----
28) A state-federal standoff over death penalty
Source: The American Prospect
by Garrett Epps
"A principled governor invoking 'states' rights' to defy federal
policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A
federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent
attacking a power-hungry Congress. United States v. Pleau has all the
elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely
symbolic stakes). But don't expect to see Rhode Island Governor
Lincoln Chafee's 'state's rights' stand hailed by Republican
conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to
show his disapproval of the federal death penalty." (05/16/12)
http://prospect.org/article/state-federal-standoff-over-death-penalty
-----
29) Another case of the anticapitalistic mentality
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by David Gordon
"Michael Sandel, a popular government professor at Harvard, asks a
good question, but his answer leaves a great deal to be desired. Are
there things, he wants to know, that should not be bought and sold on
the free market? What role should markets play in public life and
personal relations? How can we decide which goods should be bought and
sold, and which should be governed by nonmarket values?" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/bngz4ug
-----
30) OK, suppose they GET their "grand bargain?"
Source: Our Future
by Dave Johnson
"Suppose the 'deficit hawk' plan unfolds just as it is being presented
-- right after the election and before those we elect can take office,
the Congress meets and hammers out a 'grand bargain' to 'reform' taxes
and cut back on government and the things democracy does for We, the
People. Will that be the end of it? Will the country move on from
deficit hysteria to a new lobbyist-manufactured 'crisis?'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/87bycgv
-----
31) Sorry, but SYRIZA won't save Europe
Source: Spiked
by Brendan O'Neill
"The radical Greek leftists, along with Hollande in France, pose as
anti-austerity yet promote ideas which will condemn Europe to long-
term penury." (05/16/12)
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/12448/
-----
32) Will John McCain save campaign finance reform?
Source: The Nation
by George Zornick
"The Hill published an intriguing scoop this morning--one that
suggests campaign finance reform, all but left for dead in the 112th
Congress, may suddenly have new life. Senator John McCain is
reportedly huddling with Democrats on the DISCLOSE Act, a major piece
of campaign finance legislation that would require outside groups that
spend more than $10,000 on electioneering to file a disclosure report
with the Federal Elections Commission within twenty-four
hours." [editor's note: Ironic that "the enemy" of 2008 holds the key
for "progressive" ends now? - SAT] (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7uezb6x
-----
33) When will Obama evolve on the drug war?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Sheldon Richman
"Much is made of how President Obama's position on same-sex marriage
has 'evolved' to an endorsement of legalization. One hopes his
position on the atrocity called the 'war on drugs' is evolving. It's
not really a war on drugs. It's a war on people, most of whom have
committed no violence or other aggression against person or
property." (05/16/12)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1205l.asp
-----
34) The US Department of Double Standards
Source: In These Times
by Leonard C. Goodman
"It's not that the DOJ doesn't criminally prosecute people who pay
bribes. ... The feds prefer to bring such cases against people who
don't have access to corporate lobbyists. On April 21, The New York
Times reported that Wal-Mart de Mexico paid $24 million in bribes to
local land use officials in exchange for allowing the company to build
stores in virtually every corner of the country, and to make
environmental objections vanish. Although its top executives
apparently approved of and helped conceal the bribery scheme -- in
violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act -- the chances that any
of them will face criminal prosecution is remote." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6p5gah7
-----
35) The scariest judicial opinion you haven't heard about
Source: The New Republic
by Jeffrey Rosen
"For the past few months, the legal discussion in Washington has
centered around the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on health care
reform. Far less attention has been paid to a decision issued by the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on April 13 -- even though
it may prove, in the long run, to be similarly significant. At first
glance, the case, Hettinga v. United States, doesn't seem to merit
much attention, since it concerns a less-than-scintillating subject:
the production and distribution of milk." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7pxs9yg
-----
36) Unconventional energy meets conventional politics
Source: Freedom Politics
by Steven F. Hayward
"I vividly recall a conversation about seven years ago with someone in
the oil and gas exploration business whom I assumed was ramping up oil
drilling because of the rising price of crude. But the answer
surprised me. 'No, we're not doing oil. We're putting all of our chips
on shale gas and coal-bed methane.' To which I responded: 'What's
that?'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/cwtmsqy
-----
37) Let's lose LOST
Source: OpenMarket.org
by Iain Murray
"The Law of the Sea Treaty would drastically undermine American
sovereignty, giving massive powers to the U.N. (aka the Dictators'
Club of New York), but the Senate is actually considering passing it
-- get this -- as a tribute to Dick Lugar, whose voters
unceremoniously dumped him last week. Seriously, couldn't they just
give him a medal? This is enough to make me think the House of Lords
is a good idea." (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/77qwq8c
-----
38) Ten Thousand Commandments 2012
Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Clyde Wayne Crews
"The scope of federal government spending and deficits is sobering.
Yet the government's reach extends well beyond the taxes Washington
collects and its deficit spending and borrowing. Federal
environmental, safety and health, and economic regulations cost
hundreds of billions -- perhaps trillions -- of dollars every year
over and above the costs of the official federal outlays that dominate
the policy debate." (05/15/12)
http://cei.org/studies/ten-thousand-commandments-2012
-----
39) Money center banks and strict financial oversight
Source: Breaking All The Rules
by James Hall
"The sociable regulatory atmosphere that turns the revolving door
relationship of Wall Street and government regulation is so chummy
that only insignificant fines are levied, when the major money center
banks gets caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Earnest and
comprehensive restructuring of the financial system is impossible as
long as the banksters dictate economic policy to their favorite
legislative proteges." (05/16/12)
http://www.batr.org/negotium/051612.html
-----
40) Brace yourselves, there's another bank holiday coming
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Vuk Vukovic
"Using event like the Royal Wedding to justify a double-dip recession
can only be done by those hiding their own incompetence for being
unable to achieve a recovery. In the end, it's not how many days in a
week people work, it's how much value an economy can create. This is
where the UK is lagging behind. And it won't fix it with giving
businesses extra money but by giving them an equal, unconstrained
opportunity to compete and succeed." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/IYFq9j
-----
41) Diablo III shows us how digital rights management damages gaming
Source: VentureBeat
by Sean Bassinger
"Before the west coast clock hit midnight on May 15, gamers across the
globe flooded social networks in excitement over the launch of Diablo
III. Many years and numerous teaser trailers later, this was the grand
experience many of us had waited for. And when the moment finally
arrived: silence ... followed by another social media flood cursing
Blizzard's name. ... Enough publishers don't realize this yet, but
heavily enforced DRM implementations will cost them greater amounts of
money over time." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JGBs7b
-----
42) Mitt Romney: The foreign policy of Know-Nothingism
Source: Cato Institute
by Doug Bandow
"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has become the inevitable
Republican Party presidential nominee. Despite the weak economy, he
faces an uphill race. It's never easy to defeat an incumbent
president. Moreover, Romney can't rely on the GOP's traditional
foreign-policy advantage." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JGABU7
-----
43) Things that should be obvious
Source: QandO
by Dale Franks
"Reality is a great test of belief. Sometimes, the things you believe
are confirmed by experience. Sometimes they aren't. And sometimes,
reality is so at odds with what people believe, they have to be
complete dolts to keep believing it. But, I constantly see people who
believe things that simply can't be true, and it bothers
me." (05/15/12)
http://www.qando.net/?p=13026
-----
44) de Jasay and the model of the total state
Source: Liberale et Libertaire
by dL
"A naive 'first-order' rational choice analysis will argue the need
for the State as means for a credible enforcement of commitments
between rational, self-interested actors. A more realistic 'second-
order' analysis will also extend this same rational,self-interested
agency to State actors. A second-order analysis is then concerned with
examining the logic of an Agency that is endowed with the same
properties of agency that supposedly necessitates its role of external
Agency in the first place." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JGyCPD
-----
45) Romney's gay marriage challenge
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"What does he mean by 'domestic partnership?'" (05/16/12)
http://reason.com/archives/2012/05/16/romneys-gay-marriage-challenge
-----
46) Financial stability or irrational exuberance in liberty projects?
Source: Daily Anarchist
by Davi Barker
"There is an axiom libertarians use to talk about government spending;
that which is economically unsustainable cannot endure. This applies
to liberty projects too. I'm concerned that if our liberty projects
are sustained by irrational exuberance, and not by actual economic
incentives, these projects, maybe the movement itself, is
unsustainable without the zeal of converts, because eventually the
enthusiasm bubble pops." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JGsrLq
-----
47) Durability vs. stability: The Kim dynasty and the stationary
bandit model
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"The stationary bandit model fails to clearly distinguish durability
from stability. But on reflection, the model's hopeful implications
presuppose not mere durability, but stability. A stationary bandit who
knows he'll retain power whatever he does has a solid selfish motive
to adopt pro-growth policies. But the latest scion of a rigid thousand-
year dynasty can't afford to be so open-minded." (05/16/12)
http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2012/05/durability_vs_s.html
-----
48) Ron Paul, the paleo fusion, and partisan bias at The American
Conservative
Source: Independent Country
by James Leroy Wilson
"[I]n the end, which side got the better of the paleo 'fusion,'
libertarians or conservatives? What attracted young people to Paul,
his anti-war, pro-liberty message, or his anti-abortion, states rights
views? Did those who knew nothing about politics become more
libertarian after listening to Paul, or more conservative? Was it more
likely that Paul's campaign led hard-core libertarians to become more
conservative, or hard-core paleo-conservatives to become more
libertarian?" (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/K8ftUH
-----
49) The administrative state vs. the social insurance state
Source: Bleeding Heart Libertarians
by Jason Brennan
"The administrative state directly interferes with citizens' economic
liberty. To expand the scope of the administrative state's power just
is to limit the scope of individual citizens' economic liberty. What
about the social insurance state, especially one that works pretty
well? If you regard all taxation as theft, then you'll see the social
insurance state as a direct assault on property rights. But, even
then, the social insurance state does not, in itself, directly curtail
most economic liberties." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JvzdXh
-----
50) Some historical perspective for Ron Paul activists
Source: LewRockwell.com
by Ryan McMaken
"I've been somewhat surprised by the absolutely hysterical reaction
among some RP activists to Ron Paul's announcement that he's shifting
resources toward winning more delegates instead of blowing it on straw
polls in new primaries. In some of the forums, alleged 'supporters'
are hurling insults at both Ron and his staffers." (05/16/12)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/mcmaken/mcmaken140.html
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FREEDOM AUDIO & VIDEO
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51) Free Talk Live, 05/15/12
Source: Free Talk Live
"Derrick J checks in from jail :: Free Market Protection from Scary
People :: Borders and Nations :: Ron Paul Out? :: Incrementalism ::
Increasing Tyranny for Liberty? :: War on Drugs :: Altered States --
At what age? :: Cops Stealing Cash :: Cop Holds Pizza Dude with Gun to
Head :: Keene Statism :: Keys to Happiness :: Mark Interviews Matthew
Southworth from the Friends Committee on National Legislation." [MP3]
(05/15/12)
http://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2012-05-15/download
-----
52) The Tea Party: Three principles
Source: Cato Institute
Cato video featuring Roger Pilon, Michael Barone, Elizabeth Price
Foley and Doug Kendall. [Flash video] (05/15/12)
http://www.cato.org/multimedia/events/tea-party-three-principles
-----
53) Anarchast, episode 25
Source: Anarchast
"In this episode of Anarchast, we talk with Josh Luther in beautiful
Acapulco, Mexico." [Flash video] (05/14/12)
http://bit.ly/IYI3rN
-----
54) Tim Cavanaugh talks California budget mess
Source: reason.tv
"Tim Cavanaugh, Managing Editor of Reason.com, talks to FOX 11 Los
Angeles about California's increased spending despite proposed
cuts." [Flash video] (05/14/12)
http://reason.tv/video/show/tim-cavanaugh-talks-california-3
-----
55) Yousaf Butt on Antiwar Radio
Source: Antiwar.com
"Yousaf Butt, scientific consultant to the Federation of American
Scientists, discusses his article 'Debunking the Missile-Defense
Myth' ..." [Flash audio or MP3] (05/14/12)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2012/05/14/yousaf-butt/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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