06/24 -- Obama "outraged" by Iranian violence; Pakistan: Suspected US strike reportedly kills 60 at funeral

[Thomas L. Knapp]

**************************************************
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
* The Freedom Movement's Daily Newspaper
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* Volume VI, Issue #1,687
* Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
* Email Circulation 2,080
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* Published every non-holiday weekday
* by the staff of Rational Review
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In The News:

0) RRND/FND mid-year subscription drive
1) Obama "outraged" by Iranian violence
2) Pakistan: Suspected US strike reportedly kills 60 at funeral
3) Iraq: Two killed, 16 wounded
4) North Korean ship tests new UN sanctions
5) Gates approves creation of new cyber command
6) Ed McMahon, 1923-2009
7) NASA's unmanned spacecraft reaches the moon's orbit
8) Iran: Military charges family of dead son "bullet fee"
9) AZ: County feud costs taxpayers $1.1 million
10) CA: LAPD goes from reviled to respected
11) NY: 700 teachers paid to do nothing
12) PA: Cheerleader slaying suspect blames acne meds
13) Dutch FM sees "unpredictable" chance for Mideast peace
14) Grand jury process challenged in Craigslist killing case
15) Traffic increases along "Cocaine Coast"
16) CA: Idiot pols pass Haight smoke shop ban
17) Iran: Regime extends deadline for election inquiry
18) US to send ambassador back to Syria
19) US, Kyrgyzstan reach deal on air base use
20) Pakistan: Assassination exposes Taliban rifts
21) "Clear" service for fliers abruptly shuts down
22) PA: State Republicans urge voters to "post" tax protests
23) FL: Tea party organizers plan Independence Day protests
24) UK: New cyber chief to protect against computer attacks
25) FL: Airport lifts 20-year gum ban

Everybody Has An Opinion:

26) Celebrate torture day by punishing torturers
27) Loose ends
28) Rhetoric vs. reality in the health care debate
29) Pro-life and anti-intervention
30) Beware federal meddling in the Internet
31) Autonomy amuck
32) Don't treat C02 as a pollutant
33) MoveOn regaining antiwar cojones?
34) Judging from the heart ... or the head?
35) Make healthcare affordable & accountable
36) Spreading the wealth ... to the insurance industry & friends
37) Four ways states could squander the stimulus
38) The will to power
39) Human rights, political bias
40) Why blackmail should be legal
41) Why we can but you or I cannot be great
42) Ten days that shook Tehran
43) Is Obama getting tougher on Iran?
44) Kennedy bill could send your gun info into a massive federal
database
45) Gun registry hasn't "saved a single life"
46) Guns, grades and government
47) Windfall profits and that which is not seen
48) Iraq reels towards a new era
49) Will file-sharing case spawn a copyright reform movement?
50) Deporting fathers
51) Waste and corruption out of thin air
52) Census, ACORN and other fertilizer ...
53) The parable of the empty throne -- a warning for Democrats
54) Alice in Wonderland justice at the DoJ
55) Various and sundry thoughts on Iran
56) A moment of silence
57) Shock and audit, part 2: Operation Overrun
58) Ethanol standards: Why federal policy is crazy
59) Obama: Walking the tightrope on Iran
60) McCain's Iranian game of chicken
61) The folly of tough talk
62) Why a car-free suburbia may become a reality
63) The fourth estate is dying
64) Too much of a "good thing"
65) Waxman-Markey: Death knell for US jobs, low-cost energy

See No Evil, Hear No Evil:

66) Kathleen Polizzi on Freedom Rings Radio, 06/29/09
67) Morris, Sugarman on the Wayne Root Radio Show, 06/27/09
68) Free Talk Live, 06/23/09
69) Is the US creating its own "lost decade?"
70) Cato Daily Podcast, 06/22/09

What's Up In The Freedom Movement:

71) Today's events

WaYbAcK:

72) "Now, on the investigation, you know, the Democratic break-in
thing ..."

***************
* In The News
***************

0) RRND/FND mid-year subscription drive

Update, 06/24/09: Thanks to subscribing contributor WWS, whose $2.50
monthly payment arrived yesterday!

No new subscribing contributors today -- our total remains at $402.50
against our goal of $2,000 per month in recurring revenues.

A "one-time" (of many) contribution of $75 arrived today, and I have
permission to share the contributor's name -- Sheldon Waxman.
Sheldon's trilogy, The Case Adventures of Sam Cohen, J.D., is
available at www.postpubco.com/newpulp.htm.

If you'd prefer autographed copies, or are interested in distributing
the novels, contact Mr. Waxman at sheldonw72 at gmail dot com.

I'm happy to put this plug in for Mr. Waxman's books ... and for any
good or service that ANY of our financial supporters might be selling.
If you're one of our contributors or subscribing contributors, just
let me know and I'll get a text link into the "sponsor bloc" of our
email edition and, if we're running a fundraiser, a blurb into one of
our daily updates.

"Space available" and so on and so forth of course, but we're happy to
"add value" to your "value returned for value" .... speaking of which,
that particularly apt description of our revenue model was offered
some time back by Kitty Antonik Wakfer, one of our long-time
supporters and publisher, with Paul Wakfer, of the Self-Sovereign
Individual Project at selfsip.org, which I also recommend our readers
investigate - TLK

http://www.rationalreview.com/content/64484

-----

1) Obama "outraged" by Iranian violence
Times Online [UK]

"President Obama condemned Iran's 'iron fist' last night after the
regime flooded Tehran with armed security to quash street
demonstrations. In his strongest language yet on the post-election
crackdown, Mr Obama said that America had been 'appalled and outraged
by the threats, beatings and imprisonments' of recent days. He also
invoked the death of Neda Salehi Agha Soltan, the 26-year-old student
shot dead on Saturday, saying: 'Those who stand up for justice are
always on the right side of history.' ... Mr Obama, who has been
criticised for his muted response so far, used a White House news
conference to praise the 'timeless dignity' of tens of thousands of
Iranians marching in silence." (06/24/09)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6564895.ece

-----

2) Pakistan: Suspected US strike reportedly kills 60 at funeral
New York Times

"A suspected United States drone strike killed at least 60 people at a
funeral gathering in South Waziristan on Tuesday, residents of the
area and local news reports said. Details of the attack, which
occurred in Makeen, remained sketchy but the reported death toll was
exceptionally high and, if indeed accurate and carried out by a drone,
would make the strike perhaps the deadliest since the United States
began using the unmanned aircraft to fire remotely guided missiles at
suspected Taliban and Qaeda members in Pakistan's tribal areas. If
confirmed the strike would be the 23rd by a United States drone this
year, as the Obama administration has intensified a policy inherited
from the Bush administration." (06/23/09)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/world/asia/24pstan.html

-----

3) Iraq: Two killed, 16 wounded
AntiWar.Com

"In Baghdad, a bomb near the Amin Bridge damaged a U.S. vehicle, but
no casualties were reported. A separate bomb targeting a U.S. patrol
in Shabb left no casualties. In Yarmouk, a previously unreported
roadside bomb wounded two people yesterday. A roadside bomb in
Muqdadiyah, killed on[e] Iraqi army general and wounded four other
officers. Four boys were injured when they came across an old landmine
in Tikrit. In Mosul, a high-ranking police officer was arrested for
killing a wounded prisoner in his custody." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/kqrfhh

-----

4) North Korean ship tests new UN sanctions
MSNBC

"An American destroyer tailed a North Korean ship Tuesday as it sailed
along China's coast, U.S. officials said, amid concerns the vessel is
carrying illicit arms destined for Myanmar. The sailing sets up the
first test of a new U.N. Security Council resolution that authorizes
member states to inspect North Korean vessels suspected of carrying
banned weapons or materials. The sanctions are punishment for an
underground nuclear test the North carried out last month in defiance
of past resolutions." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/n7hrp3

-----

5) Gates approves creation of new cyber command
MSNBC

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates formally ordered the creation Tuesday
of a new military cyber command that will coordinate the Pentagon's
efforts to defend its networks and conduct cyberwarfare. A three-page
memo signed by Gates orders U.S. Strategic Command to begin plans to
set up a subcommand and be prepared to provide an implementation plan
by Sept. 1, and begin initial operation no later than
October." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/ljsv5u

-----

6) Ed McMahon, 1923-2009
Boston Globe

"Ed McMahon, whose nearly three decades as Johnny Carson's sidekick on
'The Tonight Show' and innumerable appearances as television pitchman
and master of ceremonies made him one of the medium's most ubiquitous
figures, died yesterday. He was 86. Mr. McMahon died at Ronald Reagan
UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, MSNBC reported, citing his agent,
Howard Bragman. The cause of death was not immediately
announced." (06/24/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nwt3wf

-----

7) NASA's unmanned spacecraft reaches the moon's orbit
Arizona Republic

"NASA's first spacecraft to return to the moon in a decade has
successfully entered the moon's orbit. The unmanned Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter began orbiting the moon at 3:27 a.m. Arizona
time Tuesday after a four-day journey from Cape Canaveral, Fla. ...
The $504 million orbiter will help lay the groundwork for the eventual
return of astronauts to the moon by finding safe landing
sites." (06/24/09)

http://tinyurl.com/lpmnjo

-----

8) Iran: Military charges family of dead son "bullet fee"
Raw Story

"The family of Kaveh Alipour, a 19-year-old Iranian killed amidst
protests in Tehran, was allegedly charged a 'bullet fee' by Iranian
security forces, according to a report Tuesday in the Wall Street
Journal. 'Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was
told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a 'bullet
fee' (a fee for the bullet used by security forces) before taking the
body back,' relatives purportedly told the Journal. Details of
Alipour's death remain unclear -- he was apparently not part of the
protests and may have been killed in crossfire." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/n959tf

-----

9) AZ: County feud costs taxpayers $1.1 million
Arizona Republic

"Disputes among Maricopa County officials over the past 11 months have
cost taxpayers $1.1 million in fees, according to an analysis released
Monday by the Office of Management and Budget. The fees include
billings to date for six legal actions, cases in which Sheriff Joe
Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, County Treasurer Charles
Hoskins and the Board of Supervisors have fought each other in court.
The money includes costs associated with a grand-jury proceeding
focused on the $340 million court-tower project. Like all government
in the current economy, the county's budget is tight. On Monday, the
supervisors adopted a $2.1 billion budget for fiscal 2010, reflecting
a $122 million reduction from 2009. Administrators expect that 200
employees will lose their jobs during the early part of the fiscal
year. According to County Manager David Smith, that $1.1 million in
legal fees could fund 20 low-level county jobs. Officials on all sides
agree that the money spent fighting each other is a waste, but no one
sees a way to stop it." [editor's note: Oh, I dunno ... how about
every resident of the county sets a deadline, after which property
taxes and other "county revenues" suddenly stop getting paid? - SAT]
(06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/kunm43

-----

10) CA: LAPD goes from reviled to respected
Christian Science Monitor

"The Los Angeles Police Department, long a poster child for police
brutality and corruption in America, is turning around. In the five
years since Chief William Bratton took the force's top post,
Angelenos' opinions about the department have improved significantly.
Nearly 8 in 10 registered voters say they 'strongly approve' or
'somewhat approve' of the LAPD's performance today -- an 18 percent
rise since 2005, according to a Los Angeles Times poll released
Tuesday. ... Los Angeles has long been notorious for having one of the
lowest police-to-citizens ratios among major American cities. But with
Mr. Bratton's encouragement, the city has expanded its police ranks to
historic highs." (06/23/09)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0624/p02s17-usgn.html

-----

11) NY: 700 teachers paid to do nothing
Fox News

"Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses
ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their
full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the
Internet or just staring at the wall, if that's what they want to do.
Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire
them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its
'rubber rooms' -- off-campus office space where they wait months, even
years, for their disciplinary hearings. The 700 or so teachers can
practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their
colleagues -- pretty much anything but school work. They have summer
vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and
holidays through the school year." (06/23/09)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528780,00.html

-----

12) PA: Cheerleader slaying suspect blames acne meds
Associated Press

"An ex-boyfriend who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old cheerleader started
looking for an excuse -- mood swings caused by pimple medicine --
while still hospitalized with injuries he suffered when he slashed his
own throat moments after the killing, a prosecutor said Tuesday at the
start of his trial. John Mullarkey, now 20, is charged with criminal
homicide in the Aug. 15, 2007, death of Demi Cuccia, the younger
sister of a close friend of Mullarkey's who had been his on-again, off-
again girlfriend." [editor's note: Anybody else look for the "Onion"
byline on this one? Stranger than satire, to be sure (and the name of
the guy involved seems just way too fictional!) - SAT] (06/23/09)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528743,00.html

-----

13) Dutch FM sees "unpredictable" chance for Mideast peace
Haaretz [Israel]

"The fact that Israel and the Palestinians are exploring a two-state
solution mere months after the Gaza crisis is an 'unpredictable'
occurrence, according to Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. 'The
speeches by Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu and Salam Fayyad have
created a momentum for peace,' the minister told Haaretz Tuesday.
Recalling March's Sharm el-Sheikh international conference on
reconstruction efforts in Gaza following Israel's invasion into the
Strip, Verhagen said, 'Had someone told me there that by June I'd be
in Tel Aviv to discuss a two-state solution, I would've told him he
couldn't predict that. Yet it's happening.'" (06/23/09)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1095223.html

-----

14) Grand jury process challenged in Craigslist killing case
Boston Globe

"The lawyer for Philip Markoff, the 23-year-old former Boston
University medical student who is accused of killing a New York woman
he met through Craigslist, questioned the integrity of the grand jury
process yesterday and challenged prosecutors to explain what they knew
about the source of leaks to the media in this highly publicized case.
As Markoff stood, stoic and seemingly calm during his arraignment in
Suffolk Superior court yesterday, his lawyer, John Salsberg, tried to
cut off a prosecutor describing the allegations of murder and
kidnapping against him. Salsberg told Clerk Magistrate Gary Wilson
that releasing such details 'will not serve any other purpose but to
continue to poison the prospective jury pool.' Wilson allowed the
prosecutor, Edmond Zabin, to continue. After the arraignment, Salsberg
told reporters he was concerned the grand jury proceedings were not
conducted appropriately." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nhhpkw

-----

15) Traffic increases along "Cocaine Coast"
USA Today

"If you know what's good for you, fisherman Teodoro Contreras says,
stay away from certain places after sunset on the beaches of Mexico's
southern coast. From the resort city of Acapulco to the Guatemala
border, this region has become Mexico's 'Cocaine Coast,' the main
destination for drug-carrying speedboats, planes and even submarines
that are switching to the Pacific Ocean to avoid increasing patrols in
the Caribbean." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/ndzfq7

-----

16) CA: Idiot pols pass Haight smoke shop ban
Fort Smith Times Record

"Lawmakers agreed unanimously Tuesday to snuff out new shops that sell
pot-smoking paraphernalia in the heart of San Francisco's one-time
hippie district. The Board of Supervisors approved a three-year
moratorium on new businesses in the Haight that sell the smoking
equipment. At least a dozen businesses sell rolling papers, roach
clips and glass water pipes along Haight Street, a popular destination
for tourists nostalgic for the Summer of Love. The ban does not affect
existing shops." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mpgfh7

-----

17) Iran: Regime extends deadline for election inquiry
Los Angeles Times

"Iran's constitutional watchdog received approval today to extend its
examination of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed reelection
victory beyond Wednesday's deadline to Monday, state television
reported. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the chief of the Guardian Council,
which is overseeing the probe into allegations of vote fraud, said his
powerful 12-member body needed more time for 'the purpose of greater
meticulousness and overcoming any possible ambiguity,' according to a
statement read on state television." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/lt9w4r

-----

18) US to send ambassador back to Syria
CNN

"President Obama has decided to send a U.S. ambassador back to Syria,
a dramatic sign of reconciliation between the two countries, senior
administration officials tell CNN. The announcement is expected to be
made this week. 'It's in our interests to have an ambassador in
Syria,' a senior administration official told CNN Tuesday night. 'We
have been having more and more discussions, and we need to have
someone there to engage.'" (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nrm7z5

-----

19) US, Kyrgyzstan reach deal on air base use
Billings Gazette

"The former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan tentatively approved a deal
on Tuesday that should allow the U.S. to continue shipping military
hardware and troops crucial to operations in Afghanistan through an
air base in the Central Asian state. U.S. forces had in February been
ordered out of the Manas air base by a presidential decree that
stunned Washington and drew suspicion that Kyrgyzstan was acting under
the influence of Russia, which staunchly opposes Western military
presence near its borders. Russia also has a base in
Kyrgyzstan." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nxu3ug

-----

20) Pakistan: Assassination exposes Taliban rifts
Anniston Star

"The assassination of the leader of a renegade Pakistani Taliban
faction by one of his own men Tuesday underscores a growing rift in
the ranks of the militant group as it braces for an impending army
assault in the volatile northwest. Qari Zainuddin's killing sets back
government hopes of exploiting these internal divisions in the South
Waziristan tribal region, where the army has been pounding strongholds
of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in apparent preparation
for a major, U.S.-backed offensive." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mgn9ck

-----

21) "Clear" service for fliers abruptly shuts down
San Francisco Chronicle

"Clear Lanes, the business that promised to zip airline passengers
through security for a fingerprint and a fee, ceased operations Monday
night, redirecting its customers to the back of the line and leaving
them with a lightened wallet. The service shut down at 11 p.m., after
parent company Verified Identity Pass Inc. of New York failed to reach
an agreement with its creditors, according to a message on the
corporate Web site. It was also a clear victim of decreasing airline
traffic -- and security lines -- as the recession curtailed business
and leisure travel. Clear operated at about 20 airports, including San
Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, serving more than 250,000 customers
who paid about $199 per year. The Web site said the company cannot
issue refunds because of its financial condition." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/lv2zzc

-----

22) PA: State Republicans urge voters to "post" tax protests
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Amidst sticky budget situation marked by a $3.2 billion deficit, Rep.
Daryl Metcalfe wants taxpayers to leave Post-it Note messages on
lawmakers' doors condemning tax increases. 'You can't ask people to
nail their protest to a government door,' said Mr. Metcalfe, R-
Cranberry. Last week, the governor proposed temporarily increasing the
income tax from 3.07 to 3.57. The increase would provide $1.5 billion
to offset the governor's $28.9 billion in proposed spending for the
next fiscal year, which begins July 1." (06/23/09)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09174/979314-100.stm

-----

23) FL: Tea party organizers plan Independence Day protests
Treasure Coast News

"More than two months after the nationwide tax day protests, anti-tax
tea party groups are planning to again take to the streets. They will
again be protesting, but this time they also intend to mark the
nation's birth. Plans are being crafted between the Treasure Coast and
Palm Beach County tea party groups, as well as others in Florida and
across the nation, to hold protests on July 2 outside the offices of
congressional members who support President Barack Obama's health care
plans." (05/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/leu4u3

-----

24) UK: New cyber chief to protect against computer attacks
Independent [UK]

"Britain is to appoint its first national cyber security chief to
protect the country from terrorist computer hackers and electronic
espionage, Gordon Brown will announce tomorrow. The Prime Minister's
move comes amid fears that the computer systems of government and
business are vulnerable to online attack from hostile countries and
terrorist organisations. Neil Thompson, a senior civil servant, will
be charged with protecting the national computer network." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nj35g4

-----

25) FL: Airport lifts 20-year gum ban
United Press International

"Officials said a ban on selling gum at Florida's Palm Beach
International Airport is being lifted as part of contract changes with
the hub's shops. Palm Beach County commissioners officially lifted the
ban as part of contract changes with Paradies Shops, which runs the
retail stores at the airport, to bring in what Paradies officials
estimate to be an additional $225,000 a year, $50,000 of which will go
to the airport, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday. Butch
Hindle, general manager of the Paradies Shops at the airport, said
lifting the ban was also about satisfying customers. 'The No. 1
question asked at the airport was: Where's the gum?' he
said." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mfn78r

*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 06/24/09
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 92,393 ... Max - 100,868
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,316
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************

****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************

26) Celebrate torture day by punishing torturers
Future of Freedom Foundation
by James Bovard

"Since 1997, every June 26 has been formally recognized as the
International Day of Support for Victims of Torture. Political leaders
around the globe take the occasion to proclaim their opposition to
barbarism. On June 26, 2003, President George W. Bush proudly
declared: 'The United States is committed to the worldwide elimination
of torture, and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all
governments to join with the United States and the community of law-
abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all
acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual
punishment.'" (06/23/09)

http://www.fff.org/comment/com0906k.asp

-----

27) Loose ends
AntiWar.Com
by Justin Raimondo

"With events in Iran stalled -- it looks like the hard-liners have
effectively neutralized the opposition, at least for the moment -- and
nothing more pressing to occupy our attention (not counting, of
course, the trials and tribulations of Perez Hilton), it's time to
rewind the tape and get back to those stories that never seemed to
have a real ending. First off, the Iraq war: Over in the UK, they're
convening an investigation into the Iraq war -- how we came to fight
it, and why. A useful process, albeit a bit belated: there's no
chance, one presumes, that such an inquiry could ever take place in
this country. Too many politicians of both parties would stand exposed
as fools, knaves, or both." (06/24/09)

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/06/23/loose-ends/

-----

28) Rhetoric vs. reality in the health care debate
Reason
by Ronald Bailey

"Last week, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives
unveiled their discussion draft of a sweeping bill to reform America's
health care system. The bill would create health insurance exchanges
and a government insurance scheme, require insurers to sell insurance
no matter a purchaser's health status, set minimum benefit standards,
subsidize insurance purchases to families up to 400 percent of the
federal poverty level ($43,000 for an individual or $88,000 for a
family of four), mandate that all Americans carry health insurance,
and impose price controls on what doctors and hospitals may charge.
The Democratic leadership hasn't the faintest idea what its reform
proposals will cost." (06/23/09)

http://www.reason.com/news/show/134293.html

-----

29) Pro-life and anti-intervention
Campaign For Liberty
by Steve Bierfeldt

"I was unsure what to think as I read the story of a man shot and
killed Sunday morning, May 31st as he attended church. A man gunned
down during the service as his wife looked on as she stood in the
choir. This man was similar to many Americans in a number of ways. He
had a loving wife, children and a collection of grandchildren. The
difference was this man was named George Tiller and he made a living
as an abortion doctor in Wichita, Kansas." (06/23/09)

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=105

-----

30) Beware federal meddling in the Internet
Heartland Institute
by Jim Lakely

"The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday urged President Barack
Obama's pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,
Julius Genachowski, to 'fix' what many in Congress see as a
dysfunctional agency. And Genachowski's vow at his confirmation
hearing to make the FCC 'a model for transparency, openness, and
fairness' is encouraging -- and likely will suffice for him to breeze
on through the full Senate. But Americans should be wary of allowing
such a powerful federal agency to start defining what 'openness' and
'fairness' mean when it comes to regulating the Internet." (06/18/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mwz3bg

-----

31) Autonomy amuck
The New Republic
by Sherwin B. Nuland

"The principle of autonomy holds that, except in cases of incapacity,
the patient is a rational person with rights, opinions, and aims, who
is the final arbiter of his or her own best interests. This makes
particularly cogent the Hippocratic Oath's second reference to
benefit, as follows: 'Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into
them for the benefit of the sick.' Here there is no mention of the
physician's determining the best course, but merely what will benefit
the patient. That benefit is best determined by the patient, albeit
with medical advice. It is imperative that the patient be fully
informed, and that he enter into a discussion of the factors included
in his own decision about what he considers best for himself. But this
has never been enough to satisfy Robert Veatch. Veatch is one of our
nation's best-known ethicists, and for decades he has promoted the
notion that autonomy, as it is understood by most of his colleagues in
the specialty, and however prominent its role in modern medicine,
falls short of what is really needed, which Veatch calls postmodern
medicine, in which patients possess total control." (06/24/09)

http://tinyurl.com/majbcs

-----

32) Don't treat C02 as a pollutant
Christian Science Monitor
by Mark W. Hendrickson

"A few days before this year's Earth Day, America's ideological greens
received a present they have been desiring for years: The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- responding to a 2007 US
Supreme Court ruling -- officially designated carbon dioxide (CO2) as
a pollutant. That spurred Democrats in Congress to push a major
climate-change bill. In the next 25 years, their massive cap-and-trade
scheme would, according to a Heritage Foundation study, inflict gross
domestic product losses of $9.4 trillion, raise an average family's
energy bill by $1,241, and destroy some 1,145,000 jobs. Democrats want
it passed by July 4. Get ready for a veritable Pandora's box of
complications. ... The EPA's characterization of CO2 as a pollutant
brings into question the natural order of things. By the EPA's logic,
either God or Mother Nature (whichever creator you believe in)
seriously goofed. After all, CO2 is the base of our food-chain.
'Pollutants' are supposed to be harmful to life, not helpful to it,
aren't they?" (06/23/09)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0623/p09s02-coop.html

-----

33) MoveOn regaining antiwar cojones?
The Nation
by Tom Hayden

"MoveOn.org resumed its historical antiwar stance this week,
symbolically breaking with the Obama administration for the first
time. After being criticized for abandoning the antiwar stance that
won it millions of activist supporters, the organization sent targeted
mailings supporting the demand for an Obama administration exit
strategy report contained in HR 2404, by Rep. Jim McGovern of
Massachusetts. The measure, which requires the Pentagon to outline an
exit strategy from Afghanistan by December 31, had only eighty-four co-
sponsors last week, and was blocked by the House Democratic leadership
from consideration as part of the supplemental military appropriation
of $100 million. Currently it is pending in the House, still opposed
by the Obama administration." [editor's note: That's not how Hayden
titled this piece, but seems much more to the point here - SAT]
(06/22/09)

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090706/hayden

-----

34) Judging from the heart ... or the head?
Boston Globe
by Neal Gabler

"Even before President Obama announced the nomination of Justice Sonia
Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, he asserted that one of the criteria
he would use in his selection was empathy. What the president said he
wanted was not a justice who was cold, technical, and inflexible but
rather a justice who recognized the effects of his/her decisions on
actual people. Immediately and predictably the forces of the right
erupted, insisting that what the president really wanted was a justice
who would ignore the law to indulge his/her own sensitivities: empathy
over impartiality. Thus the issue was joined. It promises to be a
fascinating debate because it doesn't just recycle the old political
clichés about what separates the Democrats from the Republicans, the
left from the right." (06/24/09)

http://tinyurl.com/msbjca

-----

35) Make healthcare affordable & accountable
Our Future
by Jacob Hacker

"(excerpted from written testimony submitted to the House Education
and Labor Committee, one of three House committees jointly writing
healthcare reform legislation, on June 23) For national healthcare
reform to succeed, it must create accountability in American health
insurance, expand coverage while making it more affordable for workers
and their families, and adequately fund our healthcare priorities
while putting in place the preconditions for long-term savings to the
federal budget. The draft legislation prepared by this special House
of Representatives tri-committee promises enormous progress in meeting
all three of these goals. Both accountability within the insurance
market and shared responsibility are necessary to slow the growth in
healthcare costs -- not just for workers and their families but also
for employers, states and the federal government." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/m9xach

-----

36) Spreading the wealth ... to the insurance industry & friends
Truthout
by Dean Baker

"This is the time when the excrement starts hitting the fan. The
lobbyists are in overdrive, rounding up members of Congress just like
the cowboys of the Old West would bring in the herd. The industry
groups will also have their friends in the news media working overtime
hyping any possible obstacle to health care reform. And they are
filling the airwaves with scary ads, warning that people will never be
able to see a doctor again if meaningful health care reform passes.
Since there are trillions of dollars at stake, the effort is
understandable." (06/22/09)

http://www.truthout.org/062209R

-----

37) Four ways states could squander the stimulus
The American Prospect
by Greg Anrig

"When President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law Feb. 17, he underscored how state
governments would be largely responsible for implementing the
legislation. Edward G. Rendell, the Democratic governor of
Pennsylvania and chair of the National Governors Association, said at
the time: 'All of us, whether we supported the bill wholeheartedly or
whether we had questions about it, intend to be good stewards of the
money we spend. All of us intend to do it in an effective and
efficient way.' While the stimulus bill has unquestionably eased some
of America's economic pain just a few months after its enactment,
already four main roadblocks have emerged that threaten the success of
the legislation's state-focused aspects: state budget shortfalls;
political dysfunction in many populous, economically important states;
limited administrative capacity, exacerbated by budget cuts, at the
state and local level; and state resistance to new programs that are
only temporarily funded at the federal level." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/lts3ps

-----

38) The will to power
LewRockwell.Com
by CT Rossi

"Base, soulless and ultimately devoid of any moral code not rooted in
expediency, American politics has devolved into a perpetual
celebration of the medieval Feast of Fools, where a grotesque and
deleterious pantomime has been grafted over those activities found in
sound societies. In an attempt to make good my oath to live not by
lies, I have, for the most part, been able to swear off all things
politic, but a story caught my eye and -- alas -- I am temporarily off
the wagon. What was the headline that has driven me to cry out on the
keyboard? 'Sotomayor Quits Belizean Grove' So multilayer is the
societal rot in those four words, so emblematic are they of where we
find ourselves. In honor of the quickly fading generation of Roman
Catholic nuns who taught some of us to diagram sentences, let's savor
every sour word." (06/24/09)

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rossi/rossi19.1.html

-----

39) Human rights, political bias
Adam Smith Institute
by Jacob Mchangama

"According to mainstream human rights thinking all human rights are
'indivisible.' Therefore, this mantra insists, economic, social and
cultural rights such as the right to an adequate living and the right
to social security should not be treated differently from classic
freedom rights such as free speech and habeas corpus. This conflation
of very different rights is a fallacy. No Western state has built its
wealth on constitutional rights to social goods. However, Western
freedom has in large part been built on individual freedom rights
protecting against arbitrary and authoritarian state action. The so
called indivisibility also reveals a marked political
bias." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/lcyrja

-----

40) Why blackmail should be legal
Independent Country
by James Leroy Wilson

"The headline says Hampton tried to 'extort' money from Ensign.
'Extort' is a strong word, which I associate with mobsters demanding
'protection' money from neighborhood businesses. This sounds more like
the commonly-understood definition of blackmail: the willingness to
keep a shameful secret for a price. Ensign decided not to pay the
price, and came public with his adultery before Hampton broke it to
the media -- even though this has harmed his political career. I don't
care one way or the other what happened, but it seems odd that Hampton
is being viewed as having done something unethical and possibly
illegal." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/m69wwy

-----

41) Why we can but you or I cannot be great
Tibor's Space
by Tibor R. Machan

"The evidence for this is overwhelming and out there for most to
observe. Take the Academy Awards, where those receiving Oscars
routinely disclaim personal credit but claim it aplenty for the team,
the association, the group. Or take most team sports where any mention
of one's own superb contribution is suppressed in favor of how great
the team has been. America or Germany or any other country is often
praised for superior achievements while individual Americans or
Germans need to show humility lest they be deemed braggarts. Even in
sports such as tennis, where there's a dominance of individual
performance, taking credit for doing well is rare. Either bona fide or
feigned humility appear to be what's acceptable and practiced, albeit
sometimes with a wink. But why?" (06/23/09)

http://tibikem.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!B2FD693F4B9A5746!958.entry

-----

42) Ten days that shook Tehran
Human Events
by Patrick J. Buchanan

"Given its monopoly of guns, bet on the Iranian regime. But, in the
long run, the ayatollahs have to see the handwriting on the wall. Let
us assume what they insist upon -- that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the
June 12 election; that, even if fraud occurred, it did not decide the
outcome. As Ayatollah Khamenei said to loud laughter in his Friday
sermon declaring the election valid, 'Perhaps 100,000, or 500,000, but
how can anyone tamper with 11 million votes?' Still, the ayatollah and
Ahmadinejad must hear the roar of the rapids ahead. Millions of
Iranians, perhaps a majority of the professional class and educated
young, who shouted, 'Death to the Dictatorship,' oppose or detest
them. How can the regime maintain its present domestic course or
foreign policy with its people so visibly divided? Where do the
ayatollah and Ahmadinejad go from here?" (06/23/09)

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=32408

-----

43) Is Obama getting tougher on Iran?
Slate
by John Dickerson

"I will not begin a piece with a pretentious literary quote.
Meanwhile, F. Scott Fitzgerald observed that the test of a first-rate
intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at
the same time and still retain the ability to function. By this
measure, President Obama was first-rate at his press conference
Tuesday afternoon. He escalated his rhetoric about the violence in
Iran but insisted he hadn't changed his posture. He claimed to be
outside the 24-hour news cycle while simultaneously manipulating it.
Obama's supporters will call this performance evidence of an admirably
supple mind. His detractors will call it slipperiness." (06/23/09)

http://www.slate.com/id/2221156/

-----

44) Kennedy bill could send your gun info into a massive federal
database
Liberty For All
by GOA staff

"At long last, Teddy Kennedy has partially revealed the health care
system he wants to foist on the whole country -- and it isn't pretty.
It won't be pretty for your pocket book ... OR FOR YOUR GUN RIGHTS!
But first, let us explain what TeddyCare is all about. At the center
of the plan is what's called a 'universal mandate.'" (06/23/09)

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=2752

-----

45) Gun registry hasn't "saved a single life"
National Post [Canada]
by Gary Mauser

"As Parliament breaks for summer, the opposition is mobilizing to stop
a private member's bill to scrap the long gun registry. Yet there is
no convincing research showing that the gun registry has saved a
single life. The homicide rate had fallen impressively before 2001,
when the long gun registry started, but has remained relatively stable
since. In 1991, the homicide rate was 2.7 per 100,000, in 1996, the
homicide rate was down to 2.1 and by 2000, it had slid to 1.8. By
2005, the homicide rate had risen to 2.0. The gun registry had no
impact on suicide rates either." (06/23/09)

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=1722611

-----

46) Guns, grades and government
Texas State House Examiner
by Andrew Roush

"Texas is a gun-loving state. You don't have to look too far for the
proof. In 2009, a host of bills concerning gun rights made it to the
floor of the Texas Legislature, and while other commentators have
covered them thoroughly, it should give us a starting point to
consider gun rights as a whole. Notable among this year's legislative
discussion was the passage of a measure okaying 21 year-old gun owners
to carry concealed weapons onto state college campuses." (06/22/09)

http://tinyurl.com/n2l24z

-----

47) Windfall profits and that which is not seen
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Art Carden

"I was the teaching assistant for a course on the theory of property
rights during the fall semester of 2002. We spent quite a bit of time
discussing rent control, various rent-control cases, and the legal
principles that informed judicial decisions surrounding rent-control
cases. One of these principles was an aversion to 'windfall' profits.
Windfall profits occur when an entrepreneur enjoys profits in excess
of what he expected, usually as the result of a drastic change in
market conditions." (06/23/09)

http://mises.org/story/3475

-----

48) Iraq reels towards a new era
CounterPunch
by Patrick Cockburn

"On June 30 the last US troops will pull out of the Iraqi cities.
America's great adventure in Iraq is ending. ... American forces leave
behind a country which is a barely floating wreck. Its society,
economy and very landscape have been torn apart by 30 years of war,
sanctions and occupation. I first came to Iraq in 1977 when its future
looked rosy, but it turned out I was visiting the country at the high
tide of its fortunes, a tide that has been ebbing ever
since." (06/23/09)

http://counterpunch.org/patrick06232009.html

-----

49) Will file-sharing case spawn a copyright reform movement?
Wired
by David Kravets

"A Minnesota federal jury stung Jammie Thomas-Rasset with the enormous
fine after concluding she infringed copyrights on 24 music tracks by
sharing them on the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. It was the defendant's
second trial: The first ended in a $222,000 verdict for the same
songs, but was nullified after the judge presiding over the case said
he provided faulty jury instructions that favored the recording
industry. But the retrial only put the defiant Thomas-Rasset deeper in
debt than before, and sparked a popular backlash on blogs and Twitter.
Now would-be copyright reformers are hoping to turn the stratospheric
judgment into a rallying cry for action in Washington." (06/22/09)

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/thomasfollow/

-----

50) Deporting fathers
New American Media
by Joseph Nevins

"Salmon's story is hardly exceptional. Each year the federal
government deports tens of thousands of non-citizens, many of them
with U.S. citizen children, to countries to which they often have
tenuous ties. By doing this, the federal government seriously injures
children and families, and produces large numbers of a particular type
of refugee." (06/21/09)

http://tinyurl.com/m5lwxm

-----

51) Waste and corruption out of thin air
Strike the Root
by Les Lafave

"If government proposed a 'stimulus' program to give each American $50
million, we'd immediately think of inflation. At that scale, the
proposal would meet its deserved ridicule. However, I'd like to look
at how it would work ex-inflation, so let's pretend there is no
inflation problem. The Federal Reserve's magic omnipotence determines
that there's 'slack' in the economy so that government can create and
give everyone $50 million (and Goldman Sachs its commission), with no
significant inflation. We'll make no assumption about ever repaying
the $50 million per capita, which is a realistic expectation in the
current real world of money and credit expansion anyway. So with no
inflation, should the Fed get really excited (they must have been at
least starting to doubt the magic) and do it again?" (06/23/09)

http://www.strike-the-root.com/91/lafave/lafave6.html

-----

52) Census, ACORN and other fertilizer ...
The Libertarian Enterprise
by Dave Earnest

"Greetings fellow prisoners! Live from inside the Blue Curtain! It's
almost time for the 2010 Census. Says here that if you refuse to
answer any questions you can be fined $5000 per refusal and
imprisoned! I intend to answer every question like this: How many
people in your home? 2 (me and my cat) (this is the only question
they're supposed to ask) How much money do you make? All of it, but my
printer is broken right now. ... You get the idea. There is absolutely
nothing in the census law that says they have to like the answers you
give." (06/21/09)

http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle524-20090621-07.html

-----

53) The parable of the empty throne -- a warning for Democrats
Rebirth of Reason
by Richard Gleaves

"King Erba had been an unpopular and ineffective King. Like most
Kings, he had ascended to the throne by riding the robes of his
father. But the people found that genetics does not bestow wisdom.
After several unfortunate wars with neighboring kingdoms, destructive
mismanagement of the treasury, and years of embarrassing behavior,
King Erba was finally toppled from power. He returned to his villa in
southern Vespucci to live in quiet (though opulent) retirement. The
people thanked heaven that the King was gone and that he had not
succeeded in destroying the kingdom. Fortunately for Vespucci, the
powers of the king, while great, were not without bounds. But the
throne was now empty. After a year of struggles, in which many men and
women sought to become the new king, the people rose and proclaimed
Giacomo Benedetto king of all Vespucci." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nyeawm

-----

54) Alice in Wonderland justice at the DoJ
The Price of Liberty
by Carey Roberts

"'Sentence first, verdict afterwards!' Remember that memorable line
from Lewis Carroll's classic, Through the Looking Glass? And if we
take a recent Department of Justice report to heart, we will soon be
marching to the tune of 'Accusation first, incarceration next!' Adding
to the absurdity, the DoJ report was written not by a recognized
university researcher, but by a former probation officer who was once
indicted on charges of stealing probation fees to set up a personal
slush fund. The Department of Justice report, 'Practical Implications
of Current Domestic Violence Research,' purports to pull together the
research on partner abuse, a sort of handy-dandy guide for police
officers, prosecutors, and judges. But the document ends up making a
mockery of objective science and an impartial judiciary." (06/22/09)

http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/09/06/22/roberts.html

-----

55) Various and sundry thoughts on Iran
KN@PPSTER
by Thomas L. Knapp

"They're dying in the streets over there, folks, and what they're
dying for is some version of the idea of freedom. We could argue all
day over whether that version would pass Rand/Rothbard muster, but I
don't think that's particularly relevant. The impulse is there, the
flame is lit, and that flame deserves to be fed and fanned, not
ignored or scoffed at or, especially, snuffed out. I'm trying to be a
consistent libertarian here. One the one hand, I don't support foreign
military interventionism by governments (which means that I favor the
Libertarian Party, which deals in that arena, either keeping its
organizational mouth shut or coming out against intervention). By the
same logic, though, I don't recognize national borders as legitimate
barriers which should prevent individuals (or non-state organizations)
from supporting struggles for freedom anywhere, any time, by any moral
means, even if only by way of saying 'we're with you.' Of course,
perhaps we can do more than that." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mls7wc

-----

56) A moment of silence
The Weekly Standard
by Stephen F. Hayes

"We are told that President Barack Obama has said relatively little
over the past 10 days because he does not want to feed perceptions
that America is 'meddling.' Fine. He's being overly cautious, in my
view. But let's assume his expressed concerns are genuine. Why does he
seem to believe that he has only two choices: American meddling or
virtual silence? Obama ran for president promising to end the
unilateralism of the Bush administration. He ran as a liberal
internationalist, a multilateralist of the first order -- reaching out
to everyone, at all times and with no preconditions. What about a
global statement that includes a strong condemnation of the violence
and support for the protesters?" (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/muutdu

-----

57) Shock and audit, part 2: Operation Overrun
Mother Jones
by Rachel Morris

"Let's start with the biggest no-brainer of a problem: the Pentagon's
mind-boggling budget blowouts. That is, setting aside for a moment the
question of which weapons the DOD should or shouldn't buy, how much
money does it waste? In 2008, the Pentagon calculated that its
existing weapons commitments will ultimately cost the government $1.6
trillion. A big chunk of that total -- $296 billion, to be exact -- is
cost overruns. That $296 billion doesn't come from a few big programs
running over budget and messing up the balance sheet, either. Blowouts
are the norm, not the exception." (06/23/09)

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/06/operation-overrun

-----

58) Ethanol standards: Why federal policy is crazy
Cato Institute
by Harry de Gorter and David R. Just

"Farm state Democrats are threatening to vote against climate change
legislation unless the EPA excludes emissions generated by the
indirect changes in land-use that follow from ethanol subsidies in
their calculation of a 'sustainability standard.' This standard
requires ethanol to emit at least 20 percent less CO2 relative to
gasoline as a condition for federal mandates and subsidies. While
ethanol subsidies as a general matter are not a good idea, these
legislators are right: The EPA standards at issue make no sense and
should be scrapped." (06/23/09)

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10309

-----

59) Obama: Walking the tightrope on Iran
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland

"When massive turmoil occurs in an important country, U.S.
policymakers struggle to make heads or tails of it and arrive at an
appropriate reaction. Kibitzers and pundits, however, have no trouble
reaching immediate and sweeping conclusions and egging on the
policymakers to further their own agendas. So far, President Obama has
done a reasonably good job in resisting such on-the-spot analyses and
advice on the massive protests over the election in Iran." (06/22/09)

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2528

-----

60) McCain's Iranian game of chicken
Reason
by Matt Welch

"It's during foreign crises like these that I'm glad Barack Obama's
biggest critic this week, John Sidney McCain III, never became
commander in chief of the United States military. Not because of the
Arizona senator's obvious sympathies with Iranian protesters, and
distaste for their misrulers -- both of which I share. But rather
because we might not be talking about Iranian protesters at all this
month had the author of 'rogue-state rollback' been allowed to test
out his doctrine from the Oval Office." (06/23/09)

http://www.reason.com/news/show/134313.html

-----

61) The folly of tough talk
The American Conservative
by Daniel Larison

"So Obama has come out with a lengthier, 'tougher' statement on Iran,
some of which is redundant because he has said it before and most of
which is unnecessary. John is appropriately critical of the move
towards what some are calling the 'Biden-Clinton line.' Unfortunately,
I am being reminded more and more of Obama's response to the war in
Georgia, which was initially quite sane and responsible and devolved
in a matter of days to more or less the same reckless foolishness that
McCain had shown from the beginning. Obama never said that we are all
Georgians, but he hewed to the same line on policy as those who did,
and eventually he came around to endorsing the official version of the
war in which 'Russian aggression' was all that mattered. Then as now,
I get the sinking feeling that all of this new 'more forceful
rhetoric' is nothing more than delayed CYA (which is all the good this
statement will do anyone), and it reconfirms my old claim that Obama
tends to yield to that side that can do more political damage to
him." (06/23/09)

http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/06/23/the-folly-of-tough-talk/

-----

62) Why a car-free suburbia may become a reality
AlterNet
by Lisa Selin Davis

"'I want to live a lifestyle that's less dependent on cars,' says
Sherman Lewis, a retired poli-sci professor at Cal State East Bay and
president of the Hayward Area Planning Association since 1978. But, he
admits, he's chosen a relatively difficult way to achieve it, 'by
trying find 950 other families who want to live the same way.' Lewis
has developed plans for Quarry Village, a 1,000-unit development about
a mile from the Hayward BART station and a short skip from the Cal
State campus and downtown Hayward. It includes townhouses, condos,
walking paths, shuttle buses to the rail ... and no
garages." (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/ktudo6

-----

63) The fourth estate is dying
Hawaii Reporter
by Diane M. Grassi

"It was on June 21, 1788 that the United States Constitution was
officially adopted with its ratification. And it was at that time that
its ratification was contingent upon suggested changes be made to the
Constitution, thereafter. Leading up to the Constitution becoming
effective, there were numerous debates among the states, namely that
the Constitution did not go far enough in protecting personal rights
and liberties and would provide for a necessary buffer from
infringement by the government on the fundamental rights of the
people." (06/22/09)

http://tinyurl.com/mcf6fx

-----

64) Too much of a "good thing"
Freedom Politics
by Thomas Sowell

"Even if the 'stimulus' package doesn't seem to be doing much to
stimulate the economy, it is certainly stimulating many potential
recipients of government money to start lining up at the trough. All
you need is something that sounds like a 'good thing' and the ability
to sell the idea. A perennial 'good thing' is education. So it is not
surprising that leaders of the Association of Public and Land Grant
Universities have come out with an assertion that 'the U.S. should set
a goal of college degrees for at least 55 percent of its young adults
by 2025.'" (06/23/09)

http://tinyurl.com/km7696

-----

65) Waxman-Markey: Death knell for US jobs, low-cost energy
Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Bob Murray

"Perhaps the most destructive legislation in our country's history
will soon be voted on in the House -- the Waxman-Markey tax bill in
the guise of addressing climate change. It will have dire consequences
for every American. It will raise the cost of energy with little or no
environmental benefit. Independent experts estimate that it will cost
Americans more than $2 trillion in just over eight years. The Midwest,
South and Rocky Mountain regions will be most drastically affected
because the climate change legislation will destroy the nation's coal
industry and the availability of low-cost electricity. Wealth will be
transferred away from almost every state to the West Coast and New
England." (06/22/09)

http://tinyurl.com/nchdlg

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66) Kathleen Polizzi on Freedom Rings Radio, 06/29/09
Freedom Rings Radio

Kathleen Polizzi joins host Kenneth John to discuss medical marijuana
and government harassment. 9-10am Central on WRMN 1410 AM, Elgin, IL
or live on the web. [live radio or webcast] (06/29/09)

http://freedomrings.net/

-----

67) Morris, Sugarman on the Wayne Root Radio Show, 06/27/09
The Wayne Root Radio Show

Political strategist Dick Morris and sales/marketing guru Joe Sugarman
join host Wayne Allyn Root. See show site for stations and times.
[live radio, Flash video archive] (06/27/09)

http://rootforamerica.com/home/war.php

-----

68) Free Talk Live, 06/23/09
Free Talk Live

"TSA Tyranny / Federal Water / Getting Active / Project Graduation and
Adult Children / Free State Project / Stateless Person / Secession vs.
Independence / Market Justice / Anarchism vs. Voluntaryism." [MP3]
(06/23/09)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/ftl/FTL2009-06-23.mp3

-----

69) Is the US creating its own "lost decade?"
reason.tv

"What are the lessons for the U.S. from Japan's experience? Reason
Foundation policy analyst Anthony Randazzo is the co-author of the
recent study 'Avoiding an American Lost Decade: Lessons from Japan's
bubble and recession' and a July 2009 cover story for Reason magazine,
'Turning Japanese: Japan's post-bubble policies produced a 'lost
decade.' So why is President Obama emulating them?' As Randazzo
explains, both the causes of and official responses to Japan's bubble
and economic slump eerily anticipate exactly what the U.S. government
is doing." [Flash video] (06/23/09)

http://reason.tv/video/show/810.html

-----

70) Cato Daily Podcast, 06/22/09
Cato Institute

"National standards mean federal control," featuring Neal McCluskey.
[MP3] (06/22/09)

http://tinyurl.com/cato062209

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* What's Up In The Freedom Movement
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71) Today's events

Check our sidebar calendar for this week's freedom movement events.
Don't see your event? Drop us a line at in...@rationalreview.com ... or
see:

www.rationalreview.com/add-your-event-to-our-calendar

... for instructions on adding your events directly!

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/4042/

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* WaYbAcK
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72) "Now, on the investigation, you know, the Democratic break-in
thing ..."

Details, and the "quote of the day," from Leon's Political Almanac at:

http://perspicuity.net/cgi/hypercal.cgi