12/17 -- US House approves $290 billion raise of "debt ceiling;" Dean urges defeat of health "reform" scam
Thomas L. Knapp
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
* The Freedom Movement's Daily Newspaper
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* Volume VI, Issue #1,814
* Thursday, December 17th, 2009
* Email Circulation 2,146
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* Published every non-holiday weekday
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In The News:
1) US House approves $290 billion raise of "debt ceiling"
2) Dean urges defeat of health "reform" scam
3) Iraq: Seven killed, 27 wounded
4) Afghanistan: Two British soldiers killed
5) Gates orders review of military mentor program
6) US gathered intelligence on Nation of Islam
7) House narrowly approves Democratic jobs plan
8) Iraq PM implicates security in Baghdad blasts
9) Enemy payoffs alleged in Afghanistan
10) Taliban to release new tape of captive GI
11) Diplomat: Pakistan holding up some US visas
12) Scientists spot nearby "super-Earth"
13) McCain backs bills that would split big banks
14) Senate debate stalls as Republicans invoke delay tactics
15) Patriot Act renewal (temporarily) delayed
16) Dollar bill goes high-tech
17) Beck defends counting blacks as 3/5 of person
18) Mexico: Calderon urges sweeping political reform
19) Pakistan: Supreme Court strikes down amnesty deal
20) MIT team peddles more power per pedal
21) UK: Confidence falls on fears of "double-dip" recession
22) UK: Cheques to be phased out in 2018
23) China: Kung fu monkeys turn tables on trainer
24) LA: St. Rose man kills intruder
25) Israel: Airport security puts three bullets through MacBook
26) UK: Arrest warrant issued for Israel's Tzipi Livni
27) India: Mumbai suspect is US double agent
28) Credit Suisse to pay $536 million to US regime extortionists
29) NYC: Transit authority approves service cuts
30) Microsoft settles with EU extortionists
Everybody Has An Opinion:
31) The clarity of false choices
32) Mission not accomplished
33) Which comes first: Interventionism or terrorism?
34) Stealing is wrong -- even if government does it
35) How Bush redefined American freedom
36) The joys of consistency
37) The thin blue whine: The crybaby thugs of Maricopa County
38) No-fault espionage
39) To whom is a business manager morally responsible?
40) Speak no evil
41) Not given a chance to live
42) Where are the good cops?
43) Bernanke: Time's Man of the Year?
44) Economics 101: How little they know
45) Why independents are abandoning Obama
46) A diplomatic casualty of war
47) Dr. Howard Dean: Scrap Reid's compromise
48) The 1960s, refracted
49) Put down the coke or the rainforest gets it
50) The baggage of American
51) Don't blame the billionaires
52) The US Constitution: The 18th century Patriot Act
53) Oslo
54) The light of freedom burns brightly in Poland
55) Free stuff from Sam
56) Can we afford to avoid the truth?
57) FTC suit against Intel misguided and uninformed
58) Science and the demands of virtue
59) Saul Alinsky on Iran
60) Strange brew
61) Can the US Constitution force Americans to have medical insurance?
62) Give me liberty or give me ... meh
63) Five health reform whoppers
64) The city that went to hell
65) "'Nuff said?" You bet
See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
66) Tim Cox on Freedom Rings Radio, 12/21/09
67) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/17/09
68) Free Talk Live, 12/16/09
69) Tom Engelhardt on Antiwar Radio
What's Up In The Freedom Movement:
70) Today's events
WaYbAcK:
71) Harrison's folly
***************
* In The News
***************
1) US House approves $290 billion raise of "debt ceiling"
USA Today
"The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation
giving the federal government the ability to borrow a whopping $290
billion to finance its operations for just six additional weeks. The
218-214 vote sends the must-pass bill to the Senate, which is expected
to approve it as its last act before adjourning for the year. The
alternative would be a market-rattling, first-ever default on U.S.
[government] obligations." (12/16/09)
-----
2) Dean urges defeat of health "reform" scam
Associated Press
"Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean argued Wednesday that
the health care overhaul bill taking shape in the Senate further
empowers private insurers at the expense of consumer choice. 'You will
be forced to buy insurance. If you don't, you'll pay a fine,' said
Dean, a physician. 'It's an insurance company bailout.'" (12/16/09)
-----
3) Iraq: Seven killed, 27 wounded
AntiWar.Com
"In Baghdad, a bomb exploded on a bus in the Kadhimiya district,
killing two and wounding five others. ... An Awakening Council (Sahwa)
leader was killed and two bodyguards were wounded in Madaen when a
roadside bomb blasted them. ... In Mosul, the body of a kidnapped
laborer was found. A policeman was killed during a arrest operation.
Gunmen killed a man in Alya. An unidentified body was recovered in
Nada." (12/16/09)
-----
4) Afghanistan: Two British soldiers killed
BBC News [UK]
"Two British soldiers have been killed by a suspected suicide bomber
while on patrol with the Afghan army. The men, from the 3rd Battalion,
The Rifles, were caught in the blast near Sangin in Helmand on Tuesday
afternoon. Their families have been told. They were on foot at the
time of the explosion, which also killed two Afghan army
soldiers." (12/15/09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8415229.stm
-----
5) Gates orders review of military mentor program
USA Today
"Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a review of what he
considers 'obscene' compensation paid to retired senior officers
advising the military under senior mentor programs, and he also wants
changes to guard against potential conflicts of interest, his
spokesman said Wednesday. ... Some retired officers earn hundreds of
dollars an hour as mentors and even more from defense companies, while
collecting pensions of as much as $200,000 a year." (12/16/09)
-----
6) US gathered intelligence on Nation of Islam
MSNBC
"Homeland security officials improperly gathered intelligence on the
Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group, but U.S. government rules were
'unintentionally and inadvertently violated' and only publicly
available information was collected, according to documents made
public Wednesday. Internal correspondence shows the 2007 report --
titled 'Nation of Islam: Uncertain Leadership Succession Poses Risks'
-- was created by an intelligence group working within the Homeland
Security Department." (12/16/09)
-----
7) House narrowly approves Democratic jobs plan
MSNBC
"President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the House Wednesday
muscled through a year-end plan to create jobs, mixing about $50
billion for public works projects with another almost $50 billion for
cash-strapped state and local governments. The unemployed would get
continued benefits. But conspicuously absent from the plan were
Obama's recently announced initiatives to give Social Security
recipients $250 payments, a tax credit for small businesses that
create jobs and a program awarding tax credits to people who make
their homes more energy efficient." (12/16/09)
-----
8) Iraq PM implicates security in Baghdad blasts
Thibodaux Daily Comet
"Dozens of suspected plotters in last week's deadly suicide bombings
that killed 127 people in Baghdad were linked to security forces,
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Wednesday. The revelation
came as the Shiite prime minister, who is running for re-election in
March, sought to assure Iraqis that he has security under control. But
repeated security lapses attracted withering criticism from the Sunni
vice president who hinted that the prime minister should
resign." (12/16/09)
-----
9) Enemy payoffs alleged in Afghanistan
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Congress is investigating allegations that U.S. tax dollars are being
paid to warlords and the Taliban for security on supply routes used to
truck food, water, fuel and ammunition to American troops in
Afghanistan. If the allegations are true, the United States would be
unintentionally involved in a protection racket and indirectly
financing the enemy, Rep. John Tierney, the Massachusetts Democrat
leading the inquiry, said Wednesday." (12/17/09)
-----
10) Taliban to release new tape of captive GI
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The Taliban have announced they will release a new video of a U.S.
soldier captured in Afghanistan, a U.S.-based terrorism monitoring
group said Wednesday. SITE Intelligence Group, the tracking
organization, said the media arm of the Afghan Taliban made the
announcement on their Web site. The video is said to be titled, 'One
of Their People Testified.' The Taliban did not name the
American." (12/17/09)
-----
11) Diplomat: Pakistan holding up some US visas
Yuma Sun
"Pakistan has held up visas for U.S. diplomats, military service
members and others, apparently because of hostility within the country
toward the expansion of U.S. operations in Pakistan, a senior U.S.
diplomat said Wednesday. American diplomats have also been stopped
repeatedly at Pakistani checkpoints as part of what U.S. officials say
is a wider focus on foreigners working in Pakistan. U.S. cars are
searched, although diplomats are told to open the trunk but to refuse
access to the passenger compartment." (12/16/09)
-----
12) Scientists spot nearby "super-Earth"
CNN
"Astronomers announced this week they found a water-rich and
relatively nearby planet that's similar in size to Earth. While the
planet probably has too thick of an atmosphere and is too hot to
support life similar to that found on Earth, the discovery is being
heralded as a major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on
other planets. 'The big excitement is that we have found a watery
world orbiting a very nearby and very small star,' said David
Charbonneau, a Harvard professor of astronomy and lead author of an
article on the discovery, which appeared this week in the journal
Nature." (12/16/09)
-----
13) McCain backs bills that would split big banks
Charleston Daily Mail
"Two senators, one from each party, called Wednesday for breaking up
large financial firms that perform both commercial and investment
banking, adding a wrinkle to already difficult talks in the Senate on
how to regulate Wall Street. Sens. John McCain, the former Republican
presidential candidate from Arizona, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, a
Washington Democrat, introduced legislation that would prohibit
commercial banks from undertaking brokerage activities." (12/17/09)
http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/200912170002
-----
14) Senate debate stalls as Republicans invoke delay tactics
ABC News
"The Democrats' self-imposed deadline to pass health care [sic]
legislation by Christmas is just around the corner, but delays abound
and there are no guarantees that Senate leaders will have enough votes
to pass the bill. President Obama said in an interview with ABC News'
Charles Gibson today that if Congress fails to pass health care
legislation that lowers costs, the federal government 'will go
bankrupt.'" (12/16/09)
-----
15) Patriot Act renewal (temporarily) delayed
Politico
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has rejected a Senate plan to
include amendments to the Patriot Act in a larger Pentagon funding
bill covering the soaring cost of the war in Afghanistan, arguing that
to do so would lead to a 'revolt on the left,' according to Democratic
insiders. Pelosi's decision, announced at a closed-door leadership
meeting Monday, has forced Democrats to go with a backup plan of
extending the Patriot Act until early next year, essentially punting
the controversial issue into 2010, when a broader agreement with the
Senate can be struck. The vote is now scheduled to take place early
next year." [editor's note: The bad news is, all of those opposing
this effort still plan to support the renewal in January - SAT]
(12/16/09)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30649.html
-----
16) Dollar bill goes high-tech
Fox News
"Counterfeiting has never been easier. All it takes these days is a
fairly inexpensive color printer, some graphic design software and a
willingness to spend a few decades in jail if you get caught. But
desperate times call for desperate measures, so criminals struggling
in a tough economy and savvy with advanced printing equipment have
figured out how to replicate bank notes. ... Fake bills look
remarkably similar to the real McCoy, with intaglio (textured
printing) and holographic markings. ... Because your basic inkjet
printer is constantly improving in output quality, the best way to
combat counterfeiting is not to create increasingly intricate designs,
but rather to improve the paper it's printed on." (12/16/09)
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/12/16/dollar-goes-high-tech/
-----
17) Beck defends counting blacks as 3/5 of person
Raw Story
"Glenn Beck offered listeners a rather unique version of U.S.
Constitutional history on his radio show Tuesday. In response to a
question from an African-American caller, Beck defended the original
'Three-Fifth Clause' in the Constitution, which deemed African-
Americans [sic] to be 'three-fifths of all other persons.' ... 'I
noticed you reference the founding fathers a lot," said the caller.
'And to me it's kind of offensive because most of those guys were
slave-owners. The Constitution that they wrote up -- they didn't even
recognize my people as even human.' ... 'Where'd you learn that,
Josh?' Beck soon responded, after asking him to explain his question.
The caller said he 'learned that in school.'" (12/16/09)
-----
18) Mexico: Calderon urges sweeping political reform
Associated Press
"President Felipe Calderon is proposing runoff elections in future
presidential contests and re-election for many officials in Mexico's
most dramatic political-reform attempt in decades. The proposal
announced Tuesday would still limit presidents to a single, six-year
term, but it would relax Mexico's ironclad ban on re-election of other
officials. It also would allow independent candidates to run for
public offices and would permit citizen initiatives. ... But reforms
would require a string of tough-to-pass constitutional amendments, and
they are likely to come under fire from established parties who could
see their power eroded by the changes." (12/16/09)
-----
19) Pakistan: Supreme Court strikes down amnesty deal
Christian Science Monitor
"Pakistan's Supreme Court struck down a controversial amnesty deal on
Wednesday that had erased charges ranging from corruption to murder
against 8,000 people, including President Asif Ali Zardari. The
verdict could invite political instability at a time when Pakistan is
grappling with a deadly fight against militants and US pressure to do
more. The ruling that the 2007 National Reconciliation Ordination
(NRO) is unconstitutional opens the door for existing cases to resume
and for new legal challenges to be lodged against Mr. Zardari's right
to hold office. Many Pakistanis welcomed the decision as a rare
victory against corruption. Courtroom observers ran outside and
chanted against Zardari and in favor of the justices' decision to
declare any acquittals under the NRO 'of no legal effect.' But it is
uncertain how the Supreme Court's action will play out in the legal
battle to oust Zardari as well as in the political arena." (12/16/09)
-----
20) MIT team peddles more power per pedal
Boston Globe
"Even in [Copenhagen, Denmark], where bicycles outnumber cars on
virtually every street, officials are hoping to persuade more people
to give up four wheels for two. A new invention, a motorized rear
wheel created by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology lab, is here
to help. Dubbed the Copenhagen Wheel, it is nothing like the chunky,
heavy motorized bikes exploding in popularity across Asia and other
parts of the world or the oh-so-trendy scooters seen in US cities. The
Wheel, with a small motor in its hub, will fit into any existing bike
frame, giving riders extra horsepower for hills and longer distances.
The two-year project, unveiled yesterday during the international
climate talks here, is designed to make biking more pleasant in cities
everywhere -- and fittingly for the venue, it's emissions-free. The
Wheel's battery pack is recharged by pedal power and
braking." (12/16/09)
-----
21) UK: Confidence falls on fears of "double-dip" recession
Independent [UK]
"Businessmen have become more gloomy about the economy in the past
month, raising fears that Britain may slip into a 'double-dip'
recession next year.A ComRes survey of 257 business leaders for The
Independent found that the proportion detecting 'green shoots' in
their sector had dropped from 49 per cent in November to 36 per cent
this month. For the first time since July, a majority (53 per cent) of
businessmen now detect no signs of economic recovery, while 11 per
cent are 'don't knows.' The findings are a setback for ministers, who
are keen to ensure that the return to growth they predicted for the
final three months of this year is maintained next year. They are
anxious to avoid slipping back into negative growth in the first
quarter of 2010 because a general election must be held by
June." (12/17/09)
-----
22) UK: Cheques to be phased out in 2018
BBC News [UK]
"Cheques will be phased out by October 2018, but only if adequate
alternatives are developed, the body that oversees payments strategy
has said. The board of the UK Payments Council has set the date in a
bid to encourage the advance of other forms of payment. The first
cheque was written 350 years ago and the decision will be greeted with
disappointment by some small businesses and consumers." (12/16/09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8414341.stm
-----
23) China: Kung fu monkeys turn tables on trainer
Ananova [UK]
"A Chinese man who trained monkeys martial arts to entertain shoppers
was shocked when they turned the tables on him. Lo Wung's taekwondo
monkeys have become a regular feature outside a shopping centre in
Enshi, Hubei province, where they were trained to show off their
martial arts skills on each other. But one quick-thinking monkey saw
his chance when Lo slipped -- and caught him with a perfect flying
kung fu kick to the head. The rest then joined in the affray. ... At
one point the monkey trainer grabbed a staff to hit the monkeys, only
to find himself facing a stick-brandishing monkey that cracked him
over the head." (12/16/09)
http://www.ananova.com/News/story/sm_3602542.html
-----
24) LA: St. Rose man kills intruder
WWL News
"St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne says a homeowner shot and
killed a burglar in St. Rose. 21-year-old Michael Cockerham died on
the scene. 'Cockerham allegedly kicked down victim's rear door to his
residence while armed with a semiauto hand gun. Victim observed a
laser light from what he believed to be a weapon shine through the
opening of the damaged doorway at which time the homeowner fired a
single shot from his weapon at the intruder,' Captain Pat Yoes said in
a news release. He says they have not filed any charges against the
homeowner." (12/16/09)
http://www.wwl.com/Cops--St--Rose-man-kills-intruder/5907932
-----
25) Israel: Airport security puts three bullets through MacBook
Wired
"US citizen Lily Sussman took a vacation in Israel, to visit extended
family there and see the sights -- all the usual tourist things. On
the way in, though, the security forces got rather serious. After
pulling her aside for questioning, reading her journal and even
flicking through her camera to check the photos (hint: don't take
snaps of 'graffiti, which read 'Fuck' scrawled next to the Jewish star
of David'), she was left alone. An announcement was made over the
airport speakers, which Lily remembers as something like 'do not to be
alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up
suspicious passenger luggage.' In fact they didn't blow anything up.
Instead, they put three bullets through the MacBook, gave it back to
the now rather upset Lily and let her be on her way. The security
forces didn't even ask for her password. The amazing part is that not
a single piece of information was destroyed: The bullets miraculously
missed the MacBook's hard drive." (12/15/09)
-----
26) UK: Arrest warrant issued for Israel's Tzipi Livni
Financial Times [UK]
"A warrant for the arrest of Tzipi Livni, the Israeli opposition
leader, was formally issued by a London magistrates court last
Saturday, one day before she had been scheduled to address a
conference in the capital, sources close to the case have told the
Financial Times. In a move that has triggered acute embarrassment for
the British government in its relations with Israel, Westminster
magistrates court ordered the issue of an arrest warrant for Ms Livni,
a move that would have led to her immediate detention by police upon
arrival in the UK. ... Pressure groups have for some time sought to
persuade Westminster's magistrates court to issue arrest warrants for
visiting Israeli politicians." (12/16/09)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc2459a6-e917-11de-a756-00144feab49a.html
-----
27) India: Mumbai suspect is US double agent
Telegraph [UK]
"An American man charged with plotting the attacks on Mumbai was a
double agent for both the United States and al-Qaeda terror group
Lashkar e Taiba, Indian officials have claimed. David Headley, a
Pakistan-born American national arrested in Chicago in October, is
alleged to have carried out reconnaissance missions in the run-up to
the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people were killed. ... According to
Indian officials, Headley travelled to India again in March this year,
with the knowledge of American agencies who did not inform their
Indian counterparts. During the trip, Headley is alleged to have
collected intelligence for future terrorist attacks on civilian and
military targets, including India's National Defence College. Indian
officials are desperate to question Headley but have been frustrated
by American refusals to grant them access." (12/16/09)
-----
28) Credit Suisse to pay $536 million to US regime extortionists
Bloomberg
"Credit Suisse AG agreed to pay $536 million to settle claims the bank
helped process payments that let Iran and other nations avoid
government sanctions and gain access to U.S. financial markets. The
bank entered into a deferred prosecution agreement as part of the
settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, a spokesman for U.S.
District Court in Washington said today. The settlement, which
included a local prosecutor and the Federal Reserve, relates to a
previously disclosed probe of dollar payments from 2002 through April
2007, the bank said today in a statement." (12/16/09)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ajuDlX1jliqQ&pos=4
-----
29) NYC: Transit authority approves service cuts
Reuters
"New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday
approved drastic service cuts as part of its new budget that must
close a nearly $400 million deficit. The service cuts would include
closing two subway lines, cutting station agents, slashing weekend and
overnight service, and forcing pupils to pay for their travel to
school, but MTA Chairman Jay Walder, at a webcast board meeting,
promised to review the cuts over the next few weeks to see if their
impact can be lessened." (12/16/09)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BF4N020091216
-----
30) Microsoft settles with EU extortionists
Ars Technica
"Microsoft has finally dotted the i's and crossed the t's on its web
browser settlement with the EU Competition Commission. Starting in
March, users of Windows who have set IE as their default browser will
receive a software update that will enable them to choose a different
one." (12/16/09)
*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 12/17/09
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 94,768 ... Max - 103,410
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,371
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************
****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************
31) The clarity of false choices
Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"'There are those who claim we have to choose between paying down our
deficits ... and investing in job creation and economic growth,'
President Obama said last week. 'This is a false choice.' During the
same speech, he asked his audience to 'let me just be clear' that his
administration, having racked up the biggest budget deficits ever, is
embracing fiscal responsibility, as reflected in his vow that 'health
insurance reform' will not increase the deficit 'by one dime.' For
connoisseurs of Obama-speak, the address featured a trifecta,
combining three of his favorite rhetorical tropes. There was the vague
reference to 'those who' question his agenda, the 'false choice' they
use to deceive the public, and the determination to 'be clear' and
forthright, in contrast with those dishonest naysayers. These devices
are useful as signals that the president is about to mislead
us." (12/16/09)
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/16/the-clarity-of-false-choices
-----
32) Mission not accomplished
Campaign For Liberty
by Peter Schiff
"Although Barack Obama has refrained, at least for now, from
delivering triumphant speeches in a naval flight suit, there is
nevertheless a strong tone of accomplishment emanating from the
President and his deputies. Over the weekend, top White House economic
adviser Lawrence Summers even pronounced that the recession is now
over. Without hedging his bets, Summers declared that thanks to the
Obama Administration's wise stewardship, economic stimuli, and
emergency bailouts, another Great Depression, set up by the prior
Administration, had been narrowly averted. Summers saw no impediments
to the return of sustainable growth. He may as well have delivered
these remarks from the deck of an aircraft carrier." (12/16/09)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=444
-----
33) Which comes first: Interventionism or terrorism?
Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G. Hornberger
"Following up on my last two blogs regarding the important debate over
what has motivated people to commit terrorist acts against the United
States, two questions arise: First, why does the U.S. government
persist in his claim that the terrorists are motivated by hatred for
American freedom and values when the overwhelming weight of the
evidence is virtually conclusive that what has motivated the
terrorists to strike against the United States is U.S. foreign
policy?" (12/16/09)
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2009-12-16.asp
-----
34) Stealing is wrong -- even if government does it
Liberty For All
by Mark Hillman
"We allow government to tax and spend, recognizing that forcibly
taking the fruits of someone else's labor would constitute theft if
anyone else did it. In turn, we expect our elected officials to
remember that their responsibility is to represent taxpaying families
and businesses -- not to protect government at all costs. Well, after
three years of spending every available tax dollar, dismissing every
opportunity to save for the next downturn, and surreptitiously raising
taxes without voter approval, Colorado's Democrat lawmakers are now
planning to steal -- a term I don't use loosely -- $500 million to
balance this year's state budget." (12/16/09)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3519
-----
35) How Bush redefined American freedom
CounterPunch
by James Bovard
"George W. Bush is gone from Washington but his legacy, like an
abandoned toxic waste dump, lingers on. Like President Franklin
Roosevelt before him, President Bush helped redefine American freedom.
And like Roosevelt's, Bush's changes were perversions of the clear
vision the Founding Fathers bequeathed to us." (12/16/09)
http://counterpunch.org/bovard12162009.html
-----
36) The joys of consistency
Fr33 Agents
by Justin Longo
"A popular line of thinking goes like this: 'I should not be forced to
buy politically controlled health insurance simply because I'm alive
and breathing.' Another goes this way, 'How come Nancy Pelosi is
allowed to point a gun at me and force me to buy a product from her,
but I can't point a gun in my neighbor's face and force him to buy a
product from me?' Truth be told, both arguments are valid. And if made
from someone who was actually consistent, they'd have merit. However,
coming from the mouths of limited government (a.k.a. central planning
and taxation only for things they like) tea party people, it's
rubbish." (12/16/09)
http://www.fr33agents.com/1711/the-joys-of-consistency/
-----
37) The thin blue whine: The crybaby thugs of Maricopa County
LewRockwell.Com
by William Norman Grigg
"Arpaio was actually seen by some as a liberal regarding illegal
immigration prior to 2005. That year saw two critical changes: First,
Arpaio re-cast himself as a crusader for border security, and second,
he received a federal 287(g) waiver empowering his deputies to enforce
federal immigration laws. Since then, Arpaio has turned Maricopa
County into a literal police state in which anybody who 'looks' or
'sounds' like an illegal immigrant -- including U.S. citizens and
legal permanent residents of Mexican ancestry -- can be summarily
arrested and detained. While Arpaio's deputies -- who often conduct
their raids wearing ski masks -- are focusing their attention on
people whose sole offense is to work in Arizona without official
permission, more than 70,000 criminal warrants, many of which deal
with actual offenses against persons and property, have been left
unenforced." (12/17/09)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w121.html
-----
38) No-fault espionage
AntiWar.Com
by Philip Giraldi
"It is interesting to note what happens to espionage cases in the
United States. If you spy for China, or Cuba, or Iran you will be
exposed, excoriated in the media, locked up and denied bail,
convicted, and sentenced to many years in a federal prison. Spying is
serious business and the harsh punishment most often fits the crime
because when spies steal highly sensitive defense and policy
information they are not only betraying their fellow citizens, they
are also making all Americans less secure. ... Spies are traitors in
every sense of the word, unless, of course, if one is spying for
Israel. Israel aggressively spies on the US both to influence policy
and steal high technology, but getting caught only very rarely has any
consequences." (12/17/09)
http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2009/12/16/no-fault-espionage/
-----
39) To whom is a business manager morally responsible?
A Passion for Liberty
by Tibor R. Machan
"Over the last several decades the field of business ethics has become
very popular in colleges and universities, including business schools,
around the world. Actually, other professional ethics courses have
also gained entry into the medical, legal, engineering, and other
curriculums. (Oddly, though, the ethics of education and scholarship
have not joined this trend!) In the field of business ethics the focus
has tended to be on what has come to be called the theory of Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR). This view takes it as a given, not in
need of a lot of argument, that what corporations ought to do, first
and foremost, is to benefit society and not those who own the
firm." (12/16/09)
-----
40) Speak no evil
The New Republic
by John B. Judis
"The lines most cited in Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize speech were
those about evil: 'Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent
movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot
convince Al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force
may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a
recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of
reason.' These lines won approbation from both liberals and
conservatives. ... While I don't object to the idea of just war, and
have supported the various wars that Obama cited in his speech, and
wouldn't balk at calling Al Qaeda or Hitler evil, I think Obama
ventured onto dangerous terrain by invoking the existence of evil as a
justification for war. That kind of argument suggests neither moral
realism nor prudent idealism, but the crusade-like, messianic foreign
policy -- pitting good against evil -- that got the country into so
much trouble during the last administration." (12/17/09)
http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/speak-no-evil
-----
41) Not given a chance to live
Classically Liberal
by CLS
"There is not scintilla of evidence that offender zoning laws protect
anyone. All they do is harass people. There not a shred of evidence
that Freeman poses a threat to children. He was never sexually
interested in children. He was a teenage boy who had sex with his
teenage girlfriend, who was barely a year younger than himself. Hiller
is lying through his eye-teeth. But these sex offender laws are
precisely that: lies built on a foundation of falsehood, perpetuated
by myths and politically-induced hysteria, promoted by low-life
politicians like Hiller." (12/15/09)
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2009/12/not-given-chance-to-live.html
-----
42) Where are the good cops?
WendyMcElroy.Com
by Wendy McElroy
"Where are the good cops is a question of particular interest to me
because, whenever I write about police brutality, I hear from at least
one reader who objects, 'But what about the good cops?' The clear
implication is that I focus on a few 'bad apples' and, so, I'm being
unfair to the majority of cops who are (it is claimed) decent men. I
disagree ... for several reasons. First and foremost (to me) is the
fact that most laws today are directed at 'victimless crimes' and are
themselves travesties of justice; a decent person could not pull a gun
on a non-violent human being and force him or her to comply with
unjust laws. Using force against someone who is harming no one means
the policeman is a thug, pure and simple. Worse, he is a thug who does
it for money and cushy pension being paid for by the peaceful
taxpayers he is brutalizing." (12/17/09)
http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.2941
-----
43) Bernanke: Time's Man of the Year?
Our Future Blog
by Robert Borosage
"Time Magazine's naming Ben Bernanke 'Man of the Year' is a little bit
like celebrating an arsonist for his heroics in putting out a fire
that he set. Bernanke has done creative and bold work in staving off a
fianancial free fall. But he would also be on any list of the 10
people most responsible for creating the free fall. Bernanke served as
Tonto to Alan Greenspan's Lone Ranger. He then succeeded Greenspan as
head of the Federal Reserve. In that position, he got it wrong big
time. He ignored the dangers of the housing bubble. He testified that
the banks were well capitalized. He argued that unregulated
derivatives posed no danger because all the participants were
sophisticates who knew the risks." [editor's note: As the person who
most drastically affected our lives in the past 12 months ... yes;
Time once had Hitler on the cover IIRC - SAT] (12/16/09)
-----
44) Economics 101: How little they know
Boston Globe
by Jeff Jacoby
"Has the recession ended? Yes, says Larry Summers, the president's top
economic adviser and a former secretary of the Treasury. He told ABC's
George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, 'Everybody agrees that the recession
is over.' No, says Christina Romer, who heads the White House Council
of Economic Advisers. The official definition may suggest that the
economy has bottomed out, she said on NBC's Meet the Press, but when
moderator David Gregory pressed her on whether the recession is over,
Romer replied: 'Of course not ... The people on Main Street ... are
still suffering. The unemployment rate is still 10 percent.' If the
administration's top economists can't agree on something as
fundamental as knowing when a recession has ended, how can they
possibly be certain that they know how to end it?" (12/16/09)
-----
45) Why independents are abandoning Obama
Fox News Forum
by Kevin McCullough
"Many voters who were attracted to promises of 'hope and change' are
now asking, 'What the heck have I done?' President Obama road [sic]
into office on the coattails of some horrible economic realities ....
The nation needed both to energize new policies and to help us
continue down the path to recovery, specifically in the areas of job
creation and economic growth. ... In 2008, 43% of evangelical
Christians voted for him and he rewarded them by turning around and
signing an executive order to authorize the spending millions of
dollars for international abortions via the Mexico City policy. And he
did it at the peak of the economic meltdown. Those who wanted America
to withdraw from Iraq and to see Gitmo closed are still waiting for
those promises to come true." (12/16/09)
-----
46) A diplomatic casualty of war
In These Times
by Roger Morris & George Kenney
"The rare resignation on principle is always telling in American
government. When Matthew Hoh left the State Department in October -- a
Marine Captain in Iraq who became a diplomat in Afghanistan early this
year -- his act was significant far beyond the first reports. Hoh
speaks grim truth to power. His message is that to pursue the Afghan
war policy in any guise -- including President Obama's prescription of
30,000 additional, rapidly deployed troops -- will be utter folly,
trapping America in an unwinnable civil war in the Hindu Kush, and
only fueling terrorism." (12/14/09)
-----
47) Dr. Howard Dean: Scrap Reid's compromise
The Nation
by John Nichols
"Dr. Howard Dean has a prescription for healthcare reform: Scrap the
ridiculously compromised Senate bill -- from which Majority Leader
Harry Reid has, under pressure from Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman,
stripped both the public option and plans to expand Medicare -- and
use the budget reconciliation process to get over the 60-vote hurdle
in the Senate. 'This is essentially the collapse of healthcare reform
in the United States Senate,' the former Vermont governor,
presidential candidate and Democratic National Committee chairman said
of Reid's compromise. 'Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill
the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation
process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler
bill.'" [editor's note: It's a rare day I agree with this "Doc
Dean" ... even so, it's for different reasons - SAT] (12/16/09)
-----
48) The 1960s, refracted
The American Prospect
by Rick Perlstein
"One summer over 15 years ago, three books crossed my horizon at
exactly the same time. One was Greg Tate's Flyboy in the Buttermilk.
The second was Stanley Crouch's Notes of a Hanging Judge. The third
was Lisa Jones' Bulletproof Diva. Read simultaneously, they sent me
into a fugue state. They were, indeed, a fugue: three story lines
entwining contrapuntally across the same harmonic field. All of them
were collections of columns from the Village Voice from the late 1970s
through the early 1990s, essayistic commentary from an African
American perspective, intellectually allusive, mostly on culture but
also suffusively political." (12/16/09)
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_1960s_refracted
-----
49) Put down the coke or the rainforest gets it
Spiked
by Natalie Rothschild
"With years of failed attempts to make snorting coke 'so last year,'
the UK police and government are looking for innovative ways of
fighting drug use. According to The Sunday Times, London's
Metropolitan Police, backed by a number of MPs, are hoping to team up
with Greenpeace to spread the message that every time you snort a
line, a part of the rainforest dies. It looks like the Met are on to a
winner. For there is no bigger downer for socially conscious middle-
class youngsters than knowing that their selfish ways are ruining the
planet." (12/16/09)
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7835/
-----
50) The baggage of American extremism
Information Clearinghouse
by Gordon Duff
"Now our new 'surge' in Afghanistan won't even have a Taliban
'buyoff.' We had become addicted to the 'black and white' version of
Bushitism to the extent that we, as a nation, have given up thought
entirely. We know we can't win. Do we expect an army of angels to come
down from heaven, the ones Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld dreamed of, or
are we going to start acting like a world leader again and identify
the players, bring them to the table and do our best to really win
where it counts?" (12/16/09)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24210.htm
-----
51) Don't blame the billionaires
The American Prospect
by Dalton Conlay
"Inequality -- and its consequences -- is the wrong target. It's time
for progressives to spend less time trying to prove the effects of
inequality on health, growth, and politics and instead start focusing
on opportunity for those shut out entirely." (12/15/09)
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=dont_blame_the_billionaires
-----
52) The US Constitution: The 18th century Patriot Act
Campaign for Liberty
by Tom Mullen
"At some point in the past, the American ethos was centered on
suspicion of government -- whether liberal, conservative, or
otherwise. For most of America's first two centuries, Americans were
taxed less, regulated less, and left more alone by their government
than any other people in the world. These conditions resulted in an
explosion of innovation, wealth, and culture unsurpassed at any time
in human history. As that trend seems to have reversed, Americans look
to their past to try to establish where we have gone wrong and what we
can do to solve our problems." (12/14/09)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=433
-----
53) Oslo
Strike the Root
by Jim Davies
"So Obama's unspoken premise is critically important, when one
contemplates the awesome subject of organized mass murder. If it
continues -- while governments exist -- wars will, indeed, always take
place; because the 'evil in the world' to which he alluded consists
precisely of those governments, of that premise. Once it has been
abandoned, however, they will cease. The world will then consist of
human beings, each striving to improve his life by pleasing his
customers; and killing customers is really bad for
business." (12/16/09)
http://www.strike-the-root.com/92/davies/davies9.html
-----
54) The light of freedom burns brightly in Poland
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Arthur Foulkes
"In my childhood, Poland was a part of the 'Eastern Bloc,' roped into
the Soviet Union's repressive orbit. For decades, Soviet troops were
stationed in Poland, and the Kremlin directed important political
decisions over and above the Polish domestic leadership. The official
Polish ideology and governing philosophy was communism. Today Poland,
like the rest of Europe and the West, has a mixed economy. The
government plays a very big role in economic life." (12/16/09)
-----
55) Free stuff from Sam
Freedom Politics
by John Stossel
"I just got a free golf cart. Actually, it cost me $6,490 -- but the
dealer, Colin Riley of Tucson, Ariz., points out that there's a $6,480
federal tax credit on such vehicles. Riley runs ads that say: 'FREE
ELECTRIC CAR ... !' Some consumers probably assume it's a car-dealer
scam, but it's not. It's an Uncle Sam scam." (12/15/09)
-----
56) Can we afford to avoid the truth?
Foundation for Economic Education
by William L. Anderson
"I planned to write on a different subject, but after reading an
editorial in Saturday's New York Times, I decided to continue the
subject of my last column on medical costs. The editorial not only
contains more nonsense from the 'Newspaper of Record,' but also
demonstrates how the mainstream print media actively participates in
something akin to releasing a dispatch from Orwell's 'Ministry of
Truth.'" (12/16/09)
-----
57) FTC suit against Intel misguided and uninformed
Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Richard Morrison
"Today the Federal Trade Commission filed a federal antitrust lawsuit
against Intel Corporation. The suit, which accuses Intel of violating
Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, comes on the
heels of a separate antitrust lawsuit filed against Intel last month
by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Technology analysts at the
Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based public
interest group, questioned whether the FTC's action is actually about
protecting consumer welfare. 'This lawsuit may succeed at grabbing
headlines, but it won't benefit consumers one bit,' declared Ryan
Radia, Associate Director of Technology Studies." (12/16/09)
-----
58) Science and the demands of virtue
Acton Institute
by Gregory Jensen
"Contrary to the popular understanding, the natural sciences are not
morally neutral. Not only do the findings of science have moral
implications, the actual work of scientific research presupposes that
the researcher himself is a man of virtue. When scientific research is
divorced from, or worse opposed to, the life of virtue it is not
simply the research or the researcher that suffers but the whole human
family. Take for example, the scandal surrounding the conduct of
researchers at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at East Anglia
University in the UK." (12/15/09)
-----
59) Saul Alinsky on Iran
The Weekly Standard
by Jeff Bergner
"In response to multilateral condemnation of its nuclear program, Iran
has announced its intent to expand massively its uranium enrichment
facilities. Once again, the White House press spokesman has announced
gravely that Iran has chosen to 'isolate itself.' Once again, the UN
Security Council will consider a menu of ineffective economic
sanctions. Far better for the president and the Secretary of State to
consider the counsel of their erstwhile mentor, Saul Alinsky. In Rules
for Radicals, Alinsky observes, 'No one can negotiate without the
power to compel negotiation.' This is the nub of the Obama
administration's problem with Iran. In fact, it was the nub of the
Bush administration's problem with Iran, and of the Clinton
administration's before that. How are we to compel Iran to negotiate
seriously over its nuclear program?" [editor's note: As long as the
question to be answered by negotiations is "will Iran be governed from
politicians from Tehran or politicians from Washington?" there doesn't
seem to be much incentive for ... or much POINT to ... "negotiations"
- TLK] (12/16/09)
-----
60) Strange brew
Slate
by Christopher Beam
"It's a testament to the persistence of the tea partiers -- the group
of mad-as-hell, not-gonna-take-it-anymore protesters who want nothing
more than for government to get out of their lives and for Glenn Beck
to fill the hole -- that the sight of them toting signs and chanting
in front of the Capitol building has become so familiar. When a couple
thousand of them showed up at Upper Senate Park in Washington, D.C.,
Tuesday afternoon, they practically blended into the landscape. The
protest, dubbed 'Code Red' due to the urgency of stopping health-
reform legislation, may not have been their biggest. But if you looked
closely, there were signs that the group -- or, in this case, a motley
collection of groups called High Noon For Healthcare -- is gaining
steam. For one thing, Republicans are increasingly trying to associate
themselves with the movement. For another, more Democrats seem willing
to hear them out." (12/15/09)
http://www.slate.com/id/2238731/
-----
61) Can the US Constitution force Americans to have medical insurance?
The Free Liberal
by Fred E. Foldvary
"Tyrants who are in favor of making U.S. citizens slaves of the
government argue that drivers are required to obtain liability
insurance, and thus the same applies to medical insurance. But the
federal government does not require drivers' insurance within the
states. The states do so because drivers travel on governmental roads,
and as the agent providing the road, the state may enact rules of the
road, and a driver agrees to the rules when he obtains a license. But
no license is required just to be a human being. The view that general
welfare or interstate commerce authorize the U.S. federal government
to use any force whatsoever on U.S. citizens is contrary to legal
logic." (12/16/09)
http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/003958.html
-----
62) Give me liberty or give me ... meh
Mother Jones
by Stephanie Mencimer
"Yesterday, Tea Party activists converged on Capitol Hill to stage a
'die-in' to protest health care reform. Originally, they'd planned to
camp out in their senators' offices and simulate what it would be like
to wait in line for government-run medicine. 'As the day goes on some
of us will pretend to die from our untreated illnesses and collapse on
the floor,' Tea Party Patriots national coordinator Mark Meckler
explained on the group's website. 'Many of us plan to stay there until
they force us to leave.' But instead of leaving a trail of prostrate
patriots, the event ended up more like a run-of-the-mill lobbying day
for AARP." (12/16/09)
http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/give-me-liberty-or-give-memeh
-----
63) Five health reform whoppers
Cato Institute
by Michael D. Tanner
"When it comes to health care reform, the White House and its allies
on Capitol Hill seem to live in an alternate universe. The White House
Council of Economic Advisers just released a report arguing that the
reforms before Congress would reduce the growth in health costs, cut
the federal budget deficits and produce thousands of dollars in
benefits for the average family. The problem is that just a few days
earlier a report from the president's own chief health care actuary
concluded that the bill the Senate is considering would actually
increase U.S. health spending by $234 billion over the next 10 years
and hurt seniors' access to care. But then, reformers have generally
had trouble telling fact from fiction." (12/14/09)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11054
-----
64) The city that went to hell
Independent Institute
by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
"This is known as the most dangerous city in the world and it feels
like it. Half of Juarez -- just across the Rio Grande from El Paso,
Texas -- looks like a ghost town; the other resembles a battle zone
briefly gone quiet so that cars can get out. Many assembly plants are
silent, commercial centers are as lifeless as the cotton fields east
of town, restaurants and bars are half-empty, and even the facade of
the morgue is riddled with bullets. Thousands of run-down cars seem to
be just cruising, their drivers having no destination in mind. Street
vendors in the small plaza where the cathedral stands do little more
than talk to each other, and the soldiers riding around with their
fingers on the triggers look more tense than the
civilians." (12/16/09)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2683
-----
65) "'Nuff said?" You bet
The American Conservative
by Kelley Vlahos
"As it is conceived, or at least projected for public consumption, in
order for COIN to work in Afghanistan -- 1) The central government
must be legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people and willing to
work hand in glove with the U.S military to pursue the campaign to its
proscribed ends. 2) Afghan security forces must be trained and
equipped and trusted enough by the civilian population to eventually
provide security and to 'hold' in the long-term any territory
coalition forces can wrest from the 'enemy' in the current campaign.
3) The U.S military must have trust (and assistance) from the Afghan
civilian population in order to gain leverage over the insurgency and
to build legitimacy for the government in Kabul. All three goals bear
serious problematic signs of failure today and yet, there is no
realistic talk from the Obama Administration, nor the senior military
brass about the prospects of any of this having a snow ball's chance
in hell of ever seeing fruition." (12/16/09)
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2009/12/16/nuff-said/
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* See No Evil, Hear No Evil
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66) Tim Cox on Freedom Rings Radio, 12/21/09
Freedom Rings Radio
"Tim Cox, author of Revolution, a New Plan for Selecting
Representatives and the founder of the Get Out Of Our House Project
joins host Kenneth John. 9-10am Central on WRMN 1410 AM, Elgin, IL or
live on the web. [live radio or stream] (12/21/09)
-----
67) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/17/09
Cato Institute
"Urban planners romanticize immobility," featuring Randal O'Toole.
[MP3] (12/17/09)
-----
68) Free Talk Live, 12/16/09
Free Talk Live
"FDA Thugs Kidnap Herbalist / Dyslexia / Central Planning / The
Pandora's Box of Abortion is Opened / Childbearing Roles / Lying
Politicians / Scott the Bigot / Mom Forced to Vaccinate Daughter / The
Medical Establishment, Alternative Medicine, and Quackery / Cops
Attack Octogenarians / Mark Interviews Wheels Off Liberty." [MP3]
(12/16/090)
http://media.libsyn.com/media/ftl/FTL2009-12-16.mp3
-----
69) Tom Engelhardt on Antiwar Radio
AntiWar.Com
"Tom Engelhardt, editor of TomDispatch.com, discusses the multitude of
'other' surges in Afghanistan overshadowed by the troop deployments,
the costs excluded from Obama's 30 billion dollar surge estimate, the
unfounded belief that a Democratic president can't end a war, the
difficulty of defining -- much less achieving -- success in
Afghanistan and how Bush's wars continue even though the geopolitical
strategy that created them is gone." [Flash audio or MP3] (12/16/09)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2009/12/16/tom-engelhardt-4/
*************************************
* What's Up In The Freedom Movement
*************************************
70) 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/
***********
* WaYbAcK
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71) Harrison's folly
Details, and the "quote of the day," from Leon's Political Almanac at: