02/23 -- US appeals court: Screw the Constitution, Maryland's regime can do whatever it wants; Libertarianism and immigration enforcement
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Thomas L. Knapp
Feb 23, 2017, 6:33:23β―AM2/23/17
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 02/23/17
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Β US appeals court: Screw the Constitution, Maryland's regime can do whatever it wants
2) Β Trump regime to educrat pervs: We need more time to consider whether or not it's OK for you to feel up teenagers
3) Β ND: Police arrest protesters at "Dakota Access" corporate welfare boondoggle site
4) Β Fed may raise US rates "fairly soon"
5) Β Ecuador: Ruling party to face Guillermo Lasso in second round election
6) Β Pew survey: Republicans would trust Trump over GOP congressional leaders
7) Β Emails show ties between new EPA head, energy firms
8) Β Mexico's foreign secretary rejects Trump deportation policy
9) Β MI: SCOTUS sides with cerebral palsy patient over service dog dispute
10) Guatemala: Morales says US DHS chief promised no mass deportations
11) TX: Citing "racial stereotype," SCOTUS says inmate can appeal death sentence
12) Philippines: Senator Leila de Lima slams President Duterte
13) Paraguay : Regime stands by suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur despite Parliament bloc ruling
14) TX: "Kill some Jews" tweet gets pre-school teacher fired
15) Cuba: Libertarian activists sent to the gulag
16) Beware! Don't fall for "font wasn't found" Google Chrome malware scam
17) MO: Perv pols consider bill encouraging educrats to grope school kids
18) Activists place "Refugees Welcome" banner on Statue of Liberty's pedestal
19) Kazakhstan: Russian robotic cargo ship launches for space station as SpaceX capsule misses rendezvous
20) Report: Kim Jong Nam had offer to lead North Korea government-in-exile
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Libertarianism and immigration enforcement
22) When even prosecutors can't be informed about corrupt cops, we've got a problem
23) Chaos is a sign of accomplishment
24) Neil Gorsuch and the structural Constitution
25) Federalism, jurisdiction, and resistance
26) What Democrats should resist
27) In praise of immigrants
28) Donald Trump can do a lot with the "Deep State"
29) Do middle-class college kids already have a UBI?
30) What do you own
31) The "lower the tax rate to boost businesses" scam
32) The Congressional Budget Office can't count
33) Eric Church screws his fans, bites the hand that feeds
34) Milo and the moral corruption of the conservative movement
35) In defence of Wayne Shaw
36) Thumbs up to DRM: The free market IP solution
37) Trump, media should stop making things up
38) An illiberal international? Or a world of state power?
39) Trump's strategic vision of chaos: Inventing a nonexistent crisis so he can "solve" it
40) Stop telling us to be terrified, when we should be pissed
41) Yes, students still need Econ 101
42) A sensible economic and foreign policy, part 1
43) Baltasar Gracian's aphorism #154: Do not believe, or like, lightly.
44) NRA-backed law violates the First Amendment in the name of protecting the Second
45) On killers and bullshitters
46) Five reasons for central banks: Are they any good?
47) Why did the pseudo-libertarians bring a white nationalist to ISFLC in the first place?
48) Mission unaccomplished, 15 years later
49) Stockholm syndrome?
50) Can someone protect us from our "protectors?"
Today's Freedom Podcast & Video
51) The AnCap Barber Shop, episode 10
52) Doug Bandow: Time to end the war on drugs
53) Intercepted Podcast, 02/22/17
54) Freedom Feens Radio, 02/22/17
55) Electric Libertyland, episode 8
56) Reason Podcast, 02/21/17
57) Cato Daily Podcast, 02/21/17
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 854
59) Free Talk Live, 02/21/17
60) The Jason Stapleton Program, 02/21/17
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FREEDOM NEWS
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1) Β US appeals court: Screw the Constitution, Maryland's regime can do whatever it wants
Source: US News & World Report
"A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld Maryland's ban on assault rifles [sic], ruling gun owners are not protected under the U.S. Constitution to possess 'weapons of war,' court documents showed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit decided 10-4 that the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a law [passed as a way of grandstanding on] the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, by a gunman with an assault rifle [sic], does not violate the right to bear arms within the Second Amendment." (02/22/17)
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2) Β Trump regime to educrat pervs: We need more time to consider whether or not it's OK for you to feel up teenagers
Source: The Hill
"The Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era regulation extending certain protections to transgender students. The Department of Justice and the Department of Education issued new guidance Wednesday evening rolling back the policies, citing a need to further consider the legal issues. The guidelines required public schools to allow children to use bathrooms and other facilities that correspond to their gender identities." (02/22/17)
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3) Β ND: Police arrest protesters at "Dakota Access" corporate welfare boondoggle site
Source: USA Today
"Police on Thursday started arresting protesters who refused to leave the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp by Wednesday's deadline, according to reports by The Associated Press and NBC News. The arrests come hours after remnants of the camp went up in flames as protesters set fire to the wooden housing as part of a departure ceremony. The protesters stayed on the federal land for six months as they tried to block construction efforts." (02/22/17)
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4) Β Fed may raise US rates "fairly soon"
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Federal Reserve officials have said they may need to raise interest rates 'fairly soon' if the economy stays strong, minutes of their meeting show. The first meeting of the Fed since Donald Trump took office as president discussed the possibility of a rate rise as early as March. Most economists have been forecasting a rise in June. However, Fed officials appear divided on the timing of a rise amid uncertainty over Mr Trump's policies." (02/22/17)
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5) Β Ecuador: Ruling party to face Guillermo Lasso in second round election
Source: PanAm Post
"Banker and ex-governor Guillermo Lasso will face former vice president Lenin Moreno in an April 2 runoff election. The news came as a great relief to the Ecuadorean opposition, who had feared attempts by the ruling Alianza Pais party to influence or manipulate the outstanding vote count by the National Electoral Council (CNE)." (02/22/17)
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6) Β Pew survey: Republicans would trust Trump over GOP congressional leaders
Source: USA Today
"Take heed, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan: If it came down to it, Republicans would trust Trump over the GOP leadership in Congress, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The report, released by the nonpartisan think tank on Tuesday and based on a survey taken earlier this month, found that 52% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents would put their faith in the president if there was a disagreement between Trump and congressional leaders. The exception: Republicans under the age of 40, who said they are more inclined to trust Congress. It was a mixed bag for members of Congress in either party, though. Job approval ratings for GOP leadership were up to 34%, compared to 19% in September 2015. For Democrats, that approval rating was 37%, up from 34%." (02/22/17)
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7) Β Emails show ties between new EPA head, energy firms
Source: Reuters
"Emails released by the Oklahoma attorney general's office show a cozy relationship between energy companies and Scott Pruitt, who was the state's top prosecutor before being sworn in last week as the new chief U.S. environmental regulator, a media watchdog group said on Wednesday. The Center for Media and Democracy has sought the release of emails between energy companies and Pruitt for the past two years, saying they show energy companies drafted language that Pruitt's attorney general office then used in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the office he now heads, over regulations on energy operations. The center had sued Pruitt on Feb. 7, ahead of the Senate vote to confirm his nomination by President Donald Trump, to release the records detailing his communications with energy companies. The attorney general's office released more than 7,500 pages of emails late on Tuesday, holding back an unknown number of documents it called exempted or privileged." (02/22/17)
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8) Β Mexico's foreign secretary rejects Trump deportation policy
Source: BBC [UK state media]
"Mexico has condemned new guidelines issued by the United States on deporting undocumented immigrants. Under plans unveiled by the Trump administration on Tuesday, almost all people staying in the US illegally can be subject to deportation. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said his country could not 'accept unilateral decisions imposed by one government on another.' The row comes as two top US officials are preparing to visit Mexico. The White House said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the head of Homeland Security, John Kelly, would talk to Mexican officials and 'walk through' the implementation of the new immigration guidelines." (02/22/17)
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9) Β MI: SCOTUS sides with cerebral palsy patient over service dog dispute
Source: Detroit News
"The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with a 13-year-old Michigan girl with cerebral palsy who spent years battling school officials for the right to bring her service dog -- a goldendoodle named Wonder -- to class. The justices ruled unanimously that federal disability laws might allow Ehlena Fry to pursue her case in court without first having to wade through a lengthy administrative process. The ruling is a win for advocacy groups that want to make it easier for disabled students to protect their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act." (02/22/17)
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10) Guatemala: Morales says US DHS chief promised no mass deportations
Source: Lompoc Record
"U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has visited Guatemala, where he reportedly assured officials there won't be mass deportations by the Unites States. Kelly did say that President Donald Trump has directed his department to [abduct] people entering the U.S. illegally [sic] and 'return them to their countries of origin as fast as possible.'" (02/22/17)
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11) TX: Citing "racial stereotype," SCOTUS says inmate can appeal death sentence
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
"During a sentencing hearing in Texas two decades ago, a defense attorney for a man named Duane Buck called on an expert who said his client's race made it more statistically likely that he would commit violent crimes in the future. Because of that statement, the Supreme Court has ruled 6-2 that Buck, who is black, can appeal his death sentence. It's the latest development in a case that Chief Justice John Roberts describes as 'a perfect storm' of circumstances that he says culminated in a lower court 'making a decision on life or death on the basis of race.'" (02/22/17)
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12) Philippines: Senator Leila de Lima slams President Duterte
Source: Hawaii Telegraph
"Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's chief critic, Senator Leila de Lima, has called the controversial President a 'serial killer' who should be removed from office. 'There is no more doubt that our president is a murderer and sociopathic serial killer,' De Lima told reporters, as she urged cabinet member to declare him unfit to lead as chief executive, and asked ordinary Filipinos to express their opposition to his rule." (02/23/17)
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13) Paraguay : Regime stands by suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur despite Parliament bloc ruling
Source: PanAm Post
"Paraguay's Chancellor went on record this week to defend the suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur after the trading bloc's parliament decided not to issue sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro's administration. Mercosur's parliament, known as Parlasur acts independently from the Council of Ministers of Mercosur, which is why Venzuela's removal from the trading bloc is 'legal and administrative,' Loizaga said, despite the parliament's disagreement." (02/22/17)
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14) TX: "Kill some Jews" tweet gets pre-school teacher fired
Source: Fox News
"A pre-school teacher in Texas who encouraged social media followers to 'kill some Jews' and repeatedly mocked the Holocaust was fired on Wednesday, Fox News confirmed. Nancy Salem had taught at The Children's Courtyard, an 'educational day care' in South Arlington. 'This person no longer works for our company,' a spokesperson for The Children's Courtyard told Fox News in an email. 'Providing a safe, nurturing and inclusive learning environment is of the utmost importance to us,' Director of Communication Lydia Cisaruk wrote. 'The offensive comments certainly don't reflect our views. Our employees are expected to uphold certain standards of person and professional conduct. Our senior leadership thoroughly investigated this matter.'" [editor's note: A pre-school teacher? Can we make sure she never "teaches" again? β SAT] (02/22/17)
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15) Cuba: Libertarian activists sent to the gulag
Source: Libertarian Party of Nevada
"The civil rights and human rights case regarding the two jailed Cuban libertarian activists just took a dark turn. As of this afternoon, Mises Cuba reports that Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez and Manuel Velazquez Visea are incarcerated in Cuba's infamous Melena II prison. Various human rights groups have documented conditions at Melena II, and it's Cuba's equivalent of the Gulag in Soviet Russia and the labor camps in North Korea. Four Libertarian state parties (Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Indiana) and the Libertarian Party of Spain (P-LIB) have published denunciations of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba, and these parties are calling for the immediate and safe release of the political prisoners." [hat tip -- Zach Foster] (02/22/17)
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16) Beware! Don't fall for "font wasn't found" Google Chrome malware scam
Source: The Hacker News
"Next time when you accidentally or curiously land up on a website with jumbled content prompting you to download a missing font to read the blog by updating the Chrome font pack. Just Don't Download and Install It. It's a Trap! Scammers and hackers are targeting Google Chrome users with this new hacking scam that's incredibly easy to fall for, prompting users to download a fake Google Chrome font pack update just to trick them into installing malware on their systems." (02/22/17)
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17) MO: Perv pols consider bill encouraging educrats to grope school kids
Source: KSHB 4 News
"Missouri lawmakers are considering a 'bathroom bill' targeting transgender children in public schools, despite a backlash that North Carolina faced over a broader law limiting bathroom use in all public buildings. Republican sponsor Sen. Ed Emery said the goal is to protect students' safety and privacy, but parents of transgender children told lawmakers Tuesday that the proposal would put their kids at higher risk of bullying and violence. The bill would require public school students to use bathrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates." (02/22/17)
http://www.kshb.com/news/state/missouri/missouri-bill-would-limit-transgender-school-bathroom-access
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18) Activists place "Refugees Welcome" banner on Statue of Liberty's pedestal
Source: The Hill
"Activists unfurled a 'Refugees Welcome' banner on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty on Tuesday afternoon. The National Park Service said the banner was placed just before 1 p.m., and rangers took it down after determining they could remove it without damaging the pedestal, according to reports. It is illegal to attach banners to national monuments and the United States [sic]. Park Police are reportedly looking to identify the suspects who affixed the banner, which measured approximately 20 feet by 3 feet. An activist who identified himself only as David told Fusion that he was one of the people behind the banner. He said the idea came about in response to President Trump's travel ban." (02/21/17)
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19) Kazakhstan: Russian robotic cargo ship launches for space station as SpaceX capsule misses rendezvous
Source: Space.com
"The Russian space agency Roscosmos launched a robotic cargo ship early Wednesday (Feb. 22) on a mission to deliver fresh supplies to the International Space Station. The autonomous Progress 66 resupply ship launched into orbit atop a Soyuz rocket at 12:58 a.m. EST (0558 GMT), lifting off from a pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The cargo ship will arrive at the space station early Friday (Feb. 24). ... Wednesday's launch occurred just hours before another cargo ship, a SpaceX Dragon capsule, was due to arrive at the International Space Station. But the Dragon aborted its approach at a range of seven-tenths of a mile due to an incorrect value in the global positioning system software used to pinpoint the spacecraft's position relative to the space station, NASA officials said. The Dragon capsule will attempt another rendezvous on Thursday (Feb. 23), NASA officials added." (02/22/17)
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20) Report: Kim Jong Nam had offer to lead North Korea government-in-exile
Source: Korea Times [Republic of Korea]
"North Korean defectors in Europe and the United States had offered Kim Jong-nam to serve as head of a government-in-exile, if one had been established, but he rejected the offer, according to sources, Tuesday. 'He was concerned that accepting such an offer may not help end hereditary succession of power in the repressive regime,' a source said. The source said Kim's paternal half-brother and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have ordered his death with suspicions that he may join the government-in-exile aimed at eventually overthrowing the regime." (02/21/17)
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FREEDOM COMMENTARY
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21) Libertarianism and immigration enforcement
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
"For the past several years, there has been a running debate within the libertarian movement between libertarians who favor government immigration controls and those who favor open borders. As an advocate of open borders, I have never been able to figure out how those libertarians who favor government-controlled borders are able to reconcile their position with the libertarian non-aggression principle, which condemns the initiation of force against others and holds that people should be free to do whatever they want so long as their conduct is peaceful. I have also been unable to understand how the government-controlled-borders libertarians reconcile their position with the concepts of natural, God-given rights, private property, free markets, and limited government, all of which are bedrock political and economic principles of libertarianism." (02/22/17)
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22) When even prosecutors can't be informed about corrupt cops, we've got a problem
Source: Reason
by Scott Shackford
"One would think that letting prosecutors know which police officers have histories of misconduct would actually be beneficial to putting criminals behind bars. If prosecutors knew about problems with an officer's history, they'd be better prepared for a possible attack on his or her credibility if it comes up in a courtroom. But in California, thanks to laws that treat police officers' personnel records like sealed secrets, police are able to resist (so far successfully) efforts to let prosecutors know when they've got a potentially dirty officer. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department put together a list of 300 of its own deputies that have records of misconduct. The union that represents them has so far used the courts to stop the LASD from passing those names along to prosecutors." (02/22/17)
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23) Chaos is a sign of accomplishment
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
"Most of the political left, following the lead of the mainstream national media, is focusing on what they characterize as President Trump's incompetence and the chaos that surrounds his administration. He told you he was going to stir things up. Anyone with any sense should know stirring things up is going to cause chaos. Especially so when it affects those who were comfortable with the way things were. While spring cleaning, or draining the swamp, chaos is a sign you are accomplishing something. It is rare to do anything significant without creating chaos. Chaos isn't necessarily a bad thing, but is it destructive? I fervently hope so. Destruction is almost always the first step in creating anything new." (02/22/17)
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24) Neil Gorsuch and the structural Constitution
Source: Cato Institute
by Ilya Shapiro and Frank Garrison
"The Framers designed a system whereby the primary method of protecting individual rights lay in dividing the power of government both vertically and horizontally (federalism and the separation of powers, respectively). This innovation, applying a blend of ancient and Enlightenment-era political philosophy, would prevent anybody in the ruling class from gaining too much power over the people. But our constitutional jurisprudence has not always reinforced this structure. Indeed, over the past century we have seen more and more power transferred from the states to the federal government -- and from the judicial and legislative branches to the executive. The main protection for freedom became what the Founders originally considered a redundant afterthought, the Bill of Rights (which, as the late Justice Scalia liked to say, most tin-pot banana republics have). With the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, however, there is renewed hope for a renaissance in enforcing the Constitution's structure as the means for securing and protecting ordered liberty." (02/22/17)
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25) Federalism, jurisdiction, and resistance
Source: Niskanen Center
by Jacob T Levy
"Federalism isn't only valuable, or only liberal, because it brings lawmaking closer to the people. The local governing autonomy of the states is a mixed blessing, as Madison knew; local majorities can sometimes be the most oppressive. But we shouldn't only think of the states' outward-facing capacities as taking part in elections or looking for federal handouts. A central theme of my scholarship on federalism for many years has been: federalism is valuable because states can be oppositional. They can provide organizational, institutional, and political strength that is otherwise hard to come by in the face of a tremendously powerful central government. They are units that can say 'no,' and can help give people who say 'no' a place to stand." (02/22/17)
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26) What Democrats should resist
Source: USA Today
by staff
"Democrats are showing signs of life after November's shocking election losses. They are energized and turning out in large numbers for marches and town halls. Their chief adversary, Donald Trump, has record-low approval ratings for a new president and is prone to self-inflicted wounds. Yet, as they convene in Atlanta to select a new party chair this weekend, the Democrats should resist the temptation to let their far left wing control too much and to assume that indignation alone can win elections. The first few weeks of the Trump administration reinforce a key point that Hillary Clinton failed to drive home: Many of Trump's policies will not help many of the people who voted for him." (02/22/17)
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27) In praise of immigrants
Source: The American Conservative
by Jon Basil Utley
"Three new technologies of the last 20 years made America's economy great again: the iPhone, Google search, and horizontal drilling and fracturing. All came from first-generation immigrants. Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian immigrant; Google came from two young men, one a Russian immigrant; and fracking came from the son of a Greek goatherder. There is a simple reason: immigrants, to paraphrase Frankie Laine's great song, do not have an 'ace in the hole' -- somewhere to get a free meal or a pad for the night. I too was one, from Russia. Immigrants didn't have any ace in the hole; when I looked over my shoulder there was nothing except, sometimes, an imaginary hungry wolf. My mother got me a good education but as a child, I was among the poorest in almost any group of children. That's the real incentive immigrants have." (02/22/17)
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28) Donald Trump can do a lot with the "Deep State"
Source: The New Republic
by Jeet Heer
"A hallmark of the Trump era is that fringe ideas are now at the forefront of American politics. Such has been the trajectory of the phrase 'deep state,' which has its origins in Turkish politics (it described the entrenched secularist faction in the military that resisted, sometimes violently, elected Islamist governments) and was introduced into America by the radical left. But thanks to President Donald Trump's ongoing feud with the intelligence community, which he has compared to the Nazis for leaking information against him, the concept of a deep state is now being widely discussed all over the political spectrum. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said on CNN last week that he's 'concerned' the leaks against Trump were 'an effort on those who want a provocation with Russia or other countries to sort of push the president in the direction. So I don't think it's Trump vs. Obama -- I think it's really the deep state vs. the president, the duly elected president.'" (02/22/17)
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29) Do middle-class college kids already have a UBI?
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"In our Universal Basic Income debate, Will Wilkinson had one fun argument I didn't have time to answer. His claim: Middle-class college kids (like the stereotypical Students for Liberty attendee) already get a UBI from their parents. Thanks to this UBI, Will argued, middle-class kids have the buffer they need to explore their interests and hone their skills -- and the disincentive effects are barely noticeable. Wouldn't it be great if everyone enjoyed the same privilege at taxpayer expense? My reply: While middle-class parents do commonly provide ample financial support for their children, it's nothing like a UBI. Instead, it's heavily means-tested: We'll keep supporting you as long as you pursue a responsible path." [editor's note: I'll just beat RRND/FND commenter dL to the punch here and note that a "Universal Basic Income" would almost certainly quickly become conditional on particular behaviors as well β TLK] (02/22/17)
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30) What do you own
Source: A Geek With Guns
by Christopher Burg
"I've annoyed many electrons criticizing the concept of intellectual property. The idea that somebody has a government granted monopoly on something simply because they were the first to receive a patent is absurd in my opinion. But we live with much more absurd ideas today. Due to the way software copyright and patent laws work, if a company loads software onto a device they can effectively prevent anybody from owning it. At most a buyer can acquire a limited use license for those devices. Combining software copyright and patent laws with the Internet of Things (IoT) just amplifies this. Now there are a bunch of devices on the market that rely on continuous Internet access to the manufacturers' servers. If the manufacture decides to drop support for the product it stops working. This wouldn't be as big of an issue if laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) didn't make it illegal for you to hack the device and load your own software onto it that allowed it to continue working." (02/22/17)
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31) The "lower the tax rate to boost businesses" scam
Source: Our Future
by Dave Johnson
Now that Republicans are running Congress and the executive branch, they're planning to 'reform' (cut) corporate taxes (again). This time they using the subterfuge of 'this will make companies more competitive.' What does that mean? Of course, under Republicans, it really means one and only one thing: cutting taxes on the rich. The top corporate tax rate used to be 52 percent. Under President Ronald Reagan it was 46 percent. Then Congress 'reformed' corporate taxes and dropped the rate to just 35 percent. (Except for giant, multinational corporations. They were handed a 'deferral' break that cut their taxes to zero.) Corporations used to shoulder 32 percent of the total tax burden. Now they shoulder only 10 percent of the burden -- a drop of two-thirds. The difference has been made up from cuts to infrastructure, schools, healthcare, scientific research and all the things our government does to make our lives better." [editor's note: Mr. Johnson is of course ignorant of the fact that no corporation pays corporate taxes, their customers do! β SAT] (02/21/17)
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32) The Congressional Budget Office can't count
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Antony Davies & James R Harrigan
"The Congressional Budget Office just released their national debt prediction for the upcoming decade, and it's not good. Assuming the government does not add any new costs, the CBO is expecting another $10 trillion to be added to the current debt, raising the total to $30 trillion. But as bad as that is, the reality will likely be even worse. The CBO has historically underestimated future debt by a huge margin. Judging by their past optimistic errors, the real debt in 2027 will likely not be $30 trillion, but $75 trillion." (02/22/17)
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33) Eric Church screws his fans, bites the hand that feeds
Source: KN@PPSTER
by Thomas L. Knapp
"As is usually the case with popular performers on tour, 'secondary market' sellers, aka 'scalpers,' bought up a bunch of tickets for Eric Church's 'Holdin' My Own Tour.' As is not usually the case, Church canceled 25,000 tickets that he believed to have been purchased by 'scalpers.' The fans who bought those tickets retail? Well, maybe they'll get their money back, maybe they won't; maybe they'll find a way to attend his concerts, maybe they won't. Quoth a Church spokesperson: 'Ticket scalpers got their money back, and we would expect that scalpers would in turn refund their customers. But with ticket scalpers, you never know!' If they don't, then it's just this simple: Eric Church stole the opportunity to see him perform that his fans paid their hard-earned money for. Even if they do get refunds, and even if they do manage to find other tickets, he tried to screw them good and hard, in the name of helping them and maybe even in the genuine belief that he was helping them." (02/2/17)
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34) Milo and the moral corruption of the conservative movement
Source: The American Prospect
by Adele M Stan
"Since the early days of its ascendance in the Republican Party, the conservative movement's leaders have advanced their cause on two major claims that have shaped conservatism's identity: moral rectitude and love of the Constitution. As it turns out, that was quite a sell job. The hatred espoused by Trump and the cretins he's defended, such as Breitbart News phenomenon Milo Yiannopoulos, initially found its voice, often in more polite language, in the conservative movement. Milo and the Donald may not be ideological conservatives, but they are nonetheless creations of the conservative movement. As I've noted before, these are players savvy enough to understand that conservatism never was fueled by ideology; it was always fueled by contempt for everyone other than non-Jewish white men." [editor's note: Seemed like a good time to raise this spectre from a "progressive" pundit β SAT] (02/22/17)
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35) In defence of Wayne Shaw
Source: spiked
by Patrick Marmion
"You may have heard of 'dog bites man' stories in journalism. They're the ones where figurative canine does what comes naturally and a reporter is obliged to dress it up as something exceptional. But one story that broke this week really does take the biscuit: a man eats pie story. The man in question is Wayne Shaw -- the 23-stone goalkeeping coach and reserve keeper for Sutton United Football Club. ... Shortly before the end of the FA Cup fifth round match on Monday night, Sutton had used all their substitutes, making it impossible for Shaw to enter the fray. He was then filmed in the team dugout taking and eating a meat and potato pie. ... [b]y mid-afternoon on Tuesday the saga had descended into embarrassing farce as Sutton United's most loyal servant ... was sacked by owner Paul Doswell. Investigations had been launched by both the Football Association and the Gambling Commission to determine if Wayne had broken betting rules." (02/22/17)
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36) Thumbs up to DRM: The free market IP solution
Source: The Anarchist Shemale
by Aria DiMezzo
"[I]n this World Without IP, DRM still wouldn't be enough, because the pirates would be more active than ever. Not only would they finally be allowed to work publicly and openly without fear of being kidnapped by armed thugs, but they could actually make money doing it. ... Since DRM wouldn't be enough, the onus would again fall to the creators to provide incentives for people to purchase their games, rather than just throwing a bit of small change at piracy groups and playing the games at substantially reduced costs." (02/22/17)
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37) Trump, media should stop making things up
Source: Fox News Forum
by John Stossel
"'Fake News!' shouts our president, calling out CNN, The New York Times and others. I love it, although it's not really true -- not the way President Donald Trump means it. The media rarely 'fake' anything. Over time, they generally get the facts correct. But the president makes a good point: The smug lamestream media spin left, but won't admit it. At ABC News, my colleagues acted as if I was the only guy in the building with an opinion. Everyone else was 'in the middle.' This was nonsense. Almost all were leftists. They constantly pushed big government. Their bias was revealed in questions they asked, the 'experts' they chose to interview and their endless calls for political correctness and new regulation. Unfortunately, Trump is now just as ridiculous, claiming that 'crime is reaching record levels" when it's half what it was 25 years ago." (02/22/17)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/02/22/john-stossel-trump-media-should-stop-making-things-up.html
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38) An illiberal international? Or a world of state power?
Source: Cato Unbound
by Emma Ashford
"As Zack Cooper notes, both the Obama administration and the Bush administration attempted to conduct a pivot to the rising Asia-Pacific region, a shift driven by realist concerns about great power politics. Perhaps the Trump administration's actions might be better explained by a classic, balance-of-power view of the world, rather than a civilizational clash. But if Trump's foreign policy is being driven by realpolitik, he is doing a remarkably poor impression of Bismarck. Trump has taken a massively inconsistent approach to U.S. allies in the region, such as his alternating praise and castigation of Japan. He has taken adversarial stances towards friendly nations like Australia for no apparent reason, and inexplicably questioned stabilizing policies like the One China policy. And while Cooper rightly points out that U.S. leaders seeking an Asia pivot have often been pulled into the Middle East against their will, Trump and his advisors seem determined to prioritize low-threat actors like ISIS over great power politics." (02/22/17)
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39) Trump's strategic vision of chaos: Inventing a nonexistent crisis so he can "solve" it
Source: Salon
by Heather Digby Parton
"Trump is ignorant in most ways a president should be smart, but he does have an unerring instinct for hype. One of his favorite tall tales is the miraculous 'comeback' story. You've heard him endlessly recount the tedious details of his Great Campaign in which nobody said he could get the nomination and yet he defied the odds and vanquished 16 men, Carly Fiorina and one Crooked Hillary, ultimately winning a historic landslide of epic proportions. No, it wasn't historic and it wasn't epic and it wasn't a landslide, but that's part of the myth Trump has created for himself: He only wins big. The point is that he's making himself out to be a hero who can defy tremendous odds to fight back and win. That's why he insists that he inherited a terrible mess that will take a heroic effort to turn around, and he's the only guy who can do it." (02/22/17)
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40) Stop telling us to be terrified, when we should be pissed
Source: In These Times
by Theo Anderson
"Plain old fear isn't enough anymore, apparently. Since the election, dozens of headlines and essays have urged us to be terrified about the administration of Donald Trump. A partial list of things that you must be terrified about includes: Steve Bannon's influence, Trump's unhinged optimism, Trump's utter incompetence, Trump's Cabinet picks, Trump, himself, just in general, and most of his actions since taking office, Trump's impact on climate-change, Trump and the GOP's plan to repeal Obamacare, the implications of Trump's policies for women and his treatment of the press. One piece called Trump's behavior not only terrifying but 'petrifying,' which literally means fear so acute that it creates paralysis." (02/21/17)
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41) Yes, students still need Econ 101
Source: James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
by Donald J Boudreaux
"In an article published recently in the Atlantic, 'The Curse of Econ 101,' University of Connecticut law professor James Kwak argues against what he assumes to be the content, thrust, and effect of the basic principles course, Economics 101. He thinks it's too simplistic. And he's sure that in its simplicity, it masks the complexities that must be accounted for when passing judgment on economic reality and especially on government policies." (02/22/17)
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42) A sensible economic and foreign policy, part 1
Source: Mises Canada
by Patrick Barron
"The Misesean insight that all economics is based upon methodological individualism plus the no harm principle calls into question the raison d' entre of the regulatory state, including legal tender laws; i.e., the mandatory and exclusive use of state produced and controlled money within the sovereign boundaries of the state. Since every economic transaction is between private parties who believe that they will benefit from the transaction, how can any other individual -- much less some remote burreaucrat -- even know what these transactions might be or their terms? All that is required for peaceful cooperation among people everywhere is ordinary commercial law to define contracts, fraud, etc. and the law of torts to define harms. These laws arose out of the common law over the centuries and not out of the hubris of self-aggrandizing bureaucrats." (02/22/17)
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43) Baltasar Gracian's aphorism #154: Do not believe, or like, lightly.
Source: WendyMcElroy.com
by Wendy McElroy
"Deeds meant to create an impression are the most dangerous of lies and the most difficult to deal with because they are revealed through 'the cracks' in composition and the acts performed outside the spotlight. It takes judgment and observation to discern what is true or false, not only about statements but also about people." (02/22/17)
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44) NRA-backed law violates the First Amendment in the name of protecting the Second
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overturned a censorious Florida law that tried to stop doctors from pestering their patients about guns, sacrificing the First Amendment in the name of protecting the Second. Such laws, which the National Rifle Association supports, show how fake rights -- in this case, an overbroad understanding of the right to armed self-defense -- endanger real ones." (02/22/17)
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45) On killers and bullshitters
Source: CounterPunch
by John Grant
"We're living in a very weird and convoluted moment in the annals of truth and bullshit. For some reason Americans saddled themselves with a rich and obnoxious reality TV star significantly unmoored from reality. A George W. Bush aide famously told a reporter: We're an empire now and we make our own reality. Maybe it's an axiom of our age: The wealthy and powerful have the right to make their own reality. As for the poor and the powerless, the same condition of being unmoored from reality is generally linked with what we call 'mental illness,' which leads to marginalization, institutionalization or incarceration." (02/22/17)
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46) Five reasons for central banks: Are they any good?
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Karl-Friedrich Israel
"So what are the justifications for central banks? [Vera C. Smith (later Lutz)] identified five main arguments for central banks from an economic point of view. Although Smith has written with a gold standard as the underlying monetary system in mind, it is interesting to look at these arguments with the benefit of hindsight more than 80 years later. Has any one of the arguments actually made a strong or even conclusive case for central banking?" (02/22/17)
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47) Why did the pseudo-libertarians bring a white nationalist to ISFLC in the first place?
Source: Notes On Liberty
by Zachary Woodman
"Spencer was invited by a group calling themselves 'βThe Hoppe Caucus,' named after noted bigot Hans-Hermann Hoppe. It is perhaps revealing that a bunch of students who want to invite a self-proclaimed white nationalist who does the Nazi salute to Trump and calls for 'ethnic cleansing' of non-whites to a libertarian conference give themselves this name. The organizers were originally planning to invite Augustus Sol Invictus (the linked post was deleted) to do a similar event hijacking the conference, but were unable to pay for his travel. ... The 'Hoppe Caucus' is nothing more than a Facebook page started by a couple of alt-right crypto-fascists masquerading as libertarians surrounding websites like the oxymoronically named The Liberty Conservative and the grossly misnamed trashy click-bait site Liberty Hangout." (02/21/17)
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48) Mission unaccomplished, 15 years later
Source: Antiwar.com
by Danny Sjursen & Tom Engelhardt
"If you're going to surround yourself with generals in the Oval Office, as Donald Trump has done, that means one thing in these years: you're going to appoint men whose careers were made (or unmade) by what was once known as the Global War on Terror. They will be deeply associated with Washington's 15 years of disastrous wars and conflicts in the Greater Middle East, which have left that region a set of failed or near-failed states and a hotbed of terror outfits, including various branches of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. ... On the evidence of these last years, such experiences seem to have tied these men to the war against terror in a deep and visceral way, making any major reconsideration of what they had lived through inconceivable." (02/22/17)
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49) Stockholm syndrome?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"Can we handle the truth? Governments and media professionals don't always think so. Journalist Ami Horowitz, whose interview with Tucker Carlson caught President Trump's attention last week, noted that, despite what he learned (and recorded) at street level in Sweden, Swedes in general and government personnel in particular seem resistant to acknowledging the levels of violence in Muslim migrant communities." (02/22/17)
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50) Can someone protect us from our "protectors?"
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
"[T]he bulk of domestic terror attacks in recent years have been committed by white fundamentalists with confederate flags. And of course you know who they supported for president. It never even occurs to me, when I see a Middle Eastern immigrant or Muslim, to wonder about their potential for irrational violence. When I see a good ol' boy with a confederate flag or Trump sticker, on the other hand, the possibility is always in the back of my mind. People of this sort attack Muslims all the time (as well as Sikhs, Hindus and God knows who else, because they're too dumb to know the difference). Stories of Muslim women being publicly assaulted and their hijabs ripped off, of mosques, synagogues and black churches burned or defaced with swastikas, seem to be becoming an everyday occurrence. And it's not Muslims doing this stuff. I'm not worried at all about 'security' in regard to Syria refugees. Nobody is, except for gullible idiots taken in by right-wing propaganda by power-hungry policians eager to expand state power. What I am worried about -- very much so -- is this attempted expansion of the police state." (02/21/17)
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FREEDOM PODCAST & VIDEO
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51) The AnCap Barber Shop, episode 10
Source: Pax Libertas Productions
"Tonight we have guest panelist Dave Hester and we are talking about Rothbardian natural rights, mind mapping, assisted death, and suicide." [various formats] (02/22/17)
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52) Doug Bandow: Time to end the war on drugs
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
"Watch Doug Bandow present his perspectives on why America needs to end the war on drugs. This presentation is part of FFF's Drug War Video Project, whose aim is to accelerate the end of this immoral and destructive government program." [Flash video] (02/22/17)
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53) Intercepted Podcast, 02/22/17
Source: The Intercept
"James Risen exposed warrantless wiretapping by Bush and Cheney, faced imprisonment under Obama's Justice Department, and is preparing to do battle with Donald Trump. This week on Intercepted, the New York Times investigative journalist breaks down Trump's declaration that journalists are the enemy and analyzes Trump's royal court." [various formats] (02/22/17)
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54) Freedom Feens Radio, 02/22/17
Source: Freedom Feens Radio
"MWD, James, and newly-minuted Feen Veloschka ('V') drop mad scientists and discuss their journeys to liberty, after listening to Michael's old band, Bomb and jamming along with the Pocket Alibi app." [various formats] (02/22/17)
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55) Electric Libertyland, episode 8
Source: Lions of Liberty
"In today's episode of Electric Libertyland, host Brian McWilliams discusses his recent Vegas excursion before delving into the 'Day Without Women' strike, President Trump's new national security advisor, H.R. McMaster, Rand Paul taking a jab at John McCain, a newly concerned slew of Democrats who (finally) want a declaration of war against ISIS, and wrap things up with a deep look at the recent Milo Yiannopoulos 'pedo' scandal and Milo's wizardry in emerging not only unscathed, but stronger than ever." [various formats] (02/22/17)
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56) Reason Podcast, 02/21/17
Source: Reason
"At the 10th annual International Students for Liberty Conference, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward, former editor and longtime head of the Institute for Humane Studies Marty Zupan, and I discussed the history and future of Reason and libertarianism in President Donald Trump's America. We each talked about the signature issues of the decades we were at the magazine's helm (the 1980s for Zupan, the '00s for me, and currently for Mangu-Ward) and whether libertarianism is waxing or waning." [various formats] (02/21/17)
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57) Cato Daily Podcast, 02/21/17
Source: Cato Institute
"H. L. Mencken's relationship with religion and religious people was complicated. D. G. Hart is author of Damning Words: The Life and Religious Times of H. L. Mencken." [various formats] (02/21/17)
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58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 854
Source: The Tom Woods Show
"The debates and policies that gave rise to American empire occurred at the very end of the nineteenth century, in conflicts that found Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain at odds. Author Stephen Kinzer joins me to discuss the transformation of America away from nonintervention and toward empire." [various formats] (02/21/17)
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59) Free Talk Live, 02/21/17
Source: Free Talk Live
"Amish Farmer Facing Federal Prison :: FDA Enforcement :: Secret Project :: Cannabis Legalization :: Electric ART? :: Boycott :: Objectivism :: Deportation :: Biocentrism :: New Colossus :: Immigration :: Adam Kokesh :: Flag Design :: More Troll Callers :: HOSTS -- Ian, Darryl." [Flash audio or MP3] (02/21/17)
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60) The Jason Stapleton Program, 02/21/17
Source: The Jason Stapleton Program
"Today I want to talk with you about Milo [Yiannopoulos]'s recent comments about pedophilia and why he's such a bad poster child for both conservatism and the liberty movement." [various formats] (02/21/17)
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