06/13 -- Gulf of Oman: If your first false flag attacks don't succeed, try, try again?; Dr. Biden, B.S.
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 13, 2019, 11:51:36 AM6/13/19
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/13/19
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Presented by the Liberty International
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Gulf of Oman: If your first false flag attacks don't succeed, try, try again?
2) Census fight: Trump invokes executive privilege, House panel holds Barr, Ross in contempt
3) TN: At least 24 cops injured in protests after US Marshals kill man
4) Maine becomes eighth state to legalize assisted suicide
5) Trump: US sending 1,000 more troops to Poland
6) US politicians spent $208 billion more than they stole in May
7) Russia: Hundreds arrested at Moscow protest over Ivan Golunov's arrest
8) Google researcher drops Windows 10 zero-day security bomb
9) China: Earliest known signs of cannabis smoking unearthed
10) Gas prices could fall below $2 for many Americans
11) Kamala Harris: "No choice" other than prosecuting Trump
12) Trump welcomes foreign dirt on 2020 opponents: "I think I'd take it"
13) CrowdStrike pops more than 70% in debut, now worth over $11 billion
14) Used SpaceX rocket launches three RADARSAT satellites, aces foggy landing
15) US House panel unanimously passes 9/11 victims fund bill after Jon Stewart shaming
16) Huawei postpones planned laptop launch amid US trade war
17) Duke survey: Corporate executives fear recession in 2020
18) OK: Trump regime to re-open World War 2 concentration camp for use in caging child migrant abductees
19) Japan's Abe visits Iran in bid to play mediator with US
20) Reps of 22 foreign governments have spent money at Trump properties
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Dr. Biden, B.S.
22) Pork is not the problem
23) Misnamed "Honest Ads Act" would restrict free speech
24) Four theories about the Great Depression
25) In sync: How business responds to gratis government
26) Trump's deep misunderstanding of trade policy is threatening the American economy
27) US Government utterly inept at keeping your data secure
28) Money can't buy you health
29) The blind trust described in the Kleiman vs. Wright lawsuit is a real head-scratcher
30) Maine exhales
31) Earth to Tesla: Elon Musk has few ideas beyond begging for government money
32) America's economic commissar of trade
33) Low productivity is a handicap
34) Good money, bad money -- and how Bitcoin fits in
35) The omnipresent surveillance state
36) How Border Patrol occupied the Tohono O'odham nation
37) End America's illegal occupation of Syria now
38) Free speech on campus is doing just fine, thank you
39) Conservatives who want Facebook, other social media regulated should think twice
40) Remembering George Mason and the Virginia Declaration of Rights
41) Why I chose to die in front of the AMA
42) Forget velocity of money circulation
43) The conservative divide
44) The £39 billion isn't a debt nor a bill, it's an aspiration
45) Mandating gun locks can have unintended consequences
46) Someone yet again trying to vanish post criticizing politician
47) The moral panic over homophobia
48) How to end Israel's political impasse
49) How to create conflict
50) Taxing Panicsville
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Free Talk Live, 06/12/19
52) Electric Libertyland, episode 128
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/12/19
54) Anarcho Agenda, episode 94
55) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 06/12/19
56) The Tom Woods Show, episode 1425
57) Ordered Liberty, episode 138
58) Sounds Like Liberty, episode 52
59) The Doug Stanhope Podcast, episode 317
60) Humans of Bitcoin, 06/11/19
61) Free Man Beyond the Wall, episode 271
62) Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill, 06/12/19
63) Foreign Policy Focus, episode 361
64) Jim Bovard on The Scott Horton Show
65) Anarchy and Economics with Keith Preston
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Gulf of Oman: If your first false flag attacks don't succeed, try, try again?
Source: United Press International
"Two oil tankers were damaged Thursday in a 'reported attack' off the coast of Oman, the U.S. Navy said. The Navy's Fifth Fleet said it had received two separate distress calls -- at 6:12 a.m. and 7 a.m. Thursday. 'U.S. Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance,' said the fleet, which is stationed in Bahrain. Earlier, British maritime safety group United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations sent out an alert of an unspecified 'incident' occurring in the Gulf of Oman. The group urged 'extreme caution' as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran. ... One of the tankers is operated by the Japanese. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting Tehran hoping to find a diplomatic solution. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the incident 'suspicious' and pushed for a regional dialogue." (06/13/19)
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2) Census fight: Trump invokes executive privilege, House panel holds Barr, Ross in contempt
Source: Axios
"The House Oversight Committee has voted 24-15 to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for refusing to turn over subpoenaed materials related to the [unconstitutional] Census citizenship question. Earlier Wednesday, President Trump asserted executive privilege over the subpoenaed documents on the advice of the Justice Department. The committee is investigating whether the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was politically motivated, a controversy that could have major implications for future federal funding and redistricting." (06/12/19)
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3) TN: At least 24 cops injured in protests after US Marshals kill man
Source: CNN
"An officer-involved shooting that left a man dead in Memphis sparked tension Wednesday night between protesters and police officers. After the shooting, people threw bricks and rocks at officers, the Memphis Police Department said. At least 24 officers and deputies were injured, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement early Thursday. Six were taken to the hospital, the mayor said. The clash came after officers with the US Marshals Service shot and killed a man in north Memphis, Strickland said. The Marshals were attempting to stop a man wanted on multiple warrants outside of a home in the Frayser community when he allegedly rammed his vehicle multiple times into the officers' vehicles and then exited his vehicle with a weapon, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting. ... Two journalists were also injured, police cars were vandalized and a concrete wall was torn down, the mayor's statement said." (06/13/19)
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4) Maine becomes eighth state to legalize assisted suicide
Source: NBC News
"Maine legalized medically assisted suicide on Wednesday, becoming the eighth state to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office. Oregon was the first state to legalize such assistance, in 1997, and it took over a decade for the next state, Washington, to follow suit. While still controversial, assisted suicide legislation is winning increasing acceptance in the United States, and this year at least 18 states considered such measures. Maine's bill would allow doctors to prescribe terminally ill people a fatal dose of medication. The bill declares that obtaining or administering life-ending medication is not suicide under state law, thereby legalizing the practice often called medically assisted suicide." (06/12/19)
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5) Trump: US sending 1,000 more troops to Poland
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"The United States will send 1,000 more troops to Poland as part of a growing security and economic partnership between the two countries, President Donald Trump said Wednesday. He and Polish President Andrzej Duda differed over Russia's intentions toward the U.S. ally. At a time of ongoing worries about Russian military activity, Duda said he wanted Russia to be a friend of Poland even as he recounted his country's long history of conflict with Moscow. 'We would like Russia to be our friend, but unfortunately, Russia again is showing its very unkind, unpleasant imperial face,' Duda said, noting its attacks on Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. He spoke through a translator during a news conference with Trump in the White House Rose Garden, where they discussed details of the military deal. Trump, who has a history of appearing to defer to Russia, seemed to downplay Duda's concerns." (06/12/19)
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6) US politicians spent $208 billion more than they stole in May
Source: The Hill
"The federal deficit in May reached $208 billion, surging 42 percent over last May's monthly deficit figure, according to new Treasury Department data released Wednesday. The figure put the cumulative deficit for the eight months of fiscal 2019 at $739 billion, within range of the full 2018 deficit, which amounted to $779 billion, according to the Treasury figures. Treasury estimates that the full deficit will exceed $1 trillion by the time the fiscal year wraps up at the end of September." (06/12/19)
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7) Russia: Hundreds arrested at Moscow protest over Ivan Golunov's arrest
Source: Reuters
"Hundreds of protesters have been arrested at a demonstration in Moscow sparked by the detention of a top investigative reporter last week. Ivan Golunov was freed on Tuesday following an unprecedented show of media and popular solidarity. All charges against him were dropped and senior police officers were reportedly fired over the alleged planting of narcotics on his person. Despite the journalist's release, his supporters on Wednesday decided to go ahead with the unsanctioned demonstration in Russia's capital to demand punishment for those involved in his alleged framing. Among those arrested at the rally was opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a prominent political rival of President Vladimir Putin." (06/12/19)
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8) Google researcher drops Windows 10 zero-day security bomb
Source: Forbes
"A security researcher who is part of Google's 'Project Zero' team tasked with hunting down zero-day vulnerabilities, has gone public with an exploitable Windows vulnerability that Microsoft is still in the process of fixing. Tavis Ormandy has tweeted that he had uncovered a security issue with the core cryptographic library for Windows, revealing that, 'Microsoft committed to fixing it in 90 days, then didn't.' As a result of not meeting the Project Zero deadline to fix such issues, which is partly designed to encourage more resources to be applied to software security, Ormandy went on to state, 'Today is day 91, so the issue is now public.' ... What Ormandy found was that by using a malformed digital certificate he could force the SymCrypt calculations into an infinite loop. This will effectively perform a denial-of-service (DoS) attack on Windows servers such as those running the IPsec protocols that are required when using a VPN or the Microsoft Exchange Server for email and calendaring for example." (06/12/19)
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9) China: Earliest known signs of cannabis smoking unearthed
Source: The Guardian [UK]
"Scorched wooden incense burners unearthed at an ancient burial ground in the mountains of western China contain the oldest clear evidence of cannabis smoking yet found, archaeologists say. Residues of high potency cannabis found in the burners, and on charred pebbles placed inside them, suggest that funeral rites at the 2,500-year-old Jirzankal cemetery in the Pamir mountains may have been rather hazy affairs. ... Researchers have found remnants of cannabis at ancient sites in Central Asia before, but the latest discovery points to the intentional use of plants with high levels of the active compound, THC, and to cannabis being inhaled rather than ingested." (06/12/19)
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10) Gas prices could fall below $2 for many Americans
Source: CNN
"Here's some good news for drivers in the United States: Gasoline could fall below $2 a gallon for many Americans later this year. Retail gas prices have been falling steadily for several weeks now. The national average currently stands at $2.72 a gallon for regular gas, according to AAA, down 17 cents from the 2019 high in early May and down 7 cents in just the past week. Wholesale prices are falling even faster, suggesting that prices at the pump should continue to fall. 'Pretty much every portion of the country should see drops between now and the end of next week,' said Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service. ... The national average price will probably decline even more -- perhaps to $2.25 a gallon according to Kloza -- later in the year. ... A national average of $2.25 a gallon would probably mean that nearly half the nation's gas stations will be selling regular gas for less than $2 a gallon, Kloza said." (06/12/19)
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11) Kamala Harris: "No choice" other than prosecuting Trump
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"California Sen. Kamala Harris says the Justice Department under her presidency would 'have no choice' but to prosecute President Trump for allegedly obstructing the investigation into Russia's 2016 election interference. The 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful and former San Francisco district attorney told NPR it would be the right thing to do in the wake of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian interference and possible obstruction of justice by Trump." (06/12/19)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Kamala-Harris-No-choice-other-than-13971225.php?t=b331d79577
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12) Trump welcomes foreign dirt on 2020 opponents: "I think I'd take it"
Source: Washington Times
"President Trump said in an interview that he would accept foreign information on political opponents, saying 'they all do it.' Mr. Trump told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that the origin of opposition research would not overly concern him and that he may or may not go to the FBI if such an offer came from abroad. 'Someone comes up and says 'hey, I have information on your opponent.' You call the FBI?' he said in a video clip posted Wednesday by ABC News. 'Give me a break. Life doesn't work like that.' He denied Mr. Stephanopoulos's claim that taking information from foreigners constitutes interference in U.S. elections. 'It's not an interference. They have information. I think I'd take it,' he said." [editor's note: As would -- and as HAVE -- his opponents. The only exception would be if they thought morally posturing about how they didn't take it would get them more votes than taking it – TLK] (06/12/19)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/12/donald-trump-george-stephanopoulos-interview-says-/
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13) CrowdStrike pops more than 70% in debut, now worth over $11 billion
Source: CNBC
"CrowdStrike rocketed as much as 97% in its first day of trading on the public market on Wednesday. The security software vendor opened trading at $63.50 after it priced its IPO at $34 a share, above the high end of its expected range of $28 to $30 per share. ... CrowdStrike, whose cloud-based technology is used to detect and prevent breaches, recorded a net loss of $140 million for the year ended Jan. 31, while revenue more than doubled to $249.8 million, according to the company's prospectus." (06/12/19)
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14) Used SpaceX rocket launches three RADARSAT satellites, aces foggy landing
Source: Space.com
"SpaceX successfully launched its seventh space mission of the year Wednesday (June 12), delivering a trio of Earth-observing satellites into orbit for Canada and nailing a foggy landing in California. Despite a thick layer of morning fog, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 10:17 a.m. EDT (1417 GMT; 7:17 a.m. local California time), carrying Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) skyward. The three satellites were released in orbit about an hour after liftoff, SpaceX announced via Twitter. About 8 minutes after liftoff, the the two-stage Falcon 9's first stage stuck its landing in the center of LZ-4, SpaceX's landing pad at Vandenberg, gently touching down a mere quarter-mile (0.4 kilometers) from where it launched. This marked the company's 41st booster recovery." (06/12/19)
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15) US House panel unanimously passes 9/11 victims fund bill after Jon Stewart shaming
Source: New York Post
"The bill that permanently authorizes the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund passed out of the House Judiciary Committee unanimously on Wednesday. The move comes a day after 'The Daily Show's' former host Jon Stewart shamed members of a Judiciary subcommittee, as only Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y) and four subcommittee members were present for testimony from 9/11 first responders. ... Many 9/11 responders and people who worked or resided near Ground Zero became ill after breathing toxic fumes spewing from the site." (06/12/19)
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16) Huawei postpones planned laptop launch amid US trade war
Source: The Verge
"Huawei has indefinitely postponed the imminent launch of a new Windows laptop, consumer division CEO Richard Yu has confirmed to CNBC. The product was set for a reveal at the ongoing CES Asia show in Shanghai this week, but trade sanctions from the US government are restricting Huawei's ability to use American products like Microsoft software and Intel processors. The news was first reported by The Information. Yu described the situation as 'unfortunate' to CNBC, saying that the laptop would have been unveiled this week without a release date, but Huawei's placement on the US Entity List has stopped the company from announcing the product altogether. Whether the laptop ever sees the light of day will depend on how long Huawei remains on the blacklist." (06/12/19)
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17) Duke survey: Corporate executives fear recession in 2020
Source: CNBC
"Company executives are getting more nervous about the state of the U.S. economy, with nearly half now expecting a recession within a year. Some 48.1% now see negative growth by the second quarter of 2020, according to the latest Duke University/CFO Global Business Outlook survey. The results show that 69% figure a recession will start before the end of next year, which is roughly consistent with the previous survey in April that showed 67% were anticipating a downturn by the third quarter of 2020. In all, the survey indicated that chief financial officers still believe the economy is weakening and the prospects for their businesses are declining." (06/12/19)
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18) OK: Trump regime to re-open World War 2 concentration camp for use in caging child migrant abductees
Source: The Hill
"Immigrant children in U.S. custody will reportedly be sent to an Army base once used as a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. The Trump administration has picked Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, to house the growing number of immigrant children as it runs out of room at government shelters, according to Time. Time reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided that about 1,400 children will be detained at the former internment camp 'as a temporary emergency influx shelter.'" (06/12/19)
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19) Japan's Abe visits Iran in bid to play mediator with US
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
"Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to arrive in Iran on Wednesday to begin a historic trip to the Middle Eastern country where he is expected to try to mediate escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. Abe's two-day visit is the first to Iran for a Japanese premier since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. ... Relations between the U.S. and Iran have been particularly strained since Washington [announced it would no longer keep its end of] the 2015 nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), re-imposed sanctions on Tehran and dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region." (06/12/19)
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20) Reps of 22 foreign governments have spent money at Trump properties
Source: NBC News
"Representatives of at least 22 foreign governments appear to have spent money at Trump Organization properties, an NBC News review has found, hinting at a significant foreign cash flow to the American president that critics say violates the U.S. Constitution. The extent and amount of foreign spending at Trump's hotels, golf clubs and restaurants is not known, because the Trump Organization is a private company and declines to disclose that information. Trump promised to donate any profits from foreign governments, and the Trump Organization has sent $343,000 to the U.S. Treasury for 2017 and 2018. The company did not release underlying numbers to support that figure. Amid two lawsuits accusing Trump of accepting illegal foreign payments, NBC News sought to compile the most comprehensive possible list of foreign spending at Trump properties based on information in the public record." (06/12/19)
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Dr. Biden, B.S.
06/13/2019 Opinion No comments Edit This
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"'I promise you, if I'm elected president,' Democratic Party frontrunner Joe Biden told an Iowa audience, 'you're going to see the single most important thing that changes America, we're gonna cure cancer.' It's the sort of claim that makes snake-oil salesmen blush. 'That is a very, very bold campaign promise to be making,' offered CNN's Kate Bolduan incredulously. 'Bold' wasn't the term that came to my mind, but another word beginning with the letter-B." (06/13/19)
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22) Pork is not the problem
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
"If Congress has $9 million to spend on a fruit fly quarantine program and $3 million to blow on bad loans to ship buyers (among 2019 earmarks), Congress has too much money to spend on, respectively, Agriculture and THUD (Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development). Congress DOES have too much money -- money it takes from all of us via various tax schemes, and money it borrows in our names on the promise to bond-holders that it will beat us out of it, with interest, later. Earmarks could be part of the answer to that problem. If Congress specified in greater detail where and how EVERY dollar of EVERY appropriation must be spent, instead of just handing the dough over the executive branch under broad categories, we'd have a much better idea of where it was going -- and be better prepared to protest, and bring pressure to bear against, wasteful spending." (06/12/19)
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23) Misnamed "Honest Ads Act" would restrict free speech
Source: USA Today
by Bradley A Smith
"Americans are properly concerned about foreign meddling in elections, but we shouldn't jettison our freedoms in a knee-jerk overreaction. The misnamed 'Honest Ads Act' places burdensome regulations -- too many to recount here -- on online advertising. But it does nothing to make ads 'honest.' Russians spent $100,000 on Facebook ads in 2016. Americans spent many times that advocating political views. So the weight of the Honest Ads Act will fall on our free-speech rights, not on Russian shoulders. The bill would force many cash-strapped, grassroots organizations to speak less, or not at all. Even at the height of the Cold War, Americans refused to sacrifice our First Amendment rights. Yet now some want to throw those rights away over a few measly, ham-fisted Russian Facebook ads." (06/12/19)
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24) Four theories about the Great Depression
Source: Liberty Unbound
by Bruce Ramsey
"More than most people, libertarians have beliefs about the Great Depression. Having spent several years studying the matter, I have some conclusions about four such beliefs: first, that what caused the depression was the Federal Reserve allowing a drop in the money supply; second, that what made it terrible was the passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which collapsed America's foreign trade; third, that the New Deal really began under Herbert Hoover; and fourth, that what lengthened the Depression was fear of what the New Deal government would do." (06/13/19)
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25) In sync: How business responds to gratis government
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"Whenever people criticize government provision of a product, clever analysts often demur that private suppliers who compete with government have exactly the same problems. Part of Helland and Tabarrok's case for the Baumol effect in education, for example, is that prices have risen at the same rate in both the public and private sectors .... OK, let's step back. Picture a typical government service. The price: gratis. The quality: mediocre. Private competition, however, remains legal. Should we expect the private part of the market to look just as it would under laissez-faire? No way. Unless the government rations the free mediocre product, consumers have virtually no reason to ever pay for products of mediocre or lower quality out of their own pockets." (06/12/19)
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26) Trump's deep misunderstanding of trade policy is threatening the American economy
Source: Reason
by Peter Suderman
"[Trump] imagines that tariffs make him a more powerful dealmaker who is able to dominate foreign rivals; in reality, Trump's tariff threats and trade deals have won him little, if anything. The USMCA, his replacement for NAFTA, which he once called 'perhaps the worst trade deal ever made,' mostly tweaked the original deal around the margins; the deal with Mexico that Trump said last week was brought on by his tariff threats consisted 'largely of actions that Mexico had already promised to take in prior discussions with the United States over the past several months,' officials from both countries told The New York Times. Trump believes trade deficits are a sign of weakness; in fact, exports help keep the economy -- which Trump often brags about -- strong. An estimated 11 million American jobs depend on exports. Trump's trade war is putting those jobs at risk. He believes that tariffs improve the American economy, yet the economy has shown signs of weakness as his trade war has dragged on, and the tariffs threaten to cost most Americans more than they have gained from Trump's tax cuts." (06/12/19)
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27) US Government utterly inept at keeping your data secure
Source: The New Republic
by Matthew Gault
"The National Security Agency calls itself 'the world leader in cryptology,' deploying its tens of thousands of employees (the exact number is classified, as is its number of unfilled positions) and estimated 11-figure budget (again, classified) to 'outmaneuver those who would do us harm in cyberspace.' But the United States' premier electronic-spying agency hasn't been doing much outmaneuvering lately. In 2017, the NSA was forced to admit that some of its most effective hacking tools had been stolen and dumped online for anyone to see and use--and they were used liberally by U.S. cyber adversaries. 'Created at huge expense to American taxpayers,' The New York Times reported, 'those cyberweapons have now been picked up by hackers from North Korea to Russia and shot back at the United States and its allies.' Then the Times reported last month that the theft wasn't an inside job so much as a self-inflicted wound." (06/12/19)
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28) Money can't buy you health
Source: Heartland Institute
by Jane M Orient, MD
"'Healthcare' is supposed to be the big election issue, and politicians promise to give people universal and equal 'healthcare,' or prevent the bad guys from taking it away. Everyone of course wants to be healthy, and a $3 trillion industry wants to keep the money flowing. So, I have a confession to make as a doctor: I don't think I have ever kept anybody healthy. If someone comes to me asking for 'health maintenance,' I don't have a shot of 'health' to give, or a prescription for 'health' to be filled at your neighborhood Walgreens, CVS, or Rite-Aid. And as a patient, I can't recall any ways in which doctors kept me healthy, although they did save my life by taking out my appendix, and they treated some illnesses and injuries. I am very grateful to them, and whatever I paid them seemed reasonable and well worth it. To my mind, a healthy person is one who does not have to see a 'healthcare provider' regularly or take medicine every day, and who can go to work, take care of family, and generally lead an active life." (06/12/19)
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29) The blind trust described in the Kleiman vs. Wright lawsuit is a real head-scratcher
Source: Bitcoin.com
by Jamie Redman
"There's been a number of developments in the ongoing Kleiman vs. Wright lawsuit lately. After Craig Wright's sworn deposition, the plaintiffs contend that Wright's categorical refusal to answer questions about his bitcoin addresses and his marriage(s) needs to be reevaluated. Wright's legal team say he's done everything possible to comply with the court's orders but the Kleimans believe the self-proclaimed Satoshi has been stonewalling for nine months." (06/12/19)
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30) Maine exhales
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
"Liesha Petrovich kept tropical-fish antibiotics on hand just in case. You could get them online and they were much cheaper than the prescription medicines her family might need but couldn't afford. Two years ago, she stumbled walking and broke her foot. A black-belt karate teacher who co-owns a dojo with her husband in the western Maine town of Norway, Petrovich had broken her foot once before and she decided to power through: Her daughter turned 18 shortly before the injury, leaving her and her husband without the Medicaid coverage that the family had relied on since the older of her two children was born. So instead of racking up thousands of dollars in emergency room bills, she ordered a walking cast from Amazon. But her worries multiplied as the kids neared age 21, the cutoff for their own Medicaid coverage. Her daughter was addicted to opioids, had ended up in rehab, and had other mental-health issues." (06/12/19)
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31) Earth to Tesla: Elon Musk has few ideas beyond begging for government money
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by James Lowe
"Tesla is burning, but it doesn't look like anyone is rushing to put out the flames. Over the past few weeks, Tesla stock dropped nearly 10 percent, and currently hovers around $190 a share. The company's value has slumped to levels not seen since 2016, and analysts are predicting that this recent drop is only the start. In mere months, three years of market growth was eviscerated. Investors, once eager to embrace the company, are now mourning Tesla's precipitous decline. Tesla's collapse serves as a stern warning to Congress which, only a month prior, had proposed increasing subsidies and tax credits for electric vehicles. With the hopes of increased government assistance, Tesla's stock jumped upward, only making the electric car company's fall from grace all the more painful." (06/12/19)
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32) America's economic commissar of trade
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Richard M Ebeling
"Since taking office in January 2017, President Donald Trump seems to have declared or threatened economic war on many of America's leading economic trading partners, including China, the European Union, and most recently Mexico. Two things stand out in all this: first, he presumes that international trade is a zero-sum game in which if the U.S. wins, some other country must lose; and, second, he presumes that he is an economic czar with absolute powers to do as he wishes with almost no legal or constitutional restraint. Both are extremely dangerous assumptions with potentially serious negative consequences for the people of America and the rest of the world." (06/12/19)
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33) Low productivity is a handicap
Source: Cafe Hayek
by Don Boudreaux
"For high-wage Americans to fear competition with low-wage foreigners makes no more sense than for high-wage Americans to fear competition with low-wage workers who are handicapped by physical or mental disabilities. The handicaps suffered by these unfortunate latter workers prevent them from producing as much value per hour as is produced by healthy workers. Wages earned by handicapped workers are thus lower. But surely you don't believe that these workers thereby enjoy an unfair advantage over healthy workers, or that it's unfair to healthy workers to allow 'cheap' handicapped workers to compete in the market. Ordinary workers in China are also handicapped relative to their American counterparts -- handicapped not by physical or mental disabilities but, instead, by having less capital to work with, by having less infrastructure, by having weaker market-supporting institutions, and by a state more arbitrary and oppressive than is government in the U.S." (06/12/19)
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34) Good money, bad money -- and how Bitcoin fits in
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Thorsten Polleit
"What is good money? To answer this question, we just have to think about how a free market in money works. Here, people are free to decide which kind of money they would like to use, and they also have the freedom to cater to the needs of fellow people seeking good money. The outcome of a free market in money will be good money simply because people will demand, out of self-interest, good money -- not bad money." (06/12/19)
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35) The omnipresent surveillance state
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by John W Whitehead
"Tread cautiously: the fiction of George Orwell has become an operation manual for the omnipresent, modern-day surveillance state. It's been 70 years since Orwell -- dying, beset by fever and bloody coughing fits, and driven to warn against the rise of a society in which rampant abuse of power and mass manipulation are the norm -- depicted the ominous rise of ubiquitous technology, fascism and totalitarianism in 1984. ... We have arrived, way ahead of schedule, into the dystopian future dreamed up by not only Orwell but also such fiction writers as Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwood and Philip K. Dick." (06/12/19)
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36) How Border Patrol occupied the Tohono O'odham nation
Source: In These Times
by Todd Miller
"In March 2018, Joaquin Estevan was on his way back home to Sells, Ariz., after a routine journey to fetch three pots for ceremonial use from the Tohono O'odham community of Kom Wahia in Sonora, Mexico (where he grew up) -- a trek his ancestors have made for thousands of years. His cousin dropped him off on the Mexico side of the San Miguel border gate, and he could see the community van of the Tohono O'odham Nation waiting for him just beyond. But when Estevan handed over his tribal card for identification, as he had done for years, to the stationed Border Patrol agent, he was accused of carrying a fraudulent ID, denied entry to Arizona and sent back to Mexico." (06/12/19)
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37) End America's illegal occupation of Syria now
Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
"Washingtonians pretend to be shocked by what President Trump does, but it's Americans who should be shocked by what Washington does -- such as illegally intervening in Syria's civil war and occupying a third of that country. It's time for Donald Trump to do the right thing and bring our troops home. ... With the war largely over and the much-weakened Assad government mostly in control, roughly 2,000 U.S. personnel occupy about a third of the country, mostly in the north working with Kurdish forces. At first, President Trump ordered the Americans home, but now hundreds or more will stay, according to his aides. But for what? The goal of shielding civilians was undercut all along by fomenting civil war and the underwriting of insurgents." (06/12/19)
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38) Free speech on campus is doing just fine, thank you
Source: The Atlantic
by Lee C Bollinger
"Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring colleges and universities that receive federal funds to do what they're already required by law to do: extend free-speech protections to men and women on campus. The executive order was a transparent exercise in politics. Its intent was to validate the collective antipathy that many Trump boosters feel toward institutions of higher learning. Its major impact, though, has been to shed light on how serious the purported censorship crisis on campus really is -- or, rather, is not." (06/12/19)
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39) Conservatives who want Facebook, other social media regulated should think twice
Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Jessica Melugin
"There are growing calls from both sides of the political aisle for government regulation of speech on social media platforms, but letting government dictate what is acceptable speech is the very definition of censorship." (06/11/19)
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40) Remembering George Mason and the Virginia Declaration of Rights
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Gary M Galles
"Every July 4, Americans throw themselves a party to celebrate our Independence Day. But while the date is heavy on flags, fireworks, and red, white and blue-themed BBQ, understanding the reasons why America's founding is uniquely worthy of celebration often gets little attention. However, rather than bypassing the principles and ideals involved in order to move directly to celebrations, we would be well-served by giving June 12 a little more thought, as well. That was the day the Virginia Declaration of Rights, penned by George Mason, was ratified by the Fifth Virginia Convention in 1776. And it has pride of place as the first of several declarations of rights in the era -- weeks before the Declaration of Independence and well before our Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen." (06/12/19)
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41) Why I chose to die in front of the AMA
Source: Our Future
by Reggie Griffin
"I never expected to 'die' in front of a roomful of doctors. Much less in front of the annual meeting of the American Medical Association, in my hometown of Chicago. But that's where I found myself, along with thirty fellow members of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus, when we took over their annual meeting last Saturday to tell the AMA to get out of the way of #MedicareFor All. The reason is simple: I'd always assumed that the AMA, as the nation's largest association of physicians, would support the expansion of care. But they don't. They've now joined pharmaceutical companies and for-profit hospitals to form a new lobby, the Partnership For America's Health Care Future, to try and kill the momentum growing in this country towards #MedicareFor All. And it's not the first time they've opposed the expansion of care. Indeed, the AMA has blocked every attempt to offer universal health coverage in this country, all the way back to 1917: and they didn't even allow Black doctors into their group until 1968. That's not right." (06/12/19)
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42) Forget velocity of money circulation
Source: Cobden Centre
by Alasdair Macleod
"If there is one concept that illustrates the difference between a top-down macro-economic approach and the reality of everyday life it is the velocity of circulation of money. Compare the following statements: 'The collapse in velocity is testament to the substantial misallocation of capital brought about by the easy money regimes of the past 20 years.' Broker's research note; and 'The mathematical economists refuse to start from the various individuals' demand for and supply of money. They introduce instead the spurious notion of velocity of circulation according to the pattern of mechanics.' Ludwig von Mises, Human Action. This article's objective is not to disagree with the broker's conclusion; rather it is to examine the basis upon which it is made." (06/12/19)
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43) The conservative divide
Source: National Review
by Jonah Goldberg
"The idea holding together the conservative movement since the 1960s was called 'fusionism.' The concept, which always worked better as an organizing principle than a philosophical one, was that freedom and virtue were inextricably linked. Virtue not freely chosen wasn't virtuous. Or as Frank Meyer, the foremost architect of fusionism, put it: 'Truth withers when freedom dies, however righteous the authority that kills it; and free individualism uninformed by moral value rots at its core and soon brings about conditions that pave the way for surrender to tyranny.' This idea may have passed its sell-by date. ... Today, conservative forces concerned with freedom and virtue are pulling apart. The catalyst is a sprawling coalition of self-described nationalists, Catholic integralists, protectionists, economic planners, and others who are increasingly rallying around something called 'post-liberal' conservativism. By 'liberal,' they don't mean contemporary progressivism as represented by the Democratic party. No, they mean classical liberalism, the Enlightenment worldview held by the Founding Fathers." (06/12/19)
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44) The £39 billion isn't a debt nor a bill, it's an aspiration
Source: Continental Telegraph
by Tim Worstall
"Both Ambrose Evans Pritchard and Jeremy Warner are muttering about damage to Britain's reputation, even our debt rating, if we don't meekly cough up the £39 billion divorce bill to the European Union. This isn't how such matters work, not at all how the creditor, debtor, relationship does work. Do recall what the claim is. That we've agreed to pay certain bills as a result of our membership of the European Union. In the past we said that we'd cough up for future pensions of those who work as federasts. We'd stick some money into the pot to pay for the southern Italian Mafia. We would help build motorways in Slovenia. Shrug, OK, we did. That doesn't mean that we then just hand over a cheque for whatever is demanded if we decide we're not going to sign up for the next set of spending plans." (06/12/19)
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45) Mandating gun locks can have unintended consequences
Source: Town Hall
by John R Lott, Jr.
"Last year, right after a student fatally shot eight classmates and two teachers at Santa Fe High School, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged Texans to lock up their firearms. The killer had stolen his father's guns. On the last night of the legislative session, the Republican-dominated state legislature approved a $1 million public safety campaign for gun storage. The Associated Press and other national media are playing this as a major test of NRA power in 'gun loving Texas,' and they are waiting to see if Governor Greg Abbott will veto the spending. If the NRA can be defeated in Texas, that will animate Democrats' hopes that it can be defeated anywhere. We all want to do something, but more lives will be lost than saved if everyone locks up their guns." (06/12/19)
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46) Someone yet again trying to vanish post criticizing politician
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Eugene Volokh
"In 2017, I wrote about an attempt to use a forged court order to deindex New Britain Independent articles critical of New Britain (Connecticut) volunteer Conservation Commissioner Ken Haas (a mayoral appointee). Then someone tried to get Google to deindex my post about the forgery and a Techdirt post about the same forgery .... A few months ago, it turns out, there was another attempt to deindex one of the original New Britain Independent articles, this time on a copyright infringement theory ..." (06/12/19)
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47) The moral panic over homophobia
Source: spiked
by Brendan O'Neill
"Once, there were moral panics over homosexuality. Now there's a moral panic over homophobia. Consider the way in which the grotesque attack on a lesbian couple on a London bus has been used to promote the idea that LGBT people live in a state of existential danger. It comes straight from the moral-panic and crime-panic playbook: one nasty, shocking crime is used to depict society as a hotbed of rough, unenlightened beasts whose backward attitudes -- in this case on homosexuality -- threaten to tear apart the social fabric itself. A horrible incident carried out by five people becomes elevated into a symbol of evil that society as a whole must organise itself against. This is not a good way to treat any crime, including this one." (06/12/19)
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48) How to end Israel's political impasse
Source: Foreign Policy
by Yohanan Plesner
"A dysfunctional electoral system stopped Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government. The country needs to enact two simple reforms, or it will face perpetual stalemate." (06/12/19)
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49) How to create conflict
Source: Town Hall
by Walter E Williams
"We are living in a time of increasing domestic tension. Some of it stems from the presidency of Donald Trump. Another part of it is various advocacy groups on both sides of the political spectrum demanding one cause or another. But nearly totally ignored is how growing government control over our lives, along with the betrayal of constitutional principles, contributes the most to domestic tension. Let's look at a few examples. Think about primary and secondary schooling. I think that every parent has the right to decide whether his child will recite a morning prayer in school. Similarly, every parent has the right to decide that his child will not recite a morning prayer. The same can be said about the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, sex education and other hot-button issues in education. These become contentious issues because schools are owned by the government." (06/12/19)
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50) Taxing Panicsville
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"There is a big problem with Delaware school districts asking voters for additional tax money via ballot referendums. You see, sometimes the people don't vote the way school officials and politicians want. Have no fear: Rep. Earl Jaques (D-Glasgow) has authored House Bill 129 to solve this thorny problem. 'This bill creates a mechanism,' its official summary reads, 'by which school boards may increase funds for a school district both with and without a referendum.' Meaning, of course, without a referendum ... since current law requires a public vote." (06/12/19)
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Free Talk Live, 06/12/19
Source: Free Talk Live
"Mexico more free than US :: Prostitution becoming more legal :: Less hope, more drugs :: Vaping vs smoking :: Sex trafficking :: Modesty Ponchos :: Nudity :: Climate Change :: Breast Implants :: Immigration Checkpoints in New Hampshire :: Rich, Angie and Mark." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/12/19)
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52) Electric Libertyland, episode 128
Source: Lions of Liberty
"On this week's Electric Libertyland: The naivety of people calling libertarian thinking naive, two new New York State laws, the end of extreme poverty being in site (despite lies from the left), Facebook works in tandem with the Daily Beast to screw someone AGAIN, and is Tucker Carlson lying, stupid or both, when spewing laughable falsehoods on his show recently? Who got to Tucker?? And finally, an irony that just can't be beat, to wrap up the show." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/12/19
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"In an unfolding scandal you won't much hear about in the mainstream media, the US State Department has been caught funding NGOs that are attacking Americans who express opposition to the neocon policy of confrontation with Iran. This is beyond just propaganda and into the realm of actual attacks -- exactly the tactics the US decries in authoritarian regimes overseas." [Flash video] (06/12/19)
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54) Anarcho Agenda, episode 94
Source: Anarcho Agenda
"On episode 94 of Anarcho Agenda, I discuss Russia's new vessel, Memorial Day, and much more." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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55) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 06/12/19
Source: Freedom's Phoenix
"Alessandro Fusillo (Libertarian Attorney in Italy, Germany) on Brexit, Italy and the EU; Is Italy Poised to Launch Euro Parallel Currency? ... Paul Rosenberg comes on the show to discuss the re-naming of his subscriber-based newsletter to Parallel Society, providing a more outward focus and his hope for the future ... Paul discusses his latest issue: Tradecraft, Part Two ... Dr Judy Mikovits (PhD, Molecular Biology) on her fight and focus to stop vaccine mandates (Especially SB276 in CA)." [MP3] (06/12/19)
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56) The Tom Woods Show, episode 1425
Source: The Tom Woods Show
"Libertarian content creator Liberty Doll joins me to discuss the importance of gun rights, particularly for women, and responds to the most common arguments from the other side." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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57) Ordered Liberty, episode 138
Source: National Review
"In a live podcast from Capitol Hill, David and Alexandra discuss what's really behind the illiberal opposition to 'David French-ism,' explain what liberalism is and why it's worth defending, and answer questions from the audience." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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58) Sounds Like Liberty, episode 52
Source: The Launch Pad Media
"Closers Get Coffee with Michael Heise." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/12/19)
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59) The Doug Stanhope Podcast, episode 317
Source: The Doug Stanhope Podcast
"For the summer Doug is working on a new project and Kathryn Bertine has just the place to get things done. The move has included a fresh outlook on life which he and Bertie detail." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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60) Humans of Bitcoin, 06/11/19
Source: Bitcoin.com
"Darknet Markets + The Bitcoin News Cycle -- Kai Sedgwick." [various formats] (06/11/19)
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61) Free Man Beyond the Wall, episode 271
Source: Free Man Beyond the Wall
"Pete Talks About His Twitter Suspension, Podcasting and Mentoring 'New' libertarians." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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62) Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill, 06/12/19
Source: The Intercept
"This week on Intercepted: In a bombshell series of reports, The Intercept Brasil has revealed dirty tricks used in the prosecution of leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on corruption charges and improper coordination among prosecutors and judges. Glenn Greenwald discusses the documents in the leaked archive and what this means for Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro. ... Tiffany Caban, a queer Latina public defender from Queens, New York, talks about her battle with the Democratic Party machine in her bid to become a prosecutor opposed to the carceral state. Chesa Boudin, whose parents were sentenced to lengthy prison terms when he was 14-months-old, is trying to overhaul San Francisco's justice system and radically change the relationship between cops and the DA. He talks about his family story and why he wants to move from public defender to prosecutor. As paramilitary forces carry out a massacre against nonviolent protesters in Sudan, we get a report from filmmaker Hajooj Kuka, who was wounded in the raid in Khartoum last week." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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63) Foreign Policy Focus, episode 361
Source: Foreign Policy Focus
"On FPF #361, I discuss recent news about China. In Hong Kong mass protests have broken out to oppose a new law that allows extraditions to China. China appears to be seeking to oppose more control over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea. The US has grown its relationship with Taiwan and will sell the island $2 billion in weapons. I also update the 2020 NDAA, Turkey, and Kim Jong-un's half brother's connection with the CIA." [various formats] (06/12/19)
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64) Jim Bovard on The Scott Horton Show
Source: Libertarian Institute
"Jim Bovard reflects on the legacy of Barack Obama's presidency in light of Donald Trump's. Obama is garnering favorable comparisons now, explains Bovard, but we shouldn't forget all of the horrible things he did, especially on civil liberties and foreign wars. The cycle of corruption and lies continues with President Trump, whose presidency will more than likely lead to the reactionary election of yet another charlatan." [various formats] (06/11/19)
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65) Anarchy and Economics with Keith Preston
Source: Attack The System
[Flash video] (06/11/19)
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