06/28 -- Russian regime's debt payments blocked as sanctions regimes crow about "default;" Ron DeSantis and the Rise of Incoherent Folk Libertarianism
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 28, 2022, 7:03:14 AM6/28/22
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/28/22
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Russian regime's debt payments blocked as sanctions regimes crow about "default"
2) Grand jury subpoenas directors of firm behind disgraced former president's social media IPO
3) China: Censors scrub Internet after senior regime thug gives speech on timeline of zero-Covid in Beijing
4) SCOTUS sides with high school coach over 50-yard-line prayers
5) Biden's nominee for post of ICE gang shot-caller withdraws
6) NY: Judge says NYC regime can't let noncitizens vote in city elections
7) UK: Prince Charles charity faces probe over cash from Qatari
8) NATO plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force
9) Pakistan: Regime chided for "drink less tea, save money" plea
10) MI: School shooting suspect may testify at parents' trial
11) Russia: Court decides US star Brittney Griner to stand trial on "drug charges"
12) Oil Settles Shy Of $120 A Barrel On OPEC+ Deal, Saudi Pricing
13) Progressives [sic] Launch "Four More" Campaign to Demand Supreme Court Packing
14) Malicious litigation awaits US companies covering workers' abortion costs
15) Over one million voters switch to GOP in warning for Democrats
16) Turkey: Regime thugs release all activists abducted during Istanbul Pride march
17) LA: Judge blocks state abortion "trigger law" from taking effect
18) NY: Shop worker held by police after Giuliani "slapped on the back"
19) Switzerland: Credit Suisse found guilty over money laundering charges
20) EU regimes adopt mandatory gas storage amid Russia's cuts
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Ron DeSantis and the Rise of Incoherent Folk Libertarianism
22) A New Western Religion Takes Shape
23) The Constitution isn't Absolute?
24) What the government gets to know about you should be your choice
25) A Victory for Life and Liberty
26) The Rise of American Fascism
27) Roe Is the New Prohibition
28) Pushing Past Protest
29) America Is More Fragile Than the Left [sic] Understands
30) The Limits of Bruen
31) Drug Pricing Reforms Hinge on the Executive Branch
32) Why "Free Trade" Advocacy Keeps Running Into a Brick Wall
33) The Ethical Case for Not Repaying your Student Loans
34) Ten Thoughts On Abortion
35) How Governments Expropriate Wealth with Inflation and Taxes
36) Public Schools Are Using Inflation To Extort Taxpayers
37) How the super-rich silence their critics
38) SCOTUS gun ruling reminds New Yorkers there is a right to bear arms
39) Biden At 500 Days
40) Want "strategic thinkers?" You'll have to transform the military culture
41) The Fresh Hell of Depending on Your Employer for Abortion Access
42) Antiwar.com Is Knocking: If You Don't Answer, the War Party Will Come Next
43) To the Police State, We're All Criminals Until We Prove Otherwise
44) Can Joe Biden and Donald Trump just go away?
45) Make Workhouses And Sanitariums Great Again
46) Krugman on the effects of a hot economy
47) Let Musk and Market, Not Regulation, Fix Social Media Sites
48) Lockdowns Harms Impossible to Cover Up
49) One War Too Many on Planet Earth
50) John Roberts and the Path SCOTUS Did Not Take on Abortion
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/27/22
52) Free Talk Live, 06/27/22
53) The Chris Spangle Show, 06/27/22
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 294
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/27/22
56) Ramzy Baroud on The Scott Horton Show
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/27/22
58) Rising, 06/27/22
59) EconTalk, 06/27/22
60) Lions of Liberty with Marc Clair, 06/27/22
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Russian regime's debt payments blocked as sanctions regimes crow about "default"
Source: CNBC
"Russia has entered its first major foreign debt default for over a century, after a grace period on two international bond payments lapsed on Sunday night. Interest payments totaling $100 million were due on May 27 and subject to a grace period which expired on Sunday night. Several media outlets have reported that bondholders have not received the payments, after Russia's attempts to pay in its ruble currency were blocked by international sanctions. The Kremlin has rejected the claim that Russia is in default, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly telling a press call this morning that Russia made the bond payments due in May but they have been blocked by Euroclear due to Western sanctions, rendering the non-delivery of payments 'not [Russia's] problem.'" (06/27/22)
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/27/russia-on-the-brink-of-historic-debt-default-as-payment-period-expires.html
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2) Grand jury subpoenas directors of firm behind disgraced former president's social media IPO
Source: Axios
"A federal grand jury in New York has issued subpoenas to each board director of the blank check company that has agreed to take Donald Trump's social media startup, Truth Social, public. This is in addition to previously disclosed investigations into the blank-check company by both the SEC and Justice Department, thus intensifying questions about Truth Social's financial future. Digital World Acquisition Corp. on Monday disclosed the subpoenas, adding that some of the information requested was about communications with a Miami-based investment firm called Rocket One Capital. It also said the Bruce Garelick, chief strategy officer at Rocket One, is resigning from Digital World Acquisition's board of directors." (06/27/22)
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/27/subpoenas-issued-spac-trump-social-network-public
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3) China: Censors scrub Internet after senior regime thug gives speech on timeline of zero-Covid in Beijing
Source: CNN
"Chinese censors scrambled to delete what appears to be a misleading quote by a senior Communist Party official published in state media Monday, which claimed the 'zero-Covid' policy would remain in place in Beijing 'for the next five years,' in an effort to tame an online backlash. Beijing Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper for the Chinese capital, earlier reported that the city's party chief, Cai Qi, said Monday that 'for the next five years, Beijing will resolutely implement Covid-19 pandemic control measures and uphold the 'zero-Covid' policy to prevent imported cases from coming in and domestic cases from rebounding.' The reported reference by Cai, who is a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping, to 'the next five years' sparked a huge backlash on Chinese social media. In response, Beijing Daily removed the line, describing it as an 'editing error' while leaving his other remarks about pandemic controls intact." (06/28/22)
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/asia/china-zero-covid-policy-intl/index.html
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4) SCOTUS sides with high school coach over 50-yard-line prayers
Source: Politico
"The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach who was suspended over his on-field prayers following games. The justices' decision, largely breaking 6-3 along the court's usual ideological lines, found that the school system infringed on the coach's religious freedom and freedom of speech rights by seeking to block him from engaging in public prayers on the field while flanked by student athletes after games. ... Kennedy and religious freedom advocates argued the coach was exercising his First Amendment right to pray. But the school district told the justices that Kennedy's actions were coercive, and players' parents complained their children on the team felt compelled to participate." (06/27/22)
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/27/supreme-court-sides-with-high-school-coach-over-50-yard-line-prayers-00042543
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5) Biden's nominee for post of ICE gang shot-caller withdraws
Source: CBS News
"Ed Gonzalez, the sheriff of Texas'[s] most populous county, on Monday announced he had withdrawn his nomination to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Biden, a decision that will further prolong a 5-year-long leadership void in an agency at the center of the nation's contentious immigration debate. In a series of posts on Twitter, Gonzalez, who is currently sheriff of Harris County, noted that his nomination to be ICE's director, which was announced in April 2021, had stalled in Congress for over a year. In a letter to Mr. Biden over the weekend, Gonzalez said he had concluded that pulling his name from the nomination process was 'in the best interest of the nation that we love.'" (06/27/22)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ed-gonzalez-ice-nominee-pulls-confirmation-delay/
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6) NY: Judge says NYC regime can't let noncitizens vote in city elections
Source: Toronto Star [Canada]
"New York City can't let noncitizens vote for mayor and other city officials, a judge ruled Monday, siding with Republicans who challenged the measure as unconstitutional. In January, New York became the first major U.S. city to grant widespread municipal voting rights to noncitizens, though none had cast ballots yet. The law didn't affect presidential, congressional or state elections. The law's supporters said it gave an electoral voice to many people who have made a home in the city and pay taxes to it but face tough paths to citizenship. New York GOP Chair Nick Langworthy and several Republican elected officials said the law violated provisions in the state constitution and state election law that specifically confer voting rights on citizens. Staten Island Judge Ralph Porzio agreed with the GOP." (06/27/22)
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2022/06/27/judge-says-nyc-cant-let-noncitizens-vote-in-city-elections.html
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7) UK: Prince Charles charity faces probe over cash from Qatari
Source: Daily Mail [UK]
"The Charity Commission is considering whether it has a role to play in investigating one of Prince Charles's charities after it accepted bags of cash worth millions from a Qatari sheik. It has emerged that former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani donated £2.5million to the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund (PWCF). Three donations of nearly £900,000 a time -- in 500 euro notes -- were stuffed in carrier bags and a holdall. While it is legal to both hand over and accept cash in the millions, concern about huge ready-money transactions has arisen in recent years. ... A supporter of Charles admitted that while 'the optics are unhelpful', 'no rules were broken,' and the unusually packaged donations were likely to have been accepted to 'avoid causing offence' to the sheik." (06/27/22)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10955273/Prince-Charles-charity-faces-Charity-Commission-probe-3m-cash-Qatari.html
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8) NATO plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Nato has announced plans to massively increase the number of its forces at high readiness to over 300,000 troops. The bloc's rapid reaction force currently has 40,000 troops at its disposal, with many of those based along the alliance's eastern flank. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the increase followed a direct threat from Russia to European security. He earlier said that 'the new military blueprint' would 'drastically upgrade' the bloc's eastern defences. Mr Stoltenberg said several Nato battlegroups in eastern Europe would be bolstered to 'brigade level' -- tactical units of several thousand troops -- which the bloc's civilian leader said was intended to send a clear message of deterrence to Russia. 'I'm confident that Moscow, President Putin, understands our collective security guarantees, understands the consequence of attacking a Nato-allied country,' Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at a news conference in Brussels." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61954516
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9) Pakistan: Regime chided for "drink less tea, save money" plea
Source: SFGate
"A minister in Pakistan's newly elected government faced criticism Wednesday following his plea to the nation to drink less tea to help save on imports amid a deepening economic crisis. Pakistan is among the world's top tea importers, a hugely popular drink among both the rich and the poor in this country of 220 million people. The government spends about $600 million from the central bank's hard currency reserves for tea imports annually. A Pakistani is believed to drink at least three cups of tea a day on average, the nation's caffeinated drink of choice. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who took over in April after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, has pledged to improve the ailing economy and meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund in an effort to revive a $6 billion bailout package." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pakistani-govt-chided-for-Drink-less-tea-save-17243222.php
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10) MI: School shooting suspect may testify at parents' trial
Source: ABC News
"Lawyers representing the parents of a Michigan teenager charged in a high school shooting that left four of his fellow students dead said Monday that they plan to call him to testify at the couple's trial. Defense attorney Shannon Smith told Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews that Ethan Crumbley's testimony would be related to 'extraneous matters' and not the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School. 'We need him as a witness in this trial,' said Smith, who represents Jennifer Crumbley. 'There are just certain questions we would just not be able to ask. We do understand that.' Smith did not say what types of questions would be asked of Ethan Crumbley. She later declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press for more details. A message seeking comment also was left with a lawyer for the 16-year-old." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Oxford-shooting-suspect-could-be-witness-in-17268309.php
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11) Russia: Court decides US star Brittney Griner to stand trial on "drug charges"
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"American basketball star Brittney Griner is scheduled to stand trial in Russia on Friday on charges of illegal cannabis possession. The 31-year-old, a three-time WNBA league champion and seven-time All-Star, could face 10 years in prison if convicted. The trial date was decided at a brief hearing which the Phoenix Mercury player attended on Monday. Her detention was also extended at least six months. Griner was detained on 17 February at a Moscow-area airport after cannabis oil was allegedly found in her luggage. The maximum prison sentence applies to 'large-scale transportation of drugs.' However, even if acquitted at the trial, the government in Russia has the authority to overturn any decision and still send Griner to prison. Griner, affiliated to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), is considered one of the most dominant players in her sport's history." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/61956192
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12) Oil Settles Shy Of $120 A Barrel On OPEC+ Deal, Saudi Pricing
Source: Car & Bike [India]
"Oil prices settled slightly lower after choppy trade on Monday, buoyed by Saudi Arabia raising its July crude prices but amid doubts that a higher output target for OPEC+ oil producers would ease tight supply. Brent crude fell 21 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $119.51 a barrel after touching an intraday high of $121.95. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 37 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $118.50 a barrel after hitting a three-month high of $120.99. The benchmark fell by $1 earlier in the session." (06/27/22)
https://www.carandbike.com/news/oil-settles-shy-of-120-a-barrel-on-opec-deal-saudi-pricing-3104584
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13) Progressives [sic] Launch "Four More" Campaign to Demand Supreme Court Packing
Source: Common Dreams
"Asserting that expanding the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 members is the best way to protect Americans' rights from the right-wing supermajority's attacks, progressive advocates on Monday launched a campaign in support of a bill to add four more justices to the nation's highest court. 'On Friday, the Supreme Court's out-of-control right-wing supermajority eviscerated our reproductive freedoms by overturning 50 years of precedent guaranteeing a pregnant person's right to choose to have an abortion,' Stand Up America executive director Christina Harvey said during a Monday webinar announcing the 'Four More' campaign -- a project also backed by Demand Justice, Indivisible, and Take Back the Court Action Fund -- in support of the Judiciary Act. The proposed legislation, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), would increase the size of the court by four justices." (06/27/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/06/27/progressives-launch-four-more-campaign-demand-supreme-court-expansion
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14) Malicious litigation awaits US companies covering workers' abortion costs
Source: Reuters
"A growing number of large U.S. companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to get abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, legal experts said. ... State lawmakers in Texas have already threatened Citigroup Inc and Lyft, which had earlier announced travel reimbursement policies, with legal repercussions. A group of Republican lawmakers in a letter last month to Lyft chief executive Logan Green said Texas 'will take swift and decisive action' if the ride-hailing company implements the policy. The legislators also outlined a series of abortion-related proposals, including a bill that would bar companies from doing business in Texas if they pay for residents of the state to receive abortions elsewhere." (06/27/22)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/legal-clashes-await-us-companies-covering-workers-abortion-costs-2022-06-26/
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15) Over one million voters switch to GOP in warning for Democrats
Source: SFGate
"A political shift is beginning to take hold across the U.S. as tens of thousands of suburban swing voters who helped fuel the Democratic Party's gains in recent years are becoming Republicans. More than 1 million voters across 43 states have switched to the Republican Party over the last year, according to voter registration data analyzed by The Associated Press. The previously unreported number reflects a phenomenon that is playing out in virtually every region of the country (Democratic and Republican states along with cities and small towns) in the period since President Joe Biden replaced former President Donald Trump. ... Over the last year, far more people are switching to the GOP across suburban counties from Denver to Atlanta and Pittsburgh and Cleveland." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/More-than-1-million-voters-switch-to-GOP-in-17267385.php
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16) Turkey: Regime thugs release all activists abducted during Istanbul Pride march
Source: France 24 [French state media]
"Turkish police have released all of the nearly 400 activists detained during a banned Pride march in Istanbul, organisers said on Monday. Although homosexuality has been legal throughout the period of the modern Turkish republic, Istanbul Pride has been banned since a 2014 parade drew tens of thousands of participants in one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the majority Muslim region. Kaos GL Association, which campaigns to promote the human rights of LGBTQ people against discrimination, said on Twitter that all 373 people detained by police on Sunday have been released, many of them 'after a night in custody.' The detention began even before the banned rally's start, with riot police raiding cafes and streets in a scenic district of Istanbul near Taksim Square where the event was to be held, according to an AFP team." (06/27/22)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220627-turkish-police-release-all-activists-detained-during-istanbul-pride-march
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17) LA: Judge blocks state abortion "trigger law" from taking effect
Source: Fox News
"A judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked three state laws that would ban virtually all abortions on Monday. The abortion bans were set to take effect if the Supreme Court ever overturned Roe v. Wade, which it did on Friday. Several states across the country have enacted similar laws, known as 'trigger laws'. Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso issued the temporary block shortly after abortion providers in the state filed a lawsuit, according to the order. Abortion groups, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argue the abortion restrictions violate providers' due process rights and 'lack constitutionally required safeguards to prevent arbitrary enforcement.' The groups also argue that the laws are overly vague, as they do not include a specific start date beyond the end of Roe." (06/27/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-blocks-louisiana-abortion-trigger-law-from-taking-effect
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18) NY: Shop worker held by police after Giuliani "slapped on the back"
Source: Sky News [UK]
"Rudy Giuliani has claimed he was the victim of what could have been a deadly assault after he was allegedly slapped on the back by a shop worker. Donald Trump's former lawyer said he felt like he had been "shot" during the incident at a ShopRite store in New York's Staten Island on Sunday. Police said the man approached Mr Giuliani and 'slapped him in the back' and was later held in custody, according to NBC News. The ex-New York mayor said he decided to 'have this guy arrested' because if he had been a 'weaker 78-year-old' he could have 'hit the ground, cracked my skull and died.' However, CCTV footage published by the New York Post, which purportedly captured the incident, showed little reactive movement from Mr Giuliani." (06/27/22)
https://news.sky.com/story/rudy-giuliani-shop-worker-held-by-police-after-ex-trump-lawyer-slapped-on-the-back-12641060
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19) Switzerland: Credit Suisse found guilty over money laundering charges
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Credit Suisse has been found guilty and fined for involvement in money laundering related to a Bulgarian drugs ring. Switzerland's criminal court found that the bank did not do enough to prevent members of the crime syndicate from profiting off the trafficking of cocaine in to Europe. It was fined around £1.7m and ordered to pay £15m to the Swiss government. The bank denies wrongdoing and said it would appeal against the ruling. Former Bulgarian tennis player, Elena Pampoulova-Bergoni, who worked at the bank for a period, was found guilty of money laundering by Switzerland's highest criminal court and received a 20-month suspended prison sentence. The court heard evidence around the bank's role in accepting millions of Euros in bank deposits between 2004 and 2008, which it said was full of red flags." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61957774
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20) EU regimes adopt mandatory gas storage amid Russia's cuts
Source: ABC News
"European Union countries agreed Monday that all natural gas storage in the 27-nation bloc should be topped up to at least 80% capacity for next winter as they prepare for the possibility of Russia further reducing deliveries. The EU is trying to slash its use of Russian energy amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine and find other sources. A ban on imports of Russian coal will start in August, and an embargo on most oil from Russia will be phased in over the coming eight months. Meanwhile, Moscow is disrupting natural gas deliveries, a fuel used to power factories and generate electricity that the EU didn't include in its own sanctions for fear of seriously harming the European economy. Before the war, the bloc got about 40% of its natural gas from Russia." (06/27/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eu-countries-adopt-mandatory-gas-storage-amid-russias-85775925
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Ron DeSantis and the Rise of Incoherent Folk Libertarianism
Source: The Daily Beast
by Bonnie Kristian
"Folk libertarianism is not an ideological affair. Neither is it a policy agenda. It's an anti-authority impulse that wants authority for itself, seeks personal license while denouncing libertinism, carries a 'thin blue line' flag while fighting the Capitol Police, and boasts of being a 'live and let live' alternative to left-wing pieties while whipping up panic about how other people behave. ... olk libertarianism is more at home in the new American center, a populist space which is the old one's polar opposite: socially conservative (on some issues, anyway) and economically liberal, at least where one's own Medicare check is concerned." (06/27/22)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-desantis-and-the-rise-of-incoherent-folk-libertarianism
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22) A New Western Religion Takes Shape
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Gigi Foster, Paul Frijters, & Michael Baker
"Western politicians went way out on a limb during the covid period in suspending normal liberties and controlling people's daily lives. Their authoritarianism was so extreme that, in retrospect, its legitimacy needed to be cemented in Western eyes via a permanent set of internationally coordinated command-and-control structures. ... The new global institutions, politicians hope, will assist in ensuring the flock remains deeply obedient to their leaders, is preoccupied with self-loathing, and continues to be wary of any fellow man with whom they might have organised resistance. This new Western order being established by our leaders is akin to a religious order which preserves the neo-feudal ideology that came of age during covid, while keeping the masses divided and in a state of self-hatred." (06/27/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/a-new-western-religion-takes-shape/
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23) The Constitution isn't Absolute?
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Mike Maharrey
"Arguing that 'high-caliber' weapons should be federally banned, President Joe Biden claimed, 'Remember, the Constitution was never absolute.' Biden was merely advancing the popular notion of a 'living breathing Constitution.' According to proponents of this theory, the founders 'couldn't have imagined' all of the changes that would happen over time, such as the development of high-powered, semi-automatic weapons. Therefore, the Constitution must evolve and change with the times. The founders were smart people. I'm certain they imagined that technology and society would evolve over time. What the founders couldn't have imagined is a scenario where the government can change the limits on its own power and authority on its own whim. That said, Biden wasn't entirely wrong. The Constitution wasn't intended to be 'absolute.' The founders did, in fact, recognize that changes would be necessary as times changed. And that's why they included an amendment process." (06/27/22)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2022/06/27/the-constitution-isnt-absolute/
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24) What the government gets to know about you should be your choice
Source: The Hill
by Adi Dynar
"Every year, government agents descend on people's homes threatening them with huge fines if they do not divulge intimate details about their lives. The American Community Survey (ACS) is sent to about 3.5 million randomly selected Americans every year. It demands personal information such as how many beds, cars and phones the household has. It asks people to disclose their fertility history, sexual orientation, and history of marriage and divorce. It asks about daily commute time to work, detailed work history, and how much a person pays in taxes, rent, mortgage and utility bills. ... Under the Constitution, the Census Bureau has one job: to count the number of people in the country for apportioning congressional seats in the house of representatives. That's it." (06/27/22)
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3536672-what-the-government-gets-to-know-about-you-should-be-your-choice/
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25) A Victory for Life and Liberty
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
"The Supreme Court undid one of its worst mistakes last week when it overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision declaring a constitutional right to abortion. The Constitution reserves to the states the authority to write and enforce laws regarding murder. Since the question of whether or not to legalize abortion revolves around whether abortion is murder, it is not a federal issue. Roe was thus an illegitimate usurpation of state authority." (06/27/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/a-victory-for-life-and-liberty
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26) The Rise of American Fascism
Source: Common Dreams
by Chris Hedges
"The Supreme Court is relentlessly funding and empowering Christian fascism. It not only overturned Roe v. Wade, ending a constitutional right to an abortion, but ruled on June 21 that Maine may not exclude religious schools from a state tuition program. It has ruled that a Montana state program to support private schools must include religious schools. It ruled that a 40-foot cross could remain on state property in suburban Maryland. It upheld the Trump administration regulation allowing employers to deny birth control coverage to female employees on religious grounds. It ruled that employment discrimination laws do not apply to teachers at religious schools. It ruled that a Catholic social services agency in Philadelphia could ignore city rules and refuse to screen same-sex couples applying to take in foster children." (06/27/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/06/27/rise-american-fascism
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27) Roe Is the New Prohibition
Source: The Atlantic
by David Frum
"The culture war raged most hotly from the '70s to the next century's '20s. It polarized American society, dividing men from women, rural from urban, religious from secular, Anglo-Americans from more recent immigrant groups. At length, but only after a titanic constitutional struggle, the rural and religious side of the culture imposed its will on the urban and secular side. A decisive victory had been won, or so it seemed. The culture war I'm talking about is the culture war over alcohol prohibition. ... Prohibition and Dobbs were and are projects that seek to impose the values of a cohesive and well-organized cultural minority upon a diverse and less-organized cultural majority. Those projects can work for a time, but only for a time." (06/27/22)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/abortion-roe-prolife-movement-prohibition/661402/
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28) Pushing Past Protest
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"A group called Jane's Revenge is on a rampage against organizations known to oppose abortion. 'We promised to take increasingly drastic measures against oppressive infrastructures,' the manifesto declares. 'Rest assured that we will, and those measures may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti. From here forward, any anti-choice group who closes their doors, and stops operating will no longer be a target. But until you do, it's open season.' We don't know how Jane's Revenge is constituted. Maybe it will turn out to be just one woman with a keyboard. Whatever its form, though, it has acolytes, persons willing to damage the property of churches, anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and other anti-abortion organizations." (06/27/22)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2022/06/27/pushing-past-protest/
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29) America Is More Fragile Than the Left [sic] Understands
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson
"The Left [sic] has been tempting fate since January 2021 -- applying its nihilist medicine to America on the premise that such a rich patient can ride out any toxic shock. Our elites assume that all our nation's past violent protests, all its would-be revolutions, all its cultural upheavals, all its institutionalized lawlessness were predicated on one central truth: America's central core is so strong, so rich, and so resilient that it can withstand almost any assault. So, we can afford 120 days in 2020 of mass rioting, $2 billion in damage, some 35 killed, and 1,500 police injured. We can easily survive an Afghanistan, and our utter and complete military humiliation. There was no problem in abandoning some $70-80 billion in military loot to terrorists. Who cares that we tossed off a billion-dollar new embassy, and jettisoned a $300-million refitted air base, as long as our pride flags were waving in Kabul?" (06/27/22)
https://amgreatness.com/2022/06/26/america-is-more-fragile-than-the-left-understands/
-----
30) The Limits of Bruen
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Josh Blackman
"Bruen was a resounding triumph for originalism. But unlike Dobbs, Bruen will not lead to sweeping changes in gun laws nationwide. For starters, more than 40 states already employed some form of shall-issue carry. Depending on how you count, only 6 or 7 states will have to modify their regimes in the wake of Bruen. Much of the sturm und drang about Bruen is hyperbole. And, no doubt, these states will try to push the boundaries of Bruen. Eugene already blogged about one such attempt from the California Attorney General. Here, I would like to flag the limits that Bruen identifies, as well as those recognized in the concurring opinions." (06/27/22)
https://reason.com/volokh/2022/06/27/the-limits-of-bruen/
-----
31) Drug Pricing Reforms Hinge on the Executive Branch
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
"The selection of the next director of the National Institutes of Health has taken on added significance with the Department of Health and Human Services' determination, wrongly in the view of critics, that some of the more powerful executive actions available to lower prescription drug prices must flow through NIH. This, along with a reluctance to disrupt a perpetually pending reconciliation deal that would allow Medicare to bargain over the bulk price of some medications, has led to practically no action taken on drug prices throughout the Biden presidency, despite Democrats vowing for nearly two decades that reducing high drug costs is a top priority. Any congressional prescription drug deal remains tied to a broader reconciliation package that will live or die at the whim of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) ..." (06/27/22)
https://prospect.org/health/drug-pricing-reforms-hinge-on-the-executive-branch/
-----
32) Why "Free Trade" Advocacy Keeps Running Into a Brick Wall
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ryan Swanson
"The idea of tit-for-tat tariffs goes back at least to Thomas Jefferson in American politics. But when [US Senate candidate Blake] Masters claims that 'free trade' can't even exist unless nobody intervenes in their trade policies at all, he misses how economists never let tariffs in some countries change their support for getting rid of trade restrictions at home. Free trade doesn't need total freedom to still be a good idea." (06/27/22)
https://fee.org/articles/why-free-trade-advocacy-keeps-running-into-a-brick-wall/
-----
33) The Ethical Case for Not Repaying your Student Loans
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Tim Hopkins
"Did you take out a student loan from the government or a chartered bank backed by a government guarantee to cover the loan if you default? Do you, as a libertarian/market anarchist, feel morally obligated to repay the loan? If so, don't. Why? ... A key anarchist insight is that the state, an institution that claims a territorial monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, is a criminal organization. As such, the state has no legitimate standing in contracts. ... If you lent me money, I'd feel an obligation to pay it back, and I hope you'd feel the same. But where government backed loans are concerned, this is literally on par with the 'duty to pay one's taxes.' No such duty exists since taxation is a non consensual transfer of income and/or property to the state." (06/27/22)
https://c4ss.org/content/56937
-----
34) Ten Thoughts On Abortion
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
"One: It sure is mighty convenient timing for all political and electoral energy in the United States to suddenly get sucked up into a single issue which affects the powerful in no way, shape or form. I wouldn't have thought it would be possible for everyone's attention to get diverted away from inflation and the looming likelihood of wage reductions and soaring unemployment or the economic war with Russia that's making everything worse for everyone while pouring vast fortunes into the proxy war in Ukraine, but by golly, the empire found a way. Two: Easy access to safe abortions helps prevent women from being trapped in abusive relationships, because childbirth is a great way to keep a woman tied to you and submissive to you." (06/27/22)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2022/06/27/ten-thoughts-on-abortion/
-----
35) How Governments Expropriate Wealth with Inflation and Taxes
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
"In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen admitted that the chain of stimulus plans implemented by the US administration helped create the problem of inflation. 'Inflation is a matter of demand and supply, and the spending that was undertaken in the American Rescue Plan did feed demand,' Yellen admitted. Of course, Yellen went on to say that the spending was appropriate due to the collapse of the economy as governments were trying to prevent a recession. This reminds us of a few of the problems of disproportionate government intervention and the negative impact on the middle class." (06/27/22)
https://mises.org/wire/how-governments-expropriate-wealth-inflation-and-taxes
-----
36) Public Schools Are Using Inflation To Extort Taxpayers
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Garion Frankel
"[P]ublic schools are not uniquely spared from inflation's effects. Prices for basic goods like books, papers, pencils, and school lunches have all increased substantially in recent months. As anyone with a vehicle knows, oil and diesel, which are needed to power large fleets of school buses, have become ridiculously expensive. These problems are only compounded by lingering supply-chain disruptions. As such, many school districts have to make a choice: They can either take responsibility and trim the excess fat off their finances, or they can beg taxpayers for more money in the form of tax hikes and new bonds. Naturally, being government entities, most school districts have chosen the latter. Even with pandemic closures and myriad culture war battles, a majority of parents still trust their local public school system. Districts are abusing that trust for cash." (06/27/22)
https://www.aier.org/article/public-schools-are-using-inflation-to-extort-taxpayers/
-----
37) How the super-rich silence their critics
Source: spiked
by Hardeep Singh
"Over a decade ago I took part in a libel-reform campaign, headed up by campaign groups like Index on Censorship and English PEN. Its principal purpose was to tackle the phenomenon of 'libel tourism,' in which wealthy individuals used the law courts of England and Wales -- and our absurdly strict libel laws -- to chill the speech of journalists, academics, medics and scientists from around the world. This campaign culminated in the Defamation Act 2013, which made it difficult for cases to be brought against individuals domiciled outside the UK, and allowed defendants to defend themselves on public-interest grounds. But even with these reforms, the key problem of libel laws remains: the super-rich are still able to use (or abuse) the law to silence their critics." (06/27/22)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/06/27/how-the-super-rich-silence-their-critics/
-----
38) SCOTUS gun ruling reminds New Yorkers there is a right to bear arms
Source: Fox News
by Amy Swearer
"Dear New York residents with anti-gun tendencies: I know you're afraid. The Supreme Court this week informed your state government that there is, indeed, a Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and that it does, in fact, protect a right of the people (not just 'special' people) to bear arms in public for self-defense. I know this news shocked many of you, since you've long-lived under a regime that routinely conflates lawful gun owners with criminals. Constitutional rights can be scary, especially when you don't understand them or don't particularly like them. Your state and local government officials have spent months preemptively warning you that this day would destroy all of their efforts to keep you safe, as though ordinary, law-abiding gun owners in New York were the real problem plaguing your streets." (06/27/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/supreme-court-gun-ruling-right-arms
-----
39) Biden At 500 Days
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Van Buren
"Joe Biden at about 500 days in office is testing the limits of those who claimed 501 days ago that 'anybody' would be better than Donald Trump. With the threat of nuclear war now well alive, Biden presides over the highest gas prices, the worst inflation, and the saddest stock market in generations. It is not morning in America anymore. It's late on Sunday afternoon, and it's raining." (06/27/22)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/dead-man-walking-backwards-biden-at-500-days/
-----
40) Want "strategic thinkers?" You'll have to transform the military culture
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Gregory Foster
"For some years now, observers of military and security affairs have levied rightful criticism at America's growing string of military failures abroad. We don't win wars anymore. We don't prevent wars. We can't end wars. At the heart of these repeated operational failures, many think, are deeply embedded intellectual failings that reflect inexcusably underdeveloped strategic understanding on the part of America's current generation of generals and admirals. ... the real culprit in producing a generation of intellectually challenged senior military leaders isn't the military's professional schooling system. It is military culture itself, the selfsame culture in which and by which [Secretary of Defense James] Mattis -- and others like him -- have been indoctrinated." (06/27/22)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/06/27/want-strategic-thinkers-youll-have-to-change-todays-military-culture/
-----
41) The Fresh Hell of Depending on Your Employer for Abortion Access
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Lazare
"Following last week's Supreme Court ruling that struck down federal protections for abortion rights, major companies, including a number of Silicon Valley giants, publicly broadcast their intention to assist their workers in traveling out of state to obtain an abortion. ... On its face, these gestures by employers may seem like a good thing. ... And perhaps such gestures are preferable to the alternative: offering absolutely nothing to workers who have been stripped of their core rights overnight. But this response opens up another door to hell: The reality that workers will be even more reliant on capricious and self-interested employers to provide basic, necessary healthcare, handing bosses even more power, while giving workers one more thing to fight tooth and nail to protect." (06/27/22)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-workers-lyft-uber-starbucks-unions-healthcare
-----
42) Antiwar.com Is Knocking: If You Don't Answer, the War Party Will Come Next
Source: Antiwar.com
by Doug Bandow
"Who speaks for peace in America? Not many people in Washington. Which makes the role of Antiwar.com so important. I am approaching the end of my 42nd year in Washington. The political and international environments have never been worse. It's the woke Left versus the MAGA Right, with the War Party in control of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. Indeed, the international situation might be more dangerous than even during the Cold War. ... Knowing this, whom do you trust to navigate today's dangerous international currents?" (06/27/22)
https://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2022/06/26/antiwar-com-is-knocking-if-you-dont-answer-the-war-party-will-come-next/
-----
43) To the Police State, We're All Criminals Until We Prove Otherwise
Source: CounterPunch
by John W Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead
"The burden of proof has been reversed. No longer are we presumed innocent. Now we're presumed guilty unless we can prove our innocence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Rarely, are we even given the opportunity to do so. Although the Constitution requires the government to provide solid proof of criminal activity before it can deprive a citizen of life or liberty, the government has turned that fundamental assurance of due process on its head. Each and every one of us is now seen as a potential suspect, terrorist and lawbreaker in the eyes of the government." (06/27/22)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/06/27/to-the-police-state-were-all-criminals-until-we-prove-otherwise/
-----
44) Can Joe Biden and Donald Trump just go away?
Source: Orange County Register
by Sal Rodriguez
"Like many Americans, I'm in political purgatory. I don't care for Donald Trump, but I also don't like Joe Biden. The best thing about each of them is that they're not the other. Donald Trump vowed to Make America Great, while Joe Biden babbled about unity and a return to normalcy. How'd that go? It turns out, a lot of Americans are sick of Biden and Trump, too. ... This is supposed to be America, the richest and most powerful nation on Earth. These two are really the best America can come up with? America has a lot of problems and these two fossils aren't the ones to solve them. Here, I will review the awfulness of Biden and Trump and at the end suggest someone who would be better." (06/26/22)
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/06/26/can-joe-biden-and-donald-trump-just-go-away/
-----
45) Make Workhouses And Sanitariums Great Again
Source: Town Hall
by Scott Morefield
"After reading that headline, your first question might probably be something along the lines of, 'Were workhouses and sanitariums ever, uh, great?' To which I would agree that no, such places (which were common in the western world during the 18th, 19th, and even up to the mid-20th century) certainly weren't up to our modern standards of sanitation, nutrition, education, and even humane treatment. Certainly, workhouses and sanitariums have a bleak reputation that was well-earned. ... However, while not 'great,' per se, they were still a logical, earnest, meaningful way to deal with two societal problems that still plague us to this day: homelessness and severe mental illness (and in too many cases, both in the same people)." (06/27/22)
https://townhall.com/columnists/scottmorefield/2022/06/27/make-workhouses-and-sanitariums-great-again-n2609359
-----
46) Krugman on the effects of a hot economy
Source: EconLog
by Scott Sumner
"People often suggest that a fast growing economy is inflationary. I would argue that exactly the opposite is true. ... Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods. Because Singapore produced lots more goods, the double-digit money growth created less inflation than a similar money growth rate in Venezuela. You might think of the faster RGDP growth as 'absorbing' some of the extra money, leading to less inflation." (06/26/22)
https://www.econlib.org/krugman-on-the-effects-of-a-hot-economy/
-----
47) Let Musk and Market, Not Regulation, Fix Social Media Sites
Source: The American Spectator
by David Hogberg
"Some conservatives argue that social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram perform an essential free speech function in our society and have a near monopoly over that function. What's needed, these conservatives contend, are laws that define social media sites as 'common carriers.' As common carriers, social media sites would have to serve all people who wished to use those sites, much as utility companies, airlines and phone companies are required to do. They would be severely limited in their ability to restrict content or suspend users' accounts. ... As noted economist Thomas Sowell likes to say, principles take on a life of their own. Eventually, principles manifest in ways that were never intended by those who established them." (06/26/22)
https://spectator.org/let-musk-and-market-not-regulation-fix-social-media-sites/
-----
48) Lockdowns Harms Impossible to Cover Up
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Michael Senger
"According to a recent study by the World Bank, published in the journal Nature, lockdowns and the response to Covid-19 have pushed an additional 75 million people into extreme poverty, living on less than US $1.90 a day. In the typical Walter Duranty style that's become a kind of twisted journalistic norm since March 2020, the World Bank and Nature of course blame this on 'the pandemic' rather than lockdowns. I remain baffled as to how seemingly well-meaning people are able to sleep at night repeating such nonsense -- are they somehow blind to the role of their own sycophancy in perpetuating these policies? Nonetheless, there are signs that the political mainstream is starting to realize lockdowns were a disaster." (06/26/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/lockdowns-harms-impossible-to-cover-up/
-----
49) One War Too Many on Planet Earth
Source: TomDispatch
by Rajan Menon
"When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, I was easing my way into a new job and in the throes of the teaching year. But that war quickly hijacked my life. I spend most of my day poring over multiple newspapers, magazines, blogs, and the Twitter feeds of various military mavens, a few of whom have been catapulted by the war from obscurity to a modicum of fame. Then there are all those websites to check out, their color-coded maps and daily summaries catching that conflict's rapid twists and turns. Don't think I'm writing this as a lament, however. I'm lucky. I have a good, safe life and follow events there from the comfort of my New York apartment. For Ukrainians, the war is anything but a topic of study. It's a daily, deadly presence." (06/26/22)
https://tomdispatch.com/ending-the-war-in-ukraine/
-----
50) John Roberts and the Path SCOTUS Did Not Take on Abortion
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"Chief Justice John Roberts agreed that the Mississippi law at issue in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which generally prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, should be upheld. But he argued that the five justices in the majority went too far on Friday by overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that said women have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed Roe's 'central holding.' Roberts'[s] take on the issue not only points to a judicial path not taken; it raises a crucial question for state legislators as they decide how to exercise the new power that Dobbs gives them to regulate abortion: What does 'the right to choose' mean?" (06/26/22)
https://reason.com/2022/06/26/john-roberts-and-the-path-scotus-did-not-take-on-abortion/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/27/22
Source: Reason
"What's Wrong With Abortion Federalism? Plus: stereotypes within libertarianism, and Katherine compares the editors to <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em> characters." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://reason.com/podcast/2022/06/27/whats-wrong-with-abortion-federalism/
-----
52) Free Talk Live, 06/27/22
Source: Free Talk Live
"Conformity Experiments :: Dead Internet Theory :: AI and Corporations :: Alexa to Use Dead People's Voices? :: Nullification :: Ukraine Bans Opposition Party, Seizes Assets :: Roe v Wade :: Oil Price Cap Proposed :: Weigh Station Waylay :: Show: 2022-06-27 Ian, Conan, Nobody." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/27/22)
https://freetalklive.com/archives?ppplayer=5c48425a5422918dc6f904bd1cb7e00f&ppepisode=2ac50a4d877ff4c1f6e9b697393e90c6
-----
53) The Chris Spangle Show, 06/27/22
Source: We Are Libertarians
"The Importance of 'Civil Society' for Liberty." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://wearelibertarians.com/css-the-importance-of-civil-society-for-liberty/
-----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 294
Source: Libertarian Institute
"The NYT Reveals CIA Officers are Operating in Ukraine." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-294-the-nyt-reveals-cia-officers-are-operating-in-ukraine/
-----
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/27/22
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"NYT 'Bombshell' -- CIA Massively Engaged On-Ground In Ukraine." [Flash video] (06/27/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/nyt-bombshell-cia-massively-engaged-on-ground-in-ukraine
-----
56) Ramzy Baroud on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
"Scott is joined by journalist and author Ramzy Baroud to discuss the deterioration of Israeli Politics and the war in Mali." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-20-22-ramzy-baroud-on-israel-palestine-and-mali/
-----
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/27/22
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
"The decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sent some definite shockwaves throughout the world. As Jordan Schachtel explains, suddenly the same leaders who were recently forcing vaccinations are very concerned about upholding human rights." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-9jgru-125d77e
-----
58) Rising, 06/27/22
Source: The Hill
"Olayemi Olurin and Robby Soave debate Roe v. Wade being overturned." [Flash video] (06/27/22)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/3538044-rising-june-27-2022/
-----
59) EconTalk, 06/27/22
Source: EconTalk
"A.J. Jacobs on Solving Life's Puzzles." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/27/22)
https://www.econtalk.org/a-j-jacobs-on-solving-lifes-puzzles/
-----
60) Lions of Liberty with Marc Clair, 06/27/22
Source: Lions of Liberty
"Academic Agent on Elite Theory and Pro Wrestling." [Flash audio] (06/27/22)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/academic-agent-on-elite-theory-and-pro-wrestling
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Russian regime's debt payments blocked as sanctions regimes crow about "default"
2) Grand jury subpoenas directors of firm behind disgraced former president's social media IPO
3) China: Censors scrub Internet after senior regime thug gives speech on timeline of zero-Covid in Beijing
4) SCOTUS sides with high school coach over 50-yard-line prayers
5) Biden's nominee for post of ICE gang shot-caller withdraws
6) NY: Judge says NYC regime can't let noncitizens vote in city elections
7) UK: Prince Charles charity faces probe over cash from Qatari
8) NATO plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force
9) Pakistan: Regime chided for "drink less tea, save money" plea
10) MI: School shooting suspect may testify at parents' trial
11) Russia: Court decides US star Brittney Griner to stand trial on "drug charges"
12) Oil Settles Shy Of $120 A Barrel On OPEC+ Deal, Saudi Pricing
13) Progressives [sic] Launch "Four More" Campaign to Demand Supreme Court Packing
14) Malicious litigation awaits US companies covering workers' abortion costs
15) Over one million voters switch to GOP in warning for Democrats
16) Turkey: Regime thugs release all activists abducted during Istanbul Pride march
17) LA: Judge blocks state abortion "trigger law" from taking effect
18) NY: Shop worker held by police after Giuliani "slapped on the back"
19) Switzerland: Credit Suisse found guilty over money laundering charges
20) EU regimes adopt mandatory gas storage amid Russia's cuts
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Ron DeSantis and the Rise of Incoherent Folk Libertarianism
22) A New Western Religion Takes Shape
23) The Constitution isn't Absolute?
24) What the government gets to know about you should be your choice
25) A Victory for Life and Liberty
26) The Rise of American Fascism
27) Roe Is the New Prohibition
28) Pushing Past Protest
29) America Is More Fragile Than the Left [sic] Understands
30) The Limits of Bruen
31) Drug Pricing Reforms Hinge on the Executive Branch
32) Why "Free Trade" Advocacy Keeps Running Into a Brick Wall
33) The Ethical Case for Not Repaying your Student Loans
34) Ten Thoughts On Abortion
35) How Governments Expropriate Wealth with Inflation and Taxes
36) Public Schools Are Using Inflation To Extort Taxpayers
37) How the super-rich silence their critics
38) SCOTUS gun ruling reminds New Yorkers there is a right to bear arms
39) Biden At 500 Days
40) Want "strategic thinkers?" You'll have to transform the military culture
41) The Fresh Hell of Depending on Your Employer for Abortion Access
42) Antiwar.com Is Knocking: If You Don't Answer, the War Party Will Come Next
43) To the Police State, We're All Criminals Until We Prove Otherwise
44) Can Joe Biden and Donald Trump just go away?
45) Make Workhouses And Sanitariums Great Again
46) Krugman on the effects of a hot economy
47) Let Musk and Market, Not Regulation, Fix Social Media Sites
48) Lockdowns Harms Impossible to Cover Up
49) One War Too Many on Planet Earth
50) John Roberts and the Path SCOTUS Did Not Take on Abortion
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/27/22
52) Free Talk Live, 06/27/22
53) The Chris Spangle Show, 06/27/22
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 294
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/27/22
56) Ramzy Baroud on The Scott Horton Show
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/27/22
58) Rising, 06/27/22
59) EconTalk, 06/27/22
60) Lions of Liberty with Marc Clair, 06/27/22
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Russian regime's debt payments blocked as sanctions regimes crow about "default"
Source: CNBC
"Russia has entered its first major foreign debt default for over a century, after a grace period on two international bond payments lapsed on Sunday night. Interest payments totaling $100 million were due on May 27 and subject to a grace period which expired on Sunday night. Several media outlets have reported that bondholders have not received the payments, after Russia's attempts to pay in its ruble currency were blocked by international sanctions. The Kremlin has rejected the claim that Russia is in default, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly telling a press call this morning that Russia made the bond payments due in May but they have been blocked by Euroclear due to Western sanctions, rendering the non-delivery of payments 'not [Russia's] problem.'" (06/27/22)
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/27/russia-on-the-brink-of-historic-debt-default-as-payment-period-expires.html
-----
2) Grand jury subpoenas directors of firm behind disgraced former president's social media IPO
Source: Axios
"A federal grand jury in New York has issued subpoenas to each board director of the blank check company that has agreed to take Donald Trump's social media startup, Truth Social, public. This is in addition to previously disclosed investigations into the blank-check company by both the SEC and Justice Department, thus intensifying questions about Truth Social's financial future. Digital World Acquisition Corp. on Monday disclosed the subpoenas, adding that some of the information requested was about communications with a Miami-based investment firm called Rocket One Capital. It also said the Bruce Garelick, chief strategy officer at Rocket One, is resigning from Digital World Acquisition's board of directors." (06/27/22)
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/27/subpoenas-issued-spac-trump-social-network-public
-----
3) China: Censors scrub Internet after senior regime thug gives speech on timeline of zero-Covid in Beijing
Source: CNN
"Chinese censors scrambled to delete what appears to be a misleading quote by a senior Communist Party official published in state media Monday, which claimed the 'zero-Covid' policy would remain in place in Beijing 'for the next five years,' in an effort to tame an online backlash. Beijing Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper for the Chinese capital, earlier reported that the city's party chief, Cai Qi, said Monday that 'for the next five years, Beijing will resolutely implement Covid-19 pandemic control measures and uphold the 'zero-Covid' policy to prevent imported cases from coming in and domestic cases from rebounding.' The reported reference by Cai, who is a close ally of Chinese President Xi Jinping, to 'the next five years' sparked a huge backlash on Chinese social media. In response, Beijing Daily removed the line, describing it as an 'editing error' while leaving his other remarks about pandemic controls intact." (06/28/22)
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/asia/china-zero-covid-policy-intl/index.html
-----
4) SCOTUS sides with high school coach over 50-yard-line prayers
Source: Politico
"The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach who was suspended over his on-field prayers following games. The justices' decision, largely breaking 6-3 along the court's usual ideological lines, found that the school system infringed on the coach's religious freedom and freedom of speech rights by seeking to block him from engaging in public prayers on the field while flanked by student athletes after games. ... Kennedy and religious freedom advocates argued the coach was exercising his First Amendment right to pray. But the school district told the justices that Kennedy's actions were coercive, and players' parents complained their children on the team felt compelled to participate." (06/27/22)
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/27/supreme-court-sides-with-high-school-coach-over-50-yard-line-prayers-00042543
-----
5) Biden's nominee for post of ICE gang shot-caller withdraws
Source: CBS News
"Ed Gonzalez, the sheriff of Texas'[s] most populous county, on Monday announced he had withdrawn his nomination to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Biden, a decision that will further prolong a 5-year-long leadership void in an agency at the center of the nation's contentious immigration debate. In a series of posts on Twitter, Gonzalez, who is currently sheriff of Harris County, noted that his nomination to be ICE's director, which was announced in April 2021, had stalled in Congress for over a year. In a letter to Mr. Biden over the weekend, Gonzalez said he had concluded that pulling his name from the nomination process was 'in the best interest of the nation that we love.'" (06/27/22)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ed-gonzalez-ice-nominee-pulls-confirmation-delay/
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6) NY: Judge says NYC regime can't let noncitizens vote in city elections
Source: Toronto Star [Canada]
"New York City can't let noncitizens vote for mayor and other city officials, a judge ruled Monday, siding with Republicans who challenged the measure as unconstitutional. In January, New York became the first major U.S. city to grant widespread municipal voting rights to noncitizens, though none had cast ballots yet. The law didn't affect presidential, congressional or state elections. The law's supporters said it gave an electoral voice to many people who have made a home in the city and pay taxes to it but face tough paths to citizenship. New York GOP Chair Nick Langworthy and several Republican elected officials said the law violated provisions in the state constitution and state election law that specifically confer voting rights on citizens. Staten Island Judge Ralph Porzio agreed with the GOP." (06/27/22)
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2022/06/27/judge-says-nyc-cant-let-noncitizens-vote-in-city-elections.html
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7) UK: Prince Charles charity faces probe over cash from Qatari
Source: Daily Mail [UK]
"The Charity Commission is considering whether it has a role to play in investigating one of Prince Charles's charities after it accepted bags of cash worth millions from a Qatari sheik. It has emerged that former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani donated £2.5million to the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund (PWCF). Three donations of nearly £900,000 a time -- in 500 euro notes -- were stuffed in carrier bags and a holdall. While it is legal to both hand over and accept cash in the millions, concern about huge ready-money transactions has arisen in recent years. ... A supporter of Charles admitted that while 'the optics are unhelpful', 'no rules were broken,' and the unusually packaged donations were likely to have been accepted to 'avoid causing offence' to the sheik." (06/27/22)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10955273/Prince-Charles-charity-faces-Charity-Commission-probe-3m-cash-Qatari.html
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8) NATO plans huge upgrade in rapid reaction force
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Nato has announced plans to massively increase the number of its forces at high readiness to over 300,000 troops. The bloc's rapid reaction force currently has 40,000 troops at its disposal, with many of those based along the alliance's eastern flank. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the increase followed a direct threat from Russia to European security. He earlier said that 'the new military blueprint' would 'drastically upgrade' the bloc's eastern defences. Mr Stoltenberg said several Nato battlegroups in eastern Europe would be bolstered to 'brigade level' -- tactical units of several thousand troops -- which the bloc's civilian leader said was intended to send a clear message of deterrence to Russia. 'I'm confident that Moscow, President Putin, understands our collective security guarantees, understands the consequence of attacking a Nato-allied country,' Mr Stoltenberg told reporters at a news conference in Brussels." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61954516
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9) Pakistan: Regime chided for "drink less tea, save money" plea
Source: SFGate
"A minister in Pakistan's newly elected government faced criticism Wednesday following his plea to the nation to drink less tea to help save on imports amid a deepening economic crisis. Pakistan is among the world's top tea importers, a hugely popular drink among both the rich and the poor in this country of 220 million people. The government spends about $600 million from the central bank's hard currency reserves for tea imports annually. A Pakistani is believed to drink at least three cups of tea a day on average, the nation's caffeinated drink of choice. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who took over in April after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, has pledged to improve the ailing economy and meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund in an effort to revive a $6 billion bailout package." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Pakistani-govt-chided-for-Drink-less-tea-save-17243222.php
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10) MI: School shooting suspect may testify at parents' trial
Source: ABC News
"Lawyers representing the parents of a Michigan teenager charged in a high school shooting that left four of his fellow students dead said Monday that they plan to call him to testify at the couple's trial. Defense attorney Shannon Smith told Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews that Ethan Crumbley's testimony would be related to 'extraneous matters' and not the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School. 'We need him as a witness in this trial,' said Smith, who represents Jennifer Crumbley. 'There are just certain questions we would just not be able to ask. We do understand that.' Smith did not say what types of questions would be asked of Ethan Crumbley. She later declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press for more details. A message seeking comment also was left with a lawyer for the 16-year-old." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Oxford-shooting-suspect-could-be-witness-in-17268309.php
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11) Russia: Court decides US star Brittney Griner to stand trial on "drug charges"
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"American basketball star Brittney Griner is scheduled to stand trial in Russia on Friday on charges of illegal cannabis possession. The 31-year-old, a three-time WNBA league champion and seven-time All-Star, could face 10 years in prison if convicted. The trial date was decided at a brief hearing which the Phoenix Mercury player attended on Monday. Her detention was also extended at least six months. Griner was detained on 17 February at a Moscow-area airport after cannabis oil was allegedly found in her luggage. The maximum prison sentence applies to 'large-scale transportation of drugs.' However, even if acquitted at the trial, the government in Russia has the authority to overturn any decision and still send Griner to prison. Griner, affiliated to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), is considered one of the most dominant players in her sport's history." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/61956192
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12) Oil Settles Shy Of $120 A Barrel On OPEC+ Deal, Saudi Pricing
Source: Car & Bike [India]
"Oil prices settled slightly lower after choppy trade on Monday, buoyed by Saudi Arabia raising its July crude prices but amid doubts that a higher output target for OPEC+ oil producers would ease tight supply. Brent crude fell 21 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $119.51 a barrel after touching an intraday high of $121.95. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 37 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $118.50 a barrel after hitting a three-month high of $120.99. The benchmark fell by $1 earlier in the session." (06/27/22)
https://www.carandbike.com/news/oil-settles-shy-of-120-a-barrel-on-opec-deal-saudi-pricing-3104584
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13) Progressives [sic] Launch "Four More" Campaign to Demand Supreme Court Packing
Source: Common Dreams
"Asserting that expanding the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 members is the best way to protect Americans' rights from the right-wing supermajority's attacks, progressive advocates on Monday launched a campaign in support of a bill to add four more justices to the nation's highest court. 'On Friday, the Supreme Court's out-of-control right-wing supermajority eviscerated our reproductive freedoms by overturning 50 years of precedent guaranteeing a pregnant person's right to choose to have an abortion,' Stand Up America executive director Christina Harvey said during a Monday webinar announcing the 'Four More' campaign -- a project also backed by Demand Justice, Indivisible, and Take Back the Court Action Fund -- in support of the Judiciary Act. The proposed legislation, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), would increase the size of the court by four justices." (06/27/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/06/27/progressives-launch-four-more-campaign-demand-supreme-court-expansion
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14) Malicious litigation awaits US companies covering workers' abortion costs
Source: Reuters
"A growing number of large U.S. companies have said they will cover travel costs for employees who must leave their home states to get abortions, but these new policies could expose businesses to lawsuits and even potential criminal liability, legal experts said. ... State lawmakers in Texas have already threatened Citigroup Inc and Lyft, which had earlier announced travel reimbursement policies, with legal repercussions. A group of Republican lawmakers in a letter last month to Lyft chief executive Logan Green said Texas 'will take swift and decisive action' if the ride-hailing company implements the policy. The legislators also outlined a series of abortion-related proposals, including a bill that would bar companies from doing business in Texas if they pay for residents of the state to receive abortions elsewhere." (06/27/22)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/legal-clashes-await-us-companies-covering-workers-abortion-costs-2022-06-26/
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15) Over one million voters switch to GOP in warning for Democrats
Source: SFGate
"A political shift is beginning to take hold across the U.S. as tens of thousands of suburban swing voters who helped fuel the Democratic Party's gains in recent years are becoming Republicans. More than 1 million voters across 43 states have switched to the Republican Party over the last year, according to voter registration data analyzed by The Associated Press. The previously unreported number reflects a phenomenon that is playing out in virtually every region of the country (Democratic and Republican states along with cities and small towns) in the period since President Joe Biden replaced former President Donald Trump. ... Over the last year, far more people are switching to the GOP across suburban counties from Denver to Atlanta and Pittsburgh and Cleveland." (06/27/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/More-than-1-million-voters-switch-to-GOP-in-17267385.php
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16) Turkey: Regime thugs release all activists abducted during Istanbul Pride march
Source: France 24 [French state media]
"Turkish police have released all of the nearly 400 activists detained during a banned Pride march in Istanbul, organisers said on Monday. Although homosexuality has been legal throughout the period of the modern Turkish republic, Istanbul Pride has been banned since a 2014 parade drew tens of thousands of participants in one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the majority Muslim region. Kaos GL Association, which campaigns to promote the human rights of LGBTQ people against discrimination, said on Twitter that all 373 people detained by police on Sunday have been released, many of them 'after a night in custody.' The detention began even before the banned rally's start, with riot police raiding cafes and streets in a scenic district of Istanbul near Taksim Square where the event was to be held, according to an AFP team." (06/27/22)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220627-turkish-police-release-all-activists-detained-during-istanbul-pride-march
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17) LA: Judge blocks state abortion "trigger law" from taking effect
Source: Fox News
"A judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked three state laws that would ban virtually all abortions on Monday. The abortion bans were set to take effect if the Supreme Court ever overturned Roe v. Wade, which it did on Friday. Several states across the country have enacted similar laws, known as 'trigger laws'. Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso issued the temporary block shortly after abortion providers in the state filed a lawsuit, according to the order. Abortion groups, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argue the abortion restrictions violate providers' due process rights and 'lack constitutionally required safeguards to prevent arbitrary enforcement.' The groups also argue that the laws are overly vague, as they do not include a specific start date beyond the end of Roe." (06/27/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-blocks-louisiana-abortion-trigger-law-from-taking-effect
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18) NY: Shop worker held by police after Giuliani "slapped on the back"
Source: Sky News [UK]
"Rudy Giuliani has claimed he was the victim of what could have been a deadly assault after he was allegedly slapped on the back by a shop worker. Donald Trump's former lawyer said he felt like he had been "shot" during the incident at a ShopRite store in New York's Staten Island on Sunday. Police said the man approached Mr Giuliani and 'slapped him in the back' and was later held in custody, according to NBC News. The ex-New York mayor said he decided to 'have this guy arrested' because if he had been a 'weaker 78-year-old' he could have 'hit the ground, cracked my skull and died.' However, CCTV footage published by the New York Post, which purportedly captured the incident, showed little reactive movement from Mr Giuliani." (06/27/22)
https://news.sky.com/story/rudy-giuliani-shop-worker-held-by-police-after-ex-trump-lawyer-slapped-on-the-back-12641060
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19) Switzerland: Credit Suisse found guilty over money laundering charges
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Credit Suisse has been found guilty and fined for involvement in money laundering related to a Bulgarian drugs ring. Switzerland's criminal court found that the bank did not do enough to prevent members of the crime syndicate from profiting off the trafficking of cocaine in to Europe. It was fined around £1.7m and ordered to pay £15m to the Swiss government. The bank denies wrongdoing and said it would appeal against the ruling. Former Bulgarian tennis player, Elena Pampoulova-Bergoni, who worked at the bank for a period, was found guilty of money laundering by Switzerland's highest criminal court and received a 20-month suspended prison sentence. The court heard evidence around the bank's role in accepting millions of Euros in bank deposits between 2004 and 2008, which it said was full of red flags." (06/27/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61957774
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20) EU regimes adopt mandatory gas storage amid Russia's cuts
Source: ABC News
"European Union countries agreed Monday that all natural gas storage in the 27-nation bloc should be topped up to at least 80% capacity for next winter as they prepare for the possibility of Russia further reducing deliveries. The EU is trying to slash its use of Russian energy amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine and find other sources. A ban on imports of Russian coal will start in August, and an embargo on most oil from Russia will be phased in over the coming eight months. Meanwhile, Moscow is disrupting natural gas deliveries, a fuel used to power factories and generate electricity that the EU didn't include in its own sanctions for fear of seriously harming the European economy. Before the war, the bloc got about 40% of its natural gas from Russia." (06/27/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eu-countries-adopt-mandatory-gas-storage-amid-russias-85775925
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Ron DeSantis and the Rise of Incoherent Folk Libertarianism
Source: The Daily Beast
by Bonnie Kristian
"Folk libertarianism is not an ideological affair. Neither is it a policy agenda. It's an anti-authority impulse that wants authority for itself, seeks personal license while denouncing libertinism, carries a 'thin blue line' flag while fighting the Capitol Police, and boasts of being a 'live and let live' alternative to left-wing pieties while whipping up panic about how other people behave. ... olk libertarianism is more at home in the new American center, a populist space which is the old one's polar opposite: socially conservative (on some issues, anyway) and economically liberal, at least where one's own Medicare check is concerned." (06/27/22)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-desantis-and-the-rise-of-incoherent-folk-libertarianism
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22) A New Western Religion Takes Shape
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Gigi Foster, Paul Frijters, & Michael Baker
"Western politicians went way out on a limb during the covid period in suspending normal liberties and controlling people's daily lives. Their authoritarianism was so extreme that, in retrospect, its legitimacy needed to be cemented in Western eyes via a permanent set of internationally coordinated command-and-control structures. ... The new global institutions, politicians hope, will assist in ensuring the flock remains deeply obedient to their leaders, is preoccupied with self-loathing, and continues to be wary of any fellow man with whom they might have organised resistance. This new Western order being established by our leaders is akin to a religious order which preserves the neo-feudal ideology that came of age during covid, while keeping the masses divided and in a state of self-hatred." (06/27/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/a-new-western-religion-takes-shape/
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23) The Constitution isn't Absolute?
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Mike Maharrey
"Arguing that 'high-caliber' weapons should be federally banned, President Joe Biden claimed, 'Remember, the Constitution was never absolute.' Biden was merely advancing the popular notion of a 'living breathing Constitution.' According to proponents of this theory, the founders 'couldn't have imagined' all of the changes that would happen over time, such as the development of high-powered, semi-automatic weapons. Therefore, the Constitution must evolve and change with the times. The founders were smart people. I'm certain they imagined that technology and society would evolve over time. What the founders couldn't have imagined is a scenario where the government can change the limits on its own power and authority on its own whim. That said, Biden wasn't entirely wrong. The Constitution wasn't intended to be 'absolute.' The founders did, in fact, recognize that changes would be necessary as times changed. And that's why they included an amendment process." (06/27/22)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2022/06/27/the-constitution-isnt-absolute/
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24) What the government gets to know about you should be your choice
Source: The Hill
by Adi Dynar
"Every year, government agents descend on people's homes threatening them with huge fines if they do not divulge intimate details about their lives. The American Community Survey (ACS) is sent to about 3.5 million randomly selected Americans every year. It demands personal information such as how many beds, cars and phones the household has. It asks people to disclose their fertility history, sexual orientation, and history of marriage and divorce. It asks about daily commute time to work, detailed work history, and how much a person pays in taxes, rent, mortgage and utility bills. ... Under the Constitution, the Census Bureau has one job: to count the number of people in the country for apportioning congressional seats in the house of representatives. That's it." (06/27/22)
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3536672-what-the-government-gets-to-know-about-you-should-be-your-choice/
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25) A Victory for Life and Liberty
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
"The Supreme Court undid one of its worst mistakes last week when it overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision declaring a constitutional right to abortion. The Constitution reserves to the states the authority to write and enforce laws regarding murder. Since the question of whether or not to legalize abortion revolves around whether abortion is murder, it is not a federal issue. Roe was thus an illegitimate usurpation of state authority." (06/27/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/a-victory-for-life-and-liberty
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26) The Rise of American Fascism
Source: Common Dreams
by Chris Hedges
"The Supreme Court is relentlessly funding and empowering Christian fascism. It not only overturned Roe v. Wade, ending a constitutional right to an abortion, but ruled on June 21 that Maine may not exclude religious schools from a state tuition program. It has ruled that a Montana state program to support private schools must include religious schools. It ruled that a 40-foot cross could remain on state property in suburban Maryland. It upheld the Trump administration regulation allowing employers to deny birth control coverage to female employees on religious grounds. It ruled that employment discrimination laws do not apply to teachers at religious schools. It ruled that a Catholic social services agency in Philadelphia could ignore city rules and refuse to screen same-sex couples applying to take in foster children." (06/27/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/06/27/rise-american-fascism
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27) Roe Is the New Prohibition
Source: The Atlantic
by David Frum
"The culture war raged most hotly from the '70s to the next century's '20s. It polarized American society, dividing men from women, rural from urban, religious from secular, Anglo-Americans from more recent immigrant groups. At length, but only after a titanic constitutional struggle, the rural and religious side of the culture imposed its will on the urban and secular side. A decisive victory had been won, or so it seemed. The culture war I'm talking about is the culture war over alcohol prohibition. ... Prohibition and Dobbs were and are projects that seek to impose the values of a cohesive and well-organized cultural minority upon a diverse and less-organized cultural majority. Those projects can work for a time, but only for a time." (06/27/22)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/abortion-roe-prolife-movement-prohibition/661402/
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28) Pushing Past Protest
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"A group called Jane's Revenge is on a rampage against organizations known to oppose abortion. 'We promised to take increasingly drastic measures against oppressive infrastructures,' the manifesto declares. 'Rest assured that we will, and those measures may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti. From here forward, any anti-choice group who closes their doors, and stops operating will no longer be a target. But until you do, it's open season.' We don't know how Jane's Revenge is constituted. Maybe it will turn out to be just one woman with a keyboard. Whatever its form, though, it has acolytes, persons willing to damage the property of churches, anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and other anti-abortion organizations." (06/27/22)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2022/06/27/pushing-past-protest/
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29) America Is More Fragile Than the Left [sic] Understands
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson
"The Left [sic] has been tempting fate since January 2021 -- applying its nihilist medicine to America on the premise that such a rich patient can ride out any toxic shock. Our elites assume that all our nation's past violent protests, all its would-be revolutions, all its cultural upheavals, all its institutionalized lawlessness were predicated on one central truth: America's central core is so strong, so rich, and so resilient that it can withstand almost any assault. So, we can afford 120 days in 2020 of mass rioting, $2 billion in damage, some 35 killed, and 1,500 police injured. We can easily survive an Afghanistan, and our utter and complete military humiliation. There was no problem in abandoning some $70-80 billion in military loot to terrorists. Who cares that we tossed off a billion-dollar new embassy, and jettisoned a $300-million refitted air base, as long as our pride flags were waving in Kabul?" (06/27/22)
https://amgreatness.com/2022/06/26/america-is-more-fragile-than-the-left-understands/
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30) The Limits of Bruen
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Josh Blackman
"Bruen was a resounding triumph for originalism. But unlike Dobbs, Bruen will not lead to sweeping changes in gun laws nationwide. For starters, more than 40 states already employed some form of shall-issue carry. Depending on how you count, only 6 or 7 states will have to modify their regimes in the wake of Bruen. Much of the sturm und drang about Bruen is hyperbole. And, no doubt, these states will try to push the boundaries of Bruen. Eugene already blogged about one such attempt from the California Attorney General. Here, I would like to flag the limits that Bruen identifies, as well as those recognized in the concurring opinions." (06/27/22)
https://reason.com/volokh/2022/06/27/the-limits-of-bruen/
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31) Drug Pricing Reforms Hinge on the Executive Branch
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
"The selection of the next director of the National Institutes of Health has taken on added significance with the Department of Health and Human Services' determination, wrongly in the view of critics, that some of the more powerful executive actions available to lower prescription drug prices must flow through NIH. This, along with a reluctance to disrupt a perpetually pending reconciliation deal that would allow Medicare to bargain over the bulk price of some medications, has led to practically no action taken on drug prices throughout the Biden presidency, despite Democrats vowing for nearly two decades that reducing high drug costs is a top priority. Any congressional prescription drug deal remains tied to a broader reconciliation package that will live or die at the whim of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) ..." (06/27/22)
https://prospect.org/health/drug-pricing-reforms-hinge-on-the-executive-branch/
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32) Why "Free Trade" Advocacy Keeps Running Into a Brick Wall
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ryan Swanson
"The idea of tit-for-tat tariffs goes back at least to Thomas Jefferson in American politics. But when [US Senate candidate Blake] Masters claims that 'free trade' can't even exist unless nobody intervenes in their trade policies at all, he misses how economists never let tariffs in some countries change their support for getting rid of trade restrictions at home. Free trade doesn't need total freedom to still be a good idea." (06/27/22)
https://fee.org/articles/why-free-trade-advocacy-keeps-running-into-a-brick-wall/
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33) The Ethical Case for Not Repaying your Student Loans
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Tim Hopkins
"Did you take out a student loan from the government or a chartered bank backed by a government guarantee to cover the loan if you default? Do you, as a libertarian/market anarchist, feel morally obligated to repay the loan? If so, don't. Why? ... A key anarchist insight is that the state, an institution that claims a territorial monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, is a criminal organization. As such, the state has no legitimate standing in contracts. ... If you lent me money, I'd feel an obligation to pay it back, and I hope you'd feel the same. But where government backed loans are concerned, this is literally on par with the 'duty to pay one's taxes.' No such duty exists since taxation is a non consensual transfer of income and/or property to the state." (06/27/22)
https://c4ss.org/content/56937
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34) Ten Thoughts On Abortion
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
"One: It sure is mighty convenient timing for all political and electoral energy in the United States to suddenly get sucked up into a single issue which affects the powerful in no way, shape or form. I wouldn't have thought it would be possible for everyone's attention to get diverted away from inflation and the looming likelihood of wage reductions and soaring unemployment or the economic war with Russia that's making everything worse for everyone while pouring vast fortunes into the proxy war in Ukraine, but by golly, the empire found a way. Two: Easy access to safe abortions helps prevent women from being trapped in abusive relationships, because childbirth is a great way to keep a woman tied to you and submissive to you." (06/27/22)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2022/06/27/ten-thoughts-on-abortion/
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35) How Governments Expropriate Wealth with Inflation and Taxes
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
"In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Treasury secretary Janet Yellen admitted that the chain of stimulus plans implemented by the US administration helped create the problem of inflation. 'Inflation is a matter of demand and supply, and the spending that was undertaken in the American Rescue Plan did feed demand,' Yellen admitted. Of course, Yellen went on to say that the spending was appropriate due to the collapse of the economy as governments were trying to prevent a recession. This reminds us of a few of the problems of disproportionate government intervention and the negative impact on the middle class." (06/27/22)
https://mises.org/wire/how-governments-expropriate-wealth-inflation-and-taxes
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36) Public Schools Are Using Inflation To Extort Taxpayers
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Garion Frankel
"[P]ublic schools are not uniquely spared from inflation's effects. Prices for basic goods like books, papers, pencils, and school lunches have all increased substantially in recent months. As anyone with a vehicle knows, oil and diesel, which are needed to power large fleets of school buses, have become ridiculously expensive. These problems are only compounded by lingering supply-chain disruptions. As such, many school districts have to make a choice: They can either take responsibility and trim the excess fat off their finances, or they can beg taxpayers for more money in the form of tax hikes and new bonds. Naturally, being government entities, most school districts have chosen the latter. Even with pandemic closures and myriad culture war battles, a majority of parents still trust their local public school system. Districts are abusing that trust for cash." (06/27/22)
https://www.aier.org/article/public-schools-are-using-inflation-to-extort-taxpayers/
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37) How the super-rich silence their critics
Source: spiked
by Hardeep Singh
"Over a decade ago I took part in a libel-reform campaign, headed up by campaign groups like Index on Censorship and English PEN. Its principal purpose was to tackle the phenomenon of 'libel tourism,' in which wealthy individuals used the law courts of England and Wales -- and our absurdly strict libel laws -- to chill the speech of journalists, academics, medics and scientists from around the world. This campaign culminated in the Defamation Act 2013, which made it difficult for cases to be brought against individuals domiciled outside the UK, and allowed defendants to defend themselves on public-interest grounds. But even with these reforms, the key problem of libel laws remains: the super-rich are still able to use (or abuse) the law to silence their critics." (06/27/22)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/06/27/how-the-super-rich-silence-their-critics/
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38) SCOTUS gun ruling reminds New Yorkers there is a right to bear arms
Source: Fox News
by Amy Swearer
"Dear New York residents with anti-gun tendencies: I know you're afraid. The Supreme Court this week informed your state government that there is, indeed, a Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and that it does, in fact, protect a right of the people (not just 'special' people) to bear arms in public for self-defense. I know this news shocked many of you, since you've long-lived under a regime that routinely conflates lawful gun owners with criminals. Constitutional rights can be scary, especially when you don't understand them or don't particularly like them. Your state and local government officials have spent months preemptively warning you that this day would destroy all of their efforts to keep you safe, as though ordinary, law-abiding gun owners in New York were the real problem plaguing your streets." (06/27/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/supreme-court-gun-ruling-right-arms
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39) Biden At 500 Days
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Van Buren
"Joe Biden at about 500 days in office is testing the limits of those who claimed 501 days ago that 'anybody' would be better than Donald Trump. With the threat of nuclear war now well alive, Biden presides over the highest gas prices, the worst inflation, and the saddest stock market in generations. It is not morning in America anymore. It's late on Sunday afternoon, and it's raining." (06/27/22)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/dead-man-walking-backwards-biden-at-500-days/
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40) Want "strategic thinkers?" You'll have to transform the military culture
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Gregory Foster
"For some years now, observers of military and security affairs have levied rightful criticism at America's growing string of military failures abroad. We don't win wars anymore. We don't prevent wars. We can't end wars. At the heart of these repeated operational failures, many think, are deeply embedded intellectual failings that reflect inexcusably underdeveloped strategic understanding on the part of America's current generation of generals and admirals. ... the real culprit in producing a generation of intellectually challenged senior military leaders isn't the military's professional schooling system. It is military culture itself, the selfsame culture in which and by which [Secretary of Defense James] Mattis -- and others like him -- have been indoctrinated." (06/27/22)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/06/27/want-strategic-thinkers-youll-have-to-change-todays-military-culture/
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41) The Fresh Hell of Depending on Your Employer for Abortion Access
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Lazare
"Following last week's Supreme Court ruling that struck down federal protections for abortion rights, major companies, including a number of Silicon Valley giants, publicly broadcast their intention to assist their workers in traveling out of state to obtain an abortion. ... On its face, these gestures by employers may seem like a good thing. ... And perhaps such gestures are preferable to the alternative: offering absolutely nothing to workers who have been stripped of their core rights overnight. But this response opens up another door to hell: The reality that workers will be even more reliant on capricious and self-interested employers to provide basic, necessary healthcare, handing bosses even more power, while giving workers one more thing to fight tooth and nail to protect." (06/27/22)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-workers-lyft-uber-starbucks-unions-healthcare
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42) Antiwar.com Is Knocking: If You Don't Answer, the War Party Will Come Next
Source: Antiwar.com
by Doug Bandow
"Who speaks for peace in America? Not many people in Washington. Which makes the role of Antiwar.com so important. I am approaching the end of my 42nd year in Washington. The political and international environments have never been worse. It's the woke Left versus the MAGA Right, with the War Party in control of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. Indeed, the international situation might be more dangerous than even during the Cold War. ... Knowing this, whom do you trust to navigate today's dangerous international currents?" (06/27/22)
https://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2022/06/26/antiwar-com-is-knocking-if-you-dont-answer-the-war-party-will-come-next/
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43) To the Police State, We're All Criminals Until We Prove Otherwise
Source: CounterPunch
by John W Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead
"The burden of proof has been reversed. No longer are we presumed innocent. Now we're presumed guilty unless we can prove our innocence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Rarely, are we even given the opportunity to do so. Although the Constitution requires the government to provide solid proof of criminal activity before it can deprive a citizen of life or liberty, the government has turned that fundamental assurance of due process on its head. Each and every one of us is now seen as a potential suspect, terrorist and lawbreaker in the eyes of the government." (06/27/22)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/06/27/to-the-police-state-were-all-criminals-until-we-prove-otherwise/
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44) Can Joe Biden and Donald Trump just go away?
Source: Orange County Register
by Sal Rodriguez
"Like many Americans, I'm in political purgatory. I don't care for Donald Trump, but I also don't like Joe Biden. The best thing about each of them is that they're not the other. Donald Trump vowed to Make America Great, while Joe Biden babbled about unity and a return to normalcy. How'd that go? It turns out, a lot of Americans are sick of Biden and Trump, too. ... This is supposed to be America, the richest and most powerful nation on Earth. These two are really the best America can come up with? America has a lot of problems and these two fossils aren't the ones to solve them. Here, I will review the awfulness of Biden and Trump and at the end suggest someone who would be better." (06/26/22)
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/06/26/can-joe-biden-and-donald-trump-just-go-away/
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45) Make Workhouses And Sanitariums Great Again
Source: Town Hall
by Scott Morefield
"After reading that headline, your first question might probably be something along the lines of, 'Were workhouses and sanitariums ever, uh, great?' To which I would agree that no, such places (which were common in the western world during the 18th, 19th, and even up to the mid-20th century) certainly weren't up to our modern standards of sanitation, nutrition, education, and even humane treatment. Certainly, workhouses and sanitariums have a bleak reputation that was well-earned. ... However, while not 'great,' per se, they were still a logical, earnest, meaningful way to deal with two societal problems that still plague us to this day: homelessness and severe mental illness (and in too many cases, both in the same people)." (06/27/22)
https://townhall.com/columnists/scottmorefield/2022/06/27/make-workhouses-and-sanitariums-great-again-n2609359
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46) Krugman on the effects of a hot economy
Source: EconLog
by Scott Sumner
"People often suggest that a fast growing economy is inflationary. I would argue that exactly the opposite is true. ... Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods. Because Singapore produced lots more goods, the double-digit money growth created less inflation than a similar money growth rate in Venezuela. You might think of the faster RGDP growth as 'absorbing' some of the extra money, leading to less inflation." (06/26/22)
https://www.econlib.org/krugman-on-the-effects-of-a-hot-economy/
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47) Let Musk and Market, Not Regulation, Fix Social Media Sites
Source: The American Spectator
by David Hogberg
"Some conservatives argue that social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram perform an essential free speech function in our society and have a near monopoly over that function. What's needed, these conservatives contend, are laws that define social media sites as 'common carriers.' As common carriers, social media sites would have to serve all people who wished to use those sites, much as utility companies, airlines and phone companies are required to do. They would be severely limited in their ability to restrict content or suspend users' accounts. ... As noted economist Thomas Sowell likes to say, principles take on a life of their own. Eventually, principles manifest in ways that were never intended by those who established them." (06/26/22)
https://spectator.org/let-musk-and-market-not-regulation-fix-social-media-sites/
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48) Lockdowns Harms Impossible to Cover Up
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Michael Senger
"According to a recent study by the World Bank, published in the journal Nature, lockdowns and the response to Covid-19 have pushed an additional 75 million people into extreme poverty, living on less than US $1.90 a day. In the typical Walter Duranty style that's become a kind of twisted journalistic norm since March 2020, the World Bank and Nature of course blame this on 'the pandemic' rather than lockdowns. I remain baffled as to how seemingly well-meaning people are able to sleep at night repeating such nonsense -- are they somehow blind to the role of their own sycophancy in perpetuating these policies? Nonetheless, there are signs that the political mainstream is starting to realize lockdowns were a disaster." (06/26/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/lockdowns-harms-impossible-to-cover-up/
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49) One War Too Many on Planet Earth
Source: TomDispatch
by Rajan Menon
"When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, I was easing my way into a new job and in the throes of the teaching year. But that war quickly hijacked my life. I spend most of my day poring over multiple newspapers, magazines, blogs, and the Twitter feeds of various military mavens, a few of whom have been catapulted by the war from obscurity to a modicum of fame. Then there are all those websites to check out, their color-coded maps and daily summaries catching that conflict's rapid twists and turns. Don't think I'm writing this as a lament, however. I'm lucky. I have a good, safe life and follow events there from the comfort of my New York apartment. For Ukrainians, the war is anything but a topic of study. It's a daily, deadly presence." (06/26/22)
https://tomdispatch.com/ending-the-war-in-ukraine/
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50) John Roberts and the Path SCOTUS Did Not Take on Abortion
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"Chief Justice John Roberts agreed that the Mississippi law at issue in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which generally prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of gestation, should be upheld. But he argued that the five justices in the majority went too far on Friday by overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that said women have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed Roe's 'central holding.' Roberts'[s] take on the issue not only points to a judicial path not taken; it raises a crucial question for state legislators as they decide how to exercise the new power that Dobbs gives them to regulate abortion: What does 'the right to choose' mean?" (06/26/22)
https://reason.com/2022/06/26/john-roberts-and-the-path-scotus-did-not-take-on-abortion/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/27/22
Source: Reason
"What's Wrong With Abortion Federalism? Plus: stereotypes within libertarianism, and Katherine compares the editors to <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em> characters." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://reason.com/podcast/2022/06/27/whats-wrong-with-abortion-federalism/
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52) Free Talk Live, 06/27/22
Source: Free Talk Live
"Conformity Experiments :: Dead Internet Theory :: AI and Corporations :: Alexa to Use Dead People's Voices? :: Nullification :: Ukraine Bans Opposition Party, Seizes Assets :: Roe v Wade :: Oil Price Cap Proposed :: Weigh Station Waylay :: Show: 2022-06-27 Ian, Conan, Nobody." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/27/22)
https://freetalklive.com/archives?ppplayer=5c48425a5422918dc6f904bd1cb7e00f&ppepisode=2ac50a4d877ff4c1f6e9b697393e90c6
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53) The Chris Spangle Show, 06/27/22
Source: We Are Libertarians
"The Importance of 'Civil Society' for Liberty." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://wearelibertarians.com/css-the-importance-of-civil-society-for-liberty/
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54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 294
Source: Libertarian Institute
"The NYT Reveals CIA Officers are Operating in Ukraine." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-294-the-nyt-reveals-cia-officers-are-operating-in-ukraine/
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55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 06/27/22
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"NYT 'Bombshell' -- CIA Massively Engaged On-Ground In Ukraine." [Flash video] (06/27/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/nyt-bombshell-cia-massively-engaged-on-ground-in-ukraine
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56) Ramzy Baroud on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
"Scott is joined by journalist and author Ramzy Baroud to discuss the deterioration of Israeli Politics and the war in Mali." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-20-22-ramzy-baroud-on-israel-palestine-and-mali/
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57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/27/22
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
"The decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sent some definite shockwaves throughout the world. As Jordan Schachtel explains, suddenly the same leaders who were recently forcing vaccinations are very concerned about upholding human rights." [various formats] (06/27/22)
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-9jgru-125d77e
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58) Rising, 06/27/22
Source: The Hill
"Olayemi Olurin and Robby Soave debate Roe v. Wade being overturned." [Flash video] (06/27/22)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/3538044-rising-june-27-2022/
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59) EconTalk, 06/27/22
Source: EconTalk
"A.J. Jacobs on Solving Life's Puzzles." [Flash audio or MP3] (06/27/22)
https://www.econtalk.org/a-j-jacobs-on-solving-lifes-puzzles/
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60) Lions of Liberty with Marc Clair, 06/27/22
Source: Lions of Liberty
"Academic Agent on Elite Theory and Pro Wrestling." [Flash audio] (06/27/22)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/academic-agent-on-elite-theory-and-pro-wrestling
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