05/18 -- It's time to abolish law enforcement; Is there a drone in your backyard?
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 18, 2012, 12:23:14 AM5/18/12
to Freedom News Daily
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
2) US hits Chinese solar panels with hefty tariffs
3) Iraq: One killed, 23 wounded
4) Afghanistan: 11 killed, 12 wounded in attack on regime compound
5) Pakistan: Regime planes crash, four pilots killed
6) Obama names first US ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years
7) Greek party most extreme of Europe's far right
8) Algeria: Elections look good abroad, bad at home
9) VA lawmaker: "Sodomy not a civil right"
10) US House OKs continued ops in Afghanistan (but still hasn't
declared war)
11) Canada: Museum raises age limit on teen sex exhibit
12) Census: Over half of US babies now "minorities"
13) SpaceX to launch first private space rocket on Saturday
14) The Hague: Mladic war crimes trial postponed over evidence issues
15) Attorney: Judge, lawyers drained Rosa Parks estate
16) US mortgage rates fall to new record low
17) Research: Coffee drinkers may live longer
18) CA: Did gang police have their own secret society?
19) Cell phone jamming: Violation of civil rights or good law
enforcement tactic?
20) Skechers to pay $40 million to FTC extortionists
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) It's time to abolish law enforcement
22) Is there a drone in your backyard?
23) Londoners die for want of a gun
24) The compromising nature of compromise
25) Torture and the innocent
26) O brave new world that has such Romneys in it
27) Beyond the attachment parenting backlash
28) When you get busted you get to know cops
29) These petty laws are an insult to the public
30) No more excuses on relief to American homeowners
31) The war on drugs: Cui bono?
32) Don't make fairness the focus
33) Bubbles, malinvestment, and higher education
34) How the sausage gets unmade
35) Bailouts wanted -- all taxpayers solicited!
36) Dead-tree Luddites
37) The Rosa Parks method for liberty
38) On to the main event
39) Judge Alex Kozinski, "libertarian"
40) Schirach on crime
41) Another glass of doublethink?
42) Green grief
43) Arbitrary intervention
44) Fracturing the Republican Party? It's already fractured
45) US doesn't need industrial policy
46) Freedom from religion
47) The all-important question
48) America the serial killer
49) Nuking the nukes
50) TSA vandalism
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FREEDOM NEWS
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1) US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
"The U.S. has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it
from developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel said,
days ahead of a crucial round of nuclear talks with Tehran. Dan
Shapiro's message resonated Thursday far beyond the closed forum in
which it was made: Iran should not test Washington's resolve to act on
its promise to strike if diplomacy and sanctions fail to pressure
Tehran to abandon its disputed nuclear program." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/breffjh
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2) US hits Chinese solar panels with hefty tariffs
Source: USA Today
"The Obama administration called Thursday for hefty tariffs on Chinese-
made solar panels and cells, arguing China has been illegally
'dumping' under-priced products on the U.S. market. The preliminary
ruling by the U.S. Department of Commerce seeks tariffs ranging from
31% to 250% on solar products imported from China. A final decision is
expected later this year." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6te6wxv
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3) Iraq: One killed, 23 wounded
Source: Antiwar.com
"At least one Iraqis was killed and 23 more were wounded in a mostly
quiet day. In Baghdad, a blast in the Amiriya district left one
civilian dead. Nineteen people were wounded when a bomb exploded at a
parking lot that serves the government center in Baquba." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/KdVRPn
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4) Afghanistan: 11 killed, 12 wounded in attack on regime compound
Source: Hindustan Times [India]
"Seven people were killed and 12 others wounded in a suicide attack on
the governor's compound in Afghanistan's western Farah province on
Thursday, police said. 'Seven people -- six policemen and one civilian
-- were killed and 12 others were wounded, including nine civilians
and three police,' regional police spokesman Abdul Raouf Ahmadi said.
The four attackers also died, he said." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzgtg
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5) Pakistan: Regime planes crash, four pilots killed
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Two Pakistani air force planes crashed in a residential area in
northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing all four pilots on board
and injuring five people on the ground, police said. Residents of
Nowshera city, where the planes went down, reported that the aircraft
collided before they crashed, but the air force is still
investigating, said police official Fazil Khan." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVCT2t
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6) Obama names first US ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years
Source: MSNBC
"The Obama administration says it is easing restrictions on U.S.
investment and trade in Myanmar to encourage business development in
the impoverished country and in recognition of its political reforms.
The administration also named on Thursday the current special envoy to
Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, as its first ambassador to the country in 22
years. The U.S. is currently represented by a lower-level diplomatic
officer." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/d5k3wxd
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7) Greek party most extreme of Europe's far right
Source: Culpeper Star-Exponent
"Twenty-one members of Golden Dawn were sworn into Greece's Parliament
on Thursday, making it arguably the most far-right party to enter a
European national legislature since Nazi-era Germany. Europe's
financial crisis is changing the tone across the continent, with
frustrated voters turning to extremists on both the right and left.
None seem as extreme as Golden Dawn, whose leaders claim that the
Nazis did not use gas chambers to kill death camp inmates during the
Holocaust." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c8pxrlp
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8) Algeria: Elections look good abroad, bad at home
Source: El Paso Times
"Algeria overturned the Arab Spring's revolutionary narrative with
elections that bolstered the longtime ruling party and dashed
Islamists' hopes of gaining power. The vote did something else, too:
It burnished Algeria's democratic image with Western allies who rely
on it to fight terrorism and supply natural gas. ew people turned out
to vote in last week's elections, and the result did little to boost
Algerian rulers' legitimacy at home. But analysts say Algeria needed
to hold elections to show it was at least somewhat democratic in the
midst of a region-wide push for greater freedoms." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/d2bysyu
-----
9) VA lawmaker: "Sodomy not a civil right"
Source: The Raw Story
"A Virginia lawmaker who recently led the fight to block an openly gay
man from becoming a judge General District Court judge in Richmond
insisted on Thursday that the move had nothing to do with the
nominee's sexual orientation, but he was concerned about 'bias' in
cases between 'a homosexual and a heterosexual.'" [editor's note:
Maybe we DO need mandatory drug-testing (or at least a minimum-
intelligence test?) ... before people can run for office - SAT]
(05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7qhx56p
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10) US House OKs continued ops in Afghanistan (but still hasn't
declared war)
Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
"The House endorsed the continued war in Afghanistan on Thursday
despite acknowledgment from Republicans and Democrats that the
American people are war-weary after more than a decade of conflict. By
a vote of 303-113, lawmakers rejected an amendment that would have
swiftly ended combat operations in Afghanistan by limiting funds only
to the 'safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops and military
contractors from Afghanistan.'" (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/copl9ah
-----
11) Canada: Museum raises age limit on teen sex exhibit
Source: Fox News
"A Canadian museum hosting a controversial sex exhibit for teens has
raised the age limit for admission following outrage from parents and
lawmakers. 'Sex: A Tell-All Exhibition,' at Canada's Museum of Science
and Technology in Ottawa, includes screens displaying aroused
genitals, naked statues with light-up erogenous zones and video
displays prompting visitors to answer sexually explicit questions, the
Ottawa Sun reports. ... The exhibit initially targeted children as
young as 12. The age for admission has now been raised to 16, but
younger children can still see the exhibit on field trips, the Ottawa
Sun reports." [editor's note: Once again, information and awareness
portrayed as "gateway drugs" - SAT] (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7s2gpv9
-----
12) Census: Over half of US babies now "minorities"
Source: Christian Science Monitor
"America's minorities are slowly becoming the majority. For the first
time, more than half of children in the United States under the age of
1 are members of minority groups, the US Census Bureau reported in
data released early Thursday. The agency's estimates show that as of
July 2011, 50.4 percent of the nation's under-1 babies were minorities
(considered anyone who is not non-Hispanic, single-race white). That
is up from 49.5 percent in the 2010 Census." [editor's note: Is this
the depth to which mathematics and word-definitions have fallen? So
that would mean "minority" has now become an entirely meaningless
term? - SAT] [additional editor's note: No. Just because more than
half of newborns are of a particular group, that doesn't mean that
group, adults included, makes up a majority of the populace. It just
means they're on the way to doing so - TLK (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/866b2lw
-----
13) SpaceX to launch first private space rocket on Saturday
Source: The Raw Story
"In the early hours of Saturday morning, a rocket is scheduled to lift
off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to deliver a capsule
full of supplies to the International Space Station. Such launches are
unremarkable when government agencies are at the helm, but this flight
is different. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule
is in the hands of SpaceX, the first commercial company to attempt a
rendezvous with the orbiting outpost." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7uoqvze
-----
14) The Hague: Mladic war crimes trial postponed over evidence issues
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"The war crimes trial of ex-Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic has
been postponed because prosecutors failed to disclose some evidence to
the defence. About 7,000 pages of evidence, which should have been
passed to Ratko Mladic's lawyers, were not handed over. The defence
has asked for six months to process that material." (05/17/12)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18106868
-----
15) Attorney: Judge, lawyers drained Rosa Parks estate
Source: Fox News
"An attorney claims a judge and two lawyers involved in a long-running
dispute over civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks' estate conspired to
drain the estate's cash. Attorney Stephen G. Cohen said in court
papers Tuesday that Wayne County Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr.
conspired with John Chase Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr. to rack up more
than $507,000 in mostly unnecessary legal fees." (05/17/12)
http://fxn.ws/JVEpSi
-----
16) US mortgage rates fall to new record low
Source: USA Today
"Average rates for 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages fell to record
lows for a third straight week. ... Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says
the average rate on 30-year loans dipped to 3.79%. That's down from
3.83% last week and the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the
1950s." (05/17/12)
http://usat.ly/JVC6P9
-----
17) Research: Coffee drinkers may live longer
Source: CBS News
"A large-scale study of 400,000 people offers good news for coffee-
drinkers: you might just live longer. The study is the largest ever
done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers
who think it's a guilty pleasure that may do harm. And whether it's
regular or decaf doesn't even matter. 'There may actually be a modest
benefit of coffee drinking,' said lead researcher Neal Freedman of the
National Cancer Institute." (05/17/12)
http://cbsn.ws/JVB45G
-----
18) CA: Did gang police have their own secret society?
Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner
"Seven deputies from the Los Angeles County sheriff's gang unit have
been placed on leave on suspicion that they belong to a secret clique
that celebrates shootings and brands its members with matching
tattoos, sources confirmed. The move is a sign of the intensifying
nature of the investigation of the 'Jump Out Boys.' Suspicion about
the group's existence was sparked several weeks ago when a supervisor
found a pamphlet describing the group's creed, which promoted
aggressive policing and portrayed officer shootings in a positive
light." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVxgRV
-----
19) Cell phone jamming: Violation of civil rights or good law
enforcement tactic?
Source: QandO
"Protesters use wireless services and social media like Twitter to
organize. Instead of Law Enforcement learning to monitor that and
react sufficiently well to blunt its effect, they prefer to use the
sledge hammer approach and shut down service to all in an area. I have
a contract with a provider. That provider agrees to provide me
uninterrupted service for payment. I pay. Government decides to void
that contract at its own whim and possibly endanger my life and safety
by doing so." (05/17/12)
http://www.qando.net/?p=13027
-----
20) Skechers to pay $40 million to FTC extortionists
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
"The government wants you to know that simply sporting a pair of
Skechers' fitness shoes is not going to get you Kim Kardashian's
curves or Brooke Burke's toned tush. Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40
million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the
footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would
help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach
muscles." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVvZu5
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HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 05/18/12
Iraqi Deaths Due to US Invasion: 1,455,590
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/iraq)
US Deaths in Afghanistan: Bush 575, Obama 1296
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/obamavsbush)
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FREEDOM COMMENTARY
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21) It's time to abolish law enforcement
Source: Libertarian News Examiner
by Garry Reed
"During his trial for possession of marijuana, which he obtained
legally in California, Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion said that he smoked
marijuana almost daily to alleviate the pain from his tumors, but the
Assistant Prosecutor retorted that his excuse is irrelevant because
'you can't have it in New Jersey.' This is a perfect example of why
the high-minded concept of 'a nation of laws, not of men' is worthless
for a civilized society." (05/17/12)
http://www.examiner.com/article/it-s-time-to-abolish-law-enforcement
-----
22) Is there a drone in your backyard?
Source: Reason
by Andrew P. Napolitano
"Even when we don't have an expectation of privacy, we do have a right
to be left alone. But merely watching us in public isn't enough for
the police, as many street corner cameras are equipped with listening
devices and tiny megaphones. We can expect that these devices will
soon bark commands: 'Put down that BlackBerry.' 'Look to your right
before crossing.' 'Don't kiss her; a car is coming.' Actually, Big
Brother is coming, and he's not smiling." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVCGwa
-----
23) Londoners die for want of a gun
Source: Liberty For All
by Nolan Finley
"Defenders of the Second Amendment couldn't have asked for a greater
gift than the spectacle of unarmed policemen and defenseless citizens
standing by helplessly while rampaging hordes of youths burned London
and beat up and murdered innocent residents. Europhiles endlessly
remind us of the superiority, compassion and refinement of the
European social democracies." (05/17/12)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=7616
-----
24) The compromising nature of compromise
Source: Jeffersonville Evening News
by Debbie Harbeson
"After Indiana's long-time incumbent Richard Lugar failed to retain
his Senate seat, many of his supporters mourned this loss by focusing
on what they consider to be one of his most valuable character traits
-- the willingness to compromise. These folks consider this to be a
prime virtue for any politician and are very concerned about
candidates who express skepticism regarding the value and benefits of
compromise within government." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzNLZ
-----
25) Torture and the innocent
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G. Hornberger
"One of the main arguments made by pro-torture Americans is that the
information acquired by torture can lead to important information that
can save the lives of innocent people. Their argument is a classic
example of the old maxim, 'The end justifies the means.' But even if
we were to accept that utilitarian argument for torture, doesn't it
necessarily involve an important assumption?" (05/17/12)
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2012-05-17.asp
-----
26) O brave new world that has such Romneys in it
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
by Debra J. Saunders
"When presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's eldest son, Tagg Romney, 42,
and his wife, Jen, 39, posted a birth announcement for healthy, happy
twin boys on their Facebook page, they demonstrated how mainstream in-
vitro fertilization births have become. They gave 'a special thanks to
our gestational surrogate who made this possible for us.'" (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7zqxtpd
-----
27) Beyond the attachment parenting backlash
Source: In These Times
by Sady Doyle
"Ever heard of 'attachment parenting?' If you've spent more than five
minutes on the Internet, or reading a magazine, the answer is yes. The
New York Times ran a panel on the controversial child-raising strategy
-- which recommends, among other things, that a mother sleep with her
baby, carry her at all times, and breastfeed for an extended period --
under the oh-so-subtle title 'Motherhood vs. Feminism.'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7p9f66z
-----
28) When you get busted you get to know cops
Source: Living Freedom
by Claire Wolfe
"Even if you know, intellectually, what you ought to do (or not do),
keeping the confidence, understanding, and self-control to do it under
such an emotional onslaught must be a real trick." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JAlfmW
-----
29) These petty laws are an insult to the public
Source: Spiked
by Josie Appleton
"Yes, let's get rid of Britain's mad ban on using 'insulting' words.
But don't ignore the rest of the state's criminalisation of everyday
behaviour." (05/17/12)
http://www.spiked-online.com/site/article/12455/
-----
30) No more excuses on relief to American homeowners
Source: Our Future
by Alan Jenkins
"One by one, the excuses have fallen. Yet Edward DeMarco, acting head
of FHFA, the agency that runs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, still fails
to offer the most effective relief available to American homeowners
struggling with mortgages held by those entities. Economists, housing
experts, and members of DeMarco's own staff have concluded that
reducing to affordable levels the principal owed on at-risk mortgages
is effective in reducing foreclosures and their destructive fallout.
But, inexplicably, he's been unmoved by the mounting
evidence." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7fjqn2q
-----
31) The war on drugs: Cui bono?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M. Vance
"Cui bono, a maxim of Cassius quoted by Cicero meaning 'who benefits?'
or 'to whose advantage?' is a useful principle when investigating
political assassinations, conspiracy theories, mysterious deaths --
and the war on drugs. The war on drugs, which actually began in the
United States before World War I with the passage of a series of
federal anti-narcotics laws, was officially declared by Richard Nixon
in 1971." (05/17/12)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1205n.asp
-----
32) Don't make fairness the focus
Source: Orange County Register
by Nicholas Wishek
"Fairness, as envisioned by President Obama and his liberal followers,
is the greatest appeal of their philosophy. In a perfect world it
seems right that everyone should be safe, secure and comfortable. It
seems wrong for some to have so much while others get by with so
little. Sadly, however, there is no simple or practical solution that
exists in the real world that can assure that everyone would
contribute their fair share to the best of their ability." [editor's
note: The only "fair share" is the one we give willingly, from our own
hearts; heck, even Jesus pointed that out! - SAT] (05/16/12)
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/everyone-354515-fair-people.html
-----
33) Bubbles, malinvestment, and higher education
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Steven Horwitz
"Many commentators are asking whether the next big bubble to burst
will be the debt associated with the rising cost of higher education.
College costs have strongly outpaced the inflation rate, and the debt
students are racking up is crippling. So what is driving this process
and what consequences does it have for students? I have some thoughts
below, informed by Austrian economics." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6me9ast
-----
34) How the sausage gets unmade
Source: The American Prospect
by Jaclyn Friedman
"We've been talking this week about how to stop rape in conflict. As
with many massive social changes, I think one of the greatest
obstacles to eradicating this atrocity is the common belief that it
can't be done. I tried to address that some in Monday's piece, but I
thought we could all use a little more nitty-gritty. So I went
straight to the source: Liz Bernstein. Bernstein is not only the
founding Director of the Nobel Women's Initiative, but is also a
former Coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
(ICBL)." (05/17/12)
http://prospect.org/article/how-sausage-gets-unmade
-----
35) Bailouts wanted -- all taxpayers solicited!
Source: OpenMarket.org
by Fred Smith
"Business spends around the world almost $1 trillion annually, seeking
to sell its goods and services. These communiques are focused almost
exclusively on influencing the choices that consumers make. Logical,
of course, since failure to sell one's products in the private world
means bankruptcy. But, in today's world, sustainable profitability
requires also that businesses find ways of reducing costly political
predation (excessive regulation, government support of competitors,
high taxes, direct governmental agency competition)." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c4z3926
-----
36) Dead-tree Luddites
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Genevieve LaGreca
"Imagine you're living in the 15th century. You're witnessing a
revolution that will profoundly change the world. This revolution
doesn't involve swords and cannons but rather words and books. The
cause of this upheaval is the most important invention in more than a
thousand years: the printing press, by Johannes Gutenberg. Within a
few decades of its launch, you see the printing press transform the
field of bookmaking in ways previously unimaginable." (05/17/12)
http://mises.org/daily/6038/DeadTree-Luddites
-----
37) The Rosa Parks method for liberty
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
"Recently, as state and local governments have been passing
legislation requiring non-compliance with the kidnapping provisions of
the 2012 NDAA, a number of people who oppose NDAA have begun to attack
these efforts to resist it -- as little more than a sham." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7nv3rwr
-----
38) On to the main event
Source: The Power of Narrative
by Arthur Silber
"It is not simply that politics is a symptom of more fundamental
factors. Politics, in itself, is a sideshow, a distraction, a
camouflage. Politics is the means by which power is wielded over human
beings. That is all it signifies; that is all it has ever signified. A
few of the critical questions are: Who wishes to wield such power?
Why? To what ends? And, why are so many people willing to submit to
the demands of power?" (05/16/12)
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-to-main-event.html
-----
39) Judge Alex Kozinski, "libertarian"
Source: The Libertarian Standard
by Stephan Kinsella
"Libertarians who think the right strategy is to coopt the state
machinery, who think it's even possible to be a powerful agent of the
central state and remain a libertarian, should think again. To become
part of that machinery, you have to fool everyone, if not yourself,
that you buy into the statist myths prevalent today." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JVEFR2
-----
40) Schirach on crime
Source: People v. State
by John Kindley
"One of the most remarkable things about the collection of short
stories by Ferdinand Schirach entitled Crime is that the legal system
he describes (i.e. Germany's) is far more humane and just than the
system we're familiar with here in America. ... In Germany, the
prosecutor is supposed to remain 'neutral' and is apparently not even
supposed to take a position at trial on the defendant's guilt or
innocence, leaving that determination to the judges and jurors.
Another significant difference is that in Germany there is no such
thing as 'plea bargaining,' which we here in America imagine is
indispensable." (05/17/12)
http://www.peoplevstate.com/?p=2134
-----
41) Another glass of doublethink?
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Sam Bowman
"These paternalists might have no regard for individual liberty; they
might have a puritan's appreciation of the power of a bottle of wine
to lubricate human relationships; they might even long for two extra
years in a care home in Kent. And you have to admire their pragmatism
in stamping out the things they disapprove of -- generally speaking,
poor people living unhealthy lifestyles. They grasp the fundamental
law of economics that incentives matter. But in in proposing things
like taxes on Coca-Cola are price floors for alcohol, the puritans
have given the game away. They've accepted free market logic that
contravenes all the other things they tend to support." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVDTUe
-----
42) Green grief
Source: Liberty Unbound
by Gary Jason
"Checking now on green power, we discover the great news that First
Solar, maker of solar equipment, is cutting a third of its work force
-- over 2,000 jobs -- closing a factory in Germany, halting another in
Vietnam, and postponing the opening of yet another in Arizona. The
company has lost 83% of its market capitalization over the past year,
while losing nearly $40 million in the same period." (05/15/12)
http://www.libertyunbound.com/node/806
-----
43) Arbitrary intervention
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"Life is full of suffering. At least that's what the Buddha tells us
-- and if you're a glass-half-empty kind of person, you'll find
endless confirmation. In a statist society, our response often seems
to be, 'If there's a problem, government needs to fix it.' On
reflection, though, that's not how actual governments work. At
all." (05/17/12)
http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2012/05/arbitrary_inter.html
-----
44) Fracturing the Republican Party? It's already fractured
Source: Libertarian News Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Apparently the presence of Neocons, religious zealots, pretend free
marketeers and RINOs add up to good old Republican Party conservatism
for Tommy Merritt but libertarian ideas constitute 'liberalizing.'
That should be news to the Democrats who have always mindlessly
branded Libertarianism as a hardcore right-wing radical fringe
element." (05/16/12)
http://exm.nr/JVBx7P
-----
45) US doesn't need industrial policy
Source: Cato Institute
by Daniel J. Ikenson
"Manufacturing apologists erroneously point to China's near-double-
digit growth during the sluggish U.S. economic recovery as further
evidence that top-down economic policies can ensure economic health.
But China's evolution from subsistence to midlevel manufacturing is
not instructive for an economy at the technological fore. Industrial
policy is anathema to value-driven innovation, and thus doesn't play
to America's strengths." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzAs6
-----
46) Freedom from religion
Source: Kent's "Hooligan Libertarian" Blog
by Kent McManigal
"Freedom of religion equals, in many cases, freedom from religion.
Whether you like it or not. And believe me, even those who claim
otherwise usually demand to be free of having other religions' ideas
forced upon them -- they just don't want to stop doing the forcing
themselves." (05/17/12)
http://blog.kentforliberty.com/2012/05/freedom-from-religion.html
-----
47) The all-important question
Source: LewRockwell.com
by David Galland
"For pretty much everyone, no matter where they are located in the
economic strata, few if any questions are more germane to making plans
for the future than whether the US and other major global economies
are in recovery. Getting the answer to that question right is of
special importance to investors and businesses." (05/17/12)
http://lewrockwell.com/orig10/galland38.1.html
-----
48) America the serial killer
Source: Antiwar.com
by John Feffer
"If Dexter turns himself in, the show is over. The United States, in
its last flush of unipolar glory, fears the same ending should it
suddenly adhere to international law. With its expanded drone program,
the Obama administration has kept America's serial killer persona on
the air for too long." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVwVP0
-----
49) Nuking the nukes
Source: Authority!
by Timothy J Taylor
"The possibility that any of these powerful weapons of mass
destruction will actually be used is extremely remote so the billions
upon billions of taxpayer dollars spent on them has been a complete
and total waste. Now they are simply rusting and deteriorating in
their silos and the radioactive materials used to manufacture them in
the first place present an unacceptable level of danger to humanity.
So not only were they a waste of money, they are now albatrosses
around our necks." (05/17/12)
http://authoritycon.blogspot.com/2012/05/nuking-nukes.html
-----
50) TSA vandalism
Source: Ideas
by David Friedman
"When we picked up our luggage in the Denver airport, one of the two
checked suitcases was partly open, with a broken latch. Fortunately it
also had a luggage strap on it which kept it from opening very far. It
was a Zero Halliburton metal suitcase, the luggage equivalent of a
tank, purchased long ago for transporting a personal computer in the
days before laptops. Breaking it is not easy. I do not know whether
TSA or the baggage handlers were responsible. When we unpacked the
other suitcase, we discovered a second problem. It contained a note
from TSA saying that they had searched it." (05/16/12)
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/2012/05/tsa-vandalism.html
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
2) US hits Chinese solar panels with hefty tariffs
3) Iraq: One killed, 23 wounded
4) Afghanistan: 11 killed, 12 wounded in attack on regime compound
5) Pakistan: Regime planes crash, four pilots killed
6) Obama names first US ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years
7) Greek party most extreme of Europe's far right
8) Algeria: Elections look good abroad, bad at home
9) VA lawmaker: "Sodomy not a civil right"
10) US House OKs continued ops in Afghanistan (but still hasn't
declared war)
11) Canada: Museum raises age limit on teen sex exhibit
12) Census: Over half of US babies now "minorities"
13) SpaceX to launch first private space rocket on Saturday
14) The Hague: Mladic war crimes trial postponed over evidence issues
15) Attorney: Judge, lawyers drained Rosa Parks estate
16) US mortgage rates fall to new record low
17) Research: Coffee drinkers may live longer
18) CA: Did gang police have their own secret society?
19) Cell phone jamming: Violation of civil rights or good law
enforcement tactic?
20) Skechers to pay $40 million to FTC extortionists
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) It's time to abolish law enforcement
22) Is there a drone in your backyard?
23) Londoners die for want of a gun
24) The compromising nature of compromise
25) Torture and the innocent
26) O brave new world that has such Romneys in it
27) Beyond the attachment parenting backlash
28) When you get busted you get to know cops
29) These petty laws are an insult to the public
30) No more excuses on relief to American homeowners
31) The war on drugs: Cui bono?
32) Don't make fairness the focus
33) Bubbles, malinvestment, and higher education
34) How the sausage gets unmade
35) Bailouts wanted -- all taxpayers solicited!
36) Dead-tree Luddites
37) The Rosa Parks method for liberty
38) On to the main event
39) Judge Alex Kozinski, "libertarian"
40) Schirach on crime
41) Another glass of doublethink?
42) Green grief
43) Arbitrary intervention
44) Fracturing the Republican Party? It's already fractured
45) US doesn't need industrial policy
46) Freedom from religion
47) The all-important question
48) America the serial killer
49) Nuking the nukes
50) TSA vandalism
------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------------
1) US envoy to Israel: US ready to strike Iran
Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
"The U.S. has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it
from developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel said,
days ahead of a crucial round of nuclear talks with Tehran. Dan
Shapiro's message resonated Thursday far beyond the closed forum in
which it was made: Iran should not test Washington's resolve to act on
its promise to strike if diplomacy and sanctions fail to pressure
Tehran to abandon its disputed nuclear program." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/breffjh
-----
2) US hits Chinese solar panels with hefty tariffs
Source: USA Today
"The Obama administration called Thursday for hefty tariffs on Chinese-
made solar panels and cells, arguing China has been illegally
'dumping' under-priced products on the U.S. market. The preliminary
ruling by the U.S. Department of Commerce seeks tariffs ranging from
31% to 250% on solar products imported from China. A final decision is
expected later this year." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6te6wxv
-----
3) Iraq: One killed, 23 wounded
Source: Antiwar.com
"At least one Iraqis was killed and 23 more were wounded in a mostly
quiet day. In Baghdad, a blast in the Amiriya district left one
civilian dead. Nineteen people were wounded when a bomb exploded at a
parking lot that serves the government center in Baquba." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/KdVRPn
-----
4) Afghanistan: 11 killed, 12 wounded in attack on regime compound
Source: Hindustan Times [India]
"Seven people were killed and 12 others wounded in a suicide attack on
the governor's compound in Afghanistan's western Farah province on
Thursday, police said. 'Seven people -- six policemen and one civilian
-- were killed and 12 others were wounded, including nine civilians
and three police,' regional police spokesman Abdul Raouf Ahmadi said.
The four attackers also died, he said." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzgtg
-----
5) Pakistan: Regime planes crash, four pilots killed
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Two Pakistani air force planes crashed in a residential area in
northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing all four pilots on board
and injuring five people on the ground, police said. Residents of
Nowshera city, where the planes went down, reported that the aircraft
collided before they crashed, but the air force is still
investigating, said police official Fazil Khan." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVCT2t
-----
6) Obama names first US ambassador to Myanmar in 22 years
Source: MSNBC
"The Obama administration says it is easing restrictions on U.S.
investment and trade in Myanmar to encourage business development in
the impoverished country and in recognition of its political reforms.
The administration also named on Thursday the current special envoy to
Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, as its first ambassador to the country in 22
years. The U.S. is currently represented by a lower-level diplomatic
officer." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/d5k3wxd
-----
7) Greek party most extreme of Europe's far right
Source: Culpeper Star-Exponent
"Twenty-one members of Golden Dawn were sworn into Greece's Parliament
on Thursday, making it arguably the most far-right party to enter a
European national legislature since Nazi-era Germany. Europe's
financial crisis is changing the tone across the continent, with
frustrated voters turning to extremists on both the right and left.
None seem as extreme as Golden Dawn, whose leaders claim that the
Nazis did not use gas chambers to kill death camp inmates during the
Holocaust." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c8pxrlp
-----
8) Algeria: Elections look good abroad, bad at home
Source: El Paso Times
"Algeria overturned the Arab Spring's revolutionary narrative with
elections that bolstered the longtime ruling party and dashed
Islamists' hopes of gaining power. The vote did something else, too:
It burnished Algeria's democratic image with Western allies who rely
on it to fight terrorism and supply natural gas. ew people turned out
to vote in last week's elections, and the result did little to boost
Algerian rulers' legitimacy at home. But analysts say Algeria needed
to hold elections to show it was at least somewhat democratic in the
midst of a region-wide push for greater freedoms." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/d2bysyu
-----
9) VA lawmaker: "Sodomy not a civil right"
Source: The Raw Story
"A Virginia lawmaker who recently led the fight to block an openly gay
man from becoming a judge General District Court judge in Richmond
insisted on Thursday that the move had nothing to do with the
nominee's sexual orientation, but he was concerned about 'bias' in
cases between 'a homosexual and a heterosexual.'" [editor's note:
Maybe we DO need mandatory drug-testing (or at least a minimum-
intelligence test?) ... before people can run for office - SAT]
(05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7qhx56p
-----
10) US House OKs continued ops in Afghanistan (but still hasn't
declared war)
Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
"The House endorsed the continued war in Afghanistan on Thursday
despite acknowledgment from Republicans and Democrats that the
American people are war-weary after more than a decade of conflict. By
a vote of 303-113, lawmakers rejected an amendment that would have
swiftly ended combat operations in Afghanistan by limiting funds only
to the 'safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops and military
contractors from Afghanistan.'" (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/copl9ah
-----
11) Canada: Museum raises age limit on teen sex exhibit
Source: Fox News
"A Canadian museum hosting a controversial sex exhibit for teens has
raised the age limit for admission following outrage from parents and
lawmakers. 'Sex: A Tell-All Exhibition,' at Canada's Museum of Science
and Technology in Ottawa, includes screens displaying aroused
genitals, naked statues with light-up erogenous zones and video
displays prompting visitors to answer sexually explicit questions, the
Ottawa Sun reports. ... The exhibit initially targeted children as
young as 12. The age for admission has now been raised to 16, but
younger children can still see the exhibit on field trips, the Ottawa
Sun reports." [editor's note: Once again, information and awareness
portrayed as "gateway drugs" - SAT] (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7s2gpv9
-----
12) Census: Over half of US babies now "minorities"
Source: Christian Science Monitor
"America's minorities are slowly becoming the majority. For the first
time, more than half of children in the United States under the age of
1 are members of minority groups, the US Census Bureau reported in
data released early Thursday. The agency's estimates show that as of
July 2011, 50.4 percent of the nation's under-1 babies were minorities
(considered anyone who is not non-Hispanic, single-race white). That
is up from 49.5 percent in the 2010 Census." [editor's note: Is this
the depth to which mathematics and word-definitions have fallen? So
that would mean "minority" has now become an entirely meaningless
term? - SAT] [additional editor's note: No. Just because more than
half of newborns are of a particular group, that doesn't mean that
group, adults included, makes up a majority of the populace. It just
means they're on the way to doing so - TLK (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/866b2lw
-----
13) SpaceX to launch first private space rocket on Saturday
Source: The Raw Story
"In the early hours of Saturday morning, a rocket is scheduled to lift
off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to deliver a capsule
full of supplies to the International Space Station. Such launches are
unremarkable when government agencies are at the helm, but this flight
is different. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule
is in the hands of SpaceX, the first commercial company to attempt a
rendezvous with the orbiting outpost." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7uoqvze
-----
14) The Hague: Mladic war crimes trial postponed over evidence issues
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"The war crimes trial of ex-Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic has
been postponed because prosecutors failed to disclose some evidence to
the defence. About 7,000 pages of evidence, which should have been
passed to Ratko Mladic's lawyers, were not handed over. The defence
has asked for six months to process that material." (05/17/12)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18106868
-----
15) Attorney: Judge, lawyers drained Rosa Parks estate
Source: Fox News
"An attorney claims a judge and two lawyers involved in a long-running
dispute over civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks' estate conspired to
drain the estate's cash. Attorney Stephen G. Cohen said in court
papers Tuesday that Wayne County Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr.
conspired with John Chase Jr. and Melvin Jefferson Jr. to rack up more
than $507,000 in mostly unnecessary legal fees." (05/17/12)
http://fxn.ws/JVEpSi
-----
16) US mortgage rates fall to new record low
Source: USA Today
"Average rates for 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages fell to record
lows for a third straight week. ... Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says
the average rate on 30-year loans dipped to 3.79%. That's down from
3.83% last week and the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the
1950s." (05/17/12)
http://usat.ly/JVC6P9
-----
17) Research: Coffee drinkers may live longer
Source: CBS News
"A large-scale study of 400,000 people offers good news for coffee-
drinkers: you might just live longer. The study is the largest ever
done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers
who think it's a guilty pleasure that may do harm. And whether it's
regular or decaf doesn't even matter. 'There may actually be a modest
benefit of coffee drinking,' said lead researcher Neal Freedman of the
National Cancer Institute." (05/17/12)
http://cbsn.ws/JVB45G
-----
18) CA: Did gang police have their own secret society?
Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner
"Seven deputies from the Los Angeles County sheriff's gang unit have
been placed on leave on suspicion that they belong to a secret clique
that celebrates shootings and brands its members with matching
tattoos, sources confirmed. The move is a sign of the intensifying
nature of the investigation of the 'Jump Out Boys.' Suspicion about
the group's existence was sparked several weeks ago when a supervisor
found a pamphlet describing the group's creed, which promoted
aggressive policing and portrayed officer shootings in a positive
light." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVxgRV
-----
19) Cell phone jamming: Violation of civil rights or good law
enforcement tactic?
Source: QandO
"Protesters use wireless services and social media like Twitter to
organize. Instead of Law Enforcement learning to monitor that and
react sufficiently well to blunt its effect, they prefer to use the
sledge hammer approach and shut down service to all in an area. I have
a contract with a provider. That provider agrees to provide me
uninterrupted service for payment. I pay. Government decides to void
that contract at its own whim and possibly endanger my life and safety
by doing so." (05/17/12)
http://www.qando.net/?p=13027
-----
20) Skechers to pay $40 million to FTC extortionists
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
"The government wants you to know that simply sporting a pair of
Skechers' fitness shoes is not going to get you Kim Kardashian's
curves or Brooke Burke's toned tush. Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40
million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the
footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would
help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach
muscles." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVvZu5
------------------------------------------------------------------
HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 05/18/12
Iraqi Deaths Due to US Invasion: 1,455,590
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/iraq)
US Deaths in Afghanistan: Bush 575, Obama 1296
(source: justforeignpolicy.org/obamavsbush)
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM COMMENTARY
------------------------------------------------------------------
21) It's time to abolish law enforcement
Source: Libertarian News Examiner
by Garry Reed
"During his trial for possession of marijuana, which he obtained
legally in California, Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion said that he smoked
marijuana almost daily to alleviate the pain from his tumors, but the
Assistant Prosecutor retorted that his excuse is irrelevant because
'you can't have it in New Jersey.' This is a perfect example of why
the high-minded concept of 'a nation of laws, not of men' is worthless
for a civilized society." (05/17/12)
http://www.examiner.com/article/it-s-time-to-abolish-law-enforcement
-----
22) Is there a drone in your backyard?
Source: Reason
by Andrew P. Napolitano
"Even when we don't have an expectation of privacy, we do have a right
to be left alone. But merely watching us in public isn't enough for
the police, as many street corner cameras are equipped with listening
devices and tiny megaphones. We can expect that these devices will
soon bark commands: 'Put down that BlackBerry.' 'Look to your right
before crossing.' 'Don't kiss her; a car is coming.' Actually, Big
Brother is coming, and he's not smiling." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVCGwa
-----
23) Londoners die for want of a gun
Source: Liberty For All
by Nolan Finley
"Defenders of the Second Amendment couldn't have asked for a greater
gift than the spectacle of unarmed policemen and defenseless citizens
standing by helplessly while rampaging hordes of youths burned London
and beat up and murdered innocent residents. Europhiles endlessly
remind us of the superiority, compassion and refinement of the
European social democracies." (05/17/12)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=7616
-----
24) The compromising nature of compromise
Source: Jeffersonville Evening News
by Debbie Harbeson
"After Indiana's long-time incumbent Richard Lugar failed to retain
his Senate seat, many of his supporters mourned this loss by focusing
on what they consider to be one of his most valuable character traits
-- the willingness to compromise. These folks consider this to be a
prime virtue for any politician and are very concerned about
candidates who express skepticism regarding the value and benefits of
compromise within government." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzNLZ
-----
25) Torture and the innocent
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G. Hornberger
"One of the main arguments made by pro-torture Americans is that the
information acquired by torture can lead to important information that
can save the lives of innocent people. Their argument is a classic
example of the old maxim, 'The end justifies the means.' But even if
we were to accept that utilitarian argument for torture, doesn't it
necessarily involve an important assumption?" (05/17/12)
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2012-05-17.asp
-----
26) O brave new world that has such Romneys in it
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
by Debra J. Saunders
"When presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's eldest son, Tagg Romney, 42,
and his wife, Jen, 39, posted a birth announcement for healthy, happy
twin boys on their Facebook page, they demonstrated how mainstream in-
vitro fertilization births have become. They gave 'a special thanks to
our gestational surrogate who made this possible for us.'" (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7zqxtpd
-----
27) Beyond the attachment parenting backlash
Source: In These Times
by Sady Doyle
"Ever heard of 'attachment parenting?' If you've spent more than five
minutes on the Internet, or reading a magazine, the answer is yes. The
New York Times ran a panel on the controversial child-raising strategy
-- which recommends, among other things, that a mother sleep with her
baby, carry her at all times, and breastfeed for an extended period --
under the oh-so-subtle title 'Motherhood vs. Feminism.'" (05/16/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7p9f66z
-----
28) When you get busted you get to know cops
Source: Living Freedom
by Claire Wolfe
"Even if you know, intellectually, what you ought to do (or not do),
keeping the confidence, understanding, and self-control to do it under
such an emotional onslaught must be a real trick." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JAlfmW
-----
29) These petty laws are an insult to the public
Source: Spiked
by Josie Appleton
"Yes, let's get rid of Britain's mad ban on using 'insulting' words.
But don't ignore the rest of the state's criminalisation of everyday
behaviour." (05/17/12)
http://www.spiked-online.com/site/article/12455/
-----
30) No more excuses on relief to American homeowners
Source: Our Future
by Alan Jenkins
"One by one, the excuses have fallen. Yet Edward DeMarco, acting head
of FHFA, the agency that runs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, still fails
to offer the most effective relief available to American homeowners
struggling with mortgages held by those entities. Economists, housing
experts, and members of DeMarco's own staff have concluded that
reducing to affordable levels the principal owed on at-risk mortgages
is effective in reducing foreclosures and their destructive fallout.
But, inexplicably, he's been unmoved by the mounting
evidence." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7fjqn2q
-----
31) The war on drugs: Cui bono?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M. Vance
"Cui bono, a maxim of Cassius quoted by Cicero meaning 'who benefits?'
or 'to whose advantage?' is a useful principle when investigating
political assassinations, conspiracy theories, mysterious deaths --
and the war on drugs. The war on drugs, which actually began in the
United States before World War I with the passage of a series of
federal anti-narcotics laws, was officially declared by Richard Nixon
in 1971." (05/17/12)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1205n.asp
-----
32) Don't make fairness the focus
Source: Orange County Register
by Nicholas Wishek
"Fairness, as envisioned by President Obama and his liberal followers,
is the greatest appeal of their philosophy. In a perfect world it
seems right that everyone should be safe, secure and comfortable. It
seems wrong for some to have so much while others get by with so
little. Sadly, however, there is no simple or practical solution that
exists in the real world that can assure that everyone would
contribute their fair share to the best of their ability." [editor's
note: The only "fair share" is the one we give willingly, from our own
hearts; heck, even Jesus pointed that out! - SAT] (05/16/12)
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/everyone-354515-fair-people.html
-----
33) Bubbles, malinvestment, and higher education
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Steven Horwitz
"Many commentators are asking whether the next big bubble to burst
will be the debt associated with the rising cost of higher education.
College costs have strongly outpaced the inflation rate, and the debt
students are racking up is crippling. So what is driving this process
and what consequences does it have for students? I have some thoughts
below, informed by Austrian economics." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/6me9ast
-----
34) How the sausage gets unmade
Source: The American Prospect
by Jaclyn Friedman
"We've been talking this week about how to stop rape in conflict. As
with many massive social changes, I think one of the greatest
obstacles to eradicating this atrocity is the common belief that it
can't be done. I tried to address that some in Monday's piece, but I
thought we could all use a little more nitty-gritty. So I went
straight to the source: Liz Bernstein. Bernstein is not only the
founding Director of the Nobel Women's Initiative, but is also a
former Coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
(ICBL)." (05/17/12)
http://prospect.org/article/how-sausage-gets-unmade
-----
35) Bailouts wanted -- all taxpayers solicited!
Source: OpenMarket.org
by Fred Smith
"Business spends around the world almost $1 trillion annually, seeking
to sell its goods and services. These communiques are focused almost
exclusively on influencing the choices that consumers make. Logical,
of course, since failure to sell one's products in the private world
means bankruptcy. But, in today's world, sustainable profitability
requires also that businesses find ways of reducing costly political
predation (excessive regulation, government support of competitors,
high taxes, direct governmental agency competition)." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/c4z3926
-----
36) Dead-tree Luddites
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Genevieve LaGreca
"Imagine you're living in the 15th century. You're witnessing a
revolution that will profoundly change the world. This revolution
doesn't involve swords and cannons but rather words and books. The
cause of this upheaval is the most important invention in more than a
thousand years: the printing press, by Johannes Gutenberg. Within a
few decades of its launch, you see the printing press transform the
field of bookmaking in ways previously unimaginable." (05/17/12)
http://mises.org/daily/6038/DeadTree-Luddites
-----
37) The Rosa Parks method for liberty
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
"Recently, as state and local governments have been passing
legislation requiring non-compliance with the kidnapping provisions of
the 2012 NDAA, a number of people who oppose NDAA have begun to attack
these efforts to resist it -- as little more than a sham." (05/17/12)
http://tinyurl.com/7nv3rwr
-----
38) On to the main event
Source: The Power of Narrative
by Arthur Silber
"It is not simply that politics is a symptom of more fundamental
factors. Politics, in itself, is a sideshow, a distraction, a
camouflage. Politics is the means by which power is wielded over human
beings. That is all it signifies; that is all it has ever signified. A
few of the critical questions are: Who wishes to wield such power?
Why? To what ends? And, why are so many people willing to submit to
the demands of power?" (05/16/12)
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-to-main-event.html
-----
39) Judge Alex Kozinski, "libertarian"
Source: The Libertarian Standard
by Stephan Kinsella
"Libertarians who think the right strategy is to coopt the state
machinery, who think it's even possible to be a powerful agent of the
central state and remain a libertarian, should think again. To become
part of that machinery, you have to fool everyone, if not yourself,
that you buy into the statist myths prevalent today." (05/16/12)
http://bit.ly/JVEFR2
-----
40) Schirach on crime
Source: People v. State
by John Kindley
"One of the most remarkable things about the collection of short
stories by Ferdinand Schirach entitled Crime is that the legal system
he describes (i.e. Germany's) is far more humane and just than the
system we're familiar with here in America. ... In Germany, the
prosecutor is supposed to remain 'neutral' and is apparently not even
supposed to take a position at trial on the defendant's guilt or
innocence, leaving that determination to the judges and jurors.
Another significant difference is that in Germany there is no such
thing as 'plea bargaining,' which we here in America imagine is
indispensable." (05/17/12)
http://www.peoplevstate.com/?p=2134
-----
41) Another glass of doublethink?
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Sam Bowman
"These paternalists might have no regard for individual liberty; they
might have a puritan's appreciation of the power of a bottle of wine
to lubricate human relationships; they might even long for two extra
years in a care home in Kent. And you have to admire their pragmatism
in stamping out the things they disapprove of -- generally speaking,
poor people living unhealthy lifestyles. They grasp the fundamental
law of economics that incentives matter. But in in proposing things
like taxes on Coca-Cola are price floors for alcohol, the puritans
have given the game away. They've accepted free market logic that
contravenes all the other things they tend to support." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVDTUe
-----
42) Green grief
Source: Liberty Unbound
by Gary Jason
"Checking now on green power, we discover the great news that First
Solar, maker of solar equipment, is cutting a third of its work force
-- over 2,000 jobs -- closing a factory in Germany, halting another in
Vietnam, and postponing the opening of yet another in Arizona. The
company has lost 83% of its market capitalization over the past year,
while losing nearly $40 million in the same period." (05/15/12)
http://www.libertyunbound.com/node/806
-----
43) Arbitrary intervention
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"Life is full of suffering. At least that's what the Buddha tells us
-- and if you're a glass-half-empty kind of person, you'll find
endless confirmation. In a statist society, our response often seems
to be, 'If there's a problem, government needs to fix it.' On
reflection, though, that's not how actual governments work. At
all." (05/17/12)
http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2012/05/arbitrary_inter.html
-----
44) Fracturing the Republican Party? It's already fractured
Source: Libertarian News Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Apparently the presence of Neocons, religious zealots, pretend free
marketeers and RINOs add up to good old Republican Party conservatism
for Tommy Merritt but libertarian ideas constitute 'liberalizing.'
That should be news to the Democrats who have always mindlessly
branded Libertarianism as a hardcore right-wing radical fringe
element." (05/16/12)
http://exm.nr/JVBx7P
-----
45) US doesn't need industrial policy
Source: Cato Institute
by Daniel J. Ikenson
"Manufacturing apologists erroneously point to China's near-double-
digit growth during the sluggish U.S. economic recovery as further
evidence that top-down economic policies can ensure economic health.
But China's evolution from subsistence to midlevel manufacturing is
not instructive for an economy at the technological fore. Industrial
policy is anathema to value-driven innovation, and thus doesn't play
to America's strengths." (05/15/12)
http://bit.ly/JVzAs6
-----
46) Freedom from religion
Source: Kent's "Hooligan Libertarian" Blog
by Kent McManigal
"Freedom of religion equals, in many cases, freedom from religion.
Whether you like it or not. And believe me, even those who claim
otherwise usually demand to be free of having other religions' ideas
forced upon them -- they just don't want to stop doing the forcing
themselves." (05/17/12)
http://blog.kentforliberty.com/2012/05/freedom-from-religion.html
-----
47) The all-important question
Source: LewRockwell.com
by David Galland
"For pretty much everyone, no matter where they are located in the
economic strata, few if any questions are more germane to making plans
for the future than whether the US and other major global economies
are in recovery. Getting the answer to that question right is of
special importance to investors and businesses." (05/17/12)
http://lewrockwell.com/orig10/galland38.1.html
-----
48) America the serial killer
Source: Antiwar.com
by John Feffer
"If Dexter turns himself in, the show is over. The United States, in
its last flush of unipolar glory, fears the same ending should it
suddenly adhere to international law. With its expanded drone program,
the Obama administration has kept America's serial killer persona on
the air for too long." (05/17/12)
http://bit.ly/JVwVP0
-----
49) Nuking the nukes
Source: Authority!
by Timothy J Taylor
"The possibility that any of these powerful weapons of mass
destruction will actually be used is extremely remote so the billions
upon billions of taxpayer dollars spent on them has been a complete
and total waste. Now they are simply rusting and deteriorating in
their silos and the radioactive materials used to manufacture them in
the first place present an unacceptable level of danger to humanity.
So not only were they a waste of money, they are now albatrosses
around our necks." (05/17/12)
http://authoritycon.blogspot.com/2012/05/nuking-nukes.html
-----
50) TSA vandalism
Source: Ideas
by David Friedman
"When we picked up our luggage in the Denver airport, one of the two
checked suitcases was partly open, with a broken latch. Fortunately it
also had a luggage strap on it which kept it from opening very far. It
was a Zero Halliburton metal suitcase, the luggage equivalent of a
tank, purchased long ago for transporting a personal computer in the
days before laptops. Breaking it is not easy. I do not know whether
TSA or the baggage handlers were responsible. When we unpacked the
other suitcase, we discovered a second problem. It contained a note
from TSA saying that they had searched it." (05/16/12)
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/2012/05/tsa-vandalism.html
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