01/11 -- Nicaragua: Ortega sworn in for fourth straight term; Freedom Outlaws in unexpected places
2 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Jan 11, 2022, 6:47:52 AM1/11/22
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 01/11/22
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Nicaragua: Ortega sworn in for fourth straight term
2) US Senate Republicans threaten floor takeover if Democrats weaken filibuster
3) In Geneva talks, Russia downplays threat to Ukraine
4) Study: T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19
5) Judge questions disgraced former president's "absolute immunity" claim vs. Capitol riot lawsuits
6) Hillary Clinton calls for Senate to "adjust the rules" to pass election bills
7) WA: State legislature kicks off mostly remote session
8) Poland: Senator sues party leader over surveillance remarks
9) TN: Nashville US House seat to split in redistricting
10) SCOTUS turns away Carter Page defamation suit against DNC
11) RNC files frivolous suit versus new NYC voting law
12) Taiwan: Exports to China, Hong Kong hit record high as semiconductor demand fuels cross-strait trade
13) Pfizer CEO unsure on need for fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
14) PayPal Confirms It's Working on Its Own Stablecoin
15) CPC Demands Biden End Sanctions to Avert Mass Starvation in Afghanistan
16) Mali: Junta closes borders with ECOWAS states after bloc imposes sanctions
17) CA: Pelosi tenant spared by San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic
18) Jordan rejects Capitol riot exploitation panel's request to cooperate
19) Spain: Badger thought to have found Roman treasure
20) Netherlands: King swears in new ruling coalition
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Freedom Outlaws in unexpected places
22) Sore Losers Lumped
23) It's Dangerous to Allow Politicians and Officials to Decide What Constitutes "Truth"
24) Foreign Bureau of Investigation?
25) China, Covid, and economic slowdowns
26) In the Cold War's depths, a glimmer of light
27) How do we know Trump's election fraud claims are bogus? Take a look at Pennsylvania.
28) It's Never Been More Important to Skip College
29) How to Vote If You're Already Dead
30) The Only "Antitrust" Policy That's Needed is Freedom of Entry
31) The Good Group
32) Othering Unvaccinated Persons
33) More Evidence a Crash Is Coming
34) The Omicron Reset
35) The Year of the Hangover?
36) Abolish NATO
37) Rollups: The Emerging Magic Mushroom Monopoly
38) Bolsonaro Gave Brazil's Army New Powers. The Generals Won't Give Them Up Easily.
39) Stop vilifying the unvaccinated
40) Gun Control Comes from a Place of Privilege
41) No, Biden hasn't saved the economy
42) SCOTUS Will Block OSHA Vax Mandate. Limits on Federal Power Still Matter
43) Dealing With Violence
44) Quantum Vibe, 01/10/22
45) The Murderous Corporate Psychopaths Who Never Go to Prison
46) How to Eliminate the Threat of Nuclear War: A Strategy of Non-Intervention
47) Offer Russia a Solution, Not a Policy Placebo
48) America Must Stay Away from Kazakhstan's Troubles
49) Hey Dems, We Got Your Election Reforms Right Here
50) What Constitutes Incitement?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 01/10/22
52) Free Talk Live, 01/10/22
53) Commentary Podcast, 01/10/22
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/10/22
55) Lions of Liberty Podcast, 01/10/22
56) The Bryan Hyde Show, 01/10/22
57) Do You Buy That ..., 01/10/22
58) EconTalk, 01/10/22
59) Daniel McAdams on The Scott Horton Show
60) Conflicts Of Interest, episode 213
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
YOUGOV: SHARE YOUR OPINION, EARN REWARDS
https://account.yougov.com/us-en/join?referral=eAi-FP2i9s1Jzb5lj2zw5A
SHOP ONLINE, GET A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
25 TEXAS HEROES, by TL and Helen Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660535
COINBITS: THE WORLD'S EASIEST WAY TO INVEST IN BITCOIN
https://coinbitsapp.com/?ref=0RUAyB4cnVcKsaceTi2N
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Nicaragua: Ortega sworn in for fourth straight term
Source: ABC News
"Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term Monday following elections considered rigged and on a day marked by sanctions from the United States and European Union against members of his government. Alongside him was first lady Rosario Murillo, sworn in for her second term as his vice president. ... Ortega, 76, and Murillo, 70, oversaw the jailing of opposition leaders, including seven potential challengers for the presidency, months before the November election. They have remained defiant under foreign pressure. ... Earlier Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on more Nicaraguan officials. The Treasury Department announced it will freeze the U.S. assets of the defense minister and five other officials in the army, telecom and mining sectors. As with dozens of Nicaraguan officials already under sanctions, U.S. citizens will be prohibited from having dealings with them." (01/11/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-sanctions-nicaragua-officials-ortega-inaugurated-82182283
-----
2) US Senate Republicans threaten floor takeover if Democrats weaken filibuster
Source: Yahoo! News
"Senate Republicans are threatening they will attempt a takeover of the Senate agenda by forcing votes on issues ranging from the Keystone XL pipeline to abortion rules to a U.S-Mexico border wall if Democrats weaken the filibuster. Republicans are also looking at smaller bills such as a proposal to prohibit the administration from imposing a fracking ban by executive order, a prohibition on the IRS implementing new reporting on banks to disclose individuals' banking activity and mandatory detention for illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes. Senate Republican leaders on Monday said they have a list of bills they will try to bring to the floor under Rule 14 and debate if Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) rounds up enough Democrats to lower the threshold for beginning debate on a bill from 60 votes to 50." (01/10/22)
https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-threaten-floor-takeover-democrats-005137602.html
-----
3) In Geneva talks, Russia downplays threat to Ukraine
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Russian officials have said during high-level talks in Geneva that they have no intention of invading Ukraine, a top US diplomat says. ... Russia warned the US not to 'underestimate the risks' involved in Moscow's confrontation with the West. The US has said there would be sanctions if Russia were to attack. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles said he believed that a Russian invasion was still possible. 'There are 100,000 Russian troops on the other side of the border,' he said on Monday. 'I suppose they haven't gone there to drink coffee!' In a call with reporters following Monday's meeting, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman described the talks as 'frank and forthright' discussions over eight hours aimed at better understanding each side's security concerns." (01/10/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59945170
-----
4) Study: T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19
Source: Reuters
"High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines. Immunity against COVID-19 is a complex picture, and while there is evidence of waning antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play a vital role in providing protection. The study, which began in September 2020, looked at levels of cross-reactive T-cells generated by previous common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID-19 cases shortly after exposure, to see if they went on to develop infection. It found that the 26 who did not develop infection had significantly higher levels of those T-cells than people who did get infected. Imperial did not say how long protection from the T-cells would last." (01/10/22)
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/t-cells-common-colds-can-provide-protection-against-covid-19-study-2022-01-10/
-----
5) Judge questions disgraced former president's "absolute immunity" claim vs. Capitol riot lawsuits
Source: The Hill
"A federal judge on Monday questioned former President Trump's claims of 'absolute immunity' in the face of a trio of civil lawsuits accusing him of fomenting the Capitol riot last year. During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta appeared skeptical of Trump's argument .... Trump is seeking to have the suits dismissed, arguing that the comments he made during the rally are protected from civil action because he was carrying out the normal duties of a president, namely speaking to his supporters about government issues, and that allowing judicial intervention over that conduct would disrupt the office of the president. But the plaintiffs argue that Trump's alleged incitement of his supporters was delivered as a candidate making a campaign speech and thus falls outside of the immunity afforded to a president's official duties." (01/10/22)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/589058-judge-questions-trumps-claim-of-absolute-immunity-in-jan-6-lawsuits
-----
6) Hillary Clinton calls for Senate to "adjust the rules" to pass election bills
Source: Fox News
"Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Democratic lawmakers on Monday to alter Senate rules so that it could 'protect Americans' right to vote'. Quoting the president who signed the Voting Rights Act, she tweeted: 'The right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless,' Lyndon B. Johnson said. 'It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies.' It's time Senate Democrats adjust the rules to protect Americans' right to vote.' Her comments came as Democrats have pushed for an end to the filibuster in order to pass voting reforms and other legislation. Clinton advocated for ending the filibuster in September, arguing that Republicans didn't respect the rule of law." (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hillary-clinton-senate-adjust-rules-election-bills
-----
7) WA: State legislature kicks off mostly remote session
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"Lawmakers in Washington state have started a new legislative session amid the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and much of their work will be done remotely as leaders try to limit the possibility of exposure. Since Friday, three Democratic senators (Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig and Sens. John Lovick and Mark Mullet) announced they had tested positive for the coronavirus. Billig said he had no symptoms and Lovick described his symptoms as mild. Mullet (who said he didn't have any symptoms) tested positive Monday after a test at the Capitol, and said he would work remotely the rest of the week. All three were fully vaccinated and had received a booster. When the session officially convenes at noon Monday, just five lawmakers will be present in the House and 15 in the Senate, and only credentialed press will be allowed in the public galleries overseeing the chamber floors." (01/10/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Washington-lawmakers-set-to-kick-off-mostly-16764286.php
-----
8) Poland: Senator sues party leader over surveillance remarks
Source: San Antonio Express-News
"A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland's ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, for slander over comments suggesting that he was placed under surveillance in connection to wrongdoing. Hours after the news was reported Monday about Sen. Krzysztof Brejza's case against Kaczynski, Polish prosecutors informed Brejza's father, a city mayor, that he was under investigation as a suspect and needed to appear for questioning. Both father and son insist that they have done nothing wrong, and accuse authorities of seeking political revenge. They also believe the ruling Law and Justice party is trying to cast suspicion on them as a way to justify the use of the surveillance software, a tool meant to fight terrorism and other serious crimes, against political opponents." (01/10/22)
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Polish-senator-sues-party-leader-over-16763887.php
-----
9) TN: Nashville US House seat to split in redistricting
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"Tennessee House Republicans plan to carve fast-growing Nashville into multiple congressional seats, making it potentially easier for the state's Republican-dominated congressional delegation to flip a previously Democratic-controlled district, House Speaker Cameron Sexton confirmed Monday. Sexton told The Associated Press the newly drawn map will be unveiled later this week, but he declined to detail just how many splits Nashville-Davidson County will face. The 5th District has long been centered on the state's capital city and has been a safe Democratic stronghold in a state overwhelmingly controlled by Republicans. It contains all of Davidson and Dickson counties, and part of Cheatham County. 'I won't give an exact number. but it's either two or three,' he said of the potential number of district splits Nashville could see." (01/10/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Speaker-Nashville-US-House-seat-to-split-in-16764412.php
-----
10) SCOTUS turns away Carter Page defamation suit against DNC
Source: Yahoo! News
"The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a defamation lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign official Carter Page against the Democratic National Committee and others linked to the controversial Steele dossier. The court's order was issued without comment or noted dissent, in keeping with common practice. Page had appealed to the Supreme Court after his lawsuit was dismissed in the lower courts on procedural grounds. ... Page alleged in his legal complaint that the dossier 'mobilized the news media against Dr. Page, damaging his reputation, and effectively destroying his once-private life.'" (01/10/22)
https://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-turns-away-carter-145458622.html
-----
11) RNC files frivolous suit versus new NYC voting law
Source: Fox News
"The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing New York City Mayor Eric Adams over the city law allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. The RNC announced the lawsuit on Monday, with chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeting out the organization's official statement. 'American elections should be decided by American citizens,' McDaniel said in the release. 'If Democrats can subvert elections this flagrantly in America's largest city, they can do it anywhere.' 'The RNC is suing to protect the integrity of our elections, and we stand ready to do the same wherever Democrats try to attack the basic security of your ballot,' the RNC chairwoman continued." [editor's note: If a city chooses to let all residents vote in city elections, instead of insisting they also be "citizens" of some other polity, whose business is it but theirs? – TLK] (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rnc-sues-nyc-mayor-adams-over-law-allowing-noncitizens-to-vote
-----
12) Taiwan: Exports to China, Hong Kong hit record high as semiconductor demand fuels cross-strait trade
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
"The value of Taiwan's exports to [the People's Republic of] China and Hong Kong hit an all-time high of US$188.9 billion in 2021, thanks to the resilient demand for the island's computer chips, according to the latest data released by the island. Taiwan's finance ministry said the total was a 24.8 per cent increase from 2020. ... Since Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party became Taiwan's president in May 2016, cross-strait relations have remained strained. Given the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains, Taiwan has accelerated its investment diversification away from the mainland, while exports to the mainland have increased. China has long [pretended] Taiwan [is] a breakaway province and has vowed to take control of the island, by force if necessary." (01/10/22)
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3162832/taiwans-exports-mainland-china-hong-kong-hit-record-high
-----
13) Pfizer CEO unsure on need for fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Source: Reuters
"Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Monday he was unsure about the need for a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine and that a shot targeting the highly contagious Omicron variant would be ready in March. The comments contrasted with those made by Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) CEO Stephen Bancel, who said last week people could need another shot in the fall of 2022 as the efficacy of boosters was likely to decline over the next few months. A huge Omicron-driven spike in COVID-19 cases has forced some nations to look to another booster dose, but early signs suggest repeat vaccination may be a hard sell as beleaguered populations enter their third pandemic year. 'I don't know if there is a need for a fourth booster, that is something that needs to be tested,' Bourla said on CNBC, ahead of Pfizer's presentation at the J.P. Morgan healthcare conference." (01/10/22)
https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/pfizer-joins-beam-therapeutics-develop-rare-disease-therapies-2022-01-10/
-----
14) PayPal Confirms It's Working on Its Own Stablecoin
Source: NDTV [India]
"PayPal, the popular multinational financial technology company has reportedly indicated its interest in 'exploring' the prospect of launching its very own stablecoin, which is a cryptocurrency pegged to the value of fiat or a reserve asset like gold, silver, etc. The indication arrived after developer Steve Moser discovered references to something called 'PayPal Coin' within the company's iOS app, which also featured PayPal's logo in it. Stablecoins have grown in popularity for making transfers between exchanges and crypto use in day-to-day commerce, simpler. Following Moser's findings, Bloomberg said in a report that PayPal senior vice president of crypto and digital currencies Jose Fernandez da Ponte has confirmed the findings." (01/10/22)
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/cryptocurrency/news/paypal-stablecoin-launch-code-ios-app-developer-report-2699958
-----
15) CPC Demands Biden End Sanctions to Avert Mass Starvation in Afghanistan
Source: Common Dreams
"Progressive U.S. lawmakers and human rights advocates are urging the Biden administration to immediately lift economic sanctions on Afghanistan that are fueling a humanitarian disaster and as famine threatens millions in the war-torn nation. 'Aid groups have predicted that if current U.S. economic policy toward Afghanistan continues, there could be more civilian deaths this year than there were in 20 years of war,' the Congressional Progressive Caucus tweeted Sunday. 'The Biden administration can, and must, act now.' The Taliban seized control of the country in August following the U.S. military's withdrawal after two decades of a military occupation that enriched weapons makers but did little to benefit the Afghan people. Following its defeat, the U.S. then imposed new sanctions the Taliban government, while the World Bank and IMF froze crucial assets." (01/10/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/progressives-demand-biden-end-sanctions-avert-mass-starvation-afghanistan
-----
16) Mali: Junta closes borders with ECOWAS states after bloc imposes sanctions
Source: France 24 [French state media]
"A statement by Mali's military regime announced the recall of ambassadors and the closure of borders with West African nations after the ECOWAS regional block announced tough sanctions on the ruling junta. ... ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) on Sunday imposed a range of economic and diplomatic measures against Mali, including border closures and a trade embargo, saying the junta's intention to remain in power for several more years was 'totally unacceptable.' The meeting in Ghana of regional leaders followed months of increasing tensions over the timetable for restoring civilian rule in Mali after two coups and a military takeover." (01/10/22)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220110-mali-s-junta-closes-borders-with-ecowas-states-after-bloc-imposes-sanctions
-----
17) CA: Pelosi tenant spared by San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic
Source: Fox News
"A business tenant of a property owned by the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has so far been spared by the San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic. The Walgreens pharmacy on Point Lobos Avenue in San Francisco has avoided the series of thefts plaguing the city, according to emergency call records obtained by Fox News. Pelosi's most recent annual financial disclosure include a commercial property with the same address as the Walgreens. Paul Pelosi earned between $100,001 and $1 million in rental income from the property in 2020, the financial disclosure shows. The property is valued between $1 million and $5 million. Seventeen emergency calls were placed to the address, according to the records from Oct. 12 to Dec. 15 of last year ..." [editor's note: Seems to imply something sinister. It's almost funny what Fox considers "news." Almost – TLK] (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-tenant-spared-san-francisco-smash-grab-epidemic
-----
18) Jordan rejects Capitol riot exploitation panel's request to cooperate
Source: The Hill
"Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio.) has rejected a request from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack to voluntarily cooperate with their investigation. 'This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms,' Jordan wrote to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the select committee, according a copy of the letter published by Axios. 'As you well know, I have no relevant information that would assist the Select Committee in advancing any legitimate legislative purpose,' he added. The committee had asked Jordan to provide information about his communication with former President Trump on the day of the deadly insurrection." (01/10/22)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/588949-jim-jordan-rejects-jan-6-panels-request-to-cooperate-in-investigation
-----
19) Spain: Badger thought to have found Roman treasure
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"A hungry badger is thought to have unearthed the largest collection of Roman coins ever to have been discovered in northern Spain, reports say. The treasure trove was discovered close to the den of an animal in the municipality of Grado, Asturias. The animal is thought to have uncovered the treasure as it desperately searched for food last winter, a harsh one. ... it found no use for the old coins and abandoned some of the pieces in front of its den. The 209 pieces were then found by two archaeologists when they went to visit the cave of La Cuesta with a local resident, according to a report recently published in an archaeological journal." (01/10/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59937510
-----
20) Netherlands: King swears in new ruling coalition
Source: ABC News
"Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in a new ruling coalition Monday, led for the fourth time by Mark Rutte, amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown and policy challenges ranging from climate change and housing shortages to the future of agriculture. ... Rutte, 54, has already led three coalitions and is now set to become the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister despite only narrowly surviving a no-confidence motion in parliament in April. He introduced his new team one-by-one to the king before they were formally sworn in by agreeing to the oath of office and then posing for a photo." (01/10/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dutch-king-swear-ruling-coalition-ruttes-4th-82175217
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Freedom Outlaws in unexpected places
Source: Living Freedom
by Claire Wolfe
"Less than 72 hours before the performance, and less than two weekdays ahead ... the venue had changed its rules. Omicron panic, of course, aided and abetted by a 'progressive' city government and a similarly pearl-clutching arts elite. No entry without either a vaxx card + picture ID or a recent Covid test. ... 'Let's talk,' Rhett Signaled me. 'There's nothing to talk about,' I Signaled back. 'We cannot comply,' he emailed the performance organization. 'Please refund the price of our tickets.' ... Then came an odd turn. 'Just come. I will get you in,' wrote a staffer. ... the performance itself? Magnificent. Better than I'd imagined. Also greatly enhanced by knowing ours was an Outlaw operation and by being reminded that there are Outlaws among us even in the most respectable places." (01/10/22)
https://www.clairewolfe.com/blog/2022/01/10/outlaws-in-unexpected-places/
-----
22) Sore Losers Lumped
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"Partisans will debate whether [Stacey] Abrams'[s] claims of voter suppression are more right or wrong, defensible or incredible, honest or dishonest than Trump's charges of vote fraud. But both have been blindly accepted not only by their own political side, but by the rah-rah crowd in the respective partisan corners -- er, halves -- of the media as well." (01/11/22)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2022/01/11/sore-losers-lumped/
-----
23) It's Dangerous to Allow Politicians and Officials to Decide What Constitutes "Truth"
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
"It's no secret that governments worldwide are increasingly hostile to scrutiny of their conduct. But, at a moment when too many media outlets see their role as working with the state to reinforce official narratives, one advocate of press freedom reminds us that the struggle isn't over the 'disinformation' and 'misinformation' called out by opportunistic politicians, it's over control of information. Will people be free in the future to decide for themselves what's truth and what's BS? Or will we be spoon-fed whatever the powers-that-be endorse? ... Free societies recognize that it's a lot more dangerous to let government officials designate what constitutes capital-T Truth than it is to respect people's rights to decide for themselves." (01/10/22)
https://reason.com/2022/01/10/its-dangerous-to-allow-politicians-and-officials-to-decide-what-constitutes-truth/
-----
24) Foreign Bureau of Investigation?
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
"According to a January 4 criminal complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice, Colombian national Mario Antonio Palacios, 43, 'is charged with conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap. The charges relate to the July 7, 2021, assassination of the Haitian president Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince. ... The 'homeland' in the Department of Homeland Security in the United States, but in this case, it seems to be Haiti. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, as its name confirms, is an agency of the U.S. federal government, but in this case, the FBI arrests a Colombian national for a crime committed in Haiti. That raises a jurisdictional issue, and a lot more." (01/10/22)
https://blog.independent.org/2022/01/10/foreign-bureau-of-investigation/
-----
25) China, Covid, and economic slowdowns
Source: Notes On Liberty
by Tridivesh Singh Maini
"During a meeting in December 2021, Chinese leadership flagged 'stability' as its key aim for 2022. This was in stark contrast to targets for 2021, which was focused on 'the disorderly expansion of capital' driven by President Xi Jinping's objective of reducing inequalities in Chinese society. China's zero-covid strategy is impacting its economic links with the rest of the world as international air travel is restricted, and even the stringent lockdowns applied in the country are likely to take their toll on global supply chains." (01/10/22)
https://notesonliberty.com/2022/01/10/china-covid-and-economic-slowdowns/
-----
26) In the Cold War's depths, a glimmer of light
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Peter Bridges
"In 1963 my wife and I and our three small children (the oldest was 6) completed our first year at the American Embassy in Moscow. I was a career diplomat, a political officer tasked with observing and reporting on what I could learn of the secretive Soviet scene. It was the middle of the Cold War, the nuclear standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union. Eastern Europe had been subjected to the USSR, and the West had formed NATO in response. Tensions were high. Weeks after our arrival the previous year, Soviet attempts to base nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba had brought the world too close to nuclear war. There were signs of hope, too, including cultural exchanges with the West. Among them, a half-dozen American graduate students, several with spouses, were spending an academic year at MGU, Moscow State University." (01/10/22)
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum/2022/0110/In-the-Cold-War-s-depths-a-glimmer-of-light
-----
27) How do we know Trump's election fraud claims are bogus? Take a look at Pennsylvania.
Source: Washington Post
by Henry Olsen
"Former president Donald Trump, like a tone-deaf musician, used the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last week to once again allege, without evidence, that the 2020 election was rigged. 'Look at the numbers,' he told his followers, 'they speak for themselves.' He's right, they do: They conclusively show his fraud allegations are bogus. ... [Pennsylvania] is one of the few that did not allow no-excuse mail voting in 2016, but then changed the law to permit it for 2020. Democrats also controlled the counting mechanism in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in both years. That makes it the perfect place to test whether fraud occurred. If Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes in large urban areas in 2020, there would be an unexplained increase in turnout in those areas. The same would be true for areas with higher rates of mail voting if the new practice gave rise to voter fraud. But that didn't happen in either case." (01/10/22)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/10/how-do-we-know-trumps-election-fraud-claims-are-bogus-take-look-pennsylvania/
-----
28) It's Never Been More Important to Skip College
Source: Everything Voluntary
by Isaac Morehouse
"Universities are dying. They have long ceased being the best way to gain knowledge. More recently, the degrees they confer have ceased being the best way to signal employability; the only exception being jobs that legally require them. (Such jobs are increasingly stodgy, unattractive, bureaucratic, backwards, and subservient to tyrannical governments). The final leg universities stand on is the mythology of social status. That's it. That's what gives them what waning power they have." (01/10/22)
https://everything-voluntary.com/its-never-been-more-important-to-skip-college
-----
29) How to Vote If You're Already Dead
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
"As Biden prepares to make a speech in the 'belly of the voting rights beast,' Georgia, where noted romance novelist and half-ass politician Stacey Abrams has still refused to concede her 2018 loss to Brian Kemp in that year's gubernatorial election, it's important to know what exactly the accusations of suppression are. After taking a series of losses, the Biden administration is looking for a win. If governing effectively won't win voters, then surely accusations of future, potential voter fraud will! As such, the administration begins its full-frontal attack on the filibuster in order to pass a one-off voting rights bill (that basically writes COVID-era voting policies into law) to defeat the 'Jim Crow of the 21st century.' It's as dramatic as it is stupid, but let's look at Georgia where all of this is supposed to be the worst." (01/10/22)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/no-164-seven-worst-band-names/
-----
30) The Only "Antitrust" Policy That's Needed is Freedom of Entry
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Donald J Boudreaux
"At no time are all resources being used perfectly -- that is, as they'd be used by an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent deity. But so what? In our mortal vale, a standard of God-like perfection is absurd. The best that we can hope for is that the profits and losses that prevail at each and every moment continually prompt improvements in resource use. Fortunately, the history of modern bourgeois industrial economies provides powerful evidence that this competitive market process does indeed work very well. Through it, the living standards of ordinary people are consistently raised. In fact, ordinary people, rather than the experimenting entrepreneurs themselves, reap the overwhelming bulk of the benefits of successful innovation. For ordinary people to continue to reap such benefits, there is no need for antitrust. In fact, antitrust stymies this competitive process." (01/10/22)
https://www.aier.org/article/the-only-antitrust-policy-thats-needed-is-freedom-of-entry/
-----
31) The Good Group
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"As a professor and public speaker, I've spoken to a wide range of student groups. On reflection, my very favorite turns out to be: Effective Altruism. Indeed, I've had positive experiences with 100% of the EA groups I've encountered. What's so great about the Effective Altruists? They combine high knowledge, high curiosity, and high iconoclasm. When I ask EAs if they've heard of signaling, or the Non-Identity Problem, or pollution taxes, most of them say Yes. The ones who say No are eager to get up to speed. And if I defend a view that would shock a normal audience, EAs are more likely to be amused than defensive or hostile. They're genuinely open to reasoned argument. Though you might expect EAs to be self-righteous, they're not. EA is a chill movement." (01/10/22)
https://www.econlib.org/the-good-group/
-----
323) Othering Unvaccinated Persons
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jared McBrady
"Creating an enemy of the state requires othering: a process of dehumanizing through marginalizing a group of humans as something different, less than, and other. Such othered groups become an easy target to scapegoat, unfairly bearing the blame for a society's ills. History is replete with examples of othering. The Ancient Greeks othered based on language, labeling those who did not speak Greek barbarians. In the United States, chattel slavery and segregation were sustained through othering based on skin color. In Nazi Germany, Hitler othered based on religion, casting Jewish people as enemies of the state. Othering frequently plays on people's stereotypes and fears. ... Now, some politicians are othering the 'unvaccinated.' These politicians attempt to scapegoat and marginalize this minority group, despite knowing that vaccinated and unvaccinated persons alike can contract and spread COVID-19." (01/10/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/othering-unvaccinated-persons/
-----
33) More Evidence a Crash Is Coming
Source: American Consequences
by Greg Diamond
"Fear and greed are important aspects of market analysis. These factors can be hard to quantify. But sometimes, they can also be so obvious that you just can't ignore them. Take this recent exchange I had with a friend, for example: Friend: Hey Greg, do you have any fun stocks you'd recommend to me? Me: What are 'fun stocks?' Friend: I normally just buy exchange-traded funds, but I also like to throw a few thousand bucks on a stock just for kicks ... Random stocks are just fun to see if they take off. Me: We need to talk. Let me call you back next week. I haven't called him back yet. But when I do, I'll explain to him how dangerous this can be. " (01/10/22)
https://americanconsequences.com/greg-diamond-more-evidence-a-crash-is-coming/
-----
34) The Omicron Reset
Source: The Atlantic
by Sarah Zhang
"When Delta swept across the United States last year, the extremely transmissible and deadlier variant threw us into pandemic limbo. The virus remained a danger mostly to unvaccinated people, but they largely wanted to move on. Vaccinated people also largely wanted to move on. The virus did not want to move on. So we got stuck in a deadly rut, and more Americans died of COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. Now Omicron is sweeping across state after state -- even highly vaccinated ones -- and new cases are shooting up and up. The virus is still deadliest to the unvaccinated, but the sheer number of mostly mild infections in the vaccinated is shocking us out of that post-Delta stasis. To deal with this extremely transmissible but now milder variant, we are in the middle of a COVID reset." (01/10/22)
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/omicron-mild-covid-pandemic-reset/621207/
-----
35) The Year of the Hangover?
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
"Twenty twenty-one was a year of massive demand-side policies. To the effect of the reopening, policy makers added enormous deficit-spending plans, infrastructure and current spending boosts, and a massive monetary stimulus. The triple effect of the largest monetary stimulus in years, the reopening, and enormous government spending programs have overheated the economy. It is evident in inflationary pressures, housing, indebtedness, and twin deficit imbalances in most large economies. And those effects will not be there, or at least be present in the same proportion, in 2022. Twenty twenty-one was the year of binge spending. Twenty twenty-two is likely to be a hangover." (01/10/22)
https://mises.org/wire/2022-year-hangover
-----
36) Abolish NATO
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
"The New York Times published an article yesterday that denied that U.S. officials promised Russia at the end of the Cold War that NATO would not expand membership to Warsaw Pact countries. Unfortunately, the article misses the point. The point is that NATO should have been abolished when the Cold War ended, which would, needless to say, have meant that it would not have absorbed those former Warsaw Pact countries and would not have moved U.S. bases, missiles, and troops inexorably closer to Russia's borders." (01/10/22)
https://www.fff.org/2022/01/10/abolish-nato/
-----
37) Rollups: The Emerging Magic Mushroom Monopoly
Source: The American Prospect
by Luke Goldstein
"In December 2017, one of the godfathers of the contemporary psychedelic renaissance, Bob Jesse, penned a manifesto for the commercial era of hallucinogens, one that echoed as far and wide as when Timothy Leary famously evangelized, 'Turn on, tune in, drop out,' in 1966. Jesse delivered a very different kind of message: 'Open science for all!' A philanthropist and independent researcher, Jesse was instrumental to reviving a new wave of medical interest into psychedelic-assisted therapy starting in the 1990s. This new form of therapy offers a revolutionary approach to treating the rising cases of depression and anxiety in the U.S. But Jesse began to see this pioneering research pillaged by Big Pharma, as soon as it showed commercial value as a breakthrough treatment for mental illness." (01/10/22)
https://prospect.org/power/rollups-emerging-magic-mushroom-monopoly/
-----
38) Bolsonaro Gave Brazil's Army New Powers. The Generals Won't Give Them Up Easily.
Source: The Intercept
by Andrew Fishman
"Not since the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985 has the army enjoyed such power. The military has used Bolsonaro's presidency as a vehicle to reclaim political power more subtly than in the past while also more effectively shielding itself from public resentment. Riding the far-right wave, 72 military and police candidates were elected to state and federal office in 2018. Two years later, 859 more won municipal contests. Military officials ascended to top appointments in government. Some of them were revealed to be at the center of the Bolsonaro administration's most brazen public corruption schemes and anti-democratic actions. So far, the military appointees have avoided prosecution, or even much scrutiny, perhaps thanks to not-so-veiled threats to Congress and members of the media." (01/10/22)
https://theintercept.com/2022/01/10/brazil-military-power-jair-bolsonaro/
-----
39) Stop vilifying the unvaccinated
Source: spiked
by Rakib Ehsan
"The 'unvaccinated' are increasingly being vilified by certain sections of the British political and media class. In December, broadcaster Andrew Neil wrote in the Daily Mail that 'it's time to punish Britain's five million vaccine refuseniks,' who 'through fear, ignorance, irresponsibility or sheer stupidity refuse to be jabbed.' Former prime minister Tony Blair has called unvaccinated people 'idiots.' And now Emily Sheffield, the former editor of the Evening Standard, writes that 'the unvaccinated of [London] need to pay with their freedoms, not ours.' The elite demonisation of Britain's unvaccinated citizens is helping no one. Slandering individuals on the basis of their vaccination status and suggesting the use of authoritarian measures to force people to get the jab won't do much to increase vaccination rates. But it will divide society and turn people against one another." (01/10/22)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/01/10/stop-vilifying-the-unvaccinated/
-----
40) Gun Control Comes from a Place of Privilege
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Patrick Carroll
"[P]rogressives are typically pretty good at pointing out places where privilege is leading to blindness and hubris (indeed, they often see privilege even where it doesn't exist). But there's one occurance of privilege that always seems to get a pass, and that is the privilege associated with gun control. Consider, for example, someone who's from a wealthy, safe neighborhood. They know very little about what it's like to live in a high-crime area. They have probably never been robbed or threatened with violence from a total stranger. And if they do face threats, they have no qualms with calling the (armed) police who are usually responsive and happy to help. Now compare that to the experience of someone from a rougher part of town." (01/10/22)
https://fee.org/articles/gun-control-comes-from-a-place-of-privilege/
-----
41) No, Biden hasn't saved the economy
Source: Fox News
by Stephen Moore & Erwin Antoni
"Most economists and analysts saw the jobs report for December as a disappointment, but not Joe Biden. Instead, shortly after the announcement he rushed to the cameras and took a victory lap on the economy. Biden boasted that no president in recent times has had a better first year in office when it comes to the kitchen table issues affecting Americans wallets. That may have been a jaw-dropper for most Americans given that the latest polls by Scott Rasmussen show Biden's approval rating on handling the economy underwater at below 30%. The president also declared 'supply side economics' and Trump's strategy of deregulation and tax rate cuts a failure, compared to his strategy of blitzing the economy with government debt-financed spending. Not so fast." (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/no-biden-hasnt-saved-economy-stephen-moore-erwin-antoni
-----
42) SCOTUS Will Block OSHA Vax Mandate. Limits on Federal Power Still Matter
Source: Cato Institute
by Ilya Shapiro
"Based on Friday's Supreme Court oral argument, it seems that sanity will prevail and the justices will block the federal private‐sector vaccine mandate, an 'emergency' standard the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced in November. Just as the Court blocked the Centers for Disease Control's eviction moratorium last summer, six justices are now clearly troubled by a claim of sweeping regulatory authority based on flimsy statutory text." (01/10/22)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/scotus-will-block-osha-vax-mandate-limits-federal-power-still-matter
-----
43) Dealing With Violence
Source: Freeman's Perspective
by Paul Rosenberg
"One of the first things to understand about violence is that it never proves anyone right or wrong. People portray it that way, but it's a ridiculous concept. Having better weapons or faster fists means absolutely nothing about being right or wrong; it's primitive force, and nothing else. And yet, sometimes primitive force does matter. We certainly have to use it against wild animals: sensible cooperation with them simply isn't possible. And, sadly, there are people with whom reasonable cooperation isn't possible." (01/10/22)
https://freemansperspective.com/dealing-with-violence/
-----
44) Quantum Vibe, 01/10/22
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (01/10/22)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2306
-----
45) The Murderous Corporate Psychopaths Who Never Go to Prison
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
"Alfred Ruf poisoned his wife as part of a scheme to get rich off her life insurance. So did Dr. Gregory 'Brent' Dennis, who was looking at a $2 million payout. Joshua Hunsucker poisoned his wife for a mere $250K in life insurance money, $80,000 of which he used to buy a boat. David L. Pettis poisoned his wife for $150,000. I don't know the names of the men who poisoned and killed my father and my brother Stan, who died last Thursday, but I know where they worked and why they did it: just like Ruf, Dennis, Hunsucker and Pettis, they intentionally and knowingly took actions they knew would result in death when they sold asbestos to my dad's employer and got my brother addicted to tobacco." (01/10/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/10/murderous-corporate-psychopaths-who-never-go-prison
-----
46) How to Eliminate the Threat of Nuclear War: A Strategy of Non-Intervention
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Bas Spliet
"Around this time last year, nuclear weapons became illegal. Well, sort of. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, an international agreement adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 after a majority of countries voted in its favor, entered into force on January 22, 2021 as Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the treaty. Overnight, the testing, development, production, possession and transfer of nuclear weapons was banned. But here comes the rub. The treaty is only binding on those nations that joined. Unsurprisingly, the countries that actually possess or host nuclear weapons, as well as all NATO members, have boycotted the initiative, thereby rendering it powerless." (01/10/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/how-to-eliminate-the-threat-of-nuclear-war-a-strategy-of-non-intervention/
-----
47) Offer Russia a Solution, Not a Policy Placebo
Source: Antiwar.com
by Doug Bandow
"The US and Russia are talking again today, but this time focused on Ukraine. The two sides are discussing President Vladimir Putin's demand that America and NATO respect Moscow's security interests. Having treated Russia as of no account since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington policymakers have reacted in disbelief to Moscow's demand to be treated as an equal. That another nation would dare reject America's God-given right as the exceptional nation to intervene anywhere on earth at any time and in any way is insolent, even threatening. On Capitol Hill both Republicans and Democrats are pushing for confrontation and even war, including the use of nuclear weapons. In contrast, the Europeans aren't interested in doing much, and certainly have no intention to fight for Kyiv." (01/10/22)
https://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2022/01/09/offer-russia-a-solution-not-a-policy-placebo/
-----
48) America Must Stay Away from Kazakhstan's Troubles
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
"Despite Russian hints, there is no evidence that the United States was involved in the latest violent protests in Kazakhstan. However, there now exists a strong temptation for America to get involved -- and it is a temptation that must be firmly resisted by the Biden administration. Aspects of the latest unrest remain unclear. It has been suggested that it was partly caused by struggles within the Kazakh elites between supporters and opponents of former President Nur-Sultan Nazarbayev, who until this week retained considerable power over the government. The most important underlying reason for the unrest however is entirely clear. It lies in the gross mismatch between Kazakhstan's huge revenues from energy exports (more than $30 billion in 2021), the vast wealth of its elites, and the poverty of the mass of its population, with an average household income last year of only $3,200." (01/10/22)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/01/10/america-must-stay-away-from-kazakhstans-troubles/
-----
49) Hey Dems, We Got Your Election Reforms Right Here
Source: Town Hall
Kurt Schlichter
"The Dems are right that we need election reform to save our democracy. I propose that we change how we conduct elections, good and hard. Now, the Democrats have a very different objective in reforming the election system than we do. They seek to make it easier for lazy and stupid people to vote. This is perfectly reasonable, considering that the indolent and idiotic make up key components of the Democrat coalition. Further, they want to flood the system with unaccountable votes in order to allow themselves to cheat. In this way, they can steal wins where otherwise voters would reject them for their incompetence, corruption, and general tiresomeness." (01/10/22)
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/01/10/hey-dems-we-got-your-election-reforms-right-here-n2601597
-----
50) What Constitutes Incitement?
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Van Buren
"After five years of failed, false accusations against Trump (Russiagate on down), how valid of an election strategy is it to twist vernacular definitions into quasi-legal ones? After so many instances of crying wolf (walls closing in, tick tock, etc.), will doing it all again, over and over again, about the events of January 6, actually win votes for the Democratic candidate, or will voters finally realize the Emperor's arguments about Trump have no clothes on and just stop listening? ... The propaganda/journalism mandarins have failed to sway many minds. To succeed will require something real, an actual court finding Trump actually guilty of an actual crime that meets the expectations set after flinging around words like treason and sedition for a year." (01/10/22)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-constitutes-incitement/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 01/10/22
Source: Reason
"What would Lemmy Kilmister say about January 6?" [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://reason.com/podcast/2022/01/10/masking-in-the-moshpit/
-----
52) Free Talk Live, 01/10/22
Source: Free Talk Live
"Novak Djokovic Released into Australia :: Bitcoin Attacked for Price Dip :: Metaverse :: Mark Edge on Free Talk Live Again :: Federal Presence in a Free New Hampshire :: National Guard Restriction Proposal :: VR Applications :: Living in a Simulation :: Hearing Aid Sarah :: Gaming :: Cops Ignore Robbery to Play Pokemon Go :: Alexa Recommends Dangerous Penny Challenge :: Show: 2022-01-10 Ian, Bonnie, Aria." [Flash audio or MP3] (01/10/22)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2022-01-10
-----
53) Commentary Podcast, 01/10/22
Source: Commentary
"Russian Demands, American Plans." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://www.commentary.org/abe-greenwald/3176658/
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/10/22
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"Credibility In Shreds: CDC's Shocking Admission On Covid Deaths." [Flash video] (01/10/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/credibility-in-shreds-cdcs-shocking-admission-on-covid-deaths
-----
55) Lions of Liberty Podcast, 01/10/22
Source: Lions of Liberty
"Shup Up and Build Something, with Isaac Morehouse." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/isaacmorehouse
-----
56) The Bryan Hyde Show, 01/10/22
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
"You know how I can be certain that there is no such thing as a mass formation psychosis that is taking hold of a large segment of the population? Because the major propaganda organs of our time, including Big Tech, mass media and their political allies have unanimously concluded that no such thing exists. And if we can't trust them to tell us the truth, who can we trust?" [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://thebryanhydeshow.podbean.com/e/2022-january-10-the-bryan-hyde-show-hour-one/
-----
57) Do You Buy That ..., 01/10/22
Source: FiveThirtyEight
"Jan. 6 Strengthened Trump's Hold On The Republican Party?" [Flash video] (01/10/22)
https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/do-you-buy-that-jan-6-strengthened-trumps-hold-on-the-republican-party/
-----
58) EconTalk, 01/10/22
Source: EconTalk
"Gregory Zuckerman on the Crazy Race to Create the COVID Vaccine." [Flash audio or MP3] (01/10/22)
https://www.econtalk.org/gregory-zuckerman-on-the-crazy-race-to-create-the-covid-vaccine/
-----
59) Daniel McAdams on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
"Daniel McAdams on the Unfolding Revolution in Kazakhstan." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/1-7-22-daniel-mcadams-on-the-unfolding-revolution-in-kazakhstan/
-----
60) Conflicts Of Interest, episode 213
Source: Libertarian Institute
"American Leaders Choose Backing Neo-Nazis Over Diplomacy with Russia." [various formats] (01/09/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-213-american-leaders-choose-backing-neo-nazis-over-diplomacy-with-russia/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Nicaragua: Ortega sworn in for fourth straight term
2) US Senate Republicans threaten floor takeover if Democrats weaken filibuster
3) In Geneva talks, Russia downplays threat to Ukraine
4) Study: T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19
5) Judge questions disgraced former president's "absolute immunity" claim vs. Capitol riot lawsuits
6) Hillary Clinton calls for Senate to "adjust the rules" to pass election bills
7) WA: State legislature kicks off mostly remote session
8) Poland: Senator sues party leader over surveillance remarks
9) TN: Nashville US House seat to split in redistricting
10) SCOTUS turns away Carter Page defamation suit against DNC
11) RNC files frivolous suit versus new NYC voting law
12) Taiwan: Exports to China, Hong Kong hit record high as semiconductor demand fuels cross-strait trade
13) Pfizer CEO unsure on need for fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
14) PayPal Confirms It's Working on Its Own Stablecoin
15) CPC Demands Biden End Sanctions to Avert Mass Starvation in Afghanistan
16) Mali: Junta closes borders with ECOWAS states after bloc imposes sanctions
17) CA: Pelosi tenant spared by San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic
18) Jordan rejects Capitol riot exploitation panel's request to cooperate
19) Spain: Badger thought to have found Roman treasure
20) Netherlands: King swears in new ruling coalition
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Freedom Outlaws in unexpected places
22) Sore Losers Lumped
23) It's Dangerous to Allow Politicians and Officials to Decide What Constitutes "Truth"
24) Foreign Bureau of Investigation?
25) China, Covid, and economic slowdowns
26) In the Cold War's depths, a glimmer of light
27) How do we know Trump's election fraud claims are bogus? Take a look at Pennsylvania.
28) It's Never Been More Important to Skip College
29) How to Vote If You're Already Dead
30) The Only "Antitrust" Policy That's Needed is Freedom of Entry
31) The Good Group
32) Othering Unvaccinated Persons
33) More Evidence a Crash Is Coming
34) The Omicron Reset
35) The Year of the Hangover?
36) Abolish NATO
37) Rollups: The Emerging Magic Mushroom Monopoly
38) Bolsonaro Gave Brazil's Army New Powers. The Generals Won't Give Them Up Easily.
39) Stop vilifying the unvaccinated
40) Gun Control Comes from a Place of Privilege
41) No, Biden hasn't saved the economy
42) SCOTUS Will Block OSHA Vax Mandate. Limits on Federal Power Still Matter
43) Dealing With Violence
44) Quantum Vibe, 01/10/22
45) The Murderous Corporate Psychopaths Who Never Go to Prison
46) How to Eliminate the Threat of Nuclear War: A Strategy of Non-Intervention
47) Offer Russia a Solution, Not a Policy Placebo
48) America Must Stay Away from Kazakhstan's Troubles
49) Hey Dems, We Got Your Election Reforms Right Here
50) What Constitutes Incitement?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 01/10/22
52) Free Talk Live, 01/10/22
53) Commentary Podcast, 01/10/22
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/10/22
55) Lions of Liberty Podcast, 01/10/22
56) The Bryan Hyde Show, 01/10/22
57) Do You Buy That ..., 01/10/22
58) EconTalk, 01/10/22
59) Daniel McAdams on The Scott Horton Show
60) Conflicts Of Interest, episode 213
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
YOUGOV: SHARE YOUR OPINION, EARN REWARDS
https://account.yougov.com/us-en/join?referral=eAi-FP2i9s1Jzb5lj2zw5A
SHOP ONLINE, GET A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
25 TEXAS HEROES, by TL and Helen Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660535
COINBITS: THE WORLD'S EASIEST WAY TO INVEST IN BITCOIN
https://coinbitsapp.com/?ref=0RUAyB4cnVcKsaceTi2N
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Nicaragua: Ortega sworn in for fourth straight term
Source: ABC News
"Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term Monday following elections considered rigged and on a day marked by sanctions from the United States and European Union against members of his government. Alongside him was first lady Rosario Murillo, sworn in for her second term as his vice president. ... Ortega, 76, and Murillo, 70, oversaw the jailing of opposition leaders, including seven potential challengers for the presidency, months before the November election. They have remained defiant under foreign pressure. ... Earlier Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on more Nicaraguan officials. The Treasury Department announced it will freeze the U.S. assets of the defense minister and five other officials in the army, telecom and mining sectors. As with dozens of Nicaraguan officials already under sanctions, U.S. citizens will be prohibited from having dealings with them." (01/11/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-sanctions-nicaragua-officials-ortega-inaugurated-82182283
-----
2) US Senate Republicans threaten floor takeover if Democrats weaken filibuster
Source: Yahoo! News
"Senate Republicans are threatening they will attempt a takeover of the Senate agenda by forcing votes on issues ranging from the Keystone XL pipeline to abortion rules to a U.S-Mexico border wall if Democrats weaken the filibuster. Republicans are also looking at smaller bills such as a proposal to prohibit the administration from imposing a fracking ban by executive order, a prohibition on the IRS implementing new reporting on banks to disclose individuals' banking activity and mandatory detention for illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes. Senate Republican leaders on Monday said they have a list of bills they will try to bring to the floor under Rule 14 and debate if Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) rounds up enough Democrats to lower the threshold for beginning debate on a bill from 60 votes to 50." (01/10/22)
https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-threaten-floor-takeover-democrats-005137602.html
-----
3) In Geneva talks, Russia downplays threat to Ukraine
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"Russian officials have said during high-level talks in Geneva that they have no intention of invading Ukraine, a top US diplomat says. ... Russia warned the US not to 'underestimate the risks' involved in Moscow's confrontation with the West. The US has said there would be sanctions if Russia were to attack. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles said he believed that a Russian invasion was still possible. 'There are 100,000 Russian troops on the other side of the border,' he said on Monday. 'I suppose they haven't gone there to drink coffee!' In a call with reporters following Monday's meeting, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman described the talks as 'frank and forthright' discussions over eight hours aimed at better understanding each side's security concerns." (01/10/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59945170
-----
4) Study: T-cells from common colds can provide protection against COVID-19
Source: Reuters
"High levels of T-cells from common cold coronaviruses can provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday has found, which could inform approaches for second-generation vaccines. Immunity against COVID-19 is a complex picture, and while there is evidence of waning antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play a vital role in providing protection. The study, which began in September 2020, looked at levels of cross-reactive T-cells generated by previous common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID-19 cases shortly after exposure, to see if they went on to develop infection. It found that the 26 who did not develop infection had significantly higher levels of those T-cells than people who did get infected. Imperial did not say how long protection from the T-cells would last." (01/10/22)
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/t-cells-common-colds-can-provide-protection-against-covid-19-study-2022-01-10/
-----
5) Judge questions disgraced former president's "absolute immunity" claim vs. Capitol riot lawsuits
Source: The Hill
"A federal judge on Monday questioned former President Trump's claims of 'absolute immunity' in the face of a trio of civil lawsuits accusing him of fomenting the Capitol riot last year. During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta appeared skeptical of Trump's argument .... Trump is seeking to have the suits dismissed, arguing that the comments he made during the rally are protected from civil action because he was carrying out the normal duties of a president, namely speaking to his supporters about government issues, and that allowing judicial intervention over that conduct would disrupt the office of the president. But the plaintiffs argue that Trump's alleged incitement of his supporters was delivered as a candidate making a campaign speech and thus falls outside of the immunity afforded to a president's official duties." (01/10/22)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/589058-judge-questions-trumps-claim-of-absolute-immunity-in-jan-6-lawsuits
-----
6) Hillary Clinton calls for Senate to "adjust the rules" to pass election bills
Source: Fox News
"Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Democratic lawmakers on Monday to alter Senate rules so that it could 'protect Americans' right to vote'. Quoting the president who signed the Voting Rights Act, she tweeted: 'The right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless,' Lyndon B. Johnson said. 'It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies.' It's time Senate Democrats adjust the rules to protect Americans' right to vote.' Her comments came as Democrats have pushed for an end to the filibuster in order to pass voting reforms and other legislation. Clinton advocated for ending the filibuster in September, arguing that Republicans didn't respect the rule of law." (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hillary-clinton-senate-adjust-rules-election-bills
-----
7) WA: State legislature kicks off mostly remote session
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"Lawmakers in Washington state have started a new legislative session amid the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and much of their work will be done remotely as leaders try to limit the possibility of exposure. Since Friday, three Democratic senators (Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig and Sens. John Lovick and Mark Mullet) announced they had tested positive for the coronavirus. Billig said he had no symptoms and Lovick described his symptoms as mild. Mullet (who said he didn't have any symptoms) tested positive Monday after a test at the Capitol, and said he would work remotely the rest of the week. All three were fully vaccinated and had received a booster. When the session officially convenes at noon Monday, just five lawmakers will be present in the House and 15 in the Senate, and only credentialed press will be allowed in the public galleries overseeing the chamber floors." (01/10/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Washington-lawmakers-set-to-kick-off-mostly-16764286.php
-----
8) Poland: Senator sues party leader over surveillance remarks
Source: San Antonio Express-News
"A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland's ruling party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, for slander over comments suggesting that he was placed under surveillance in connection to wrongdoing. Hours after the news was reported Monday about Sen. Krzysztof Brejza's case against Kaczynski, Polish prosecutors informed Brejza's father, a city mayor, that he was under investigation as a suspect and needed to appear for questioning. Both father and son insist that they have done nothing wrong, and accuse authorities of seeking political revenge. They also believe the ruling Law and Justice party is trying to cast suspicion on them as a way to justify the use of the surveillance software, a tool meant to fight terrorism and other serious crimes, against political opponents." (01/10/22)
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Polish-senator-sues-party-leader-over-16763887.php
-----
9) TN: Nashville US House seat to split in redistricting
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"Tennessee House Republicans plan to carve fast-growing Nashville into multiple congressional seats, making it potentially easier for the state's Republican-dominated congressional delegation to flip a previously Democratic-controlled district, House Speaker Cameron Sexton confirmed Monday. Sexton told The Associated Press the newly drawn map will be unveiled later this week, but he declined to detail just how many splits Nashville-Davidson County will face. The 5th District has long been centered on the state's capital city and has been a safe Democratic stronghold in a state overwhelmingly controlled by Republicans. It contains all of Davidson and Dickson counties, and part of Cheatham County. 'I won't give an exact number. but it's either two or three,' he said of the potential number of district splits Nashville could see." (01/10/22)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Speaker-Nashville-US-House-seat-to-split-in-16764412.php
-----
10) SCOTUS turns away Carter Page defamation suit against DNC
Source: Yahoo! News
"The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a defamation lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign official Carter Page against the Democratic National Committee and others linked to the controversial Steele dossier. The court's order was issued without comment or noted dissent, in keeping with common practice. Page had appealed to the Supreme Court after his lawsuit was dismissed in the lower courts on procedural grounds. ... Page alleged in his legal complaint that the dossier 'mobilized the news media against Dr. Page, damaging his reputation, and effectively destroying his once-private life.'" (01/10/22)
https://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-turns-away-carter-145458622.html
-----
11) RNC files frivolous suit versus new NYC voting law
Source: Fox News
"The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing New York City Mayor Eric Adams over the city law allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. The RNC announced the lawsuit on Monday, with chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeting out the organization's official statement. 'American elections should be decided by American citizens,' McDaniel said in the release. 'If Democrats can subvert elections this flagrantly in America's largest city, they can do it anywhere.' 'The RNC is suing to protect the integrity of our elections, and we stand ready to do the same wherever Democrats try to attack the basic security of your ballot,' the RNC chairwoman continued." [editor's note: If a city chooses to let all residents vote in city elections, instead of insisting they also be "citizens" of some other polity, whose business is it but theirs? – TLK] (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rnc-sues-nyc-mayor-adams-over-law-allowing-noncitizens-to-vote
-----
12) Taiwan: Exports to China, Hong Kong hit record high as semiconductor demand fuels cross-strait trade
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
"The value of Taiwan's exports to [the People's Republic of] China and Hong Kong hit an all-time high of US$188.9 billion in 2021, thanks to the resilient demand for the island's computer chips, according to the latest data released by the island. Taiwan's finance ministry said the total was a 24.8 per cent increase from 2020. ... Since Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party became Taiwan's president in May 2016, cross-strait relations have remained strained. Given the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains, Taiwan has accelerated its investment diversification away from the mainland, while exports to the mainland have increased. China has long [pretended] Taiwan [is] a breakaway province and has vowed to take control of the island, by force if necessary." (01/10/22)
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3162832/taiwans-exports-mainland-china-hong-kong-hit-record-high
-----
13) Pfizer CEO unsure on need for fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Source: Reuters
"Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Monday he was unsure about the need for a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine and that a shot targeting the highly contagious Omicron variant would be ready in March. The comments contrasted with those made by Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) CEO Stephen Bancel, who said last week people could need another shot in the fall of 2022 as the efficacy of boosters was likely to decline over the next few months. A huge Omicron-driven spike in COVID-19 cases has forced some nations to look to another booster dose, but early signs suggest repeat vaccination may be a hard sell as beleaguered populations enter their third pandemic year. 'I don't know if there is a need for a fourth booster, that is something that needs to be tested,' Bourla said on CNBC, ahead of Pfizer's presentation at the J.P. Morgan healthcare conference." (01/10/22)
https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/pfizer-joins-beam-therapeutics-develop-rare-disease-therapies-2022-01-10/
-----
14) PayPal Confirms It's Working on Its Own Stablecoin
Source: NDTV [India]
"PayPal, the popular multinational financial technology company has reportedly indicated its interest in 'exploring' the prospect of launching its very own stablecoin, which is a cryptocurrency pegged to the value of fiat or a reserve asset like gold, silver, etc. The indication arrived after developer Steve Moser discovered references to something called 'PayPal Coin' within the company's iOS app, which also featured PayPal's logo in it. Stablecoins have grown in popularity for making transfers between exchanges and crypto use in day-to-day commerce, simpler. Following Moser's findings, Bloomberg said in a report that PayPal senior vice president of crypto and digital currencies Jose Fernandez da Ponte has confirmed the findings." (01/10/22)
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/cryptocurrency/news/paypal-stablecoin-launch-code-ios-app-developer-report-2699958
-----
15) CPC Demands Biden End Sanctions to Avert Mass Starvation in Afghanistan
Source: Common Dreams
"Progressive U.S. lawmakers and human rights advocates are urging the Biden administration to immediately lift economic sanctions on Afghanistan that are fueling a humanitarian disaster and as famine threatens millions in the war-torn nation. 'Aid groups have predicted that if current U.S. economic policy toward Afghanistan continues, there could be more civilian deaths this year than there were in 20 years of war,' the Congressional Progressive Caucus tweeted Sunday. 'The Biden administration can, and must, act now.' The Taliban seized control of the country in August following the U.S. military's withdrawal after two decades of a military occupation that enriched weapons makers but did little to benefit the Afghan people. Following its defeat, the U.S. then imposed new sanctions the Taliban government, while the World Bank and IMF froze crucial assets." (01/10/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/01/10/progressives-demand-biden-end-sanctions-avert-mass-starvation-afghanistan
-----
16) Mali: Junta closes borders with ECOWAS states after bloc imposes sanctions
Source: France 24 [French state media]
"A statement by Mali's military regime announced the recall of ambassadors and the closure of borders with West African nations after the ECOWAS regional block announced tough sanctions on the ruling junta. ... ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) on Sunday imposed a range of economic and diplomatic measures against Mali, including border closures and a trade embargo, saying the junta's intention to remain in power for several more years was 'totally unacceptable.' The meeting in Ghana of regional leaders followed months of increasing tensions over the timetable for restoring civilian rule in Mali after two coups and a military takeover." (01/10/22)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220110-mali-s-junta-closes-borders-with-ecowas-states-after-bloc-imposes-sanctions
-----
17) CA: Pelosi tenant spared by San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic
Source: Fox News
"A business tenant of a property owned by the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has so far been spared by the San Francisco smash-and-grab epidemic. The Walgreens pharmacy on Point Lobos Avenue in San Francisco has avoided the series of thefts plaguing the city, according to emergency call records obtained by Fox News. Pelosi's most recent annual financial disclosure include a commercial property with the same address as the Walgreens. Paul Pelosi earned between $100,001 and $1 million in rental income from the property in 2020, the financial disclosure shows. The property is valued between $1 million and $5 million. Seventeen emergency calls were placed to the address, according to the records from Oct. 12 to Dec. 15 of last year ..." [editor's note: Seems to imply something sinister. It's almost funny what Fox considers "news." Almost – TLK] (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-tenant-spared-san-francisco-smash-grab-epidemic
-----
18) Jordan rejects Capitol riot exploitation panel's request to cooperate
Source: The Hill
"Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio.) has rejected a request from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack to voluntarily cooperate with their investigation. 'This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms,' Jordan wrote to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the select committee, according a copy of the letter published by Axios. 'As you well know, I have no relevant information that would assist the Select Committee in advancing any legitimate legislative purpose,' he added. The committee had asked Jordan to provide information about his communication with former President Trump on the day of the deadly insurrection." (01/10/22)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/588949-jim-jordan-rejects-jan-6-panels-request-to-cooperate-in-investigation
-----
19) Spain: Badger thought to have found Roman treasure
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
"A hungry badger is thought to have unearthed the largest collection of Roman coins ever to have been discovered in northern Spain, reports say. The treasure trove was discovered close to the den of an animal in the municipality of Grado, Asturias. The animal is thought to have uncovered the treasure as it desperately searched for food last winter, a harsh one. ... it found no use for the old coins and abandoned some of the pieces in front of its den. The 209 pieces were then found by two archaeologists when they went to visit the cave of La Cuesta with a local resident, according to a report recently published in an archaeological journal." (01/10/22)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59937510
-----
20) Netherlands: King swears in new ruling coalition
Source: ABC News
"Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in a new ruling coalition Monday, led for the fourth time by Mark Rutte, amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown and policy challenges ranging from climate change and housing shortages to the future of agriculture. ... Rutte, 54, has already led three coalitions and is now set to become the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister despite only narrowly surviving a no-confidence motion in parliament in April. He introduced his new team one-by-one to the king before they were formally sworn in by agreeing to the oath of office and then posing for a photo." (01/10/22)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dutch-king-swear-ruling-coalition-ruttes-4th-82175217
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Freedom Outlaws in unexpected places
Source: Living Freedom
by Claire Wolfe
"Less than 72 hours before the performance, and less than two weekdays ahead ... the venue had changed its rules. Omicron panic, of course, aided and abetted by a 'progressive' city government and a similarly pearl-clutching arts elite. No entry without either a vaxx card + picture ID or a recent Covid test. ... 'Let's talk,' Rhett Signaled me. 'There's nothing to talk about,' I Signaled back. 'We cannot comply,' he emailed the performance organization. 'Please refund the price of our tickets.' ... Then came an odd turn. 'Just come. I will get you in,' wrote a staffer. ... the performance itself? Magnificent. Better than I'd imagined. Also greatly enhanced by knowing ours was an Outlaw operation and by being reminded that there are Outlaws among us even in the most respectable places." (01/10/22)
https://www.clairewolfe.com/blog/2022/01/10/outlaws-in-unexpected-places/
-----
22) Sore Losers Lumped
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"Partisans will debate whether [Stacey] Abrams'[s] claims of voter suppression are more right or wrong, defensible or incredible, honest or dishonest than Trump's charges of vote fraud. But both have been blindly accepted not only by their own political side, but by the rah-rah crowd in the respective partisan corners -- er, halves -- of the media as well." (01/11/22)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2022/01/11/sore-losers-lumped/
-----
23) It's Dangerous to Allow Politicians and Officials to Decide What Constitutes "Truth"
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
"It's no secret that governments worldwide are increasingly hostile to scrutiny of their conduct. But, at a moment when too many media outlets see their role as working with the state to reinforce official narratives, one advocate of press freedom reminds us that the struggle isn't over the 'disinformation' and 'misinformation' called out by opportunistic politicians, it's over control of information. Will people be free in the future to decide for themselves what's truth and what's BS? Or will we be spoon-fed whatever the powers-that-be endorse? ... Free societies recognize that it's a lot more dangerous to let government officials designate what constitutes capital-T Truth than it is to respect people's rights to decide for themselves." (01/10/22)
https://reason.com/2022/01/10/its-dangerous-to-allow-politicians-and-officials-to-decide-what-constitutes-truth/
-----
24) Foreign Bureau of Investigation?
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
"According to a January 4 criminal complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice, Colombian national Mario Antonio Palacios, 43, 'is charged with conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap. The charges relate to the July 7, 2021, assassination of the Haitian president Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince. ... The 'homeland' in the Department of Homeland Security in the United States, but in this case, it seems to be Haiti. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, as its name confirms, is an agency of the U.S. federal government, but in this case, the FBI arrests a Colombian national for a crime committed in Haiti. That raises a jurisdictional issue, and a lot more." (01/10/22)
https://blog.independent.org/2022/01/10/foreign-bureau-of-investigation/
-----
25) China, Covid, and economic slowdowns
Source: Notes On Liberty
by Tridivesh Singh Maini
"During a meeting in December 2021, Chinese leadership flagged 'stability' as its key aim for 2022. This was in stark contrast to targets for 2021, which was focused on 'the disorderly expansion of capital' driven by President Xi Jinping's objective of reducing inequalities in Chinese society. China's zero-covid strategy is impacting its economic links with the rest of the world as international air travel is restricted, and even the stringent lockdowns applied in the country are likely to take their toll on global supply chains." (01/10/22)
https://notesonliberty.com/2022/01/10/china-covid-and-economic-slowdowns/
-----
26) In the Cold War's depths, a glimmer of light
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Peter Bridges
"In 1963 my wife and I and our three small children (the oldest was 6) completed our first year at the American Embassy in Moscow. I was a career diplomat, a political officer tasked with observing and reporting on what I could learn of the secretive Soviet scene. It was the middle of the Cold War, the nuclear standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union. Eastern Europe had been subjected to the USSR, and the West had formed NATO in response. Tensions were high. Weeks after our arrival the previous year, Soviet attempts to base nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba had brought the world too close to nuclear war. There were signs of hope, too, including cultural exchanges with the West. Among them, a half-dozen American graduate students, several with spouses, were spending an academic year at MGU, Moscow State University." (01/10/22)
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum/2022/0110/In-the-Cold-War-s-depths-a-glimmer-of-light
-----
27) How do we know Trump's election fraud claims are bogus? Take a look at Pennsylvania.
Source: Washington Post
by Henry Olsen
"Former president Donald Trump, like a tone-deaf musician, used the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last week to once again allege, without evidence, that the 2020 election was rigged. 'Look at the numbers,' he told his followers, 'they speak for themselves.' He's right, they do: They conclusively show his fraud allegations are bogus. ... [Pennsylvania] is one of the few that did not allow no-excuse mail voting in 2016, but then changed the law to permit it for 2020. Democrats also controlled the counting mechanism in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in both years. That makes it the perfect place to test whether fraud occurred. If Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes in large urban areas in 2020, there would be an unexplained increase in turnout in those areas. The same would be true for areas with higher rates of mail voting if the new practice gave rise to voter fraud. But that didn't happen in either case." (01/10/22)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/10/how-do-we-know-trumps-election-fraud-claims-are-bogus-take-look-pennsylvania/
-----
28) It's Never Been More Important to Skip College
Source: Everything Voluntary
by Isaac Morehouse
"Universities are dying. They have long ceased being the best way to gain knowledge. More recently, the degrees they confer have ceased being the best way to signal employability; the only exception being jobs that legally require them. (Such jobs are increasingly stodgy, unattractive, bureaucratic, backwards, and subservient to tyrannical governments). The final leg universities stand on is the mythology of social status. That's it. That's what gives them what waning power they have." (01/10/22)
https://everything-voluntary.com/its-never-been-more-important-to-skip-college
-----
29) How to Vote If You're Already Dead
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
"As Biden prepares to make a speech in the 'belly of the voting rights beast,' Georgia, where noted romance novelist and half-ass politician Stacey Abrams has still refused to concede her 2018 loss to Brian Kemp in that year's gubernatorial election, it's important to know what exactly the accusations of suppression are. After taking a series of losses, the Biden administration is looking for a win. If governing effectively won't win voters, then surely accusations of future, potential voter fraud will! As such, the administration begins its full-frontal attack on the filibuster in order to pass a one-off voting rights bill (that basically writes COVID-era voting policies into law) to defeat the 'Jim Crow of the 21st century.' It's as dramatic as it is stupid, but let's look at Georgia where all of this is supposed to be the worst." (01/10/22)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/no-164-seven-worst-band-names/
-----
30) The Only "Antitrust" Policy That's Needed is Freedom of Entry
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Donald J Boudreaux
"At no time are all resources being used perfectly -- that is, as they'd be used by an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent deity. But so what? In our mortal vale, a standard of God-like perfection is absurd. The best that we can hope for is that the profits and losses that prevail at each and every moment continually prompt improvements in resource use. Fortunately, the history of modern bourgeois industrial economies provides powerful evidence that this competitive market process does indeed work very well. Through it, the living standards of ordinary people are consistently raised. In fact, ordinary people, rather than the experimenting entrepreneurs themselves, reap the overwhelming bulk of the benefits of successful innovation. For ordinary people to continue to reap such benefits, there is no need for antitrust. In fact, antitrust stymies this competitive process." (01/10/22)
https://www.aier.org/article/the-only-antitrust-policy-thats-needed-is-freedom-of-entry/
-----
31) The Good Group
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Caplan
"As a professor and public speaker, I've spoken to a wide range of student groups. On reflection, my very favorite turns out to be: Effective Altruism. Indeed, I've had positive experiences with 100% of the EA groups I've encountered. What's so great about the Effective Altruists? They combine high knowledge, high curiosity, and high iconoclasm. When I ask EAs if they've heard of signaling, or the Non-Identity Problem, or pollution taxes, most of them say Yes. The ones who say No are eager to get up to speed. And if I defend a view that would shock a normal audience, EAs are more likely to be amused than defensive or hostile. They're genuinely open to reasoned argument. Though you might expect EAs to be self-righteous, they're not. EA is a chill movement." (01/10/22)
https://www.econlib.org/the-good-group/
-----
323) Othering Unvaccinated Persons
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jared McBrady
"Creating an enemy of the state requires othering: a process of dehumanizing through marginalizing a group of humans as something different, less than, and other. Such othered groups become an easy target to scapegoat, unfairly bearing the blame for a society's ills. History is replete with examples of othering. The Ancient Greeks othered based on language, labeling those who did not speak Greek barbarians. In the United States, chattel slavery and segregation were sustained through othering based on skin color. In Nazi Germany, Hitler othered based on religion, casting Jewish people as enemies of the state. Othering frequently plays on people's stereotypes and fears. ... Now, some politicians are othering the 'unvaccinated.' These politicians attempt to scapegoat and marginalize this minority group, despite knowing that vaccinated and unvaccinated persons alike can contract and spread COVID-19." (01/10/22)
https://brownstone.org/articles/othering-unvaccinated-persons/
-----
33) More Evidence a Crash Is Coming
Source: American Consequences
by Greg Diamond
"Fear and greed are important aspects of market analysis. These factors can be hard to quantify. But sometimes, they can also be so obvious that you just can't ignore them. Take this recent exchange I had with a friend, for example: Friend: Hey Greg, do you have any fun stocks you'd recommend to me? Me: What are 'fun stocks?' Friend: I normally just buy exchange-traded funds, but I also like to throw a few thousand bucks on a stock just for kicks ... Random stocks are just fun to see if they take off. Me: We need to talk. Let me call you back next week. I haven't called him back yet. But when I do, I'll explain to him how dangerous this can be. " (01/10/22)
https://americanconsequences.com/greg-diamond-more-evidence-a-crash-is-coming/
-----
34) The Omicron Reset
Source: The Atlantic
by Sarah Zhang
"When Delta swept across the United States last year, the extremely transmissible and deadlier variant threw us into pandemic limbo. The virus remained a danger mostly to unvaccinated people, but they largely wanted to move on. Vaccinated people also largely wanted to move on. The virus did not want to move on. So we got stuck in a deadly rut, and more Americans died of COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. Now Omicron is sweeping across state after state -- even highly vaccinated ones -- and new cases are shooting up and up. The virus is still deadliest to the unvaccinated, but the sheer number of mostly mild infections in the vaccinated is shocking us out of that post-Delta stasis. To deal with this extremely transmissible but now milder variant, we are in the middle of a COVID reset." (01/10/22)
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/omicron-mild-covid-pandemic-reset/621207/
-----
35) The Year of the Hangover?
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
"Twenty twenty-one was a year of massive demand-side policies. To the effect of the reopening, policy makers added enormous deficit-spending plans, infrastructure and current spending boosts, and a massive monetary stimulus. The triple effect of the largest monetary stimulus in years, the reopening, and enormous government spending programs have overheated the economy. It is evident in inflationary pressures, housing, indebtedness, and twin deficit imbalances in most large economies. And those effects will not be there, or at least be present in the same proportion, in 2022. Twenty twenty-one was the year of binge spending. Twenty twenty-two is likely to be a hangover." (01/10/22)
https://mises.org/wire/2022-year-hangover
-----
36) Abolish NATO
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
"The New York Times published an article yesterday that denied that U.S. officials promised Russia at the end of the Cold War that NATO would not expand membership to Warsaw Pact countries. Unfortunately, the article misses the point. The point is that NATO should have been abolished when the Cold War ended, which would, needless to say, have meant that it would not have absorbed those former Warsaw Pact countries and would not have moved U.S. bases, missiles, and troops inexorably closer to Russia's borders." (01/10/22)
https://www.fff.org/2022/01/10/abolish-nato/
-----
37) Rollups: The Emerging Magic Mushroom Monopoly
Source: The American Prospect
by Luke Goldstein
"In December 2017, one of the godfathers of the contemporary psychedelic renaissance, Bob Jesse, penned a manifesto for the commercial era of hallucinogens, one that echoed as far and wide as when Timothy Leary famously evangelized, 'Turn on, tune in, drop out,' in 1966. Jesse delivered a very different kind of message: 'Open science for all!' A philanthropist and independent researcher, Jesse was instrumental to reviving a new wave of medical interest into psychedelic-assisted therapy starting in the 1990s. This new form of therapy offers a revolutionary approach to treating the rising cases of depression and anxiety in the U.S. But Jesse began to see this pioneering research pillaged by Big Pharma, as soon as it showed commercial value as a breakthrough treatment for mental illness." (01/10/22)
https://prospect.org/power/rollups-emerging-magic-mushroom-monopoly/
-----
38) Bolsonaro Gave Brazil's Army New Powers. The Generals Won't Give Them Up Easily.
Source: The Intercept
by Andrew Fishman
"Not since the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985 has the army enjoyed such power. The military has used Bolsonaro's presidency as a vehicle to reclaim political power more subtly than in the past while also more effectively shielding itself from public resentment. Riding the far-right wave, 72 military and police candidates were elected to state and federal office in 2018. Two years later, 859 more won municipal contests. Military officials ascended to top appointments in government. Some of them were revealed to be at the center of the Bolsonaro administration's most brazen public corruption schemes and anti-democratic actions. So far, the military appointees have avoided prosecution, or even much scrutiny, perhaps thanks to not-so-veiled threats to Congress and members of the media." (01/10/22)
https://theintercept.com/2022/01/10/brazil-military-power-jair-bolsonaro/
-----
39) Stop vilifying the unvaccinated
Source: spiked
by Rakib Ehsan
"The 'unvaccinated' are increasingly being vilified by certain sections of the British political and media class. In December, broadcaster Andrew Neil wrote in the Daily Mail that 'it's time to punish Britain's five million vaccine refuseniks,' who 'through fear, ignorance, irresponsibility or sheer stupidity refuse to be jabbed.' Former prime minister Tony Blair has called unvaccinated people 'idiots.' And now Emily Sheffield, the former editor of the Evening Standard, writes that 'the unvaccinated of [London] need to pay with their freedoms, not ours.' The elite demonisation of Britain's unvaccinated citizens is helping no one. Slandering individuals on the basis of their vaccination status and suggesting the use of authoritarian measures to force people to get the jab won't do much to increase vaccination rates. But it will divide society and turn people against one another." (01/10/22)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/01/10/stop-vilifying-the-unvaccinated/
-----
40) Gun Control Comes from a Place of Privilege
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Patrick Carroll
"[P]rogressives are typically pretty good at pointing out places where privilege is leading to blindness and hubris (indeed, they often see privilege even where it doesn't exist). But there's one occurance of privilege that always seems to get a pass, and that is the privilege associated with gun control. Consider, for example, someone who's from a wealthy, safe neighborhood. They know very little about what it's like to live in a high-crime area. They have probably never been robbed or threatened with violence from a total stranger. And if they do face threats, they have no qualms with calling the (armed) police who are usually responsive and happy to help. Now compare that to the experience of someone from a rougher part of town." (01/10/22)
https://fee.org/articles/gun-control-comes-from-a-place-of-privilege/
-----
41) No, Biden hasn't saved the economy
Source: Fox News
by Stephen Moore & Erwin Antoni
"Most economists and analysts saw the jobs report for December as a disappointment, but not Joe Biden. Instead, shortly after the announcement he rushed to the cameras and took a victory lap on the economy. Biden boasted that no president in recent times has had a better first year in office when it comes to the kitchen table issues affecting Americans wallets. That may have been a jaw-dropper for most Americans given that the latest polls by Scott Rasmussen show Biden's approval rating on handling the economy underwater at below 30%. The president also declared 'supply side economics' and Trump's strategy of deregulation and tax rate cuts a failure, compared to his strategy of blitzing the economy with government debt-financed spending. Not so fast." (01/10/22)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/no-biden-hasnt-saved-economy-stephen-moore-erwin-antoni
-----
42) SCOTUS Will Block OSHA Vax Mandate. Limits on Federal Power Still Matter
Source: Cato Institute
by Ilya Shapiro
"Based on Friday's Supreme Court oral argument, it seems that sanity will prevail and the justices will block the federal private‐sector vaccine mandate, an 'emergency' standard the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced in November. Just as the Court blocked the Centers for Disease Control's eviction moratorium last summer, six justices are now clearly troubled by a claim of sweeping regulatory authority based on flimsy statutory text." (01/10/22)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/scotus-will-block-osha-vax-mandate-limits-federal-power-still-matter
-----
43) Dealing With Violence
Source: Freeman's Perspective
by Paul Rosenberg
"One of the first things to understand about violence is that it never proves anyone right or wrong. People portray it that way, but it's a ridiculous concept. Having better weapons or faster fists means absolutely nothing about being right or wrong; it's primitive force, and nothing else. And yet, sometimes primitive force does matter. We certainly have to use it against wild animals: sensible cooperation with them simply isn't possible. And, sadly, there are people with whom reasonable cooperation isn't possible." (01/10/22)
https://freemansperspective.com/dealing-with-violence/
-----
44) Quantum Vibe, 01/10/22
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (01/10/22)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2306
-----
45) The Murderous Corporate Psychopaths Who Never Go to Prison
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
"Alfred Ruf poisoned his wife as part of a scheme to get rich off her life insurance. So did Dr. Gregory 'Brent' Dennis, who was looking at a $2 million payout. Joshua Hunsucker poisoned his wife for a mere $250K in life insurance money, $80,000 of which he used to buy a boat. David L. Pettis poisoned his wife for $150,000. I don't know the names of the men who poisoned and killed my father and my brother Stan, who died last Thursday, but I know where they worked and why they did it: just like Ruf, Dennis, Hunsucker and Pettis, they intentionally and knowingly took actions they knew would result in death when they sold asbestos to my dad's employer and got my brother addicted to tobacco." (01/10/22)
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/10/murderous-corporate-psychopaths-who-never-go-prison
-----
46) How to Eliminate the Threat of Nuclear War: A Strategy of Non-Intervention
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Bas Spliet
"Around this time last year, nuclear weapons became illegal. Well, sort of. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, an international agreement adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 after a majority of countries voted in its favor, entered into force on January 22, 2021 as Honduras became the 50th country to ratify the treaty. Overnight, the testing, development, production, possession and transfer of nuclear weapons was banned. But here comes the rub. The treaty is only binding on those nations that joined. Unsurprisingly, the countries that actually possess or host nuclear weapons, as well as all NATO members, have boycotted the initiative, thereby rendering it powerless." (01/10/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/how-to-eliminate-the-threat-of-nuclear-war-a-strategy-of-non-intervention/
-----
47) Offer Russia a Solution, Not a Policy Placebo
Source: Antiwar.com
by Doug Bandow
"The US and Russia are talking again today, but this time focused on Ukraine. The two sides are discussing President Vladimir Putin's demand that America and NATO respect Moscow's security interests. Having treated Russia as of no account since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington policymakers have reacted in disbelief to Moscow's demand to be treated as an equal. That another nation would dare reject America's God-given right as the exceptional nation to intervene anywhere on earth at any time and in any way is insolent, even threatening. On Capitol Hill both Republicans and Democrats are pushing for confrontation and even war, including the use of nuclear weapons. In contrast, the Europeans aren't interested in doing much, and certainly have no intention to fight for Kyiv." (01/10/22)
https://original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2022/01/09/offer-russia-a-solution-not-a-policy-placebo/
-----
48) America Must Stay Away from Kazakhstan's Troubles
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
"Despite Russian hints, there is no evidence that the United States was involved in the latest violent protests in Kazakhstan. However, there now exists a strong temptation for America to get involved -- and it is a temptation that must be firmly resisted by the Biden administration. Aspects of the latest unrest remain unclear. It has been suggested that it was partly caused by struggles within the Kazakh elites between supporters and opponents of former President Nur-Sultan Nazarbayev, who until this week retained considerable power over the government. The most important underlying reason for the unrest however is entirely clear. It lies in the gross mismatch between Kazakhstan's huge revenues from energy exports (more than $30 billion in 2021), the vast wealth of its elites, and the poverty of the mass of its population, with an average household income last year of only $3,200." (01/10/22)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/01/10/america-must-stay-away-from-kazakhstans-troubles/
-----
49) Hey Dems, We Got Your Election Reforms Right Here
Source: Town Hall
Kurt Schlichter
"The Dems are right that we need election reform to save our democracy. I propose that we change how we conduct elections, good and hard. Now, the Democrats have a very different objective in reforming the election system than we do. They seek to make it easier for lazy and stupid people to vote. This is perfectly reasonable, considering that the indolent and idiotic make up key components of the Democrat coalition. Further, they want to flood the system with unaccountable votes in order to allow themselves to cheat. In this way, they can steal wins where otherwise voters would reject them for their incompetence, corruption, and general tiresomeness." (01/10/22)
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2022/01/10/hey-dems-we-got-your-election-reforms-right-here-n2601597
-----
50) What Constitutes Incitement?
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Van Buren
"After five years of failed, false accusations against Trump (Russiagate on down), how valid of an election strategy is it to twist vernacular definitions into quasi-legal ones? After so many instances of crying wolf (walls closing in, tick tock, etc.), will doing it all again, over and over again, about the events of January 6, actually win votes for the Democratic candidate, or will voters finally realize the Emperor's arguments about Trump have no clothes on and just stop listening? ... The propaganda/journalism mandarins have failed to sway many minds. To succeed will require something real, an actual court finding Trump actually guilty of an actual crime that meets the expectations set after flinging around words like treason and sedition for a year." (01/10/22)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-constitutes-incitement/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 01/10/22
Source: Reason
"What would Lemmy Kilmister say about January 6?" [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://reason.com/podcast/2022/01/10/masking-in-the-moshpit/
-----
52) Free Talk Live, 01/10/22
Source: Free Talk Live
"Novak Djokovic Released into Australia :: Bitcoin Attacked for Price Dip :: Metaverse :: Mark Edge on Free Talk Live Again :: Federal Presence in a Free New Hampshire :: National Guard Restriction Proposal :: VR Applications :: Living in a Simulation :: Hearing Aid Sarah :: Gaming :: Cops Ignore Robbery to Play Pokemon Go :: Alexa Recommends Dangerous Penny Challenge :: Show: 2022-01-10 Ian, Bonnie, Aria." [Flash audio or MP3] (01/10/22)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2022-01-10
-----
53) Commentary Podcast, 01/10/22
Source: Commentary
"Russian Demands, American Plans." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://www.commentary.org/abe-greenwald/3176658/
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/10/22
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"Credibility In Shreds: CDC's Shocking Admission On Covid Deaths." [Flash video] (01/10/22)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/credibility-in-shreds-cdcs-shocking-admission-on-covid-deaths
-----
55) Lions of Liberty Podcast, 01/10/22
Source: Lions of Liberty
"Shup Up and Build Something, with Isaac Morehouse." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/isaacmorehouse
-----
56) The Bryan Hyde Show, 01/10/22
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
"You know how I can be certain that there is no such thing as a mass formation psychosis that is taking hold of a large segment of the population? Because the major propaganda organs of our time, including Big Tech, mass media and their political allies have unanimously concluded that no such thing exists. And if we can't trust them to tell us the truth, who can we trust?" [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://thebryanhydeshow.podbean.com/e/2022-january-10-the-bryan-hyde-show-hour-one/
-----
57) Do You Buy That ..., 01/10/22
Source: FiveThirtyEight
"Jan. 6 Strengthened Trump's Hold On The Republican Party?" [Flash video] (01/10/22)
https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/do-you-buy-that-jan-6-strengthened-trumps-hold-on-the-republican-party/
-----
58) EconTalk, 01/10/22
Source: EconTalk
"Gregory Zuckerman on the Crazy Race to Create the COVID Vaccine." [Flash audio or MP3] (01/10/22)
https://www.econtalk.org/gregory-zuckerman-on-the-crazy-race-to-create-the-covid-vaccine/
-----
59) Daniel McAdams on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
"Daniel McAdams on the Unfolding Revolution in Kazakhstan." [various formats] (01/10/22)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/1-7-22-daniel-mcadams-on-the-unfolding-revolution-in-kazakhstan/
-----
60) Conflicts Of Interest, episode 213
Source: Libertarian Institute
"American Leaders Choose Backing Neo-Nazis Over Diplomacy with Russia." [various formats] (01/09/22)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-213-american-leaders-choose-backing-neo-nazis-over-diplomacy-with-russia/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages