03/23 -- UK: Major raids, seven arrests after London attack; Trump's wars
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Thomas L. Knapp
Mar 23, 2017, 6:47:18 AM3/23/17
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 03/23/17
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Today's Freedom News:
1) UK: Major raids, seven arrests after London attack
2) US House Intelligence chair admits Trump's wiretap claims were true
3) Defying Trump, US House's Freedom Caucus says they'll oppose RyanCare
4) Norway: Regime grants political asylum to Turkish officers
5) US officials visit Bolivia in attempt to restore full diplomatic ties
6) AR: Hutchinson signs bill requiring increased state respect for gun rights
7) MD: Immigration authoritarians welcome high school rape as chance to grandstand
8) Hackers threaten to remotely wipe 300 million iPhones unless Apple pays ransom
9) HI: GOP pol resigns from "failing party," citing racist and sexist bullying
10) MI: Dashcam video shows trooper attacked, rescued by Good Samaritans
11) Report: Manafort had plan to benefit Putin government
12) Survey: Teen use has not increased throughout cannabis legalization
13) Police: At least 40 people watched teen's sexual assault on Facebook Live
14) Unpatchable "DoubleAgent" attack can hijack multiple Windows versions -- even your antivirus
15) US existing home sales fall more than expected; builder stocks fall
16) Germany: Regime to deport two native-born terror suspects
17) Syria: Dozens dead in "US-led" airstrike as coalition meets
18) CO: Former GOP leader said only Democrats committed voter fraud. Now he's charged with voter fraud.
19) US, South Korean regimes say latest North Korean missile test fails
20) UK joins US in electronic device security theater production
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump's wars
22) It's time to end America's longest war
23) I'll never support government dystopia
24) Government funding of science is a curse
25) Hillary Clinton & her rotten Brazile nuts
26) Is Trump's budget really "draconian, careless and counterproductive?"
27) Greater imports are both an effect AND a cause of economic growth
28) Criminal justice reform: Addressing the costs of incarceration
29) It is NOT about "helping people"
30) Driverless future?
31) Trump brags that he cost a man his livelihood
32) Jeff Sessions's terrible truth about drugs is a lie
33) Our cotton colonies
34) Brothers and sisters, we don't have to put up with this shit
35) Further unanchoring is not strictly about inflation
36) The Republican reckoning on health care
37) Ending our secret alliance with victimhood: Toward an adult politics
38) Donald Trump's Whig is showing
39) Betsy DeVos's "school choice" fallacy
40) What rights do I have when I've been arrested?
41) Could the president spy on his political opponents?
42) Help that hurts: The case of US food aid
43) Google ads: Free speech on trial
44) Deficit spending for the working class Canadians
45) ObamaCare repeal vs. reality
46) Adam Schiff: Grifter, racketeer, warmonger
47) Patents are a big part of why we can't own nice things: The Supreme Court should fix that
48) Where does your health insurance premium go?
49) RyanCare is worse than ObamaCare
50) Trump proposes a budget
Today's Freedom Podcast & Video
51) Dissent! with Jared Labell, episode 1
52) Foreign Policy Focus, episode 17
53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/22/17
54) Electric Libertyland, episode 12
55) Intercepted Podcast, 03/22/17
56) Freedom Feens Radio, 03/22/17
57) Editor's Break, episode 21
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 873
59) Free Talk Live, 03/21/17
60) The Jason Stapleton Program, episode 563
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FREEDOM NEWS
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1) UK: Major raids, seven arrests after London attack
Source: US News & World Report
"British police conducted major raids and arrested seven people in connection with the attack outside Parliament that left four dead, including the man who mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and fatally stabbed an officer, a senior police official said Thursday. Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley said that he believed the attacker acted alone and was 'inspired by international terrorism.' Police searched six addresses, including some in the central city of Birmingham, and arrested seven people in connection with Wednesday's attack by a knife-wielding man, Rowley said." (03/23/17)
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2) US House Intelligence chair admits Trump's wiretap claims were true
Source: Los Angeles Times
"U.S. intelligence agencies picked up communications involving members of the Trump transition team late last year and reports of the conversations were circulated within the government, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday. 'I recently confirmed that on numerous occasions, the intelligence community collected information on U.S. individuals involved in the Trump transition,' Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) told reporters. ... Nunes said 'sources,' whom he did not identify, provided him the information about communications intercepts involving Trump transition members." (03/22/17)
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3) Defying Trump, US House's Freedom Caucus says they'll oppose RyanCare
Source: The Hill
"The conservative House Freedom Caucus said it remains opposed to the House GOP's ObamaCare replacement legislation Wednesday despite pressure from President Trump. Speaking to reporters outside a Freedom Caucus meeting after a White House meeting, the group called on leaders to start over on ObamaCare, saying the replacement bill does not have the votes to pass Thursday. ... A spokesman for the Freedom Caucus separately tweeted that more than 25 members remained opposed to the bill. House GOP leaders can only afford about 22 defections, given expected absences from the vote. 'Nothing has changed,' said Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), adding 'there was nothing new' from the White House meeting." (03/22/17)
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4) Norway: Regime grants political asylum to Turkish officers
Source: Lompoc Record
"A group of Turkish military officers based in Norway who had refused to return home after the failed July 15 coup attempt, were granted political asylum Wednesday. 'I can confirm they have gotten political asylum in Norway. We are talking about a number of officers, based in Norway and who had been ordered home after the coup,' lawyer Kjell M. Brygfjeld told The Associated Press." (03/22/17)
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5) US officials visit Bolivia in attempt to restore full diplomatic ties
Source: PanAm Post
"United States officials traveled to Bolivia this week for the first time since 2008 in an attempt to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations. United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Michael Fitzpatrick met with three of the Foreign Ministry's deputy ministers and expressed his desire to establish working groups to improve diplomatic relations." (03/22/17)
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6) AR: Hutchinson signs bill requiring increased state respect for gun rights
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
"Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed a sweeping gun rights measure into law on Wednesday that will allow concealed handguns at state colleges, some bars, government buildings and even the state Capitol. The measure approved by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson allows someone with a concealed handgun license to carry at the locations if they undergo up to eight hours of active-shooter training. Hutchinson chaired a National Rifle Association task force that called for trained, armed staff at schools after the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. 'This bill, in my view, reflects the will of the General Assembly and is constitutional and will balance public safety and the Second Amendment,' Hutchinson said at a news conference after signing the measure. The law takes effect Sept. 1, but Arkansas residents likely won't be allowed to carry concealed weapons into the expanded locations until early next year." (03/22/17)
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7) MD: Immigration authoritarians welcome high school rape as chance to grandstand
Source: BBC [UK state media]
"An alleged rape at a US high school has sparked a row over immigration that has reached all the way to the White House. Two Central American-born students are in custody after a 14-year-old girl was attacked last week at Rockville High School in Maryland, police say. The White House said 'tragedies like this' had motivated President Trump's illegal immigration 'crackdown.' On Tuesday night, protesters gathered outside the school, some expressing concern about undocumented immigrants. Henry Sanchez, 18, and Jose Montano, 17, were charged in the alleged assault, which the victim said took place in a boy's toilet at the beginning of the school day last Thursday." (03/22/17)
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8) Hackers threaten to remotely wipe 300 million iPhones unless Apple pays ransom
Source: The Hacker News
"If you use iCloud to sync your Apple devices, your private data may be at risk of getting exposed or deleted by April 7th. It has been found that a mischievous group of hackers claiming to have access to over 300 million iCloud accounts is threatening Apple to remotely wipe data from those millions of Apple devices unless Apple pays it $75,000 in crypto-currency or $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards." (03/21/17)
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9) HI: GOP pol resigns from "failing party," citing racist and sexist bullying
Source: Raw Story
"Hawaii Rep. Beth Fukumoto (R) announced on Wednesday that she would be leaving the Republican Party and is seeking to join the Democratic Party instead. KITV 4 reports Fukumoto 'cited racism and sexism as the core reasons why she's leaving' during a press conference. Fukumoto was ousted by the Hawaii GOP from her position as House Minority Leader last month after she participated in the Women's March. She said the party was 'getting increasingly hostile to different opinions,' explaining she had previously been 'booed for about 10 minutes straight for raising concerns about President Trump, then nominee Trump, and the way he treated women and minorities.'" (03/22/17)
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10) MI: Dashcam video shows trooper attacked, rescued by Good Samaritans
Source: Fox News
"Dashcam video of a police chase that ended with a Michigan State Police Trooper being attacked, then rescued by Good Samaritans, has been released. The video from the February 20 chase was released Monday. Trooper Garry Guild started pursuing Michael Barber, 21, who was riding a motorcycle he had allegedly stolen. Barber slowed once, before crashing while trying to elude Guild. When Guild is trying to arrest Barber, Barber's brother, Travis Wise, 19, arrives and jumps Guild, and puts him in a chokehold. Two motorists stop shortly after and help Guild. Barber and Wise are both charged with assault, resisting an officer, and several other counts." (03/22/17)
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11) Report: Manafort had plan to benefit Putin government
Source: Raleigh News & Observer
"President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed an ambitious political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics, The Associated Press has learned. The work appears to contradict assertions by the Trump administration and Manafort himself that he never worked for Russian interests." (03/22/17)
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12) Survey: Teen use has not increased throughout cannabis legalization
Source: Smell the Truth
"Opponents of marijuana legalization have long argued that it will only lead to increased use in teens, but a new study has proven that to be wrong. The latest Washington State Healthy Youth Survey found that the 2016 rate of teen marijuana use has remained steady since the state voted to legalize the substance in 2012, reports the Washington Post. The state-run survey of 37,000 middle and high school students found no measurable effect on the rate of teen marijuana use, either from the state's 2012 decision to legalize recreational use, nor the 2014 implementation of retail dispensaries. 'The data coming out of Washington and Colorado strongly suggest that those states' legalization experiments, which began in earnest in 2014, are not causing any spike in use among teenagers,' wrote the Post's Christopher Ingraham. The Healthy Youth Survey also falls in line with surveys from Colorado, which saw a sharp decline in teen marijuana use during 2014 and 2015, despite the state's popular reputation for legal cannabis." (03/22/17)
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13) Police: At least 40 people watched teen's sexual assault on Facebook Live
Source: CNN
"Chicago Police are searching for as many as six people involved in the sexual assault of a teenage girl that was broadcast on Facebook Live, a police spokesman said. The video shows at least five to six males -- some possibly juveniles -- sexually assaulting the 15-year-old, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. At least 40 people were watching the live stream at one point and no one called police, Guglielmi said." (03/22/17)
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14) Unpatchable "DoubleAgent" attack can hijack multiple Windows versions -- even your antivirus
Source: The Hacker News
"A team of security researchers from Cybellum, an Israeli zero-day prevention firm, has discovered a new Windows vulnerability that could allow hackers to take full control of your computer. Dubbed DoubleAgent, the new injecting code technique works on all versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems, starting from Windows XP to the latest release of Windows 10." (03/21/17)
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15) US existing home sales fall more than expected; builder stocks fall
Source: Investor's Business Daily
"Existing-home sales fell 3.7% to an annual rate of 5.48 million, the National Association of Realtors said, worse than expected. Economists had expected a drop to 5.555 million after resales soared to their fastest pace of the recovery in January. Existing-home prices rose 7.7% vs. a year earlier to $228,400. A separate FHFA home price gauge showed existing-home values were flat in January vs. December, the weakest since November 2013 and far below views. The 5.7% annual gain was the smallest in 2-1/2 years." (03/22/17)
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16) Germany: Regime to deport two native-born terror suspects
Source: Deutsche Welle [Germany]
"Two men who police believe planned an attack in the city of Gottingen have failed in their bid to avoid deportation. The Algerian [sic] and Nigerian [sic] will be repatriated [sic] to Africa despite both being born in Germany. ... The two men, who had been under surveillance for some time due to their alleged support for the 'Islamic State' (IS) armed group, were both born in Germany and live with their parents in Gottingen. On Tuesday, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig agreed that their deportation should proceed, despite a legal bid to win a reprieve, as they had not yet committed serious crimes. The regional interior ministry had requested the pair's expulsion after classifying them as a threat to national security." (03/22/17)
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17) Syria: Dozens dead in "US-led" airstrike as coalition meets
Source: Yahoo! News
"A US-led coalition strike is reported to have killed 33 civilians in northern Syria ahead of a Wednesday meeting of top officials in Washington focused on defeating the Islamic State group. Rebels and jihadists pressed offensives inside the capital Damascus and the central province of Hama, just a day before new UN-brokered peace talks open in Geneva." (03/22/17)
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18) CO: Former GOP leader said only Democrats committed voter fraud. Now he's charged with voter fraud.
Source: Washington Post
"The 2016 election was just a month away when Steve Curtis, a conservative radio host and former Colorado Republican Party chairman, devoted an entire episode of his morning talk show to the heated topic of voter fraud. 'It seems to me,' Curtis said in the 42-minute segment, 'that virtually every case of voter fraud I can remember in my lifetime was committed by Democrats.' On Tuesday, Colorado prosecutors threw a wrench into that already dubious theory, accusing Curtis of voter fraud for allegedly filling out and mailing in his ex-wife's 2016 ballot for president, Denver's Fox affiliate reported. Curtis, 57, was charged in Weld County District Court with one count of misdemeanor voter fraud and one count of forgery, a Class 5 felony, according to local media." (03/22/17)
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19) US, South Korean regimes say latest North Korean missile test fails
Source: Boston Herald
"North Korea's latest missile launch ended in failure on Wednesday as the United States sent a supersonic bomber streaking over ally South Korea in a show of force against the North, officials said. The reported launch failure comes as the North angrily reacts to ongoing annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that landed in waters off Japan, triggering strong protests from Seoul and Tokyo." (03/22/17)
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20) UK joins US in electronic device security theater production
Source: ETtech [India]
"United Kingdom has announced a ban on certain electronic devices being allowed in the cabin on Britain-bound flights from six Middle East countries. This moves comes on heels of United States announcing a similar ban on electronic devices carried by travelers coming to the United States from 10 airports mainly in the Middle East and North Africa [to keep people scared of] unspecified terror threats." (03/22/17)
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FREEDOM COMMENTARY
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21) Trump's wars
Source: Cato Institute
by Emma Ashford
"Trump's foreign policy approach during the campaign can be charitably described as incoherent. On the one hand, he openly admitted that the Iraq war had been a mistake, and repeatedly criticized the money wasted on pointless Middle East conflicts. These ideas, unorthodox for a Republican candidate but popular with the general public, helped to win him votes. But on the other hand, candidate Trump often contradicted himself, calling for the use of overwhelming force in the fight against the Islamic State group, and promising a massive increase in U.S. military spending. The candidate's militaristic worldview frequently came through in his off-the-cuff remarks, most memorably when he told a rally of supporters, 'I love war, in a certain way.' Sadly, since his inauguration, Trump has pursued the second of these two approaches." (03/22/17)
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22) It's time to end America's longest war
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
"If the Korean War was a person, it would be old enough to collect Social Security benefits. It began on June 25, 1950 .... Coming up on 67 years later, it continues. The two Korean regimes still consider themselves at war, the US government still keeps nearly 30,000 US troops deployed along the ironically named 'Demilitarized Zone' separating the two countries, and the situation remains as tense and sporadically violent as ever since 1953 when a temporary ceasefire was signed. Today, South Korea is twice as populous and 35 times as wealthy (in terms of Gross Domestic Product) as the North, boasting the 11th largest economy in the world (North Korea ranks 113th). In what universe does it make sense for American taxpayers to continue picking up a substantial portion of the check for South Korea's defense from its smaller, poorer, less industrially advanced neighbor?" (03/22/17)
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23) I'll never support government dystopia
Source: The Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
"Utopia isn't an option. Even if you had the power to set up society the way you think it should be, reality would step in and make your Utopia imperfect. Expect the unexpected and remember it's impossible to plan for everything. The most important thing to keep in mind: No one can design a society. The belief that it can be done is a conceit common to governments and people who believe in them. Societies grow from the bottom up, they are not designed or imposed from the top down." (03/22/17)
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24) Government funding of science is a curse
Source: A Geek With Guns
by Christopher Burg
"Resource misallocation has plagued science for decades. Instead of science that focuses on the market (that would be you and me), companies have been allocating resources for the State's pet projects in order to obtain government funding (which takes the form of tax dollars stolen from you and me). With less government funding to go around researchers would once again have to rely on the market to decide where resources were allocated. That would mean more research into making better goods and services instead of whatever idiotic pet project some random politician drummed up. Of course, since the military budget is going up resource misallocation will continue to plagues science." (03/22/17)
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25) Hillary Clinton & her rotten Brazile nuts
Source: Authority!
by Timothy J Taylor
"Remember how Brazile over and over again vehemently denied that she passed town hall debate questions on to Hillary that would be asked during the debates so that Clinton would have a heads up advantage against Sanders? ... Remember how Hillary Clinton kept her mouth shut and lips zipped tight about the allegations against Brazile and her campaign cheating Sanders and rigging the primary process against him? ... Well now, at long last, Brazile admits that she did in fact use her CNN position several times to pass debate questions to Clinton before the debate. ... but Hillary Clinton will never admit her part in it. That's because Hillary Clinton is a fundamentally dishonest human being." (03/22/17)
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26) Is Trump's budget really "draconian, careless and counterproductive?"
Source: Fox News Forum
by John Stossel
"'Devastating!' shouts Chuck Schumer. Even Republicans are unhappy. Big spending 'conservative' congressman Hal Rogers calls President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts 'draconian, careless and counterproductive.' But Trump's cuts are good! Why do politicians always assume that government spending helps people? It always has unintended consequences. Foreign aid is attached to idealistic notions like ending global poverty and making friends abroad. Politicians also thought that by rewarding countries that behave well, America could steer the whole world toward responsible practices like holding elections and allowing companies (especially U.S. companies) to operate without interference. The young nation of Israel could be propped up with money for its military defense and infrastructure projects. But today, the U.S. sends money to friends and foes alike, and it's hard to know what those countries do with it. Israel gets billions of dollars -- but we give even more money to Israel's enemies." (03/22/17)
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27) Greater imports are both an effect AND a cause of economic growth
Source: Cafe Hayek
by Don Boudreaux
"Mr. Huang's above-quoted passage creates the false impression that the only connection between economic growth and increased imports is that the former causes the latter. In fact, however, access to imports -- both as final consumption goods and as intermediate goods -- is itself an important source of economic growth. Americans' acquisition of foreign-made products at prices lower than the costs we'd incur to produce these items at home means that we spend fewer resources acquiring these items and, thus, have more resources available to create new firms and industries, and to expand and improve existing ones." (03/22/17)
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28) Criminal justice reform: Addressing the costs of incarceration
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Patrick Tuohey
"Missouri has a criminal justice problem. While the spike in homicides in Kansas City captures a lot of attention, as it should, it isn't our only challenge. Rates of property crime and violent crime in Missouri are higher than the national average, and our state has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country. Research suggests that Missouri can adopt policies that will reduce recidivism and prison costs." (03/22/17)
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29) It is NOT about "helping people"
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
"It seems that eighty of New York''s upper class have written the NY State governor and legislators telling them that they and other wealthy New Yorkers ought to pay more taxes; 2 billion dollars more, in fact, to do their 'fair share' to 'support schools, roads, bridges and programs to help poor and homeless residents of the state.' The names include Soros, a Rockefeller (not the one who just died), and a Disney. It is, of course, utter nonsense .... this strikes me as an example of their arrogance and selfishness. There is, I am sure, absolutely NOTHING in the law -- federal or state (or even that tyrannical police state of the City of New York) -- that PREVENTS ANY of them from whipping out their gem-crusted checkbook and writing a check to 'The Treasurer of the State of New York' with as many zeros (or nines) as they want as often as they like." (03/22/17)
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30) Driverless future?
Source: The American Prospect
by Steven Greenhouse
"Five to ten years from now, Uber hopes, the following will be an everyday occurrence: A driverless Uber car pulls up at Nick and Nicole Smith's house at 7:30 in the morning. Their two kids, Julia, 16, and Joey, 14, hop into the car, and it then drops them off at school. The Uber car returns to the Smiths' suburban home, picks up Nick and Nicole, and drops Nicole at the train station to catch the 7:55 into the city. The car then drives 40 minutes to drop off Nick at his company's headquarters nestled in an office park. During the drive, Nick uses his laptop to answer emails and finish a PowerPoint." [editor's note: This writer's fear is our dream – SAT] (03/21/17)
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31) Trump brags that he cost a man his livelihood
Source: The Atlantic
by Conor Friedersdorf
"During the 2016 election, dozens of voters told me they would vote for Donald Trump partly because they were sick of 'social justice warriors' and political correctness. 'There is no saying 'Hey, I disagree with you,' it's just instant shunning,' a 22-year-old told me in a long exchange on the subject. 'Say things online, and they'll try to find out who you are and potentially even get you fired for it.' Nothing was less popular among this cohort than those who targeted someone's job, or took glee in their denying them the ability to earn a living, over their speech or political views. And yet, as best I can tell, they are silent this week. There is no appreciable backlash among President Trump's supporters to a Kentucky rally where he gleefully bragged about his role in publicly shaming a man for his political views, and the ongoing inability of that man to find a job because of his call-out." (03/22/17)
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32) Jeff Sessions's terrible truth about drugs is a lie
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"'Our nation needs to say clearly once again that using drugs will destroy your life,' Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared last week. The main problem with that message: It isn't true. Yes, using drugs, both legal and illegal ones, can destroy your life, but typically it doesn't. By arguing that drug education should proceed from a false premise, Sessions reminds us what was wrong with the Just Say No propaganda he would like to revive." (03/22/17)
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33) Our cotton colonies
Source: In These Times
by Meta Krese
"The history of cotton is tightly braided into the history of Western capitalism. A major thread of the British Empire, the crop helped weave the efficient and ruthless structures of today's globalized economy. The T-shirts we buy at retailers like Gap and H&M may feel far removed from the bloody past of a crop synonymous in the 19th century with slavery and sweatshops. But when one follows the global supply chain of cotton growers, workers, traders and factory owners, it becomes increasingly apparent that capitalism has not, in fact, traveled far at all from its bloody origins. Cotton is a flexible crop. It will grow anywhere rain is plentiful and temperatures remain above freezing for at least 200 days a year. Archaeological records show that humans have cultivated it for millennia in Africa, India, Central America and South America." (03/21/17)
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34) Brothers and sisters, we don't have to put up with this shit
Source: The Anarchist Shemale
by Aria DiMezzo
"Don't get me wrong. I know the media doesn't care about my trust. They've successfully polarized the nation into liberals and conservatives, and the result is that it doesn't matter what a news outlet reports. Liberals will accuse conservative outlets of bias and untruthful reporting, and conservatives will accuse liberal outlets of bias and untruthful reporting. Each and every issue gets carved into two halves, and what the average American believes is far more dependent on their political views than anything that might resemble truth. Naturally, this leads to shocking amounts of hysteria and hypocrisy." (03/21/17)
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35) Further unanchoring is not strictly about inflation
Source: Cobden Centre
by Jeffrey P Snider
"The defining mantra for monetary policy is that it is better to have 2% inflation than risk 1933. But how does one get 2% inflation? In truth, by Greenspan's own words, and not just those of this one speech, they didn't really know. FOMC deliberations no longer tied to money meant considerations about a great deal of economic as well as financial indications and prices. It was a 'best judgment' regime, where policymakers determined well in advance when pressures, either toward inflation or its opposite, were detected. " (03/22/17)
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36) The Republican reckoning on health care
Source: USA Today
by Jill Lawrence
"Ronald Reagan wanted to shrink the government and Bill Clinton said the era of big government was over. But their talk was premature. There was still one great task for the world's wealthiest, most powerful nation to accomplish, and that was to make sure all Americans could get health care. The Affordable Care Act has put us closer to that goal than we've ever been, yet President Trump and many in the Republican Party appear determined to reverse these gains. Why? It sure seems like it's because they're wedded to ideological purity, the fantasy of a skeletal government, and a cruel political tactic (rip out 'Obamacare' root and branch) that has outlived its purpose." (03/21/17)
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37) Ending our secret alliance with victimhood: Toward an adult politics
Source: CounterPunch
by Kim C Domenico
"So much of what we muster excitement about in American politics, about which we feel passionate, is based in feeling injured, slighted, left out, wronged. The historic struggle for rights is premised on having been denied them, or experiencing threats to them, or wishing to ally with those whose rights have been violated. Now, perhaps because so much of what shapes our context is far out of our control, perhaps for other reasons, politics on the left has been reduced to precisely that, to identity politics." (03/22/17)
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38) Donald Trump's Whig is showing
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Christopher P Casey
"On February 28th, while addressing a joint session of Congress, President Trump quoted Abraham Lincoln and praised his economic philosophy: 'The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, warned that the 'abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government [will] produce want and ruin among our people.' Lincoln was right -- and it is time we heeded his words. I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers, be taken advantage of anymore.' In channeling Lincoln, Trump underscored the reversion of the Republican Party to its economic roots which embraced protectionism, state-sponsored infrastructure spending, and central banking. While a new party in Lincoln's day, its economic philosophy derived directly from the Whig Party and its champion, Henry Clay." (03/22/17)
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39) Betsy DeVos's "school choice" fallacy
Source: The New Republic
by Graham Vyse
"As Senator Patty Murray tells it, Luke was a middle-school boy who used a private school voucher program to attend Manatee Learning Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He did well at Manatee, but when he tried to switch schools for tenth grade, he realized his credits wouldn't transfer since Manatee (unbeknownst to him and his family) lacked accreditation. 'For all those glossy voucher program brochures,' Luke's grandmother Nadell Northrop wrote in a Medium post for the American Federation of Teachers, 'nobody running the program bothered to mention that schools taking voucher students didn't have to be accredited, and their teachers didn't have to be certified.' And so, instead of repeating a grade, Northrop's grandson simply dropped out of school altogether. 'Luke was a good student,' Murray said Wednesday in a speech at the Center for American Progress. 'We failed him.' Murray's point, as she also explained in a Wednesday memo to her Senate colleagues, was that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's school privatization agenda will hurt lots of students like Luke." [editor's note: You may or may not agree with this evaulation, but the concern is legit – SAT] (03/22/17)
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40) What rights do I have when I've been arrested?
Source: Cop Block
by Brian Debelle
"Most Americans are aware of their Miranda Rights. After the Miranda v. Arizona case in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court decided police must inform American citizens of their constitutional rights during arrest. These rights specifically include the right against self-incrimination (protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution) and the right to an attorney. This decision means that the police must read anyone they arrest Miranda Rights, explaining to the arrestee he or she has a right to an attorney and to not say anything that would be incriminating. Below we've provided explanations of your Miranda Rights and other civil rights concerning arrests and detainment." (03/22/17)
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41) Could the president spy on his political opponents?
Source: The American Conservative
by Neema Guliani
"The controversy continues over President Trump's Twitter storm accusing President Obama of wiretapping him. On Monday, members of Congress peppered FBI Director James Comey with questions about the claims, who once again dismissed them as lacking support. Even Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who originally defended Trump's claims, has defected. ... None of these statements seem to have affected President Trump, however, who continues to stand by his accusations. But regardless of whether these claims turn out to be completely false, which is all but certain now, they do raise a question that shouldn't be casually dismissed: Could President Obama's administration have surveiled his political opponents under its interpretation of the law? Could President Trump's administration now do the same? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. And that should make Republicans and Democrats nervous enough to work together to reform our surveillance laws." (03/22/17)
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42) Help that hurts: The case of US food aid
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Eric Schuler
"President Trump's discretionary budget proposal includes a $182 million cut to the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program, eliminating the program entirely. Whatever else one thinks of Trump's budget, this is a good idea. It will save taxpayers a small amount of money, which is nice. But far more importantly, canceling the program will also likely help the former recipients. This may sound like a surprising claim. How could eliminating aid be a good thing for the people that get the aid? It's a reasonable question with a complicated answer. Let's go through it." (03/22/17)
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43) Google ads: Free speech on trial
Source: spiked
by Naomi Firsht
"Those who are boycotting Google expect it to exert some kind of editorial control over what is published on its platforms. Google, naturally, does have guidelines for what can and can't be posted, but that doesn't mean it should be equated to a newspaper or official media outlet, like Reuters. Google and YouTube provide a space for anyone to publish material. They are not promoting any particular editorial line, nor should they. As Google is finding out, sticking up for free speech can be tough -- you find yourself defending the rights of hateful people to say hateful things. Unfortunately, that's often what it boils down to. After all, no one is going to propose a boycott of videos promoting world peace. But let's say Google gave into the pressure and removed the hundreds of anti-Semitic videos it is hosting. What then? Will we enter a new era free of anti-Semitism? Hardly." (03/22/17)
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44) Deficit spending for the working class Canadians
Source: Mises Canada
by Caleb McMillan
"While an Angus Reid poll from a December 2015 showed only a marginal concern about federal deficits, the fact that the federal government is spending more than it takes in in taxes is now a chief concern among Canadians. An Angus Reid Institute survey released Monday ranked deficits and federal government spending as the third 'most important issues facing Canada today,' trailing 'the economy' and 'health care.' The poll comes two days before the Liberal government's 2017 budget announcement." (03/21/17)
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45) ObamaCare repeal vs. reality
Source: Heartland Institute
by Jane M Orient, M.D.
"Most proponents of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) concede that the Act is 'not perfect.' But there is 'political reality' to consider -- what can make it through the congressional sausage-making machine? Already Congress is telling us the most important consideration for them: staying in power. The 2018 election will be a 'bloodbath' for Republicans if AHCA is not passed -- or else if it is passed. The outcome of the midterms supposedly depends on how unhappy the American people are. But the political reality is that the happiness of the donor class is far more important. Most of the donor class resides in the Swamp. Perhaps the best thing to say about AHCA is that it has the right enemies: the AMA, big hospitals, and some big insurers (who all favor ACA)." (03/21/17)
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46) Adam Schiff: Grifter, racketeer, warmonger
Source: Antiwar.com
by Justin Raimondo
"Schiff's opening statement is a model of McCarthyite smear-mongering. His first target is Carter Page, an oil company consultant tangentially associated with the Trump campaign, who is attacked by Schiff for the 'crime' of criticizing US foreign policy in a speech delivered while on a trip to Russia. He then cites the unverified (and largely nonsensical) 'dossier' compiled by MI6 agent Christopher Steele, who paid his informants for dirt on Trump, to the effect that Page had a secret meeting with a Putin confidante. Page was supposedly rewarded financially in a murky sale of the Russian gas giant Rosfnet: he was also supposedly offered 'documents' to be published by WikiLeaks, 'which give the Russians deniability.' Let's stop here and ask a question: Why would the Russians offer Page 'documents' that portray Hillary Clinton in a unfavorable light -- presumably the Podesta/DNC emails -- if WikiLeaks was going to publish them anyway? But logic has nothing to do with Schiff's conspiracy theory: the idea is to simply make 'links' based on a bought-and-paid-for 'dossier' and smear as many people associated with the Trump campaign as possible." (03/22/17)
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47) Patents are a big part of why we can't own nice things: The Supreme Court should fix that
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Kerry Sheehan
When you buy something physical -- a toaster, a book, or a printer, for examp -- you expect to be free to use it as you see fit: to adapt it to suit your needs, fix it when it breaks, re-use it, lend it, sell it, or give it away when you're done with it. Your freedom to do those things is a necessary aspect of your ownership of those objects. If you can't do them, because the seller or manufacturer has imposed restrictions or limitations on your use of the product, then you don't really own them. Traditionally, the law safeguards these freedoms by discouraging sellers from imposing certain conditions or restrictions on the sale of goods and property, and limiting the circumstances in which those restrictions may be imposed by contract. But some companies are relentless in their quest to circumvent and undermine these protections." (03/21/17)
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48) Where does your health insurance premium go?
Source: Independent Institute
by John R Graham
"AHIP, the trade association for health insurers, has a nifty infographic answering the question: 'Where does your premium dollar go?' Obviously designed to defray accusations that health insurers earn too much profit, the infographic shows 'net margin: of only three percent. A full 80 percent of our premium dollar goes to paying medical, hospital, and prescription claims.' Fair enough. However, the elephant in the infographic is the 18 percent of premium that goes to 'operating costs.' Lest you think that's a synonym for 'overhead' or 'bureaucracy,' AHIP helpfully explains: 'Operating costs include consumer-centric activities such as communicating with members, running customer service operations, quality reviews, and data analysis, among other activities.' Well, readers have to judge how 'consumer-centric' those operations are." (03/21/17)
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49) RyanCare is worse than ObamaCare
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Nathan Keeble
"After 7 years, Republicans finally have the chance to fulfill their promise of repealing Obamacare. With Republicans in control of all 3 branches of the federal government, the only thing standing in their way is themselves, apparently a formidable foe. Titled The American Health Care Act, the Republican establishment unveiled their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and it was quickly met with controversy among members of their own party. ... Senator Rand Paul has chosen to refer to the AHCA as Obamacare-lite. It's an apt name, as the bill keeps in place the majority of the Obamacare, namely the supposedly popular provisions." (03/22/17)
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50) Trump proposes a budget
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
"Will Donald Trump, infamously successful businessman, actually do something about the federal government's out-of-control deficits and mounting debt? ... Can united government under the GOP cut even these most obviously least necessary aspects of government subsidy? I'm not holding any pockets of air in my two lungs." (03/22/17)
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FREEDOM PODCAST & VIDEO
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51) Dissent! with Jared Labell, episode 1
Source: Libertarian Institute
"On the trial run of Dissent! with Jared Labell, I am joined by my colleague Scott Horton, managing director of the Libertarian Institute and opinion editor of Antiwar.com. Dissent! will feature a variety of interviews and guests discussing topics from a libertarian perspective, but we thought we would begin with a brief primer on the foreign policy front since this week marked the fourteenth anniversary of the start of George W. Bush's 2003 war on Iraq." [Flash audio or MP3] (03/22/17)
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52) Foreign Policy Focus, episode 17
Source: Foreign Policy Focus
"On FPF #17, I analyze the winners and losers of the War on Terror. The terror war has been long and bloody. The winners in the war are the US government and the jihadists. The citizens in the Middle East and the US are the losers of the war. I also update Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and NATO." [various formats] (03/22/17)
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53) The Libertarian Angle, 03/22/17
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
"FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss fiscal policy." [Flash video] (03/22/17)
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54) Electric Libertyland, episode 12
Source: Lions of Liberty
"On today's fantastic, new Electric Libertyland, host Brian McWilliams wakes up early to deliver the news of the day, which includes the dangers of inward-facing propaganda from the US government, Venezuela's ridiculous socialist failings that have led to new bread shortage, Rand Paul on John McCain, Donald Trump's flirtations with regime change, Seal Team Six training with South Korean military, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that police allowing a dog to maul an innocent man was legal, unregulated space tourism, and Judge Andrew Napolitano being pulled from Fox News over his wiretapping statements. Boogie on down." [various formats] (03/22/17)
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55) Intercepted Podcast, 03/22/17
Source: The Intercept
"This week on Intercepted: There are U.S. boots on the ground in Syria -- now including conventional military forces -- and more are reportedly on the way. ... We speak with veteran war correspondents Anand Gopal and Iona Craig, both of whom have been on the ground in U.S. wars under Trump. Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald talks about FBI Director James Comey's testimony on Capitol Hill, the threats to jail journalists, and he reveals new evidence debunking one of the most insidious lies told about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Also, did you know that the NSA has its own classified, internal newspaper? Actor William Camp stars in the real-life story of the spy whose secret column made him 'the Socrates of the NSA.'" [various formats] (03/22/17)
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56) Freedom Feens Radio, 03/22/17
Source: Freedom Feens Radio
"MWD, Nick and Veloschka discuss great MWD quotes, what liberty is NOT, what is the correct mousepocketing name for 'us,' and the problems with having 7 girlfriends at once. Also, our first recurring segment of the new game show 'BUT WHO WOULD BUILD THE ROADS????!!!!'" [various formats] (03/22/17)
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57) Editor's Break, episode 21
Source: Everything Voluntary
"Editor's Break 021 is a look at the opportunities that either found Skyler or were sought after over the course of his working career. Not every opportunity panned out, but every opportunity that did lead to greater and greater payoffs. Opportunities abound if you apply yourself and go after them." [various formats] (03/21/17)
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58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 873
Source: The Tom Woods Show
"Some people -- known popularly these days as Greenbackers –oppose the Federal Reserve for all the wrong reasons: it doesn't inflate enough (!), the bankers will wind up with all the money thanks to compound interest, there isn't enough money created to pay all the principal and interest of all the loans in the economy, etc. They want the Fed to be abolished so the U.S. government can issue the money directly. Not exactly a fundamental disagreement with the Fed! I take them on in this episode." [various formats] (03/21/17)
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59) Free Talk Live, 03/21/17
Source: Free Talk Live
"Constitutional Rights :: Suicide Intervention :: Judges on 9th Circuit Having Public Spat :: More on Judge Kozinski :: Israeli 911 Theory :: Caller Proposes Another Ron Paul :: Sarah Bag Lady :: Citizens United :: Trump and Organized Crime :: Green Cards :: Judge Napolitano Banned From FOX News? :: HOSTS -- Ian, Mark, Vincent." [Flash audio or MP3] (03/21/17)
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60) The Jason Stapleton Program, episode 563
Source: The Jason Stapleton Program
"I[n] a move of pure defiance the freedom caucus appears to have the votes necessary to block the new Republican health care replacement. To call it a replacement is quite a stretch. In reality, it is a modification of the Affordable Care Act that leaves in place most of the mandates from the ACA. It's a far cry from the platform Republicans have run on for the last eight years. This hasn't stopped the Republican leadership from spreading doom and gloom. In an attempt to secure passage of the new Obamacare Lite bill, they are suggesting that if they cannot pass healthcare that tax cuts might be in jeopardy. Today I'll break down the why and tell you exactly what you need to know." [various formats] (03/21/17)
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