06/11 -- UN Security Council passes Gaza cease-fire proposal; Doxxing Dissent
11 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 11, 2024, 6:26:07 AMJun 11
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/11/24
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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) UN Security Council passes Gaza cease-fire proposal
2) US regime lifts weapons ban on Ukrainian neo-Nazi gang
3) Jury begins deliberating in Hunter Biden’s unconstitutional gun case
4) Malawi: Aircraft carrying vice-president goes missing
5) MD: Shipping channel fully reopens two months after Key Bridge accident
6) Ambassador: US regime needs Japan’s help to boost military production
7) India: Modi names cabinet for coalition government after his party lost majority
8) Germany: Scholz dismisses snap election calls after EU poll rout
9) Congress wants Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI dispute
10) Russian regime, Belarus satrapy to conduct nuclear drills
11) MO: Governor turns down clemency for inmate facing execution on Tuesday
12) Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 50 in Raid on Northwest Village, Residents Say
13) FDA: Mushroom-infused “microdosing” chocolate bars sending people to the hospital
14) Houthi missiles strike two ships in the Gulf of Aden, US military says
15) Genetic testing firm 23andMe being investigated over hack
16) MA: Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators
17) France: Far-right National Rally projected to win snap election without absolute majority
18) Sudan: RSF targets last operating hospital in Darfur
19) Study: African elephants call each other by unique names
20) Bitfarms to Adopt “Poison Pill” Amid Riot Takeover Attempt
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Doxxing Dissent
22) Politicians Will Always Be Damn Rascals
23) Trade Deficits: Accounting Masquerading as Economics
24) Australian Censors Back Down, Highlighting the US as a Free Speech Haven
25) Apocalypse Never
26) The Absence (and Presence) of Daniel Ellsberg
27) A Saudi Treaty Is a Dangerous Trap
28) The Moral Psychology of the Whistleblower
29) Saving Gaza Is Also About Saving Ourselves
30) The Forgotten European Country with an Unforgettable Name
31) Biden crusade against US energy harms America and our allies
32) Where are the checks and balances against the Supreme Court?
33) Bird Flu, Fear, and Perverse Incentives
34) A Poll of Arab American Voters’ Message for Biden? Reverse Course on Gaza
35) Bureaucracy: The Red Tape that Prevents Economic Growth
36) On Conservatism and Risk Aversion
37) The US Economy Is Absolutely Fantastic
38) Interview: How to win a fight with the federal government
39) The Destruction of Julian Assange
40) Complicity in Genocide
41) Down With Digital Nomads
42) Could the GOP Do for Birth Control What It Did for Abortion?
43) Congress: Let Ukraine hit more targets inside Russia with US weapons
44) NATO When You Don’t Want It; No NATO When You Do
45) Despite climate-change hysterics, weather disasters have decreased
46) David Boaz: A Tribute to His Life and Legacy
47) Schooled Straight: Confronting the Cis Hetero Compulsory School System
48) The Pilgrim Code of 1636: English Charter, Christian Covenant, and Modern Constitution
49) Students, Gaza and a New Vision of Safety
50) Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Is “Big Government” Gone Mad
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/10/24
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/10/24
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 611
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 06/10/24
55) Strangers on the Internet, season 3, episode 62
56) EconTalk, 06/10/24
57) SolutionsWatch, 06/10/24
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 249
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/24
60) Free Talk Live, 06/09/24
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
LIBERTAS BELLA — LIBERTARIAN APPAREL
https://libertasbella.com/?rfsn=5518703.fba7280
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) UN Security Council passes Gaza cease-fire proposal
Source: NBC News
“The United Nations Security Council passed a U.S.-drafted cease-fire deal …. Phase one of the resolution, according to the UN, seeks an ‘immediate, full, and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.’ It also calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from ‘populated areas’ of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes, and the ‘safe and effective’ distribution of humanitarian assistance. Phase two includes a permanent end to hostilities ‘in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.’ Phase three would mark the start of a ‘a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza’ and the last remains of any of the dead hostages still in Gaza would be returned to Israel.” (06/10/24)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-calls-un-security-council-vote-cease-fire-proposal-gaza-rcna156373
-----
2) US regime lifts weapons ban on Ukrainian neo-Nazi gang
Source: Washington Post
“The Biden administration will allow a Ukrainian military unit with a checkered past [sic] to use U.S. weaponry, the State Department said Monday, having lifted a ban imposed years ago amid concerns in Washington about the group’s origins. The Azov Brigade, known for its tenacious but ultimately unsuccessful defense of the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol early in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is regarded as a particularly effective fighting force. But it was barred about a decade ago from using American arms because U.S. officials determined that some of its founders espoused racist, xenophobic and ultranationalist views, and U.N. human rights officials accused the group of humanitarian violations. … Russian President Vladimir Putin has long cited racist and ultranationalist elements of the Azov Battalion as an element of his accusation that Ukrainian fighters and their rulers in Kyiv are neo-Nazis.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/HOfxH
-----
3) Jury begins deliberating in Hunter Biden’s unconstitutional gun case
Source: USA Today
“Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges is now in the hands of the jury of 12 Delaware residents who will decide whether the president’s son illegally [sic] bought and owned a revolver while he was an unlawful drug user or addict. Biden, 54, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted of all three felony charges: lying on a federal screening form, lying to a gun dealer and possessing the gun. But first-time offenders on non-violent charges are typically given shorter sentences. The trial is historic because Biden is the first child of a sitting president to be tried for a crime. … The jury in Hunter Biden’s felony gun trial has left the courthouse for the night. Proceedings will continue on Tuesday.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/10/hunter-biden-gun-trial-live-updates/74017406007/
-----
4) Malawi: Aircraft carrying vice-president goes missing
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has gone missing, a statement from the president’s office has said. The Malawi Defence Force aircraft ‘went off the radar’ after it left the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning, it added. The president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials were unable to contact the aircraft. It was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, in the country’s north, just after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST). After being told of the incident by the Defence Force’s commander, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled his flight to the Bahamas, which was scheduled for Monday evening. ‘The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established,’ the president’s office said. The reason for the aircraft’s disappearance is not yet known, General Valentino Phiri told Mr Chakwera.” (06/10/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn0zkq79ko
-----
5) MD: Shipping channel fully reopens two months after Key Bridge accident
Source: WTOP News
“The channel that allows access to the Port of Baltimore has been fully cleared following nearly 11 weeks of cleanup from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The full 700-feet-wide and 50-feet-wide Fort McHenry Channel was reopened Monday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. … Portions of the Maryland passageway have been shut down since a cargo ship crashed into the bridge on March 26, killing six construction workers and throwing a wrench in the supply chain. … The cleared channel is a major victory for officials hoping to reopen the port. But the recovery from the collapse is far from over. It could be years before the bridge is rebuilt, with Maryland officials estimating the new span will be finished by fall of 2028.” (06/10/24)
https://wtop.com/baltimore/2024/06/shipping-channel-fully-reopens-two-months-after-key-bridge-collapse/
-----
6) Ambassador: US regime needs Japan’s help to boost military production
Source: Reuters
“The United States needs Japan’s help to cope with strategic challenges in Europe and Asia that are straining its defence industries, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan said on Monday as the countries kicked off talks on military industrial cooperation. ‘Our national security strategy calls for us to be able to handle one and a half theatres, that’s a major war and another one to a stand off, and with both the Middle East, Ukraine, and keeping our deterrence credible in this region (East Asia) you can already see that we are in two plus,’ Rahm Emanuel told reporters. On Sunday, Japan and the U.S. kicked off their first talks in Tokyo on forging deeper defence industry collaboration under the U.S.-Japan Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) established in April by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden.” (06/10/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-needs-japans-help-boost-military-production-ambassador-says-2024-06-10/
-----
7) India: Modi names cabinet for coalition government after his party lost majority
Source: ABC News
“India’s Narendra Modi, newly sworn in for a third straight term, named a Cabinet on Monday that retained his top ministers in crucial portfolios despite his Hindu nationalist party losing their majority in a shock election result. … Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party failed to secure a majority on its own after it won landslide victories in 2014 and 2019. However, his National Democratic Alliance coalition won enough seats to form the government, with him at the helm. This is the first time the BJP under Modi has needed support from its regional allies to form a government after a decade of commanding the majority in India’s parliament.” (06/10/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indian-pm-modi-names-cabinet-coalition-government-after-110988046
-----
8) Germany: Scholz dismisses snap election calls after EU poll rout
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected calls for snap elections after a European poll that saw all three parties in his coalition register grave losses and his Social Democrats suffer their worst-ever result in a nationwide vote. The dire performance of Scholz’s coalition in Sunday’s EU vote has prompted opposition calls for the chancellor to follow Emmanuel Macron’s lead and call an early national election. ‘The next election is scheduled for autumn next year and we plan to hold it then as planned,’ said Steffen Hebestreit, Scholz’s spokesman. … Scholz’s centre-left SPD scored just 14 per cent, the Greens 12 per cent — eight points down on the last European election in 2019 — and the liberal FDP 5 per cent. The clear winner were the centre-right Christian Democrats — the CDU/CSU — with 30 per cent, but the far-right Alternative for Germany also performed strongly, coming second with 16 per cent, their best-ever result in a nationwide vote.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/IMv5y
-----
9) Congress wants Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI dispute
Source: Axios
“A House committee that oversees technology and privacy is seeking testimony from actress Scarlett Johansson about her allegations that ChatGPT 4.0’s voice sounds ‘eerily similar’ to her own. Lawmakers are scrambling to oversee and regulate rapidly developing AI technology amid concerns about privacy, misinformation and intellectual property rights. In a letter released on Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chair of the House oversight subcommittee on cybersecurity, invited Johansson to testify before the panel.” [editor’s note: They just want the rub-off glamor of being seen around Johansson – TLK] (06/10/24)
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/10/scarlett-johansson-openai-chatgpt-congress
-----
10) Russian regime, Belarus satrapy to conduct nuclear drills
Source: Politico
“Belarus will participate in nuclear drills with Russia, its defense ministry said Monday. The exercises are a reaction to ‘unsuccessful attempts to drag [Belarus] into an epidemic of color revolutions and crush us with economic sanctions’ and some Western countries’ ‘plans to use military force against our state,’ Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in a post on Telegram. It’s the second time Belarus and Russia have practiced deploying nuclear weapons together, with the first stage of the joint maneuvers taking place last month in Russia’s Southern Military District, which includes parts of Ukraine partially occupied by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced in March 2023 that Russia would store tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed in December that the warheads had been transported to Belarus, though he did not say where or how many.” (06/10/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/belarus-russia-conduct-joint-nuclear-drill-viktor-khrenin
-----
11) MO: Governor turns down clemency for inmate facing execution on Tuesday
Source: SFGate
“Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday turned down a clemency request for condemned inmate David Hosier, a move that likely clears the way for his execution. Hosier, 69, faces lethal injection Tuesday for the 2009 deaths of a Jefferson City couple, Angela and Rodney Gilpin. Randy Dampf, a Jefferson City police officer at the time of the killings and now an investigator for the county prosecutor, said Hosier had a romantic relationship with Angela Gilpin and was angry with her for breaking it off. ‘Ms. Angela Gilpin had her life stolen by David Hosier because he could not accept it when she ended their romantic involvement. He displays no remorse for his senseless violence,’ Parson, a Republican and a former county sheriff who has overseen 10 executions since taking office in 2018, said in a statement. ‘For these heinous acts, Hosier earned maximum punishment under the law.'” (06/10/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/a-clemency-petition-is-his-last-hope-the-19507203.php
-----
12) Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 50 in Raid on Northwest Village, Residents Say
Source: US News & World Report
“At least 50 people were killed and an unspecified number kidnapped, including women and children, when gunmen attacked the village of Yargoje in northwest Nigeria at the weekend, residents said on Monday. A year after President Bola Tinubu came to power promising to end widespread insecurity, attacks in the northwest by armed gangs, often referred to as bandits, have become almost routine, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them. Dozens of gunmen on motorbikes stormed Yargoje in the Kankara local government area of Katsina state late on Sunday, according to resident Hassan Ya’u.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-06-10/nigeria-gunmen-kill-50-in-raid-on-northwest-village-residents-say
-----
13) FDA: Mushroom-infused “microdosing” chocolate bars sending people to the hospital
Source: New York Times
“At least eight people in four states have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars, including several who had seizures or lost consciousness and needed to be placed on ventilators. People also developed high blood pressure and abnormal heart rates. The Food and Drug Administration has warned people against consuming the bars, which are sold online and in smoke shops across the country and come in flavors like birthday cake and cookies and cream. It’s not clear why the bars might have sickened consumers. Diamond Shruumz has marketed the chocolates as ‘trippy little squares’ and calls the chocolate a ‘microdose,’ referring to a term for a small amount of a psychedelic. But the company has said the bars do not contain psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, the hallucinogenic drug found in so-called magic mushrooms.” (06/10/24)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/well/live/fda-microdose-chocolate.html
-----
14) Houthi missiles strike two ships in the Gulf of Aden, US military says
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels [sic] struck two ships in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Sunday, the latest assaults on shipping in the region. … One anti-ship ballistic cruise missile hit the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Norderney forward station late Saturday, starting a fire that those on board put out, the US military’s Central Command said. It added that a second anti-ship cruise missile also hit the Norderney. … In a second attack, a Houthi ballistic missile hit the Tavvishi, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned-and-operated container ship in the Gulf of Aden, Central Command [said].” (06/10/24)
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240610-houthi-missiles-strike-2-ships-in-the-gulf-of-aden-us-military-says
-----
15) Genetic testing firm 23andMe being investigated over hack
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The data watchdogs of the UK and Canada will investigate genetic testing company 23andMe over a data breach in October 2023. Hackers gained access to personal information of 6.9 million people, which in some cases included family trees, birth years and geographic locations, by using customers’ old passwords. One of the things the joint taskforce will investigate is whether adequate safeguards had been put in place to protect such data. ‘We intend to cooperate with these regulators’ reasonable requests’, 23andMe said in a statement. The data stolen in October did not include DNA records. 23andMe is a giant of the growing ancestor-tracing industry, offering genetic testing from DNA, with ancestry breakdown and personalised health insights. The company was not hacked itself — but rather criminals logged into about 14,000 individual accounts, or 0.1% of customers, by using email and password details previously exposed in other hacks.” (06/10/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gg17pq5y9o
-----
16) MA: Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators
Source: ABC News
“An 81-year-old woman on Martha’s Vineyard drove up to the Island Time dispensary last week seeking her usual order of pot. But owner Geoff Rose had to tell her the cupboard was bare — he’d been forced to temporarily close three weeks earlier after selling every last bud and gummy. Unless something changes, the island’s only other cannabis dispensary will sell all its remaining supplies by September at the latest …. Although Massachusetts voters opted to legalize marijuana more than seven years ago, the state’s Cannabis Control Commission has taken the position that transporting pot across the ocean — whether by boat or plane — risks running afoul of federal laws. … The conundrum led Rose to file a lawsuit last month against the commission, which now says that finding a solution to the island’s pot problem has become a top priority.” (06/10/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/marthas-vineyard-run-pot-led-lawsuit-scramble-regulators-110973917
-----
17) France: Far-right National Rally projected to win snap election without absolute majority
Source: Reuters
“The far-right National Rally was forecast on Monday to win a snap election in France but fall short of an absolute majority in the first opinion poll published after President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to dissolve parliament. Following a massive loss for his Renaissance party in Sunday’s European Parliament election, Macron announced snap elections for the lower house of parliament, with the first round scheduled for June 30, less than three weeks away, and the run-off on July 7. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, eurosceptic National Rally party, known as RN, would win 235 to 265 seats in the National Assembly, a huge jump from its current 88 but short of the 289 needed for an absolute majority, according to the survey by Toluna Harris Interactive for Challenges, M6 and RTL. Macron’s centrist alliance would see its number of lawmakers possibly halve, from 250 to 125-155, the poll showed on Monday.” (06/10/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-enters-election-mode-after-far-right-win-european-parliament-vote-2024-06-10/
-----
18) Sudan: RSF targets last operating hospital in Darfur
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in Sudan has attacked the last operating hospital in the Darfur region, an international aid group said. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, reported late on Sunday that the RSF had attacked the South Hospital in el-Fasher, the capital city of the North Darfur province, the previous day. The armed group opened fire on medical staff and patients as it looted the site, forcing the facility to close. … War erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis and killing at least 15,500 people, according to United Nations estimates.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/10/sudan-paramilitary-rsf-targets-last-operating-hospital-in-darfur
-----
19) Study: African elephants call each other by unique names
Source: SFGate
“African elephants call each other and respond to individual names — something that few wild animals do, according to new research published Monday. The names are one part of elephants’ low rumbles that they can hear over long distances across the savanna. Scientists believe that animals with complex social structures and family groups that separate and then reunite often may be more likely to use individual names. ‘If you’re looking after a large family, you’ve got to be able to say, “Hey, Virginia, get over here!”‘ said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study. It’s extremely rare for wild animals to call each other by unique names. Humans have names, of course, and our dogs come when their names are called. Baby dolphins invent their own names, called signature whistles, and parrots may also use names.” (06/10/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/african-elephants-call-each-other-by-unique-19506933.php
-----
20) Bitfarms to Adopt “Poison Pill” Amid Riot Takeover Attempt
Source: US News & World Report
“Bitcoin miner Bitfarms said on Monday it had approved the adoption of a ‘poison pill’ to fend off a potential hostile takeover attempt by rival Riot Platforms. The move comes days after Riot Platforms disclosed it had built a 12% stake in Bitfarms as it pursues a takeover attempt. Riot had initially made a private proposal to buy Bitfarms in April. The proposal was rejected by Bitfarms’ board after it concluded that the offer ‘significantly undervalued’ the company. Colorado-based Riot went public with its proposal in May to buy the bitcoin miner for about $950 million and said it intends to request a special shareholder meeting to add independent directors to Bitfarms’ board. … Under Bitfarm’s plan, if an entity accumulates more than 15% of Bitfarms’ stake after June 20 and up to Sept. 10, the company would issue fresh shares, diluting the entity’s stake.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2024-06-10/bitfarms-to-adopt-poison-pill-amid-riot-takeover-attempt
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Doxxing Dissent
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“California lawmaker Steve Padilla is apparently indifferent to the speech-enabling virtues of anonymity. The state senator (18th District) has no problem violating the First Amendment rights of persons who conceal their identity the better to speak out. Padilla is proposing legislation, SB1228, to compel social media companies to compel social media ‘influencers’ who’d rather remain anonymous to identify themselves. A company that fails to comply would risk being penalized. And I hear it often: why anonymity? Folks should own up to their speech! But many people have good reasons for remaining anonymous when they publish their views. One is to protect themselves from harassment by private parties. Another is to protect themselves from harassment, or worse, by governments.” (06/10/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/06/10/doxxing-dissent/
-----
22) Politicians Will Always Be Damn Rascals
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“Former President Donald Trump was recently convicted by a New York jury after prosecutors claimed he was guilty of ‘hoodwinking’ voters in the 2016 election by paying to cover up his boinking of a beefy porn star. Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg proclaimed that Trump was guilty of taking steps with ‘the end of keeping information away from the electorate.’ Cue the casino scene from the movie Casablanca, with the French officer lamenting that he was ‘shocked, shocked’ to find gambling on the premises. Lying is practically the job description for politicians.” (06/10/24)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2024/06/10/politicians-will-always-be-damn-rascals/
-----
23) Trade Deficits: Accounting Masquerading as Economics
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by David Hebert
“Policy makers and the would-be-intelligentsia of both the American Right and the American Left who carp on about the trade deficit and use it as a means of speaking authoritatively on the state of the US economy reveal one thing: a stunning lack of understanding about which they speak. Trade deficits are merely an accounting number, nothing more and equally, nothing less.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/trade-deficits-accounting-masquerading-as-economics/
-----
24) Australian Censors Back Down, Highlighting the US as a Free Speech Haven
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“In a welcome development for people who care about liberty, Australia’s government suspended its efforts to censor the planet. The country’s officials suffered pushback from X (formerly Twitter) and condemnation by free speech advocates after attempting to block anybody, anywhere from seeing video of an attack at a Sydney church. At least for the moment, they’ve conceded defeat based, in part, on recognition that X is protected by American law, making censorship efforts unenforceable.” (06/10/24)
https://reason.com/2024/06/10/australian-censors-back-down-highlighting-the-u-s-as-a-free-speech-haven/
-----
25) Apocalypse Never
Source: Quillette
by Mike Cote
“In a recent review of Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario here in Quillette, Lawrence Krauss argues that ‘Far from enhancing American national security, or the security of the world, nuclear weapons will lead us to the edge of destruction.’ Far be it for me to disagree with Professor Krauss on the physics, but he and Jacobsen are completely wrong about the history and geopolitics of the nuclear age. Nuclear weapons have not only made the world a safer, less conflict-ridden place, they have created a relatively stable form of deterrence that does not rely on the vagaries of diplomacy.” (06/10/24)
https://quillette.com/2024/06/10/apocalypse-never-nuclear-weapons-war-disarmament/
-----
26) The Absence (and Presence) of Daniel Ellsberg
Source: TomDispatch
by Norman Solomon
“On a warm evening almost a decade ago, I sat under the stars with Daniel Ellsberg while he talked about nuclear war with alarming intensity. He was most of the way through writing his last and most important book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. Somehow, he had set aside the denial so many people rely on to cope with a world that could suddenly end in unimaginable horror. Listening, I felt more and more frightened. Dan knew what he was talking about. After working inside this country’s doomsday machinery, even drafting nuclear war plans for the Pentagon during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, Dan Ellsberg had gained intricate perspectives on what greased the bureaucratic wheels, personal ambitions, and political messaging of the warfare state. Deceptions about arranging for the ultimate violence of thermonuclear omnicide were of a piece with routine falsehoods about American war-making.” (06/10/24)
https://tomdispatch.com/the-absence-and-presence-of-daniel-ellsberg/
-----
27) A Saudi Treaty Is a Dangerous Trap
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The U.S. should never commit itself to defend Saudi Arabia, especially when the U.S. stands to gain nothing significant in return. The administration’s obsession with giving the Saudis a formal security guarantee is as bizarre as it is unwise. The last thing that the U.S. needs is another treaty commitment, and there are few other governments less deserving of protection than the Saudi monarchy. The current level of U.S.-Saudi cooperation is bad enough, but to formalize it in a treaty and put the U.S. on the hook for their security for decades to come would be insane.” (06/10/24)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/a-saudi-treaty-is-a-dangerous-trap
-----
28) The Moral Psychology of the Whistleblower
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ronald W Dworkin
“The concept of honor tends to confuse the modern democratic mind, associating it as we do with feudal aristocratic life. Whistleblowers seem to exemplify a kind of modern-day code of honor, [Carl] Elliott writes. Yet what is its basis? During the landed gentry epoch, the honor code was a mixture of class duty and warrior ethos. In the case of whistleblowers, its basis seems less clear. Upon reading through Elliott’s accounts of whistleblowing, I thought I spotted a trend: a religious commitment expressed at an early age that exerted itself later in life on the whistleblower’s conscience, long after any official commitment to religion had waned.” (06/10/24)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-moral-psychology-of-the-whistleblower/
-----
29) Saving Gaza Is Also About Saving Ourselves
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Saving Gaza is about more than saving Gaza. It’s also about saving ourselves. Saving ourselves as individuals. Saving ourselves as a society. Saving ourselves as a species. Saving ourselves from what we’ll become if we just watch this happening right in front of our eyes without doing everything we can to stop it. Saving ourselves from what the sociopaths who rule over us are trying to turn us into. Saving ourselves from the way the propagandists are trying to twist and train our minds. Saving ourselves from the kind of future humanity will have if our rulers can get away with such a brazen act of extreme depravity. Saving ourselves from the other horrors that will be unleashed upon our world if this kind of thing becomes normalized and accepted. Saving ourselves from the dark dystopia we are plunging into at breakneck speed.” (06/11/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/06/11/saving-gaza-is-about-more-than-saving-gaza-its-also-about-saving-ourselves/
-----
30) The Forgotten European Country with an Unforgettable Name
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed
“Bottleneck the country no longer exists, but its name lingers on as a descriptor of what we all have had to deal with when we bump into government bureaucracy.” (06/10/24)
https://fee.org/articles/the-forgotten-european-country-with-an-unforgettable-name/
-----
31) Biden crusade against US energy harms America and our allies
Source: Fox News
byRick Perry
“The Biden administration’s energy policies are negatively impacting American energy independence and the energy security of our allies – especially those in Europe who, given a choice, would choose America but instead are being pushed into a Russian bearhug. The reason? President Joe Biden’s politicization of energy policy and putting an indefinite pause on future liquefied natural gas (LNG) export infrastructure projects. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee recently pushed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over the administration’s decision to halt LNG exports. Representatives pressed on when the pause will end and whether the Department of Energy has yet determined whether LNG exports to allies around the world are in the public interest. To me, the answer is clear. With this ban, the administration is, in effect, gifting one of the world’s most evil dictators, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a significant advantage.” (06/10/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/bidens-crusade-against-us-energy-harms-america-allies
-----
32) Where are the checks and balances against the Supreme Court?
Source: The Hill
by William S Becker
“There was a time when Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to care about the U.S. Supreme Court’s integrity and the American people’s trust. That is evidently no longer the case. Last year, after ProPublica broke stories about two justices who received but did not report favors from billionaires, concern grew that the nation’s highest court had no explicit ethics code for its members. In November, the nine justices responded with 14 pages of ‘canons’ and commentary — a step forward, no doubt. But because there is no enforcement mechanism, the ‘code’ amounts to guidelines rather than the strict ethics rules and sanctions that apply to all other federal employers and judges. Those rules prohibit federal officers from even the appearance of conflicting interests.” (06/10/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/4709594-supreme-court-ethics-checks-balances-recusal-trump/
-----
33) Bird Flu, Fear, and Perverse Incentives
Source: Brownstone Institute
by David Bell
“Covid-19 has proven the business case for gain-of-function research. It looks increasingly likely that some genetic fiddling really did succeed in moving a bat coronavirus into humans, where it is more amenable to monetization (there is no profit in sick bats, or fear of them). Importantly, despite the broad economic and health catastrophe that followed, those behind the program are continuing much the same work, and not being held to account. There is vast profit with little or no real risk. However, what the Covid episode really demonstrated is the financial and political gains that can be achieved irrespective of outbreak severity.” (06/10/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/bird-flu-fear-and-perverse-incentives/
-----
34) A Poll of Arab American Voters’ Message for Biden? Reverse Course on Gaza
Source: The Arab American Institute
by James Zogby
“More often than not, those in the media take a simplistic view of political polls. Especially in a presidential election year, attention tends to be singularly focused on who’s up and who’s down. In reality, these ‘horse race’ numbers, while important, are often the least consequential part of a poll. Looking at the rich data that makes up a poll can provide far more useful information, suggesting, for example, why candidate A or B is doing well or poorly. A deep dive into the data can also reveal the diversity of the population being surveyed and among which component groups of the electorate the candidates are doing better or worse. And finally, if prescriptive questions are asked, a poll can also provide a way for candidates to understand what they can do to improve their position.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aaiusa.org/library/what-polls-can-teach-us-about-arab-american-voters-in-2024
-----
35) Bureaucracy: The Red Tape that Prevents Economic Growth
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Sergio Lopez
“The constant increase of government and bureaucracy size has been a sad and terrible tendency in the entire world since the 1930s, and bureaucratic procedures represent a high burden of time, effort, and money for potential businesses. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that around 20 percent of new businesses fail during the first year, and 45 percent fail during the first five years (in the United States). And if those are the numbers of new business success in a huge and comparatively prosperous economy, we can only imagine the difficulty of becoming an entrepreneur in nations that are plagued with constant economic crises and giant bureaucracies.” (06/10/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/bureaucracy-red-tape-prevents-economic-growth
-----
36) On Conservatism and Risk Aversion
Source: Yahoo! News
by Kevin D Williamson
“In one aspect, conservatism is risk aversion rigorously thought-out and systematically applied to government and public life. It is a definite style. Progressives and radicals will set their sights on something good and then, having made the decision to pursue it, run headlong toward that goal, often setting aside procedures, norms, and constitutional restraints in pursuit of the good thing. Often, institutional guardrails will be treated with positive contempt, from Woodrow Wilson’s dismissal of the Constitution to Trumpists’ sneering at norms. Conservatives, on the other hand, might agree about the goodness of the good thing but still prefer to pursue it slowly and gradually, or partly, or not yet.” (06/10/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/conservatism-risk-aversion-131500942.html
-----
37) The US Economy Is Absolutely Fantastic
Source: The Atlantic
by Roge Karma
“If the United States’[s] economy were an athlete, right now it would be peak LeBron James. If it were a pop star, it would be peak Taylor Swift. Four years ago, the pandemic temporarily brought much of the world economy to a halt. Since then, America’s economic performance has left other countries in the dust and even broken some of its own records. The growth rate is high, the unemployment rate is at historic lows, household wealth is surging, and wages are rising faster than costs, especially for the working class. There are many ways to define a good economy. America is in tremendous shape according to just about any of them.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/bNjJm
-----
38) Interview: How to win a fight with the federal government
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
“Two years ago, shortly after a panel of Tennessee Supreme Court Judges appointed Jonathan Skrmetti as Attorney General, we sat down with the then-green AG as he embarked on establishing himself in his new position. … Last week, we caught up with the AG once again for an update on his affairs, the state of his office, and the particulars of some of the most important cases occupying his team. After a cordial greeting, General Skrmetti was ready to jump right in. Pamphleteer: There are a lot of things we can talk about, but let’s start with an overview. How are things going in the AG’s office? Skrmetti: The overview is pretty straightforward. We’re really busy here. The Strategic Litigation Unit is up and running, and we’ve been really active pushing back against federal overreach.” (06/10/24)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/how-to-win-a-fight-with-the-federal-govt/
-----
39) The Destruction of Julian Assange
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last month, a British court gave Julian Assange permission to continue opposing the U.S. government’s attempts to extradite him to the United States to stand trial for violating the World War I Espionage Act. In truth, what U.S. officials are really targeting him for is that Assange, as head of WikiLeaks, had the audacity to reveal war crimes and other dark-side activities of the U.S. national-security state. U.S. officials know that Assange’s recent judicial victory is a pyrrhic one. That’s because Assange continues to be jailed under brutal conditions in a maximum-security jail in England — and will continue to be — until his appeal is finally decided. What difference does it make to U.S. officials if Assange is jailed under brutal conditions in England or under brutal conditions here in the United States?” (06/10/24)
https://www.fff.org/2024/06/10/the-destruction-of-julian-assange/
-----
40) Complicity in Genocide
Source: CounterPunch
by L Michael Hager
“With likely findings of war crimes and genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel; and arrest warrants against two members of the Israeli war cabinet by the International Criminal Court (ICC), it may be time to consider the possible liabilities of the state and individual parties that have aided and abetted Israel in its war on Gaza. What are the governing laws? How have the international legal institutions addressed complicity in other cases of genocide? Could the complicity provisions apply to the United States and its leaders for assisting Israel in a war on Gaza that has cost so many thousands of civilian lives?” (06/10/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/06/10/complicity-in-genocide/
-----
41) Down With Digital Nomads
Source: The American Conservative
by Will Collins
“A new mode of travel has emerged in recent years, pioneered by a wave of affluent, tech-savvy young people who seek to iron the awkwardness out of foreign sightseeing. These are the digital nomads, and the influence of their peculiar subculture can be felt everywhere from visa policy to the coffee menu at a typical Eastern European cafe. Digital nomadism is not quite traditional tourism, nor is it the same as moving to a foreign country, learning the language, and adapting to local habits and customs. Nomads tend to stick to their own enclaves and interact mostly with fellow expatriates or well-heeled Anglophone locals.” (06/10/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/down-with-digital-nomads/
-----
42) Could the GOP Do for Birth Control What It Did for Abortion?
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Nothing puts the ‘old’ in the Grand Old Party like an unhealthy obsession with returning to premodern attitudes about birth control and methods of contraception. Which is essentially what the Senate GOP winked at when they voted not to advance the Right to Contraception Act last Wednesday. The measure sought to ‘protect an individual’s ability to make decisions about their body, medical care, family, and life’s course, and thereby protect the individual’s ability to participate equally in the economic and social life of the United States.’ … Sidestepping the link between fertility control and economic security in 2024 to blame Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for playing politics did not erase the many ‘Senate Republicans block bill to protect access to contraception’ headlines, or the message sent by the sight of a huge inflatable IUD within view of the U.S. Capitol.” (06/10/24)
https://prospect.org/health/2024-06-10-gop-do-birth-control-what-it-did-abortion/
-----
43) Congress: Let Ukraine hit more targets inside Russia with US weapons
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Blaise Malley
“U.S. policy towards the war in Ukraine is to escalate rather than work to calm tensions, if activity on Capitol Hill is any indication. In late May, Politico reported that the Biden administration had quietly given Ukraine the authority to conduct limited strikes in Russia using U.S. weapons. It was a stunning shift in administration policy that underscored the dire battlefield conditions in Kyiv and risked a serious escalation in the war, according to the administration’s own thinking. In response to the news, lawmakers have introduced two competing amendments to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. One, introduced by Rep. Thomas Kean (R-N.J) ‘[s]tates that it is the policy of the United States to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to strike legitimate targets inside Russia with U.S.-provided weapons.'” (06/10/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-strikes-targets-in-russia/
-----
44) NATO When You Don’t Want It; No NATO When You Do
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“Last year, Zelensky reacted furiously to his demands for NATO membership not being met. ‘It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine,’ he said. This year’s NATO summit, to be held in Washington in July, will be presented differently to the world. Though Zelensky and Biden are expected to sign a security agreement between the two countries in July, NATO will not offer Ukraine membership or a timeline for membership at the upcoming summit. After another year of fighting for NATO’s right to expand to Ukraine, Zelensky will be even angrier than last year. But no one will know it.” (06/10/24)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2024/06/09/nato-when-you-dont-want-it-no-nato-when-you-do/
-----
45) Despite climate-change hysterics, weather disasters have decreased
Source: New York Post
by Benny Peiser
“A recent scientific study has confirmed what climate realists have been highlighting for some time: Natural and climate-related disasters have been declining rather than increasing during the 21st century. In a paper published this year in one of the world’s leading journals on environmental hazards, Italian scientists Gianluca Alimonti and Luigi Mariani analyzed the number and temporal trends of natural disasters reported since 1900. Based on the best available data, the two scientists concluded the 21st century has seen ‘a decreasing trend [of natural disasters] to 2022’ which is ‘characterized by a significant decline in number of events.’ The researchers emphasized that their conclusion ‘sits in marked contradiction to earlier analyses by UN bodies which predict an increasing number of natural disasters and impacts in concert with global warming’. ‘Our analyses strongly refute this assertion,’ they wrote.” (06/09/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/09/opinion/weather-disasters-decreased-despite-warming-study-finds/
-----
46) David Boaz: A Tribute to His Life and Legacy
Source: The UnPopulist
by Shikha Dalmia, Jonathan Rauch, Aaron Ross Powell, Andy Craig, Tom G Palmer, Radley Balko, & Veronique de Rugy
“The UnPopulist’s contributors reminisce about the mark that this libertarian stalwart has left on them and the world.” (06/09/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/david-boaz-a-tribute-to-his-life
-----
47) Schooled Straight: Confronting the Cis Hetero Compulsory School System
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Well, it’s another Pride Month and the so-called Christian Right’s increasingly statist culture war against Queer folk just continues to rage on with the reckless abandon of a runaway bushfire. And why the fuck not? It keeps the faithful stupid and the coffers heavy with their money, so let the hate legislation burn! None of this shocks me. I’m a genderqueer lapsed Catholic in cousin-fucker country, I grew up being terrorized by these goons. But what does disgust me is the way these cretins have targeted children, specifically trans kids, and the way they use the compulsory school system to do it.” (06/09/24)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2024/06/schooled-straight-confronting-cis.html
-----
48) The Pilgrim Code of 1636: English Charter, Christian Covenant, and Modern Constitution
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Joe Wolverton, II
“Whether it’s the Mayflower Compact or any of the scores of other town charters written in the first couple of decades after that seminal document was signed, each of them shared certain common clauses — covenant clauses. According to Lutz, these covenant-inspired charters, codes, and constitutions counted on the following five ‘foundation elements’: first, God is called on as a witness; second, the need for the agreement is expressed; third, a covenant people is identified or created; fourth, a church is established; and fifth, the covenanting community’s goals are declared. Such deliberations of divine provenance and purpose obviously have no place in 21st-century public schools that claim to be ‘educating’ the descendants of these pious pioneers, and that should be unacceptable to those of us who claim to admire our ancestors and to serve the same Savior.” [editor’s note: Only about 10 million Americans are descdended from the Pilgrims – TLK] (10/09/24)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2024/06/09/the-pilgrim-code-of-1636-english-charter-christian-covenant-and-modern-constitution/
-----
49) Students, Gaza and a New Vision of Safety
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Jaffe
“The sign hanging over the student encampment at Chicago’s DePaul University bore a slogan that has echoed through almost all of the justice movements over the past several years: ’We Keep Us Safe’. The tents beneath it fragile, just a thin layer of canvas between the students and the rest of the world. A statement of purpose and of solidarity; a reminder of the tents so many Palestinians in Gaza are living in right now as they move, and move again, and move again from homes destroyed by U.S.-made bombs delivered by Israeli planes into supposed safe zones. But is there a safe zone when its safety is declared by the people who have declared war on you? The horrific scenes coming out of Rafah, as bombs incinerated tents and the people inside of them, have brought home this point with brutal clarity.” (06/10/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/we-keep-us-safe-students-hostages-protesters-universities-colleges-encampments-israel-palestinians-gaza-rafah
-----
50) Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Is “Big Government” Gone Mad
Source: The Daily Beast
by Eleanor Clift
“The party that once claimed to be for limited government intervention and free trade now supports a scheme that would upend the economy and millions of lives.” (06/09/24)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-mass-deportation-plan-is-big-government-gone-mad
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/10/24
Source: Reason
"Partisan Border Wars." (06/10/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/06/10/partisan-border-wars/
-----
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/10/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“The world around us changes so slowly that it’s hard to notice. Lenore Skenazy shares her thoughts on what ’70s kids did that today’s kids don’t. It’s eye-opening.” (06/10/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-d5eg5-1639867
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 611
Source: Libertarian Institute
“I Was Placed on an ‘Anti-Ukrainian’ Smear List.” (06/10/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-611-i-was-placed-on-an-anti-ukrainian-smear-list
-----
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 06/10/24
Source: The New Republic
“Why Trump’s Worsening Obsession With Verdict Has Unnerved Some GOPers.” (06/10/24)
https://newrepublic.com/article/182488/trumps-spiraling-obsession-verdict-unnerved-gopers
-----
55) Strangers on the Internet, season 3, episode 62
Source: Strangers on the Internet
“Dilan Esper Follow-up on Joshua Wright’s Lawsuits.” (06/10/24)
https://shows.acast.com/strangers-on-the-internet/episodes/metoo-coverage-dilan-esper-follow-up-on-joshua-wrights-lawsu
-----
56) EconTalk, 06/10/24
Source: EconTalk
“How the Constitution Can Bring Us Together (with Yuval Levin).” (06/10/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/how-the-constitution-can-bring-us-together-with-yuval-levin/
-----
57) SolutionsWatch, 06/10/24
Source: The Corbett Report
“Replacing Hollywood.” (06/10/24)
https://corbettreport.com/replacing-hollywood-solutionswatch/
-----
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 249
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“What’s the price of 7 million COVID deaths? $1 billion in royalties.” (06/10/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-249-whats
-----
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Intel Helped Attack That Killed Over 200 Palestinians, Ukrainian NGO Smears Antiwar.com, and More.” (06/10/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HPwB0JDguo
-----
60) Free Talk Live, 06/09/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Did Joe Biden poop himself? :: Quality furniture vs cheap :: Did the internet ruin an Amazon tribe? :: Elon Musk; Genius or conman? :: Journalist arrested for no good reason :: David from NM is not Bonnie’s baby daddy :: Petro dollar agreement with Saudi Arabia ends :: 2024-06-09 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Rich E Rich.” (06/09/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-06-09
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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) UN Security Council passes Gaza cease-fire proposal
2) US regime lifts weapons ban on Ukrainian neo-Nazi gang
3) Jury begins deliberating in Hunter Biden’s unconstitutional gun case
4) Malawi: Aircraft carrying vice-president goes missing
5) MD: Shipping channel fully reopens two months after Key Bridge accident
6) Ambassador: US regime needs Japan’s help to boost military production
7) India: Modi names cabinet for coalition government after his party lost majority
8) Germany: Scholz dismisses snap election calls after EU poll rout
9) Congress wants Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI dispute
10) Russian regime, Belarus satrapy to conduct nuclear drills
11) MO: Governor turns down clemency for inmate facing execution on Tuesday
12) Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 50 in Raid on Northwest Village, Residents Say
13) FDA: Mushroom-infused “microdosing” chocolate bars sending people to the hospital
14) Houthi missiles strike two ships in the Gulf of Aden, US military says
15) Genetic testing firm 23andMe being investigated over hack
16) MA: Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators
17) France: Far-right National Rally projected to win snap election without absolute majority
18) Sudan: RSF targets last operating hospital in Darfur
19) Study: African elephants call each other by unique names
20) Bitfarms to Adopt “Poison Pill” Amid Riot Takeover Attempt
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Doxxing Dissent
22) Politicians Will Always Be Damn Rascals
23) Trade Deficits: Accounting Masquerading as Economics
24) Australian Censors Back Down, Highlighting the US as a Free Speech Haven
25) Apocalypse Never
26) The Absence (and Presence) of Daniel Ellsberg
27) A Saudi Treaty Is a Dangerous Trap
28) The Moral Psychology of the Whistleblower
29) Saving Gaza Is Also About Saving Ourselves
30) The Forgotten European Country with an Unforgettable Name
31) Biden crusade against US energy harms America and our allies
32) Where are the checks and balances against the Supreme Court?
33) Bird Flu, Fear, and Perverse Incentives
34) A Poll of Arab American Voters’ Message for Biden? Reverse Course on Gaza
35) Bureaucracy: The Red Tape that Prevents Economic Growth
36) On Conservatism and Risk Aversion
37) The US Economy Is Absolutely Fantastic
38) Interview: How to win a fight with the federal government
39) The Destruction of Julian Assange
40) Complicity in Genocide
41) Down With Digital Nomads
42) Could the GOP Do for Birth Control What It Did for Abortion?
43) Congress: Let Ukraine hit more targets inside Russia with US weapons
44) NATO When You Don’t Want It; No NATO When You Do
45) Despite climate-change hysterics, weather disasters have decreased
46) David Boaz: A Tribute to His Life and Legacy
47) Schooled Straight: Confronting the Cis Hetero Compulsory School System
48) The Pilgrim Code of 1636: English Charter, Christian Covenant, and Modern Constitution
49) Students, Gaza and a New Vision of Safety
50) Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Is “Big Government” Gone Mad
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/10/24
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/10/24
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 611
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 06/10/24
55) Strangers on the Internet, season 3, episode 62
56) EconTalk, 06/10/24
57) SolutionsWatch, 06/10/24
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 249
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/24
60) Free Talk Live, 06/09/24
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
LIBERTAS BELLA — LIBERTARIAN APPAREL
https://libertasbella.com/?rfsn=5518703.fba7280
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) UN Security Council passes Gaza cease-fire proposal
Source: NBC News
“The United Nations Security Council passed a U.S.-drafted cease-fire deal …. Phase one of the resolution, according to the UN, seeks an ‘immediate, full, and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of the remains of some hostages who have been killed, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.’ It also calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from ‘populated areas’ of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes, and the ‘safe and effective’ distribution of humanitarian assistance. Phase two includes a permanent end to hostilities ‘in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.’ Phase three would mark the start of a ‘a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza’ and the last remains of any of the dead hostages still in Gaza would be returned to Israel.” (06/10/24)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-calls-un-security-council-vote-cease-fire-proposal-gaza-rcna156373
-----
2) US regime lifts weapons ban on Ukrainian neo-Nazi gang
Source: Washington Post
“The Biden administration will allow a Ukrainian military unit with a checkered past [sic] to use U.S. weaponry, the State Department said Monday, having lifted a ban imposed years ago amid concerns in Washington about the group’s origins. The Azov Brigade, known for its tenacious but ultimately unsuccessful defense of the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol early in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is regarded as a particularly effective fighting force. But it was barred about a decade ago from using American arms because U.S. officials determined that some of its founders espoused racist, xenophobic and ultranationalist views, and U.N. human rights officials accused the group of humanitarian violations. … Russian President Vladimir Putin has long cited racist and ultranationalist elements of the Azov Battalion as an element of his accusation that Ukrainian fighters and their rulers in Kyiv are neo-Nazis.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/HOfxH
-----
3) Jury begins deliberating in Hunter Biden’s unconstitutional gun case
Source: USA Today
“Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges is now in the hands of the jury of 12 Delaware residents who will decide whether the president’s son illegally [sic] bought and owned a revolver while he was an unlawful drug user or addict. Biden, 54, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted of all three felony charges: lying on a federal screening form, lying to a gun dealer and possessing the gun. But first-time offenders on non-violent charges are typically given shorter sentences. The trial is historic because Biden is the first child of a sitting president to be tried for a crime. … The jury in Hunter Biden’s felony gun trial has left the courthouse for the night. Proceedings will continue on Tuesday.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/10/hunter-biden-gun-trial-live-updates/74017406007/
-----
4) Malawi: Aircraft carrying vice-president goes missing
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has gone missing, a statement from the president’s office has said. The Malawi Defence Force aircraft ‘went off the radar’ after it left the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning, it added. The president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials were unable to contact the aircraft. It was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, in the country’s north, just after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST). After being told of the incident by the Defence Force’s commander, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled his flight to the Bahamas, which was scheduled for Monday evening. ‘The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established,’ the president’s office said. The reason for the aircraft’s disappearance is not yet known, General Valentino Phiri told Mr Chakwera.” (06/10/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nn0zkq79ko
-----
5) MD: Shipping channel fully reopens two months after Key Bridge accident
Source: WTOP News
“The channel that allows access to the Port of Baltimore has been fully cleared following nearly 11 weeks of cleanup from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The full 700-feet-wide and 50-feet-wide Fort McHenry Channel was reopened Monday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. … Portions of the Maryland passageway have been shut down since a cargo ship crashed into the bridge on March 26, killing six construction workers and throwing a wrench in the supply chain. … The cleared channel is a major victory for officials hoping to reopen the port. But the recovery from the collapse is far from over. It could be years before the bridge is rebuilt, with Maryland officials estimating the new span will be finished by fall of 2028.” (06/10/24)
https://wtop.com/baltimore/2024/06/shipping-channel-fully-reopens-two-months-after-key-bridge-collapse/
-----
6) Ambassador: US regime needs Japan’s help to boost military production
Source: Reuters
“The United States needs Japan’s help to cope with strategic challenges in Europe and Asia that are straining its defence industries, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan said on Monday as the countries kicked off talks on military industrial cooperation. ‘Our national security strategy calls for us to be able to handle one and a half theatres, that’s a major war and another one to a stand off, and with both the Middle East, Ukraine, and keeping our deterrence credible in this region (East Asia) you can already see that we are in two plus,’ Rahm Emanuel told reporters. On Sunday, Japan and the U.S. kicked off their first talks in Tokyo on forging deeper defence industry collaboration under the U.S.-Japan Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment (DICAS) established in April by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden.” (06/10/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-needs-japans-help-boost-military-production-ambassador-says-2024-06-10/
-----
7) India: Modi names cabinet for coalition government after his party lost majority
Source: ABC News
“India’s Narendra Modi, newly sworn in for a third straight term, named a Cabinet on Monday that retained his top ministers in crucial portfolios despite his Hindu nationalist party losing their majority in a shock election result. … Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party failed to secure a majority on its own after it won landslide victories in 2014 and 2019. However, his National Democratic Alliance coalition won enough seats to form the government, with him at the helm. This is the first time the BJP under Modi has needed support from its regional allies to form a government after a decade of commanding the majority in India’s parliament.” (06/10/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indian-pm-modi-names-cabinet-coalition-government-after-110988046
-----
8) Germany: Scholz dismisses snap election calls after EU poll rout
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected calls for snap elections after a European poll that saw all three parties in his coalition register grave losses and his Social Democrats suffer their worst-ever result in a nationwide vote. The dire performance of Scholz’s coalition in Sunday’s EU vote has prompted opposition calls for the chancellor to follow Emmanuel Macron’s lead and call an early national election. ‘The next election is scheduled for autumn next year and we plan to hold it then as planned,’ said Steffen Hebestreit, Scholz’s spokesman. … Scholz’s centre-left SPD scored just 14 per cent, the Greens 12 per cent — eight points down on the last European election in 2019 — and the liberal FDP 5 per cent. The clear winner were the centre-right Christian Democrats — the CDU/CSU — with 30 per cent, but the far-right Alternative for Germany also performed strongly, coming second with 16 per cent, their best-ever result in a nationwide vote.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/IMv5y
-----
9) Congress wants Scarlett Johansson to testify on OpenAI dispute
Source: Axios
“A House committee that oversees technology and privacy is seeking testimony from actress Scarlett Johansson about her allegations that ChatGPT 4.0’s voice sounds ‘eerily similar’ to her own. Lawmakers are scrambling to oversee and regulate rapidly developing AI technology amid concerns about privacy, misinformation and intellectual property rights. In a letter released on Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chair of the House oversight subcommittee on cybersecurity, invited Johansson to testify before the panel.” [editor’s note: They just want the rub-off glamor of being seen around Johansson – TLK] (06/10/24)
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/10/scarlett-johansson-openai-chatgpt-congress
-----
10) Russian regime, Belarus satrapy to conduct nuclear drills
Source: Politico
“Belarus will participate in nuclear drills with Russia, its defense ministry said Monday. The exercises are a reaction to ‘unsuccessful attempts to drag [Belarus] into an epidemic of color revolutions and crush us with economic sanctions’ and some Western countries’ ‘plans to use military force against our state,’ Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said in a post on Telegram. It’s the second time Belarus and Russia have practiced deploying nuclear weapons together, with the first stage of the joint maneuvers taking place last month in Russia’s Southern Military District, which includes parts of Ukraine partially occupied by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced in March 2023 that Russia would store tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed in December that the warheads had been transported to Belarus, though he did not say where or how many.” (06/10/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/belarus-russia-conduct-joint-nuclear-drill-viktor-khrenin
-----
11) MO: Governor turns down clemency for inmate facing execution on Tuesday
Source: SFGate
“Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday turned down a clemency request for condemned inmate David Hosier, a move that likely clears the way for his execution. Hosier, 69, faces lethal injection Tuesday for the 2009 deaths of a Jefferson City couple, Angela and Rodney Gilpin. Randy Dampf, a Jefferson City police officer at the time of the killings and now an investigator for the county prosecutor, said Hosier had a romantic relationship with Angela Gilpin and was angry with her for breaking it off. ‘Ms. Angela Gilpin had her life stolen by David Hosier because he could not accept it when she ended their romantic involvement. He displays no remorse for his senseless violence,’ Parson, a Republican and a former county sheriff who has overseen 10 executions since taking office in 2018, said in a statement. ‘For these heinous acts, Hosier earned maximum punishment under the law.'” (06/10/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/a-clemency-petition-is-his-last-hope-the-19507203.php
-----
12) Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 50 in Raid on Northwest Village, Residents Say
Source: US News & World Report
“At least 50 people were killed and an unspecified number kidnapped, including women and children, when gunmen attacked the village of Yargoje in northwest Nigeria at the weekend, residents said on Monday. A year after President Bola Tinubu came to power promising to end widespread insecurity, attacks in the northwest by armed gangs, often referred to as bandits, have become almost routine, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them. Dozens of gunmen on motorbikes stormed Yargoje in the Kankara local government area of Katsina state late on Sunday, according to resident Hassan Ya’u.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-06-10/nigeria-gunmen-kill-50-in-raid-on-northwest-village-residents-say
-----
13) FDA: Mushroom-infused “microdosing” chocolate bars sending people to the hospital
Source: New York Times
“At least eight people in four states have fallen ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars, including several who had seizures or lost consciousness and needed to be placed on ventilators. People also developed high blood pressure and abnormal heart rates. The Food and Drug Administration has warned people against consuming the bars, which are sold online and in smoke shops across the country and come in flavors like birthday cake and cookies and cream. It’s not clear why the bars might have sickened consumers. Diamond Shruumz has marketed the chocolates as ‘trippy little squares’ and calls the chocolate a ‘microdose,’ referring to a term for a small amount of a psychedelic. But the company has said the bars do not contain psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, the hallucinogenic drug found in so-called magic mushrooms.” (06/10/24)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/well/live/fda-microdose-chocolate.html
-----
14) Houthi missiles strike two ships in the Gulf of Aden, US military says
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels [sic] struck two ships in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Sunday, the latest assaults on shipping in the region. … One anti-ship ballistic cruise missile hit the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Norderney forward station late Saturday, starting a fire that those on board put out, the US military’s Central Command said. It added that a second anti-ship cruise missile also hit the Norderney. … In a second attack, a Houthi ballistic missile hit the Tavvishi, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned-and-operated container ship in the Gulf of Aden, Central Command [said].” (06/10/24)
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240610-houthi-missiles-strike-2-ships-in-the-gulf-of-aden-us-military-says
-----
15) Genetic testing firm 23andMe being investigated over hack
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The data watchdogs of the UK and Canada will investigate genetic testing company 23andMe over a data breach in October 2023. Hackers gained access to personal information of 6.9 million people, which in some cases included family trees, birth years and geographic locations, by using customers’ old passwords. One of the things the joint taskforce will investigate is whether adequate safeguards had been put in place to protect such data. ‘We intend to cooperate with these regulators’ reasonable requests’, 23andMe said in a statement. The data stolen in October did not include DNA records. 23andMe is a giant of the growing ancestor-tracing industry, offering genetic testing from DNA, with ancestry breakdown and personalised health insights. The company was not hacked itself — but rather criminals logged into about 14,000 individual accounts, or 0.1% of customers, by using email and password details previously exposed in other hacks.” (06/10/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gg17pq5y9o
-----
16) MA: Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators
Source: ABC News
“An 81-year-old woman on Martha’s Vineyard drove up to the Island Time dispensary last week seeking her usual order of pot. But owner Geoff Rose had to tell her the cupboard was bare — he’d been forced to temporarily close three weeks earlier after selling every last bud and gummy. Unless something changes, the island’s only other cannabis dispensary will sell all its remaining supplies by September at the latest …. Although Massachusetts voters opted to legalize marijuana more than seven years ago, the state’s Cannabis Control Commission has taken the position that transporting pot across the ocean — whether by boat or plane — risks running afoul of federal laws. … The conundrum led Rose to file a lawsuit last month against the commission, which now says that finding a solution to the island’s pot problem has become a top priority.” (06/10/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/marthas-vineyard-run-pot-led-lawsuit-scramble-regulators-110973917
-----
17) France: Far-right National Rally projected to win snap election without absolute majority
Source: Reuters
“The far-right National Rally was forecast on Monday to win a snap election in France but fall short of an absolute majority in the first opinion poll published after President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to dissolve parliament. Following a massive loss for his Renaissance party in Sunday’s European Parliament election, Macron announced snap elections for the lower house of parliament, with the first round scheduled for June 30, less than three weeks away, and the run-off on July 7. Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, eurosceptic National Rally party, known as RN, would win 235 to 265 seats in the National Assembly, a huge jump from its current 88 but short of the 289 needed for an absolute majority, according to the survey by Toluna Harris Interactive for Challenges, M6 and RTL. Macron’s centrist alliance would see its number of lawmakers possibly halve, from 250 to 125-155, the poll showed on Monday.” (06/10/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-enters-election-mode-after-far-right-win-european-parliament-vote-2024-06-10/
-----
18) Sudan: RSF targets last operating hospital in Darfur
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in Sudan has attacked the last operating hospital in the Darfur region, an international aid group said. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, reported late on Sunday that the RSF had attacked the South Hospital in el-Fasher, the capital city of the North Darfur province, the previous day. The armed group opened fire on medical staff and patients as it looted the site, forcing the facility to close. … War erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis and killing at least 15,500 people, according to United Nations estimates.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/10/sudan-paramilitary-rsf-targets-last-operating-hospital-in-darfur
-----
19) Study: African elephants call each other by unique names
Source: SFGate
“African elephants call each other and respond to individual names — something that few wild animals do, according to new research published Monday. The names are one part of elephants’ low rumbles that they can hear over long distances across the savanna. Scientists believe that animals with complex social structures and family groups that separate and then reunite often may be more likely to use individual names. ‘If you’re looking after a large family, you’ve got to be able to say, “Hey, Virginia, get over here!”‘ said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study. It’s extremely rare for wild animals to call each other by unique names. Humans have names, of course, and our dogs come when their names are called. Baby dolphins invent their own names, called signature whistles, and parrots may also use names.” (06/10/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/african-elephants-call-each-other-by-unique-19506933.php
-----
20) Bitfarms to Adopt “Poison Pill” Amid Riot Takeover Attempt
Source: US News & World Report
“Bitcoin miner Bitfarms said on Monday it had approved the adoption of a ‘poison pill’ to fend off a potential hostile takeover attempt by rival Riot Platforms. The move comes days after Riot Platforms disclosed it had built a 12% stake in Bitfarms as it pursues a takeover attempt. Riot had initially made a private proposal to buy Bitfarms in April. The proposal was rejected by Bitfarms’ board after it concluded that the offer ‘significantly undervalued’ the company. Colorado-based Riot went public with its proposal in May to buy the bitcoin miner for about $950 million and said it intends to request a special shareholder meeting to add independent directors to Bitfarms’ board. … Under Bitfarm’s plan, if an entity accumulates more than 15% of Bitfarms’ stake after June 20 and up to Sept. 10, the company would issue fresh shares, diluting the entity’s stake.” (06/10/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2024-06-10/bitfarms-to-adopt-poison-pill-amid-riot-takeover-attempt
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Doxxing Dissent
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“California lawmaker Steve Padilla is apparently indifferent to the speech-enabling virtues of anonymity. The state senator (18th District) has no problem violating the First Amendment rights of persons who conceal their identity the better to speak out. Padilla is proposing legislation, SB1228, to compel social media companies to compel social media ‘influencers’ who’d rather remain anonymous to identify themselves. A company that fails to comply would risk being penalized. And I hear it often: why anonymity? Folks should own up to their speech! But many people have good reasons for remaining anonymous when they publish their views. One is to protect themselves from harassment by private parties. Another is to protect themselves from harassment, or worse, by governments.” (06/10/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/06/10/doxxing-dissent/
-----
22) Politicians Will Always Be Damn Rascals
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“Former President Donald Trump was recently convicted by a New York jury after prosecutors claimed he was guilty of ‘hoodwinking’ voters in the 2016 election by paying to cover up his boinking of a beefy porn star. Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg proclaimed that Trump was guilty of taking steps with ‘the end of keeping information away from the electorate.’ Cue the casino scene from the movie Casablanca, with the French officer lamenting that he was ‘shocked, shocked’ to find gambling on the premises. Lying is practically the job description for politicians.” (06/10/24)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2024/06/10/politicians-will-always-be-damn-rascals/
-----
23) Trade Deficits: Accounting Masquerading as Economics
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by David Hebert
“Policy makers and the would-be-intelligentsia of both the American Right and the American Left who carp on about the trade deficit and use it as a means of speaking authoritatively on the state of the US economy reveal one thing: a stunning lack of understanding about which they speak. Trade deficits are merely an accounting number, nothing more and equally, nothing less.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/trade-deficits-accounting-masquerading-as-economics/
-----
24) Australian Censors Back Down, Highlighting the US as a Free Speech Haven
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“In a welcome development for people who care about liberty, Australia’s government suspended its efforts to censor the planet. The country’s officials suffered pushback from X (formerly Twitter) and condemnation by free speech advocates after attempting to block anybody, anywhere from seeing video of an attack at a Sydney church. At least for the moment, they’ve conceded defeat based, in part, on recognition that X is protected by American law, making censorship efforts unenforceable.” (06/10/24)
https://reason.com/2024/06/10/australian-censors-back-down-highlighting-the-u-s-as-a-free-speech-haven/
-----
25) Apocalypse Never
Source: Quillette
by Mike Cote
“In a recent review of Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario here in Quillette, Lawrence Krauss argues that ‘Far from enhancing American national security, or the security of the world, nuclear weapons will lead us to the edge of destruction.’ Far be it for me to disagree with Professor Krauss on the physics, but he and Jacobsen are completely wrong about the history and geopolitics of the nuclear age. Nuclear weapons have not only made the world a safer, less conflict-ridden place, they have created a relatively stable form of deterrence that does not rely on the vagaries of diplomacy.” (06/10/24)
https://quillette.com/2024/06/10/apocalypse-never-nuclear-weapons-war-disarmament/
-----
26) The Absence (and Presence) of Daniel Ellsberg
Source: TomDispatch
by Norman Solomon
“On a warm evening almost a decade ago, I sat under the stars with Daniel Ellsberg while he talked about nuclear war with alarming intensity. He was most of the way through writing his last and most important book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. Somehow, he had set aside the denial so many people rely on to cope with a world that could suddenly end in unimaginable horror. Listening, I felt more and more frightened. Dan knew what he was talking about. After working inside this country’s doomsday machinery, even drafting nuclear war plans for the Pentagon during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, Dan Ellsberg had gained intricate perspectives on what greased the bureaucratic wheels, personal ambitions, and political messaging of the warfare state. Deceptions about arranging for the ultimate violence of thermonuclear omnicide were of a piece with routine falsehoods about American war-making.” (06/10/24)
https://tomdispatch.com/the-absence-and-presence-of-daniel-ellsberg/
-----
27) A Saudi Treaty Is a Dangerous Trap
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The U.S. should never commit itself to defend Saudi Arabia, especially when the U.S. stands to gain nothing significant in return. The administration’s obsession with giving the Saudis a formal security guarantee is as bizarre as it is unwise. The last thing that the U.S. needs is another treaty commitment, and there are few other governments less deserving of protection than the Saudi monarchy. The current level of U.S.-Saudi cooperation is bad enough, but to formalize it in a treaty and put the U.S. on the hook for their security for decades to come would be insane.” (06/10/24)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/a-saudi-treaty-is-a-dangerous-trap
-----
28) The Moral Psychology of the Whistleblower
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ronald W Dworkin
“The concept of honor tends to confuse the modern democratic mind, associating it as we do with feudal aristocratic life. Whistleblowers seem to exemplify a kind of modern-day code of honor, [Carl] Elliott writes. Yet what is its basis? During the landed gentry epoch, the honor code was a mixture of class duty and warrior ethos. In the case of whistleblowers, its basis seems less clear. Upon reading through Elliott’s accounts of whistleblowing, I thought I spotted a trend: a religious commitment expressed at an early age that exerted itself later in life on the whistleblower’s conscience, long after any official commitment to religion had waned.” (06/10/24)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-moral-psychology-of-the-whistleblower/
-----
29) Saving Gaza Is Also About Saving Ourselves
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Saving Gaza is about more than saving Gaza. It’s also about saving ourselves. Saving ourselves as individuals. Saving ourselves as a society. Saving ourselves as a species. Saving ourselves from what we’ll become if we just watch this happening right in front of our eyes without doing everything we can to stop it. Saving ourselves from what the sociopaths who rule over us are trying to turn us into. Saving ourselves from the way the propagandists are trying to twist and train our minds. Saving ourselves from the kind of future humanity will have if our rulers can get away with such a brazen act of extreme depravity. Saving ourselves from the other horrors that will be unleashed upon our world if this kind of thing becomes normalized and accepted. Saving ourselves from the dark dystopia we are plunging into at breakneck speed.” (06/11/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/06/11/saving-gaza-is-about-more-than-saving-gaza-its-also-about-saving-ourselves/
-----
30) The Forgotten European Country with an Unforgettable Name
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed
“Bottleneck the country no longer exists, but its name lingers on as a descriptor of what we all have had to deal with when we bump into government bureaucracy.” (06/10/24)
https://fee.org/articles/the-forgotten-european-country-with-an-unforgettable-name/
-----
31) Biden crusade against US energy harms America and our allies
Source: Fox News
byRick Perry
“The Biden administration’s energy policies are negatively impacting American energy independence and the energy security of our allies – especially those in Europe who, given a choice, would choose America but instead are being pushed into a Russian bearhug. The reason? President Joe Biden’s politicization of energy policy and putting an indefinite pause on future liquefied natural gas (LNG) export infrastructure projects. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee recently pushed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over the administration’s decision to halt LNG exports. Representatives pressed on when the pause will end and whether the Department of Energy has yet determined whether LNG exports to allies around the world are in the public interest. To me, the answer is clear. With this ban, the administration is, in effect, gifting one of the world’s most evil dictators, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a significant advantage.” (06/10/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/bidens-crusade-against-us-energy-harms-america-allies
-----
32) Where are the checks and balances against the Supreme Court?
Source: The Hill
by William S Becker
“There was a time when Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to care about the U.S. Supreme Court’s integrity and the American people’s trust. That is evidently no longer the case. Last year, after ProPublica broke stories about two justices who received but did not report favors from billionaires, concern grew that the nation’s highest court had no explicit ethics code for its members. In November, the nine justices responded with 14 pages of ‘canons’ and commentary — a step forward, no doubt. But because there is no enforcement mechanism, the ‘code’ amounts to guidelines rather than the strict ethics rules and sanctions that apply to all other federal employers and judges. Those rules prohibit federal officers from even the appearance of conflicting interests.” (06/10/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/4709594-supreme-court-ethics-checks-balances-recusal-trump/
-----
33) Bird Flu, Fear, and Perverse Incentives
Source: Brownstone Institute
by David Bell
“Covid-19 has proven the business case for gain-of-function research. It looks increasingly likely that some genetic fiddling really did succeed in moving a bat coronavirus into humans, where it is more amenable to monetization (there is no profit in sick bats, or fear of them). Importantly, despite the broad economic and health catastrophe that followed, those behind the program are continuing much the same work, and not being held to account. There is vast profit with little or no real risk. However, what the Covid episode really demonstrated is the financial and political gains that can be achieved irrespective of outbreak severity.” (06/10/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/bird-flu-fear-and-perverse-incentives/
-----
34) A Poll of Arab American Voters’ Message for Biden? Reverse Course on Gaza
Source: The Arab American Institute
by James Zogby
“More often than not, those in the media take a simplistic view of political polls. Especially in a presidential election year, attention tends to be singularly focused on who’s up and who’s down. In reality, these ‘horse race’ numbers, while important, are often the least consequential part of a poll. Looking at the rich data that makes up a poll can provide far more useful information, suggesting, for example, why candidate A or B is doing well or poorly. A deep dive into the data can also reveal the diversity of the population being surveyed and among which component groups of the electorate the candidates are doing better or worse. And finally, if prescriptive questions are asked, a poll can also provide a way for candidates to understand what they can do to improve their position.” (06/10/24)
https://www.aaiusa.org/library/what-polls-can-teach-us-about-arab-american-voters-in-2024
-----
35) Bureaucracy: The Red Tape that Prevents Economic Growth
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Sergio Lopez
“The constant increase of government and bureaucracy size has been a sad and terrible tendency in the entire world since the 1930s, and bureaucratic procedures represent a high burden of time, effort, and money for potential businesses. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that around 20 percent of new businesses fail during the first year, and 45 percent fail during the first five years (in the United States). And if those are the numbers of new business success in a huge and comparatively prosperous economy, we can only imagine the difficulty of becoming an entrepreneur in nations that are plagued with constant economic crises and giant bureaucracies.” (06/10/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/bureaucracy-red-tape-prevents-economic-growth
-----
36) On Conservatism and Risk Aversion
Source: Yahoo! News
by Kevin D Williamson
“In one aspect, conservatism is risk aversion rigorously thought-out and systematically applied to government and public life. It is a definite style. Progressives and radicals will set their sights on something good and then, having made the decision to pursue it, run headlong toward that goal, often setting aside procedures, norms, and constitutional restraints in pursuit of the good thing. Often, institutional guardrails will be treated with positive contempt, from Woodrow Wilson’s dismissal of the Constitution to Trumpists’ sneering at norms. Conservatives, on the other hand, might agree about the goodness of the good thing but still prefer to pursue it slowly and gradually, or partly, or not yet.” (06/10/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/conservatism-risk-aversion-131500942.html
-----
37) The US Economy Is Absolutely Fantastic
Source: The Atlantic
by Roge Karma
“If the United States’[s] economy were an athlete, right now it would be peak LeBron James. If it were a pop star, it would be peak Taylor Swift. Four years ago, the pandemic temporarily brought much of the world economy to a halt. Since then, America’s economic performance has left other countries in the dust and even broken some of its own records. The growth rate is high, the unemployment rate is at historic lows, household wealth is surging, and wages are rising faster than costs, especially for the working class. There are many ways to define a good economy. America is in tremendous shape according to just about any of them.” (06/10/24)
https://archive.is/bNjJm
-----
38) Interview: How to win a fight with the federal government
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
“Two years ago, shortly after a panel of Tennessee Supreme Court Judges appointed Jonathan Skrmetti as Attorney General, we sat down with the then-green AG as he embarked on establishing himself in his new position. … Last week, we caught up with the AG once again for an update on his affairs, the state of his office, and the particulars of some of the most important cases occupying his team. After a cordial greeting, General Skrmetti was ready to jump right in. Pamphleteer: There are a lot of things we can talk about, but let’s start with an overview. How are things going in the AG’s office? Skrmetti: The overview is pretty straightforward. We’re really busy here. The Strategic Litigation Unit is up and running, and we’ve been really active pushing back against federal overreach.” (06/10/24)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/how-to-win-a-fight-with-the-federal-govt/
-----
39) The Destruction of Julian Assange
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last month, a British court gave Julian Assange permission to continue opposing the U.S. government’s attempts to extradite him to the United States to stand trial for violating the World War I Espionage Act. In truth, what U.S. officials are really targeting him for is that Assange, as head of WikiLeaks, had the audacity to reveal war crimes and other dark-side activities of the U.S. national-security state. U.S. officials know that Assange’s recent judicial victory is a pyrrhic one. That’s because Assange continues to be jailed under brutal conditions in a maximum-security jail in England — and will continue to be — until his appeal is finally decided. What difference does it make to U.S. officials if Assange is jailed under brutal conditions in England or under brutal conditions here in the United States?” (06/10/24)
https://www.fff.org/2024/06/10/the-destruction-of-julian-assange/
-----
40) Complicity in Genocide
Source: CounterPunch
by L Michael Hager
“With likely findings of war crimes and genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel; and arrest warrants against two members of the Israeli war cabinet by the International Criminal Court (ICC), it may be time to consider the possible liabilities of the state and individual parties that have aided and abetted Israel in its war on Gaza. What are the governing laws? How have the international legal institutions addressed complicity in other cases of genocide? Could the complicity provisions apply to the United States and its leaders for assisting Israel in a war on Gaza that has cost so many thousands of civilian lives?” (06/10/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/06/10/complicity-in-genocide/
-----
41) Down With Digital Nomads
Source: The American Conservative
by Will Collins
“A new mode of travel has emerged in recent years, pioneered by a wave of affluent, tech-savvy young people who seek to iron the awkwardness out of foreign sightseeing. These are the digital nomads, and the influence of their peculiar subculture can be felt everywhere from visa policy to the coffee menu at a typical Eastern European cafe. Digital nomadism is not quite traditional tourism, nor is it the same as moving to a foreign country, learning the language, and adapting to local habits and customs. Nomads tend to stick to their own enclaves and interact mostly with fellow expatriates or well-heeled Anglophone locals.” (06/10/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/down-with-digital-nomads/
-----
42) Could the GOP Do for Birth Control What It Did for Abortion?
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Nothing puts the ‘old’ in the Grand Old Party like an unhealthy obsession with returning to premodern attitudes about birth control and methods of contraception. Which is essentially what the Senate GOP winked at when they voted not to advance the Right to Contraception Act last Wednesday. The measure sought to ‘protect an individual’s ability to make decisions about their body, medical care, family, and life’s course, and thereby protect the individual’s ability to participate equally in the economic and social life of the United States.’ … Sidestepping the link between fertility control and economic security in 2024 to blame Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for playing politics did not erase the many ‘Senate Republicans block bill to protect access to contraception’ headlines, or the message sent by the sight of a huge inflatable IUD within view of the U.S. Capitol.” (06/10/24)
https://prospect.org/health/2024-06-10-gop-do-birth-control-what-it-did-abortion/
-----
43) Congress: Let Ukraine hit more targets inside Russia with US weapons
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Blaise Malley
“U.S. policy towards the war in Ukraine is to escalate rather than work to calm tensions, if activity on Capitol Hill is any indication. In late May, Politico reported that the Biden administration had quietly given Ukraine the authority to conduct limited strikes in Russia using U.S. weapons. It was a stunning shift in administration policy that underscored the dire battlefield conditions in Kyiv and risked a serious escalation in the war, according to the administration’s own thinking. In response to the news, lawmakers have introduced two competing amendments to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. One, introduced by Rep. Thomas Kean (R-N.J) ‘[s]tates that it is the policy of the United States to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to strike legitimate targets inside Russia with U.S.-provided weapons.'” (06/10/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-strikes-targets-in-russia/
-----
44) NATO When You Don’t Want It; No NATO When You Do
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“Last year, Zelensky reacted furiously to his demands for NATO membership not being met. ‘It’s unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine,’ he said. This year’s NATO summit, to be held in Washington in July, will be presented differently to the world. Though Zelensky and Biden are expected to sign a security agreement between the two countries in July, NATO will not offer Ukraine membership or a timeline for membership at the upcoming summit. After another year of fighting for NATO’s right to expand to Ukraine, Zelensky will be even angrier than last year. But no one will know it.” (06/10/24)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2024/06/09/nato-when-you-dont-want-it-no-nato-when-you-do/
-----
45) Despite climate-change hysterics, weather disasters have decreased
Source: New York Post
by Benny Peiser
“A recent scientific study has confirmed what climate realists have been highlighting for some time: Natural and climate-related disasters have been declining rather than increasing during the 21st century. In a paper published this year in one of the world’s leading journals on environmental hazards, Italian scientists Gianluca Alimonti and Luigi Mariani analyzed the number and temporal trends of natural disasters reported since 1900. Based on the best available data, the two scientists concluded the 21st century has seen ‘a decreasing trend [of natural disasters] to 2022’ which is ‘characterized by a significant decline in number of events.’ The researchers emphasized that their conclusion ‘sits in marked contradiction to earlier analyses by UN bodies which predict an increasing number of natural disasters and impacts in concert with global warming’. ‘Our analyses strongly refute this assertion,’ they wrote.” (06/09/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/09/opinion/weather-disasters-decreased-despite-warming-study-finds/
-----
46) David Boaz: A Tribute to His Life and Legacy
Source: The UnPopulist
by Shikha Dalmia, Jonathan Rauch, Aaron Ross Powell, Andy Craig, Tom G Palmer, Radley Balko, & Veronique de Rugy
“The UnPopulist’s contributors reminisce about the mark that this libertarian stalwart has left on them and the world.” (06/09/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/david-boaz-a-tribute-to-his-life
-----
47) Schooled Straight: Confronting the Cis Hetero Compulsory School System
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Well, it’s another Pride Month and the so-called Christian Right’s increasingly statist culture war against Queer folk just continues to rage on with the reckless abandon of a runaway bushfire. And why the fuck not? It keeps the faithful stupid and the coffers heavy with their money, so let the hate legislation burn! None of this shocks me. I’m a genderqueer lapsed Catholic in cousin-fucker country, I grew up being terrorized by these goons. But what does disgust me is the way these cretins have targeted children, specifically trans kids, and the way they use the compulsory school system to do it.” (06/09/24)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2024/06/schooled-straight-confronting-cis.html
-----
48) The Pilgrim Code of 1636: English Charter, Christian Covenant, and Modern Constitution
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Joe Wolverton, II
“Whether it’s the Mayflower Compact or any of the scores of other town charters written in the first couple of decades after that seminal document was signed, each of them shared certain common clauses — covenant clauses. According to Lutz, these covenant-inspired charters, codes, and constitutions counted on the following five ‘foundation elements’: first, God is called on as a witness; second, the need for the agreement is expressed; third, a covenant people is identified or created; fourth, a church is established; and fifth, the covenanting community’s goals are declared. Such deliberations of divine provenance and purpose obviously have no place in 21st-century public schools that claim to be ‘educating’ the descendants of these pious pioneers, and that should be unacceptable to those of us who claim to admire our ancestors and to serve the same Savior.” [editor’s note: Only about 10 million Americans are descdended from the Pilgrims – TLK] (10/09/24)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2024/06/09/the-pilgrim-code-of-1636-english-charter-christian-covenant-and-modern-constitution/
-----
49) Students, Gaza and a New Vision of Safety
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Jaffe
“The sign hanging over the student encampment at Chicago’s DePaul University bore a slogan that has echoed through almost all of the justice movements over the past several years: ’We Keep Us Safe’. The tents beneath it fragile, just a thin layer of canvas between the students and the rest of the world. A statement of purpose and of solidarity; a reminder of the tents so many Palestinians in Gaza are living in right now as they move, and move again, and move again from homes destroyed by U.S.-made bombs delivered by Israeli planes into supposed safe zones. But is there a safe zone when its safety is declared by the people who have declared war on you? The horrific scenes coming out of Rafah, as bombs incinerated tents and the people inside of them, have brought home this point with brutal clarity.” (06/10/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/we-keep-us-safe-students-hostages-protesters-universities-colleges-encampments-israel-palestinians-gaza-rafah
-----
50) Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Is “Big Government” Gone Mad
Source: The Daily Beast
by Eleanor Clift
“The party that once claimed to be for limited government intervention and free trade now supports a scheme that would upend the economy and millions of lives.” (06/09/24)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-mass-deportation-plan-is-big-government-gone-mad
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/10/24
Source: Reason
"Partisan Border Wars." (06/10/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/06/10/partisan-border-wars/
-----
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/10/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“The world around us changes so slowly that it’s hard to notice. Lenore Skenazy shares her thoughts on what ’70s kids did that today’s kids don’t. It’s eye-opening.” (06/10/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-d5eg5-1639867
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 611
Source: Libertarian Institute
“I Was Placed on an ‘Anti-Ukrainian’ Smear List.” (06/10/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-611-i-was-placed-on-an-anti-ukrainian-smear-list
-----
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 06/10/24
Source: The New Republic
“Why Trump’s Worsening Obsession With Verdict Has Unnerved Some GOPers.” (06/10/24)
https://newrepublic.com/article/182488/trumps-spiraling-obsession-verdict-unnerved-gopers
-----
55) Strangers on the Internet, season 3, episode 62
Source: Strangers on the Internet
“Dilan Esper Follow-up on Joshua Wright’s Lawsuits.” (06/10/24)
https://shows.acast.com/strangers-on-the-internet/episodes/metoo-coverage-dilan-esper-follow-up-on-joshua-wrights-lawsu
-----
56) EconTalk, 06/10/24
Source: EconTalk
“How the Constitution Can Bring Us Together (with Yuval Levin).” (06/10/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/how-the-constitution-can-bring-us-together-with-yuval-levin/
-----
57) SolutionsWatch, 06/10/24
Source: The Corbett Report
“Replacing Hollywood.” (06/10/24)
https://corbettreport.com/replacing-hollywood-solutionswatch/
-----
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 249
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“What’s the price of 7 million COVID deaths? $1 billion in royalties.” (06/10/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-249-whats
-----
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/10/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Intel Helped Attack That Killed Over 200 Palestinians, Ukrainian NGO Smears Antiwar.com, and More.” (06/10/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HPwB0JDguo
-----
60) Free Talk Live, 06/09/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Did Joe Biden poop himself? :: Quality furniture vs cheap :: Did the internet ruin an Amazon tribe? :: Elon Musk; Genius or conman? :: Journalist arrested for no good reason :: David from NM is not Bonnie’s baby daddy :: Petro dollar agreement with Saudi Arabia ends :: 2024-06-09 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Rich E Rich.” (06/09/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-06-09
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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