07/15 -- India: Pakistan spy agency executed Mumbai attacks; US home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter
8 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Jul 15, 2010, 1:18:12 AM7/15/10
to Rational Review News Digest
**************************************************
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
* The Freedom Movement's Daily Newspaper
*
* Volume VIII, Issue #1,962
* Thursday, July 15th, 2010
* Email Circulation 1,896
*
* Published every non-holiday weekday
* by the staff of Rational Review
*
* On the Web: http://www.rationalreview.com/news
**************************************************
****SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS*************************
*
* CENTER FOR A STATELESS SOCIETY
* http://c4ss.org
*
* SUPPORT THE MEN AND WOMEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF FREEDOM
* http://cdevolution.org/
*
* INDY-PINDY: THE LIBERTY MOUSE
* https://www.createspace.com/3418555
*
* FREE EBOOK: DIARY OF A FORMER COMMUNIST
* http://tinyurl.com/2656dem
*
* DALLAS LIBERTARIAN EXAMINER
* http://www.examiner.com/x-1449-Dallas-Libertarian-Examiner
*
*************************SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS****
In The News:
0) RRND/FND 3rd quarter fundraiser
1) India: Pakistan spy agency executed Mumbai attacks
2) US home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter
3) Iraq: 16 killed, 39 wounded
4) Afghanistan: Attacks kill eight US troops in 24 hours
5) Nine states back Arizona's Know-Nothing appeasement law
6) Militants attack Yemeni intelligence offices
7) Obama vows election aid for Democrats
8) Iraq faces new test in handover of last US-run prison
9) Iranian nuclear scientist back home from US
10) Afghanistan: Karzai gives nod to local police forces
11) Petraeus wants Taliban in Pakistan on terror list
12) WI: Jackson County DA refuses to prosecute victim disarmament laws
13) MA: Gun ruling has lawyer making calls
14) CA: Openly bearing arms, beachgoers cite their rights
15) CA: "Don't ask" challenged in court
16) "$10 billion for teachers" delays Afghan war $$
17) A new practice: The doctor will see you today
18) In key contests, Democrats championing gun rights
19) Argentina's Senate to vote on gay marriage bill
20) MT: Parents battle over sex ed
Everybody Has An Opinion:
21) Who's afraid of federalism?
22) Sixteen reasons to legalize drugs
23) The American Warmonger's Bible
24) Obamacare begins -- in Idaho
25) Foot soldiers of the census army
26) Why do we still have troops in Korea?
27) Turning us into a nation full of suspects
28) Police brutality in America
29) A prisoner's wife
30) Right to bear still not absolute
31) More justices should have concurred
32) Iowa case shows why police chiefs, sheriffs should have no
discretion on CCW
33) Fouled by the taxman
34) In an Afghan hole? Dig deeper
35) Who gets US out of the hole we're in?
36) Vetting the regulators
37) Free the Cuban Five!
38) Defending the litterer
39) Signs of the times
40) The good state and the bad state: Progressivism, part 3
41) Cell phones don't cause cancer
42) Was Thomas Jefferson a great president?
43) Europe's choice: Populate or perish
44) Real jobs, fake jobs
45) A moral abomination
46) Pathetic spies
47) Wards of the state
48) Forcing consumers to buy renewable energy
49) Soccer bombing should not prompt more US meddling
50) Politicians are the problem for higher ed
51) "They just don't know who they're messing with"
52) Death of a salesman
53) WrestleMania in Connecticut
54) Censorship as "tolerance"
55) The motive behind whistle-blower prosecutions
56) Islam: Unmentionable in DC
57) Internal markets v. free markets
58) Shocking the bourgeoisie
59) Dual crises of globalization
60) Did the jury for the BART shooting get the "right" verdict?
See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
61) Obscenity v. freedom of speech
62) Cato Daily Podcast, 07/14/10
63) Free Talk Live, 07/13/10
64) Glenn Greenwald on Antiwar Radio
65) Mutual aid
What's Up In The Freedom Movement:
66) Today's events
***************
* In The News
***************
0) RRND/FND 3rd quarter fundraiser
Update, 07/15/10: Thanks to LL, whose $10 contribution brings our
total to $820 against our goal of $2,083!
128 more people like LL, returning $10 in value for value to the
freedom movement's daily newspaper, and this fundraiser will be over.
Be the first on your block to say you helped put us over the top! -
TLK
http://www.rationalreview.com/content/83890
-----
1) India: Pakistan spy agency executed Mumbai attacks
Business Week
"India has accused Pakistan's powerful spy agency of planning and
executing the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in the strongest and most specific
allegation of Islamabad's involvement in the assault from a top
official. The remark comes a day before the foreign ministers of the
rival nations are set to meet in Islamabad to attempt to rebuild a
fragile peace dialogue that was shattered by the attacks, which killed
166 people. It appeared to be an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on
Pakistan to prosecute people whom India says were deeply involved in
the assault." (07/14/10)
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GUQS4G0.htm
-----
2) US home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter
Los Angeles Times
"The number of U.S. homes taken back by banks through foreclosure hit
a record high in the second quarter, even as lenders delayed more
homes from entering the process through short sales and loan
modification efforts, according to data to be released Thursday. This
growing supply of lender-owned properties could set back the nation's
housing recovery but probably won't sink it completely if the nation's
employment situation doesn't deteriorate further and the economy
begins to pick up steam, experts said. Sales of homes have faltered
nationally in recent months with the expiration of government tax
incentives for buyers." (07/15/10)
http://tinyurl.com/247gf2k
-----
3) Iraq: 16 killed, 39 wounded
AntiWar.Com
"At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 39 more were wounded in the latest
round of violence. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities transferred 55 high-
level detainees, including Tariq Aziz, to their Iraqi counterparts.
Also, Turkey is considering building a new army that will handle their
war against PKK rebels." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2ehxq9u
-----
4) Afghanistan: Attacks kill eight US troops in 24 hours
ABC News
"American forces suffered a deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan, with eight
troops killed in attacks including an audacious Taliban raid on a
police compound in the key southern city of Kandahar, officials said
Wednesday. The U.S. and its coalition allies have warned that violence
and troop casualties are likely to mount this summer as thousands of
new forces fan out across southern insurgent strongholds in a bid to
turn around the nearly 9-year-long war." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/335h5q7
-----
5) Nine states back Arizona's Know-Nothing appeasement law
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
"States have the authority to enforce immigration laws and protect
their borders, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Wednesday in a
legal brief on behalf of nine states supporting Arizona's immigration
law. Cox, one of five Republicans running for Michigan governor, said
Michigan is the lead state backing Arizona in federal court and is
joined by Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Texas and Virginia, as well as the Northern Mariana
Islands." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/36nvd8e
-----
6) Militants attack Yemeni intelligence offices
USA Today
"Masked gunmen riding motorcycles and armed with mortars and rocket
propelled grenades attacked two intelligence buildings in southern
Yemen Wednesday in the second such assault on a Yemeni security
offices in less than a month. The attack in the southern Abyan
province left one security officer and one militant dead, and
apparently only failed to cause more casualties because it took place
early in the morning and the buildings were still empty." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3yj8n39
-----
7) Obama vows election aid for Democrats
MSNBC
"Facing criticism from House Democrats, President Barack Obama
promised their leaders Wednesday night that he'll actively support
their agenda and Democratic lawmakers as they head into tough midterm
elections this fall, according to a congressional leadership aide.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer were among
those in the Oval Office meeting." (07/14/10)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38252440/ns/politics/
-----
8) Iraq faces new test in handover of last US-run prison
MSNBC
"The U.S. military has handed over Tariq Aziz and dozens of other
members of Saddam Hussein's inner circle to Iraqi authorities who will
assume control Thursday of the last American-run detention facility in
the country. Although the Americans will continue to hold 200
problematic detainees, the changing of the guard at Camp Cropper will
mean the end of a mammoth U.S. prison system that has processed more
than 100,000 Iraqis in the seven years since the fall of
Baghdad." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/33ypd2j
-----
9) Iranian nuclear scientist back home from US
Vail Daily
"An Iranian nuclear scientist claimed Thursday he suffered extreme
mental and physical torture at the hands of U.S. interrogators after
disappearing last year, adding to Tehran's allegations he was abducted
by American agents. The U.S. says he was a willing defector who
changed his mind and decided to board a plane home from
Washington." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3yk4dur
-----
10) Afghanistan: Karzai gives nod to local police forces
Macon Telegraph
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his national security team endorsed
a U.S.-backed plan Wednesday to set up local police forces around the
country, allowing villagers to protect themselves in areas where
international and Afghan forces can't be spared. The new Local Police
Force initiative will be overseen by the Afghan government. That was a
key demand of Karzai who fears that simply arming villagers without
government oversight would essentially create local militias that
could undermine his administration and possibly fuel a new civil
war." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3x7mndu
-----
11) Petraeus wants Taliban in Pakistan on terror list
Concord Monitor
"The new military commander in Afghanistan and chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee are urging the State Department to add to its
terrorist list some Afghan insurgent commanders who operate from
hiding places in neighboring Pakistan. Commander of NATO forces Gen.
David Petraeus wants some leaders of the Haqqani network added to the
list, a senior U.S. Defense official in Washington said Wednesday. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to describe internal
administration discussions." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/383v4yg
-----
12) WI: Jackson County DA refuses to prosecute victim disarmament laws
Dunn County News
"Jackson County's district attorney said Friday he no longer will
prosecute some state weapons laws, including a ban on concealed
weapons, in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Gerald Fox said
in a news release the court's ruling 'immediately renders some of
Wisconsin's current laws unconstitutional.' Fox said he will no longer
accept police referrals for violations of statutes that prohibit
carrying concealed weapons, loaded firearms in vehicles, possession of
firearms in public buildings or bars and the possession of
switchblades." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2c9qbnf
-----
13) MA: Gun ruling has lawyer making calls
Norfolk News
"As state legislators consider limiting the right to buy arms, a
Framingham attorney sees better days ahead for those who want to bear
arms. 'It's a very exciting time,' said Jesse Cohen, who wants to see
'how we can dismantle Massachusetts firearms law' thanks to last
month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The 5-4 decision on an Illinois
handgun ban 'is, in my opinion, the most monumental firearms law in
the history of the United States. Firearms law has been turned on its
head, particularly in Massachusetts. 'That's not the way Attorney
General Martha Coakley sees it.'" (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/22l6cnw
-----
14) CA: Openly bearing arms, beachgoers cite their rights
Los Angeles Times
"More than a dozen people packing pistols on their hips strolled down
the Hermosa Beach strand Saturday, picking up garbage and distributing
fliers about the rights of gun owners. The event was part of a
burgeoning and controversial 'open carry' movement nationwide
promoting the right to carry guns in public. Although carrying a
concealed weapon is illegal without a permit, California allows people
to openly carry guns in many areas as long as they are unloaded,
though they can keep ammunition with them. Members of South Bay Open
Carry, which organized the beach cleanup, said they hope such events
will dispel misgivings about gun owners and make carrying a handgun in
public more acceptable. Organizers said they turned the event into a
cleanup to demonstrate that they are contributing to the
community." (07/11/10)
http://tinyurl.com/26wh2cr
-----
15) CA: "Don't ask" challenged in court
Associated Press
"President Obama's remarks that the military's 'don't ask, don't tell'
policy weakens national security shows it should be declared
unconstitutional, a lawyer for the nation's largest Republican gay
rights group told a federal judge yesterday. Attorney Dan Woods
challenged the policy on gays in the military during his opening
statement at the nonjury trial of a lawsuit filed by the Log Cabin
Republicans. The case has put the federal government in the awkward
position of defending the policy that the president has said should be
repealed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/29nb948
-----
16) "$10 billion for teachers" delays Afghan war $$
Christian Science Monitor
"A Democratic House leader wants Congress to spend $10 billion to save
teacher jobs. The White House has threatened a veto. Meanwhile, funds
for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are in limbo. So, what do public
school teachers and US forces in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have in
common? Answer: a defense supplemental spending bill that is having an
unusually tough time getting through Congress this summer. If there's
one point on which Democrats and Republicans typically agree, it's
that funding for US forces in wartime is must-pass legislation, no
question. But this year's war funding bill is tied up, possibly for
weeks, in a tangle of disputes between Democrats and Republicans,
complicated by a late-breaking rift between House Democrats, the Obama
administration, and one of the most loyal segments of the Democratic
base -- public school teachers." [editor's note: Hard to take sides on
this one -- anything that stops funding an unjust, prolonged war is a
good thing, while if the One Bill at a Time approach (cf. Downsize DC)
worked, this discussion would be academic - SAT] (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25lcps5
-----
17) A new practice: The doctor will see you today
Kaiser Health News
"Dr. Dennis M. Dimitri, a family physician, runs a pretty unusual
office. Few appointments are accepted in advance. Instead, patients
call in the morning and are assigned a time slot later that day. Some
patients walk in without calling ahead. The outcome of this lack of
advance planning? No one has to spend weeks trying to wrangle an
appointment, and once patients arrive, they rarely wait more than a
few minutes for the doctor. That might seem mind-boggling to those who
have cooled their heels for 30 minutes, or an hour, in their doctor's
reception room -- after waiting weeks to get the appointment in the
first place. It takes an average of 63 days in the Boston area to get
an appointment with a family physician, according to a 2009 survey by
physician recruiters Merritt Hawkins & Associates, and 20 days on
average for the nation as a whole." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2apvdtk
-----
18) In key contests, Democrats championing gun rights
Boston Globe
"Democratic candidates in key states are embracing gun owners' rights,
winning favor from the National Rifle Association, a lobby that has
long been the target of disdain from the party faithful. In New
Hampshire, Representative Paul Hodes, a Democratic Senate candidate,
has an 'A minus' NRA rating, potentially insulating him from progun
rights attacks in a state that's big on hunting and personal
liberties. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, in a bruising campaign
for reelection in Nevada, has conservative activists buzzing because
the NRA is considering endorsing his reelection." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3x3p6fe
-----
19) Argentina's Senate to vote on gay marriage bill
Agence France-Presse
"Lawmakers in Buenos Aires were to vote Wednesday on a bill which
would make Argentina the first country in Latin America to recognize
gay marriage. The measure to grant homosexual couples marriage rights
cleared a first hurdle in the lower chamber in May, but Senate passage
is likely to be much tougher. Roman Catholic church officials, who
have branded the bill 'the devil's project,' led mass protests against
it on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, Catholic officials across
Argentina, where more than 90 percent of the population are members of
the church, read a message from Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge
Bergoglio urging the faithful to oppose the bill." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2d44afz
-----
20) MT: Parents battle over sex ed
Fox News
"Should kindergarten students learn the proper terms for male and
female private parts? For many outraged parents in Helena, Montana,
the answer is: 'absolutely not.' Approximately 300 people packed a
Helena Public Schools board of trustees meeting Tuesday night to voice
their opinions on the district's proposed changes to its health-
curriculum. Specifically, the 'Human Sexuality' portion of the draft
that calls for children as young as five-years-old to begin sex-ed. A
majority of those in the crowd cheered as opponents took to the
microphone to let their disdain for the measure be known, but
proponents of the new sex-ed curriculum stated that when parents do
not address issues like sexual activity, abuse and disease, then it
falls on the burden of teachers to make sure kids are
informed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/33jwv82
*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 07/15/10
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 97,077 ... Max - 105,850
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,412
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************
****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************
21) Who's afraid of federalism?
Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"Last week a federal judge confounded both sides of the political
spectrum by ruling that the 10th Amendment requires the federal
government to recognize state-approved gay marriages. Progressives
worried that U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro's reasoning cast doubt
on the constitutionality of many existing federal programs, while
conservatives worried that it required equal treatment of same-sex
unions. Since I am one of the few Americans who welcome both of these
outcomes, perhaps you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. But
it seems to me that conservatives are engaging in the sort of result-
oriented constitutional analysis they so often decry when they shrink
from a consistent application of federalism because it lends support
to a social trend they fear." (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/archives/2010/07/14/whos-afraid-of-federalism
-----
22) Sixteen reasons to legalize drugs
Liberty For All
by Dan Karlan
"Estimates vary widely for the proportion of violent and property
crime that is related to drugs, but one-third is a midpoint figure. In
an October 1987 survey of 739 police chiefs by Wharton Econometrics
for the U. S. Customs Service, the respondents 'blamed drugs for a
fifth of murders and rapes, a quarter of car thefts, two-fifths of
robberies and assaults, and half the nation's burglaries and thefts.'
The link between drugs and crime is well established. Cracking down on
drugs increases crime." (07/14/10)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=4560
-----
23) The American Warmonger's Bible
LewRockwell.Com
by Laurence M. Vance
"Two tools of government propaganda used to get young men to kill,
maim, and destroy for the state are nationalism and religion. Put both
together and you have a deadly combination. Imperial Christians who
equate patriotism with militarism and nationalism now have a book to
guide them: The American Patriot's Bible." (07/15/10)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance209.html
-----
24) Obamacare begins -- in Idaho
Pro Libertate
by Willl Grigg
"When the Regime sets prices, this is called 'applied compassion.'
When producers organize to complain about price controls, and then
freely decide not to offer their services at the artificially low
price, this is called 'a criminal conspiracy to fix prices.' This is
the central claim of the 'consent decree' inflicted, at gunpoint, on a
group of Idaho orthopedic surgeons by the Obama Regime -- with the
eager collaboration of the Idaho State Attorney General. Under the
terms of that extorted agreement, it would be tantamount to a criminal
offense for a doctor to complain to his peers about regulatory actions
that may drive accomplished medical specialists out of
business." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2dlnv7y
-----
25) Foot soldiers of the census army
Dallas Libertarian Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Every decade our household answers the one constitutionally
authorized question on the census form; we count each other, write the
number on the form and send it off. In the past a paid snoop might
knock on the door, be told that we've answered all the questions that
we're required to answer, and the snoop goes away. This time they just
keep coming." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/37gdcxf
-----
26) Why do we still have troops in Korea?
AntiWar.Com
by Charles V. Pena
"First and foremost, North Korea is not a threat to America. The
United States' gross domestic product (GDP) is over $14 trillion
compared to North Korea's $40 billion. The U.S. Department of Defense
budget is more than 10 times the size of North Korea's economy and
nearly 100 times North Korea's military expenditures. North Korea's
army is substantial -- estimated at more than 1 million active duty
personnel -- but it is not a power projection force capable of
bridging the Pacific Ocean to attack America. And while North Korea
possesses a handful of nuclear weapons, it does not have the
intercontinental delivery capability to strike the United States.
Moreover, the vastly larger and technologically superior U.S. nuclear
arsenal acts as a powerful deterrent. Just as importantly, South Korea
is more than capable of defending itself." (07/15/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2cu9ekb
-----
27) Turning us into a nation full of suspects
Spiked
by Tim Black
"'A man's home is his castle.' Rarely has this 400-year-old quipped
defence against the arbitrary exercise of state power seemed quite as
quaint as it does today. Because whatever else a man's home is,
whatever else he feels his private sphere to be, it is certainly not
impermeable. In fact, due to a whole raft of legislation over the past
10 years, our private existence has never been quite so transparent.
The state, should it so wish, can read our emails, can check which
websites we visit, can watch us take our dogs for walks, can follow us
on our way to work ... in fact, the possibilities for state
surveillance are endless. And the chief reason for this is a
spectacularly snide piece of legislation called the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)." (07/14//10)
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/9199/
-----
28) Police brutality in America
Information Clearinghouse
by Syephem Lendman
"Across America, daily incidents occur, one of many the cold-blooded
January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant -- unarmed, offering no
resistance, thrust face-down on the ground, shot in the back, and
killed, videotaped on at least four cameras for irrefutable proof. USA
Today said five bystanders taped it. His killer: Oakland, CA transit
officer, Johannes Mehserle, tried for the killing, the jury told to
consider four possible verdicts -- innocent, second-degree murder,
voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter, jurors deciding
the latter. ... Because minority victims seldom get justice,
especially against police, Mehserle may serve minimal time, then be
paroled quietly when the current furor subsides." (07/14/10)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25929.htm
-----
29) A prisoner's wife
CounterPunch
by Jana Abdu
"I used to tell my husband, Ameer Makhoul, 'One day, they'll come for
you.' As chairman of the Public Committee for the Protection of
Political Freedoms he'd begun to organize an awareness-raising
campaign to push back against the security services' harassment of our
community, the Palestinian citizens of Israel.Come for Ameer they did,
late one night this May, pounding at our door, ransacking our house
and terrifying our two teenage daughters.His July 13 hearing --
persecution really -- could begin the legal nightmare that ruptures
our family for many years. This is the likely course of events unless
Ameer gets a fair trial and his coerced statements are rejected or
suppressed by the court." (07/14/10)
http://counterpunch.org/abdu07142010.html
-----
30) Right to bear still not absolute
Daily Press
by Tamara Dietrich
"The Supreme Court stated its ruling 'does not imperil every law
regulating firearms,' but it has now made them big fat targets. A
Georgia minister, for instance, just challenged his state's ban on
guns in houses of worship. Similar legislation is filed in Kansas,
Mississippi and Ohio. Gov. Bobby Jindal just tossed a Louisiana ban,
directing churches, synagogues and mosques to allow concealed
handguns. Apparently there's no time or place not to fear for your
life. 'The sad reality is that we are reminded daily that crime does
occur outside the home ... in the car ... picking up dry cleaning,
eating in a restaurant, walking down the street,' Arulanandam has
said." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2b68tuc
-----
31) More justices should have concurred
Jamestown Sun
by staff
"Guns can be dangerous, so local and state governments have every
right to ban their ownership by Americans, some Supreme Court justices
have said. That is not how the Constitution works, as a slim majority
on the high court ruled this past week. The Second Amendment says
Americans have a right to 'keep and bear arms' -- so they do, the
court ruled in a case that overturned Chicago's ban on handgun
ownership. Our nation's Founders were well aware guns can be misused.
Today's street gangs and drug-running organizations are a fearsome
threat, but they are certainly not the first criminals to use guns to
further their illegal cause. One only needs to look back at the glory
days of John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and 'Baby Face' Nelson to be
reminded that guns have long been misused." (07/13/10)
http://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/115105/group/Opinion/
-----
32) Iowa case shows why police chiefs, sheriffs should have no
discretion on CCW
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
by Dave Workman
"A federal court case involving the denial of a concealed carry permit
to an Iowa resident because of his First Amendment activities clearly
demonstrates why police chiefs and sheriffs should not have
discretionary authority to issue such permits and licenses, and why we
took it away from them here in Washington a generation
ago." (07/10/10)
http://tinyurl.com/247phcp
-----
33) Fouled by the taxman
Boston Globe
by Jeff Jacoby
"A week before LeBron James's announcement on ESPN that he was leaving
the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat, the New York Post and
Rush Limbaugh saw it coming -- and for reasons having nothing to do
with sports. 'If LeBron James goes to the Miami Heat instead of the
Knicks,' the Post noted gloomily on July 1, 'blame our dysfunctional
lawmakers in Albany, who have saddled top-earning New Yorkers with the
highest state and city income taxes in the nation, soon to be 12.85
percent on top of the IRS bite. There is no state income tax in
Florida.' Consequently, a five-year, $96 million contract (the
estimated deal he could get in either city), would cost James $12.34
million in New York taxes, according to the Post, but nothing in Miami
(though he may be taxed when he plays in other cities). 'Quite a
penalty for the privilege of working in Midtown.'" [editor's note:
Based on this logic, he could as easily have chosen Memphis, Dallas,
Houston or San Antonio, just to name a few; his biggest reason is
still the fact that (along with Wade and Bosh) he is now on a true
contender, coached by a proven winner (Pat Riley), and he wants a
RING! - SAT] (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/24oecax
-----
34) In an Afghan hole? Dig deeper
In These Times
by Joel Bleifuss
"Gen. Stanley McChrystal's trash talking and his subsequent sacking by
President Barack Obama is a sign: America's foreign policy elite is
starting to realize the United States has lost the war. Maj. Gen. Bill
Mayville, McChrystal's chief of operations, told Rolling Stone's
Michael Hastings: 'It's not going to look like a win, smell like a win
or taste like a win.' Like a hapless crew on a foundering ship, those
holding the reins in the Afghan war have begun to scramble for
reputation preservers. And they are scarce." (07/12/10)
http://tinyurl.com/22ntnjw
-----
35) Who gets US out of the hole we're in?
Our Future Blog
by Robert Borosage
"Voters are in a surly temper. The economy stinks. Jobs are scarce.
Wages are under pressure. One in 4 homes with mortgages is underwater.
Retirement savings have been butchered; pensions are at risk. Bailed
out bankers are paying themselves record bonuses; the oil keeps
fouling the Gulf; the jobs aren't coming back. It is ugly out here.
Not surprisingly, faith in Obama is starting to flag. According to a
recent Washington Post poll, a startling 58% have only some or no
faith that he will make the right decisions about the country's
future. Congressional Democrats fare worse. Republicans would be
salivating, only folks overwhelmingly don't want to rehire them
either. A staggering 72% have little or no trust in congressional
Republicans on the country's future. And now the election season
starts." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2dd4zqm
-----
36) Vetting the regulators
The American Prospect
by Tim Fernholz
"In Washington, Supreme Court nominations have become campaigns in and
of themselves, with staff detailed to nominees, extensive
congressional vetting, and outside groups spending on ads to defeat or
confirm the nominee in question. The process has damaged the
deliberative nature of judicial appointments and creates an incentive
for lawyers who aspire to the highest court in the land to be as
boring as possible. But the hoopla around the nomination process --
frequently cited as a failure of our democracy -- does ensure that the
president and Congress take judicial appointments and their political
consequences seriously. Regulatory appointees deserve the same
scrutiny and public attention -- as much as the Court matters,
regulators play a more immediate role in our economy. " (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25lhtss
-----
37) Free the Cuban Five!
The Nation
by Wayne S. Smith
"Quite apart from Fidel Castro's rare TV interview on Tuesday, there
have recently been a number of encouraging developments in Cuba. ...
So far, credit for these developments goes largely to the Spanish
government and to the Catholic Church, especially to Cardinal Ortega.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the moves as
'welcome.' Yes, but the United States could encourage that trend by
releasing the so-called Cuban Five -- something it should do anyway to
help restore the image of the United States, which has been damaged by
international condemnation of its handling of the case. Who were the
Cuban Five? They were members of the Cuban Intelligence Service who
were sent to the United States not to spy on the US government or any
of its entities but to penetrate certain Cuban exile organizations and
gather information on terrorist activities they were carrying out
against Cuba -- information the Cubans would then provide to the FBI
so that it could move to halt those activities." (07/13/10)
http://www.thenation.com/article/37396/free-cuban-five
-----
38) Defending the litterer
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Walter Block
"The litterer today will find few defenders. He is beset on all sides,
bearing the brunt of the barbs of do-gooder groups. Radio and
television stations beam anti-litter messages as a 'public service,'
and neighborhood and parent-teacher associations, church groups, and
civic organizations are in agreement on the issue of littering. The
film industry, which must pass over many topics as too controversial,
is united in its hatred for litter. Litter is a great
unifier." (07/14/10)
http://mises.org/daily/4563
-----
39) Signs of the times
FreedomPolitics
by Thomas Sowell
"If you could spend vast amounts of other people's money just by
saying a few magic words, wouldn't you be tempted to do it? Barack
Obama has spent hundreds of billions of dollars of the taxpayers'
money just by using the magic words 'stimulus' and 'jobs.' It doesn't
matter politically that the stimulus is not actually stimulating and
that the unemployment rate remains up near double-digit levels,
despite all the spending and all the rhetoric about jobs." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2bn73z2
-----
40) The good state and the bad state: Progressivism, part 3
Foundation for Economic Education
by William L. Anderson
"Most Americans pay homage to the U.S. Constitution. Public officials
swear to 'protect and defend the Constitution of the United States
from all enemies, both foreign and domestic,' and the late Sen. Robert
Byrd, who wrote the book on pork barrel spending, carried a copy of
the document with him at all times. Almost everyone in authority
claims to revere the Constitution. However, few people of them believe
they should be bound by the limitations that define the
document." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/27rrkmp
-----
41) Cell phones don't cause cancer
Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Ryan Young
"Could your cell phone be killing you? A lot of people seem to think
so. Some activists say that talking on your phone for 30 minutes a day
over several years can cause brain tumors. They say governments need
to address the problem with regulations. The alternative? '[D]o
nothing and wait for the body count,' according to the University of
Albany's David Carpenter. Regulations are starting to
pass." (07/12/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25yqqw6
-----
42) Was Thomas Jefferson a great president?
Campaign For Liberty
by H.A. Scott Trask
"Was Thomas Jefferson a great president? One's answer to that question
depends on how one defines 'greatness.' If we define greatness as how
far a president leads the United States down its historically
determined path toward the centralized interventionist state, then
Jefferson fails to qualify. On the other hand, if we define greatness
as how well a president defended the true and original principles of
the federal Constitution and the economic and civil liberties for
which Americans had fought the Revolution, then Jefferson deserves to
be ranked among the better presidents." (07/14/10)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1010
-----
43) Europe's choice: Populate or perish
Acton Institute
by Samuel Gregg
"If there is one thing the global economic crisis has highlighted,
it's the need to make choices -- sometimes very difficult choices. At
the June G-20 summit, for example, several European governments made
it clear to the Obama Administration that they do not believe you can
spend your way out of recessions. Unlike America, countries such as
David Cameron's Britain and Angela Merkel's Germany have chosen the
politically-risky but economically-brave path of austerity and public-
sector spending cuts." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/27quwp8
-----
44) Real jobs, fake jobs
LewRockwell.Com
by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
"In many ways, the unemployment numbers are much worse than they
appear. One factor has been the timing of the US census. The bureau
hired some 700,000 workers to collect data, people who otherwise were
having a very difficult time navigating the choppy labor markets. They
went for the jobs because they were a sure thing, paid decently, and
didn't require unusual skills (anyone can knock on a door and pester
people about their private lives). That inflated the jobs number for a
while. But now these jobs are at an end -- a highly unusual event in
government employment, which usually lasts a lifetime. Now all of
these people are facing the bracing reality of looking for employment
in an economy wrecked by the government." (07/14/10)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/real-jobs-fake-jobs149.html
-----
45) A moral abomination
Cato Institute
by Daniel J. Mitchell
"Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah and Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina were
bounced in their Republican primaries in large part because they voted
for the Wall Street bailout. It is expected that the list of 'TARP
martyrs' will become much larger this November as voters have
additional opportunities to express their unhappiness about the
massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to poorly run but
politically connected financial institutions. Beltway insiders and
members of the political establishment are mourning these
developments, asserting that the TARP martyrs are noble and courageous
officials who did the right thing despite the risk to their careers.
The obvious implication is that ordinary voters are a bunch of yokels
who did not understand the steps that were needed to rescue the
financial system and the economy from collapse." (07/14/10)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11983
-----
46) Pathetic spies
Independent Institute
by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
"Some of the commentary on the Russian agents recently captured by the
FBI has centered on the fact that Moscow was spying on the United
States while President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
celebrated their nuclear and diplomatic partnership at Ray's Hell
Burger, or on the evolving focus of Russia's intelligence services.
But all of this misses the real point: how much the mediocrity of the
spy ring reveals about the decadence of present-day
Russia." (07/14/10)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2827
-----
47) Wards of the state
The American Conservative
by Dermot Quinn
"The best book on Obama's America has already been written. The
president has two more years in office, six if he's lucky, but already
we know enough about the contours of his mind, his governing
instincts, to predict that the volume in question will not be
bettered. This is a large claim for a book that never once mentions
Obama or America or the gushing wells of oil and words that seem to
be, so far, his chief gift to us. Written in 1912 by Hilaire Belloc,
an Anglo-Frenchman whose true home was the Middle Ages, The Servile
State is an unlikely vade mecum for 21st-century Washington. Yet men
with French names have a way of understanding the inner life of this
country." (for publication 08/01/10)
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2010/aug/01/00030/
-----
48) Forcing consumers to buy renewable energy
Reason
by Ronald Bailey
"Carbon rationing is dead on Capitol Hill. The Democratic leadership
in the Senate has concluded that they cannot round up enough votes to
pass a cap-and-trade carbon rationing bill that aims to cut the
emissions of greenhouse gases. But in the face of the catastrophic
Gulf oil spill, congressional leaders feel that they must be seen as
doing something about energy. And if that something provides members
of Congress an opportunity to hand out federal pork to their friends,
that's a bonus. So Democrats and some Republicans are pushing
legislation that will reward favored industries, chiefly wind and
solar power, by forcing consumers to buy the electricity that they
produce." (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/archives/2010/07/13/forcing-consumers-to-buy-renew
-----
49) Soccer bombing should not prompt more US meddling
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
"The synchronized and unconscionable bombings by the Somali group al-
Shabab -- of people doing nothing more than watching soccer games in
Kampala, Uganda -- counterintuitively illustrates why the United
States should not be fighting Islamic militancy worldwide. Many of
America's editorial writers are screaming for stepped-up U.S.
counterterrorism strikes in Somalia against the group. This option
would be the worst possible course of action." (07/14/10)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2826
-----
50) Politicians are the problem for higher ed
Cato Institute
by Neal McCluskey
"In a recent hearing -- the first in a promised series -- members of
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee
began an inquisition into for-profit higher education, suggesting the
sector exploits vulnerable Americans. 'Congress has a responsibility
to ensure that ... opportunity is real, and not just false hopes
pedaled on a billboard or pop-up ad,' declared HELP Chairman Tom
Harkin, D-Iowa, in his opening statement, setting the hearing's tone.
So what's wrong with federal politicians calling for-profits to the
carpet? What's wrong is the entire higher education system -- not just
the proprietary part -- is broken, and it's the politicians'
fault." (07/13/10)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11982
-----
51) "They just don't know who they're messing with"
Mother Jones
by Kate Sheppard
"If you've been reading Mother Jones lately, you've heard about BP's
stranglehold on media access in the Gulf, which has included
preventing reporters from visting oil-soaked public beaches and
barring its spill cleanup workers from talking to the press. Now, one
of BP's ex-media enforcers is speaking out. Former BP contractor Adam
Dillon went public last Friday, telling a local news station in New
Orleans that he was fed up with BP's handling of the spill response,
not least of all its information clampdown. In an interview with
Mother Jones this week, Dillon, who claims he was fired for raising
concerns about the cleanup with his bosses, elaborated on his
experiences in the Gulf and vented his frustrations with
BP." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2wdzc9c
-----
52) Death of a salesman
Slate
by John Dickerson
"Three polls that came out in the last two days offer discouraging
news for the White House. In the Washington Post/ABC News poll, public
confidence in the president has hit a new low. Six in 10 voters say
they lack faith in the president. In a CBS News poll, 54 percent of
the country disapprove of his handling of the economy, the highest
number to date. In a Pew Research Center/National Journal poll, the
number of Americans who approve of the president's health care
legislation, the signature achievement of his presidency so far, sits
at an anemic 35 percent. When politicians are confronted with bad poll
numbers, they often say that these surveys are just a 'snapshot in
time.' That can be true. Fortunes can change. Doom is not locked in.
But what's so bad about these surveys is that they paint a very dark
picture about the president's ability to brighten the future. If Obama
can't improve things for Democrats, no one can. And as bad as the
president's numbers are, the Democrats in Congress are in even worse
shape." (07/13/10)
http://www.slate.com/id/2260359/
-----
53) WrestleMania in Connecticut
The Weekly Standard
by Jonathan V. Last
"Barring cataclysm, Connecticut Republicans will nominate Linda
McMahon to run for Chris Dodd's vacant Senate seat on August 10.
McMahon is a political neophyte. Her chief credential is that she was
CEO of America's largest professional wrestling outfit, World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). McMahon is not the first figure from
professional wrestling to enter politics. In 1974, Jim Crockett, who
ran the National Wrestling Alliance, ran for the Senate in North
Carolina. He finished sixth in a field of six in the GOP primary. And,
in 1990, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park,
Minnesota. Eight years later, he was governor of the state. But
McMahon may be the first person to run for office for whom wrestling
is not merely a name-recognition bonus, but rather the raison d'etre
of her campaign." (for publication 07/19/10)
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/wrestlemania-connecticut
-----
54) Censorship as "tolerance"
National Review
by Jacob Mchangama
"The ubiquitous European hate-speech laws represent a clear and
present danger to freedom of expression in the Western world. Not only
do they interfere with the basic right of the individual to speak his
or her mind even if it causes offense, they are inherently arbitrary
and prone to abuse. The determination of which expressions are
'hateful' or 'derogatory' is highly subjective; the atheist and the
fervent believer are unlikely to agree on where the limits of
religious satire should be drawn. And in an era of identity politics,
when people are encouraged to think of themselves primarily as members
of racial, religious, or ethnic groups with special rights rather than
as individual citizens with equal rights before the law, 'racism' and
'hatred' have become very broad concepts indeed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2a3pywp
-----
55) The motive behind whistle-blower prosecutions
Salon
by Glenn Greenwald
"Most of what the U.S. Government does of any significance --
literally -- occurs behind a vast wall of secrecy, completely unknown
to the citizenry. While a small portion of that is legitimately
classified, these whistle blower prosecutions and other disclosure
controversies demonstrate that the vast majority of this secrecy is
devoted to avoiding embarrassment and accountability. It has nothing
to do with 'national security' -- one of the all-justifying terms
(along with Terrorism) for what the Government does. Secrecy is the
religion of the political class, and the prime enabler of its
corruption. That's why whistle blowers are among the most hated
heretics." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25wbd3w
-----
56) Islam: Unmentionable in DC
The New Republic
by Reuel Mar Gerecht
"President Obama's operating philosophy toward the Muslim world
appears to be that being 'offensive' towards Muslims can't be good for
Muslim-non-Muslim relations. Mr. Obama's dispensation more or less
follows the arguments made by a wide variety of liberal intellectuals
while Mr. Bush was president. To wit: The Iraq war (though not the
Afghan war), Guantanamo, rendition, waterboarding, and Mr. Bush's
existential presence (his Christian Evangelical essence) accentuated
the Muslim-non-Muslim divide, thereby contributing to anti-American
anger and the manufacture of holy warriors. We never knew how many
holy warriors Mr. Bush produced, but the implication was lots. And the
black Barack Hussein Obama would do wonders to fix all
this." (07/14/10)
http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/76249/islam-unmentionable-in-dc
-----
57) Internal markets v. free markets
Adam Smith Institute
by Tom Clougherty
"The problem with 'internal markets' and 'managed competition' is that
the devil is very much in the detail. Get everything right and, yes,
you can bring about tangible improvements. But it is all too easy to
get something wrong and end up worse off than you started -- and
discredit 'market-based' reforms in the process. The trouble with
internal markets is that, step forward or not, they aren't real
markets. They lack an effective price system and still rely heavily on
central planning. As a result, while they may deliver better, more
personalized services, internal markets are still prone to all the
information and incentive problems that affect other bureaucracies.
Ultimately, there's no substitute for letting real people spend real
money, and letting a health 'system' develop in a truly spontaneous
way." (07/14/10)
http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/health/internal-markets-v-free-markets/
-----
58) Shocking the bourgeoisie
The American Spectator
by Roger Scruton
"Marx invented a world-historical role for them, Flaubert set out to
disconcert them, and Matthew Arnold denounced them as the 'Philistine
class.' They were the perfect foil for wit, exuberance, and
iconoclasm, and for a hundred years following The Communist Manifesto
of 1848 they filled an evident dramatic need. For the bohemian artist
the bourgeoisie were visible, shockable, and obviously bad. They
justified art as no class before had justified it, by being the
defenseless target of abuse and satire. For the last 50 years,
however, the bourgeoisie have been slipping quietly away." (07/10)
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/14/shocking-the-bourgeoisie
-----
59) Dual crises of globalization
Z Magazine
by Cesar Rodriguez and Jeb Sprague
"Sociologist Leslie Sklair has described two central crises in the era
of globalization: (1) a class polarization crisis with the 'creation
of increasing poverty and increasing wealth within and between
communities and societies;' and (2) an ecological crisis from 'the
unsustainability of the system.' In 2010, we have seen more clearly
these disastrous consequences." (07/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2fpm86k
-----
60) Did the jury for the BART shooting get the "right" verdict?
The Liberty Papers
by Stephen Littau
"It was arguably the first nationally broadcast officer involved
shooting of 2009. Early January 1, 2009 BART Officer Johannes Mehserle
shot and killed Oscar Grant on a crowded platform at the Oakland
station. Several videos captured by cell phone cameras show what
appears to me to be an execution style shooting of Oscar Grant. Even
as shocking and outrageous as this footage was, I cautioned readers at
the time that the videos only tell part of the story (the videos
aren't exactly of the best quality either). Officer Mehserle's
defenders at the time said that he was likely reaching for his tazer
rather than his gun. If this could be argued to the satisfaction of a
jury pursuant to California law, then Officer Mehserle's actions do
not satisfy the conditions necessary to convict him of second-degree
murder but involuntary manslaughter. And that is exactly the
conclusion the jury ultimately reached." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/26t2ox3
*****************************
* See No Evil, Hear No Evil
*****************************
61) Obscenity v. freedom of speech
Hit & Run
"Emboldened by the Stagliano trial, a group of anti-pornography
organizations recently held an event to demand a new 'War on
Pornography.' 'We have a war on pornography and we're going to win
it,' declares Patrick Trueman, a former Department of Justice
prosecutor and leader of the War on Pornography Coalition. 'The
pornographers know exactly what they're doing and they're not going to
respond to anything but the stick of the law,' adds Donna Rice Hughes,
founder of Enough is Enough. But Reason.tv speaks with others,
including an adult film actress and fetish film director, who promise
to resist the anti-porn crusaders." [Flash video] (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/blog/2010/07/14/obscenity-vs-freedom-of-speech
-----
62) Cato Daily Podcast, 07/14/10
Cato Institute
"'Point of no return' approaching for US debt," featuring Jagadeesh
Gokhale. [MP3] (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/cato071410
-----
63) Free Talk Live, 07/13/10
Free Talk Live
"The Stock Market and Depression :: Savannah Last Biscuit Delivery
Vehicle Stolen :: Cracker Controversy :: Strange Police Encounter ::
Lastbiscuit Expansion :: TSA Knife Fine :: Census :: TSA Attempts to
Confiscate Statue of Liberty :: Good 'ol Boys :: The Not-so-
Libertarian L. Neil Smith :: Intellectual Property :: Extended
Internet-Only Edition, NOT FOR BROADCAST!" [MP3] (07/13/10)
http://media.libsyn.com/media/ftl/FTL2010-07-13.mp3
-----
64) Glenn Greenwald on Antiwar Radio
AntiWar.Com
"Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com blogger and former constitutional lawyer,
discusses the military's formal charging of Bradley Manning for giving
classified information to WikiLeaks, Wired's refusal to disclose the
full chat logs between informant Adrian Lamo and Manning and why
whistleblowers who embarrass government are typically subjected to the
Daniel Ellsberg treatment." [Flash audio or MP3] (07/13/10)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2010/07/13/glenn-greenwald-27/
-----
65) Mutual aid
Foundation for Economic Education
"Sheldon Richman, editor of The Freeman, spoke to students attending
Freedom University I in Atlanta, GA on June 3." [MP3] (posted 07/10)
http://fee.org/media/mutual-aid/
*************************************
* What's Up In The Freedom Movement
*************************************
66) Today's events
Check our sidebar calendar for this week's freedom movement events.
Don't see your event? Drop us a line at in...@rationalreview.com ... or
see:
www.rationalreview.com/add-your-event-to-our-calendar
... for instructions on adding your events directly!
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/4042/
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
* The Freedom Movement's Daily Newspaper
*
* Volume VIII, Issue #1,962
* Thursday, July 15th, 2010
* Email Circulation 1,896
*
* Published every non-holiday weekday
* by the staff of Rational Review
*
* On the Web: http://www.rationalreview.com/news
**************************************************
****SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS*************************
*
* CENTER FOR A STATELESS SOCIETY
* http://c4ss.org
*
* SUPPORT THE MEN AND WOMEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF FREEDOM
* http://cdevolution.org/
*
* INDY-PINDY: THE LIBERTY MOUSE
* https://www.createspace.com/3418555
*
* FREE EBOOK: DIARY OF A FORMER COMMUNIST
* http://tinyurl.com/2656dem
*
* DALLAS LIBERTARIAN EXAMINER
* http://www.examiner.com/x-1449-Dallas-Libertarian-Examiner
*
*************************SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS****
In The News:
0) RRND/FND 3rd quarter fundraiser
1) India: Pakistan spy agency executed Mumbai attacks
2) US home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter
3) Iraq: 16 killed, 39 wounded
4) Afghanistan: Attacks kill eight US troops in 24 hours
5) Nine states back Arizona's Know-Nothing appeasement law
6) Militants attack Yemeni intelligence offices
7) Obama vows election aid for Democrats
8) Iraq faces new test in handover of last US-run prison
9) Iranian nuclear scientist back home from US
10) Afghanistan: Karzai gives nod to local police forces
11) Petraeus wants Taliban in Pakistan on terror list
12) WI: Jackson County DA refuses to prosecute victim disarmament laws
13) MA: Gun ruling has lawyer making calls
14) CA: Openly bearing arms, beachgoers cite their rights
15) CA: "Don't ask" challenged in court
16) "$10 billion for teachers" delays Afghan war $$
17) A new practice: The doctor will see you today
18) In key contests, Democrats championing gun rights
19) Argentina's Senate to vote on gay marriage bill
20) MT: Parents battle over sex ed
Everybody Has An Opinion:
21) Who's afraid of federalism?
22) Sixteen reasons to legalize drugs
23) The American Warmonger's Bible
24) Obamacare begins -- in Idaho
25) Foot soldiers of the census army
26) Why do we still have troops in Korea?
27) Turning us into a nation full of suspects
28) Police brutality in America
29) A prisoner's wife
30) Right to bear still not absolute
31) More justices should have concurred
32) Iowa case shows why police chiefs, sheriffs should have no
discretion on CCW
33) Fouled by the taxman
34) In an Afghan hole? Dig deeper
35) Who gets US out of the hole we're in?
36) Vetting the regulators
37) Free the Cuban Five!
38) Defending the litterer
39) Signs of the times
40) The good state and the bad state: Progressivism, part 3
41) Cell phones don't cause cancer
42) Was Thomas Jefferson a great president?
43) Europe's choice: Populate or perish
44) Real jobs, fake jobs
45) A moral abomination
46) Pathetic spies
47) Wards of the state
48) Forcing consumers to buy renewable energy
49) Soccer bombing should not prompt more US meddling
50) Politicians are the problem for higher ed
51) "They just don't know who they're messing with"
52) Death of a salesman
53) WrestleMania in Connecticut
54) Censorship as "tolerance"
55) The motive behind whistle-blower prosecutions
56) Islam: Unmentionable in DC
57) Internal markets v. free markets
58) Shocking the bourgeoisie
59) Dual crises of globalization
60) Did the jury for the BART shooting get the "right" verdict?
See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
61) Obscenity v. freedom of speech
62) Cato Daily Podcast, 07/14/10
63) Free Talk Live, 07/13/10
64) Glenn Greenwald on Antiwar Radio
65) Mutual aid
What's Up In The Freedom Movement:
66) Today's events
***************
* In The News
***************
0) RRND/FND 3rd quarter fundraiser
Update, 07/15/10: Thanks to LL, whose $10 contribution brings our
total to $820 against our goal of $2,083!
128 more people like LL, returning $10 in value for value to the
freedom movement's daily newspaper, and this fundraiser will be over.
Be the first on your block to say you helped put us over the top! -
TLK
http://www.rationalreview.com/content/83890
-----
1) India: Pakistan spy agency executed Mumbai attacks
Business Week
"India has accused Pakistan's powerful spy agency of planning and
executing the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in the strongest and most specific
allegation of Islamabad's involvement in the assault from a top
official. The remark comes a day before the foreign ministers of the
rival nations are set to meet in Islamabad to attempt to rebuild a
fragile peace dialogue that was shattered by the attacks, which killed
166 people. It appeared to be an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on
Pakistan to prosecute people whom India says were deeply involved in
the assault." (07/14/10)
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GUQS4G0.htm
-----
2) US home foreclosures reach record high in second quarter
Los Angeles Times
"The number of U.S. homes taken back by banks through foreclosure hit
a record high in the second quarter, even as lenders delayed more
homes from entering the process through short sales and loan
modification efforts, according to data to be released Thursday. This
growing supply of lender-owned properties could set back the nation's
housing recovery but probably won't sink it completely if the nation's
employment situation doesn't deteriorate further and the economy
begins to pick up steam, experts said. Sales of homes have faltered
nationally in recent months with the expiration of government tax
incentives for buyers." (07/15/10)
http://tinyurl.com/247gf2k
-----
3) Iraq: 16 killed, 39 wounded
AntiWar.Com
"At least 16 Iraqis were killed and 39 more were wounded in the latest
round of violence. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities transferred 55 high-
level detainees, including Tariq Aziz, to their Iraqi counterparts.
Also, Turkey is considering building a new army that will handle their
war against PKK rebels." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2ehxq9u
-----
4) Afghanistan: Attacks kill eight US troops in 24 hours
ABC News
"American forces suffered a deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan, with eight
troops killed in attacks including an audacious Taliban raid on a
police compound in the key southern city of Kandahar, officials said
Wednesday. The U.S. and its coalition allies have warned that violence
and troop casualties are likely to mount this summer as thousands of
new forces fan out across southern insurgent strongholds in a bid to
turn around the nearly 9-year-long war." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/335h5q7
-----
5) Nine states back Arizona's Know-Nothing appeasement law
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
"States have the authority to enforce immigration laws and protect
their borders, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Wednesday in a
legal brief on behalf of nine states supporting Arizona's immigration
law. Cox, one of five Republicans running for Michigan governor, said
Michigan is the lead state backing Arizona in federal court and is
joined by Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Texas and Virginia, as well as the Northern Mariana
Islands." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/36nvd8e
-----
6) Militants attack Yemeni intelligence offices
USA Today
"Masked gunmen riding motorcycles and armed with mortars and rocket
propelled grenades attacked two intelligence buildings in southern
Yemen Wednesday in the second such assault on a Yemeni security
offices in less than a month. The attack in the southern Abyan
province left one security officer and one militant dead, and
apparently only failed to cause more casualties because it took place
early in the morning and the buildings were still empty." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3yj8n39
-----
7) Obama vows election aid for Democrats
MSNBC
"Facing criticism from House Democrats, President Barack Obama
promised their leaders Wednesday night that he'll actively support
their agenda and Democratic lawmakers as they head into tough midterm
elections this fall, according to a congressional leadership aide.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer were among
those in the Oval Office meeting." (07/14/10)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38252440/ns/politics/
-----
8) Iraq faces new test in handover of last US-run prison
MSNBC
"The U.S. military has handed over Tariq Aziz and dozens of other
members of Saddam Hussein's inner circle to Iraqi authorities who will
assume control Thursday of the last American-run detention facility in
the country. Although the Americans will continue to hold 200
problematic detainees, the changing of the guard at Camp Cropper will
mean the end of a mammoth U.S. prison system that has processed more
than 100,000 Iraqis in the seven years since the fall of
Baghdad." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/33ypd2j
-----
9) Iranian nuclear scientist back home from US
Vail Daily
"An Iranian nuclear scientist claimed Thursday he suffered extreme
mental and physical torture at the hands of U.S. interrogators after
disappearing last year, adding to Tehran's allegations he was abducted
by American agents. The U.S. says he was a willing defector who
changed his mind and decided to board a plane home from
Washington." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3yk4dur
-----
10) Afghanistan: Karzai gives nod to local police forces
Macon Telegraph
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his national security team endorsed
a U.S.-backed plan Wednesday to set up local police forces around the
country, allowing villagers to protect themselves in areas where
international and Afghan forces can't be spared. The new Local Police
Force initiative will be overseen by the Afghan government. That was a
key demand of Karzai who fears that simply arming villagers without
government oversight would essentially create local militias that
could undermine his administration and possibly fuel a new civil
war." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3x7mndu
-----
11) Petraeus wants Taliban in Pakistan on terror list
Concord Monitor
"The new military commander in Afghanistan and chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee are urging the State Department to add to its
terrorist list some Afghan insurgent commanders who operate from
hiding places in neighboring Pakistan. Commander of NATO forces Gen.
David Petraeus wants some leaders of the Haqqani network added to the
list, a senior U.S. Defense official in Washington said Wednesday. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to describe internal
administration discussions." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/383v4yg
-----
12) WI: Jackson County DA refuses to prosecute victim disarmament laws
Dunn County News
"Jackson County's district attorney said Friday he no longer will
prosecute some state weapons laws, including a ban on concealed
weapons, in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Gerald Fox said
in a news release the court's ruling 'immediately renders some of
Wisconsin's current laws unconstitutional.' Fox said he will no longer
accept police referrals for violations of statutes that prohibit
carrying concealed weapons, loaded firearms in vehicles, possession of
firearms in public buildings or bars and the possession of
switchblades." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2c9qbnf
-----
13) MA: Gun ruling has lawyer making calls
Norfolk News
"As state legislators consider limiting the right to buy arms, a
Framingham attorney sees better days ahead for those who want to bear
arms. 'It's a very exciting time,' said Jesse Cohen, who wants to see
'how we can dismantle Massachusetts firearms law' thanks to last
month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The 5-4 decision on an Illinois
handgun ban 'is, in my opinion, the most monumental firearms law in
the history of the United States. Firearms law has been turned on its
head, particularly in Massachusetts. 'That's not the way Attorney
General Martha Coakley sees it.'" (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/22l6cnw
-----
14) CA: Openly bearing arms, beachgoers cite their rights
Los Angeles Times
"More than a dozen people packing pistols on their hips strolled down
the Hermosa Beach strand Saturday, picking up garbage and distributing
fliers about the rights of gun owners. The event was part of a
burgeoning and controversial 'open carry' movement nationwide
promoting the right to carry guns in public. Although carrying a
concealed weapon is illegal without a permit, California allows people
to openly carry guns in many areas as long as they are unloaded,
though they can keep ammunition with them. Members of South Bay Open
Carry, which organized the beach cleanup, said they hope such events
will dispel misgivings about gun owners and make carrying a handgun in
public more acceptable. Organizers said they turned the event into a
cleanup to demonstrate that they are contributing to the
community." (07/11/10)
http://tinyurl.com/26wh2cr
-----
15) CA: "Don't ask" challenged in court
Associated Press
"President Obama's remarks that the military's 'don't ask, don't tell'
policy weakens national security shows it should be declared
unconstitutional, a lawyer for the nation's largest Republican gay
rights group told a federal judge yesterday. Attorney Dan Woods
challenged the policy on gays in the military during his opening
statement at the nonjury trial of a lawsuit filed by the Log Cabin
Republicans. The case has put the federal government in the awkward
position of defending the policy that the president has said should be
repealed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/29nb948
-----
16) "$10 billion for teachers" delays Afghan war $$
Christian Science Monitor
"A Democratic House leader wants Congress to spend $10 billion to save
teacher jobs. The White House has threatened a veto. Meanwhile, funds
for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are in limbo. So, what do public
school teachers and US forces in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have in
common? Answer: a defense supplemental spending bill that is having an
unusually tough time getting through Congress this summer. If there's
one point on which Democrats and Republicans typically agree, it's
that funding for US forces in wartime is must-pass legislation, no
question. But this year's war funding bill is tied up, possibly for
weeks, in a tangle of disputes between Democrats and Republicans,
complicated by a late-breaking rift between House Democrats, the Obama
administration, and one of the most loyal segments of the Democratic
base -- public school teachers." [editor's note: Hard to take sides on
this one -- anything that stops funding an unjust, prolonged war is a
good thing, while if the One Bill at a Time approach (cf. Downsize DC)
worked, this discussion would be academic - SAT] (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25lcps5
-----
17) A new practice: The doctor will see you today
Kaiser Health News
"Dr. Dennis M. Dimitri, a family physician, runs a pretty unusual
office. Few appointments are accepted in advance. Instead, patients
call in the morning and are assigned a time slot later that day. Some
patients walk in without calling ahead. The outcome of this lack of
advance planning? No one has to spend weeks trying to wrangle an
appointment, and once patients arrive, they rarely wait more than a
few minutes for the doctor. That might seem mind-boggling to those who
have cooled their heels for 30 minutes, or an hour, in their doctor's
reception room -- after waiting weeks to get the appointment in the
first place. It takes an average of 63 days in the Boston area to get
an appointment with a family physician, according to a 2009 survey by
physician recruiters Merritt Hawkins & Associates, and 20 days on
average for the nation as a whole." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2apvdtk
-----
18) In key contests, Democrats championing gun rights
Boston Globe
"Democratic candidates in key states are embracing gun owners' rights,
winning favor from the National Rifle Association, a lobby that has
long been the target of disdain from the party faithful. In New
Hampshire, Representative Paul Hodes, a Democratic Senate candidate,
has an 'A minus' NRA rating, potentially insulating him from progun
rights attacks in a state that's big on hunting and personal
liberties. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, in a bruising campaign
for reelection in Nevada, has conservative activists buzzing because
the NRA is considering endorsing his reelection." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/3x3p6fe
-----
19) Argentina's Senate to vote on gay marriage bill
Agence France-Presse
"Lawmakers in Buenos Aires were to vote Wednesday on a bill which
would make Argentina the first country in Latin America to recognize
gay marriage. The measure to grant homosexual couples marriage rights
cleared a first hurdle in the lower chamber in May, but Senate passage
is likely to be much tougher. Roman Catholic church officials, who
have branded the bill 'the devil's project,' led mass protests against
it on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, Catholic officials across
Argentina, where more than 90 percent of the population are members of
the church, read a message from Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge
Bergoglio urging the faithful to oppose the bill." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2d44afz
-----
20) MT: Parents battle over sex ed
Fox News
"Should kindergarten students learn the proper terms for male and
female private parts? For many outraged parents in Helena, Montana,
the answer is: 'absolutely not.' Approximately 300 people packed a
Helena Public Schools board of trustees meeting Tuesday night to voice
their opinions on the district's proposed changes to its health-
curriculum. Specifically, the 'Human Sexuality' portion of the draft
that calls for children as young as five-years-old to begin sex-ed. A
majority of those in the crowd cheered as opponents took to the
microphone to let their disdain for the measure be known, but
proponents of the new sex-ed curriculum stated that when parents do
not address issues like sexual activity, abuse and disease, then it
falls on the burden of teachers to make sure kids are
informed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/33jwv82
*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 07/15/10
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 97,077 ... Max - 105,850
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,412
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************
****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************
21) Who's afraid of federalism?
Reason
by Jacob Sullum
"Last week a federal judge confounded both sides of the political
spectrum by ruling that the 10th Amendment requires the federal
government to recognize state-approved gay marriages. Progressives
worried that U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro's reasoning cast doubt
on the constitutionality of many existing federal programs, while
conservatives worried that it required equal treatment of same-sex
unions. Since I am one of the few Americans who welcome both of these
outcomes, perhaps you should take my opinion with a grain of salt. But
it seems to me that conservatives are engaging in the sort of result-
oriented constitutional analysis they so often decry when they shrink
from a consistent application of federalism because it lends support
to a social trend they fear." (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/archives/2010/07/14/whos-afraid-of-federalism
-----
22) Sixteen reasons to legalize drugs
Liberty For All
by Dan Karlan
"Estimates vary widely for the proportion of violent and property
crime that is related to drugs, but one-third is a midpoint figure. In
an October 1987 survey of 739 police chiefs by Wharton Econometrics
for the U. S. Customs Service, the respondents 'blamed drugs for a
fifth of murders and rapes, a quarter of car thefts, two-fifths of
robberies and assaults, and half the nation's burglaries and thefts.'
The link between drugs and crime is well established. Cracking down on
drugs increases crime." (07/14/10)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=4560
-----
23) The American Warmonger's Bible
LewRockwell.Com
by Laurence M. Vance
"Two tools of government propaganda used to get young men to kill,
maim, and destroy for the state are nationalism and religion. Put both
together and you have a deadly combination. Imperial Christians who
equate patriotism with militarism and nationalism now have a book to
guide them: The American Patriot's Bible." (07/15/10)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance209.html
-----
24) Obamacare begins -- in Idaho
Pro Libertate
by Willl Grigg
"When the Regime sets prices, this is called 'applied compassion.'
When producers organize to complain about price controls, and then
freely decide not to offer their services at the artificially low
price, this is called 'a criminal conspiracy to fix prices.' This is
the central claim of the 'consent decree' inflicted, at gunpoint, on a
group of Idaho orthopedic surgeons by the Obama Regime -- with the
eager collaboration of the Idaho State Attorney General. Under the
terms of that extorted agreement, it would be tantamount to a criminal
offense for a doctor to complain to his peers about regulatory actions
that may drive accomplished medical specialists out of
business." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2dlnv7y
-----
25) Foot soldiers of the census army
Dallas Libertarian Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Every decade our household answers the one constitutionally
authorized question on the census form; we count each other, write the
number on the form and send it off. In the past a paid snoop might
knock on the door, be told that we've answered all the questions that
we're required to answer, and the snoop goes away. This time they just
keep coming." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/37gdcxf
-----
26) Why do we still have troops in Korea?
AntiWar.Com
by Charles V. Pena
"First and foremost, North Korea is not a threat to America. The
United States' gross domestic product (GDP) is over $14 trillion
compared to North Korea's $40 billion. The U.S. Department of Defense
budget is more than 10 times the size of North Korea's economy and
nearly 100 times North Korea's military expenditures. North Korea's
army is substantial -- estimated at more than 1 million active duty
personnel -- but it is not a power projection force capable of
bridging the Pacific Ocean to attack America. And while North Korea
possesses a handful of nuclear weapons, it does not have the
intercontinental delivery capability to strike the United States.
Moreover, the vastly larger and technologically superior U.S. nuclear
arsenal acts as a powerful deterrent. Just as importantly, South Korea
is more than capable of defending itself." (07/15/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2cu9ekb
-----
27) Turning us into a nation full of suspects
Spiked
by Tim Black
"'A man's home is his castle.' Rarely has this 400-year-old quipped
defence against the arbitrary exercise of state power seemed quite as
quaint as it does today. Because whatever else a man's home is,
whatever else he feels his private sphere to be, it is certainly not
impermeable. In fact, due to a whole raft of legislation over the past
10 years, our private existence has never been quite so transparent.
The state, should it so wish, can read our emails, can check which
websites we visit, can watch us take our dogs for walks, can follow us
on our way to work ... in fact, the possibilities for state
surveillance are endless. And the chief reason for this is a
spectacularly snide piece of legislation called the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)." (07/14//10)
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/9199/
-----
28) Police brutality in America
Information Clearinghouse
by Syephem Lendman
"Across America, daily incidents occur, one of many the cold-blooded
January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant -- unarmed, offering no
resistance, thrust face-down on the ground, shot in the back, and
killed, videotaped on at least four cameras for irrefutable proof. USA
Today said five bystanders taped it. His killer: Oakland, CA transit
officer, Johannes Mehserle, tried for the killing, the jury told to
consider four possible verdicts -- innocent, second-degree murder,
voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter, jurors deciding
the latter. ... Because minority victims seldom get justice,
especially against police, Mehserle may serve minimal time, then be
paroled quietly when the current furor subsides." (07/14/10)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25929.htm
-----
29) A prisoner's wife
CounterPunch
by Jana Abdu
"I used to tell my husband, Ameer Makhoul, 'One day, they'll come for
you.' As chairman of the Public Committee for the Protection of
Political Freedoms he'd begun to organize an awareness-raising
campaign to push back against the security services' harassment of our
community, the Palestinian citizens of Israel.Come for Ameer they did,
late one night this May, pounding at our door, ransacking our house
and terrifying our two teenage daughters.His July 13 hearing --
persecution really -- could begin the legal nightmare that ruptures
our family for many years. This is the likely course of events unless
Ameer gets a fair trial and his coerced statements are rejected or
suppressed by the court." (07/14/10)
http://counterpunch.org/abdu07142010.html
-----
30) Right to bear still not absolute
Daily Press
by Tamara Dietrich
"The Supreme Court stated its ruling 'does not imperil every law
regulating firearms,' but it has now made them big fat targets. A
Georgia minister, for instance, just challenged his state's ban on
guns in houses of worship. Similar legislation is filed in Kansas,
Mississippi and Ohio. Gov. Bobby Jindal just tossed a Louisiana ban,
directing churches, synagogues and mosques to allow concealed
handguns. Apparently there's no time or place not to fear for your
life. 'The sad reality is that we are reminded daily that crime does
occur outside the home ... in the car ... picking up dry cleaning,
eating in a restaurant, walking down the street,' Arulanandam has
said." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2b68tuc
-----
31) More justices should have concurred
Jamestown Sun
by staff
"Guns can be dangerous, so local and state governments have every
right to ban their ownership by Americans, some Supreme Court justices
have said. That is not how the Constitution works, as a slim majority
on the high court ruled this past week. The Second Amendment says
Americans have a right to 'keep and bear arms' -- so they do, the
court ruled in a case that overturned Chicago's ban on handgun
ownership. Our nation's Founders were well aware guns can be misused.
Today's street gangs and drug-running organizations are a fearsome
threat, but they are certainly not the first criminals to use guns to
further their illegal cause. One only needs to look back at the glory
days of John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and 'Baby Face' Nelson to be
reminded that guns have long been misused." (07/13/10)
http://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/115105/group/Opinion/
-----
32) Iowa case shows why police chiefs, sheriffs should have no
discretion on CCW
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
by Dave Workman
"A federal court case involving the denial of a concealed carry permit
to an Iowa resident because of his First Amendment activities clearly
demonstrates why police chiefs and sheriffs should not have
discretionary authority to issue such permits and licenses, and why we
took it away from them here in Washington a generation
ago." (07/10/10)
http://tinyurl.com/247phcp
-----
33) Fouled by the taxman
Boston Globe
by Jeff Jacoby
"A week before LeBron James's announcement on ESPN that he was leaving
the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat, the New York Post and
Rush Limbaugh saw it coming -- and for reasons having nothing to do
with sports. 'If LeBron James goes to the Miami Heat instead of the
Knicks,' the Post noted gloomily on July 1, 'blame our dysfunctional
lawmakers in Albany, who have saddled top-earning New Yorkers with the
highest state and city income taxes in the nation, soon to be 12.85
percent on top of the IRS bite. There is no state income tax in
Florida.' Consequently, a five-year, $96 million contract (the
estimated deal he could get in either city), would cost James $12.34
million in New York taxes, according to the Post, but nothing in Miami
(though he may be taxed when he plays in other cities). 'Quite a
penalty for the privilege of working in Midtown.'" [editor's note:
Based on this logic, he could as easily have chosen Memphis, Dallas,
Houston or San Antonio, just to name a few; his biggest reason is
still the fact that (along with Wade and Bosh) he is now on a true
contender, coached by a proven winner (Pat Riley), and he wants a
RING! - SAT] (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/24oecax
-----
34) In an Afghan hole? Dig deeper
In These Times
by Joel Bleifuss
"Gen. Stanley McChrystal's trash talking and his subsequent sacking by
President Barack Obama is a sign: America's foreign policy elite is
starting to realize the United States has lost the war. Maj. Gen. Bill
Mayville, McChrystal's chief of operations, told Rolling Stone's
Michael Hastings: 'It's not going to look like a win, smell like a win
or taste like a win.' Like a hapless crew on a foundering ship, those
holding the reins in the Afghan war have begun to scramble for
reputation preservers. And they are scarce." (07/12/10)
http://tinyurl.com/22ntnjw
-----
35) Who gets US out of the hole we're in?
Our Future Blog
by Robert Borosage
"Voters are in a surly temper. The economy stinks. Jobs are scarce.
Wages are under pressure. One in 4 homes with mortgages is underwater.
Retirement savings have been butchered; pensions are at risk. Bailed
out bankers are paying themselves record bonuses; the oil keeps
fouling the Gulf; the jobs aren't coming back. It is ugly out here.
Not surprisingly, faith in Obama is starting to flag. According to a
recent Washington Post poll, a startling 58% have only some or no
faith that he will make the right decisions about the country's
future. Congressional Democrats fare worse. Republicans would be
salivating, only folks overwhelmingly don't want to rehire them
either. A staggering 72% have little or no trust in congressional
Republicans on the country's future. And now the election season
starts." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2dd4zqm
-----
36) Vetting the regulators
The American Prospect
by Tim Fernholz
"In Washington, Supreme Court nominations have become campaigns in and
of themselves, with staff detailed to nominees, extensive
congressional vetting, and outside groups spending on ads to defeat or
confirm the nominee in question. The process has damaged the
deliberative nature of judicial appointments and creates an incentive
for lawyers who aspire to the highest court in the land to be as
boring as possible. But the hoopla around the nomination process --
frequently cited as a failure of our democracy -- does ensure that the
president and Congress take judicial appointments and their political
consequences seriously. Regulatory appointees deserve the same
scrutiny and public attention -- as much as the Court matters,
regulators play a more immediate role in our economy. " (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25lhtss
-----
37) Free the Cuban Five!
The Nation
by Wayne S. Smith
"Quite apart from Fidel Castro's rare TV interview on Tuesday, there
have recently been a number of encouraging developments in Cuba. ...
So far, credit for these developments goes largely to the Spanish
government and to the Catholic Church, especially to Cardinal Ortega.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the moves as
'welcome.' Yes, but the United States could encourage that trend by
releasing the so-called Cuban Five -- something it should do anyway to
help restore the image of the United States, which has been damaged by
international condemnation of its handling of the case. Who were the
Cuban Five? They were members of the Cuban Intelligence Service who
were sent to the United States not to spy on the US government or any
of its entities but to penetrate certain Cuban exile organizations and
gather information on terrorist activities they were carrying out
against Cuba -- information the Cubans would then provide to the FBI
so that it could move to halt those activities." (07/13/10)
http://www.thenation.com/article/37396/free-cuban-five
-----
38) Defending the litterer
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Walter Block
"The litterer today will find few defenders. He is beset on all sides,
bearing the brunt of the barbs of do-gooder groups. Radio and
television stations beam anti-litter messages as a 'public service,'
and neighborhood and parent-teacher associations, church groups, and
civic organizations are in agreement on the issue of littering. The
film industry, which must pass over many topics as too controversial,
is united in its hatred for litter. Litter is a great
unifier." (07/14/10)
http://mises.org/daily/4563
-----
39) Signs of the times
FreedomPolitics
by Thomas Sowell
"If you could spend vast amounts of other people's money just by
saying a few magic words, wouldn't you be tempted to do it? Barack
Obama has spent hundreds of billions of dollars of the taxpayers'
money just by using the magic words 'stimulus' and 'jobs.' It doesn't
matter politically that the stimulus is not actually stimulating and
that the unemployment rate remains up near double-digit levels,
despite all the spending and all the rhetoric about jobs." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2bn73z2
-----
40) The good state and the bad state: Progressivism, part 3
Foundation for Economic Education
by William L. Anderson
"Most Americans pay homage to the U.S. Constitution. Public officials
swear to 'protect and defend the Constitution of the United States
from all enemies, both foreign and domestic,' and the late Sen. Robert
Byrd, who wrote the book on pork barrel spending, carried a copy of
the document with him at all times. Almost everyone in authority
claims to revere the Constitution. However, few people of them believe
they should be bound by the limitations that define the
document." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/27rrkmp
-----
41) Cell phones don't cause cancer
Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Ryan Young
"Could your cell phone be killing you? A lot of people seem to think
so. Some activists say that talking on your phone for 30 minutes a day
over several years can cause brain tumors. They say governments need
to address the problem with regulations. The alternative? '[D]o
nothing and wait for the body count,' according to the University of
Albany's David Carpenter. Regulations are starting to
pass." (07/12/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25yqqw6
-----
42) Was Thomas Jefferson a great president?
Campaign For Liberty
by H.A. Scott Trask
"Was Thomas Jefferson a great president? One's answer to that question
depends on how one defines 'greatness.' If we define greatness as how
far a president leads the United States down its historically
determined path toward the centralized interventionist state, then
Jefferson fails to qualify. On the other hand, if we define greatness
as how well a president defended the true and original principles of
the federal Constitution and the economic and civil liberties for
which Americans had fought the Revolution, then Jefferson deserves to
be ranked among the better presidents." (07/14/10)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1010
-----
43) Europe's choice: Populate or perish
Acton Institute
by Samuel Gregg
"If there is one thing the global economic crisis has highlighted,
it's the need to make choices -- sometimes very difficult choices. At
the June G-20 summit, for example, several European governments made
it clear to the Obama Administration that they do not believe you can
spend your way out of recessions. Unlike America, countries such as
David Cameron's Britain and Angela Merkel's Germany have chosen the
politically-risky but economically-brave path of austerity and public-
sector spending cuts." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/27quwp8
-----
44) Real jobs, fake jobs
LewRockwell.Com
by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
"In many ways, the unemployment numbers are much worse than they
appear. One factor has been the timing of the US census. The bureau
hired some 700,000 workers to collect data, people who otherwise were
having a very difficult time navigating the choppy labor markets. They
went for the jobs because they were a sure thing, paid decently, and
didn't require unusual skills (anyone can knock on a door and pester
people about their private lives). That inflated the jobs number for a
while. But now these jobs are at an end -- a highly unusual event in
government employment, which usually lasts a lifetime. Now all of
these people are facing the bracing reality of looking for employment
in an economy wrecked by the government." (07/14/10)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/real-jobs-fake-jobs149.html
-----
45) A moral abomination
Cato Institute
by Daniel J. Mitchell
"Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah and Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina were
bounced in their Republican primaries in large part because they voted
for the Wall Street bailout. It is expected that the list of 'TARP
martyrs' will become much larger this November as voters have
additional opportunities to express their unhappiness about the
massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to poorly run but
politically connected financial institutions. Beltway insiders and
members of the political establishment are mourning these
developments, asserting that the TARP martyrs are noble and courageous
officials who did the right thing despite the risk to their careers.
The obvious implication is that ordinary voters are a bunch of yokels
who did not understand the steps that were needed to rescue the
financial system and the economy from collapse." (07/14/10)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11983
-----
46) Pathetic spies
Independent Institute
by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
"Some of the commentary on the Russian agents recently captured by the
FBI has centered on the fact that Moscow was spying on the United
States while President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
celebrated their nuclear and diplomatic partnership at Ray's Hell
Burger, or on the evolving focus of Russia's intelligence services.
But all of this misses the real point: how much the mediocrity of the
spy ring reveals about the decadence of present-day
Russia." (07/14/10)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2827
-----
47) Wards of the state
The American Conservative
by Dermot Quinn
"The best book on Obama's America has already been written. The
president has two more years in office, six if he's lucky, but already
we know enough about the contours of his mind, his governing
instincts, to predict that the volume in question will not be
bettered. This is a large claim for a book that never once mentions
Obama or America or the gushing wells of oil and words that seem to
be, so far, his chief gift to us. Written in 1912 by Hilaire Belloc,
an Anglo-Frenchman whose true home was the Middle Ages, The Servile
State is an unlikely vade mecum for 21st-century Washington. Yet men
with French names have a way of understanding the inner life of this
country." (for publication 08/01/10)
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2010/aug/01/00030/
-----
48) Forcing consumers to buy renewable energy
Reason
by Ronald Bailey
"Carbon rationing is dead on Capitol Hill. The Democratic leadership
in the Senate has concluded that they cannot round up enough votes to
pass a cap-and-trade carbon rationing bill that aims to cut the
emissions of greenhouse gases. But in the face of the catastrophic
Gulf oil spill, congressional leaders feel that they must be seen as
doing something about energy. And if that something provides members
of Congress an opportunity to hand out federal pork to their friends,
that's a bonus. So Democrats and some Republicans are pushing
legislation that will reward favored industries, chiefly wind and
solar power, by forcing consumers to buy the electricity that they
produce." (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/archives/2010/07/13/forcing-consumers-to-buy-renew
-----
49) Soccer bombing should not prompt more US meddling
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
"The synchronized and unconscionable bombings by the Somali group al-
Shabab -- of people doing nothing more than watching soccer games in
Kampala, Uganda -- counterintuitively illustrates why the United
States should not be fighting Islamic militancy worldwide. Many of
America's editorial writers are screaming for stepped-up U.S.
counterterrorism strikes in Somalia against the group. This option
would be the worst possible course of action." (07/14/10)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2826
-----
50) Politicians are the problem for higher ed
Cato Institute
by Neal McCluskey
"In a recent hearing -- the first in a promised series -- members of
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee
began an inquisition into for-profit higher education, suggesting the
sector exploits vulnerable Americans. 'Congress has a responsibility
to ensure that ... opportunity is real, and not just false hopes
pedaled on a billboard or pop-up ad,' declared HELP Chairman Tom
Harkin, D-Iowa, in his opening statement, setting the hearing's tone.
So what's wrong with federal politicians calling for-profits to the
carpet? What's wrong is the entire higher education system -- not just
the proprietary part -- is broken, and it's the politicians'
fault." (07/13/10)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11982
-----
51) "They just don't know who they're messing with"
Mother Jones
by Kate Sheppard
"If you've been reading Mother Jones lately, you've heard about BP's
stranglehold on media access in the Gulf, which has included
preventing reporters from visting oil-soaked public beaches and
barring its spill cleanup workers from talking to the press. Now, one
of BP's ex-media enforcers is speaking out. Former BP contractor Adam
Dillon went public last Friday, telling a local news station in New
Orleans that he was fed up with BP's handling of the spill response,
not least of all its information clampdown. In an interview with
Mother Jones this week, Dillon, who claims he was fired for raising
concerns about the cleanup with his bosses, elaborated on his
experiences in the Gulf and vented his frustrations with
BP." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2wdzc9c
-----
52) Death of a salesman
Slate
by John Dickerson
"Three polls that came out in the last two days offer discouraging
news for the White House. In the Washington Post/ABC News poll, public
confidence in the president has hit a new low. Six in 10 voters say
they lack faith in the president. In a CBS News poll, 54 percent of
the country disapprove of his handling of the economy, the highest
number to date. In a Pew Research Center/National Journal poll, the
number of Americans who approve of the president's health care
legislation, the signature achievement of his presidency so far, sits
at an anemic 35 percent. When politicians are confronted with bad poll
numbers, they often say that these surveys are just a 'snapshot in
time.' That can be true. Fortunes can change. Doom is not locked in.
But what's so bad about these surveys is that they paint a very dark
picture about the president's ability to brighten the future. If Obama
can't improve things for Democrats, no one can. And as bad as the
president's numbers are, the Democrats in Congress are in even worse
shape." (07/13/10)
http://www.slate.com/id/2260359/
-----
53) WrestleMania in Connecticut
The Weekly Standard
by Jonathan V. Last
"Barring cataclysm, Connecticut Republicans will nominate Linda
McMahon to run for Chris Dodd's vacant Senate seat on August 10.
McMahon is a political neophyte. Her chief credential is that she was
CEO of America's largest professional wrestling outfit, World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). McMahon is not the first figure from
professional wrestling to enter politics. In 1974, Jim Crockett, who
ran the National Wrestling Alliance, ran for the Senate in North
Carolina. He finished sixth in a field of six in the GOP primary. And,
in 1990, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park,
Minnesota. Eight years later, he was governor of the state. But
McMahon may be the first person to run for office for whom wrestling
is not merely a name-recognition bonus, but rather the raison d'etre
of her campaign." (for publication 07/19/10)
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/wrestlemania-connecticut
-----
54) Censorship as "tolerance"
National Review
by Jacob Mchangama
"The ubiquitous European hate-speech laws represent a clear and
present danger to freedom of expression in the Western world. Not only
do they interfere with the basic right of the individual to speak his
or her mind even if it causes offense, they are inherently arbitrary
and prone to abuse. The determination of which expressions are
'hateful' or 'derogatory' is highly subjective; the atheist and the
fervent believer are unlikely to agree on where the limits of
religious satire should be drawn. And in an era of identity politics,
when people are encouraged to think of themselves primarily as members
of racial, religious, or ethnic groups with special rights rather than
as individual citizens with equal rights before the law, 'racism' and
'hatred' have become very broad concepts indeed." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2a3pywp
-----
55) The motive behind whistle-blower prosecutions
Salon
by Glenn Greenwald
"Most of what the U.S. Government does of any significance --
literally -- occurs behind a vast wall of secrecy, completely unknown
to the citizenry. While a small portion of that is legitimately
classified, these whistle blower prosecutions and other disclosure
controversies demonstrate that the vast majority of this secrecy is
devoted to avoiding embarrassment and accountability. It has nothing
to do with 'national security' -- one of the all-justifying terms
(along with Terrorism) for what the Government does. Secrecy is the
religion of the political class, and the prime enabler of its
corruption. That's why whistle blowers are among the most hated
heretics." (07/14/10)
http://tinyurl.com/25wbd3w
-----
56) Islam: Unmentionable in DC
The New Republic
by Reuel Mar Gerecht
"President Obama's operating philosophy toward the Muslim world
appears to be that being 'offensive' towards Muslims can't be good for
Muslim-non-Muslim relations. Mr. Obama's dispensation more or less
follows the arguments made by a wide variety of liberal intellectuals
while Mr. Bush was president. To wit: The Iraq war (though not the
Afghan war), Guantanamo, rendition, waterboarding, and Mr. Bush's
existential presence (his Christian Evangelical essence) accentuated
the Muslim-non-Muslim divide, thereby contributing to anti-American
anger and the manufacture of holy warriors. We never knew how many
holy warriors Mr. Bush produced, but the implication was lots. And the
black Barack Hussein Obama would do wonders to fix all
this." (07/14/10)
http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/76249/islam-unmentionable-in-dc
-----
57) Internal markets v. free markets
Adam Smith Institute
by Tom Clougherty
"The problem with 'internal markets' and 'managed competition' is that
the devil is very much in the detail. Get everything right and, yes,
you can bring about tangible improvements. But it is all too easy to
get something wrong and end up worse off than you started -- and
discredit 'market-based' reforms in the process. The trouble with
internal markets is that, step forward or not, they aren't real
markets. They lack an effective price system and still rely heavily on
central planning. As a result, while they may deliver better, more
personalized services, internal markets are still prone to all the
information and incentive problems that affect other bureaucracies.
Ultimately, there's no substitute for letting real people spend real
money, and letting a health 'system' develop in a truly spontaneous
way." (07/14/10)
http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/health/internal-markets-v-free-markets/
-----
58) Shocking the bourgeoisie
The American Spectator
by Roger Scruton
"Marx invented a world-historical role for them, Flaubert set out to
disconcert them, and Matthew Arnold denounced them as the 'Philistine
class.' They were the perfect foil for wit, exuberance, and
iconoclasm, and for a hundred years following The Communist Manifesto
of 1848 they filled an evident dramatic need. For the bohemian artist
the bourgeoisie were visible, shockable, and obviously bad. They
justified art as no class before had justified it, by being the
defenseless target of abuse and satire. For the last 50 years,
however, the bourgeoisie have been slipping quietly away." (07/10)
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/14/shocking-the-bourgeoisie
-----
59) Dual crises of globalization
Z Magazine
by Cesar Rodriguez and Jeb Sprague
"Sociologist Leslie Sklair has described two central crises in the era
of globalization: (1) a class polarization crisis with the 'creation
of increasing poverty and increasing wealth within and between
communities and societies;' and (2) an ecological crisis from 'the
unsustainability of the system.' In 2010, we have seen more clearly
these disastrous consequences." (07/10)
http://tinyurl.com/2fpm86k
-----
60) Did the jury for the BART shooting get the "right" verdict?
The Liberty Papers
by Stephen Littau
"It was arguably the first nationally broadcast officer involved
shooting of 2009. Early January 1, 2009 BART Officer Johannes Mehserle
shot and killed Oscar Grant on a crowded platform at the Oakland
station. Several videos captured by cell phone cameras show what
appears to me to be an execution style shooting of Oscar Grant. Even
as shocking and outrageous as this footage was, I cautioned readers at
the time that the videos only tell part of the story (the videos
aren't exactly of the best quality either). Officer Mehserle's
defenders at the time said that he was likely reaching for his tazer
rather than his gun. If this could be argued to the satisfaction of a
jury pursuant to California law, then Officer Mehserle's actions do
not satisfy the conditions necessary to convict him of second-degree
murder but involuntary manslaughter. And that is exactly the
conclusion the jury ultimately reached." (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/26t2ox3
*****************************
* See No Evil, Hear No Evil
*****************************
61) Obscenity v. freedom of speech
Hit & Run
"Emboldened by the Stagliano trial, a group of anti-pornography
organizations recently held an event to demand a new 'War on
Pornography.' 'We have a war on pornography and we're going to win
it,' declares Patrick Trueman, a former Department of Justice
prosecutor and leader of the War on Pornography Coalition. 'The
pornographers know exactly what they're doing and they're not going to
respond to anything but the stick of the law,' adds Donna Rice Hughes,
founder of Enough is Enough. But Reason.tv speaks with others,
including an adult film actress and fetish film director, who promise
to resist the anti-porn crusaders." [Flash video] (07/14/10)
http://reason.com/blog/2010/07/14/obscenity-vs-freedom-of-speech
-----
62) Cato Daily Podcast, 07/14/10
Cato Institute
"'Point of no return' approaching for US debt," featuring Jagadeesh
Gokhale. [MP3] (07/13/10)
http://tinyurl.com/cato071410
-----
63) Free Talk Live, 07/13/10
Free Talk Live
"The Stock Market and Depression :: Savannah Last Biscuit Delivery
Vehicle Stolen :: Cracker Controversy :: Strange Police Encounter ::
Lastbiscuit Expansion :: TSA Knife Fine :: Census :: TSA Attempts to
Confiscate Statue of Liberty :: Good 'ol Boys :: The Not-so-
Libertarian L. Neil Smith :: Intellectual Property :: Extended
Internet-Only Edition, NOT FOR BROADCAST!" [MP3] (07/13/10)
http://media.libsyn.com/media/ftl/FTL2010-07-13.mp3
-----
64) Glenn Greenwald on Antiwar Radio
AntiWar.Com
"Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com blogger and former constitutional lawyer,
discusses the military's formal charging of Bradley Manning for giving
classified information to WikiLeaks, Wired's refusal to disclose the
full chat logs between informant Adrian Lamo and Manning and why
whistleblowers who embarrass government are typically subjected to the
Daniel Ellsberg treatment." [Flash audio or MP3] (07/13/10)
http://antiwar.com/radio/2010/07/13/glenn-greenwald-27/
-----
65) Mutual aid
Foundation for Economic Education
"Sheldon Richman, editor of The Freeman, spoke to students attending
Freedom University I in Atlanta, GA on June 3." [MP3] (posted 07/10)
http://fee.org/media/mutual-aid/
*************************************
* What's Up In The Freedom Movement
*************************************
66) Today's events
Check our sidebar calendar for this week's freedom movement events.
Don't see your event? Drop us a line at in...@rationalreview.com ... or
see:
www.rationalreview.com/add-your-event-to-our-calendar
... for instructions on adding your events directly!
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/4042/
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages