The irony is that while the Bush Administration continues to seek to erode civil liberties, including that of privacy, the FTC is gearing up to attack internet operators over failing to provide adequate protection of their clients' privacy. Another, very obvious case of "government knows best" and "do what I say, not what I do."

2- Martha Stewart asks for new trial on basis of expert's perjury

Stewart, charged with a crime that was seen as nothing more than good business practice a few years ago, is the latest well-known victim of government so-called "experts" hypocritically lying on the stand. Because each new scandal further weakens confidence in the criminal justice system, it is no wonder experts think her request for a new trial will be denied.

3- Feds don't need to mandate auto black boxes

Contrast this item with item #1: NHTSA says it is okay for auto makers to invade their customers' privacy (as many rental agencies are already doing with On-Star and other technologies), but FTC is cracking down on privacy-violators. The possible reasons? A desire for greater control, and a key part of the terrorist information awareness (TIA) initiative. The odd thing is that even though auto makers are doing it on their own, that government agencies aren't demanding more, faster. One might be suspicious enough to think that the only reason for this is that the guvmint doesn't have the infrastructure in place to handle all this new data yet.

4- Fed to scrap "measured pace" of interest rate boosts? (Requires free registration to read article)

4. The "gnomes of Zurich" have nothing on the mysterious gray figures of the Federal Reserve Bank, the government agency that pretends to be a private firm (or is it the other way around?). If the love of money is the root of all evil, then the love of regulating the money supply must be must be the parasites growing on that root... But as usual, millions of people will lose or make billions of dollars as people react with panic or elation at the news.

5- Adult entertainment web sites concerned over credit crackdown

Much as a person would like to think that these various credit-card companies are getting a moral conscience, it is clear from their other activities that anything resembling one was surgically removed in the womb of their unwed mothers. So the question needed is "why do this?" Certainly credit card companies have never morally objected to the stink on the money they have taken from anything else, so why suddenly porn web sites? I scarcely think that the usual advocates of blue laws have the clout to do this, but see no real advantage to government in this - after all, with gladatorial games too bloody for modern sensibilities, something needs to join football and basketball for that part of "bread and circuses," and porn sites don't require subsidies the way sports arenas usually do. Oh! Maybe that is the reason - buro-brats HATE competition.

6- The future of shopping

MSNBC demonstrates once again in this article that they are part of the mainstream, liberal media -asking silly and obvious questions while pretending to be insightful. Based on the use to which credit card, "customer loyalty card," and other promotional programs over the years have metasticized into gross violations of privacy, it would be obvious to anyone BUT network news organizations that our privacy will take another hit. The major issue of interest to lovers of liberty (especially free enterprise) is how to disable, spoof, and otherwise jam the works, just as people have been doing with loyalty cards and other gimmicks.

7- Reagan funeral attracts world leaders

Even staunch conservatives with fond memories of President Reagan are asking if it is really right to deify him so quickly. Although a state funeral is certainly appropriate, the advantages to the incumbent administration, in what appears to be a close race with the "Vietnamese War Hero," of remembering the last true conservative to be in the White House with this expensive death-party, are clear. Remember, in Washington, nothing is done without a political reason: if the advantage had been the other way, Reagan's funeral would have been as low-key as those of the last two Californian presidents to die.

8- U.S. taxpayers help fund Baltimore's 24-hour surveillance system

Although crime rates have been dropping in almost all categories for years, the post-Bloody Tuesday panic continues to allow people who have ALWAYS desired an end to personal privacy for the masses to pitch (and usually fund) their desires. Although there will certainly be efforts to fight this before it is implemented, perhaps a more effective way of fighting this would be to make sure that it is too expensive and too fragile to be of any use. One suspects that taggers and hackers will form an alliance, and launch their own war against those who would strip citizens of their rights, for their own purposes.

9- Utah senator seeks federal dinosaur welfare

Although cries of "dinosaurs need welfare too" might be fun, this is another example of the complete merger of pork barrel and electoral politics. Who could complain of Bennett bringing home the pork if the purpose is to protect our "precious natural heritage." Of course, one of the reasons all these bones and artifacts are at risk in the first place is because they are in the "commons" - the history of fossil-robbing under the guise of governmental and institutional "regulation and control" is long and nasty. Compare such government "repositories" of excavated fossils with the care lavished on the same thing in private institutes, for-profit businesses, and even private homes, who own them for their value (monetary and emotional) and see which is better. This is one of hundreds of pork barrel projects underway throughout the National Park Service and other government agencies.

10- Saudi student in Idaho acquitted on terror charges

Once more we are reminded of the power and importance of a jury. The question is, given the provisions of the Patriot Act and other recent legislation (as well as the interpretation of various laws), will this jury verdict stand, or will the student be disappeared in some other way?

11- Utah court slaps police for drawing blood without warrant

This is another of the bizarre mixed-messages that seem to always come out of Utah. It comes as no surprise that many police would take the position that applying for a "privilege" can allow them to automatically take away anything they please, such as your rights. The same argument has been used in Chicago public housing as an anti-gun measure, and is used thousands of times a day in the nation's airports.

12- Penn. gov going after professionals without permission slips?

Pennsylvania is just the latest state to explore this enforcement technique - many states already have similar provisions in effect: it is the intangible equivalant of forfeiture laws. Expect the list of offenses and list of "privileges" to expand, slowly and quietly, to the point where a driver's license or a pet license (themselves already violations of rights) are held hostage to library fines and parking meter tickets, or even to failure to cut your lawn to an acceptable (in their eyes) length.

13- Ohio CCW licensee information published in newspaper

The mere existance of a database of personal information on holders of concealed carry permits is itself an affront to a free people, when a roving internal-security-solider (po-lice ossifer) can see a car parked 13 inches rather than 12 inches from the curb and call in the license number to find out within seconds that the person to whom the car is registered not only has a CCW but is suspected in a sand-box cheating scandal in his kindergarten class, and who has a great-grandfather who served in the Army of Northern Virginia. While I wish the CCRKBA good luck, even a "gross" violation of the law will probably continue. [And in a way, there is something to be said for knowing someone might be packing - "an armed society is a polite society." -but that is only making lemonade out of very sour lemons]

14- Michigan lawmakers try again with partial-birth abortion ban

The increasingly hostile division of the nation over abortion and its various elements is illustrated by this story of a fourth attempt to outlaw partial-birth abortion by the Michigan Legislature. There is no compromise possible, it appears, and what unrotted foundations of the former Republic are left tremble more and more.

15- Montana town's school police follow students over summer, too

I'm reminded of the old saying "idle hands are the devil's workshop." Just as a nine-month work-year aided the NEA and other teacher unions, so does a similar schedule allow mischief to multiply in the ranks of the internal-security-soldiers. [Of course, one could argue that since Helena (pronounced Hell-in-ah, not Hell-een-a) is the state capital, and most of these children are the offspring of guvmint buro-rats, it might be wise to keep a lot of eyes on them for the sake of the Republic. Still, Montana does have a strong vigilante tradition, and maybe plain old citizens could do an equally good job of corraling incipient nannies.]

16- Vermont teacher loses job due to alcohol intolerant nannies

Zero-tolerance in schools continues to run unchecked, and the list of crimes and victims will continue to grow until the entire government-run, theft-funded system collapses. But such things would not happen if (1) parents were more involved, and (2) common sense were available in pill form.

17- Rhode Island educrats tweak school hours

A brief prediction is in order here - as with "more money for education," "smaller class sizes," "more money for education," "state learning standards," "more money for education," and "higher teacher performance standards," a longer school day in Rhode Island will still fail to improve student performance in any way. Oh, and what about a pay increase for those poor teachers that will have more quality time with their students - assuming they survive.

18- Detroit public schools, police sued over student searches

Is there much that can be added? OCP Lives!!! The ACLU is behind the curve, again - most of us have seen there is little difference in the two institutions long before this.

19- Wyoming has nation's least-taxed cities

It is ironic that the Casper Start Turbine even ran this article. It is certainly in the running for the "I never saw a tax I didn't like" award, newspaper category. But just because Cheyenne and Casper are dead last in the tax-burden award sweeps doesn't mean that taxation isn't bad in the Equality State - or that government is not a burden there. As found elsewhere, cities in Wyoming are constantly seeking new ways to spend anyone's and everyone's money, usually at the expense (in multiple ways) of the private sector. Still, less tax IS better than more, and Wyoming needs a lot more libertarians. This is good news for Boston T. Party's Free State Wyoming project's emigrants.

20- Gaza settlers' choice: voluntary evac. now, forced one later

Another example of government in action! And another example of gov-speak - voluntary: how Americans pay their income tax, supposedly.

21- Aussie Guantanamo prisoner charged by U.S. gov (Asks for free registration)

However justified the charges, the treatment of these "detainees" will be an stain on our honor forever.

22- Swiss gov orders unblocking of funds related to Yukos case

As governments go, Switzerland's has generally proved to be more bearable than most. Of course, this wouldn't have even been possible if not for the near-destruction of Swiss banking secrecy.

23- Spanish police to turn blind eye to soccer fans' dope smoking?

Bread and circuses. Shades of "Brave New World." Sedative scents anyone? Works as long as the taxpayers aren't supplying the dope too.

24- Russian lawmakers to tighten definition of fitness for office?

Notice that the psychological exams would not include such "minor" things as "tendency to lie," "power hunger," or "ability to keep one's word."

25- French court fines star for book contents

France is doing no more than Canada in the worldwide war on free speech. The usual techniques of the thought-tyrants are clearly visible in the perjorative terms used, of course.

Nathan Barton is an environmental engineer with a military background.

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