12/03/08

Book Review: Mallcity 14 By Shaun A. Saunders
by Sunni Maravillosa

What can a freedom-lover do to point out the creeping encroachment of government and corporate information-seekers in this post-1984 world, where so many of the gov-indoctrinated masses apparently think of Big Brother as something that either "can't happen here" (despite the growing evidence that it is indeed happening, right under their noses) or is necessary for society's security? (Never mind for the moment that that construct isn't possible -- security is first and foremost an individual's concern and responsibility.) Fortunately, we have a new novel to point to as a cautionary tale of the path the consumer-database worshippers and RFID-taggers would have individuals tread.
(Read the rest here)

Imagine There's No Healing
By Catfarmer

Suppose free home repair was proclaimed a legal right, like "free" [or "universal"] health care and "free" education. Politicians would dive at the chance to promise gullible voters another perennial boondoggle like "free house care." Under such an outrageous scheme the tyrant's dream of total control over individuals might achieve its desired nightmarish reality. Somewhere, an ambitious bureaucrat is crouching under his toadstool, drafting precisely such a despicable bill… I feel the beastly law slouching toward Washington D.C. to be born, its dreaded hour come 'round at last. (Read the rest here)

Rise Of The Feminist Propaganda State
By Carey Roberts

Remember that famous line from George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”? Mr. Orwell, here are two more examples to add to your collection:

1. On April 20 last, sports pages around the country featured a picture of the Catherine Ndereba of Kenya with upraised arms, the “winner” of the Boston Marathon. She won not by virtue of being the fastest runner, but because the female runners had started the race 29 minutes before the men.

That day the Boston Globe ran an article carrying the headline, “New Rule Engenders Equal Footing.” If giving women a half hour head-start is an “equal footing,” then would someone please explain inequality to me? (Read the rest here)

A Draft or Merely Hot Air?
By Ivan Eland

In the presidential campaign, there has been talk of returning to the draft after the election: Kerry has predicted that President Bush will reinstate the draft if reelected and Bush has denied it. Any such reinstatement would be disastrous for the republic.

In the lead up to the election, the Republicans have been so eager to run away from this explosive issue that they brought up a bill on the draft, sponsored by a few liberal Democrats, just to have the house defeat it overwhelmingly. Most politicians—including the president—know that forcing young men and women into the military against their will would likely make many voters angry. They also know that a draft would probably cause any remaining public support for the already unpopular Iraq war to melt away. Conscription was a major reason public support eroded for the equally dubious Vietnam War. (Read the rest here)

Libertarian Commentary on The Day's News
By Nathan A. Barton © 2004

We'll start out with a couple of items posted by a certain beauteous Sunni-snake:
A1-Early Voting Starts in Florida – Trouble Already Crops Up (See also: RRND post )
With memories of 2000 and the state's bitter fight over ballots still fresh, Floridians began casting votes Monday and within an hour problems cropped up. In Palm Beach County, the center of the madness during the recount four years ago, a Democratic state legislator said she wasn't given a complete absentee ballot when she asked to opt for paper instead of the electronic touch-screen machines. Several voting sites in Broward County had problems with laptops connected to elections headquarters. And a brief computer system crash in Orange County delayed voting in Orlando and its immediate suburbs.

Commentary: It’s gonna be a LOOONNNGGGG election, folks! Preemptive lawsuits have already been filed, imitating the president's action in Iraq! Add this to the other reasons NOT to live in Florida: every one of these election lawsuits will be paid for (probably BOTH sides) by the taxpayers, so expect Florida’s already ridiculous tax rates to increase, and services to decrease). We’ll be lucky if only one lawsuit gets to the Supremes this time. And if those laptops are giving the elections folks there the fits, mine are giving me fits right now (now, no Microsoft bashing, right now), well, they’ll be lucky to get logged on by the end of the day, November 2nd, much less let all those people vote!

(Read the rest here)

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