December 29, 2004

Cop killing continues – can this be allowed to go on?
By Nathan A. Barton © 2004

154 Police Officers have died in the "line of duty" this year, according to a recent CNN report , with almost half of them caused by - no, not guns, but traffic accidents.

This number startled me, and so I did some research. I found a site that listed 150 of the 154 (up through the 23d of December, apparently): Please note, this is a site for and by "lawmen". It also listed the 146 dead in line of duty (LOD) in 2003. Here is a summary: (Read the rest here)

Not Filing Tax Returns because "the 16th Amendment was not Properly Ratified"
is a One Way Ticket to Prison
By Robert Greenslade © Nitwit Press

Joseph Banister, a Certified Public Accountant and former IRS Special Agent was arrested at his San Jose home last month on a federal indictment accusing him of numerous tax crimes. According to news reports, Banister advised clients they didn't have to file federal income tax returns because "the 16th Amendment was not properly ratified." If convicted of all counts, Banister could be sentenced to 14 years in prison and face a $1 million fine.

After hearing San Francisco radio talk host Geoff Metcalf discuss the 16th Amendment with Devvy Kidd in a 1996 interview, Banister allegedly began doubting the legality of federal tax laws and, after conducting extensive research, resigned from the IRS two years later. Since the 16th Amendment is not the constitutional source of any federal income tax. See: The 16th Amendment is not the Source of the Federal Income Tax, not filing returns because "the Amendment was not properly ratified" is nothing but a one-way ticket to federal prison. (Read the rest here)

Winner of The Coveted 2004 Award For Political Incorrectness
By Carey Roberts

The chilly winds of Political Correctness blow ever stronger.

Item #1: This past Thursday the French Parliament passed a law that bans insults of women and homosexuals. No more calling a woman "mal baisée" (sexually frustrated), or referring to the cleaning lady as a "femme de ménage."

Item #2: To the north, the Canadian government features a report on its website that proposes to categorize any sort of anti-feminist commentary as a form of hate speech.

Item #3: A couple weeks ago Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, was arrested for "incitement to commit racial hatred." His offense? He was caught saying that Islam is a "vicious, wicked faith." (Read the rest here)

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

Counting down days to the end of 2004, wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and asking everyone to keep friends and family free and safe in 2005! It is MY opinion (and like all opinions in this column, not necessarily those of anyone else, including RRND, FND, and TPoL) that we all ought to count our blessings this New Year’s and remember that we are still far better off than 99% of humans throughout history. May I suggest an old Texican custom and encourage you to have black-eyed peas for lunch on New Year’s Day: it is based on the idea that if you eat that horrid stuff on the first day of the year, you’ll never have to eat anything worse!

Mama's Note: What's so terrible about black eyed peas? I love them! Grow them yourself and eat them young and fresh. They are a delicious member of the bean/pea family and deserve a far better reputation than they evidently have. I'm not talking about the dried, mature ones - though they can be prepared to make a good tasting and nutritious meal as well, but just you try some young, fresh ones from the garden and you'll be a convert. Nathan must not know how to cook them! MamaLiberty

NM: 911 cell phone calls tracked by GIS KOAT
TheNewMexicoChannel.com
Albuquerque officials recently announced a new geographical information system that could help first responders find people who have called 911 from their cell phones. According to, city and county officials say three out of five emergency calls are placed from cell phones.

Many cities and other jurisdictions are doing this - but it has significant downsides as well: there is evidence that even when a call is NOT being placed that a remote phone can query the cell phone and determine its location on GPS - and most cell phones manufactured for the last 3-4 years are GPs-capable (not that you, the phone’s owner can use it - you have to go buy ANOTHER $300 machine to use GPs). Thus, anyone who knows how to use the system, especially govgoons, can find out where you are, if you are in cell-phone service range. (That is about 90% of the nation, and growing steadily.) (Read the rest here)

Greater Government Spending Has Not Enhanced National Security
By Ivan Eland

Since the September 11 attacks, real (inflation-adjusted) spending on defense has increased 23 percent, even when the whopping $250 billion bill for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is not included in the count. Even without those supplemental expenditures, the U.S. budget for national defense is an eye-popping $421 billion for fiscal year 2005, according to Chris Hellman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. Many taxpayers assume that the ballooning budgets mean greater security, but the facts tell a different story. (Read the rest here)

FICAA.com Presents: The American Jury Hour with Iloilo Marguerite Jones and guests. Heard on The American Voice Radio Network , Thursday Afternoons, Noon Pacific, 1PM Mountain. The weekend rebroadcast of this week's program is at Sunday at 9:00 PM. .

Heard on The American Voice Radio Network American Voice Radio Network can be heard on:

C-Band Satellite at Galaxy 11 (formerly G-7), Transponder 12, Audio 8.1 Internet Streaming Audio (MP3 16kbps) C-Band and Internet Audio feeds are free with no subscription fee or sign up required whatsoever. (Read the rest here)

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