June 29, 2005

Did Phil Hartman Die from
Congressionally-Sanctioned Discrimination?
by Mark B. Rosenthal © 2005

After Saturday Night Live comedian Phil Hartman was shot and killed in his sleep by his wife Brynn, people revealed Brynn's long-standing abusive treatment of Phil. CNN quoted one acquaintance saying that Brynn "got attention by losing her temper." Grieving friends recalled how Phil tried to avoid her when she became abusive, and how he made excuses for her abusive behavior.

Sponsors of the Violence Against Women Act, would have you believe that Phil could have sought help from battered women's shelters funded under the Act. (Read the rest here)

Trade Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
by Sheldon Richman

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...

Representatives of the Imperial President have traveled to the far eastern region to “negotiate” strict limits on exports. Although the recent surge in shipments of badly needed inexpensive clothing from traders in the region has raised the living standards of low-income people in the home of the Imperial Government, it offends well-connected Trade Federation interests. During the negotiations the far eastern leaders hold firm against the Empire’s intimidation and pressure. A trade war looms. Back in the capital of the Empire —

Hold on a minute. This is not the beginning of the next installment of Star Wars. It’s the latest news of the Bush administration’s attempt to get the government of China to rein in its apparel exporters. According to Reuters, “China took a tough line on Saturday in trade talks with U.S. officials on its surging textile exports, signaling no quick breakthrough in a row that threatens to spill over into the diplomatic arena.” Vice Premier Wu Yi says the administration’s latest restrictions on trousers, shirts, underwear, and cotton yarn endanger the 19 million people who work in the Chinese textile and clothing industry. Wu is quoted as saying, “If this cannot be handled well it will severely affect the course of bilateral economic relations and trade.” (Read the rest here)

Uncle Scam -- Modern Pirate
By Ed Henry

Jimmy Buffett was wrong when he sang; “Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years too late. The cannons don’t thunder, there’s nothing to plunder, I’m an over forty victim of fate, arriving too late, arriving too late.”

Well Jimmy, you’re not too late. You’re just in the wrong profession. The cannons still thunder, and there’s plenty to plunder. All you have to do is throw in with the federal government. They could even use your poetic talents to spin more propaganda. You could “rhythm and rhyme” for Uncle Scam.

Picture this. There’s a line of people, each carrying a large bag of money. The line stretches from the front of the U.S. Treasury, around the side of the building, and off into infinity. At the front of the building, Uncle Sam sits at a table dressed in his full red, white, and blue costume, top hat and all. One by one, the people step up to the table, plunk down their bags of hard earned cash, and say – HERE. SELL ME SOME DEBT. AND DON’T FORGET TO ADD ANNUAL INTEREST SO I’LL HAVE EVEN MORE TO PAY YOU BACK. (Read the rest here)

Negotiations with Iraqi Rebels Are a Good Start But Not Enough
By Ivan Eland

Although Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld denied that the United States is losing the war in Iraq, he admitted that the United States is negotiating with important groups in the insurgency. Pursuing such talks is a good start but not enough.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rumsfeld showed his continuing flair for “spin”: “Foreign troops are not going to beat the insurgency. It’s going to be the Iraqi people that are going to beat the insurgency and Iraqi security forces. That’s just the nature of an insurgency, and it may take time....” (Read the rest here)

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Libertarian Commentary on The News
By Nathan A. Barton © 2005

Well, to my surprise, yesterday's Supreme Court follies announcements haven't driven the land-theft case off the blogs, the commentaries, or even the news (except, of course for the mainstream media which has an attention span that requires special electronic instruments to accurately measure, it is so short). But there is still other news of importance to lovers of liberty, and crying out for action: at least in my opinion.

WARNING: This column is riding a hobbyhorse today so be prepared! See details at end.

Stupid Government Tricks

Representatives want gun buyer database but not illegal alien database
CNSNews.com
Dozens of U.S. House members who sponsored the nationwide instant background check system for gun buyers in 1993 or backed the expansion of that system in 2002, have shown no support for a similar database intended to identify illegal aliens trying to find work in the U.S. At least one member who supported the gun control measure is challenging the proposal to crack down on illegal immigrants."A database this large is likely to contain many errors," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) during a May 12 hearing on the Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act (H.R. 98). "Any one of [the errors] could render someone unemployable and possibly much worse until they can get their file straightened out."

Now we know where we rate (as if we didn't already with Lee and her kind). Of course, maybe we can get the new Minutemen or someone else to start up a free-enterprise database of known illegal aliens in the country - so that people can check out potential employees, and decide for themselves whether to hire or not. But what I'd really like to see right now would be a database of the cities, towns, counties, etc. that are expropriating private property for ANY use (public or private) with lists of their officials and elected body member addresses, phone numbers, and e-mails, so we can tell them to go away. (Read the rest here)

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