June 30, 2005

What now? (Part III – A Call to Action)
By Nathan A. Barton © 2004

“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever; “ Thomas Jefferson, 1781. We are at that point – not even 150 years since slavery was officially outlawed in the old American Union, the people of that land have been corporately introduced into a new slavery – a slavery with chains more craftily forged, more difficult to break.

In part 1, we looked at the mess and this massive grab of power by five people whom I’ve even heard mild-mannered people describe as “idiots.” In part 2, we looked at some of the possible responses; do nothing, recall (impeachment), constitutional amendments, even secession or the next thing to it. None of them seem able either to solve the problem, or be feasible. We can’t win; we can’t break even; we can’t get out of the game: the gambler’s dilemma. In the last three days, I’ve been hearing the greatest outcry I can ever recall – and from a fairly broad spectrum of Americans: liberals, conservatives, libertarians, independents: only the most authoritarian or “pragmatic” have dared to speak out in favor of the ruling: the local government groups and unions, and the self-admitted socialists (excuse me, progressives). (Read the rest here)

Who Cares about the Income Gap?
by Sheldon Richman

I didn’t wake up this morning wondering whether I had shrunk the income gap between me and Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. I have never wondered about that. But that’s me. If I am to believe the New York Times and other major newspapers, lots of people are obsessed with the difference between their incomes and the incomes of richer people. Then again, maybe most people are more like me and don’t give a darn. So why are those newspaper editors and reporters preoccupied with the matter?

I suspect it’s because fundamentally they dislike liberal market society. Of course, they wouldn’t put it that way. They would say simply that the phenomenon known as the “growing income gap” is newsworthy. And why is it newsworthy? Because it “says something” about our society. And what might that be? Most likely that “untrammeled capitalism” results in social injustice, which is why government can’t stand on the sidelines but rather must engage in income redistribution. (As though we have anything resembling “untrammeled capitalism.” Would that it were so.)

Now this is all nonsense. (Read the rest here)

From the External Articles Page
No MAS
Leonard Clark, 860th MP CO
AZ Army National Guard

I have been talking to my fellow soldiers about this whole situation and I have told them about how the leadership in Washington is trying to get the American people to silence their criticisms of the continued lunacy we call the occupation of Iraq.

I tell them that they are saying to the Congress: "Well, ya know, our poor soldiers wanna stay and finish the fight in Iraq, but you people in Washington D.C. are undercutting their morale by bringing up this 'time table stuff'" and "What the hell are we doing in Iraq? Do we have a plan?" stuff. (Read the rest here) Two other great articles!

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

A short commentary today, as I am on the road.

Living in the Klepocracy

Supreme Court steps into abortion dispute
from Fox News
"The Supreme Court on Tuesday intervened again in a long-running fight over protests outside abortion clinics. Justices said they will consider whether an antiabortion group's campaign against abortions, conducted outside these clinics 20 years ago, may have violated federal racketeering and extortion laws. The court has already dealt with the same case several times before. Most recently justices ruled in 2003 that the laws were wrongly used against antiabortion leader Joseph Scheidler and others." (06/28/05)

With the recent rulings, this action will very likely result in still more action against antiabortion activists: can you spell "concentration camp"? I fully expect the five or six anti-constitutional counterrevolutionary justices to reverse the 2003 ruling and extend RICO even farther, just as Congress is passing new antigun laws with even farther-reaching effects than RICO. (Read the rest here)

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