May 01, 2006

Michael Badnarik for Congress
Interview By Lady Liberty

In 2004, Michael Badnarik was the Libertarian Party's candidate for President of the United States. During the course of his campaign, he traveled thousands of miles and gave hundreds of speeches and interviews. Despite a concerted effort, the Libertarian candidate was given short shrift by the media and prohibited from participation in the debates via a system geared to favor only the status quo of the two major parties. Even so, because of his efforts, many people were able to learn more about the Libertarian party and the libertarian mindset.

This year, Badnarik's dedication to promoting liberty finds him building on his earlier campaign experiences to be the Libertarian candidate for Congress in the Tenth District of the State of Texas. I spoke with Michael Badnarik by telephone just a few days ago.

Lady Liberty: You were the Libertarian candidate for President in 2004, and conducted what I know was an exhausting campaign. What made you decide to run for another office?

Michael Badnarik: Because of the success that I surprised myself with in the presidential [race]. (Read the rest here)

Boogeyman de Jour
By Michael Gaddy

The grand design of George H.W. Bush and Dick Cheney was to leave Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq after the first Gulf War that "ended" in February of 1991. Coalition forces were poised on the banks of the Euphrates River, ready to enter Baghdad and capture or kill Saddam, but how can you keep Boobus Americanus scared and into his wallet if you do not have an appropriately scary villain?

Once Saddam had been captured in December of ’03, some months after "major combat operations had ended," as announced by Dubya on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a new villain had to be created when the insurgency refused to roll over and play dead for the conquering hero. Materializing out of nowhere to head the insurgency and cut off a few heads was none other than, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. (Read the rest here)

What the Price of Gold is Telling Us
by Congressman Ron Paul - R - TX

The financial press, and even the network news shows, have begun reporting the price of gold regularly. For twenty years, between 1980 and 2000, the price of gold was rarely mentioned. There was little interest, and the price was either falling or remaining steady.

Since 2001 however, interest in gold has soared along with its price. With the price now over $600 an ounce, a lot more people are becoming interested in gold as an investment and an economic indicator. Much can be learned by understanding what the rising dollar price of gold means. (Read the rest here)

U.S.-Chinese Summit Leaves Strategic Relationship Unexamined
By Ivan Eland

Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the nation’s capital last week was an especially noteworthy disaster. A summit that should have dealt with the vital issue of how the United States can peacefully acknowledge China’s rise as a great power focused instead on narrow trade and proliferation issues and became a farce of administrative snafus.

Before Hu even arrived in Washington, the status-conscious Chinese were already miffed at getting only a “working lunch” rather than a full state dinner from President Bush. Exacerbating the dispute over protocol was a blunder by the White House announcer who mistakenly called Hu’s People’s Republic of China by the moniker “Republic of China”—the official name of its archenemy Taiwan. The indignant Chinese Foreign Ministry, which always reads the tea leaves in China-U.S.-Taiwan relations very closely, cancelled a briefing with reporters in protest. (Read the rest here)

The Immigration Debate We're Not Having
by Scott McPherson

As the nation finds itself embroiled in a debate over immigration, we hear the standard arguments for and against. Those favoring a more liberal approach to immigration warn of the economic consequences of turning away low-cost workers. On the other side, we're warned that immigration itself "costs" too much -- illegal immigrants are "taking" jobs from American workers, abusing public services, and committing crimes.

What no one is debating, however, is the morality of immigration itself.

Few Americans anymore believe that government action should be guided by reference to moral principles. Instead, they react to each new "crisis" by simply demanding that government "do something," which usually means restricting someone else's freedom. Such is the case with immigration. (Read the rest here)

Titanic Chivalry
By Carey Roberts

It was 94 years ago this month that the unsinkable Titanic collided with a North Atlantic iceberg. Of the 1,327 passengers on board, 73% of the women made it to the lifeboats, while only 7% of the men survived. That fateful night, the bodies of 702 men settled into their watery graves.

Within days of the tragedy, women set out to build a fitting memorial. First Lady Helen Taft donated the first dollar, explaining she was "glad to do this in gratitude to the chivalry of American manhood."

Of course not everyone was thrilled. Some argued that the fund-raising efforts were diverting attention away from the crusade to grant women the right to vote. One politically-correct person argued, "Why not, instead of having the memorial solely for the heroes of the wreck, have it also for the heroines!" (Read the rest here)

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