index -- The Price of Liberty

On Monday, January 8^th in Federal court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Liberty and the Constitution, represented by Hollis Wayne Fincher, are being put on trial by the jackbooted thugs at the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms Explosives (BATFE) Yes, these are the same criminals responsible for the murders and other malicious acts at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

Mr. Fincher, age 60, was arrested on the morning of November 8 following a raid on his home involving federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) and FBI and assisted by Washington County Sheriff's Office, Fayetteville Police Department, Springdale Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas State Bomb Squad and the Madison County Sheriff's Department. Mr. Fincher was charged with possession of a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act of 1934.

I'm a science fiction nut with a bit of a thing for actor Clive Owen. When I saw the initial trailers for Children of Men some months ago, there was little question I'd see the movie although I worried that not many other people would. In recent days, however, the reviews for Children of Men have been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, they were so stellar that my determination to see the film was set. This weekend, in the company of a friend's two sons, I sat down to see what I now hoped would be science fiction with Clive Owen that was also a really good movie to boot. Unfortunately, it only managed to be two of the three. (Read the rest here)

First, ignore and insult your base. Next, dream up a campaign theme of gender "empowerment" that falls flat with the three-quarters of American women who abhor the feminist agenda. Then top it off with a fem-fest at the White House in honor of International Women's Day.

To borrow one of my mother's favorite lines, "What were you thinking?" (Read the rest here)

The financial press reported last week that the euro, the new currency created only five years ago and used by most European nations, has supplanted the U.S. dollar as the most widely used form of cash internationally. There are now more Euros in circulation worldwide than dollars.

This alone is not necessarily troubling, as the dollar remains the world’s most important reserve currency. About 65% of foreign central bank exchange reserves are still held in dollars, versus only about 25% in euros. And the European Central Bank faces the same inflationary pressures that our own Federal Reserve Bank Governors face, including a growing entitlement burden that threatens economic ruin as both societies age. European politicians want to spend money just as badly as American politicians, and undoubtedly will clamor to inflate-- and thus devalue-- the euro to fund their creaky social welfare systems. (Read the rest here)

Over the last several days former President Gerald R. Ford has been repeatedly praised for "healing" the nation in the aftermath of Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. Democrat, Republican, and solemn pundit alike paid extravagant tribute to the man who, in their view, saved the American people from "disaster."

But is that what Ford really did? Let's recall the context. The burglary and cover-up we call "Watergate" gave the American people a rare glimpse at raw government power. The break-in at the Democratic National Committee was not the only criminal activity that Nixon administration operatives had committed. They had also broken into the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, who had leaked to the New York Times the Pentagon Papers, which disclosed former President Lyndon Johnson's determination to fight the war in Vietnam even though his advisors knew it couldn't be won. Nixon's infamous "plumbers" unit had wiretapped people thought to be undermining the war effort. He also had used the IRS to harass people on his notorious enemies list. (Read the rest here)

Many commentators have called the Democratic victory in the November elections a referendum on the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq. They have also noted that the voting public is concerned by the attacks on civil liberties so loyally defended by nearly all the Republican lawmakers in fighting the war on terror. The Democrats, presumably, now have a mandate to reverse current trends in domestic as well as foreign anti-terror policy.

There is little reason for optimism that the Democrats will follow through on this supposed mandate, and deliver us from the evil of the growing police state of warrantless searches, indefinite detentions, sweeping surveillance, and other attacks on civil liberties. (Read the rest here)

Does the widening US trade deficit pose a threat to the economy?
By Frank Shostak

Most economists are extremely alarmed about the effect of the expanding deficit on the current account. In 2004 the deficit stood at $668 billion, or 5.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP). For 2005 we have estimated that the deficit was around $788 billion, or 6.3% of GDP. As a result of the ballooning deficit, the value of US net external liabilities, expressed at historical cost, jumped to $5.1 trillion in 2005 from $4.3 trillion in 2004. As a percentage of GDP, net external liabilities climbed to 41% in 2005 from 37% in the previous year and 4.9% in 1980.

It is held that this increase in foreign debt cannot go on forever. If the Americans do not begin reducing their trade deficit, there will come a time when foreigners will become less willing to hold dollar denominated assets. This in turn will weaken the US dollar. Consequently, once this happens the United States will be forced to increase interest rates (maybe sharply) to continue to attract foreign investments. Higher interest rates in turn will plunge the economy into recession. In short, given the size of the current account deficit it is held that the US dollar has to plunge in a big way against most currencies, and it is not possible to avoid a painful adjustment as a result of this. It would appear that the trade deficit is a major economic problem that must be urgently addressed in order to avoid serious economic disaster. (Read the rest here)

From The Archives (03/10/16)
The Road From Statism to Anarchy
By ZooT_aLLures
Technical Editor

Let me introduce myself, one of the founders of The Price of Liberty.org. I thought that my story might inspire others who are struggling with the questions of "left" vs. "right" and wondering what else there could be that makes more sense.

So, just who is this guy with the strange name and questionable writing style? Just who is ZooT_aLLures?

I wasn't raised in a freedom minded environment, but rather in the ghettos of a big city in the upper Midwest.

Mom and Dad were young and foolish, and more importantly Catholic, which at that time precluded the use of any form of birth control other than the rhythm method or an aspirin held tightly between the knees. They had four kids by age thirty and a fifth at age forty+ (Read the rest here)

The Nationalists have been quite busy tossing red herrings to libertarians. To be accurate, it is actually Nationalists within the libertarian movement who are creating red herrings out of the numerous issues raised by Statists. 2006 was particularly active with three major herrings. Early this year (and still ongoing) it was the allegedly "illegal" immigrant threat to the National Welfare System [1][2] and National Border "sovereignty", followed by a resurgence of the Great Islamic Terrorist Threat [3]. The latest red herring and great threat is Superstate North America aka the North American Union (NAU). All of these fake issues divert "libertarian" thought away from freedom issues and toward the "need" for a strong National (and Socialist or Fascist) State (in German, it abbreviates to NAZI) with more restrictions on an individual's freedom—for our own protection, of course—that will somehow "protect us" from immigrants, Islamic terrorists and from NAU, all issues which the State is suspiciously involved in creating. (Read the rest here) Credit The Libertarian Enterprise

Libertarian Commentary on the News, 1 - 6 January, 2007
The first week of the new year isn’t starting out too well, around the world: Saddam and Ford gone, Pelosi and her thugs in power, and meanwhile, in Africa…

Africa’s Coming Doom:
"Somalis," Ethiopia fight Islamic militia
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
"Somali government [sic] troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers battled about 600 Islamic militiamen [sic] Thursday on the southern tip of this Horn of Africa nation, and U.S. Navy forces prevented the militants from fleeing by sea, authorities said. A U.S. diplomat said she hoped peacekeepers from the region could be in place by month's end in Somalia, where the Council of Islamic Courts militias were driven from the capital of Mogadishu and much of the south last week." [Editor's note: How much do you want to bet that most, if not all, of the "Somali government" troops are foreign as well? - TLK] (01/04/07)

Tom, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these “Somali” troops hadn’t been wearing Islamic “militia” uniforms a few weeks or days ago. (Read the rest here. Two full pages.)

Features From The Last Issue

Will America Go The Way of Mongolia?
By Doug Newman

What Happened In China?
By Ed Henry

Winner of the Coveted 2006 Award for Political Incorrectness
By Carey Roberts

The Surrender of Conscience to the President
by Jacob G. Hornberger

Who Is Winning in Latin America?
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa

Individual Liberty - 101
From The Ludwig von Mises Institute
Society without a State
By Murray N. Rothbard

From The Archives (02/06/06)
The People are the Problem
By Lady Liberty

External Articles
The Disrespect for Truth has Brought a New Dark Age
by Paul Craig Roberts

Do you know a good liberty centered blogs?
Tell us about it!
Liberty Bloggers We Know

Click Here for the Archives
PLEASE let me know if you find a broken link!
Each week's front page is linked to the date.
Just click on one for more great articles!

MamaLiberty is the owner, publisher, writer, chief cook and bottle washer for The Price of Liberty.
I'd love to hear from you!