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July
23, 2007 Libertarian
Commentary on The News,
15 - 20 July, 2007 Did anyone remember to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the first landing of humans on the Moon this week? Sadly, most of our attention was on things here on earth, where it was pretty much business as usual. Personally, I’ve had another week of getting jerked around by government agencies at several different levels, for several different projects and reasons, so if my comments about government seem a bit nastier than usual, you readers will know why! City
slickers: You want to believe the NYC government? Good luck. Of course, I have very little sympathy for anyone who still lives in NYC after all these decades; you are everyone’s target in the most blatant police-state of any large city in the nation. (Read the rest here) [Two full pages again!]
Next
9/11, Summer, 2007? The Nameless Past If it were only happening in another place and time it would be so easy to see through! The son of a national leader relies on his father's political cronies, who ensure that he inherits his father's position and power. It's a story that has happened throughout history, whether in times of monarchy or of democracy. At first, he promises a benign, faithful reign. Unknown to the people, though, he and his cronies have already committed the nation to an unending world war to control Middle East oil resources and to advance Israel's regional policies. All it would take, they have written, is a sudden terrifying attack, a "New Pearl Harbor," to rouse the people of the United States for the Middle East war needed to bring about a "New American Century." (Read the rest here)
From
The Archives Near the beginning of Far From The Madding Crowd, (a Masterpiece Theatre movie based on the Thomas Hardy novel) one heartbreaking scene made a vivid impression on me. An aspiring shepherd leases a small parcel of farmland, invests all of his savings in a flock of sheep, and rashly trusts a young dog to guard them. Early one morning the dog inadvertently stampedes his entire flock through a flimsy pasture fence and straight off a steep cliff onto sharp rocks far below. The dog's barking awakens the shepherd in time to discover what is happening, but too late for him to save any of his sheep. In a terrible instant, the poor shepherd loses his entire flock, all of his savings, and his farm because his inexperienced dog had no understanding of what it was doing. The shepherd never anticipated the dreadful outcome of trusting the dog to protect his flock. The watchdog executed its responsibilities badly, thereby destroying the flock it was supposed to protect. Stunned and grief-stricken, the shepherd walks a short way with the dog before he sits the dog down, steps back, raises his rifle and fires one sure shot. He's abruptly lost everything, and the dog represents a liability too agonizing for him to bear. (Read the rest here)
The
Independent Institute WASHINGTON—The historical significance of corn in the Americas is comparable to that of rice in China or wheat in the Middle East. Corn is more than a staple, it is part of the region’s DNA—which explains the hysteria in many Latin American countries over rising prices. In just four years, leaders and organizations that style themselves as progressive have gone from denouncing the precipitous fall in the price of corn to denouncing its sharp climb—with many of the same arguments! Hardly a week goes by in which Cuba’s Fidel Castro or Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is not accusing rich imperialists of deliberately pumping up the price of corn in order to impoverish Latin Americans. But in 2003, when corn prices were dropping dramatically, Phil Twyford of Oxfam, a left-oriented humanitarian organization, pontificated, “The Mexican corn crisis is another example of world trade rules that are rigged to help the rich and powerful, while destroying the livelihoods of millions of poor people.” (Read the rest here)
The
Future of Freedom Foundation If, as President Bush claims, Iraq is a sovereign country and its government represents the people, then why are American officials ordering the parliament to cancel its August vacation and insisting that the al-Maliki government meet certain “benchmarks”? Is it sovereign or not? By what authority does the U.S. government dictate to it? Something just doesn’t add up here. The Bush administration is also building a dozen military bases in that country and a new embassy larger than the Vatican. These look like the acts of an empire. Just as ominous is the fact that some critics of the war, particularly Democrats in Congress, say the reason we ought to exit Iraq is that the government and people aren’t worthy of U.S. intervention. We should get out, but that’s the wrong reason. (Read the rest here)
Individual
Liberty - 101 This is the world of the individual. A world where scarcity limits the ability to satisfy all wants — with most wants never being addressed, let alone satisfied. Contrast our world with that of the political class. Here, scarcity is nonexistent. While my wife and I struggled over whether or not we could commit financial resources, the politician simply commits our resources for us. No questions asked. While my wife and I agonized, never feeling satisfied that our level of financial commitment was sufficient, Bush proudly committed multiples of our contribution level (when you consider the $30 billion on a per-capita basis) without taking into account our ability to pay. It was easy for him. (Read the rest here) (Read the entire article at the source website. Use the back button to return.)
External Articles Hailed as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels and a means of reducing U.S. dependence on Middle East oil, the U.S. ethanol program has mutated into a huge tax-financed boondoggle whose costs far outweigh its benefits. Like so much else that originates in Washington, the program was sold to the public by overstating its benefits and understating its costs. The myriad unintended consequences—political byproducts that range from higher food prices to environmental damage—were ignored altogether. (Read the rest here) (Read the entire article at the source website. Use the back button to return.)
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