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Libertarian
War on the News, 03 - 09 February, 2008
Yuck! Politics is hideous, and this week there is way too much of
it. Elections in the US, civil war in Chad, too much nanny-state
everywhere are all in the news this week. It is a good time to ask ourselves,
are we going to fight to live in liberty or submit to more and more slavery.
The choice is ours. Think about that as we go through the news.
Afghan
front:
UN survey: Afghan opium high in 2008
Bismarck Tribune
“Opium growth in Afghanistan’s unstable south and southwest
continues at an alarming rate, and is a windfall for anti-government forces
who tax farmers, a U.N. report said Wednesday. The report also predicted
a further rise in cannabis cultivation this year.” (02/05/08)
“Unstable”
means “Taleban-controlled,” of course, and the wholesale/distribution
revenue supports their anti-Western operations. This is, of course, a
piece of poetic justice, since it is the West’s unflagging desire
for recreational pharma that provides the market.
Mama's
Note: It is also the direct result of government (all kinds) interference
in the market. When life itself is filled with terror, war and uncertainty,
they have a very natural tendency to plant only those things which will
bring the greatest profit with the least investment. Opium has been a
secure cash crop for many thousands of years, with willing customers all
over the world.
Afghan
front:
Afghan government won’t execute
student journalist
Independent [UK]
“The condemned student journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh will not
face execution, a senior government official in Afghanistan indicated
yesterday. A ministerial aide, Najib Manalai, insisted: ‘I am not
worried for his life. I’m sure Afghanistan’s justice system
will find the best way to avoid this sentence.’ It was the clearest
indication yet that the 23-year-old will have his death penalty revoked
amid mounting international pressure on the Afghan authorities. Mr. Kambaksh
was condemned to die by an Islamic court for insulting Islam. He was found
guilty under sharia law after he distributed articles from the internet
on women’s rights.” (02/06/08)
The evil
of the entire system is highly apparent, when it must be a form of corruption
to make sure that this man doesn’t die. No freedom of speech in the
dar Al-Islam.
Afghan
front:
Taliban claims ransom paid
for Korean missionaries
Newsweek
"Five months after the release of the 21 surviving South Korean
hostages who had been captured by the Taliban in July, Afghan insurgents
are claiming that Seoul paid a hefty ransom for the Christian missionaries'
freedom. In an interview in this week's edition of Afaq, a Pashtu-language
magazine published in neighboring Pakistan, senior Taliban leader Ustad
Yasir confirmed that a large ransom indeed had been paid." (02/06/08)
“Confirmed?”
The press is taking the word of a Taleban leader? Ransoms are one of those
issues over which morality can be argued for days, of course, and often
is a necessary evil, according to many folks.
Baboons:
MS: Ban on
restaurants serving fat people
Ananova [UK]
“A new bill in Mississippi would make it illegal for restaurants
to serve obese customers. It would allow health inspectors to revoke the
licence of any restaurant that ‘repeatedly’ feeds extremely
overweight people …. Two-thirds of adult Mississippians are overweight
and 30% obese, according to the latest federal figures.” (02/04/08)
Stupid,
stupid man. What is next: prohibiting supermarkets from selling most foods
to fat people? Obviously, he is targeting the “biggies” –
McD, BK, and Wendy’s. “Evil!”
Mama's
Note: Read
this for a little more to the story.
He says
he never even expected his plan to become law. "I was trying to
shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi,"
said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier, who acknowledges that at
5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, he'd probably have a tough time under his
own bill.
Baboons:
Budget plan gives ed tech the boot
eSchool News
“The federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program,
which helps put technology into the hands of students in classrooms across
the country, is slated for zero funding for the fifth straight year under
President Bush’s 2009 budget proposal. And for the fifth straight
year, advocates of educational technology will look to Congress to preserve
the program, which this year — thanks to Congress — will receive
$267 million in funding.” (02/05/08)
Also known
as the Computer and Software Makers Supplemental Welfare act, this is
an example of stupid government spending.
Baboons:
Congress sends "stimulus"
plan to Bush
Butte Montana Standard
"Congress, facing the prospect of an election-year recession,
passed an emergency plan Thursday that rushes rebates of $600 to $1,200
to most taxpayers and $300 checks to disabled veterans, the elderly and
other low-income people. President Bush indicated he would sign the measure.
House passage by a 380-34 vote came a few hours after Senate leaders ended
a drawn-out stalemate over the bill. Still, by congressional standards,
lawmakers approved the legislation with exceptional speed to jolt the
weak economy." (02/07/08)
The ultimate
pork: directly into the pockets of the voters. And since the Republicans
were apparently successful in axing some of the welfare from this stinker,
the Democrats will be able to claim that the GOP should not have any credit
for it, and thus achieve their goal of a veto-proof Congress, just in
case that Miz Hillary or Massa Barack doesn’t get the shoe-in.
Baboons:
House passes bill to curb college
costs
USA Today
"The House approved legislation Thursday aimed at curtailing rising
college costs and limiting student debt. The bill, which passed 354-58,
calls on the Education Department to create a website that students and
their families can use to compare the cost of attending different schools.
Colleges are to be grouped according to how expensive they are and how
quickly their costs have been going up." (02/07/08)
Be scared,
be very scared. Expect college costs to really explode now that Congress
is working so hard to control them.
Baboons:
GA: Senate appeases Know-Nothings
MSNBC
"Georgia lawmakers waded back into the debate over immigration
on Thursday, passing one measure that would outlaw sanctuary cities and
another that would boost penalties for driving without a valid drivers
license. Sanctuary cities -- where officials are prohibited from reporting
illegal immigrants -- became a flashpoint in the Republican presidential
primary." (02/07/08)
These guys
aren’t going to win whatever they do. Not that they deserve to.
Baboons:
CA: Pols' failed
effort to buck term limits shakes Assembly
San Jose Mercury News
"It didn't take long after Proposition 93 went down on Election
Night that the scramble began for legislative leadership posts and soon-to-
be-open legislative seats. Almost immediately after the final results
were in, Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, announced Wednesday he
will campaign to succeed Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D- Oakland,
as the caucus leader. His likely opponent in that race, Sen. Alex Padilla,
D-Los Angeles, kept a low profile, but has made it known to Perata that
he's also interested. The defeat of the ballot measure, which would have
loosened term limits and allowed term-limited incumbents to stay another
four or six years, ensures there will be leadership changes in both houses,
but the timing is still in question." (02/07/08)
The headline
is misleading on this story: essentially, the continued (undefeated) term
limits are doing what they were intended to do: get rid of the embedded-in-concrete
incumbents and let new leadership emerge in the legislature: a similar
solution needed in DC. Of course, while any change is for the better,
it is unlikely to make a significant difference in the nanny-state of
California any time soon.
Mama's
Note: The reason term limits don't work is fairly simple. Only a certain
kind of person is interested in running for public office in the first
place - with extremely rare exceptions, of course. And those who limit
out on one office merely run for another, usually higher up. Therefore,
the deck gets shuffled regularly, but it's the same 52 cards for each
game, no matter how many fresh decks they break open.
Baboons:
Congress wants Do Not Call list permanent
USA Today
"Politicians have finally found an issue they all can agree on:
Telemarketers calling at dinnertime are a scourge that must be repulsed.
Congress on Wednesday sent to President Bush two bills that would make
permanent a program to protect consumers from unwanted phone calls from
telemarketers. Its hallmark is the national 'do not call' list."
(02/06/08)
With, of
course, continued exemptions for political and politically-connected “charitable”
organizations, so that our suppers get interrupted by stupid polls and
pitches to reelect Joe Blow for another umpty-ump years.
Mama's
Note: Since most of the telemarket calls are now recordings (I can't imagine
anyone actually calling them back... ) I now screen my calls and punch
the off button if a recording starts. The live ones usually get to tell
me who they are and at least start on what they want... And sometimes,
if I'm in an especially good mood, I'll take the time to say, "I
am NOT interested, take me off your list." Then I hang up.
As for
this "no call" list... I'm not impressed. And I don't want to
be on yet ANOTHER data base anyway.
Canaanite
front:
Israel on high alert after bombing
Associated Press
“Israeli security forces were on high alert Tuesday, sending beefed-up
patrols to public areas such as shopping malls, bus stations and train
depots after the first Palestinian suicide attack in more than a year.
… The attack Monday on the southern town of Dimona killed a 73-year-old
Israeli woman, critically wounded her husband, and wounded 10 others less
seriously. Police were out in higher numbers at entrances to cities, shopping
malls and bus and train stations. Overnight, border police arrested 240
Palestinians who had entered Israel illegally to work, police spokesman
Micky Rosenfeld said. One of the militant groups that claimed to have
carried out the attack said its gunmen were poised to strike again, but
Rosenfeld said no specific new threats were identified.” (02/05/08)
No matter
how bad – even evil – the Israelis are, their Muslim enemies
seem to easily outdo them, and never give up.
Culture
wars:
CA: Court
sets marriage hearing
All Headline News
"The California Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality
of same-sex marriages that is pitting gay-rights activists against religious
conservatives. The three-hour hearing on March 4 will involve four different
lawsuits filed by same-sex couples against the gay marriage restriction,
and two countersuits filed by organizations that stood by the regulation.
... A total of 4,000 marriage licenses in four weeks were issued by the
state back in 2004, but the Supreme Court ruled against the practice,
bringing it to a halt and invalidating the marriages." (02/07/08)
It is supposed
to be too important an issue to leave up to the courts, but that is where
it is at. Expect the majority will of the people (and more important,
the dictionary definition) to be ignored by the Nazgul.
Mama's
Note: What does it have to do with the "majority will of the people?"
Marriage, as with most things, is an individual choice and responsibility.
None of this should have anything to do with the courts or anyone but
the people involved in the marriage and their families.
Economy:
Google says: Microsoft-Yahoo deal
raises “troubling questions”
San Francisco Chronicle
“In a thinly veiled attack on Microsoft’s $44.6 billion takeover
bid for Yahoo, Google Inc. said Sunday that the proposed deal ‘raises
troubling questions’ and urged policy makers to take a close look
before approving any merger. The criticism came in a blog post by David
Drummond, Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer,
who said that the combination potentially threatens competition, recalling
Microsoft’s past run-ins with regulators over monopolistic behavior.
‘Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate
and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC?’
he asked. The posting represented Google’s first comments about Microsoft’s
surprise buyout bid last week, which promises to reshuffle the Internet
landscape by bolstering Microsoft’s online advertising business.”
(02/03/08)
No fooling?
The real question is whether new competitors can rise up to challenge
them.
Mama's
Note: Here is a very
interesting commentary about this deal:
One day,
you're the victim. The big, bad, established corporations are using
their influence with Congress to beat up on you and stall important
business deals. All you're trying to do is defend yourself from the
onslaught. You bring in a lobbying team to defend your reputation and
keep an eye on potential future attacks, and then, the next thing you
know, you are the big, bad corporation using your influence on Congress
to beat up your competitors. What happened? Let's
examine a case study.
Economy:
US free
trade accords face rocky road
Christian Science Monitor
"A fresh battle is brewing in Washington over foreign trade, with
the White House persevering in its pursuit of free trade agreements while
congressional Democrats -- some elected two years ago on protectionist
planks -- appear more inclined to take up trade issues with China than
pass new deals. President Bush is ramping up efforts to get Congressional
approval of free-trade agreements (FTAs) already negotiated with Colombia,
Panama, and South Korea. Late last month, he dispatched Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to Colombia, with a bevy of House Democrats in tow, to
renew the push for the Colombia accord, invoking national security interests
over economic ones for the agreement." (02/07/08)
If only
these were real “free trade” instead of just government-managed
trade…
Euro-front:
Italy's president dissolves parliament
Las Vegas Sun
"Italy's president dissolved parliament on Wednesday, clearing
the way for early elections this spring, just two years after the last
parliamentary vote. The president made the decision after Premier Romano
Prodi's center-left government fell late last month and subsequent efforts
to form an interim government to change voting rules proved unsuccessful."
(02/07/08)
Italians
are the poster-child for incompetent government, and frankly, the rest
of the world might be running scared if Italy suddenly realized the obvious:
that they don’t NEED to have a government. Especially not a series
of administrations that change so often that they have to use electronic
variable message boards to keep up with the changes in who has what office.
Good deeds:
College gets anonymous
$5 million in the mail
MSNBC
"The checks to Temple University really were in the mail -- for
$5 million. It was a total surprise for the school to receive the anonymous
donations, which arrived in a pair of nondescript envelopes sent via U.S.
mail from a bank in Arizona, said Stuart Sullivan, Temple's senior vice
president for institutional advancement. One envelope contained a $1 million
bank check for the university to use however it chooses, Sullivan told
The Associated Press on Tuesday. The second held a $4 million check to
endow a scholarship for women and minorities." (02/06/08)
Donations
of this size are rare, especially anonymously: but the truth is, Americans
donate BILLIONS of dollars a year to colleges and other institutions –
some of which actually deserve to receive the money If government-forced
“charity” were to end, and the taxes stolen from people to pay
for that forced “giving,” the amount of money available to donate
would explode: so much so that schools might realize that they don’t
need the government “charity” (and the strings attached) any
more.
Mama's
Note: Not likely, as long as the colleges, etc. are run by the PC fascists
that infest them now.
Government-run,
theft-funded schools:
VA: University officially recognizes
conservative group
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
“Conservative students at the University of Virginia (UVA) aspired
to form the Burke Society, an organization dedicated to studying and advancing
conservative thought at their university. They filed an online application
for Contracted Independent Organization (CIO) status with the university
to gain access to university facilities and funding. In early January
the group received a rejection letter, purportedly because the organization’s
constitution lacked a clear purpose and a non-discrimination policy.”
(02/04/08)
As usual,
FIRE is there, time after time, to help the cause of liberty on campuses.
It isn’t just conservative and libertarian groups that they help,
either – but liberal groups are far less likely to need their help.
Mama's
Note: Excuse me, but I can't see how the study of "conservative thought"
with (stolen goods) university funding has any relationship with liberty.
If these students really wanted to study classical liberalism or libertarianism,
they could (and should) do so without CIO status OR funds.
Government-run,
theft-funded schools:
UK: Children tested to destruction
Independent [UK]
"Primary school pupils have to deal with unprecedented levels
of pressure as they face tests more frequently, at a younger age, and
in more subjects than children from any other country, according to one
of the biggest international education inquiries in decades. The damning
indictment of England's primary education system revealed that the country's
children are now the most tested in the world." (02/07/08)
Government-run,
theft-funded schools schools gone to seed, indeed. And expect it to get
worse: much worse.
Home front:
Bush
“border security” plan draws praise, complaints
Houston Chronicle
“President Bush proposed Monday to increase spending on border
security by 19 percent next year, a move hailed by one conservative critic
as a step in the right direction but assailed by congressional Democrats
as insufficient to shore up serious security lapses. The president’s
budget proposal included nearly $500 million to hire 2,200 new Border
Patrol agents and $2 billion over two years for fencing and high-tech
surveillance along the U.S.-Mexico border. The proposal also calls for
beefed-up detention facilities near the border and for an expansion of
a federal program to assist, train and coordinate with state and local
law enforcement on immigration cases.” (02/04/08)
Hmmm. Some
of the polls must be shaking up some of the Demo baboons, if they want
more money for national “security” – unless they’ve
just figured out a new way to skim the pork off the top of even this.
Mama's
Note: It would be very interesting to see the costs of all these anti-immigrant
programs and the endless hours spent by all of the bureaucrats and goons
enforcing them in a chart to compare them with all of the supposed costs
of welfare, etc. consumed by the same immigrants. I suspect that the cost
of immigrant "control" would far exceed the other. Sadly, neither
one is good, or good for America.
Home front:
Bush budget would bring record deficits
Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
“The record $3.1 trillion budget proposed by President Bush on
Monday would produce eyepopping federal deficits, despite his attempts
to impose politically wrenching curbs on Medicare and eliminate scores
of popular domestic programs. The Pentagon would receive a $36 billion,
8 percent boost for the 2009 budget year beginning Oct. 1, even as programs
aimed at the poor would be cut back or eliminated.” (02/04/08)
Gag! 300
billion (or more) just for interest payments (principle payments? Whazzat?),
Home front:
CA: In Berkeley, push to rescind letter
to Marines
San Francisco Chronicle
“A week after blasting the Marines as ‘unwelcome intruders’
in Berkeley, two City Council members want the city to back off the declaration
that ignited the wrath of the nation’s right wing and inspired a
Republican senator to try to sever Berkeley’s federal funding. Council
members Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli on Monday proposed that Berkeley
rescind its letter to the U.S. Marine Corps that stated that the downtown
Berkeley recruiting center ‘is not welcome in our city,’ and
publicly declare that Berkeley is against the war but supports the troops.
The City Council will vote on Olds’ and Capitelli’s two proposals
at its meeting next Tuesday.” (02/05/08)
I am so
sick of people who claim what Berzerkly is now claiming. Just how do they
think that they are supporting the troops? I suppose they can claim that
they pay taxes, which literally “supports the troops,” but silly
stunts like trying to force recruiting offices to close demonstrates that
they really don’t care about a single trooper: just their grandstanding.
Mama's
Note: Indeed! Such moves against the recruiters is a cheap shot at best.
If they really didn't support the "war," they'd mobilize their
considerable weight and wealth to eliminate some or all of the politicians
who have a vested interest in seeing this and all future "wars"
continue. But the very politicians they elect over and over are the worst
enemy of liberty and justice.
Home front:
Vets often denied academic credits
Boston Globe
“When Sean Lunde enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at
Boston in 2005, he expected his four years of training and experience
as an Army medic in Kosovo, Germany, and Iraq would earn him as much as
50 college credits, or about a year and a half of courses. He received
none. ‘I went to medic school for 12 hours a day, six days a week,
for four months,’ he said. ‘None of that was accepted.’
When recruiting, the military highlights its educational advantages. …
But many of the thousands of veterans who attend college after tours of
duty are denied credit for military courses and specialized skills despite
an accreditation system set up to award it, veterans’ advocates and
students say. That forces students to take more courses than they expected
to, straining already thin GI Bill benefits.” (02/05/08)
Stick it
to the soldiers, of course. Heaven forbid that a school like UM should
consider that the military could teach someone to read and write. This
guy should be grateful they even let him enroll. I suspect most “Ivy
League” and similar type schools are going to be the same way. The
stories of the maltreatment of veterans at schools like this go all they
way back to the 1920s.
Mama's
Note: Yes, and due to that long history, it would seem that the young
people would be a bit more careful about swallowing all of the promises
of recruiters...
Home front:
MO: Citizen kills five at city council
meeting
Los Angeles Times
"The City Council in suburban Kirkwood, Mo., had just finished
the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday night when a gunman burst into the
meeting room and opened fire, shouting 'Shoot the mayor!' He killed two
police officers and three city officials, and he injured at least two
others -- including the mayor -- before law enforcement officers fatally
shot him. ... Charles Lee 'Cookie' Thornton, 52, was well- known in Kirkwood,
a quiet, middle-class town west of St. Louis. He frequently disrupted
council meetings to protest what he called persecution by the mayor and
the city attorney. ... Thornton's brother, Gerald, told local television
station KMOV that he saw justification for the bloodshed. 'My brother
went to war tonight with the people and government that were putting torment
and strife into his life, and he ended it,' Gerald Thornton said. '"I'm
OK with it.'" (02/08/08)
Apparently
he yelled "shoot the mayor!" as he burst into the room, which
led some people to think he had allies. (This is a possible explanation
for cop statements that “we have the suspect.”) Of course, most
of the stories don't explain what he was going through that drove him
to do this: a long series of abuses and persecution that does not justify,
but does explain, his attack. And there has to be more to the story. What
kind of small town council meeting has MULTIPLE cops guarding their meetings
like this: one outside the building, one outside the room, and apparently
several inside the room itself? It sounds like they were expecting
something like this, which begs the question, did they try to push him
into something like this, but turned out to be incompetent and it turned
into a worse scene than they expected?
It is sad,
since that means that we have three more cops dead in the past two or
three days, giving more ammo to the prohibitionists, and a third "mass
shooting" in a single week: the media is going to jump on this, of
course. (And a fourth set in Louisiana on Friday: three dead in an apparent
murder-suicide.)
Mama's
Note: Sadly, the spirit of Carl
Drega lives on, and will probably spread.
Home front:
GA: Lawmakers want TN border redrawn
Tennessean
"Desperate for water amid a historic drought, some Georgia lawmakers
are trying to reopen an 1818 border dispute with Tennessee. They have
set their sights on a stretch of the 652-mile long Tennessee River that
flows tantalizingly close to the Georgia line -- and by some historic
accounts, should be within Georgia's borders. 'It's never too late to
right a wrong,' said Georgia state Sen. David Shafer, R- Duluth. Shafer's
Senate resolution says a flawed survey in 1818 mistakenly marked Georgia's
border one mile south of the 35th parallel -- and thus excluded the Tennessee
River from Georgia's reach. There is a reason thirsty lawmakers are eyeing
the river: It has a flow about 15 times greater than the river feeding
Atlanta." (02/07/08)
Ah, a perfect
example of the evil of public ownership of water and streams. If the Tennessee
River were privately owned, Atlanta would probably have no problems with
buying water from it. Instead, Georgia is willing to everything but go
to war with Tennessee in order to try and steal water.
Home front:
AZ: Napolitano, Cho seek to reshape
immigrant farm labor
Arizona Republic
"Arizona's governor wants to play a leading role in expanding
and reshaping a little-used federal program that allows farmers to hire
temporary foreign agricultural workers. U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine
Chao on Wednesday proposed sweeping reforms, the first major overhaul
of the H-2A program in two decades. The changes would make it easier for
growers to participate in the H-2A visa program, which is intended to
grant work permits to foreign workers for jobs Americans don't want. Gov.
Janet Napolitano has called for many of the program changes outlined by
Chao, although she would like more state control than Washington has offered."
(02/07/08)
There ARE
ways to meet everyone’s requirements, if not everyone’s wants.
But count on all the governments involved to mess it up, badly.
Mama's
Note: Indeed, and I just read a creditable
study that indicates Mexico's birth rate is dropping like a stone...
already just at the 2.1 replacement stage, so we are BOTH going to have
a massive labor shortage in just about a decade. Both the US and Mexico
will start to have more elderly and retired than young workers. OOPS
Home front:
MA: Governor opposes casino land request
Boston Globe
"Governor Deval Patrick asked the federal government yesterday
to reject efforts by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to place its planned
casino site in Middleborough in a federal trust, an attempt by Patrick
to steer the tribe toward a state-issued casino license that would garner
far more money for Massachusetts. With billions of dollars at stake, Patrick's
move was part of a brewing dispute over what form expanded gambling could
take in Massachusetts and whether it will be controlled by the state or
by the tribe and the federal government." (02/07/08)
I suppose,
in a way, this is an attempt at government theft by land. The Mashpee
own the land and have a right to do with it what they wish – a right
reinforced by centuries of treaty law.
Mama's
Note: Unlike the rest of us who only have owned their land for a few years,
or a few generations... All property rights are - or should be- equal.
Property rights shouldn't rest on anything but the rule of law.
Home front:
Canada: New licences set stage for
national ID
Times Colonist [Canada]
"Canada's privacy watchdog voiced 'significant concerns' yesterday
that enhanced driver's licences like those being issued in B.C. lay the
groundwork for a national identity card. Privacy Commissioner Jennifer
Stoddart, in Victoria this week with her provincial counterparts for a
privacy and security conference, said the enhanced licences, which are
being issued as a cheaper, more convenient alternative to a Canadian passport,
closely resemble the Read [sic: Real] ID program in the United States.
Stoddart characterized that program as a way of introducing an American
identity card." (02/06/08)
Count on
the Canadian mainstream media to find a way to slander the US at the same
time that it points out the evils of a national ID card. Folks, most Americans
don’t want Real ID any more than this writer does.
Mama's
Note: At least some Canadians have a very strange mind picture of Americans,
in spite of close contact for so long. A dear friend of mine there, a
great champion of freedom in so many ways, is horrified that I reject
the usual trappings of "patriotism" and any other government
involvement in my life. It is unthinkable to him not to have a government
firmly in charge of quite a few things. He's slowly digesting the idea
of individual sovereignty...
Home front:
CT: Crowd protests passage of immigration
ordinance
Hartford Courant
"With a boisterous crowd of thousands outside city hall shouting
and chanting its disapproval, the common council on Wednesday voted 19-2
to approve a controversial proposal to allow local police to enforce federal
immigration law. Danbury has become the center of the immigration debate
in the state and has seen its share of heated exchanges. But none of it
compares to how people have responded to the proposal, first raised in
October in the run-up to November municipal elections." (02/07/08)
Obviously,
the politicos inside city hall think that a lot more voters support them
than the street senate can muster. Wonder just how this latest example
of local tyranny will play out, though.
Mama's
Note: Indeed, time will tell. As vast acres of fruits and vegetables rot
in the fields because there are no workers to harvest and process them,
the prices for imports go higher and higher, and US farms shut down for
good. As US meat packers can no longer process anything, while customers
can't afford to buy even locally - and those who used to raise our meat
sell out to developers because their land has been taxed away.... I love
all of the glib folks who insist that US business could hire all the help
they wanted if they just paid the bloated US union type wages, but those
same people scream to high heaven when their own cost of living goes up.
They can't have it both ways by government fiat. The true free market
is the only way business, labor and consumers can live together in peace.
Home front:
States push for cyberbully controls
USA Today
"The problem of cyberbullying gained national attention last November
when the story surfaced of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who killed herself
following an Internet hoax. The death of Megan Meier, who was allegedly
tormented by a neighbor on the Web, echoed another case three years earlier
in Vermont. There, a 13-year-old boy committed suicide after being bullied
online by peers who spread rumors that he was gay." (02/06/08)
Nanny-state
tactics, which ultimately will not prevent any deaths or even bullying;
just let new ways of doing so develop.
Homeland
politics:
Libertarian Party
to RNC: Condolences
LP News
"Following a solid McCain victory in the Super Tuesday primaries,
the Libertarian Party has sent Republican headquarters a funeral wreath
marking the death of limited-government values within the Republican Party.
The wreath was hand-delivered to the D.C. offices of the Republican National
Committee. 'We simply felt the need to express our heartfelt sympathy
for the Republican Party as they undergo this tough time within their
party,' says Libertarian Party National Media Coordinator Andrew Davis,
who delivered the wreath." (02/06/08)
Oh, neat!
Yeah, I know that McCain is making all the right sounds at the CPAC in
DC, at least on Thursday night. But we all know how good HE is at keeping
promises, and his track record is clear.
Mama's
Note: Let the dead bury their own dead... a pox on all their houses.
Massa wannabes:
Super Tuesday: Clinton, Obama extend
battle; McCain soars
Monsters & Critics
“Former first lady Hillary Clinton won key states but failed to
knock out Democratic rival Barack Obama in the Super Tuesday primaries,
while Iraq troop surge backer John McCain took a decisive step toward
the Republican nomination, early results and projections showed.”
(02/06/08)
After Huckabee’s
spoiler actions, snatching state after state from what’s-his-name
(oh, yeah, Romney), and the media spin, McCain’s modest victories
made him the fair-headed boy. Meanwhile, the Clinton machine realized
that they have to get really dirty if they are going to get what they
believe that they are entitled to.
Massa wannabes:
Romney
quits White House race; Clinton faces cash crunch
Agence France-Presse
"Republican John McCain saw his path to the White House suddenly
cleared Thursday as rival Mitt Romney dropped out, while Democrat Hillary
Clinton fought to match Barack Obama's money-making machine. Romney quit
the White House race after spending millions of dollars of his personal
fortune on a campaign which failed to fire up the party faithful. 'This
isn't an easy decision, I hate to lose,' Romney told the Conservative
Political Action Conference, as he suspended his campaign all but handing
the party's nomination for the November presidential elections to McCain.
... In the deadlocked Democratic race, Obama reaped a stunning seven million
dollars since the Super Tuesday clash, amid news that Clinton faced a
cash crunch that forced her to loan her campaign five million dollars.
The former first lady has brought in three million dollars in less than
24 hours since Super Tuesday and a new six million dollar target was set
to be unveiled on Thursday." (02/07/08)
Clearly,
the GOP is lost to the conservative cause, as the LP has made clear with
its condolences (see above story). A lot of GOP types are really, really
facing a hard time in November. The Neo-Cons will be running the GOP show,
whatever does happen. But I think this also means that the REAL national
election this year will be played out in Denver at the Democratic Convention,
because with Romney out, it will be no choice at all for anyone else in
November. Romney’s action is viewed as “best for the party”
but only if you accept that the GOP has no bedrock principles. (Of course,
it isn’t TOO hard to accept that, is it?)
Massa-wannabes:
Smith, “uncommitted” carry
LP primaries
Third Party Watch
“The Libertarian Party held presidential preference primaries
in two of the ‘Super Duper Tuesday’ states — California
and Missouri — yesterday. In California, Christine Smith dominated
the 12-candidate field with 25.2% of the votes cast …. Steve Kubby
placed second with 17%, followed by Wayne Allyn Root with 13.9%. …
In Missouri, ‘uncommitted’ contested the primary with six flesh-and-blood
candidates — and carried 46.8% of the vote. Among the live candidates,
Root prevailed with 18.1%, followed by Kubby at 9.6% and George Phillies
at 8%.” (02/06/08)
Much as
I hate to say it, more than ever in 2008 this is a completely meaningless
action and news: Ron Paul’s candidacy for the GOP nomination has
probably just accelerated the process. A third-party candidacy for virtually
anything is essentially doomed to fail.
Massa-wannabes:
NOW attacks Obama’s abortion
voting record
Washington Post
“A national women’s rights group supporting Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) distributed an e-mail yesterday accusing Sen.
Barack Obama (D-Ill.) of being soft on abortion rights, revisiting an
eleventh-hour attack that some analysts credited with swaying female voters
in New Hampshire. The e-mail from Rosemary J. Dempsey, president of the
Connecticut National Organization for Women, told members that Obama’s
record during his time in the Illinois Senate included several instances
in which he voted ‘present’ instead of yes or no on abortion-related
legislation.” (02/05/08)
As I mentioned
earlier, the Clinton machine has to have realized that all stops must
be pulled out when it comes to dirty tricks. Bill Clinton may have been,
by some definitions, a “centrist” but Miz Hillary is hardcore
liberal verging on full-blown socialist, and is going to both run (for
the nomination, at least) as far left as she can, then pretend centrist
for the general election, before reverting to form and ruling somewhere
to the left of Castro and Chavez.
Massa wannabes:
Ron
Paul Stakes Claim as Only Remaining True Conservative
CNS News
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas championed small government libertarianism at
the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Thursday.
Paul claims to be the only conservative remaining in the race for the
Republican presidential nomination.
It was
a good speech, and it was received well by those present, and ignored
by the media (as usual) and by the GOP powers-that-be. All we can hope
is that Paul has introduced millions more Americans to the idea that there
IS liberty that can be won and that there IS an alternative to the slow
(if not slow enough) decline into the tyranny of the nanny-state.
Nazgul:
Judge: Navy not exempt from sonar
ruling
Gainesville Times
“The Navy must follow environmental laws placing strict limits
on sonar training that opponents argue harms whales, despite President
Bush’s decision to exempt it, a federal judge ruled Monday. The Navy
is not ‘exempted from compliance with the National Environmental
Policy Act’ and a court injunction creating a 12 nautical-mile no-sonar
zone off Southern California, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper
wrote in a 36-page decision.” (02/04/08)
Notice,
it is not proven that the sonar harms whales: it is only claimed that
it does. The need for the no-sonar zone is not established, but never
mind things like good science and proper priorities.
Nazgul:
UK: Is secret justice
really justice?
BBC News [UK]
“MPs and human rights campaigners have warned that the government
is proposing to remove juries from some inquests and keep key evidence
secret. … When the Counter Terrorism Bill was unveiled in Parliament
last month the focus naturally fell on the government’s plans to
hold suspects for 42 days. Few noticed a clause in the bill which would
allow the home secretary to create special inquests, without juries, for
‘reasons of national security’ or ‘otherwise in the public
interest.’” (02/05/08)
I put this
in “Nazgul” (judges) because once more the Crown (or at least
the Crown’s ministers) is making an attempt to destroy the ancient
defense of freedom called a jury, and replace it with a lackey in black
robes, to allow for more tyranny of the Queen’s subjects.
Nazgul:
AL,
FL declare victory over GA in water war
Environment News Service
“The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington today ruled that a secret
settlement agreement entered into between Georgia, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, and Atlanta-area water users is illegal under federal law.
The agreement, which was signed in 2003, would have allocated nearly 25
percent of Lake Lanier, a federal reservoir on the Chattahoochee River
in northern Georgia, to supply Atlanta’s 470,000 residents with water.
This would have resulted in major reductions in the supply of water reaching
the downstream states — Alabama and Florida. … Federal law mandates
that when a river flows between two or more states, each state has a right
to an equal share of the water. Other laws such as the Endangered Species
Act require that water be available for threatened or endangered species
that live in or around Chattahoochee River and Florida’s Apalachicola
Bay.” (02/05/08)
And just
who approved this “secret settlement agreement”? Why, a Nazgul,
of course. A FEDERAL judge, to boot. It was forced by political pressure,
of course, and that political pressure was applied to circumvent laws
passed by the same baboons that put on the pressure: undoing in secret
what they publicly purport to do.
New religions:
environism:
CA: Coastal Commission rejects beach
toll road
San Diego Union-Tribune
"After a marathon 12-hour meeting, the state Coastal Commission
late Wednesday night crippled a plan to extend a toll road from Orange
County through San Onofre State Beach. Commissioners voted 8-2 against
the project, finding it was inconsistent with the state law regulating
development along the coastline. The vote dealt a serious blow to the
project's chances of obtaining a coastal development permit, a necessity
before construction can begin. ... In the end, the majority of commissioners
agreed with the agency's staff, which concluded the $875 million four-lane
road should be rejected because it would destroy natural habitats, wetlands
and access to public recreation areas." (02/06/08)
Once more,
a technical and scientific decision is being made a political decision.
New religions:
global warming:
Study: Ethanol may add to global warming
Associated Press
"The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly
twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline it would replace because
of expected land-use changes, researchers concluded Thursday. The study
challenges the rush to biofuels as a response to global warming. The researchers
said that past studies showing the benefits of ethanol in combating climate
change have not taken into account almost certain changes in land use
worldwide if ethanol from corn -- and in the future from other feedstocks
such as switchgrass -- become a prized commodity." (02/07/08)
This "study"
is as much garbage as the report that opponents to biofuels have been
using for the last 20 years that claimed that biofuels were net energy
consumers, not energy producers, as far as I can see. Of course,
it makes the assumption that global warming is real, man-caused, and must
be stopped, but then it gets even more into la-la land.
Mama's
Note: I can already see the SWAT raids being planned, once the politicians
prohibit private production of any bio-fuel.
North American
union:
Mexico: Police caught between drug
crackdown, cartels
Arizona Republic
“Poorly trained, badly paid and vulnerable to corruption, Mexico’s
legions of local police are increasingly caught in the crossfire as the
Mexican government embarks on a crackdown on drug smugglers. Dozens of
municipal police have been killed in recent months in apparent drug hits,
and several others, including the intelligence chief of Mexico City’s
Police Department, are under investigation, suspected of links to smugglers.
Last month, the Mexican government announced it was scrutinizing police
commanders nationwide, and the Mexican army said it was disarming 300
police along the Texas border while prosecutors investigated them. ‘We
are evaluating police chiefs of all three levels of government (federal,
state and local) … to purge our police forces of bad elements and
criminals who have infiltrated them,’ Mexican Public Safety Secretary
Genaro García Luna said during a federal law-enforcement meeting
last month.” (02/05/08)
Do you
suspect that there are too many cops in Mexico? Like any excess population
of predators, if some outside predator does not thin the pack, they are
likely to start eating themselves or killing each other off with disease,
while starving. Imagine if we could disarm a few hundred cops here in
the US! It is also interesting to consider some comparisons: the entire
world, to say nothing of the chattering class, is horrified that somewhat
less than a hundred US cops were killed in the line of duty last year,
in a nation of 300 million, but several hundred cops were killed in Mexico
in 2007, with a population of only 150 million. Which nation is more violent
and evil?
Mama's
Note: I love this part: "...to purge our police forces of bad elements
and criminals who have infiltrated them..." If they really managed
that, there probably wouldn't be any cops left. Of course, every other
level of government is wall to wall corruption, so that's not even possible.
Corruption in government is the rule, not the exception.
North American
union:
Canada:
Border license plan raises privacy concerns
Reuters
“Canada’s top privacy officials said on Tuesday they have
concerns about plans by several provinces to use enhanced drivers licenses
to meet U.S. border security plans. Any personal information collected
for the licenses should be stored within Canada, and the process —
including how U.S. officials use the information — subject to oversight,
the provincial and federal officials said. British Columbia is about to
become the first Canadian province to test the high-tech licenses, which
are designed to be used as an alternative to a passport for Canadians
driving into the United States.” (02/05/08)
Meanwhile,
to the north, our Canadian brothers continue to throw away more and more
freedoms – so much so that even some government officials are expressing
concerns!
Political
front:
AZ: Libertarians sue County Elections
Department
Freedom\'s Phoenix
“The Arizona Libertarian Party in Maricopa County is attempting
to make use of the law that provides for the County Chairman of each ballot
status party to appoint election observers. Computer Voting Experts Jim
March and John Brakey have successfully sued the Pima County Elections
Department for information vital to the exposing of Election Fraud and
other felonies. Their knowledge and experience are requested by the Maricopa
County Libertarian Party on the party’s behalf and for the benefit
of all Arizona residents and voters. In violation of Arizona Statutes,
the Maricopa County Elections Director has generated new unwritten law
that they will now require the judiciary to uphold to prevent Libertarian
oversight of the election process.” (02/05/08)
When you
really do have a third-party observing, the petty and constant fraud associated
with voting becomes much harder to hide.
Mama's
Note: Maybe... the LP has been doing this sort of thing for many years
and I've not seen any real reduction in government fraud anywhere.
Our right
to defend ourselves:
IN: Guns at colleges could save lives,
state senator says
Palladium Item
“Would a pistol-toting professor at Virginia Tech University have
prevented deaths there last spring? More guns on college campuses as a
first line of defense might seem nonsensical, but to state Sen. Johnny
Nugent, the idea makes perfect sense. Nugent, a Lawrenceburg Republican,
got 25 votes on a Senate bill last week that would have stopped universities
and many other public buildings from prohibiting those who have permits
to carry concealed weapons from doing so. Courthouses, airports and jails
would have been exempted from the prohibition.” (02/05/08)
More and
more states are trying to do this, but it still does not restore the rights
that have been taken away.
Mama's
Note: It is not possible to "take away" our rights. They can
be denied, prosecuted and ignored, but they remain rights always.
Our right
to defend ourselves:
KY: Homeowner
shoots intruder
WYMT News
“A homeowner took things into his own hands overnight in southern
Kentucky. The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department says an intruder
broke into a home on Highway 204 near Canada Town. Police say the homeowner
was inside at the time and shot the intruder. Investigators say they found
a trail of blood leading into the woods but so far have not found the
burglar.” (02/05/08)
One of
several similar incidents this week reported on FND/RRND: there are probably
many more that don’t get reported. Each one is a tale of at least
one potential victim safe and secure in their homes or businesses.
Our right
to defend ourselves:
NV: Victims
fight back
Eye Witness News
“Police say the four victims were barbecuing when two men with
guns entered the home. One of the victims said he made a near-fatal mistake
by leaving the garage door partially open. … The men were pinned
to the floor with shotguns. ‘It got ugly when they went back downstairs
and decided to tell the women to undress their clothes,’ the victim
added, ‘The girls were really crying and you could just tell that
they were incredibly upset.’ The victim told Eyewitness News that
one of the suspects who was preparing to sexually assault the women turned
his attention away from the guns and let down his guard. The two male
victims saw their opportunity. ‘I grabbed him, threw him down on
the ground, grabbed a weight from the weight set and smashed him in the
head.’ The women also joined in the fight, hitting the suspects with
a frying pan. ‘One of the girls completely nude managed to grab a
gun and shoot the guy in the chest area and in the leg.’ … The
police are very cautious not to make this seem like a heroic act. They
say fighting back can sometimes end with the victims being more seriously
hurt.” [Editor’s note: Not this time! - MLS] (02/01/08)
Things
have gotten so bad in Nevada that it is a “near-fatal” mistake
to leave a garage door open when cooking outdoors? If these people had
been aware and armed, things would not have gotten anywhere near this
far.
Our right
to defend ourselves:
UT: Senate
votes away property rights with gun storage bill
KSL News
"Business owners wouldn't be allowed to prevent employees or customers
from storing guns in their vehicles as long as the weapon is hidden and
properly stored, under a bill the Senate approved Wednesday. Senate Bill
67 is sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain. It passed in the
Senate 23-4 and will now be heard in the House. Madsen says his bill is
intended to keep gun owners safe while they commute to work or drive around
town. He says some people feel vulnerable to attack if they can't have
a gun nearby." (02/06/08)
Obviously,
I completely disagree with this headline, and agree with the Senate vote.
I no more involuntarily surrender my right to defend myself, my right
to bear arms, when I enter someone else’s property, than I can be
forced to involuntarily surrender my freedom from involuntary servitude
(slavery) or my freedom of speech or my freedom of religion. Especially
when I am keeping my weapon in a personal possession, such as an automobile.
Are we going to take the position that human liberty, that the Bill of
Rights, doesn’t apply to private property? Let’s try and apply
that to murder laws, or laws against rape, or thousands of other laws
that we recognize as moral and legitimate. It won’t work. I may have
the right to ask a guest not to bear their weapons (though I find that
bizarre to even contemplate) but I have no right to demand that they disarm
themselves on my property. If they are that much a danger to me or to
other guests, I need to tell them to get off my property, not try to disarm
them.
Mama's
Note: Indeed, and on the other hand, if some private property owner -
including an employer - objected that strongly to my being armed, I would
have no trouble leaving that property and never going back. There is room
for the rights of every person, and letting government dictate how it
should be dealt with is an invitation to disaster.
Our right
to defend ourselves:
TX:
Man fights back against would-be robber
KTRK News
"A would-be robber was shot and killed by the person he was trying
to rob in the parking lot of a grocery store in southeast Houston. ...
It was just after 10pm last night when the victim told police he pulled
into the parking lot at the H-E-B in the Gulfgate shopping center on Winkler
near the Gulf Freeway. That's when a man walked up to his car and pointed
a gun at him. What the robber didn't know is the man had a gun and he
retaliated with gunfire. ... The would-be robber was shot several times.
He tried to get away by jumping into a car that was parked nearby. However,
he fell out of the car and later died." (02/07/08)
How much
longer are weapons-toting idiots going to be allowed to gun down poor
people trying to make a living the only way they know how in the middle
of public places like this? How long will people be permitted to greedily
keep their ill-gotten wealth and possessions when they refuse to share
it with the unfortunate? [Sarcasm alert! ed.]
Our right
to defend ourselves:
WA: Committee votes to
strip gun owners of jury trial rights
Liberty For All
"The Washington State House Judiciary Committee cast its votes
today to strip Washington gun owners of the right to a trial by jury.
Since at least 1959, Washington citizens have had the right to a jury
trial with a standard of 'clear, cogent, and convincing evidence' before
losing their right to bear arms due to being involuntarily committed for
an alleged mental health illness. House Bill 3095, sponsored by Committee
Chairwoman Rep. Pat Lantz (D-26), effectively removes these protections
by stripping citizens of their right to bear arms, perhaps permanently,
after being involuntarily committed for a mere 14 days. In these 'probable
cause' hearings there is no jury, no elected judge, and the standard of
guilt is a mere preponderance of the evidence." (02/07/08)
It would
seem that this law (if it passes: it is only a bill now) would find a
speedy demise in the courts.
Mama's
Note: Don't hold your breath. I think it won't be long before merely wanting
to own a gun will be proof positive of mental illness to those in power.
I don't look for help from any court, that's for sure.
Page
2 Click HERE Link checked! Lots
more news and good commentary.
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