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Libertarian
Commentary on The News 25 - 31 October
By Nathan A. Barton © 2009 MONDAY
Congress in Action - Theft by Government A congressman, a lobbying firm and a swift path to earmarks Washington Post It takes a while for most start-up companies to gain the confidence of a U.S. congressman and the promise of federal funds. But last year, a small Illinois company accomplished its goal in 16 days with the help of Rep. Peter J. Visclosky, a little-known Indiana Democrat who sits on the House... Apparently, once more we see that political clout (a government of people, not of laws) can overcome even small business syndrome - a technique not available for 99.95% of small businesses, and evidence of the further deterioration of the already-former free market system in this nation. "In rapid succession, the three-employee technology firm, NanoSonix, filed its incorporation papers in Skokie, Ill., and hired a Washington lobbying firm, K&L Gates, which boasted to clients of its close relationship with Visclosky. A week later, Visclosky wrote a letter of support for a $2.4 million earmark for NanoSonix from the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee." It sounds like a scam, one that apparently saw at least 15 more companies share in $44 million in loot - our loot, stolen from Americans. Health Care Panic of 2009 - Congress in Action If you build a coverage mandate, will they come? Washington Post People are more likely to buckle their seat belt than follow the speed limit, even though the penalties for speeding are higher. They are more likely to go along with hotel efforts to reduce linen laundry if told that other guests are doing the same. Ideologues, especially of the left, are incapable of understanding how people normally react, even themselves, and base their view of the world on an ideal, rose-colored-lens view of human nature, even while accusing libertarians of counting on a false view of human nature. However, like the proverbial stopped clock (which is right twice a day), they sometimes get it right, and I fear this may be when. Health insurance (thanks to the actions of Congress, various states, and the opportunistic success of insurance companies and profiteers in the 1980s and early 1990s [kind of like the banks and investors that raped the nation through Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac) is EXPENSIVE. Insurance for a family of four can easily run $1000 a month - $12,000 a year. The penalty for not providing insurance is 8% of the gross wages paid a worker. For a nice fat civil service or bank officer paycheck, $12K is a lot less than 8 percent. But for a fast-food worker or a bottom-entry factory worker or parking lot attendant making $10/hour, that health insurance STILL costs $12,000 (or probably $8,000 for a single, non-family policy). But 8 percent of, say, $25,000 (counting some overtime - if any small business can afford employee overtime right now) is only $2,000 and NOT $8K or $12K: so if you are having to cut pennies, what small businessman is not going to be seriously tempted to pay the fine and let the government provide "health insurance" for his junior-paid, or even ALL his workers. (After all, even a 10-year McD manager is still making way, WAY under $100K most places, which is the break-even point. To say nothing of school districts and the like. So this will drive more and more people to the "public choice" program, out of pure (if short-sighted) self-interest. Mama's Note: We don't, of course, know what the final cost will be - nobody can... but there are some good estimates. The most frightening one I've seen so far can be found here. Read it and weep. Islamic War U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game Washington Post The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military... Big news, folks, this is what top military officers are SUPPOSED to do - secret war games are secret for a reason, because you try to work out the problems. What, today, would you have reporters broadcasting the war games (simulations) used to figure out how to invade Normandy or Okinawa? Or (a bow to the politically correct promoters of cultural diversity - how can we say 1940s US society and culture were superior to either Tojo's Japan or Hitler's Germany without being Amerocentric?) planning the siege of Petersburg and capture of Richmond? Of course, I suspect that the REAL war-gaming was done many moons ago before McCrystal's request was sent - let alone "leaked" and this round is just for show and to give the First Citizen an excuse for more delay. Politics 2009 Ideology trumps party for Palin Washington Post Sarah Palin's decision late last week to endorse the Conservative Party candidate over the Republican nominee in a special U.S. House election in Upstate New York is the latest example that the former Alaska governor's allegiance is to her conservative principles rather than the party's edicts. This incident is helping separate the sheep from the goats: those who are Republican loyalists (a nasty breed indeed) are condemning her - those who are conservatives (maybe NOT quite as nasty as a group - some individuals are quite sincere and tolerable - grin!) are supporting her. Clearly the WaPo and other media find this as yet another reason to condemn her as a nutcase. Mama's Note: Sorry, Nathan... she's a politician. The "nutcase" status is thereby automatic, regardless of her political party. Politics 2009 Corzine comes back, but far enough? Washington Post ELIZABETH, N.J. -- A year into his first term, which he won touting the financial expertise that had made him a multimillionaire, Gov. Jon S. Corzine (D) proposed selling New Jersey's famous toll roads to private companies. The idea was to lease them back at a profit to help retire a $30 billion... Corzine has proved himself to be nothing more than a standard NJ politician - but sadly, that is fully acceptable to too many people. Islamic War Jerusalem: Violent clashes at holy site Associated Press "Israeli police firing stun grenades faced off Sunday against masked Palestinian protesters hurling stones and plastic chairs outside the Holy Land's most volatile shrine, where past violence has escalated into prolonged conflict. A wall of Israeli riot police behind Plexiglas shields marched toward young men covering their faces with T-shirts and scarves, sending many of them running for cover into the Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the Islamic structures in the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary." (10/25/09) Ah, you would be hard pressed to tell from THIS story who started the trouble this time, wouldn't you? But as usual, it is the people who call their enemies dogs and pigs - and who believe that their very touch or foot on the Dome of the Rock or anywhere else (on the planet) contaminate it - that have once again started what seems to be the well-worn path to yet another phase of Intifada and a grand round of "look at the evil Jew babykillers." Home Front - Stupid Cop Tricks California: Cops on leave after video shows student beating San Jose Mercury News "San Jose police officials said on Sunday that four officers who were at the scene when a student was repeatedly struck with a baton and was shocked with a Taser gun have been placed on administrative leave while the department reviews the incident captured on a grainy cell phone video. The mayor, the police chief and a city councilman on Sunday all separately voiced concern, and vowed that a department review would be fair and complete." [Editor's note: It's ALREADY "UNfair and INcomplete" -- because if these guys weren't cops, that evidence would have them cooling their heels in jail awaiting arraignments and preliminary hearings, not on "administrative leave" - TLK] (10/25/09) As Tom points out, there is a BIG difference between administrative leave and being out on bail, and until communities get rid of these blue-gang thugs and go back to policing their own communities instead of (government) hired guns, it isn't going to change. Home Front - Stupid Cop Tricks TX: "Driving without English" the newest crime? Associated Press "Dallas police officers have improperly cited drivers for not being able to speak English 38 times in the past three years, Chief David Kunkle said Friday. The discovery came after a woman was pulled over earlier this month for making an illegal U-turn and was given a ticket for being a 'non-English speaking driver.' The police chief said the citations are disappointing for Dallas, a city where the Latinos make up 44 percent of the more than 1 million residents and nearly 45 percent speak a language other than English. 'I was I guess surprised and stunned,' Kunkle said. 'We are a very diverse community.' Kunkle said his department's computer system for citations has a pull-down menu that includes a law requiring drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English. The chief said he believes the federal law was misapplied to local drivers of private vehicles." (10/24/09) I hope that the people listening to Kunkle's tap-dance were able to stand up on the chairs: all it would have taken was pushing this at daily roll-call, but it wasn't done in three years? Please... As I said earlier - we have to take our streets and roads back from the gangsters. Our Right to Self-Defense Amtrak: No guns on OUR trains! Fox News "Amtrak is raising serious objections to a proposal that would allow passengers to stow unloaded guns in their checked baggage, saying the train operator cannot screen passengers' bags the same way airlines do. The Senate passed a measure last month that would allow passengers to declare and check a weapon on the trains, something airline passengers can do now, provided the weapon is unloaded and in a hard and locked case. But Amtrak and some House members are against the idea. The House did not include the provision in their version of the bill approved by the Senate. 'That could jeopardize the operations of Amtrak because ... we don't have the monies to invest in the protocol necessary to guarantee that these weapons won't be used against the traveling public,' said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss." (10/23/09) Note, nothing at all about protecting the traveling public against thugs and goons who prey on undefended (unarmed) people. Expect this provision to disappear in the House-Senate conference. Mama's Note: It is already impossible to use "public transportation" - while properly armed - in most states. Having a gun in checked luggage, locked in a hard case with no ammunition is simply not even relevant to self defense. I don't intend to go anywhere unarmed. Stupid Government-Run/Tax-Funded School Tricks Ole Miss takes "South" out of fight song Tennessean "The University of Mississippi has shortened one of its fight songs to discourage football fans from chanting 'the South will rise again' during part of the tune, which critics say is an offensive reminder of the region's intolerant past. However, some fans have continued to recite the chant at the end of the song, 'From Dixie With Love,' despite the change made last week at the chancellor's request. The Ole Miss band performs the medley before and after games. Earlier this month, the Ole Miss student government passed a resolution suggesting the chant be replaced by the phrase, 'To hell with LSU.' Dan Jones, who became Ole Miss chancellor in July, said he asked the school's band director, David Wilson, to modify the song to support the efforts of the Associated Student Body. He said he has received complaints from alumni that the slogan is offensive." (10/23/09) And making a curse part of the song is not offensive - especially in the Bible Belt? Perhaps Old Miss fans will just start singing "For I'm a Good Ol' Rebel" - a color-blind ditty of anti-federalism in virtually all its forms. Another example of a government-run school wasting its time with meaningless gestures. But it reminds us that one of the most successful propaganda plays of world history is the Lincoln-Republican idea that the only reason for the existence of the Confederacy was slavery, and that the Stars and Bars and the Southern Cross are symbols of slavery, racism, and evil. Home Front - Local Tyranny MA: Former police chief "ready to protect" Telegram "The annual commemoration of the April 19, 1775, Battle at Lexington Green -- with its 'Don't Tread on Me' slogans and tea dumping tax protest -- seemed a particularly auspicious time for Celia S. Hyde to join Oath Keepers, a new group dedicated to upholding the U.S. Constitution. It also helped that Ms. Hyde, a retired Bolton police chief and owner of the Stowaway Inn in Stow, had a room available for Patriot's Day weekend, when an official from the national organization came to give a talk on Lexington Green. Now the Massachusetts director for Oath Keepers, and a member of its national board, Ms. Hyde said the goal of the group is simple -- to abide by and protect the Constitution." (10/23/09) If Ms. Hyde is sincere about her desire to get cops to abide by and protect the Constitution, she will work towards ending the existence of the standing arm in blue occupying this nation, and of treating the many police who are corrupt bullies and jack-booted thugs as the gangsters that they are. The best police force and peace officers a community can have are (1) elected BY THE PEOPLE leaders like county sheriffs AND town marshals (yes, even city police chiefs and commissioners should be ELECTED positions) and (2) volunteer, part-time, "militia/national guard"-like public safety proctors - a specialized type of militia like firefighters and home defense soldiers. Although I don't like the socialist connotations of Tyrant Abe's saying, it is possibly appropriate here, and is echoed by the Military Police motto: "Of the people, by the people, and for the people." (The MP motto is "Of the soldiers, by the soldiers, and for the soldiers." Sadly, today that seems to vanish away as well as the idea of a peace officer.) Mama's Note: The first, and most important line of defense is the armed and vigilant individual. Electoral politics has certainly not demonstrated any tendency to produce results consistent with liberty and justice. Mob rule, even when the mob has good intentions, is still tyranny. I'd be very interested in the honest history of Ms. Hyde's tenure as police chief - to see how well she carried this position out in her job... and find out what office she's planning to campaign for. Stupid Government Tricks - Home Front FBI, ATF squabble over explosives investigations Reuters "Despite growing cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies since the September 11 attacks, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are still fighting over crimes involving explosives, said a new report released on Friday. The Justice Department's inspector general found that the ATF and the Federal Bureau of Investigation repeatedly fight over which agency will lead an investigation, have failed to meld information databases or coordinate training efforts." (10/23/09) Although this story does not touch directly on it, there is another growing trend that really disturbs me: the BATFE is joining more and more investigations of "suspicious fires" from the very beginning. This clearly is stepping on the toes of local and state law enforcement agencies, but ESPECIALLY on the liberties of the people because it is one more way in which the federal government has stretched and expanded and destroyed one of the key aspects of the system of checks and balances that was supposed to protect our liberties. The solution (other than the obvious one of zeroing out the budget and manpower of both agencies) is to require that NO federal agency can become involved in ANY site or criminal investigation without a written, specific invitation from the local Sheriff, with sufficient evidence to indicate that a threat to national security is involved, which is the ONLY Constitutional justification for federal involvement. Health Care Panic of 2009 Health Care Bill's Plan to Cut Medicare Payments to Hospitals that Readmit Ailing Senior Citizens Could Have ‘Serious Consequences’ CNS News.com A plan to reduce preventable hospital readmissions is included in all of the health care bills before Congress and would impose a fee on hospitals that readmit patients for certain conditions, such as pneumonia and heart failure. The details on how the readmissions policy would work, however, are largely left up to the Health and Human Services Department, a fact that concerns the nation’s hospitals. Here we see a plan to supposedly punish incompetence or fraud instead morph into a bureaucratic nightmare that threatens the very lives of patients, and inserts the government in between doctors and patients. Bad as the insurance companies being in the middle is, government there is worse. Mama's Note: One tiny little problem here besides that, Nathan. It is usually impossible to KNOW a readmission is unnecessary until after the fact, even with the best doctors and medical teams. A person's physical condition is often fluid and very complex. The only ones who can make that determination are those most intimately involved - including financially. Yes, my friend, many people who trust in government, doctors and hospitals will die. Some horribly. TUESDAY Health Care Panic of 2009 AARP: Reform advocate and insurance salesman Washington Post The nation's preeminent seniors group, AARP, has put the weight of its 40 million members behind health-care reform, saying many of the proposals will lower costs and increase the quality of care for older Americans. Those familiar with the AARP (and I mean more than getting and trashing the 20 or 30 pieces of junk mail anyone over age 45 gets from them) know that the AARP is nothing more than the "senior" version of the NAACP - a typically liberal "non-government organization" which promotes government in every possible way and pushes the nanny-state to ever greater excesses. So the coy maneuvering of the past few months is best viewed as smoke and mirrors: this was only a matter of time. Islamic War U.S. official resigns over Afghan war Washington Post When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan. I don't know Maj Hoh, but I suspect that this is more than a little bit a set-up by him and others to push some matters to people's attention. Health Panic of 2009 Why such a shortage of swine flu vaccine? Washington Post Administration officials sought Monday to explain why so much less H1N1 flu vaccine is available than had been promised, blaming the manufacturers and the vagaries of science for nationwide shortages. Simple: "It's a GOVERNMENT PROGRAM" - which always are a day late and a dollar short (which comes out of your pocket, of course). Mama's Note: This is GOOD NEWS. The entire "panic" has been bogus from day one, and the vaccine a disaster waiting a place and time to happen. The "flu shots" have never been very effective, and this one is the worst so far - not to mention antiquated production techniques, questionable ingredients, and a host of unanswered questions. Flu season is over... so any of this vaccine that does get delivered is out of date and absolutely useless. Forget about it. Let whatever vaccine comes in rot on the shelf. Politics 2009 - Stupid People Tricks South Carolina: Bid to impeach Sanford begins Tuesday Christian Science Monitor "Remember Mark Sanford, Republican governor of South Carolina, who tearfully admitted last June that he had disappeared for five days because he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina? On Tuesday, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Greg Delleney (R), will introduce a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against the governor. The measure is expected to be referred to the legislature's Judiciary Committee, which would postpone any action until January." (10/26/09) What took these people so long? Anyone who can't keep the terms of his marriage contract is not to be trusted with running a town, much less a state - he should have been impeached and convicted and tossed out on his ear in July. And the GOP wonders why libertarians think that they are a bunch of hypocrites! Health Care Panic of 2009 - Congress in Action Democrats promote opt-out "public option" USA Today "Senate Democrats vowed Monday to include a government-run insurance program as part of their effort to revamp the health care system, reviving an idea that for months has polarized Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is working behind the scenes to ready a health care bill for floor debate this fall, said he will advance legislation that includes a 'public option' but will give individual states a choice to opt out of the program." (10/26/09) Eyewash - enough to persuade some of the senators to vote for this piece of garbage, because they figure it is enough to hoodwink their voters. "Opt out" - but it will be such a political process that they figure they can keep any major state from doing it, and still suck their economy's life-blood with it. Mama's Note: Whatever provisions they wind up will be so terribly destructive that we'll wonder why we bothered talking about these little variations now. We'll be given a choice between drowning, hanging and being shot... with no choice just to be left alone to live as we think best. At least until the bottom drops out and all hell breaks loose. The more we're pushed into corners like this, the sooner the shooting starts. Health Care Panic of 2009 Healthcare system wastes up to $800 billion a year Portland Tribune "The U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday. The U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year, the report from Robert Kelley, vice president of healthcare analytics at Thomson Reuters, found." (10/26/09) First off, don't believe anyone who says that a program like this can be funded with savings - if that were the case, the government wouldn't even be considering it, since it is essential that government revenues (gross revenues) grow. Even if it did "save" money - for whom? And the kind of "waste" is subject to interpretation: maybe this guy (and the government) considers that hip surgery for a 70-year-old to be part of the "waste," eh? Culture Wars - Environists Massachusetts: Tribes object to Cape Wind turbines Boston Globe "Native American rituals and beliefs have emerged as a surprising last-minute obstacle to federal approval of the nation's first offshore wind farm, threatening to significantly delay the Cape Wind project. Two Massachusetts tribes say the 130 proposed wind turbines in Nantucket Sound would disturb their spiritual sun greetings and submerged ancestral burying grounds. The Aquinnah and Mashpee Wampanoag tribes -- with help from the main opposition group to Cape Wind -- are pushing for the entire sound to be listed as a traditional cultural property on the National Register of Historic Places. A listing by itself would not necessarily stop the project, but would make permitting much more cumbersome." (10/26/09) The environists can pat themselves on the back for finding these Tontos to front for them - this is an incredible crock they are trying to feed the regulators, who of course are very sympathetic to it and the increased control it gives them. Our Right to Self-Defense - and Clean Streets! Minnesota: Packing heat, picking up highway trash Twin Cities News "A group of Adopt a Highway volunteers were packing more than trash along the shoulder of Minnesota 55 in Mendota Heights on Sunday morning. With legal guns on their hips, a dozen area residents spent nearly three hours picking up litter -- everything from cigarette butts to blown-out tires -- along a 2-mile stretch of the highway just east of the Mendota Bridge. It was the inaugural event for the group, which registered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Adopt a Highway program under the name Minnesota Carry Permit Holders. 'We believe this is the safest stretch of road right now in the state,' said Jason Walberg, who collected trash with a Springfield XD .40-caliber, semi-automatic handgun clipped to his belt." (10/25/09) Carrying openly across three or four states, I'm seeing less reaction from people - although it may be as much seasonal (not as many tourists) as anything. And this is good - it is very important that openly carrying sidearms become accepted in every venue. It communicates a truth that needs to be constantly reinforced: an armed society is a polite society, and that our final protection of our freedoms rests in our own hands. Mama's Note: And slowly, some of these "journalists" are beginning to use the right technical words and avoid painting a picture of us as slavering beasts prowling for blood. Of course, most of them still assume that only "permit" holders are other than hardened criminals. Our Right to Self-Defense Michigan: Women aim for protection in female-only concealed pistol classes Michigan Outdoors "Lee Zeidler was calm as he spoke to the women, each armed with a pistol, ready to fire. They stood nervously on the line at the Caledonia Sportsman's Club pistol range. The pungent smell of gunpowder hung in the air. They were a mixed group of women, from their early 20s to mid-60s, all prepared mentally and emotionally for the next step. Most had come to learn how to defend themselves. Others feared losing that right some time in the future." (10/25/09) Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) can of course tell you how very effective these are - even more when it is a woman instructor. Of course, here in the West women have always been armed and deemed capable of self-defense, unlike Michigan. And given the events later this week (the gunbattle between Islamics/black radicals and cops), more women in Michigan need to be prepared. Mama's Note: It will be much easier to teach self defense to women when we can dispense with all the "permit" nonsense and they can choose the most effective carry method for them without restriction. Health Care Panic of 2009 Health Care Reform Vital to Solving Long-Term Budget Problem, Top White House Economist Says CNSNews.com Overhauling the health care system is the “most significant act” the federal government can undertake to reduce federal spending and the deficit, President Obama’s top economic adviser told a liberal think tank on Monday. But conservative critics say you cannot mandate and expand a service and not expect its costs to go up. This kind of total garbage is an everyday event in the current White House - exceeding the level seen in every administration I can recall. Hyperbole, exaggeration, outright lies, made-up facts, and "slips of the tongue" are too numerous to mention. AND THEY DON'T CARE! They think that they have liberty and the American people on the run, and they will continue to run over us until we stop them cold. And by "we" I do not mean conservatives, who will accept more and more government, just at a slightly lower level and slower pace. Mama's Note: Want to know who "we" are? Just for giggles, enter "Three Percenters" in a search engine. Health Care Panic of 2009 Obama Said He Wasn’t Talking About House Health Bill When He Told Congress ‘Our Plan’ Doesn’t Fund Abortion CNSNews.com Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) says President Barack Obama told him in a telephone conversation that when he said in his Sept. 9 speech to a joint session of Congress that “under our plan no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” he was not talking about the actual bill drafted in the House but about the president’s own health care plan, which has never been written. “I don’t know if it is a game of semantics or what,” Stupak said of Obama’s nationally televised declaration to Congress that the health-care plan will not allow federal funding of abortion. Why on earth do we play these silly games? It is obvious that the majority of Congress, and the Administration, intend to kill babies using our tax money - it is an essential part of their philosophy/moral system and no matter how they tap-dance around it, they will try very, very hard to get it in, while keeping it as low-key as possible. Health Care Panic of 2009 States Move to Defend Individual Health Care Choice CNSNews.com Regardless of what the U.S. Congress decides about health care reform, a growing number of states are standing up for individuals’ freedom of choice when it comes to purchasing – or not purchasing – health insurance. ...Kansas now joins legislators in seven states (Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Utah) that have publicly announced their intention to file legislation to protect their citizens from any government health-care mandates. Another 11 states have already filed or pre-filed similar legislation (Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Mexico, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming). Arizona's measure, which passed the legislature in June, will be put before voters on the 2010 ballot. They may be moving that way, but it AIN'T gonna happen - except possibly in the very rural, very low population states where we still have a few modicums of common sense left and the nanny state is still not as powerful. The political power of the parasites is just too great. And even then, as with dozens of other attempts, the Federal Nazgul will declare that the state laws are null and void because "Congress said so." Look at gun-manufacturing and anything else that DC politicos have not wanted. Health Care Panic of 2009 Doesn’t Matter What You Call It – Government-Run Plan Is Wrong Prescription, Republicans Say CNSNews.com Republicans are particularly disappointed that the Senate health care reform bill will include a provision allowing the government to sell health insurance in competition with private insurers. The problem with the GOP is that they consistently refuse to frame the debate in the right way: they are promoting a "some-government-intervention/interference" program to counter this "government-managed/regulated/controlled/owned (but only for some people)/universal (but it ain't)" program, instead of a stark contrast: GET GOV'T OUT OF HEALTH CARE AND LET PEOPLE DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES!!!! What will a government program that competes with private insurers do? First, it will create a potential for MORE fraud, waste, and abuse, since (first) the government must hire the people to set up and run this thing (and we know how THAT works), or (2) the government must CONTRACT with companies to set up and run this thing [so we must go to the same "evil" companies that are "abusing" Americans - huh?]. Secondly, we KNOW that government-provided services ALWAYS cost more than privately-provided services, so the cost will be higher - and so the government-provided service will be even MORE subsidized. Thirdly, we know from bitter experience on the state, local (yes, and federal) level that subsidized, government-provided services drive private providers out of business, whether we are talking about garbage collection services, swimming pools and work-out gyms, or transportation services. It has happened time after time, for decades. And it will happen again with this business. Mama's Note: Yes, people must make these decisions for themselves... and they must be able to pay for it themselves too. Giving people free choice without responsibility for the consequences doesn't work. Government should no more be involved in our health decisions than they are in how many breaths we take each hour. Culture Wars - Promoting Homosexuality Discharging Gays from Military No Threat to National Security, Report Details CNSNews.com Claims that the U.S. military’s policy of discharging openly homosexual soldiers threatens national security by reducing troop numbers are not supported by data from the Defense Department, according to the Center for Military Readiness. The latest data show that the number of people discharged from the U.S. military for homosexuality represents less than 1 percent of the total number of people discharged for all other reasons. The claim is made that homosexuals have certain character traits and demonstrate inherent proficiency at certain tasks, such as interpreting Arabic or Farsi or such, or greater ability to do certain things, so this 1% has a far greater impact than if they were all white, male, heterosexuals with Southern accents and perfect PT scores that were being thrown out. Which is odd, since this is exactly the sort of prejudice and preconceptions that we aren't supposed to have when it comes to differently-sexed people. Mainstream Media Tricks Democrat Senator Likens Fox News's Glenn Beck to Voldemort, Villain of the Harry Potter Series CNSNews.com At a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing last Thursday, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) likened Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck to Voldemort, a diabolical character in the Harry Potter series. McCaskill blamed the attention that has been focused on the Obama administration's "czars"--thus necessitating the committee's hearing--on what she called a "rant" by Beck on his program. The hearing focused on the numerous policy "czars" that have been named by President Obama, an issue that has been a frequent topic on Beck's program. Oh, I can't stop laughing over this, folks. Miss Claire seems to have a "wicked" sense of humor. I really don't think she thought about the idea that everyone might start seeing just which HP characters various government and political figures most resemble. Mama's Note: OH! I can't remember all of them, especially not their names. Got to re-read that series. It was silly, but fun. WEDNESDAY Stupid Political Tricks South Carolina: Sanford impeachment hearing nixed Washington Times "South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford escaped an impeachment hearing Tuesday when House Speaker Bobby Herrel, a fellow Republican, ruled an impeachment resolution was out of order. The ruling came at the opening of a one-day special legislative session called to take up issues not related to impeachment. ... Although on Tuesday, the Republican speaker ruled in effect that impeachment could be taken up on the first day of the opening of the House session in January, that is likely to happen only if an state Ethics Commission report, expected in two or three weeks, finds 'a lot stronger evidence of misconduct,' Rep. Joan Brady, a Republican, told The Times." (10/28/09) Forget what I wrote yesterday - the GOP is again demonstrating its incredible stupidity in sticking up for its own wrongdoers. New Religions: Manmade Global Warming - Congress in Action Economics of climate change in forefront Washington Post For a decade or more, the political battle over climate change has been fought largely over the validity of the science of global warming. But Tuesday, as the Environment and Public Works Committee opened its first hearing on a Senate climate change bill, those concerns took a rear seat to a... Later this week, an excellent letter was posted on Lew Rockwell about the so-called "settled science" but still, the economics of it IS important, as is the Tranzi politics: climate change/manmade global warming is a tool for more and more government control and to further slow down economic development around the world - except in the chosen third-world countries which already are functioning according to Tranzi ideals. Congress in Action - First Citizen's Ministers On Hill, a question of intelligence intelligence Washington Post A top aide to the director of national intelligence said Tuesday that each of the country's intelligence agencies is responsible for keeping Congress informed about its sensitive activities. Oh? And where can we find this requirement? It is the PRESIDENT who is supposed to keep Congress informed, to the degree necessary that Congress can do TWO things: one, decide what can and should be paid for the work; and two, make sure that it is being done in accordance with the Constitution and the law. Seems like neither side is doing what it should be. And the nation suffers as a result. Health Care Panic of 2009 The Inevitability Myth Health care reform is not a fait accompli by Matthew Continetti So: Paul Krugman wrote on his blog that an "aura of inevitability" surrounds Obamacare. The Washington Post's health care blogger wrote that this month's pro-Obama vote in the Senate Finance Committee "convinced many that health care reform was more of an inevitability than a possibility." A blogger for the Atlantic Monthly wrote that health care reform is a "fait accompli." Pas encore. Yes, the chances of some sort of health bill passing, at some point, are by no means negligible--unfortunately. But there are many reasons to be skeptical of the future of Obamacare. Mama's comments: All they are doing is discuss the color of the rope they intend to hang us all with. Sigh. Nathan's thoughts: This week indicates that the writer may be correct, and it may not be such a slam-dunk as this columnist thinks, as more and more politicians see the growing anger, and see that it is almost certain to make matters worse than they are. Which speeds up the American decline. Theft by Government - Travel Private Money to Help Foot Minnesota Highway Bills South Washington County Bulletin "Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sorel's boss, ordered the Minnesota Department of Transportation to increase the use of public-private partnerships, which he called P3. Pawlenty could point to just one instance in the past where private money was used to accelerate road construction, when Best Buy built a new headquarters in Richfield. In other cases, including highways needed for Iron Range mine projects and Mall of America construction, government paid the entire bill. Pawlenty said a project in the western Twin Cities will receive $5 million from UnitedHealth Group as well as funds from Minnetonka and the state's economic development arm to build a new interchange that will allow the health organization to expand." Thanks to AASHTO News for this one. The "government money" spent is, of course, the TAX money paid by the drivers, vehicle owner/operators, and company vehicles that use these roads, but don't let that stop you from claiming that it isn't their money anymore, or that they are being paid road-welfare. It is one thing to build a new intersection, and I'll bet that MNDOT, like every other DOT or highway department in the nation, makes the landowner pay for every dime of construction and all the improvements that they can force on them through their permitting process; no, DOT and state government has to come up with more ways to steal money. (I'm working with clients now that are paying more than 2 million for improvements to state highways in order to be allowed to have access - even when access already existed, and despite paying gasoline taxes, license fees, impact fees, and everything else.) But this isn't the only way that governments can take more. Theft by Government - Travel Radical Alternative Makes Toll Lanes Look Like a Bargain Washington Post "So think of the new tolls as a first step. A few years from now, you might be paying a monthly bill for road use, similar to the ones you pay for electricity, telephone service and cable television. " Thanks to AASHTO News for this one. At first glance, this seems to be exactly what libertarians have been talking about for years, but it is not. It is government stealing more money from people - not replacing the gasoline tax, but "supplementing" it and giving government a shocking amount of detailed data about where you go, what you do, and everything else. And there is no alternative: literally from driveway to driveway, you would pay. And even the tollroads are shockingly violating privacy: instead of the toll-booth lady, you are now photographed with a permanent electronic record: your plate, your vehicle, its condition, you and your passengers. The police state as Stalin and Hitler never dreamed of. Congress in Action - Health Care Panic of 2009 Lieberman would join filibuster on “public option” CNN “Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday he would join a Republican filibuster to block the final vote on any health care bill that has a government-run public health insurance option. Lieberman’s vote is crucial to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s hopes of passing a health care bill that includes the controversial public option. Reid announced Monday he would send to the full Senate a health care bill that has a public option but also allows states to opt out of that provision.” (10/27/09) Oh, yeah, of COURSE Lieberman is opposed - he wants to continue to sit on the fence overall, and he knows that to maintain his "independent" status he has to choose his fights very carefully. This is one of the best indications, as I mentioned above, that this is not a slam-dunk after all. Self-Defense? - Home Front Colorado: Sushi bar owner claims self-defense in fatal shooting Denver Post “A businessman facing murder charges stemming from a shooting in his restaurant on the 16th Street Mall told investigators he shot the victim in self-defense after being choked. … Yang, who goes by the first name of ‘Dave,’ told investigators that he kicked an ‘intoxicated’ man out of the sushi bar on Friday, Oct. 16 and that the man came back on Wednesday with two others, looking for him and making threats of reprisals, according to the affidavit. On Thursday, Yang received a threatening call on his cell phone voice mail, he told investigators, from a man who said ‘people would be coming to the restaurant to kill him.’ A short time later on Thursday, two men entered the restaurant, including the intoxicated man who had been kicked out the week before, the affidavit related. One man grabbed Yang from behind and the other started choking him, Yang told investigators. ‘He felt as if they would kill him, and he got his gun out of his pocket and shot the male choking him,’ the affidavit said. The other man fled.” (10/26/09) Mama's comments: Some of those commenting suggested this was a drug deal gone bad. So, of course he couldn't call for "official" help in dealing with the threats. Another casualty of the "war on drugs" perhaps. Nathan's thoughts: Sounded more like a protection racket gone bad, actually, and having spent some time on the 16th Street Mall, I would not be surprised - but would not think of drugs as likely, given the high police presence in the area (since a cop wasn't involved, as he would have been if there were drugs involved - profits support crooked cops). Nazgul and Stupid Government Tricks Massachusetts: DA want Juries, not Judges, to decide on sex offenders Boston Globe Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. plans to urge lawmakers today to change the state law for civilly committing individuals as sexual dangerous persons, five days after a convicted sex offender freed from jail over prosecutors’ objections allegedly attacked a woman at Massachusetts General Hospital. Leone, in a previously scheduled appearance before a legislative committee, intends to promote a bill he helped craft that would make it more likely that juries rather than judges would decide whether to indefinitely commit sex offenders to a treatment center. He says Middlesex judges are more lenient than juries in such cases, which involve keeping offenders locked up after they have completed their prison sentences. Mama's comments: Wrong answer: Another tool for the tyrants, of course. Lock up those they don't like as "sexual predators"... The right answer, naturally, is for people to vigorously defend themselves. Then the real predators are disposed of properly. Nathan's thoughts: While this action may be for the wrong reason, I'm in favor - always - of stripping a judge's power and returning it to the jury. Of course, the law is still flawed, and a jury can still make mistakes - but it is better than the judge, if just not for the sake of "judicial leniency." And of course, there is that little matter of self-defense: if people in the hospital (including the woman attacked) had been armed, perhaps the predator wouldn't be around to worry anyone anymore.Mama's Note: I very much agree that a jury is usually better than an judge, but the sad truth is that very few cases ever make it to a jury trial anymore. Everyone is strong armed into some kind of "plea bargain," and many jurisdictions have rigged it so a jury trial is not an option at all. War on Some Drugs - Health Care Panic of 2009 Health Care Bill Favors Marijuana and Cocaine Smokers Over Tobacco Users CNSNews.com Under the Senate Finance Committee version of the health-care bill, health insurance companies would be allowed to charge tobacco users premiums up to 50 percent higher than those of non-users, while marijuana and crack cocaine smokers could not be penalized with higher premiums. Economist Earl Grinols of Baylor University questioned why the bill is singling out tobacco users as opposed to people who engage in other habits that carry health risks. Hmmm. Is this a tacit admission that some things aren't as bad as the Drug-Warriors want to admit, or is it simply a Tranzi understanding as to who their supporters are and which products will keep the populace more under control? Government-run Tax-funded Schools - First Citizen's Ministers Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Advocated ‘Queering Elementary Education’ CNSNews.com President Barack Obama’s safe schools czar wrote a foreword to a book in 1999 that called for elementary school children to explore their sexual identities, for teachers to incorporate homosexual themes in grades K-5, for discarding a “hetero-normative” approach to education and for “acknowledging children as sexual beings.” "Safe Schools Czar" or the government's liasion with NAMBLA? If you still think that the schools can be reformed... Islamic War Feds: Chicago men planned to attack Danish paper Bozeman Daily Chronicle "Two Chicago men who were schoolmates in Pakistan plotted terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper that triggered widespread protests by printing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in announcing charges against the men. David Coleman Headley, 49, traveled to Denmark in January and July to conduct surveillance on possible targets, including the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, prosecutors said in criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago." (10/27/09) Assuming that this is true, this is no government sting or bogus "we gonna get you" operation - these guys are Islamist and by American and libertarian standards serious head-cases and threats. That said, it seems to me that the government is handling these nut-jobs the wrong way: why should American taxpayers pay to arrest, jail, try, and (presumably) imprison these goofballs? Why not just notify Denmark that they have these guys coming over and let them keep them in a Danish jail? Or better yet, fight it out with some local defenders of the public safety? Of course, that does mean I need to ask exactly WHY and HOW the guvmint knew that these guys are going to try to do this? Are we bothering to follow the law regarding surveillance and warrants, or are we just seeing more of the police state? Defending the Weak Father: Man who shot psych patient was special cop Denver Post READING, Mass.—The father of a man who fatally shot a psychiatric patient attacking a doctor says his son is a special Boston police officer. Paul F. Langone (lan-GOHN') says 33-year-old Paul M. Langone shot Jay Carciero on Tuesday after the stabbing in an office leased by Massachusetts General Hospital. The elder Langone said Wednesday from Reading (RED'-ing) home that his son is a special officer who provided security for buildings. Special officers are licensed by the police department but work for private companies. They are authorized to carry guns and make arrests. Police will not confirm Langone's identity or say whether he is a special officer. They have said the shooter was an off-duty security guard and are investigating as routine procedure. Authorities say the 37-year-old Carciero stabbed a therapist during a session. It took me a bit to realize that this is media-speak: they don't want to say that the man who rescued the doctor is NOT a cop, but a private contract-type person: after all, in Massachusetts, only COPS can use weapons to defend people. Stupid Government Tricks - Crash of 2009 UK: Government to break up the banks Independent [UK] "Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock will be broken up and parts of their businesses sold off to create three new banks, it emerged last night. Government sources said ministers were 'determined' to see more competition in the market, following the £1.2 trillion bailout of the sector which resulted in the loss of three independent banks and several building societies." (10/27/09) Fascinating. After my lengthy tirade last week on this subject, to find that the High Chancellor's government is already proceeding to do this is rather frightening. Our Right to Defend Ourselves OH: Victim shoots would-be robber Channel 10 TV News "Police said that a robbery victim acted in self-defense when he shot a man who was trying to rob him late Monday morning. The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. behind a Wendy's restaurant, located on Broadway. Investigators told 10TV's Glenn McEntyre that a man was walking his dog when another man approached him with a gun and demanded his wallet. The victim complied and then pulled out his own gun, shooting the robber, police said. The accused robber, Keith Walker Jr., ran to a nearby neighborhood where he collapsed. Walker underwent surgery at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, McEntyre reported." (10/26/09) I can't tell from the story (TV news, remember) the exact sequence, but more than a few people use the distraction of pulling out their wallet to also pull out their rod - so I can assume that this IS legitimate self defense. And yet, given that this is Ohio, which constantly tries to disarm everyone in it, it is not uncommon for the robber to then proceed to beat even the most compliant victim, so just giving up your wallet (especially if there isn't much in it) is absolutely no more a guarantee of safety than submitting to a rapist. Mama's Note: I presume that the surgery is at taxpayer expense... Too bad the defender didn't have a better aim. Home Front - Freedom to Learn Georgia: College tries to ban firing range near campus LCLReport We go to a city
zoning meeting to watch a local university try and stop an indoor gun
range. We examine the 2nd amendment and ask does zoning infringe on a
persons right to protect themselves. We interview victims of local
muggings and local residents sound off.
Read Full
Story
(VIDEO ON YOUTUBE)This is a typical gown-town dispute with a twist: it is not that they want to put this range on or right next to campus, or that the safety zone would be near campus (it is an indoor range); it is that the administration, nanny-statists all apparently, don't want the range to be there because people will bring guns to the range and they will be CLOSER to campus, and the range might "encourage" students to want guns or - gasp - have guns, even if they have to store them off campus (at this place, for instance). (Oh, by the way, there is a POLICE ACADEMY right on the campus, there in front of God and Sarah Brady and everyone...) The testimony is fascinating and disgusting: there are a lot of folks standing up for the right, but there are a lot that show what kind of bizarre behavior results from fanaticism. The fat slug of a college president (or spokesman) babbles about how he believes the city council should require everyone bringing a gun to the range to have the gun with a trigger lock or be turned away... and WE have given people like this power over our daily lives! Mama's Note: Of course, because we all know that criminals always would use their trigger locks... The whole problem isn't that these people are afraid of criminals... not at all. They are TERRIFIED that someone, somewhere might have the absolute gall to think and act for themselves, without government permission. Our Right to Defend Ourselves Coyotes Kill Young Woman in Canadian National Park ABC News Two coyotes attacked a promising young musician as she was hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada, and authorities said she died Wednesday of her injuries. The victim was identified as Taylor Mitchell, 19, a singer-songwriter from Toronto who was touring her new album on the East Coast. ... Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers heard Mitchell's screams for help on Tuesday and called emergency police dispatchers. Police who were in the area reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it. But the wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away. EVERY Canadian that supported a hoplophobic or hoploclastic politician or law can share the blame for this talented young woman's death - because not only was SHE disarmed (and in the US, in many states, 19-year-olds are also forbidden to carry weapons to defend themselves) but everyone in range to respond quickly was also apparently unarmed - and cops can't be everywhere. Mama's Note: Indeed, she should have been prepared to defend herself, or at least the other hikers should have been ready to do so. Unfortunately, this story is questionable from so many angles I don't know where to begin. Having a rather good understanding of wildlife, and coyotes in particular, I find the story very fishy. First, the idea that this person had ANY idea how to function in the wilderness is laughable, if it wasn't so sad. She probably had all of her "experience" on line or in the movies. That said, coyotes are aggressive predators only if easier prey is not available and they are starving. I don't know what she did to qualify as easy prey, but getting drunk or stoned and laying out in the open comes to mind... We'll never know for sure, but the story being given out here stinks. Our Right to Defend Ourselves Shots Fired At Lou Dobbs House Freedom's Phoenix We have just learned that someone has fired a gun at the home of Lou Dobbs, with his wife just a few feet away from the incident. The gunfire followed a series of threatening phone calls. Lou Dobbs is being targeted by the pro-illegal alien groups and pundits who feel that Dobbs is stopping Amnesty from passing. Don't know any more about this than what the group reported, although NewsBusters.org and other sites and newspapers are confirming it. Dobbs is (at least somewhat) "conservative" and against certain liberal programs, so this is viewed as an attack or terrorist act by "leftwing" agents. The question is sure to come up as to whether this is a false-flag attack, similar to the attack on Demo headquarters in Denver several months ago. The point is, violence similar to the Middle East is spreading into the US - as the next story relates. Home Front - Islamic War Michigan: FBI raid kills Islamic Leader New York Times The 53-year-old man, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, was killed in one of three raids conducted in and around the city, in which six followers of his were taken into custody. Mr. Abdullah, whom the agents were trying to arrest in Dearborn on charges that included illegal possession and sale of firearms and conspiracy to sell stolen goods, refused to surrender and began firing at them from a warehouse, according to a statement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States attorney’s office in Detroit. He was shot in the return fire, the statement said. Mr. Abdullah, the authorities said, led a faction of a group called the Ummah, meaning the Brotherhood, which advocates the establishment of a separate nation within the United States governed by Islamic laws. Keep
in mind, this is the lying flagship of the mainstream media that is
reporting this - believe it as much as you would Prison Planet or
Freepers' reports. But according to this, these people aren't
"terrorists" - no terrorism charges are being filed against the other
eleven (four still at large) being charged; they are just organizing a
rebellion against the State of Michigan (and apparently the Province of
Ontario) to establish an independent jihadist nation. Coming on the
heels of the Danish threat guys in Chicago, it shows that spreading of
violence: terrorism or not. What the MSM also didn't say (at
least at
first: later editions of the article touch on it briefly), but other
people HAVE ( Robert
Knight: Dearborn Shoot-out
- [subscription required]) is that first, this is "home-grown" - the
man was a follower of H. Rap
Brown, a 60'x era "black revolutionary" and convert to Islam, and
second, CAIR has been funding and supporting this group. If this
sounds suggestive of Ringo's "The Last Centurion" - it is only because
it is. In that book, Detroit is the base of the "Caliphate of the
9-11
Martyrs," a despotic secessionist government that enslaves women and
non-blacks/non-Arabs, and which is "protected" by the media until
web-savvy troops in the brigade reconquering the city bypass
them.
Sounds familiar, eh? THURSDAY Health Care Panic of 2009 - Enforcing
the Constitution? Since when do you need a federal court
case? Only if you want to butcher and abuse the people and the
states
that the Constitution is supposed to protect! People, wake up -
the
police state is here! The Constitution is a dead letter to these
people.
Congress in Action - Health Care Panic of 2009 One more example of government by people
and not by law - and of Congress sluffing off its real duties so it can
do things like figure out how to protect its "privacy" from those it
works for, investigate college sports, and such critical national
priorities. And this is just two pages of 1900! Mama's Note: Ah, remind me again what those "real duties"
are, won't you? I don't recall having authorized them to do ANYTHING.
Health Panic of 2009 I'm sorry, I guess I got carried away and thought that the reason we THE STATES created a federal government was to protect and serve OUR nation, not the rest of the world. Yes, I know that it isn't even government's business to provide medical care - so this is just adding insult to injury. We are robbed and then the money given away in various ways - not to fellow Americans but to everyone else. I wish that Sebelius would realize the blood on her hands. At
the same time, I do need to point out that her withholding of the swine
flu vaccine from Americans is probably not going to cost any American
lives, since the risks of the vaccine seem to be as bad or worse than
the risk of the swine flu. And the swine flu "pandemic" is an
intentional effort to blow something out of proportion and create a
panic which leads to more government control and more justification for
all sorts of beloved Tranzi projects. See 300
days (photo) and
check out the death toll, which is apparently supposed to further this
panic. In 300 days, out of more than 50 million deaths from all causes
worldwide, only 5800 have been caused by swine flu: barely 1/100 of
1%. The chart shows what people are really dying from. This is
not
only less than die from regular seasonal flu, not only less than died
from car accidents in the US alone, but probably less than the number
of people who died falling in their bath tub! In the US, that
number
is only 593: which while 1/10 of the total, is still NOT an epidemic. Mama's Note: Thanks for the link. Those numbers set a lot
of other things in better perspective too. I didn't read "guns" as an
epidemic cause of death either.
Stupid Government Tricks Never
mind that it is the federal government which policies for the last
seventy years are what promotes more and more violence, never mind that
the "sexual behavior" was once considered so evil as to be unspeakable,
never mind that government pushes more and more policies that make it
EASIER to commit violence against others if you are bigger or stronger
or higher...
TV Violence against Women More Graphic, Frequent,
Study Says I
guess the next story might suggest just what this study claims - but it
is MORE than just TV and movies that promotes this - and even more than
music and pop-culture. Mama's Note: The violence would not continue if people,
especially women, were ready and able to defend themselves properly?
Criminals will ALWAYS be a part of the human community, but they do
look for and take advantage of easy, helpless prey. When people
vigorously defend themselves, violent crime is reduced to the
infrequent actions of the criminally insane who don't care if they die. Home Front - Evil on Parade There
were a lot of stories to choose from, I picked this one, but the facts
all agree, and on Thursday three of these mob-monsters were asked to
plea: a 15-, 16- and 17-year-old. Supposedly others, both "adult"
and
"juvenile" are being arraigned or arrested. The father in me
wants to
convict and punish the entire crowd - not doing anything is one thing:
photographing and enjoying it is like something out of the Dark Ages of
tribalism and barbarism. Indeed, as Heinlein stated in various
novels,
the beast, the barbarian is barely kept at bay by civilization, and we
are in the Crazy Years. What would stop this? Armed people,
yes, but
if no one has the guts to stand up for what is right, it doesn't matter
if they are armed or not. (Sickening, there are dozens of posts
claiming that the girl was asking for it. I know the girl was "asking
for it" by many definitions - including her stylish (and therefore
daring) dance dress and drinking and even joining the crowd, but that
is NO EXCUSE for the evil, animal, sub-human behavior. Add the
parents
of these thugs to the list of people the father in me wants to see
punished. As for the perps themselves, apparently even the stupid
California court system knows that a limit has been reached: the three
thugs (one of whom had the gall to plead "not guilty" despite the video
tapes) were wearing bulletproof vests - guess either the court rooms
aren't as secure as they claim to be, or the judge thought one or more
of the cops might go off on them. As for punishment: at least we
could
make sure these scum don't do it again: castrate them, whip them a few
hundred lashes, and then make them dance the Danny Deever, with their
parents there in front of them (assuming you can FIND their parents) to
have it sink in what kind of evil they "raised" - and with every school
teacher, administrator, preacher, and politician in Richmond present as
well, to see what shame they helped create. FRIDAY Home Front - Stupid Government Tricks How
amusingly hypocritical - first because I don't see the Administration
protecting the rights of detainees at Gitmo (any more than the previous
one did), second because we see American's privacy rights stripped away
by the USA PATRIOT Act and other actions, and third because once more,
they seem to be making up laws while ignoring the ones we have. Congress in Action - Theft by Government The only way to get rid of this sort of pork is to take the
money
away from Congress - less money = less pork. Mama's Note: No, free the pigs - NO pork. Congress in Action - Health Care Panic of 2009 So how much pork is he getting to allow it to go
through? Or was it a straight "vote for this or we'll do nasty
things
to your body" type conversation? Congress in Action Thanks
to AASHTO for this one - this sort of comparison story makes it clear
that regardless of whether it is the carrot or the stick, it is clear
that Congress considers itself to be the master of the states, and NOT
their servant - an evil inversion of the Constitution which makes every
member of that body a traitor and criminal in an honest court.
And
destructive of freedoms, since they seek to impose by fiat what
thirty-one states have decided (at least for now) not to impose on
themselves. The Rockefeller-Hutchinson proposal is no less
immoral
than Schumer's - just less "in your face:" both treat the states (and
the citizens) like a mother would treat an eight-year-old. Mama's Note: Hint... if you ever ride in one of those big
buses in Los Angeles, do NOT look too closely into the cars as you
pass. I saw the darnedest things! Probably the same in any big city.
It's a wonder anyone is left alive in those places. Government-run, Tax-funded schools; Our Right to Defend
Ourselves Another example of why South Dakotans know
that those letters, "IOWA," on license plates are a warning: "Idiots
Out Wandering Around." Mr. Gordon has been breathing glue fumes
too
long, and clearly is out to prove the accusations against him. Our Right to Defend Ourselves Our Right to Defend Ourselves Our Right to Defend Ourselves I presume the assault was at too
close quarters to allow the son to fire the shotgun at Stanislow, which
is kinda too bad. Mama's Note: Hmmm, I wonder what made the attacker "turn
himself in?" Sure would be nice to get the whole story in these things. SATURDAY Congress in Action - First Citizen What part of "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of ... the press," can not the Administration and "key senators" not understand? How can they limit "applications" in special cases? This is not the United Kingdom with an "unwritten constitution" but they behave as if these words were not adopted almost 218 years ago. Indeed, the question must be asked, "Why is there any need for any legislation except a 'sense of Congress' resolution that ALL laws which abridge the freedom of the press are null and void?" Mainstream Media Tricks Here we have the WaPo doing its part to
trash the reputations of those it (and the rest of the MSM)
oppose:
the tone of the entire article is condescending and subtly biased
against the pitiful efforts of "conservative activists" to destroy
journalism as a profession. It ties to the previous story, I
think -
obviously only "real" journalists should have any protections under the
Constitution, just as only police and "real" soldiers and militia
should have guns, etc. Congress in Action It is about far more than cost, of course,
and there are even a few GOP (and talk show types) who realize this -
it is about the subversion of a very large part of the formerly free
market, and about a tremendous increase in the level of government
control which has already done so much to destroy our medical
system.
But it is as always in the best interests of the established media,
that "fourth branch" of government, to simplify the argument to an
unreal degree, thus making it easier to get the desired results of more
government and less freedom. Mama's Note: There is something else that almost nobody is
talking about as well. Once government takes over the rest of the
health care industry, a great many more of the best, brightest, and
most competent providers will retire or find another way to make a
living. I retired early because I could no longer remain sane or
function under the endless idiot bureaucracy and paperwork. I see many
contemporaries, and not a few younger people, leaving the medical
professions as well - and for much the same reasons. Just remember, I
left when we were getting paid top wages too. Who will "care" for you under Obamacare? Congress in Action "Something MUST be done!" Lest our
erstwhile masters, the states and the people, learn what we are REALLY
up to. At the same time as Congress illegally authorizes more and
more
government agencies to intercept and read the communications of private
citizens, they decide that it is critical that their own communications
are protected. One might indeed question whether such attempts to
keep
the "people's business" secret is not itself an attempt to circumvent
or violate the First Amendment's prohibitions - is not this "abridging
the freedom of the press?" American Front - Liberty Stolen Mama's Note: And if those stupid people don't vote correctly, they can just go back to the polls repeatedly until they get it right... just like Afghanistan.  Your comments and feedback are welcome! Now PoL has its own forum at The Mental Militia! Check it out
Nathan Barton is writing from either the Four Corners or the Black Hills - two places where there is still a hope of liberty and freedom for the 21st Century and beyond. He is a libertarian (a lover of liberty) because he is a Christian; a follower of Christ Jesus, Who came to make all men free in all ways. He was born, by God's grace, a Westerner, an American; he is a Christian, and therefore a libertarian, again by God's grace and his own free will and choice. Nathan's writings and words and life seek to live up to the potential of all these things, knowing that he can never achieve perfection on this earth in any of those things, but never giving up trying. Be sure to visit my blog, Liberty's Outpost. Special Feature! Add your signature to the NEW
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