The last several weeks, a debate has been rumbling about just what socialism is and whether it is possible for socialism to be compatible with libertarian ideals and philosophy.  The entire issue of capitalism also has been briefly touched upon.

I prefer to call an economic system in which people can freely make choices as to suppliers and customers, with free and unrestrained competition between providers of goods and services, a "free market" or "free enterprise." I personally don't like the term "capitalism" as it is (1) a term coined by the enemies of the system it is supposed to describe, and (2) used by many people to describe a variety of systems that are NOT free and supportive of personal liberties.  I do use the term "anarcho-capitalist" to describe myself quite often, pointing out that both "anarchism" and "capitalism" are not really so clearly defined as I'd like.  Unfortunately "self-governor" translates into Latin as Autocracy... which is taken.  And "anarcho-capitalist" is easier to say (and explain... I think) than "self-governing free-market practitioner. A "corporate capitalist" can possibly be a socialist (more a fascist-type socialist perhaps; just as Soviet/Chinese-style Communism is actually a form of state capitalism).  The concept of "monopoly" figures significantly in these systems, and they are NOT compatible with human liberty - indeed, they work against human liberty.  A free-market type sees socialism (whatever flavor and color candy-shell it has) as the evil that it is, and in no way supporting private liberty in a modern, polytechnic society. That said, people are free to call themselves whatever they want to - just as I and others are free to tell them that their insistence on using some words makes themselves look mighty foolish and silly.

MAD MULLAH MONDAY

Congress in Action - Health Care Panic of 2009
The Senate's Christmas Gift »
Liberty Alert
Senate Democrats are working overtime to get an Obamacare bill passed before Christmas. They no longer even pretend to be doing it to reform healthcare. Now they’re just doing whatever it takes to get a bill passed, even if it costs somewhere between $848 billion and $2.1 trillion, depending on which math you use. Read on for the latest on Obamacare…

Cry if you want - it won't do any good. We have sold ourselves into slavery, traded our birthright for a bowl of bean soup... pretty poor-tasting and un-nutritious soup at that.

Self-defense
Federal judge-rules concealed carry is probable cause of criminal activity
Atlanta Examiner
John Monroe, Christopher Raissi's attorney, expressed disappointment with the opinion and declared that if the opinion stands its effects will be felt far beyond MARTA:

One of the unexpected downsides to CCW permits. Let's compare that to driver's licenses: according to this Nazgul, the careless driver who is stopped by a cop should be assumed to be driving without a license also (since he obviously is incapable of passing a drivers test) and just showing the license is no longer a reason NOT to issue a ticket for not having a driver's license: the ticketed person must show a JUDGE his license. Right?

Home Front - Congress in Action
Gutierrez bill would give millions citizenship
Chicago Sun-Times
"Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a leading congressional advocate for immigrants' rights, has introduced a bill that would allow millions of illegal
immigrants to become U.S. citizens and would end a controversial program that enlists local police to enforce immigration laws. The
bill is widely viewed as too liberal to pass. Obama administration officials have said they are looking instead to a more moderate, bipartisan immigration-reform bill to be introduced in the Senate early next year by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Still, the Chicago Democrat made it clear that he and his allies expect a seat at the negotiating table as lawmakers and the White House seek middle ground on the polarizing issue." (12/20/09)

With the health care bill a slam-dunk and the Copenhagen conference pressing the global warming line, we can expect immigration to be the next issue. By making tens of millions of people "citizens" but without the morals, the brains, or the education to do anything but vote the way the people giving them the handouts want them to vote, this is another nail in the coffin of the ghost of the Republic. And the more grave the economic crisis grows, the more reason to give more power to government - and this immigration is a large part of the economic crisis.

New religions - global warming
Climate summit a let-down to some delegates
USA Today
"As people began to file out of the giant makeshift conference hall, Anders Turreson looked around and said, 'I don't know if we can do
this again.' The two-week, 193-nation environmental summit in Copenhagen ended this weekend with a deal that fell short of some
participants' expectations. Though President Obama described it as a 'meaningful' first step to combating global warming, Turreson and
others said the accord and the negotiating process itself may need major changes to yield stronger results." (12/20/09)

I only wish that they would give up, but they are fanatics and won't - and USA Today and the rest of the mainstream media want us to think that they will give up, so that their agenda can be forced through in other ways - just as the USEPA is pushing it through here in the USA in the form of new "interpretations" and "scientific studies" that don't take a treaty or Congressional action.

Self-defense
MA: Gun permits surge in state
Boston Globe
"The number of gun permits issued in Massachusetts surged by more than 15 percent over the past two years, reversing nearly a decade of steady declines and marking a pronounced departure for a state known for its anti-gun sentiment. The magnitude of the rise, evident in nearly every corner of the state, surprised law enforcement officials, and gun advocates and opponents alike. Some saw it as an echo of similar spikes across the country after President Obama's election, when heavy gun sales were attributed to fears that he would impose strict new gun laws. But with more women and elderly residents signing up for gun classes in Massachusetts, many said the increase here has also been driven by worries about crime and a growing sense of vulnerability in the wake of the financial collapse and lingering fallout of the damaged economy." (12/20/09)

Maybe people are getting scared enough to do this - even though I was told by many people way back in 1974 that "enough is enough" THEN - and here 35 years later, nothing has happened that shows any serious inclination to fight.

Stupid Cop Tricks - New Religions (Global Warming)
DC: Cop brings gun to snowball fight
Fox News
"Washington's record-breaking snowfall on Saturday brought about 200 grown men and women to the corner of 14th and U streets for a massive snowball fight. But what started as a good-natured romp in the snow soon took a turn toward the unexpected -- and potentially dangerous -- when an undercover D.C. police officer became involved in a verbal altercation with members of the crowd and allegedly pulled out his gun. The snowball fight was captured on film by local television and amateur videographers. The officer, a D.C. detective, approached the crowd before appearing to unholster his gun. The officer, who has not been identified, admitted to removing his gun in the video." (12/20/09)

Stupid cop trick - wonder if they ran a blood test on this guy? Cops tend to escalate things - peace officers would try to defuse things, but apparently not this guy. Compare this to the next story - and also note: "record-breaking snowfall" - global warming??? (And see the follow-up story on Tuesday.)

Self-Defense
Oklahoma: Drunk Marine upset with military status opens fire in apartment parking lot
News 9
"A man is in police custody after opening fire at a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex near Hefner and Council roads. Police said the man started firing multiple shots in the parking lot of the Tammaron Village apartments around 4 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses said the man initially went into the apartment complex's main office. When employees locked him out, he opened fire in the parking lot. As the man was firing shots, another citizen armed with a gun came around the corner and ordered the gunman to put his weapon down. The gunman dropped his weapon and ran into his father's apartment and barricaded himself inside." (12/18/09)

NO ONE IS DEAD! NO ONE IS WOUNDED. BLOOD IS NOT FLOWING IN THE STREETS. Because an armed citizen prevented a drunk from doing something even more stupid than he had done. The cops would most likely have gunned the guy down, and created a major mess. But one person WHO WAS PREPARED did what needed to be done.

First Citizen
Nearly 60 Percent Say President Obama’s Decisions ‘Bad for America’
CNSNews.com
A majority of Americans believe an increased government role in health care would lead to more government corruption, while a plurality of Americans think that scientific data supporting man-made global warming is “mostly falsified.” The poll also shows that 58 percent of Americans believe that decisions by the Obama administration have been “bad for America,” as opposed to 37 percent who think Obama’s decisions have been “good for America.”

ONLY sixty percent? Interesting, isn't it, that 60 percent of senators have voted for this monstrosity... they are just 40 percent out of step.

Islamic War - Stupid TRANZI Tricks
Muslim Nations Slam ‘Demonic’ Portrayal of Islam, But Support for Religious ‘Defamation’ Measures Continues to Erode
CNSNews.com
An Islamic-led campaign against religious “defamation” has taken another blow the United Nations, where support among member states has dropped to a new low amid escalating concerns that defamation resolutions endanger non-Muslims in Islamic societies and harm freedom of expression.

This is NOT going to go away - the Islamic countries have the votes and eventually, they'll be able to browbeat the Euros and many of the Asians and Africans into pushing this through. And the Tranzis want this because the same law can be used to further shut down free speech around the world.

TYRANT TUESDAY

Our right to self-defense

One more state joins the fray - now it is time to start expanding this from guns to ANYthing made and consumed in-state - even services. And now is the time to again challenge ANY federal control over firearms as being inimical to the freedoms of freeborn Americans - and guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Too bad this piece of bird-cage-liner and fish-wrap doesn't get that. Today's mainstream media are not protection against tyranny - they are the willing tools of tyrants, or worse.

Stupid cop tricks - New religions (global warming)
Snowball Fight Takes Dark Turn
WJLA TV (DC)
...But things started to turn for the worse when the crowd -- some carrying anti-war signs and dressed all in black with masks -- began to pelt passing cars. A plain clothes D.C. police detective emerged from a Hummer -- it's unclear whether it was his personal vehicle or an unmarked police vehicle -- after it was struck. The detective began yelling at the gathered crowd. At one point, he pulled back his jacket, exposing his service weapon -- it's unclear if he did this intentionally. That's when things took a darker turn.

On Tuesday morning, many DC area schools remained closed after the worst blizzard in years, but the Mainstream Media are out spinning the news as usual. The DC cops now claim that the infamous snowball fight and plainclothes angry cop fuss (to which a UNIFORMED cop responded with drawn weapon - so much for defusing a situation) was the work of "anarchists" [no doubt intending to bring down the FedGov under cover of the snowstorm.] In other words, the cop's response was "appropriate. Right.

Meanwhile, the world is reaping the benefits of global warming: most of southern England is shut down due to the same storm that trapped thousands for hours in the Chunnel, due to unidentified problems on the French side connected to the storm. The Plains, starting with Kansas and Nebraska, is getting hit with the beginning of a massive "complex" storm that will spread north and east during the Christmas period, making travel "frightening" according to Weather Bug. Wolf Creek Pass has 68 inches on the ground with up to 7 inches more expected today. And the "carbon footprint" of the Copenhagen conference was much worse than expected due to the cold and stormy weather causing more fuel to be used for all those limos and SUVs and heating all those luxury hotel rooms... If the Copenhagen conference had been held by anti-climate-change-believers, it alone could have been accused of triggering another push in worldwide temperature changes!

WOBBLY WEDNESDAY

First Citizen
Obama defends first-year record
Washington Post
President Obama outlined Tuesday a first-year legislative record that he said rescued the economy and placed it on a path of long-term growth, even as he acknowledged that some unfinished items would probably be more difficult to achieve heading into a midterm election year.

No, this is NOT the Onion - would that it were! But the WaPo considers itself to be "serious" and "professional" journalism, while most of recognize them for the whores that they are. Perhaps the Pulitzer can be renamed the Lewinsky as being more accurate?

Home front
As cyberattacks increase, U.S. faces shortage of security talent
Washington Post
The federal government is struggling to fill a growing demand for skilled computer-security workers, from technicians to policymakers, at a time when network attacks are rising in frequency and sophistication.

During a time of severe economic problems and high unemployment, this is telling - skilled IT personnel don't WANT to work for the FedGov, and it appears that enough are refusing to, to make it a problem. So, will DC turn to India and the Philippines for such workers? Perhaps they cannot, because of security regulations. Oh, I know, let's DRAFT them... what a wonderful idea: draft slave hackers to protect yourself from outside hackers.

TERRORIST THURSDAY

Congress in Action - Health Care Panic of 2009
Senate Passes Bill 60-39 in early morning vote
Freedom's Phoenix
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions of Americans and to rein in health costs as proposed by President Obama. The 60-to-39 party-line vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation, brings Democrats a step closer to a goal they have pursued for decades. It clears the way for negotiations with the House, which passed a broadly similar bill last month by a vote of 220 to 215. If the two chambers can strike a deal, as seems likely, the resulting product would vastly expand the role and responsibilities of the federal government. It would, as lawmakers said repeatedly in the debate, touch the lives of nearly all Americans. The bill would require most Americans to have health insurance, would add 15 million people to the Medicaid rolls and would subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people, at a cost to the government of $871 billion...

It is hard not to be dragged down by the action, inevitable as it has been, and as much pain has been created by just the process of passing it. Fortunately millions have been awakened to the evil that exists with powerful government and the kind of self-serving, profiteering, power-lusting politicians that the fifty states have sent to DC.

Theft by Government - Nazgul
Minnesota Supreme Court: State Can Grab Cars from Innocent Owners
The Newspaper
Minnesota Supreme Court eliminates the ability of innocent joint vehicle owners to defend themselves from vehicle confiscation. The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the right of police to confiscate vehicles from owners who have done nothing wrong. The decision narrowed the applicability of an "innocent owner" defense in cases where a vehicle is jointly owned. The high court considered the case of David and Jean Margaret Laase whose then-brand new 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe was confiscated in 2006. Although David Laase was the Tahoe's primary driver, Jean Laase was driving the SUV alone on May 17, 2007 when she was pulled over and accused of drunk driving. Because Laase refused to submit to a breath test, the $40,000 vehicle was permanently confiscated as punishment for "second-degree criminal test refusal."

Theft by state agencies is condoned by those who are paid by the state to make decisions - but oh, no, that's no conflict of interest!

Stupid Government tricks - World Wars
Gates proposes 3 funds to aid unstable countries
Washington Post
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has proposed a major overhaul of the way the Pentagon and State Department do nation-building, seeking to end friction between the bureaucracies by putting them jointly in charge of three huge new funds aimed at stabilizing strife-ridden countries.

Obviously, the first of these strife-ridden countries is Washington DC, formerly an American colonial possession and now home of Empire.  Second is California, where I understand that federalized National Guard troops will be used to create and patrol a DMZ between the Gobernador and the General Assembly.  Seriously, with our new "health care reform" who can afford nation-building, even in DC and CA?

Do Miracles Happen?
Top South Carolina prosecutor, others probing health care deal
ABC News
"The top prosecutors in seven states are probing the constitutionality of a political deal that cut a funding break for Nebraska in order to pass a federal health care reform bill, South Carolina's attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General Henry McMaster said he and his counterparts in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas and Washington state -- all Republicans -- are jointly taking a look at the deal they've dubbed the 'Nebraska compromise.'" (12/22/09)

Ah, now here we have the potential to enter new constitutional grounds - a joint effort of states filing charges of violating the Constitution against the leadership of Congress - or perhaps the entire Congress...  I don't think this will go anywhere, but I surely do wish it would and could. Seven states is right at 15% - 20% would be a reasonable number to use as a trigger point to put pressure to hold a public trial of Congress, first for the various items of the health care bills and then for other violations.  Or even better, how about twelve states - each contributing a member to a jury?

FREEBOOTER FRIDAY

Theft by Government
U.S. promises unlimited aid to mortgage giants
Washington Post
The Obama administration pledged Thursday to provide unlimited financial assistance to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an eleventh-hour move that allows the government to exceed the current $400 billion cap on emergency aid without seeking permission from a bailout-weary Congress.

This is called turning lemons into lemonade. Not only is ACORN no longer in the doghouse - who remembers Hannah Giles anymore? - and not only do they get a big retainer helping people figure out how to scam more money from government and the taxpayers for subsidized medical care and health insurance, but they also can continue to reap rewards for helping Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae find new vic... clients! Is this a great country? These two "companies" (government programs in disguise) not only paid millions to the financial politically elite, not only raped the taxpayers for years with ever more success, not only laundered enough cash for the Democrats to fund their destruction of the last remnants of the Republic in the last three or four election cycles.

American front
Risks of Cuba program questioned
Washington Post
The detention of a U.S. government contractor in Cuba has put the spotlight on a secretive U.S. pro-democracy program that ballooned during the Bush administration but has faced persistent questions about its management and effectiveness.

Get this! The First Citizen did NOT eliminate this program - of course, it is probably State Department, so it is almost certainly a Tranzi front operation anyway... But you'd think that they would have removed any such program that would create any sort of problem for Raul and his retired bro... except that Raul, like Hugo and Evo and a bunch of others, NEEDS that evil specter of America to keep their people in line. Wheels within wheels within wheels. If not for that ghastly nightly ghost story, there'd be even more Cubanos clamoring to become the 51st State.