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Libertarian
Commentary on The News
April 12, 2010By Nathan A. Barton © 2010 Monday Silly people tricks - Stupid government tricks Moped flamethrower is trouble Ananova A Lincolnshire plumber who fitted a flamethrower on to the back of his moped has been arrested for an alleged firearms offence. An illustration of how stupid the peelers are, and how they will warp the law to do anything at all to exercise their powers. First Citizen A guest this church won't forget Washington Post President Obama made it his goal Sunday to quietly attend an Easter service with his family, planning a secret trip in which he made no public remarks. But presidents don't blend in, especially in neighborhoods plagued by crime and unemployment. A crowd began to form outside Allen Chapel AME Church... It is exactly what he and his wife secretly want, however - adulation and attention. Is this why they refuse to "select" a church to attend, despite protestations of their strong "christian" faith? The Abominable Act - Politics 2010 Emotions of health-care debate reverberate in Colorado race Washington Post FORT COLLINS, COLO. -- Rep. Betsy Markey, a first-term Democrat in a Republican district, was one of just eight House members who switched their votes from "no" to "yes" when President Obama's health-care bill finally passed Congress. Her vote left the endangered incumbent in an even more precarious... It was GOP stupidity that gave Markey her job in the first place, or she'd not have been in DC in the first place. Sadly, she now has the power of both being the incumbent AND fanatics who will do anything to keep the Democrats in power. Plus, the GOP in the Front Range is more in disarray than ever - and more statist than ever, hard as that is to believe. The Abominable Act - Politics 2010 Sen. Lincoln challenged from left in Arkansas Washington Post LITTLE ROCK -- Sharp words and millions of dollars in television advertising are turning a Democratic primary challenge to two-term Sen. Blanche Lincoln into an outsize duel over the party's direction in the heartland. As in Colorado, so also in Arkansas, except that the state of Arkansas has been more corrupt, more warped, and more likely to produce people like Lincoln and Clinton than even Colorado. And only the MSM would consider Arkansas to be the "heartland." European collapse STILL OUT OF CONTROL? MEASURING 11 YEARS OF E.U. REGULATION OPEN EUROPE (Daily Policy Digest) Since 1998, regulation introduced in the United Kingdom has cost its economy about $265 billion -- roughly equivalent to Britain's entire budget deficit, or 12.6 percent of gross domestic product, say researchers... Pretty shocking - but the US is in a similar state. Imagine what this has done to the dozen+ other countries on the EU, and you start to see one of the big problems and reasons that Greece is going under, closely followed by Italy, Spain, and Portugal. And this is only the EU's portion: it does not include the cost of previous Labourite socialism. Home front - Stupid government tricks IT Problems Will Put Census at Risk ‘Up to the Last Minute,’ Says Commerce Dept Official CNSNews.com Information Technology problems will put the 2010 Census operations at risk “up to the last minute,” a top Commerce Department official told CNSNews.com. However, the official, whose department oversees the Census Bureau, has “a lot of confidence” that these problems will be fixed in time for the face-to-face interviews starting next month with individuals who did not fill out their census forms by mail. The horror stories and everything else bad about the Census just keep on rolling in. Michelle Malkins' column this week explains explains and gives examples of how the Census itself is a big boondoggle. Home front - Environist religious hypocricy Final Decision Expected Soon on Building Major Wind Farm Off Cape Cod CNSNews.com Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar will decide in coming weeks whether a Boston company may proceed with plans to build a major wind farm off Cape Cod, in Nantucket Sound. The planning and permitting process began almost ten years ago. Of course, with Edward Kennedy now facing his Maker, there may not be as much high-level opposition. But this still is one of the most hypocritical games which the environists have played: they demand that wind power and other forms of renewable energy be used, but when their viewshed is impacted, even that is too much. Home front - Rebellion More Than a Quarter of Americans Are Supporters of Tea Party Movement, According to Gallup CNSNews.com More than a quarter of Americans describe themselves as supporters of the Tea Party movement, and the demographics of this group generally mirror the demographics of the national population, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll. A smaller percentage, 26%, said they were opponents of the Tea Party movement. Thirty-eight percent said they were neither, and 8 percent had no opinion. Talk is cheap. But this 29% support does approach the classic 1/3-1/3-1/3 split of colonial political opinion in the 1774-1776 period leading to Independence. Of course, His Majesty's supporters and government had nothing like the propaganda machine that today's counterrevolutionaries do, to be used to demonize their opponents so radically. Mama's Note: My question is just how many of those in the "Tea Party" actually want independence and personal responsibility, rather than simply fooling themselves into believing that government can continue to provide what they want, only stealing it from "someone else." A tax "protest" is of no value to liberty if it's simply a matter of finding different victims. How many in the Tea Party are truly willing to give up Medicare, Social Security, etc.? Our right to defend ourselves - Stupid government tricks Full-Body Airport Scanners May Not Have Thwarted Alleged Christmas Day Bomber, GAO Says CNSNews.com The Transportation Safety Administration has started installing full-body scanners purchased with stimulus funds in airports around the country, but the Government Accountability Office says those scanners might not have detected the underwear bomb that made it onto a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. Even if this could have been detected, people will soon find ways around this. The fact is, it is the airline passengers themselves that are the essential part of the "security" system and who defeated the underwear bomber (well, that, and his own stupidity); yet the entire system is designed to reduce the passengers themselves to nothing but supine and helpless targets. Home front - Stupid government tricks Jihad Jane’s Alleged Accomplice Indicted in Philadelphia CNSNews.com The Justice Department has secured an indictment against Jihad Jane’s alleged accomplice. Federal authorities in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday unsealed an indictment charging Jamie Paulin Ramirez, whom the Justice Department described only as "a U.S. citizen and former resident of Colorado," and Colleen R. LaRose, also known as "Fatima LaRose," and "Jihad Jane," with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Let's see the evidence! Mainstream media - War on religion Top Vatican Official Rebuts New York Times' Attack on Pope CNSNews.com Cardinal William Levada, the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, strongly refuted charges first reported in the New York Times that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict XVI – declined to punish a priest accused of abusing as many as 200 deaf boys from the 1950’s to 1970’s. Levada, who succeeded Ratzinger when the latter was elected Pope in 2005, called the Times’ reporting on the issue, and an accompanying editorial, “deficient by any reasonable standards of fairness.” Speaking of jihads - the RC Church is certainly having to answer for the actions of this abusive priest, but the attack by the NYT clearly is not bothered by mere things like "facts" when finding new and better ways to attack to Vatican. Two wrongs don't make a right. TUESDAY First Citizen Obama to discuss needs of black community Washington Post President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community. What on earth can an Irish-Kenyan (Arabic) Chicago machine politician possibly understand about the needs of the black community? No, he simply wants to use them as more fodder for his effort to get more government power and justify more taxes on the productive people of the nation, including a majority of black families who cannot be allowed to succeed on their own. Republican national leadership Top aide to Steele resigns post amid RNC spending controversy Washington Post The Republican National Committee's chief of staff resigned under pressure Monday, which Chairman Michael S. Steele described as an effort to reassure wavering donors in the wake of a controversy over its most recent expense accounting. The GOP is beginning to crack up - most tea party supporters have as much to find fault with in the GOP, especially at the national level, as they do with the Democratic Party, and Steele's arrogance and contempt for most people and for normal, moral behavior is as bad as that of a whole host of GOP personalities. First Citizen and National Defense New nuclear policy takes middle course Washington Post A year after his groundbreaking pledge to move toward a "world without nuclear weapons," President Obama on Tuesday will unveil a policy that constrains the weapons' role but appears more cautious than what many supporters had hoped, with the president opting for a middle course in many key areas. "Middle course" only if you are a Tranzi, like the WaPo. Of course, since many "supporters" would view (and do!) anything less than total unilateral disarmament (and I don't mean just nukes) as "more cautious" than they want, this should be no surprise. And given that any restrictions by the FedGov on its use of nukes is likely to be eyewash and totally hypocritical if push comes to shove, the entire exercise is more Tranzi posturing and smoke and mirrors. The worst thing is that a lot of foreigners will mistake this for the real thing, and push the wrong buttons - much as North Korea and the Soviets did in 1950, or the Imperial Cabinet did in 1941. Stupid government tricks and National Defense An intelligence insider spells out DNI's problems Washington Post Five years after the formation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a senior insider who's been there from the start has described as "flawed" the idea that "the DNI and his new office . . . could drive intelligence reform." Rack up another failure for the last administration - and even more, for Congress. Congress in Action Congressman seeks raises for multilingual federal workers Washington Post If you're a federal employee who is fluent in more than one language, one member of Congress wants Uncle Sam to put his money where your mouth is. As if the average federal worker wasn't already making a WHOLE lot more than the average private sector or state or local government worker? This is such a stupid idea that it seems intended to anger people. Mama's Note: Of course, it would be nice if they all were fluent in American English first. First Citizen Limbaugh responds to President NEWSMAX On Friday, the nation's top-rated radio host hit back at Obama, saying the president isn’t telling the truth and doesn't have the support of the American people. The controversy started Thursday, when Obama used an interview with CBS' Harry Smith to level a broadside at Limbaugh and Fox News host Glenn Beck. ... Polling data suggests that Rush may be right, as Obama's approval ratings sink. Obama’s approval rating fell to 44 percent in the latest CBS News Poll, the lowest level of his tenure in office. That compares to 49 percent in late March, just before the healthcare reform bill became law. His approval rating was 50 percent in January and 68 percent last April. While
I should probably declare a pox on both their houses, Limbaugh and his
ilk is preferable (and a LOT more truthful) than the First Citizen and
his administration. My family and I are certainly NOT part of the "vast
majority" of Americans that the First Citizen claims support him - nor
do we know many who do (some, yes, perhaps 25% or so but that's it). IRS Launches New Global Program to Target ‘High Wealth Individuals' CNSNews.com The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new global program, hiring agents and specialists to examine what it calls “high wealth individuals and their related enterprises," IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said Monday. Nice of them to warn those people, eh? Part of our growing American imperialism, the FedGov intends to grab every dime it can - because it NEEDS to, with great desperation. Stupid government tricks - Home front And
more names beyond that, as well, as the week and research
progressed.
Of course, the current Justice Department (like the current
Congressional leadership) has a far different definition of "terrorist"
than the dictionary definition: you and I (you for reading this column
and me for writing it) are terrorists in their eyes. Stupid
government tricks - Theft by government More
intrusion, more control, more power, more ways to threaten, cajole, or
coerce people. Sounds like a win-wind: the GOP ought to love it as much
as the Dems loved the USA PATRIOT Act. The
difference between defensive and aggressive war has been argued by
christians and libertarians for centuries, and there are still many
questions - I suspect that the Islamic disputants cannot properly
address this because they do not have a solid moral foundation on which
to base their arguments - only the blood soaked pages of the
Quran. The
one advantage that so-called Islamic morality has over Bible-based
morality is that Islamic rulers and other thugs are more likely to
abide by the Quran's injunctions (which justify honor killings, mass
punishment/executions, and excessive corporal punishment) than Western
("christian") rulers are to obey the injunctions and follow the
principles of Jesus of Nazareth. Islamic
war - Persian front He
cannot see - due to what is behind his eyeballs and not a defect of the
mechanics of vision - that the UN is worse than useless. Most
members
of the UN actually support Iran's stand and actions, and what is done
is just eyewash to keep the dollars flowing from the West. Islamic War - Mesopotamian front Bombings kill at least 35 in Shiite areas of Baghdad Washington Post BAGHDAD -- A series of at least seven bombings ripped through mostly poor Shiite Muslim neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital Tuesday, killing at least 35 people and wounding at least 140, security officials said. My, my, the MSM front pages suddenly discover there is still a war going on in Mesopotamia - even if US and Western troops are not so deeply involved. Notice that it is Muslims killing Muslims here - not killing the evil ferengi occupiers nor the Quislings nor the Zionist Jews. First Citizen - National defense New nuclear policy shows limits Washington Post In a landmark speech in Prague last year, President Obama pledged to "put an end to Cold War thinking" and move toward a world without nuclear weapons. This week, that soaring vision came down to Earth, with the issuance of a new policy reflecting the limits the president faces. "There will be pie in the sky by and by." NO ONE has ever successfully put a genie back in the bottle when it comes to weapons: from the phalanx to the stirrup to gunpowder to mines to poison gas to nukes. Prohibition does not and cannot work without changing human nature, and partial or unilateral disarmament is a shortcut to extinction. Is that why this administration is pursuing it so vigorously? Stupid government tricks - Stupid people tricks Mine cited for litany of safety violations Washington Post The West Virginia mine where at least 25 workers died Monday in an explosion was written up more than 50 times last month for safety violations. Twelve of the citations involved problems with ventilating the mine and preventing a buildup of deadly methane. Thanks to "Ed" for this comment: Without actually seeing and studying this list of "safety violations" there is no way to tell whether or not they have any bearing whatsoever on the situation, the explosion, and the deaths. Having worked around MSHA for close to 20 years now, I have learned that there is often little, if any, connection between an MSHA violation and a real safety problem - but LOTS of connection between a violation and paperwork problems and attitude. It has been this way regardless of what party was in power - but I suspect that Congress is going to (and already is) use this as an excuse to give more power to inspectors and other bureaucrats who know what a paperwork problem is, what a union problem is, and that the villains are preselected, but doesn't know enough about mining, machinery, and basic science to tell whether there is a real SAFETY problem or not. Republican national leadership Steele tries to reassure RNC members Washington Post As the Republican National Committee announced that it had recorded its best March fundraising ever in a midterm election year, Chairman Michael S. Steele moved to solidify his control of the party Tuesday, calling rank-and-file members to reassure them that the RNC is on stable footing. This is just more evidence that the Republican Party views our current crisis as just an opportunity to fill their coffers and continue business as usual. Does anyone really expect a "victorious" GOP in January to do ANYTHING to overturn ANYTHING that the Triumvirate has done - especially the Abominable Act (ObamaCare)? Islamic war (Afghan front) - First Citizen White House hints it might cancel Karzai meeting Washington Post The White House offered fresh signals of its displeasure with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday, hinting that it might cancel his Washington meeting with President Obama next month. I suppose that the First Citizen's advisers think that they can "punish" Karzai by treating him like they did the Israeli PM - but he might view it more as a reward for standing up to the White House. Stupid government tricks - Culture wars Australia: Police ban "distressing" crucifixion Ananova [UK] "Police in Australia shut down a Crucifixion re-enactment outside a shopping centre after it caused 'public distress.' The Heaven On Earth Church group set up the Easter re-enactment, featuring a half-naked bloodied Jesus on a large wooden cross, in Geelong. But residents complained to police, saying the sight of a man covered in blood was 'absolutely disgusting' and had upset young children. .... 'My son was worried they were really hurting (Jesus) because he was covered in blood and moaning and calling out 'why, why?", she told the Australian newspaper. Police used laws forbidding obscene, threatening or indecent language or behaviour in public to shut down the display." (04/06/10) Not bad - what an argument to keep religious expression out of the public eye. Of course, mainstream "christians" are themselves to blame - for decades they have been promoting the cute little Baby Jesus and refusing to understand either the role or the suffering of the Messiah. Our right to defend ourselves Kansas: Bill would allow guns in less-secure places Wichita Eagle "Residents authorized to carry a concealed handgun should be able to defend themselves if the government can't guarantee their safety, gun proponents say. That's the idea behind a bill that would allow people with concealed-carry permits to take their firearms into state or municipal buildings that don't have 'adequate security measures' such as metal detectors and trained guards. That means places like the Capitol, Intrust Bank Arena and college campuses. 'If they are going to strip me of my right (to carry a firearm) then they need to take responsibility for my safety,' said Patricia Stoneking, president of the Kansas State Rifle Association." (04/05/10) Neat argument! Mama's Note: Not nearly good enough. I am the only one responsible for my life and safety. "Guards" and metal detectors can't guarantee safety, and nobody has as much incentive to preserve my life as I do. There are plenty of examples where they have failed miserably to protect anyone at all. Metal detectors can't sort out the evil in the minds of people - and can't detect a ceramic knife or a pair of lethal hands... Our right to defend ourselves Virginia: Students demonstrate for right to bear arms WHSV News "It's a silent protest for their rights, but to these students it's more about their protection. Kevin Garris, President of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus says, 'People that want to carry concealed weapons on campus are following the law.' Garris is trying to change James Madison University's administrative policy regarding carrying concealed weapons on campus. 'If you look particularly at JMU, a lot of people say guns and alcohol don't mix. I totally agree, but the alcohol and drinking and partying isn't taking place on campus. That takes place off campus where people can carry if they so choose,' says Garris." (04/06/10) In other words, even the officials at the school named for the Father of the Constitution, and a strong promoter of the Bill of Rights, resort to lies and twisted arguments in order to keep the students unable to defend themselves. Mama's Note: I keep wondering just when these people will stop supporting the homophobic "schools" and start to form their own. If we can homeschool for primary and secondary, it would seem we should be able to come up with colleges. Self defense isn't the only issue, by a long shot. Our right to defend ourselves Arizona: New law bans stricter gun regulation by cities East Valley Tribune "Arizona communities will no longer be permitted to have gun regulations stricter than state laws.Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday signed legislation which overrules any local ordinance which is more restrictive than those approved by the Legislature. And even in situations where the rules are the same, cities and counties could not have a penalty more severe than permitted by lawmakers. Most immediately the law, which takes effect later this summer, would overrule regulations that some cities have against people having handguns in city parks. Instead, that would leave only state laws which spell out how far from a building someone must be to fire a weapon." (04/05/10) And if the need to use a weapon takes place too close to a building...? Please understand, I think that this is a good thing - one role of state government IS to enforce constitutional rights against petty local tyrants. But this law still treats gun ownership and use as a "privilege" and NOT as a God-given right to be exercised with great caution and as much wisdom as possible, but still a RIGHT. Stupid government tricks - Nazgul NET GAINS INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY A federal court has unanimously made it clear the government has no business interfering with Internet providers' network management... Now if we could just expand this principle to the other 99.5% of American business and social and private life. Can anyone explain how THIS is wrong but it is RIGHT for the FedGov to tell me how much water I can use to flush my toilet, what kind of light bulbs I can use, and what kind of medicine I can take? Mama's Note: Not to mention how or IF I choose a doctor, pay my hired help, or save for my retirement, etc. First Citizen and Congress Obama White House Just As Reluctant as Bush White House to Share Intelligence With Congress, Says Former CIA Director CNSNews.com General Michael Hayden, CIA director under President George W. Bush, said when it comes to sharing intelligence with members of Congress, President Barack Obama has acted much like former President Bush. Both showed reluctance to pass sensitive information on to Congress.. Okay, I'll agree with some of the talk show hosts and agree that George Wallace's Law doesn't necessarily apply to the political parties themselves ALL the time, but it is obvious that in this (and a whole lot else) there isn't a dime worth of difference between the GWB Administration and the First Citizen's Regime. First Citizen's Ministers - The Abominable Act HHS Secretary Says State AGs Are Challenging Health Care Law to Further Their Political Careers CNSNews.com Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that most of the state attorneys-general who have filed lawsuits against the new law requiring every American to buy health insurance are doing so because they have aspirations for “higher office.” She said the Obama administration is "confident that the law is on solid constitutional ground." I am surprised she doesn't claim that they do that because they are Republicans and they want you to die when you get sick, like others in the Administration have claimed. Home front - Stupid government tricks D.C. Leader Calls on Illegal Immigrants to Fill Out Census for Taxpayer-Funded Resources CNSNews.com The executive director of a D.C. Latino community organization urged Hispanics, regardless of their immigration status, to participate in the 2010 Census because doing so will expand their access to $400 billion in government-funded “resources.” He made the remarks in Spanish last week at a rally urging minorities to be counted. My, this is too close to the truth to make the Administration happy that someone is stating so publicly like this man did. Of course, even Republicans are worried that failure to participate might cause them to lose seats in Congress. Mama's Note: Not to worry... Since that 400 billion is phony "Monopoly" money anyway, nobody is actually going to get any of it in the long run, regardless of the census. I suspect that all the poorest immigrants will actually be better off in many ways after the crash. No debt, and no fancy expectations. Stupid government tricks - Culture wars Obama Administration Won’t Say How it Will Pay for Federal Same-Sex Benefits CNSNews.com The Obama administration is not ready to tell Congress what cost-cutting measures it will make to pay for extending federal employee benefits to same-sex couples. The administration asserted that it could be paid for by cuts – or “offsets” in other areas of the budget. More payoffs to their core constituency, no doubt, to be paid for (like everything else) by either stealing or borrowing or printing - and of course, the latter two are just postponed versions of theft. Russian front Missile Defense Issue Remains A Sticking Point in U.S.-Russia Arms-Reduction Pact CNSNews.com Ahead of the signing of a landmark U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction pact in Prague Thursday, the long-running contention between the two nations over missile defense shows no sign of easing. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated Tuesday that the U.S. was “committed to pursuing” missile defense, but her Russian counterpart indicated that his country may end up withdrawing from the new strategic arms reduction treaty if it perceives any threat to Russia. Excuse me, but didn't Mrs. Clinton's boss say that the idea of a missile defense for Europe was dead? Did I miss something? South Asian front Indian Government Vows to Continue Offensive After Deadly Attack by Outlawed Communists CNSNews.com India’s four-decade battle against Maoist insurgents suffered one of its deadliest setbacks Tuesday, when 75 security personnel were killed in a forest ambush. Indian officials said a large contingent of extremists from the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) used firearms, landmines and improvised explosive devices in the attack. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the Maoist insurgency the number one threat to India’s internal security. You wonder why they just don't leave them alone back there in the jungle, and concentrate on protecting other people from these Communists? Mama's Note: Say, I've got an idea! Why not arm the people so they can protect themselves? All this time and India has STILL not reversed Britian's blackest colonial crime? Friday Stupid government tricks Sebelius: FDA Will Require Health Labels on Front of Food Packages CNSNews.com Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration is developing a new regulation that would require food manufacturers to display nutritional information on the front of packages. “Busy shoppers will be able to go into grocery stores and have some easy to understand information on the front of packages giving them quick data on what is a healthier choice,” said Sebelius at the U.S. Capitol. I can see absolutely NO reason for this except two: (1) "because we can" - to show every producer and packager of food that by gosh and by golly the FedGov IS IN CHARGE!!!! and (2) "because we need to prove how important we are." As more and more Americans get more and more angry with the FedGov, this is another attempt to persuade the 20-30% of us who are well below average in intelligence that the FedGov is our friend. Mama's Note: The old saw remains true... those who NEED the warning label are the least likely to read it. Did you ever read the nutritional label on a bottle of spring water. All zeros... of course! Congress in Action - Stupid Tricks Senate Poised to Vote on Democrat-Sponsored Bill Banning Chemical That the FDA Says Is Safe CNSNews.com The Senate is expected to vote next week on a bill that would ban the commonly used chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), despite repeated assertions from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the compound is safe. Some conservative groups say banning the chemical amounts to “fear mongering” and would be another regulatory overreach from the Obama administration. Is this another example of the same sort of mind-wipe that Sebelius is doing? To PROVE that the Senate has the power, and that we HAVE to have Government to keep us safe and in control? Or is this because someone involved with BPA ticked off a senator? Stupid people tricks - Culture wars Planned Parenthood Guide Tells HIV-Infected Youth to Enjoy Sex, Denounces Laws on Disclosure of HIV/AIDS to Sexual Partners CNSNews.com In a guide for young people published by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the organization says it opposes laws that make it a crime for people not to tell sexual partners they have HIV. The IPPF's “Healthy, Happy and Hot” guide also tells young people who have the virus that they have a right to “fun, happy and sexually fulfilling lives.” My mind boggles at this - what earthly reason do they have for opposing this? Are they so desperate for the shedding of blood for their sacrifices to whatever demons they worship that they have to make it EASIER for stupid people to die? Mama's Note: A "law" that requires someone to notify a partner of HIV status is of no more value than any other prohibition. It does not prevent any unhealthy or criminal behavior. People will not find safety in anything but personal responsibility. HIV is not the only danger from promiscuity. Congress in action - First Citizen Specter to Sestak: ‘Put Up or Shut Up’ On White House Job Offer CNSNews.com Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) again called on his rival Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) to provide more proof that the White House offered him a high-level administration job in exchange for him dropping his challenge in the Senate Democratic primary race. Sestak's claim of a job offer has become a major issue in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic primary. The White House, meanwhile, has yet to offer a clear-cut explanation. The tactic here seems obvious to me: as long as the WH doesn't say anything, Specter can make all the demands he wants. Sestak doesn't have to "prove" anything - he is not the one accused of a crime or corruption. National defense - Stupid government tricks If Security-Clearance Check Reveals Homosexuality, Info Can’t Be Used To Discharge Soldiers, Says Defense Dept CNSNews.com “Under the revised regulations, information about a service member's sexual orientation or conduct obtained in the course of a personnel security investigation will not be used for purposes of discharging a service member for homosexual conduct,” Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith told CNSNews.com. It's the law: US Statute is the law of the land and overrides ANY DoD directive, policy, or regulation. Congress has not YET changed this law, which dates back to 1993 and the Clinton Administration. Officers and civilian DoD workers have been sent to prison in the past for similar violations that Mr. Gates' and his subordinates are doing now: the First Citizen does not have any legal authority to override law! First Citizen's ministers - Insane government tricks Value Added Tax Not a Bad Idea, Says Top White House Economic Adviser CNSNews.com Paul Volcker, chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Obama, suggested this week that a value-added tax, which is like a national sales tax, may be needed to pay for the federal government’s entitlement spending and the federal deficit. Volcker is an idiot - he's demonstrated this time after time, and this is the latest proof. I am no fan of the Fair Tax (another national income tax scheme) but it is sane compared to this evil piece of garbage. A VAT exists for only one purpose: to rape the economy as quickly as possible, while allowing legislators and bureaucrats to micromanage the economy in the same way you micromanage a nursing infant's daily activities. How can I put this? CAUTION/RAW LANGUAGE. Okay, I'm a libertarian (anarcho-free-enterprise) and a christian. The excise tax on gasoline for highways is like having sex with someone other than your spouse. Property tax is like having sex with a LOT of people other than your spouse. Income tax is like raping someone (including your spouse). Sales taxes (today or fair tax) is like having sex with someone under-age. The VAT is like raping a 10 year old girl. Mama's Note: MY GOODNESS! :) And, in addition, at this rate there soon won't be anything left to tax! People quit producing when they don't get anything out of it for themselves. This is the bottom line that our politicians and bureaucrats just can't seem to grasp. You absolutely cannot get two quarts of milk out of a one quart container! And you can only get that one quart as long as you keep FEEDING and milking the cow. African collapse - First Citizen's ministers Obama Administration Urged Not to Legitimize Sudan’s Election CNSNews.com Amid opposition boycotts, vote-rigging concerns and calls for a postponement, the Obama administration is sending out mixed signals about Sudan’s election, which starts this weekend. Critics of the Khartoum regime have urged the administration not to legitimize the election, which President Omar al-Bashir, an indicted war crimes suspect, is expected to win. Why SHOULDN'T the Administration legitimize this election: they (he) supported that elected wannabe dictator in Honduras; it supports Hugo Chavez, an actual elected dictator; it supports the Castro brothers, who WEREN'T elected; it supports/supported that thug regime in Kazakhstan; why NOT support al-Bashir? It would be one of the few things that the administration is consistent on! Mama's Note: I'm still trying to figure out why the US government, or the "president" should have any official opinion on this sort of thing at all. How is it any of his business? Islamic war - Canaanite front Palestinian Authority and Fatah Continue Their Longtime Practice of ‘Glorifying’ Terrorists CNSNews.com Israel says the international community should condemn the naming of street in Palestinian Authority-controlled Ramallah after Hamas’ most notorious bomb-maker. “This is an outrageous glorification of terrorism by the Palestinian Authority,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement responding to the news that Mahmoud Abbas’ P.A. will build its future presidential compound on a Ramallah street named after Yihye Ayyash. Makes sense: why not rename the street in front of the synagogue in, say Denver, Haman Street? It makes your intent quite clear, doesn't it? Israeli intents are generally quite clear: "we're going to build new settlements here, no matter who owned the land." The Muslims either use subtle methods like this, or totally obvious statements like blowing people up or shooting rockets in their general direction (and blowing people up). Congress in action 'VERY VULGAR TO SERIOUS' Members of Congress facing escalation in number of threats Washington Post Anger over the health-care overhaul has led to a nearly threefold increase in recent months in the number of serious threats against members of Congress, federal law enforcement officials said. Excuse me, I need to go throw up. I've been playing close attention to this: there have been 42 threats recently, and apparently a full third of them come from one man - a San Franciscan with bi-polar disorder. Even the guy who threatened the GOP representative has mental illness, and these are far from the only ones. Many of the "threats" would be viewed by an impartial observer as nothing more than drunk ramblings or angry words with no evidence whatsoever that they have any intent or ability to try to follow up on their rants. I suspect that (1) the increase is illusionary, because a lot of this sort of thing just wasn't reported or pursued in the past, and (2) it is hype, intended to win over the unsure, confirm the fanatics, and excuse whatever raid by cops, FBI, BATFE, capitol police or whomever else is used to scare people into shutting up. Mama's Note: No surprise here... anything that is not abject adulation and capitulation to their "authority" is viewed as a "threat" by the god complex politicians and bureaucrats. Merely raising a finger to a cop can, and has, easily get you killed. No wonder these cretins are terrified by a few well thrown bricks. They should be... Stupid government tricks Despite Constellation cut, NASA leader says budget is more boon than bust Washington Post NASA wants to spend more than $12 billion over the next five years to develop a rocket engine capable of propelling astronauts into deep space and to fund cutting-edge space technologies, the agency's leader said Thursday. Obviously, NASA is more concerned about keeping jobs and budget than about really doing anything important or visionary. Private business can and will develop more and better propulsion systems: all NASA does is interfere with it. This will just fuel arguments that spending money on anything but near-earth space is a waste of money that can be used to provide welfare and campaign contributions. First Citizen - Stupid people tricks Obama will review mine safety rules in wake of W.Va. blast that killed 25 Washington Post President Obama said Thursday that he will meet next week with officials from the Labor Department and Mine Safety and Health Administration to get their assessment of Monday's blast at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia, where at least 25 miners were killed. First off, some accidents just CAN'T be prevented: more people died on the nation's highways this week than died in this mine. I don't know whether this was a preventable accident or not - most likely it WAS. But it is NOT like anything MSHA, Congress or the First Citizen can do anything that will keep people from having accidents or doing stupid things. Moreover, government has proved itself incapable of doing so. Claims that MSHA and OSHA have drastically reduced death and injury and illness rates in industry are at best dubious: insurance providers and underwriters and FREE unions and consumer concern have ALWAYS had a much greater impact on company policies, including safety and health policy. Indeed, the presence of incompetent government inspectors tends to create LESS concern for accident prevention, because they don't care about much except paperwork and strict adherence to their interpretation of their poorly-written regulations. Secondly, WHERE does it say that the First Citizen is responsible for solving EVERY problem, correcting EVERY stupid action, fixing EVERY broken what-ever? This is NOT his business - at most it is the state's concern; but when you get right down to it, it is the responsibility of the company and the employees. They once had a union at this mine (and every other Massey Energy operation) - the UMWA. But the UMWA betrayed the workers they supposedly represented 20+ years ago, and due to this and that, the workers never bothered to establish a REAL union that could represent them and fight for them. The current head of Massey Energy, Blankenship himself, is an "ex-"union man. But decades of government, of both parties, has let rhetoric and meaningless gestures, combined with measures that HURT matters more, like centralized unions and meaningless paperwork inspections, destroy or prevent the two groups most concerned, and most able, to resolve the problems that led to this accident, from doing anything or even having the power to do anything to resolve them. Stupid political party tricks Democratic Party in D.C. may see a whole lot of red Washington Post The District is one of the bluest jurisdictions in the nation -- Barack Obama garnered 92 percent of the city's vote in the 2008 presidential race -- but if the D.C. Democratic State Committee doesn't start raising money fast, it's going to go broke. When you live and work and solicit money from a third-world country like the District, you shouldn't be surprised when money dries up: look at Haiti and Liberia and Sudan for examples. Islamic war - Home front? Obama regime approves murder of American [sic] cleric MSNBC "The Obama administration has taken the extraordinary step of authorizing the targeted killing of an American citizen, the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have shifted from encouraging attacks on the United States to directly participating in them, intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Tuesday. Mr. Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico and spent years in the United States as an imam, is in hiding in Yemen." (04/07/10) To call al-Awlaki an "American cleric" is both untruthful and ridiculous. His birthplace is beside the point - you aren't a horse because you are born in a horse barn. His Yemeni parents (or at least his father) were attending school in Las Cruces when he was born, and returned to Yemen when he was seven, but he was obviously raised as a Yemeni Muslim, whereever his parents happened to live. He himself attended Colorado State University on a foreign student visa - he had clearly given UP any claim to American citizenship. And his tuition was paid by the Yemeni government. He had direct and personal ties with multiple Bloody Tuesday (9-11) murderers and the traitorous and murderous Maj. Hasan of Fort Hood: during his lengthy stays in the US (either on a student visa or again "reclaiming" his "American citizenship" he has essentially acted as a spy and recruiter of killers: he has been associated with dozens of successful and attempted killings and bombings and other plots, he has repeatedly called for the destruction of the US. He supports jihad - physical killing of the enemies of Allah and Islam: see a summary of one of his books on a Arabic website (in English) at ibnabdullah.blogspot.com/2009/05/44-ways-to-supoort-jihad.html. If you really believe that the US did Bloody Tuesday, the Fort Hood killings, and such stunts as the underwear bomber as false-flag attacks on ourselves, then al-Awlaki is a key US government agent provocateur and clearly connected with these events, but otherwise, he is a key lieutenant of Osama bin Laden. Either way, he is an enemy of liberty and freedom, and the blood of many innocents is on his hands. He deserves no sympathy from us. Mama's Note: No sympathy, by any means, but due process absolutely. Obama has no more right to order the assassination of this man than he does to order anyone else killed. If this man is a true threat to the US, he needs to be extradited and tried in a court of law. Without due process, this would be murder by any rational definition. Saturday Fall of Europe - Stupid government tricks: BAILOUT Greece offered 30billion Euro loan BBC News Leaders of the 16 eurozone nations have agreed to fund up to 30bn euros (£26bn) in emergency loans for debt-hit Greece, if the country wants the cash. The price of the loans will be fixed using IMF formulas, and be about 5%. Apparently Germany has
decided to make one more effort to salvage Greece; this new loan
increases the debt that Greece has by 10% to more than 330 billion
euros (about $440 billion). Greece only has about 11 million
people
1/25 of the US population: by contrast the US debt is about $12
TRILLION (and going up), about 30 times that of Greece. In other
words, the US debt burden is actually far WORSE per person than that of
Greece. Greece is probably not going to survive this: the bailout
will
just delay the inevitable. So where does that leave the United
States? We have no EU to bail us out! Fall of Europe - Poland's tragedy My deepest sympathies
go their families, colleagues, subordinates, and all of Poland.
The
Polish leaders were visiting Russia to attend a memorial for the 70th
anniversary of the Katyn Forest Massacre in which Soviets murdered
thousand of Polish soldiers, mostly officers. Poland's fight for
freedom and liberty has been much longer, and much harder, than that of
the United States, and Polish-American ties are very strong and go back
all the way to Savannah, Georgia in 1776. For an excellent
commentary,
visit W. Thomas Smith Jr.'s commentary "Poland will survive this day".
Yes, Poland will survive,
because a government is NOT a nation or a people, as Poland has
demonstrated for many centuries when they had no government of their
own, and were even hunted down like animals in their own land.
The
real tragedy here may be to all of Europe: Poland and the other
countries freed from Soviet Russian tyranny less than two decades ago
seem to have a spark of faith and liberty that virtually all of western
Europe has lost, and were the core of a resistance to both Tranzi and
Islamic tyranny. This loss of leadership will give the rest of
Europe
an excuse to ignore them even more. 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 Declaration of Independence By Robert Greenslade To Read previous Commentaries, go to the archives page and click onto the link for the week. The commentaries are linked from the weekly front pages. Please note: Information about readers is never given or sold to anyone for any purpose. Remember, however, that many people can read and recover anything posted to web sites or email unless it is carefully encrypted. Please take personal responsibility for what you post anywhere. MamaLiberty) |
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