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Libertarian
Commentary on The News
Posted January 16, 2012By Nathan A. Barton © 2012 Monday is “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day” - the most recent of made-up holidays, honoring a man whose myths came into existence when he was alive and exploded after he was killed. Although you can take many of his words out of context and make them into quotes supporting liberty, freedom, and justice, his entire life, his writings and his speeches paint a much different story. There is much to be said for the idea that many of his writings were disinformation, intended to sucker people - both his allies and his enemies - and that he was, however much a man of faith he really was, at heart a communist or socialist, dedicated to some of the same things that Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were. So do not expect me to wish anyone a pleasant MLKJr Day or participate in any of the rites offered in our land to the demigods we create, not so much different at times from those done in Roman times for the deified Julius and Augustus. For some additional information about King from several points of view, visit: here, here, and here . I cannot attest to the accuracy of these but the general information matches what I knew personally about him, from the 1960s, what I have read of his writings, and those of his followers I met. World wars - Energy U.S. Oil Dependency and the Middle East (Independent Institute) Dependence on overseas oil has decreased from 60 percent of U.S. consumption in 2005 to a little less than half now... Now, what caused it? Certainly was not the big bloated science-bureaucracy of the Department of Energy. Nor was it Congress that can be praised: they’d done nothing but create problems for stateside production. Theft by government White House calls for modest 0.5% pay raise for federal civilian workers (Washington Post) After a two-year freeze in federal workers’ salaries, President Obama will propose a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian employees as part of his 2013 budget, senior administration officials said Friday. The plan is likely to become part of an election-year confrontation between the White House and Congress over government spending. Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates have called for freezing basic pay rates for at least one more year, with some pitching it as a way to pay for extending the payroll tax cut. Call it adding insult to injury: Not only do government workers get paid a WHOLE lot more than private sector workers today (those greedy private companies!!!!), but except for a very few well-publicized layoffs (RIFs or reductions-in-force), most government workers have had very little to worry about as far as their jobs. BUT - consider this as the First Citizen’s version of donatives made by the Emperor to the Pratorians to keep their throne. Monday, January 09, 2012 Home front Training excercise startles locals (Daily Commercial) But it was only Federal Protective Service officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who were conducting a random training operation early Tuesday morning when they surprisingly showed up at the Social Security Administration office in downtown Leesburg. With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building. The original news story played it down; PrisonPlanet.com gave its usual hyper-hysterical slant to it, and now it is bouncing around the ‘net. FPS was one of the many agencies transferred to DHS by the Bush Administration a decade ago; it used to be part of the General Services Administration (which leases offices for government agencies, buys toilet paper, and does fuel contracts, among other things). At that time, it was a federal employee version of rent-a-cops (security guards). Since then FPS has (like many other federal agencies) become more militarized and heavily up-armed and up-armored. But to me, this is a whole different (and lower) level than TSA Viper teams running checkpoints in bus stations and commuter railroad stations. Home front Florida girl beaten on school bus (Ocala.com) Seven juveniles — five girls and two boys ranging in ages 12 through 15 — beat a 13-year-old girl so badly she was left unconscious and had to be taken to a hospital Friday morning while on the school bus on their way to school, according to Sheriff’s Office reports. I’ve talked before about being armed on school buses, but this is more about NOT sending your children to these places and NOT putting them in the buses to begin with. Culture wars - Politics 2012 Gingrich Defends Marriage As 'Core' of Civilization, Says Bigotry Question 'Goes Both Ways' (CNSNews.com) So I guess he blames himself for the decline of Western Civilization, since he has demonstrated such concern and honored marriage so much in HIS personal life? Culture wars - Politics 2012 Gingrich Chides Romney for His ‘Pious Baloney’ (CNSNews.com) You mean, like Gingrich’s hypocritical baloney about caring about freedom and liberty? First Citizen’s minions Secretaries of Education and Labor Met With Illegal Aliens at Ed. Dept. HQ (CNSNews.com) Obviously, DHS goons don’t bother to protect this building, do they? First Citizen’s minions Interior Secretary Imposes 20-Year Ban on Uranium Mining on Public Lands (CNSNews.com) Fortunately, this is limited to a small area near the Grand Canyon, and supposedly recognizes the existance of mining claims - rather than an ex-post-defacto sort of business. But it still means that using a bunch of dubious (if not outright bogus) engineering and scientific “facts” and claims, and with a healthy topping of hyperbolic hysteria, the FedGov has again decided that we can’t produce our own power with our own fuels, and given another victory to this pitiful simulcrum of a western rancher and his Tranzi boss, the First Citizen. Mama's Note: The silver lining to this cloud is the fact that the minerals and energy will still be there when the "First Citizen" and all of his buddies are gone. The land isn't going anywhere. Congress in action - Theft by government Rep. Allen West: House and Senate GOP Leaders ‘Sold us Down the Road’ on Payroll Tax Cut (CNSNews.com) Just as the GOP has sold liberty and freedom down the road since about 1860. People like LTC West do not understand that belonging to the GOP may let them get elected to Congress, but the moral compromises belonging to the GOP requires are huge and seem to be irreversible. Home front - EPA Thuggery (2 stories) Idaho Couple Challenges Power of EPA to Say They Can't Build Home on Their Own Land Idaho Case to Challenge Unfettered Power of EPA Over Wetlands (CNSNews.com) The arrogant EPA claimed that this couple could not even file a court appeal. At the same time, I am not holding my breath that the Nazgul will reduce the tyrannical power of this evil agency. Islamic war: Persian front Iran Sentences American 'Spy' to Death As U.S. Announces New Sanctions (CNSNews.com) A Marine, born in the US to Iranian parents and visiting his grandparents; pretty poor choice for a spy - if you believe Tehran (and I don’t). And even if you believe the CIA is a pack of amateur dingo-dogs. Home front DOJ Redefines Rape to Include ‘Any Gender,’ Any Penetration (CNSNews.com) As I first pointed out when publishing this (several months ago, well ahead of the mainstream media, I add), this means that your friendly neighborhood TSA thugs are now in the role of friendly airport rapist - if you can find a judge and jury with enough guts. This of course has NOT been pointed out by the MSM - which is fixated on the idea of women raping men, apparently. Of course, this has only minimum impact, since virtually ALL rape is a matter of state enforcement and not federal enforcement. States must enact changes to their own laws to accept this definition by the thugocracy that presently operates the Department of “Justice.” Politics 2012 Iowa GOP Mistakenly Awards Extra 20 Votes to Romney (CNSNews.com) But apparently, the State party doesn’t want to change the published total. What a way to win young voters to your party! Stupid government Vast Web of Federal Regulation Causing Drug Shortages (INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY) The number of drug shortages rose to 267 in 2011 from 211 in 2010; as recently as 2004, just 58 drugs were in short supply... This is just the tip of the iceberg – the economy, government regulations, and the increasing fragility of society mean that many more drugs are going to be in short supply or just not available. Those which are really needed should be produced locally (which is, of course, generally illegal). Mama's Note: As I have said before, even if this "shortage" is real (and I don't entirely believe it), that's not really a bad thing at all. People will be driven to find alternatives and, quite possibly, produce their own ("illegal" or not). Most of the drugs currently available via allopathic medicine are questionable as to effectiveness, vastly over prescribed (and misprescribed), and cause immeasurable death and illness all by themselves. The fewer available, generally speaking, the better. Theft by government Who Should Pay for Highways? (INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE ) The latest proposed allocations for highway funds from both the House and the Senate far exceed revenues provided by the fuel tax... Users should pay for highways – that was even (to some degree, at least) recognized by the FedGov and state governments for decades, until the stinking politicians could not resist stealing the fuel taxes for other projects and purposes, like “public art” and “public transportation” – to say nothing of state parks, welfare, and their own retirement funds. World wars - Energy A Shale Gas Revolution? (MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY) Shale gas input could reduce electricity price growth by 5 percent in 2030 and 10 percent in 2045, compared to a scenario without shale gas... In other words, without inflation and the damaging effects of government regulations and damage to the market, electricity would be getting CHEAPER. Stupid people tricks Obesity Linked to Lower Paychecks (YAHOO! NEWS/GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY) In 2010, the average annual cost of being obese was $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man, including both indirect and direct costs... The wealth of America – even in this depression – is a total change from millennia of world history; we must understand that to be poor in America is totally unlike the rest of the world. This study shows that not only are the poor in America too fat, but apparently, being too fat makes you poorer! Mama's Note: Yeah, right. Statistics might never lie, but liars love statistics. I've never seen any industry that requires employees to weigh in when they punch a time clock. I've always been heavy, but I earned top dollar as a nurse... as did my colleagues of all sizes. Costs are another thing, of course. If people need (and seek) extra medical care due to serious obesity, that can be significant. But, for the most part, this is just another scare tactic. Our masters want us to conform AND to be frightened of everything, including our own bodies. Crash of 2009 – Government lies Tracking the Unreported Unemployed (REAL CLEAR MARKETS) Currently more than 5.7 million Americans have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks, or an astounding 43 percent of all unemployed... These are numbers that are clearly a DEPRESSION and NOT some sort of weak recovery. And the more governments try to hide it, the more governments try to “fix” it through quack medical techniques, the more it will continue. Mama's Note: Wait a minute... That means MOST American adults ARE employed. Out of 300 some odd million people, how many are children? How many are retired or elderly/disabled? How many are self employed or no longer looking for work and not being counted? Before WWII, most women never held a paying job at all. Since women are half of the population, that means the actual "unemployed" number was much, much higher then. Seems there's a lot more to this than the number of those unemployed for more than 27 weeks, whatever that's got to do with it. Stupid government - Theft by government In Virginia: Another Highway Robbery (Washington Post via The Agitator) VICTOR RAMOS GUZMAN and his brother-in-law noticed a Virginia state trooper pull up beside them as they traveled on Interstate 95 near Emporia, Va., in November. “A police car drove by in parallel, looked at our faces and on no more than that decided to stop us,” Mr. Guzman said in a sworn affidavit. Virginia State Police say the men were speeding, driving 86 mph in a 70 mph zone and “following too closely.” But the trooper did not issue a ticket that morning despite the allegedly excessive speed nor did he charge the men with any civil or criminal violations. He did, however, seize $28,500 in cash. In a statement, Virginia State Police say that the “male driver” gave the trooper consent to search the car, but the driver — the brother-in-law — does not speak English. The police also claim the men were acting suspiciously because both “disclaimed ownership of the money” and provided “inconsistent and contradictory statements” about the money. Here we see a more and more frequent event: a state agency which is able to conspire with other state agencies and federal agencies to take advantage of people that they see as "natural victims." The Post and Agitator are right to call this what it is, "highway robbery. State tyranny - Stupid government New Illinois law requires photo ID to buy drain cleaner (CBS) A new state law requires those who buy industrial drain cleaners and other caustic substances to provide photo identification and sign a log. The law, which took effect Sunday, requires those who seek to buy caustic or noxious substances, except for batteries, to provide government-issued photo identification that shows their name and date of birth. The cashier then must log the name and address, the date and time of the purchase, the type of product, the brand and even the net weight. Schroeder said that when he called his local legislator, the legislator claimed not to know about the new law. Neither, he said, did other retailers in the area. He said he and other store personnel had to call to a number of stores before they could get details. Non-compliance results in fines: $150 for the first offense, $500 for the second and up to $1,500 for the third and subsequent violations. Schroeder estimated that there are “easily” 30 or more products in the store that must be reported when sold. This year seems to bring out a LOT of these “little” infringements of personal liberty and privacy: at least one chain in the UK is refusing to sell TABLESPOONS to anyone under 18 “because someone killed someone with a spoon,” a grandmother in Florida was arrested for the hideous crime of buying more than one bottle of decongestant in a one-week period, and many other stories. Mama's Note: Illinois might be a fairly nice place to have come from, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there. Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Politics 2012 Democrats Pounce on Romney's Comment About Firing People (CNSnews.com) Let them - for once he said something in support of free markets: WE who use the services, who buy the goods, CAN (or should be allowed to) hire and fire the people that we buy things from - even labor. Congress in action - Abominable Act 27 Congressmen to Court: If Individual Mandate's Unconstitutional, Strike Down All Obamacare (CNSnews.com) Good - this is what the GOP should have been working towards ever since it passed. I have stated time and again that the GOP in Congress should have introduced bills MONTHLY to repeal it - and to repeal ALL federal medical regulations. Now, is this too little, too late? Probably. Minions of the First Citizen Interior Secretary Stresses Job Creation From Tourism -- As He Bans New Uranium Mining Out West (CNSnews.com) Having grown up and lived in places in which tourism is an important part of the economy, I realize how stupid this is. The thing is, Salazar knows that, too. He was born, raised and made a living (for a while) in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado: an area where the benefits and liabilities of tourism have been experienced for at least 50 years. It does NOT replace farming, ranching, minerals extraction, timber, and manufacturing of things that people NEED as a basis for ANY economy - not even Tahiti or Kauai. Theft by government - Crash of 2009 U.S. Health Care Spending Grew in 2010 to Average of $8,402 per Person (CNSnews.com) This is quite interesting, together with the news that 5% of all medical patients account for 25% of all medical costs. Imagine the joy of the First Citizen and Congress when a reasonably simple algorithm can be used on all the wonderful computerized medical records to make up the manifest for the next trainload of one-way tourists to Camp Healthy Pearly Gates - unless the congressman happens to be the next Teddy Kennedy (who took up 1-2% of health care costs that year all by himself!). By the way, do you notice that despite the Crash of 2009, spending INCREASED! Mama's Note: Good grief! Somebody owes me $8388. I spent exactly $14. on some iodine supplement - my entire "health care" cost for the year. Culture wars: homosexual “marriage” Radio Host: Christians Must Speak Out Against Re-definition of Marriage 'Before it is Too Late' (CNSnews.com) It IS too late - and has been for a decade. And in reality, it was too many “christians” that set the stage for this back in the early 1900s by allowing government to have ANYthing to do with marriage. That, in turn, was the result of some “christians” working together with bigots (in the North and not just the South) that did not want people of different races to marry: a sick attitude which has baffled parts of my family for five or six generations, if not more. ACTIONS have CONSEQUENCES - even though it may take decades or even centuries to see the results. The only solution is to end any control of government over marriage (or any other contractual agreement)! Politics 2012 Santorum, ‘The Real Conservative,’ Urges N.H Voters to ‘Pull Off A Huge Surprise’ (CNSnews.com) He got his teeth kicked in. No real surprise, except maybe that Ron Paul was far ahead of everyone else, including Huntsman, who had bet everything on NH. Politics 2012 Ron Paul Says Individual Liberty Under Threat at Home (CNSnews.com) When the MSM and the right-wing press start repeating Dr. Paul’s words, it is a very good sign. But even Dr. Paul does not accurately state the truth: individual liberty has been stolen almost completely from the masses by a combination of governments, the legal industry, and greedy and corrupt people from all walks of life. Europe’s fall - Culture wars Pedophilia Added to Greece’s Recognized Disability List (CNSnews.com) Yes, these people are sick - but a “disability?” Please. Of course, there are several jurisdictions in the US that take this same position. Our right of self-defense - Islamic wars Turkey: More than 3,000 abused women apply for shooting lessons (Today’s Zamen (Turkey)) Of all the countries in the Ummah, Turkey overall seems to be the one which has the most liberty, the most freedom - constricted though that is. Yet, women are all too often treated worse than dogs, and so these appeals. And of course, compared even to our own currrent degraded liberties, Turkey is a tyrannical state. Imagine what the other millions of Muslims, from Morocco to Indonesia, live with. Mama's Note: Certainly not perfect... but amazing all the same. A true "step in the right direction." Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Theft by government - Congress in action Spending Bills Passed by GOP House Increased Debt $1T in 10 Months (CNSnews.com) Once more proving that the GOP, when the dollar bills hit the fan, is no more run by lovers of liberty than the Demos are - and no more disciplined fiscally. They are just speeding up the inevitable crash of the FedGov. Politics 2012 Romney Surrogate: Media Should Limit the Number of Republicans Allowed to Debate (CNSnews.com) Actually, his campaign chairman is apparently willing to trust the Mainstream Media more than the registered Republican voters to decide who should be nominated - or given a chance to BE nominated. I’ve seen this power exercised immorally by the media (and “public service groups” like the Tranzi-allied League of Women Voters) and it is not pleasant, and does prevent a lot of good people from running for office. Politics 2012 Huntsman Rises to 3rd Place in NH Buoyed by Democrats, Tea Party Opponents, Voters Satisfied With Obama (CNSnews.com) Sick reasons? Or bogus excuses? It makes you realize just what a joke this vote was - even withOUT James O’Keefe’s video showing poll-workers handing out ballots to a variety of people giving the names and addresses of dead people. Shades of Chicago!!! Also note that Santorum DOES appear to have followed Gingrich as the “flavor of the week.” It appears more and more Romney and maybe Paul to the end. Politics 2011 Romney Claims 'Uphill Climb' in S.C., Despite Polls Showing He Leads (CNSnews.com) Based on the lackluster results in NH, this isn’t too much of a spin. But notice again that Paul is being understated or ignored. As the next story reports, there is some generational impact - and in SC, Perry and Gingrich and Paul are all pretty much on home (Southron) turf! I expect Paul to do pretty well, Romney to win (but not by very much), and Gingrich and Perry to do better than they have. And I expect the media to all crow even MORE about “Romney’s inevitability.” Politics 2012 NH Exit Polls: Ron Paul Most Popular Among Young Voters – 47% (CNSnews.com) This matches what was reported in Iowa, where Paul was 3rd. I shan’t be surprised if this trend continues in South Carolina and elsewhere. Politics 2012 Dem Spin: Romney Won Big in NH, But 'Fell Far Short of Meeting Expectations' (CNSnews.com) This isn’t just Democratic spin - if Romney doesn’t take it seriously, he may crash and burn just as he did in 2008. Remember, he was NOT an unknown quantity in NH this year, like Huntsman or Perry. If he were really the Great White Hope, he would have had more votes. Theft by government - First Citizen $467,175 Spent on Obama’s Failed Two-Week Bid To Bring 2016 Olympics to Chicago, Reports Judicial Watch (CNSnews.com) Seems to me that Chicago should pay for this. I’d suggest a “voluntary payroll deduction” for all Chicago elected and appointed officials, spread out over a reasonable period of time - several months, at least. Mama's Note: they could probably pay for it easily if they all gave up their cocaine for a day. No? They should take the pay cut too, of course. How about all zeros? Nice round number. Politics 2012 - Culture wars Gingrich Slams 'Crony Capitalism' in S.C., Says He'll Fight 'Anti-Christian Bigotry' (CNSnews.com) Like those companies that get millions of taxpayer dollars for “advising” federally-owned enterprises like Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac? Like companies that donate millions to Barney Frank and Chris Dodd and all the other bought-and-paid for members of Congress? And is the anti-christian bigotry he is fighting going to include that part of the christian community that believes in one-man, one-woman marriage for life and that mates should be faithful to each other? Somehow, I don’t think so. Theft by government - Free enterprise Romney: Compare $5 Million We Put in Staples to $530 Million Obama Put in Solyndra (CNSnews.com) Yes, he made an excellent point here: a private investment is always MUCH better than for government to get involved. The PRINCIPLE is wrong. Private business should not be subsidized by government - welfare is wrong whether it is to an individual family or person, or a corporate entity. Theft is theft. Private business investing in another business or a particular venture, taking risks in hope of profits, is the way free markets are supposed to work. First Citizen - EPA tyranny Obama to EPA: We'll 'Prevent Thousands of Premature Deaths,' Heart Attacks, and Childhood Asthma (CNSnews.com) IF the First Citizen were really serious about this, he would do something about one of the MAJOR causes of death in this country and the world - a bitty thing called the FedGov and its theft of money from millions of people and businesses. First Citizen’s minions - Islamic wars Hillary Clinton Offers 'World Class' Education in the U.S. to Women from Muslim Countries (CNSnews.com) I have no problem with Muslim women coming to the US to learn - as hundreds of thousands of Muslim MALES have done for a half-century. But I don’t see why TAXPAYER money should be stolen to do this - let private charities (AAUW comes to mind) donate money for this. And let them compete, as did their brothers, for being students of schools. Of course, I suspect that Clinton’s definition of “world class” is a lot looser than mine. But one thing that I KNOW that is not in her definition is what the women in Turkey are doing: demanding the freedom to learn how to use weapons for self-defense. (Just imagine if any of those Muslim women students who come to the USA for college ALSO are taught by their fellow female students on US campuses about the empowerment and liberty and protection offered by owning and carrying and knowing how to use firearms!!!) Mama's Note: Funny thing... once empowered as individuals, those ladies might well decide they didn't want to go back... State tyranny North Carolina First State to Offer Compensation to Victims of Forced Sterilization (CNSnews.com) A reminder that we have had problems with government for a LONG time - tyranny is tyranny. In the case of North Carolina, the tyranny was particularly disgusting - a total theft of human rights done on the decision of a single political appointee who just happened to be the father of a major media personality (Charles Kuralt). For the “crime” of being a bit more stupid than the normal inhabitant of North Carolina, apparently. Mama's Note: Any person who actually ordered or participated in such things should, of course, be held personally responsible and pay whatever restitution is possible to any person who was an actual victim of such barbaric crime. The general taxpayers of NC did not commit this crime, and so should not be robbed to pay for it. Politics 2012 ACLU of Virginia Files Brief in Support of Perry's Lawsuit to get on GOP Ballot in VA (CNSnews.com) Are we surprised? If it had been Dr. Paul that missed the deadline, do you really believe that the ACLU would be doing this? What does this tell us about the overall political orientation of Perry and the other GOP candidates? War on some drugs - Europe’s fall Netherlands bans khat (De Volkskrant(NL)) The Dutch government has decided to impose a ban on khat, following the publication of a study on the use of the drug by Somalian immigrants. According to the study, chewing khat – a plant whose leaves produce an effect similar to amphetamines – ”is harmful to health and a source of social problems.” Now, I don’t know khat from bat-wings, but it seems to me that these folks are seriously in need of straightening out their priorities. The Netherlands was enough of a nanny state. Europe’s fall Estonian SS to be given freedom fighter status (Tagzeitung(GE)) The Berlin daily is referring to a bill that the Estonian Minister of Defence is hoping to have adopted in March. According to the text, all those who took part in the fight against the Soviet Union during the Second World War will be granted the status of “freedom fighters,” which includes Estonian members of the SS. They were - regardless of whom they were affiliated with. It is the nature of war and fighting for freedom and liberty that sometimes it is necessary to make alliances with people who are naturally your enemies for a short time. That may be measured in minutes, months, or years. I do NOT suggest that it is desirable, and I do not condemn those who do NOT join in such an evil partnership. But that is a decision for those in Estonia to decide. Islamic war: Persian front Panetta Admits Iran Is Not Close to Nuclear Weapons (Godfather Politics) Defense Secretary Leon Panetta finally decided to listen to the intelligence experts and admit that Iran is not close to building nuclear weapons, and it may be only “laying the groundwork for making nuclear weapons someday.” That’s what nuclear experts, energy experts in the US and Israel, and intelligence experts in both the US and Israel have been saying for years. This would seem to be completely irrelevant, according to many observers. After all, the decision was made a decade ago (2002 or 2003) to go to war with Iran; according to these people, it has been something that would happen very quickly - one is reminded of the guy who keeps saying the Lord is coming back on a specific day, and as the days keep passing, he gets more insistent that he will get the calculations right THIS time... but never does. Or those people who just insist that when they learn the right magical words to say to a judge, that the income tax will vanish in a puff of smoke. Home front - Our right to defend ourselves NY Jails Ex-Marine with Indiana Conceal-Carry Permit (Godfather Politics) Ryan Jerome served in the US Marine Corp and was well trained on firearms. In civilian life, Jerome has an Indiana concealed carry permit. Before traveling to New York City on business, he went on line to check out New York’s regulations which stated that they honored the concealed carry permits from other states. Upon arriving in New York City with $15,000 worth of jewelry to sell, Jerome proceeded to the Empire State Building. While passing through security, he offered to check his gun with security officers. He presented his Indiana permit for concealed carry and was subsequently arrested for violating New York’s gun laws.--- If he is found guilty, he would be facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 ½ years and up a maximum of 15 years in jail. Sad that a grown man and an NCO would honestly believe the City-State of New York is going to follow the rules of those pretenders up in Albany. Or that with the magic piece of paper, NYC’s thug-bully mayor and cops and security people (probably an off-duty or retired NYPD gangster) would care about people’s rights or the Constitution or property. Question, did they confiscate the $15,000 worth of jewelry? New Religions: environism - Theft by government EPA Fines Companies for Not Using Nonexistent Fuels (Godfather Politics) By 2011, fuel companies were to be blending in 6.6 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel into domestic gasoline and diesel. ... However, there has been one major flaw in the EISA and that is the technology has not caught up to the requirements. Cellulosic biofuels only exist in small amounts as various research companies are desperately trying to come up with a way to produce the biofuel which isn’t cost prohibitive. One company that was working on finding ways to produce cellulosic biofuels was Range Fuels in Georgia who recently went out of business and whose building was sold for pennies on the dollar. ... Range Fuels and other companies like them are the ones that received millions of dollars from taxpayers [$47 mil Fed, $7 mil Georgia, to Range Fuels alone) to try to develop these green energies. ... With no real supply of cellulosic biofuel to be had, the fuel companies were unable to comply with the EISA requirements, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with their plans to impose fines on the fuel companies for failing to meet the guidelines. This is one of those, “we’ll flog all our employees until their morale improves” stories, that demonstrates both the arrogance AND the stupidity of Federal bureaucrats (and Congress). And with a jury selected carefully from the lowest common denominator (“Can they breathe - with help?”), the EPA tyrants will punish not only the fuel companies but the consumers. Thursday, January 12, 2012 Politics 2012 Ron Paul is the most dangerous man in the Republican party (Washington Post) In the wake of his second-place showing in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night, Texas Rep. Ron Paul declared: “We are dangerous to the status quo of this country”. He’s right. And that could be a very bad thing for a Republican party hoping to take back the White House this November. Funny, eh? The WaPo decides that Paul is dangerous. Just as they also decided that Romney is the GOP candidate and that he “inevitiably” won in NH. Are these “predictions” or just statements of what the WaPo and their ilk plan? Mama's Note: If you missed it, this is an excellent article on the topic. Will Ron Paul Destroy the 'Party of Lincoln'? by Thomas J. DiLorenzo. Yes indeed... Ron Paul, while far from perfect, is very dangerous to the power of all political parties. Nazgul Supreme Court: Discrimination laws do not protect certain employees of religious groups (Washington Post) The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday for the first time that federal discrimination laws do not protect church employees who perform religious duties, a major church-state decision that recognizes religious groups’ constitutionally protected right to select their own leaders. Unfortunately, I suspect many people who claim to be “libertarian” think that the Nazgul got this wrong. But either the FedGov can dictate anything they want to religions, or they can’t. Indeed, ANY discrimination laws that do not apply ONLY to government agencies are violating your and my right (as expressed in and supposedly protected by the Constitution) to freedom of association: to decide whom I want to do business with, whom I want to sit down with, eat with, drink with, and worship with - and who I want to work for me! The right to hire and the right to fire cannot be separated. Politics 2012 No Endorsement From DeMint, But He Likes Much of What He’s Hearing from Ron Paul (CNSnews.com) That is a very strange tap-dance that DeMint is doing; I wonder if the votes and the demographics of the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire are making him hedge his bets? Stupid government - New religions: global warming EPA Gives Activists a New Tool to Pressure Power Plants, Oil Refineries (CNSnews.com) Environmental activists are applauding the EPA for releasing greenhouse gas emissions data for large polluters through a new, consumer-friendly Web platform. Because environmental engineering IS my business, I spent several hours going through this website, and “consumer-friendly” (or friendly to anyone else) it is NOT. It is clunky, hard to navigate, and leaves out links to critical data. BUT it DOES give environists another hammer - and some of them ARE smart enough to use it. And because it provides propaganda based on the unsupportable claim that manmade global warming even exists and that global warming is bad for human health and the environment, it perpetrates that evil religion. What it ALSO does is give rational people and people fighting for their communities and businesses and families and their survival (jobs, production, etc.) a tool that they can use to challenge the environists. It works both ways. First Citizen - EPA tyranny Obama: EPA Regulations Create Jobs; 'EPA Touches on the Lives of Every Single American Every Single Day' (CNSnews.com) I certainly won’t argue with the second claim: all of us are harmed, DAILY, by the crude, political, bogus-science, tyranny of EPA, either directly or via state or local agencies. but EPA regulations DESTROY tens of thousands of jobs each year, cost business and local governments BILLIONS of dollars which would be available to do work and hire people (other than $250/hour attorneys and $500/hour lobbyists), and are part of the expanding web of deceit and micro-control that will continue to damage the economy for decades. First Citizen - Theft by government Obama Wants to Use Tax Code to Reward ‘In-Sourcing’ and Punish Outsourcing (CNSnews.com) Shucks, and just what does he think the Tax Code has been used for, now for close to a century? Meanwhile, the FedGov and the First Citizen themselves, by killing drilling off our own shores, by nixing projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, and by creating and enforcing more and more regulations (especially environmental regs) ITSELF drives more and more jobs and work off-shore. Mama's Note: Stupid fools just will not get over the idea that they can have things both ways... Politics 2013 Obama, DNC Raise $68M in Final 3 Months of 2011 (CNSnews.com) Not too shabby, but NOTHING like the donation the campaign hopes to get from Congress when they raise the debt limit. Question: is this directly related to the two above stories, as businesses hope that their political contributions will help them buy off new regulations and more dictatorial enforcement? Theft by government - Congress in action Debt Ceiling Hike Could Come Any Day As U.S. Hits Limit (CNSnews.com) The news media acts like this snuck up on us - but here it is, January 2012, and we’ve already spent another fortune to rival Midas’ - he was a piker. Home front - American front - DHS thuggery DHS IG: Most Immigration Officers Surveyed in 2011 Believe Obama Policy Favors ‘Promoting Immigration’ Over ‘National Security’ (CNSnews.com) The idea that ANYONE cares or SHOULD care what these thugs in uniform believe about their “boss” is sick. Do we need to know their opinion? It is like asking soldiers in one of the drug cartels whether they believe their bosses are favoring profits over civic concerns. Finally, what on earth is the IG asking things like this for? Is he an IG or a political commissar? Local tyranny - Welfare NYC Pastors [sic] to Protest Mayor Over City Policy Kicking Churches Out of Schools (CNSnews.com) I find it hard to be sympathetic to these “pastors” and their troubles. “Put not your trust in princes” Proverbs warns them, and they ignored it. They took a form of welfare from the state (City) and then are upset because the City is fickle? Nazgul - War on religion Fed Court Sides With Atheist; R.I. School Ordered to Remove Prayer Mural (CNSnews.com) The thing has been there since 1963, and just shy of 50 years later ONE student decides that she is offended by it, and history and tradition is thrown away, thanks to a black-robed judicial activist. Is this a great country or what? Stupid government Miss. Judge Blocks Release of 21 Convicts Pardoned by Outgoing Republican Governor (CNSnews.com) Yeah, these pardons stink. Is it a surprise that any governor, regardless of party, can let his power go to his head? I recall former SD Governor Bill Janklow talking about “You have your own army, your own air force, your own police force; pretty cool!” But do judges have power to block this release? Is a pardon subject to judicial review? That smells funny to me. It is claimed that the letter of the law/constitution may not have been followed, but the evidence is not yet in. Mama's Note: I think most of us would cheer if those released had been non-violent "offenders." Islamic war: Afghan front - Stupid people ‘Egregious Behavior’: Videotape Shows U.S. Marines Urinating on Taliban Corpses (CNSnews.com) Disgusting? Yes. Wrong? Yes. Stupid? Incredibly yes. Common? Indeed - and not just American troops - though probably more common among Marines than other services, and probably goes back to Greek and Persian and Judaean battlefields. Should it be punished? Yes, as much for the stupidity of documenting it as for the act itself - the equivalent of a love-stupid teen girl using her camera phone to take a picture of herself with her shirt pulled up. But expect this to be totally blown out of proportion for what should have been punished by 60-90 days in the stockade on bread and water, and forfeiture of pay and allowances. And if justice had really been served, they’d have needed the time in the stockade to recover from their bootectomies after their first sergeant finished chewing them out and erasing the video. Why? Because bad as it is to “desecrate a corpse,” I’d rather have stupid soldiers like this take out their tempers on DEAD bodies than on living people. Even Muslims understand these are just cast-offs. By the way, if you want to REALLY learn how soldiers and warriors have descrecrated their enemy dead in the past, look up some detailed histories of what Muslim soldiers have done, even in this and the last century, and going all the way back to the 600s. I read this, written by LTC (Congressman) Allen West AFTER I wrote my above commentary, and it is pretty much what I said, but he says it better: “"The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter.” Home front Occupy Wall Street Dissolves Into Band of Homeless Protesters (CNSnews.com) Oh, dear, America is SO hard on these people. No wonder they need to protest and fight for their privileges. It appears that their supporters have dropped them completely, and the media’s attention is elsewhere. Friday, January 13, 2012 Technolog: Medical MIT Develops New Anti-Bleeding Bio-Coating (The Blaze) Using components that are found in our own blood already, a team of engineers at the university created a coating for bandages or sponges that helps stop bleeding within 60 seconds. Supposedly more effective than the Israeli bandage and other very recent materials which are saving lives daily, this is supposed to work on many different types of wounds and control even arterial bleeding. Mama's Note: Probably wouldn't hurt to stop sending people out to be shot and blown up too. Massive bleeding is usually caused by an serious excess of stupid, one way or another. Stupid people - Congress in action Congressional Office Wildfire Pool Angers Firefighters (Washington Post) Officials with the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association, representing thousands of federal firefighters, complained this week to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee after learning that some committee staffers ran an office pool to guess how many acres are burned by wildfires each year. Oh, please - these union leaders need to get a life - THEY need to go out and fight these fires, not just “represent” those who do. I can tell you that their firefighters - the guys and gals really going out there and protecting lives and homes and property from what is often government idiocy that lets fuels build up - have betting pools on a whole lot more and much less-politically-correct matters. Just as do combat soldiers. And frankly, ANYthing that can help teach politicians and staffers from states who don’t have to worry about where their next bath or drink of water will come from about wildfires is a good thing. And this is cheaper than making them go out with a shovel and a Pulaski fire axe and fire rake - much as I’d like to make them do so! Stupid government ADA Emergency Shelter Requirements close shelters (pdf file, not website link) (FEMA) Evacuation shelters for medical special needs were previously much less restrictive. This allowed sheltering jurisdictions to achieve an economy of force by placing those who needed care above and beyond the general populaiton in one shelter or group of shelters. Under FNSS they can't do this. Requiring more resources in general population shelters. DoJ has sued some jurisdictions already and the fear is spreading. As a result some jurisdictions are refusing to provide shelters. ... They don't want to get sued because they tried to do the right thing. Thanks to Tim for the news and analysis. Tim’s comments: Interesting development in the world of sheltering. Some jurisdictions stop providing shelters in response. The Federal Government, in its infinite wisdom has decided that medical special needs shelters should only include bed ridden evacuees. This is covered in Functional Needs Service Support (FNSS) policy one provision of which states: Segregating children and adults with and without disabilities who have access or functional needs and those with whom they are associated from general population shelters to “special needs” shelters is ineffective in achieving equitable program access and violates Federal law. People with disabilities are entitled by law to equal opportunity to participate in programs, services, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the individual. Additionally, children and adults with and without disabilities who have access and functional needs should not be sheltered separately from their families, friends, and/or caregivers because services they require are not available to them in general population shelters. Nathan: NO Media has picked up on this (except The Price of Liberty.Org of course!) To minarchists, one of the few legitimate government functions is protecting its citizens from attack, and most would include “natural disasters” in “attacks.” Yet here we see a federal agency and the federal courts in essence saying that if you can’t protect ALL of the people, then you can’t protect ANY of them, or we will sue you into bankruptcy and then take direct control (as they have for school districts). Worse, local governments are rolling over and playing dead - giving up one of the few legimate functions they have, lest they get sued. I don’t know who is worse: the coyotes (cowards) or the jackals and vultures.Mama's Note: How is this tax theft funded "shelter" thing a "legitimate function" of the cleptocrats? Communities have provided what they could for such victims throughout history, with the religious hostels and hospitals being the best examples. Once government gets involved, such insanity as this is inevitable. Eliminate FEMA and every other government program or connection to disaster relief, and people will use those funds to do a far better job themselves, on their own terms. Theft by government A Step Backward for Economic Freedom in 2012 (WALL STREET JOURNAL) Government spending rose on average to 35.2 percent of gross domestic product from 33.5 percent last year as measured by the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom... This comes as the White House needs ANOTHER $1.3 TRILLION increase in the debt limit, some four months after the last “FINAL” limit increase. And it isn’t just the borrowing by the FedGov (and many other governments) that is hammering the economy, businesses, and families, as the next story points out: More theft by government Federal Regulations Cost Billions (HEARTLAND INSTITUTE/AMERICAN ACTION FORUM) Federal regulations in 2011 added more than $231 billion in regulatory costs to private businesses and state and local governments... Really want that new hot gaming laptop, but don’t have the money? One reason is that your personal share of federal regulatory costs is about the same as what the latest Alienware laptop costs on CircuitCity.com. Yes, according to the statists (especially the nanny-statists) all these regulations are why you didn’t die as an infant and the reason your average lifespan isn’t 45 and the reason you have flush toilets and electrical lights and can drive on those 75-mph freeways, but that is really NOT the truth. Indeed, the fewer government regulations, the more RAPIDLY society and engineering are improved. And the more government regulations, the more stagnant society becomes. This is one reason China was surpassed by the West about AD 1500. Home front Five Percent of Patients Account for Half of Health Care Spending (USA TODAY) Just 1 percent of Americans accounted for 22 percent of health care costs in 2009; that's about $90,000 per person... The scary thing about this is that too many Tranzis will decide that “what is best for society” is to remove this 1% or 5% and therefore we will have all this “extra” money to spend on other social services. And “help reduce the surplus population.” Theft by government Ethanol Subsidies Are Gone, but Not Forgotten (U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT) Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuel must be blended into transportation fuel in 2012; this figure will eventually be 36 billion gallons by 2022... Of course we all know that the evil oil companies have hidden all this renewable fuel in those secret underground bunkers and fuel tanks – right next to the big caverns where those 100-mpg carburetors and 100,000-mile tires are hidden and just a few doors down from Jimmy Hoffa’s tomb. This analysis comes on the heels of news that EPA is persecuting (prosecuting) the oil companies because they did not use enough of the cellusoic biofuels in their blends – because the fuel does not exist in sufficient quantities to do more than fuel the toy motorcycle of that kid who got a ticket from Mexican cops for running into an SUV that failed to obey a stop-sign. Theft by government - First Citizen (2 stories) Obama on Pace to Borrow $6.2T in One Term—More Than All Presidents from Washington Through Clinton Combined (CNSnews.com) Fun as it is to blame the First Citizen for this, it is in reality more the fault of Congress. This is NOT King Richard and Parliament - and it is not just luck that we ended up with both a congress and an occupant of 1600 PA at the same time with spines made out of gummi-worms and with greed to rival that of Midas and Philoxenus combined. “We the people” voted them into office and “we the people” have stuffed our wallets with borrowed and stolen money. Obama Asks Congress to Lift Debt Ceiling by Another $1.2 Trillion (CNSnews.com) Of course, I fully expect Congress to roll over and vote him anything he wants. Consider it the biggest campaign contribution he’s ever had - the biggest in history. And voted with the approval of a good many of his so-called political enemies, the GOP-in-Congress. First Citizen’s Minions - Theft by government WH Economic Adviser Blames ‘Income Inequality’ on Union Membership Decline (CNSnews.com) He is repeating one of the basic foundational beliefs of this administration - Unions: GOOD, Anything else: BAD. One can argue that the GROWTH in union membership among bureaucrats is a CAUSE of income inequality, when you look at the disparity between public sector and private sector workers. Dozens of other government policies contribute to the growing importance (and therefore value in salaries or wages) of lawyers, doctors, accountants, and white collar workers and company administrators in general, leading to those inequities. But he isn’t going to say ANY of that. Stupid government tricks - Abominable Act HHS Nixes Health Insurance Premium Increases in 5 States (CNSnews.com) These increases, according to many sources, are triggered by the requirements of the Abominable Act (ObummerCare), so this is HHS trying to hold the lid down on the pressure cooker - blocking the relief valve on the boiler. They won’t hold it very long before it explodes. War on some drugs - Mexican civil war Mexico’s Drug War Claims Average of 47 Lives Each Day in 2011 -- Death Toll Since December 2006 Now 47,515 (CNSnews.com) This is just part of the story, of course. As far as I know, there haven’t been many US soldiers (or quasi-solders, like DHS goons) killed in Mexico, but there have been some killed in the US, and quite a few civilians and criminals (or accused people) killed in the US as this violence sprawls across imaginary lines in the desert or on the Rio Grande. Total deaths haven’t approached that of Vietnam or even Bosnia, but this is still insanely high - and the direct result of the US War on Some Drugs we have been “fighting” since about 1973. Stupid people trick - World wars Demonstrators at White House Demand Obama Keep His Promise to Close Guantanamo (CNSnews.com) I am sure he’ll get right on that. Actually, given Ron Paul’s growing popularity and the general attitude, they might be doing this at the right time to get the First Citizen to do it. He needs the votes! Stupid government tricks - Crash of 2009 Documents Show How Fed Missed Housing Bust; Bernanke Expressed Concern, But Geithner Didn't (CNSnews.com) I do wonder if the conspiracy theorists are right and it wasn’t a matter of “missing” the bust, but of making sure that the bust happened when it did to provide for more power and wealth for certain people. Mama's Note: Much more likely... they didn't "miss it," they created it purposely to provide more power and wealth for certain people. New religions: global warming 'Global Warming': Some Say Soot and Methane Are Worse Than CO2 (CNSnews.com) As more and more evidence shows that CO2 is nothing but a boogeyman, the true believers search for more and more reasons to fear global warming. So we must ban campfires and more cows, and landfills get hit twice as hard. First Citizen Obama Seeks Power to Merge Overlapping Agencies (CNSnews.com) He in essence wants a blank check - instead of presenting carefully-written legislation to do these things (many of which DO make a warped sort of sense - from a minarchist point of view), he wants “power.” And you can bet that the power will involve yet more trashing of what little is left of constitutional government. For once the Washington Post got it right with their headline: Obama seeks more power to merge agencies, streamline government (Washington Post) After a year of interminable feuds with congressional Republicans who made smaller, cheaper federal government a political crusade, President Obama on Friday signaled his intention to do some sail-trimming of his own. This will, in sleight-of-hand method, give him MORE power and that is just what he wants - and I suspect that Congress will give it to him. My ideas for a “minarchist” GOP-lite style reduction: Merge Department of Commerce and Department of Labor. Eliminate 50% of GS-13 and above in the combined agencies. Yes, move NOAA over to Department of the Interior, but only long enough for NOAA to issue an IPO and go private - yeah, it would have a LOT of government agency contracts, but that is better than being a government agency. Merge Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior, same thing: 50% of GS-13 and above go away. And don’t tell the president that he can do what he wants to! That is a good start, and was first proposed by the GOP back in 1969 or so. Home Front - War on religion New Jersey: Church not allowed to Practice Christianity (Godfather Politics) My summary: A United Methodist Church-affiliated meeting facility on the Jersey shore was determined by an administrative judge to have violated the rights of a homosexual couple for refusing to allow the couple to rent the facility for a civil union ceremony. The entire story needs to be read to understand the many abuses. This isn’t a “real” judge, but part of a government agency. The facility was used mostly for religious activities, and at least THIS UM church does not believe in “civil unions” or any other euphemism for “homosexual marriage” and DOES believe that homosexual behavior is sinful. So the State of New Jersey has denied hundreds of people THEIR liberty to worship as they see fit, in order to accommodate these two. Islamic war: Gulf front (personal) Kuwaiti Prince becomes christian, denounces Islam (Godfather Politics) A Kuwaiti prince did this very publicly, through a video recording released by various news agencies, despite the risk of almost certain death. Of course, no mainstream media reported this, and neither (for the most part, did any libertarian media). GP’s last comments are critical: The conversion of a Kuwaiti prince is important news. It is shameful that the American church is not there with its missionaries to complete the task but supports the war drums banging of the liberal-progressive government in Washington DC. **************** Your comments and feedback are welcome! Now PoL has its own forum at The Mental Militia! Check it out Nathan Barton Written from the Four Corners, a land and community which has some (but not much) freedom left, but where even that liberty hangs by a thread. Nathan is a christian, a free-market anarchist, military officer, engineer, and writer. Feel free to contact him through The Price of Liberty. 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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