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Libertarian
Commentary on The News
Posted April 30, 2012By Nathan A. Barton © 2012 Weekend (22-23 April 2012) Europe’s fall France: Far right soars in presidential vote (Danbury News Times) "The anti-immigrant far right emerged as a potentially major force in French politics with a record showing by its candidate Marine Le Pen in the first round of presidential elections. Le Pen, who rails against European unity and what she says is the Islamization of France, took third place with more than 18 percent of the vote. Her backers could play a critical role in the final round of elections May 6, helping determine whether conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy sinks or survives in his battle with Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, who held a thin lead in the first-round vote." (04/22/12) Nice. Everyone seems to think that Sarkozy is toast. As if Europe didn’t already have enough problems, we have to worry about more whinging from France. East Asian front Chinese, Russian navies launch joint exercises (The Australian [Australia]) "China and Russia yesterday launched their first joint naval exercises, raising strange new dynamics in the balance of power in the region that has seen the US and India rattling sabres and tensions rise between China and its neighbours over territorial claims. ... The six days of Chinese-Russian drills are taking place in the Yellow Sea off the city of Qingdao in Shandong province on China's east coast, the official China News Service said." (04/23/12) This sounds like the opening scene of a science fiction novel, but the entire scenario is a bit strange, after decades of conflict between Russia and China going back to WW2. Of course, Australia should be very worried (and are: one reason to allow US Marines to be staged (or based) in Northern Australia). We’ve already seen a confrontation between Philippine and Chinese vessels over islands (and the oil and gas in the sedbed around them) in the middle of the South China Sea, while Vietnam and other countries look on with desire. This does not bode well. Self Defense Texas: Woman shoots back (KHOU News) "Dayna Cooper and a 65-year-old man were shot at her home around 2 a.m. Thursday when two suspects burst in with guns blazing. Cooper reportedly had been robbed before, so this time, she was ready and fired back with her own weapon. But she was shot in the neck and the arm, and the suspects got away with a safe and some jewelry. Dayna Cooper was able to give investigators information on her attackers, and police tracked the two suspects down at a Motel 6 in Humble Friday morning." (04/20/12) Sadly, sometimes those defending themselves (and others) are still hurt. But it is highly likely that they would have died if they had not fought back and driven off their attackers. Mama's Note: The robbers came in with guns blazing? Don't hear that very often. Seems to me there must be at least some of the story missing here... Self Defense California: Guard shoots, kills robber (Press Enterprise) "A security guard shot to death one of several people police said were attempting to rob jewelry from an indoor swap meet in Fontana Friday afternoon. The dead man was not immediately identified. At least one of the robbers had a gun, said Fontana police Sgt. Pat Mackey at a news conference this evening. He said three men wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and ski masks went into the swap meet in the 9700 block of Sierra Avenue just before 2 p.m. One pistol-whipped the guard while at least one other smashed a jewelry case. The assaulted guard pulled a handgun and shot one of the robbers, killing him." (04/20/12) Stupid robbers, clearly and in broad daylight. But the real point here is that if a good many California politicians had their way, this security guard would have been unarmed. Mama's Note: That place is not too far from where I used to live. Even in 1970, it was well known as a gang hangout and haven for pickpockets and other criminals. And I suspect that the sellers in that place are well armed, legally or otherwise. Africa’s fall Sudan launches major attack on South Sudan (Macon Telegraph) "Sudanese forces launched a major attack along the border with South Sudan after the South Sudanese army withdrew from a disputed oil field on Friday, signaling that the recent border war between the two countries is not yet over and might be entering a new phase. Thirty-five miles south of the border, at the nearest town, the only sign of the fighting was trucks offloading wounded soldiers at hospitals." (04/22/12) It isn’t about independence, of course - just greed on the part of ONE bunch of thugs (the old government in Sudan) who want to take away the resources that they could not keep when they had to let South Sudan go. Mama's Note: I have pointed out this nasty siuation to some of those who seem to think some states could just leave the US "union" peacefully if they really wanted to. Stupid UN tricks Report: UN to investigate plight of Native Americans (The Raw Story) "The UN human rights inquiry will focus on the living conditions of the 2.7 million Native Americans living in the US. The UN is to conduct an investigation into the plight of US Native Americans, the first such mission in its history. The human rights inquiry led by James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on indigenous peoples, is scheduled to begin on Monday." [editor's note: Chickens coming home to roost in the alleged Land of the Free? - SAT] (04/21/12) Let me address Steve’s snide comment: there is NO ONE who is an enrolled member of a SINGLE tribe on a SINGLE reservation in this country who cannot, whenever they want to (assuming they are an adult) LEAVE that “concentration camp” and move to somewhere else: city, town, whatever. The problems on the Rez - and Steve, I probably spend more time on reservations in a month than you have in your life - are TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT - and the UN inquiry will undoubtedly recommend MORE GOVERNMENT as the solution. For seven + generations the AmerInd of hundreds of different nations have lived in a socialist system which third-world countries only could dream of emulating: free food, free health care, free management of property, free management of resources, free government jobs, free education - all FREE because American taxpayers (and a very small percentage of money skimmed off the AmerInd reservations lands in the form of royalties and fees on leases and minerals and the like) paid for it. And the people of the tribes got EXACTLY what they paid for. The people who outright refused to enroll (I had an ancestor who did so) and the people who bailed out and went to school and lived OFF-Rez and raised their kids like Americans and not like prisoners-of-war, do as well (or badly) as other Americans. We all suffer from government, but nothing like people who live on the Rez: even the poorest of ghetto-dwellers lives better. But it is NOT because they are FORCED to do so. Except, perhaps, by breeding: for seven+ generations, those who stayed on the Rez and succeeded best there were mostly those best at sucking up to the BIA, Interior, the White House, and Congress and the rest of the nanny state. Mama's Note: See "Indian Country’s American Nightmare" for a thoughtful and informative article on the subject. Monday, April 23, 2012 Politics 2012 Giuliani Says He's for Romney, Because Romney 'Can Stand Up to Iran' (CNSNews.com) Another reason to be against Romney, if this nutcase petty-tyrant supports him. Politics 2012 – First Citizen 13th Quarter Jinx for Obama? (CNSNews.com) We can only hope – but he is like the jinx in the comics: dangerous and bad luck for everyone but himself? At least those jinxes were limited in effect only to those they personally came in contact with. World wars – Home front Still the Land of Dreams: 150 Million Want to Immigrate to U.S. (CNSNews.com) Swaps, anyone? Seriously, I don’t doubt this in the least, and offer two explanations for it: first, either they don’t understand how bad it is here, or second, it is SO much worse in their homeland that they figure however much we’ve deteriorated, they will still be better off. My suspicion? Bad as we have gotten in the US (and contrary to many expatriate libertarians who extol the virtues of Costa Rica or Belize or some atoll in the South Pacific) things are MUCH worse off in the rest of the world: from the cloying socialist nanny states of Europe to the mad-dog tyrants of North Korea, it really stinks NOT to be free. Mama's Note: See: "More Illegal Immigrants Are Leaving America Than Are Coming The Other Way" By Sara Miller Llana First Citizen’s minions – Theft by government Ed Secretary: Federal Subsidies for College Tuition Do Not Increase Cost of Tuition (CNSNews.com) Of course, a basic understanding of economics is not a prerequisite for getting appointed as one of the Messiah’s chief minions. This is a basic economic concept: too much money chasing too few goods and services results in INFLATION: prices (“costs”) go up. I suppose, if I were being really technical, I’d say he is correct: the “cost” of tuition at colleges does NOT go up: the costs of staff, faculty, equipment, books, buildings, labs, etc. has not gone up much more than the amount of regular inflation. What HAS gone up is the PRICE being paid for the college classes: the money for which “college” is being sold. The mechanism is quite simple. If you have been paying 10 cents a loaf for bread, but you are offered grants (or even loans), which will pay 8 cents of that for you, so that you just have to pay 2 cents, you will not have much problem with paying 4 cents (total of 12 cents, 8 paid by the grant), because it is STILL less than the 10 cents, otherwise. EVERYONE wins – except of course, the sucker that paid for the grant in the first place. With government aid (federal AND state subsidies), the taxpayers are the suckers. Stupid politicians Schumer: Citizens United Worse than Racial Segregation Case Plessy v Ferguson (CNSNews.com) Typical Tranzi exaggeration – not that Conservatives (and too many libertarians) don’t have the same failing. We need to call them all on it. Schumer’s lack of intelligence on display again. Europe’s Fall NATO Membership Still Out of Reach for U.S.-Friendly Balkan State (CNSNews.com) Grabbing for rescue from a sinking ship? Or a way of preserving peace in a rapidly-deteriorating Europe? The problem in the next decade is less an invasion from Russia or even an actual invasion of Islamists, but rather internal conflicts which may be civil war in all but name: not just ethnic and religious conflicts as in the Balkans in the 1990s, but economic and political arguments that can turn violent as the politicians seek to divert attention and build alliances by hyping enmities. Islamic wars: Afghan front – Stupid US tricks U.S. to Defend Afghanistan for at Least 10 Years After Troop Drawdown (CNSNews.com) “Defend” can be such a vague word. Defend against what? Remote-controlled birds of prey flying the unfriendly skies of Afghanistan? An invasion by yet ANOTHER Great Power – like China or Pakistan or India? More uprisings by the Taliban or tribal alliances or some later-day Mahdi? The one thing that Afghanistan is unlikely to have to defend against is hordes of tourists to see some of the most beautiful land on God’s green Earth. Of course, I can find no reason the US needs to do this. World wars China, Russia Insist That Their First, Formal Joint Naval Maneuvers Not Aimed at Anyone (CNSNews.com) And there is no reason that they should be – formal joint maneuvers don’t HAVE to be a way of sending messages to possible, potential enemies. They can just be used in a friendly way to train your own team and build contacts with other naval professionals. Just like soccer championship games can be used to replace military combat on the border of two rival regimes. And just like we KNOW that those government officials are just here to help. I’m sure that the navies of the Raj (Indian), the Western Empire (Commonwealth: Australia and New Zealand and Singapore), the Eastern Empire and its allies (Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea and the Philippines), and of course The Superpower (the US) realize this is just a fun and educational time for all and not any kind of unsubtle message to them. Clearly, this is about protection against threats common to both Peking and Moscow: you know, North Korea and Godzilla. Politics 2012 Liberal Group Files IRS Complaint Against Conservative Legislative Organization (CNSNews.com) The American Legislative Ex Council is hardly “conservative” – it is firmly pro-government and as likely to help draft legislation that is “liberal” as “conservative” – it is just that its recent efforts are easily targeted by the Hoploclasts and their ilk because of the Stand-Your-Ground laws. I wonder if the plans for the complaint and the other measures were not all laid out and prepared, just waiting for the right opportunity, which the Martin killing was (wrongly, most likely) suitable to be used. Crash of 2009 1 in 2 New Graduates Are Jobless or Underemployed (CNSNews.com) Is it really possible for a liberal arts or political science or public affairs graduate to be “underemployed?” Their math and people skills are barely suited for McDonalds or Burger King, and Wal-Mart clerking OR stocking might be beyond them. And with minimum wage (and age) laws as disruptive as they are, it is a wonder that it is ONLY 50%. Meanwhile, the universities continue to cut down on the number of engineering, medical, and electronics/computer graduates, as they are “too expensive” and “not socially-oriented.” Mama's Note: Far, FAR too many electronics/computer graduates, far as I can see. A fair number of folks express a desire to move to Wyoming, but are discouraged because the JOBS here demand physical labor. The graduate IT professionals have little interest in working at a coal mine or oil field, even though the pay is very good. Government-run, tax-funded schools Iowa Newspaper Devotes Front Page to Fighting Bullying (CNSNews.com) So, indeed, did Wyoming’s Liberty’s Torch monthly newspaper for the month of April. But while there are things like “internet bullying” and “street bullying” – the vast majority even of THOSE kinds of bullying are part and parcel of schoolhouse and schoolyard bullying. This is nothing new: I know of problems between gangs and clichés in Denver high schools in the 1970s, and of bullies blocking underpasses needed by school children in Aurora (then a relatively small and peaceful suburb, not the vast jigsaw puzzle of ghettos and gated communities it is today). And there are kids that killed themselves because of bullying then, 40+ years ago. But today, the deterioration of the schools has expanded the opportunity for AND the impact of bullying. Teachers can’t “stunt their self-esteem” by telling students to shut up and sit down and stop ragging on their classmates - and they would go to prison if they dared to use even a flexible plastic ruler on someone’s hands if they don’t pay attention and obey. But even THAT misses the entire point that government corrupts AND HAS CORRUPTED schools, and after 150 years, the process is complete. Evil institutions turn even normal children into terrible monsters while teaching them only a fraction of what they did just 30 or 40 years ago, much less 60 or 80 years ago; and for children scarred by divorce, birth out-of-wedlock, welfare, and dysfunctional communities, the amazing thing is that they are not ALL sociopaths and bloody-handed torturers by the time the school system gets rid of them. Honestly, those people who are working to try and control bullying and help students who are bullied, while letting or making the students STAY in these places, are nothing but enablers for the sadists and tyrants that run these schools. And the rest of the parasites that profit from the entire “educational” system. Culture wars: killing babies – Mainstream media BBC to air live, 2-hour show from an abortion clinic in May (CNSNews.com) An odd sort of entertainment: one wonders just what positions will be pushed and what the BBC’s masters hope to gain. Government corruption Secret Service needs more female agents, lawmakers say (CNSNews.com) Why? So that the male predators that now seem to populate this agency don’t have to go out and find free-lance whores? So that when they are all drunk, they will be able to be kept caged with less trouble? Once more, the lawmakers have themselves to blame: the imperial presidency naturally develops its own corrupt Praetorian Guard and corrupt kingmakers. The casual contempt of the Clinton years and now the current Administration for military forces (and indeed, in many ways the Secret Service IS a quasi-military organization) and the fact that honorable men and women are often unable to stomach the close contact with and need to respect, at least somewhat, those that they protect; means that the people enlisted to serve in the presidential and vice-presidential protection detail would be less-than-morally-straight individuals. This is, I believe, closely related to the next story. Stupid government Army probes drug use by soldiers in Afghanistan (CNSNews.com) No, really? Not much different than probing the use of alcohol and tobacco by soldiers in Kentucky or North Carolina or Georgia: readily available, and comparatively dirt-cheap compared to the substitutes available on their bases. Indeed, if I am not mistaken, to avoid harming Afghan sensitivities, beer and liquor are not officially allowed on US and NATO military bases in Afghanistan, while of course, the nanny-statists have all but prohibited the sale of tobacco products – even though the First Woman’s drive to “improve” the health and diet of soldiers drives them to drinking and smoking to get the taste of tofu and organic olive bars out of their mouths. Of course, as in Vietnam (or for that matter, in the isolated post-Civil War posts in Indian Country), the type of duty and the way the Congress, White House, and nation treat them, combined with the high levels of corruption of the Administration, Congress, and the Pentagon, ALL contribute to this degradation in morals. Mama's Note: Soldiers, "guards" and other armed forces of statist entities down through the ages have not generally enjoyed a good moral reputation under the best of circumstances. Why should these soldiers be expected to act differently? Congress in action – Corrupt and corrupting House Dem proposes federal grants for states that pass anti-profiling laws (CNSNews.com) Ah, the usual carrot and stick to cajole and force the states to again knuckle under. This is no different than the drug-runner giving free samples to those that they intend to make addicts to bleed them of every penny. Except in this case, money IS the bait and liberty is the thing to be sucked into a hollow husk. Mama's Note: Contrary to popular opinion and bad government "science," actual addiction is not that easy to induce, and is truly a mater of choice. Congress in action – Stupid Tranzis Axelrod: Immigration reform blocked by Tea Party 'reign of terror' in Congress (CNSNews.com) Funny sort of reign – especially since the WaPo and other mainstream media say that the “Tea Party” (only a movement – less of a political party than the Libertarian Party of the US) is defunct, fragmented, and without power or influence. This is a piece of disinformation and nothing more – there will be NO immigration reform because too many politicians and too much big business benefits from the border jumpers and the simultaneous export of industrial and agricultural jobs outside the nation. First Citizen: Open tyranny Obama expected to rely increasingly on Executive Orders to get around Congress (CNSNews.com) Why not? After all, he has such wonderful examples of how these methods have succeeded for millennia: not just Bush I and II and Nixon and Roosevelt, but old Father Augustus himself, working around the Senate, and set the example. I am sure even Nimrod thought of this as a way around the politics of the tribal councils. Mama's Note: And will continue for as long as people accept the usurpation of their right to own themselves. Kings and presidents have no power unless the people give it to him - and neither does any "senate." Politics 2012 Class warfare dominates Massachusetts Senate race (CNSNews.com) In other words, both of the major sides in the election are resorting to these kinds of tactics. Massachusetts is looking more and more like England all the time. Obama campaign seeks to inspire action, donations from green-focused voters (CNSNews.com) Barf. Double barf. This is why the EPA doesn’t care if it is spread about that they intend to target and make examples of oil and gas companies, don’t care if they destroy industries and businesses, and don’t care what insane regulations and costly delays they create. Mama's Note: Makes you wonder just whom they think they can steal from once business and industry are dead... Tuesday, April 24, 2012 American front – Border jumpers For first time since Great Depression, more Mexicans leave US than enter (Washington Post) “A four-decade tidal wave of Mexican immigration to the United States has receded, causing a historic shift in migration patterns as more Mexicans now leave the United States for Mexico than the other way around, according to a report from the Pew Hispanic Center. It is the first reversal in the trend since the Depression, and experts say that a declining Mexican birthrate and other factors may make it permanent." (04/23/12) First off, I don’t exactly TRUST any Pew organization: their agenda is Tranzi and they are not above lying when it suits them. And the way this is presented is itself little more than another lie: The actual crossing of border jumpers back and forth is not the real issue: it is the 12-15 million that are IN country that are the problem. And here is the kicker: Pew’s numbers are for “legal” immigrants: people who get visas or green cards to go from Mexico to the US – rather than hire a coyote or wade the Rio Grande. And last time I checked, nobody on this side of the border checks to see if the people LEAVING weren’t in the US “legally” – except for US Citizens who have to prove that they have that little blue book of permission. So the numbers are bogus, just on that alone. This is little more than an attempt to reduce the utility of this political issue to those few GOP types that care. Politics 2012 - Racism FL: NAACP ousts Allen West after "Communist" quip (The Raw Story) "A Florida chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has uninvited Rep. Allen West (R-FL) from speaking at an event after he insisted that up to 81 Democratic members of Congress were secretly members of the Communist Party. The Martin County NAACP had invited West to speak at the Tuesday Freedom Fund Banquet but canceled at the last minute and said he would not be invited when the event is rescheduled for Sept. 15." (04/23/12) The amazing thing is that the NAACP would have even invited this former Army officer to speak. This issue, blown out of proportion by the media, was a perfect way for them to correct their error. I’ve known a lot of field-grade Army officers over the years who happened to be black. One of them was my first mentor as a cadet, in fact (Hello, Colonel Brashear, wherever you may be); and I found them to be professional and generally conservative; blunt, outspoken, careful to be accurate in what they said, and willing to stand up for their principles. While I may not agree with LTC West’s politics completely, he is obviously NOT an ally of the NAACP – an organization which I despise as much as any labor union or League of Women Voters chapter. Self-defense New Mexico: Would-be carjacker gets bullet in chest (KRGE News) "Nathan Velasquez admitted to Hobbs police he shot an unarmed man but said he had good reason: the man was trying to steal his car and endangered his life. ... Velasquez, 20, told police he went to get into his car and found someone trying to steal it. 'Carrizoza was getting into his vehicle, and he said, 'No. What are you doing in my vehicle? That's mine,'' Stone said. At that point, police said Velasquez reached into his car and pulled out a gun, but Carrizoza, 25, fought to get it. That's when Velasquez told police the gun went off shooting Carrizoza in the chest." (04/17/12) What on earth was he doing – in Hobbs, of all places! – leaving his iron in his car and not carrying it? A very lucky young man, indeed. (Actually, I ask the question for rhetorical purposes only: it is illegal in this entire nation for a 20-year-old to even buy, much less carry, a handgun, which is limited as a “privilege” only to those over 21- like drinking and buying tobacco products: never mind that 18 and above can be drafted (and carry handguns and a lot more), can vote, can and are always tried as adults, and in general are denied a good many freedoms that Congress has NO POWER CONSTITUTIONALLY OR MORALLY to deny them. And of course, even Hobbs has places like Love’s and other companies whose corporate policies deny basic human rights to employees, vendors, and customers alike. Mama's Note: I talk to people all the time about this, and one thing most seem to forget is that muggers and thieves are not the least interested in making sure the intended victim is "of legal age." They are happy to target anyone. People who can't be trusted with a gun, or who are too young to use one properly and responsibly, should not be walking around alone... much of anywhere. Europe’s collapse Netherlands: Government collapses over austerity budget (Source: RTT News) "Liberals-led minority government in the Netherlands collapsed on Monday as Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned after coalition talks on reducing the country's budget deficit to meet European guidelines failed to reach agreement. The government was in crisis at the weekend as the extreme right Freedom Party (PVV) withdrew its support, with its anti-Islamist populist leader Geert Wilders saying he would not accept the government's additional EUR 14 billion austerity program meant to bring the fiscal deficit to 3% by 2013." (04/23/12) It was more than just the budget, of course – like Belgium, the Netherlands has been teetering for a very long time, and only the monarchy is holding it together – almost as bad as in Belgium. This was viewed by Wilders as an opportunity to change the composition of the government to his party’s advantage, and the chance to take one more step to save Europe – and especially the Lowlands – from the Islamic threat. Wednesday, April 25, 2012 TSA Tyranny and Abuse Kansas: TSA Proud that 4-Year-Old Girl is Patted Down (The Blaze) The grandmother of a 4-year-old girl who became hysterical during a security screening at a Kansas airport says security agents forced her to undergo a pat-down, and even yelled at the child and called her an uncooperative suspect. The incident has been attracting increasing media and online attention since the child’s mother, Michelle Brademeyer of Montana, detailed the ordeal in a public Facebook post last week. The Transportation Security Administration says its agents followed proper screening procedures. Four-year-olds make such GOOD drug- and gun-runners; TSA is such a WONDERFUL organization. She’ll be prepared to accept the bullying she will face in public schools when she is older. And there is more: TSA Tyranny and Abuse New York: TSA Pats Down 7-Year-Old Cerebral Palsy Girl (Daily Mail (UK)) “But that trip screeched to a halt when a TSA agent in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport targeted and searched the family’s disabled seven-year-old daughter, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Little Dina Frank could not walk through the metal detectors because of her crutches and orthotics, and was instead subjected to a pat down by security agents – a severely traumatic event for the young girl. Dr Joseph Frank, a doctor who practices pediatrics on Long Island, exclusively told the Daily that the lengthy pat down and resulting emotional trauma caused the family to miss their flight to Florida.” Does the TSA train its thugs to abuse children and families like this, or do they just hire people that do this kind of thing instinctively? This would have gotten this agent HUNG from a tree or a telegraph pole 100 or 150 years ago. Mama's Note: ...still should. Theft by government Social Security Faces Unfunded Liability of $8.6T, or $73,167.83 Per Household (CNSNews.com) Pony up, folks! Be prepared to pay, one way or another! If you think that Social Security is there for you, well… I don’t know if that sort of delusion is treatable or not. Stupid government – First Citizen’s minions Interior Secretary: ‘Not Even Harry Potter’ Can Bring Down Gas Prices (CNSNews.com) Yeah, because it won’t take magic, just a LOT of work - weeding out government, allowing people to drill and produce energy – AND to let the market find new sources AND alternatives. Salazar is a disgrace to the San Luis Valley, the ranching community, and his state. A lot like the next guy. Stupid legislators State Senator: Arizona Immigration Bill Makes Latinos Targets of Criminals (CNSNews.com) As if they ARE NOT targets of criminals now – like this state senator? Surprise, surprise, people who break the law might be a bit more likely to fall victim to more “professional” and organized criminals. Like drug addicts who are ripe for rolling or swindling. This strikes me as a pretty pitiful reason to have the feds but not Arizona enforcing the immigration laws. If the Administration and the Congress think that Arizona should not be enforcing the laws, maybe – just maybe – the feds shouldn’t either; and they should just get rid of them! First Citizen Obama Again Reminds Voters He and First Lady ‘Didn’t Come From Wealthy Families’ (CNSNews.com) Not by birth, but apparently by adoption. Of course, many criminals are of low birth, but you don’t HAVE to be wealthy to be able to steal and profit from corruption. Congress in action – Theft by government Hoyer: Middle Class is Paying Price for Bush Administration, ‘Where Much Was Spent and Little Was Paid For’ (CNSNews.com) As if that were not the case twice over for THIS administration? And when you look at the numbers – the REAL data and not the lies – for the Clinton Administration, you’ll find the same thing. The shelf life of “Blame Bush” – whether canned, frozen, or freeze-dried, is long expired. Admittedly, the Clintonistas were able to manipulate the finances enough to claim a balanced budget and a slight reduction in the debt (or at least stabilizing the growth). But the last three years make George W’s eight years look much better. Islamic war: Home front – Stupid government CAIR Sues U.S. Gov’t Over Intrusive Religious Questioning – ‘Psychological Torture’ -- at Northern Border (CNSNews.com) It appears to be about the same sort of thing that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (and perhaps other states) do to the Amish when they get government-mandated ID cards to be able drive their buggies. Wow – how nice! Of course, the Amish are of a “christian” religion and are told (1 Peter 3:15-16): Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. Is this psychological torture for Muslims but not for Christians? Or is it psychological torture because it makes them realize that they are not living up to their religious obligations? Stupid UN – Culture wars: killing babies and abusing women U.N. Chief Calls for Universal Access to Abortion and Contraception for Teen Girls (CNSNews.com) So, this is a human right – but you have to read the fine print: “universal access” means enslaving people to pay for the abortion and contraception, whether they believe in it or not. And what about pre-teen girls? And girls over the age of 19? And what about the right of MALES to contraception, and to having a say as to whether THEIR child (carried, I know, by someone else) is aborted or whether they will have to pay for 18 to 26 years of raising (including grad school, natch!). And when does the “right” to abortion and contraception become MANDATED abortion and contraception, as so many other UN-style “rights” have developed? Quite a Trojan horse here. Politics 2012 Romney Sweeps 5 More Primaries; 'A Better America Begins Tonight' (CNSNews.com) It is hard to be as disgusting as the First Citizen, but he surely is trying. Stupid UN – Islamic wars UNESCO Gives Saudi King a Medal for Promoting ‘Dialogue and Peace’ (CNSNews.com) The peace of the grave – the dialogue of Satan and Fatwas. Just what I’d expect of this corrupt and evil organization, the ultimate peak of government-run, tax-funded “education.” Technology Weapons of the future: Quadrotor drones with teeth (The Blaze) We’ve seen a lot of quadrotors — those drone-style helicopters — flying in pretty elaborate formations, which could almost be considered creepy, as of late. But put those quadrotor dances in context with this next one and they don’t hold a candle in terms of fear factor. The creator of the FPS Russia YouTube channel has a new video that, within a day, has gone viral with more than 1 million hits showcasing a quadrotor drone equipped with a sub-machine gun. Without a formal name prescribed for it, he goes with “Charlene.” Charlene seems to be a very useful weapon with which people attacked by thugs in ANY uniform or none can defend themselves, and may overcome many of the advantages of technology that military and police organizations have today. It is good to see actual deployable AND affordable technology catch up with the dreams of libertarian science fiction. Self defense George Zimmerman - a different view indeed (Daily Mail (UK)) Though civil rights demonstrators have argued Zimmerman should not have prejudged Martin, one black neighbor of the Zimmermans said recent history should be taken into account. 'Let's talk about the elephant in the room. I'm black, OK?' the woman said, declining to be identified because she anticipated backlash due to her race. She leaned in to look a reporter directly in the eyes. 'There were black boys robbing houses in this neighborhood,' she said. 'That's why George was suspicious of Trayvon Martin.' The article goes on to give a quick biography of Zimmerman, including pictures of him as a child, teenager, graduating from high school and others: a handsome young man with a great concern and caring attitude for his family – his partially-BLACK AND HISPANIC family – and his community, including black families he had helped and befriended (as well as Hispanic and “white” families): welcome to a modern Florida and the South! Thursday, April 26, 2012 Theft by government The Stubbornest Tax (American Enterprise Institute, via Daily Policy Digest) The United States now has the third-highest recorded combined corporate tax rate in the world, at 39.2 percent, with only the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guyana rating higher... Is this even a real word? “The Most Stubborn Tax” is the most grammatically correct, and the rest of the analysis is as poor as the grammar. For one thing, it is “average” and varies significantly from state to state. The article blames three presidents (over five terms) but the REAL problem with corporate taxes in the US as a whole is the TEN Congresses that met and passed budgets (or DIDN’T pass budgets) and taxed and spent, during that 20 year period. And fifty separate state legislatures (a total of FIVE HUNDRED separate legislative sessions) who overall taxed corporations in a generally irrational manner – never mind the issue of morality. Finally, the standard should NOT be what the other nations do, but what is RIGHT to do! Stupid government tricks Rural kids, parents angry about Labor Dept. rule banning farm chores (dailycaller.com) A proposal from the Obama administration to prevent children from doing farm chores has drawn plenty of criticism from rural-district members of Congress. But now it’s attracting barbs from farm kids themselves. The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families’ land. Under the rules, children under 18 could no longer work “in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials.” “Prohibited places of employment,” a Department press release read, “would include country grain elevators, grain bins, silos, feed lots, stockyards, livestock exchanges and livestock auctions.” The new regulations, first proposed August 31 by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, would also revoke the government’s approval of safety training and certification taught by independent groups like 4-H and FFA, replacing them instead with a 90-hour federal government training course. This insanity DID (at least for now) go away on Friday: the stupid proposal was withdrawn thanks to massive protests by a wide variety of people. But don’t expect it to go away completely: this is a key tactic for further damaging the national economy and ending rural independence. Mama's Note: Absolutely, this isn't over. The "powers that be" desperately want to add rural children to the nightmare world of dependent living, crime and chronic unemployment after their tragic un-education ends. Can't do that if children learn to work and be self responsible at home or on a farm. Theft by government New Mexico: City Shuts Off Water, Sewer for Photo Ticket Nonpayment (thenewspaper.com) Las Cruces, New Mexico is threatening to cut off water, gas and sewer service over unpaid red light and speed camera tickets. With more and more vehicle owners simply deciding [to] refuse to pay red light camera and speed camera tickets, private, for-profit companies and municipalities are growing increasingly desperate. America's second-largest city shut down its photo ticketing program last year largely because residents who could not afford the $500 citations did not pay them. On Monday, Las Cruces, New Mexico announced it would shut off the utilities of city residents who refused to pay Redflex Traffic Systems, the Australian company that owns and operates the cameras. As in many cities, there is a growing desperate lust for revenue, and the methods are getting more and more harsh. Las Cruces, a corrupt college town, is just one of many trying to do this. But it is obvious that those trapped by these things are willing to fight back – and not just by non-payment. I recently found a website with HUNDREDS of photos of destroyed and damaged speed and signal traffic cameras in the UK. Arizona has various folks doing the same thing: in the UK, a preferred practice is a variant of the old Mandela “necklace” – a rubber tire with a small amount of petrol hung over the camera and lit on fire. Africa’s Fall Zimbabwe dollars and cents (NY Times via Liberty Digest) For years, Zimbabwe was infamous for the opposite problem: mind-boggling inflation. Trips to the supermarket required ridiculous boxloads of cash. By January 2009, the country was churning out bills worth 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollars, which were soon so worthless they would not buy a loaf of bread (the notes now circulate on eBay, as gag gifts). But since Zimbabwe started using the United States dollar as its currency in 2009, it has run into a surprising quandary. Once worth too little, money in Zimbabwe is now worth too much. “For your average Zimbabwean, a dollar is a lot of money,” said Tony Hawkins, an economist at the University of Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans call it “the coin problem.” Simply put, the country hardly has any. Coins are heavy, making them expensive to ship here. But in a nation where millions of people live on a dollar or two a day, trying to get every transaction to add up to a whole dollar has proved a national headache. Hideous, isn’t it? The worthless US dollar is still worth more than the people of Zimbabwe can afford to use! Mama's Note: Not a word here about the underground economy. That's where the real action is, with many things being used for "money." Home front Russians in joint exercises on US soil (Business Insider) Russian paratroopers will meet up with American forces next month for an unprecedented military exercise in Colorado, according to RT News. It's the first time Russian service members will be invited into the United States for a joint drill.It's worth noting the Russians will have access to U.S. military weapons training at the Army's Fort Carson — "Home of America's Best" — ahead of the scheduled May 24-31 drills. They'll also be trained to understand and operate hardware used by U.S. forces in airborne missions including "parachuting, operation planning, reconnaissance, assault operations and evacuations by helicopter.” RED DAWN (the original) anyone? Politics 2012 – Free Speech Banned from Keene State College for “Free” Speech (Freedom Digest) College official claims no one, including students (sic) allowed to distribute information on campus without permission. For years I have been doing outreach at Keene State College. This normally consists of handing out fliers on campus, especially during class changes. Only this year did I ever encounter any trouble from campus security, when they threatened me with a no trespass order if I were to continue handing out information. How many years has the Free State Project been “liberating” New Hampshire? Sounds like it is a complete failure to me – as NH becomes more and more the land of tyranny, like its neighbors. New England should be considered as bad a place to live as Zimbabwe or Mexico, where government TRIES to rule everything – why not just live in DC where there is no doubt? Stupid people Intelligence of people in various professions (Business insider) In a study, "Spatial Ability for STEM Domains: Aligning Over 50 Years of Cumulative Psychological Knowledge Solidifies Its Importance," Wai evaluated the general intelligence of people across professions. He and his co-researchers at Vanderbilt University looked at a random sample of 400,000 high schoolers (from ProjectTalent, which tracked them for 11 years), and the resulting chart shows verbal, spatial and math ability (labeled as V,S and M) as measured by a series of tests. General ability (shown on the x-axis) is a composite of the verbal, spatial and math ability. What I see in this is that we are wasting MORE and MORE potential – the current level of engineering education – while NOT as bad as “education education” – is poor. Very poor: unqualified people are graduating and unable to pass basic engineering exams, or do so in rote style (like lawyers) and are incredibly STUPID when it comes to doing real work. Stupid people predictions MIT Professor: Ten Predictions About the World My Grandchildren Will Inherit (BusinessInsider.com) An economics professor claims: 1. Pollution will get much worse. 2. Islamic regimes will fall. 3. War could go away. 4. The rebirth of US manufacturing. 5. People will have longer and healthier lives. 6. Robots will replace manufacturers and farmers. 7. The middle class will keep diminishing. 8. The global economy will prosper. 9. We’ll have automated cars. 10. Democracy will recede. He is an economics professor, and obviously MIT does not require of its econ profs what Colorado School of Mines once did – that the professors make more money IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR during the summer recess than they did from their salary and benefits at the school during the academic term. This man is a Tranzi – and an idiot with a political agenda that sounds incredibly poorly thought out. Even his language is faulty: for example, he means “factory workers” and “farm workers” – not manufacturers and farmers. Even farmers running robots are STILL going to have to be “farmers.” His predictions are in fact self-contradicting, to boot, and some ARE NOT predictions – Google is running automated cars on the highways of California and Nevada right now. Some, of course, we can hope for. Each of us may have our preference, such as the rebirth of manufacturing and a prosperous economy (local, regional and global), and especially that democracy "recede" - NOT because the only alternative (as this professor claims) is authoritarianism, but because the REAL alternative is liberty. First Citizen’s minions/boss First Lady Hails Free-Contraception Mandate: 'We Made History' (CNSNews.com) Yes, but not in the way SHE means: one more government intrusion into what is none of its business. “Free” – as in “free food” (commodities) and “free education” (GRTF schools) and such? Oh, yes, free indeed. First Citizen’s minions/successor? Obama Should 'Remove Eric Holder' and 'Just Come Clean' on Fast and Furious, Says Rep. Steve King (CNSNews.com) Oh, yeah, like THAT is ever going to happen. Jack Kennedy had Bobbie, and the Messiah has Holder. Politics 2012 – Tranzis in disguise Rubio Praises U.N., World Bank, IMF for Not Asserting ‘Narrow American Interests’ (CNSNews.com) Funny words from a “conservative” governor, it seems to me. And not just to me: Rubio Echoes Obama More Than Romney on Foreign Policy (Bloomberg) Rubio argued for an activist foreign policy that puts a priority on ... such as the United Nations Security Council, to solve crises in Libya and ... Indeed, it turns out that Mr. Rubio, whom more and more people are pushing for GOP Veep Candidate, is a member of the infamous Council on Foreign Relations (The Kony Factor in Rubio's 'Major Speech' | Swampland | TIME.com). Home front – Border Jumpers – First Citizen Obama Lawyer: Arizona Law Will Result in ‘Mass Incarceration,’ Causing ‘Significant Foreign Relations Problems’ (CNSNews.com) Lies and more lies. If implementing federal laws will result in mass incarceration, we’d see it now. No, one percent of the population is NOT “mass incarceration” no matter how much we cry wolf on it. Home front – Culture wars (on marriage) Less Than 50% of U.S. Households Now Led by Married Couples, Says Census Bureau (CNSNews.com) According to what definition? The outcome for the decades of war on the family seems now to be victory for the government and “elites” that waged it; this statistic is the direct result of thousands of laws, tens of thousands of court decisions, and hundreds of thousands of bureaucratic action: welfare, “divorce and marriage” laws, and a constant effort to denigrate the family and marriage. World wars Chinese Hackers Stole Plans for America's New Joint Strike Fighter Plane, Says Investigations Subcommittee Chair (CNSNews.com) And how and when and whom is to blame? And what else did they steal? I’ve got an idea: let the Chinese build this and bankrupt themselves to do it, and then maybe we can buy it from them. First Citizen – Government-run, tax-funded education On Student Loans, 'Obama Trying to Invent a Fight Where There Isn’t One,' Boehner Says (CNSNews.com) Then there IS a problem. Subsidized student loan rates makes the situation even worse than “JUST” skewing the market and driving the inflation of the price of education through the roof. It is stealing even more money from taxpayers and creating more problems. The people that believed in limited government would be trying to get the interest rates to somewhere close to commercial rates. First Citizen Napolitano: Secret Service Scandal Showed ‘There May Be a Risk’ to President’s Security (CNSNews.com) Actually, the scandal, like risks to presidential security, are both symptoms of the decay and corruption of the Secret Service, itself a symptom of the corruption of the White House. World wars As Syria Violates U.N. Ceasefire, Calls Mount for Stronger U.S. Leadership (CNSNews.com) And pray that we all can have ten ounces of gold, while they are at it. Islamic wars ‘Islam Is Not Incompatible With Human Rights Standards,’ Islamic Bloc Insists (CNSNews.com) And I am a talking mouse with great big ears. Stupid People Hoyer Quotes Jesse Jackson: Republicans Want to ‘Drown the Captain,’ ‘Prepared to Sink the Ship to Do So’ (CNSNews.com) Captain? – not mine and not this nation’s. A ship’s captain has near absolute power and supposedly (and usually) has the knowledge and experience needed to command the ship. The First Citizen has NONE of these traits. Unfortunately, if the GOP really wanted to “drown” the First Citizen, they would have impeached him long ago. But they are nothing more than enablers for the dysfunctional system and administration. Environist stupidity How Green Are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In (New York Times) Someone driving the all-electric Nissan Leaf in Los Angeles would release greenhouse gases equivalent to a gasoline car getting 79 miles per gallon; in Denver, the same car would release the equivalent of a 33 miles per gallon car... I have no doubt that overall, electric cars produce MORE pollutants, overall. But the environists have no reason to tell the truth. Friday, April 27, 2012 Congress in action – Tranzi madness Pelosi: GOP Wants ‘Subsidies for Big Oil,’ Democrats Want to ‘Prevent Breast Cancer’ (CNSNews.com) Funny lady, eh? We could have a whole bunch of “he said-she said” moments: GOP wants Cheaper Gas – Democrats want subsidies for fake Green Power GOP wants less debt – Democrats want more spending But of course, this soon pales because: GOP wants more war – Democrats want more war GOP wants more power – Democrats want more power GOP loves the war on some drugs – Democrats love the war on some drugs First Citizen – Government-run, tax-funded education Obama Advocates Keeping Tuition Costs Down at University Offering Class on ‘Disney’s Women and Girls’ (CNSNews.com) President Obama this week advocated his plans for federally subsidized student loans and his desire to keep college costs down at the University of Colorado, a school whose Women and Gender Studies program includes a course on “Disney’s Women and Girls,” and where the full cost for an on-campus in-state student this year was $26,877. Quite a bit to spend to better appreciate Walt Disney films, huh? It is, of course, the federal money “given” to students (His words, not mine) that drives the tuition up. But lets not confuse the teleprompter-in-chief with facts. World wars H5N1 Flu Virus Could be 'Engineered' to Put Hundreds of Millions at Risk, Scientist Tells Homeland Security Committee. (CNSNews.com) The time has come for another round of Chicken Little, the Boy who cried Wolf, and of course, the “We’re all gonna die” club: Limbaugh’s “Bad Living Magazine” ad parodies. This is no doubt in preparation of forcing H5N1 vaccines on everyone. Islamic wars: Arab street revolt As Election Draws Near, Prospects Look Gloomy for Secular Protesters in Egypt (CNSNews.com) In other words, the last faint traces of any REAL Arab street revolt will be disappearing. The threat of liberty or democracy to Egypt will vanish for another generation or two. Congress in action – Stupid people Lieberman ‘Can’t Rule Out’ Foreign Intelligence Involvement in Secret Service Scandal (CNSNews.com) Maybe a LACK of intelligence about foreign places, but I can’t see this as anything but “homegrown scandal.” Unless you don’t think the First Citizen is really born in Hawa’ii. I actually am glad that Biden lives in Blair House and has a cage – I mean, office – in the White House; it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference between him and Lieberman and Schumer. Theft by government Gov't Records: Michelle Obama’s Vacation in Spain Cost Taxpayers at Least $467,585 (CNSNews.com) Which schedule was this entered in on their income tax return? Of course, that is only about 3/20th of a penny for each of us – is the entertainment value worth it? Maybe Robin Leach could do an encore edition of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? Ah, but there is more than just that 3/20th of a penny, as the next story relates. Politics 2012 – Theft by government Boehner Calls on Obama Campaign to ‘Pony Up and Reimburse’ Taxpayers Air Force One Trips to Swing States (CNSNews.com) How about reimbursing the City and County of Denver, City of Boulder, and all the other taxpayer-thieving governments for the costs of that trip to CU, also? Of course, you have to go after the organizations with the big bucks, and that means, in 2012, the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP, right?). First Citizen’s Nanny-state – Politics 2012 Election-Year Criticism Kills Obama Administration’s Farm-Child Labor Rules (CNSNews.com) As I mentioned earlier, this proposal is APPARENTLY dead. Its evil intent, and the evil attitude that let this even get published, still exists. Second Citizen – Clown Prince Biden: ‘My Image of the Military Commander' Was 'Slim Pickens...on the Back of an Atom Bomb' 'Yelling Yippee-Ki-Yay' (CNSNews.com) This does, I suppose, explain a lot of Joe Biden’s problems. I remember when the movie came out, and how disgusted my parents were – we left the theatre less than five minutes into the showing. Biden’s been warped by his upbringing, and now he warps the nation – what did Delaware ever see in this man? East Asian front U.S., Japan Reach Long-Delayed Agreement to Move 9,000 Marines From Okinawa (CNSNews.com) This is, overall, a good thing. But many are just moving to Australia, and this will not reduce US activity in the region. And there will still be US troops here – on what should have been US soil since WW2, in the opinion of many people. Self Defense - NOT Unintended consequences: India's rape crisis (Al Jazeera) As India's economy booms, modernity and tradition collide vibrantly and violently in cities like New Delhi. Mama's Note: But, of course, nobody's mentioning a WORD about allowing these people any real tools for self defense, especially women. Nathan: It is, of course, well-known that the old traditional religions of India like Islam and Jahnism and Hinduism and such kept women from being subject to abuse and rape and such, and that evil, modern technology as invented and introduced by Westerners (most of them “christian”) together with their evil western religions, have created this. Mama’s simple idea of letting them have “real tools” would obviously just contaminate Indian society more. A 80-lb, 4-9, 70-year-old woman carrying a 9mm Kahr or HiPoint is even MORE of a magnet for rapists than her 15-year-old great-great-granddaughter with the cleavage-bearing belly shirt, navel ring, and hip-hugger hot pants, after all. And even MORE the kind of woman that the traditional Indian society’s rulers do NOT want running loose on the streets of New Delhi, much less in Baghdad, Cairo, or Islamabad. (/sarcasm... - Ed.) **************** 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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