Home Front – Stupid Government
Massachusetts: Concord first US city to ban plastic water bottles
(USNews)
Thanks to Jeffrey for pointing out this story. Here are his comments:
“The town that witnessed the first live rounds fired during the American Revolution now has the distinction of being the first city in the country to… (drumroll)… ban single-serving plastic water bottles. As such, they top a sampling of things you’re no longer allowed to do in 2013.”
He provided more detail worth noting: Effective yesterday, the sale of plain drinking water in plastic bottles of one liter or less is banned in Concord, Mass. An environmental menace, supporters of the ban argued — an argument that, uh, carried water with a slender majority at a town meeting last year, 403-364. “Local government and special interest groups should not be dictating to residents what they can eat, drink and buy,” objects Concord resident Adriana Cohen. “Those are core civil liberties that should not be encroached. Especially in a free-market economy driven by consumer choice.” Jeffrey added: “Free market? Consumer choice? How quaint.”
Nathan: Indeed. I have noted for nearly 40 years that New England – yes, even that vaunted Porcupine “Free State” – is more like OLD England than it was like America. Everything that those patriots of 1774-1783 fought and died for – and killed Brit soldiers and Loyalists and AmerInds and mercenaries for – has in essence been thrown away. George III and the Parliament of 1775 never DREAMED of exercising the kind of power that the masses in Massachusetts and the other five states of New England have given to their local town meetings and government officials at the town, state, and federal level. It disgusts me, it turns my stomach, and it makes me want to have NOTHING to do with them. But every other town in this land is on the same track to total slavery.
Home Front – Stupid Government
California: Sales taxes go up, long guns are barred in public
(LA Times) In all, more than 750 new laws take effect Jan.1.
Thanks to MamaLiberty for this one; her comments: They’ll get it right any year now. Once there are enough “laws,” California will be a utopia. No?
Nathan: As I’ve discussed on-line with several folks, the nut cases (like the next one, also courtesy Lady Susan) may be exactly the same sort of behavior that develops when there are too many rats in a cage. In our case, the confinement is as much psychological as physical: we are all becoming psychotic to some degree, but some of us are more nuts than is “normal” in a land where tens of thousands of laws exist and thousands more are put into place every year. California (and Concord, Mass) are just the tip of the iceberg. But the nut cases are running wild in both California AND Florida.
Home Front – Stupid Government
California: Naked man with sword confronts San Jose police
(CBS News)
Mama’s Note: So, of course the first words are about the “assault rifle” and related hysteria from all the usual idiots.
Nathan: The more new laws and rules and other confinement and restrictions and everything else, the more people go stark raving mad. And then you start putting the psycho-drugs in the mix and we really start to see the insanity hit. If it hadn’t been an “AR-15 style weapon” (I don’t think those are illegal yet even in California, are they?) it would have been the sword, or maybe a rubber-band wind-up airplane labeled as a Predator or a cruise missile that would have caused some do-gooder (or someone scared out of their wits by all the propaganda) to call the cops. Of course, keep in mind that nudity is NOT a public offense most places in California any more. But it may still be in Florida:
Home Front – Self Defense
Florida: Naked Man Who Was Choking Dog Shot by Homeowner in Miami:
(NBC News) Homeowner opens fire on naked intruder in Miami: …Police said the suspect, who refused to give his identity, will be charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault, animal cruelty, resisting arrest with violence and lewd and lascivious behavior.
Mama’s Note: Look at the picture at the end of the first story. He was shot in the leg, but is now on a respirator? Something else major going on here. He was trying to bite the dogs and the people… sounds like the guy who ate the face off someone a while back. And he was trying to choke and bite a Rottweiler? He MUST have been crazy.
Nathan: Or perhaps another example of someone who is under “medical treatment” and on some weird drug regimen? Or another case of someone who has flipped out in the rat cage? A drug reaction would explain the respirator.
Mama’s Note: Serious drug reaction would very likely be part of the story. That’s what I meant. No mention of that, just the gunshot wound to the leg.
Swiss Home Front – Self Defense
Switzerland: three murdered two wounded in Valais Canton
(Foxcrawl.com) Three people were murdered and two others injured in Switzerland after a gunman opened fire Wednesday night.Local news outlets reported that more people were seen lying on the ground after the deadly gunshots sparked. The shooting rampage took place in the village of Daillon, in immediate proximity to Valais canton’s capital of Sion and about 60 kilometers southeast of Lausanne. Authorities in Valais revealed that “3 victims died on the spot and 2 others were taken to hospital”. Law forces managed to arrest the alleged killer who was shot during a standoff, said Swiss media RTS cited by BBC. The suspect, whose name has not been released yet, is reported to be a Daillon villager, aged 30.
News reports are spotty and contradictory: this is rare in Switzerland and it is very likely that some local person (not the cops) shot him so that they could arrest him; similar to what happened in that Oregon mall and in a San Antonio theatre here in the last few weeks: something the mainstream media prefers NOT to report, since it interferes with the memes they are implanting. But this is a lot to ask: is Switzerland also suffering “rat cage syndrome” perhaps? What is the nationality and ethnic origin and religion of the killer? We know this will be used to try and disarm the Swiss people.
Mama’s Note: Just WOW!
Quote of the day:
“The scientific name for an animal that doesn’t either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.” – Michael Friedman
Smart parent – Modern technology
‘No porn, no dirty texts and no ignoring our calls’: Mom makes son, 13, sign 18 terms and conditions before giving him an iPhone for Christmas
(Daily Mail)’
I have to reprint the entire agreement – I like it very much:
‘WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS GIFT COMES RULES’: THE AGREEMENT
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person – preferably me or your father.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear — including a bad reputation.
13. Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO — fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
Source: Janell Hofman’s blog
Nathan: As I said, I like it very much. New technology CAN be controlled by basic human interaction and thoughtfulness. New technology and new stresses do change our children into monsters: inadequate parenting and insufficient love do.
Mama’s Note: What I don’t see is why any child – including teens – would have any real need for such a device in the first place. A simple “tracphone” would be adequate if he was going out somewhere on his own and might need to call for help or to let Mom know he’d be late… if there were to be no regular phones available … and that’s even a stretch.
These things are built to enable all sorts of dangerous behavior, to enable and actively encourage ALL of the objectionable behaviors the contract lists. I don’t see any real positive functions for it – at least not any that can’t be done in other ways. But then, that’s just me… I wouldn’t have one as a gift.
The Price of Liberty 
Libertarian Commentary on the News #13-01B – Stupid government = stupid laws
Home Front – Stupid Government
Massachusetts: Concord first US city to ban plastic water bottles
(USNews)
Thanks to Jeffrey for pointing out this story. Here are his comments:
“The town that witnessed the first live rounds fired during the American Revolution now has the distinction of being the first city in the country to… (drumroll)… ban single-serving plastic water bottles. As such, they top a sampling of things you’re no longer allowed to do in 2013.”
He provided more detail worth noting: Effective yesterday, the sale of plain drinking water in plastic bottles of one liter or less is banned in Concord, Mass. An environmental menace, supporters of the ban argued — an argument that, uh, carried water with a slender majority at a town meeting last year, 403-364. “Local government and special interest groups should not be dictating to residents what they can eat, drink and buy,” objects Concord resident Adriana Cohen. “Those are core civil liberties that should not be encroached. Especially in a free-market economy driven by consumer choice.” Jeffrey added: “Free market? Consumer choice? How quaint.”
Nathan: Indeed. I have noted for nearly 40 years that New England – yes, even that vaunted Porcupine “Free State” – is more like OLD England than it was like America. Everything that those patriots of 1774-1783 fought and died for – and killed Brit soldiers and Loyalists and AmerInds and mercenaries for – has in essence been thrown away. George III and the Parliament of 1775 never DREAMED of exercising the kind of power that the masses in Massachusetts and the other five states of New England have given to their local town meetings and government officials at the town, state, and federal level. It disgusts me, it turns my stomach, and it makes me want to have NOTHING to do with them. But every other town in this land is on the same track to total slavery.
Home Front – Stupid Government
California: Sales taxes go up, long guns are barred in public
(LA Times) In all, more than 750 new laws take effect Jan.1.
Thanks to MamaLiberty for this one; her comments: They’ll get it right any year now. Once there are enough “laws,” California will be a utopia. No?
Nathan: As I’ve discussed on-line with several folks, the nut cases (like the next one, also courtesy Lady Susan) may be exactly the same sort of behavior that develops when there are too many rats in a cage. In our case, the confinement is as much psychological as physical: we are all becoming psychotic to some degree, but some of us are more nuts than is “normal” in a land where tens of thousands of laws exist and thousands more are put into place every year. California (and Concord, Mass) are just the tip of the iceberg. But the nut cases are running wild in both California AND Florida.
Home Front – Stupid Government
California: Naked man with sword confronts San Jose police
(CBS News)
Mama’s Note: So, of course the first words are about the “assault rifle” and related hysteria from all the usual idiots.
Nathan: The more new laws and rules and other confinement and restrictions and everything else, the more people go stark raving mad. And then you start putting the psycho-drugs in the mix and we really start to see the insanity hit. If it hadn’t been an “AR-15 style weapon” (I don’t think those are illegal yet even in California, are they?) it would have been the sword, or maybe a rubber-band wind-up airplane labeled as a Predator or a cruise missile that would have caused some do-gooder (or someone scared out of their wits by all the propaganda) to call the cops. Of course, keep in mind that nudity is NOT a public offense most places in California any more. But it may still be in Florida:
Home Front – Self Defense
Florida: Naked Man Who Was Choking Dog Shot by Homeowner in Miami:
(NBC News) Homeowner opens fire on naked intruder in Miami: …Police said the suspect, who refused to give his identity, will be charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault, animal cruelty, resisting arrest with violence and lewd and lascivious behavior.
Mama’s Note: Look at the picture at the end of the first story. He was shot in the leg, but is now on a respirator? Something else major going on here. He was trying to bite the dogs and the people… sounds like the guy who ate the face off someone a while back. And he was trying to choke and bite a Rottweiler? He MUST have been crazy.
Nathan: Or perhaps another example of someone who is under “medical treatment” and on some weird drug regimen? Or another case of someone who has flipped out in the rat cage? A drug reaction would explain the respirator.
Mama’s Note: Serious drug reaction would very likely be part of the story. That’s what I meant. No mention of that, just the gunshot wound to the leg.
Swiss Home Front – Self Defense
Switzerland: three murdered two wounded in Valais Canton
(Foxcrawl.com) Three people were murdered and two others injured in Switzerland after a gunman opened fire Wednesday night.Local news outlets reported that more people were seen lying on the ground after the deadly gunshots sparked. The shooting rampage took place in the village of Daillon, in immediate proximity to Valais canton’s capital of Sion and about 60 kilometers southeast of Lausanne. Authorities in Valais revealed that “3 victims died on the spot and 2 others were taken to hospital”. Law forces managed to arrest the alleged killer who was shot during a standoff, said Swiss media RTS cited by BBC. The suspect, whose name has not been released yet, is reported to be a Daillon villager, aged 30.
News reports are spotty and contradictory: this is rare in Switzerland and it is very likely that some local person (not the cops) shot him so that they could arrest him; similar to what happened in that Oregon mall and in a San Antonio theatre here in the last few weeks: something the mainstream media prefers NOT to report, since it interferes with the memes they are implanting. But this is a lot to ask: is Switzerland also suffering “rat cage syndrome” perhaps? What is the nationality and ethnic origin and religion of the killer? We know this will be used to try and disarm the Swiss people.
Mama’s Note: Just WOW!
Quote of the day:
“The scientific name for an animal that doesn’t either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.” – Michael Friedman
Smart parent – Modern technology
‘No porn, no dirty texts and no ignoring our calls’: Mom makes son, 13, sign 18 terms and conditions before giving him an iPhone for Christmas
(Daily Mail)’
I have to reprint the entire agreement – I like it very much:
‘WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS GIFT COMES RULES’: THE AGREEMENT
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person – preferably me or your father.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear — including a bad reputation.
13. Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO — fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
Source: Janell Hofman’s blog
Nathan: As I said, I like it very much. New technology CAN be controlled by basic human interaction and thoughtfulness. New technology and new stresses do change our children into monsters: inadequate parenting and insufficient love do.
Mama’s Note: What I don’t see is why any child – including teens – would have any real need for such a device in the first place. A simple “tracphone” would be adequate if he was going out somewhere on his own and might need to call for help or to let Mom know he’d be late… if there were to be no regular phones available … and that’s even a stretch.
These things are built to enable all sorts of dangerous behavior, to enable and actively encourage ALL of the objectionable behaviors the contract lists. I don’t see any real positive functions for it – at least not any that can’t be done in other ways. But then, that’s just me… I wouldn’t have one as a gift.
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.