Libertarian Commentary on the News, 09JAN2016, #16-02A  By Nathan Barton

Rule of law? Following up on my commentary on the fall of Euro-American Civilization, and the rule of law, is this story. Sky reports that 78-year-old James McConnell, a preacher in Northern Island, has been cleared of charges in a Crown Court. The chargers were that he was “making improper use of a public electronics communications network and of causing a grossly offensive message to be sent by means of a public electronic communications network.”  His “crime” was calling Islam a false, Satanic, religion and having his sermon broadcast on-line. The Crown was not prosecuting him for “his beliefs” but for his words; funny, I can’t find where you draw the line. The judge (no jury allowed) found him not guilty, but the apparent goal of the Crown prosecution and police was accomplished: to dictate what can and cannot be preached “publicly” in Northern Ireland and perhaps ALL of the United Kingdom. In other words, intimidation. It is a technique already used to prevent “homophobia” in the UK, US, and elsewhere. It makes a mockery of freedom of speech. A basic and fundamental concept of the christian religion (which is supposedly the “state religion” of the United Kingdom has been declared to be offensive and evil and disgusting: that any religion other than “Christianity” is false and opposed to God (that is, Satanic).

Of great interest, both a Muslim imam and the head of the largest Northern Irish atheist’s society, stood with McConnell. The Muslim clearly disagreed with the preacher but stood up for his right to state his beliefs. The atheist obviously believed that ALL religions are false but also supported McConnell’s liberties.

Mama’s Note: And some people who are NOT atheists also believe that all religions are false – or better, merely irrelevant to themselves, but usually don’t think that it’s anyone’s business but that of the individual. Why, oh why do so many people believe they can dictate and control what others do, believe or have? Aggression, almost always by or via government, is the real problem.

The rule of law certainly includes determining whether or not government has a role in certain things, even for those who believe in the legitimacy of government, unless they do believe that government is supreme and, in effect, God. Which leads to the next news story.

Odd, but I can’t seem to find anything in the Constitution about how the FedGov has the power to dictate (or even recommend) what we are supposed to eat, as is reported in this story from NPR from Thursday.  The story makes it clear that these guidelines are largely dictated by politics and not science, which is why government has no business in THIS business. Yet virtually NO ONE objects to these “new diet recommendations from the federal government.”

Mama’s Note: Happily, the best way to respond to these bogus “guidelines” is to completely ignore them and make up one’s own mind. True of everything, of course, regardless of what the “constitution” says or doesn’t say.

Another story, this one from Medical Daily doesn’t have a DIRECT tie to government, but demonstrates that government has NO business in the education business. Patients leaving hospitals often do not understand post-hospitalization care plans and instructions.  AMA guidelines are rather stupid: they recommend instructions be written at a sixth-grade level. However, the story says that “nearly half of the U.S. population is only marginally or functionally literate, with an elementary- or middle-school reading level…” A sixth-grader should NOT be “marginally or functionally literate,” but we are seeing the results of 150 years of government-ruined, theft-funded schools.  And that IS the government’s fault (and parents, too).  I use a number of writing QA/QC programs, and “sixth-grade level” is NOT something that can be read and understood by someone who is “marginally literate.”  Any society can deal with a FEW illiterate people, but “almost half?”  Just one more piece of evidence that Euro-American Civilization very well may have fallen.

Mama’s Note: Sadly, the “care plan” sent home with the patient is probably irrelevant anyway, regardless of the grade level of the writing – or the education level of the patient. In the first place, after many years as a nurse dealing with patients after discharge, I know that most people are not likely to change anything in their daily routine, and especially not because of some paperwork they were handed. Even teaching intensive home visits by health care professionals are seldom able to effect those changes. People resist change to their personal lives, even when non-compliance is life threatening.

What is especially frustrating to the home care professionals is the fact that, while the patient and family often won’t follow medical advice, they are very quick to blame the nurses and doctors when they have a relapse or adverse outcome. Somehow, it is not their responsibility at all. Which, of course, is the main problem with so many things.

For almost a century now, Turkey has been considered PART of Euro-American Civilization, despite its roots in the Dar Al-Islam (Ummah). That seems to be changing swiftly. So we have this situation discussed in the next story.

It is the war in the Middle East that no one really talks about, but it just flared up again.  As reported by The Takeaway and analyzed by Politico, Turkey’s war with its Kurds has expanded yet again.  In the last few days, more than 200 Kurdish soldiers (members of the PKK, also fighting against the Caliphate in Mesopotamia) and 200 Kurdish civilians have been killed by Turkish troops, and neighborhoods in many cities are war-blasted battlezones.

The Kurdish war is an old one and can be traced back a century to World War One.  There was a truce in 2013 but that fell apart last summer, and now (although no one in the West wants to talk about it) it is in full operation yet again.  Like other conflicts and wars in the region, this is Muslim on Muslim. Most Kurds, like most Turks, have been Muslim for centuries. It is also two “democracies” facing off against each other, though that has not always been the case.  Unlike most, there is little or no meddling by the US and Israel in this fight, except that the US has considered Turkey to be an essential part of NATO, and Israel and Turkey are at least defacto allies in many ways.  The civil war is one more piece of evidence that Islam is incompatible with either peace OR liberty, at least as long as government (the state) exists. It is also indicative that Western Civilization is shrinking as well, in area, even if not totally fallen.

Unfortunately, Muslims don’t just attack other Muslims, as New Year’s Eve events in Koeln, Germany remind us. Zero Hedge published an update, including eyewitness accounts of the attacks on at least 90 women by “apparently drunk, 18-30 year old, Arab or North African” men operating in organized gangs or teams. And also pointed out that many German authorities are blaming the women for the attacks, saying that women need to follow a “code of conduct” in such events. Actually, in an aside (and as I’ve pointed out already), I agree: a code of conduct that includes “I am armed with a firearm and will use it to defend myself and others. I will shoot to kill.” Clearly, Euro-American Civilization is dead in the heart of Deutschland. As Mama Liberty pointed out, it is unlikely that Germans will resist nightfall.

Mama’s Note: While everyone should be free to choose for themselves, of course, I consider it the apex of stupidity to go out, especially at night, into a large crowd of strangers anywhere, for any reason. And that is true whether one is armed or not. The greater the number of people involved, the greater the chance of injuring or killing un-involved bystanders… and less chance of being effective against actual aggressors.

Mama’s Rule #1: Don’t go into stupid places, with stupid people doing stupid things.
I know that’s not original, but it is still very, very true. The best self defense situation, just like the perfect gunfight, is the one that never needed to take place.