Libertarian Commentary #16-09A, by Nathan Barton

Truth in Media reports that a currently-serving Colorado State Assemblyman, who survived the Columbine attack in 1999 when he was a student there, has introduced a bill to allow teachers in public (government-run, tax-funded) schools in Colorado to be armed to defend themselves, other staff, and students, instead of relying on “too-little, too-late” police defense. “The only thing that is going to stop murderers intent on doing harm is to give good people the legal authority to carry a gun to protect themselves and our children,” saidRep. Neville of Castle Rock.

He had introduced a similar bill last year; I don’t expect this one to go any further: almost certainly the guy in the office on the main floor under the gold dome in Denver, cowering behind the armed guards that now infest the statehouse, will veto it even if the General Assembly passes it. Better solution? Get your children OUT of these places, even in states which DO allow teachers to be armed. Teach your children how to be free.

Advanced Television, as reposted by Freedom’s Phoenix reports that 70% of internet traffic is now being encrypted, which is a good sign that more and more people are taking security of their data and communications seriously. Much of the encryption is done by the applications that people are using, or by the networks. It is interesting that the area of the world with the lowest encryption rate (some parts of the world have more than 80%) is North America. This is explained by noting that Netflix and other streaming applications are not fully encrypted. So more and more personal and business messaging and data IS protected, although I suspect that most of that encryption is not high enough quality to keep the government spies out of it. My solution? Use encryption that YOU (not your ISP or the software manufacturer) control, in everything that you CAN use it in, but ESPECIALLY internet message traffic AND vital personal and financial records. Keep your privacy, keep your liberty.

According to Jerome Corsi over at World Net Daily [http://www.wnd.com/2016/02/claim-gop-plots-secret-plan-to-elect-hillary-block-trump/], Roger Stone, a published enemy of both what he calls the Clinton and Bush “crime families,” has stated that the GOP leadership has decided that it is better to elect Hillary Clinton to the White House than to “suffer” under four years of Donald Trump. They view her as little different from Rubio or Romney, but see Trump as a threat to all they hold dear. And what they hold dear is NOT American freedom and liberty, but their own warped and concealed versions of Tranzi power, influence, and wealth. I suppose it makes sense, since I don’t think Trump will be any different than any of them, except in style. Better solution? End the powers of the FedGov as much as possible. Keep your liberty: don’t buy into false hopes generated by these hucksters!

Government once more demonstrates its incompetence, and business pays the consequences. SpaceX had to scrub its third attempt to launch a geosynchronous (Clarke orbit) internet satellite on Sunday evening, according to CNN News. The reason? Government could not keep the waters around the launch complex clear (a boat moved into it) and the launch was put on hold, which allowed the liquid oxygen on-board to warm up too much. No one will remember the government incompetence, of course; just a third-strike for the rocket. Better solution? Get the government out of ALL parts of launches: allow private ownership of beaches and waterways and eliminate “commons” which are abused by so many. Liberty includes freedom to travel and communicate: support private businesses and not government fiat.

Mama’s Note: I read about that scrubbed launch, but no mention was made of the wayward boat… but I did wonder why in the world they’d want to land the thing on any sort of platform on the water that way. The ocean is obviously not as stable as land… seems to me like trying to catch a raw egg out of the air on a slotted spoon. Why would they do that?

Made of money? Business Insider reports that the first “micro-apartments” are coming on the market in New York City, with a nice monthly rental of JUST $2,750 for a glorious 302 SF. (That is about 15 x 20 or 10 x 30: about the size of a 40-foot shipping container. And that is $33,000 per year– don’t know if it includes utilities or not: apparently NOT a parking space. (Actually, the apartment is about 50% bigger than a standard parking space.) It is for people that don’t want roommates, and obviously who make a fortune… but not a mega-fortune. Better solution? Find a way to escape New York City. Get a life. Liberty is NOT found in massive urban ant-hills.

Mama’s Note: Amen to that! My family of three lived for a summer in a tear drop type travel trailer, just enough room to get horizontal in a single bed. I’ve been claustrophobic since then. But I do often wonder at people who build or buy houses with thousands of square footage that they couldn’t hope to use. I always laugh when I see them and declare I’m glad I don’t have to clean them, or wash the windows. Anyone who would willingly pay $33,000. a year on rent on ANYthing is nuts, far as I’m concerned. But each to his/her own.