This and that: Libertarian commentary

Posted on 2016-03-21 by TPOL Nathan

This and That, Libertarian Commentary #16-11E By Nathan Barton

Why are traffic accidents and fatalities up so much in Montana last year and again this year? Helena Independent Review says that Montana leaders are meeting to figure out what to do, citing potential causes being cheaper fuel, better winter weather, too little patrolling, and apparently more time to travel? Sounds to me like there are a LOT of possible reasons, especially since the death rate is not uniformly increasing across the state. But it also seems to me that once more government is trying to get involved and do things that it cannot really control – just pretend to.

CNS News reported that the Dominican Republic, which is 95% Roman Catholic, wants the current US ambassador, an open homosexual and homosexual activist, and his “husband” to be removed, threatening to declare them persona non grata if the FedGov doesn’t get the pair out. Continue reading →

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Liberty, peace, and prosperity (or not) at home and abroad

Posted on 2016-03-18 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-11D, By Nathan Barton

With the GOP race down to just two contestants (down from 17 to start; and Kasich cannot mathematically hope to be anything but a spoiler), and multiple claims that Hillary has now toasted Bernie, the panic and the claims of “me too” and … especially the celebrities are popping up all over the place. I’ve never understood the influence and attraction that celebrities, whether they are Hollywood types or musicians or “reality show” socialites (members of the jet set?) or whoever, have in society and politics.

Liberty is too precious to give up for the likes of celebrities or to help those who use the help only to turn and rend those who helped. I suspect that every religious group in the United States, at one time or another, has been preyed upon by con-artists who seek to fleece people and take advantage of good hearts and generosity. (I know that even congregations I’ve been a member of have been conned by such.) Exactly WHAT are celebrities but simply very polished con-arts? Why should we care what Harrison Ford or Dolly Parton or even Chuck Norris or Pat Boone, think? At least about anything but movies and music. Yet, we do, and even the alternative media seems to love crowing about how so-and-so endorsed Bernie or the Donald or Ted or Hillary. Continue reading →

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Economic intensive care needed?

Posted on 2016-03-17 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-11C By Nathan Barton

More and more red flags are being hosted, by a wide spectrum of experts (real or self-annointed), about the American and World economy. Some are getting really, really hyper. But, are they real?

Oil is always pushed as an indicator. Are oil prices heading for a big, big fall? According to Forbes, as reposted by Contra Corner, oil prices should fall, possibly hard, in coming weeks. That is because fundamentals do not support the present price. Prices should fall to around $30 when the empty nature of an OPEC-plus-Russia production freeze is understood. A return to the grim reality of over-supply and the weakness of the world economy could push prices well into the $20s. He (and many others) claim that a production freeze will not reduce the supply surplus. An OPEC-plus-Russia production cut would be a great step toward re-establishing oil-market balance, but Stockman believes that will happen later in 2016 but is not on the table today. Continue reading →

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Guns, crime, and … diapers

Posted on 2016-03-16 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-11B By Nathan A. Barton

What gives?  This is the kind of story that normally pops up on a dozen pro-gun and pro-self defense websites, but THIS one showed up on the daily headline news e-mail from the WaPo. A concealed weapon owner shot and killed an attacker at a 7-Eleven in King County, Washington (state) when the attacker went after the clerk with a hatchet. It isn’t really a high-priority or hot news story, certainly not close to a story showing what bikini Beyonce isn’t wearing. Similar incidents happen multiple times a week. So why is the WaPo reporting this?  I admit, I don’t trust them. I figure they’ve got some hidden agenda more than just trying to make money by selling more views or hard copies.  But can’t figure out why. The article DOES dwell on a number of recent cases where people were stupid, poorly trained, and made a bad example, but not your usual “hatchet job” (pun intended) on gunowners.  Anyone have any ideas?

Mama’s Note: I’m seeing more and more of these stories all the time. Not a lot, and not nearly as many as happen, but more than there used to be. The anti-gun thing is often subtle, but is almost always there in some measure, but it’s far better than having these stories ignored. Continue reading →

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Politics 2016: Are we there yet?

Posted on 2016-03-15 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-11A by Nathan Barton

One more “big primary election day.” Eight months to go… what can go wrong? The new Massa will be chosen, “American democracy” will be vindicated and verified for another four years – or we will enter into a new phase of fascism and thousands – no, millions – will flee the country.

I just wish it was over.

And is it all over? Last week, Zero Hedge proclaimed that “at this point it is all over” for the 2016 race for new Massa: that Trump is scheduled to trash Rubio in the guy’s home state, defeating the last hope of the GOP faithful and bosses. Although Kasich is expected (well, maybe) to win in his home state in Ohio, that is probably his last hurrah. But it isn’t just the GOP nomination that Durban says is done: it is the November election AND the “United States,” that Trump is incapable of running the country and that either the “deep state” will nullify the election (and presumably set up some kind of a technocracy with or without military participation), or the rest of the world will turn on the FedGov and it will go down in some kind of gotterdammerung. Continue reading →

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Blind Voters

Posted on 2016-03-14 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Chris, over at Laissez Faire Books reposted (with his own comments) an article by Josh Guckert at The Libertarian Republic, entitled “Trump and Sanders may have more in common than most [people] think.” He proceeds to list and provide proof of seven items of commonality: all death from a libertarian point of view – even a minarchist’s. Josh (and Chris) make very good points.

But are they really important? Or even accurate? At best, taking information from public sources, Josh is telling us what the two SEEM to have in common based on what they have said (and, admittedly in Sanders’ case, how he has voted). But some of this stuff goes back almost a decade. And obviously, everything they have said is and was intended to be self-serving, and not necessarily an insight into their real positions – or how they would rule. In fact, let us go even further. Name one American president in the last CENTURY that kept even 10% of his campaign promises, or even remained faithful to what he said was his position on even major issues. Continue reading →

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Voting with your feet – redux

Posted on 2016-03-12 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-10F By Nathan Barton

Voting with your feet, Redux – Europe, America, and Islam

Events in Europe mean more and more people are voting with their feet as well. And the arrogance of their national and European Tranzi leaders grows more and more amazing and intolerable by the day. Even as they steal more and more liberty from their own citizens, they pretend to give it to Muslim “refugees” and others.

But even as things get bad, these events make it clear that the solution IS liberty: not just the liberty to cross borders (just not on the dime of someone forced to pay), but the liberty to defend yourself against the inevitable, the scum who seek to take advantage of good-hearted people. And the liberty to say, “not in MY living room or yard,” and “Not MY daughter, not MY son, not MY wife” is to be sacrificed. And certainly not taking away the liberty for each of us to worship God (or not) as long as we neither impose it on others nor use it as an excuse to rob, beat, rape, abuse, or kill others. Until we can apply that lesson to our daily lives and society, things will get worse and worse, and more and more people are voting with their feet.

Immigration from Europe to North America and Latin America and Oceania is up, and that migration is not just Muslim. Why? Continue reading →

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Voting with your feet?

Posted on 2016-03-11 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-10D By Nathan Barton

Voting with your feet and other political things:

The state senator who sponsored now defeated medical cannabis legislation in what one correspondent called the ‘Backward State of Hatu’ (Utah) has announced that he and his family are leaving the country, as reported in the Salt Lake Tribune. Nope, not just to the wonderful Free State of New Hampshire, but to South America some place. “I’ve long since concluded that I desire more freedom in my individual life than I’m allowed to have in this state,” said Madsen, who indicated the move was something he and his family had wanted to do and was not simply the result of the defeat of his marijuana legislation. Look, when even the politicians IN OFFICE have so much frustration that they bail out, what hope is there?

Mama’s Note: I wish him well, but I very much doubt he’ll find any more freedom wherever he might go in South America. There is a long history of tyranny there, and unless he has a lot of money, friends and relationships there, he will soon be in a bad place. Continue reading →

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Are the Chickens of Social Progressivism Coming Home to Roost?

Posted on 2016-03-11 by MamaLiberty

By Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D.

The Michigan Democratic primary was a close race which Secretary Hillary Clinton unexpectedly lost and Senator Bernie Sanders surprisingly won. The pundit analyses of this unanticipated reversal relied almost exclusively on economic explanations.  It looked to me, however, like something was missing.  The rest of the story, in my view, has to do with identity politics, gender politics, and political correctness.

In 2007 David Paul Kuhn published The Neglected Voter: White Men and the Democratic Dilemma. The Democratic establishment never got the message.  Worse still, under the identity politics and PC agendas of President Obama, the only group in America that could be denigrated, despised, and discriminated against were white men and most especially straight white men.

Looking at the primary results thus far, it appears that the denigrated, despised and discriminated against on the Republican side are revolting against all things establishment and on the Democratic side they are joining the revolution against the designated Obama II candidate, Hillary Clinton.

While following the money always is a good idea, following race and gender politics may be far more important in capturing the hearts of the electorate and the votes of disaffected white male voters.

Disaffected – to the voting booth!

Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Florida International University in Miami.

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Civil Society is Dead

Posted on 2016-03-10 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-10C By Nathan Barton

While it is necessary to “trust but verify” in dealing with people, today people are more and more fearful of others, and take the least excuse to scream wolf. Consider this story from World Net Daily. A business analyst was booted from a UK-Amersterdam EasyJet flight when his seatmate, reading on the man’s smartphone as he typed messages, apparently saw the word “prayer” and reported him to authorities as a possible security threat. The Christian Institute said the christian man, Laolu Opebiyi of London, who was born in Nigeria, was using the WhatsApp program to set up a prayer meeting with friends. “The prayer group was called ‘ISI men,’ a reference to the biblical proverb ‘iron sharpens iron’ (Proverbs 27:17).” (“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”)

The London Guardian reported that last Thursday, Opebiyi, 40, was forced to give up his telephone and his password to authorities, who ordered him off the flight. Multiple things wrong with this, including the seizure of his phone and violation of his privacy, when there was no reason for the airline to question his explanation. And of course, the violation of his privacy by the other passenger. Would the same thing have happened if his birthplace had been Londonderry? Or Cardiff? Or Frankfurt? Continue reading →

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