By Nathan Barton
Throughout history, we can often trace both the political philosophies and the family and business relationships of great tyrants and haters of liberty. That has not changed today: both philosophies and enemies of freedom and liberty share many things in 2015. It helps to recognize them to protect ourselves, our liberties, our families and friends and communities and faith, from them.
This from an anonymous correspondent: The past is prologue, especially as it involves current political appointees. Jeh Johnson, the current Secretary of Homeland Security, is the grandson of Communists outed during the so-called witch-trials of the post WW2 McCarthy investigations and hearings in the 1940s and 1950s. Now, according to World Net Daily he has promised Muslims in the US (and apparently around the world) to protect them from the “McCarthyism” that plagued his ancestors. Continue reading
The Price of Liberty 
Libertarian Commentary on the News, 23 December 2015, #15-51C: Holidays and Government Stupidity
By Nathan Barton
A merry Christmas and other holidays to all. I’ve no problem with wishing everyone a merry Christmas and even a happy New Year; sorry if you are offended. To be honest, I’m probably more offended by Christmas than Jews or Muslims or Atheists or Pastafarians are: it is a personal issue regarding religious holidays in general. But for many people, it is a nice family time and very important, and the constant fussing and feuding about it in schools and government offices distracts from the real issues.
As always, there claims that Christmas has become “commercialized” or “too commercialized,” when the history of the holiday shows that it was created for the purpose of public relations – of selling a religion (Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy) to pagans. But we still see people moaning over the “degradation” of the holiday. One story on ABC News (Thanks to Scott for this one) compares a wish list from 1915 from a seven-year-old boy to the 2015 wishlist from a seven-year-old girl, noting how little the child a century ago was seeking from Santa, compared to the modern girl wanting a thousand dollars as one of more than a dozen items. Of course, every generation figures the next couple of generations have totally trashed traditions and decency. Continue reading →