Libertarian Commentary on the News, 31 DEC 2015, #15-52C: End of the Year

By Nathan Barton

It has been a bad year in many respects, both worldwide and in the Fifty States and in Colorado and South Dakota and for business and family, but we should not let events keep us from appreciating and being thankful for the good things and the good times that we’ve experienced.

We have more wars than ever, and the threat of those wars expanding (including those that have already expanded).  And despite claims to the contrary (see below), we still are relatively peaceful here at home in the Fifty States.  In much of the nation, we are still relatively free from threat from government and other gangs, and able to travel pretty freely, and enjoy a good deal of liberty.  Which has expanded in some ways, often due to technology and economics (like the price of fuel right now, and better, more secure communications). Continue reading →

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How Much Can We Take? Mainstream Media

By Nathan Barton

Just how much of this bilge can we take, much less believe? On Wednesday, 30 December 2015, these were the afternoon “political-national” headlines from the Infamous Washington Post (the WaPo), flagship of mainstream media. Read them on an empty stomach.

Mama’s Note: Instead of an empty stomach, if you insist on reading this stuff please do have at least some soda crackers and milk handy. Dry heaves are such pain… ML checking in as the NURSE here. 🙂

Rubio used political position to help troubled brother-in-law in ’02 While a powerful state lawmaker, Rubio urged officials to grant a real estate license to his brother-in-law, a convicted cocaine trafficker who had been released from prison 20 months earlier, according to records obtained by The Post. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 30 DEC 2015, #15-52B: Weather Judgment

By Nathan Barton

It seems that the NutCases are out in force again this week, with Jeremiads about the “abnormal” weather and blaming everything from HAARP to manmade global warming to God’s punishment on the Fifty States for Hillary and the Donald. Consider this rather stupid article on Prison Planet screaming about the “major disasters” in December: wildfires in LA and tornadoes in Texas. These are NOT THAT unusual, not when you look at weather and climate in terms of decades and even centuries, as you should. And these are NOT “major disasters” either: a 1230-acre (not even two square miles) wildfire in California is NOT “major” in any way as reported by Yahoo; and neither is 11 or even 43 dead in a series of early winter tornadoes (which DO happen every few decades.) as reported by CNN. I feel sorrow and sympathy for those who lost homes or family or both, but these are NOT some kind of end-time events. But people are fearful, and outfits like Prison Planet are in the business of scaring them more. Just as is the mainstream media. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 29 DEC 2015, #15-52A: Lies and More Lies – What can we believe?

By Nathan Barton

Lies and more lies? According to Freedom News Daily, quoting a Reuters story, “Oil fell toward $37 a barrel on Monday, trading within sight of an 11-year low, pressured by excess supply that has more than halved prices since the downturn began in mid-2014. U.S. crude was trading at around parity with global benchmark Brent, having earlier in December risen to a premium for the first time in about a year following the lifting of a 40-year-old ban on most U.S. crude exports.”

Now, I’d like to know just what gives? Why the lies? The reality as reported at Oil Price is seen on the charts updated daily (indeed, hourly) AND at Daily FX, is that crude oil (both West Texas Intermediate or WTI and Brent) dropped to lows WELL below $37 a barrel (WTI was below $35) last week, and have CLIMBED the last several days, including Monday the 28th before noon. WHY the lies? What are we being sold by the mainstream media? What OTHER lies are being told that we are not aware of? Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News,#15-51E: Milestones and more

By Nathan Barton

A sad milestone was reached on Tuesday, 22 DEC 2015: The Free Thought Project tells us a suspected drug dealer was killed during a no-knock raid on his house by cops in Vermont.  This brings the total to 1174 dead (killed by cops) this year, and in all fifty states. Vermont was the only state without a killing by cops. No way of telling how many were justified, but this one is already hitting the top of the smell-o-meter.  Supposedly the man had a black-powder, muzzle-loading rifle which he didn’t fire: the cops fired 13 times. Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays!

My Norfolk Island Pine house plant doesn’t make for a very traditional Christmas tree, but that’s the most effort I’m willing to make anymore. The children are long gone, and with all of the problems and terrors we face most days, a “Merry Christmas” just doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

I share the story of one special Christmas every year now, however, and it never loses its significance. Seems we need to be reminded that the “old days” were never perfect and had their own problems and terror… Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 24 December 2015, #15-51D: Christmas Gifts

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 are the 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. Continue reading →

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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 →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News #15-51B: Political philosophies and relationships

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 →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 21 DEC 2015, #15-51A: Muslims, Satanists, Cops, Nazgul and Sarcasm?

By Nathan Barton or someone who hacked me…

While I was dealing with family matters, someone seems to have hacked into my notes and put some commentary about stories that is either VERY liberal-Tranzi OR very, VERY sarcastic. Read the next few paragraphs and see if you can figure out which.

We can ALL benefit from the wisdom of the wisest among us: the revered Nazgul who sit high up in courtrooms across the nation. Consider this report from World Net Daily telling about how fortunate we are (dare I use the word blessed?) that a Muslim judge knows his Old Testament well enough to convict a homophobic preacher – not just of being homophobic, but of using the WRONG reference from Leviticus in spouting his homophobia. Sadly, a higher court is reviewing the case and may overturn this wise decision. Too bad: the only thing better than the wisdom of a wise old Hispanic mother on the SCOTUS is, of course, the wisdom of a Shariah-trained and compliant Nazgul in a secular court taking away an Allah-given right of free speech AND lecturing the preacher on improper scriptural citations, all for his own good. Continue reading →

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