Libertarian Commentary on the News, 9 July 2015, #15-27D: Economic crisis, corrupt government, and cops

Posted on 2015-07-09 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Time to panic?  End of the world (financial world) nears?

Everyone, including the WAPO is screaming about China’s market crash claiming it dents nation’s aura of invincibility and wondering if this is the snowflake (together with Greece) that will trigger the worldwide global collapse.  Trillions of dollars of paper assets have been wiped out in a matter of days. “What had been hailed as a bull market that would embody China’s dream of national rejuvenation has turned into a burst bubble, and fevered government efforts to arrest a month-long slide in stock prices proved fruitless Wednesday.”  So China’s financial commissars are busy lending debt-created money so that people can go out and buy shares.  Right! Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 8 July 2015, #15-27C: Weapons, Naivity, and Rebellion

Posted on 2015-07-09 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Weapons, weapons, everywhere!  What are we to do?

Best places to carry concealed weapons?   The states, according to Guns and Ammo Magazine, are 1. Arizona, 2. Utah, 3. Alaska, 4. Wyoming, and 5. Florida.  I do not understand why South Dakota is not on this list, as it is simple, easy, inexpensive, and the card is acceptable to most states. Hopefully, South Dakota will join Arizona and Wyoming in ending any need in-state to have a CCW to carry concealed, but I consider the current situation better than either Utah or Florida.  Of course, there is more to our right to defend ourselves than concealed carry: open carry is PREFERABLE and can be done in South Dakota and Wyoming (except possibly on some reservations).  Reducing illegal and immoral (and dangerous) restrictions on where we can carry is essential for the future, while continuing to fight off the attempts of the hoplophobes and hoploclasts to steal more from us. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 7 July 2015, #15-27B: Politically INcorrect

Posted on 2015-07-07 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Politically correct?  The Army asserts, as published in Stars and Stripes, that NO military installations named for Confederate generals will have their names changed, despite many calls and petitions to do so, they “reject” racism and other evils associated with the Confederacy and the Confederate States Army.  This list includes major installations:  Fort Hood (TX), Fort Polk (LA), Forts Lee, Pickett, and AP Hill (VA), Fort Jackson (SC), Fort Bragg (NC), Fort Benning (GA) and probably others. An Army spokesman said, “It should be noted that the naming occurred in the spirit of reconciliation, not division.”  Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 6 July 2015, #15-27A: Insanity and stupidity in politics; liberty in retreat

Posted on 2015-07-06 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Two themes today: the first is again the insanity and stupidity of American politicians – and politics.  Two stories to illustrate that:

“Christie bids to replace Trump as most bat**** insane presidential candidate,” comments Tom Knapp, about a New York Post article: “The Chris Christie and Rand Paul feud just got more fired up. Christie, the newest [formally announced] GOP presidential candidate, lashed out against the Kentucky Senator Sunday for fundraising during his nearly 11-hour Senate speech against US national surveillance programs. ‘He’s wrong and what he’s done has made American weaker and more vulnerable,’ Christie said on Fox News Sunday. … The New Jersey governor offered a full-throated defense of the Patriot Act [USA PATRIOT Act] and the surveillance tools it affords law enforcement, whereas Paul, a civil libertarian, has been an outspoken advocate for more restrictions on surveillance of Americans’ data.” Continue reading →

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The Politically Correct War on Everything

Posted on 2015-07-05 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

Let’s set aside all the politicians, celebrities, and the media for a moment. Oh yes, don’t we wish that could be permanent?

Now consider most of the rest of the population, on EVERY side of EVERY issue; the people who seem to believe that they should and must find some way to get everyone else to accept their views as the ONLY correct view.

Now, that would be unremarkable if the method for that was persuasion, using their own lives as a positive example. Unfortunately, that’s not the case all too often, and far too many – remember that this applies to ALL “sides” of the issues – seem to think nothing of using force, fraud and outright lies, especially the force of government, to push their agenda and punish all who will not submit. Continue reading →

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Culture change? Counter-revolution? New revolution? (Thoughts on Independence Day)

Posted on 2015-07-04 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Saturday is the 4th of July. I was asked by an acquaintance earlier this week what my family and I were going to do to celebrate Independence Day.  After a long day and much frustration dealing with government agencies and regulations, my response was rather unguarded and blunt: “Why bother?  It is meaningless today.  The Republic is dead, the Constitution is a dead-letter except for following procedures, and we have a dictator, a tyrant squatting in DC, and a Congress that is venal, corrupt, and stupid.  And state and local governments are no better.”

To my surprise, she agreed.  Apparently there are many people who are NOT celebrating Independence Day, or even “The Fourth of July” today. It has been compared to those who see events of the last decade as being a “Great Divorce” between various factions in the Fifty States, and between the people and those politicians and lawyers and bureaucrats that make up “the government.”  It is time to recognize the fact that all this is NOT the CAUSE of the destruction of the Republic, it is the RESULT of the collapse and destruction of the Republic, of liberty. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 03 July 2015, #15-26D

Posted on 2015-07-03 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

In Oklahoma, members of the state legislature have begun the process of impeaching the majority of the state Supreme Court which ordered the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the Statehouse grounds, according to KOCO. At least one US senator has supposedly advocated civil disobedience of the SCOTUS marriage decision; another has called for a constitutional amendment to subject federal judges to retention elections, as many states already do (and which does VERY little to control the law-clergy).

Mama’s Note: What a shame that none of them – and few of their victims – ever even consider the possibility of leaving everyone alone to do what seems right to them as individuals, negotiating any disagreements among themselves. As for all these “monuments” and statues, knock them all down and use the rubble to pave some of the rotten roads here and there. If individuals and their voluntary associations want to build such things, they can waste their own money doing so. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 02 July 2015, #15-26C: the real Independence Day

Posted on 2015-07-02 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

The REAL Independence Day. As I often do, let me wish everyone a Happy 2nd of July, that being the anniversary (this one being the 239th) that the Continental Congress voted for Independence from the United Kingdom.  Today, of course, as the events of last week in the Supreme Court reminded us, the celebration of Independence Day is really a moot point. It is more in the form of a memorial for what we once had in the Fifty States – FREEDOM – LIBERTY.  May God grant us that we can have these wonderful gifts of His in the future.  And grant us the courage to work in every way to regain that liberty.  Enough is enough. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 30 June 2015, #15-26B: Nazgul term at an end

Posted on 2015-07-01 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

The official Nazgul term is over for the year, and here are a few more items:

Richard Winger at Ballot Access discusses Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) proposal to have retention elections for the nine Nazgul every eight years, a national   election which would require a constitutional amendment.  He realizes, I’m sure, that it would be virtually impossible to do this, but figures to make a point with the majority of Americans who are angry with SCOTUS. Richard makes some good points. “This is a revolutionary idea. The United States has never held a national election. All elections in U.S. history have always been statewide, or lesser geographical units, never national. In presidential elections, each state’s voters choose presidential electors for that state; there is no single election for President in a technical sense. The United States has never had a national referendum…” Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, 29 June 2015, #15-26A: Free Speech vanishing

Posted on 2015-06-30 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

For decades, and especially in the last decade, we have seen our freedom of speech attacked in a wide variety of ways, almost always based on how our speech, our expression, is “denying other freedoms” to people.  Speech expression is attacked as being aggressive, evil, and dangerous to others.  More and more institutions, especially (but not only) government-run institutions, seek and do limit free speech.

And free speech dangers grow worse.  A series of news articles this week identify this growing trend. Many revolve around the Supreme Court decision on “homosexual marriage.” Continue reading →

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