Libertarian Commentary on the News, #15-09B: This and that

Posted on 2015-03-05 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good afternoon.

In recent months, many of us have distanced ourselves from Jews for Preservation of Firearms Ownership, justifiably due to the takeover of that once fine organization by people who do NOT hold liberty as dear as they should.  It has divided us, and there are still some people who seem to honor and defend liberty that still write for JPFO (as hard as I find that to understand, which I am sure both Mama Liberty and Claire also find difficult).  I do still read their regular postings, and was pleased to see this article on the proposed BATFE (Fuehrer Directive) ban on a very common type of ammunition, which cuts to the heart of the matter: bans (or limits) on ammunition are a DIRECT and IMMORAL attack on a G-d-given right to defend ourselves, our families, our communities, and our property.  End of the story.  The JFPO article challenges NSSF and NRA, which are making “technical” arguments and demanding an apology as well as withdrawal of the proposal.  Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #15-09A: Liberty dwindling

Posted on 2015-03-03 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning.  Liberty continues to be attacked, right here in the Fifty States, where this week and last we see a good many examples.  Here are a few that caught my eye. The price we must pay to restore our liberty grows greater and greater with each passing day.

Back in January, the Mises Circle in Houston had excellent presentations on Secession by Jeff Deist and Ron Paul, pointing out that secession begins at home and CAN be successful in the cause of Liberty.  Apparently someone noticed, as on Valentine’s Day in Bryan, Texas, a joint Federal-State-County-City assault force of 20 officers raided a scheduled meeting of the “Republic of Texas,” a long-existing secession group, arresting, fingerprinting, and harassing the sixty people present (except apparently for the Judas that opened the doors for the raiders) to carry out a warrant involving a “possible misdemeanor” being committed.  Freedom of speech?  Freedom of assembly?  Freedom of thought? I don’t know if this was a direct response to the Houston Mises meeting or not, but I do have my suspicions. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #15-08B: Ownership and Power

Posted on 2015-03-01 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Today, we accept that people who OWN something may not actually control it:  shareholders in a corporation (especially a large, publicly-traded one) do not control that company; we “own” our house and land but government dictates to us what we can and cannot do with it and on it; supposedly “we, the people” own vast acreages of land and parks but must follow the dictates of bureaucrats to do anything on it – and indeed usually must pay for the “privilege” of using “our own land.”  Here are a few stories related directly to this problem.

Mama’s Note: Not to mention the property and other taxes extorted because of what we “own.” Then there is the threat of “asset forfeiture” if TPTB decide they like what we have and want to take it. Continue reading →

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #15-08A: The Fuehrer and The Nation

Posted on 2015-02-27 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning.  Several news stories as I still am fighting sickness… These center mostly about that guy squatting at 1600 PA.

History in the making? The Fuehrer to make WWII internment camp in Hawaii a national monument. For more than half a century, what had once been Hawaii’s largest and longest-operating internment camp was ignored and forgotten. On Thursday, President Barack Obama will designate the plot of land in western Oahu that was the site of the Honouliuli camp as a national monument, White House officials said.  There are many MANY more locations far more suitable for such a national monument to recognize this evil action during WWII, but of course, this is the Fuehrer’s “home state” and so an internment camp in the middle of a tropical paradise is what he wants.  Much better choices would be the desolate, isolated, harsh climates of Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Grenada in Southeast Colorado, Topaz in Lake Bonneville of Utah, or even Tule Lake, in far Northern California.  It occurs to me: there are several different kind of “national monuments” which exist: there are scenic and historical and “research” sites, among others.  This could be a dual-purpose site: not just historical but a place to better train those who will run the NEXT cycle of internment camps for Americans? Continue reading →

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Asking The Wrong Questions

Posted on 2015-02-26 by MamaLiberty

Uniting Constitutional Protection for Economic and Social Liberties, Part 1: Substantive Due Process and Unenumerated Rights by Steven Horwitz

For libertarians the right to engage in contract and exchange with other consenting adults is just as important as the right to engage in speech and sex with other consenting adults. Other civil liberties, such as the right to bear arms or to buy, sell, and ingest various chemical substances are outgrowths of the rights to contract and the right to engage in “anything that’s peaceful” (i.e., that does not cause harm to innocent others).

Steve goes on at length about all this, and obviously plans to write a great deal more, but I would like to ask him a few simple questions.

Where and how does anyone, or any group of people, obtain legitimate authority to dictate anything to anyone? Please carefully consider the meaning of the word legitimate as I’m using it. Continue reading →

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Nathan still under the weather

Posted on 2015-02-24 by MamaLiberty

For any who are wondering what has happened to the Commentary on the News, Nathan Barton has been ill for a little more than two weeks now, and it may be a while before he can return to regular columns. If you are the praying sort, I’m sure he would appreciate yours.

In the meantime, I’m going to try to post at least one item a day. Thanks for your patience. MamaLiberty

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Gun Control – Leaders and Followers

Posted on 2015-02-22 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

It hit me last night that a lot of us may have been wasting much of our time trying to fight the “gun control” leaders, on several levels.

Obummer has pretty much stayed out of it, being busy with vacations, golf, plotting world war, adding to the latest list of those he’d like to have “renditioned,” and redefining occasional words in the English dictionary, among many other things. Too much work for one man, of course, but it’s been hard for him to really count on Holder, the DOJ, BATFE, NSA and the IRS, etc,. because they have been very busy too. Imagine the scope of all the lies to remember, hard drives to destroy, things to lose and then find, sort of… like emails, guns and stuff. They send out their swarms of armed goons when they can, but it’s not always that easy. Interdepartment political wars and snarking contests make it hard to get down to the real business of destroying liberty and the economy, but they do what they can. Continue reading →

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #15-07B: Jihad and other news

Posted on 2015-02-19 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning.   Let’s start out with some more on European Jihad:

Just a few miles from Copenhagen, where a member of the Caliphate killed two and wounded others, Northern Germany’s largest Carnival parade in the city of Braunschweig has been called off following a terror alert. Authorities have reported a threat of of an attack with an ‘Islamist background.’ Braunschweig Mayor Ulrich Markurth (SPD) and parade marshal Gerhard Baller canceled the parade at short notice shortly before 11.a.m. (1000UTC) on Sunday. The spectacle had been due to begin at 12.20 p.m. local time. Local Braunschweig police said the Karneval parade had been called off after reliable state sources became aware of a ‘concrete threat’ of an attack with an ‘Islamist background.'” Continue reading →

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #15-07A: The elite with us.

Posted on 2015-02-17 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning!  Though still very much under the weather, I hope to have several commentaries published this week. Here are several stories from recent days.

Elites?  Gag. The WaPo claims that “love brought Oregon’s governor down” when he resigned, drowning in scandal, this week, just days into his fourth term.  Garbage: it was CORRUPTION and DOUBLE-DEALING and ARROGANCE OF POWER that did that TO HIMSELF.  Cohabiting with this scumbag politician in the governor’s mansion, his self-proclaimed “first lady” was STILL squatting on government land, wasn’t she?  Morals DO matter: politicians who marry and divorce and remarry and do not take individual and personal relationships with each other have no moral sense, no ability to live up to their written or spoken word in anything.  This scumbag should have been removed from office some time ago, and the legislature should have done so.  But Oregon’s culture is damaged and contaminated, and obviously its people are weak and irresponsible. Of course, the elite think that they are beyond this sort of “morality.” Continue reading →

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Review: “The Testament of James”

Posted on 2015-02-13 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

Imagination, story telling, tall tales and sharing of ideas, adventures and speculation of every kind must have been among the earliest attributes of human beings. The ability to think like this, to attempt to analyze and explain one’s environment and self, is the difference between sapient and other beings. Spirituality is an essential part of all life, however it is expressed.

Nobody knows just when the first organized religions developed, but I suspect it was about the same time that humans began to record their experiences and ideas, dreams and aspirations. Many of the most ancient cave paintings have spiritual overtones, as well as recording daily living. Continue reading →

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