Libertarian Commentary on the News #14-46D: Religion, public life, and government

Posted on 2014-11-15 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning!  Let us start by looking at some stories about religion, public life, and government.

Colorado Springs School tells kids: Stop praying to Jesus, singing Amazing Grace. Christian students at a Colorado public high school were told they could no longer meet to pray, sing religious songs or discuss religious topics during free time – because such activity violated the U.S. Constitution, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges. Scott (who provided this story to me) points out: I’d wear costume jail suit and shackles, and a yellow Magen David to school. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News #14-46C: Being offended: schools and elsewhere

Posted on 2014-11-13 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning. Teachers unions oppose teacher accountability standards in Common Core. They are offended by it, as an insult. Lately, opposition to the CCSS has come from teachers’ unions, who are trying to remove its teacher accountability provisions. This is, of course, one of the few things that the conservatives opposed to this find good about Common Core. (Libertarians are rightly opposed to ANYthing that does not allow a free market to function in education, and approve anything which separates state and school.)  But like everything else, you have to swallow the poison with the food if you get something from the government. Continue reading →

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It’s Too COLD To Shoot

Posted on 2014-11-13 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

Some time ago, I wrote about it being “Too Hot To Shoot.” Dry fire was the suggestion then, and it still works to maintain skills when it is too cold. But there are other things we can do as well.

The range at my club is on a hill, with a road that is not plowed in winter, so getting there is sometimes impossible. I’ve decided not to use the indoor range there much, due to questions about lead contamination. Continue reading →

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Baker’s Dozen: What the GOP COULD DO and WON’T

Posted on 2014-11-13 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Thirteen Things the GOP COULD Do to Make Life Better in America and Won’t between now and January 2017

  1. Refuse to fund ANY of ObamaCare.
  2. Refuse to fund NSA activities until NSA stops their tyrannical actions.
  3. Refuse to fund ALL of the “Czars” and their staff that infest the White House
  4. Refuse to fund EPA regulation of greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane.
  5. Refuse to fund any surplus weapons and armored fighting vehicles being transferred from DoD to any “civilian” police force.
  6. Refuse to fund ALL presidential libraries, including that proposed for the current squatter in 1600 PA.
  7. Refuse to fund either Commerce or Labor Departments until the White House agrees to sign a law merging the two and cutting out duplicate agencies and spending.
  8. Refuse to fund any more support for fighting ISIS or doing ANYTHING in Syria or “Iraq.”
  9. Refuse to fund any White House staff salaries – including that of the squatter – until the squatter signs a pledge to do nothing about immigration.
  10. Refuse to fund ANY Interior and Agriculture Department functions if there are any additions “by decree” to national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, “special study areas” or anything else to take federal land away from productive use.
  11. Enforce the “seventy-two hour” rule for ANY legislation to pass through EITHER HOUSE of Congress: that the public (and Congress) has seventy-two hours to review ANY legislation after it has been amended before it is voted on.
  12. Enforce the “one subject only” rule on ANY legislation.
  13. Refuse to pass ANY legislation which does not have a cost analysis attached which has not been reviewed and accepted by a minimum of thirteen state legislatures. Continue reading →
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Police forces: a force for evil (was Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-45A)

Posted on 2014-11-13 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning. Due to work and travel, I was essentially not on-line for about 48 hours.

I am starting out today (and this week) with some truly disgusting examples of how cops are terrorizing and injuring and killing people.  One of my great frustrations with many talk-show people today is that they are willing to admit the evil done by police but still try to stand up for the institution, instead of standing up for the fewer and fewer peace officers who (even if in error) try to treat people kindly and honestly and helpfully, and berate those of us who report and comment on the vicious and deadly behavior of more and more police forces and police officers. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-45B: Winter is come!

Posted on 2014-11-12 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

Good morning.

I just came through this: the Arctic chill which has settled across the “Upper Midwest” and Rockies has made it clear that Fall is over and Winter is here.  Monday morning was beautiful on the Front Range, while the Black Hills (at least the eastern part) got four inches of snow by sunrise and another six inches by sunset.  And blizzards in Denver Monday afternoon accompanied a plunge from the 50s to the teens.  And Tuesday, temperatures all down the front of the Rockies in Colorado were mid-teens, while the usually bitter cold San Luis Valley was in the upper 20s!  People are, I hope, prepared for a colder than usual November and December.  And, as the power grid becomes increasingly unstable and vulnerable, for power outages and shortages of supplies.  Are YOU ready? Continue reading →

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Stupidity Epidemic: Fresh Outbreaks (was: Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-44F)

Posted on 2014-11-08 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Today, for the weekend, we will look at how stupidity is epidemic in these Fifty States, while we worry about silly things like Ebola and B85 and flu epidemics and elections.

In New Hampshire, it is now a fire-able offense in certain circumstances to say “God bless you,” even in response to a sneeze, because you are therefore “discussing faith.”  At least at an election polling place.  Although there are disputes over the facts, it seems that freedom of speech is being limited by bizarre interpretations of the very First Amendment that supposedly protects both religion and speech.  What next?  This smells like NYC where groups claim that saying good morning to someone is “harassment.”  But it is more sinister, as it seems to be intentionally meant to drive religion (“faith”) out of public life. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-44E: End of the work week, this and that

Posted on 2014-11-07 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Well, good morning again!  Friday is here, maybe… Lots of things to talk about.

Next up: The zombie Congress! Former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who heads the conservative Heritage Foundation, is among those worried about House and Senate members who were defeated Tuesday or are retiring from office voting on critical budgetary and national security matters when Congress returns for a lame-duck session next week.  Yes, though he is a pretty worthless politician, I agree with him in this case:  the departing legislators (of either party) and their staffers are NOT adults: they will play the same game the Clintons and crew did when they had to flee the White House for the arrival of W.  I suspect that some would try and do a Gotterdammerung style system, not just with furnishings and offices but with laws and appointments and all the rest.  And unfortunately, McConnell is probably going to let them get away with it. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-44D: This and that

Posted on 2014-11-06 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning!

The latest abuse by cops comes when a two men (driver and passenger) caught in a DUI checkpoint (and found to be sober) have had their computers and other possessions searched (with a warrant, thanks to a clueless Nazgul) after they refused (in accordance with court decisions) to show their identification to the jack-booted thugs manning the checkpoint.  I guess they should consider themselves “lucky” that the thugs didn’t just pull out their pistols and gun the driver and passenger down. If available in your area, find and install an app on your phone that tells you about such things so that you can avoid them.  They are no good for real people. Continue reading →

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-44C: Life and Death

Posted on 2014-11-05 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning!  Whew.  That stuff is over for at least, what, a couple of months before the 2016 election campaigns start? Getting a dozen e-mails a day from campaigns that somehow mined our e-mail addresses, probably from years ago. All the special editions of the various blogs and newsletters and on-line magazines I subscribe to.  Getting 4-5 robocalls a day to “conduct a survey” or “remind me to mail my ballot” or “what a nasty evil monster so and so is” (as if you have to tell me that!). And the junk mail: slick and colorful and full of lies: four or five a day.  We joked about setting up a special “campaign mail” recycling bin near the cluster of mail boxes at the end of our street, and whether we could use the Ram 3500 1-ton to haul it or would have to use the trailer. It is ALMOST enough to make me sympathetic to the mail carriers. Continue reading →

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