Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08C: Secession and Nullification

Posted on 2014-02-27 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning.  Governors were upset about the proposed budget cuts for military forces and gutting the National Guard budget, manpower, and missions.  But some are upset about more than just that.  Sure, it is politics as usual, but it is worth understanding, as more and more people talk about de facto if not de jure nullification and secession.

Two GOP governors are in the news attacking the White House and Congress.  So what is new?  For once, they are speaking the truth.  First we have Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal saying that the ‘Obama economy is now the minimum wage economy.’ Assuming you have a job at all, I might add: more and more people do NOT, despite all the glowing reports in the media about how we are over the Crash of 2009 (which they never admitted to being a crash).  No wonder “he” (the “messiah”) is so hot on the minimum wage: more and more jobs that people CAN get are going to drop rockbottom.  And for only 30- hours a week, to avoid ObummerCare mandates.

At the same time we have Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker pointing out that success is not measured by ‘How many people are dependent on the Government.’ Well, it all depends on who is measuring, of course: for many of our “masters” in Congress and the Executive Branch, that is EXACTLY how they measure that success: how many people got food stamps this month; how many enrolled members of Tribe X had to live on commodities this quarter, how many people got Pell Grants or BEOG this semester to go to College? Now the funny thing to me about these two GOP governors is that what they are attacking is the result of the GOP living up to its historical Big Government agenda, and its cooperation with the Democratic Party (which is always sold as a “failure” of the GOP to get its own agenda – a paper tiger at best).  That is assuming that they are honest in what they are saying, and not just doing what so many other GOP types do: putting on a big brave false front to hide their statist, stealth Tranzi beliefs and practices.

On to other news:

Not content with trouble at home, DC courts more abroad.  Not just Ukraine and Syria, but… Uganda? Uganda could lose U.S. aid, face sanctions over its homosexuality law, as the threat behind the “messiah’s” words about damaging the US’s ‘special relationship’ with Uganda is revealed.  Funny, huh?  Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan and Iraq all are “special” to the US, and I’ve not heard a WORD from DC about their laws against practicing homosexuals.  But let Tennessee or Utah or Uganda do anything, and before you know it, the diplomats are sounding tough and threats to funds are being made.

A newly-proposed Republican tax plan lowers rates, but imposes a surtax on the wealthy, once more demonstrating the hypocrisy of the GOP, especially at the national level.  The term “wealthy” can be defined in so many different ways that it lets them play games and try to conceal what are nothing more than lies about how much they want to steal from you and me.

In Nigeria this week, Boko Haram terrorists murder 58 by attacking and setting fire to a college dormitory and then killing the students as they fled: male students, apparently.  No information available, but it is reasonable to assume that the female students were raped instead of being killed.  What is noticeable about this is that apparently government security forces protecting the college were withdrawn just before the attack took place.  So we see (again) government facilitating the murderous actions of an Islamist death cult.

The World Emperor a/k/a the “messiah” tells the Pentagon to plan for full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as his frustration with Karzai and company grows stronger.  This has a few people delighted, but there is no indication this is anything more but discarding part of the hand in continuing negotiations.  Karzai is unlikely to kick out the source of so much wealth.

It was reported that 36,000 rounds of ammo and 9500 pounds of pot were seized by the Border Patrol over 3 days this week, and just in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.  The ammo, supposedly all 7.62x39mm, was being smuggled INTO Mexico, and the pot was being smuggled into Texas.  They are proud of themselves, as this sets new records for stealing, and because “communities” on both sides of the border would have been devastated by this much ammo.  Yeah, right.  First, ammo (like guns) seldom comes back north):  the only way this could be devastating to communities in South Texas would be because families and businesses would be short of ammo.  But the most common self-defense rounds are 5.56mm NATO and 9mm Luger, NOT 7.62×39, which is usually AK-47 food.  Second, although I don’t know what prices are in Texas, the “open” (hardly “free”) market price in Colorado is supposedly $400/ounce, which means that the Border Patrol harmed the American economy to the tune of $61 million in just three days:  that is $7.4 billion dollars per year!  Not counting how many times that money would have been spent in the economy overall.  Way to GO, Border Patrol!

Biden’s latest boasting: ‘Single women with children in a dead-end job’ can quit because of Obamacare, is great news to his Tranzi buddies and the welfare state bureaucrats.  But not for the rest of us, who will pay (one way or another) for tens or hundreds of thousands of single-moms with kids getting TANF (“temporary” aid to needy families) or ADC (aid to “dependent” children) and all the rest of the welfare state payouts – not forgetting the $100,000 per year salaries for all the bureaucrats running the programs (and ObummerCare).

Kerry: those who use rape as a tool of war will not be allowed into the USA, just those who kill innocent people with drones and use poison gas on their own supporters to try and frame the government they are fighting against.   And of course, those who think that man-boy sex is natural and “not rape.”

Mama’s Note: Rape has always been a tool of war. It always will be. Seems the answer would logically to be elimination of war… aggressive war.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08A: Hope?

Posted on 2014-02-24 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Is there any hope left?  Every week, I see another half-dozen articles about the growing tyranny and brutality of the various governments in these formerly united States of America.  Every week, I learn of yet another group of people who have sold out liberty and honesty and a moral worldview for power and wealth.  Every week, I hear of yet another way in which the limited liberty I and the nation enjoyed back in the 1960s and early 1970s restricted still more.

Anyway, good morning.  Here are some of the stories of interest, pointing out the situation.  At the same time, there ARE some things that show that perhaps there IS a bit of hope in the bottom of the box, after all.

In Austin, Texas, where cops (on video) assaulted a woman jogger because she jaywalked, and then busted her on a variety of charges, the police chief put his foot in his mouth, saying local citizens should be glad that his cops aren’t raping them.  Even though it was in defense of his own, it is still a surprise to see a senior “law enforcement” official acknowledge how “rogue” cops are getting.  As I was discussing with someone yesterday, the cops doing this kind of thing (including killings of innocents weekly, like the teen shot and killed in his own front door because he was holding a wii controller) are a small minority of the police forces, but it is obvious that more and more are behaving this way and their superiors and the governments for which they work are SUPPORTING them.  We live in a police state, and there seems to be no hope of things getting better.  Each week, there are a half-dozen new stories about cops killing innocents, terrorizing innocents, tazing or beating or sexually assaulting people for minor crimes or even simple disobedience or self-defense, false arrests, and home invasions for the most minor of excuses.  Anyone even attempting to fight back (if they survive) is branded as a cop-killer or terrorist.  Their arrogance seems to grow without bounds.

Mama’s Note: While only a small number of “law enforcement” employees are actually committing the violent crimes, people like the police chief above and the unions pull out all the stops to excuse and cover for them. Even worse, however, is the fact that almost none of the other “cops” will lift a finger to stop the criminal behavior or work toward getting rid of the “bad apples.” As far as I’m concerned, they are ALL “bad apples” then. It is a crime to obstruct justice, hide or falsify evidence, ignore a crime being committed, or in any way facilitate harm to another human being. Any of those things would be grounds to prosecute and incarcerate any other person, and it is doubly shameful for this to be done with impunity under color of law.

Missouri is one of a number of states where the legislature is taking action to nullify various federal laws as unconstitutional.  I was surprised to see how far the matter has gone in that state (best known to me for its abusive police and the way the EPA has attacked both businesses AND state regulators in the past).  And I have my doubts: even if both houses pass this nullification act, will the governor really sign AND execute it?  There are so many ways for the FedGov to punish states who “resist” that it is hard to imagine Missouri as being willing to push back much at all.

Some of the folks over at CNS News have calculated that when DHS contracted to purchase 704 million rounds of ammo over the next 4 years, that amounts to 2,500 rounds per officer.  That is for 208 weeks, or about 12 rounds per week, or 52 per month.  Is that really enough to get them to shoot straight?  I, for one, have my doubts.  Even if they don’t spend time on the firing range during Christmas week.  We can be sure that virtually NONE of these will be fired “in line of duty” since the number of times a DHS “officer” has actually been involved in a firefight in line of duty is less than the number of times these “officers” have been involved in domestic violence or DUIs (their own, not someone else’s).  Yes, I know I am making light of this.  It is clear that a good many federal agencies are stockpiling huge amounts of ammo as compared to even a decade ago, and many people are trying to figure out why.  Meanwhile, even as gun prices at least remain fairly constant (supply keeping up with demand, but with inflation hitting hard), ammo prices are still insane and getting worse.  Again, it is supply and demand.  And a lack of hope that things will get better soon.

Meanwhile, overseas, the US and Russia seem to have cooperated (intentionally or not) in overthrowing a democratically-elected government which seemed to be abiding by its constitution.   Reports are mixed, but it appears that the “protesters” did as much (or more) killing than the police did in the last days of violence in Kiev.  Russia and the US are butting heads over Ukraine, but whether this is just for show or real is hard to tell. And now, it appears that the US’s Susan Rice may have threatened war on Russia if Russia seeks to restore constitutional government in Ukraine.

The ex-CBO Chief’ s comment that Obummerare’s work disincentive is ‘Exactly the same’ as welfare’s makes sense: why mess with a proven formula?  The disincentive to work is an incentive to surrender more and more control to the government: to become more dependent, as clientèle to the political bosses and bureaucrats.  Lazy and feckless people don’t want to make their own decisions, and are happy to get enough to eat, get high on, and ‘enjoy’ life. What hope is there of getting them to change?

An Afghani newspaper claims that the US has plotted to allow “christian missionaries” to steal Afghanistan’s youth by converting them to christianity and telling them they can then seek better lives in the West.  Clearly, the Afghan paper’s writers and editor don’t pay attention to, or understand, American politics; but you would think that they could read the mainstream media and see how this is really playing out.  Of course, this gives the FedGov and MSM an excuse to further crack down on churches and on religious soldiers (except Muslims, of course) in the ranks.

USDA’s Vilsack says that the agency’s biggest concern is “climate change” (global warming), but that the severe weather this winter is not necessarily proof.  This winter, and the way the Administration (including Vilsack) talks reminds me of the predictions of a downturn – global cooling – back in the 1970s and in recent books such as The Last Centurion.  There is no hope that the White House or its minions will change their chicken-little attitude.

Deutsche Telekom plans to launch a text and voice encryption app for smartphones. The privatized German telecommunications giant is responding to users’ privacy concerns after Edward Snowden’s revelation of NSA mass surveillance.  You would think that American telecoms would have responded as well, and sooner.  But the joke is on us.

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Pain and Healthcare

Posted on 2014-02-23 by MamaLiberty

By Susan Callaway, RN

Do you ever go to a doctor and ask him/her if you are hungry? Do you usually ask a politician if he/she thinks you need a laxative or a new bottle of hot sauce? Do you think you should need a prescription for coffee and buy it from a pharmacy – a cup at a time, of course?

Didn’t think so.

All those things are subjective, and most things in our daily life are subjective. Only you know when you are hungry, and what you might enjoy having to eat or drink. Only you know your body, your schedule and budget. Just think of the difference between supper at home, a meal in a nice restaurant, and what you would get as a hospital patient. At least for now, only the latter is dictated by government regulations and someone else’s idea of what is good for you. You have no control of the time or place, and only a superficial “choice” among pretty much equally unappetizing offerings.

OK, so let’s relate this to pain.

Do you wait for the doctor or, God forbid, a politician to tell you about your pain? Do you need someone else to describe the location, intensity or the nature of your pain? How in the world would anyone else know? Why would their judgment of how you feel be more valid than your own assessment?

There are several different kinds of pain, to be sure, and not all require or respond to the same treatment, but a great deal of the pain most of us experience is pretty straight forward. If we fall down, we have bruises and maybe some scrapes. If we are careless in the kitchen, we can have burns and cuts. The potential for minor accidents and the consequences of occasional periods of stupidity would fill a book. Most of that can be handled with soap and water, band aids, rest and the passage of a little time.

More serious injury and surgery produces more serious pain and other symptoms, which are not at all unrelated. If you’ve ever had major surgery (or injury), I’ll bet you remember vividly the first time you were able to have a normal bowel movement, and how much better you felt afterwards. The narcotic analgesia given in these situations causes a disruption in a number of other body systems and functions, some of them very significant and some fairly subtle. Some can be measured, monitored and treated by others, and some cannot. Only you know if you are nauseated, have no appetite or feel dizzy. Being “stoic” and not sharing these things can bring on more problems. Even worse, if your caregivers ignore your message, or make light of it, you’ll be less apt to confide in them and you will be the one to suffer.

Only YOU know how you feel. Every professional needs to listen to your description of your pain and other symptoms, how and where you feel it, as well as how you see it affecting all of your body and well being. This is the part that is neglected or even rejected all too often – and all too often even by the patients and families themselves because they’ve been convinced that the doctor knows best.

All of this becomes even more important when the pain is very bad, as in some forms of terminal cancer and various neurological conditions. Chronic pain, with no clear cause and which responds poorly or not at all to treatments, is such a vast subject I could write a book on it. I’ve suffered such chronic pain for 53 years now, and studied pain management intensely as a nurse, so it’s something I understand very well.

And then, not at all the least of them, is psychological pain, whether it is combined with physical pain or not. The idea that such pain is “all in your head,” and therefore irrelevant or unworthy of treatment, is one of the greater failings of modern medicine and, maybe surprising to some, a terrible failure of psychiatry itself. Treating pain and suffering as some kind of “mental illness” without actually doing anything to relieve the pain is truly crazy. And treating the “mentally ill” with drugs that just further scramble their brains and body systems is included in my definition of insane.

There are numerous substances, herbs, plants, even chemical “drugs,” which can treat pain. Some are more successful than others, and the effectiveness is very often a matter of context. The environment, both physical and emotional, is probably as important as the source of the pain and the treatment chosen, but are usually the least considered by caregivers and health care professionals outside of hospice.

Finding an appropriate person to assist you in choosing the most effective substance, herb, or treatment of any kind is important, and that is the only proper role for the health care professional in the long run. They understand (or should) the various kinds pain, and know how to ask the right questions so you can give them that information.  They will need a fairly complete medical history in order to spot potential problems with any given treatment. The doctor or other professional needs to inform you and/or your advocates of each potential treatment, their benefits and risks, so you can decide among them. You need to be free to change your mind about treatment or who you trust with it at any time.

And if you decide to find “medicine” without assistance from professionals, then you take on all of those risks and accept the consequences, many probably completely unknown. But it is your life and your body. Only you ultimately have the authority to control your own body and health.

How does this compare to the “health care” you’ve encountered? How does it compare to what we can so clearly see in the near future? You might give some thought to just why that is so frightening. Think about total government control of your health care, your pain, and – increasingly – your appetite and food choice. Think about why anyone assumes that the “president,” or any other politician or bureaucrat, has any legitimate authority over your life, your choices, your subjective feelings and needs.

And then picture yourself going to a politician to ask permission to take aspirin or eat an apple. It could happen.

Next we’ll explore a little of the world of “addiction” and “drug abuse.”

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08D: Stupidity

Posted on 2014-02-22 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning, all, and aren’t politics wonderful?  So entertaining, so exciting, and much proof of the old saw that “God must love stupid people, since He made so many of them.”

Seriously, are there STILL people who think the GOP is fundamentally different from the Democratic Party in 2014?  What else can explain that top GOP leaders want to sic the IRS on the Tea Party movement?  Unlike the Democrats, both the squatters at 1600 Pennsy and under the Iron Dome, who were careful to make sure that the IRS is NEVER used to put political pressure on their opponents, the GOP is so worried about the collapse of their party (as pointed out by none other than good old Uncle Joe) that they have taken off the gloves and are prepared to get down and dirty with their own rebellious party members.  Can Gitmo for tea-partiers be far behind, now that the place has been emptied as the “messiah” promised?  Of course, this isn’t just at the national level:  we can see it at the state level in places like Colorado and South Dakota – and even Wyoming.  There are many, MANY good Republicans who have to wake up to the fact that the GOP is NOT conservative and NOT “Preserving Liberty” or “Preserving Freedom” but just in it for the same power and control that the Democratic Party is.

Closely related to politician’s stupidity is, of course, the stupidity endemic in the mainstream media.  John Lott over at JPFO has another wonderful column about ABC’s recent “misleading” gun death reports about children.  I suppose that “misleading” is being tactful and polite, but lying like a rug would be more accurate.  John points out that in 2010, while only 36 children under age 10 died from gunshots (or gun-related accidents, whatever that means), 54 were poisoned, 262 died from fire, 609 drowned, 923 died in car crashes, and 1070 suffocated:   81 *** EIGHTY-ONE*** died in some other accidental way for every one that died because of a gun.  Doesn’t stop the stupid folks on the formerly little screen, but I suspect (given the glorious growth of big-screen TVs) that more children under age 10 died from having a TV fall on them or electrocute them, than from guns.

Traffic safety devices are ubiquitous, and they perform a very important function: getting drivers and their vehicles safely through construction zones and areas of damaged roads.  However, a company has found a new way to use traffic barrels: those orange and reflective white plastic devices designed to be safely bumped and hit, unlike the metal barrels they replaced. These iCones track the speed of traffic (YOUR speed) through their zone and report the speed and location to an uplink that can be viewed anywhere via the internet.  It seems to be only a matter of time before they offer cameras to record license plates and driver’s faces and also upload those.  Software already exists to read and sort and link license plates, so that you could begin tracking vehicles (and with face recognition, people) anywhere on the nation’s highways.  And you thought the NSA was intrusive NOW?

The “messiah” proclaims ‘Unchecked’ carbon pollution before 2009 had ‘Severe impacts on our weather’, except of course since 1997, since when there has been NO global warming. NONE in 17 years, even though carbon pollution (mostly China and the Third World) has continued to climb.  Liar!!!  BTW, is the “our weather” him speaking as royalty?

Ukraine violence comes after contrasting messages from U.S. and Russia.  Violence, which according to some reports is getting more and more intense.  Of course, small nations normally get crushed between bigger ones, and anyone, much less a whole nation or society, which believes anything coming from Moscow or DC, is being very foolish.  Look what happened to Israel and Judah caught between Egypt and Assyria, or Maryland between the North and South.  Or the Koreas.  More reason to leave defense in the hands of volunteer local militia and (within limits) voluntarily contracted “professional” organizations. And out of the hands of governments.

A new study again reports that the lowest beer taxes are in Wyoming, and the lowest wine are in Louisiana, and the lowest spirits tax is found in Wyoming and New Hampshire. I do not drink any of this, so I have no dog in the fight – except that I do.  Theft from a neighbor, a friend, or a fellow member of my community is STILL THEFT.  That money collected in alcohol taxes MIGHT (in a very tiny way) deter someone from drinking, or drinking as much, but it won’t really do that much to curb drunkenness or reduce alcoholism or even DUI/DWI.  And it facilitates and supports the parasites.  Still, this information is very interesting:  Wyoming beats out New Hampshire (naaah, you Free State porcupine souses!!), and if I’m not mistaken, Wyoming is on the bottom end of the nation as far as total government budgets and people at the state and local level.  But Louisiana?  No, Cajun culture or the French Quarter just don’t make much sense – and a love of wine doesn’t translate into low taxes on wine: look at France itself, or Quebec.  If anyone has suggestions, let me know.

Mama’s Note: You said: “Wyoming is on the bottom end of the nation as far as total government budgets and people at the state and local level.”  Sorry, but that is not at all true. Individuals don’t pay a lot of taxes here, but we have more government employees and spending, at all levels, per capita than almost any other state. Coal, oil and other mineral producers pay the bulk of the taxes, which funds entirely too much “government.” Wyoming does not spend nearly as much as most other states on public housing and other welfare items.

D.C.-area bishops: No government has the authority to alter the design of marriage, a fact with which I heartily agree, even though they are Roman Catholics.  My question is where oh where are the other 10,000 or so non-Catholic preachers and evangelists and the like in Virginia?  Or the million or so nationwide?  Have they become so lily-livered that they will not stand up for what they (once) believe(d) was right?  They are as stupid as the government goons and the Tranzis forcing this down the throats of the rest of us.

Mama’s Note: Nobody has the authority to dictate the terms of any human interaction or contracts at all. Nobody can define “marriage” for other people either. If those involved in a voluntary organization wish to define these things for their own members, those who don’t agree can leave and/or form their own organization. No religion or church can legitimately dictate to non voluntary others what constitutes “marriage” any more than can the state.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08C: War on some drugs

Posted on 2014-02-20 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I’ve been addressing a number of “war on some drugs” issues here recently, and here are a couple more.  “Doing drugs” is incredibly stupid, but failing to investigate natural, G0d-given drugs and herbs that can cure disease, and creating situations in which more people die, ranks far worse in stupidity.

Parents move to Colorado for “miracle” cannabis for children, while  in Spain, ten young men had a marijuana-laced cake and went into a coma.  And in the Oglala Lakota Nation, they are considering legalizing cannabis after going “wet” (ending alcohol prohibition).  These are all related to a discussion several of us have had regarding how marijuana is effective medically: specifically, that smoking it is NOT necessarily the best way to take advantage of the healing properties of cannabinoids, in part because it (and heating it, in general) converts some very useful ones into THC, which is the primary psychoactive ingredient, and which in turn limits the safe dosage, especially for infants and children.  It is this that probably happened in Spain; just as it is very easy to overdose and feel really bad after eating too many MJ brownies (I am told).  It appears that one of the best methods of using it, and which may work for this family’s children, is to juice it.  However, that requires a lot more plants than states like CO and WA are allowing to be grown for private use, which assumes people are smoking it even for medical conditions.  Meanwhile, the Oglala (well, a few of them) have been trying to get hemp again made legal, and several more are looking at both medical and economic benefits of the stuff.  The fly in the ointment, as usual, is government.  Even the research to find out how much baked into a cake or brownie is illegal, much less owning enough plants at one time to juice and drink.

Norway is testing nasal spray antidote to heroin overdose according to Raw Story.  Norway is a very wealthy country but has the worst overdose rate in western Europe, so this would be an immediate value.  I suspect that one reason for the high overdose rate is the very poor quality control that is a result of a product being illegal.  There is no way to establish standards, or to have insurance against substandard (or for that matter, overstrength) dispensing.  As a result, government helps kill its own citizens.  Of course, no doubt if this Naloxone is made legal, it will still be a controlled substance and so EMTs may not even be able to carry it, much less have it available over-the-counter for emergencies.

Mama’s Note: Noloxone, in several forms, has been available for a long time. I carried it in my nursing bag for many years. As with so many other things, it is not a cure all, no matter how available it might become. Most drug related deaths involve more than one drug or substance. The combination of alcohol, barbiturates and other non-narcotic drugs is very common, along with multiple systems failure caused by previous substance abuse, poor diet and lifestyle choices over time. Noloxone is only effective for opioid narcotics, and will have no effect on anything else. Idiots who take large amounts of drugs “recreationally,” do so without much knowledge or interest in the chemistry involved. If they are told this product will reverse their “high,” they will be very unlikely to want anything to do with it, let alone learn to use it appropriately. Even full legalization/ decriminalization won’t solve that problem.

Remington sends New York State a message with their Alabama announcement to invest $110 million in a manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama.  Of course, Huntsville is also a big government-contractor town, so it is also an indication that Remington wants more FedGov sales.  Even so, I agree that it is a clear signal to the idiots in charge of NYS that it (like many people) is voting with its feet, leaving its home State of New York, and putting down roots in a political climate that values the 2nd Amendment more.

The WaPo claims that Congressional Republicans are focused on calming their divided ranks by backing “acceptable” proposals and shelving “big-ticket legislation” apparently to concentrate on this year’s elections and possibly to recover from the sting of Uncle Joe declaring them a non-party.  All of us do better with a do-nothing Congress, provided that the stupid laws that they already passed are not being enforced or are being ignored (which isn’t really happening).

Stupidity or insanity?  The WaPo says that the White House is pushing an $800B stimulus as a key to ending the recession, because, after all, the first four or five (and five or so trillion bucks) didn’t really work, because Bush made such a mess of things.  So with a new and fresh face at the helm of the Fed, this time they are SURE – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that the financial system can make it over that huge breakwater of rocks and out into clear, deep ocean – withOUT sinking like a stone.  We can’t really say this is throwing good money after bad, because it is ALL bad money and the best we can hope for is that the inflation will not be as bad as we fear it will be.  Actually, I vote for a combination of insanity and stupidity. Double-doses of each, in fact.  with a LOT of greed thrown in.

Danish government decides that animal rights have priority over religious freedom and that is just too bad for Jews and Muslims.  As with so many other nations (including the United States), Denmark is now anti-religion.  It never was neutral, of course, the Lutheran Church has been the state church for centuries, and before that the Roman Catholic Church, with various types of paganism still farther back.  Now, the ruling class (no longer the nobility or the figurehead monarch, but rather the scumbag politicos) is humanist or atheist or – more and more – environist, and humans are just another species of animals, no more valuable than any other warm-blooded creature.  Almost 70 years after their liberation from National Socialism, they are enslaving themselves to a close relative of that evil doctrine.

Police in Oakland, CA, flee “sideshow” in city streets with one dead, lawlessness rampant and apparently nothing will be done about it, as the criminals were shown full-face on television news.  This is being interpreted (rightly, I think) as being both a breakdown of society AND a failure of the militarized police forces to do anything productive.  Oakland, especially East Oakland, has been a human cesspool for decades, worse than San Francisco itself back in the 1970s and 1980s.  But this sort of outright lawlessness would have most likely resulted in calling in the National Guard to back up police and sheriff’s officers, instead of being ignored.  As the TV report alludes to, this “sideshow” type behavior has even extended to interstate highways in San Francisco itself.  ANYone living within 200-250 miles of the inner Bay Megalopolis (San Fran-Oakland-San Jose and their inner ring of suburbs) may face this sort of thing sooner or later.  This one left (apparently) just one dead: but it would take little to jack that number up to a dozen or three or five dozen.

Mama’s Note: Or many thousands… just as soon as the checks stop coming and the “money” won’t buy anything at all. And that will be true in every major city and population center across the country. At least for a little while.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08B: Religious revolt?

Posted on 2014-02-20 by TPOL Nathan

Good morning to all.  Once more, we seem to have a spat of killer cop reports popping up on line, as well as the usual problems with government gone wild and other manifestations of tyranny and stupidity.  Which makes this comment of great interest.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput (Philadelphia): “The more that government mandates evil actions, the more likely civil disobedience becomes.” This thought is remarkable, coming from a man who is rising in the RC heirarchy and has made bold statements before.  I generally hold any Roman clergy in little regard, but have been paying attention to this man for a decade plus, as bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City and then Archbishop of Denver before his promotion to back East.  He is not stupid, and he observes people carefully, and his words here are likely masking a more threatening concern: not “civil disobedience” but outright and open revolt.  It is interesting to look back in history and see how periods of intense religious belief and conflict were almost always preceded by long periods of irreligion and corruption and rejection of “traditional values.”  This has happened whether the rising religious fervor was “good” or “bad.”  That was the case in the Imperium with the rise of Christianity to prominence in the second century AD, the explosion of Islam out of Arabia in the 600s, the Reformation in Europe in the 1500s, and the Great Awakenings in the UK and US in the early 1800s.  Government is pushing – Chaput shies away from “massive persecution” (with logical reasoning) but still points out that things are getting worse.

Of course, not everything is getting worse – perhaps because it CAN’T get worse. Once more, we can all get a chuckle from our crazy Uncle Joe.  Two chuckles, this week:  first he said, ‘There isn’t a Republican Party’ and then he told other Democrats at some retreat/seminar to be optimistic on the state of the nation ‘In Spite of Who’s President’.  Of course, to HIS way of thinking (top-down, tyranny, and mindless marching robots) the GOP ISN’T a political party (except that it IS because the “regular” GOP is top-down, tyrannical, and all about controlling the mindless marching robots).  In the view of the chief minion and his “messiah”, a political party exists to tell the peons what to do, and make it seem like they are important (within limits, of course).  The second gaffe was typical of dear old dotty, shoe-size-IQ Uncle Joe: he misspoke, and a couple hundred other White House minions and Demo operatives slapped their foreheads.  Again.  Once more, just imagine if he were a GOP type like Dan Quayle, and how much fun the press would have – instead of just burying this story like the bone your stupid but lovable dog brings in.

Speaking of stupid politicians, though a whole lot more creepy than Uncle Joe, we have John Kerry.  He is belittling “Climate Questioners” As ‘Flat Earth Society’. Funny, that is what those devout believers in global warming have always made me think of. Of course, John sees himself, even more than Miz Hilary did, as being the “Chief deputy campaigner to the rest of the world” for the Democratic agenda, whether it is “gay” rights or “global warming” or “gee, ain’t Islamist extremists nice?” positions.

I see that Venezuela is accusing the U.S. of lying, and is preparing to expel US embassy officials. This is, of course, the pot calling the kettle black. What in the world are we doing wasting taxpayer money by having any US embassy officials IN Caracas.  Can’t we just subcontract with Canada?

To change the subject:

Women drivers may be better – in the air, according to statistics on helicopter crashes and accidents.  Gee, isn’t that something that Heinlein pointed out about sixty years ago?  And the Army is just admitting it?

The Swiss air force did not respond to the recent highjacked aircraft which flew over its airspace, and the reason given is that the flight crews and ground crews observe banker’s hours: morning, off for lunch, and then afternoon.  No nighttimes or evenings or weekends.  The Blaze and others condemned this as “ridiculous” and touted the USAF for having jets on two-minute standby constantly, and condemned Congress for trying to cut this.  Well, I’ve no problem with condemning Congress, but in general.  And I suspect that the Swiss were being both closed-mouth AND laughing as the reporters wrote this down and reported it.  The truth is, for the Swiss to respond by scrambling interceptors to escort the highjacked airliner would have been a waste of time, money, and energy.  It posed NO threat to anyone in Switzerland, no more than any OTHER aircraft flying over or landing, UNLESS the Swiss were so stupid as to shoot it down or scare the pilot into crashing.  France and Italy wasted them all.  The Swiss (no fools when it comes to defending themselves) realized that the pilot/highjacker would be better dealt with on the ground.  Why joggle his elbow?  Why risk killing hundreds of people on board and many on the ground by shooting when it wasn’t necessary?

Of course, given the stupidity of the American National Command Authority (NCA) [Need I tell you who THAT is?], the USAF would have been ordered to splash the airliner if it came within 500 miles of DC or NYC.  OR where ever that squatter in 1600 Pennsy was.  Not only that, but I would suspect that there were plenty of anti-aircraft weapons on the ground, pulled out of someone’s office closet or home arms locker, to take out the aircraft in a “lesser of two evils” scenario if it turned out he wanted to be a martyr instead of seeking asylum, by shooting it down over farm fields or mountain tops or ski areas instead of letting him crash it into a market square or, what, the League of Nations building?  But the Swiss (I once served with a Swiss officer) can have a nice sense of humor, and I am sure the spokesperson practiced saying this with a straight face.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-08A: Hoplophobia

Posted on 2014-02-19 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

Good morning, and welcome all the government officials back to work after their third three-day weekend in less than seven weeks (four if they had a hangover after SuperBowl and took a sick day).

Mama’s Note: I’d be delighted if they took 365 “sick days” off a year… without pay, of course. The very best bureaucrat and politician is one who sits around all day and does nothing.

In New Hampshire, at better than 2:1, their lower house voted down expanded background checks for gun purchases, shocking hoplophobes and hoploclasts.  The law would have been similar to the one in Colorado, which seems to be failing.  More and more people are smuggling guns and magazines into and out of and back into the state, or just ignoring the law.  (For those near the state borders, if they WANT to go by the letter of the law, they can just hop across the line to Wyoming or Kansas or New Mexico or where ever, trade or buy/sell to their heart’s content, and then go back home.  Or just go down to Five Points or Aurora west of Fitz and north of Colfax, wait until someone tries to sell you some drugs, and find out where you can go buy a gun without a FFL or $10 background check.)

New Hampshire isn’t the only state in New England with serious problems (at least for the Hoploclasts).

Connecticut: Scofflaws or Just Sick and Tired of Tyranny? According to the Courier, there may be as many as 300,000 “military-style” or “assault weapons” unregistered and out on the street and in houses, just waiting to burst into a school and gun down teachers and children because their “owners” (or is that “guardians”) are scofflaws and refused to register them by January 1st.  Less than 50,000 were registered, and the State Police estimate that 50,000 or 100,000 residents of Connecticut are now felons – which I find very odd, that these people would AVERAGE three or more rifles?  Semi-automatic rifles?  So there might be 200,000 or 300,000 evil criminals who are abusing their guns.  Shocking.

Not everyone in the former “Constitution State” is willing to stick around to be arrested, tried and imprisoned, or to fight it out with the thugs.  For instance…

A man, fed up with the post Sandy Hook stupidity in the State of Connecticut says gun control sent me packing.  With Mama Liberty, I agree, ” Good thinking, and it’s about time.”  The guy’s comments are worth repeating, in part:  “It was time to leave Connecticut. It’s a state riddled with political corruption, which has ripped Second Amendment rights from citizens while taxing them to death and redistributing wealth to illegal immigrants and nanny state freeloaders.

“We are not alone in our decision to leave Connecticut. The exodus has begun in earnest as people clamor to move anywhere where there is more economic opportunity, smaller government, less crime and more freedom. Their children have already left the state because there are no real career jobs to be had. Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Tennessee, North Carolina are some choices for people who are leaving, but we decided on New Hampshire.”

I don’t know if Wyoming has anyone escaping from New England, but does have people fleeing from other places.  I expect their numbers to grow quickly.  At the same time, I really hope that 20,000 or 30,000 will STAY and fight for their liberty.    Honestly, do we really want someone in Wyoming or Montana or South Dakota who did not have the courage of their convictions and stayed and fought?  With less than 240,000 people during the revolution, the state had 13,000 fight against the British: a modern division’s worth, and more than 5%.  Today, it has 3.6 million people: cannot even ONE percent fight for their own liberty?  That would be 36,000: just three times that of 240 years ago.  I doubt it.

Mama’s Note: First, most people are not yet questioning the actual “authority” of government to do these things. They have jobs, families, full and busy lives just trying to make ends meet. They are not usually part of any group that both questions “authority” and has any rational idea what to do about it. And they are not apt to find that in Washington DC, Boston, NYC, etc. They are simply outnumbered.

If you live in a swamp, you are not apt to be able to get rid of all the snakes and alligators yourself, or with a few friends. It makes a lot of sense to move away from the swamp and find like minded friends in a friendlier climate. That makes fighting for your liberty far more practical and possible.

I could not do much of anything to “fight for liberty” in So. Calif. I had to leave there, and came to a place where many things are possible to promote liberty. Staying in the swamp was not a good option.

For the great luxurious state dinners at the White House, even the dogs eat better than most Americans. (And I suspect that they live better than many two-legged Americans, year round.)  And the White House BOASTS about it, with cute puns: “bone appetit.”  Pretty little bauble on that one dog’s neck, eh?  The comparisons to Louis XVI are not wrong, and we know that worse is yet to come.

We read that in California, an armed man allegedly threatened to ‘kill everybody’ inside restaurant — he likely didn’t know an off-duty officer was right there.  As MamaLiberty said, “Yes indeed. If this cop had not been there, people would probably have died – because nobody else was armed or prepared to defend themselves. At the very least, the bartender should have a shotgun as they always used to have. It is just so hard to understand why more people can’t make that connection. Like the ‘legal’ gun issue, or the ‘valid permit.’ Without those sanctified things, the victims just need to lay down and die quietly…” Of course, we know that too many people DO just lay down and die.  California is on the forefront of disarming everyone they can – INCLUDING off-duty cops – and the consequences of that stupidity (as well as immoral and unconstitutional) should be evident.

I hope that YOU are as shocked as I am that people are actually proposing that the US get more economic gains by eliminating Travel Visas, as the Cato Institute suggestions.  Imagine, millions and millions of Americans could sneak out of this country and escape to places with more freedom and more economic opportunities, and beggar us…. whoops, sorry, it seems that I got this backwards.  Cato wants to get the US to STOP requiring tourist travel visas so that we can get an additional 45 to 67 MILLION tourists a year to come to the US, spending an additional $90-$123 billion…  That is even MORE shocking:  we want the government to STOP doing something so that MORE people will come and HELP our economy?

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The Veteran’s Apocalypse?

Posted on 2014-02-16 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

I just read something written by a person who is deeply fearful that “bringing home the troops” from Afghanistan and nearby countries will flood America’s cities and towns with tens of thousands of ex-soldiers, unemployed and badly damaged physically, mentally, and morally by what they have been through in more than a decade of war.  She is concerned that unless they are “decompressed” from their evil years “fighting for freedom” overseas, that they will return to America to rape their wives and children, blow up substations and banks and bulldoze down city blocks while shooting up whole neighborhoods.  It is not that she is some liberal: indeed, she is a very conservative, great-grandmother, long retired, but she has bought into a very big lie.  She doesn’t realize just how big a lie that is being sold to her and millions.

Civilians always seem to assume that the troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere have been there for the entire duration, and that “bringing them home” means that a huge number of troops will suddenly come back all at once.  Neither is true:  troops have been rotated constantly (and frankly, too much) between stateside, other locations worldwide, and the combat zones. The “decompression” you talk about has been standard for the last 14-15 years we’ve been fighting in Afghanistan and Mesopotamia (and elsewhere).  Not always successful, but being done.  People spend 12-18 months in the combat zones and then come home (usually) or are sent to someplace “safe” (like Korea or Germany or Italy or Okinawa).  As they return, it is normally by unit:  a battalion (about 500-1000 people) or even a company (80-150 people) at a time.  Each individual from the battalion commander (a Lt. Colonel) down to the privates is individually evaluated for physical health as well as mental health and morale and family problems and religious condition and about everything else.  There are counselors and they work with chaplains and non-military church leaders and community people and even some private businesses to help people “decompress” and adjust back to home conditions.

The problem is, the process isn’t always successful, and all too often, when people’s enlistments are up and they move into the VA realm and out into the private and public sector, they don’t follow up and no one follows up on them.  Especially when their home is a long ways from a military installation.  The VA’s competence is (as always) very marginal.  Too many people get hired to do jobs that DO capitalize on their skills and experience, but put them into situations where the decompression is reversed:  for example, as policemen.  And too many times, the families (not immediate family as far as wife and kids, but extended family) don’t really know what was done.

This idea that a withdrawal from Afghanistan will be a massive demobilization like troops returning from Europe and the Pacific in 1945-46 (or from France in 1919) is not true.  It is made up, in part to scare people here in the States into thinking that veterans are a threat – en masse as well as individually, and that they must be kept under close watch, have their liberties restricted, and are ticking time bombs waiting to go off.  There ARE always a few folks that can’t handle it, but they are in the very VERY tiny minority: 1/00th of 1 percent, maybe.  And those are usually the ones easily identified in the return and separation from service process, and which get the bulk of the attention from the VA and other organizations.  But 99% of the combat veterans of Afghanistan and Mesopotamia ARE already back, and at least 80% of them ARE already returned to civilian life – and have been for years.

They are not a threat to their families, their neighbors, or their communities.  What they ARE is a threat to the politicians in DC and the elites that think that they are the rightful leaders/rulers of this nation.  Because they have gotten the short end and have been on the sharp end of the stick and seen what a stinking mess the people in DC (and, admit it, the state capitols) have made for the last fifteen years.  And because they are not buying the “be quiet, be good, don’t rock the boat” lines.  And when I speak of politicians in DC, I include people like Tim Johnson (or at least, his handlers) and John Thune and Kristi Noem and Stephanie Herseth and the new crop trying to get elected (somehow I got on Rick Weiland’s email list, and his rants make me ill).

Each will respond differently: some WILL go off the deep end: join (or rejoin) street gangs or biker gangs or be recruited into drug cartels, others will become cops and get as dirty as their peers, some will become (or continue to be) alcoholics or drug users, some will become politicians (and go as bad as a John McCain or Bob Dole), some will become preachers and teachers.  But if ANY of us get pushed too far (and that is getting nearer and nearer), some will lash back at government – whether it is a city dogcatcher or yard inspector or a USDA or USFS employee, or a DEA or FBI or NSA type – in defense of themselves, their families, and their communities.  And it will be very ugly.

Every day I read another story or two about cops beating up or killing someone for no reason – or someone’s pet or service dog, for no reason.  Every day I read about someone else arrested for some petty offense where they were the wrong person, or just in the wrong place or doing the “wrong thing” as defined by the cop or some Mrs. Grundy. Every day I read another story about some student in a public school who is suspended or expelled or humiliated for some very stupid “zero tolerance” rule.  Every day I read about someone viciously attacked because they preach or do something that makes them a “homophobe” or “racist.”  Every one of those incidents is a potential spark point, for a veteran (whether Afghan, Iraq, Vietnam, Panama or someplace else) or just a “normal” conservative person to say, “It’s a good day to die,” and decide that they aren’t going to take it anymore.  That is IS better to “live free or die.”

There are lots of specific examples of how government at all levels is pushing and getting more and more extreme and out of control.  The woman shot to death on the steps of the Capitol in DC, her little girl in the car with her.  The “lockdown” of the White House and blocks of public streets around it for hours because someone tried to climb the fence. Traffic backed up on an interstate highway in NM or AZ for 10-15 miles SOUTHBOUND because the Border Patrol is searching cars – 150 miles NORTH of the border.

A cop shooting a service dog to death in the middle of a child’s birthday party because someone in the neighborhood complained about unleashed dogs roaming the area.  The state of Connecticut worried because the deadline for their new “assault weapon” registration was six weeks ago and only 50,000 of the 350,000 weapons they think are in the state have been registered: so there are the owners of 300,000 weapons who are willing to commit a FELONY by refusing to play.

A major community-invested company driven to bankruptcy by the state government, destroying $10 million dollars in investment, because there was too much sawdust coming out of their stack – in the middle of nowhere.  Another $10 million in investment missing when a company goes bankrupt under strange circumstances and then the manager “commits suicide” despite his ties to federal and state officials.  Germany trying to figure out what happened to the gold being “kept safe” for them in vaults in NYC. Homeschoolers being deported TO Germany so that the government can take their children away from them.  People subjected to hours of anal probing to “find drugs” -without a warrant – and then BILLED by the hospital for the “procedure.”  People with a warrant to investigate suspected credit card fraud of under $1000 where the warrant is served by a SWAT team in a no-knock raid because one of the people in the house had a concealed-carry permit.  The list can go on and on.

It is things like THESE that are more likely to cause a veteran to go ballistic than what they faced in the war zones.  Not that there won’t be some who DO go off the deep end, but really, not that much more than the civilians who never did any of that.

Psalm 13: 1-2

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Habakkuk 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?

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New Orleans: Cesspool and Solution

Posted on 2014-02-15 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

In my last column, I talked a bit about “lawless rulers” and how the thuggish nature of government is ever more visible.  Outside Chicago, Detroit, and DC, there are few places as corrupt and evil as New Orleans, so these stories can give us hope.

See, ONCE in a while, lawless “rulers” get their comeuppance:  former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin was convicted on 20 Counts Of bribery and corruption, years after he helped totally trash New Orleans.  I am sure he will be severely punished: he might even lose some of his retirement, and have to spend a  short period of time in semi-retirement in a gated community where he has to use the same tennis court all the time.

New Orleans Catholic Archbishop Aymond announced that the Roman Catholic Church will shun persons and businesses who helped build a Planned Parenthood clinic.  This is great news, on multiple levels.  Especially since it seems to include the City of New Orleans’ employees.

First, this is the ONLY thing that a church – according to the Bible – can and SHOULD do:  withdraw fellowship (including worship with and EATING with “such a one”) to get them to see and repent from their error, and for those NOT in the church, shun them:  refuse to do business with them, refuse to socialize with them: do NOTHING to or with them but preach the Gospel, teaching them to, again, see that what they have done and are doing is evil and that they must repent of it.  If the NO’s archbishop is approaching it this way instead of demanding or begging government to do something, he is at least on the right track.  Paul teaches that we cannot withdraw totally from the world – from those who are not followers of Christ Jesus, but that we can say and do things to show them by our light what is right and what is evil in God’s eyes.

Secondly, it is something that DOES work: we have seen the power of boycotts and not purchasing impact strongly on many businesses and people.

Third, it indirectly attacks government. Because even though we all have to “do business” with government on the municipal level, it can be hurt by cutting sales and therefore taxes.  And the individuals that work for government can be shamed and shunned the other 16 hours a day and all day on weekends and holidays.  It is amazing that  a place like Louisiana can have hundreds of thousands who speak up boldly about not allowing horses to be killed for meat, claim that people are “oppressed” because their neighborhoods might be improved and attract “non-oppressed” neighbors and businesses, but cannot see that killing fifty babies A DAY is something that is monstrous and hideous.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #14-07D: Lawless government and nazgul

Posted on 2014-02-15 by TPOL Nathan

By Nathan Barton

The Mainstream Media has its own perverted definitions of liberty and freedom, but even so, “Reporters Without Borders” has declared that the “messiah’s” administration’s pretense at ‘Transparent’ Government has dropped the US to 46th on the “World Press Freedom Index” down from 32nd last year.  Of course, the rest of us unprivileged non-reporters would rank the FedGov considerably lower, with very good justification.  Imagine if so much of the media didn’t worship the very ground the “messiah” walks on!

Some other folks are noticing it, however.  Senator Rand Paul filed a class action lawsuit against the NSA and its surveillance programs in a DC federal court which apparently also named the “messiah.”  Given the recent court decisions, I don’t think this suit will get very far at all, but I suspect that this is to position himself for further action, not because he thinks that the Constitution and his argument about violations of the 4th Amendment will get anywhere in the federal courts.  Paul is often contradictory in his actions and what he says, frustrating many libertarians, but his loyal following (like fandom) seems to grow and accept whatever he says (gee, is that like the “messiah’s followers?). So this could be establishing a base for further political actions and a possible 2016 run (after all, there is now an example of a first-term senator getting the White House) or as a reason for encouraging and taking extraordinary measures.  Could he be the one to lead a counter-revolution, furthering the ideals of his father?  It has happened before.  In Judaea two centuries before Christ, the Maccabeean brothers, following the lead and example of their father, successfully revolted against the Syrian occupation.  It could happen.

But will the courts listen even to the obvious fact that the NSA totally violates the Fourth Amendment?  After all, they haven’t been listening to congressmen stating the obvious, like Rep. Paul Ryan: ‘We have an increasingly lawless presidency’. Why listen to Rand Paul, or a dozen or a hundred or ten thousand of them?  We can compare the modern FedGov to the Seleucids of Syria except that the FedGov considers itself the most powerful government on the planet and in all history.  All-powerful, in fact.  And the USSC and the other courts are PART of this all-powerful organization.  And something that is omnipotent must also be omniscient which requires that the NSA be even more powerful, more intrusive than it is now.

Actually, as several people have pointed out this week, the only reason that Rand Paul can plead the 4th is because of that much-hated (and feared) Edward Snowden. It was HIS actions that revealed what was going on and cracked legal barriers that were set up by the FedGov to hide its own lawlessness.  (Which the government’s attorneys can argue is a moot point: since it is the FedGov that creates the law (God being consigned to the dustbin of history by them), there is nothing that they can do that is “lawless.”  And boy, haven’t we seen that a lot?

And of course, this would hardly be the first time in recent history that a government security agency has been lawless – breaking the written law of their own nation.  This week, someone pointed out that was the case in the OstZone for half a century. ProPublica notes that the Stasi collected metadata also, on at least a quarter of its citizens, during the Soviet-backed Communist regime after WW2. And in violation of the much-vaunted protections in the DDR’s constitution.  Since the FedGov is obviously more powerful and mighty than the DDR, it can do more.  Right?  And it is needed: Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent.  The NSA is the Holy Ghost to the “Great White Fathers” of the Congress and of course, the “messiah” on his white horse (or house).

The Nazgul of 9th Circuit Court has struck down a California law restricting concealed carry, saying that San Diego County violates the second amendment by requiring a show of “good cause” before being allowed to obtain a CCP.  Mama Liberty pointed out, “I’m sure this will put all of the politicians and cops knickers into a twist. And it will probably get knocked down by another court. We can’t have those mundanes armed, you know.” I, personally, am amazed that it got this far.  What were they thinking? Of course, police and the state will pretend that these three judges are just people off the street, and will ignore this.  If they DO accept this and start massive issue of CCP, then they will use it (as the cops did in Ankeny, Iowa) as an excuse to do massive home invasions.

Mama’s Note: How many eons have people been indoctrinated into the “divine right of kings?” How many eons have people been bribed with “a piece of the action?” I suspect that the big mistake the “king” made was “allowing” all of the comfort and convenience of the last 50 years or so… Many can see now that they don’t really need a “king” at all.

Another chimed in, in the Examiner: Ninth Circuit gun rights win underscores need for SCOTUS carry ruling but Mama Liberty responded:” Well, actually no. The whole thing underscores the need to stop asking for “permission” at all. This just continues to feed the evil superstition that any “court” or “official” has any legitimate authority. If we no longer believed in ghosts, we wouldn’t need “ghostbusters.” Why don’t they get it?  It isn’t THAT complicated.  Lady Susan added: ” It doesn’t really do much in the long run. It is still not making California a “shall issue” state, let alone anything more freeing… but I guess it is good for those who still insist on staying in California and have more than a passing interest in self defense. A friend just got her “permit” in Northern California… but she’s still too afraid to actually carry the gun much. She works in an office with a “no guns” policy, so she “can’t” carry it to work and is terrified of leaving it in the car. I told her to carry it at home all the time until she gets used to it and stops freaking out about it. Then, once she is truly at ease with it, she can carry it to “work” and nobody will be the wiser.  Far too many remain convinced that the “law,” and those who make that law, have some legitimate authority to do so… and the more folks who give up that dangerous superstition, the better. I see encouraging signs all over the country.” Nathan: Some last thoughts.  This court decision is a pile of dung and ultimately means nothing.  The State (California OR DC) has NO authority: legal, constitutional, moral, or otherwise, to keep ANYone – citizen or not, from owning and carrying a gun for their own self-defense either openly or concealed, at any time or any place.  NONE.

Mama’s Note: I believe that we must not limit the discussion to guns or self defense, by any means. Our natural and inalienable right to self defense is INCLUDED in our natural and inalienable right to own our lives and bodies, to be self owners and control all of our actions, choices and possessions, being equally responsible for the consequences. When people actually become self owners, self governors, self defense is no more questionable or remarkable than breathing.

Another one bites the dust: Republican Doc Hastings of Washington State is to retire .  He is 73, and claims he still is not tired but that the folks in Central Washington need someone new with “new energy.”  That brings it up to about a dozen: we ONLY need another 430 or so.  And then MAYBE we can see something about lawless government going away.

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