Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-16E: Weekend thoughts

By Nathan Barton

Caution: The weekend is here and people are getting testy. So here is a short set of commentaries to frustrate and annoy you still more!

In Scotland, it appears that a vote FOR independence may be the result of the upcoming polls.  This, of course, could totally change world politics, spinning the no-longer-United Kingdom into a final spiral into decline.  Unfortunately both the pro- and anti-independence factions have LONG AGO forgotten basics of liberty – whether English or Scots.  Scotland is so strongly Labor (Socialist) that it may accelerate its national fall.

In Colorado, a peaceful and fun 420 holiday was celebrated last weekend between the Capitol and the City & County Building in the heart of Denver, the first of legal pot, and one of many celebrations across the nation.  It appears to me that people didn’t go really freaky or flakey, that the vendors made money, and people had fun.  Even the cops, who got overtime for their massive presence on Sunday. Meanwhile, a lot of us are having to put up with a newly legalized product in what is very clearly NOT, I say again, NOT, a free market, but instead an incredibly taxed product and intensely regulated market that leaves the big winner as (you guessed it) government.  A fourth-grader was caught “dealing” legal pot at a grade school in the Greeley area which is attended by several of my aunt’s tenant’s children.  Legal pot appears to be much more expensive than black market (unless you grow your own), tourism is up (but not necessarily with a good demographic), and anyone with a Colorado license plate operating out of state is now a suspect.  People are freaking out over cannabis “edibles” and their dangers. And Colorado continues to deteriorate, while people blame pot for it happening.  Which (I might add) is nuts: Colorado has been going down hill for a very long time.  That school?  Like too much of the school system in Greeley and elsewhere, it wasn’t able to educate people of MY generation, or keep drugs out then, much less the current crop of children.

As part of the previously decided “military cuts” and with the drawdown of forces in Central Asia, the Pentagon is cutting as many as 3,800 officers from active duty, culling them together (presumably) with a reduction of accessions of lieutenants and cutbacks in recruiting enlisted personnel.  (It may only be as few as 2,000, though – based on normal processes.)  As this RIF (Reduction in Force) proceeds (I’ve been through a few), expect screams again of “defenseless America” and worries about absorbing these in the civilian economy.

What next in Bunkerville, Nevada and the Bundy Ranch?  Some folks have some ideas, and they are NOT pleasant. The confrontation and the aftermath/lull in action has caused folks to think about what is going on and what SHOULD be going on. I don’t think it is over, and I am sure that the BLM and DOJ and NPS lawyers are busy conspiring with Reid and various other powers-that-be to see what can be done about this refusal to submit, withOUT triggering an all-out confrontation.  It isn’t that they have any problem with gunning down or disappearing a few dozen or even a few hundred people, but it would have some significant impact on the November 2014 elections, the stock markets, and the various crises being nurtured around the world.

Things have changed a LOT since Waco and Ruby Ridge – especially non-governmental/non-MSM communications.  And the Bundys are NOT wild-eyed religious fanatic cultists.  But they are NOT experienced in dealing with the filth that work in the MSM, and are not careful enough about what they say that can be taken and used to blacken not just them but their position and their supporters.

Mama’s Note: Yet, if we can only support the perfect, the all wise and those without a hint of skeletons in their closets… whom can we support? The right to life, liberty and property are not limited to any of those, and so it is the principle that we must support and fight for, not just the person. It works the same – is the same – as the right to keep and carry arms… the only thing that really matters in the end is if the person who carries that gun commits aggression, not if he “might.” And then, IF he does, he must bear the consequences.

A New, More Sinister IRS Scandal? Larry Noble, a law professor now with the Soros-funded Campaign Legal Center, is agitating to jail conservatives who “falsely” report on IRS forms that they are not engaged in political speech. Lerner talked about setting up meetings with Justice Department election lawyers who wanted to talk about making Noble’s dreams a reality — this after Senator Sheldon Whitehouse raised the idea of criminal charges for conservatives who are not sufficiently quiet, charges that they falsely completed an IRS tax exemption form.

Mama’s Note: Seems pretty simple to me… don’t even consider filling out the forms. Don’t even attempt to be a “501-c” or play their silly game in the least. Sure it’s harder to find supporters, but that’s just one more difficulty to be overcome. And, just maybe, you don’t really need a million dollar budget or a large paid staff. More than one way to skin this cat.

For political groups, this makes sense, just as it does for churches (religious organizations) who do not need 501(c)3 status even under the ludicrous IRS regulations.  It is a sad situation, but large charities – and even fairly small ones – will be totally eviscerated by the IRS and other government goons if they do not have the “non-profit” status fully documented.  But perhaps such organizations should go and operate underground.  As other organizations need to consider.

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A new Red River War? The BLM versus Texas – Some Background

By Nathan Barton

A new Red River War?

Most of the boundary between the Republic of Texas and the State of Oklahoma is along the Red River, running generally west-east as it flows to the Mississippi.  Like most of the rivers of the Great Plains, it is convoluted and frequently changes its exact location.  It is an old border, dating back to the mid-1600s and claims of the Kingdom of Spain (still in existence) and the Kingdom of France (long gone).  The United Mexican States inherited the border from Spain with independence, and again with Independence in 1836, the Republic of Texas too had this as one of her original borders.  To the north, a successor (the French Empire) sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States, and the land was briefly part of Arkansas Territory and then Indian Territory (actually, part of the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations) and the Territory of Oklahoma, and included in the State of Oklahoma when the Sooners won statehood.

Both Texan families and those to the north recognized this boundary: it was more than an imaginary line on a map.  Texan families homesteaded the land south of the Red River, perhaps even before Texas joined the Union in 1845.  Amerind families, some long inhabitants of the area and some recently forced to move to the area (due to the Trail of Tears and other acts of deprivation by the FedGov), did the same.  In many cases, the FedGov voided their stake to the land and opened it for homesteading by Anglos, especially in the last decade leading up to statehood in 1910.

The original boundary between French and Spanish territory was the treeline on the south bank of the river (there was no way, at that time, to mark the “ordinary high water mark” of the river or the centerline of the river, both used today for boundary purposes.  In writing the “Enabling Act” to admit Oklahoma to the Union, the idiots in Congress apparently used the middle of the river as the boundary.

The river, of course, didn’t care what the papers said, and just as God made it, continued to change its course back and forth, bit by bit, year by year.  In some cases the people living on both sides recognized that the river had changed its course, and used the old manmade border.  But most folks figured they’d get along and go along with the river.

Jump forward about 105 years.  A greedy and corrupt Federal government, led by a man of dubious origins and background, and in particular an agency now known for its iron fist, heavy hand, and slavish devotion to so-called environmental causes and federal power-grabbing, has begun to take action to claim that the land between the two old boundaries, that land south of where the river did or now flows that was not the boundary of Texas in 1845, didn’t belong to the people who settled on it and claimed it (and usually bought it) before or after 1845, or the suckers who bought it from those original settlers or AmerInd families.  Nope, it belongs to the FedGov.  All of it. 90,000 acres of it.  That is more than 140 square miles, or nearly twice the size of the current District of Criminals (excuse ME, “District of Columbia!).

Apparently, the BLM isn’t claiming that the land belongs to the State of Oklahoma (or more accurately in their eyes, is “located within” the State of Oklahoma). It is still in Texan jurisdiction, apparently: it is just that as far as the BLM and DOJ and the other arms of the federal tyrants, the issue of jurisdiction isn’t worth a bucket of spit.  Their only position is that something between 110 and 170 years of private ownership is worthless, and just because the FedGov is just now getting around to defending its claim doesn’t really matter.  They have the power, they have the people, and they have the guns.

Now, most of this is bottom land.  Most of it is probably in cottonwood groves along the river, useful for grazing (if that) and our modern catch-all of land use “wildlife habitat.”  There may be a farmstead or ranchstead or five or ten on the land.  Shucks, there may even be a town or two, or something like a sewage lagoon or water treatment facility (cemeteries and landfills in the Plains are usually put on hills or shallow, dry ravines, and not in river bottoms).  It ain’t gonna break the budget of either Texas or Oklahoma if they don’t get to collect property taxes on it.  It won’t matter anything seriously to the ability of Texas or Oklahoma to defend themselves should they have to go to war sometime.  And 90,000 acres is not even a drop in the bucket to how much land the BLM controls, much as a corrupt and absolute monarch in England or Scotland might have half a millennium ago.

Indeed, this entire situation reminds me of the parable that the prophet Nathan (yes, my namesake) told King David.  The one about the wealthy rancher with hundreds of sheep of his own, who steals the only lamb belonging to a poor, beggared man and serves it up as a banquet for his wealthy friends.  Nathan told David the story to point out not just that making Bathsheba his mistress and sleeping with her, cuckolding her husband Uriah, then having Uriah killed in combat was not just a sin but was a disgusting, brutal, greedy, and heinous act.

Would that some modern preacher stand up to that squatter in 1600 Pennsy and his minions with the same courage that Nathan stood up to David 3,000 years ago!

It is well and good, though, to point out that the BLM has so much land (the Feds “own” 40% of 10 western states), but what is being done is still a sin (can’t call it a “crime” apparently) even if the BLM only owned a half-acre.  Theft is theft.

You see, land in Texas is different than land in most of the rest of the nation.  Yes, really!  It is usually a lot drier and harder and often has this “disgusting” smell of petroleum hydrocarbons and sulfur!  Seriously, though, it is different legally.  The FedGov didn’t own or claim a single square inch of Texan land, unlike it did or does in virtually every state admitted to the Union since about 1810 or so, by right of purchase and fast dealings by Congress.  Every bit of federal land in Texas, from a local post office’s lot to Fort Hood and Sam Houston National Forest and Padre Island National Seashore was bought from Texas or Texans by the FedGov (or stolen by forfeiture or for failure to pay taxes or bought by the Feds FOR local taxes owed (the infamous Bankhead-Jones Act of the Dustbowl and Great Depression).

Texan land was paid for in a number of ways: by treaty (with Spain or Mexico or various Indian tribes), by purchase of settlers from AmerInd (which may or may not have had much of a title to it) or by right of discovery and occupancy.  And by blood.  Texican blood, Texian blood, Texan blood.  The blood of Anglo Texans and Spanish Texans and French Texans, yes and AmerInd Texans and people from Tennessee and Louisiana and Mississippi and the Carolinas who became Texan by adoption and sometimes didn’t get to live to enjoy their residency in the Republic very long.  Texians who rose up against a tyrannical and unjust oligarchic government for liberty for themselves and their neighbors.

I am not saying that American blood (other than the volunteers of 1835 and 1836) was not shed to defend Texas:  it was in 1845-48 and in 1914, at least, and I suppose we can pretend it was shed in defense of Texas and the rest of the now Fifty States in the bloodbaths of the 20th and 21st Century.  But proportionally Texans shed a lot more blood for their own liberty and land, and for their neighbors’ liberty and land, than the other way around.  The events leading to the victory in the War for Texan Independence started with the settlers (and metizo) of Texas trying to aid themselves and their neighboring Mexican states in reestablishing the republican Constitution of 1824, voided by the oligarchs fronted by Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.  When that didn’t succeed, they went to Plan B, complete Independence.  But they let their emotions rule, and opted for what we can today call the Crimean Solution: annexation into the United States.

To win their war, they got a lot of help from American states, especially but not only several Southern states.  A debt of blood. Fifteen years later, Texas tried to pay that debt back, joining the Confederacy and sending its treasure and troops to fight and bleed east of the Mississippi.  Texas could have gone back on its own, but it didn’t.  It made other mistakes as well (who doesn’t?) but in 1865, Texas wasn’t conquered by the Union, it in essence pled “no contest” and had to give up because it no longer had the resources to fight, because they’d paid their debt of blood twenty times over.

For the thirteen years between the end of the Mexican War (1845-48), and then for another twenty years after the War Between the States, Texans and other Americans shed blood to defend their homes and people.  Texas was still poor, but with a new century and new wealth, Texas again began paying back its blood debt:  a tiny bit in the Punitive Expedition of 1914-1915 after Pancho Villa’s raid into New Mexico, a lot more in France in the Great War, and an incredible amount in the Second World War and the wars since then: even if that payback was misguided.

The FedGov MUST consider what they are doing.  Texas was a poor, barely populated (25,000) half-state which faced down a population in a (at the time) wealthy nation-state with almost 7 million (280 times its number), in an era when physical numbers were very important in war.  It was part of a confederacy outnumbered 10 to 1 in people and 20 to one in industrial strength, at a time when industrial strength was equal to population in factoring war.  It was not defeated, but instead let itself be drained helping those who had helped it.  Today, Texas would be outnumbered still, with 25 MILLION people, against another 300 million Americans, but with incredible industry and access to military installations that provide at least 25% of the total American military force, and probably 100 million of those remaining Americans would at worst be neutral and at best JOIN Texas in its fight, once more, for liberty.  Oh, I don’t like the government in Austin much more than the government in DC (or Denver or even Pierre), but I’ll take it over DC any time.  It is TIME to make a stand, once again.

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Guns, Nazgul, and Predators

By Nathan Barton

Good morning: we’ve seen a number of interesting news stories this week regarding our God-given right to self-defense and the Tranzis and other haters of liberty and their work to steal that from us.

The FederalistPapers.org reports that Retired SCOTUS Justice John Paul Stevens recommends that we change the Second Amendment to remove ‘any limits’ on government power.” Stevens — who generally favored maximum government power during his 35-year tenure on the high court — proposes, among other things, changing the language of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution so that the amendment would read, “ . . . the right of the people to keep and bear arms [when serving in the militia] shall not be infringed.”  As I recall, this man betrayed his oath to the Constitution from the very first day he served on the high court, but even for him this is blatant, and an indication that the haters of liberty are pushing even harder to steal our means of self-defense.  (By the way, what a contrast to the suggestion by ANOTHER Nazgul (Scalia, one of the Nine) that we may have reached the point of rebellion.  But that is another story!)

They want to steal our weapons even if that self-defense is NOT a firearm.  This story is a funny, satirical look at the “zero tolerance” of schools, which has gone WELL beyond the schools themselves and into the “law enforcement” standing army and Nazgul system.  It appears that too many judges are fearful of the uncertainty of continued employment and want to make sure that their jobs are secure.  Whereas cops seem to be ever on the lookout for more opportunities to lord it over the civilian population and to curse, threaten, beat, and kill anyone they can. Frankly, those cops and judges who claim that “our hands are tied” and apologize for their actions while abusing or allowing other cops to abuse “mundanes” are more disgusting than the open bullies and thugs.

But it is not just cops that are despicable and abusive.  JPFO discusses the abusive nature of hoploclasts and makes many good points about how more and more “political correctness” and fear of “offending someone” dictates our every action.  At the same time, we KNOW that some gunowners, however much they are on the side of liberty, are obnoxious and  as much “in your face” as the most vile of homosexual activists (if not as crude).  Anything, from preaching the Gospel to nursing an infant, can be done in a rude, disrespectful manner, and sadly we have too many lovers of liberty and supporters of our right to keep and bear arms that cannot see how their behavior, in JPFO’s words, “snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.”

It is interesting to note, in the context of all this fuss about a basic human right of self-defense, that in places where that right is denied, the bloodbath of innocents AND guilty continues: Easter Weekend in Chicago: 8 Dead, 37 Wounded, Including 6 Children. If only the parents of those children were allowed to be more than docile subjects of tyranny and allowed to defend their children and themselves.  I don’t know how many of the dead were gangbangers or aggressors, but if typical for Chicago and the inner cities of this sick Fifty States, most were innocent victims.

A recently published analysis is a fascinating look at hate crimes.  In particular, not just who is committing offenses against whom, but the amazing low incidents of such things.  Especially when you consider that hate crimes, by definition, are ordinary crimes against the people.  The “hate crime” part is nothing more than a Brave New World style thought crime.  Of course, when the potential victims of “hate crimes” or any other sort of crime are armed and trained to use their means of self-defense, this low number will drop greatly.  It is a point that JPFO, Second Amendment Sisters, and Pink Pistols all make, and it is proven daily.

California is proposing to ban members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) from serving as judges because the Boy Scouts do not allow gay troop leaders, The Daily Caller has learned. This, of course, is a move with major legal implications. The California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on The Code of Judicial Ethics has proposed to classify the Boy Scouts as practicing “invidious discrimination” against gays, which would end the group’s exemption to anti-discriminatory ethics rules and would prohibit judges from being affiliated with the group.  This would also reduce the number of judges likely to be friendly to our right of self defense, while increasing the need for Scouts and others to be protected from sexual predators. This reminds me of reading about the Kingdom of England in the 1500s and 1600s, when crossing yourself in the wrong direction (or failing to do so) would result in even judges being condemned to prison or the executioner’s hands.  Of course, I for one have to wonder how a judge in California (and many other states, much less the FedGov) can reconcile the ethics and obligations of Scouting (at least as it once existed) with wearing the Nazgul’s robes.

At the same time, in Washington State, a very liberal place, at least a few Scouts are standing up for the moral issues AND for the welfare of the boys, instead of creating conditions for abuse.  Of course, this just makes the effort in California (last item) more extreme and angry.  The MSM are livid, of course.  Now, if we could get the boys ARMED, then this might not be quite as important.  Except that even an armed 11-year-old Scout is at a disadvantage facing a human pedophile predator.

Mama’s Note: Don’t have time to research it right now (time to go to work), but I will come back to this by tonight. No idea if this has been studied rationally, even, but my gut feeling is that homosexuals in general are no more inclined to be “pedophile predators” than anyone else. The real problem is the lack of freedom. Freedom of association and freedom of choice.

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-16D: Abuse by cops, government

By Nathan Barton

Good morning, and what a week!  First up today is a long list of tyranny by cops – no, not tyranny, just plain abuse.

Cops as thugs: In rural southwestern Missouri, An elderly man, Elbert Breshears, called for an ambulance for his 78-year-old wife who suffers from dementia, but it was police who showed up first.  And beat him up.  He needed the medical attention more than she did.  He is charged with abusing the elderly, resisting arrest, and assault on a police officer.  At the hospital, they dug gravel out of his head and sewed him up.  This is rendering aid and assistance by cops.

As several folks noted, it seems likely that, once again, police got violent because they can, just as they did in attacking a wedding party years ago in Galveston, using the excuse of a 19-year-old reported as having an open beer can in his hand (now subject of a federal lawsuit for permanent injuries to several of the party).

Which brings us to this story: A Texas cop who trips and shoves high school students while being recorded. The excuse was they were being rowdy and causing a “riot” to celebrate their victory in a soccer game – on the playing field.  But never fear, he is being “investigated” and is on administrative leave.  It is noted that he was Officer of the Year, last year.  He is sure to win it for a second year in a row with this sort of exemplary behavior.  Wonder what he did last year?

A pebble in a windshield is adequate excuse for a cop to stop a vehicle, even if the cop doesn’t know which law applies, according to the Nevada Supreme Court, further giving cops (like the ones above) more excuses to harass drivers and strut their stuff.

Mama’s Note: … or shoot them. This is getting serious, folks. Eventually, somebody’s going to start shooting back. The cops need to give this some serious thought.

One bright note, I think.  A few days ago, the Kansas Supreme Court found that even a strong smell of alcohol (as from a leaky bottle of wine) was NOT “probable cause” to search a car, even when the cops made a bogus stop because they suspected the driver of being involved with illegal drugs.  Of course, the real criminality here is the cops who used not a “failure to signal” but rather failure to signal in time (only 30 feet instead of 100 feet) as the excuse to stop and see if the guy had drugs.  This is KANSAS for crying out loud: even a 30-foot signal is better than 50% of drivers do.  As for the smell of alcohol, I recall two events from my earlier years: one in Colorado where I was the designated driver for a group coming back from a banquet (I don’t drink alcohol, period) and one of the cadets didn’t make it out of the car in time to avoid barfing half a bottle of wine in the car – smell, yes!  The second was on the Golden Gate Bridge, when a chain accident caught a small car with two women between two larger vehicles.  The other two vehicles (part of a chain of 50 or more) were not badly damaged but the one was crunched badly and the windows were covered with red fluid when I jumped off my motorcycle and raced to them with a first-aid kit.  It turned out to be several large jugs of wine which had been thrown forward and shattered inside: the little car smelled like Napa Valley…

Mama’s Note: Egads, what a waste! Anyone transporting liquid of any kind in glass containers would do well to pack it in such a way that they won’t get launched in a sudden stop or collision. The bottles themselves become deadly missiles.

Kenya’s Anglican Archbishop says that the West is pressuring African nations to ‘Treat Homosexuality as a Human Right, But We Will Not Relent.’ Clearly, he does NOT understand the Scriptures he claims to follow.  I think that I understand the point here, but will share my own thoughts.  ANY human has the right to exercise their free will in ANY thing, provided that they are willing to accept the consequences.  IF that exercised right is aggression against other humans, then the person doing that must accept the consequences of their action: to the point of death, physical death, by those seeking to defend themselves or others against the person exercising that right.  And of course, they WILL answer to God as well, after their death, when they may face eternal death (punishment) for exercising their right.  Having the right to do something does NOT equate being free of the consequences of that action, whether it is physical or spiritual.  So as a practical matter, there are few societies which recognize a general right to kill (murder) other humans, to rape people, to steal, and  so forth (remembering that government is an excuse to do many of these things).  Homosexually is just as much (but no more) a sin as murder, rape, stealing, adultery, fornication, divorce and others, but sometimes is NOT aggression as some of these others generally are.  Indeed, there is less justification for making homosexuality a crime than making adultery a crime (since it is violating a freely-accepted contract).  But there is no legitimate power of government to make something a crime just because it is a sin. Aggression – a victim other than the person committing the act – is the crime.  This archbishop does not understand…

“Rev.” Franklin Graham says Gays ‘Absolutely’ Can Go to Heaven But They Must ‘Repent’.  For once, he is making a scripturally-accurate statement, but one that homosexuals will of course for the most part reject.  (Remember “broad is the way” versus “narrow is the gate”?)  They don’t want to repent, they want affirmation, endorsement, and unconditional love that lets them do whatever they want to.  And of course the opportunity to “exterminate” christians and anyone else (except, apparently, Muslims) who does not make them out to be the preferred culture and sexual orientation: the elite.

Mama’s Note: Painting with a rather broad brush here, Nathan. I’ve known a great many homosexuals, both patients and others, all through my life, and I’ve only encountered a few who were militant about forcing others to accept them. I’ve never met any who gave any indication that they wanted to “exterminate” Christians, or anyone else. I’m sure there are some, and there might well be more of them these days, but they remain a minority. The only exterminations I’ve heard about were perpetrated by “religious” people, including so called Christians.

Obamas’ Easter Church Visit: ‘Michelle Blew Kisses From Inside Their Pew’. Actually, I’m surprised that they didn’t have special coins minted that she could have handed out to cure people of the King’s evil and as commemoration of their visit, which is, after all, a more rare event than the Obama’s visiting a mosque during their frequent overseas trips.  I wonder how much she got for her autographs?

Obama’s Malaysia Trip Includes Visit to a Mosque, just like he visited a cathedral in the UK and one in Mexico when he (or his family) visited.  Opps, no, they didn’t.  Visit churches, that is.  But mosques?  Istanbul, Riyadh, and where ever, sure.

Mama’s Note: Why should anyone care? I don’t get it. He can visit anything he likes… as long as it’s on his own dime. His position, power and hypocrisy are the problems, not his itinerary.

Sebelius stays on just long enough to get government benefits, by pledging to stay on until the Senate confirms her replacement.  Now we know why:  she becomes eligible next week to get both a government pension and taxpayer-funded health-care benefits.  She gets her permanent slice of the loot; she “served” a grand total of five years.  Military personnel get NOTHING without at least ten years service and even then, nothing like this: for that 20 or more is needed.

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Fedgoons in Wyoming

By MamaLiberty

Surveillance might not work out quite as intended here in the rural West.

The other day I went to town and saw a big, black SUV at the only signal light in town. It had quite a few stubby radio antennas and smoky glass windows (illegal for the rest of us), so I wasn’t surprised to see two young men in it with hard looking faces.

The thing is, gentlemen – you stood out like a sore thumb.

Here in the back country, most men drive big pickup trucks. They have deer guards on the front grill, tools and dogs in the back, or big round bales of hay or water tanks. The ladies often drive SUVs, of course, but most of them were originally red, green or some color except black. They are usually full of kids, dogs and groceries.

And all of our cars and trucks are mud to the roof most of the year. Can’t read the “license,” usually, and nobody much cares.

Most of us are just too busy working, building things, raising families and taking care of our communities to worry all that much about what you’re up to. Just understand that if you try sneaking up on someone’s property to plant a GPS bug on their car, you will probably have the dogs at your throat or a load of buckshot in your butts. We don’t suffer fools gladly.

If you just have to hang around, my advice is to get yourself a nice Dodge Ram truck and a big cattle dog or a bale of hay if you want to go (more or less) unnoticed.  Don’t wash the truck either, at least until July.

Oh, and get rid of that silly ear plug with the curly wire hanging down. Makes you look like dumb shit idiots.

Actually, the only “terrorists” I’ve seen here are YOU.

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-16C: Religions

By Nathan Barton

Good morning/Guten Morgan.  Earth Day is past for another year, a frustrating and evil day that should remind us that our daily lives are damaged by the tyranny – instituted by Congress and supposed “conservative” Republican president – of the EPA and its state-level surrogates and gang-members.  I am not saying that there are NOT many good and sincere employees of agencies like Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, New Mexico Environment Department, or Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.  There are even some good and sincere and knowledgeable employees of US EPA and the dozen other FedGov agencies that rule over us with an iron rod “for our own good” and “for Mother Earth.”

But our day-to-day, even minute-to-minute lives are impacted both significantly and negatively by the laws and the regulations and the permits and the conditions and the interpretations and the rulings that together make up a trillion-dollar impact on our Fifty States and every community.  It is time, past time, to end the EPA.

Actually, if for no other reason than the Bill of Rights, the EPA is an illegal organization, since it is indeed very much an establishment of religion: the new religion of environism is being taught and preached and practiced by government agencies from the local animal control district to DC.  Enough IS enough.

On to news:

Actually the first news item IS about the EPA.  The EPA Chief  is Flying to 5 Cities to Urge Carbon Reduction, instead of “setting the example” by telecommuting to these five cities (and hundreds more).  Of course, we don’t dare deny any of the Fuehrer’s senior minions their perks.  These religious festivals, like the Earth Day worship, have to end.

Too bad!  A Connecticut senator almost got hit by a passing commuter train as he prepared to speak at a “commuter safety press conference” on Saturday, because HE ignored the “paramount” issue of safety- by standing on the yellow line and on a painted notice on the floor of the platform to “watch out.”  All caught on video, and a PERFECT illustration of the insane and incredible hubris and stupidity of these idiots in Congress.  Watch the video!  Too bad he avoided the actual strike!

Corker: Obama Foreign Policy ‘A Day Late and A Dollar Short’, which of course has been a chronic problem with American diplomacy for about 230 years or so, if not longer.  And as the next story reminds us, we need to remember just what braindead cretin is “in charge” right now.

As Ukraine Crisis Deepens, Cracks Emerge in Kerry’s Geneva Deal and we are again moving closer to war.  Is this stupid or what?  Of course, the man IS stupid. And egotistical, as the next story illustrates.

John Kerry’s Easter Message: I’m ‘First Catholic Secretary of State in 33 Years’ – what self-serving hypocrisy and egotism!  Of course, it helps to have him remind us that he is Catholic: there are few other indicators that he is, or even religious (except towards the State as God and humanism and Tranzi religion).  So.  Why hasn’t his local bishop excommunicated him?  Same question to ask about Pelosi and Reid and others.  Especially since the PRIMARY thrust of American diplomacy (well, FedGov diplomacy) is apparently the promotion of same-sex “marriage” and homosexual behavior both condemned by the Roman Catholic church with (for once) biblical backing.  Have I mentioned that Kerry is stupid?

Speaking of scummy, bogus/apostate Catholics, not only did Pelosi say that her mom wanted her to be a nun but that SHE wanted to be a priest (for the power), but Bozell points out that to REAL Roman Catholics, Pelosi’s Mimicry of Pope Is ‘Sickening and Shameful,’ ‘Sacrilegious’.  (And probably to a lot of other folks, too.)

One of the more pitiable of Democrats, Wasserman-Schultz tells us Midterm Election ‘Absolutely Not’ A Referendum on the Fuehrer.  Just on his policies and the denizens of those two wings of the Capitol and all those big office buildings.  The only way this could be a “referendum” on the man is if there were enough seats in the Senate that went to people with courage to convict after impeachment in the House.  And we KNOW that is a pipe dream.

Nigerian Terrorist Leader Tells Obama to Go ‘To Hell’, thereby joining millions of (but not enough) citizens of the Fifty States (“Americans”).  I don’t want him to do that, I want him to repent and turn from his wicked ways, or failing that, just GO AWAY.  Like the EPA.

Man Attempts to Fight Elderly Couple on Bus, But Nearby PassengersWeren’t Going to Let That Happen even in Boston.  “As the individual approaches the couple and begins threatening the woman, her partner stands up to defend her. That’s when the irate individual threw a punch at the elderly man.  Immediately following the punch, multiple passengers jump in to the elderly couple’s defense, striking the profane man repeatedly.” As MamaLiberty pointed out, it is encouraging to see bystanders starting to get involved like this.  Sadly, to most people, what these passengers did was wrong, evil, and illegal.  They SHOULD have called 911, carefully observed the man’s appearance and actions, MAYBE provided first aid (only if certified and trained to do so, of course), and then provided the information to the police when they showed up.  People who defend other members of their community from attackers are threats to the state.  They might have to join the people supposedly addressed in the next story.

A Democratic Congressman claims that the Fuehrer has been forced to deport a “huge number of Americans” in a conference call pushing immigration “reform” legislation in Congress.  [No wonder we need to have so many additional immigrants!] This matches Biden’s statement that the eleven million [sic] “undocumented” immigrants are “already Americans” in his eyes, but fails to do basic things like follow the law or the Constitution.

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-16B: Schools and the evil thereof

By Nathan Barton

Good morning to all.

Here are some general news items before I get down to the main business today: the continuing damage of government-run, tax-funded “education” bureaucracies on our children, our communities, and our society.

First (and added late), I remember that today is “Earth Day:” that false new religion holy day of environism that gives us pause to consider that a large part of our modern tyranny has the supposed purpose of “taking care of Mother Earth.”  It has reached the breaking point.  Byron reminds us: “Who would be free themselves must strike the blow.”  There is none of the Fifty States where the EPA and its state-level surrogates have not draped us in chains, and it is not reform but repeal that must be our goal.  Enough said, for now.

Detroit Gunman Points Gun at Driver, Pulls the Trigger Twice — He Couldn’t Have Expected What Happened Next:  “The trigger was pulled twice. “And it misfired,” one of the brothers said.  MamaLiberty had a lot to say about this one:  Poor reporting, or none of them really understand how guns operate. I suspect this was not a revolver, since there is little likelihood of two consecutive cartridges being duds. And, rather than misfire – though that’s certainly possible – the gun may not have fired because the safety was on. And, of course, with an auto, pulling the trigger again after a misfire accomplishes nothing. Anyway, glad the intended victims are OK. This is one incident where they’d be hard pressed to defend themselves, even if they had a gun. But nice touch that the criminal left his wallet behind. Wonder how that happened. 🙂 It would be hard to defend themselves, which is why places like Detroit should be ABANDONED by anyone with a bit of common sense and ANY love for freedom for themselves and their family.

The US is sending ground troops to Poland and Estonia.  This story showed up this weekend, but it so surprised me that, when I considered the sources, I had to look it up.  I found it in the web edition of Stars & Stripes, the worldwide daily newspaper published for US troops.  It IS true, and the reason given makes sense but sets off alarm bells: supposedly a company-sized unit (about 150 troops) is being deployed for joint training.  That excuse smells, given the insane way the US and NATO has been about Ukraine and Russia.  They seem to WANT to start a war.

Mama’s Note: This just might be the war they gave and nobody came… I’m reminded of the stories of poor recruitment, increasing troop dissatisfaction and suicide, officers resigning in shame… all seeming to indicate the deterioration of the military at all levels. Will they be sending the lady soldiers to the front lines in Ukraine? That ought to be a spectacular success.

The Blaze.com is presenting an analysis of how “defense” bureaucracy and insider-trading blocked the acquisition and deployment  of a badly needed software system that would have saved the lives, not just of US and NATO troops, but of local people in Afghanistan, starting on Wednesday.  An introduction to that can be found here.  This is FAR from the first time and will NOT be the LAST time that the bureaucrats and lickspittles in the Pentagon and the idiots in the Capitol and the White House have done something like this:  causing men and women to be killed needlessly, both in our own forces, among our civilians, and in enemy forces and civilians in war zones and occupied lands.

Mama’s Note: It seems to me that ALL of the deaths associated with US involvement outside of the American continent are “needless” and could easily have been avoided without any software. The fact that so many in the Middle east are bound and determined to kill each other is their own business.

Salon, like Slate and many other on-line/hard print publications, is very liberal and Tranzi (despite claims of the DNC), and anything they publish must be looked at carefully (not that conservative and libertarian media gets a bye from me).  They are, at best, condescending to people whom they deem “conservative” (especially in religion), and generally rude to libertarians (minarchists or anarchists).  So it is no surprise to find them joining in castigating the way the former CEO of Mozilla, and the Robertsons (Duck Dynasty/Duck Commander) and Chik-fil-A has been treated by the media and other supporters of so-called “gay marriage.”  Now they have launched a fresh attack against those who dare to believe in the Bible, claiming that the Bible does not teach what it clearly DOES teach.  Apparently their goal is to further fracture the religious community (which is, frankly, not that hard to do).  Several people answer this ably, including the good folks at Godfather Politics.  But expect the Salon article to be used time and again to attack those who follow the Christ.  And expect the persecution of those who do to grow quickly more strong.

Mama’s Note: The only real issue as far as I’m concerned is the effort of any of these people to use the power of government to force their own beliefs and morals on other people. Trash talk on TV is just silly, but promoting “laws” to limit the choices and actions of others is seriously wrong. Otherwise, everyone should simply mind their own business and leave everyone else to do the same.

Nathan: That is indeed the point. Salon is pushing for laws that in the near term (as in Canada and the UK) will turn people like the owners of Chik-fil-A and Duck Commander into criminals merely for speaking their mind.

The entire stupidity of zero-tolerance in the “public” schools continues to take on more and more sinister implications, and become more and more restrictive.  Latest victim is a teacher, who has been convicted of having household tools in a tool box to teach his students how to use them, accepted by a judge as “weapons.” A New Jersey college professor was suspended for eight days for having a picture of his 7-year-old daughter wearing a Game of Thrones tee-shirt posted in his office, claiming that the words “Fire & Blood” were a threat and referred to someone showing up with an AK-47 and shooting people on campus.  The insanity grows each month, it seems.  Again, there is NO reason to have a single child in a government-ruined, theft-funded school.  NONE.

Public schools have MORE to face than just Game of Thrones and attacks by dragons, it seems.  The consort of the Fuehrer is going to Topeka, Kansas, to speak at the graduation of FIVE high schools, thus ruining it for most of them. If I were a parent of anyone graduating from those schools, I’d simply opt out: tell the school to mail my child’s diploma to our home, and have a graduation celebration and party at home.  WITHOUT a tape recording of the disbarred lawyer who has spent so many millions (150 at last estimate) of the taxpayer’s money on her and her children’s trips around the world.

Mama’s Note: Don’t forget that she takes her mother along… and probably 50 or 60 other people, hairdressers and such, as well as all of the “secret service” goons to provide “security.” Expensive globe trotting indeed. I’m not sure even the Queen of England has such a large entourage. Of course, Moooochelle thinks she is the queen.

That is not the only problem we find in the government-ruined, theft-funded schools this week or last: apparently parents in Georgia who showed up for a scheduled meeting with a grade school principal to discuss why their children were not going to be taking the standardized state tests were instead met by a police officer who informed them that they were “trespassing.” People, why do we not only put up with this, but continue to pay more and more to the education bureaucracy and give them MORE power and MORE time with children?  Do we hate our neighbor’s children so much?  Do we hate our own?

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Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-16A: More awaking to federal tyranny

By Nathan Barton

Good morning.  Here is a brief posting of some stories and commentary from this weekend.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 37 percent of likely U.S. voters say that they are afraid of the Federal government and 54 percent say that it is a threat to individual liberty. That’s compared to 47 percent who don’t fear the government, 17 percent who aren’t sure and 22 percent who feel government protects their liberty.  Hmm.  That is more than 1 in 5 people who have a SERIOUS problem dealing with reality, and 1 in 6 who apparently were concerned that (a) their phone was tapped and/or (b) that the guy up in the tree (or in the upstairs window across the street) with a sniper rifle might be telling them “I’m here from the government to help you.”

In what may be the first arrest in Connecticut under the new unconstitutional laws signed by Governor Malloy in December, a 65-year-old Milford man was arrested after he allegedly shot at a squirrel in his yard on Monday morning. He was found to have an unregistered “assault weapon” (which he was NOT using to shoot the squirrel), and several illegal (over-capacity) magazines. Frankly, the man was an idiot for shooting the squirrel with a firearm, but the over-response to his doing so, combined with the gross violations of civil rights, was not justified by this.  At the same time, this was inevitable, and perhaps he will be the poster child for the fight against Connecticut’s insane and immoral laws.

Lies and more lies:  the various governments and big business are not the only ones who can and do lie frequently.  We saw an example of that, this week, when a website called “National Report” ran an article stating that multiple militia members had been arrested at the Bundy Ranch on Wednesday.  Since then, I’ve seen this story pop up a dozen times, but everyone seems to lead back to the National Report story.  There is NO other evidence that such a thing happened.  A few sites and articles have now appeared to refute it, but at least one blames government for it, calling it part of a propaganda effort to discourage people from aiding the Bundy family.

The Fuehrer has postponed his fuehrerbefehl (executive order/decision) on the Keystone XL pipeline until after the November elections, giving rejoicing to Greens and Luddites and those they’ve hoodwinked.  Canadians are justifiably upset over this, as are many people in the Dakotas and Nebraska. Even SOME opponents are upset as they see it as inevitable that AFTER the elections it will be waved through.  I don’t think that is assured: alternatives are being sought.

Mama’s Note: The major reason I would oppose this pipeline, as currently proposed, is the use of eminent domain to secure the property necessary to build it. Even if the landowners were truly compensated at market value, they would have no choice – not to mention that much of the compensation could well come out of taxpayer pockets. There has to be a better way to move the oil.

Congresswoman aims to crack down on campuses’ sex assault ‘epidemic’: Rep. Jackie Speier met with UC Berkeley students to announce a push for tougher laws against sexual assault on college campuses this week.  As MamaLiberty noted, nobody is talking about the only rational solution, of course: offer basic pistol and armed self defense classes, and actually ENCOURAGE people to effectively defend themselves.   More laws will do nothing.  In addition to arming themselves (and perhaps putting up posters of those who are shot attempting rape, as a reminder), getting rid of these mega-campuses and mega-universities is essential.  They really teach very little: perhaps 1 in 20 graduates accomplished much: more like 1 in 40 who attend.  By “accomplished much” I mean other than getting indoctrinated in Tranzi worldviews.

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Let’s Try That Again

By MamaLiberty

Last week I wrote, Bloomberg and MDA to Empower Women. I was a bit surprised at some of the comments I got, both on the blog and elsewhere, so it seemed like a good idea to come back and clarify what I was thinking, as well as to expand on some of it.

I probably should have anticipated a strong reaction to the abortion reference, and I’m sorry that became the focus instead of the point I was actually trying to make. Most of those who follow people like Bloomberg say they want “equality” and “safety,” yet demand to dictate to everyone the terms they will accept while they refuse to take responsibility for themselves or much of anything. I can’t think of any better way to say that right now, but I’ll probably try again many times. It is that important.

Not all fit this pattern, obviously, and I’m glad beyond measure to see more and more people, men and women, starting to think for themselves and measure the lies they have been told against the reality around them; question the goals and preferences they have been taught to value, and take steps to regain control of their own lives and property. Still a sad minority, but growing daily as the lies and perverse incentives reveal the true agenda of people like Bloomberg.

And what is Bloomberg’s agenda? The same as every other politician (whether in public or in private): Control of the lives and property of every human being. They are aided and encouraged by all those who think they can live without being responsible for their choices and actions and make “other people” pay for the consequences; people who think they can actually live by controlling, and plundering, all of those around them. The fact that the would be controllers who follow such politicians are also being plundered, controlled and ultimately will be disposed of, seems to be just dawning on at least some of them. Will they take the next step to self ownership, self responsibility? Only time will tell.

Just a few more words about abortion.

I’m not in the least proposing to send the government goons to your door to haul you away for anything, but it does seem that this question needs to be looked at and considered from many angles.

Take the “blob of protoplasm” argument; that this clump of rapidly dividing cells is somehow not a human being. I wonder at what magical point in the process that happens, if not at conception. What number of living cells make the blob suddenly “human?” I’d really like to know. If it is wrong to kill an innocent human being at any time… No, a fetus is not yet fully formed, nor able to survive on its own, but then neither is a two year old.

And then, I’m always amazed at some of the “animal rights” proponents who can become hysterical at the thought of turtle, fish or wild duck eggs being deliberately destroyed (or destroyed for any reason). After all, they are not yet turtles, fish or ducks, so why should anyone care? I have no idea how many of these animal people think abortion is acceptable, but I wonder if they ever see the inconsistency of their thinking if so.

In any case, I’m grateful that YOU are here to share these thoughts with me, and very happy that your blob of protoplasm wasn’t sucked into a sink when you were a helpless zygote. Think about that for a moment…

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Government: Lies and LIES and MORE LIES

By Nathan Barton

(Originally Libertarian commentary on the news, #14-15F)

Good morning –  or not.  Should I lie to you and tell you what a wonderful day it is, here in America?  If I do, then I’m just like the government.  To them, lies come with breathing.  They are incapable of telling the truth, of telling anything BUT lies.

Lies to promote their agenda. In South Carolina, the Feebs are raising the ante against people who dare to want small government AND buy weapons. And adding to the usual BATFE pressure against gun shops.  The FBI and its agents AND bosses (like Holder) lie constantly about the supposed threats to the Fifty States.

They are lying about the economy.  Again and again.  We “have recovered” or “we are recovering” or “we’ve reached the bottom and will start back up.”  Lies.  So it comes as a shock that Family Dollar is actually CLOSING 370 of its stores and slowing construction of new ones.  The story doesn’t say where the stores are being shuttered, but this shows AGAIN how bad the economy is, now five years into what I call the Crash of 2009.  For many small, rural and frontier communities, Family Dollar and its competitors, low-end retailers, have been a big part of what little economic growth has been taking place.  Now, what is next?  Will still more towns just roll up their sidewalks?

Mama’s Note: An interesting observation about our local “Family Dollar” store is their ongoing difficulty finding and retaining employees, in spite of so many people looking for work. The store here has a “help wanted” sign on the door most of the time. A number of people I know have applied, but the wages offered are so low, the hours so long and irregular, and the working conditions so rough that they soon walk away and look for something better.

We know that taxes, regulations, Obummercare, and all the rest are a big part of the problem, and any business operating on the ragged edge of a microscopic profit margin as I suspect they do can’t pay well. The manager of this store does an incredible job with what she has.  The store is clean and all of the employees are friendly, helpful people. But they live perched on the edge of a sharp blade… and there isn’t much they can do about it. I hope our store won’t be one to close, but I would not be in the least surprised. What a shame.

They use all kinds of lies.  A recent editorial in a mainstream media outlet slanders American combat veterans as “white supremacists” and the backbone of the KKK and other groups.  I am sure that my friends and associates who are combat vets from as far back as Korea, who happen to be black, Jewish, AmerInd, and Asian are very definitely “white supremacists” – every one of them.  Especially those who are Lakota or Navajo.  Of course, this is trying to get around the fact that the man who murdered three people at Jewish facilities in Kansas a few days ago is a long-time DEMOCRAT who is a racist and a Jew-hater from way back.  And that many of the most notable of mass-killers in recent years are NOT the libertarian or conservative right-wing fanatics that the FBI and all the other DOJ and FedGov thugs try to make them out to be: Aurora, Connecticut, and elsewhere: we see mentally deranged people, usually “liberal” in political beliefs, and filled with hatred for themselves, their families, and others.  YES there are combat veterans who have proved to be evil and deranged, and there are thousands who have been unable to cope with it and kill themselves and sometimes others.  But it is NOT all of us, it is not a majority of us, it is not even a small minority of us.

Of course, that slander isn’t much different from what the Majority Leader of the US Senate is getting away with.  Listen to what Harry Reid is saying: “Those people who hold themselves out to be patriots are not. They’re nothing more than domestic terrorists . . . I repeat: what went on up there was domestic terrorism. There were hundreds—hundreds of people from around the country—that came there. They had sniper rifles on the freeway. They had assault weapons. They had automatic weapons. . . . [They said they had] children and women lined up because if anyone got hurt we wanted to make sure they got hurt first, because we want the federal government hurting women and children. . . . What if others tried the same thing? . . . Clive Bundy does not recognize the United States. He says that the United States is a foreign government. He doesn’t pay his taxes. He doesn’t pay his fees. And he doesn’t follow the law. He continues to thumb his nose at authority.”

I want to look at this closely.  This man is SUPPOSEDLY a loyal American, who has taken multiple oaths to uphold the Constitution, who has tremendous power, is a proponent of “democratic” political philosophy, and a Latter-day Saint in good standing.  This one statement (and the truth) prove that he is a liar, an ENEMY of democracy and liberty, and an ENEMY of both the American people and the Constitution.  And one VERY fearful man.  Let us ignore HIS (intentional) ignorance of weapons (sniper rifles/hunting rifles, self-loading weapons or assault weapons, no doubt all with 30 round magazines) and look at the rest.  It is HIGHLY unlikely that any of the people coming to the Bundy’s aid had automatic weapons, but if this is the definition of a terrorist (to have sniper rifles, “assault weapons,” and automatic weapons), then WHO were the terrorists at Bunkerville?  THE FEDGOV AGENTS, that is who!  There was a DISCUSSION about having women (NOT children) on the front line, but the video shows that is NOT what actually happened.  (This is a whole other issue to be discussed. But remember, Reid is one of the Tranzis that wants women to be front-line combat infantry when he and his colleagues, Tranzi trash that they are, send out American troops to create and enforce a Pax Americana. And to bomb, strafe and kill the women and children of foreigners!)  His personal attacks on Bundy are groundless lies.  But I admit that Reid should know what it means to thumb his nose at authority, as he does it EVERY DAY to the US Constitution and the people who supposedly established and ordained it and elected him to office.  Much as I have despised this man in the past, it is a pale match to the roaring torch of contempt I hold for this murdering, lying, thieving, power-mad man now.  WHERE ARE THE DANITES???  WHERE ARE THE BRIGHAMITES?  How can ANY civilized people or polity put up with this thug?

Since 1980, men’s wages have risen only by 6 percent, while women’s wages have risen by 60 percent… and we wonder just what is going on.  IF it is true that women get only 77 percent (or 88 percent – depending on whom you believe) of men’s wages, it must be only because they are extremely selective in the universe that generates those numbers, and the situation is getting worse.  Graduation rates for men (from both high school and college) are dropping: it is women more and more who are getting diplomas.  Lies and more lies, getting bolder and bolder.

Mama’s Note: Besides… if it were true that women always receive less… why would any business hire a man? If money is the only criteria, women would have all the jobs. 🙂

Like this very recent lie about ObummerCare. In total, only 3.9 million people actually enrolled in insurance plans through the state or federal exchanges — not 7.1 million…Gee, you think that “new studies” are needed to indicate problems?  The Fuehrer AND EVERY THUG who works for him are chronic, pathological liars.  They CANNOT tell the truth.  I know a few pathological liars, and I don’t trust them AT ALL.  Why can people not see the evil of the Fuehrer?

Mama’s Note: Unfortunately, all the lies and hype and arguments over the website and the wishy-washy enforcement are hiding the real truth. No government has any possible legitimate authority to regulate, much less mandate, the market for health insurance or the provision of medical services. None… nada. This mess will only continue to get worse until people realize this, and refuse to be manipulated this way.

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