Politicians and Brains

Posted on 2013-12-17 by TPOL Nathan

I am sure many of our readers have seen the headline: Scientists take first step towards growing brains in a lab

Nathan: This of course, is the latest example of mad science to threaten the world:  like mad scientists of the past, these men and women are naive and do not understand the threat this invention could pose to the world.  It also raises some SERIOUS questions.  For example, Mama Liberty, our beloved publisher’s first thoughts were:

Mama Liberty: OH GOOD!! And they can start immediately by testing them in politicians. Since they don’t have any brains at all, anything would be an improvement.

Nathan: It will all end in tears.

I have been told by several experts that most politicians are born with normal brains (there are, admittedly, some who inherit that brainless condition, as we all know).  But as they mature and get more involved in politics, their brains atrophy, and as a result, the body fills up the brain cavity by depositing additional bone on the inside of the skull: it calcifies!  I suppose if you can catch and halt the process in time, there might be some room to use to put more brains in, but it will be nowhere close to non-politician human norms.

Even if they find a way to enlarge the cavity (decalcification, or is that denazification, I lose track of the proper technical terms), it really isn’t necessary to GROW new brains.  For several centuries now, the US military has followed an SOP, which supposedly was adopted from the French Army, way back in the Revolutionary War.  Anytime someone is promoted to full Colonel, a large portion of their brain is removed, stabilized and preserved, and filed away.  If they are promoted to flag grade (general – I’m not sure whether it is brigadier or major or lieutenant general), they have the preserved brains put back in – giving them an advantage since the organ has not aged.  The problem is, the various Medical Corps have had a truly horrible filing system, and so a lot of the time, the new general does not get the same brain that was taken out, but someone else’s!  It is a major problem, but still, overall the system worked well – except of course with the political generals…   But since most colonels do NOT get promoted to flag grade, there is a large repository for each of the services, where all these excess brain parts have been stored.  Admittedly, many are probably well past their shelf life, but even so, would be better than what the politicians have – and at a fraction of the cost of growing new brains and then condensing them to fit into the small space left.

As I said, the US took this idea from the French.  It is well known that they used the technique for years, but applied it to the flag officers.  During one of the early battles of the Napoleonic wars, it is sad that Napoleon himself observed the colonel of one of his regiments distinguish himself not just by his bravery but by his wisdom and intelligence on the battlefield.  Napoleon immediately told one of his staff to go and tell this man (Dumont?  I don’t recall the name.) that his performance had been observed and was being rewarded:  he was immediately promoted from Colonel to General de Brigadier.  Unfortunately, Dumont was wounded badly, and before the aide could get to him, the new General had been carted off to surgery.  So the aide rode to the hospital tent, flung himself off the horse and strode into the surgical tent, telling the doctor that he was looking for General Dumont with a dispatch from the Emperor himself.  The doctor (as you can imagine) was in a foul mood, and snapped back.  “I don’t know any General Dumont but Colonel Dumont is the man you see right here on the table.  I am operating because he has been shot in the head and I am trying to put his brains, which are here in this bucket, back in his head.  But you just splattered dust all over them!”  At that, Dumont sat up on the operating table and said, “Doctor, don’t waste your time.  Now that I’m a general, I don’t need them anymore!”

Sam also had some pithy comments:  Politicians, like other zombies, do not HAVE brains, rather they EAT brains.  So there is some potential hope of improvement in world conditions, if we can use these vat-grown brains (a common SF concept, by the way) and bait politicians with them, then trap and humanely put them down in order to make available the carcasses for “useful public service” such as subgrade in roads or soil amendments, or even to improve those coral habitats made with old cars and trucks out under the ocean.  Although some people want each zoo to keep a specimen or two for exhibition (as a warning), I feel that is both inhumane (to the zookeepers and visitors) and potentially dangerous, should they escape.  I suppose that one could surgically remove the tongue or the vocal cords, but then the point of the display in captivity would be lost.  Better to simply rid the world of the potential danger.

Nathan:  Everything you say makes tremendous sense, Sam.  It is especially important to make sure that no wild populations would be left in such a situation.  We’ve seen what happens  when the wild populations of predators like wolves and mountain lions is allowed to rebound.  Because of their chameleon-like abilities, there might be viable populations of the politicians springing up around us without warning, leading to a sad new cycle of overpopulation and predation on normal humans.  I don’t think that a lot of us had thought it through and realized that there are species (or would it be “races”) of zombies which look like normal humans but still crave brains, blood, gold, and other precious things like liberty and peace and prosperity – not to enjoy them but to consume and digest them.  It is indeed horrible to contemplate.

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Bill of [Rights] Restraints Day

Posted on 2013-12-15 by MamaLiberty

By Robert Greenslade – © Nitwit Press

December 15th is the 222nd anniversary of the adoption of the Amendments commonly known as the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, a majority of the American people still do not understand the true intent of the Amendments. They believe the Amendments are the source of their individual rights and the federal government was granted the general power to secure those rights. In reality, the Amendments did not create any individual rights or grant the federal government any general power.

When the “Bill of Rights” was submitted to the individual States for ratification, it contained 12 proposed amendments and was prefaced with a preamble that spelled out the intent of the Amendments. As stated in the preamble, the purpose of the Amendments was to prevent the federal government from “misconstruing or abusing its powers.” To accomplish this, “further declaratory and restrictive clauses” were being recommended. The Amendments, if adopted (2 were rejected 10 were agreed to), would not create any so-called constitutional rights or grant the federal government any general power; they would place additional restraints and/or qualifications on federal power concerning the rights enumerated therein.

The best way to explain the intent of the Amendments was to re-write them through the preamble. This re-write helps explain the original intent of the Amendments, without resorting to the preamble, and makes them easier to understand. Some words have been changed to reflect modern usage and the sentence structure has been slightly altered in a few of the Amendments. The author suggests the reader, after reviewing the preamble, compare the wording of each Amendment to the original.

Article I………… Congress is expressly denied the power to enact any law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Article II……….. Because a well-regulated Militia is necessary to the security of a free State, the federal government is expressly denied the power to infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear Arms. (EN 1)

Article III……… The federal government is expressly denied the power to quarter any Soldier in any house, in time of peace, without the consent of the Owner, or in time of war, except in a manner to be prescribed by law. (This Amendment grants the federal government a very narrow lawmaking power to qualify the restraint.)

Article IV………. The federal government is expressly denied the power to infringe the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the federal government is expressly denied the power to issue Warrants, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Article V……….. The federal government is expressly denied the power to hold any person to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall the federal government subject any person to a prosecution for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall the federal government compel any person in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor shall the federal government deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall the federal government take private property for public use, without just compensation.

Article VI………. In all criminal prosecutions, the federal government is expressly denied the power to negate the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law; nor shall the federal government deny the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; or the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him; or the right to have compulsory process for obtaining Witnesses in his favor, or the right to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Article VII…….. In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the federal government is expressly denied the power to negate the people’s right to a trial by jury, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any federal Court, than according to the rules of the common law.

Article VIII……. The federal government is expressly denied the power to impose excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments.

Article IX………. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to grant the federal government the power to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Article X……….. The powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. (No change on this Amendment is needed.)

Even through the Constitution established a government of limited enumerated powers and under this system of government every power not granted was denied, the States decided that “further declaratory and restrictive clauses” were needed to prevent the federal government from “misconstruing or abusing its powers.” Thus, the insertion of phrases like “the federal government is expressly denied the power” is consistent with the intent of the Amendments.

After establishing the original intent of the Amendments, three things are certain. First, the purpose of the Amendments was to place additional restraints and/or qualifications on the powers of the federal government. Second, the Amendments did not grant the people of the individual States any so-called constitutional rights. Third, the Amendments did not grant the federal government the general power to secure the rights enumerated in the “Bill of Rights.”

In the author’s opinion, government and the American public school system are intentionally suppressing the preamble and the original intent of the Amendments because government wants it that way. If government wanted students properly educated on the “Bill of Rights,” it would insist that the civics curriculum incorporate this information into classes and textbooks.

By advancing the myth that the “Bill of Rights” grants the American people individual rights, the federal government has been able to assume the role of “protector” of those rights. This has allowed it to transform restraints on power into grants of power. The federal government now claims it has the power to impose “reasonable restraints” on any right enumerated in the “Bill of Rights.” This is an absurdity because the Amendments were specifically written and adopted to restrain the powers of the federal government. If the federal government is allowed to assume this power, then the Constitution is meaningless as a written document because government can simply modify or remove every restraint on its power.

Now that you know how to properly read the Amendments in a manner that is consistent with original intent, as expressed in the preamble, don’t be a victim of the government’s public school system every December 15th when we celebrate the adoption of the Bill of Rights Restraints.

Endnote 1-The word “because” can used at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a dependent clause. The first part of the Second Amendment is a dependent clause because a well-regulated militia is dependent upon the people’s right to keep and bear arms not visa versa. Therefore, it is, and would have been acceptable to use the word “because” at the beginning of the Amendment This change maintains the intent and sentence structure of the Amendment but makes it read in a manner that is more in tune with modern sentence structure.

[Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, the one thing the constitution granted to the federal government that destroyed any hope of justice or relevance of the amendments was the power to tax. Once that camel had its nose under the tent, the growth of both government and the tyranny they can’t help but produce was a foregone conclusion. If humans ever get another chance to govern themselves in peace, prosperity and justice, the power to tax or confiscate the property of individuals must never be given to any “leader” or body of councelors. It is the inevitable death blow to freedom, no matter what else is said or done.]

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-48C: Stupid people and Congress

Posted on 2013-12-15 by TPOL Nathan

Home front – Congress in action – Stupid people
Professors question enforceability of 3-D printer legislation
(The Daily Pennsylvanian) “While it is now illegal [sic] to use 3-D printers to manufacture firearms without proper licensing, some Penn professors question the significance of that legislation. … ‘Trying to outlaw 3-D-printed guns is basically unenforceable,’ said Wharton professor David Robertson, who teaches about 3-D printing in his class ‘Innovation and Production Development.’ ‘I live in Philadelphia, I have a 3-D printer in my basement, I can download the instructions for printing a gun and I can print it in my basement. It’s extremely unlikely that the police would ever find out about that,’ he said. ‘It was like saying that VCRs could not be used to copy movies from television.'” (12/08/13)

Nathan:  WHY are these professors publicly doing this?  Anyone with two gray cells to knock around in their brain pan KNOWS that this ban is absurd and unenforceable GIVEN CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES.  So are these college folks doing this to make sure that their students are clear on what they can do – or do they want to give Congress an excuse to yet again expand the police state.  Requiring registration of 3-D printers, after all, could be twisted around as NOT a violation of either the 1st or 2nd Amendments, if your mind is twisted and warped that way.  Remember, for years they TRIED to make it illegal to copy movies from TV, and actually DID pass a lot of laws, and put all those FBI and INTERPOL warnings about piracy on the tapes – and YES, they DID prosecute certain people, either because they wanted to make a point or because the were after the guy or gal for something else.

Mama’s Note: I’m not really too worried about this one. Remember that a whole new “3D printer” can actually be – PRINTED! Even with one that is “registered,” you can soon have another that is not. No, this genie is out of the bottle, and isn’t going back in.

But I have little interest in printing guns – I love the ones I have. But just imagine what 3D printing will do for any average household in the long run. Only yesterday an older appliance was made useless because a small plastic part broke. They don’t make that appliance anymore, and there is no hope of finding a replacement for that little plastic part – without which the appliance won’t function. If I could download the file and PRINT a new one, I would not have to buy a new appliance. Nobody would need to stock that part, or any of the billions of other things just like it. And it will happen. There’s nothing in the world, outside of murder, that can prevent it.

Home front – TSA Thuggery
Missouri: TSA agent confiscates sock monkey’s toy pistol
(KVTB News) “‘Rooster Monkburn’ the cowboy sock monkey is without his pistol, thanks to a diligent TSA agent in St. Louis. … May has a small business selling unique sock monkey dolls. She says she and her husband were on their way from St. Louis to Sea-Tac and she had a couple of monkeys and sewing supplies with her in a carry-on bag. ‘His pistol was in there,’ she says of the sock monkey ‘Rooster Monkburn,’ a take-off on John Wayne character ‘Rooster Cogburn’ from the film ‘True Grit.'” (12/08/13)

Nathan: One more MASSIVELY EVIL AND INSANELY THREATENING CONSPIRACY has been thwarted by the brave, loyal, and vigilant agents of TSA:  Episode 10 or 11 of the second season of “TSA: The TRUE Story” as presented by PBS at 0100 on Monday mornings.  We are all saved once more, as the unmasked but nattily uniformed TSA agents ride into the sunset.

Political correctness – Government-run, tax-funded schools
Colorado: Six-year-old suspended for kissing girl on cheek
(San Francisco Chronicle) “A 6-year-old boy has been suspended from a Colorado school for kissing a girl on the cheek. School officials in Canon City are accusing the boy of sexual harassment and they want it on his school record. The boy’s mother told KRDO-TV her son was suspended once before for kissing the girl and had disciplinary problems, but the girl did not object to being kissed. A School District RE-1 official says the repeat offenses meet the school policy definition of sexual harassment and they hope the tough standards will force the boy to change his behavior.” [editor’s note: Gee, that’s pre(co)cious; I didn’t start that until late in fourth grade! – SAT] (12/10/13)

Nathan: This actually showed up a few days ago.  Fortunately the political and other police were there to keep this evil from happening, even though their comrades in arms a hundred miles away let a kid get “deep” into a school with an openly-carried shotgun.  Exactly how is this “sexual harassment” if the girl did not object?  Frankly, two-thirds of my first and second grade classes, deep in the Panhandle, would have been suspended for decades if kissing someone of the opposite sex was treated like this.  (And no, I was in the one-third: didn’t do it, didn’t want to do it. But several of us DID sing that song a lot; you know “Susy and Billy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…”  Still don’t have a problem spelling THAT word!)  But come to think of it, I remember my 9th grade year – five hundred miles further north – when, GASP! – I was sexually harassed by being ambushed by two older (11th grade) girls in the library, kissed on either side of the face by two of the hussies at the same time!  That was before I turned ugly, of course.  Could be WHY I turned ugly.  Of course, that might today be acceptable because it was NOT the usual and traditional one-on-one public display of affection.  It was, double gasp!, a threesome.  For at least two or three seconds.  Fortunately I remembered to close the book I was reading before my face caught the pages on fire…

Congress in action – Theft by government
US House approves deal to return to even more criminally insane spending levels
(Freedom News Digest) “A compromise federal budget plan that would remove the threat of a government shutdown for two years won easy approval Thursday from the Republican-controlled U.S. House. The deal worked out by House Budget Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray passed on a 332-94 vote and now goes to the Democratic-led Senate, which is expected to approve it next week in a very close vote.” (12/12/13)

Nathan: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  Congress is really REALLY good at that, and we will get to see just how insane they are in the next few days.  What a Christmas present!  We have two more years of bubbles and joy rides and digging ourselves still deeper in debt (remember the old song, another day older and deeper in debt.  Saint Peter, don’t ya call me, ’cause I can’t go, I OWE MY SOUL to the government store…).  Howe STUPID can we be!

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-48A/B: Political correctness and other evils

Posted on 2013-12-14 by TPOL Nathan

Many of the stories today are about events that are the result of political correctness, and show that freedom of speech, a basic, God-given right for all people, is not recognized by many people and organizations today, whether it is the Home Office police or a Colorado judge or a lot of people in between.

Stupid government tricks – Tranzis
UK: Man arrested for making jokes about Mandela
(Last Resistance) Remember back when Margaret Thatcher died, and socialist Brits took to the streets to celebrate? They held up vile signs mocking and ridiculing her. “DingDongTheWickedWitchIsDead” was a Twitter group in her honor. No one in authority seemed to care. After all, these people had a right to their opinion, right? We wouldn’t want to stoop down to the level of “thought police,” would we? Not unless the person you joke about is Nelson Mandela. You make one wise crack about him, and there’ll be H*** to pay.

Nathan: Chalk one more up for political correctness and reverse racism.  Lady Margaret is fair game – she’s “upper class” and white (a REAL Anglo!) and she was a conservative.  Mandela was black, a criminal, from a poor and maltreated minority and he smiled…  And he was also NOT in the UK (although at one time, he legally WAS a British subject as part of the Union of South Africa, one of the “old Dominions” which helped the British with the conquest of India and Africa and to win the Great War and that next one.)  But cracking a joke about this dead “superhero” and wonderful man of peace is as bad as joking about bombs on an aircraft.  This will haunt this man the rest of his life.

Stupid people tricks – Technology
MIT: Researchers developing a vaccine for PTSD
(Last Resistance) No one thinks for a moment that maybe the fix for PTSD is a different foreign policy. I doubt there would be anywhere near as much PTSD if we just withdrew our military from unnecessary military conflicts. No. No. Let’s not do that. Instead, let’s just develop a drug that soldiers can take so that they can fight and kill potential terrorists (read: foreign—soon to be domestic!—citizens trying to protect their homeland) without any chance of stress, fear, or depression.  That’s just what researchers at MIT are working on at this very moment.

Nathan: No doubt, no doubt, this will be like the HPV and Ritalin and all the other quack “cures:” everyone will be forced to take it, whether they need it or not.  Need? When we SAY you do!  PTSD is a psychological “illness” or “condition” which means that most likely this drug will be a psychoactive one.  And once drugged, they won’t be allowed to be a soldier again – even more, it will be an excuse to disarm that person in private life.  PTSD is an excuse for behavior modification, and excuse for medical bills and high-priced behavior specialists and medical personnel.  Therefore, it is an excuse for government control, for expanding the nanny state, and for treating people like children all their lives.

Nazgul
Texas: Killer of 4 gets 10 years probation
(Last Resistance) Sixteen year old Ethan Couch went to a Wal-Mart with some friends and stole some beer.  Then they partied and got drunk.  Ethan climbed behind the wheel of his truck and went speeding down the street.  Just 400 yards down the road, Breanna Mitchell’s SUV had broken down.  [Three people]… stopped to help. Ethan was so drunk that he floored his truck and raced down the road, totally oblivious to the world around him or the broken down SUV in front of him.  On a road with a 40mph speed limit, Couch had reached over 70mph when he plowed his truck into the stranded SUV … Breanna Mitchell, Hollie and Shelby Boyles and Brian Jennings were killed. Two teens riding in the back of Couch’s truck were thrown out during the collision and severely injured.  One of the teens sustained brain injuries so severe that he is not able to move or talk.  The other teen ended up with multiple broken bones and internal injuries. Couch’s blood alcohol level was 0.24, three times the legal limit for an adult in Texas… charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter… as a juvenile.  The only defense that Couch’s lawyer could come up with was that he was a victim of affluenza and that his parents were at fault… Instead of being sentenced to 20 years in prison (which still isn’t enough for killing four people), Judge Jean Boyd sentenced Couch to 10 years PROBATION and he had to go to a detox center for his alcohol abuse.  Additionally, the judge said that Ethan was not allowed to have contact with his family for a period of time since they were the enablers.

Nathan: Anger does no good.  I am not certain if the death penalty would do any good in this case, except that IF the attorney was right, then the PARENTS should have been on trial with the son (who SHOULD have been tried as an adult, given that no one forced him to take a sip of booze and that he was by far old enough, parents or not, to know the difference between right and wrong and 40 and 70 mph).  And yes, it would have been moral to whip, brand, and let the relatives of the victims have them as slaves for the rest of their natural lives.  But no, that is “cruel and unusual,” and we can’t do that – but we can allow four people to die in agony and two more suffer – admittedly, probably caused in part by their own stupidity.  At a minimum, the parents AND Ethan should have been forced to assist the mortician in preparing the bodies, attended EVERY funeral, and hand-dig the graves.

Especially when comparing this to the next story, you have to ask if insanity is the rule. Are judges chosen in order to flout the law and constitution and morality?

Tyranny – Culture wars: homosexual “marriage”
Colorado: Man faces Jail for refusing to bake cake for “gay marriage”
(Last Resistance)  A Colorado man, owner of a bakery, refused to bake a cake for a gay couple that requested his services for their wedding. He told them that he would sell them a great many goods, but not a wedding cake, as it violated his religious beliefs. The couple immediately filed a discrimination complaint. … a judge ruled that because of Colorado’s anti-discrimination law, Jack Phillips would either have to provide his services to the couple, or face possible prison time. … Specifically, the act pertains to “public accommodations,” places that provide items or services to the public for a fee. Essentially, businesses are targeted by the act. Churches are protected under religious freedom.

Nathan: Yeah, I know.  According to “most libertarians” the guy is such a homophobic monster that he shouldn’t be sent to jail, he should be killed: put down like the mad dog that he is.  Draw and quarter him, put his head on a spike in front of the Capitol in Denver.  Remember, “homosexual marriage” is still illegal in Colorado; only civil unions are permitted if a homosexual wants to “marry” (contract with) another homosexual of the same sex.  So this baker would have been at best perpetrating a fraud by even doing it.  But the key here is that the baker HAS NO liberty: no freedom of speech or expression: he can be forced to do whatever two people walking in off the street want him to do, regardless of his moral beliefs.  Apply this across the board: there is NO liberty.

Mama’s Note: To take this just a little farther… Any business – I’m assuming in every state – has a perfect right to post a sign prohibiting people from carrying a gun in with them. These businesses can all post signs denying service to anyone not wearing shoes and shirts, or pretty much anything else. I’ve even seen signs prohibiting teens from entering, at least in greater numbers than the owner wants to tolerate. In essence, they can ask anyone to leave if they don’t want to do business with them.

But somehow, the politically correct folks have turned this upside down when their special pet groups are involved – blacks and homosexuals. I think it is unkind in the extreme, and most likely financially stupid to exclude any well behaved customers for any reason, but just as I have every right to decide who comes or stays in my home or on my land, the person who owns the business must always have the same right, whether he owns or rents the premises. Exceptions would have to be clearly indicated in his lease contract.

Islamic war: Arabian front – Government killing
Yemen: US drone terrorists murder 15 wedding guests
(Freedom News Digest) “Fifteen people on their way to a wedding in Yemen were killed in an air strike after their party was mistaken for an al Qaeda convoy, local security officials said on Thursday. The officials did not identify the plane in the strike in central al-Bayda province, but tribal and local media sources said that it was a drone.” (12/12/13)

Nathan: Mmmm.  The drone pilot didn’t mean to kill these people going to the wedding; he thought that they were terrorists.  They were “collateral damage.”  Does that mean he wasn’t morally responsible, since it was a mistake?  Does that mean it isn’t really murder, but just “negligent homicide?”  How do they KNOW it was a drone?  Because it “always” is? Or did they see it?  How far up was it?  Maybe it was someone else’s drone?  Do we even know if this happened?  Yemen is no friend of America or the West, in part supposedly because we (the West) do things like this.  But maybe… Maybe it was a false flag attack, maybe it is all made up? Maybe it was all play-acting?

Killing, except in self-defense or the defense of others, is wrong.  It is a sin, it is stupid (in part because it sets off an uncontrolled series of events), and it is bad for business and families and communities.  I am willing to extend the idea of “defense of others” to include allies, at least under some conditions.  But is Yemen an ally?  Hardly.  Was there some indication that this convoy was going to go to Saudi Arabia, which is (horrible as it is to think about it) an American ally?  Or was there some indication that this convoy was headed for the United States, or at least the nearest US-owned/operated site, business or community?  Indeed, there is every indication that this killing (murder or not) was NOT for a legitimate reason: it was immoral, it was sinful.  The person who did it, even if mistaken, DOES have moral responsibility for what he (or she) did: and no, “befehl ist befehl” (orders are orders) is NOT a legitimate or moral defense.  It just means that MORE than one person has moral responsibility for these fifteen deaths.  What we might ask ourselves (force ourselves to ask) is how MANY more people are responsible.  Let us assume it goes all the way up the chain from that SSG or GS-7 (probably drone operators are NOT yet Wage Grade employees) or contractor to the DoD or the CIA or whatever, and ultimately to the “POTUS” (or at least the guy who claims that he is).  Is that enough?

Or do we need go one step further and blame the idiots in Congress, not just those who voted to fund and allow this madness, but those who voted against it because they did not take the necessary actions?  Or do we also need to say that it is the fifty states and the people of those fifty states that also should be held accountable for failing to keep Congress and the White House from making this a miserable excuse for a free nation, and turned us into both the “policeman” of the world AND the world’s biggest rogue regime?

Self-defense – Government-run, tax-funded schools
Colorado: Suburban School Shootings leave shooter dead, three wounded
(9 News, Denver)

Nathan: Once again, their much-vaunted security failed.  He was openly carrying a shotgun and penetrated “deep” within the school.  The size of the school is part of the problem: 70 classrooms!  245,000 SF!  (A warehouse for teens!)  He could have played cat and mouse with them for days. Teachers were unable to protect their students and themselves, but the student killed himself.  At least we are saved the cost of a show-trial.  And they treated every student and teacher leaving as a criminal.  But that is okay, they are offering them counseling and a day off school on Monday! But now the legislature will try and get rid of shotguns, also. People, get your children out of these places. And arm your self, and teach your child how to defend themselves, armed or unarmed.

Islamic wars: African front
What Fueled Kenya Mall Attack?
(Wall Street Journal) A parliamentary committee here has blamed lapses among government security agencies for fueling a September attack on an upscale Nairobi mall that killed dozens of people and left Kenyans seething.  Corrupt Kenyan police and border guards may have abetted terrorists slipping into the country from neighboring Somalia, according to a report completed on Dec. 4 and seen this week by The Wall Street Journal.

Nathan: This is one government body saying that ANOTHER government body is the reason that the jehadis were able to successfully attack the mall, killing innocents, and that without the assistance of government, it would not have happened!  Don’t know if I believe it, but that certainly matches what is happening and has happened for a long time.  The solution is simple: get RID of the corruption (which means, mostly, getting rid of government) and allow the people to arm and defend themselves against evildoers no matter WHAT the “cause” or the uniform of the evildoers.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-47C: Long Term Lies and Problems: Congress, Economy

Posted on 2013-12-13 by TPOL Nathan

The first stories today illustrate the long-term problems that government brings to the table.  First we have the corruption and backroom dealing and hypocrisy which is a “system feature” of Congress and legislatures in the nation and around the world.  The second is the lies about, and manipulation of the economy by the media and their allies (and puppets) in government.  These problems (and lies) have been with us for more than a century, and get more pervasive and more damaging each decade.  It will take more than a reset, more than a “version 6.0” or something similar, to overcome these problems.

Congress in action – Politics 2014
House conservative caucus staffer fired for undermining lawmakers
(Washington Post)  The influential House conservative caucus ousted its top staffer Wednesday amid allegations that he undermined the policy position of some GOP lawmakers, the latest shot fired in the ongoing battle between congressional Republicans and a constellation of outside groups.

Nathan: The politicians are eating their own (as always, really) and looking for people to blame – which must mean that things are unraveling still more.  Like the staffer fired for having kiddie porn on his computer, you wonder what the REAL reason for the firing is, and who is next to be gored.  Congressional staff EXISTS to “undermine lawmakers” – the backbenchers who are not in power.  Since the GOP is (by default) controlled by RINOs, this is one way the elite keep control of the valuable party apparatus.  For every Ron or Rand Paul, there are a dozen would-be reformers and fairly true conservatives that are squashed: square pegs trimmed to fit in round holes.  Face it, the GOP will not change:  the rare Goldwaters and Reagans will ALWAYS be outnumbered by the Fords and McCains and Doles:  once good men corrupted and warped by an evil system, until they ARE the evil system perpetuating itself.  (No different in the Democratic Party.)

Crash of 2009 – Economic media garbage
Holiday spending slides as wealthy hold back: CNBC survey
(NBC News) On the one hand, the survey shows expectations for home values and wages increasing, inflation concerns falling and optimism about the stock market rising. On the other hand, the survey of 800 people nationwide (with a margin of error of 3.5 percent) predicts a sharp, 9.4 percent drop in holiday spending this year compared with actual outlays a year ago as measured by the National Retail Federation. Americans plan to spend just $681 this holiday season, about on par with 2009, when the nation was clawing its way out of a deep financial crisis. Behind this drop is a sharp falloff in spending by the wealthy.

Mama’s Note: Of course, any “survey” is suspect, and one with such a small sample is hopeless, but the fact remains that the “wealthy” can’t ever win. If they spend, they are condemned, and if they don’t spend they are still condemned. The bottom line is always that they should be deprived of their wealth so it can be spread around and then EVERYONE can spend like drunken sailors.. sigh  Just like congress…

Nathan: It is as much the way the questions are asked as the sample that makes these polls questionable (pun intended).  This is typical for December “surveys” and is nothing more than an indicator of how optimistic or pessimistic the respondents are.  Supposedly Black Friday and Cyber Monday were glorious increases in spending and created great optimism in businesses… but that too is typical and usually exaggerated.  If there really is a sharp drop-off in spending by “the wealthy” (just how is THAT defined?), it is because the economy is STILL trashed, after six years.

Congress in action – World wars
Rep. McCaul: ‘Drones Alone Are Not Going to Kill an Ideology
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Sigh.  This congressperson is probably right, but it really is too bad.  It would be nice if the major method of launching and waging the revolution we so badly need in this nation to get rid of the evil ideology of statism and government could be drones, either built and launched by freedom lovers against the nexi of government, or hacked by them so that the government drones are the way we strike back to defend ourselves against them.

Environists – New religions (Manmade global climate change)
Ski Season Renews Calls for Federal Government to ‘Combat Climate Change’
(CNSNews.com) With the ski season underway in the United States, a petition that was announced in May asking lawmakers to address “climate change” is again in the spotlight as climate change advocates launched a video campaign on social media last week. The 1-minute, 36-second video shows skiers in dramatic footage linked by messages about the economic benefits of the ski industry and the threat of climate change.

Nathan: Wonderful piece of propaganda, even as the nation has been hit with winter blast after winter blast, starting with the massive snows in October – weeks earlier than “average” and ski areas are booming.  But people will often believe the loudest, best-put-forward voices, and so this campaign could have an impact.  One of the biggest problems with democracy is that the people and the politicians get this bizarre and very wrong belief that EVERYthing is subject to vote:  that natural law can be overcome by a 51-49 percent vote of “The People” or the legislature, or whatever.  As more and more evidence comes that has been there all along, but conveniently ignored by Al-gor and all the rest, that there is NO “manmade” climate change, it becomes more obvious that the entire thing is another bait-and-switch con job by the politicians and their allies in the media, big business (crony capitalism), and the environists.

Islamic wars: South Asian front
Hagel Threatens to Revoke Pakistan Aid Over Anti-Drone Protests
(Antiwar, by Jason Ditz )

Nathan: So, Hagel doesn’t believe in the First Amendment, at least not for Pakistan.  No freedom of speech for brown people?  At least not in nominal allies of the US.

Abominable Act (ObummerCare) – The “messiah’s” minions
Sebelius: ‘I Don’t Know How Many Pages’ of Obamacare Regulations Have Been Written
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Tacky, I know, but can she count that high?

Mama’s Note: Maybe a better question… can she read?

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A Gift For Granny

Posted on 2013-12-13 by MamaLiberty

This is a story based on things I witnessed as a hospice nurse over many years. It is a composite, with elements from several cases, but very true nonetheless. Incidents like this happen all the time, especially in the nursing homes and “assisted living” arrangements.

So, get out your tissues and prepare to think hard about your own choice of gifts for those who need your love more than anything else.

A Gift For Granny
By Susan Callaway, RN

Mrs. B. spent each morning parked in her wheelchair in front of the reception desk, enduring the blasts of either cold or heat, depending on the season, each time the big automatic doors opened with the endless stream of people coming and going. She would not accept food or water, medicine or anything else during this vigil, but each day at noon her cheerful countenance would fall and she would allow the attendant to wheel her back to her room and put her to bed.

Whenever she was asked why she sat at the door each day, she would say only, “My son is coming.” But he never came.

One day a large box was delivered for her. It contained a beautiful and expensive, though obviously commercially made quilt. The card with it was from her son, living in a far state, and only said, “Love, Bill.”

I’m sure he was terribly proud of himself for remembering that she loved quilts, conveniently forgetting that she had spent countless hours crafting them by hand for every family member through the years, with the last ones made for his own children. I wonder how many of those quilts were lovingly preserved or carefully and gratefully used. I’d wager not many.

The next morning she refused to get up, and for the first time in years was missing from her post at the door. She refused to eat or drink anything for the next few days and quickly became unable to swallow or talk. She died shortly after that, alone and miserable.

I do hope that hypocrite son didn’t bother with some fancy funeral, or worse, finally fly out to attend it. What a silly waste of time and money.

The holidays are suddenly upon us, and one of the things I hear a lot in my work with the elderly is the question from family and friends: What would make a good gift?

There is only one real answer, and most people actually know what it is already. The best gift of all, any time of the year, and preferably all through the year, is TIME. The elderly, especially those in “nursing homes” and other diabolical human warehouses, do not need more “things.” They need the presence and love of their families more than anything else on earth… and it is usually what they get the very least.

American society has been in deep trouble for at least the last 50 years, but the roots of that trouble go much farther back and are all part of the plan of the socialists to destroy our society and America. As much as some people would like to think otherwise, the destruction of the basic unit of all civilization, the family, is the goal… and they have almost succeeded.

For many reasons, taxes and other government interference being a large part of it, we warehouse our children in “schools” and “day care”, allowing strangers and heaven knows what kind of perverts and socialists to raise them. We warehouse our elderly and disabled in the same way, abandoning them at the time they have the greatest need for their family and loved ones. This isn’t a theory or a possibility. It is the reality for most of the “families” in this country today.

The destruction of the family is almost complete now, with more and more children each day being born to a “single parent”. Each year there are fewer “extended families” that include the grandparents and their siblings in the raising of the children. These families also care for their elderly and disabled. Surely, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

So think well before you disdain the family or the involvement of your parents in the raising of your children. Someday YOU will be elderly and need to be cared for. Think long and hard about where you wish to be during that time. Do you really want to spend your last days among strangers? Or would you rather have the loving arms of your family around you?

The only way to have the care you need when that time comes is to form and hold together a strong and loving family NOW, with real care and education for your children along with giving care to your own elderly parents and family. You teach the children by doing it. That is the only way it works.

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The Centenary of an Anno Horribulus (Horrible Year)

Posted on 2013-12-13 by TPOL Nathan

The Centenary of an Anno Horribulus (Horrible Year)

Nathan: 2013 is the hundredth anniversary of what many people consider to be the Death of the American Republic.  In one year, in the waning days (three months) of the Taft Administration and the evil beginning of the proto-Tranzi regime of the Wilson Administration, a wicked coalition in both houses of Congress, the White House, the Courts, and too many states put together a series of actions that would damage the American Union for a century.  Less than 50 years after the War between the States, many of the fruits of victory of the Radical Republican (“Red Republican”) regime from 1860 to1910 were realized.  The ones about which we hear the most are:

1.  Passage of the constitutional amendment legalizing the personal and corporate income tax (16th Amendment, ratified in February), which went into effect in March.

2.  The direct election of federal Senators required, rather than their appointment by State Legislatures (or however the individual state wanted to select them), ratified in April.

3.  Creation of the Federal Reserve system, signed into law on 23 December 1913.

All of these have resulted in not just severe damage, but in creating grave dangers to the American people and their society and nation.  These were significant factors in political and legal decisions made over the next 36,500 days which have created the severe problems of America which so trouble us today.  But these were not alone.

Some other significant NEGATIVE events in 1913:

1.  US Post Office (today’s USPS) started parcel post deliveries in January, monopolizing yet another economic activity and removing it from the free market to the political process.

2.  Oregon’s minimum wage law (first in the US) goes into effect (February).

3.  Departments of Labor and Commerce split apart (March)

4.  State of Kansas begins censoring motion pictures (as far as I know, first government in US to do so)

5.  Rockefeller Foundation endowed with $100 million (equal to about $10 billion in 2013).

6.  Inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as 28th President of the United States in March.

7.  Creation of the Federal Trade Commission, a regulatory body.

Each of THESE events has impacts continuing to resonate down through the century:  the unconstitutional nature of federal agencies, the growth of the federal bureaucracy, the anti-liberty actions of state and other government agencies, and the epitome of the progressive/Tranzi non-governmental organization rears their ugly heads.  Far, far worse is yet to come in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries.  Wilson was the leader of the Progressive Movement (transformed today from international to transnational progressives: neoliberals and the new elite of the world), and in less than four years he would prove once again that war is the health of the state, and “improve” on Lincoln’s wartime dictatorship in the insane intervention in the Great War.  The FTC would be the first generation of four generations of ever more powerful regulatory bodies, the ancestor of the EPA and all the myriad agencies of ObummerCare a century later.  But in 1913, these were the seedlings barely poking above the soil, not the mighty oaks of 2013.

It is easy, today, to look back and point this out: in that year, they were viewed individually and not as parts of a whole – a whole effort to take away the liberty of SOME Americans, piece by piece, resulting (but not ending) with the situation in which we survive (barely) today:  hemmed in, controlled, monitored, and often punished by the federal, state, and local governments in a horrific parody of the land of freedom.  We must remember this.

None of these actions appeared full-blown, created out of whole cloth in a single year of madness. Rather, they were the work of decades by many men and women, and many of their actions were NOT caused by a desire to lose liberty, to give up freedom.  In fact, at least some today are hailed still as victories for democracy, for “liberty” and for human freedom.  But many of these were designed to, and DID, let government grow larger and more powerful, and reduce the freedom and liberty of individual persons, families, businesses, and communities.

Can we learn lessons from the past?  Yes, but often we do not.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-47A/B: Washington Follies (400th Post!!!)

Posted on 2013-12-12 by TPOL Nathan

If I can believe the dashboard, this is the 400th post since converting to the new “blog” format, and it is amazing to see what we’ve written about over the past few months.  And how quickly things are changing – and too often, for the worst.  No special posting today, just the usual news about the follies in DC, 50 state capitols, and several hundred “nation-states” in a larger than usual dose.

The “messiah” – Death of sanity in government
Obama: I’m Not the Problem; Need to ‘Reorganize the Government’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: I know this routine – the same one that Octavius (Augustus) used!  The entire idea is probably to make sure that there is a “role” for ex-presidents and of course their wives, if not to extend the terms of key, essential, critical elite persons (like a certain “messiah.”)  There IS an alternative: don’t reorganize, just end: go back to the Articles of Confederation, if necessary, or even go back to the pre-1913 Constitution but with L. Neil Smith’s ideas for Bill of Rights Enforcement.  OR just take the Heinlein idea of a voluntary compact of free peoples: voluntary cooperation at all levels, each issue addressed in whatever different way makes sense to all of those participating:  the first “rational human government” which is, indeed, no government at all.

The “messiah” – Politics 2013
Obama: Waiting in Long Lines to Vote ‘Not Acceptable’ in USA
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Wow.  One reason I like to vote absentee or early is to avoid the long lines, which I have seen all my life, from Texas to Montana and about every state in between.  Are we so lazy and pampered that we cannot take time to vote – and even visit with neighbors and other things?  Of course, up until the early 1990s you could do things like drink coffee (or anything but liquor or beer) and have a slice of pie and even have a potluck – all now illegal thanks to the government.

Mama’s Note: The “vote” is an advanced sale of stolen goods. Don’t wait in line… don’t “vote” and don’t participate in the theft.

Congress in action – Theft by government
Democrat: Raise Gas Tax To Make Up Lost Revenue From Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Actually is there ANY problem that the Democratic Party cannot claim that the solution is “more taxes?”  We aren’t stealing enough because people are tired of it and “evading” taxes by doing things that mean that they don’t have to pay as much in taxes.  How about commercializing (not privatizing: that just means contracting out government services to be done by “private” companies) highways, roads and streets – let them compete on how they charge for the operation and maintenance and construction of roads.  Let I-80 and I-76 compete with I-70 for truck and other traffic into Denver from the East; Let US 287 and I-25 compete for truck and other traffic into Denver from Texas, and so forth.  Even letting the states do it makes more sense than growing the federal bureaucracy more.

Russian front – Islamic wars
Russia Wants to Use Iran Nuclear Deal to Shut Down Missile Defense Shield
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Did anyone NOT see this coming?  Of course, since the United States has shown itself to be without honor and as an institution a liar and cheat, and is now a tyranny (next story).  One of the few not-stupid things that the US has done in defense matters in recent decades is missile defense systems to end MAD (Mutually-Assured Destruction), which is exactly what its acronym says: insane.

The “messiah” – stupid government
Flashback: Obama Praises 3 ‘Coequal Branches’ of Gov’t, Preventing Tyranny
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: This quote has been analyzed in the past.  This is the way it is SUPPOSED to work, but when the three branches of government are in collusion, or when ONE branch is no longer co-equal – but is superior and threatens the other branches, this does NOT work!  We HAVE tyranny today, and clearly, the Constitution has FAILED to prevent it.  Two, three, five, ten branches of government: the only thing that can keep government from turning into tyranny is to dismantle as much of government as possible.  Even then, in local pockets, you will have tyrants seeking to gain power over more and more people.  It is like dealing with brush fires: there will ALWAYS be fires that have to be put out: the challenge is to figure out the best way to prevent them and contain and control those that do break out.

Mama’s Note: And the only way to prevent them is for ordinary people to remember always that they alone have the only legitimate authority over their lives and property. If they choose to delegate SOME of that authority, temporarily, they can’t get complacent and think that others should “take care of them” without responsibility on their own part. This is exactly what has happened, and nothing will change until people retake control of their own lives.

African front – World tyranny and Tranzis
South Africa Loses Its ‘Greatest Son’: Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Barf.  Double barf.  Yes, I know some prominent people have talked about how Mandela prevented complete societal collapse and allowed an evil regime to come to a relatively peaceful end.  But what did he leave?  A government even MORE messed up than the Afrikaaners and English had, a government sliding more and more into the morass that most of the rest of the continent is sunk in, a society sliding from the first world to the third world.  All based on his philosophy of Communism, racism, terrorism, and use of force: not in self-defense but offensively as tools of terror and punishment and revenge.

Stupid government tricks – Tranzis
FBI: We’ve Not Made ‘An Endorsement’ of Southern Poverty Law Center
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Nope, guess that they have not “officially” but they use the data and the claims of SPLC all the time.  This has been going on for decades, and there is no evidence that as the FBI becomes NOTHING more than a tool of tyranny (it has always had that as ONE of its purposes), that it will not lean even more on “intelligence” gathered from SPLC and other bigoted, Tranzi-driven “non-governmental organizations.”  The FBI itself needs to go away. The states are the only constitutional authority for investigating crimes;  some of its services MIGHT be legitimate (laboratories, databases, investigation of FedGov employee and politician wrongdoing) but could be spun off as private, free-enterprise, competing with other firms to provide honest services at reasonable and competitive prices without coercion.

Politics
How sequester cuts divided the winners from the losers — including Head Start children
(Washington Post) OWENSBORO, Ky. — How, exactly, did Congress manage to kick 4-year-old Carli Hopkins out of her preschool? Carli asked after it happened. Her mother didn’t try to explain. The child was still too young to learn about politicians.

Nathan: The WaPo’s latest “it’s for the children” gambit, but the comment about politicians is still great.  How did we get into this mess?  If people had taken care of their own children, and worked voluntarily with family, friends, and neighbors, instead of running to government (local, then state, and now federal) to get government to steal money to pay for what is a PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, none of this “losing” would be taking place now.  Even as late as 20 years ago, many parents knew that raising their children was THEIR duty and did it, without government involvement, interference, or payments.  Now, the vast majority of people think it is government’s duty.  And we get this sort of thing.

Congress in action
Senate poised to pull an all-nighter as it adjusts to new rules
(Washington Post) In another sign that the U.S. Senate is racing the clock and adjusting to life under a new set of rules, senators are scheduled to hold a series of votes overnight and early Thursday morning as the chamber continues confirming a series of Obama administration nominees amid Republican objections.

Nathan: Poor, poor Congress.  Poor, poor Democrats, saddled with those awful Republicans and their tedious objections. Poor, poor stupid people for letting these clowns get away with this.  We DON’T NEED CONGRESS. (And no, that is NOT saying that we need the Presidency instead: we don’t need it either.)  Congress is a huge collection of worthless people with too much time, too much money, too much power, and too much adulation by idiots.  Like the next piece of garbage.

Congress in action – Criminals in government
Lamar Alexander’s chief of staff arrested on child pornography charges
(Washington Post) This item has been updated. The chief of staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was arrested Wednesday on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography — and swiftly fired by the senator.  Jesse Ryan Loskarn, 35, of the District, was arrested at his home Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is expected to appear in federal court in Washington on Thursday to face charges, the Justice Department said.

Nathan: Just the kind of scum we have “working for us” in DC.  The question is, “distributing to whom?”  How many more perverts are in those huge office buildings and scuttling under the iron dome?  (Of course, this COULD be a Hitlerian-style option to damage opposition and resistance by the “messiah’s” operatives, as many people suspect the recent rash of criminal charges against senior military officers to be:  it worked against the Reichwehr and Reichstag in the 1930s, and other places and other times: why not 2110s America?

Hoplophobes and Hoploclasts
What’s your gun number? Share your gun story
(Washington Post)  Saturday marks a year since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Since the shooting, an intense political debate on guns has occurred, with about 1,500 gun bills introduced across the country. But for many Americans, the impact of guns and gun violence has also been incredibly personal, making this week a time for reflection.

Nathan: Hopefull 2AF, JPFO, and other organizations are organizing a counter-movement to this: collecting and publishing stories about people whose lives and property and health has been saved by having and using (or being ready to use) a gun themselves, or having a neighbor, friend, family-member or passerby with a gun to defend against criminals.  Every week should be a time for reflection on what other nations have to live with because guns are owned only by thugs: cops and soldiers on the one side, and officially-criminal gangs and terrorists on the other side.  Neil Smith estimates that we have 350 to 450 million modern firearms in the nation, and I pray that he is right – together with about 100 times that much ammo.  As the thugs grow more bold and more overbearing, we need more to protect ourselves, our families, our friends and neighbors, and our communities, from them.

Mama’s Note: And there is not a single shred of proof that any “law” restricting guns can make the least difference in the decision of the thug or insane to harm people. I ask all the time how taking my gun away from me makes anyone, including me, safer. I ask, since people are killed in large numbers daily with cars, knives, buckets of water… why those deaths are somehow less horrible, or why cars, knives and buckets don’t generate the same hysteria to “ban” them.

What most people simply fail to even consider is that the deaths, safety, and the intent of the criminals has nothing to do with the mania to disarm ordinary people. The bottom line for politicians, cops, all those who desire first and foremost to control other people is that they can’t do the things they want to do to us as long as we have guns to prevent it… But once we’re all disarmed, they’ll be free to do absolutely anything they want. Gun control means safety for THEM, not us.

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The Crash of 2009 – Four years and counting.

Posted on 2013-12-10 by TPOL Nathan

Although the signs were obvious in the Fall of 2008, I have long argued that the crash – this “Great Recession” which is really a government-induced panic and crash – really a depression in so many ways – really hit its stride in 2009. Thus I have used this expression “Crash of 2009” to make that point since then.  This week, new official figures are used to lie – as usual – about how things are getting better.  They aren’t.

The following stories from CNSNews.com show the truth of the matter: the economy of the formerly united States is still in the toilet and conditions are not getting all that much better.  My comments on each of these follow:

60 Straight Months of Unemployment at 7% or Higher
Nathan: This is only the official rate:  the unofficial rate (measured in the old ways, and not playing games about how people quit looking for work and the ‘underemployed’) seems to be about 4-5 times higher:  28-30% nationwide, with many areas in the 40% range.  This is insane, and rests squarely at the feet of idiots who make decisions and waste money in ways that harm the economy locally and nationally.  Meanwhile, as the next story reminds us, the so-called signs of recovery are NOT.

338,000 Added to Gov’t Payrolls in November; 41% of Net Additional Jobs
Nathan: Actually, additions to government payrolls are a double-whammy on the economy.  More tax money (or borrowing) is sucked out of the economy to pay for these people, further reducing the money available for investment – REAL investment – to create new jobs.  The government becoming a bigger and bigger part of the economy is NOT ending the crash, it is extending it.  And may trigger another big dropoff in economic activity.

CBO: Top 40% Paid 106.2% of Income Taxes; Bottom 40% Paid -9.1%
Nathan: This is an interesting way of recalculating it, but it makes sense.  As “libertarians” propose guaranteed annual basic incomes, in an insane twist, we see that a form of that already exists:  more and more subsidies for the “bottom” two-fifths of the income chart mean that people aren’t paying income taxes (although they are paying social security, medicare, medicaid, sales and excise taxes, we must remember).  So the top two-fifths, and especially the top 10% pay more and more.  Even while many of the “elite” (in that top ten percent) scream about making the wealthy pay “their fair share” (and work carefully to ensure that they personally are not made to pay it.

31.9%: U.S.-Mexico Border City Leads Nation in Unemployment
Nathan: Yuma, Arizona, home of a USMC base and on a major east-west Interstate highway, shows how badly damaged the economy is: this is the OFFICIAL rate – based on many other locations, the unofficial and real rate is probably 60 percent or more: reaching levels achieved during the Great Depression (before the military buildup leading to WW2 US involvement) and that found on Indian Reservations.  This is a sick economy.  Very sick.

1.7%: Metro Areas Near Canada Have Nation’s Lowest Unemployment
Nathan: Literally on the other side of the nation:  this is in large part due to the fracking boom and the Bakken Play in Montana and North Dakota, supported by larger cities in North Dakota and Minnesota.  The headline is misleading, because Detroit and the Rust Belt cities along the Great Lakes are NOT part of this.  I don’t know about Vermont – except that maybe the Green Mountain folks are starting to ignore the feds and do their own thing?  Point is – ND is the major area and it has as little fedgov involvement as can be found:  a couple of military bases and a couple of small national parks and small national grasslands (like national forests but with fewer trees – and employees).  But even there, the economy is DAMAGED by federal actions:  the Keystone XL pipeline garbage for one.  And because tens of thousands of people are trying to flee their own crashed economies for the hope of North Dakota.  Especially by young people, as the next story touches on.

Youth Unemployment: 20.8%
Nathan: Again, this is the official:  and even the official numbers show black, Hispanic, and AmerInd youth to have incredibly high unemployment, while real numbers are insane: 50%.  This is damaging the economy for decades, as these people are not learning to be anything but dependent on government, on family, and on charity.

Nathan: In sum?  The economy is a mess in 95% of the nation, stagnant, crippled by stupidity in government and its crony big-business partners, and people are hurting.  And nothing says anything but that it will get worse.  Government employees at almost every level are a privileged elite who more and more are lording it over the rest.  More sectors (like health care) are being trashed as we speak.  It WILL get worse.  And there is more to come, as the next story warns:

Economic stupidity
Banking Proposals in United States and Britain Threaten Growth
(Cato Institute via Daily Policy Report (NCPA)) New banking proposals in both the United States and United Kingdom will have adverse effects on credit availability, global capital flows and the world economy as a whole…

Nathan: Is this adding insult to injury?  Yes (and the next story shows even MORE insulting behavior by the FedGov).  It is as though the intent is to make matters worse.  As quickly as possible.  You can be sure that this is written to protect the corporations and their big investors – and increase their profits – while still damaging small and mid-size business, their owners, and the economy as a whole.

Abominable Act (ObummerCare) – Congress in Action
Obamacare Reg Treats Congress That Spent $3.5 Trillion as a ‘Small Business’(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Congress WROTE this – and now they claim that they know nothing about it – but the majority of them (Dem and GOP) are busy signing up for it.  Please, even if they didn’t read it (Nancy’s famous quote), they are STILL responsible for it.  They are the elite, they are going to reap every possible benefit from it, and stick it to their voters.  And laugh secretly about it.  Is it any wonder that they are fearful of armed people who are NOT getting paid by them?

Mama’s Note: Meanwhile, Obummercare threatens to destroy volunteer operations at every level, even volunteer fire departments, and is very likely responsible for stories such as the major ambulance services in 6 states that shut down on Friday. Get ready for a terrible cascade of these “unintended consequences” of government “affordable care.”

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-46B: This and that

Posted on 2013-12-10 by TPOL Nathan

To all readers: my apologies for not publishing this last week, when I thought that I had.

Stupid government – stupid people
Kansas Woman Debbie Nall Ordered By City To Stop Housing People In Need
At Her House
(OpposingViews.com) Nall has said she is not opposed to the rule as a whole, but hopes the city will make an amendment to allow her to “continue to do what I’m doing.”

Mama’s Note: So, she has no real problem with the city tyranny as long as she can be exempt. It’s all those “other people” who need to be controlled, of course…  Really sad. Control freaks come in all sizes and shapes, and some look mighty good until you look closer…

Nathan: I wonder if she is being correctly reported?  Wouldn’t be the first time… But even if she is not one, there are too many people in this country that DO have that attitude: control all the others…  We can appreciate her willingness to help others, but she demands too high a price.

Stupid people – Congress in action
New low for Congress: Just 6 percent approve, finally lower than car salespeople
(Washington Examiner) “What Americans are sure about is how they feel about Congress in general. They don’t like it, and haven’t liked it for a while,” said the poll. “But Congress’s approval rating in this week’s Economist/YouGov Poll matches its all-time low. Just 6 percent approve of the way Congress is handling its job. 72 percent disapprove.”

Mama’s Note: Ok, so why do those same people get elected over and over again?

Nathan: Several answers to that question:  First, this is how people feel about Congress in general, but it is almost always “all those other guys.”  They LOVE their own guy or gal, or at least 51% of them do (34% in three-way races).  So unless their guy killed a motorcyclist while speeding and running a stop-sign, or got his pants unzipped in front of a LOT of people in a public way, or (maybe) had a freezer full of frozen cash, or spit on the flag (more than once), they send them back.  Second, a lot of the races are crooked and cooked:  five votes here, ten there, and voila!  Joe or Jane get reelected to their 15th term.  Third, what people SAY in polls is often very much different than how they pull the lever, or so we are told (see reason #2).  Fourth, people are often idiots, and they allow fear of the opponent to goad them into voting for the “evil they know.”

Abominable Act (ObummerCare) – Politics 2013
Howard Dean: Employers Have No Right to Make Health Decisions, But Gov’t Does
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: So typical a statist and liberal statement – and Dean is not the only one making it.  The mysticism which supports their attitude towards an evil institution staggers the mind.  Keep in mind it is not just employers which they believe have “no right” to make these decisions, the same is true for the patients:  oh, they can make decisions as to whether to have an abortion or get birth control or which brand of cold medicine to buy (but NOT the contents of said medicine), but it is clear that patients have no right to make health decisions like who to use as a doctor, what they want covered by their insurance – or indeed, whether to buy insurance or set up some other method of being prepared.  We, the people, are too STUPID for that right.

Stupid government – Crash of 2009
White House: Food Stamps Are ‘Boosting the Economy’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Ah, yes, the old “broken window” fallacy – repeated over and over.  Just like the lies about how it is wrong for a private person or group to kill, maim, rob, and coerce anyone but it is FINE for government to do so.  And just like the lies on all kinds of other things.  Why should people (like “conservatives”) condemn the “messiah” for this while accepting all the other lies? Of course, when his minions are looking for success stories, doubling food stamp recipients in five years IS success – by some standards.

Stupid government – World wars
Terror Threat Rising, Intelligence Chairs Say: ‘New Bombs, Very Big Bombs’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: I keep seeing that little shepherd, racing back home screaming about the big, bad wolf.  That is what these congressmen are behaving like.  Except that the powers-that-be are the ones that have “new bombs” and “very big bombs.”  Well, them, and propane companies (search “BLEVE” on-line for some sobering information).  Too many otherwise seemingly rational people believe every single claim like this, and want to shovel more money into “defense” and especially into such evils as unrestrained black ops and of course their beloved Homeland Security – especially the thugs of ICE, TSA, and BCP.  Not content with occupying the world, they must also occupy all fifty states.

The “messiah’s” minions – Stupid government
LaHood Says $48B Stimulus for DOT Wasn’t Enough; ‘Should Have Been $480B’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: If it HAD been $480B, he would have said it needed to be $4.8T, and so forth.  Face it, the government, especially in public works, is NEVER satiated, NEVER satisfied.  They will always want more, and more.

Stupid government – Theft by government
NSF Spends $82,525 to Study Self-Defense by Millipedes
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Hmmm, perhaps DoD should study this, not NSF?  For their new generation of nano-drones and the like?  The crime isn’t in what the money is SPENT for, but in the fact that the NSF (and all the other government alphabet agencies) HAVE the money in the first place.  STOLEN money, money taken either from living taxpayers or presumed to be paid (with interest) by FUTURE taxpayers.  Better if we could train the millipedes to EAT the thugs and theives.

Stupid government – World wars – Stupid people
Americans Believe U.S. Has Lost Respect At Home And Abroad
(Personal Liberty) The second-term slide of President Barack Obama continues to mirror that of his Republican predecessor. The latest parallel between the faltering Obama Administration and the rocky second term of George W. Bush comes courtesy of a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Nathan: Again, for what polls are worth.  These stories are all over the place, and serve no purpose.  I see stories gossiping about how the “messiah” is going to resign early (and let his chief minion with foot-in-the-mouth disease take over?) to help improve the Dems’ chances in November 2016 and other similar nonsense.  This is nothing more than whistling past the graveyard.  No matter how many people wake up, the damage is already mostly done.  But still we have nonsense like in the next story.

Politics 2013 – The “messiah”
Cato Representative Suggests That Obama’s Actions Could Spark Revolution
(Personal Liberty) During a Congressional committee hearing Tuesday concerning Presidential powers and President Barack Obama’s failure to implement his “law of the land” Affordable Care Act as written, an expert from the Cato Institute said that the President’s flagrant disregard for the rule of law has the potential to spark an armed rebellion against the government.

Nathan: This may be theoretically true, but in this country today, I can’t see more than a two or three percent probability that this would happen.  As I discussed with several yesterday, people are too comfortable, too content despite the widespread economic woes.  But from a practical point of view, armed rebellion against WHO?  What targets specifically?  IRS offices and agents?  Congressional offices? HHS offices?  (Anybody have any idea where and how many there are?)  Bogus “million-whatever” marches on DC that turn violent?  Nothing short of a nationwide conspiracy striking at hundreds of people in dozens of places at once would even make a tick up on the news outlets.  This CATO guy is as much crying wolf as any Intelligence committee chair.

Mama’s Note: The “revolution” that would actually succeed would be massive non participation, massive refusal to comply, the true “Atlas Shrugged” solution. There are not enough government employees to actually enforce much of anything, and they truly depend on a certain level of voluntary compliance in all of the evil they do. Yes, some would be targeted and dealt with harshly, but that should merely firm the resolve of everyone else. The ultimate answer to a tyrant is a resounding belly laugh, and then ignoring him.

Stupid government – War on some drugs
Mises Fellow Explains The United States’ Senseless Prohibition Of Hemp
(Personal Liberty) Australia, Canada, and many other countries have all legalized the growing of hemp in recent years. France has a long tradition of growing hemp for seed oil and China plans to substantially increase acreage and production of hemp, primarily for textile production. So why doesn’t the U.S. take advantage of hemp production?

Nathan: A good summary of the stupid way our politicians and drug warriors think, and how old, traditional American values and activities have been turned on their head in order to turn millions of Americans into criminals and deny many more an honorable way to make a living.

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