Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-43D: Beer

Posted on 2013-11-14 by TPOL Nathan

Beer Excise Tax Awaits Changes
(Daily Policy Digest) There are two competing bills going through Congress right now.

  • The Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act (BEER) Act would halve the standard excise tax rate for beer sold in the United States, from $18 to $9 per barrel. Based on 2012 numbers, the BEER Act would result in tax savings of $1.68 billion a year.
  • Based on 2012 sales data, the Small BREW Act will result in tax savings of $65 million a year, all of which would go to brewers producing less than 6 million barrels a year.

    • Nathan: In the US, legally, a barrel of beer contains a mere 31 gallons, or 165 12-ounce cans worth (I know, bigger cans are in).  On this the US government charges an excise tax of 92 mils per can: just under 10 cents.  States and even localities can charge more on top of that.   (That is what many “health advocates” want to see slapped on EVERY 12-ounce can of sugary soda and every fountain pop, by the way: ten cents is the most common demand.)

    These “cute” names disgust me – and for more than just the “USA PATRIOT ACT” – I hated ISTEA and SAFTEA (transportation acts) because they help your “representatives” shove them down your throat.

    Now, I don’t drink or buy or sell beer, nor does my family.  So it is no skin off our nose whether the stuff is taxed or not.  EXCEPT that taxation is theft, and excise taxes are damaging in many ways to more than just those people who buy and sell the goods.  The excise on beer, as on other alcohol, and as proposed on sugary drinks and fast foods and candy and the like, is a “sin tax” intended to both stuff the coffers of the government (as if that were possible, considering that they are spending like drunken sailors), AND force people to do what is good for them OR punish them for NOT doing what the nannies want.  Like tobacco taxes – and remember, beer taxes COULD be on THAT level of stupidity – it is more punishment than prevention.  Many people won’t give up their cigs or chaw AND they won’t (in even greater numbers) give up their booze.  Supposedly we LEARNED that lesson about 80 years ago – indeed, isn’t 2013 the 80th anniversary of the end of Federal Prohibition (of booze, not anything else)?  But clearly, government did not: witness Bloomberg’s stupid attempts.

    However, “we” did learn that we can tax things to the point of insanity, and if the right things are taxed, a LOT of the people generally opposed to theft and other things will be swayed to join the pro-tax side.

    Which is what makes these attempts in Congress so strange:  WHY are the GOP and even Dems doing this?  Admittedly, a few million or even close to 2 billion in revenue is a pittance, in their eyes: not even a tickmark on the FedGov budget (when we have one) or spending or debt or revenue.    Is it a “bread and circuses” thing: a meaningless gesture to appease “Joe Sixpack” and get him to continue voting the incumbents back in?

    If that were the case, why not go for broke and ELIMINATE the taxes entirely?  Tell the brewers and sellers that they can reduce the price by the dime a can.  Is that going to cause a vast increase in violence and traffic deaths related to beer?  Probably not.  But… it night get people to realizing that there IS life without taxes.  At least without SOME taxes.

    Mama’s Note: The repeal of prohibition was simply to appease the restless natives, because it was becoming a problem for the politicians… but it didn’t end an iota of control by government. They just moved the goalposts a bit. This, of course, is exactly why the call to “tax and regulate” drugs, specifically cannabis, is so wrong and dangerous. It keeps the same people in control, and gives them another cash cow. But the idiots who buy the stuff just suck it up and pay, somehow thinking they are now free.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-43C: Stupid governments and people

    Posted on 2013-11-14 by TPOL Nathan

    East Asian front – Stupid government
    Report: Dozens executed in North Korea “for watching foreign films”
    (Daily Telegraph) “Eighty people have been executed by firing squad in North Korea for watching foreign films, it has been claimed. South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported that the co-ordinated public executions took place in seven separate cities earlier this month. In one case, the local authorities rounded up 10,000 people, including children, and forced them to watch, it reported. Those put to death were found guilty by the state of minor misdemeanors, including watching videos of South Korean television programmes or possessing a Bible.” (11/12/13)

    Nathan: Obviously, the reason they should not watch the foreign films is because the films are too graphic or violent (an attack made against the Bible these days).  If “minor misdemeanors” get the death penalty, what do major misdemeanors (and real felonies) result in?  Torture, apparently, and NOT being allowed to die.  I suppose the Tranzis give North Korea a pass on the executions for Bible ownership, but they HAVE to condemn the movie watching…

    Mama’s Note: How interesting that the world seems to give the monster of NK a pass for whatever insane reasons, but come unglued over others. The Nazis were almost rational humanitarians by comparison.

    No God – No Good? – Home front
    Atheist “mega-churches” take root across US, around world
    (San Francisco Chronicle)  “Nearly three dozen gatherings dubbed ‘atheist mega-churches’ by supporters and detractors have sprung up around the U.S. and Australia — with more to come — after finding success in Great Britain earlier this year. The movement fueled by social media and spearheaded by two prominent British comedians is no joke. On Sunday, the inaugural Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles attracted several hundred people bound by their belief in non-belief. Similar gatherings in San Diego, Nashville, New York and other U.S. cities have drawn hundreds of atheists seeking the camaraderie of a congregation without religion or ritual.” (11/11/13)

    Nathan: Oxymoronic, indeed.  I thought that is what bars and sports venues were for, to replace churches, I mean.  And “megachurches” usually have thousands, not just hundreds.”  They want the fellowship and community (and presumably, services) found in traditional christian churches, apparently.  I suppose they will have to crib up some sort of Bible to make sure that these needs are identified and that the members (“nonbelievers”) are encouraged to… well, to do them, for whatever reason.  They cannot say to do it for love, can they?  That would be playing for the other side: atheism and evolution and humanism are about survival and fitness and devil take the hindmost (except, that’s right!  They don’t believe in the devil, either!).  Hmmm.  They may have to create their own “unGod.”

    Mama’s Note: Having dealt personally, over significant time, with a large number of atheists, I know that many have exactly the same regard for non-aggression, self ownership and ethical behavior as any believing self owner or “libertarian.” Some atheists have chosen government and socialism as their “god,” and so are not truly atheist at all, but the same can be said of so many who claim to believe in God, yet worship government, theft and coercion in fact. The bottom line is that atheists and everyone else should be perfectly free to meet, fellowship or act in ANY way that does not aggress against others. Survival is good… And I don’t care what they call themselves.

    Nazgul’s minions – Stupid people
    New York: Dad declared “unfit parent” for refusing son McDonald’s
    (New York Post)  “A Manhattan dad is not lovin’ McDonald’s right now. Attorney David Schorr slapped a court-appointed shrink with a defamation lawsuit for telling the judge deciding a custody battle with his estranged wife that he was an unfit parent — for refusing to take his son to the fast food joint for dinner.”

    Nathan: Well, here is to more “unfit parents” of this type.

    Hmmm.  Is this a possible corruption case?  Did Big Burger get to the shrink?  Or to the judge?  Or is this just another example of the insane behavior of the courts and their employees?  Or another case of “anything” to give the woman custody?

    Islamic war: Persian front – Stupid American
    Kerry: Obama prepared to use force on Iran
    (Washington Times) “The president has been willing and made it clear that he is prepared to use force with respect to Iran’s weapon, and he has deployed the forces and the weapons necessary to achieve that goal if it has to be achieved,” Mr. Kerry said during an interview with NBC.

    Nathan: My, how fortunate we are that we don’t have that warmonger Dubya in power right now!  Why, he probably be moving all those little counters around a map planning how to take over all of Persia!  Fortunately, the current occupant of 1600 PA is so honest and peaceloving and already won ONE Nobel Peace Prize.  Surely Persia will get him a second!

    UNcanny stupidity – World war on liberty
    Saudi Arabia, People’s Republic of China Will Join UN ‘Human Rights’ Council
    (CNSNews.com)

    Nathan: Wow, this is incredible.  I thought that they might choose Cuba and North Korea, so this is MUCH better.  A slave state and a country who executes people for spitting on the sidewalk – they know what human rights are and will work hard to make the rest of us live up to their high standards for personal and economic liberty.

    Mama’s Note: Merely providing more evidence that the UN is completely irrelevant to most of the world. Kabuki theater at best.

    Home front – Stupid government
    10% Unemployment for Post-9/11 Era Vets; 246,000 Looking for Work
    (CNSNews.com)

    Nathan: And easily three times that many who aren’t trying to find work, or just making a living on their weekend drill and two weeks a year training..  We take such good care of them: burn their bodies and minds out overseas, treat ’em like expendable items, make them get insurance to pay for their post-combat long-term treatment, make ’em go to the VA, and put on first-fired, last-hired status.

    High tech – Stupid people
    Motorola Seeks Patent for Mic Tattooed to Throat; Could Light Up When Person Lies
    (CSNNews.com)

    Nathan: When the machine thinks they are lying, at least.  Biofeedback could probably take care of that.  The concept is straight out of science fiction for half a century; as are the disadvantages.  How often do YOUR electronics fail?  I’ll let all the people who love to cover their bodies with pictures try this out, first.  For the most part, if it fries their brains, at least the rest of us aren’t as much impacted – for that matter, they probably aren’t either: your brain has to look like that old ad about “on drugs” to tart yourself up that way.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-43B: Stupid people?

    Posted on 2013-11-14 by TPOL Nathan

    Inventions and technology – Stupid people?
    This Company Has Developed an Electronic ‘Backpack’ That Installs on a Cockroach Allowing Its Movements to be Controlled With an iPhone
    (The Blaze)

    Mama’s Note: Falls into the category of: just because we can? Can’t imagine why anyone would want to do this, but oh well. As long as they use their own money. What I’d like to see is someone studying these insects to see if any of their survival mechanisms could be helpful to bees. Why are bees so vulnerable to everything, it seems, but cockroaches can survive almost anything but being stepped on?

    Nathan: Actually, I’ve seen a few cockroaches that survived even getting stepped on.  Yes, it is because it is a challenge: like whomever first came up with the idea for a saddle – or even the idea of getting up on top of that horse or ass or camel.  We are human: we can’t leave well enough alone – God made us that way!  I suspect that (as Mama Liberty pointed out later) it is the domestication of bees and all related to that which created the weaknesses; for example, remember the horror of the “Africanized bees” that was predicted a few years ago?  I would not be surprised to find out that I found with a tiny bit of research on-line that many people believe and have found evidence that the swift spread of the Africanized bees (which have killed less than a score of Americans in the 23 years since they first invaded Texas, not the tens of thousands the environists and doomsayers predicted): High Country News: Killer Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder) may help prevent or mitigate colony collapse disorder and “save” agriculture” and honey production.  Whether this is due to hybrid vigor or simply replacing European-origin populations with African-origin colonies, is a moot point.  Of course, I am also sure that people are working on putting little backpacks on both kinds of bees, both to control the bees (as with the roaches) and also so that NSA can mount its cameras and mikes and rf readers on them, as well.  … Come to think of it, I’ve noticed that the wasps around here are a lot bigger this fall, and seem to be… goodness! humpbacked?

    Home front – Stupid people
    Officials: Nearly 3K NJ fugitives have surrendered
    (My Fox, NYC) Hoffman says 13,000 people have surrendered at four previous programs held in New Jersey.

    Mama’s Note: You know, I honestly didn’t think this was going to go over. I keep hoping the people of the east coast are not as stupid as we think… and then they do something like this to prove it’s true.

    Nathan: This is really bizarre.  It means that AT LEAST one in every 700 people in NJ is a fugitive from justice IN NJ?  (8.8 million people)  Plus 23,000 IN PRISON!! (Which is one in every 400 people.)  They may be stupid, but they are apparently a state of felons, to boot.  Not saying that they deserve to be felons, but they are.

    Government-run, tax-funded schools – Stupid educators
    Universal Pre-K: No Substitute for a Healthy, Stable Childhood
    (Time Magazine)  It is parents, not formal education, that make the difference for young children’s readiness for school and success once they get there…

    Nathan: This is “TIME” saying this?  Some alternate universe version or edition, I guess.  It is TRUE, of course, but it applies as much to K-6 as to PK, and even with this attitude, Time won’t go that far.  But WE should, as parents.  Yes, I realize that many of today’s young parents are themselves unlettered, unlearned, and the products of a truly awful system of indoctrination and “education.”  But they STILL will do a better job than the B.A. and M.A. and Ph.D. types that infest the GRTF schools.

    Mama’s Note: I’ve been involved with quite a few homeschool families out here, and the thing people tend to ignore is that the best way to LEARN is to teach. The “unlettered” parents who are truly interested in providing education for their children wind up learning right along with them. With the information so readily available now, there is simply no reason any parent can’t teach their children. And no reason they can’t do it well. They just have to want it to happen. And, of course, one can always interact with other parents or even hired tutors.

    Abominable Act (ObummerCare) – Stupid government
    Obamacare website: Fewer than 50k have actually enrolled
    (Time Magazine)  “Fewer than 50,000 people have successfully enrolled for private health insurance using the federal government’s health care website, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the data on Monday. Health officials had told Congress the initial enrollment tally for HealthCare.gov would be low, but the numbers fall far short of the 500,000 that the Administration had set as a target for the site’s first  month.” (11/12/13)

    Nathan: I realized that this is TWICE in a row from Time – so you may not trust me anymore.  But this is a warning: first, the costs are JUST starting to climb, and if they are getting only 1/10 the results they wanted, expect them to spend 10 times as much.  AND expect them to find ways to make it not just “mandatory” (since it is, already) but INvoluntary:  that is why cops (including IRS cops) have guns: to FORCE compliance.  Don’t be surprised to find out that someone was KILLED (oh, accidentally, of course) because they refused to enroll.  And expect more “incentives” and more “disincentives” to be features, all paid for by the taxpayer – now or a few generations into the future.

    Mama’s Note: Fear not, this will not drag on for even a few years. The seeds of its destruction were apparent from the beginning. And it will be impossible to enforce much of it without doctors and other health professionals. Atlas is shrugging.

    Reformed goverment? – Stupid business no more?
    US Snail to make Sunday deliveries for Amazon
    (New York Times) “The cash-short United States Postal Service, which has failed to win congressional approval to stop delivering mail on Saturdays to save money, has struck a deal with the online retailer Amazon.com to deliver the company’s packages on Sundays — a first for both, with obvious advantages for each. … The deal, announced on Sunday and taking effect immediately, in time for the holiday shopping season, gives the Postal Service a chance to take some business from United Parcel Service and FedEx, which do not deliver on Sundays.” (11/11/13)

    Nathan: More reports from Bizarro World, I guess.  This certainly isn’t OUR “USPS” trying to compete, is it?  Of course, I expect that they’ll charge Amazon a hefty premium for the service – so that Amazon’s customers will pay for it. But still, isn’t this neat?  One more brick of monopoly crumbling!

    Mama’s Note: As long as it is a choice, paid for by those who choose it, no skin off my nose. I personally don’t see why everyone is in such a big rush. The USPS could deliver twice a week, and I wouldn’t care because that’s as often as I go to the post box anyway. Not much there but a steadily diminishing amount of junk mail. But each to his/her own.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-43A: Self Defense

    Posted on 2013-11-13 by TPOL Nathan

    Self defense – Stupid government
    Maryland:  USAF sergeant charged with murder for shooting home invaders
    (Political Outcast) [A USAF technical sergeant has been arrested after shooting and killing a man who broke into his house after being denied access to talk to the sergeant’s wife.

    Nathan: Maryland is one of the worst states to have to live in: this man is probably stationed at Andrews AFB, one of the WORST bases at which to be assigned. First, it is in Maryland; second, it hosts not just the Air Force high command BUT has to support the White House; and third, it is in a neighborhood right next to DC that is as bad (or nearly) as East St. Louis (home of Scott AFB) in Illinois. Although the exact sequence of events cannot be proven, the fact that the door was broken in from the outside and the time it took place are fairly good evidence to demand nothing more than a coroner’s jury.  Certainly $1.5 million bail would be “excessive” for a USAF NCO.

    Mama’s Note: I’d say that mounting the head of the attacker on a pole at the entrance to the neighborhood would be a good start… The sign below the head should read: He broke the door down…”

    Self defense – Stupid people
    Pennsylvania: Family of dead criminals want “justice” for their killer
    (Eagle Rising)  [Family members of two men killed by a private citizen as he was accosted by them leaving a convenience store they had just robbed are demanding he be charged with murder, saying that he didn’t have to kill them.  Surveillance cameras show him asking them to stop and wait for police to arrive, after which they drew weapons on him, and he shot and killed them, a legal act of self-defense even in Pennsylvania.]

    Nathan: Even in the insane Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with the video and sound recording and the Castle Doctrine, this is pretty straight forward.  What?  According to the family, the older of the two dead criminals was NOT a “thug” because he loved his child?

    I understand that this was a situation in which a man intervened to help out someone else (the guy in the store) and which he probably COULD have avoided by “crossing to the other side of the path” (As did the priest and the Levite on that road to Jericho).  And that therefore, the man put himself in a position where he HAD to defend himself.  The “prudent” thing would have been to let the robbers get away and report their car and direction of travel to the cops.  But it would not have been (in my opinion) the RIGHT thing to do:  he did the right thing: try and stop the criminals in the act – even if it was just the final phase of escape.  THEY had the option to surrender or even run without attacking him, but THEY chose the way of violence and it led directly to their deaths.

    Mama’s Note: You bet… and the only reason I’d caution against doing it is the insane climate of “laws” and public opinion that will place this man in jeopardy of his own life and the peace and security of his family for a long time. He did the right thing, but he and his family will pay for that dearly now.

    Self-defense – Stupid company
    Georgia store clerk fired for preventing murder
    (Last Resistance) Johnny Jarriel, Jr. had worked at a Circle K in Douglasville, Georgia for the past three years. He had a Georgia concealed carry permit, and he said that his manager knew that he carried a gun. There had been incidents in that area, particularly a few years ago when Maryann Humphrey, a clerk at that very store, was murdered by an armed robber. So, his manager didn’t seem to object to his carrying a concealed handgun, even though it was technically against the rules. …  Not long after this incident, Johnny received an official notice of termination of employment, and the notice cited “Possession/Use of a weapon on company property” as the justification.

    Nathan: Yes, Johnny was wrong because he was violating his employer’s policies on his employer’s own property – or so many people argue.  I have wavered back and forth on this sort of thing a lot.  Many people argue that the company’s “property rights” in this case trump Johnny’s (or Maryann’s or their customers’) right to life – right of self defense.  I personally, all things given, would not hire on with someone who believed their rights as an owner superseded my own God-given rights.  And Johnny should have found someplace else to work.  But living and working together demands that some of us may at times voluntarily give up our rights – VOLUNTARILY and not under duress.  And making it a condition of employment is very close to that line between voluntary and involuntary.  One size (decision) does not fit all conditions.  In a case like this, there IS no “right” answer.  I personally believe that my property rights are LESS important than the life of an innocent person (but that God gives my property rights priority over the life of an aggressor).  I think this company is WRONG in putting their right to disarm people on their property ahead of those people’s lives.  At the same time, I would, like Johnny, not obey – except to the extent that as a customer, I will NOT patronize a business that denies basic human rights to its employees and customers, anymore than I will knowingly buy from a company that uses slave labor or kills babies.  A cop-out?  Tell me.  (PS: I am glad that Johnny is being put in a situation where he gets to get out from under the company’s thumb, but that is a different issue.)

    Self defense not – Good people dealing with Stupid People
    Louisiana: Violent Kidnapper Probably Thought This Kind of Thing Only Happens in the Movies
    (The Blaze) Police told KLFY-TV that family members searched an abandoned property in Duson, La., and saw Arceneaux inside. When they confronted her kidnapper, 29-year-old Scott Thomas, he reportedly started attacking the woman, who appears to be his child’s mother. Though details are still a little murky, police said a family member defended Arceneaux and shot Thomas. The suspect was later pronounced dead, though it is unclear if the family member delivered the fatal shot.

    Mama’s Note: About d***ed time people started taking care of their own. Kudos to this courageous family. And, hopefully, the experience will help the young lady to make better choices in the future.

    Nathan: Hopefully, but don’t hold your breath.  Of course, this was NOT self-defense: they went out and started looking, and were clearly prepared to deal with what they might find.  The major difference between this and the convenience store business in Pennsylvania is that the victim was still actually being a victim at the time: the kidnapping was “on-going” – and of course she was related to those that were searching and shot Thomas.

    At least THIS family had the guts to help even when she had made such a stupid choice to begin with.  Part of the rapid decline of our civilization/society is the inability of young women to keep their knickers on and to make wise choices regarding their sexual partners.  Indeed, the frequent decisions of young women to “fall in love” with thugs and monsters has created much of the problems of modern society:  and it seems to be even worse in the black communities and AmerInd communities than in Anglo and European communities.  And of course, if the young women had been ARMED herself…

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-42E: Liberty attacked and defended

    Posted on 2013-11-11 by TPOL Nathan

    Stupid government – Theft by government
    Feds Spend $1.7 Million To Attract ‘Potential’ Foreign Investment to Ohio
    (CNSNews.com)

    Nathan: Whoops!  Where is THIS authorized by the Federal constitution?  Where is this JUSTIFIED by any sane person or reason?  Honestly, folks, if the FedGov was trying to sell you on investing on ANYthing ANYwhere, what would your response be?  Mine would be to run as far and fast as I could.  That sort of insanity and stupidity is probably contagious.  Government isn’t able to do economic development or do much to encourage anything beyond the most basic response to fear and a tiny little bit of voluntary activity.

    Stupid government – Theft by government
    Delaware Spends $4M to Enroll 4 People in Obamacare
    (CNSNews.com)

    Nathan: Well, this is an even more impressive waste of money than the Ohio con job.  Imagine how much medical care can be provided for $4 million dollars!  Maybe as many as SIX people could have gotten medical care.  Even in Delaware!  (Sure, a measly $4 million isn’t much, even when added to the $1.7 M above – but I understand it all adds up.)

    Islamic wars: Arabian front
    Saudi nuclear weapons “on order” from Pakistan
    (BBC News) “Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will, a variety of sources have told BBC Newsnight. While the kingdom’s quest has often been set in the context of countering Iran’s atomic programme, it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than the Islamic republic.” (11/07/13)

    Nathan: Well, is it not time to take out this rogue, thuggish, tribal regime?  BEFORE they have nuclear weapons that can destroy Israel and the rest of their enemies in the Middle East?  Before their citizens (and leaders) who are members or allies of Al Qaeda can steal these and use them in the next 9-11 attack against London or New York or Madrid or Buenos Aires?  No, American politicians will continue to bow down to the Saudis…

    Space – Future of Freedom
    Study: There Are 8.8 Billion Earth-Size, Just-Right Planets
    (The Blaze) Astronomers using NASA data have calculated for the first time that in our galaxy alone, there are at least 8.8 billion stars with Earth-size planets in the habitable temperature zone.

    Mama’s Note: That’s fantastic. Should be plenty of room for some free societies. Next question: How do we get there?

    Nathan: We will find a way, Lord willing.  And freedom is the big motivator, I think, to do so.  If we can leave the Saudis AND the Uncle Sugar types behind, even better!

    No self-defense – Home front
    George Washington University professor assaulted near Dupont Circle
    (My Fox DC)

    Mama’s Note: Unarmed (of course), alone, oblivious to surroundings, probably drunk… and in such a nice “safe” neighborhood too. Shocking… I do hope he recovers, and I hope he learns something.

    Nathan: You are talking about a college professor – worse, a GWU professor.  Learn something?  He doesn’t have to learn anything since he was awarded his piled higher and deeper.

    Mama’s Note: +This is true… what WAS I thinking? 🙂

    Liberty and self defense – Mexican civil war
    Local fight with Mexican cartel a small victory
    (KSWO Via Freedom’s Phoenix) Eight months after locals formed self-defense groups, they say they are free of the cartel in six municipalities of the Tierra Caliente, or “Hot Land,” which earned its moniker for the scorching weather but whose name has also come to signify criminal activity. What’s more, the self-defense group leaders, who are clearly breaking Mexican law by picking up military-style arms to fight criminals, say the federal government is no longer arresting them, but recruiting them to help federal forces identify cartel members….

    Nathan: Is it not a shame when it is rural Mexicans that are more willing and able to defend their communities against the triple threat of local non-government gangsters, local police gangsters, and national police gangsters, while millions of Americans are willing to see their friends and families and neighbors gunned down, tased, beaten, wrongly arrested, and property destroyed daily by gangbangers, evil cops, and federal agencies?

    What has been happening in Tierra Caliente is much worse than what is happening in all but a few places in America (like Chicago and Detroit and Boston) but it is STILL different only in degree and not in kind.  Perhaps the only reason that we do not have more places as bad as so many places in Mexico is because we still have a tradition of armed citizens and families and neighbors willing to protect themselves and their neighbors.  But we see the federal and local assault on this tradition heating up daily.  May these brave 2,000 or so out of a population of 300,000 be seen as shining examples for hundreds of thousands of Americans who care and desire for peace, prosperity, and liberty!

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Home Front: Evil Cops in America

    Posted on 2013-11-09 by TPOL Nathan

    A series of articles in the media this week points out what should be an obvious fact:  one of the greatest DIRECT threats to American lives and liberties is an “Institution” that we have created and harbor in our very bosoms. And we continue to support and encourage and make excuses for the actions of many of its members.

    Not EVERY cop is evil – there are many good peace officers, and many good men and women who try to be a bulwark against evildoers – criminals – who threaten people and families and communities.  But their efforts are generally undermined by members of their own corps.  At the same time, the entire “Institution” has been corrupted ever more rapidly by the federal meddling which has made it a military occupation force, and lost most of the “peace officer” model which was the heart and soul of the traditional Anglo system of Sheriffs.  Like so many other facets of society (churches and schools come to mind), this rot has gotten to the intolerable point.  Here are some examples of the rot, and the pure evil which we have in our nation.

    Home front – Evil cops
    US: Police kill 5,000 “innocent civilians” since 9-11
    (Mint Press News)

    Nathan: I do not know anything about Mint Press News, so take this with an appropriate grain of salt.  Twelve years, 4380 days, so that is more than one a day.  But that does seem to be about the average for the past few years, at least.  This does NOT of course, count incidental woundings, accidental woundings, and the broomstick (or colonoscopy) up the anus now and then, of course: Southern New Mexico has something in common with New York City apparently, a story that is being supported by a wide variety of new sources, together with the other NM man raped for having a bad turn-signal).  We all read of the Russian Foreign Ministry warning to travelers to the US that American cops are rogue and dangerous.  Many of us know of cops, in the past decade or so, who HAVE gone off the deep end, and if not actually killed some innocent, have threatened to do so, and have beaten family members, raped women at traffic stops, and tried to make felons out of people who take their picture or video or audio record their actions.

    As the story points out (assuming the numbers are true), Americans are EIGHT times more likely to be killed by a cop – an AMERICAN cop – than by someone labeled by the authorities as a “terrorist.”  Which brings to question exactly WHO is defined as a terrorist.  Cops are SUPPOSED to provide for the public safety and peace but instead are militarized and provide for law enforcement (of the most stupid of laws, many times) and for making arrests and issuing citations – money-making and job-supporting tasks that often have little if anything to do with either public safety or peace.  Indeed, cops seem intent on LESSENING public safety based on how, when, and where they make traffic stops, raid the homes of innocents, and generally terrorize the community they supposedly protect.  Their definition of “serve” seems more akin to that of the aliens harvesting humans for TV dinners on Alpha Centauri IV than the idea of providing services to a community.  For every truly honest and conscientious and law-abiding police officer – peace officer – out there, there seem to be three or four bad apples.  At least overall.  And yes, if one bad apple ruins the whole barrel, what do three or four or ten do?

    Home front – Evil cops
    Iowa: Another family dispute results in teen death at hands of cops
    (AOL/Huffington Post) On Monday, police in Iowa shot dead an unarmed teenager after a family dispute, and his relatives are now demanding answers. According to The Associated Press, Tyler Comstock, 19, of Boone, was fatally shot the morning of Nov. 4 after a car chase with police ended on Iowa State University’s central campus in Ames.

    Nathan: The headline is mine.  Again, and for several times in a single week, someone has called the cops as much out of concern for the safety of a family member in an angry dispute and the cops have killed an unarmed young man in cold blood, with the excuse that he refused to turn off the engine.  Parents, do NOT call the cops on your children unless you want them DEAD.  I’m not saying that there are not times and families in which a child has to be killed to prevent them from killing someone else as an act of aggression, but have the common decency to do the killing yourself, and remember that if it is NOT a killing matter, the cops are more and more prone to MAKE it one.  There is NOTHING that cannot be used today as an excuse for a cop to kill someone – NOTHING.  Or if not kill, then rape, beat, torture, or maim.

    Home front – Evil cops
    NJ to hold fugitive safe surrender
    (My 9 NJ) JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey law enforcement authorities are launching a “safe surrender” initiative that allows nonviolent offenders with arrest warrants to have their cases resolved quickly, often without jail time.

    Mama’s Note: Hmmm, you think maybe they’re getting desperate or something? Just not raking in enough “fines” and so forth these days. Somehow, I doubt this will go over too well.

    Nathan: Can the cops really be trusted – especially in New Jersey – to not go ahead and use violence and even kill – or at least maim, torture, or rape – those who surrender in this program? (After all, if they kill them, they will “keep” their promise of “quick” and without jail time.)  I don’t think that they can, and I expect this program to fail, but to spread just like gun-buyback programs.

    Directly related to the evil, killing, militarized cops is the equally evil puppetmasters called prosecutors: usually “state’s attorneys” or “district attorneys.”  This news popped up this week.

    Nazgul – Government evil
    Ex-Texas prosecutor first in history to be jailed for withholding evidence
    (NBC News) “This is the first time in the country’s history that a prosecutor has been found guilty of criminal contempt, will go to jail and be stripped of their law license,” Goldstein told NBC station KXAN of Austin.

    Mama’s Note: Too little, too late, but an interesting development.

    Nathan: I hope and pray that this is the start of a trend.  But some special punishment is needed for this kind of crime. The prosecutor should be subject to a penalty at least one step up from that the accused faced if “prosecutor misconduct” took place.  I suspect, though, that as the backlash against the court system accelerates, that these will ALL be considered capital crimes.  With an “abbreviated” appeal process and time, generally limited to the amount of time it takes for the lynch mob to gather, organize, and march to the jail or courthouse.

    An example of the prosecutorial evil that exists – in conjunction with police – can be found in THIS hideous story:

    Ten-year-old girl charged with raping 4-year-old boy
    (heraldsun.com.au) “I’ve never dealt with a child this young being accused of a crime,” said Quanell X, who is working with Ashley’s family. “In fact this was nothing more than inappropriate horseplay that has now lead to a child that is ten years old being charged with aggravated rape.”

    Nathan: This is so evil.

    You know – strange thought here – maybe we need an “ObummerLaw” Act in which legal insurance is a “guaranteed right” and which will have the same effect on lawyers as ObummerCare is having on doctors.  There are only about one million doctors in the US, and many are leaving their profession because of ObummerCare; there are apparently more than 1.2 million attorneys in the US, and they are increasing by about 75,000 PER YEAR.  Of course, THEN we can see about getting a big reduction in the number of members of the gangs often led (or at least facilitated by these attorneys) – the blue gangs: the evil cops.

    Posted in Nathan's Rants | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-42D: Politics 2013

    Posted on 2013-11-09 by TPOL Nathan

    A few thoughts on a few political matters and events this week!

    Racism in government – Politics 2013
    Holder may pursue civil rights charges against Zimmerman
    (Conservative Action Alerts) U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder may pursue civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, the Florida man acquitted of murder charges in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

    Nathan: One of the worst aspects of our modern court system (no longer a system of justice) is that it is not enough to be found innocent of a crime by a court.  Today, you can be brought up on other charges by different levels of government – often only remotely connected to the original “crime.”  And you can face civil action against you in yet another court…  Each effort can and does drain the ability to fight the charges, regardless of innocence.

    Politics 2013 – Secession
    Colorado: Biggest loser: Bloomberg’s election spending won little for departing NYC mayor
    (Washington Times)  [The Amendment 66 income tax increase (“for da chilluns’ educators) failed 62 to 38, despite the $10 million campaign, of which Bloomberg paid a cool million, and despite the fact that opponents only spent $20,000.]

    Mama’s Note: AWWWW, what a shame. The money he spent fighting 2A issues, the recalls, and now this. I remember something about the definition of insanity…. doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Yep… old Bloomy is insane, all right.

    Nathan: For more reasons than this, and it’s not the last time he will do this, of course.  He is a bizarre sort who can make a lot of money and then waste it on ventures like this.  In the world he wants to see, he would never have been able to accumulate his wealth.  However, let New York live with him.  I am  more concerned with what he has done to Colorado with his constant meddling.  The state is terminal, and the vote against secession in several counties (only five of eleven passed the resolution – in Weld County, whose board of county commissioners floated the idea first, the idea went down big, 58% to 42%, as I recall) Part of this was undoubtedly due to the fact that the Amendment 66 vote drew out a lot of the progressive types, all about giving more wealth to school administrators and other meddlers.  They, of course, would NOT want to see 11 or 12 counties and a half-million people get out from under the thumb of the tyrants in Denver.  This is especially true in Weld County, where the educrats are very powerful, thanks to that teacher’s school now called the University of Northern Colorado (formerly Greeley Normal School, Colorado State Teacher’s College, and Colorado State College). I think that Bloomberg therefore DID have at least a mild victory for all his spending.  If all eleven counties had voted for secession, instead of just five, it would be seen as a major victory.  Still, for those five counties – and the whole state – the gauntlet is thrown down: people are WILLING to say “NO.”  Next time, MORE will say no, and the next time after that, still more.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Natural Resources and the Government in America

    Posted on 2013-11-08 by TPOL Nathan

    Government in the United States in the past half-century has demonstrated a truly amazing ability to damage the economy.  This has been done in several ways:

    (1)  Denial of natural resources:  Government, in the guise of “conservation” and “protection of the environment”, has made it impossible, or at best insanely difficult, to obtain natural resources, especially minerals, necessary for our economy.

    (2)  Regulatory totalitarianism:  Government has created a monstrous edifice of regulations and procedures which outright prevent, or at best delay, economic development by all types and sizes of business and private enterprise – even “public enterprise.”

    (3) Prevention of common sense actions to use technology and the resources available in the most effective way: Government has thwarted efforts, again at all levels, by individuals and businesses to obtain and use natural resources and products of other people to create new wealth, while promoting false ideas of exploitation and winners versus losers in economic activity, and making a once free market into a command economy in which mistakes and stupidity are rewarded, and individual and private initiative and responsibility are trampled under.

    While the last two items are important, this article concentrates on the first: denial of natural resources.

    The free market has been more and more subverted, starting with the rationing and government central planning beginning in the Great War (World War I), continuing with the evil government response to the Crash of 1929 which CREATED the Great Depression, and then the amazing degree of control in the Second World War which continued, with only a brief respite into the Cold War, and now into the “Global War on Terrorism.”

    Over the decades, government actions (together with their allies in the progressive-controlled multinational corporations) have denied access to trillions of dollars of resources.  It started with government edicts that withdrew locations with known mineral resources from being claimed, and got steadily worse.  This is not just in the West, but across the nation and the globe.  We can point to the “protection” of vast acreages that have huge deposits of conventional oil, of low-sulfur coal, and of billions of tons of iron ore, copper, silver, gold, and other essential industrial metals.  We can point to government edicts that shut down (and destroyed) gold and silver mines and processing during the 1930s and 1940s.  We can point to farm “support” programs that reduced production of wheat and corn and sugar and other commodities one year and subsidized them (raising prices arbitrarily) the next year.  We can point to the attacks on nuclear power, fracking, on construction of new refineries (and the closure of dozens), on the Keystone XL pipeline, on construction of new railroads and powerlines, and many other actions which have resulted in severe damage to the economy, current and future.  (And coupled with it, permitting and regulatory requirements that restrict entry into the market by new, small enterprises, and create monopolies and cartels.)

    In recent years, more esoteric resources are the flash points.  One of the major ones are the rare earths.  This article recently was published.

    Stupid government tricks – Technology
    US limits rare earth mining: Another firm tries to do it in Wyoming
    (Conservative Action Alerts) The U.S. is one of only a few countries with known recoverable [Rare Earth Elements, or ] REE deposits (with approximately 13 percent of the world’s total known reserves), and we have more commodity minerals and metals than any other country. Yet, today, less than half the minerals U.S. manufacturers use comes from domestically mined resources. More specifically, China currently has a near-monopoly on the production of REEs—generally supplying approximately 85 percent of the world’s current REE supply and 100 percent of several REEs.

    Rare Element Resources is positioning the Bear Lodge Project, located in northeastern Wyoming, to be the next North American source of rare earths.  … expected +40-year life, the project has the opportunity to produce many of the critical rare earths necessary to support today’s evolving technologies.  …

    Rare Earths at the Bear Lodge Project

    The quantity and quality of the resource at Bear Lodge make it a world-class mining district and a dependable, long-term source for the rare earths elements (REE) … [and] rich in “critical rare earths,” or CREE, those elements that are less common, higher valued, and expected to experience better demand growth and price support over the longer term.  Bear Lodge is situated in one of the best mining districts in the world.  The mine site is located just off I-90 [northwest of Sundance], with easy access to power and good supporting infrastructure.  The hydrometallurgical plant will be located just outside of Upton, Wyoming, in an existing industrial park with good road access and an existing rail spur. Additionally, both communities contain a ready work force, skilled in natural resource development … [with a] goal of beginning operations in 2016. Location … two major components.  First is the Bull Hill Mine, which includes both the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits, … approximately 12 miles north of Sundance, Wyoming, in central Crook County.  Second is the Upton Hydrometallurgical Plant (Hydromet), located 40 miles south of the Bull Hill Mine and approximately 2 miles west of the town of Upton, Wyoming, in north-central Weston County. The project consists of approximately 9,000 acres and is located on both private land and land administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service – Black Hills National Forest.

    Nathan: I am quoting at length both from the CAA story AND from the company’s own site, because this is a critical element of modern technology and society and because this is Wyoming.  And specifically, this is the Black Hills, one of those special areas God blessed with an absolutely insane amount of mineral and animal and vegetable wealth for us poor humans to exploit.  This is one of the (many) reasons I support the Free State Wyoming project:  North America is so richly blessed with natural resources, but some areas on this continent are even more blessed: the Black Hills is one of those few places on the planet that can sustain high technology AND a stable and libertarian society that is far more free than 95% of the planet.

    I fully expect that all the usual suspects: the various government regulatory agents and their enablers in Congress and the lobbying industry, the whole rainbow of environist groups, and the multinationals and their allies in China (and elsewhere); that all these will focus on ensuring the Bear Lodge Project fails.  It is in keeping with the attacks on other natural resources and the people and enterprises that have sought to provide them: foundations for a strong economy and a better standard of living for us all.  Government wants none of that, because that leads to a need for LESS government and creates conditions in which free people prosper in peace.

    Posted in Nathan's Rants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-42C: Theft by government and other evils

    Posted on 2013-11-08 by TPOL Nathan

    Theft by government
    A Black Box in Your Car?
    (Los Angeles Times) As America’s road planners struggle to find the cash to mend a crumbling highway system, many are beginning to see a solution in a little black box that fits neatly by the dashboard of your car, says Evan Halper, writing for the L.A. Times…

    Nathan: What are really talking about is ANOTHER way to steal money from you.  We pay for roads through our fuel taxes at the federal and state level (and sometimes local), and in some states, like California, they add insult to injury by charging sales taxes as well.  But THOSE revenue streams are routinely tapped (i.e., stolen from) by governments to spend on other things “art on the highway” and “beautification” and “mass transit” (never mind that for 90% of Americans, “mass transit” is getting in a car or truck and going someplace).  Now, thanks to GPS and other tech, they can measure and TRACK every mile you drive, from inside your garage (or three miles down a private road) to EVERYWHERE – and charge you a “nominal” fee to pay for roads:  it might be as “little” as a mil per mile (cute ring).  It is STILL theft, and it adds up quickly.  Today, lets say that fuel taxes (fed/state) are 50 cents a gallon and you get 25 miles to the gallon in your beater:  that is 2 cents per mile.  Add a mil to that, and it doesn’t sound like much, unless you drive the average of 12,000 miles per year they say we do.  Then that is 24 MORE bucks per year, in addition to the 240 you already pay: a 10% increase.  This year.  Next year, they add another mil or two.  Just like they did to the fuel tax, and like they do about every other year.

    It isn’t enough for government to steal money from the American people – they must also steal health and hope for the future, as this next story tells us.

    Home front: economic collapse – Tranzi evil follies
    We Are Heading For The Greatest Doctor Shortage In American History
    (Commentary by Michael Snyder, The American Dream) The United States already has an emerging shortage of doctors, and thanks to Obamacare that shortage is about to become much, much worse. Right now, the U.S. has close to a million doctors, and about half of them are over the age of 50.  Many of them are beginning to wonder if practicing medicine is worth it anymore.

    Mama’s Note: They have good reason to quit, and d**n little reason not to…

    Nathan: One more very large stake in the coffin of the American society and economy.  We have gone from a free market a century ago (which was at the time the healthiest “civilized” nation in the world) to a command economy in medical care which is incapable of doing what it exists to do, because of a government which is so evil that it cannot see the damage it does.  Indeed, it now sees what is really evil as a positive good:  people are treated like incompetent juveniles who are not allowed to make their own decisions, EVEN while the powers that be tout how much they support the “right to choose.”

    Some people think that the American desire for “choice” will be the doom of ObummerCare:

    Why Obamacare Will Not Conquer American Culture
    (Freeman’s Perspective) Obamacare is one of these society-wide European-style solutions, shoved down the throats of American culture. Confused by politics (which is, more or less, the purpose of politics), most Americans haven’t known what to think about it, so they are waiting to see what happens. At the moment, what they see is very bad and while they may hope it works itself out, we know it won’t for one simple reason: Americans expect to choose, and to change their choice whenever they want.

    Mama’s Note: Excellent analysis! I hadn’t thought of it quite this way, but it is true. What is the single thing most people, even Obama supporters, are upset about? Choice. The lie that people could continue to choose their insurance carrier, their doctor, their plans… Most people don’t even think about the incredible layers of theft and nonsense… but are zeroing in on the destruction of their ability to choose.

    Nathan: Both the original article and Mama make some very good points – and I agree, but there is one factor to consider.  The demonstrated ability of politicians in general and this regime (both branches – executive and legislative) to lie and lie and lie.  They are busy selling “choice” in everything and giving the appearance of “choice” on the failed website, in speeches, in press releases (published without analysis as “news stories”) and in press conferences and other media.  They still have many opportunities to push this false concept that we will have choice, even while more and more quickly we slide into a single-payer system.  Just as the “messiah” lied in 2008 and 2010 and 2012, he and his minions (and his controllers) will CONTINUE to lie about ObummerCare and virtually everything else in 2013 and 2014.  And sadly, most people can see the difference between the truth and lies.  Even now, his lies about “you won’t have to change your health plan or your doctor” are STILL being reported as “true” and as just a “misunderstanding” or a “misstatement” or a “confusion.”  We are bombarded daily, nay, hourly, with so many lies on this and other topics that we are unable to contest even a small part of them.  If the system does not break down soon, we will find ourselves in much the same situation as the German people found themselves in 1938:  a world so totally different from five years earlier as to wonder if some sort of magic has been worked.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

    Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-42B: Self defense – Stupid government tricks

    Posted on 2013-11-06 by TPOL Nathan

    Self-defense
    Colorado: Another School District Arms Staff
    (Greeley Tribune) The school board decided to hire additional officers or any of the current staff members could go through the extra training courses and obtain permits to have weapons. According to a resolution passed by the school board, staff members who sign up for extra duty to provide security must maintain a concealed carry permit, must participate in a refresher training course twice a year, must provide proof that they shoot 100 rounds at a certified range every month, and must complete tactical medical training. With advanced medical training on top of the firearm training, [Superintendent] Mondt said staff members who sign up for security duty will be an asset in any type of disaster.

    Nathan: Thanks to “LastResistance.com” for this one.  This is not happening BECAUSE the school is a public school, but IN SPITE of it being a public school.  Now, Briggsdale is NOT one of your inner-city, high-risk school districts: it is out in one of the relatively empty areas of Colorado’s Eastern Plains, inhabited by wheat farmers and ranchers and the few tradesmen that supply those farms and ranches.  (It is another of those places I stomped around in a lot growing up and since.)  So if they were not generally law abiding people, most of the students and staff would continue to have rifles and pistols in the gun racks of their pick-ups parked outside school, and probably still be making nice gunstocks in shop class.  But still, this is interesting both for their resistance to popular culture (such as the generally liberal attitude at UNC in Greeley and the Metro Denver area) AND because of the tough requirements they are putting on the staff, as well as his comment: “any type of disaster.”  The community is pretty familiar with getting cut off by storms and even recently floods, so the biggest “disaster” they probably face is that they are too close to the Front Range when the cities blow up, and will have to deal with refugees and marauders of all types.

    Home front – Self defense
    A Psychiatric Trick or Treat
    (National Review) Untreated mentally ill individuals are now responsible for at least 10 percent of all homicides and half of the mass killings such as those at Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Newtown, and the Washington Navy Yard, says E. Fuller Torrey…

    Nathan: As Mama Liberty pointed out, of course ANYone who kills someone except in self-defense is, by definition, mentally ill and probably “untreated.”  But the point is still valid: as we have (as a society) been more willing to allow the obviously and seriously mentally ill to wander around AND as we have allowed the psychiatrists to dictate and “mainstream” the mentally ill AND as we have resorted to more and more “anti-psychotic” and other drugs which modify reasoning and other personality traits, we have seen this problem increase.  But even the mentally ill are likely NOT to act on their nightmares IF they know they face an armed “victim” or general population able to defend themselves.  So this “untreated mentally ill” schtick is in many ways just an excuse to disarm more and more of us.  And it must be rejected.

    Mama’s Note: Actually, MOST people with mental and emotional problems never even come close to violent behavior to start with, any more than do most gun owners, grocery store clerks or dog lovers. In other words, MOST people, MOST of the time, have no intention to hurt anyone else. The idea that the mere presence of a gun (but not other weapons?) can somehow cause such desire is one of the more disgusting myths of those who would disarm us. Why don’t people then routinely run down pedestrians, just because they drive a car? They could, of course, but MOST wouldn’t dream of it.

    The only area where mental/emotional illness can regularly be connected to gun (or other weapon) use is in suicide. Guns are, by far, the most effective means, and it is a tragedy that some choose to end their lives that way. But removing guns from their hands, even if it were possible, would not end the problems or distress that brought them to that decision – nor would it prevent them from using one of the many other options available. Further, they own their lives and, for good or ill, they have every right to live – or die – as they wish.

    Government-ruined, Theft-funded Schools
    How to Help Boys in the Classroom
    (American Enterprise Institute) If boys are constantly subject to disapproval for their interests and enthusiasms, they are likely to become disengaged and lag further behind in the classroom, says Christina Hoff Sommers…

    Nathan: The same is of course true for girls, but today, as this and many other recent stories point out, it is the boys that are the major targets of teachers and administrators in “public schools.”  And even in private ones, as the education establishment is increasingly feminized.  One commentator has even suggested that the solution is reestablishing single-sex education (which would also deal with a good many other problems), showing that the few male-only and female-only segregated classes (even in mixed schools) have much better records for academic success AND better socialization.

    Environism
    Big Wind’s Dirty Little Secret
    (Rightside News) The wind industry is dependent on rare earth minerals imported from China, the procurement of which results in staggering environmental damages…

    Nathan: It is not just the environmental impact in China (which is itself triggered by a regulatory regime in the United States which does not allow huge deposits of known rare earths in several states to be mined in an environmentally-sound manner), but the other direct and indirect impacts on the environment which are ignored by the fanatic proponents of wind power.  But that will not stop them from pushing for it.

    Home front
    Alcohol Crimes Decline After Liquor Sales Privatization
    (Competitive Enterprise Institute) Economist Patrick McCarthy examined 111 California cities and found that a higher number of take-away alcohol stores actually correlated with decreases in fatal and nonfatal alcohol-related car accidents…

    Nathan: Not “prohibition” but “privatization.”  Many states, for decades, had state (or city) owned and operated liquor stores to control the “dangerous substance.”  (I expect one or more states to try this path as MJ legalization spreads.)  Like most government attempts to mimic the free market, it failed for many reasons, and created more problems (as this study shows).  This could be predicted, and is one more example of how stupid government (and people in ANY large group) can be.

    Space – Future of Freedom
    Study: There Are 8.8 Billion Earth-Size, Just-Right Planets
    (The Blaze) Astronomers using NASA data have calculated for the first time that in our galaxy alone, there are at least 8.8 billion stars with Earth-size planets in the habitable temperature zone.

    Mama’s Note: That’s fantastic. Should be plenty of room for some free societies. Next question: How do we get there?

    Nathan: We will find a way, Lord willing.  And freedom is the big motivator, I think, to do so.

    Posted in Commentary on the News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment