Libertarian Commentary on the News #13-38A: African Collapse and Islam, Fake Scientists, and Ducks

Posted on 2013-10-03 by TPOL Nathan

Islamic wars: African front – African Collapse
Don’t Disregard Religious Factor in Kenyan Mall Attack, Say Experts on Radical Islam
(CNSNews)

Nathan: FORGET the “experts” and just look at the reports and the statements and the pictures.  It is clear and demonstrated that Al Shabaah separated out, targeted, tortured, and murdered non-Muslims.  It is clear that the Kenyan government FAILED to protect its citizens, and FAILED to take action BECAUSE the attackers were Muslim.  It is clear that the Kenyan government ALLOWED its citizens and visitors to be tortured, maimed, and killed, and businesses to be destroyed because they took away the means of self-defense from everyone who was even half-concerned about obeying the law, while the outlaws: the murdering Islamic Jihadists who had planned this attack for more than a year were armed and ran wild.  It is CLEAR that the Kenyan government was incapable of responding in an effective manner and that its response was poorly planned and executed and did more damage and may have killed more innocent people than the attackers did directly.

And even to the most unpolitical and unobservant of people in America, it is plain that THIS KIND of attack is coming to America very soon, and that we have already seen the precursors to it at Fort Hood, in South Carolina, in the Aurora theatre, and elsewhere.  And just as the Kenyan government FAILED, I expect that we will see local, state, and federal governments FAIL to protect any of us.  It is, for instance, CLEAR that Prisoner Hasan was a traitor to his nation and turned against his own comrades in arms because he was a practicing member of an immoral, death-worshipping, evil religion created by a pedophilic robber/killer chieftain who had either grand delusions or was also a pathological liar.  A religion which has led directly to the murder of tens of millions of people over fourteen hundred years, not because the religion was PERVERTED by those who claimed to follow it, but because the religious was practiced FAITHFULLY in the same way as its founder taught and practiced.

Stupid “Scientists”
The Scientific Debate About GM Foods Is Over:
(Popular Science/AAAS) They’re Safe Now it’s time to have a better public debate.

http://www.psmag.com/health/scientific-debate-gm-foods-theyre-safe-66711/
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2012/media/AAAS_GM_statement.pdf

Scott: No mention of promoters (e.g., cauliflower mosaic virus).

Nathan: Thanks to Scott for this one.  Both of these organizations/publications are “political scientists” – that is, not that they practice something called “political science” (a bogus science by its very nature: impossible to reproduce results of experiments or quantify factors), but that their practice of science is based more on political considerations than on the truth of the matter:  in politics as normally practiced, EVERYthing can be argued, including the definition of “truth.”  It is all situational ethics.  In science, as in religion, we may not agree on what is true, but we KNOW that truth exists and something is either true or it is NOT.

Although I know people who are very passionate about the dangers of genie food (and other things), I pretty much stay out of it.  But when PS and AAAS come down with a pronouncement from Mount Olympus that “the debate is over” then it is clear that the debate is NOT over but someone is trying very hard to squash ANY argument.  Concerns about GMO are NOT equal to flat-earth theory or spontaneous generation of life: there are questions which need to be answered.  This smells of “climate change” and “macroevolution” and other such establishment garbage.

State Stupidity – Local Tyranny
Quack! Wisconsin bill would legalize duck races
(Billings (MT) Gazette) State Rep. Andre Jacque circulated a proposal Thursday to legalize the races. He says the village of Mishicot was warned by the Wisconsin Department of Justice that its annual rubber duck race amounts to illegal gambling.

Mama’s Note: We all know that “gambling” is the end of the world… well, if the local thugs don’t get their “cut” anyway. And rubber ducks? The horror…

Nathan: Wow, it appears that for once, Wisconsin (We’s con (that is, without) sin) is behind in the race to maximize regulation of everything under the sun.  Many other states already “legalize” rubber duckie race contests with prizes and all, provided the promoters are “legitimate charities” and able to provide the cut demanded. Of course, I’ll bet that most people doing this and sponsoring a duck didn’t really think of this as gambling, just fun and a bit of spice to win ‘something” in support of whatever charity was putting it on.

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Government Shutdown Diary, Days #1 and #2

Posted on 2013-10-03 by TPOL Nathan

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DIARY
Day 1 of the “Government Shutdown/Economy Shutdown” (Tuesday, 01 OCT 2013) –

Left early today for Pierre for EPA-mandated testing and certification required to determine whether too much dust or smoke is being emitted.  Will it be held?  We have to leave early enough that we can’t call to see if they are having it.  Fortunately, I-90 did not have the gates down, and although it is a 95% federally-funded Interstate Highway, it is open and traffic is about as normal. As we drove out of Rapid City and past Ellsworth Air Force Base, we notice that the base seems to be operational; a B-1B was taking off as we went past, and the gates seem to be open and manned.  No barricades blocking it off.

When we get to Pierre, and go to the National Guard Armory where the testing has been done for more than 25 years, at first I am worried that the shutdown might have affected this.  There are very few cars in the parking lot and the smoke generator is not in its usual location.  Then I remember that they have classroom training first this fall, and see the new smoke generator set up in a new location for the first time in about twenty years!  They are doing the testing!  (Of course, although this is EPA mandated, I should point out that the testing is done (according to EPA standards, of course) by State of South Dakota personnel.  But I also notice that the National Guard Armory is open for business as usual, and the normal number of Guardsmen seem to be working.  The power and water is on, too.  Again, I realize that the South Dakota ARNG (Army National Guard) is theoretically a State of South Dakota military unit, but it is reimbursed pretty near 100% by the United States DoD… and during the sequestration garbage, they made National Guard technicians take unpaid time off (furlough), because they were technically “civilian” employees during the week although they wear uniforms and are soldiers on the weekend.

Later, after the testing was done, I talked with one of the people I am working with in the Rosebud Sioux Tribal government about getting some checks issued for various projects, from the Tribe’s Finance Office.  It wasn’t until later that I realized that they WERE still open despite the Shutdown.  His position, though a tribal one, is about 100% funded by a federal (HUD) grant, and the Tribe’s Finance Office gets about 67% of its budget directly or indirectly from the FedGov.

Returning home, again saw that the Interstate Highway and Ellsworth Air Force Base both still open as usual.  I had thought perhaps the word just had not gotten to them in time, earlier in the day.  But no, here it was, nine hours later, and they were still NOT shut down.  Interesting!  In fact, now that I think about it, we drove through several construction zones, 95% federally-funded, that were actually doing work today!

Most of the day, because I am on a news and comment diet (well, almost a fast), I was listening to Classic FM, a British classical music station.  During their hourly news reports, they DID mention the American government shutdown, and how the Obama Administration was claiming that Congress was destroying the government and the economy like the “anarchists” that they (the GOP, according to the “messiah’s” shills) are.

Matthias, Debby and I speculated that there must surely be some other things: perhaps they had put a tarp over Mount Rushmore (since you can still SEE Mount Rushmore even if the visitor’s center and the parking garage (which was and is privately funded) was closed).  And if I-90 wasn’t closed, perhaps the Feds had closed US-16 (actually “state highway” 16, but with US signs on it) through Jewel Cave National Monument, and US-385 through Wind Cave National Park.  Guess we’ll see or hear about it.

I did decide NOT to do an update of my wildly-popular column of Libertarian commentary on the news, since in the fragile state of the economy and the government (what is left of it after the shutdown), even using those few trillion electrons might trigger an even worse collapse.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DIARY
Day 2 of the “Government Shutdown/Economy Shutdown” (Wednesday, 02 OCT 2013)

Woke up this morning concerned that the water and power and internet and phone would be shut down, since they were probably just moving out of sheer inertia yesterday.  But now, without the blessings of government for more than 24 hours, we’d surely have lost all these traces of civilization.  I didn’t expect to hear any sirens, but surely the riots of the laid-off and starving masses would be underway by now.

But everything worked as it should (of course, I think I paid for everything to the various businesses and a local special “district,” so they SHOULD have.  My e-mail (diet, not really a fast, I guess) brought me horror stories – no, horrible predictions, of the dire impacts of the shutdown, but the closest thing I could find to a riot in them was that bunch of crazy old coots (WW2 Vets) who rode a bus all the way to DC and were going to visit the fairly new WW2 monument only to find barricades and signs telling them to stay away.  The “riot” was because some of them ignored the Park Police and MOVED the barricades and WALKED (well, some rode their wheelchairs) to the monument right there on the Presidentially-closed National Mall!  Gasp!

But surely there was more.  While I was working on things so we could head down south, Matthias went into town to get the mail, top off the gas, and pay some bills.  Gasp!  He said that the Post Office was OPEN!  There were people handing out mail and selling stamps and all.  Not only that, but when he got back and we left, there was the mail carrier in his little SUV DELIVERING MAIL to the mailboxes right there on Croyle Avenue!

Now we were worried.  There still could be that tarp on the four presidents’ faces, and the highways NOT essential for national defense could be closed.  So with great trepidation, we headed south.  Actually, we forgot to go directly by Mount Rushmore, but there were no closed signs on the direction signs to the Memorial.  We DID see that there weren’t many cars parked at either the Black Hills National Forest Headquarters (north of Custer City) or the District Ranger’s Office in town:  maybe they were shut down.  We continued on.  Fortunately, Highway 16 was NOT barricaded at the entrance to Jewel Cave National Monument.

However, we got our first physical indicator of trouble when we saw the gate to the parking area at Jewel Cave (and of course, access to the visitor center and the elevator down to the cave) was closed and there was a little 8.5×11 notice taped to it.  We didn’t stop to read it, of course, since surely there was a Park Police or National Park Service law enforcement ranger with either a sniper rifle or hiding in the brush (now changing color for Fall) nearby, ready to deal with any scofflaws that wanted to recreate the Old WW2 Codgers Riot here in the Black Hills.

Still en route: traveling across the desperately-needing American states in the second day of Armaggaddon,…

Nathan

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Dangerous combination: Environists and the State Smash Small Business

Posted on 2013-09-30 by TPOL Nathan

Our esteemed publisher and editor sent me this story a few days ago:
Smoke from a Newcastle refinery under investigation
(Casper Tribune)

Mama’s Note: How absolutely stupid. There was a single puff of very black smoke. It was ripped to shreds in the wind in just a minute or two. How sick that these complainers can’t realize what this refinery means to this town. They will find out when they’ve managed to drive it out of business… and then we can ALL pay for THEIR stupidity.

Nathan: Mama is right.  I finally got a chance to look up this article – we have a number of problems here:

1.  There are several busybodies in Newcastle who have nothing better to do with their time than call various government agencies to file (often anonymously, for obvious reasons) complaints about the refinery, which is about the only major industry left in town with the closing of Pope & Talbott years ago.  These people almost ALL have not lived here as long as the refinery has been here, so are like those who buy or build a house next to an airport and then complain about the noise: they knew better.

2.  WDEQ, which used to stand up for the businesses and people of Wyoming against the EPA and various other federal agencies, have become nothing more than a shill for the EPA and whatever environmental groups donate enough money to the “messiah” and/or the various offices including governor and such; their offices are too close to Laramie, Fort Collins, Greeley and Boulder and their staff mostly come from those environist activist-factories.

3.  Every time that new rules are promulgated, the retrofitting of the factories to meet the new requirements (NOT “standards” but micro-management requirements) actually increases not just the cost of production and maintenance and equipment, but the likelihood of failure of both the so-called controls but of the entire system itself.  Sometimes these are requirements that are not directly applicable to the industry but to a supporting industry.  Increased requirements led directly to the closing of the Osage Power Station and Newcastle can’t have its own generating capacity, even for emergency, so that means that the power has to come from WyoDak which means it is more subject to interruptions which in turn trigger bypass measures which lead to the releases like this one.

4.  The regulatory agencies AND the environist whingers make things up.  Unless there was a TRAINED, CERTIFIED observer qualified to take smoke readings at the time this event occurred, there is no LEGALLY-admissible evidence that the smoke was 100% or 80% or 20% opacity.  And I suspect very strongly (not having seen THIS permit but having seen many others in WY, SD, CO, and other states) that the permit DOES allow for emissions greater than 20 percent for up to six minutes due to malfunctions or unpredictable events like losing power from a thunderstorm.  It may have an upper limit for that six-minute period (a few do, most don’t) but it is NOT so black (pun intended) a crime as these idiots make it out to be.  But this becomes an excuse to tighten the requirements, making another “violation” all that more likely to happen, and making it easier to close down yet what is essentially another mom and pop operation out of business, and whack another nail into the coffin of Newcastle’s future.  And to add insult to injury, another $10,000 fine just adds to what probably already cost 20 times that: $200,000 in lost materials and damage and time and equipment and cleanup and everything else.  To say nothing of the legal bill, another $20-30K at least if it goes as usual.  AND since Newcastle’s primary product is JP-5 for Ellsworth, it is taxpayers who pay for it in the long-run AND it weakens what bit Ellsworth still contributes to national defense and not to empire.

The solution to this?  Get government out of the equation.  Require industries to have insurance for environmental protection, and let the people who claim damages (REAL damages, not “emotional” or “my sinuses are bad” type damages) file claims with the insurance company who can resolve the issues, in court if necessary – and allow countersuit for damages for bogus (fraudulent) claims.  Claims for “nuisances” should be dealt with the way many places already do when it comes to things like “your dairy stinks” or “your tractor is too noisy” – was that cow farm and manure there before you moved there?  Was that field being plowed and harvested for crops before you built your house next to it?  A six-person jury could decide in a half-hour if the claim is substantial enough to proceed to full trial.

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The Revolution and The Remnant

Posted on 2013-09-29 by MamaLiberty

Lots and lots of speculation, tons of books on preparation for “the end of the world as we know it,” lurid novels with various depictions of what life might be during and after a “crash” of one sort or another abound in real space publications, forums and blogs. Most of the “revolution” talk centers on some sort of mass uprising, and one of the saddest things over the last few years is seeing so many people waiting for another messiah, a “leader,” something or someone central to emulate, rather than just BEING a self owning, self responsible person in the here and now, regardless of what anyone else is doing or thinks. Waiting for the “revolution” instead of withdrawing their consent now, ordering their lives – now – to minimize the intrusion of the tyranny, as well as minimizing the theft of their resources by government at all levels.

But I can assure you there will be no consensus on it, no mass movements of any kind, really. Whatever happens will be done by individuals, and their voluntary associations and communities.

The total tyranny may well strike NYC or Chicago, but isn’t going to influence the little towns in the back woods much. Southern California may finally drop off into the Pacific, but the good folks in northern Nevada and NE Wyoming won’t be swimming with them. There will be parts of most states involved, probably, and vast areas where the chaos in the big cities will simply be bad news. There will never be a “one size fits all” situation or answer.

Communities will probably find themselves on their own, cut off from much they depend on to be brought in from other places. They’ll be unable to ship out their own products, and probably will have to deal with electric outages and so forth. But that won’t last forever. With the least incentive, and some time, human beings will find a way to live, trade and learn. We’ve been doing that for all of recorded history, regardless of the insanity of a few – and the roadblocks they throw up.

Those who have provided alternatives for themselves and their communities, who have a store of food, etc… and the means to defend them… those people will have a good chance to be the remnant so many talk about.

Neither the feds, nor any other “law enforcement” outfit, even begins to have the manpower necessary to do much about it, once the SHTF. The deer hunters in the US ALONE outnumber the regular armies of most countries in the world. All they really have to do is decide that they’d rather be free men and women – and mean it.

We have to get over this fear of “THEM.” We outnumber THEM, seriously, every single day and hour. And they know it.

I believe in humanity. I believe in myself. I believe in YOU as well, and our ultimate ability to survive and even thrive.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-37D: ObummerCare and Other Fun Things

Posted on 2013-09-29 by TPOL Nathan

Lost a few days while being on the road and on projects, but here are a few stories that really cry out for comments.

Home front: Wannabe killer indicted, finally
Greenville WalMart Shooter Picked Victims by Race
(CBS Local News) “A man who shot four people near a Greenville Wal-Mart in June picked out his victims because they were white, according to several indictments handed down against him. Lakim Faust had more than 100 rounds of ammunition when he started shooting at people who were standing outside at a law firm and a shopping center in June, authorities said. A grand jury indicted Faust on 14 charges Monday, including four counts of attempted first-degree murder. Faust, who is black, picked out his victims based on their race, according to the indictments. The documents didn’t specify why Faust wanted to shoot white people, and police have not talked about why he picked out his targets. Earlier reports had indicated that Faust was shooting ‘indiscriminately.’”

Nathan: Thanks to Phil for this one.  It took them four months to charge him because he was “indisposed” thanks to the police.  As Phil pointed out: this didn’t make the national news, and I suspect it is not only because not one person died (lousy shot, Lakim!) but also because he was a black killing (well, trying to kill) whites!  Generally (except for cops and maybe even then), black people try and do kill more of OTHER blacks than whites, but kill a higher percentage of whites than whites do of black people.  (That is no doubt because where there are white folks who are most heavily armed is in places where there just AIN’T many colored folks other than them Injuns, ya know?  Of course, EVER’BODY knows the reason for the shortage is ‘cuz them white folks kept killin’ them black folks way back when, and would do it again!)

Congress in action – ObummerCare/Abominable Act
House Conservatives Warn GOP Senators: Vote for Cloture ‘Same As a Vote for Obamcare Itself’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Of course, they went ahead and did it.  The list is a damning one: filled with Tranzis who claim to be “conservative,” and power-hungry types who claim to be for “limited” government, and a bunch of other people who just cannot add 2+2=4.  I suspect that more and more GOP voters will decide “why bother?” and stop participating.  Time to hunker down: after all the hype, especially.

Now that it seems very likely that this WILL be implemented, the series of articles that Mama Liberty found is definitely worth reading:

Mama’s Note: Very interesting series of articles. Not nearly enough about taking REAL
responsibility for one’s health and wellness, unfortunately. Just controlling the cost yourself, however, is a darn good start.

Your Future Under Obamacare: Big Medicine Getting Bigger
Recently, there’s been an enormous shakeup in three traditionally stable professions — law, education, and medicine. But where law and education are moving towards decentralization and greater consumer control, medicine is moving in the opposite direction — towards greater centralization and less consumer (patient) control.

Why? Because the upheavals in law and education are being driven by market forces. In contrast, the upheaval in medicine is being driven by new government controls. Hence, Big Law and Big Education are struggling, while Big Medicine is growing.

This series of articles will discuss how the ObamaCare health law is fueling the rise of Big Medicine, what this will mean for patients, and how patients can respond to best protect their medical care.

How Big Medicine Will Affect Patient Care
How Big Medicine will restrict doctors’ freedom to practice and patients’ ability to receive care.

How Patients Can Protect Themselves Against Big Medicine
To regain control over your health care, you must regain as much control as possible over your health spending.

Culture wars: Abortion and more – War against religion
Catholic Bishop Stands His Ground on Obamacare Rule: ‘We Cannot–We Will Not–Comply With This Unjust Law’
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: Based on recent pronouncements from the Vatican (Leading several people to ask, “Is the pope still Catholic?), this bishop may be fighting a two-front war.  Well, he can always decide to just stand up for the truth and tell both Vatican and DC that in the REAL scale of things, they don’t even measure an inch to a mile.  But I do wonder how long it will be before we see Catholic bishops (or for that matter, the leaders of ANY denomination) behind bars or in front of a kangaroo court because they really DID stand up for the truth.

Government-run, Tax-funded schools – The “messiah”
Obama’s Preschool-for-All Plan Could Harm Children, Researcher Says
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: What?  No foolin’ us, is there.  ANY government school for all harms children, and steals money.  Nothing different here, except that it would mandate parents giving their children to the state even earlier.

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The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Posted on 2013-09-26 by MamaLiberty

Some folks responded to my last article, “For Her Safety” by asking me to write in more detail about the abominable tragedy in that short story. The topic is massive, and I can’t do it all justice in the scope of an article like this, but I hope to be able to give you some things to think about, things to do and put in place, and at least a few links to more complete information. Some people may object to this article because it requires working within the “laws” and dealing with the bureaucracy, but those things are impossible to ignore if you want to navigate the overwhelming forces set against you in the political reality of today.

Dying with dignity, in the setting of your choice, is possible. Laws regarding “patient rights” and such things as durable power of attorney (DPOA), “do not resuscitate” (DNR) options and hospice care can help a great deal with that process. But they can’t help if you are not diligent to put them in place.

First and foremost, it is important to recognize that every single person in the world is going to die. I never cease to be amazed by how many people simply do not consider or face this very obvious fact. We will all die. We may or may not have any control at all over when or how it happens, but like anything else — if you refuse to look at it and make what plans you can, you may be choosing the very worst possibilities by default.

Every person who is not living with their parents needs to execute a “Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. “Look at a sample form here. (PDF format) This gives certain legal protections if done right, it doesn’t cost anything (beyond a dollar or two for the forms), and you do not need a lawyer in order to fill it out. Make several copies and give one to each of your designated caregivers, your doctor and another trusted friend. Keep the original in a safe place at home. Different states have various requirements, so get a form from a local hospital if possible.

The DPOA can be changed any time you wish. You need to make sure that the person you select to be your DPOA is both willing and able to do this for you, that they understand what you want and are willing to follow through on it. You should select at least one alternate and review both the people and your level of care selections at least once a year.

There are some things that a DPOA will not help, so take a look at the laws in your state.

The Living Will is a similar document, but it is not recognized by many states as binding, so even this fragile protection would be lost.

DNR, advance directives: these are instruments that go along with the DPOA and hospice care. Be aware of your rights and the limitations they may impose on YOU if you agree to them.

Most of you are also aware of the supposed “right” to refuse treatment or medications. While all of this looks most promising and good, there are deadly bear traps buried in the verbiage. Beware. It is vital that you do know your rights, fragile as they are, and have family or friends who can be your advocate when you are unable to fend for yourself.

The “crown jewel” of patient advocacy is hospice care. This care is available to anyone who has a terminal disease or condition for which there is no further treatment available OR for which they are no longer willing to seek aggressive treatment. Once enrolled in hospice, there are no further curative measures or medications given, only those to promote comfort and relieve symptoms. The patient or DPOA can change their mind at any time and return to aggressive treatment, but most do not — or come back to hospice quickly after realizing that there is nothing more to be done.

Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death.

  • Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management.
  • The goal of hospice care is to improve the quality of a patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity.
  • Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members.
  • Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient’s pain and discomfort.
  • Hospice deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient’s family and friends.
  • Hospice offers a variety of bereavement and counseling services to families before and after a patient’s death.

Everyone I know who works in the hospice setting tries very hard to fulfill these goals, but the pressures of law, endless and often conflicting regulation, paperwork and the fear of lawsuits often make reaching these ideals impossible. Leaving patients in their own homes whenever possible used to be a solid part of these goals, but it is increasingly difficult today.

Do you know that it is against the law, in most places, to place yourself in danger? Especially if you are elderly! Elder Abuse laws may make it very difficult for the elderly to choose to stay home and take their chances on dying there without help. With all the “rights” and good intentions, this is simply not permitted unless death comes quickly and with no warning. Any health care worker, government employee (fireman, paramedic, mail carrier, etc.) is required by law to report any time they suspect that a frail elder is living alone and is unable to care for themselves to any degree. It is a felony not to report ANY suspected situation that would “endanger” the elderly, no matter what the elder has to say about it.

Nobody wants to see a person of any age being physically or emotionally abused, but the definition of those things must include the perception of the elder involved to be valid at all. If a person is bedbound, totally confused or unable to feed themselves, their families should be free to take care of them, but that is also almost impossible much of the time — for many reasons. There are many options available, many of them Christian based.

In great part due to the government anti-family socialist indoctrination throughout the last few decades, most families today are scattered all over the country, or are in isolated fragments, trying to make ends meet and care for children. The tax and regulation burdens make it almost impossible for many people to stay at home to care for either children or elders. And, sad to say, there are many government funded options that make this even less likely. It is a downward spiral that has taken on the strength of an ocean whirlpool, sucking everyone down into the depths of insanity to destruction.

All of the “welfare” and “help” the government dreams up only adds to the problem. Many people now in skilled nursing facilities (wrongfully called “nursing homes”) and in board and care settings (custodial care, not medical) draw on state medical aid to pay for them. Most of home health and hospice is also paid for by Medicare and Medicaid (click these for the rosy glow government version), along with the various supplemental and HMO insurance companies that dominate the whole fabric of health care and medicine in the US today. This not only requires massive taxing to fund, it completely sidesteps the free market and makes the use of that money inefficient and wasteful. There is little real incentive to let people be responsible for themselves, and every incentive not to.

The new and ever more intrusive “Obamacare” legislation will change this picture rapidly in just a few years. The entire fabric of medical care in the US will unravel soon, but it is beyond the scope of this article.

So, what can you do to have your last wishes honored and your freedom left intact until you die? Not much, but you can go a long way toward that goal if you follow these steps.

1. Talk to your children, no matter what age they are. Let them know what you want and what honoring your freedom and dignity mean. Repeat it at least once a year. Needless to say that this will be easier and far more effective if you have close relationships with those children, and maintain them throughout your life. If you have children who are already alienated, or who simply do not understand your desire for liberty rather than “safety”, you will have to be even more diligent with the remaining items, in addition to finding someone else to entrust with your affairs should you become incapacitated.

2. Make out a durable power of attorney for health care (and have a solid regular will for your property) You can get the forms from most hospital social services departments and some stationary stores. Read the information and discuss it at length with your family and/or trusted friends.

3. Insofar as possible, keep your debts low and make sure you could continue to pay the bills if you were ill. This is probably the hardest part to accomplish right now, but it has many other benefits and so should be a priority. Keep records of deeds, bank accounts and so forth in a central place and make sure at least two or three people know where they are and have access to them if you become seriously ill or unable to make decisions for yourself. Secrecy and your offshore bank account may seem smart now, but if you are suddenly incapacitated, you might be cut off from your money and helpless, no matter how rich you might be. Just make sure your trusted child or friend can access these things on short notice.

4. Don’t set traps for yourself. Many people swear that they would never tolerate a “live-in” caregiver, for example, but the alternative may well be a nursing facility! Don’t “set in stone” decisions against anything that might make the difference there, no matter how disagreeable it might be. Just remember that once you are unable to care for yourself, the options vanish fast.

And finally, don’t think it can’t happen to you.

I’ve seen death in many faces over my career. I’ve seen peace and joy, stark terror and pain, with every shade between. The inescapable fact is that all men die. You don’t have much control over the why or when, but there is a lot you can do about the circumstance, the “how”. Don’t let that liberty slip through your fingers.

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-37C: Free Will and the Price We Pay

Posted on 2013-09-25 by TPOL Nathan

Weeks come and weeks go, and now, welcome to Fall 2013, A.L. (Anno Libertalius 237), and the fifth year of the glorious reign of our evil, scum-sucking “messiah.”  To our everlasting shame.  In Europe, nearly seventy years of history is fading as Germany assumes its “rightful place” as master of the Continent: not much of a challenge since the Brits have abdicated to become Festus to America’s Matt Dillon, and since the French continue to prove that total decadence and corruption do NOT totally destroy a nation and cause it to be barbequed for a quick snack by its neighbors.  At least when you have really stupid and naive people from the other side of the planet to come to your rescue time and again.  Russia continues to demonstrate that a thousand years is not enough time to recover from having invaders eat half your population and rape the other half, so that a strong man at the helm, however he gets there, is essential.  And the Middle East continues to enjoy both the rotted, poisonous fruits of an evil genius 1400 years ago, but also the results of an otherwise pretty wise and smart man who was unable to keep his robe pulled down (equivalent of keeping his pants zipped up today) and certain body parts out of his wife’s servant.  God gave us free will, but He didn’t say we wouldn’t pay a BIG price for it.  This week’s news continues to show that: one BIG price we pay is having to put up with the stupidity of politicians!

This week, and last week, we see more and more instances of true liberty taken away from everyday Americans and Germans and Brits in the cause of “rights” which are anything but:  a right to not be offended (by a decades-old banner in a high school, by someone preaching on the radio that homosexuality is wrong, etc.), a right to serve on juries (which means that people will not be tried by their peers), a right to health care (laws which prohibit you from having the doctor of your choice, which limit what patients a doctor can see, and which limit what a doctor can be paid (doctor = all medical providers)), a right to a “living wage” (requiring employers to pay a minimum whether or not the person can be productive enough to pay that much, and therefore eliminating jobs for marginally productive people), and so on.  The stories below touch on some of these briefly.

Stupid government – Home front – Border jumpers
California leads in expanding non-citizen rights
(New York Times, reported by Godfather Politics) “‘Being a juror really has nothing to do with being a citizen,’ Mr. Wieckowski [sponsor of a bill passed by the Assembly making non-citizens jury members] said. ‘You don’t release your prejudices or histories just because you take an oath of citizenship, and you don’t lose the ability to listen to testimony impartially just because you haven’t taken that oath either.’ He said that roughly 15 percent of people who received a jury duty summons never showed up and that the legislation would make it easier to impanel juries. Mr. Wieckowski said that he expected the governor to sign the bill and that the changes would quickly become accepted. ‘It’s the same thing that happened with gay marriage: people got past their initial prejudices and realized it was just discrimination,’ he said.”

Nathan: I am curious to see how more doctrinaire “Libertarians” respond to this, given significant differences in idea towards citizens and non-citizens within the movement.  I personally see many serious problems with this entire idea that just because someone lives somewhere, they are qualified to be part of a panel of twelve (or even just six) who are empowered to determine guilt or innocence and able to enslave those found guilty by fines, other penalties, and imprisonment, or to decide whether contracts and other agreements are being honored.  This is NOT about government power but about the power of the people to get justice.  I do not believe that Wieckowski is right: it is MORE than just listening to testimony: it is the ability to understand liberty and rights and law and to reason.  Of course, this is FULLY in keeping with allowing judges to become absolute tyrants and puppeteers of the jury.  No doubt, the judges are INFORMED of this measure and will use it to further destroy the JURY system, until we are left, like France and too many other nations, with just more minions of the state treating everyone else like peons or worse. Oh, and a question: will all trials now have to be translated into Spanish and perhaps other languages, since jurors may not now know English?
(Read more here.)

Mama’s Note: As long as the tyrants are in control of the “courts” and the rest of it, this really doesn’t matter much either way. It’s all corrupt, a malignant cancer. There is zero justice available in the jury system as it is now, and the addition of non-citizens won’t make a whole lot of difference. The whole “citizen” thing is an invention and tool of the politicians to start with. Of course they will manipulate it to suit themselves.

I think that a rational jury system for serious matters, along with arbitration for everything else, would be ideal. But it simply isn’t ever going to happen until the politicians, bureaucrats and nazguls are eliminated from the equation.

Stupid government spending – Theft by government
State Dep’t Spending $10M to Prevent ‘Gender-Based Violence’ in War Zones
(CNSNews.com)

Nathan: So, someone is getting $10M to talk and write a lot – wonder if they’ve ever been in or will go to a war zone?  Once upon a time, for a very short time in a very few places, war was conducted according to “christian principles” (oxymoron, that) in which all intentional violence was inflected on males BY males and much effort was expended to keep not just women, but ALL civilians out of harm’s way.  There was even a time when the Roman Catholic Church tried to enforce “God’s Truce” – no fighting at all on the Lord’s Day (Sunday), with the idea of expanding that to other days of the week (it didn’t work out, of course).  The entire effort is just another form of welfare and needless spending (don’t tell Old Lady Pelosi that).

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Libertarian Commentary on the News, #13-37B: Europe, Africa, and America collapsing

Posted on 2013-09-25 by TPOL Nathan

Europe’s Collapse
Germany: Merkel Wins
(Bild, via Presseurop) Current Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian-democratic CDU/CSU party swept to victory in theSeptember 22 general election, winning 41.5 per cent of the vote. The social-democratic opposition [SDP] obtained 25.7 per cent, the Greens 8.4 per cent, while the FDP liberals, the Eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Pirate Party all failed to score above the 5 per cent threshold needed to enter parliament. For Bildzeitung, the result is not only a victory, but “a gigantic triumph for the Chancellor”. At close to 42 per cent, the CDU/CSU has achieved its best score since 1990.

Nathan: The “EuroChancellor” indeed: Europe is at Germany’s feet, and the Iron Chancellor II is in charge. An absolute majority is almost impossible, but the CDU/CSU will dominate German politics, for good AND bad, even more than in the past.

Mama’s Note: I have never even come close to understanding parliamentary government, not that I ever really wanted to, of course… so none of this makes the least bit of sense to me. How anyone can think any form of non-voluntary government is anything but malignant evil is beyond me.

Congress in Action – Stupid is as stupid does
Pelosi: ‘There’s no more cuts to make’
(Washington Post) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that President Obama shouldn’t negotiate over the debt ceiling because there are “no more cuts to make.”  “Because the cupboard is bare. There’s no more cuts to make,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It’s really important that people understand that. We all want to reduce the deficit.:

Nathan: The woman is even more of an idiot and a liar than usual.  This sort of nonsense is even bad for her own objectives and allies.  The cartoon says it all!  Is not there some garbage you hear now and then about electing the idiots to Congress so that they can make the tough choices for us?  Yeah, right!

Africa’s Fall – Islamic wars: African front
Kenya: Group behind mall attack claims militants still holding out
(Fox News) “The Islamist militant group behind a deadly terror attack on a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi says its fighters were still holding out, despite claims by authorities that Kenyan security forces had regained control of the building. The Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group, which has claimed responsibility for the attacks, posted on its Twitter account Tuesday that ‘There are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall, and the Mujahideen are still holding their ground.’ … Despite Kenya’s government declaring that its ongoing military assault against the Islamists has been a success, another explosion and more gunfire could be heard coming from the mall at around 6:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Associated Press reporters at the scene said.” (09/24/13)

Nathan: Supposedly, a SAS man illegally carrying his firearm kept the situation from being worse, but the critical thing to remember is that this sort of thing is coming to America:  it will NOT be the drug/psychosis-laden lone-wolf killers, but hit teams trained to at least SOME degree.  The Kenyan reports are vague to say the least, and the indicators are that the Islamists are still holding out.

Mama’s Note: One thing very few ever mention, however, and it is so evident with this Kenyan hostage thing… IF the US were going to intervene anywhere, for something approaching good reason… it would make perfect sense to spend a tiny fraction of the money that has been wasted so far to place a simple gun and some ammunition into the hands of all these potential helpless victims. Send “advisors” to teach them how to use those guns, and how to manufacture more… Real, honest to god “care packages.” REAL “humanitarian” aid.

Then let the best men/women prevail – with a fighting chance to survive. The Kenyan Massacre and all the others have taken place because there was nobody (or far too few) present, able and willing to defend themselves. Same with the Navy shipyard and the rest of such massacres IN the US, of course.

Home front: Stupid people tricks
Pennsylvania: Ambulance Carjacked On Schuylkill Expressway With Patient Inside
(CBS Philadelphia) Pennsylvania State Police say 25-year-old Brian Timothy Kada Jr., of Philadelphia, walked onto the westbound side of the expressway near Girard Avenue while the ambulance was transporting a patient. Police say Kada pointed a gun at the two operators stuck in rush hour traffic and jumped into the passenger side.

Mama’s Note: Brilliant… carjacking in rush hour traffic… an ambulance, even.

Nathan: Now we see this as more and more common:  And note that virtually NO EMS personnel are armed, to protect themselves or others.  This could have turned into a deadly crash and killing spree, because the driver and attendants were not prepared.

Stupid people tricks
Cheney shoots wild again!
(The Hill)  Cheney’s gun malfunctions in charity antelope hunting contest, none hurt

Mama’s Note: Living proof that some people should never handle guns… even if they are from Wyoming. This guy is a menace. Wonder what the REAL story might be here. sigh.

Nathan: He proved himself incompetent by his “service” and his political standing.  How about an ex-congressman disarmament bill?’

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For Her Safety

Posted on 2013-09-23 by MamaLiberty

I went to a funeral in 2003. That’s not unusual for a hospice nurse, but I had a lot of mixed feelings about that one.

I was working in home health and began seeing her every day for wound care. She lived nearby, so after the official daily visits were no longer needed, we remained friends and I visited often.

She was 90 years old when we met, living alone and taking care of most of her affairs herself. She needed someone to drive her to appointments and shopping, since she had voluntarily given up driving a few years before due to poor vision. The loss of that independence and freedom was difficult for her to accept sometimes, but she was honest enough to know she had no real choice.

Mrs. S. had no cartilage in either knee, so walking was slow and painful, yet she never gave up. She had refused knee replacement surgery years before, and it was far too late to do it by the time I met her. She had severe arthritis, diabetes and a serious heart condition which made each day a challenge, and her dislike of taking any medications must have had her doctors pulling out their hair after each visit — yet she took what she absolutely had to have and no more. She would not take anything for pain at all.

She did most of her own housework for many years after we met, and even continued to garden. She had always had wonderful roses, and planted them long after she was really able to care for them. Eventually, she hired help for the house and the yard, but refused to have anyone “live-in”. She loved her little desert home, completely paid for, and her independence. She didn’t ask for anything more from anyone.

This dear lady had been in business for herself well into her 80s. She had several good friends in the area who had worked for her, and they continued to help her as much as they could, taking her on errands and shopping and visiting often when she was sick. She insisted on paying them for their gas, and always took her “driver” to lunch. It made a nice outing for her and helped her helpers too.

Her only surviving child was a man in his late 70s who lived with his wife in a distant city. He visited as often as he could, but his own health was not good and those visits came at ever greater intervals. He wanted her to move to a retirement community out where he lived, but she would not even consider it. We talked on several occasions, and he was naturally concerned for her safety. He simply could not understand that she preferred to be free and at home instead of “safe” and living somewhere else.

She and I had talked about that safety issue many times, of course. She used to chuckle and say she couldn’t understand why everyone was so upset. “Everybody has to die eventually”, she said, “so why the big fuss over it?” She knew full well that she might fall or become ill and not be able to summon help in time, but she much preferred that possibility to life anywhere else, under any other circumstance. That is what freedom meant to her.

Then, at the age of 97, she began to fail and required more and more help at home. She could no longer remember to take her medicine at all, and often forgot to eat. She could have been left at home with a live-in caregiver, but her son chose instead to place her in a nearby long term care facility. The results were predictable and not good.

The first thing they did was take her walker away from her and confine her to a wheel chair. Deprived of exercise, she soon lost the ability to stand or walk at all. This completed the loss of her independence and she became both depressed and confused. Soon she was showing signs of serious dementia, striking out at the caregivers and refusing both medicines and food. With her last failing strength she attempted to wheel herself out the door and down the road… all she wanted was to go home.

Since she would not take the psychotropic drugs, she was transferred to a lock-down psych facility in a distant city and I never got to see her again. She died there a week later, alone and in total captivity.

But, by God, she was “safe”, wasn’t she?

You might want to think of this when you trust anyone else, especially government, with your safety and peace of mind.

Liberty or death…

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What The World Needs Now

Posted on 2013-09-23 by MamaLiberty

No human being has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, nor to delegate the initiation of force. Every living creature has the innate and automatic right to defend their life and property, and that of their family or community.

Aggression is always wrong. Defending yourself is always right. What is complicated about that?

Let’s see… How many people currently cannot (in essence) “legally” defend themselves because they cannot own a gun… or in some cases, any tool even remotely effective?

Millions of people who have been incarcerated and released – even those with no violent history.
Millions who have sought help for depression and other emotional problems (including veterans), with zero history of violence.
Millions of people who live where it is “illegal” to own or carry a gun, one way or another. This includes all of the people who must be in places, like schools and hospitals, were everyone is forbidden to carry a self defense tool.
Millions of people who have, for whatever reason, incurred the wrath of their spouse and have a “restraining order” against them, legitimately or not.
Millions of young people below the arbitrary age “limit,” however mature and responsible they might be.
Millions of foreigners, with zero violent background.

And then there are millions more who have been brainwashed into believing that they shouldn’t or can’t defend themselves, or that the police will defend them, or that they can just wish it away… The few (outside of government predators, of course*) who actually are violent, and truly want to hurt people will always find a way to do so if they can find helpless victims and believe they will get away with it (or want to die themselves anyway). Yet the major response of far too many people is to consider doing things that will simply create more and more innocent, helpless victims.

That’s an AWFUL lot of helpless potential victims. And, sure enough… they’re the ones who are dying. Seems to me that what the country needs is far FEWER helpless victims. The only way to arrive at that is to remove the restrictions on those who wish to defend themselves. Risk free utopia is not an option.

Those who don’t want to defend themselves and would rather take their chances… fine with me. They should also be perfectly free to remain sitting ducks. They just have to realize that attempting to make others helpless has nothing at all to do with making them safe.

And that goes double for the rest of the world.

* The stories of the BILLIONS of helpless, innocent people murdered by their governments over the centuries is a subject well covered here:

Innocents Betrayed

Genocide examples from all over the world: Russia, China, Germany, Cambodia, Guatemala, Uganda, Rwanda and more. Examples showing how disarmed people in America have suffered persecution, mass murder, slavery, and terrorist attacks.

A fast-moving, modern production, Innocents Betrayed presents the entirely true accounts of how civilian disarmament made possible the killing of millions. The point is made sharply, clearly, unforgettably. It’s the factual counterpoint to the lies in Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine.”

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