Monday, March 30, 2009

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Little Green Footballs - Overseas Contingency Operations Against Something or Other

"I’m really not sorry to see the phrase “War on Terror” being retired by the Pentagon; it’s always seemed like a complete misnomer. You don’t fight a war against a tactic, you fight against people with an ideology. This battle would have been much better described as the “War on Militant Islam,” but our government is too hobbled by political correctness to ever be that direct and truthful."

Little Green Footballs - Overseas Contingency Operations Against Something or Other

Wonders of the digital age

Who would have dreamed, while writing a book 47 years ago, as Leonard Read wrote "Elements of Libertarian Leadership" in 1962, that there would come a day when the pages of the book would be scanned and digitized, saved as a PDF file, able to be accessed in seconds from virtually anywhere in the world, and that while the student reads the book on a computer, he is able to do a Google search on any entry in the book, such as "Hugo Grotius", and be directed to a fine article on the subject on Wikipedia.

Makes me wonder whether the world will also see quantum leaps of technology commensurate with these in the coming 47 years, and whether we are any better at imagining what they might be than Mr. Read's peers likely were in 1962.

The White House - Blog Post - Open for Questions: President Obama to Answer Your Questions on Thursday

I just submitted my question and voted for several other good ones.

I wrote, "Do you have any financial advisors that are well-read in the Austrian school of economics (e.g., von Mises, Hayek, Hazlitt, Rothbard)? I agree with Ron Paul that this school has much wise guidance to offer in our current economic situation."

The White House - Blog Post - Open for Questions: President Obama to Answer Your Questions on Thursday

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Conservative Bloggers Now Labeled “Domestic Terrorists”? -- Faultline USA

"You might be a domestic terrorist if..."

Faultline USA: Conservative Bloggers Now Labeled “Domestic Terrorists”?

VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: 'Just submit ... you can protest later' - Opinion - ReviewJournal.com

Vin Suprynowicz writes:


For the first 50 years of the life of this Republic -- when things were pretty peaceful, from all reports -- America didn't even HAVE any police forces as we know them today. When was the Constitution amended, Former Officer Ron? When did they take the old part that says we're to remain "secure in our persons, houses papers, and effects," free from search and seizure unless a warrant is issued "upon probable cause supported by oath or affirmation ..." and add to it your new section that reads "Oh yeah, unless someone calling himself a policeman decides to stop you and issue whatever arbitrary orders and commands he can dream up, at which point you have to 'submit' or else he can shoot you down like a dog"?

I've got my copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in front of me, Officer Ron -- the one every "public servant" swears an oath to "protect and defend," with no weasel words about "protecting officer safety." And I can't find that part.


VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: 'Just submit ... you can protest later' - Opinion - ReviewJournal.com

Monday, March 23, 2009

Campaign For Liberty — Iran: A Way Forward   | by Philip Giraldi

Philip Giraldi: "the Obama administration should make the decision to pursue a purely realist policy when dealing with Iran, one that is based on respective national interests while recognizing the limitations of American power. It should also concede that there might be some issues that cannot be resolved. It must accept that Iran and other players in the Persian Gulf region have legitimate concerns that must be respected by Washington, replacing the former policy of coercion with one that is inclusive and based on cooperation."

Campaign For Liberty — Iran: A Way Forward   | by Philip Giraldi

Importance Of The Promise | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty

"In short, it does matter what one’s major premise is — in­deed, it may matter more than anything else in this earthly ex­perience."
- From Chapter 2 of "Elements of Libertarian Leadership" by Leonard E. Read, 1962

Importance Of The Promise | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty

How to Reduce Taxes | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty

Leonard E. Read wrote (1960), "It is only when we understand that government can have no rightful powers of control, over and beyond the powers that inhere in individuals as moral rights, that we can clearly recognize the proper limitations of the State. With this recognition will come the trimming process: government reduced to the enormously important function of securing the rights of man. Limited to this role — its only competence — government will become an aid, not an ailment; a bargain, not a burden. Taxes will then be a matter of relative unimportance. Summarized, this paper insists that the only way to reduce taxes is for each devotee of liberty to become, as best he can, a moral philosopher. Too difficult? Only if the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, and the Declaration of Independence are beyond one’s scope!"

How to Reduce Taxes | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty

Free Libertarian: Environmentalists Decry "Nano" Car

Mike Renzulli: The guiding principle of environmentalism is self-sacrifice. In this case it is the sacrifice of man to nature instead of longer, prosperous and healthier lives along with higher standards of living. Human beings are not born slaves and have a moral right to their lives and, short of doing harm to others, can live them as they see fit.

Free Libertarian: Environmentalists Decry "Nano" Car

Congressman Ron Paul - Bankruptcy is Economic Stimulus - Texas Straight Talk

Ron Paul writes:


The distraction on Capitol Hill this week has to do with the jackpot bonuses that executives at AIG recently received. The argument is over a relative drop in the bucket...

The big mistake was appropriating the TARP funds in the first place. A Johnny-come-lately bill of attainder won’t stop the spending epidemic. This whole situation is a perfect demonstration of why “doing nothing” and letting failing companies fail would have been much better than sinking valuable money and resources into them...

Bankruptcies are a net positive for the economy because more productive competitors are rewarded by opportunities to buy up remaining assets at bargain prices to strengthen their operations. In an economy that allows this kind of growth and change, any jobs lost by bankruptcy are soon replaced by new ones as the most efficiently managed businesses gain access to more assets and expand...

AIG, by losing money and maneuvering their operations to the brink of bankruptcy, was telling us that they were inefficient. So what did we do? We forced the taxpayer to assume the losses, and now we are supposed to be shocked that it is not working out. Had AIG gone bankrupt, it would have been impossible to hand out these bonuses. The taxpayer would have been fleeced for $170 billion less last year. Had they gone bankrupt, the world would not have come to an end, it would just continue on with one less engine of wealth destruction.


Congressman Ron Paul - Bankruptcy is Economic Stimulus - Texas Straight Talk

Marijuana & the Bible

Interesting analysis.

"Teach God's truth. Warn your congregation that the war on marijuana is unchristian and must be ended. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you will be no priest to Me … for I desired mercy and not sacrifice. (Hosea 4:6, 6:6) Remember: Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving"

.: #Marijuana & the #Bible

Everyone is wrong about the AIG bonuses -- DownsizeDC.org

"Those upset about the AIG bonuses should focus on the fact that Congress authorized them. All the Congressional grand-standing about how bad the bonuses are is rank hypocrisy."

DownsizeDC.org

Socialism: Not a Scare Tactic | American Issues Project

Justin Higgins: The same people that argue so fiercely in defense of Darwinism are continuously fighting against social or economic Darwinism.

Socialism: Not a Scare Tactic | American Issues Project