January 27, 2020

Population control isn't the answer to climate change. Capitalism Is.

fromReason: "Wealthier, more developed societies are both better positioned to adapt to issues, to problems like climate change and climate impacts," says Nordhaus. 
Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

Two different Americas

fromZeroHedge: America is not the country it was founded to be. Twelve major differences that beg the question: Was the abandonment of America’s sound founding principles the reason for the dysfunction today?

The Government is Not Us

Joe Biden’s ‘conspiracy theory’ memo to U.S. media doesn’t match the facts

fromJohnSolomon: Fact: Ukraine law enforcement reopened the Burisma investigation in early 2019, well before President Trump mentioned the matter to Ukraine’s new president Vlodymyr Zelensky.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

People rarely die after using opioids prescribed for them

fromReason: The focus on pain pill prescriptions has led to policies that deprive bona fide patients of the medication they need while pushing black-market substitutes, which are far more unpredictable and dangerous.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Amazon Echo’s privacy issues go way beyond voice recordings

fromActivistPost: Major privacy concerns are starting to emerge in the way Alexa devices interact with other services – risking a dystopian spiral of increasing surveillance and control.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Male trans MMA fighter who beat up women dubbed ‘bravest athlete in history’

fromDailyBell: Why this requires courage—much less the most courage of any athlete ever—is never explained. More likely, he is just a woman-hating bully.

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

January 24, 2020

Facial recognition and the danger of automated authoritarianism

fromReason: Hundreds of police departments are using facial recognition technology without oversight.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make             Police State America

People no longer believe working hard will lead to a better life, survey shows

fromTripleHack: A growing sense of inequality is undermining trust in both society's institutions and capitalism, according to a long-running global survey.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

Walter E Williams: Diversity and inclusion insanity

fromCreators: George Orwell was absolutely right when he said, "There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them."

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

The big loser in the Iowa debate? CNN’s reputation

fromFAIR: One really does get the impression that if CNN were holding a debate on the Titanic, the first question would literally be about rearranging the deck chairs.

Media Bias on Parade

The evil list

fromSlate: Which tech companies are really doing the most harm? Here are the 30 most dangerous, ranked by the people who know.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make             Police State America

VIDEO: Ayn Rand - The Suicide of Capitalism

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: The principles of capitalism are the principles of American individualism. So why is economic freedom now under threat? An insightful look into this question from Ayn Rand. (1961)

Economic Policy: Statism Versus the Free Market

July 3, 2019

Hong Kong protests show dangers of a cashless society

fromReason: Many digital payments can be tracked, potentially assisting an authoritarian crackdown.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

VIDEO: Tech Tyranny - Censoring the Town Square

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Record-low American patriotism is the latest casualty of the sharply polarized political climate in the U.S. today. Fewer than half of U.S. adults say they are extremely proud to be Americans.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption            The Government is Not Us

How Amazon and the cops set up an elaborate sting operation that accomplished nothing

fromVice: It was a scare marketing scheme by Amazon that failed when cops were unable to make any arrests.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

The sinister, unconstitutional effort to ban secure encryption is back

fromReason: Government is demanding everyone be more vulnerable to hackers to protect their snooping.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make            The Government is Not Us

U.S. Supreme Court rules police can forcibly carry out blood draws on unconscious drivers

fromRutherfordInstitute: Screw the Fourth Amendment.

Police State America

American pride hits new low; few proud of political system

fromGallup: Record-low American patriotism is the latest casualty of the sharply polarized political climate in the U.S. today. Fewer than half of U.S. adults say they are extremely proud to be Americans.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption            The Government is Not Us

May 31, 2019

Alexa ‘could be about to get even creepier,’ Amazon patent reveals

fromYahooNews: It would alter how Echo works - so that instead of waiting for its ‘wake word’, Alexa, it would effectively be listening all the time. Only a potent 2nd Amendment will keep this from eventually being mandatory.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

VIDEO: Victor Davis Hanson - Evaluating Donald Trump

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: A brilliant analysis of the phenomenon known as Donald Trump.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Press freedom: Widespread confusion about who counts as a journalist and whether it matters

fromCreators: We have a First Amendment. Freedom is not a special privilege that belongs only to officially recognized journalists. It applies to all of us when we use technologies of mass communication.

The Government is Not Us     Indoctrination and Censorship

Cops strip-searched a 4-year-old after mom's errand took too long

fromReason: How dare the authorities not only second-guess a mom's very safe decision, but take their investigation so far beyond the bounds of common sense—and decency?

Police State America

Tide of public opinion is turning in Assange’s favor

fromConsortiumNews: The indictment of Julian Assange under the Espionage Act has profoundly affected press coverage of the WikiLeaks founder.

The Government is Not Us     Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption      Indoctrination and Censorship

The Right’s latest tactic on gun laws? Just don’t enforce them

fromRollingStone: Counties across the country are sticking it to “big city elites” by declaring themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries”

2nd Amendment Assaults         Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

October 13, 2018

Cops charged with home invasion because a man asked for a warrant and they broke In without one

fromTheFreeThoughtProject: The fourth amendment violations of two Detroit cops were so egregious that they were actually arrested and charged with home invasion.
Police State America

VIDEO: Victor Davis Hanson - WTF happened in California

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Professor Victor Davis Hanson offers explanation as to why the once great state of California now dominates the nation in poverty, high taxes, poor education, and low performance. 
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Government police fail to make arrests In nearly half of murder cases

fromMises: Many urban police departments fail to make arrests in even half of the murder cases in their jurisdictions. Imagine if a private sector policing firm had a similar rate of failure.
Police State America         The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Ronald Reagan's Vision for America

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: From “A Time for Choosing”, excerpts of Ronald Reagan on government spending, a balanced budget, property rights, regulation, Social Security, socialism and the future of America.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle         Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market    

John Stossel: socialism destroys

fromCreators: Famous actors recently made a commercial proclaiming that "democratic socialism" creates some of the best parts of America.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Amazon patents Alexa tech to tell if you’re sick, depressed and sell you meds

fromMises: Creepy Amazon app monitors your mood to know if you are getting sick so it can sell you medicine.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

March 20, 2018

Why our world needs digital currency

fromMedium: A very easily understood explanation of cryptocurrency and why it should matter to you.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle   

Trump to unveil opioid plan seeking death penalty for drug dealers

fromReuters: Authoritarian president advocates murder for those involved in approved voluntary exchange.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange   

Amazon deletes reviews of conservative authors with no explanation

fromPJMedia: Every authoritarian worth his salt knows that good ideas can be rebutted, but great ones must be censored.
Indoctrination and Censorship     Media Bias on Parade   

San Francisco is suffering from the excesses of its own liberalism

fromTheFederalist: The astounding level of mismanagement and general deterioration of public decency will continue to plague the city until reasonable measures are taken to combat vagrancy.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption     Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery  

ACLU asks in lawsuit: Why is the TSA searching digital devices on domestic flights?

fromLATimes: Government's contempt of the Constitution, in general, and the Fourth Amendment, in particular, is beyond depressing.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make 

In gambling battle, both sides are wrong

fromReason: Neither supporters nor opponents want to consider personal liberty.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange