November 28, 2017

These laws are eroding public trust with police. And they are hurting good officers too

from Sacramento Bee: Here is the point that always gets lost in discussions about police brutality: The system is rigged in favor of the police every time it is alleged.
Police State America

The Motherboard guide to avoiding state surveillance

from Motherboard: A straightforward guide to privacy, messaging, and keeping yourself safe from passive and active surveillance.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Mother, Air Force vet kidnapped, sent to Rikers for traveling in NY with her legal Texas handgun

from TheFreeThoughtProject: For carrying her legally purchased and licensed handgun in her vehicle as she traveled through New York, a mother of two and honorably discharged veteran was arrested and charged with a felony.
Police State America    2nd Amendment Assaults

Walter E Williams: Black Self-Sabotage

from Creators: How long will black people accept the educational destruction of black youngsters — something that only benefits the education establishment?
Indoctrination and Censorship

Trump calls for media competition to win FAKE NEWS trophy

from DownTrend: The smart money is on CNN.
Media Bias on Parade

Legalization a boon to more than just marijuana markets

from the Las Vegas Sun: “Let’s put it like this: A rising tide takes all ships,” said Stuart Titus, CEO of San Diego-based General Hemp. “It’s incredible to see the growth in the industry.”
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

November 27, 2017

Warning: one of these monopolies is going to control you

from TheDailyBell: It is time to break up the only true monopoly in the United States, the federal government.
The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - Social Security Lies and Deception

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Milton explains how Social Security, which was sold to the American people as an insurance scheme, is in reality a bad tax and a bad welfare distribution system.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

On Roy Moore: When did 'proof' become immaterial?

from WND: Most definitely a man in his 30s who tries to make out with a 14-year-old girl deserves 30 days in the electric chair. But have you ever forced yourself to face up to the other side of things? A Barry Farber column.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Freedom for Television and Radio

from Mises: There is one important area of American life where no effective freedom of speech or the press does or can exist under the present system. That is the entire field of radio and television.
Regulation Nation

Bay Area takes police-state approach to tobacco

from Spectator: San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities have banned vaping and flavored tobacco, thus exposing their progressive hypocrisy.
Regulation Nation

Facebook removed this small town business’s ads for American flags because it sell guns

from TheDailyCaller: Facebook unmasked. The Sportsman’s Shop says it can no longer advertise products like American flags on Facebook because its Facebook page promotes the sales of guns, and includes links that lead to the same.
Indoctrination and Censorship

November 17, 2017

Asset forfeiture gone wild: after pot raids, cops legally steal 7 houses

from High Times: Michigan cops seize the homes of seven medical marijuana patients. In practice, asset forfeiture (legalized theft) has become an irreplaceable (even though immoral) revenue stream for American law enforcement officers.
Police State America

Supreme Court abortion case could promote free speech by both sides

from USA Today: California idiocy goes to trial. Red states might have to stop requiring advice some consider propaganda. And pro or con, both sides could end up having to trust women more.
Indoctrination and Censorship   The Government is Not Us

The state of street-level surveillance

from EFF: EFF’s “Street-Level Surveillance” project shines light on the advanced surveillance technologies that law enforcement agencies routinely deploy in our communities.
Police State America   Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Tighter gun laws will leave libertarians better-armed than everybody else

from Reason: In a politically polarized America, gun control is destined to be obeyed primarily by its advocates.
2nd Amendment Assaults

California mandates send electricity prices skyrocketing, but Texas free market policies keeps prices low

from Fox News: In 2017, Californians paid almost double – 86 percent more – to keep the lights on and run manufacturing than did Texans.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Jury acquits ‘nice guy’ who admitted selling cannabis to a cop

from Leafly: The Declaration of Independence states that America exists to produce a government that will protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness implies self-determination so long as it does not intrude on the rights of others. Gambling, drugs and prostitution are all pursuits of happiness and should be nullified by a jury.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange   Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

October 26, 2017

At long last, Hillary Clinton is the focus of 2 investigations

from USA Today: No pay for play? Funny how once she lost the election, donations to the Clinton Foundation completely dried up. Finally, a serious look into corruption surrounding the Clinton Foundation.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Can the Feds prosecute foreigners if their actions are legal where they are?

from Creators: From Judge Napolitano: "This is all about power and the fiction of universal jurisdiction — a fiction the Framers thought they had buried. It needs to be buried again."
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

John Stossel: A Private Military

from Creators: We've fought in Afghanistan for 16 years now. Are we making progress? After 9/11, we invaded, overthrew the Taliban, killed Osama Bin Laden and — stayed. Afghanistan is now America's longest war, ever. President Trump's solution is to send several thousand more soldiers. Erik Prince says he has a better idea.
Defense Versus The War Machine

🎬  Cop caught on video breaking into elderly man's home, stealing cash & prescription drugs

from TheFreeThoughtProject: In America, police can legally break into your home and steal your property even if you are innocent, a practice is known as civil asset forfeiture. However, in the video below, a cop was arrested because he did not receive approval from his superiors before stealing from an innocent person.
Police State America

Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens

from Wired: The Chinese government plans to launch its Social Credit System in 2020. The aim? To judge the trustworthiness – or otherwise – of its 1.3 billion residents. Could this be coming to country near you?
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

🎬  Trey Gowdy - Comey's Testimony Does Not Add Up

from LibertyPen: The FBI confirms that James Comey drafted his public statement about the results of the Hillary Clinton investigation months before it was completed. Dozens of witnesses had not yet been questioned, including Hillary herself.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

October 20, 2017

Cambridge University students given trigger warnings for Shakespeare plays

from Independent: Underdeveloped children protected from using their minds. Ideas and emotions should be challenged, not protected -- particularly in institutions of learning.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

US health care system: A patchwork that no one likes

from Washington's Top News: Overpriced and underperforming, almost all parties agree that the health care system in the U.S., which is responsible for about 17 percent of our GDP, is badly broken.
Economic Policy: Statism vs. The Free Market

Jeff Sessions announces new scheme to strengthen and expand legalized theft

from CBS News: Civil asset forfeiture. Question: If we have a government of consent, why does this practice exist? After all, citizens have no right to simply take the rightful property of others and therefore cannot delegate such powers to politicians.
Police State America

New Orleans D.A. sued for using fake subpoenas to coerce witnesses and crime victims

from Reason: After the media revealed the threatening, fraudulent notices, a lawsuit has targeted the practice. Public servants or public masters?
The Government is Not Us

U.S. judge orders taxpayers to pay for illegal alien abortion

from Washington Post: These politicians -- and make no mistake, judges are politicians -- are very generous and compassionate with other people's money. Are they imposing their agenda or administering justice? You decide.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

FBI informant "threatened" after offering details linking Clinton Foundation to Russian bribery case

from ZeroHedge: A whistleblower with knowledge of scandal is silenced by the FBI and the Obama Administration.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

October 13, 2017

Scalias all the way down

from the Wall Street Journal: The primary value of Trump is revealed. While the press goes wild over tweets, Donald is remaking the federal judiciary.
Justice is a Result, Not a Process

Smart devices are snitching on owners and rewriting the criminal justice system

from Activist Post: A new type of court case is slowly but steadily emerging within the American legal system: alleged crimes being detected from data supplied by smart devices.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Is taking a knee protected speech?

from Creators: From the great Andrew Napolitiano. Some jurisdictions — such as California, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York — give more protection to employees for expressive conduct in the workplace than others do.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Bump stock ban retroactively criminalizes possession of legally acquired products

from Reason: Government looks to turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals as current owners of newly prohibited devices can now go to prison for keeping them.
2nd Amendment Assaults

Not-so-Great Britain to criminalize reading extremist content online

from StephenLendman: 15 years for illegal reading. Will Americans resist this final nail in the coffin of free speech?
Indoctrination and Censorship

If 'no one wants to take our guns,' stop saying the opposite

from Creators: A column by Larry Elder. he "common sense" goal of many "gun control activists" is not a ban on this or that feature but a ban on civilian ownership of guns.
2nd Amendment Assaults

September 28, 2017

The campus free-speech crisis deepens

from National Review: Suspending or expelling students who shout-down speakers, disrupt campus events, or take over campus buildings is the single most important step that can be taken to end the free-speech crisis. Yet administrators will not act.
Indoctrination and Censorship

The secret slush funds of asset forfeiture

from Reason: Two investigations published this week reveal how police and prosecutors spend asset forfeiture funds outside the public eye.
Police State America

Patriots and protesters should take a knee for the Constitution

from Rutherford Institute: John Whitehead talks about patriotism and President Trump’s call for “respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem.”
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Florida town booted food truck offering meals to hurricane survivors after nearby restaurant complained

from Reason: Does government exist to serve the people or represent well-connected cronies? You decide.
The Government is Not Us

Illegal immigration cost Americans a record $135 billion last year

from The Washington Examiner: John Whitehead talks about patriotism and President Trump’s call for “respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem.”
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Jeff Sessions just made the chief of the DEA look like a pothead's hero

from Reason: Acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg reportedly resigned in part over the Justice Department's obstruction of marijuana research.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

September 23, 2017

The treasonous media hates America

from LibertyCrier: Compelling evidence is presented in an 11-minute video of Trump's words and media coverage.
Media Bias on Parade

Unlawful rental registries: Coming soon to a city near you

from The Free Thought Project: Unlike the federal government, local government cannot print money. In order to grow, they have to mine for new revenue sources.
The Government is Not Us

Cop who threw handcuffed man into lake and watched him drown, gets only 10 days in jail

from The Free Thought Project: To prove once and for all that no one is above the law, the state punishes one of its own.
Police State America

Look around! Common law works. government statute doesn’t.

from The Daily Bell: Wouldn’t that be great if you could simply base your actions on common sense and respect for the standards of a community?
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Rand Paul: ‘I won’t be bribed or bullied’ on repeal vote

from The Hill: Rand Paul is one of the few politicians who was actually committed to repealing Obamacare. He has voted to do so each time. But he will not rubber stamp Obamacare Lite.
Regulation Nation

California demands money from Gatorade to protect water from slander

from Reason: California politicians take nitwittery to the next level in order to shakedown a productive corporation.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

September 5, 2017

Prices should rise during crises like Hurricane Harvey

from Reason:  Prices serve an important function. They attract resources to where they are needed most. This is not price gouging, it is the beauty of capitalism at work.
Economic Policy: Statism vs The Free Market

Trump quietly nominates mass surveillance advocate to “protect” your privacy rights

from Activist Post: Like those who came before him, Trump is an authoritarian and as such wants to empower the state at the expense of the individual. The government is not us.
The Government is Watching Every Move You Make

The Utah nurse is not alone — police have a history of abusing professionals rendering aid

from The Free Thought Project: The Body Cam footage of a nurse being violent arrested for doing her job and refusing to break the law may be shocking, but it's not uncommon. Badges do not put one above the law.
Police State America

REPORT: America’s top universities deny students fair hearings

from FIRE: A new survey reveals that the overwhelming majority of America’s top universities fail to provide students accused of serious misconduct with the most basic elements of fair procedure.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Justice Is A Result, Not Just A Process

Latest Update: July 29, 2017

Jurors have power to judge evidence and the law itself
Senators from the right and the left come together for criminal justice reform

Civil asset forfeiture: where due process goes to die

Jurors convict man for informing jurors about jury nullification

Trial begins for man accused of spreading the word about jury nullification

When they nullify the law, jurors are just doing their jobs

A law professor explains why if you are innocent, you should NOT talk to police 

•VIDEO: Jury Nullification - The Law You Won't Be Told

Andrew Napolitano - The President and The Courts

Last week, in a public courtroom in the federal courthouse in Seattle, the states of Washington and Minnesota — after suing President Donald Trump, alleging injury caused by his executive order that suspended the immigration of all people from seven foreign countries — asked a federal judge to compel the president and all those who work for him to cease enforcing the order immediately. After a brief emergency oral argument, the judge signed a temporary restraining order,  ... MORE

Green Light For Jury-Nullification Crusaders

by Emma Gannone.     The 10th Circuit upheld an injunction that lets protesters disseminate pamphlets about jury nullification outside a state courthouse in Colorado. Jury nullification describes the practice by which a jury acquits a defendant, despite evidence of his guilt, because the jury members believe the law at issue is immoral. Protests over   ... MORE

Protecting Consumers From Speech-Chilling Lawsuits

by Michael Beckerman.    Summer is almost here, which means sun, fun, and summer vacations. It also means many of us are going to be spending time browsing online reviews to preview the good, the bad, and the ugly on travel locations. Imagine a world in which a hotel company could sue customers because they didn’t like their stay. What if  ... MORE

Juries Were Supposed To Be Able To Overturn Laws

by Clay Conrad.   History is clear. The law is unclear on exactly what a jury is. Juries can range from four to 12 members, depending on the state and case. In two states, criminal juries need not reach unanimous judgments. In some states, jurors can question witnesses. There have even been arguments for so-called professional jurors. Some believe   ... MORE

VIDEO: Jury Nullification, Jury Rights & Jury Independence

Ed Spillane: Many Judges Continue To Jail Defendants Without Money To Pay Fines. Here Are The Alternatives.

Why one judge refuses to send such folks to jail.   Melissa J. showed up in my court last year with four kids in tow. Her children quietly watched from a nearby table while I spoke with her. The charges against her — driving with an invalid license, driving without insurance, not wearing a seat belt, failure to use a child safety seat properly  ... MORE

Juries Should Rein In Prosecutors With Too Much Power

by Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Washington Post.    If there’s strong evidence that you’ve committed a crime, there’s still hope. Despite the evidence, those responsible for convicting you may choose to let you go, if they think that sending you to jail would result in an injustice. That can happen through what’s called “prosecutorial discretion,” where  ... MORE

Let's Hope For Jury Nullification: Prosecutor Wants Man To Serve 20 Years In Prison For Stealing $31 Worth Of Candy

by Josie Duffy.    What if justice was a result and not just a process? Louisiana has the dubious honor of being the most incarceratory state in the world's most incarceratory country. In New Orleans, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizaro has been hailed as a reformer—organizations like Court Watch NOLA and others have publicly    ... MORE

Jurors Need To Take The Law Into Their Own Hands

by Paul Butler, Washington Post.  I learned about jury nullification while serving as a prosecutor in the District in the 1990s. As a rookie, I was warned that in nonviolent drug cases, it would be tough to get a conviction, no matter how strong my evidence was. The experienced prosecutors explained that the African American jurors “didn’t    ... MORE

Robert Gebelhoff: How Powerful Should Our Juries Be?

Justice is a result, not just a process.  In 1986, Leroy Reed faced criminal charges he didn’t understand. A mentally disabled ex-convict from Milwaukee, Reed was charged with illegally possessing a firearm after his parole office discovered that he had purchased a .22-caliber pistol to go with a mail-order private detective course. While it was obvious  ... MORE