April 17, 2019

Blaming prescription pain pills for the opioid epidemic is fake news

fromTheFederalist:  How negligent media have helped inflate a deadly moral panic over prescription opioids and ignored the real sources of addiction, while hurting people who live with devastating chronic pain.

The War On Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

China’s social credit system – It’s coming to the United States

fromInternationalMan:  The infrastructure for this system is already in place in the United States. Under the new system of life by government approval, survival becomes simple: Obey… or die.

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

The latest scheme to turn gun owners into criminals

fromFEE:  "... man was prosecuted and convicted of the misdemeanor crime of merely holding a B.B. gun in public."

2nd Amendment Assaults

How China turned a city into a prison

fromNYTimes:  The state of the art surveillance/police state

Government is Watching Every Move You Make           Police State America

Smollett case reveals the danger of DOJ’s “start by believing” push

fromFEE:  “Believe the victim” is a moral mantra with a ferocious backlash against anyone who expresses disbelief.

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Left-Wing Cities Going LAWLESS

fromLewRockwell:  Boston orders police to stop arresting criminals for breaking and entering, destruction of property or shoplifting. In the name of equal justice, the DA proclaims that criminals to be the new victim class.

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process                Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Jan 12, 2019

Boston mayor’s office to force doctors to identify and document patients who own guns

fromGatewayPundit: It is bad enough that doctor-patient confidentiality no longer exists, but now doctors are being actively co-opted into the police state.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make   2nd Amendment Assaults    Police State America

With government shut down, citizens forced to interfere in their own lives

fromBabylonBee: One of the primary functions of the government is to ignorantly muck around in the business of others, but the shutdown has forced citizens to try to fill that void themselves.

Regulation Nation

CNN has stopped being a new network and is airing nothing but talk shows

fromCNSNews: "Virtually all of its content is devoted to attacking President Donald Trump", said Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center, citing a recent example, in which 14 of CNN 15 headlines attacked Trump.

Media Bias On Parade

Mom tells neighbors her 9-year-old could help them do chores, cops arrive with child labor concerns

fromReason: "Apparently the ad generated multiple phone calls from paranoid neighbors thinking I was using my child as a slave.".

Regulation Nation

Fake news? How about no news?

fromEricPetersAuto: The mainstream press prefers you not know how energy taxes in the name of preventing "climate change" are tearing France apart.

Media Bias on Parade        Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market       

Denver could become the first US city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms

fromSFGate: More and more Americans are opening up to the idea of legalizing marijuana and other illegal substances, and some scientists have recently concluded that psychedelics could have positive effects.

The War On Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

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

July 18, 2016

Rand Paul: "Trump Derangement Syndrome" has gone over the top and people have lost the big picture

fromRealClearPolitics: The big picture is that we should be engaged with Russia. We have serious conflicts in various parts of the globe. It would be a mistake not to have open lines of communication with them.  
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Walter E Williams: Our rules of the game: US Constitution

fromCreators: We should demand that Supreme Court justices act as referees and enforce the U.S. Constitution.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle         The Pursuit of Happiness

Starbucks bans plastic straws, winds up using more plastic

fromReason: A Reason investigation reveals that the coffee giant's new cold drink lids use more plastic than the old straw/lid combo. 
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

U.S. to make more drugs easily available, cutting role docs play

fromBloomberg: An excellent move that should have been done long ago. BTW, these drugs are available now at AllDayChemist.com, SwissPharmacy.com and others. 
Regulation Nation

The Left’s outrage over Trump-Putin diplomacy shows brainwashing power of 2-party system

fromFreeThoughtProject: To the new left and the neocons, war is the only answer and if you attempt to prevent it through diplomacy, you are committing treason. 
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption 

Police kill man with bulldozer over 10 marijuana plants

fromReason: Drug war absurdity meets police recklessness. 
Police State America        The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

May 31, 2016

How to get on a jury

fromReason: And, what you do once you're there is up to you.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Trump to sign 'right to try' bill next week

fromTheHill: President Trump will sign legislation next week allowing terminally ill patients to access experimental drugs not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle       Regulation Nation

Europe plans ban on plastic cutlery, straws and more

fromCNN: In the tradition of California, Europe's PC politicos continue to lower standards for their citizens. Ever drink through a paper straw?  Yuk.
Regulation Nation

The current status of prices in Venezuela

fromEconomicPolicyJournal: A sneak peek at what the Left is pushing America towards.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Britons rage over Robinson arrest as mass protests break out worldwide

fromZeroHedge: The UK is no longer a free country and awakening citizens are freaking out. And, they should be.
The Government is Not Us

John Stossel: How junk science sends innocent people to jail

fromReason: It’s time to reform our criminal justice system.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

May 13, 2016

How a “location API” allows cops to figure out where we all are in real-time

fromCreators: Last week, The New York Times reported on Securus, a prison telecom company that has a service enabling law enforcement officers to locate most American cell phones within seconds.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make     Police State America

Texas Health Department considers cracking down on CBD

fromCreators: Why would government keep patients from a harmless pain-relieving substance? Because they can. They are regulators and the mission of regulators is to destroy options.
Regulation Nation    The War Against Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Feds collect record taxes through April; still run $385.4B deficit

fromCNSNews: Politicians succeeded to transfer more wealth from individuals to themselves but could not constrain their drunken-sailor spending.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

New law: Kansas cops can no longer have sex during traffic stops

fromCreators: This is no doubt about revenue. Good news: traffic citations can no longer be bartered away. 
Bad news: the police unions are not happy.
Police State America

The new battle over genetic privacy: How DNA sites became a police weapon

fromNewstatesman: Police are using sites such as GEDMatch.com to revive historic crime investigations.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

VIDEO: Cop savagely beats his own daughter at school, and no one tries to stop him

fromTheFreeThought: Do you really think he treats the general public better than his own daughter?
Police State America

May 1, 2016

The economic case for free trade is stronger than ever

fromReason: But working-class identity politics threaten to ruin everything.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Why Americans are avoiding the doctor

fromMarketWatch: Despite having insurance, the costs are too high.
Regulation Nation           Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Good drivers are creating a budget shortfall, proving gov’t needs you to break the law to fund itself

fromTheFreeThoughtProject: One state has found that relying on a significant percentage of its budget to be derived from traffic fees and fines leads to a massive shortage when drivers fail to break the law.
The Government is Not Us

Democrats lose ground with millennials

fromReuters: An online survey of more than 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 shows their support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Here is why North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons

fromTheNationalInterest: Kim's declaration that promises the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula is about survival.
Defense Versus The War Machine

Republicans love federal snooping

fromReason: (Unless it's against Trump).
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

February 19, 2018

Taxing America out of its liberties

fromTheWashingtonTimes: America’s Founders never envisioned the federal government having power to extract so much of our earnings and to spend it on social engineers who pry into our lives every way they can.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market      The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Thomas Sowell - Government is Not the Answer

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Professor Sowell relates how working for government cured his Marxism.
The Government is Not Us      Regulation Nation

Free market, better medicine

fromUSNews: The regulatory environment limits the creation of a free, functioning and competitive market for prescription drugs.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market    Regulation Nation

4 complaints about gun owners debunked

fromTheDailyBell: Four common knee-jerk reactions to gun ownership and the corresponding data.
2nd Amendment Assaults

Federal abuses on Obama's watch represent a growing blight on his legacy

fromTheHill: Given the tight control Obama exercised over his administration, the idea that any of these appointees and loyalists freelanced their activities without his approval or that of his White House strains credulity.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

The UK banned guns—now stabbings and violent crime are out of control

fromTheFreeThoughtProject: While gun control advocates argue stricter laws could prevent mass shootings, statistics show that countries with such laws in place battle increasing rates of stabbings and other violent crimes. 
2nd Amendment Assaults

February 18, 2018

VIDEO - Sharyl Atkisson: How real is fake news?

fromNYTimes: Highly recommended. Was the effort to focus America's attention on the idea of “fake news”—itself a propaganda effort? Connect the dots and learn who’s behind it and why.
Media Bias on Parade

People will eat what they want, not what government prefers

fromReason: Now that Michelle and the other busybodies hellbent on minding YOUR own business have finally been relegated to the dustbins of history, the end of the menu-labeling nitwittery could be in sight.
Regulation Nation

None of these popular gun control proposals would have prevented the Parkland shooting

fromReasonBlog: Policies favored by both experts and the public would not have prevented the Florida shooting.
2nd Amendment Assaults

How we got Trump's clash with the Deep State

fromTheNationalInterest: Had the deep state gotten its way, Donald J. Trump would never have come close to the Oval Office, let alone be sitting in it.
The Government is Not Us     Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

In Colombia border town, desperate Venezuelans sell hair to survive

fromNYTimes: Venezuela is steeped in economic and political turmoil. Inflation last year surpassed 2,600 percent, according to opposition lawmakers, which has exacerbated severe shortages of food and medicine.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Reality check: More Minnesotans own guns, violent crime remains low

fromCNSMinnesota: Proof that when guns are restricted from law-abiding citizens only criminals are safer.
2nd Amendment Assaults

January 17, 2018

A breath of healthcare freedom for the New Year

fromCapitalismMagazine: For more than a century we have learned to expect that government can only grow more powerful. The elimination of the individual insurance mandate of ObamaCare should be celebrated as a reversal of this trend.

Regulation Nation

House votes for six more years of warrantless surveillance

fromNakedSecurity: If you’re a member of the US “intelligence community” – the FBI, CIA and NSA – this past Thursday was a great day for homeland security.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Constitutional ignorance -- perhaps contempt

fromCreators: Is it ignorance of or contempt for our Constitution that fuels the movement to abolish the Electoral College?

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

3 lessons from prohibition, which started today in 1919

fromReason: The 18th Amendment was ratified, extending an existing ban on liquor passed during World War I.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

VIDEO: Harry Browne - Abolish the FDA

fromNakedSecurity: American consumers are risking their lives, being deprived of medicines and having their options destroyed due to the power of federal government busybodies.

Regulation Nation

Start saving now, because Social Security is screwed

fromReason: If Congress doesn't address its insolvency issues, payouts will need to be slashed by a quarter starting in fewer than 20 years.
The Government is Not Us     Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

January 11, 2018

British National Health Service cancels 50,000 surgeries

fromDailyWire: British single-payer system forced to ration care for tens of thousands.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market       Regulation Nation

VIDEO: Eugene Volokh - Threats to Academic Freedom

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Law professor and columnist Eugene Volokh looks at troubling trends against academic freedom at American college and universities.

Indoctrination and Censorship

How the government hides secret surveillance programs

fromWired: Cops can determine a suspect’s precise location, outgoing and incoming calls, and even listen-in on a call or see the content of a text message using a device called Stingray.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

As the Clinton Foundation scandal deepens, the media yawn

fromInvestors: Any voters outside the Clinton bubble who negotiated their way around the "who cares?" media in 2016 could clearly see that the Clintons have filled a 50-car train with scandal baggage over the decades.

Media Bias on Parade

Just Say No to Jeff Sessions — Ron Paul

fromPatriotRising: Sessions’ usurpation of state marijuana laws is the type of federal intrusion into state issues usually opposed by conservatives. Sadly, too many conservatives are willing to sacrifice individual liberties for the war on drugs.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange      The Government is Not Us

NSA surveillance bill would legalize loophole that lets FBI spy on Americans without a warrant

fromTheIntercept: With major NSA surveillance authorities set to expire later this month, House Republicans are rushing to pass a bill that would reauthorize existing powers and codify into law some practices that critics have called unconstitutional.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

November 16, 2017

VIDEO: Why I Hate The Left, by Owen Benjamin

from Owen Benjamin/YouTube: In the video, Benjamin explains what he means by "the Left." He also talks about political debate, and the idea that if debate isn’t centered around common goals, it’s fruitless.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Gov't approves first-ever med with digital tracking system

from Newser: The stated pretense for this tracking pill is to remind mentally challenged patients to take their meds.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

VIDEO: Hillary's Deception - The Trump-Russia Dossier

from LibertyPen/YouTube: A collection of news clips that explain the issues surrounding the Trump-Russia dossier, a phony document fabricated by British intelligent agent Christopher Steele and funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

John Stossel - Legalize Sex Work

from Creators: If you owned yourself, you would be free to rent yourself out. But you are not. That begs the question,
who owns you?
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

The Senate Intelligence Committee really wants to secretly snoop on Americans

from Reason: Every attempt to restrain and reform unwarranted domestic surveillance batted away.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make    The Government is Not Us

James O’Keefe: A truth seeker in an age of media bias

from The Epoch Times: Founder of Project Veritas on undercover journalism and holding the press accountable.
Media Bias on Parade

November 15, 2017

Financial tyranny: ‘we the people’ are the new permanent underclass in America

from Rutherford Institute: Americans can no longer afford to get sick. That’s because they are struggling to stretch their dollars far enough to pay their bills, get out of debt and ensure that if and when an illness arises, it doesn’t bankrupt them.
The Government is Not Us

Feminization of America is bad for the world

from Creators: Last week, The New York Times published an article, "Sweeping Away Gender-Specific Toys and Labels," that contained three sentences that explain one of the most important phenomena in American life.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Detroit cops posing as drug dealers brawl with colleagues posing as customers

from Reason: Maybe this is how the war on drugs should be fought from now on.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

How the left uses blacks like stalking horses

from Creators: Professor Walter E Williams provides his customary dose of wisdom.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Rand Paul says he will propose individual-mandate repeal

from Breitbart: Rand Paul Tuesday took up President Donald Trump’s challenge to Republicans to include the repeal of the Obamacare individual-mandate in their tax overhaul legislation.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

12-year-old sues Attorney General Jeff Sessions to legalize medical marijuana

from NBC News: A young girl files a lawsuit attempting to educate an old fart.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Federal Drug Warriors Push For Pill-Tracking Databases

Gov't wedging itself between doctors and patients.     The nation's top health officials are stepping up calls to require doctors to log in to pill-tracking databases before prescribing painkillers and other high-risk drugs. The move is part of a multi-pronged strategy by the Obama administration to tame an epidemic of abuse and death tied to   ... MORE

Patients In Pain, And A Doctor Who Must Limit Drugs

Gov't declares war on pain relief. Susan Kubicka-Welander, a short-order cook, went to her pain checkup appointment straight from the lunch-rush shift. “We were really busy,” she told Dr. Robert L. Wergin, trying to smile through deeply etched lines of exhaustion. “Thursdays, it’s Philly cheesesteaks.” Her back ached from a compression fracture;   ... MORE

Medical Marijuana Miracle: Watch This Mom Stop Her Daughter’s Violent Seizure in Its Tracks With Cannabis Oil

by Justin Garner.  Last week we reported on a historic study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology in April. 10,000 neurologists from around the world will have a chance to see the remarkable effectiveness of using a cannabis extract called cannabidiol (CBD) to treat seizures. As medical science explores this pathway  ... MORE

Australia About To Legalize Growing Marijuana Nationwide

by Steve Mollman.      Australia appears set to legalize the growing of marijuana for medical use nationwide. A bill introduced to parliament Wednesday (Feb. 10) by the Liberal Party would amend the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. It looks guaranteed to become law, as the main opposition party immediately pledged support for it. Under the proposal a national ... MORE

Sheri Fink: Healthcare Rationing Begins - Drug Shortages

The new incentives.   In the operating room at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Brian Fitzsimons has long relied on a decades-old drug to prevent hemorrhages in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. The drug, aminocaproic acid, is widely used, cheap and safe. “It never hurt,” he said. “It only helps.” Then manufacturing issues caused a     ... MORE

California Town Goes Podunk; Seeks To Stymie Medical Pot

by Thaddeus Miller.    As state pot policy moves forward, one city goes backwards. Medical marijuana cardholders will not be allowed to grow cannabis for their own consumption after a vote Monday while the Merced City Council figures out what cultivation and dispensaries should be permitted in the city. The council unanimously passed the    ... MORE

The Federal Ban On Medical Marijuana Was Not Lifted

by Jacob Sullum.   Contrary to what you may have read or heard, Congress did not quietly lift the federal ban on medical marijuana. Nor did it lift the ban loudly. It did not lift the ban at all. Here is what actually happened. In December 2014, Congress approved an omnibus spending bill that included a rider prohibiting the Justice Department   ... MORE