October 29, 2018

5 things Canada got right when it legalized pot

fromReason: Our northern neighbors are handling the transition from prohibition to regulation better than the U.S. in several ways.
Regulation Nation     The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Defaming Muhammad does not fall under purview of free speech, European court rules

fromScienceMag: Forget government permission. Forget those long lines at the pharmacy: Someday soon, you might be making your own medicines at home.
Regulation Nation      Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Walter E Williams: Price gouging during a natural disaster

fromCreators: Price gouging after natural disasters is often seen as evil exploitation by sellers to rip off desperate customers. Let's hold off on that conclusion until after you give thought to some very important questions.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

You could soon be manufacturing your own drugs—thanks to 3D printing

fromScienceMag: Forget government permission. Forget those long lines at the pharmacy: Someday soon, you might be making your own medicines at home.
Regulation Nation

Has America become a dictatorship disguised as a democracy?

fromRutherfordInstitute: We’re living in two worlds, you and I. There’s the world we see (or are made to see) and then there’s the one we sense (and occasionally catch a glimpse of).
The Government is Not Us

More than half of America gets more in welfare than it pays in taxes

fromMisesInstitute: Why exploding debt? More than half of Americans receive more money in various types of government transfer payments (Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Social Security) than they pay in federal taxes.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

March 9, 2018

Best Buy’s geek squad techs search customer computers for the FBI

fromCBSPittsburgh: A child pornography case against a California doctor has revealed that Geek Squad technicians have worked with the FBI to uncover data on customer’s computers for years. Best Buy should be dead to you.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

California bullet train cost surges by $2.8 billion: 'Worst-case scenario has happened'

fromLATimes: California taxpayers have been run over by the idiotic train-to-nowhere, as politicians grab land, money and resources to feed their cronies.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery       Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Tariffs and economic populism: Good politics, bad economics

fromCBSPittsburgh: Obama majored in political science. But Trump has a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. What's his excuse?
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Uncle Sam continues to stick his head in the sand on entitlements

fromReason: America needs to rethink programs that send so many taxpayer dollars to well-off seniors.
The Welfare State: Promoting Dependency     Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Why does government fear marijuana?

fromSanLuisObispoTribune: The severe suppression of marijuana will continue and even escalate until “We the People” replace our current dictatorial regime with the representative republic upon which this nation was founded.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Trooper stops driver twice within 3 hours, gropes her for no apparent reason

fromReason: The cop's boss says he did nothing wrong; the local D.A. disagrees. Make no mistake. Cops, doctors and priests are just as likely to molest as Hollywood types.
Police State America      The Government is Not Us

January 12, 2018

Congress plotting to cut a hole in the 4th Amendment, again

fromCreators: Judge Andrew Napolitano asks whatever happened to the public promise to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as it is written?

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Justice denied: The government Is not going to save us

fromRutherfordInstitute: A 26-year-old man was gunned down by police who banged on the wrong door , failed to identify themselves and then repeatedly shot and killed the innocent homeowner who answered the door while holding a gun in self-defense, but the justices of the high court refused to intervene to address police misconduct.

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Twitter engineers to “ban a way of talking” to censor opposing political opinions

fromProjectVeritas: Former Twitter software engineer Abhinav Vadrevu on shadow banning: “they just think that no one is engaging with their content, when in reality, no one is seeing it”.

Indoctrination and Censorship

John Stossel: Punish poor people

fromCreators: When health totalitarians make suggestions, leftist politicians jump.
Regulation Nation

VIDEO: Don't Talk to Cops

fromYouTube: In praise of the 5th Amendment right not to be a witness against yourself.

Individual Liberty: America's First Principle     Police State America

Federal legalization of pot would generate 1 million jobs & raise $130 billion

fromTheFreeThoughtProject: In addition to putting dent in failed 'War on Drugs,' legalization could put hundreds of thousands of people to work and generate billions in revenue.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

November 29, 2017

Supreme court cellphone case puts free speech – not just privacy – at risk 

from Guardian: Carpenter v United States has rightly prompted concerns over surveillance. But it could also have drastic implications for personal freedom in the digital age.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

This awful SCOTUS decision helped create today's civil asset forfeiture racket

from Reason: Bennis v. Michigan should be overruled.
Police State America   Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Teachers attend 'LGGBDTTTIQQAAP' sensitivity training (WTF?)

from PJMedia: The alphabet soup of PC gender nitwittery in Canada.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Nervous about traffic stops? I am. You should be too 

from Rutherford Institute: We’ve all been there before. You’re driving along and you see a pair of flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror. Whether or not you’ve done anything wrong, you get a sinking feeling in your stomach.
Police State America 

The real reason the media pushes “sexual liberation”

from The Daily Bell: When you pursue personal liberation, individual freedom, your life will only improve, right up until your last moments on this Earth. When you pursue so-called sexual liberation, your prospects of happiness decay day by day.
The Pursuit of Happiness

State courts say early-morning pot raids were gratuitous and illegal

from Reason: These cases show how blithely drug warriors resort to terrifying and potentially deadly tactics in response to "crimes" that violate no one's rights, even when safer alternatives are readily available.
Police State America   The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

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 10, 2017

TSA fails most tests in latest undercover operation at US airports

from ABC News: Procedures that are highly effective in eroding individual rights are not so effective at detecting contraband.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Marijuana Legalization 2017: States and cities where weed won this November

from Inverse: Pot remains illegal at a federal level and is still seen as a “life-wrecking” substance by the country’s Attorney General. But cannabis advocates made enormous strides in elections across the country this week.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Could giving property rights to the world's poor unlock trillions?

from BBC: Some of the most important parts of our modern economy can't be seen - but they can be heard. That's what one Peruvian economist concluded while walking through the idyllic rice fields of Bali, Indonesia, in the 1990s.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Congress is blowing its shot at real NSA reform

from The Verge: This year’s 702 reauthorization is the best chance in years to rein in the NSA.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Senate pushes to eliminate Jeff Sessions' civil asset forfeiture program

from Civilized: A bipartisan group of senators released a letter yesterday in which they called on the legislative body to pass a law to restrict the ability of the Department of Justice to enact civil asset forfeiture programs.
Police State America

Founder of web browser Opera says worried about online privacy

from Reuters: People should worry about online data collection by technology companies because it gives them unparalleled insight into users lives, the creator of one of the biggest web browsers, Opera, said on Thursday.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

September 18, 2017

Should you tell the cops you have a gun?

from Reason: Some gun owners argue that disclosure is considerate and prudent, while others worry it will escalate a routine traffic stop into a tense, unpleasant, and possibly life-threatening encounter.
2nd Amendment Assaults

25 most commonly used recreational drugs in America

from St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The drugs Americans prefer most. Of course, all of them are either illegal or severely restricted and heavily taxed. Government reverence for the pursuit of happiness is not exactly that of the founders.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Irma watch: How likely are prohibitions on ‘price gouging’ to help the poor?

from The American Spectator: Some gun owners argue that disclosure is considerate and prudent, while others worry it will escalate a routine traffic stop into a tense, unpleasant, and possibly life-threatening encounter.
Economic Policy: Statism vs The Free Market

Gun rights top media poll

from The Daily Caller: Lost in the storm of hurricane coverage, a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll demonstrates Americans’ growing support for gun rights. 

2nd Amendment Assaults

John Stossel: The best part of the Constitution

from Reason: Stossel shares his thoughts about Constitution Day (September 17).
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Will Las Vegas be ‘Amsterdam on steroids’? Door opens for pot lounges

from NBC News: What happens in Vegas will still stay in Vegas — but perhaps no longer behind closed doors, at least when it comes to pot.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

The War On Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Latest Update: July 25, 2017

Sessions suggests Trump lied when he advocated marijuana legalization be left to the states
The DEA says ‘marijuana is not medicine’ — reality says otherwise
The states are revolting; marijuana legalization not just happening at the ballot box 

Trump doubles down on failed drug war; wants more prisons less freedom

Kratom could be a cure for the Opioid Epidemic, yet the DEA wants to ban it

On 4/20, it’s a mixed bag for backers of pot legalization

The deadly war on drugs, waged by your local SWAT team

The war on drugs is a war on people

Pot Will Pump $44 Billion A Year Into Economy By 2020

by Jonah Bennett.  A profitable growth industry.  Marijuana in the U.S. will become a $44 billion a year industry by 2020, according to a Monday report by Marijuana Business Daily. Currently, the cannabis industry in the U.S. is projected to be anywhere between $14-$17 billion in 2016. If existing economic and legal trends continue at the current rates, ... 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

Christopher Ingraham: One Of The Biggest Arguments Against Marijuana Legalization Is Falling Apart

Drug use continues a decade-long drop.     America's high school students are using drugs and alcohol at or near the lowest levels on record, according to federal data released Wednesday. The 2015 Monitoring the Future Survey, conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)        ... MORE

Montana Man Walks Thanks To Jury Nullification

From the Tenth Amendment Center. In Montana, citizens rendered a marijuana law unenforceable through jury nullification. Recently, a man was arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana, but the judge could not find one single person willing to sit on a jury and convict him. Unable to seat a jury, the judge was forced to give up and offer ...  MORE

VIDEO: Legal Pot Will Soon Be Almost Everywhere

Charles Seeburger: 10 Facts About The Economics Of Weed

From black market to free market. From the legal markets thriving in states like Colorado and Washington, to the underground trade that generates billions of Mexican cartels, the economics of weed are crazy. Ganja. Smoke. Dro. Chronic. Spliffage. The names are as varied as the opinions about it: from rather innocuous plant, to cure all, to   ... MORE

Marijuana Legalization: Disaster or Catastrophe?

by Jacob Sullum.    Drug warriors are desperate to make repeal of pot prohibition look like a mistake. In 2012 Coloradans approved Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use, by avote of 55 percent to 45 percent. Last February a Quinnipiac University poll found that 58 percent of Colorado voters supported that decision, while 38   ... MORE

Jacob Sullum: Where Can You Smoke Legal Pot?

Out from the shadows.     When the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Massachusetts unveiled the text of its 2016 legalization initiative this month, the group highlighted several features of the measure but omitted the most interesting one. The Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would allow consumption of cannabis  ... MORE

D.A.R.E. Published An Op-ed Calling For Pot Legalization

by Claire Landsbaum.    It must unanimous now. The war on drugs is over, and weed won. D.A.R.E., the organization designed to plant a deep-seated fear of drugs in the minds of every late-20th-century middle schooler, published an op-ed calling for marijuana legalization. Written by former deputy sheriff Carlis McDerment in response to a letter  ... MORE

Pot Legalization Likely To Be On Michigan's 2016 Ballot

by Mara MacDonald.     It looks like Michigan voters will be deciding whether they want to legalize marijuana in 2016. Nearly 40,000 signatures have been collected in just 12 days as part of a push to get the issue on the ballot. There are two ballot proposals which have seen language approved by the state board of canvassers, but only one has   ... MORE

Jacob Sullum: Shona Banda Faces Decades in Prison Because Her Son Questioned Anti-Pot Propaganda

Childs comments may lead to prison for mom.   In Live Free or Die, a 2010 memoir recounting how cannabis oil saved her life, Shona Banda emphasizes the importance of "self-taught knowledge," acquired by constantly asking questions and "looking at all of the angles of any information given." Her son may have learned that lesson too  ... MORE

JURY NULLIFICATION: Jury Sends Message To Cops, Chase After REAL CRIMINALS; Acquits Man On Felony Pot Charges

by Matt Agorist.    In an emotional courtroom display Friday, Steven Ficano, 65, embraced his attorney and his wife after the jury read their verdict of “not guilty.” In 2012, Ficano’s house was raided by heroes protecting the citizens of Nevada from the horrors of marijuana plants. For the next three years, Ficano anxiously lived his life thinking that  ... MORE