February 11, 2020

Red flag laws and the consequences of good intentions

fromSalon: The consequences of disarming the uncooperative.
2nd Amendment Assaults

Louisiana prosecutors say they can't be sued over the fake subpoenas they used to pressure witnesses

fromReason: In several cases, victims received higher bonds than criminal defendants and were forced to go to jail.
The Government is Not Us              Police State America

The death of federalism: Lincoln’s real legacy

fromTenthAmendmentCenter: Are you certain that Lincoln's birthday is a day you should celebrate?
The Government is Not Us

Philosophy on one foot

fromAtlasSociety: Ayn Rand was once asked if she could present the basics of her philosophy, in short form, while standing on one foot. Here’s what she said: 
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

How Big Tech reshapes politics by censoring conservative ideas

fromWashingtonExaminer: The forces driving Big Tech’s online censorship are market pressures, de-platforming campaigns by liberal activists and journalists, and the fact that Silicon Valley is staggeringly one-sided politically.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Alabama bill would bar enforcement of any federal red-flag laws

fromTenthAmendmentCenter: The federal government relies heavily on state cooperation to enforce almost all of its laws. By simply withdrawing this necessary cooperation, states and localities can nullify most federal programs.
2nd Amendment Assaults

May 22, 2019

College students believe that hate speech is not free speech

fromNewser:   They are obviously not taught that the First Amendment expressly exists to protect unpopular speech, since popular speech needs no protection.

Indoctrination and Censorship

You’ve been warned: Widespread US face surveillance is ‘imminent reality’, says tech privacy report

fromRT:   Georgetown researchers are warning Americans about a sophisticated real-time face surveillance system that’s about to become an “imminent reality” for millions of citizens across the country.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

US prosecutors to 'help themselves' to Julian Assange's possessions

fromTheGuardian:   Julian Assange’s belongings from his time living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London will be handed over to US prosecutors on Monday, according to WikiLeaks.

The Government is Not Us       Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Walter E Williams: Socialist promises

fromCreators:   Socialism promises a utopia that sounds good, but those promises are never realized. It most often results in massive human suffering.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

His house Is worth $125K. The fine over his lawn Is $30k

fromNewser:   His lawn was higher than ten inches for two months. This is one way local governments are financing their deficit spending.

The Government is Not Us       Regulation Nation

Three reasons flawed capitalism is still better than perfect socialism

fromTheDailyBell:   With the example of suffering Venezuelans right before their eyes, it seems incredible that so many Americans are still buying into the promises of socialism.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Jan 29, 2019

America’s public schools have become socialist indoctrination factories

fromAmericanThinker: How is it that the same generation that has benefited more from capitalism than any other in human history is also the generation most willing to destroy it?

Indoctrination and Censorship

Washington state lawmaker wants to ban dwarf tossing, says it 'ridicules and demeans'

fromReason: What's actually demeaning is thinking you know what's best for an entire group of people.

Regulation Nation

VIDEO: Deep State Double Standard - The Persecution of Roger Stone

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: The Mueller investigation doggedly persecutes Trump associates over crimes not associated with Russian collusion but rather stimulated by his own inquisition.

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process        Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

One way outraged Americans can beat Robert Mueller

fromAmericanThinker: Jury nullification can be used to rebuke abuses of power committed by unaccountable, out-of-control special counsels like Robert "Gestapo" Mueller.

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process        Police State America

America's stubborn left clings to Nicolas Maduro despite all evidence

fromReason: It's time to admit the failure of Venezuela's "21st century socialism."

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

California governor calls for a tax on the very water citizens drink

fromTheFreeThought Project: Communities throughout the state struggle with dangerous pollutants in their supply, but opponents of the suggested tax say there is no need to tax residents in order to solve the problem.

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery      Regulation Nation

August 6, 2018

Survey shows shocking percentage of Americans are unable to name a single First Amendment right

fromIJR: Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed in May and June of this year, only one person was able to name all five First Amendment rights. A whopping 40 percent, however, couldn't name any.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Trump pumps the brakes on Obama-era fuel standards

fromReason: The administrations proposal will make cars more affordable and save lives.
Regulation Nation

Former federal state prosecutor worries about jury nullification In Manafort trial

fromNPR: Many statists worry the jury could see through their tyrannical strong-arm tactics and blatant political persecution and the judge isn't helping.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Feds spend $1.1 million creating apps for transwomen and gay teens with ‘hooking up simulations’

fromWashingtonFreeBeacon: Your tax dollars at work. You are now subsidizing T3, a "sex-positive" app targeting black men ages 14 to 17 who have sex with men.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery       The Government is Not Us

WATCH: Cop walks up to unarmed man, shoots him in the face then plants a weapon on him

fromFreeThoughtProject: A cop tried to claim an unarmed man tried to rob him but video shows the cop shoot the victim in the face and then plant a weapon on him.
Police State America

Criminal investigation launched against Detroit cop who was filmed beating a naked woman in a hospital

fromDailyMail: The officer is on paid suspension. It was announced that a criminal investigation has been launched.
Police State America

January 10, 2018

Operation Condor – How NSA Director Mike Rogers saved the U.S. from a massive Constitutional crisis…

fromConservativeTreeHouse: This outline is the story of how the FBI Counterintelligence Division and DOJ National Security Division were weaponized and the full story of what House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes is currently working to expose.

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

Charges against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his sons tossed from federal court

fromReason: Judge cites "flagrant prosecutorial misconduct" on the government's part.

The Government is Not Us     Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Red Robin eliminates positions after minimum wage hikes

fromFOX23: In the wake of minimum wage hikes around the country, a chain hopes to save some money. Red Robin announced Monday it plans to cut bus boys from 570 restaurants. The move will save the company about $8 million over 2018.

 Regulation Nation      Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Elite universities get low rankings for viewpoint diversity

fromCampusReform: The University of Chicago topped the list with a score of 98, while the University of Oregon came in last with a score of just 10.

Indoctrination and Censorship

Federal agencies may be regularly hiding surveillance methods in criminal cases

fromReason: "This use of secret evidence may be occurring regularly in cases throughout the country."

The Government is Not Us    Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process    Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Justice Department claims that increasing traffic stops by 56% will lower crime

fromMassPrivateI: In what can best be described as government sanctioned theft, our justice system has devised a new way to take money and liberty from minorities. Police are using traffic citations to help balance budgets and much more.

Regulation Nation    Police State America

December 1, 2017

‘Surrender your firearms’ – gov’t now confiscating guns from medical cannabis users

from TheFreeThoughtProject: Gun owners in Hawaii who legally use medical cannabis have been told they have 30 days to “voluntarily surrender” their firearms to the police.
2nd Amendment Assaults   The Government is Not Us   The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Supreme Court justices voice support for digital privacy

from USA Today: A majority of Supreme Court justices voiced concerns Wednesday that the government's ability to monitor people through their cellphones violates their privacy.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Records show these prosecutors gave themselves huge bonuses using asset forfeiture funds

from Rare: The district attorney’s office in Suffolk County on Long Island, N.Y., has been caught funneling enormous sums of criminal asset forfeiture funds straight into employees’ pockets with huge bonuses as high as $108,886.
The Government is Not Us   Police State America  Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

A bipartisan tradition of enabling spendaholics

from Creators: Our national debt is $20.5 trillion and heading to $30 trillion by 2030. But rather than a wake-up call for Republicans, they want to get rid of the spending caps meant to constrain lawmakers' uncontrollable appetite to spend.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Macy’s parade security used to promote surveillance and police state

from TheDailyBell: The authorities make sure to push the idea that agents see you without you seeing them. They want everyone to know that embedded amongst the crowds are government spies. This is just getting people used to the idea of being watched.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

John Stossel: The Evil Rich

from Creators: As Republicans struggle to agree on a tax plan, Democrats and much of the media label each attempt at reform a "gift" to rich people. They are right in that any tax cut disproportionately favors rich people since the rich pay much more tax.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

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

The Clinton Investigation Enters A Dangerous Phase

by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano.      The FBI investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's failure to protect state secrets contained in her emails has entered its penultimate phase, and it is a dangerous one for her and her aides. Federal law enforcement sources have let it be known that federal prosecutors and the FBI have   ... MORE

Bob Unruh: How Much Power Do Juries Really Have?

Answer: much more than they are told. A case against a Michigan man for handing out informational leaflets on jury nullification in front of a courthouse could impact what juries can do and how much control judges and prosecutors have of their decision-making process. “Freedom of speech is not absolute,” argued Brian E. Theide, who is        ... MORE

Felony Charge For Selling A Wisconsin Beer In Minnesota

by Brian Doherty.      Complete f-ing insanity from the outskirts of the Land of the Free, as reported by Minnesota Star-Tribune, about a former pair of publicans from Minnesota who will be going to court in March facing felony charges for selling Spotted Cow beer at the Maple Tavern in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The former owner and manager (the bar is    ... MORE

Justice Sotomayor Has Kind Words For Jury Nullification

by Jacob Sullum.   Because justice is a result, not just a process. This week Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor had some kind words for jury nullification, which empowers jurors to judge the law as well as the facts of a case and may involve disregarding the law when the law is unjust. During a discussion about juries at NYU Law School on   ... MORE

VIDEO: The Grand Jury - A Prosecutor's Best Friend

How the grand jury system can be easily manipulated for political purposes.

Why Grand Juries Are A Prosecutor's Best Friend

by Sara J. Berman.   Choosing evidence to control the outcome. Unlike a preliminary hearing, held in court with the defense side present, the grand jury does not make its decision in the context of an adversary proceeding. Rather, grand jurors see and hear only what prosecutors put before them. (Prosecutors technically have an obligation to     ... MORE

Jury Nullification Anyone? - Planned Parenthood-Linked Prosecutor Fuels Bias Charges Against Pro-Life Activists

by Valerie Richardson.      Pro-life groups cried foul over Monday’s criminal indictments against two Center for Medical Progress investigators because a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s office is also a Planned Parenthood board member. Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action, called for a special prosecutor to review    ... MORE

How Hate Speech Laws Actually Work

by Elizabeth Nolan Brown.  The most baffling thing about the people—mostly liberals—who push for laws against "hate speech" is their apparent inability to imagine these bans backfiring. In their zeal to punish those who spread sexist, racist, transphobic, or otherwise unfashionable speech, they too often ignore the ways tools of censorship—including hate    ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Shut Up Or Else

A Prosecutor's Guide To Not Prosecuting A Killer Cop

'Public servants' protect each other. Lt. Mark Tiller did not violate the law when he fired two shots into a moving vehicle in July, killing Zachary Hammond as the unarmed 19-year-old attempted to flee, a state prosecutor announced Tuesday. Tiller, a Seneca, South Carolina, officer, has maintained that he fired his gun because he feared for his  ... MORE

Police Prosecutions Have Increased, But Not Convictions

by Scott Shackford.      I don't know that I would necessarily call it "good news" that we're seeing more police officers facing actual charges and trials for fatal shootings. Given, though, that there's been a notable increase in the number of people killed by police in recent years, a doubling in the frequency by which officers face trial in 2015     ... MORE

VIDEO: What Everyone MUST Know About Jury Duty

Because justice is a result, not just a process.