March 2, 2020

Politicians want to destroy Section 230, the Internet's First Amendment

fromReason: Four myths about the law that made the modern internet possible.

Indoctrination and Censorship

John Stossel: Bloomberg the nanny

fromCreators: Bloomberg targeted smoking, flavored tobacco products, fattening sodas, loud music, grass clippings, cellphones in schools, salt, guns, Styrofoam and restaurant menus without calorie counts.

Regulation Nation

Schools are pushing the boundaries of surveillance technologies

fromActivistPost: Schools are experimenting with the very same surveillance technologies that totalitarian governments use to surveil and abuse the rights of their citizens everywhere: online, offline, and on their phones.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

California reinvents the English language yet again and other nitwittery

fromDailyBell: In the latest attempt to sugarcoat turds, California will now refer to “at risk youth” instead as, “at promise youth.”

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Vaping prohibition would create black markets and put American health at risk

fromTownhall: "Democrats are attempting to take things too far and are promoting prohibitionist policies that we know don’t work and often cause more harm than good."

Regulation Nation

How can Bernie Sanders happen in America

fromTownhall: Why would any people trade individual liberty for government control?

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

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

February 5, 2020

The state owns you: The problem with "national service"

fromMises: Rather than attempt to persuade people that they ought to join the military or sign up for community service, the first instinct of draft supporters is to use coercion.
The Government is Not Us

America's self-inflicted wound: The war on drugs has been a 100 year war on our neighbors

fromMilwaukeeIndependent: For more than a century, the U.S. has worked to build a harsh global drug prohibition regime – grounded in draconian laws, enforced by pervasive policing, and punished with mass incarceration.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

New Jersey is now the 16th state to require convictions for civil forfeiture

fromForbes: But sadly, policing for profit continues to trample rights in the other 34 states.
Police State America

Lindsey Graham wants to use mistrust of big Tech to destroy your right to online privacy

fromFreedomBunker: Online platforms would have to "earn" speech protections by compromising encryption—
all in the name of fighting child porn.
The Government is Not Us

A new backlash to gun control begins in Virginia

fromNewYorker: Activists at a gun-rights rally in Richmond last week called Virginia, a state with a pro-gun tradition now on the brink of passing restrictions, “the canary in the coal mine.”
2nd Amendment Assaults

Mark Levin interviews Walter E Williams

fromFoxNews: From Life, Liberty and Levin, Mark probes the mind of Dr. Williams regarding capitalism and the future of liberty.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle          Economic Policy: Statism Vs The Free Market

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

Jan 19, 2019

Congressman slams civil forfeiture as 'a series of government shakedowns'

fromForbes: Under federal law, property owners facing civil forfeiture are essentially guilty until proven innocent and must bear the burden of proof, unlike criminal cases.

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

VIDEO: John Stossel: Government shutdown shows private Is better

fromReason: Shutdown teaches us that much of government is NOT essential.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market       The Government is Not Us

How long can Congress keep pretending marijuana legalization isn’t the norm?

fromCourant: As more states vote to legalize adult recreational use, they are creating a powerful coalition against the federal government, which continues to classify marijuana as an illegal Schedule 1 drug on par with heroin.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

How U.S. surveillance technology is propping up authoritarian regimes

fromWashingtonPost: The sale of technologies such as spyware and facial-recognition systems to human rights abusers enables insidious social control and encroachment on basic civil liberties.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

VIDEO: Why they keep coming - The migrant caravans

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: A look at the incentives that attract migrants and have politicians blocking attempts to secure the border. Also, a look at the political dynamics driving the government shutdown.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Norway readies 'Big Brother' GPS-based taxation per mile-driven

fromZeroHedge: Coming to a tyranny near you. The idea is to transform the public to electric cars, then make up lost fuel tax revenue with a scheme like this.

The Government is Not Us

Jan 4, 2019

The establishment will never say no to a war

fromNYMag: The question before us is a relatively simple one: What would be the criteria for removing our remaining troops from the Iraqi, Syrian, and more general Middle Eastern conflicts?

Defense Versus The War Machine

Defending a court’s discretion to allow arguments for conscientious acquittal

fromCATOInstitute: Throughout the entire Anglo-American legal tradition, the independence of citizen juries has been understood to be an indispensable structural check on executive and legislative power. Jury nullification!

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

78-Year-Old man in wheelchair evicted to freezing streets for treating pain with legal medical pot

fromFreeThoughtProject: He had to steer his electric wheelchair half a mile in subfreezing temperatures to get to a homeless shelter.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Top 12 debunked climate scares of 2018

fromWaatsUpWithThat: From hurricanes to polar bears, a review of debunked climate change deceptions.

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Google’s Earth: how the tech giant is helping the state spy on us

fromTheGuardian: We knew that being connected had a price – our data. But we didn’t care. Then it turned out that Google’s main clients included the military and intelligence agencies.

Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Feds spend $1,788,748 on virtual reality game for young gay men

fromFreeBeacon: Your tax dollars at work. The study, which began during the Obama administration in 2014, recruited young men over Craigslist and Grindr to practice different ways of disclosing they have HIV. 

Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

October 10, 2018

The right not to snitch

fromReason: The First Amendment protects your right to not be a rat.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Brazil considers scaling back its gun control

fromMises: "In spite of stringent gun-control measures, Brazil's homicide rates are among the worst in the world. Now there's a movement to let more Brazilians defend themselves with private gun ownership." 
2nd Amendment Assaults

Creating a suspect society: The scary side of the technological police state

fromLewRockwell: It’s a given that Big Brother is always watching us. But, it is getting even creepier and more invasive, intrusive and stalker-like.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make        Police State America

L.A. County deputies stopped thousands of innocent Latinos in hopes of their next drug bust

fromLATimes: Trolling for revenue (civil asset forfeiture). The team of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies cruises the 5 Freeway, stopping motorists on the Grapevine in search of cars carrying drugs.
Police State America         The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Americans spent more on taxes than clothing and food combined

fromBlacklistedNews: In 2017, the American people spent more money on taxes than on clothing and food combined, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s data on consumer expenditures released this month.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Anti-PC writers tricked seven academic journals into accepting hoax papers on dog rape, fat phobia, etc.

fromReason: Surprise: If you work very, very hard at fooling people, you will often succeed.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

August 30, 2018

CA becomes first state to eliminate bail for suspects awaiting trial

fromABC30: When they got rid of attorney-client privilege, no one cared because it was just Michael Cohen. Will anyone now care that the presumption of innocence is headed toward the shit can.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process        The Government is Not Us

3D gun proponent Cody Wilson defiant, offers firearm blueprints for sale

fromBitcoin.com: In an exclusive interview with Matt Aaron of the Bitcoin.com Podcast Network, Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed explains how he planned all along to defy US lawmakers.
2nd Amendment Assaults

VIDEO: Mark Penn, Tucker Carlson - Big Tech, Big Brother

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: Remember this: When liberals do the right thing morally, they often injure themselves politically. They did this weekend.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Walter E Williams: Immigrants and Disease

fromCreators: The Immigration and Nationality Act mandates that all immigrants and refugees undergo a medical screening examination to determine whether they have an inadmissible health condition.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Why the liberal dilemma leads to a Democratic demise

fromTownhall: Remember this: When liberals do the right thing morally, they often injure themselves politically. They did this weekend.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Warrior cops endanger our lives and freedoms

fromTownhall: "My beef is with the growing squads of warrior cops who have been given the green light to kill, shoot, taser, abuse and steal from American citizens in the so-called name of law and order."
Police State America

August 9, 2018

The unbelievable rise of single motherhood in America over the last 50 years

fromWashingtonPost: Research has also begun to confirm fears that children of unmarried moms face more obstacles in life. They're far more likely to live in poverty than children of married parents.
The Welfare State: Promoting Dependency

The Justice Department didn't charge him with a crime. It's going to take $39,000 from him anyway.

fromFoxNews: And why did the government take his rightful property? Because they can.
Police State America

Are tech giants working together to censor conservatives?

fromTheGatewayPundit: Apple, YouTube and Facebook BAN Infowars on the same day.
Indoctrination and Censorship     Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

VIDEO: The Paul Manafort Trial - Prosecution or Persecution?

fromLibertyPen/YouTube: From Tucker Carlson Tonight, is the FBI being deployed as tool of political persecution or to simply serve the cause of justice? Alan Dershowitz and Joe DiGenova weigh in.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Lawmaker proposes implanting microchips in people to track non-violent offenders like “pets”

fromFreeThoughtProject: A local councilman proposed the idea of implanting microchips in criminals on house arrest—even if they are nonviolent offenders.
Police State America

Barry Farber: Everyday realities of life under communism

fromWND: Barry offers examples of control progressives prefer to ignore.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market     Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

July 9, 2016

Government calls it forfeiture, but it’s theft

fromBloomberg: If America is a Christian nation, why is stealing okay?
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Smart technology sees through walls to track and identify people

fromNBCNews: A group of researchers and students at MIT have developed an intelligent radar-like technology that makes it possible to see through walls to track people as they move around.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Defying Congress, Jeff Sessions keeps blocking medical marijuana research

fromReason: Two years after accepting applications, the DEA has yet to grant licenses to growers.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

If civility is out of style, where do we end up next?

fromReason: Yearning for the days when interrupting your debate opponent was considered the height of incivility.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Caribbean nations agree to consider marijuana legalization

fromMarijuanaMoment: Caribbean nations agreed to consider marijuana reclassification, noting “human and religious rights” issues as well as “the economic benefits to be derived” from legalization.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

The next Supreme Court Justice must uphold the principles of individual liberty

fromDailyTorch: There is always an adversary looking to limit freedom, and our surest line of defense is the Constitution.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle      The Pursuit of Happiness

November 18, 2017

The spurious move to stifle speech on campus because it is 'dehumanizing'

from Reason: The latest tactics for intolerant leftists to silence opinions academics and like-minded students disagree with.
Indoctrination and Censorship

FCC approves TV technology that gives better pictures but less privacy

from Reuters: Of course they approved the technology, government likely subsidized it. It allows third parties to tap into television recording devices (cameras, voice activation), a fundamental piece of the puzzle if 1984 is the instruction manual.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

New rules with hefty fees set for growing, selling marijuana in California

from KTLA5: An array of licenses, permits and fees insure the black market will flourish in the Golden State for the foreseeable future.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

FDA loyalty to Big Pharma exposed in move to ban plant that’s CURING opioid addiction

from The Free Thought Project: Sometimes the goals of crony capitalism and the drug war clash.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange   The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Tucker Carlson - Can Government Force Speech Against Your Beliefs? 

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Can state politicians demand a Catholic pregnancy center to pimp pro-abortion propaganda. The state of California says yes. Attorney Thomas Glessner is filing a lawsuit that says no.
Indoctrination and Censorship

High schoolers win $3 million against sheriff for warrantless drug search molestation

from NY Daily News: The molesting cops continue on the job, ever vigilant in their quest to rid drugs from bras everywhere.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange   Police State America

VIDEO: Permissionless Innovation - Doctors On Demand

Obama And The Justice Dept. May Be Losing The P.R. Battle Over Encryption, But Watch The Larger War

by Scott Shackford.   Nobody believes it’s ‘just one phone.’   The government fight to access your private digital data has another front brewing. The Department of Justice wants to be able to listen in on conversations on WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging and phone service owned by Facebook. Everybody who knows anything about       ... MORE

VIDEO: John Oliver - Encryption (from HBO)

VIDEO: Edward Snowden - Encryption and Liberty

VIDEO: John Stossel - Individual Innovation

Yoni Heisler: Apple Takes On The FBI In Congress: Nine Things You May Have Missed From Yesterday’s Hearing

by Yoni Heisler. The policy debate sparked by Apple’s legal battle with the FBI has galvanized the tech world and has understandably attracted worldwide attention. At the core, Apple’s battle with the FBI centers on how we should strike a balance between user privacy and the interests of national security. Yesterday, both Apple and the FBI appeared  ... MORE

Ted Rall: What The Apple Vs FBI Flap Is Really About

[Hint: Edward Snowden]     The fight between Apple and the FBI has been framed as an epic battle between big tech and big government. Apple, says the Obama Administration, is siding with “its business model and public brand marketing strategy” ahead of public safety. That’s not it, says Apple CEO Tim Cook. He says his company is “a staunch     ... MORE

New York Judge Rules The FBI Cannot Force Apple To Unlock The iPhone Used In A Brooklyn Drug Case

Contradictory ruling to that in San Bernardino.   The U.S. Justice Department cannot force Apple to provide the FBI with access to locked iPhone data in a routine Brooklyn drug case, a New York judge says. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein made the ruling on Monday. The decision follows a California magistrate judge's order requiring  ... MORE

VIDEO: Apple Is The Patriot