July 1, 2019

Political winds have shifted in favor of marijuana legalization

fromTheHill: At the federal level, members of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time overwhelmingly voted in favor of legislation halting federal interference in state-specific marijuana laws.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Homelessness and the problem of public space

fromMises: The debate is between leftwing activists and nearly everyone else: namely, that public spaces ought to be opened up for use by anyone wishing to live on it.

Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Drug warriors peddle fears about cocaine -- again

fromReason: Cocaine offers better value than the market in prohibitionist fears.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

⭐️ VIDEO: In Their Own Words - The Democratic Party's Vision for America

fromConsortiumNews: From the Democratic Party Presidential Candidates Debate (June 26-27, 2019), candidates put forward their vision to transform America into a socialist utopia.

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption           Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Kamala Harris is a cop who wants to be president

fromReason: The California senator and former prosecutor has a long record of pushing illiberal policies. 

Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption            Police State America

CIA seeking more impunity

fromConsortiumNews: The agency is trying to get a pass on crimes even before they’re committed and it represents a threat to press freedom.

The Government is Not Us

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

October 21, 2017

Federal court ponders Constitutionality of prostitution ban

from Reason: "Why should it be illegal to sell something that you can give away for free?"
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

USA Liberty Act won’t fix what’s most broken with NSA internet surveillance

from EFF: The bill doesn’t end the practice of “backdoor searching,” when government agents — including domestic law enforcement — search through the NSA-gathered communications of Americans without any form of warrant from a judge.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Republicans officially give up trying to cut spending

from Reason: After all that fuss from 2009 onward, Rand Paul is the last Republican left objecting to the continued growth of government.
Economic Policy: Statism vs. The Free Market

DHS pays police millions to ticket and prosecute motorists

from MassPrivatei: Police pull over more than 50,000 drivers on a typical day, more than 20 million motorists every year. So why do they need more money still?
Police State America

50 state study shows that more requirements lead to less jobs

from Will-Law: States with more burdensome licensure requirements (fees, training hours, exams, and age requirements) had significantly lower employment in the ten professional occupations.
Regulation Nation

The media blackout of Clinton-uranium scandal senate probe

from CNS News: Media bias is currently “on full display,” Media Research Center President Brent Bozell warned Thursday as network news continued to ignore the Senate probe into the Clinton-Uranium scandal.
Media Bias on Parade

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

VIDEO: Jury Nullification, Jury Rights & Jury Independence

Police Humor: Cops Scam Woman Into Her Bringing Meth In For Ebola Contamination Test, Then Toss Her Ass In Jail

by David Kravets.    Some hooks don't require bait. A Central Texas police department issued a "breaking news alert" on Facebook, cautioning residents that meth and heroin in the Granite Shoals area "could be contaminated with the life-threatening disease Ebola." Last week's fake Facebook alert urged the public "NOT" to ingest those illicit drugs  ... MORE

Carey Welder: Nixon Advisor Admitted War On Drugs Invented To Crush Anti-War And Black Movements

A damning revelation comes to light.    In 1994, a former Nixon policy adviser admitted the War on Drugs was waged not to keep Americans safe, but to crush dissent. According to John Ehrlichman, who served time in prison for his involvement in the Watergate scandal, the Drug War was intended to disempower anti-war and black    ... 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

Jury Nullification Gets Big Boost From Lawmakers

by Bob Unruh. Because justice is a result, not just a process.   A New Hampshire bill would require state courts to inform juries that a defendant who has been shown to have committed a crime can be declared not guilty if a guilty verdict would “yield an unjust result,” a concept known as jury nullification. The plan, approved 184-145 by the state House  ... MORE

Lizzie Dearden: Iranian Drug War Kills Every Man In Town

Ending drug the government way.   Every man in an Iranian village has reportedly been executed by the government on drug charges. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the vice president for women and family affairs, was arguing for increased provision for convicts’ families when she made the admission. “We have a village in Sistan and Baluchestan    ... MORE

Tim Cushing: Drug Dogs Don't Even Have To Be Right Half The Time To Be Considered 'Reliable' By The Courts

The pretense of probable cause.   All in all, this motion to suppress evidence worked out for the plaintiff, but it does little to address concerns that drug dogs are basically blank permission slips for inquisitive cops. The defendant -- Emile Martin -- was in a vehicle driven by another person (simply referred to as "Montgomery" in the opinion). This vehicle  ... MORE

Why Jury Nullification? New Jersey Man Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison For Growing 17 Marijuana Plants

by MaryAnn Spoto.    Because justice is a result, not simply a process. A Mays Landing man was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday for growing 17 marijuana plants in the Pinelands. When Jon Peditto was arrested in 2012, he admitted the pot plants were his and told investigators he grew them primarily for his own use but had also ... MORE

Prostitution Decriminalization Debated In New Hampshire

by Elizabeth Nolan Brown.    New Hampshire legislators last week debated the merits of decriminalizing prostitution, in response to a bipartisan bill filed by state Reps. Amanda Bouldin (D-Hillsborough), Carole McGuire (R-Merrimack), and Elizabeth Edwards (D-Hillsborough). On Thursday, January 28, the New Hampshire Criminal Justice and   ... MORE

What Passes For Justice In Missouri: Brother And Sister Get More Than 15 Years Each For Growing 12 Marijuana Plants

by Teresa Ressel.    Why you should learn about jury nullification. A brother and sister will be going to prison for a while for growing marijuana in their apartment. On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte sentenced 34-year-old David G. DePriest to 22 years in prison for production of marijuana, possession of more than five grams of   ... MORE

Frank Parlato: It's Time You Understood Jury Nullification

Justice is a result, not simply a process.   Jury nullification is the term used when a jury – or even a single juror – votes to acquit a criminal defendant who is technically guilty, but who juror(s) do not believe deserve punishment. It occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge’s instructions. It occurs when a single juror  ... MORE

Michael Thomsen: Legalizing Weed Isn’t Enough

Permit marijuana use in public.    Recreational marijuana use has been legal in Seattle since 2012, but I still felt like I was getting away with something when I walked into a dispensary there this fall. There was a bouncer waiting behind a roped-off entryway on the otherwise quiet Capitol Hill side street. He passed my driver’s license through a  ... MORE

Walter Block: Why You Should Want Blackmail To Be Legal

Blackmail would diminish real crime.  At first glance it is not hard to answer the question, "Is blackmail really illegitimate?" The only problem it would seem to pose is, "Why is it being asked at all?" Do not blackmailers, well, blackmail people? And what could be worse? Blackmailers prey on people's dark, hidden secrets. They      ... MORE

Top White House Drug Official: War On Drugs Is A Failure

by Alex Mierjeski.   That makes it unanimous. The nation's top drug official went on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night and proclaimed the old War on Drugs a failure. Michael Botticelli, who serves as the director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, also said he wants to reform and refocus U.S. drug policy. When asked by "60 Minutes"  ... MORE

VIDEO: Legal Pot Will Soon Be Almost Everywhere

In The Public Service - Heroic Cops Protect Community By Raiding A Group Of 90-Year-Old Women Playing MahJong

by Matt Agorist.   As hundreds of thousands of rape kits collect dust and remain untested, cops are quick to jump to action to raid a group of elderly women playing mahjong. A concerned citizen, with a knack for blindly following all decrees handed down from the establishment on high, conducted their patriotic duty of ‘seeing something’ and then    ... MORE