December 16, 2017

Free speech is democracy's greatest safeguard 

from ToledoBlade: In a time of social turbulence, ensuring that all avenues of expression remain open and unabridged will ensure the preservation of our democracy and the promise of progress.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Trump calls conduct at the FBI ‘disgraceful’ in latest criticism of bureau

from TheWashintonPost: Trump has said the FBI’s reputation is “in tatters” over its handling of politically sensitive cases.
The Government is Not Us

Google Hiring 10,000 Certified Morons to Further Throttle Free Speech

from The BurningPlatform: Google openly and unabashedly champions censorship to curry favor with government authoritarians.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Have a statute of limitations for calling out men's behavior 

from StLouisPostDispatch: There should be a statute of limitations on calling men out on behavior that wasn't a crime then, and frankly is not a criminal offense now.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Residents outraged as DHS spraying town with chemicals—using them as human guinea pigs

from TheFreeThoughtProject: Residents of a small Oklahoma town fear they are being used by Homeland Security as test subjects for the chemical/biological warfare testing.
The Government is Not Us    Defense Versus The War Machine

Big Brother installing surveillance cameras in places of worship 

fromActivistPost: Places of worship are paying the government a $100 dollars a month to spy on families.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

December 15, 2017

Government is the cause of—not the solution to—online censorship

from Reason: As people worry about the net neutrality vote, public officials threaten our rights to free speech.
Indoctrination and Censorship

Bogus wiretap charges brought against man who recorded cops costs NH taxpayers $275,000

from TechDirt: Even though courts have found use of wiretap statutes in this fashion unconstitutional, in the Live Free or Die state, the statute lives freely and dies even harder.
Police State America

Bill O'Reilly: Secret tape exists of woman offered $200K to file sexual harassment charges against Trump

from ZeroHedge: The tactic of shaming, a favorite of the political left, seems to be kicked up a notch.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

FCC votes to repeal net neutrality rules

from The Hill: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to repeal its landmark net neutrality protections, capping off a months-long campaign by the agency’s Republicans to deregulate the broadband industry.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Scared Cops Are Scary

from Reason: The acquittal of the officer who killed Daniel Shaver illustrates a double standard in judging self-defense claims.
Police State America

California Brags It Will End Gun Violence With Sudden Enforcement Of 50-Year-Old Law

from DownTrend: Significant as an admission by the state that instead of enforcing existing laws, they have been passing gun control laws that only restrict the rights of law abiding people.
2nd Amendment Assaults

December 14, 2017

VIDEO: Tucker Carlson - Corruption@FBI

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Evidence is mounting that the FBI is in reality a weaponized political force for the Deep State, not an impartial information-gathering law enforcement agency.
The Government is Not Us    Police State America    Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

TSA to stop taking driver’s licenses from 9 U.S. states

from TravelZoo: Including California. Terrorists rack up another victory over American liberty. They have now succeeded in damaging America's freedom to travel, with the compliance of authoritarian U.S. bureaucrats.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Moral Values and Customs vs. Laws

from Creators: From the incomparable Walter E Williams. Customs, traditions and moral values have been discarded without an appreciation for the role they played in creating a civilized society, and now we're paying the price.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Liberate food trucks

from Creators: A John Stossel column. The rules, like demands for licensing of florists, moving companies, hair dressers, tour guides, etc., are passed by politicians. But often these politicians are in cahoots with owners of established businesses.
Regulation Nation

Welcome to the surveillance state: China’s AI cameras see all

from Creators: The future in monitoring human livestock. Coming to tyranny near you. Authorities showed a BBC reporter that they could use the system to identify and apprehend him in seven minutes.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Death and taxes: Trump's tax bill and the National Defense Authorization Act

from NationalPrioritiesProject: The $66 billion in war funding represents the permanence of the wars that began 16 years ago in Iraq and Afghanistan, with no end in sight.
Defense Versus The War Machine

December 13, 2017

Less regulation means less opportunity for government corruption

from Reason: Smaller government has the possibility to be more honest government.
Regulation Nation

CNN covers botched Don Jr. story 27 times more than correction

from DailyCaller: Joseph Goebbels: If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. Goebbels would be proud to see his observation has become the mission statement at CNN.

Media Bias on Parade

Justice Sotomayor unintentionally highlights the danger of having too many laws

from WashingtonPost: Justice Sotomayor highlights a dangerous reality of our legal system. So long as there are vastly more laws on the books than the government can realistically hope to enforce, the rule of law will continue to be imperiled.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Want More Jobs? Fight Occupational Licensing!

from Reason: Getting a cosmetology license in Oregon requires 2,300 hours of classroom instruction, but getting a similar permit in New York requires a mere 1,000 hours of training.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

FBI agent becomes GOP public enemy No. 1

from TheHill: A slate of reports from multiple outlets have catapulted the once-anonymous intelligence agent into the political maelstrom over what Republicans say is a woeful double standard of political bias at the FBI.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Rebellious jurors make the world a better place

from Reason: Jury nullification has officials losing cases, changing policies, and fretting over the power of the people they abuse.

Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

December 12, 2017

Shocking VIDEO of cop executing an unarmed man begging for his life

from FreeThoughtProject: Even more shocking was the cop's acquittal. Read more here: Arizona Cop Acquitted for Killing Man Crawling Down Hotel Hallway While Begging for His Life
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Tucker Carlson - PC Nitwittery 2017

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Consider this a progress report on the dumbing down of America. A look at the explosion of PC nitwittery taking place on college campuses.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Britain considers making whistling at women a HATE crime

from DownTrend: The Metropolitan Police today revealed it is speaking with other UK forces to assess whether it is worth cracking down on gender-based hate crimes after a pilot scheme was launched in the East Midlands last year.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Albany marijuana advocate suggests jury nullification

from WALB10: Georgia marijuana advocates are making a push to convince jurors not to convict people charged with minor drug crimes. Don't forget: Government exists to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. (Declaration of Independence)
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process   The Pursuit of Happiness

20 of the Most Ridiculous Anti-Gun Moments of 2017

from BearingArms: Just when we thought things couldn’t get any crazier than the whirlwind year we had during the presidential election of 2016, we were served 2017.
2nd Amendment Assaults

Chief pathologist resigns to expose sheriff for falsifying autopsy reports to protect killer cops

from FreeThoughtProject: After resigning from his position as chief, an autopsy doctor is now calling out the sheriff for overriding his death investigations to protect officers.
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

December 11, 2017

Warning: ‘They need the markets to implode’ to usher in cashless system

from SHTF: Lynette Zang says, “Ultimately, they need the markets to implode so when they shift us from the debt based system to the digital system, we are more comfortable with it and more familiar with it”.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market   The Government is Not Us

CNN botches "bombshell" report "proving" collusion between Trump Jr and Wikileaks

from ZeroHedge: The leader in fake news strikes again. Glenn Greenwald: CNN still refuses to address the huge, glaring obvious question: how did "multiple sources" all innocently get the same date on the same email wrong?
Media Bias on Parade

California looks at dumping gas tax for per-mile fee as cars use less fuel

from SacramentoBee:  California's latest scheme to gouge taxpayers.  It seems "The Golden State" is NOT a reference to precious metal, but rather to that which constantly rains down on citizens.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

VIDEO: Jonathan Turley - Wildly Expanding Executive Powers

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Law professor Jonathan Turley explains how the Obama Administration wildly expanded executive powers to the point where the American president can now order any citizen he wishes to be killed.
Politics and Other Acts of Corruption   The Government is Not Us

John Lennon was right: The government is run by maniacs for maniacal means

from RutherfordInstitute: All of the many complaints we have about government today—surveillance, corruption, harassment, political persecution, spying, overcriminalization, etc.—were used against Lennon.
The Government is Not Us

Deep State coup crumbling as Trump’s top intelligence official caught spying for George Soros

from TheFreeThoughtProject: Trump's top intelligence official authorized spying on Steve Bannon and Trump's children—
then sent the data to an intel facility owned by globalist George Soros.
Politics and Other Acts of Corruption   The Government is Not Us

December 9, 2017

This anti-flash scarf makes you invisible in photos

from Circa: One way to protect your privacy in the surveillance era is to become invisible.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

John Stossel: I hate the New York Times

from Creators: Much of it is mean-spirited and absurdly biased.
Media Bias on Parade

New York prosecutors gave themselves $3.2 million in bonuses with asset forfeiture funds

from Reason: One Suffolk County prosecutor, facing criminal charges for covering up the beating of a suspect, received $70,000 in bonuses.
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

Court to cops: Forcing a teenager to masturbate in front of you is not reasonable

from Reason: A detective who was later charged with molesting children performed the humiliating search while investigating consensual sexting.
Police State America

Get government out of the welfare business

from MisesInstitute: Fighting poverty is a favorite pastime of government because politicians get to portray themselves as champions of the poor.
The Welfare State: Promoting Dependency

VIDEO: 52 year old woman torn to shreds by k9 as cops admit she’s innocent

from FreeThoughtProject: A St. Paul woman was horrifically attacked by a police K9 for absolutely no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

December 8, 2017

Police in two states use hospitals to take motorists’ blood without a warrant 

from Activist Post: Some police chose to not enforce the law, but to get around the law. "Trooper Dunlap did not need to get a warrant, because he knew that the hospital would take motorists’ blood without a warrant and give it to them."
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

Legislators dust off medieval methods to address the opioid crisis

from Reason: Mandatory minimums are a favorite scheme of knee-jerk authoritarians dealing with victimless crimes.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

VIDEO: Harry Browne: How to Make Decisions 

from LibertyPen/YouTube: From Harry Browne's brilliant work, "Rule Your World, an empowering message of morality and individualism. http://www.LibertyPen.com

The Pursuit of Happiness

Wall Street Journal calls for deep state dirty cop Mueller to step down

from DownTrend: The jackleg scoundrel appointed to be the Trump slayer is having a few public relations problems this week after the triumphant news that he had flipped General Michael Flynn against President Trump had the left jumping for joy.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Another ugly civil asset forfeiture tactic -- highway stop 'waivers'

from Forbes: The national revulsion against abusive civil asset forfeiture has not kept police from trying to pocket as much as they can from people who are innocent of any wrongdoing.
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

Wealth creation is not a zero sum game

from CapitalismMagazine: Freedom, and not income equality, should be our goal—if we want human flourishing and prosperity.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

December 7, 2017

House Republicans prepare contempt action against FBI, DOJ

from Bloomberg: The Deep State is being challenged at last. What will happen when push comes to shove?
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Supreme Court asked to stop warrantless searches of vehicles parked on private residential property

from Rutherford Institute: The Rutherford Institute has asked the Supreme Court to prohibit police from entering private residential property uninvited and without a warrant, in order to search a vehicle parked a few feet from the house.
Police State America

Wisconsin court affirms mom's conviction for swearing at son, without deciding First Amendment issue 

from Journal Sentinel: The last count was for profanely berating and insulting her 14-year-old son after he burned some popcorn. The boy had been talking to a friend at the time, who heard the tirade over the phone.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Anti-white bigotry on the rise in college newspapers 

from TheNewAmerican: Bigotry against blacks would never be given an outlet in a college newspaper. Neither should bigotry against whites — or anyone else.
Indoctrination and Censorship   Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Swat-style raid over tea leaves headed to court 

from USNews: Whether police lied about testing discarded tea leaves found in a Kansas couple's trash to get permission for a SWAT-style raid is the focus of a federal trial.
Police State America

Ex-coach cited malnutrition for poor performance by Venezuela’s national women’s soccer team

from Dangerous: The Venezuelan Soccer Federation claims that the under-20s national women’s soccer team was “largely insulated” from the country's food crisis, where citizens have been forced to raise pet rabbits for food, and even hunt flamingos.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

December 4, 2017

Cops steal $91,800 from a musician, claiming he gave it to them

from Reason: Wyoming's roadside waivers are a thin disguise for highway robbery.
Police State America

Activists arrested in Atlanta for feeding homeless without a permit before Thanksgiving

from ActivistPost: Feeding the hungry without paying politicians for the privilege.
The Government is Not Us   Regulation Nation

Supreme Court could legalize sports betting nationwide

from DailyCaller: As a result of a challenge from New Jersey — home of gambling Mecca Atlantic City — the court could overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and allow sports betting in most states.

The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Four camera surveillance PODS coming to a city near you

from MassPrivatei: Welcome to Police State America, where one camera surveillance system is never enough.
Police State America   Government is Watching Every Move You Make

CNN calls for banning the term ‘fake news’

from DownTrend: In a related story, medicine show operators are calling to ban the term "snake oil salesman".
Media Bias on Parade

VIDEO: William F Buckley Jr - Newt Gingrich: A Debate on the Legalization of Drugs

from LibertyPen/YouTube: (1990) Excerpts from: A Firing Line Debate: Resolved: That Drugs Should Be Legalized. Also in the debate: Richard Dennis, Ira Glasser, Robert W. Sweet, Pat Schroeder, Charles B. Rangel, and, William von Raab.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

December 2, 2017

We live in a police state, and our legal system is the cause 

from InsiderSources: Things have gotten so ridiculous in the search for victimless criminals that police have even taken to setting each other up, if only inadvertently. Recently, Detroit officers posing as drug buyers brawled with officers posing as dealers.
Police State America   The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

A non-political strategy for freedom

from LibertarianRepublic: You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. -- R. Buckminster Fuller
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle   Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

It's too easy for the government to invade privacy in name of security

from LibertarianRepublic: The use of the cellphone as a surveillance tool is at the heart of a major privacy case heard by the Supreme Court this week in Carpenter v. United States. At issue may be the very future of privacy in America.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Bill expanding concealed-carry gun rights advances in House

from NY Times: Gun rights legislation that would allow concealed-carry permit holders from one state to legally carry their guns to any other state passed a key House panel and appeared to be headed for a vote on the floor of the House.
2nd Amendment Assaults

When legal drugs harm and illegal drugs help

from ScientificAmerican: The frequently arbitrary nature of our drug classification schemes is causing more and more confusion.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Libertarians: Our rulers are wearing no clothes

from the Libertarian Institute: Libertarians have always said that our rulers are wearing no clothes.  Now it’s turning out that this figure of speech is the literal truth.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

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

November 30, 2017

On patriotic correctness

from TheLibertarianInstitute: Our society is one of the most prosperous and freest that has ever existed. But society and government are not the same, and we would do well to remember that.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

NY Times ‘Angry Hannity’ photo select confirms host’s belief of ‘liberal bias’

from Mediaite: And the NY Times has something of a predictable pattern of portraying progressive icons in a most flattering light. (see CNN’s Jeff Zucker, indie filmmaker Spike Lee and original Wikileaks discloser Chelsea Manning for example)
Media Bias on Parade

Why Net Neutrality was mistaken from the beginning (AOL edition)

from Reason: It turns out that Tom Wheeler, the FCC head who imposed the rules, doesn't know what he's talking about.
Regulation Nation

VIDEO: Carl Sagan - Science and Skepticism

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Scientist Carl Sagan is concerned about America’s future when citizens lack the scientific and technological understanding to make informed decisions.
Indoctrination and Censorship

FLASHBACK: Hypocrite Matt Lauer grilled Bill O’Reilly over sexual harassment

from NewsBusters: The time has come for Matt Lauer to answer the same questions he poised to Bill O'Reilly!
Media Bias on Parade

Cop tries to taser man for refusing to give ID, tasers fellow cop instead

from TheFreeThoughtProject: A man trying to assert his right not to give police his identification was arrested, but not before a cop tasered his own partner in the process.
Police State America   The Government is Not Us

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 27, 2017

Warning: one of these monopolies is going to control you

from TheDailyBell: It is time to break up the only true monopoly in the United States, the federal government.
The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - Social Security Lies and Deception

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Milton explains how Social Security, which was sold to the American people as an insurance scheme, is in reality a bad tax and a bad welfare distribution system.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

On Roy Moore: When did 'proof' become immaterial?

from WND: Most definitely a man in his 30s who tries to make out with a 14-year-old girl deserves 30 days in the electric chair. But have you ever forced yourself to face up to the other side of things? A Barry Farber column.
Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

Freedom for Television and Radio

from Mises: There is one important area of American life where no effective freedom of speech or the press does or can exist under the present system. That is the entire field of radio and television.
Regulation Nation

Bay Area takes police-state approach to tobacco

from Spectator: San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities have banned vaping and flavored tobacco, thus exposing their progressive hypocrisy.
Regulation Nation

Facebook removed this small town business’s ads for American flags because it sell guns

from TheDailyCaller: Facebook unmasked. The Sportsman’s Shop says it can no longer advertise products like American flags on Facebook because its Facebook page promotes the sales of guns, and includes links that lead to the same.
Indoctrination and Censorship

November 24, 2017

Good Samaritans shutdown, ticketed for feeding homeless during Thanksgiving holiday

from TheFreeThoughtProject: Feeding the homeless is now illegal in Atlanta and you will be ticketed and extorted unless you pay the state for permission beforehand.
Regulation Nation

VIDEO: Libertarian Car Talk

from LibertyPen/YouTube: From the Tom Woods Show, Eric Peters on the latest libertarian car issues.
Regulation Nation

NSA Internet surveillance under Section 702 violates the First Amendment

from EFF: It’s not just our Fourth Amendment rights to privacy that are in the crosshairs, but also our First Amendment rights. These rights to anonymously speak, associate, access information, and engage in political activism are the bedrock of our democracy, and they’re endangered by the NSA’s pervasive surveillance.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

How Jeff Sessions plans to end medical marijuana before the year is over

from Newsweek: Sessions is known for being one of the nation's toughest critics of legal pot. He once said the KKK was "OK until I found out they smoked pot."
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai: Killing Net Neutrality will set the Internet free

from Reason: Promises that "we're going to see an explosion in the kinds of connectivity and the depth of that connectivity" like never before.
Regulation Nation

Pro–net neutrality graphic makes argument against net neutrality

from Reason: Do net neutrality advocates fear consumer choice?
Regulation Nation

November 23, 2017

Thankful for Property Rights on Thanksgiving Day

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Private property became the foundation for building the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. A John Stossel column.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Statewide ban on e-cigarettes indoors in New York starts today

from Syracuse.com: The heavy-handed government nannies will allow free people to vape in their private homes -- for now.
Regulation Nation   The Government is Not Us

With TSA on the ropes, holiday travel may be a bear

from Politico: A potentially record-setting uptick in travel this Thanksgiving will coincide with TSA's implementation of new screening rules.
The Government is Not Us

Feminist supports making false rape allegations against men

from Downtrend: Feminist writer Emily Lindin: Here’s an unpopular opinion: I’m actually not at all concerned about innocent men losing their jobs over false sexual assault/harassment allegations.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - The Minimum Wage

from LibertyPen/YouTube: In just over two minutes, Friedman explains the driving force behind the counter-productive practice of minimum wage.
Regulation Nation   Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

VIDEO: Owen Benjamin - Fighting Back the Thought Police

from LibertyPen/YouTube: From the Tom Woods Show, Comedian/commentator Owen Benjamin shares how he successfully dealt with attacks from the PC thought police.
Indoctrination and Censorship   Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

November 22, 2017

HuffPo memory-holes piece blasting Al Franken’s alleged victims as partisan liars

from Brieitbart: On Friday, the day after two women accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of harassment, HuffPo published an article titled, “The Framing Of Al Franken By Two Trump Supporters." The story was removed just a few hours later.
Media Bias on Parade

Black leaders silent over Mugabe’s destruction of Zimbabwe

from Capitalism Magazine: Walter E Williams: "There’s a deafening silence, the same silence when Africa’s black tyrants elsewhere on the continent commit brutalities making those committed by former colonial masters pale in comparison."
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Pennsylvania cops terrorize elderly couple after confusing hibiscus plants for marijuana

from PhotographyIsNotaCrime: The woman was forced to stand outside in her underwear and handcuffed for ten minutes, then walked barefoot down a gravel driveway to a squad car where she remained handcuffed for four and a half hours.
The Government is Not Us   The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Cop sentenced to 5 years for shooting into car of teens, 16 times

from TheFreeThoughtProject: Chicago police officer Marco Proano was sentenced for dumping 16 rounds into a car occupied by six unarmed teens who posed no threat.
Police State America

The good, the bad, and the unspeakably ugly: a reason surveillance reform bill primer

from Reason: Congress must make a choice before the end of the year on the level of protections Americans get from unwarranted snooping.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

FCC plans total repeal of net neutrality rules

from CNet: Chairman Ajit Pai says he's fixing the Obama-era "mistake," which allowed the US government to micromanage the internet.
Regulation Nation

November 21, 2017

Don’t just give thanks, pay it forward one act of kindness at a time

from Rutherford Institute: It’s been a hard, heart-wrenching, stomach-churning kind of year filled with violence and ill will. It’s been a year of too much hate and too little kindness.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

Top NSA whistleblower claims "Russiagate" a fake to increase war-spending

from Zero Hedge: Basically, he is saying that the keepers of the keys are blocking the public from the truth, because they know that the truth will expose the fact that they’ve been lying to the public, all along.
Defense Versus The War Machine

Asset forfeiture: inherently abusive, and awful in Alabama

from YellowHammer: Outright thievery unmasked. One town uses a “speed trap” not just to generate outlandish fines but also to seize property.
Police State America    The Government is Not Us

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - The Expanding Nature of Government

from LibertyPen/YouTube: Friedman explains why the philosophy of government has become that of the cancer cell: growth for the sake of growth.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Sex, jobs and smoking: What's legal for teens in your state?

from Reason: In California, you can work and get an abortion without parental consent at 12, but you must be 21 to buy a vaping device.
Regulation Nation

Venezuela's default disaster

from Mises: Socialism always promises heaven and gives hell.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

November 20, 2017

The Clintons’ day of reckoning

from LewRockwell.com: When the Harvey Weinstein story broke about a month ago, I offered that the reason (after decades of such behavior) might have something to do with the democrats getting tired of telling Hillary to go away.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Trump brags about his deregulation—and he may be right

from Reason: Pruning back regulation doesn't have to be a partisan issue.
Regulation Nation

The FISA amendments reauthorization act restricts Congress, not surveillance

from EFF: The bill squanders several opportunities for meaningful reform and, astonishingly, manages to push civil liberties backwards, restricting surveillance reforms, not surveillance itself.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

The disappearing right to earn a living

from The Atlantic: Want to become a florist in Louisiana? A home-entertainment installer in Connecticut? Or a barber anywhere? You’re going to need a license for that—and it’s going to cost you.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Why people will happily line up to be microchipped like dogs

from Zero Hedge: First come the sheep voluntarily, then come the holdouts brought in by force.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make

What National Review gets wrong about the opioid crisis and the war on drugs

from TheDailyBell: Libertarians understand that drug prohibition itself has been the cause of the widespread use of hard drugs, while many conservatives remain blind.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

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

November 17, 2017

Asset forfeiture gone wild: after pot raids, cops legally steal 7 houses

from High Times: Michigan cops seize the homes of seven medical marijuana patients. In practice, asset forfeiture (legalized theft) has become an irreplaceable (even though immoral) revenue stream for American law enforcement officers.
Police State America

Supreme Court abortion case could promote free speech by both sides

from USA Today: California idiocy goes to trial. Red states might have to stop requiring advice some consider propaganda. And pro or con, both sides could end up having to trust women more.
Indoctrination and Censorship   The Government is Not Us

The state of street-level surveillance

from EFF: EFF’s “Street-Level Surveillance” project shines light on the advanced surveillance technologies that law enforcement agencies routinely deploy in our communities.
Police State America   Government is Watching Every Move You Make

Tighter gun laws will leave libertarians better-armed than everybody else

from Reason: In a politically polarized America, gun control is destined to be obeyed primarily by its advocates.
2nd Amendment Assaults

California mandates send electricity prices skyrocketing, but Texas free market policies keeps prices low

from Fox News: In 2017, Californians paid almost double – 86 percent more – to keep the lights on and run manufacturing than did Texans.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

Jury acquits ‘nice guy’ who admitted selling cannabis to a cop

from Leafly: The Declaration of Independence states that America exists to produce a government that will protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness implies self-determination so long as it does not intrude on the rights of others. Gambling, drugs and prostitution are all pursuits of happiness and should be nullified by a jury.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange   Justice is a Result, Not Just a Process

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

November 14, 2017

The death of individualism in America

from Liberty Nation: Historically America has been characterized as a civil society which has always elevated individualism. That is, personal independence and self-reliance were seen as virtuous and fundamental to who we are as a people.
Individual Liberty: America's First Principle

The fragile generation

from Reason: Bad policy and paranoid parenting are making kids too safe to succeed.
Political Correctness and Other Nitwittery

Justice department bizarrely uses Madoff to defend taking people's stuff without convicting them first

from Reason: Twisted incentives? What are those? Rod Rosenstein doesn't seem to have heard of them.
Police State America

Three kinds of theft

from The Daily Bell: Taxation is theft. But I’ve seen some people defend taxes with typical arguments like, “It’s not theft because you get something for your money.” Perhaps the confusion lies in the fact that not all thieves act the same.
Economic Policy: Statism Versus The Free Market

The Boston Globe wants the government to confiscate your firearms

from DownTrend: The Boston Globe has had enough of this Constitutionally protected freedom and is actually calling on the government to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens.
2nd Amendment Assaults

The surveillance state: an inexorable march toward totalitarianism

from Zero Hedge: The Surveillance State has slowed down its rate of growth since Trump took office, however, it lies festering below the veneer of daily events, inexorably growing its tentacles and extending their reach.
Government is Watching Every Move You Make