Liberty Guys
Online Journal of Liberty
In this piece in Rolling Stone, about Rush Limbaugh, and Republican "morning after" analysis (har har) ,Matt Taibbi dials back the venom and really tries to "help". But the reason Romney lost is exactly that Obama and the Democrats quite successfully portrayed him as anti-woman, anti-working person, anti-poor, anti-hispanic, pro-(HORRORS) business, pro rich people, etc. Romney, for his part, never gave anyone anything resembling a concrete reason to vote FOR him. OH, and special mention to the Republican Party for flushing millions of votes by marginalizing Ron Paul and his supporters at the convention, stealing his delegates, and refusing to accord him the respect he deserved. Have fun talking to yourself, Rush.
Photo of Jill Stein from http://tarsandsblockade.org/,, under a creative commons attribution license
Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein had some good comments on military spending, war, the Patriot Act, and the NDAA during the Third-Party Debate held a couple of weeks ago, so we kind of overlooked some of the, er, OTHER stuff she said. Unfortunately, the first of four pillars of her "Green New Deal" platform fleshes these things out in EXCRUCIATING detail. However, as luck would have it, we have critiqued this list of demands before, because it is pretty much the first proposed list of demands to emerge from the "Occupy" movement. Although to say we "critiqued" it is to be extremely charitable - actually, we tore it limb from limb, as befitting the most anti-freedom, anti-liberty, pro-state document ever, and - bonus - it COMPLETELY AVOIDED any reference to the illegal wars we are increasingly involved in (which Stein mentions as an almost-footnote here). None of this is to say that if the other three pillars are your primary issues (Green Energy, Financial Reform, Democracy) you should not consider Jill, and she sure seems like a nice person, but one thing is for certain - she's no libertarian.
Bailouts, Revisited
In this rather partisan and somewhat confused article, Andrew Leonard doesn't let reality get in the way of his Obama-burnishing. In trying to indict Romney on one of the very few decent positions he has (e.g., against the auto bailouts), he takes Romney to task for claiming that the bailed-out Chrysler Corp has shipped Jeep production to China,
Read MoreIcelanders have always been framed in terms of their viking ancestors; strong, brave and independent. So in the wake of their government proving untrustworthy stewards of their country and their money, they decided to write a new constitution which places an emphasis on, you guessed it, free stuff. Here are some highlights from the national forum.
Read More
[caption id="attachment_1385" align="aligncenter" width="233"]
Government tends toward centralizing decision making farthest from those affected, for the benefit of the central authority and its connected interests. Completely asymmetrical. Freedom, on the other hand, fosters granular decision making. That is, under freedom, decisions are made closest to those affected, by those affected most. Perfectly symmetrical.
Most people are 'big talkers'. They swagger and rank on people when they think they aren't around that they would never say to their faces, and moreover most of them would be HORRIFIED if the person being insulted ever found out. 99.9999% of 'racists' would never harm a person of another race in any way, and the same is true for people who say shit about teh gays. I don't know how that translates into a 300-odd-million homophobic lynch mob, maybe I'm missing something...
I purchased a Whirlpool Cabrio washing machine on 5/13/11 (delivered on 5/15), and it failed utterly on 5/31/12, with the estimated cost of repair exceeding the cost of replacement. The supervisor I talked to at the "Whirlpool Customer Experience Center" told me in no uncertain terms that they would not honor the warranty, despite the machine being loosely within the terms of their "12-month warranty". I will NEVER purchase a washing machine, or any other appliance from Whirlpool, ever again.
![\"Kelly](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458551/1336949194000/?format=original\")
[/caption]I know that it is impossible, but for a second try to put the hideousness of the gleeful maceration of Kelly Thomas' body by these animals out of your mind, and look simply at the proportionality of the incident. A mentally-ill man \"disrespected\" the sub-human Manuel Ramos (and his partner Jay Cicinelli), and for that offense against His Radiant Personage, he was pounded, literally, into hamburger, in such an extended effort that they had to tag-team the helpless, dying man to finish the job;","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d3e4b0ea4e44459769">
[caption id="attachment_1371" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="No Words For This, Just Pain"]
![\"Sounds](\"http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/koreantacostand-shuttle.jpg\")
\nMuch hoopla is being expended over the retirement of Discovery, the last Space Shuttle, with reporters waxing poetic, and senior officials crying over the carcass of the blasted thing, ostensibly because of the heroism and audacity of the world's most expensive commuter conveyance, but in all likelihood over the loss of a gravy train such an end represents. \nHere, as an antidote to all the maudlin, weepy statism, are the real facts. The Space Shuttle was a hideous waste of money. Its technology was obsolete before it ever launched. Its cost per payload pound skyrocketed from $120 to $24,000, and the two disasters killed 14 astronauts entirely needlessly. NASA is nothing more than a covert missile development program coupled to a jingoistic propaganda program. Good bye, Socialist Space Antique, and good riddance.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d2e4b0ea4e44459764">
Much hoopla is being expended over the retirement of Discovery, the last Space Shuttle, with reporters waxing poetic, and senior officials crying over the carcass of the blasted thing, ostensibly because of the heroism and audacity of the world's most expensive commuter conveyance, but in all likelihood over the loss of a gravy train such an end represents.
Here, as an antidote to all the maudlin, weepy statism, are the real facts. The Space Shuttle was a hideous waste of money. Its technology was obsolete before it ever launched. Its cost per payload pound skyrocketed from $120 to $24,000, and the two disasters killed 14 astronauts entirely needlessly. NASA is nothing more than a covert missile development program coupled to a jingoistic propaganda program. Good bye, Socialist Space Antique, and good riddance.
The term ‘insurgent’ has been used (and misused) a whole lot since about ten minutes after the officially announced ‘end’ of the Iraq War. Lucky for us, the US Army Special Forces Counterinsurgency Field Manual
(the book that ‘Surgin’ General’ Petraeus is said to have ‘written’ on the subject)
contains, along with tips on how to win friends, subvert democracy and destroy due process in an occupied country, a handy field guide to three main types of insurgency.
One of these, in light of the end of Ron Paul’s Republican presidential bid, and the beginning of his new vehicle for change, The Campaign For Liberty, is pretty interesting;
“Foco Insurgency.
A foco (Spanish word meaning focus or focal point) is a single, armed cell that emerges from hidden strongholds in an atmosphere of disintegrating legitimacy. In theory, this cell is the nucleus around which mass popular support rallies. The insurgents build new institutions and establish control on the basis of that support.”
Except for the “armed” part (The Revolution has always been explicitly peaceful and anti-war) and the “establish control” bit, this essentially describes the new strategy – to establish a core group of liberty-loving people and to have them (democratically) infiltrate the current system so that they will be ready to liberate the masses when the corrupt, incompetent Empire falls flat on its face.
“The insurgents build new institutions and establish control on the basis of that support. For a foco insurgency to succeed, government legitimacy must be near total collapse. Timing is critical. The foco must mature at the same time the government loses legitimacy and before any alternative appears. The most famous foco insurgencies were those led by Castro and Che Guevara.”
Bad role models from a philosophical perspective, for sure, but in terms of strategy pretty relevant.
“The distinguishing characteristics of a foco insurgency are The deliberate avoidance of preparatory organizational work. The rationale is based on the premise that most peasants are intimidated by the authorities and will betray any group that cannot defend itself. ”
This part doesn’t apply, because this revolution is peaceful, democratic, and overt, the ‘counter-insurgency’ strategies to this will be completely ineffective. Unfortunately, many other CI strategies are already in place and are well-advanced;
“Restrictions. Rights on the legality of detention or imprisonment of personnel (for example, habeas corpus) may be temporarily suspended. This measure must be taken as a last resort, since it may provide the insurgents with an effective propaganda theme. PRC [Population & Resources Control] measures can also include curfews or blackouts, travel restrictions, and restricted residential areas such as protected villages or resettlement areas. Registration and pass systems and control of … critical supplies such as weapons, food, and fuel are other PRC measures. Checkpoints, searches, roadblocks; surveillance, censorship, and press control…”
You get the picture.
Apparently ‘Counter-Insurgency’ has become ‘Pre-emptive Counter-Insurgency’.
We have our work cut out for us.
Just looking at consumer photo, digital photography RADICALLY decreased the cost of taking usable pictures. I used to take hundreds of film pictures in a year. The expense was terrific, and you got ten you didnt want for one you did, if even that. Now you can take hundreds of pictures in an afternoon, and you only need to pay to print the ones you want, AND you can send them to friends, include them in documents, reports, etc. Kodak not only failed to cannibalize themselves, they failed to consider the value of this innovation to their CUSTOMERS, and it was only a matter of time before others did.
Watch Ron Pauls Speech After New Hampshire Primary - YouTube.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d2e4b0ea4e44459757">Ron Paul New Hampshire Speech MAGNIFICENT. Last time, New Hampshire was such a bitter defeat, this time, an incredible vindication;
Watch Ron Pauls Speech After New Hampshire Primary - YouTube.
This, after all, is the basic moral logic of capitalism - success is rewarded, failure mercilessly punished. And this is EXACTLY what the politicians prevented from happening - all of them, except Ron Paul, who warned about it, and tried to stop it.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459752">"...capitalism has been hijacked, and I'm infuriated. For capitalism to work, people who assume risk should reap the rewards of success, but they also must suffer when losses occur." ~Leland H. Faust In the 2008 implosion, the banks that were bailed out should have been left to go under - their assets stripped and sold, their officers indicted for fraud or driven out into the street, their profits disgorged, they and their children made outcasts, leaving them in the outer darkness,wailing and gnashing their teeth.
This, after all, is the basic moral logic of capitalism - success is rewarded, failure mercilessly punished. And this is EXACTLY what the politicians prevented from happening - all of them, except Ron Paul, who warned about it, and tried to stop it.
![\"Michael](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458546/1321660806000/?format=original\")
[/caption]\nIn Atlanta yesterday, I \"opted out\" of the pornotron. An unhappy-looking middle-aged gentleman was summoned to give me my Federally mandated physical. Visibly uncomfortable, he did his 'job' such as it was, all the while being coached by a group of apparently low-intelligence, but senior \"workers\". I felt sorry for the man.","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459747">
[caption id="attachment_1347" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Michael Chertoff Can Kiss My Fat, Pale, Hairy Ass"]
![\"End](\"http://static.squarespace.com/static/507cb3fee4b043a0058639ca/507cb4f0e4b0ea4e444581c9/507cb512e4b0ea4e44458543/1320711467000/?format=original\")
\nI cancelled my American Express card today. Throughout most of the past eleven-odd years, American Express has always treated me as well as their spendiest platinum-card holder - letting me buy what I wanted, pay the way I wanted, and helping me any time my card was lost, misplaced, etc., anywhere in the world I went. They ran a decent rewards program that I took full advantage of, their annual fee was reasonable, and, grateful, I never failed to give credit where credit was due, pardon the pun. \nSo what changed? Well, my life, mostly. When I got married, and started having kids, I realized that the life of a \"road warrior\" was not compatible with the kind of family life I wanted. So I took a job with a LOT less travel, which meant I had much less use for the rewards program, for one thing. Alongside that, tough times in the credit-card business apparently led them to trim back on the rewards, and increase their annual fees. My no-interest \"green card\" was beginning to lose its lustre.
\nThen, last September, I was picked to attend the International Occupational Hygiene Association conference in Rome, Italy. Having relatively little available cash, but plenty of credit freeboard on my trusty AMEX card, I embarked on my trip confident that it would render me capable of traveling - if not in style, exactly, then at least relative comfort. Boy was THAT a miscalculation.
\nI discovered that virtually none of the shops, restaurants, pubs, and other attractions I wanted to attend in Rome would accept the American Express card! Aside from high-street luxury-goods shops (and the ever-present moneychangers), my card, which had served as my little plastic passport for so long, in so many places, had apparently worn out its welcome. I started to feel like a customer at Big Pete's House of Munch.
\nTo be fair, credit cards of all issuers were slightly less welcome than a bum's handful of faintly urine-scented euro notes in Rome, the local pastime having become, apparently, the evasion of sales taxes, said pastime being far easier to engage in successfully in cash. But not being able to spend as much as I would have liked on excursions and gifts for the folks at home caused me actual distress. Everywhere I went, the story was the same - 'we don't take the card, the fees are too high'. A welcome loan from one of my traveling companions eased my discomfort a bit, and allowed me to enjoy my trip more than otherwise. Traveling with the boss does have its compensations too.
\nI resisted the urge to cancel the card precipitiously, deciding that one bad experience shouldn't compromise an otherwise mutually-beneficial relationship. But ultimately I could not let bygones be bygones. So I called today to cancel. The service rep I talked to sounded genuinely sympathetic, but the \"member services\" person I was transferred to simply tried to sell me a different (revolving interest) card, in which I had no interest, HO HO. She promptly then closed the account with little fanfare.
\nIt's sad for me personally, and it felt like the passing of an era in travel.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d1e4b0ea4e44459744">
So what changed? Well, my life, mostly. When I got married, and started having kids, I realized that the life of a "road warrior" was not compatible with the kind of family life I wanted. So I took a job with a LOT less travel, which meant I had much less use for the rewards program, for one thing. Alongside that, tough times in the credit-card business apparently led them to trim back on the rewards, and increase their annual fees. My no-interest "green card" was beginning to lose its lustre.
Then, last September, I was picked to attend the International Occupational Hygiene Association conference in Rome, Italy. Having relatively little available cash, but plenty of credit freeboard on my trusty AMEX card, I embarked on my trip confident that it would render me capable of traveling - if not in style, exactly, then at least relative comfort. Boy was THAT a miscalculation.
I discovered that virtually none of the shops, restaurants, pubs, and other attractions I wanted to attend in Rome would accept the American Express card! Aside from high-street luxury-goods shops (and the ever-present moneychangers), my card, which had served as my little plastic passport for so long, in so many places, had apparently worn out its welcome. I started to feel like a customer at Big Pete's House of Munch.
To be fair, credit cards of all issuers were slightly less welcome than a bum's handful of faintly urine-scented euro notes in Rome, the local pastime having become, apparently, the evasion of sales taxes, said pastime being far easier to engage in successfully in cash. But not being able to spend as much as I would have liked on excursions and gifts for the folks at home caused me actual distress. Everywhere I went, the story was the same - 'we don't take the card, the fees are too high'. A welcome loan from one of my traveling companions eased my discomfort a bit, and allowed me to enjoy my trip more than otherwise. Traveling with the boss does have its compensations too.
I resisted the urge to cancel the card precipitiously, deciding that one bad experience shouldn't compromise an otherwise mutually-beneficial relationship. But ultimately I could not let bygones be bygones. So I called today to cancel. The service rep I talked to sounded genuinely sympathetic, but the "member services" person I was transferred to simply tried to sell me a different (revolving interest) card, in which I had no interest, HO HO. She promptly then closed the account with little fanfare.
It's sad for me personally, and it felt like the passing of an era in travel.
Ugh! Where do I start on this one? The US Congress officially \"deplored\" Iraqi atrocities by a vote of 365 to 50. Am I to believe that they didn't feel a need to actually declare war on Iraq but now feel justified in officially feeling bad over the consequences?
\nRon Paul (R-TX), by the way, voted against the resolution on the grounds that it is not one of Congress' enumerated duties so I guess he'll be ridiculed by his democratic challenger this fall for \"condoning\" Iraqi atrocities!
\nhttp://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/votes/?votenum=150&chamber=H&congress=1082&tally=1
\nI, myself, would like to officially register \"disgust\" at the whole matter.
","wysiwyg":{"engine":"code","isSource":false,"mode":"htmlmixed","source":""}}" data-block-type="2" id="block-507cb5d0e4b0ea4e4445973f">(5/10/2004)
Ugh! Where do I start on this one? The US Congress officially "deplored" Iraqi atrocities by a vote of 365 to 50. Am I to believe that they didn't feel a need to actually declare war on Iraq but now feel justified in officially feeling bad over the consequences?
Ron Paul (R-TX), by the way, voted against the resolution on the grounds that it is not one of Congress' enumerated duties so I guess he'll be ridiculed by his democratic challenger this fall for "condoning" Iraqi atrocities!
http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/votes/?votenum=150&chamber=H&congress=1082&tally=1
I, myself, would like to officially register "disgust" at the whole matter.
This is the latest incarnation of what started as an email thread between a handful of liberty-loving friends back in the late 90′s. After the 9/11 attacks, some of us began to feel our liberties, big and small, slipping away under the pressure of the GWOT. In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, we decided to do something more structured, to try to, in some small way, preserve those liberties, large and small, that we still had left.
