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Source: The Australian [Australia] Author: Julian Assange Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Every time WikiLeaks publishes the truth about abuses committed by US agencies, Australian politicians chant a provably false chorus with the State Department: ‘You’ll risk lives! National security! You’ll endanger troops!’ Then they say there is nothing of importance in what WikiLeaks publishes. It can’t be both. Which is it? It is neither. WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time we have changed whole governments, but not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed. But the US, with Australian government connivance, has killed thousands in the past few months alone.” [hat tip — Glenn Greenwald] (12/08/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/36r82zb Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: AntiWar.Com Author: Justin Raimondo Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “So much for the ‘legal’ case against Assange. It’s a put up job, pure and simple, so brazen that one wonders how anyone — let alone a sitting judge outside of Zimbabwe, or Saudi Arabia — can entertain it with a straight face. And yet a British judge has indeed upheld the validity of the international arrest warrant …. In spite of having pledges of funding from prominent supporters, the judge denied Assange bail: and so the governments of the world have him where they want him — behind bars. In their quest to destroy WikiLeaks, the Powers That Be are destroying their own credibility — such as it is, or was.” (12/08/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2furz3c Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Center for a Stateless Society Author: Kevin Carson Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Government attempts to suppress Wikileaks demonstrate, once again, the old adage that the Internet treats censorship as damage and routes around it.” (12/06/10) Link: http://c4ss.org/content/5271 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Pro Libertate Author: Will Grigg Posted on 12.07.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Krauthammer is a conservative of the post-George W. Bush variety — that is, an unreconstructed totalitarian nationalist. In an essay calling for the execution of WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange (after a show trial, if possible, but by extra-judicial means if necessary), Herr Krauthammer blusters about the majesty of the Imperial State even as he whines about the besetting dangers it faces and the consummate injustice that has been done in exposing a handful of its criminal secrets.” (12/06/10) Link: http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/take-pity-on-goliath.html Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: CounterPunch Author: Chris Floyd Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “WikiLeaks will doubtless try to struggle on. And Assange says he has given the entire diplomatic trove to 100,000 people. By dribs and drabs, shards of truth will get out. But the world’s journalists — and those persons of conscience working in the world’s governments — have been given a hard, harsh, unmistakable lesson in the new realities of our degraded time. Tell a truth that discomforts power, that challenges its domination over our lives, our discourse, our very thoughts, and you will be destroyed.” [hat tip — Arthur Silber] (12/07/10) Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd12072010.html Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: LewRockwell.Com Author: Bob Murphy Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Now it’s true, if the Amazon boycott were large enough to cause a huge dent in their business this holiday season, then other visible corporations who were already associated with WikiLeaks might think twice before seeming to capitulate to U.S. government demands. However, it is also true that no other visible business would become associated with WikiLeaks in the future.” (12/08/10) Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/murphy/murphy172.html Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Liberty For All Author: Lady Liberty Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Today? Well, the truth is that I’m writing this column instead of scrubbing the bathroom or sweeping the floor. I admit it: I am the Princess of Procrastination when it comes to house cleaning chores. You don’t need to look too far for the reason when I suspect it’s common for most of us to want to do a host of other things before we buckle down and get the kitchen sparkling or the closet better organized. Cleaning is boring, it requires effort (some things more than others), and it’s not any fun.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=5227 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute Author: Stephen Mauzy Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Facts ruin — as they so often do — a perfectly good theory. A cursory vetting of the evidence reveals that elected representatives are no more deliberative, nor sapient, nor any less rapacious than the plebeians whose vote they seek. It is understandable, really: the plebeians, theoretically and in fact, are the ultimate judge of all ideas and the source of all power; thus, they demand a representative who excels in nullity and mediocrity in order to best reflect majority opinion.” (12/07/10) Link: http://mises.org/daily/4871 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Future of Freedom Foundation Author: Jacob G. Hornberger Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “While supporters of WikiLeaks are criticizing Amazon, Paypal, Mastercard, and other companies who are distancing themselves from WikiLeaks, we should at least consider why such companies might be doing so. When it comes to the U.S. government, everyone knows that we’re not dealing with pikers. This is a tough, ruthless, vicious gang of statist politicians and bureaucrats who will stop at nothing to inflict harm on those who buck it.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-12-07.asp Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Freedom Politics Author: Thomas Sowell Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Let’s face it, politics is largely the art of deception, and political rhetoric is largely the art of misstating issues. A classic example is the current debate over whether to give money to the unemployed by extending how long unemployment benefits will be provided, or instead to give ‘tax cuts to the rich.’ First of all, nobody’s taxes — whether rich or poor — is going to be cut in this lame duck session of Congress.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/24cdvzr Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Foundation for Economic Education Author: Wendy McElroy Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “In the largest class-action lawsuit in American history, Walmart v. Dukes, Walmart stands accused of systematically discriminating against 1.5 million women in wages and promotions. Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court said it will review the controversial lower-court ruling that permitted the case to proceed as a class action.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2e3t2dc Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: OpenMarket.org Author: Kathryn Ciano Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “This seems like an obvious statement. But Big Government is shocked — shocked! — when it pays doctors to perform surgeries instead of taking time for careful diagnosis and doctors respond by performing surgeries instead of taking time for careful diagnosis. … Incentives count, it turns out. People will do what they are paid to do. Doctors paid to implant stents will implant stents.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/232l7og Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Campaign For Liberty Author: US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) Posted on 12.07.10 by R. Lee Wrights “We may never know the whole story behind the recent publication of sensitive U.S. government documents by the Wikileaks organization, but we certainly can draw some important conclusions from the reaction of so many in government and media. At its core, the Wikileaks controversy serves as a diversion from the real issue of what our foreign policy should be.” (12/08/10) Link: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1231 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Spiked Author: Christopher Snowdon Posted on 12.07.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “What is the anti-smoking lobby’s response to a harmless pretend-cigarette? It wants to ban it, of course.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/9980/ Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Inter Press Service Author: William Fisher Posted on 12.07.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Last week’s release of 900 pages of U.S. government documents dealing with the implementation of the nation’s primary surveillance law suggests that the government has been systematically violating the privacy rights of U.S. citizens. How many citizens is unclear, since the documents were extensively redacted. The previously secret internal documents were obtained through a court battle by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).” (12/06/10) Link: http://ipsnorthamerica.net/news.php?idnews=3423 Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Information Clearinghouse Posted on 12.07.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Wikileaks is currently under heavy attack. In order to make it impossible to ever fully remove Wikileaks from the Internet, you will find below a list of mirrors of Wikileaks website and CableGate pages. This page is a mirror of an original at wikileaks website.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27007.htm Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The American Prospect Author: Robert B. Reich Posted on 12.07.10 by Steve Trinward “Americans want to know what happened to the economy and how to fix it. At least Republicans have a story — the same one they’ve been flogging for 30 years. The bad economy is big government’s fault, and the solution is to shrink government. But what exactly is President Barack Obama’s story or the Democrats’? That Wall Street screwed up big time and the solution is to fix the Street? That Americans have lived beyond our means and now we have to tighten our belts? That our trade imbalance got too big and the Chinese have to spend more and we have to save more? That American companies have been outsourcing jobs abroad and must be deterred? Without a clear story, there’s no competition. Republicans win.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=telling_tales Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: In These Times Author: Stephen R. Weissman Posted on 12.07.10 by Steve Trinward “While the results of the November election have curtailed President Barack Obama’s influence over domestic affairs, he can still control U.S. war policy in Afghanistan. But his power will prove mainly theoretical if he offers the same weak leadership during the administration’s planned December review of U.S. war policy as he did in last year’s strategy meetings, which culminated in the dispatch of an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/6725/our_follower_in_chief/ Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: San Francisco Chronicle Author: Michael Gerson Posted on 12.07.10 by Steve Trinward “The DREAM Act now before Congress … would create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children. Applicants must have graduated from high school or gotten a GED. They would be given a conditional legal status for six years, in which they must complete two years of college or serve at least two years in the military. If they failed to meet the requirement — or committed a crime — they would lose their legal status and could be deported. If they succeeded, they would be granted a green card and could apply for citizenship.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/23nfevj Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The Nation Author: Kai Wright Posted on 12.07.10 by Steve Trinward “The distance between reality and Capitol Hill has rarely felt so large as it does this week. It reaches about as far as the unemployment lines that are stretching across cities and states, where everyone from governors to college kids await congressional leadership on jobs. That’s a gulf of 15 million people, 2 million of whom will lose their jobless benefits by the New Year if Republicans don’t get their deficit-building tax cut for the richest Americans. … Republicans and conservative Democrats have said they’re being responsible adults. Jobless benefits and stimulus efforts have to be paid for. The government, like most families, must balance its books. ‘I agree that they need help,’ Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown insisted on the Senate floor last week. ‘But I look at it as: Are we going to do it from the bank account, or are we going to put it on the credit card?’” [editor’s note: This piece is just here for “balance” against the charges that I lean too far to anarchy most of the time - SAT] (12/07/10) Link: http://www.thenation.com/blog/156860/defense-government Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The Libertarian Enterprise Author: L. Neil Smith Posted on 12.07.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “As if individual liberty were not sufficiently under assault already, a runaway government agency, whose very existence is not sanctioned by Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution — which lists those few activities in which government is legally permitted to engage — is trying to carry off a fascist coup d’etat against the First Amendment freedoms afforded to Americans by the Internet.” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle598-20101205-07.html Filed under: LAND Commentary and PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Boston Globe Author: HDS Greenway Posted on 12.07.10 by Steve Trinward “Unlike other wars this country has fought, there is no commonly held agreement among friends or foes on what the war in Afghanistan is all about. Even among Americans there is confusion. President Obama, who will soon conduct yet another Afghan review, once called it a war to ‘disrupt, dismantle and defeat’ Al Qaeda. But with Al Qaeda to be found more in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia these days, and with terrorists to be found in the Connecticut suburbs, as in the case of the failed New York City car bombing, Obama told American troops last week that the purpose was not to allow Afghanistan ‘to become a safe haven for terrorists’ again.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2akdncr Filed under: CANDi Commentary and PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Guardian [UK] Author: John Naughton Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The political elites of western democracies have discovered that the internet can be a thorn not just in the side of authoritarian regimes, but in their sides too. It has been comical watching them and their agencies stomp about the net like maddened, half-blind giants trying to whack a mole. It has been deeply worrying to watch terrified internet companies — with the exception of Twitter, so far — bending to their will. But politicians now face an agonising dilemma.” [hat tip — Freedom’s Phoenix] (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/38tpxse Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Social Memory Complex Author: Jeremy Weiland Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “[I]f this Center for a Stateless Society is going to advocate for us, especially when capably and admirably run by such steadfast organizers and generous writers on a shoestring budget, the least we can do is give them guidance and not just criticism. Wilbur’s departure was an indication that we cannot simply rally around a black flag; revolutionary consensus requires us to be honest about the change we seek, and to ally on the basis of that honesty.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2bmmsac Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Rad Geek People's Daily Author: Rad Geek Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “When positions of power are held in place, I think it’s a fool’s errand to try to devise strategies for keeping the wealthy and well-connected from corrupting and exploiting the power of these offices to their own ends. Political processes tend to benefit the politically-connected, and every federal regulatory agency, from the FTC down to TARP, has a long and sorry history of being captured and exploited …. rather than worrying about how to stop influential businesses from capturing the regulatory apparatus for their own ends, better to abolish the regulatory apparatus, and refocus on economic, rather than political, means of responding to economic crises.” (12/07/10) Link: http://radgeek.com/gt/2010/12/07/get-the-gun-out-of-the-room/ Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Truth To Power Author: James Mann Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Anyone who thinks Obama is weak is a fool. Or he may be, but it really doesn’t matter. Because Obama no more runs this country than my dog. Obama was elected by Goldman Sachs and the shadowy ‘military-industrial’ complex that Ike warned us about a generation ago. His few feints in the direction of actual liberal ideas are nothing more than bread and circuses meant to keep the Volvo crowd in line.” (12/07/10) Link: http://blogs.ink19.com/truthtopower/archives/8953 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: The Distributed Republic Author: Jacob Lyles Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “We’ll draw a line straight across the middle of the state. San Diego will be the new southern capital, suiting its popular nickname as ‘The Sacramento of the South.’ The two halves can fight over who has to take Fresno. Now I know some readers may have doubts that this will do any good. Won’t two insane states be twice as bad as one? They will get two more senators. And those senators will screw up national policies for everybody else. But California governance will improve for two reasons.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/25xoton Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute Author: SM Oliva Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Governments value secrecy so highly that it often defeats the state’s other stated goals. Wikileaks’ diplomatic cable dump prompted a violent counter-reaction from various state officers, who claimed that any act compromising the secrecy of government ‘diplomacy’ was the equivalent of terrorism. Certainly, the statists claim, one cannot expect the government to function in an environment where secrecy is not the primary value. Many people accept this argument because they equate secrecy with ‘national security,’ ‘fighting terrorism,’ ‘American interests,’ et cetera. Yet state secrecy is not limited to such areas.” (12/07/10) Link: http://blog.mises.org/14932/fighting-secrecy-with-more-secrecy/ Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Downsize DC Author: Jim Babka Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “According to politicians, if you don’t increase spending this year by as much as you did last year, you are ‘cutting’ spending. For instance … * If you spent $1,000 on the holidays in 2008 * And spent $1,200 in 2009 (an increase of 20%) * And will spend $1,320 in 2010 (an increase of 10%) … politicians might claim you’ve slashed your holiday budget in 2010! You see this thinking in the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/23gv5tl Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Fr33 Agents Author: Szandor Blestman Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “In the attempt to turn the United States of America into another Soviet Union, East Germany or fascist tattletale, surveillance state, Homeland Security (can you say motherland?) has expanded their ‘If you see something, say something’ campaign. Walmart, that paragon of free markets and civil liberties, has decided to pitch in and help the authoritarian collectivists crank up the fear and turn us all into sniveling spies crying wolf and pointing at our neighbors. Well, if it keeps us safe, maybe it isn’t that bad an idea after all.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/26yafmj Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Casey Research Author: Axel Merk Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Bernanke argues his policies do not amount to printing money, as neither currency in circulation, nor money supply has increased. This analogy is a bit like giving a loaded gun to a kid, then telling your friends that it’s not a deadly weapon because the shots that have been fired haven’t killed anyone.” (12/07/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/25hfnrz Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: EconLog Author: Bryan Caplan Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “How do you know that ‘attention’ is a reward, not a punishment? Indeed, how do you know that a carrot is a reward, and a stick is a punishment? If you’re trying to motivate a carnivorous masochist, you should use the stick when he pleases you, and the carrot when he doesn’t. Less obviously, but equally critically, the behaviorist usually tries to impose reinforcement soon after the desired/offending behavior. But not always. If he’s dealing with a rat or a toddler, he’ll want immediate consequences. If he’s dealing with a banker, he might confidently punish bad behavior with a monetary fine a year after the incident. The lesson is that even the staunchest behaviorist makes implicit assumptions about subjects’ mental states.” (12/07/10) Link: http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2010/12/behaviorism_wor.html Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Reason Author: Radley Balko Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Michael Allison, a 41-year-old backyard mechanic from southeastern Illinois, faces up to 75 years in prison for an act most people don’t realize is a crime: recording public officials.” (for publication 01/11) Link: http://reason.com/archives/2010/12/07/the-war-on-cameras Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Cato Institute Author: Gene Healy Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “We already knew the Tea Party scared liberals to death, but it seems the movement also terrifies liberals’ nearest cousins, the neoconservatives, on an issue dear to their bellicose little hearts: foreign policy.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12619 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Independent Institute Author: Dominick T. Armentano Posted on 12.07.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Created by Congress in 1913 as an independent regulatory agency, the Fed is administered by a seven-member board of governors (all unelected with 14-year terms) that autonomously decides national monetary policy. Now it is true that the current chairman, Ben Bernanke, treks up to Capital Hill twice a year to make a policy statement and answer questions from lawmakers. Ultimately, however, the Fed does exactly and precisely whatever it wants to do.” (12/03/10) Link: http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2931 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Reason Author: Steve Chapman Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Familiarity, in this case, doesn’t breed contempt. It breeds acceptance. Heterosexuals have always lived and worked with gays, but without knowing it. Once they find out, most learn they have more similarities than differences. If the military’s ban on open gays is repealed, a lot of people in uniform will soon come to the same realization. Many already have.” (12/06/10) Link: http://reason.com/archives/2010/12/06/up-from-homophobia Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: CounterPunch Author: Paul Craig Ropberts Posted on 12.06.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “WikiLeaks’ critics could not make it clearer that they do not believe in accountable government. And to make certain that the government is not held accountable, WikiLeaks’ critics are calling for every possible police state measure, including extra-judicial murder, to stamp out anyone who makes information available that enables the citizenry to hold government accountable.” (12/06/10) Link: http://counterpunch.org/roberts12062010.html Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Center for a Stateless Society Author: David D'Amato Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “When finalized, the [US-South Korea trade] pact will be the most expansive U.S. trade agreement since the North American Free Trade Agreement (’NAFTA’), a deal that forged the linkage networking the corporatist systems of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. And contrary to their libertarian namesake, that’s all governments’ ‘free trade agreements’ do — spread the same system of state-corporate nexus over a broader area for the benefit of a coterie of companies that already dominate our lives.” (12/05/10) Link: http://c4ss.org/content/5231 Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Liberty For All Author: Larken Rose Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Sometimes very simple questions can cause profound cognitive dissonance. Here is a series of very simple questions I like to pose to people at random, especially if I want to make their heads explode. (For the record, my head was long ago exploded by these simple concepts, so I’m not claiming superiority here.) 1) Can you delegate to someone else a right which you don’t have?” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=5169 Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Future of Freedom Foundation Author: Laurence M. Vance Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “The year 2010 is a good year to die. If you plan on dying anytime soon, then try to do so by the end of the year. Just ask the families of George Steinbrenner, Dan Duncan, Mary Janet Cargill, John Kluge, and Walter Shorenstein — all billionaires who died this year.” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.fff.org/comment/com1012d.asp Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Huffington Post Author: Marty Kaplan Posted on 12.06.10 by Steve Trinward “I think I’ve figured out how to get the White House to pay attention. Clearly, being a Democrat doesn’t do the trick. I can clamor all I want about bankers’ bonuses, carbon emissions, Net Neutrality — you know, the kind of promises that candidate Obama ran on. But if I’m a Democrat, I’m just part of the base, the third of the country he’ll pretty much take for granted when he tries to assemble a majority in 2012.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2dcfj2c Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The American Prospect Author: Paul Starr Posted on 12.06.10 by Steve Trinward “One reason the electoral map turned red in November was that the electorate turned gray. Older Americans went to the polls in droves to vote Republican, while young people stayed home. And one big question about 2012 is whether the elderly will still vote Republican if the GOP can be forced to spell out the implications of its political agenda for Medicare and Social Security. … Because it’s piggybacked on Social Security, Medicare invites the elderly to believe they have earned its benefits …. In fact, the value of Medicare coverage far exceeds what seniors have earned through payroll taxes, but many nonetheless do not see themselves as being implicated in the evils of dependency on big government.” [editor’s note: And as long as “healthcare” continues to be predicated on aftercare and medication, rather than on maintaining wellness, this conflict will not disappear - SAT] (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2arqr3c Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: In These Times Author: Andrew Oxford Posted on 12.06.10 by Steve Trinward “Persistent high unemployment, rising poverty and shrinking state budgets have made insecurity the norm for America’s working class. Sociologist Lisa Dodson, who teaches at Boston College, has spent years studying the struggles of the growing ranks of underpaid and overworked Americans desperately trying to make ends meet. To understand how fair-minded people survive in an unfair economy, Dodson interviewed hundreds of low-wage workers and their employers across the country, examining what she terms the ‘economic disobedience’ now pervasive in the low-wage sector.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2dxlz2j Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: LewRockwell.Com Author: Eric Margolis Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The famed fictional Pimpernel, Sir Percy Blakeney, Bart., enraged revolutionary France by snatching aristocrats from the jaws of the guillotine. Our modern version, a curious Australian name Julian Assange, has outraged the United States and given its citizens a chance to see its government at work abroad — and it’s not a pretty sight.” (12/07/10) Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis217.html Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The Nation Author: John Nichols Posted on 12.06.10 by Steve Trinward “Time magazine readers, voting in a poll on potential ‘Person of the Year’ candidates, have placed WikiLeaks founder and frontman Julian Assange in the top tier — along with Jon Stewar[t] and Stephen Colbert. Sarah Palin, the queen of all media, is far behind in 10th place. What to do? Palin wants Assange hunted down as a terrorist.” (12/04/10) Link: http://www.thenation.com/blog/156789/sarah-palin-versus-julian-assange Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Spiked Author: Basham and Luik Posted on 12.06.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “When it comes to UK health policy, dodgy Nudge-style psychology is just as oppressive as New Labour nannying.” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/9963/ Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Guardian [UK] Author: Robert Booth and Haroon Siddique Posted on 12.06.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “As startling as the exposes were — the Saudi king urging America ‘to cut off the head of the snake,’ to launch a military attack on Iran’s nuclear programme — it was as much the sense of a curtain lifting to reveal the world leaders not as wizards but as all too human, and that the private positions of those in power were often diametrically opposed to what they said in public, that made the cables so gripping — and perhaps so dangerous.” (12/04/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2vnkgj4 Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Strike the Root Author: Scott Lazarowitz Posted on 12.06.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “The most recent example of the sheeple’s State-obedience has been the response among many politicians and news media blabbermouths and scribblers to the latest WikiLeaks release. The documents show the utter ineptness of our government officials who have no idea what they’re doing, and the documents also show the bureaucrats’ crassness and attitude toward foreign leaders.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/3726c85 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The Libertarian Enterprise Author: William Stone III Posted on 12.06.10 by Mary Lou Seymour ‘As I write this, Wikileaks is fighting for its life. This is an important issue for several reasons, not the least of which is this: It may be that your computer is attacking them. Wikileaks has been undergoing a Distributed Denial of Service attack since the eve of their most recent release of over 250,000 U.S. State Department documents. In order to understand what’s happening, it will be necessary to explain a DDOS and how your computer may be involved …” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle598-20101205-04.html Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute Author: Robert P. Murphy Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “In reaction to the growing public anger at the TSA and its ‘freedom fondles,’ some pundits are rushing to the bureaucracy’s defense. An illustrative example is Marc Thiessen’s call for Americans to give thanks to the ‘men and women of the TSA who give up time with their families during the holidays to keep us safe from terror.’” (12/06/10) Link: http://mises.org/daily/4873 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: OpenMarket.org Author: Ryan Young Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “According to a new poll, the average American thinks that 25 percent of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid (or, more accurately, government-to-government transfers). They would like it cut to about 10 percent. The actual figure is under 1 percent.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/24dxt8j Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute Author: Michelle Minton Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “This Sunday, December 5, many people will raise their glasses and celebrate Repeal Day — the anniversary of the end of Prohibition, a day when Americans regained a measure of individual freedom. However, some recent actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that aspects of Prohibition linger on nearly 80 years after the passage of the 21st Amendment. As a result, consumers are witnessing a dwindling variety of products and entrepreneurs are seeing their dreams and businesses washed down the drain.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/24w248n Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Campaign For Liberty Author: Philip Giraldi Posted on 12.06.10 by R. Lee Wrights “In the most recent terrorism case to make the front pages, a Somali-born, American teenager arrested on the day after Thanksgiving was apparently involved in a relationship with an informant who had been provided by federal law enforcement officials. The informant pretended to be a radical Islamic fighter who wanted to assist the young man in planning to detonate a car bomb at an Oregon Christmas tree lighting ceremony.” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1228 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Cato Institute Author: Doug Bandow Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “It’s always easiest to spend other people’s money. Liberal legislators have proved that for years. Compassion once meant suffering with others. Then it turned into writing checks. Now — at least in Washington — compassion means making other people write checks. The self-proclaimed ‘patriotic millionaires’ look to be the same sort of hypocrites.” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12615 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: AlterNet Author: Alfred W. McCoy Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “A soft landing for America 40 years from now? Don’t bet on it. The demise of the United States as the global superpower could come far more quickly than anyone imagines.” (12/05/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/3yy7dsm Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: EconLog Author: David Henderson Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Any manager of a U.S. company, large or small, in the year 2010, knows that when he/she gets a phone call from a staffer from a Senate committee with ‘Homeland Security’ in its name, he/she had better pay attention. This explains the one new fact Raimondo presents: that Amazon, rather than announcing that it buckled under pressure, instead said that it denied access to WikiLeaks because WikiLeaks was presenting stolen documents. But the timing shows that this can’t be it. If those documents were stolen, they were just as stolen in the days that Amazon did host WikiLeaks. So I won’t defend Amazon’s honesty, although I totally understand why they would tell a lie. But I won’t boycott Amazon.” (12/06/10) Link: http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2010/12/the_amazon_boyc.html Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Kent's "Hooligan Libertarian" Blog Author: Kent McManigal Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “If you hate or fear what Wikileaks is doing, you are pathetic.” (12/06/10) Link: http://kentmcmanigal.blogspot.com/2010/12/pathetic.html Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Libertarian Minds Author: Chris George Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “As I’ve come to recognize how the meanings of words diverge from one person to the next, I’ve also become more frustrated by the objective use of language. Trivial barriers are preventing so much from being accomplished. Anarchists and libertarians are heavily factioned. Disagreements over definitions, especially how those definitions should be delineated, appears to be a significant problem. The motivation can be said to be little more than a clinging to words for their own sake.” (12/05/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/268nq37 Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: The Price of Liberty Author: Nathan Barton Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “[F]or those who refuse to accept anarchy, the minarchists (including the Constitutional variety), for which SOME government power (however limited and constrained it may be) is acceptable, in theory or in practice, the question of petition and redress of grievances remains. So we still should answer two questions, for both practical purposes and perhaps to show the minarchists the errors of their way. But even though the Founding Fathers may have been wrong to think that SOME government power was moral, we must also face another fact: Just because it may be WRONG to be under the power of a government does not mean that we won’t be, de facto, under that power.” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/2010/12/06/nathan.html Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Salon Author: Glenn Greenwald Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The U.S. and its ‘friends’ in the Western and business worlds are more than able and happy to severely punish anyone they want without the slightest basis in ‘law.’ That’s what the lawless, Wild Western World is: political leaders punishing whomever they want without any limits, certainly without regard to bothersome concepts of ‘law.’ Anyone who doubts that should just look at what has been done to Wikileaks and Assange over the last week.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2ah28em Filed under: PND Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Liberale et Libertaire Author: dL Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The Forbes interview indicates that Assange’s WikiLeaks activism is not really motivated by his hacker days, but rather by his experience as an ISP Entrepreneur in Australia. His refusal to bend to government/corporate/religious censorship pressure created a niche market for his company. There was a demand out there for censorship evasion, and that demand found his company. This was an entrepreneur opportunity. In this sense, you can see how WikiLeaks, as viewed by Assange, is an entrepreneurial venture meeting a demand for transparency.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2b4uvq3 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: A Passion for Liberty Author: Tibor R. Machan Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp Introduction to Tibor R. Machan’s new book, Equality, So Badly Misunderstood: “What I will be insisting on defending is the idea that there is no justification for the belief that enforcing economic or any other type of substantive equality among members of human communities is a moral or political — and should be a legal — imperative. No basis exists for this view that, sadly, is widely held in our time.” (12/04/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/37qxdke Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Ideas Author: David Friedman Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “You are a state governor dealing with a strike of state employees. To end it, you must offer them something. One possibility is to raises their wages. Another is to agree to a more generous pension plan.” (12/05/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2dezy9z Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Freedom's Phoenix Author: US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “State secrecy is anathema to a free society. Why exactly should Americans be prevented from knowing what their government is doing in their name? In a free society we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, however, we are in big trouble. The truth is that our foreign spying, meddling and outright military intervention in the post-World War 2 era has made us less secure, not more, and we have lost countless lives and spent trillions of dollars for our trouble. Too often it’s the official government lies that have given us endless and illegal wars resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and casualties.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/237crl3 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Adam Smith Institute Author: Harriet Blackburn Posted on 12.06.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The government wants to increase tax on beers with more than 7.5% ABV (alcohol by volume). Despite the fact that this will affect only 0.5% of total alcohol sales, the measures are somehow supposed to discourage the supposed anti-social behaviour and alcohol abuse associated with strong lagers. Yet again, higher taxes seem to be the government’s answer to every question.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2au993c Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: AntiWar.Com Author: Justin Raimondo Posted on 12.05.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The answer of every freedom-loving American to these attacks must be: To hell with Amazon, to hell with Paypal, and to hell with the government. You’re either for liberty, or you’re against it: there is no middle ground. The controversy over WikiLeaks is a defining issue, one that separates the liberty-lovers from the lickspittles.” (12/06/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/29u84cz Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: LewRockwell.Com Author: Bob Murphy Posted on 12.05.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Many opponents of the U.S. empire are calling for a boycott against Amazon, after its capitulation to Sen. Joe Lieberman’s calls for it to stop hosting WikiLeaks on its servers. This is a controversial issue, with even LRC bloggers taking nuanced positions (e.g. here and here). Although it’s possible someone could give me a compelling argument for boycotting Amazon, I am not yet convinced. Furthermore, there are several concerns that I haven’t seen the proponents of a boycott address.” (12/04/10) Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/murphy/murphy171.html Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: The Libertarian Enterprise Author: L. Neil Smith Posted on 12.05.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “It’s unclear whether the truth will set us free, but it is clear that secrets are the means of our enslavement. Whistle-blowers Julian Assange and Bradley Manning are heroes who should be respected by freedom fighters everywhere. If it had not been irreparably befouled by Albert Gore and Barry Obama, each of them should receive a Nobel Prize.” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2010/tle598-20101205-02.html Filed under: LAND Commentary and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Liberty For All Author: Michael Badnarik Posted on 12.05.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Most of my readers are too young to remember Jack Paar, the host of the Tonight Show before Johnny Carson. (If you’re too young to remember Johnny Carson, stop reading this article and go do your homework.) In 1960, Jack told a short joke based on the misunderstanding of the abbreviation ‘w.c.’ which sometimes refers to a ‘water closet,’ or toilet. The television censors cut the joke from the program because they thought it was vulgar and inappropriate.” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=5096 Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Fred On Everything Author: Fred Reed Posted on 12.05.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Then I remembered: America is afraid of cap guns, which no longer exist. Of bottle rockets and pocketknives and Islamo-Mahmuds curled beneath the bed. And America is afraid of children. Puzzled boys of eleven are led from school in handcuffs for possession of a water pistol. A cop who would do it ought to go into hiding from embarrassment, but nothing embarrases anyone any longer. Ye gods and little catfish, I thought. Bob’s right. The country is afraid. Of everything.” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.fredoneverything.net/Bob.shtml Filed under: RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Backwoods Home Author: Masaad Ayoob Posted on 12.05.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “I remember one of my first female students. She was in her sixties, an accomplished academician and author with strong roots in what was then called ‘women’s liberation.’ She had considered the gun to be a hideous side effect of testosterone poisoning. Then, she was assaulted by armed criminals and nearly died. ‘It occurred to me,’ she told me later, ‘that I had neglected one element of my empowerment.’” (12/05/10) Link: http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/ayoob63.html Filed under: 2AM Commentary and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: LewRockwell.Com Author: William L. Anderson Posted on 12.05.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “People who believe in liberty are in a minority, and it is a minority that few of us really can comprehend, as for the most part, libertarians cannot grasp the real costs that they will be facing in the coming years. Those of us who have spoken out against the abuses committed by those in power no longer will be ignored by those who control the police and ‘justice’ apparatus, and we will be on the radar screens of those who believe they have the power to silence us.” (12/06/10) Link: http://www.lewrockwell.com/anderson/anderson303.html Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute Author: Gerard N. Casey Posted on 12.05.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Given the standard accounts of the origins of economics, the claim that the Scholastics made a significant contribution to economic theory may seem somewhat surprising, even perverse. Many histories of economics, especially if they are anglophone, locate the beginnings of economics with Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, together with the works of David Ricardo and the Mills, James and John Stuart.” (12/03/10) Link: http://mises.org/daily/4845 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Future of Freedom Foundation Author: Laurence M. Vance Posted on 12.05.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Statists of every variety — left/right, liberal/conservative, Democrat/Republican, progressive/moderate — disagree vocally and often. Although these groups may argue among themselves and with each other about any number of issues — health care, education, Social Security, the environment, tax cuts, business regulations — they all have one thing in common. The statists are all paternalistic and believe in some kind of a nanny state to monitor the behavior of its citizens.” (12/03/10) Link: http://www.fff.org/comment/com1012c.asp Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Freedom Politics Author: Thomas J. Lucente Jr. Posted on 12.05.10 by R. Lee Wrights “Julian Assange, founder of the notorious website WikiLeaks, should be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Instead, many American politicians want WikiLeaks declared a terrorist organization and Assange prosecuted for espionage. Such is life in the hyperjingoistic post-9/11 America where anything can be labeled terrorism if the right person objects to the behavior.” (12/05/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/22o4th5 Filed under: RRND Commentary | |
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