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Posted on 10.03.08 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update, 10/03/08 – As advertised yesterday, today’s edition is a wee bit late. Sorry about that — I was out last night at the VP debate protests and didn’t get home and to bed until 1ish. Since I was running late anyway, I figured I’d wait a bit to see if the House acted quickly one way or the other on the “bailout.” No dice — they’re messing around, so I’m pushing today’s edition out the door now. HUGE THANKS to NEW subscribing contributor B, and to long-time subscribers DFD and MB. Their combined payments of $17.50 bring our running total to $2662.13 against our goal of $5,000. “Mini-goal” for Monday morning: $3,000. Bonus to all contributors during this fundraiser: A free subscription to my new publication, KN@PPSTER: The Newsletter. Normal price, $17.73 per year. Your price, nada. Check out the first issue — it’s a free download Reminder: This week only, Laissez Faire Books is letting go of copies of Henry Hazlitt’s classic Economics in One Lesson for only $14.95 — shipping and handling included! If you’d like a case of 22, it’s only $210, shipped anywhere in the US at no extra charge! This “moving special” (ISIL and LFB are “re-headquartering to Arizona) is good only through Sunday. Place your order (specify single copies or case) by email to laissezfairebooks at gmail dot com - TLK —– Dear readers, Earlier this year, I told you that RRND/FND would be moving to a “twice-a-year” fundraising schedule — and we’re keeping our word. We’ve even waited almost a month past mid-year to start our first 2008 drive. But now it’s time. The goal is $5,000, and we’ll keep plugging until we reach it (even if that means extending into our year-end fundraiser, which we’d certainly prefer not to do!). You can support “the freedom movement’s daily newspaper” (and our offshoot publications — 2nd Amendment News Digest, Liberty Action News Digest and Progressive News Digest) in any of several ways: One-Time Payments Online
Become a Subscribing Contributor! [Note: All subscription payments received during the fundraiser will be credited toward its total]
Other Options If you prefer to support RRND/FND through the International Society for Individual Liberty, to target your contribution to this project. Please drop me a line so that I can thank you and add your contribution to our total (ISIL doesn’t send us a daily report). If you’d like to send a check, money order, cash or other valuable thing via US Snail, again, write me so I can send you the address and instructions.
And Now For Something Completely Different Would you like to see NO MORE RRND/FND fundraisers for nearly a year? So would we … so here’s a “side bet.” Up-front disclaimer: This mid-year fundraiser WILL continue until the goal is met, even if that’s some time next year (hopefully it will be some time next month!). But, we’re running a simultaneous “contingent pledge drive” through Fundable.Com to raise ANOTHER $5k … and if we make it, our next fundraiser won’t be until at least mid-2009. It’s a simple concept: You pledge the amount of money you’re willing to contribute to that second $5k. If we raise $5k in pledges like yours, you pay. If we don’t, you don’t. That simple. Click here to make your pledge. We didn’t make the Fundable.Com goal … but we’ll set a new project of this type up Real Soon Now. Yours in liberty, Filed under: 2AM News and Feature Articles and LAND News and PND News and RRND News | |
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Posted on 09.30.08 by J. Neil Schulman
Yesterday’s House vote can be the Concord Bridge of a renewed American Revolution — if the idea gets out fast enough. The congressional representatives — both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats — who yesterday stood up to the water-boardings given to them by President Bush, Treachery Secretary Paulson, Federal Reverse Chairman Bernanke, and the McCain-Obama Presidential Ticket — voted against the Bail Out of OPEC. Why else would the price of oil have plummeted when the bail-out went south? The failure of the bail-out showed us who was really going to get bailed out. The House made a good first step yesterday. But they need a second step. Now the representatives who voted in good faith with the American people should vote to reject their foul bought-and-paid-for party leadership and caucus together into a new political party. This idea needs to get out before the Jewish holidays are over and the House reconvenes. Let’s show them a path back to the Republic. Spread the word virally and quickly. —– Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 09.09.08 by J. Neil Schulman
In the wonderful movie Contact, from Carl Sagan’s novel about first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, scientist Ellie Arroway must convince a panel that she’s the right candidate to be earth’s first ambassador to non-humans. When asked by one selector whether she believes in God — as does most of the human race — Ellie answers that, as a scientist, she only believes what can be proved, and doesn’t believe there’s proof either way. Ellie is rejected in favor of the opportunistic David Drumlin, who cynically gives the panel exactly the pious affirmation of faith they need to select him over Ellie. The Saddleback Church presidential forum cast Barack Obama as Ellie Arroway and John McCain as David Drumlin. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 08.31.08 by J. Neil Schulman
Let’s start with my voting history, so you’ll know where I’m coming from. In my first eligibility to cast a ballot in a presidential election — in 1972 — I could not bring myself to vote either to re-elect Republican Richard Nixon or replace him with Democrat George McGovern. I cast a write-in vote for the 19th century libertarian, Lysander Spooner, for president. In 1976 I was one of the activists in the “Vote for Nobody!” campaign, and did not vote either for Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter. In 1980 and 1984 — even though I liked him better than any other major-party candidate for president since I’d become eligible to vote — I refrained from voting for Ronald Reagan. I remained a non-voter on the Jack Parr principle that “voting only encourages them.” In 1988 without even a major-party candidate on the ballot as appealing to me as Reagan, I again refrained from voting. By 1992 I’d argued myself into becoming a voter again, on the principle that if I believed in self-defense with a gun, I could believe in self-defense with a proxy gun — the ballot. But unable to vote for either George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton, I voted for Ross Perot. Link: http://www.Obama-Palin.com Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 06.09.08 by Thomas L. Knapp
Guest column by Barry Klein. How free market activists can achieve a pattern of victories ———————————————- … Recognize that money to fund an organization office with staff is critical. The following package of ideas probably cannot be done well without a budget of This is a strategy to reach the small number of opinion setters in each urbanized area. I call this group the “political village.” They are the civic activists and members of business groups who are watching the issues, developing opinions and sometimes trying to shape policy. It is much more affordable to reach and educate this relatively small number of people than a whole population of voting adults. I estimate 10,000 people fit this description in the Houston area where I live, and people are entering and leaving the village continuously. Filed under: Feature Articles and Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 06.01.08 by Michelle L
I have recently heard from many wonderful folks in the Libertarian Party that support the Barr-Root ticket; people that say we need to rally round the candidates and that I’m committing the cardinal sin of “cut and run” rather than putting the Party first. While I have utmost respect for all members of the Libertarian Party, I am having a very hard time believing that these particular leopards can change their spots. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.28.08 by Michelle L
“IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU” Please don’t act surprised, we both know it’s been over for a long time — it’s just that now, after Denver; I can’t pretend otherwise. Some people are thrilled when their exes make fools of themselves — fortunately for you, I am not one of them. That was, until you decided to announce to the world that your new BFF is Bob Barr; that he is the one you’d rather been seen around town with and who is being marketed as the chosen one to finally put you into the mainstream of political parties. I mean, seriously … Bob Barr?? And to think, I put your signs in my yard for all the world to see. I can’t honestly say that the warning signs weren’t there — the way you seemed to disregard my loyalty in favor of the prospect of national coverage; the way you looked at other parties when you thought I wasn’t looking, the way you were never there for our children; Liberty, Freedom and Values like you once were — just paying them enough lip service to make it appear that they (and I) were still important to you but really only using us for photo ops. I felt betrayed because of how much I had believed in you; how honorable you seemed compared to the other parties — how, when all the cool kids asked how I could possibly stand by you when you had zero chance of winning, I defended you and told everyone that you were different — that you had real values! (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.21.08 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update: Well, folks, this is it — the final edition of RRND/FND before our first “group vacation” in 5 1/2 years! If you’re attending the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Denver, be sure to clip the coupon below for a nice discount at the ISIL/Laissez Faire Books table … and to look up myself and my fellow RRND/FND editor, R. Lee Wrights. If you’ve decided that discretion is the better part of valor, enjoy the holiday weekend and we’ll be back next Wednesday. LAISSEZ FAIRE BOOKS 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF $50 OR MORE GOOD ONLY AT THE LFB BOOTH COUPON RRNDW Yours in liberty, Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | |
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Posted on 05.12.08 by George Phillies
We’re Libertarians. There is no issue we all agree upon, except perhaps how we spell our party’s name. It’s not surprising, then, that sometimes some members of our party will support an isolated Democrat. Or a lone Republican. If you are an LNC member, your burden is more severe. You made a commitment to your fellow Libertarians. You ran for our office so you could leverage your time and energy to build a stronger Libertarian Party. If you instead spent your time building an opposing party, you are not doing what you implicitly promised. I’m state chair of LPMass, the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts. I’ve worked vigorously to revive my state’s Libertarian Party. Our State Committee is now meeting monthly. Our State newsletter is now appearing monthly. We’ve revived fundraising. I’ve committed thousands of dollars of my own money for our Presidential ballot access campaign. You may rest assured, I haven’t given a Democrat or a Republican a dime or a minute. And I’m a Presidential candidate. When I identify my political beliefs, I say I’m a *Libertarian*. Here we come to one of my differences with LNC member Bob Barr, who I view as a friend. While on the LNC, Bob Barr has also been the champion of the Bob Barr Leadership PAC. Since the start of 2007, his PAC has raised more than a million dollars. That’s very impressive. Now, raising that money was expensive. Much of it went to general expenses. But when Bob Barr PAC money went since the start of 2007 to individual political candidates, it largely went to Republicans. And that means? If I’m your nominee this Summer, that means I hope to be in Georgia to campaign with Libertarian Senate Candidate Allen Buckley. His opponent Saxby Chambliss received $3,500 from Bob Barr’s PAC. I hope to be in New Hampshire to campaign with Libertarian Senate Candidate Ken Blevens. His opponent John Sununu received $3,000 from Bob Barr’s PAC. I hope to be in Virginia to campaign with Libertarian Senate Candidate Bill Redpath. The Gilmore for Senate campaign received $1,000 from Bob Barr’s PAC. I hope to be in North Carolina to campaign with Libertarian Congressional Candidate Thomas Hill. His opponent Robin Hayes received $1,000 from Bob Barr’s PAC. I hope to be in Texas to campaign with Libertarian Congressional Candidate Ken Ashby. His opponent Jeb Hensarling received $3,500 from Bob Barr’s PAC. I hope to be in Idaho to campaign with Libertarian Senate Candidate Kent Marmon. His erstwhile opponent, Larry Craig, dropped out, but not before he received $1,000 from Bob Barr’s PAC. That’s Republicans who have a Libertarian opponent. Bob Barr supported a longer list of Republicans who don’t yet face Libertarian opposition. The longer list matters, too. When you donate to a candidate, your money counts twice. It counts once for that candidate. It counts again for the candidate’s party. When I invest money in my campaign, I am building our Libertarian Party. And when Bob Barr through his PAC invested in Republican candidates, he was building up the Republican Party. And that leads to the question. What do we want and expect from a Presidential candidate? I urge you to consider: We only get one Presidential campaign every four years. It’s your decision. —– Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.25.08 by J. Neil Schulman
Often enough I hear my pro-RKBA, libertarian, and conservative/patriot friends complaining that Hollywood doesn’t make movies for us and that the movies they do make are hostile to our core values. Here’s your chance to turn that tide by supporting some new movies made by friends who do share our values. First up is the new comedy Witless Protection, starring Larry the Cable Guy, Jenny McCarthy, and Yaphet Kotto, released this past weekend by LionsGate. (This is the same studio that is producing Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.) The writer/director of Witless Protection is Charles Carner, a friend I met through our long attendance at the pro-Second-Amendment ATF nights (where Alcohol and Tobacco were consumed and Firearms discussed). This being a Larry the Cable Guy movie with a lot of redneck humor, don’t expect an evening of Oscar Wilde or Noel Coward, but Charles emails me, “I managed to put some politically-incorrect humor into the movie, which was fun.” The critics are, of course, attacking the movie because it’s not aimed at them but targeted to people who actually have to pay to see movies. So it didn’t have the biggest opening weekend and, without support, might be gone from the theaters by next weekend. So please pass along the message to go see this movie sometime this week to all Second Amendment, libertarian, and patriot lists. If there’s enough business during the week it might be held over another weekend and have time for a viral word-of-mouth campaign to boost its box office. Next up is Second-Amendment scholar David T. Hardy’s feature documentary, In Search of the Second Amendment, which is having its film-festival premiere at the Backlot Film Festival at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Culver City, CA, April 2-5, 2008. The website for this excellent analysis of the history and legal status of the Second Amendment — more timely than ever with the Heller case on DC’s gun ban being reviewed by the Supreme Court this year — is at http://www.secondamendmentdocumentary.com/. The Backlot Film Festival is the same festival where my own suspense-comedy feature, Lady Magdalene’s, starring Nichelle Nichols, is having its first LA-area screening the evening of April 3rd. I don’t think it takes much convincing that a movie written and directed by the author of the libertarian-award-winning Alongside Night and Charlton-Heston endorsed Stopping Power has plenty of pro-individual-liberty and pro-Second Amendment content. Nichelle Nichols will be present to introduce our screening plus the one after it, a restored print of the classic MGM all-black musical, Cabin in the Sky — and Nichelle will be singing live between the screenings with piano accompaniment, Because of Nichelle’s association both with Star Trek and now Heroes we expect this to be a star-studded event. And the timing couldn’t be better for our prospects to achieve distribution since at our February 2nd film-festival premiere at the San Diego Black Film Festival, Lady Magdalene’s won the festival’s Best Cutting Edge Film Award. Full details on our website at http://www.ladymagdalenes.com/. Discount tickets to the Backlot Film Festival, including all film screenings, will be available through various pro-RKBA and libertarian groups. Details on the where and how will be forthcoming. Remember, if we don’t support the filmmakers who embody our own values, they might not remain in the business so they can keep on trying to balance Hollywood’s politically-correct offerings. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.04.08 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update, 02/04/08 — Thanks to $25 contributor DJ and to subscribing contributors SH, KT, DFD, MA and MB, whose monthly payments totaling $32.50 arrived this weekend! They bring our running total to $2,877! I also have it on good authority — that of long-time supporter/contributor MJ Taylor of from Reason to Freedom — that a $200 check is on the way … so I’m declaring this fundraiser CLOSED with a putative total of $3,077. Thanks to all of you for your support, and to our friends at ISIL/Laissez Faire Books and LibertyStickers.Com for their help with premiums (not all of the stickers have been mailed out yet, but I’m working on it!) - TLK  Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | |
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Posted on 01.14.08 by Michelle L
“I find war detestable but those who praise it without participating in it even more so.” — Romain Rolland 1866-1944 Bear with me while I engage in what can only be termed journalistic masturbation. After watching wall-to-wall coverage in the mainstream media concerning the incident in the Strait of Hormuz between Iranian speedboats and US warships, one would be hard pressed to not experience a feeling of deja vu — the parallels to the Gulf of Tonkin are amazing. For a few days now, the major networks have breathlessly trumpeted the provocative confrontation and reported that “US warships were seconds away from firing on the speedboats.” Everybody panic! Eh, not so much. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 11.26.07 by Thomas L. Knapp
Guest Column by Rob Kampia Would you like to see criminal gangs growing marijuana in your community, making large profits, which in turn would fund other criminal activities? A new federal report says that our current marijuana policies are actually making this more likely. If you live in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, California, or parts of New York State, you may be particularly at risk. The report is the U.S. Department of Justice’s “National Drug Threat Assessment 2008,” released to the public on November 8. The only mention it got in the press had to do with supposed shortages of cocaine in some areas, but the report’s findings on marijuana will affect many more Americans. Marijuana, after all, is far and away the most commonly used illegal drug. Filed under: Feature Articles and Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 11.16.07 by Thomas L. Knapp
It’s time for our November ad sale here at Rational Review, and you’re never going to see better rates. It’s very simple: - Any Blogad for 1 week, $10 To order, click here or on the “advertise here” link in any of our Blogads strips. Choose from any of our Blogad formats (Standard, Hi-Rise, Mini or Classie) — the cost is the same, and it’s as low as it’s ever going to get. During this sale, you can get a one-month Blogad for the usual cost of a one-week Blogad, and three months for a little more than HALF the usual cost of a single month. Sorry, we can’t accept Flash animations during this sale — regular graphics only. To order, click here or on the “advertise here” link in any of our Blogads strips. Your ad will run on EVERY page at rationalreview.com, as well as on the Freedom News Daily page at ISIL’s web site. It will also run as a text ad w/link in our daily email editions (and will be permanently archived on the web in those editions). If you sell a good or service that you think libertarian readers will find interesting, or if you’re seeking support for your campaign for political office, or if you want to flog your own organization or web site, now’s the time to do it CHEAP. We run a maximum of five Blogads at any given time, and this sale ends when November ends, but if the ad strip is full you CAN advance order the ad at these rates, to run when spaces become available. Naturally, we reserve the right to reject ads — but we won’t do so without good reason, and payment for rejected ads will of course be promptly and cheerfully refunded. To order, click here or on the “advertise here” link in any of our Blogads strips. Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | |
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Posted on 10.08.07 by George Phillies
… (and Help Businesses Reward their Employees). There is no family responsibility more important than educating the next generation. You may be wealthy or poor. You may be healthy or sick. No matter your conditions, you can be sure: If your children are not educated well, they will end up poor and sick. As Libertarians, we believe that competitive private and market solutions will generally provide superior answers to challenging questions. Private and home schooling should offer children a richness of individually-designed education programs that other arrangements will find difficult to match. However, sensible Libertarians also recognize that public schools enjoy two huge advantages, namely large tax subsidies and a huge market and production base already in place. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 10.01.07 by Thomas L. Knapp
FINAL UPDATE, 10/01/07 Thanks to contributors MC (who will be hearing from me later today about his Laissez Faire Books gift certificate) and DT, and to subscribing contributor JL! Their payments, totaling $105, came in over the weekend, bringing our third quarter fundraising total to $1,835! We didn’t make our goal of $3,000, and that means the 4th quarter fundraiser will probably start early so that we can try to break through … but I’ll hold off as long as possible in honor of those of you who contributed this quarter. Thank you so much for your support, and I’ll keep the fundraising appeals off your screen for awhile - TLK /END DAILY UPDATE  Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | |
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Posted on 09.04.07 by George Phillies
A few pithy thoughts and quotes: Civil Liberties — The Oath of Office of the President is to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States. When a President takes office, he should place his hand on one place: the Constitution he is swearing to protect. When an advisor tells the President “The Constitution is not a suicide pact” as a justification for his illegal deeds, he is urging that our government be overthrown. As President, I will appoint officials and advisors who support the Constitution. A Loyal, Patriotic Civil Service — Loyal Americans honor our Constitution and obey the Law of the land. They do not make warrantless searches of your home. They do not wiretap your phone calls without court orders. They do not throw Americans into jail and detain them without trial or access to attorneys. We need a Federal government composed of loyal Americans who love our country. Federal employees who made warrantless searches, performed warrantless wiretaps, and detained citizens without trial will be replaced with patriotic Americans. And then the facts of their actions should be presented to grand juries. Presidential Royalism — We have a President, not an Emperor. Americans who dissent from elected Federal officers are true patriots who understand where America was born. Advocates of Free Speech zones, into which protesters are herded and hidden from the press, are dangerous subversives attacking our Constitution. Patriotic Americans do not grovel. They should not mindlessly stand and applaud because a President walks into the room. [Mind you, if you want to stand, applaud, or throw yourself on your kneepads, that’s your privilege.] Libertarians reject royalism. Torture. Rendition. Secret Prisons. — Real Americans do not torture. Real Americans do not kidnap so others can torture for us. Real Americans support timely public trials with juries, not military kangaroo tribunals. Real Americans should ensure that torture, renditions, and secret prisons are ended, and the people who committed crimes, such as torture, kidnap, and secretly imprison, are brought to justice. —– Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 08.09.07 by George Phillies
The Cold War is over. Bring home the army that defends Europe against the Soviet Union. World War II is over. Bring home our post-war garrisons. Transform the National Guard into state defense forces not available for overseas service, as the law currently allows. Only a Libertarian will bring our men and women home. We have the best navy in the world. We maintain a huge Atlantic fleet, when no hostile nations border the Atlantic. We build the world’s finest amphibious landing ships, which are only useful for launching invasions. We aren’t planning any. We should right-size our armed forces to an order of battle matching the threats we face. Only a Libertarian President will Finding Mr. Bin Laden is a job for spies and special forces, not a job for tank divisions. The Afghan people have been governing themselves for hundreds of years. They will not long tolerate foreign occupation. Only a Libertarian President will give the Bin Laden problem to the right people. The real foundation of our national security is our technology and industry. They let us deploy real defenses against real threats. Resources spent by our standing military are resources extracted from our industrialists and farmers and educators. When we spend our resources on a pointlessly large military, we weaken the foundation of our national security. Only a Libertarian President will strengthen our national security by right-sizing defense spending. —– Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 07.26.07 by George Phillies
Family Values - There are few parts of family life more sensitive than guiding medical care for family members unable to act for themselves. In the Terry Schiavo case, Congress tried to steal control of her medical care. Congress voted against real family values. If you support real family values, you should elect Libertarians. We believe Uncle Sam has no business making life and death decisions for you and your loved ones. The Kelo Decision - Your house should belong to you, not to the lounge lizard who bribed your city council. Eminent Domain takings should be limited to traditional public purposes. Eminent domain should not be used to steal your house for a developer or sports team. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 07.16.07 by Michelle L
I seriously doubt that there are too many folks out there who haven’t heard about Michael Chertoff’s gut feeling by now. That government officials are reduced to using such obscure rationalizations in order to get our attention, I believe really speaks volumes for the sorry state of affairs existing today. A quick search for the word “gut” happlily confirms my suspicions; the online dictionary of Merriam Webster starts the definition of gut with the word, bowels. I have long suspected that the administration’s facts are rectally sourced or, in other words, they pull them out of their collective asses. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 07.05.07 by Michelle L
My husband thinks it’s cute the way I always seem to be surprised by all the fairy tales, falsehoods and fabrications that emit from the White House; that I must somehow hold out hope that our elected (or not elected as the case may be) officials have some deep seated humanity that would cause them trouble sleeping at night should they lie to their constituents. Odd, I always considered myself to be rather cynical and jaded about politicians. Now we come to Bush commuting (not pardoning because after all, he still has to pay money and be on probation and he is still convicted — and we all know that convicted liars have no place in politics) Scooter Libby’s sentence. You can read the entire pack of lies at: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070702-3.html For your convenience, I have graciously copied the pertinent parts and noted the pants-on-fire-level whoppers for your enlightenment. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 07.05.07 by George Phillies
Six decades ago, President Harry Truman ordered that the Armed Forces be desegregated. No longer would there be separate military units for different people, sorted by the color of their skin. Instead, all soldiers were to be the same color: Army Green. All airmen were to be the same color: Air Force Blue. And so on across all our Armed Forces. Armed Forces desegregation actually began in Arizona, where the Air National Guard’s commanding officer was a prominent social liberal: He and his wife later brought Planned Parenthood to Tempe. His later political book warned emphatically about the dangers of overpopulation and the need for population control. The officer in question eventually went into politics, continuing to espouse his principles of individual freedom and equality before the law: In 1964, he became the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States. It is now 2007. Six decades after the Armed Forces were desegregated by race, the Armed Forces are segregated by gender orientation. (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 06.29.07 by Thomas L. Knapp
Update, 06/29/07 — Thanks to RS and JL, whose contributions totaling $27.50 arrived in the last 24 hours! That brings our running total to $1,690 … $1,310 short of our fundraiser goal. The quarter and the fundraiser end tomorrow, and we’re WAY light here, folks. I’m going to make one last plea, and an adjustment, before shutting this thing down. I’d love to be able to report to you on Monday that some angels got us across the finish line … so I’m moving the finish line up. If we’re not going to make it to $3,000 (and it doesn’t look like we will) how about $2,000? We’re only $310 away from that mark. We’ll keep trying (privately) to sell our “major supporter goodie package” — more than $2,000 worth of stuff for $1,000. If you’re interested in that, see tinyurl.com/yrxqm6. What we’re looking for from the rest of you — the readers who love RRND/FND but aren’t interested in popping a thousand bucks for advertising and such — is that other $310. That’s 31 of you who think it’s worth $10, or 62 who’ll go $5, or 124 of you who are willing to pony up $2.50 to support our continue publication … or some mix of those numbers. One dollar? That works! So does $100. Have a great weekend. But first, click and contribute - TLK To contribute to RRND using PayPal or e-gold, see the sidebar of any page at rationalreview.com. If you prefer tax deductibility, support ISIL and “earmark” your contribution for the support of Freedom News Daily at: www.isil.org/store/membership.html#freedom-news-daily And if you’d like to physically ship us checks, money orders, wampum, bullion, Federal Reserve Notes, used bottles that can be returned for deposit refunds, or pieces of toast with images of the Virgin Mary on them that we can auction on eBay, just drop me a line for instructions on how to do that. (Seriously: We’re always looking for computer hardware — if you’ve got a reasonably recent desktop or laptop that you’re looking to unload, let me know). And now, for the graphic you never wanted to see:  I’ll update this article daily throughout the fundraiser. And THANK YOU for your continuing support! Yours in liberty, Filed under: Feature Articles and RRND News | |
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Posted on 06.03.07 by George Phillies
Rational Review is a wonderful place, if not precisely a conservative site. This message is directly applicable to some readers. For the rest of you, the following is a message to forward to any conservative sites you know, because some conservatives already have been saved. They just need to learn where the pearly gates are located. Let me draw a few comparisons: Barry Goldwater wanted to reduce the size of government. George Bush conservatives offer “big government conservatism” and the largest expansion in welfare since Lyndon Johnson. Barry Goldwater supported a balanced budget. George Bush conservatives offer the largest budget deficits, funded and unfunded, in our history. Barry Goldwater said that “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” George Bush conservatives give us extremism, just not in the defense of liberty: extraordinary rendition, detention without trial, and torture. Barry Goldwater knew that secret police who listened to phone calls were Commies working for the KGB and Chairman Mao. George Bush conservatives bring us bigger and better American secret police, who use computers to listen to every single phone call and Internet message. Barry Goldwater was in love with technology. He was a jet pilot. His home was filled with high-tech gadgets. He ran for President of a country that strove to be the world leader in technology and science. Modern conservatives oppose stem cell research. When asked about evolution, four Republican Presidential candidates expressed disbelief. Worse, the other six did not burst into laughter. Barry Goldwater believed in personal privacy. Bush conservatives want to introduce state identity papers. (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Author: Steve Trinward Posted on 05.30.07 by Steve Trinward If you want to find out whether or not someone is a libertarian at heart, ask them how they feel about smoking; more often than not, the fascistic underbelly will shine through almost instantly … I recently experienced the fantasy of nearly every red-blooded hetero-American (or other) man the other night: I was standing at a social event, drinking free beer and munching on free hors d’oeuvres, chatting with several rather tall, very attractive, pleasantly slender, clearly intelligent and creative single women: one blonde, one brunette and one a striking redhead. What’s more, from my personal agenda, they were all songwriters, who had each come to Nashville, as I did initially, to pursue that craft and perhaps make a living at it. The fantasy continued to play out, as we chatted and got to know each other a bit better; staying “in the moment” became more and more difficult, at least for this little black duck. And then the conversation turned, and not in a good way, as one of the women commented on the proposed state legislation, to ban smoking in all “public” places, expressing her heartfelt approval of the measure. Then, almost without skipping a beat, both of the other two goddesses chimed in, in total agreement. (Mind you, we were standing in the back-barroom of a local tavern/restaurant, just off Music Row, which — by the choice of the owner and his/her patrons (mainly tourist trade and music industry) — was already … “smoke-free” … voluntarily!) [Update: June 1, 2007: The Tennessee House passed what the papers call a “watered down” version of the bill, which “specifically exempts bars, tobacco shops, restaurant patios, mechanic shops, small businesses with three or fewer employees, private clubs, private homes and residences as well as allowing a maximum of 25 percent of hotel rooms to be smoking rooms.” Although it is still draconian and mandates rather than persuades, it is at least a little less oppressive overall (nice that they include “private homes” in the list; we wouldn’t want to think we weren’t “allowed” to control our own property, now would we?) - SAT] I tried to restrain my ire, replying only that this attitude was at the root of much of what was wrong with our society today: if the first impulse when faced with an issue is to pass laws prohibiting behavior, then the idea of “freedom” will always be secondary to the desires of whatever pressure-group happened to hold power. (more…) Filed under: Feature Articles | |
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Posted on 05.23.07 by Thomas L. Knapp
Op-Ed from the Ayn Rand Institute On May 27, environmentalists will celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of Rachel Carson, the founding mother of their movement. But Carson’s centenary is no cause for celebration. Her legacy includes more than a million deaths a year from the mosquito-borne disease malaria. Though nearly eradicated decades ago, malaria has resurged with a vengeance because DDT, the most effective agent of mosquito control, has been essentially discarded — discarded based not on scientific concerns about its safety, but on environmental dogma advanced by Carson.
Instead, Carson filled her book with misinformation — alleging, among other claims, that DDT causes cancer. Her unsubstantiated assertion that continued DDT use would unleash a cancer epidemic generated a panicked fear of the pesticide that endures as public opinion to this day. Filed under: Reprints | |
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Posted on 05.23.07 by George Phillies
At the South Carolina debate, Republican candidates were asked if they would torture prisoners. Some of them thought torture was just fine. What is the libertarian answer to the torture question? It’s the American answer, the answer the American people have already given. Torture is a crime against civilization, reviled by all patriotic Americans. Let’s take it from the top. First, there is nothing for a President to decide. Inside the United States, torture is a felony. If you are anywhere in the United States, and you torture someone, you are committing more crimes than I care to list. There is no exception in those laws for government officials. If you are an American abroad and torture someone, it’s a felony. If your victim dies, you have earned the death penalty. There is no exception in those laws for government officials. Second, those laws reflect the wisdom of the American people. Torturers are the filth of the earth, properly grouped with child molesters and mercenaries. We need not ask what the founding fathers and their fellows thought of mercenaries. Their position is enshrined in the third verse of The Star-Spangled Banner: “And where is that band who so vauntingly swore Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.21.07 by Jim Davidson
Special to Rational Review People persist in asking me for whom should they vote. I strongly believe that if you are voting for any incumbent, you are making a grave error, which is likely to be deadly to many, disastrous to private property, and beneficial only to graft and corruption. In the case of nearly every challenger I’ve ever scrutinized closely, the same is true. There are a few exceptions, but they are indeed rare. So, for whom should you vote? I think the Libertarian Party has an excellent idea. In every election, for every office, a legitimate candidate to consider is “None of the Above.” If you vote for “None of the Above” in a Libertarian Party primary, and that choice wins the most votes, then the party runs no one for that office. Where allowed by law, they place “None of the Above” on the ballot for that office. So, you would have the opportunity to elect no one to that office, and, in the event that any jurisdiction allowed such a vote to be credentialed, no one would serve in that office. Isn’t that a fine idea? Wouldn’t you be better off? Can you think of any office at any level that would not be improved by sitting empty for a year, two years, four years, or six years — depending on the relevant term? Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.20.07 by J. Neil Schulman
Sometimes I wonder if people even listen to themselves talk. The Bush administration tells us that the United States has not yet achieved its objectives in the War in Iraq so American troops have to stay there until a stable Iraqi democracy can fend for itself against an insurgency fueled by al Qaeda-fed Sunni Muslims and Iranian-fed Shia Muslims: that the Iraqi InSurgency has to be fought with an American Surgency. The Democratic Party opposition tells us that, because of this InSurgency, the Bush administration already lost the War in Iraq so it’s time to cut our losses and bring American troops home. Neither the Bush administration nor its critics see the obvious fact that Operation Iraqi Freedom was a total victory, and any discussion of whether American troops should stay or go have to follow from that fact. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.20.07 by Ben Kalafut
It could be called the “diss heard ’round the world.” Rudolph Giuliani’s dismissal of Ron Paul’s assertion that U.S. foreign policy makes us more likely to be attacked by terrorists may have won him the debate, but its long-term impact on his credibility has yet to be seen. The war in Iraq remains the issue of greatest importance to voters. In Paul and Giuliani we have two candidates for a major party’s nomination whose views on the matter couldn’t be farther apart and whose disagreement has become perhaps the most talked-about event to date of the 2008 Presidential race. It’s thus a natural time for a real debate, a structured intellectual dispute over an issue as opposed to a soundbite-generating Q and A session. The resolution: The United States should adopt a noninterventionist foreign policy. Paul takes affirmative, Giuliani takes negative. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 05.19.07 by Brad Spangler
The following is the second report of two, posted on behalf of Dave. The first is available here. — Brad S. Filed under: Feature Articles | |
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Posted on 05.14.07 by Brad Spangler
Anarchist group Kansas Mutual Aid is helping with disaster relief in the wake of the devastating and colossal tornado that hit Greensburg, Kansas. The town has been simply obliterated. Read KMA member Dave Strano’s report below. Filed under: Feature Articles | |
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Posted on 05.09.07 by George Phillies
Civil disobedience is a political act. It may be nonviolent or violent. We may greet it with approval; we may condemn it. Civil disobedience remains a political act. When Gandhi led Indians to the sea to protest the British salt monopoly, he committed an act of nonviolent civil disobedience, an act that many Americans would approve. When George Washington led the Continental Army against the British, he committed an act of civil disobedience, an act of violent civil disobedience that most Americans also endorse. The attacks of the Iraqi resistance against our Army of Occupation in Iraq are equally acts of violent civil disobedience, acts directed against our fellow Americans. Peaceful or violent, approved or disapproved, acts of civil disobedience are extraordinary political acts. For better or worse, acts of civil disobedience have the intent of causing political change. The opposite of Civil Disobedience is Civil Disobedience by Government. (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 04.02.07 by George Phillies
Your Vote Counts Twice When you vote for a candidate, your vote counts twice. It counts once for the candidate. It counts again for the candidate’s party. Even when your candidate loses, your vote for the candidate shows that the candidate’s party and the ideas it represents have support. When a D.C. resident votes for a Republican Presidential candidate, or a Utah resident votes for the matching Democrat, they know their candidate will lose in their state. There is almost no chance that their popular votes will translate into electoral votes for their candidates. Their popular votes are still important, because they show that their candidate enjoys popular support for his views, popular support that may well manifest itself in other elections for other offices. That’s why there are no wasted votes. Every vote counts as a show of support for the candidate’s positions and ideas. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 03.15.07 by George Phillies
(and Help Businesses Reward their Employees) There is no family responsibility more important than educating the next generation. You may be wealthy or poor. You may be healthy or sick. No matter your conditions, you can be sure: If your children are not educated well, they will end up poor and sick. As Libertarians, we believe that competitive private and market solutions will generally provide superior answers to challenging questions. Private and home schooling should offer children a richness of individually-designed education programs that other arrangements will find difficult to match. However, sensible Libertarians also recognize that public schools enjoy two huge advantages, namely large tax subsidies and a huge market and production base already in place. How can Libertarians change America from where we are, to where we want to go, on a path each of whose steps is positive? Any proposed change must add to choice, not take away options from parents anxious for their children, or the change will not be adopted. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 03.05.07 by George Phillies
When It’s All Over The Libertarian Party nominating convention is more than a year away. The General Election, results unpredictable, is far beyond that. Nonetheless, someday the election campaign and its outcome will have come to an end. I have no idea whether I will win or lose the race for the nomination. I am doing my best to win, as are each of my serious opponents. What should the candidate do when the election is said and done? I realize that there have been past Presidential candidates, who have faced the same question. I’m not talking about them for the moment. They will answer to higher judges, namely to our party’s members and to the weight of history. Here I am only talking about my perspective on my possible future. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.21.07 by Jeff Riggenbach
Books cited or discussed in this essay: Doherty, Brian. Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. New York: Public Affairs, 2007. Mencken, H. L. “Newspaper Morals” [1914] in A Gang of Pecksniffs: And Other Comments on Newspaper Publishers, Editors and Reporters. Ed. Theo Lippman, Jr. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1975 - - -. Minority Report: H. L. Mencken’s Notebooks. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1956. I Brian Doherty’s Radicals for Capitalism is an outstanding book. Anyone who has read Doherty’s work over the past fifteen years or so in Liberty and Reason knows he’s an excellent writer, but as an historian of the libertarian movement, he’s also comprehensive, evenhanded, and continuously interesting. This is not to say, however, that there are no significant problems with this book. And thereby hangs a tale … II
Childs was capable, no doubt about that. He was brilliant. He was a fine writer and a gifted editor-in-chief, the kind of man who could talk well-established intellectuals into writing for his magazine for a tenth of what they’d earn (and a fraction of the audience they’d reach) if they sold the same article to Harper’s or Esquire or the Atlantic. He was the kind of editor who planned issues months ahead, who saw the big picture, where the magazine was heading, and why. He was also, as Doherty styles him, “the sort of man whose presence put smiles on people’s faces. He was the sort of figure all ideological movements need … the tireless networker, letter writer, phone caller, dedicated to a larger vision of a long-term libertarian project that extended beyond whatever work he happened to be doing, as dedicated to promoting and connecting other libertarian comrades as producing specific tangible work of his own.” In the late spring of 1978, as our scene opens, he was already, as Doherty puts it, “the most consistent personal inspiration and support to a rising generation of young libertarians.” (450) In the years to come, he filled that role ever more impressively and effectively. But he could not meet a deadline. (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.17.07 by Steve Kubby
I’ve recently been asked a number of times — by friends, fellow Libertarians, supporters of other candidates and even my own campaign volunteers — if my personal legal situation has any bearing on my presidential candidacy. More pointedly, I’ve been asked if the fact that I’m on probation in the state of California might not disqualify me as a candidate, if for no other reason than that it might limit my ability to travel. I’d like to turn these questions into an opportunity: An opportunity to explain my situation, and to explain why it’s not only not a problem, but a positive factor in my campaign. Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.16.07 by George Phillies
2008 is Too Late! 2008 is too late to end the Bush Republican War On Iraq. By 2008, thousands more of our brave American men and women will have died totally pointless deaths. They won’t have died to protect America. They’ll be dead because George Bush is afraid to admit that he was wrong. By 2008, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis will have joined them. They’ll all be together, united in the grave. (more…) Filed under: Guest Columns | |
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Posted on 02.08.07 by Dan E. Phillips
According to News Max consumer activist Ralph Nader is leaving open the possibility of running for President again in 2008. He will decide whether to run later this year. He is reportedly unhappy with Sen. Hillary Clinton, a (the?) likely Democratic nominee. Per News Max, Nader described Sen. Clinton as a “panderer and a flatterer.” You don’t say? Major candidates are almost always overly “handled.” Nader’s observation that Hillary is a “panderer and a flatterer” is no doubt true, but the same thing could be said of all the major candidates. As a result you get a centrist, “handled” politics. Former Senator Edwards is a “panderer and a flatterer.” Former Governor Romney is a “panderer and a flatterer.” Pandering and flattering may well be the price of entry to major candidate status. Perhaps Sen. McCain is not your prototypical panderer, but he is definitely attempting to make nice with the base and evangelicals after routinely thumbing his nose at them. If anything his previous contrariness and independence was possibly pandering to moderates and the media. For rightists of all varieties, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, paleoconservatives, Constitutionalists, third party advocates, etc., I believe a Nader run would be a positive development and should be encouraged. Cynically it potentially draws votes away from the Democratic candidate. Nader arguably cost Former Vice President Al Gore the election in 2000. However, there is a potentially more important reason to encourage ideological revolts on the left. American |