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Monday January 21st, 2013
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Gun Control: Who Gets Control?
posted 01/21/2013, 3:06 PM (Darian Worden)
[Category: Commentary]
Supporting gun control laws means giving government more credit than it deserves. Government is an institution run and staffed by people with their own interests and personalities. Are they really any smarter, more competent, or less likely to escalate violence than the average person?
If anything, institutional interests and incentives combine with the difficulty of holding government actors accountable to make them more dangerous. The laws they enforce make them an even bigger t... (more) |
Put Not Your Trust in Federalized Sheriffs
posted 01/21/2013, 3:06 PM (William Norman Grigg)
[Category: Commentary]
"You look depressed."
"I was lamenting. I’ve lost my innocence."
"You lost that some time ago. If you've only just noticed, it can't have been very important to you."
Exchange between Thomas Cromwell – the Machiavellian Lord Chancellor of England – and Richard Rich, an ambitious functionary who had sold his soul in a buyer’s market, from A Man for All Seasons.
"I will not enforce an unconstitutional ... (more) |
Another Obama Inauguration as Amerika's Fascism Continues To Escalate
posted 01/21/2013, 2:58 PM (Scott Lazarowitz)
[Category: Commentary]
The Amerikan people have spoken: "We love and adore our Dear Leader. We want more fascism, more government control over our private lives, more theft of the workers and producers, more spying, more war, more drones, less freedom, more destruction and more death." I wonder if Barack Obama invited his half-brother George Obama to the inauguration – remember George Obama? He’s the president’s half-brother who apparently lives in a shanty in Nairobi, the one President Obama doesn’t see... (more) |
King: I Have a Dream. Obama: I Have a Drone
posted 01/21/2013, 2:58 PM (Global Research)
[Category: Commentary]
A simple twist of fate has set President Obama’s second Inaugural Address for January 21, the same day as the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.
Obama made no mention of King during the Inauguration four years ago — but since then, in word and deed, the president has done much to distinguish himself from the man who said “I have a dream.”... (more) |
The Tension within American Exceptionalism
posted 01/21/2013, 2:58 PM (Wendy McElroy)
[Category: Commentary]
The concept of American exceptionalism is a key foundation of American freedom and militarism, individualism and imperialism. The meaning of the term seems to be elastic, changing through time and depending upon the purpose of each speaker. It has suffered a fate similar to the word “liberalism” in drifting far from its historical roots.... (more) |
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Friday January 18th, 2013
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Legitimacy
posted 01/18/2013, 8:45 PM (Robert Higgs)
[Category: Commentary]
What is the difference between a government and a criminal gang or protection racket such as the mafia? In a word, it is legitimacy. In practice, this vague notion suggests that people view the government—its institutional composition, its personnel, and its conduct—as morally acceptable or proper, whereas they view the mafia—at least in its conduct—as morally unacceptable or improper.
Many governments claim that th... (more) |
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Thursday January 17th, 2013
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Why Have Representation At All?
posted 01/17/2013, 1:55 PM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
 In a recently conducted analysis by the Washington Times, it was found that many members of the U.S. House of Representatives "don't understand the founding document [the Constitution] or don't take its precepts seriously." To the conservative newspaper, the discovery was a shocking scandal. Here are men and women who take an oath to support the very text that created... (more) |
Social Engineering through Criminal Law
posted 01/17/2013, 1:55 PM (Ridgway K. Foley Jr.)
[Category: Commentary]
Stealth defines the statist who seeks to channel all human conduct as he thinks best.
Such external human controls upon personal action represent the antithesis of liberty. This essay explicates a particularly surreptitious and dangerous means currently employed to dominate and command free men who attempt to act freely.
Contrary to the essential statist doctrine, men and women who believe in liberty consider human beings as purposive, acting individuals possessing ... (more) |
What about the Torture of Innocents?
posted 01/17/2013, 1:55 PM (Jacob G. Hornberger)
[Category: Commentary]
It is shocking enough that the United States is even engaged in a debate over whether the U.S. government should be torturing or not. Historically, torture has been committed by evil, medieval regimes, whose methods of brutally torturing people are memorialized in torture museums in various parts of Great Britain and Europe, or by communist or other dictatorial regimes around the world. Never in my wildest dreams, when I was young, ever dream that the United States would be discussing whether to... (more) |
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Wednesday January 16th, 2013
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Aaron Swartz, Hero and Martyr
posted 01/16/2013, 4:45 PM (Jeffrey Tucker)
[Category: Commentary]
 My apologies for the sad tone of this piece, but a hero has fallen and we need to pay him tribute — and make sure his death is not in vain.
Every turning point in the history of civilization has its champions and its opponents. The opponents of the digital age are those who use the power of the state to keep the population in a state of ignorance, even though the technology is at hand to universalize knowledge through digital networks. The main weapon they use is known as “intelle... (more) |
Liberals Are NOT Gun-Haters
posted 01/16/2013, 4:45 PM (Steven Greenhut)
[Category: Commentary]
Throughout the blog-o-sphere, I’ve been reading about how much liberals, such as those in the Obama administration and the Democrats who run our state government in California, hate guns. The term "gun-haters" can be found in countless articles written by conservatives about advocates for gun control, with one publication listing myriad "gun-hating" organizations.
No doubt, the politicians and groups named in these articles and lists are advocates for gun-control... (more) |
Gun Control: Using Threats To Get What We Want
posted 01/16/2013, 4:45 PM (Libertarian News)
[Category: Commentary]
 How many of us in our daily lives threaten others with violence to get them to comply with our wishes? I reckon that the majority of us don’t regularly threaten people. There is a logical reason for this; when we threaten people we burn social bridges. Cooperative arrangements between humans are necessary in order for people to enjoy a high standard of living. If you threaten your hairstylist, the chances are pretty good that they aren’t going to cut your hair again no matter how much you pa... (more) |
Myers-Briggs Personalities and the Peaceful, Voluntary World
posted 01/16/2013, 4:44 PM (The Dollar Vigilante)
[Category: Commentary]
All the world can be divided into 16 personality types, which fit into four distinct groups, at least according to the stunningly useful Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The MBTI is a psychometric (literally “soul measurement”) questionnaire that measures how people perceive the world and make decisions. It is based on the work of Carl Jung, who theorized that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world: sensation and intuition, feeling and thinking. Mother-... (more) A few years ago when I first did this I was INFP, took the test he links to and I marginally got INTP [Introvert(89%) iNtuitive(62%) Thinking(12%) Perceiving(67)%.] Share your results & check out the comments on the original article as well! - Chris |
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Tuesday January 15th, 2013
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Invasion of the Body Searchers: The Loss of Bodily Integrity in an Emerging Police State
posted 01/15/2013, 10:08 AM (John W. Whitehead)
[Category: Commentary]
 “The Fourth Amendment was designed to stand between us and arbitrary governmental authority. For all practical purposes, that shield has been shattered, leaving our liberty and personal integrity subject to the whim of every cop on the beat, trooper on the highway and jail official. The framers would be appalled.”—Herman Schwartz, The Nation
If you want a recipe for disaster, take police officers hyped up on their own authority and the power of the badge, throw in a few court rul... (more) |
Citizen-Based Taxation: Thank War for It
posted 01/15/2013, 10:07 AM (The Dollar Vigilante)
[Category: Commentary]
 Only two nations in the world have citizenship-based taxation: the United States and Eritrea in northeastern Africa.
Citizenship-based taxation means that the payment of taxes is determined by citizenship rather than residency or the source of income. In other words, the foreign income earned by an American abroad is taxed by the Internal Revenue Service even though it is also assessed by the nation in which he lives. An American businessman living in Hong Kong is legally required... (more) |
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Monday January 14th, 2013
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Doug Casey On Where to Go After You Flee the US
posted 01/14/2013, 10:48 AM (The International Man)
[Category: Commentary]
 EUROPE
From at least the 1600s, Europe could claim to be the center of world civilization on all fronts. The colonies of the Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, and Russian empires (with the Dutch, Germans, Italians, and Americans as bit players) covered almost the entire planet. In its early days, an empire is both fun and profitable. You get to loot and pillage at will, and an empire provides lots of room to relocate the disenchanted, the overly a... (more) |
Soldiers in Fantasyland
posted 01/14/2013, 10:48 AM (Laurence M. Vance)
[Category: Commentary]
Disney World in central Florida recently opened a large expansion and renovation of its Fantasyland area. Kids can ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Tea Party, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan’s Flight. Although adults can ride too, the difference is that they know these things are all fantasy – or at least they are supposed to.
Some American adults have not only ridden the rides at Fantasyland, they live in Fantasyland. Their conception of... (more) |
AIG Is Right: Sue the Bastards
posted 01/14/2013, 10:46 AM (Douglas French)
[Category: Commentary]
 AIG, the mega-insurer that was bailed out by the government in 2008, wants to sue the government. People’s automatic reaction: How terribly ungrateful! The government saved this company’s bacon and now they want to sue?
Most people might have the reaction of Col. Nathan R. Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men”): “I would rather you just said thank you and went on your way.”
But life isn’t as simple as people would like. AIG’s old boss Hank Greenberg i... (more) |
Rand Paul's Misgivings on Government Debt
posted 01/14/2013, 10:40 AM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
 In its never-ending struggle with responsibility and logic, the U.S. government will soon breach its statutory debt limit. Departing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned President Obama that by the end of February, Congress will have to take action or risk a sharp halt in Empire Washington's hegemony. The so-called conservative side of America's res publica is demanding large swaths of government spending to be cut in return for a hike in the debt ceiling. Such spending cuts won't, of ... (more) |
Aaron Swartz and Intellectual Property's Bitter-Enders
posted 01/14/2013, 10:40 AM (Thomas L. Knapp)
[Category: Commentary]
It’s never really possible to understand all of a person’s problems or how those problems might play into the decision to take his or her own life, but it’s a good bet that the 35-year prison sentence and $1 million fine hanging over Aaron Swartz’s head played a significant role in his choice.
“How,” John Kerry asked a committee of the US Senate (to which he himself would later be elected) in 1971, “do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”
That que... (more) |
Prosecutor as bully
posted 01/14/2013, 10:40 AM (Lessig Blog, v2)
[Category: Commentary]
Since his arrest in January, 2011, I have known more about the events that began this spiral than I have wanted to know. Aaron consulted me as a friend and lawyer. He shared with me what went down and why, and I worked with him to get help. When my obligations to Harvard created a conflict that made it impossible for me to continue as a lawyer, I continued as a friend. Not a good enough friend, no doubt, but nothing was going to draw that friendship into doubt.... (more) |
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Saturday January 12th, 2013
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Newtown and the Bipartisan Police State
posted 01/12/2013, 1:00 PM (Anthony Gregory)
[Category: Commentary]
In immediate response to the Newtown massacre, every pundit began pointing fingers and giving their answers. The problem was gun culture. No, the problem was feminism. Violent video games. Insufficient funding for programs for the mentally ill. Hollywood. Rightwing paranoia. And so on.
Now, I have my own views about the cultural conditions in America that coincide with our high levels of violence. I think both liberal and conservative commentators probably make some good points al... (more) |
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Friday January 11th, 2013
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The State and Roads
posted 01/11/2013, 7:01 AM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
Last December, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a new standard that would force automobile manufactures to install "event data recorders" (typically known as black boxes) in all vehicles starting in September of 2014. Because Congress failed to pass legislation cont... (more) |
The Tale of Two States
posted 01/11/2013, 7:00 AM (Libertarian News)
[Category: Commentary]
There once was a man named John who lived in a place called A. The country of A was a rather dreary place. Some 200 years ago, a majority of the people of A decided that they should be able to impose their will upon a minority of citizens for the good of all. So the majority got together, pooled their resources, and then set about arming groups of young men to go out and collect money from all the business owners in order to fund “protection and welfare” services for the country.
... (more) |
There Is No End In Sight For The Self-Perpetuating 'War On Terror'
posted 01/11/2013, 7:00 AM (Techdirt)
[Category: Commentary]
No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country. ~Alexis de Tocqueville War generally used to refer to a finite state, but as with the endless "War on Drugs," the War on Terror has scattered the US military around the globe to battle terrorists with no endgame. Hillary Clinton speculated back in 2009 that we would be in Afghanistan (in one form or another) for another "50 or 60 years." Greg Miller's article for the Washington Post q... (more) |
A 5 Step Plan To Significantly Reduce Gun Violence in the US
posted 01/11/2013, 6:59 AM (Robert Wenzel)
[Category: Commentary]
1. Abolish the DEA and end the war on drugs. A large part of gun violence comes as a result of the drug market being forced underground. Drug dealers have to shoot to stay alive, just like Al Capone had to during Prohibition.
End the drug war and drugs would be sold at drugstores by little old lady cashiers – -and at a fraction of the price – thus reducing all kinds of drug related crime.
2. Abolish the FDA and government invol... (more) |
His Majesty Obama and the Debt Ceiling
posted 01/11/2013, 6:57 AM (Wendy McElroy)
[Category: Commentary]
President Obama may be poised to claim an unprecedented executive power. Or not. It depends on whether you credit official denials from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney or public statements from high-ranking Democrats. The monarchical power in question is the ability to raise the debt ceiling at will. It involves bypassing the House of Representatives, which currently has the constitutional authority to initiate all revenue bills.... (more) |
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Wednesday January 9th, 2013
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Guns, Like Washing Machines, Don't Act -- People Do
posted 01/09/2013, 6:21 AM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the usual cadre of politicians, pundits and commentators are hitting the airwaves and condemning believers of the “guns don’t kill” rationale. This exercise in demonization is being followed with pleas to strip Americans of their guns and place a ban on vaguely-defined “assault” weapons.
What’s been lacking in the flurry of proposals that inevitably followed a catastrophe like Sandy Hook has been a deeper look at the kind o... (more) |
I Used to be a Socialist. True Story.
posted 01/09/2013, 6:15 AM (Mark Tordai)
[Category: Commentary]
I pride myself on being an honest person. I don't have too many close friends and have lost many acquaintances on Facebook over changes to my political beliefs. Thankfully, I have made a lot of liberty loving friends since I became a Libertarian and am very grateful for their support. Many of my new allies have also lost people in their lives too, due to their beliefs which I find sad, but also, inevitable.
The story of how I became a Socialist begins at age 17 and during 2000 Can... (more) |
Guns and Libertarianism
posted 01/09/2013, 6:15 AM (David S. D'Amato)
[Category: Commentary]
The tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, has expectedly renewed interest in the “gun debate,” animating the worst inclinations of both the left and right halves of the statist conversation. Some conservative quarters are calling for something like armed-to-the-teeth military police to be stationed in the country’s schools. Progressives have naturally fallen back on all of the stock bilge in adjuring for stricter gun laws. It would thus seem to be as good a time as any for libertarians to interpose w... (more) |
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Tuesday January 8th, 2013
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The Fascinating Case of Lynne Stewart
posted 01/08/2013, 3:19 AM (Jacob G. Hornberger)
[Category: Commentary]
 Lynne Stewart is a New York attorney who is serving a 10-year sentence in the federal penitentiary for being a supporter of terrorism. Her crime? Two years after the 9/11 attacks, she read the following message from her client, convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, at a press conference in New York City: "I [Omar Abdel-Rahmn] am not withdrawing my support of the cease-fire, I am merely questioning it and I am urging you, who are on the ground there to discuss it and to include everyone in your ... (more) |
America Is Being Systematically Transformed Into A Totalitarian Society
posted 01/08/2013, 3:19 AM (The American Dream)
[Category: Commentary]
 If someone were to ask you for an example of a “totalitarian society”, how would you respond? Most Americans would probably think of horribly repressive regimes such as the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Communist China, East Germany or North Korea, but the truth is that there is one society that has far more rules and regulations than any of those societies ever dreamed of having. In the United States today, our lives are governed by literally millions of laws, rules and regulations that govern ... (more) |
Sexism, Oppression, and Libertarianism
posted 01/08/2013, 3:17 AM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
In France, minister for women's rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem is demanding the social media network Twitter reform its operations to remove all hate speech that may emanate from the country. Statements deemed overly malevolent are already "prohibited by law" according to Vallaud-Belkacem. In the name of "human dignity," Twitter must go further to remove any messages ... (more) |
Academia and Imbecility
posted 01/07/2013, 1:18 AM (James E. Miller)
[Category: Commentary]
 In a recent LRC article, economist William Anderson dissects the leftist progressive mindset within the modern-day academic community. University professors, along with their colleagues of sophisticated thinking in the press, display an affinity for state power in their reasoning. In their eyes, the state can do little wrong even as its enforcers plunder society, spy on dissidents, imprison non-criminals, and conduct military campaig... (more) |
The Salmon Trap: An Analogy for People's Entrapment by the State
posted 01/04/2013, 6:28 AM (Robert Higgs)
[Category: Commentary]
A salmon trap (also known as a pound net) is a setup for catching salmon as they return to their spawning places in the gravel beds of shallow inland streams. Such traps were used in Washington and Oregon until they were outlawed—by Oregon in 1926 and by Washington in 1934—and in Alaska until they were banned in 1959. They were highly efficient arrangements for harvesting salmon, outlawed only because the operators of comp... (more) |
The New Year's First Heist
posted 01/04/2013, 6:28 AM (Douglas French)
[Category: Commentary]
 The high priests of the civic religion are very worried that people no longer seem to trust government. The law stands discredited. Once-hallowed institutions are under fire and losing status. People are openly loathing public officials. Movies, television, and best-selling books urge revolt. Most people don’t bother to vote.
And these priests wonder why.
Here’s an example of why. As the year opened, the House, Senate, and president all collaborated to enact the lar... (more) |
Government Violence: The Missing Link in the Gun Control Debate
posted 01/04/2013, 6:28 AM (John W. Whitehead)
[Category: Commentary]
 It didn’t take long for the tragedy of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings, which left 20 schoolchildren and six adults dead, to be co-opted by politicians and special interest groups alike, all eager to advance their ideas about how to prevent another deranged madman from taking innocent lives. President Obama is calling on Congress to issue gun control legislation that would limit access to assault weapons. The National Rifle Association (NRA) wants armed guards patrolling every school ... (more) |
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Thursday January 3rd, 2013
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The Rationally Misinformed Voter
posted 01/03/2013, 12:18 AM (Thomas DiLorenzo)
[Category: Commentary]
 In the sub-discipline of economics known as public choice, an important concept is the theory of "rational ignorance." First articulated by political scientist Anthony Downs in the 1950s, and expanded upon by economist Gordon Tullock and others, the theory of rational ignorance holds that it is perfectly rational for individuals to largely ignore politics, or even not to vote. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and we all spend most of our time doing our jobs, pursuing an educa... (more) |
Doug Casey on 2013
posted 01/03/2013, 12:18 AM (Casey Research)
[Category: Commentary]
L: So Doug, the world didn't end in 2012, so it's onward into another new year. It's time to tune in to your guru-vision and tell us what trends you see shaping up and what actions they imply taking.
Doug: Yes, it looks like the Mayans missed this one; perhaps they'll get another kick at the cat a few millennia from now when it's once more time to turn the page on their calendar. Better luck next time, Mayan astrologers! But although nothing seems... (more) |
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Wednesday January 2nd, 2013
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Book Review: The U.S. War Machine
posted 01/02/2013, 12:34 AM (Anthony Gregory)
[Category: Commentary]
Many supporters of Barack Obama are disappointed that he has not reversed the war policies of his predecessor. He did his best to continue the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The Afghanistan war rages far beyond what was seen under George W. Bush. Obama has also proved militaristic in operations in Libya, Yemen, and Pakistan, and in the sanctions against Iran. The attacks on civil liberties and human rights continue on the same path that Bush forged.
Obama gave indications early on that ... (more) |
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Tuesday January 1st, 2013
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I Question Your Patriotism
posted 01/01/2013, 2:37 AM (Laurence M. Vance)
[Category: Commentary]
I have been called a lot of things since I began writing about ten years ago on the folly of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the evils of the U.S. military, and the belligerence of U.S. foreign policy.
Many of the things I have been called I can’t repeat because they are so vile and filthy. However, the negative e-mails have tapered off quite a bit over the years since these wars have turned out to be such debacles.
One charge that has been con... (more) |
Javert's Religion of Statism
posted 01/01/2013, 2:36 AM (Jeffrey Tucker)
[Category: Commentary]
Those who take prosperity for granted — and all of us do whether we admit it or not — would do well to make their way to the film Les Misérables, which features Russell Crowe playing the role of the relentless French cop Javert (not to mention an astonishingly effective presentation of “I Dreamed the Dream” by Anne Hathaway).
This film brilliantly pictures a level of poverty that none of us has ever known. We do well to reflect on it and the reasons that we do not experience such ... (more) |
Why We Fight
posted 01/01/2013, 2:36 AM (Jacob G. Hornberger)
[Category: Commentary]
Given the statist direction in which our nation continues to head, one might be tempted to succumb to despondency. After all, everywhere you look, there’s a crisis, with calls for even more statism to address the crises. The worse things get, the more hopeless the situation might seem for people striving for the triumph of libertarianism.... (more) |
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Monday December 31st, 2012
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Sandy Hook and Pre-emptive Civilian Disarmament
posted 12/31/2012, 12:07 AM (William Norman Grigg)
[Category: Commentary]
 Civilian disarmament advocates insist that the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre illustrates the dangers of inadequately restrictive firearms laws. That assumption is impossible to reconcile with the fact that Connecticut’s state government regards individual firearms ownership not as a right but as a highly conditional privilege subject to revocation without notice, on the whim of an unaccountable bureaucrat.
In 1999, the Connecticut legislature enacted Sec. 29-38c, a m... (more) |
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The Century of the Self: The Untold History of Controlling the Masses Through the Manipulation of Unconscious Desires
Operation Gladio: The Hidden History of U.S. Sponsored False Flag Terrorism in Europe
The New American Century: The Untold History of The Project for the New American Century
Craig Kingsbury, the veteran bureaucrat who 
In the days since the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, many in the media and government have asserted that the only way to prevent such attacks in the future is to prohibit persons from being able to purchase guns. So what are we to make of the fact that on Christmas Eve a man 
Osman Barre, a Somali-born software engineer living in Portland, Oregon, was concerned that his teenage son 
When the "heroic" (and 
Cop Who Karate Chopped NY Judge In Throat Gets Off Scot-Free
Florida Cop Smashes Compliant Woman's Face Into Car -- "Maybe Now You Can Understand Simple Instructions"
VIDEO: Lapel Cam Reveals A Day In The Life Of A U.S. Police Officer (Tasing, Beating, Breaking & Entering, Stomping On Heads... and Laughing About It)
Caught On Tape: Officer Sucker Punches Inmate In Face, Files Report Claiming 'Self Defense'
Insult Person On Twitter, Go To Jail
SWAT Team Brings TV Crew To Film Raid Against Threatening Internet Critic -- Raids Innocent Grandma Instead
Cop Karate Chops NY Judge In The Throat
When the Right to Resist Becomes the "Duty to Submit"
The Missing Lesson From Norway: Never Trust a Man in Uniform
"They're Only Out To Make Cold Hard American Cash"; Park Police Crack Down on Bicycle Cabs in DC