Missouri ballot measure would protect electronic data from government spying

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In August, Missouri voters will have an opportunity to reject significant parts of mass surveillance programs by both the state and federal governments. Introduced by Sen. Rob Schaaf, Senate Joint Resolution 27 (SJR27) passed the legislature last month with just a handful of dissenting votes. Because it is a proposal for…

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New York Legislature votes to Nullify Federal Medical Marijuana Ban

ALBANY, NY – The New York state legislature has passed a bill to partially nullify the federal ban on marijuana. With Gov. Cuomo signaling that he will sign the bill, New York will become the 23rd state to enact such a measure.Program Bill 57 passed on Jun. 20. The law allows doctors to prescribed medical…

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The Judge: Gitmo is “Alien to The Constitution”

Earlier this month on “The Alan Colmes Show,” Alan spoke with Fox Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano just hours before the expected return of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to the United States. With his return comes questions about the future of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, which Alan and the Judge discussed. The conversation ranged from how both…

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Using State Nullification to Stop Deployments to Qatar

“The operation of measures thus unconstitutional and illegal ought to be prevented by a resort to other measures which are both constitutional and legal. It will be the solemn duty of the State governments to protect their own authority over their own militia, and to interpose between their citizens and arbitrary power. These are among…

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Is War Part of a Wall Street Party?

"The consistent raising of nuclear tensions justifies continued economic reactions in order to keep Western economies stable and on track, which may include further justifications for continued monetary easing. International tensions also provide a rationale for a 'flight to safety' that reinforces the primacy of Western markets, in particular US bonds and equities. The up and down security posture of the West versus Russia (and China) can create alternatively a depression of 'animal spirits' and waves of euphoria that can lift markets. Finally, a fluid period of inter-state animosity can provide justifications for an eventual stock market crash that can usher the next phase of economic internationalism." Continue reading

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Ludwig von Mises: Come Back to Gold

"In every instance of inflation or credit expansion there are two groups, that of the gainers and that of the losers. The creditors are the losers; it is their loss that is the profit of the debtors. But this is not all. The more fateful results of inflation derive from the fact that the rise in prices and wages which it causes occurs at different times and in different measure for various kinds of commodities and labor. Some classes of prices and wages rise more quickly and to a higher level than others. While inflation is under way, some people enjoy the benefit of higher prices on the goods and services they sell, while the prices of goods and services they buy have not yet risen at all or not to the same extent." Continue reading

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Central Planning by Central Bankers

"The agency that controls monetary policy for the United States has an unlimited amount of money to buy support, compliance, or least silence within that segment of professionally trained economists that specializes in money and banking. The Federal Reserve gets to keep all the money that it wants for operations. It has to turn back over to the Treasury Department any money that is not used for operations, but it does not answer to Congress or the Treasury with respect to how it spends its money. This means that the Federal Reserve has essentially unlimited funds available to buy off those critics who might challenge Federal Reserve policy." Continue reading

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Friday Night Movie: Good Indie Sci Fi/Action short – “Drone” (30 minutes)

A nominee for the 2013 Streamy Award for Best Sci Fi or Action Series, and winner of Best Visual Effects - The future of war has a few upgrades, as DRONE takes a look at a rogue humanoid drone who has … Continue reading

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Conservatives need to support trial by jury, too

Although I’ve often criticized the constitutional tone-deafness of “progressives,” conservatives can sometimes exhibit such tendencies as well. Over atThe Seventh Amendment Advocate, Andy Cochran points out why trial by jury in civil cases—as guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment—is important, and how some conservatives disregard it. The problem arises because when constituency politics often trumps principle. Just…

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Delegated powers and strict construction

St. George Tucker was one of the most influential legal scholars of the early American republic. His View of the Constitution of the United States was the first extended, systematic commentary on the Constitution after it had been ratified by the people of the several states and amended by the Bill of Rights. And his…

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