News Commentary

Like Ted Cruz, Canadians had nothing against the United States, until now

"If Canadians and others around the world want to renounce U.S. citizenship to protect their private financial information from U.S. snooping, IRS expects five years of income tax returns, destructive penalties and a possible exit tax. Senator Cruz, Canada respects your decision to renounce your Canadian citizenship. When it is granted, I assure you Canada will not stalk you for information about your private finances and will not demand taxes or penalties from you. Senator Cruz, will you and your Congressional colleagues do the same to protect Canadians and others around the world from outrageous demands of the IRS and U.S. Treasury?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLike Ted Cruz, Canadians had nothing against the United States, until now

Wanted: A Boring Leader for the Fed

"Quantitative easing has amounted to an audacious experiment in trickle-down economics. Among other things, it has artificially boosted the stock market in the hope that enriching a few — the top 1 percent of American households owned 42 percent of the nation’s financial assets in 2010 — will help the many. Meanwhile, retirees who don’t dare buy stocks have seen their modest bank deposits stagnate with interest rates near zero. Economists hate to admit it, but the profession is as much faith as science. Counting on monetary policy to secure full employment is like attempting vascular surgery with a dull ax." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWanted: A Boring Leader for the Fed

Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state

"The notion of terrorism has developed to cover not only terrorists themselves, but also activists, placard wavers, and protesters. And now, apparently, the partners of journalists have also joined the ranks. Due process is merely yet another quaint, British artifact like the Magna Carta and habeas corpus. I know this from bitter personal experience. In 1997 former MI5 intelligence officer, David Shayler, blew the whistle on a whole range of UK spy crimes: files on government ministers, illegal phone taps, IRA bombs that could have been prevented, innocent people in prison, and an illegal MI6 assassination plot against Gaddafi, which went wrong and innocent people died." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTa-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state

What five beers account for most emergency room visits?

"The New York Times reported on a study at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, analyzing how many patients in the emergency room had been drinking and what they had been drinking. Not surprising, the top five were Budweiser, Steel Reserve, Colt 45, Bud Ice and Bud Light." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat five beers account for most emergency room visits?

Decline and Fall: The Second Stage is Anger

"Not too long ago, I predicted that if I live to the average American male lifespan of 76 — I’m 46 now — I’ll have outlived the United States as we know it. At the time, I feared I was being over-optimistic, but lately I’m leaning the other way and thinking that my timetable may have been unduly timid. The recent temper tantrums of the American political class and its toadies abroad bring to mind an old saying (incorrectly attributed to Gandhi) — 'first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win' — and the Kubler-Ross model of grief. Our would-be masters appear to have moved forward from 'denial' to 'anger' in a big way." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDecline and Fall: The Second Stage is Anger

Outrageous Julian Assange Tweet By Time Reporter Michael Grunwald

"A TIME magazine reporter caused ire on Twitter Saturday night when he said that he 'can't wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out' Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Michael Grunwald's tweet, since deleted, was quickly met with outrage and bewilderment. Glenn Greenwald, who recently broke several revelations about NSA surveillance programs based on documents provided to him by leaker Edward Snowden, was particularly vocal in expressing his disgust with Grunwald's statement. The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOutrageous Julian Assange Tweet By Time Reporter Michael Grunwald

The Phony Trade-off Between Privacy and Security

"What Barack Obama, Mike Rogers, Peter King, and their ilk mean when they tell us that 'we' need to find the right balance between security and privacy is that they will dictate to us what the alleged balance will be. We will have no real say in the matter, and they can be counted on to find the balance on the 'security' side of the spectrum as suits their interests. Of course, our rulers can’t really set things to the security side of the spectrum because the game is rigged. When we give up privacy — or, rather, when our rulers take it — we don’t get security in return; we get a more intrusive state, which means we get more insecurity." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Phony Trade-off Between Privacy and Security

The USDA Is Pushing Food Stamps Like a Drug Dealer at a Grade School

"Last year the USDA targeted Spanish speaking citizens (and non-citizens) with a radio 'novela' – which was basically a soap opera outlining how the lives of the characters improved as soon as they went on SNAP. In many locations, outreach programs are taking place – people don’t even have to go down to the benefits office to sign up. They can find out if they are eligible right in the grocery store parking lot. The USDA is spending an additional THREE MILLION DOLLARS not on providing food, but on providing outreach to convince people to accept benefits that folks never realized they 'needed'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe USDA Is Pushing Food Stamps Like a Drug Dealer at a Grade School

Andrew Sullivan Change Of Heart: ‘Cameron Proves Greenwald Right’

"I can say this to David Cameron. Thank you for clearing the air on these matters of surveillance. You have now demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that these anti-terror provisions are capable of rank abuse. Unless some other facts emerge, there is really no difference in kind between you and Vladimir Putin. You have used police powers granted for anti-terrorism and deployed them to target and intimidate journalists deemed enemies of the state. You have proven that these laws can be hideously abused. Which means they must be repealed. You have broken the trust that enables any such legislation to survive in a democracy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAndrew Sullivan Change Of Heart: ‘Cameron Proves Greenwald Right’

Ron Paul: Why The 2,776 NSA Violations Are No Big Deal

"Though it made for a sensational headline last week, the fact is these 2,776 'violations' over the course of one year are completely irrelevant. The millions and millions of 'authorized' intercepts of our communications are all illegal -- except for the very few carried out in pursuit of a validly-issued search warrant in accordance with the Fourth Amendment. That is the real story. Drawing our attention to the violations unfortunately sends the message that the 'authorized' spying on us is nothing to be concerned about." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Why The 2,776 NSA Violations Are No Big Deal