State-Smashing

The Italian Patient: Resisting Berlusconi’s Charms

"Other populists are also gathering votes in the race to the finish line. One of them is Beppe Grillo of the protest movement 'Movimento 5 Stelle.' Grillo travels around the country on a 'tsunami tour,' hates Merkel, doesn't want to repay a cent of debt and is seriously calling upon Al-Qaida to bomb the parliament in Rome, saying that he would even provide the terrorists with the necessary coordinates. Polls estimate that Grillo has the potential to capture 20 percent of the vote. He could become the third-strongest force by securing the support of the sizable number of undecided Italians who are weary of politics." Continue reading →

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Scotland – In Or Out Of The UK?

"Prime Minister David Cameron last night launched a defence of the United Kingdom as his government prepared to put the 'facts' about Scottish independence to the ­public. He also criticised the SNP government for giving the illusion that the referendum result was already 'in the bag' by last week’s publication of a transition document with a timetable for full statehood following a Yes vote in 2014. Cameron said: 'Britain is admired around the world as a source of prosperity, power and security.' Britain has built up 'world-renowned' institutions such as the NHS and BBC, he insisted and 'fought for freedom' in two world wars, leaving 'unbreakable bonds'." Continue reading →

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The UK – In Or Out Of The EU?

"Many British people are fearful that a referendum may create economic strife with the EU, whist many others feel that the referendum could set them free of the EU debt. (The UK has plenty enough debt of its own.) So, then, what is the point? Is Mister Cameron truly sowing the seeds of freedom? Or is this mere political posturing? Is he annoying the EU needlessly? Or is he possibly simply thumping his chest in order to diminish the number of votes that may be lost to UKIP (the UK Independent Party) in the election?" Continue reading →

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Karl Hess: Tools to Dismantle the State

"Karl Hess was a noted speechwriter (for Barry Goldwater among others) and author, and later in his life became known as a tax resister and market anarchist. In this video from a Libertarian International conference in Stockholm in 1986, Hess speaks about everything from his time as a speechwriter for Barry Goldwater to Euclid, the impending collapse of global communism, children's education in America, the dawn of the personal computer, new management styles in business (he somewhat accurately predicts the way Google treats its employees based on Cray Supercomputers' management style at the time), and several other fascinating topics." Continue reading →

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Oil and Water: An Armed Citizenry and a Police State

"So, it is the worst of times and it is the best of times. It is the worst of times in terms of the expansion of federal administrative law. It is the best of times in terms of the inability of central governments to impose their plans on their populations apart from a vast expansion of the money supply, which is going to lead to the undermining of the welfare state and the destruction of federal legitimacy in the eyes of the people. It is more of a train wreck than it is a tipping point. It is more of a collision between assertions on paper in Washington versus the expansion of monetary digits, which is also taking place in Washington." Continue reading →

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Dutch PM: Eurozone needs exit clause

"The EU should have legal mechanisms for countries to leave the euro, says Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. In a letter responding to a question in the Dutch Parliament, Rutte and his finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said that his governing coalition had agreed that 'it should be possible under mutual consideration to exit from the community arrangements (Schengen, eurozone, European Union).' The letter follows Rutte's intervention last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he said that it "should be possible" for countries to leave the eurozone and indicated that certain EU policy areas should be repatriated to national governments." Continue reading →

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The New Fourth Estate: Anonymous, Wikileaks, and –archy

"The press has been captured by a handful of news corporations that are generally uncritical of government and fail to expose corporate injustice. The techno-libertarian culture has birthed the do-it-yourself fourth estate—usurping the illegitimate media and furnishing a viable alternative to the cartelized press. Two entities, Wikileaks and Anonymous, have emerged under this banner. This inquiry seeks to understand their history, methods, and to ascertain whether use of the discrete figurehead is efficacious." Continue reading →

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Gun Ownership: American Exceptionalism

"The ownership of weapons in the United States by private citizens is not matched anywhere else in the world. Switzerland is close. The training is far better. The commitment of national defense by an armed electorate in Switzerland is like nothing else in the modern world. Being part of a citizen army is a matter of national pride. This is not the American tradition. The American tradition is far more a matter of individual autonomy, individual ownership of weapons, and not a matter of national pride. Gun ownership in America is not a matter of a defense of the nation or a commitment to a military tradition. It is quite the opposite." Continue reading →

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Two Cheers for the Coming Collapse of the U.S. Economy!

"'At some point, holders of Treasury securities are going to recognize that these unfunded liabilities are going to affect the fiscal capabilities of the government and then you're going to have the same situation that happened in Greece happening in the U.S.,' says Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, who is a professor of economics at San Jose State University and the author of a recent paper on the consequences of a U.S. government default. 'In the short run it's going to be painful, but in the long run it'll be a good thing.'" Continue reading →

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David Gay Speaks Nullification at Albany, NY Gun Rights Rally

"Central NY Campaign For Liberty organizer David Gay talks about opportunities for all people throughout the social strata to nullify bad legislation. Literally, all it takes is a lone, regular individual to single-handedly demolish a bad or illegal piece of legislation. Get yourselves on those juries. At the end of the trial, simply state 'I don't feel that the prosecution has proved that a crime has been committed...not guilty'. No victim, no crime. It's as simple as that. It's time to set the people of America free once again. Take back your rights without asking permission, and defend the rights of your neighbors. Start right now." Continue reading →

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