State-Smashing

Poll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria

"As President Obama continues to push for a plan of limited military intervention in Syria, a New York Times/CBS News poll showed that though just 1 in 4 Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to intervene in the Syrian conflict, more than 90 percent of the public is convinced that putting all 535 representatives of the United States Congress on the ground in Syria—including Senate pro tempore Patrick Leahy, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and, in fact, all current members of the House and Senate—is the best course of action at this time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria

It’s Jury Appreciation Day!

"Although the right to a jury trial is guaranteed by the American Constitution, it has been under a relentless attack over the years. Most Americans are unaware that 95 percent of the cases in our criminal justice system never go to trial. And, in the few cases that do go to trial, jurors are typically misled about their prerogative to acquit (“jury nullification”). In November, Cato will be re-releasing an e-book, Jury Nullification: The Evolution of a Doctrine, by Clay Conrad. Glenn Reynolds reviewed the initial publication here. Let me take this opportunity to report on several positive developments that will help to revive the doctrine of jury nullification in American law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt’s Jury Appreciation Day!

Pennsylvania man pays $7,143 school tax bill in $1 bills

"Fed up with having to pay $7,143 in school taxes for a district his children don’t attend, a Forks Township man paid that portion of his tax bill last week in single dollar bills. And it's all on YouTube. 'We don't even use the public system, yet I am being forced to pay all this money into a public school system,' he said. 'I don't think that's really either fair or just or even ethical. It would be the equivalent if McDonald's were to force vegetarians to pay for their cheeseburgers.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPennsylvania man pays $7,143 school tax bill in $1 bills

California Gold Rush county votes to secede and form state of ‘Jefferson’

"Leaders of a rural Northern California county are inviting communities in both California and Oregon to join them after voting on Tuesday to pursue seceding from the state. The Redding Record Searchlight reported that the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to form their own state, 'Jefferson,' in a 4-1 vote, citing a lack of representation at the state level and complaints about a $150 fire prevention fee for homeowners in smaller counties like Siskiyou. More than 100 residents reportedly packed the meeting, most of them supporting the decision. At least one neighboring county, Humboldt County, is considering a similar plan." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia Gold Rush county votes to secede and form state of ‘Jefferson’

Watch What Happens When the Camera is Turned On Cops

"There are now over 50,000 SWAT raids annually in America — the types of raids that were designed for and then perfected in the streets of Fallujah and Kandahar. Without radical restraints on the state’s power to initiate and dispense lethal force through its law enforcement agencies, our rights to life, liberty, and property are and will continue to be severely threatened. Yet despite the fact that U.S. law enforcement eerily resembles East Germany’s Stasi with even greater technological tools to inflict terror, all it takes is a tiny little camera on a cop’s chest to drastically minimize abuse, arbitrary coercion, and makes cops act like the peace officers they are intended to be." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWatch What Happens When the Camera is Turned On Cops

Signs of a Shift Among Egyptian Protesters to Antigovernment, From Pro-Morsi

"As tens of thousands gathered in the streets of Cairo for the ninth Friday of protests against the takeover, few carried the posters of Mr. Morsi’s face that were once the banner of the Brotherhood’s 'anti-coup' coalition. Instead, almost everyone held a sign with a logo memorializing the mass killing by security forces of hundreds of Morsi supporters on Aug. 14. In at least one march by thousands of demonstrators in the neighborhood of Mohandiseen, many carried signs opposing both the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement behind Mr. Morsi, and the new government installed by General Sisi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSigns of a Shift Among Egyptian Protesters to Antigovernment, From Pro-Morsi

‘Sovereign citizen’ movement, 30,000 strong, worrying Canadian officials

"There have been a number of 'hard take-downs' by police in B.C. involving Freemen who refuse to have a driver’s licence and, sometimes, automobile insurance. Dozens of sovereign citizens have found themselves in front of a judge facing tax evasion, contempt or criminal charges. Last month, Warren Fischer, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Nelson, B.C., broke down in tears in court after being convicted of tax evasion. An adherent to Freeman philosophies and a member of the Sovereign Squamish Nation, Fischer refused for several years to pay income tax, saying he did not want his taxes to support the war overseas. He will be sentenced in October." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Sovereign citizen’ movement, 30,000 strong, worrying Canadian officials

With Enemies Like This, Who Needs Friends?

"The U.S. government pursued its vindictive course against Manning to send a message to other potential whistleblowers. The problem is, those whistleblowers — among them Snowden — got the message loud and clear. What Snowden learned is, you don’t work within the system through normal channels, and you don’t play the 'civil disobedience' game and take your punishment, unless you want to spend years naked in solitary awaiting trial and then be sentenced to most of your life in prison. You get the information distributed in secure places, get yourself safely out of the country, and then make your move. The next whistleblower will do it even bigger and better, and learn from Snowden’s example." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith Enemies Like This, Who Needs Friends?

The Tipping Point

"Jesus said that when a garment gets so old, attempting to patch it with new cloth will just tear it up worse. The authoritarian state seems to be reaching that point, beyond which any attempt to patch it up or prolong its life just hastens its demise. The interesting thing about the federal prosecutions of Aaron Swartz and Chelsea Manning is that the vindictive approach to piling up charges and seeking maximum sentences were calculated attempts to send a message to anyone else contemplating sabotage against the information control regime. But those attempts have done more to inspire sympathy among the uncommitted and galvanize the information freedom movement than to terrify would-be leakers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Tipping Point

Brzezinski: ‘Global Political Awakening’ Making Syrian War Difficult

"During a short interview with Germany’s DW News last Monday, former US National Security Adviser and Trilateral Commission co-founder Zbigniew Brzezinski commented on the growing inefficiency of war due to the increased political knowledge of the public. Despite Brzezinski’s noted long-term relationship with Obama which included a top foreign policy adviser position, Brzezinski denied any specific knowledge of his plans regarding Syria, saying that if the administration has a strategy, it’s a 'very well-kept secret.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrzezinski: ‘Global Political Awakening’ Making Syrian War Difficult