statism

“Privacy” Held Hostage By “Security” – Public Unimpressed

"Since Sept. 11, our government has acted as if security and privacy were an either/or proposition. In other words, an increase in one causes a decrease in the other. Like a seesaw, if one side goes up, the other side must go down. As federal security consultant Ed Giorgio stated several years ago in a widely quoted New Yorker article, 'Privacy and security are a zero-sum game.' Apparently, in order to be more 'secure,' we must accept less 'privacy.' That includes allowing increased warrantless surveillance and scrutiny by the government. So is the government’s argument sound?" Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Privacy” Held Hostage By “Security” – Public Unimpressed

New Jersey Suddenly Begins Enforcing Air Rifle Ban

"In New Jersey, it is illegal to own an air rifle if it in any way reduces noise. That would make it a weapon with a silencer. Such weapons are illegal in New Jersey. The police did not bother with this in the past, but now they do. The idea that criminals are going to threaten victims with air rifles equipped with silencers is bizarre. But in the world of bureaucracy, North’s law of bureaucracy reigns supreme: 'In any bureaucracy, some bureaucrat will eventually enforce the letter of the law to the point of absurdity.' I don’t know how gun owners are supposed to comply. Must they sell their guns to New Yorkers? How are they to transport their guns across the state’s border?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Jersey Suddenly Begins Enforcing Air Rifle Ban

Two Huge Victories in Colorado for the Second Amendment

"Even though there had never been a successful recall in Colorado history, and even though advocates of gun rights were targeting Senators in two districts that voted overwhelmingly for Obama, and even though the statists had a huge money advantage, what mattered most was that voters did not want their gun rights eroded by politicians. Polling data shows the American people would engage in massive civil disobedience if politicians tried to ban guns. But it’s also comforting that voters also are willing to overcome heavy odds to knock off politicians who push for any type of gun control." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo Huge Victories in Colorado for the Second Amendment

Jordan lawmaker fires Kalashnikov assault rifle at colleague

"A Jordanian MP was arrested after firing a Kalashnikov assault rifle in parliament at a colleague on Tuesday, without causing injuries, judicial and parliamentary sources said. The source said the shooting came after an argument broke out in parliament on Sunday between Damissi and another member, Yahia al-Saud. Video footage emerged showing Damissi removing his shoes and Saud his belt during the dispute, which flared due to differences over parliamentary procedure, before they were separated. In July 2012, a live television debate on domestic issues between two deputies also degenerated into fisticuffs before one of them pulled out a gun and was overpowered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJordan lawmaker fires Kalashnikov assault rifle at colleague

Florida man attacked, arrested for ‘walking on wrong side of the road’

"A Florida man is suing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over a violent arrest in December 2012 that the officer was not able to defend in court. First Coast News reported on Monday that Bobby Wingate was cited by an officer for 'walking down the wrong side of the road' during the stop, then punched in the face. When the officer pulled out his Tazer, Wingate called 911 to protect himself. Wingate was arrested, charged with resisting arrest without violence and walking down the wrong side of the road and brought to trial. But in court, the officer testified he was not sure what side of the road Wingate was on, prompting the judge to dismiss the case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida man attacked, arrested for ‘walking on wrong side of the road’

Questions persist after Ark. SWAT team fatally shoots 107-year-old man

"When the time came to move 107-year-old Monroe Isadore to a new home, police say he resisted and barricaded himself inside. Authorities tried using a camera to monitor him, along with negotiating tactics, and finally gas to get him to come out. So, a SWAT team went inside and was greeted by gunfire, authorities say. The team fired back, and Isadore died. The weekend confrontation raised a flurry of questions Monday as residents struggled to make sense of how someone known as a pleasant, churchgoing man who was hard of hearing and sometimes carried a cane had died in an explosive confrontation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingQuestions persist after Ark. SWAT team fatally shoots 107-year-old man

Feds will continue to jail pot dealers ‘in all states’

"The White House has pledged to continue to jail those who traffick in marijuana or sell it to minors — even in two US states where its recreational use is now legal. Deputy Attorney General James Cole defended the federal decision not to challenge new laws legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington states. Cole pledged that in addition to blocking cannabis cultivation and distribution, US authorities would work to prevent the export of marijuana to places where the substance is still illegal, 'whether the state has legalized it or not.' And he added that Justice Department officials 'reserve the right… to challenge the state laws at a later time.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds will continue to jail pot dealers ‘in all states’

Profiles in Pork

"One doesn’t have to sign up for law enforcement work as a Hail Mary way to avoid poverty, or the gulag . . . or the gas chamber. So, what sort of person chooses to become a law enforcer – and remains one – when it is still possible to avoid such a dirty occupation? An occupation that, as a matter of routine, puts one in the position of rousting – and caging – people who’ve done nothing that can be characterized as causing harm to others (or their property)? Who have merely run afoul of 'the law'? There seem to be four general types." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProfiles in Pork

The “Domestic Terrorist” You Can Call a Hero

"Bernard von NotHaus has been the called the Rosa Parks of the alternative money movement. More than 10 years ago, he had this idea that he would make his own money — not the fake stuff we are used to, but the real stuff made of actual silver. The feds raided him in in 2006. In 2007, the government outright stole 2 tons of coins from him, many of them featuring an image of Ron Paul, plus 500 silver coins and 50 gold coins. They threw him in jail and dragged his name through the mud many times. The government labeled him a 'domestic terrorist.' Yet — and this is what amazed me — he still hasn’t been sentenced. He walks around as free as you or me." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe “Domestic Terrorist” You Can Call a Hero

Australia liberated from their long national green nightmare

"Tony Abbott has won the Australian election in a landslide, and vows to abolish the carbon tax as a first order of business. Abbott has declared Australia is 'once more open for business' in claiming victory in Saturday’s election. It is a huge blow to the Rudd-Gillard labor party and their green goals, which were built on a lie foisted on the Australian people. In 2010 when Gillard said 'no carbon tax' in a videotaped speech that has been seen as the key moment Australians lost trust. Then, shortly after she was elected prime minister, she acted as if those words were never spoken, and implemented a carbon tax anyway." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustralia liberated from their long national green nightmare