statism

Consequences of Power

"What we are seeing in Egypt and across the Middle East is the consequence of decades of US hegemony. Supporters of US policy in the region will argue that military aid to Egypt, arming Syrian rebels, drone strikes in Yemen, occupied forces in Afghanistan, etc, serve a national interest and that the 'Great Peacekeeping Armadas' of western nation states are doing exactly what they are supposed to: Maintain peace through strength. Is this a terribly misguided philosophy or a bold-faced lie? Does Obama really 'deplore violence against civilians?' Do US special interests really 'support universal rights essential to human dignity?' Has any administration?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingConsequences of Power

Federal authorities now targeting lie detector coaches

"Federal authorities have launched investigations against instructors advertising training for people looking to beat lie detector tests. 'Nothing like this has been done before,' one Customs official, John Schwartz, said of 'Operation Lie Busters' at a polygraphers’ conference in June in Charlotte, North Carolina. 'Most certainly our nation’s security will be enhanced. There are a lot of bad people out there.' Schwartz did acknowledge in his speech that teaching someone how to beat a polygraph test is not illegal. 'When you identify insider threats and you eliminate insider threats, then that agency is more efficient and more effective,' Schwartz said in June." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal authorities now targeting lie detector coaches

Bloomberg endorses fingerprinting housing project residents for their own good

"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) put forward an idea on Friday to install fingerprint scanners in the city’s Housing Authority projects. 'If you have a stranger walking in the halls of your apartment building, don’t you want somebody to stop and say, ‘Who are you? Why’re you here?’ Bloomberg asked host John Gambling. WLNY-TV also reported on Friday that Bloomberg followed through on his promise to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the city’s heavily-panned 'stop and frisk' policy was unconstitutional. 'What does she know about policing? Absolutely zero,' Bloomberg told Gambling, referring to District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBloomberg endorses fingerprinting housing project residents for their own good

Stop-and-Frisk: How Government Creates Problems, Then Makes Them Worse

"Ask yourself why after so many decades of apparent failure — drugs are plentiful, accessible, and inexpensive — prohibition persists, as if spending more taxpayer dollars or coming up with some new law-enforcement gimmick will bring success. Maybe prohibition has not failed at all. Maybe the purpose is simply to spend the money and expand law enforcement. Maybe all the moralizing is simply a ruse. And maybe what Thomas Paine said about wars also applies to the war on drugs: 'a bystander, not blinded by prejudice nor warped by interest, would declare that taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStop-and-Frisk: How Government Creates Problems, Then Makes Them Worse

Bill Bonner: Thank You, TSA, NSA, FBI, and CIA!

"Respect for authority is cyclical. And presently, the authorities are enjoying an upswing. People look to them to get things they can’t get on their own. Health care paid for by someone else… a retirement they can’t afford… and foolish pride they don’t deserve. U.S. troops patrol the streets of towns we never heard of… American drones wipe out families we never met… the NSA listens in on the world’s conversations… Yes, thanks to the NSA, TSA, CIA, IRS, FBI, and Pentagon, no sparrow can fall anywhere in the world without it setting off alarms in America’s command centers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Thank You, TSA, NSA, FBI, and CIA!

Romanian princess indicted in northwestern U.S. cockfighting ring

"John W. Walker is a former sheriff’s deputy and the group faces charges ranging from conspiracy to violate the federal Animal Welfare Act to illegal gambling. Irina Walker is the middle daughter of Romania’s King Michael I and Queen Anne. She is fifth in line for the throne of that country. She was born in Switzerland. King Michael abdicated the throne in 1947, but the family still owns a quartet of castles in the former Soviet-occupied country. Prosecutors say that the farm where the fights took place is subject to federal forfeiture because it was used for a criminal enterprise. Irina and John Walker each face years of prison time and millions of dollars in fines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRomanian princess indicted in northwestern U.S. cockfighting ring

10 Geniuses Who Used Drugs — And Their Drugs of Choice

"Is intelligence related to an increased likelihood of recreational drug use? It's an interesting hypothesis, and one that's been gaining momentum in recent years. If a definitive link between intellectual capacity and drug use does exist, it will likely be some time before anyone establishes one. Having said that, this much is for certain: history has more than its fair share of experimenting experimentalists. Let's meet 10 of history's most influential scientific and technological visionaries, along with their drugs of choice." Continue reading →

Continue Reading10 Geniuses Who Used Drugs — And Their Drugs of Choice

Drawing Down: How To Roll Back Police Militarization In America

"The damage inflicted by the country’s 40-year drug fight goes well beyond prisons. It’s also been the driving force behind America’s mass police militarization since at least the early 1980s, and the best way to rein in the trend would be to simply end prohibition altogether. Complete legalization is, of course, never going to happen. But even something short of legalization, like decriminalization, would take away many of the incentives to fight the drug war as if it were an actual war. The federal government could also leave it to the states to determine drug policy, and with what priority and level of force it should be enforced." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrawing Down: How To Roll Back Police Militarization In America

Is the Constitution Bailing Out the Banks?

"Scarcely touched by the nation’s housing recovery, Richmond is about to become the first city in the nation to try eminent domain as a way to stop foreclosures. The city plans to use eminent domain to buy both current and delinquent loans, with the city writing down the debt to allow homeowners to refinance at a new, lower amount through a government program. Naturally, the original lenders have warned that such a move will bring a host of lawsuits and halt mortgage lending in any city that adopts such an unconstitutional scheme. What promises to follow is a mess of epic proportions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the Constitution Bailing Out the Banks?

Assistant U.S. attorney’s Facebook posts probed

"The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Malcolm Bales released a statement Wednesday morning regarding derogatory comments about minorities and President Obama posted on Facebook by a Beaumont-based assistant U.S. attorney. Asked about his comments Monday, John Craft said they 'were not related to the U.S. Attorney's office' and had no other comment. John Malcolm Bales, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, said his office does not have a social media policy but said he did not agree with Craft's comments and found any discriminatory sentiments 'reprehensible.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAssistant U.S. attorney’s Facebook posts probed