End the Fed

Speaking at the January 24, 2009 Mises Circle conference on Our Enemy, Inflation, Congressman Ron Paul talks about ending the Federal Reserve System.

Paul touches on the problems created by Federal Reserve policies, fiat money and our powerful military. He also discusses the growing support to end the Federal Reserve. Paul is encouraged by the growing numbers of young people in the movement .

Paul says that Bretton Woods system has collapsed. The bankers and politicians only have one tool left to try and reinflate the bubble and that is to continue to print money.

Dr. Paul believes the next step in the bankers and politicians plans is the creation of a worldwide central bank.

Druglord Enhancement Agency

The Druglord Enhancement Agency (DEA) is engaged in the destruction of the major cash crop in Afghanistan. This theater in the insane war on some drugs is driving rural Afghan's back to the Taliban.

An Inconvenient Debt

Glenn Beck does a graphic presentation of the growth in the US money supply. Printing money always leads to economic catastrophe and that is what we are doing.

The Patriot Act and Graphic Sexual Horror

No matter whether it is the "Drug War", the "War on Terror" or some other war, the government will always use the wars as an excuse to infringe on individual rights in other areas.

As part of the "War on Terror", using the "Patriot Act", the government forced erotic websites to shut down. It does this by threatening banks who provide credit card services to the websites. Homeland Security would tell the banks that porn sites funnel cash to terrorists and if the bank was providing services to such sites, then Homeland Security would scrutinize the bank.

Barack Obama: Gun Salesman of the Year

Since the election of Barack Obama in November, sales of guns and ammunition have soared. Many fear that the Obama Administration will place more restrictions on gun ownership.

Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder thinks the Second Amendment is a collective (not an individual) right and gun bans are Constitutional. From The Volokh Conspiracy:

Earlier this year, Eric Holder--along with Janet Reno and several other former officials from the Clinton Department of Justice--co-signed an amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller. The brief was filed in support of DC's ban on all handguns, and ban on the use of any firearm for self-defense in the home. The brief argued that the Second Amendment is a "collective" right, not an individual one, and asserted that belief in the collective right had been the consistent policy of the U.S. Department of Justice since the FDR administration. A brief filed by some other former DOJ officials (including several Attorneys General, and Stuart Gerson, who was Acting Attorney General until Janet Reno was confirmed)took issue with the Reno-Holder brief's characterization of DOJ's viewpoint.

Lou Dobbs explored the concern for gun rights under the Obama Administration:

The US Dollar is Worth Three Cents

Congressman Ron Paul says we are destined to be much poorer if we stay on the same course.

Ron Paul takes questions from callers on CSPAN:

Amity Shlaes: Myths of the Great Depression

Amity Shlaes says that government made the Great Depression worse. The government made a depression into a Great Depression.

It is just so bizarre that FDR is idolized for "bringing us out of the depression." He never got us out of the depression! Until FDR and all his government intervention, depressions were always short lived. The actions of FDR and the government made it last longer.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

About Amity Shlaes from her website:

Amity Shlaes is a syndicated columnist for Bloomberg and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition to writing on political economy, she writes on taxes. She is a contributor to Marketplace, the public radio show. She has appeared on numerous radio and television shows over the years.

Miss Shlaes was formerly a columnist for the Financial Times and, before that a member of the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, specializing in economics. In the early 1990s she served as the Journal's features, or "op ed" editor. Prior to that she followed the collapse of communism for the Wall Street Journal/Europe. Over the years she has published in the National Review, the New Republic, Foreign Affairs (on the German economy), the American Spectator, the Suddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit. In 2002 she contributed an article on the US tax code to the thirtieth anniversary anthology of Tax Notes, the scholarly journal.

Miss Shlaes has twice been a finalist for the Loeb Prize in commentary, her field's best known prize. In 2002 she was co-winner of the Frederic Bastiat Prize, an international prize for writing on political economy. In 2003, she spent several months at the American Academy in Berlin as the JP Morgan Fellow for finance and economy. In 2004, she gave the Bradley lecture at the American Enterprise Institute. Her essay, titled "The Chicken vs the Eagle" looked at the effect of the National Recovery Administration on the entrepreneur in the New Deal.

She is the author of The Greedy Hand (Random House/Harvest paperback), a national bestseller on America's experience with its tax code. She is also the author of Germany: The Empire Within (Farrar, Straus), a book about German national identity. In 2004, she was, with the late Robert L. Bartley, co-author of the contribution on tax philosophy to " Turning Intellect to Influence," an anthology chronicling the progress of free-market ideas as advanced by the Manhattan Institute.

Amity Shlaes is a trustee of the American Institute in Contemporary German Studies; she sits on the jury for the American Academy's fellows as well as the jury for the Bastiat Prize.

Peter Schiff: US Banks Are Worthless

Peter Schiff says let US banks fail:

We Are Working Very Hard to Make the Recession a Depression

Congressman Ron Paul on CNN American Morning 01-27-2009. Paul says the government is working very hard to turn the recession into depression.

Paul Jacob: The Oklahoma Three, Free at Last

More from Paul Jacob on his recent prosecution as part of the Oklahoma Three:

It seemed hardly necessary. The handcuffs and leg-irons, I mean. I wasn't a threat to anybody. Neither were Rick Carpenter and Susan Johnson.

We had been charged with “conspiracy to defraud the state of Oklahoma” for our work to put a spending cap on the ballot.

The metal constraints were for show — to intimidate us and to scare the good citizens of Oklahoma.

The threatened penalty of ten years in prison was scary, too.
Being innocent, we defended our rights, even as the persecution dragged on for a year and half. Not even a preliminary hearing had been completed. Folks wondered if Attorney General Drew Edmondson was more interested in tying us up politically than in prosecuting us legally.

We never got our day in court; the Constitution intervened. Not only did we not break Oklahoma's residency law, the federal Tenth Circuit declared the law itself an unconstitutional violation of our First Amendment rights.

So, on January 22nd, the AG dismissed the charges. It was a great day — for all of us.

But the underlying mindset of the original law and prosecution remains. Legislators continue to enact unconstitutional impediments against citizen use of ballot initiatives and recall petitions. Too often, officials seek to punish citizens who assert their rights.

Citizens in chains cannot control their government. That's why, working with the group Citizens in Charge, I'll keep fighting.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

See earlier postings here, here, here, here and here.

Contraception Stimulus

From the Libertarian Party:

I was going to chat with today about what we really need to stimulate the economy.

But then Nancy Pelosi had to go and say children are a burden and a lot of the poor ones should never have been born.

In fact, she said it twice just in case you didn’t hear her the first time.

She was on ABC’s This Week last Sunday, discussing the Democrats’ $825 billion so-called “stimulus package.” The conversation didn’t really get interesting until host George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi about some of the more ridiculous items in the package, like $200 million for contraception, and how that creates jobs.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. We have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

So much for the notion that expanding government services fosters compassion.

Private charities treat people with dignity and love because their funds are given to them out of a desire to help people.

But as far as politicians like Nancy Pelosi are concerned, the poor and suffering are parasites feeding off a body designed to deliver votes and preserve political power.

Their numbers must be reduced to keep the host healthy. The only question is, how many can you cast off without losing the votes you need to win re-election?

The lesson learned from Pelosi’s momentary lapse of honesty is libertarianism is a philosophy rooted in compassion and respect for your fellow man. The voluntary exchange of goods, services and charitable giving creates a country where health care and education are shared for the right reasons – because we love and respect our neighbors.

Compare that to the cold calculations of the government-sponsored welfare state. Born not out of compassion, but out of a desire to buy votes, the well-being of your neighbor becomes a mathematical calculation. How many can you serve without tapping out funds for people who can buy you even more votes? How many can you cast out into the street, or in Pelosi’s case prevent from ever existing, before they stop voting for you?

I’ve volunteered in homeless shelters, schools and my church’s food bank. I’ve never once heard anyone grumble about the number of people we help and propose we do something to prevent them from ever existing.

So as you go out into the world this week, take a moment to share Pelosi’s cold calculations with your friends.

Would they rather a taxpayer-funded welfare state where the government controls the population to keep the system from collapsing, or a community of volunteers who realize the poor and suffering are friends and neighbors in need of a little help?

The compassionate choice is theirs by supporting the Libertarian Party.

With optimism,

Donny Ferguson
Director of Communications
Libertarian Party
Donny.Ferguson@lp.org

But wait aren't we suppose to spend to revive the economy? Less kids equals less spending which according to our brilliant rulers is our problem. You know after overspending, running deficits upon deficits for years, our whiz bang economic genius figured it out, we weren't spending enough!

But now Nancy Pelosi wants to spend more money so we spend less? Except she wants to spend more in other areas. I'm confused.

Actually I'm not. This is just more drivel from the bought and paid for politicians in Washington.

Stimulus Déjà Vu

From Texas Congressman Ron Paul:

Stimulus for Who?

This week the House is expected to pass an $825 billion economic stimulus package. In reality, this bill is just an escalation of a government-created economic mess. As before, a sense of urgency and impending doom is being used to extract mountains of money from Congress with minimal debate. So much for change. This is déjà vu. We are again being promised that its passage will help employment, help homeowners, help the environment, etc. These promises are worthless. This time around especially, Congress should know better than to pass anything of this magnitude without first reading the fine print. There a many red flags that I have found in this bill.

At least $4 billion is allocated to expanding the police state and the war on drugs through Byrne grants, which even the Bush administration opposed, and the COPS program, both of which are corrupt and largely ineffective programs.

To help Big Brother keep a better eye on us and our children, $20 billion would go towards health information technology, which would create a national system of electronic medical records without adequate privacy protection. These records would instead be subject to the misnamed federal “medical privacy” rule, which allows government and state-favored special interests to see medical records at will. An additional $250 million is allocated for states to nationalize individual student data, expanding Federal control of education and eroding privacy.

$79 billion bails out states that haphazardly expanded their budgets during the bubble years, but refuse to retrench and cut back, as their taxpayers have had to, during recession years.

$200 million expands Americorps. $100 million goes to “faith-and-community” based organizations for social services, which will further insinuate the government into charity and community service. Private charities are much more efficient and effective because they are directly accountable to donors, while public programs tend to get rewarded for failure. With its money, the Federal Government brings its incompetence and its whims, while creating foolish dependence. This is sad to see.

Of course the bill is rife with central planning projects. $4 billion for job training, much of which will be used to direct workers into “green jobs”. $200 million to “encourage” electric cars, $2 billion to support US manufacturers of advanced batteries and battery systems, which is yet another function of government I can’t find in the Constitution. Not to mention $500 million for energy efficient manufacturing demonstration projects, $70 million for a Technology Innovation Program for “research in potentially revolutionary technologies” in which government, not supply and demand, will pick winners and losers. $746 million for afterschool snacks, $6.75 billion for the Department of Commerce, including $1 billion for a census.

This bill delivers an additional debt burden of $6,700 to every American man, woman and child.

There is a lot of stimulus and growth in this bill – that is, of government. Nothing in this bill stimulates the freedom and prosperity of the American people. Politician-directed spending is never as successful as market-driven investment. Instead of passing this bill, Congress should get out of the way by cutting taxes, cutting spending, and reining in the reckless monetary policy of the Federal Reserve.

Harry Browne On The Income Tax

Harry Browne explains how the income tax has led to the massive growth of government and advocates its repeal. Harry states that there was no federal income tax for the first 120 years of this Country's existence. There were just tariffs and excise taxes. Theses taxes limited the growth of government because people could quit buying the products if the taxes got too high.





Harry Browne (June 17, 1933 – March 1, 2006) was an American libertarian writer, politician, and free-market investment analyst. He was a U.S. Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party in 1996 and 2000.

Don't Expect Real Change in Foreign Policy

Congressman Ron Paul discusses President Obama's interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East. Paul says he doesn't expect Obama to withdraw all American troops from Iraq. In fact Paul says that if the situation in Iraq would deteriorate, he would expect Obama to increase American troop levels.

Paul discusses Obama's missile attack on Pakistan last week which killed 22, including woman and children. Paul states that Afghanistan will be Obama's war.

Missiles of Hope and Change

Barack Obama the maestro of hope and change continues Bush's policy of interventionism:

Are Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Dangerous?

I am putting this out in light of the move toward mandating Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. I have been around long enough to have heard numerous scare stories about various products (cell phones, microwaves, nuclear energy, etc.) that later turn out false or way overblown.

It appears that Compact Fluorescent Bulbs may pose problems for those with certain health issues as explained in the videos below. There are also certain other issues with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs such as proper disposal due to the mercury content, radio interference, slow light up times, etc.


From the BBC:

Being too close to energy-saving light bulbs could cause skin reddening because of ultraviolet light emissions, health experts have warned.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) cautions against being closer than 30cm (1ft) to some compact fluorescent (cfl) bulbs for long.

But it added there is no evidence that such bulbs pose a cancer threat.

Enclosed CFL lights - where the coil is covered like a traditional bulb - are safer, it advised.

The agency says that UV light equivalent to being outside on a sunny day is being emitted by some bulbs, but if the coil is not visible the issue is prevented.

Professor Harry Moseley, Consultant Clinical Scientist at the University of Dundee, said: "We are concerned about risks to patients who have severe light-sensitive skin disorders.

"The small levels of ultra-violet emitted by some low energy light bulbs could be harmful to these patients. I recommend use of lights with a protective shield to absorb the UV."

Experts stress that healthy people are at no risk providing the HPAs advice is followed.

So for now t would appear wise for those with certain health issues to avoid Compact Fluorescent Bulbs and for the rest of us to purchase those that have second layer of glass encapsulating them.

The main issue I have with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs is the government mandates. I use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs in certain areas by my choice. While in other areas I continue to use incandescent bulbs.

It is simply wrong for the government to dictate our choices. This story demonstrates it can be physically harmful to some. Individuals should always be allowed to make choices for their own lives. Products should rise or fall on their own merits, not government mandates.

Manufacturers of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs will have less reason to address concerns about their product if the government forces everyone to buy them.

Videos from Canada's Global TV:

Emit Ultra Violet Radiation

Health Canada Reacts


Cause Migraines:

Ultimately, It's The Little Guy That Loses In This

Congressman Ron Paul explains to Congresson 1/22/2009 that more spending/bailouts will hurt the economy and work against the poor.

Oklahoma Three Are Free! All Charges Dropped.

Some good news for freedom for a change. All charges against the Oklahoma Three have been dropped.

The Oklahoma Three: Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson and Rick Carpenter, were facing 10 years in Oklahoma prison. Their crime? Petitioning the government.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson indicted the three on October 2, 2007, on felony charges of violating the state’s statute requiring petition circulators to be residents of Oklahoma.

See earlier postings here, here, here and here.



From Paul Jacob:

Free at last! Oklahoma AG Drew Edmondson today dropped all charges against the “Oklahoma 3″—Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson, and Rick Carpenter—in response to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeal’s refusal to approve his request for a rehearing.

Edmondson had asked the court to rehear the case in which the 10th Circuit judges invalidated Oklahoma’s residency requirement for petition circulators. Edmondson had indicted the Oklahoma 3, claiming they had willfully violated the requirement.

In addition to dropping charges, Edmondson told the Tulsa World that he has decided not to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn 10th Circuit court. Edmondson acknowledged that the out-of-state petioner ban “is no longer enforceable.”

Paul Jacob released the following statement in response to the charges being dismissed:

Today is a great day for justice, for freedom of speech and the right to petition one’s government. It is a great day for Rick Carpenter, Susan Johnson, and me—now known as the Oklahoma Three.

The charges brought against us by the attorney general have now been dismissed. They should never have been brought in the first place. We did not break the law and, as we all now know, the law itself is unconstitutional.

Our prosecution has sadly had a chilling effect on Oklahomans, who want to reform their government and to hold it accountable through the petition process. My goal throughout this ordeal has been to encourage Oklahomans and Americans everywhere not to let their rights be eroded through fear and intimidation. Today we have won a victory.

But the battle to protect citizen rights is far from over.

As President of Citizens in Charge, I look forward to working with all Americans to see the voter initiative process triumph over attacks from politicians. The will of the people should always prevail over the desires of politicians.

Thanks to all of you for the support you have given to Paul and the Oklahoma 3 during this terrible ordeal!

Who is Ron Paul?

The answer is who is Ron Paul?

Some People Were Predicting This Economic Crisis

Clips showing people who predicted the problems we face today:

Obama's Transportation Policy

Reason Foundation Director of Transportation Studies Robert Poole talks about the massive problems facing America's trucking and traffic infrastructure. As the Obama administration gets set to spend billions of dollars on "shovel-ready programs," green technologies, and more, how should it make the best decisions for travelers and truckers?

Use market forces, counsels Poole, not political pressure and environmentalist ideology, to get America moving again.

I'm sure many libertarians and conservatives may criticize Poole for his comment on increasing the gas tax. I agree with Poole that the gas tax needs to keep up with the use of the roads. The only problem I have with increasing the gas tax is that so much of the current tax and in most cases much of any increase is diverted from roads to the pet projects of politicians and their special interest friends.

If every single penny of the gas tax went for roads I would definitely support an increase. I also would like to see the Federal Gas tax eliminated because it is used for pork projects and as a whip to get states to pass stupid laws that the Feds want like speed limits, seat belt laws and intoxication level to qualify as a DWI.

Ron Paul on The Economy, Timothy Geithner, the Fed, and the Dollar

Ron discusses the economy, Tim Geithner, the Fed and the Dollar. Congressman Paul says Geithner is part of the problem.


On Bloomberg:





On Glenn Beck:

Gateway Drug Myth

Nydia Swaby of the Marijuana Policy Project discusses the Gateway Myth:



From the Denver Post:

Marijuana is a "gateway" drug that leads directly to use of harder drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.

The short answer is no. Police continue to make the claim, although they now acknowledge that their argument is based on gut feeling and anecdotes. Academic researchers, including RAND, note there is a "correlation" but not a "causation." In other words, many people who use marijuana eventually use other drugs as well. But that's like saying many people who drive blue cars have brown eyes — does one cause the other?

Study after study has not proven a causal link, instead stating other likely causes, such as that people who have access to marijuana are likely to have easy access to other drugs. Or some people may be biologically prone to addiction. "We've done a lot of good studies," said Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center in California, "and the evidence is fundamentally inconclusive."

Support Criminals For Gun Control

The National Criminal Guild, United Auto Theft Workers, Association of Violent Offenders, Carjackers for Truth, Serial Killers Anonymous and the Rapist Rights Organization ask for a safe workplace and urge you to please support gun control legislation in your state.

Ron Paul Views on Obama's Inauguration Speech

Texas Congressman Ron Paul discusses Obama's inauguration speech.

Jewish Voice for Peace

Yesterday I posted The Shministim about Israeli conscientious objectors. The campaign is sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace, America’s largest national Jewish grassroots peace group dedicated to reaching a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on the principles of international human rights law.

More on Jewish Voice for Peace:



More on Israeli conscientious objectors:

Shministim means “twelfth-graders” in Hebrew. Military service is mandatory after high school for young Jewish Israelis. The Shministim are Israeli youth who refuse to serve in the army because it enforces Israel’s 40-year occupation of the Palestinians.

While a number of Shministim letters have been written in the past (read about the first letter sent to Prime Minister Golda Meir here ), about one hundred youth have signed the current 2008 Shministim letter which articulates the basis for refusal.

Because of their principled refusal to serve in an occupying army, youth who sign the letter face jail terms in Israeli military prisons. Terms range from 21 to 28 days; those who refuse to wear a military uniform while in jail are sent to solitary confinement for the duration of their term.

After completing their sentence, they are then drafted again and if they refuse a second time, as most do, they face the same sentence. This can be a repeated process in which Shministim return home for a few days or longer and are then drafted and then imprisoned. Even through they refuse to serve, they still in a sense ‘belong’ to the military until they receive their discharge papers. A Shministi may never receive these papers, and although the Israeli military may tire of re-calling objectors into prison regularly, without these papers, an objector’s fate is always uncertain. There is literally no end to the number of times youth might be sent back to jail.

Iraq War Veteran Expects No Change From Obama

The foreign policy proposed by the Obama Administration, doesn't represent any kind of significant change from the policies of the Bush Administration, says Adam Kokesh, an activist with the Iraq Veterans Against the War organization.

The Shministim

The Shministim are Israeli high school students who have been imprisoned for refusing to serve in an army that occupies the Palestinian Territories. December 18 marks the launch date of a global campaign to release them from jail. Join over 40,000 people including American conscientious objectors,Ronnie Gilbert, Adrienne Rich, Robert Meeropol, Adam Hochschild, Rabbi Lynn Gottleib, Howard Zinn, Rela Mazali, Debra Chasnoff, Ed Asner and Aurora Levins-Morales and show your support by contacting the Israeli Minister of Defense. Go to December 18th: A Campaign by Jewish Voice for Peace.

They Are Not Simply War Criminals, They Are Fools

Gerald Kaufman, Labour MP, speaking last week in the British Parliament states that "Israel was born out of Jewish Terrorism" and that the leader of the ruling Kadima Party "Tzipi Livni's Father was a Terrorist". Kaufman, went on to compare the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland.

Kaufman, who was brought up as an orthodox Jew and Zionist, said:

"My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town a German soldier shot her dead in her bed.

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt from gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians."

Kaufman said the claim that many of the Palestinian victims were militants was what the Nazis would also claim and added: "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants."

He accused the Israeli government of seeking "conquest" and added: "

They are not simply war criminals, they are fools."

Kaufman urged the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel.

Big Government Has Been Tried And Has Failed Miserably

From Texas Congressman Ron Paul:

Strengthening or Weakening the Economy?

The economic situation continues to deteriorate this week as past and future bailouts were discussed on Capitol Hill. The debate was over the accountability of already disbursed TARP money, and on whether or not to release remaining funds. Banks that had already been bailed out before are looking for more money to fill the black holes that are their balance sheets, warning that they are simply too big to fail. However, whatever ‘devastating’ consequences these banks are dreaming up and pushing on Capitol Hill regarding their own collapse will be nothing compared to the collapse of our currency if we keep debasing it through these foolish bailouts. It should be that they are too big to bailout. The world will not come to an end without this or that bank. The most troubling thing to me is this rhetoric that only government can save the economy, and must act. This is so counter-productive.

We must ask ourselves what strengthens this country, and what weakens it.

Government is a monumental drag on this economy. Government at all levels currently absorbs about 35-40 percent of GDP, which is still not enough for its voracious appetite. While productivity is already overtaxed, the government routinely spends more than it takes in and makes up for the shortfall by constantly borrowing or debasing our dollars through inflation. It pains me to think of all the opportunities for productive economic growth we have given up simply because our government is super-sized instead of Constitution-sized. There are just a few constitutionally sanctioned activities for government to engage in, but it is so overstretched with unconstitutional encroachments that what it is legitimately supposed to do, it does very badly. And yet we are to believe the solution to our problems is to make government bigger. On the contrary, government makes our problems bigger. The central bank’s meddling with monetary policy led to overheated lending, and now massive defaults. The government used manipulative tax policy to distort the housing market which has had many unintended consequences, and here we are. Government is quick to enact and slow to correct bad policy. Yet in spite of government’s failures, it flourishes and grows, thanks to the continual bailouts from the unwitting taxpayer.

Big government has been tried and has failed miserably. What we need now is small government, and freedom. We need the freedom to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps again, as we traditionally do in this country. But try to start a business or charity today, and you will understand how little economic freedom we really have left. Freedom, not government, made this the land of opportunity. Freedom laid the foundation that catapulted us to becoming the strongest economic power in the world. The American people are strong and capable. We can pull ourselves out of this mess. All we need is for the nanny-state to get out of the way and allow us to do it. Freedom is our strength, government is our weakness. Only by recognizing this and unleashing our strengths will we solve the problems we face today.

Patrick McGoohan Discusses "The Prisoner"

Patrick McGoohan who passed away last week discusses the groundbreaking show "The Prisoner".

From IMDB:

"The Prisoner" is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series. Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind 'The Village' (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors.

Part I:



Part II:



Part III:



Part IV:

Ted Kennedy's Hypocrisy Continues

Ted Kennedy's hypocrisy on wind energy continues. Kennedy has stated:

"I strongly support renewable energy, including wind energy as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and protecting the environment. When developed in a rational, cost-effective way, wind energy can be an important part in the nation's energy strategy."

Yet Kennedy is continuing to oppose the Cape Wind energy project. He has been opposing this project from the beginning, citing the need for more study and regulation. Of course that isn't the real reason he opposes Cape Wind. The real reason is the project is in his backyard.

The project which has been under comprehensive environmental review for seven and a half years, received a very favorable report this past week from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service.

Jay Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald writes:

The report, which still has to be ratified after an official 30-day review process, was hailed by environmentalists, unions and others pushing for the project. They said Cape Wind is needed to promote alternative energy, combat global warming and lessen the nation’s reliance on foreign oil.

But Kennedy, whose family owns a compound in Hyannis, sounded defiant yesterday, despite criticism that the Senate’s “Liberal Lion” was opposing what many consider a major environmental initiative.

“I do not believe that this action by the Interior Department will be sustained,” said Kennedy in a statement.

The project would a substantial amount of the power used in the region. From Cape Wind:

Cape Wind is proposing America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. Miles from the nearest shore, 130 wind turbines will gracefully harness the wind to produce up to 420 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. In average winds, Cape Wind will provide three quarters of the Cape and Islands electricity needs.

A couple of videos making fun of Ted "Windbag" Kennedy:

From Greenpeace:




From the Daily Show (make take awhile to download):

Dreaming of a Better America

A pretty good video made by high school students Jeremy Creamier and Joe Buckley. They are students at Homestead High in California and did this for a class project.

The video defines libertarianism as:

No war
No taxes
No debt
More freedom
Freedom of religion
Freedom of business
Freedom of sexuality
Freedom to be who you want

Which is pretty accurate. :)

Death by Marijuana Overdose

A video detailing the history of deaths from marijuana. The video is short because there has never been a death from an overdose of marijuana.

DEA Ignores Montana Law. Robin Prosser Dies

Another death that can be directly traced to the insane war on a plant known as marijuana. Robin Prosser was a former concert pianist and systems analyst who suffered from an autoimmune disease similar to lupus for over 20 years. The disease left her in constant pain.

Robin was allergic to most pharmaceutical painkillers and only medical marijuana brought her relief.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ignoring Montana State law which allows the medicinal use of marijuana, seized her medicine. Unable to cope with the chronic pain any longer, she committed suicide on October 18th, 2007.

Savana Redding Case Goes to US Supreme Court

The United States Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear the appeal of the Safford Unified School District in the case of the strip search of Savana Redding, a student at Safford Middle School in Arizona. The school district had lost its case back on July 11, 2008 when in a narrow 6 to 5 victory for freedom and privacy, the Ninth Circuit Court held that Savana Redding's rights were violated by the school.

Savana Redding, an honor roll student, was stripped searched by school officials at Safford Middle School in Safford, Arizona on October 8, 2003. The reason? A classmate had accused her of possessing and distributing ibuprofen. Yes ibuprofen. Thank goodness it wasn't aspirin!

Savana Redding was taken out of class by vice-Principal Kerry Wilson and brought to his office where she denied providing the pills to a classmate. She was then taken by administrative assistant Helen Romero to the school nurse Peggy Schwallier's office where she was strip-searched.

Savana Redding says she was ordered to strip to her underwear, move her bra to the side and pull her underwear out, exposing her pelvic area and breasts. No pills were found.

The school argued that the search was reasonable and justified because pills had been found on campus and a student had linked them to Redding.

See my earlier posts here and here for more background

From the Washington Post:

The school district asked the court to take the case and reverse the appeals court. "Both aspects of the Ninth Circuit's decision are deeply troubling and have school administrators and teachers across the country understandably alarmed," the district's brief said.

It said the 9th Circuit had disregarded an earlier Supreme Court decision that gave school administrators more leeway in searching students. It said school officials needed only a reasonable explanation for searches, rather than an expectation of probable cause.

The National School Boards Association told the court that the decision had the "undesirable effect of holding school administrators personally liable for making decisions of constitutional import on which experienced jurists cannot agree," alluding to the earlier court decisions that the search was constitutional.

But the ACLU's brief said the decision "follows clearly established law in finding that a school official cannot strip search a thirteen-year-old girl based on unreliable information that she might have possessed ibuprofen at an unspecified earlier time and in an unknown location."

This is just another example that the education establishment is really only concerned about itself. We are supposed to be moved by the fact that school administrators have to make a decision about whether they can force a 13 year old girl to take off her clothes. They think they should only need a reasonable explanation to force a minor to take off their clothes? A reasonable explanation basis is in a fact a blank check to do this.

I am troubled by the fact that schools even think they can make that decision, especially over ibuprofen. Children in schools today have almost no rights. The education establishment is preparing our children to blindly follow authority in order to prepare them for a government that abuses their natural rights on a routine basis.

Tar El Hawa, Gaza City Aftermath

Al Jazeera's correspondent Sherine Tadros reports from the Tar El Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. Tar El Hawa has been the scene of particularly heavy fighting. Red Crescent facilities, a hospital and residential apartment blocks were among the buildings hit by the Israeli bombardment.

Paul's Walls

Texas Congressman Ron Paul has some German marks from 1923 framed on his wall to demonstrate the effects of hyperinflation.

The Face of of the Gaza Invasion: Part Four

It is important to understand that I do not support terrorism or Hamas. On the other hand I do not support the policies of the Israeli government in regards to their treatment of Palestinians. Force and oppression will generate hate and violence. The seeds of oppression have been sprouting for years, yet the Israeli government continues to sow more.



It is time for Americans to look beyond the realm of politics and support of special interests and to realize no ones hands are clean in this conflict.

Atlanta Police Officer Arthur Tesler Conviction Overturned

Arthur Tesler the former Atlanta Police officer convicted for lying in the police killing of 92 year old Kathryn Johnston has had his conviction overturned. I find the reason for overturning the conviction incredible. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed the conviction of Arthur Tesler, the former Atlanta police officer sentenced to prison for lying to FBI agents about the botched drug-raid killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.

The court said Fulton County prosecutors failed to prove an essential element of the crime — where it was committed.

Atlanta and Fulton County news “The state was obligated to prove that the FBI office was located in Fulton County,” Chief Judge Yvette Miller wrote. “Its admitted failure requires us to reverse Tesler’s conviction.”

Tesler’s lawyer, William McKenney, called the ruling “terrific news” and said he hopes it will help Tesler’s sentencing next month in federal court.

District Attorney Paul Howard could not be reached Thursday for immediate comment.

After his May conviction in Fulton County, Tesler was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. He did not fire any shots the night of the November 2006 killing,

In October, Tesler pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges for his role in the botched raid that shocked the nation and led to revelations that Atlanta cops were faking warrants to make drug cases. Tesler is to be sentenced in federal court Feb. 20.

McKenney called the ruling a “mixed blessing” because the court also found the evidence supported the jury’s finding that Tesler lied to federal agents. “The end result is that it leaves the question of a retrial still open,” he said

Young Americans for Liberty

An introduction to Young Americans for Liberty, the continuation of Students for Ron Paul. In less than 8 months, SFP established over 500 college and high school chapters in all 50 states and over 26,000 students joined the Ron Paul 2008 campaign.

With this network, YAL seeks to recruit, train, educate, and mobilize students on the ideals of liberty and the Constitution. This is not a new beginning but a continuation of a youth movement already brewing in this country. Our objective is to facilitate its success.




Yes we can make real change:

We Will Have To Live Beneath Our Means

Ron Paul talks about the Tarp (Billionaire Bailout) funding, the lack of transparency of the Federal Reserve and Moral Hazards.



More from Ron Paul:

Representative Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has introduced H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act, which has bypassed normal committee procedures and could come up for a vote on the House floor today.

Once again, you and I and the U.S. taxpayer are being taken to the cleaners. Well I say, let's tell them this time how we really feel.

According to Frank, this amendment will add transparency and accountability to the TARP Act. But as is standard operating procedure for the federal government, a bill posing as an effort to tighten oversight and increase accountability only further intensifies government manipulation of the market.

Here are a few of the harmful provisions lurking in the legislation:
- Codifies the use of TARP funds to bail out auto manufactures and make loans to their financing arms. Congress opposed the use of the funds for this purpose during the TARP debate, and it must not be "read back" into the legislation.

- Requires that "no less than $40 billion" of the remaining $350 billion TARP dollars be assigned to foreclosure mitigation. More government interference in the housing market to keep prices high.

- Clarifies the Treasury Department's authority to establish new offices to oversee the availability of consumer loans, such as student and auto loans. More government bureaucracies to supervise other bureaucracies.

- Keeps the increase in deposit insurance coverage for banks to $250,000 permanently, which was enacted temporarily as part of TARP to stave off bank runs.

- Increases the FDIC's borrowing authority from $30 billion to $100 billion and allows it to obtain sums in excess of $100 billion upon the Treasury Secretary's approval. If you said "way too much authority without Congressional approval," you guessed right.

IOU California

Neil Cavuto contemplates the possibilities of following California's lead in just issuing IOU's to your creditors:

The Face of of the Gaza Invasion: Part Three

Another picture from Gaza.

It is important to understand that I do not support terrorism or Hamas. On the other hand I do not support the policies of the Israeli government in regards to their treatment of Palestinians. Force and oppression will generate hate and violence. The seeds of oppression have been sprouting for years, yet the Israeli government continues to sow more.





It is time for Americans to look beyond the realm of politics and support of special interests and to realize no ones hands are clean in this conflict.

It's A Kid, Not Collateral Damage

The "Southern Avenger" Jack Hunter, a conservative commentator from Charleston, South Carolina, on the hypocrisy of Pro Lifers who are Pro War.

How Is That Change Working So Far?

Reason TV's view of the change brought to Washington, DC by the Obama Administration:



The song on the video is "Winds of Change" by the German rock group the Scorpions. The song was released in 1990 and celebrates the dramatic changes taking place with the unexpected fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.

The fall of Communism was positive change that Western leaders (especially the US) let slip away in their continuing pursuit of world dominance. Those were heady days, when the future looked bright.

Today the world is once again falling into the darkness of big powerful governments that control their citizens.

Perhaps one day the world will again celebrate the demise of authoritarian government and the rise of individual freedom.

Here are two "Winds of Change" videos. First the original music video that starts with the division of Germany and ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall:



Second here is "Winds of Change" performed at Red Square in Moscow in 2003:




Here are the lyrics:

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world is closing in
And did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
I'm blowing with the wind of change


Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

The wind of change blows straight
Into the face of time
Like a storm wind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say
Say!

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change

International Banking and Gaza

Congressman Ron Paul on TARP (Billionaire Bailout), International Banking and Gaza.

Auto Bailout Is "Lemon Socialism"

David Boaz of the Cato Institute says that the auto bailout is "Lemon Socialism."

"Lemon Socialism" is the practice of bailing out or subsidizing failing companies in supposedly free market capitalist economies such as the United States. I'll point out that the key word is supposedly. The United States does NOT have a free market capitalist economy.

Israel Created Hamas

In an early video I posted Ron Paul mentions that Israel had a hand in creating Hamas. From James Bovard some detail on this fact:

Hamas was created with massive aid from the Israeli government. Following is an excerpt from my Terrorism & Tyranny (2003):

Perhaps the single largest mistake in the history of the Israeli government’s long war on terrorism was its covert financing, cosseting, and arming of Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon denounced Hamas as “the deadliest terrorist group that we have ever had to face.” But the Israeli government is reticent about admitting its role in creating this Frankenstein.

Beginning in the 1970s Israel began pouring money into Islamic organizations —especially the Moslem Brotherhood—hoping that religion would distract the Palestinians from political activism and the radical left-wing Palestinian Liberation Organization. Hamas was a late offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood. Prior to 1988 Moslem Brotherhood activists “had refrained from openly anti-Israel activities.” But with the outbreak of the first Intifada (uprising) in late 1987, the Israeli government was stunned to see how fast Hamas became the primary source of deadly attacks against Israelis.

Anthony Cordesman, a former State Department and Defense Department intelligence officer and currently a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, stated that the Israeli government “aided Hamas directly—the Israelis wanted to use it as a counterbalance to the PLO.” A United Press International analysis reported, “According to several current and former U.S. intelligence officials, beginning in the late 1970s, Tel Aviv gave direct and indirect financial aid to Hamas over a period of years.” UPI noted that, according to documents provided by Israeli terrorism experts, “Hamas was legally registered in Israel in 1978 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement’s spiritual leader, as an Islamic Association by the name Al-Mujamma al Islami.”

The Jerusalem Post reported on May 29, 1989, that, until the late 1980s, the Moslem Brotherhood “organizations in Gaza and the Islamic University received much encouragement from the [Israeli] military government. . . . The military government believed that their activity would undermine the power of the PLO and of leftist organizations in Gaza. They even supplied some of their activists with weapons, for their protection.” During the first Intifada (uprising), the PLO and Hamas openly clashed over how to resist the Israeli occupation. The Jerusalem Post noted: “The [Israeli] security forces greeted this tension [between Palestinian groups] with satisfaction, in line with the principle of divide and conquer. In several cases, Palestinians noticed that troops stood by quietly during Hamas street activity, but did interfere when PLO activists engaged in the same activity.” The Israeli government assumed that if the PLO could be thwarted, the Palestinian problem would be solved. But Hamas was far more bloodthirsty and radical than the PLO. The PLO effectively recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1988, while Hamas devoted itself to seizing all of Palestine for an Islamic state.

The Problem Is Not the Abuse Of Power, It Is The Power To Abuse

The late great Harry Browne, Libertarian Party Presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000 discusses the problems of big government.

Israelis Protest Against The War In Gaza

Coverage of the January 3, 2009 protest in Tel Aviv against the invasion of Gaza.

Israeli Soldiers Refuse To Serve In Gaza

A demonstration on January 8, 2009 by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers who refuse to serve in Gaza. The soldiers and their supporters explain their reasons for refusing to serve to Israel Social TV.



About Social TV:

Social TV is a non-partisan Israeli social change initiative, using strategies of public education and independent media (mainly video articles), aims to empower civil society and the peace and social change movement in Israel as a whole. Founded in 2006 as an Israeli project, Social TV has been operating under the Syncopa Community framework . Social TV has already produced over 250 short video programs for its website, building a video library that includes coverage of demonstrations, direct actions, lectures, and alternative cultural events, etc'. Daily, there are hundreds of visitors to Social TV’s website, and an additional 12,000 are reached through weekly e-mail updates. Run by an entirely volunteer staff, Social TV has also become a platform for other non-profit organizations in Israel

Russia Today Interviews Ron Paul

Dina Gusovsky of Russia Today interviews Congressman Ron Paul on the situation in Gaza.

Paul states that Israel's critics and enemies will see the United States as the side to be blamed for the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip. Paul says the US should review its unconditional support of the Jewish state.

Paul believes that the Obama Administration will not change American foreign policy in the least. Obama will continue the same neocon foreign policy of the Bush Administration.

The Solution At Last!!!

The solution to our economic problems (from LewRockwell.com and Scott Bushee):

The Face of of the Gaza Invasion: Part Two

Another picture from Gaza. The conflict in the Middle East is complicated. There is much blame to go around on both sides and in the West due to its colonialism and meddling.

Unfortunately it is the innocents who most often pay the price.



It is time for Americans to look beyond the realm of politics and support of special interests and to realize no ones hands are clean in this conflict.

Arrested For Holding A Plant

Demonstrating the absurdity of marijuana laws, here is Andrew Carroll of Manchester, New Hampshire being arrested for possession of a plant:




Here is Andrew announcing his plans:

Andrew Carroll of Manchester says he's never smoked or sold a joint in his whole young life. But he's so angry about the war on drugs he's planning to trigger his own "pot arrest."

Here is the press release:

Activist to Possess Marijuana in Public!
Filed under: Announcement, Issues, National, News, Personal Freedom, ToDo — Ian at 12:18 pm on Monday, December 8, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2008
Contact: James Andrew Carroll
Phone: (562) 505-1289

DRUG LAW PROTEST
Young Man to Possess Marijuana as a Protest Against Current Drug Laws

KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE – A young, 18 year old man will purposefully possess marijuana to incite his own arrest. At 1:00 PM on January 10, at 82 Main Street in Keene, New Hampshire, J. Andrew Carroll will illegally be in possession of marijuana as a protest against the drug laws of the country.

Echoing the thoughts of other liberty-loving people, Carroll says, “The drug war is an unconstitutional and inhumane breach of individual liberties which claims many victims, and dollars, each year.” Carroll claims he wants to “demonstrate the absurdity of putting a human being in jail for a crime with no victim.” He says the point is further demonstrated by the fact that he does not, personally, smoke marijuana, and only intends to possess it.

The war on drugs has garnered much public interest, as more and more people are becoming directly affected by it each day; and Carroll says that protesting the drug war in such a manner will bring even more attention to an already press-worthy issue. He also says the protest will “change some minds, somewhere” about the American government’s War on Drugs.

As a member of the Free State Project (FSP), an organization which is attempting to get liberty-minded people to move to New Hampshire to aid in reducing the size and power of government, Carroll moved to the Granite State from California only a few months ago.

America Should Mind It's Own Business

The "Southern Avenger" Jack Hunter, a conservative commentator from Charleston, South Carolina, advocating non interventionism:

When traditional conservatives, liberals and others argue that America’s hyper-interventionist foreign policy is the cause of many of our problems, that we would like to see the U.S. do less around the world is called “isolationist” or worse. But like it or not, Israel and the U.S. are seen as one-in-the-same in the Middle East, a fact that should make Americans uncomfortable given the never-ending instability in that powder keg of a region.

Given the recent events in Gaza, perhaps it’s time for a new cuss word when discussing American foreign policy - “interventionist” - a much more dangerous prospect than simply minding your own business.

Al Jazeera Reports on the House Vote on Gaza

The US House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing support for Israel and condemning Hamas, Rob Reynolds reports:

Save or Spend?

Unlike the neocons (George W. Bush), the Keynesians (Paul Krugman) and most of Congress who say spending money you don't have is the way to prosperity, Dave Ramsey says save.

Ramsey states that what the pro spenders are saying is lets go back and keep on doing the stupid things we were doing because they worked so well.

A Night in Gaza City

About a week ago, Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros spent the evening with one family in Gaza City to see how they're coping.

Al Jazeera Interviews Former Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman

Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi interviews former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman, who reportedly drafted Israel's media strategy on the Gaza crisis.

Not Everyone in Gaza is a Militant

Dua Nakhala, a PhD student and Palestinian activist who grew up in Gaza is interviewed by Russia Today on the situation in Gaza.




It amazes me how so many people blindly accept war propaganda. There is no doubt that Hamas is a terrorist organization, yet that does not mean all Palestinians are terrorists. There is no doubt that the Israeli government should protects its citizens, but that does not justify every action of the Israeli government.

Israel has done many terrible things to Palestinians, yet the United States blindly backs Israel both politically and monetarily.

Everyone needs to take off their blinders and seek the truth. Only when we recognize the rights of all people can we begin to hope for peace.

Blowback: Israel Created Hamas to Counter PLO

Congressman Ron Paul speaking on the House floor Friday opposing House Resolution 34. Paul states that US interference in the Middle East is counter the interests of the US. Paul gives examples of blowback from US policies in the Middle East, including Israel's hand in the creation of Hamas and ours in its coming to power in Gaza.




Here is Ron Paul's official statement:

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul

United States House of Representatives


Statement on H Res 34, Recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, Reaffirming the United States strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process

January 9, 2008

Madame Speaker, I strongly oppose H. Res. 34, which was rushed to the floor with almost no prior notice and without consideration by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The resolution clearly takes one side in a conflict that has nothing to do with the United States or US interests. I am concerned that the weapons currently being used by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza are made in America and paid for by American taxpayers. What will adopting this resolution do to the perception of the United States in the Muslim and Arab world? What kind of blowback might we see from this? What moral responsibility do we have for the violence in Israel and Gaza after having provided so much military support to one side?

As an opponent of all violence, I am appalled by the practice of lobbing homemade rockets into Israel from Gaza. I am only grateful that, because of the primitive nature of these weapons, there have been so few casualties among innocent Israelis. But I am also appalled by the longstanding Israeli blockade of Gaza -- a cruel act of war -- and the tremendous loss of life that has resulted from the latest Israeli attack that started last month.

There are now an estimated 700 dead Palestinians, most of whom are civilians. Many innocent children are among the dead. While the shooting of rockets into Israel is inexcusable, the violent actions of some people in Gaza does not justify killing Palestinians on this scale. Such collective punishment is immoral. At the very least, the US Congress should not be loudly proclaiming its support for the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.

Madame Speaker, this resolution will do nothing to reduce the fighting and bloodshed in the Middle East. The resolution in fact will lead the US to become further involved in this conflict, promising “vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” Is it really in the interest of the United States to guarantee the survival of any foreign country? I believe it would be better to focus on the security and survival of the United States, the Constitution of which my colleagues and I swore to defend just this week at the beginning of the 111th Congress. I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution.

The Face of of the Gaza Invasion

The result of "political leaders" who get and retain power by spreading hate is the death of innocents.

A Witness in Palestine: Anna Baltzer

A different view of the Israeli settlements than the one you get from the mainstream media:

Extracts of A Witness in Palestine, written by Anna Baltzer. Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish American, went to the West Bank to discover the realities of daily life for Palestinians under the occupation. What she found would change her outlook on the conflict forever.

She wrote this book to give voice to the stories of the people who welcomed her with open arms as their lives crumbled around them. For five months, Baltzer lived and worked with farmers, Palestinian and Israeli activists, and the families of political prisoners, traveling with them across endless checkpoints and roadblocks to reach hospitals, universities, and olive groves.

Baltzer witnessed firsthand the environmental devastation brought on by expanding settlements and outposts and the destruction wrought by Israels Security Fence, which separates many families from each other, their communities, their land, and basic human services.

What emerges from Baltzers journal is not a sensationalist tale of suicide bombers and conspiracies, but a compelling and inspiring description of the trials of daily life under the occupation.

Anna Baltzer is a Jewish American graduate of Columbia University, Fulbright scholar, and two-time volunteer with the International Womens Peace Service in the West Bank, where she documented human rights abuses and supported the nonviolent resistance movement to the occupation.

Settlements:



Outposts:



As Ms. Baltzer says to oppose the actions of the Israeli government or to oppose Zionism does make one anti-Semitic. Too often any American who opposes Israeli government action is labeled as an anti-Semite. The purpose of that smear is to silence the opposition. Either by putting fear into the opposition, after all it is not pleasant to be labeled a racist, or by marginalizing the opposition in the minds of the uninformed.

There Was No Santa Claus

Marina Portnaya of Russia Today interviews economist Peter Schiff who predicted four years ago that the housing bubble would lead to an economic crisis.

Schiff says that Barack Obama's policies will unleash a greater economic crisis than the world is now facing. Obama's plan is just pouring gasoline on a fire. Schiff predicts that the US dollar is going to collapse sending interest rates and consumer prices into the stratosphere.

Schiff thinks the government will eventually impose price controls because inflation will become so bad,. As always price controls will lead to shortages. Shortages will lead to a black market.

Schiff also believes that the collapse of the dollar will lead to the collapse of the American Empire as it will become unsustainable. New economic powers will arise in other countries.

Interventionist Economic Practices

Historian Thomas Woods looks back to the Great Depression to illustrate the effects of government's interventionist economic practices. Woods says the Federal Reserve caused the Great Depression.

Woods says the reason the Great Depression lasted so long is because of government intervention.

Woods gives the example of one of the idiotic policies implemented by Franklin Roosevelt's Administration. To improve the prices received by farmers the government at first destroyed the farmers crops and animals in order to limit supply which of course drives up prices. Because this caused bad public relations FDR switch instead to paying farmers not to grow crops and raise animals.

Meanwhile people are going hungry. What sheer idiocy!

Of course we still pay farmers not to grow crops!

Trillion is the New Billion

Congressman Paul appeared on CNN's American Morning today to discuss the follies of trillion-dollar deficits and Keynesian economics.Paul says that it no longer worrying about the effect of the deficits on our children and grandchildren, but now it will hurt the current generation.

When asked about Paul Krugman the Keynesian economist who is pushing for an even larger stimulus package, Paul says of Keynesians "If they are winning Nobel prizes, we are in serious trouble!" And of course we are.

If more deficit spending is the key to economic recovery, then let’s really jump start the economy, enough of this talk about a measly trillion dollar stimulus package.

Why stop there? Let’s really improve the economy, how about $100 or $200 trillion?

The idea that you can use massive deficit spending to improve the economy is ridiculous. It will merely result in inflation or the stagflation we experienced in the 70's and early 80's due to the horrible "guns and butter" policy of Lyndon Johnson.