Different Rules for Different Countries

Glenn Greenwald points out all the hypocrisy in the criticism of Iran and its nuclear program. The Bush Republican neocons have been replaced by the Obama Democratic neocons.

Motorhome Diaries in Minneapolis

The Motorhome Diaries crew will be having a meetup in Minneapolis this Friday, October 2. This arrangements for this event were made by the Twin Cities Liberty on the Rocks.

The details:

The Motorhome Diaries: Searching for Freedom in America
Party - Cocktail Party
Friday, October 2, 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Club Jager
923 Washington Ave
Minneapolis, MN

The Iranian Nuclear Program - Nothing New

Texas Congressman Ron Paul comments on all the furor over the Iranian nuclear program. Paul says the US knew about this plant three years ago. All the yelling is just more warmongering from the neocons.

Mandatory Vaccinations in Massachusetts?

Judge Andrew Napolitano comments on the mandatory vaccination law in Massachusetts that appears to be on its way to being enacted.

Reasons Behind Secrecy at the Fed

Texas Congressman Ron Paul comments on secrecy at the Federal Reserve:

The Real Reasons Behind Fed Secrecy

Last week I was very pleased that the Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207. The bill has 295 cosponsors and there is also strong support for the companion bill in the Senate. This hearing was a major step forward in getting the bill passed.

I was pleased that the hearing was well-attended, especially considering that it was held on a Friday at nine o’clock in the morning! I have been talking about the immense, unchecked power of the Federal Reserve for many years, while the attention of Congress was always on other things. It was gratifying to see my colleagues asking probing questions and demonstrating genuine concern about this important issue as well.

The witness testifying in favor of HR 1207 made some very strong points, which was no surprise considering the bill is simply common sense. It was also no surprise that the witness testifying against the bill had no good arguments as to why a full audit should not be conducted promptly. He attempted to make the case that the fed is already sufficiently accountable to Congress and that the current auditing policy is adequate. The fact is that the Fed comes to Congress and talks about only what it wants to talk about, and the GAO audits only what the current laws allow to be audited. The really important things however, are off limits. There are no convincing arguments that it is in the best interests of the American people for anything the Fed does to be off limits.

It has been argued that full disclosure of details of funding facilities like TALF and PDCF that enabled massive bailouts of Wall Street would damage the financial position of those firms and destabilize the economy. In other words, if the American people knew how rotten the books were at those banks and how terribly they messed up, they would never willingly invest in them, and they would fail. Failure is not an option for friends of the Fed. Therefore, the funds must be stolen from the people in the dark of night. This is not how a free country works. This is not how free markets work. That is crony corporatism and instead of being a force for economic stabilization, it totally undermines it.

If the Fed gave its actual arguments against a full audit, they would not have mentioned anything about political independence or economic stability. Instead they would admit they don’t want to be audited because they enjoy their current situation too much. Under the guise of currency control, they are able to help out powerful allies on Wall Street, in exchange for lucrative jobs or who-knows-what favors later on. An audit would expose the Fed as a massive fraud perpetrated on this country, enriching a privileged few bankers at the top of our economic food chain, and leaving the rest of us with massively devalued dollars which we are forced to use by law. An audit would make people realize that, while Bernie Madoff defrauded a lot of investors for a lot of money, the Fed has defrauded every one of us by destroying the value of our money. An honest and full accounting of how the money system really works in this country would mean there is not much of a chance the American people would stand for it anymore.

We Don't Worship Our Leaders

Taryn and Taja Gilbert comment on the B. Bernice Young Elementary School video of second graders being led in song praising Obama.

Tom Woods at the Audit the Fed Hearing

Thomas Woods of the Ludwig von Mises Institute testifies at the hearings on Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill (HR 1207).

In Trying to Make It Affordable, We've Made It Too Expensive

Ohio University economist Richard Vedder explains why higher education costs are rising faster than the cost of health care.

From Reason TV:

In Going Broke By Degree: Why College Costs So Much, Ohio University economist Richard Vedder lays out in plain language why, well, college costs so much.

Vedder, also a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, sat down at FreedomFest in mid-July with Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch to talk about college costs and more.

We'll Have A Libertarian Society When It's Imposed On Us By The Chinese

Libertarian Party Chairman William Redpath is interviewed by Reason TV. From Reason:

At July's FreedomFest in Las Vegas, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch sat down with the chairman of the Libertarian Party William Redpath to discuss what went right (and wrong) in the LP's 2008 electoral season, how the government's response to economic tumult is shaping policy, and the hopes for a freer, more individualistic society.

"Some people say, 'Don't you get kind of depressed sometimes,'" jokes Redpath, "and I say, "We'll have a libertarian society someday, when it's imposed on us by the Chinese government....Ultimately, if our politicians don't have the cojones to step up and make the tough decisions they need to make, our foreign creditors are going to make them for us."

Ron Paul's Speech at the University of Minnesota

Texas Congressman Ron Paul's speech at the University of Minnesota, 9/25/09.

US Government's War on Doctors & Patients

An excellent video from Reason TV examining the effects of the insane drug war on people with severe chronic pain. From Reason:

The steady stream of celebrity stories about prescription drug abuse makes Americans keenly aware of the dangers of overdosing on medications like OxyContin and Vicodin. And from President Obama's Drug Czar to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, politicians are calling for greater power to monitor doctor-patient relationships in order to fight the "epidemic" of prescription drug overdosing.

But maybe the real epidemic is underdosing. Countless Americans suffer with severe chronic pain because doctors are afraid to treat them properly.

Michael Jackson's death unleashed a flurry of media stories about all aspects of the pop star's life, including his alleged prescription drug abuse. On the same day countless millions watched Jackson's star-studded memorial service, reason.tv interviewed another musician.

Seán Clarke-Redmond, a man who enjoyed an active live before the neurodegenerative disease ALS, often referred to as Lou Gerig's disease, rendered him nearly immobile—he can no longer even play the piano.

The disease also left him in almost constant pain. Redmond is prescribed some medication, but not nearly enough to keep his pain under control. Dr. Frank Fisher says Redmond's case is an appallingly common one.

"Chronic pain in America is an enormously under treated disease," says Fisher, a Harvard-trained physician. "It's a public health disaster."

Pain specialists like Fisher and patients' groups like the Pain Relief Network battle law enforcement officials who are forever on the lookout for "pill mills" and patients who misuse pain medicine. Fisher notes that the same medications so often associated with celebrity addiction are the same medications that combat pain most effectively.

Fisher has treated his patients with high doses of opioids-that is, until a swat team raided his clinic and threw him behind bars.

"They were trying to give me 256 years to life," says Fisher who argues that fear of prosecution often prevents doctors from treating chronic pain patients effectively.

What allows doctors' medical decisions to be overruled by police?

"What we're dealing with is a mass insanity," says Fisher. "We call it the war on drugs."

Did Ahmadinejad Ever Say Israel Should Be Wiped Off The Map?

In light of the current overblown controversy about Iran's nuclear program, it is appropriate to look back at another controversy involving Iran. The widely accepted belief that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be wiped off the map.

I'm certainly no fan of Ahmadinejad or the Iranian regime, but I am also no fan of the warmongers in our government and media who fan the flames. Here is an interesting article written back in 2007 on this question.

'Wiped off the Map' – The Rumor of the Century

This is all just a build up to get public opinion to support a war against Iran.

Grandma Arrested for Buying Cold Medicine

In the continuing saga of the insane drug war and the monsters who enforce it, we have the story of another innocent victim. In this case a grandmother who purchased too much cold medicine. From the Terre Haute Tribune-Star:

When Sally Harpold bought cold medicine for her family back in March, she never dreamed that four months later she would end up in handcuffs.

Now, Harpold is trying to clear her name of criminal charges, and she is speaking out in hopes that a law will change so others won’t endure the same embarrassment she still is facing.

“This is a very traumatic experience,” Harpold said.

Harpold is a grandmother of triplets who bought one box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband at a Rockville pharmacy. Less than seven days later, she bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her adult daughter at a Clinton pharmacy, thereby purchasing 3.6 grams total of pseudoephedrine in a week’s time.

Those two purchases put her in violation of Indiana law 35-48-4-14.7, which restricts the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, or PSE, products to no more than 3.0 grams within any seven-day period.

When the police came knocking at the door of Harpold’s Parke County residence on July 30, she was arrested on a Vermillion County warrant for a class-C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. But through a deferral program offered by Vermillion County Prosecutor Nina Alexander, the charge could be wiped from Harpold’s record by mid-September.

Harpold’s story is one that concerns some law-abiding citizens who fear that innocent people will get mistakenly caught in the net of meth abuse roundups.

The high and mighty Vermillion County Prosecutor Nina Alexander said the public has the responsibility to know what is legal and what is not, and ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Well thank you for your concern. The problem with that cliche is that laws used to be written to protect people from being harmed by others. It is pretty obvious that you shouldn't punch someone or steal their property. Nowadays we have laws written to criminalize actions that harm no one, all to further the insane war on drugs.

Ms. Harpold was acting to help her husband and daughter and because of that she is a criminal in eyes of our corrupt rulers.

Liberty on the Rocks Explained

Amanda Teresi President of Liberty on the Rocks explains what the organization is all about. She also explains what it is not about.

Mark Levin Hates Glenn Beck and Ron Paul

Jack Hunter comments on Mark Levin's diatribe against Glenn Beck because of Beck's comment that we would be worse off if McCain had won. Beck claims to have seen the light and no longer buys the neocon's empire building foreign policy. Levin a hardcore and nasty neocon can't stand the defection.

Audit The Fed (HR1207) Hearing Highlights - Ron Paul

HR1207, the bill to audit the Federal Reserve is now in committee hearings. Here is Texas Congressman Ron Paul, author of the bill, at the hearing Friday.

Remember to Always Worship Our Devine Leader

This is just creepy and very wrong. This is pure unadulterated politics/indoctrination. But then again government schools were designed to mold children in the proper ways of "thinking" from day one. This was filmed around June 19, 2009 at the B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, New Jersey.

Doctor Recommends Not Taking H1N1 Vaccine

Doctor Kent Holtorf recommends not taking the H1N1 vaccine:

Motorhome Diaries Tours New Orleans Ghost Towns

The failure of big government is demonstrated in New Orleans. From Motorhome Diaries :

The Motorhome Diaries crew had the chance to tour the destruction caused by Government in the New Orleans area. We understand that Katrina did a lot of damage in 05' but the government created damage started the minute she left. Which is explained by our tour guide, Assistant Professor of Economics at Loyola University Dan D'Amico.

No One Has A Right To Medical Care

Texas Congressman Ron Paul explaining why there is no right to healthcare. Paul also discusses what causes high health care cost and what the proper remedies are.

Joe Louis and the IRS

From Aaron Russo's "From Freedom to Fascism" an overview of the problems boxing great Joe Louis had with the IRS.

The Biggest Government Program of Them All

Jack Hunter comments on South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint's contradictory views. On one hand DeMint advocates for limited government, while on the other he supports the biggest government program of them all.

Obama Isolationist?

Texas Congressman Ron Paul explains how Obama's policies are isolationist.

Trade Wars and Protectionism are not Free Trade

Two weeks ago, both the administration and the Fed announced with straight faces that the recession was over and the signs of economic recovery were clear. Then last week, the president made a stunning decision that signals the administration’s determination to repeat the mistakes of the Great Depression. Much like the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs that set off a global trade war and effectively doomed us to ten more years of economic misery, Obama’s decision to enact steep tariffs on Chinese imported tires could spark a trade war with the single most important trading partner we have. Not only does China manufacture a whole host of products that end up on American store shelves, they are also still buying our Treasury debt.

One has to wonder why this course of action is being undertaken if the administration really believes its own statements about economic recovery. Why are they still trying to fix something they have supposedly already fixed? The most troubling thing is the rhetoric about free trade given to justify this. The administration claims it is merely enforcing trade policies and that this is necessary for free trade. This sort of double speak demonstrates a gross misunderstanding of free trade, economics and world history. Yet these are the same people the country trusts to solve our problems. This sort of thing should remove all doubt about the credibility of the decision makers in Washington.

The truth is this will hurt American consumers by driving up prices of tires and cars. This will also complicate matters for our already crippled manufacturing and agricultural industries, if and when China retaliates against US made products. Whatever jobs might be saved in the tire and steel industries here as a result of this protectionist measure will likely be lost in other American industries. It is even doubtful that those jobs will be saved, as cheap tires can be obtained from other places like Mexico instead. It is difficult to see any real winners among all the losers where trade wars are concerned. If Unions think this is beneficial to them, they are being penny-wise and pound foolish.

Free trade with all and entangling alliances with none has always been the best policy in dealing with other countries on the world stage. This is the policy of friendship, freedom and non-interventionism and yet people wrongly attack this philosophy as isolationist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Isolationism is putting up protectionist trade barriers, starting trade wars imposing provocative sanctions and one day finding out we have no one left to buy our products. Isolationism is arming both sides of a conflict, only to discover that you’ve made two enemies instead of keeping two friends. Isolationism is trying to police the world but creating more resentment than gratitude. Isolationism is not understanding economics, or other cultures, but clumsily intervening anyway and creating major disasters out of minor problems.

The government should not be in the business of giving out favors to special interests or picking winners and losers in the market, yet this has been most of what has consumed politicians’ attention in Washington. It has reached a fevered pitch lately and it needs to end if we are ever to regain a functional and prosperous economy.

Jimmy Carter's Slander

Jack Hunter discusses Jimmy Carter's slander of those who oppose Obama as being racists. Hunter compares it to the slander of Carter as an anti-Semite because of his criticism of Israel. Hunter says that today calling someone a racist or anti-Semitic is just a way to stifle debate.

Peter Schiff Talks About His Senate Race

Peter Schiff talks about his Senate Race for the seat now held by the corrupt Christopher Dodd. He also talks about Austrian Economics and taxes.

Eminent Domain in Alabama

Motorhome Diaries visited with economics professor John Sophocleus about his eminent domain battle with the State of Alabama. Sophocleus explains the different approach he used in his battle from the one used by the Institute for Justice in the infamous Kelo decision.

From Motorhome Diaries:

When visiting the good folks at the Mises Institute we learned about John Sophocleus, a professor who’s property the Alabama Department of Transportation has been attempting to seize for over a decade. In a story similar to that of Jimmy McCall in nearby Montgomery, in this video John details the experience, including his picking up his rifle as a earth moving machine approached his house and his subsequent courtroom battles, which made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. John is a true freedom fighter in ever sense of the word and it’s certain that his actions will help motivate others to stand up for their rights against government oppression.

Pete Leeson on his Journey to Anarcho-capitalism

From Motorhome Diaries:

When in New Orleans the guys had the chance to interview Austrian economics all-star Pete Leeson. In this video Pete gives a quick overview about his personal journey to self-describing as an anarcho-capitalist, differentiates between the standard of living between best/worst governments and best/worst anarchistic societies and his findings about the arrangements that spontaneously emerged among pirates due to the combination of incentives that existed at the time.

Vice Admiral Colley - Submariner & Libertarian

Vice Admiral Michael C. Colley, USN (Ret.)discusses US foreign policy.



From the Libertarian Party of Alabama's website:

Vice Admiral Colley attended schools in Beaverton, Oregon, and graduated with distinction from the U. S. Naval Academy. He had sea duty assignments on several nuclear powered submarines and was Commanding Officer of the attack submarine NARWHAL. Other operational assignments included command of the submarine tender PROTEUS in Guam and the Navy's largest submarine squadron in Groton, Connecticut.

During the Gulf War, he was commander of the Pacific Fleet submarine force of over 40boats from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Later, he was the first Deputy Commander in Chief of the Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, conducting the day-to-day operations of the worldwide nuclear capable force of bombers, land based missiles and strategic submarines. His assignments ashore included Commander, Navy Recruiting Command for three years where he directed the efforts of 5000 recruiters bringing to the Navy some 270,000 high quality recruits. He was also Director, Division of Mathematics and Science (including the departments of math, physics, chemistry, oceanography and computer science) at the Naval Academy for three academic years.

Since leaving the Navy, Vice Admiral Colley has been active in the national security policy and analysis field. He has conducted extensive study of military power projection, the future of warfare, operations other than war, US infrastructure protection and homeland security, international nuclear material smuggling and the identification and characterization of worldwide underground facilities.

Why I am a Libertarian

Having served 34 years in our great Navy, I understand the need for a strong national defense. I saw that need in action many times. We should be very proud of our armed forces, the best trained and equipped in the world, and we should support their efforts in defending our freedom. That said, those forces should only be used to defend our society from external coercion and substantive threat. They should not be used to sally forth in an effort to change or influence the actions of other sovereign states unless our own national security is clearly at stake.

As a career submarine officer, my operational experience was frequently characterized by stealth, power and independence from routine guidance and instruction. We were told the objectives of a mission and then we were expected to use our professional skills, training and imagination to execute that mission. This type of operation very much appealed to my sense of individual purpose and accomplishment. All citizens of this great democratic republic should be mindful of exactly what individual contributions are required for maintaining our freedom and for nurturing personal growth.

Establishing and enforcing the rule of law is a legitimate and proper function of the government. Ensuring the sanctity of contracts, recognizing the rights of property owners and allowing all of us to pursue our personal objectives unimpeded by governmental barriers to success will produce the atmosphere of liberty so vital to our happiness and security. I have visited countries around the world where the rule of law is not part of everyday society and the citizens are perforce suppressed and frustrated. We must ensure that this legal and moral framework has integrity and depth in our country.

All of the above comments, taken as a whole, convince me that government should be of limited scope. The Constitution is written in such a way as to define government very narrowly. We should simply allow the wisdom of the Founding Fathers to guide us - always.

The Fruits of US Interventionism

Advocates of a non-interventionist United States foreign policy are told that our position is misguided at best or worse that we are in cahoots with the "enemy".

The United States has been following an interventionist foreign policy for years. Let us briefly review the results of our intervention overseas.

World War I was called the war to save the world for democracy. Turned out well didn’t it? We joined the war when it was a stalemate and may have eventually ended because of that. Instead we join the side of three imperialist nations (Britain, France and Russia) against three other imperialist nations (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire) turning the tide of the war.

What was the result?

The aftermath of World War I spawned World War II through the harsh treatment of Germany after the war. It helped empower the communists in czarist Russia leading to the Bolshevik Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union. It led to the fall of the Ottoman empire and the establishment of colonial drawn boundaries in the Middle East.

We overthrew the elected government in Iran in the 50’s and installed that nice man the Shah into power. His killing and torturing of many Iranians led to his eventual overthrow by the Ayatollah Khomeini.

To counter Iran, we aided our dear friend and ally Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran. He was our ally until he crossed one of those post World War I politically drawn borders into Kuwait.

That led us to station troops in the Muslim holy land of Saudi Arabia.

This upset our former ally in Afghanistan, a Mr. Osama bin Laden.

Yes thank gawd we got involved in all these wars and government overthrows. Just think of what could of happened if we didn’t!!!!

Interventionism sure has protected us. Give me a break.

Reason TV Explores the March on Washington D.C.

From Reason TV:

Are the Tea Party protesters a small group of radical freakazoids or a large crew of taxpaying regular joes who are fed up with government spending, Democrats and Republicans, and business as usual?

Reason.tv fanned out through the crowd and the backstage of the September 12 Taxpayer March on Washington, the controversial anti-government protest that drew somewhere between 75,000 and 1 million people, according to press reports.

We talked with folks from all over the country and snagged interviews with speakers and media including Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), CNN's Jeff Greenfield, actor Steven Baldwin, FreedomWorks' Matt Kibbe, and many more.

What we found was a group of people united in their calls for less government spending and their disgust at the Republican and Democratic pols who made it all happen.

Interviews by Nick Gillespie, Matt Welch, and Michael C. Moynihan. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg.

One Giant Toxic Asset

Ron Paul discusses the problems caused by the Federal Reserve. Paul says we are not experiencing a recovery and that unemployment is actually running at about 16%.

Peter Schiff Officially Announces Candidacy

Peter Schiff officially announces his candidacy for Connecticut Senate seat of the corrupt Christopher Dodd.






In the next video the comment on silver should be about 17 dollars per ounce, not 17 cents.

Constitution Day

From the late great Harry Browne:

Pay No Attention to This Day

by Harry Browne

September 17, 2003

This day isn’t important.

There are far more significant days in the year:

• Labor Day, when we pretend to care about other people’s jobs while frolicking at the beach.

• Election Day, when we pretend we’re making a difference by voting.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Susan B. Anthony Day, when we pretend to be politically correct.

• Memorial Day, when we pretend that we live in a free country because of all the people who were killed in the government’s senseless wars.

• Flag Day, when we pretend the government is America.

• Veterans Day (formerly Armistice Day, when we pretended that World War I made the world safe for democracy).

• National Teachers Day, when we pretend our children are getting an education.

• Earth Day, when we pretend that making the government more powerful will make the environment cleaner.

• United Nations Day, when we pretend to believe all those inane statements about world peace.

Today doesn’t seem to come anywhere near those days in importance.

You see, today is supposed to be Constitution Day. And no one really cares about the Constitution anymore.

What It Was

The Constitution was supposed to spell out what government can do and what it can’t do. The government’s few legal functions are listed in Article 1, Section 8. It was a revolutionary document, in that no government in history had ever had its duties and restrictions so carefully defined.

Despite frequent violations of the Constitution by the government, the document did its job reasonably well for the first hundred years — making America the freest country in history.

As late as 1887, when Congress passed a bill providing federal relief to drought-stricken Texas farmers, Grover Cleveland vetoed it, saying, "I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution."

But that was about the last gasp for limited, Constitutional government. Because the Constitution wasn’t self-enforcing, it depended on the good intentions of politicians — something Thomas Jefferson specifically warned against in 1798 when he said, "In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."

Michael Cloud put it more succinctly in recent years: "The problem isn’t the abuse of power, it’s the power to abuse." So long as the politicians have the power, they’ll abuse it. And the Constitution was intended to prevent the politicians from getting the power to abuse.

The Transformation

But by the end of the 1800s, too many Americans had lost their fear of government and politicians. The introduction of government schools had made it almost certain that most children would never learn the importance of binding down government with the chains of the Constitution.

And so government was transformed in the public mind from a necessary-but-dangerous evil into "the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else," as Frédéric Bastiat described it.

More and more, the Constitution became a political toy, to be tossed about, invoked, ignored, or misrepresented — whatever suited a given politician’s agenda at any given moment.

The income tax amendment in 1913 hammered the final nail into the coffin of limited, constitutional government. Now the politicians had not only the authority, but also the unlimited revenue, to do whatever they wanted. It seems very, very unlikely, for example, that Americans would have been dragged into World War I if the government hadn’t had the unlimited revenue to finance it.

Even the Bill of Rights — which eliminates all ambiguity by spelling out specific things the government may not do — was relegated to second place behind the needs of politicians. By the first World War, the Supreme Court had decided that the words "Congress shall make no law . . . " don’t really mean that "Congress shall make no law . . . " They mean only that the government must have a "compelling interest" in doing something. Not surprisingly, the government employees on the Court almost always decide that the government does have a compelling interest.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Those conservatives who still care about the Constitution say that it should be taught in the schools. As though government employees will emphasize the original purpose of the Constitution in restraining government. Instead, they’ll give snap quizes on such weighty questions as "How many years in a Senator’s term?" or "Who appoints the Supreme Court justices?"

If the American people are to learn the importance of limited, Constitutional government, we have to teach them ourselves.

But people aren’t interested in academic lectures on constitutional government. They’re far more interested in their own lives — and rightly so.

That’s why repealing the federal income tax is our best tool. We can offer them the reward of never paying income tax again in exchange for giving up any unconstitutional federal programs.

The next time you want someone to understand the importance of the Constitution, try approaching him this way . . .

If we repeal the federal income tax and yours is an average American family, you’ll have at least $10,000 a year more to spend or invest. What will you do with that money?

• Will you put your children in a private school, where they can get whatever kind of education you want for them?

• Will you help your favorite cause or charity in a way you’ve never been able to do before?

• Will you start that business you’ve always wanted, plan a better retirement, send your children to college?

All you have to do in return is to restrict the government to the Constitution — giving up whatever pittance unconstitutional government provides to you personally.

If you try this, you may be surprised to find that the Constitution isn’t such a hard sell after all.

And maybe someday Constitution Day will mean something again.

The Failures of Keynesian Economics

Texas Congressman Ron Paul appearing on "Morning Joe" discusses the failure of Keynesian economics, the causes of the financial crisis and the need to end the Federal Reserve.

End the Fed in Stores Today

Ron Paul in a promo for his new book "End the Fed", which will be for sale in stores today.

More Non Change from Obama

More proof, if anyone needed more, that Obama is just your run of the mill power hungry politician. From the AP, Obama supports extension of key provisions of the Patriot Act:

The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, the Justice Department told Congress in a letter made public Tuesday.

Lawmakers and civil rights groups had been pressing the Democratic administration to say whether it wants to preserve the post-Sept. 11 law's authority to access business records, as well as monitor so-called "lone wolf" terrorists and conduct roving wiretaps.

The provision on business records was long criticized by rights groups as giving the government access to citizens' library records, and a coalition of liberal and conservative groups complained that the Patriot Act gives the government too much authority to snoop into Americans' private lives.

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said he would take a close look at the law, based on his past expertise in constitutional law. Back in May, President Obama said legal institutions must be updated to deal with the threat of terrorism, but in a way that preserves the rule of law and accountability.

In a letter to lawmakers, Justice Department officials said the administration supports extending the three expiring provisions of the law, although they are willing to consider additional privacy protections as long as they don't weaken the effectiveness of the law.

Bernanke Says Recession is Over!!!

Ben "Satan's Spawn" Bernanke, also known as Helicopter Ben said today that "From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point."

I ran this video before in July, but in light of the prediction the great Bernanke made today, it is worth a repeat.




So why do we listen to this guy? Why is he being reappointed to the Federal Reserve?

Healthcare Reform or More Corporate Welfare?

Texas congressman Ron Paul comments on how Obama's so called healthcare reform is a boon to big insurance companies and a bane to individuals and healthcare providers.

Healthcare Reform is More Corporate Welfare

Last Wednesday the nation was riveted to the President’s speech on healthcare reform before Congress. While the President’s concern for the uninsured is no doubt sincere, his plan amounts to a magnanimous gift to the health insurance industry, despite any implications to the contrary.

For decades the insurance industry has been lobbying for mandated coverage for everyone. Imagine if the cell phone industry or the cable TV industry received such a gift from government? If government were to fine individuals simply for not buying a corporation’s product, it would be an incredible and completely unfair boon to that industry, at the expense of freedom and the free market. Yet this is what the current healthcare reform plans intend to do for the very powerful health insurance industry.

The stipulation that pre-existing conditions would have to be covered seems a small price to pay for increasing their client pool to 100% the American people. A big red flag, however, is that they would also have immunity from lawsuits, should they fail to actually cover what they are supposedly required to cover, so these requirements on them are probably meaningless. Mandates on all citizens to be customers of theirs, however, are enforceable with fines and taxes.

Insurance providers seem to have successfully equated health insurance with health care but this is a relatively new concept. There were doctors and medicine long before there was health insurance. Health insurance is not a bad thing, but it is not the only conceivable way to get health care. Instead, we seem to still rely on the creativity and competence of politicians to solve problems, which always somehow seem to be tied in with which lobby is the strongest in Washington.

It is sad to think of the many creative, free market solutions that government prohibits with all its interference. What if instead of joining a health insurance plan, you could buy a membership directly from a hospital or doctor? What if a doctor wanted to have a cash-only practice, or make house calls, or determine his or her own patient load, or otherwise practice medicine outside the constraints of the current bureaucratic system? Alternative healthcare delivery models will be at an even stronger competitive disadvantage if families are forced to buy into the insurance model. And yet, the reforms are sold to us as increasing competition.

What if just once Washington got out of the way and allowed the ingenuity of the American people to come up with a whole spectrum of alternatives to our broken system? Then the free market, not lobbyists and politicians, would decide which models work and which did not.

Unfortunately, the most broken aspect of our system is that Washington sees the need to act on every problem in society, rather than staying out of the way, or getting out of the way. The only tools the government has are force and favors. These are tools that many unscrupulous and lazy corporations would like to wield to their own advantage, rather than simply providing a better product that people will willingly buy. It seems the health insurance industry will get more of those advantages very soon.

Dan D'Amico on a Voluntary Society

Update: Video updated 9/13/09 at 5:51pm


When in New Orleans the Motorhomes Diary crew had a chance to interview their friend Dan D'Amico, assistant professor of economics, Loyola University. In this video he responds to the often-asked question "If anarchy is so great why isn't it the norm?"

Blagojevich Fundraiser Christopher Kelly is Dead

Isn't amazing how so many prominent figures in investigations wind up dying. We'll see what develops with this one. From the Chicago Tribune:

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told the Tribune today they have been notified that Christopher Kelly, a key figure in the federal corruption probe into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is dead.

The Cook County medical examiner's office today confirmed that a body identified as Christopher Kelly was brought to the morgue from Stroger Hospital. The office would not provide any details, including his age, address and manner of death, because the family had not yet arrived at the office.

Kelly's attorney, Michael Monico, declined to comment today when reached by a Tribune reporter.

Kelly is a former confidant and top fundraiser for Blagojevich, who was accused of using his office to leverage campaign donations and benefits for himself and his family.

Kelly, who was indicted alongside Blagojevich in April, pleaded guilty this week in a related federal case.

Obama Pulls Another Hoover

President Obama has once again followed the lead of Herbert Hoover, this time it is protectionism. From the Los Angeles Times:

Obama to impose strict tariffs on Chinese tires

In a decision that could roil trade tensions with Beijing, President Obama agreed Friday to impose hefty tariffs on tires imported from China.

The decision came after the U.S. International Trade Commission, a federal agency, determined that a surge of Chinese-made tires had disrupted the domestic market and cost thousands of jobs in the U.S.

Within 15 days, the U.S. would add a duty of 35% in the first year, 30% in the second and 25% in the third on passenger vehicle and light-truck tires from China. That is less than the 55% tariff recommended by the trade panel, but analysts said it would still be large enough to keep most Chinese tires out of the competitive U.S. market.

"The president decided to remedy the clear disruption to the U.S. tire industry based on the facts and the law in this case," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

The decision was a victory for the United Steelworkers union, which filed the complaint in May. The union represents about half of the more than 30,000 tire production workers in the U.S.

Chinese tire imports have more than tripled since 2004, and an industry trade publication has estimated that 4,400 jobs in the U.S. tire industry have been lost in that time.

Chinese officials have been highly critical in recent weeks of the proposed tariff, calling it protectionism that violates World Trade Organization rules. They contend that the global financial crisis, not Chinese imports, are to blame for the slowdown in U.S. tire sales.

The Government Lies?

Jack Hunter reviews some of the big lies told by our government and its leaders.

Does the Constitution Allow the Government to Control Health Care?

Judge Andrew Napolitano correctly points out that the Federal government has no Constitutional authority to regulate health care. But most politicians believe as George W. Bush does, that the "Constitution is just a G*d damned piece of paper."

Motorhome Diaries Day in Court

Yesterday was the court date for the Motorhome Diaries crew in Jones County, Mississippi. Go here, here and here for background information.

Here is what happened in court Thursday:

As many of y’all know we had our court date today in Jones County, MS for charges stemming from our unlawful arrest on May 14th at the hands of members of Alex Hodge’s Jones County Sheriff’s Department.

When our rights were violated and our property destroyed by those active with Alex Hodge’s Jones County Sheriff’s Department we knew accountability was in order. And we were emboldened to make that happen after the outpouring of support we received immediately after the incident and this week after befriending many Jones County residents who wished us luck.

Our trial was held at the Jones County Justice Court in a room on the third floor that was about 20′ wide by 80′ long. We were represented by Michael Cory Jr. & DaleDanks of the Jackson, MS-based Danks, Miller, Hamer & Cory and Tom Schornhorst , Emeritus Professor of Law Indiana University School of Law. Also present were a number of friends and family including my mom (now living in Ohio), Aunt Kathy (from southwest Louisiana), girlfriend Allison Gibbs (from northern Virginia), Michele Seven and family (from Nashville), Marc Forman (from New Orleans), Anarcho Phil (from southeast Alabama), LaVette Collins (from Jackson, MS), Chip Irby and his mother (from the area) and many others.

As we’ve learned to do in interactions with law enforcement – we took a lot of notes to detail the going-ons of our trial. But, rather than dissect the trial point-by-point here I’ll just cut to the chase of what went down. Before our trial started we were offered a plea deal – the State would dismiss the charges levied against us and refund the cash bond that we paid on May 14th if we agreed not to pursue this any further. We declined (as that wouldn’t come close to holding these folks accountable) and the trial proceeded as scheduled. Our lawyers were incredible and presented rock-solid arguments but in the end, Judge David Lyons asked for a couple of weeks to decide the outcome.

So what motivates us? Why are we doing this? Well, our principles for one. Also, the support of the many many people in the freedom community and the good folks in/around Jones County that now know they are not alone – that they can speak out about injustices they’ve suffered at the hands of Alex Hodge’s Jones County Sheriff’s Department.

Obviously we’ll keep y’all updated on the going-ons. And thanks to everyone that’s supported us and others in similar situations. It’s really what makes this possible.

America Has a Debt Problem and a Failure of Leadership.

I wish President Obama would take this guy's advice:

Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.

- Senator Barack Obama, 2006

Libertarian Response to President Obama's Health Care Speech

Libertarians respond to President Obama's health care speech

Remind voters about Republican-initiated government-run health care plans

In the wake of President Obama's speech to Congress, America's third-largest party wants to remind voters about Republican support for government-run health care plans.

William Redpath, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) commented, "Make no mistake, the Libertarian Party is opposed to President Obama's health care plans, and his speech last night has not budged us. But we also opposed Republican plans for big-government health care, many of which have been implemented in recent years."

In 2003, President Bush and the Republican Congress enacted a Medicare prescription drug expansion. It was originally expected to cost $400 billion, but just two years later the cost was revised upward to $1.2 trillion.

In 2006, Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney supported and signed a bill that required all residents to purchase health insurance, and increased state health insurance funding.

In 2007, Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order to force sixth-grade schoolgirls to receive HPV vaccinations.

This year, congressional Republicans put forward the "Patients' Choice Act of 2009," which would increase federal government spending and control of health care in a variety of ways.

The Libertarian Party has put a poll on on its home page to allow voters to choose which Republican plan is the most hypocritical.

Redpath said, "Republicans are living in glass houses when they complain about the President's health care plans and the bills in the Democratic-controlled Congress."

Redpath continued, "It's time for President Obama to be intellectually honest, himself, and to stop inferring that his ideas of health care reform are the only ones out there. With neither of the major parties is there any serious discussion about letting individuals control their own health care dollars, moving away from employer-provided health insurance, and increasing competition among insurance companies by letting people purchase health insurance across state lines and among providers by taking a good, long look at medical education and licensure laws to allow potential providers to freely respond to health consumers' needs."

Redpath continued, "But, before the President and the Gang of 535 even do that, it would be refreshing to at least hear them debate whether the federal government is empowered to be in the middle of all of this. An honest reading of the Constitution might stimulate the right move -- punting this to the states and the people."

The Libertarian Party favors a free market health care system. The party's platform states, "We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions."

Tour Beautiful Detroit Modern Urban Mecca

Motorhome Diaries visits Detroit a failed, corrupt city. A city destroyed in part by its own heavy handed government.

House Bill to Audit Federal Reserve Will Get Hearing

From the Campaign for Liberty:

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Your hard work in this historic movement to Audit the Fed continues to pay off!

Thanks to the thousands of Campaign for Liberty members who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to spreading the word, gathering petitions, and putting continuous pressure on Congress by calling, writing, and faxing, Congressman Ron Paul informed C4L today that House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank has officially agreed to hold hearings on HR 1207! The hearings are tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 25 at 9:00 am.

Your efforts have resulted in Washington's most secretive institution having to defend itself before the media, the American people, and now at a House hearing specifically focused on transparency.

This exciting victory is only one more achievement in a battle that we must see through until the end.

Contact your representative and senators and urge them to cosponsor HR 1207/S 604 if they have not yet done so. If they have already signed on, tell them it is imperative that Audit the Fed receive a standalone, up or down vote on its own merits. Full transparency in our nation's monetary system is too important to be a minor footnote in yet another massive Washington bill, and C4L will vigorously oppose any attempts to include HR 1207 in a regulatory reform package that increases the Fed's power over our economy and lives.

Less than a year ago, a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve wasn't on anyone's radar. Now, we have the support of seventy five percent of the American people, almost two thirds of the House of Representatives, nearly a quarter of the Senate, and an official hearing before the House Financial Services Committee!

There will be more exciting information to follow soon, but I wanted you to know right away. Now is the time to turn the heat up even more.

Together, we will finish this fight!

In Liberty,

John Tate
President

Why the Southern Avenger?

Jack Hunter explains how he got the Southern Avenger moniker and discusses the need for decentralization.

Not Understanding the Benefits of Peace, Freedom, and Nonintervention Will Always Bring About Catastrophe

From Texas Congressman Ron Paul:

Government Solutions Lack Understanding

Things seem to be unraveling quickly for the new administration. The latest unemployment numbers are worse than the last reports. For all the billions of dollars spent and committed to fixing our economic problems, the situation is only getting worse. This was to be expected by those who understand the root causes of the problems. Throwing money around and creating more government programs is both simplistic and damaging to the economy. Of course, the administration claims that we would have been much worse off without these efforts. You can’t improve this situation by adding to our mountain of public debt for the benefit of big banks and other special interests. The American people know this. When will Washington learn?

In addition, the president’s plans for healthcare reform – or health insurance reform - are becoming more and more unpopular as details are examined. But because of all the alarmist rhetoric, politicians in Washington feel obligated to pass something, even if it doesn’t help. Rarely are liberty and prosperity at greater risk than when politicians feel they must “do something”. It is frightening to watch Washington toy with our healthcare purely for political reasons.

However, the saddest shortcoming of this administration is its utter failure to pursue a more peaceful foreign policy. Just last week up to 90 people, apparently mostly civilians, were killed in Afghanistan in an airstrike, and the violence is only getting worse. The administration is mulling over how many more troops they will send as part of their “Afghan Surge” with advisors getting it exactly backwards. They qualify sending fewer troops as “high-risk” and sending more troops as “low-risk”. This is not the perception at all if you were to ask the families of those being sent over. The best answer would be to stop risking any of our troops for the sake of what is, for all intents and purposes, a violent occupation, helping no one.

But all of these problems and their wrong-headed solutions come from one greater problem - which is not understanding the reasons that we are here. The economy is in bad shape because of too much government intervention producing a myriad of unintended consequences and perverse incentives. Healthcare is broken because the doctor-patient relationship has been broken down by hyper regulation and too much government interference. Afghanistan is a mess because they ignored the mission approved by Congress - to seek out those who attacked us on 9/11. They have instead gotten sidetracked with nebulous interventionist tasks such as promoting democracy and nation building. Eight years later, there is no real progress. The Soviets bankrupted themselves fighting in the mountains and caves of Afghanistan and we’re about to do the same. If we would just look to history it would be self-evident that there is nothing left to win in Afghanistan, and everything to lose.

Most of all, we need to understand that we don’t understand Afghan culture and politics, and for that reason alone, intervening in their affairs is unlikely to produce positive results. The best thing we could possibly do now is to bring our troops home, from Afghanistan, from Iraq, from Japan, from Germany, from all occupied countries, and concentrate on mending badly damaged relationships around the world. Free and honest trade has always been the best way to do that, without fail. Not understanding the benefits of peace, freedom, and nonintervention will always bring about catastrophe.

The IRS and Health Care

From Paul Jacob:

Making the IRS Integral to “Health”

If a doctor who is supposed to help you get better keeps stabbing you with a knife instead, it may seem beside the point to focus on any particular wound. The whole stabbing process is wrong.

Democrats in Congress have found a way to duplicate this effect. Their evolving medical reform package is prolific in ways to attack our freedom.

But remember: Some stab wounds may slice closer to the heart than others.

If the current majority government has its way, in the new healthcare regime we won’t simply be invited to cooperate. There are huge hunks of coercive power built into their system. Force. Not friendly reminders and advertising enticements.

Take a simple provision of their plan: Individuals who decline to sign up for approved medical insurance will be financially penalized. You might be ordered to forfeit 2.5 percent of your income above a certain level. What happens if you refuse to pay this fine? The IRS could swoop in and seize your assets. Eventually, you could end up in jail.

Today, we don’t have much privacy right when it comes to dealings with the IRS. But at least agents refrain from prying into details of our medical coverage. Under the new regime, though, the tax agency would directly monitor your insurance compliance, and give your tax info to health commissars.

Kind of makes you feel sick, doesn’t it?

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Never Talk to the Police

Professor James Duane, a former criminal defense attorney, tells you why innocent people should never talk to the police.

William Kostric Reflects on the Obama's "Town Hall" Incident

William Kostric created a media storm when he appeared outside an Obama "town hall" meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with a holstered gun and a liberty sign. Here he looks back at the incident and the reaction:

Mississippi Justice

Radley Balko, who is a senior editor at Reason magazine and blogs on the excesses of law enforcement at The Agitator, discusses
Mississippi Justice with Jason Talley of Motorhome Diaries:



From Motorhome Diaries:

SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA – I’m currently in Indiana with the rest of the crew heading southward back to Jones County Mississippi It’s only fitting that we release our interview with Indiana born and raised Radley Balko where he discusses “justice” in the state of Mississippi.

Radley was kind enough to sit down with us while the Motorhome Diaries rolled through Washington, DC. At his blog, the Agitator, Radley covers the intersection of criminal-justice and civil liberties. And dogs, he blogs about his cute dogs. As the senior editor at Reason magazine he recently broke the story of Dr. Steven Hayne which he called a case study in expert testimony gone horribly wrong. Hayne was Mississippi’s “quasi-official state medical examiner” responsible for the questionable convictions and imprisonment of untold numbers of folks who were sent to prison based on evidence he manufactured.

In this free-wheeling interview we discuss Jones County Sheriff.com and Radley’s belief that the days of out of control sheriffs departments are numbered.

Jones County Sheriff's Department Destroys Evidence

The Motorhome Diaries crew is back in Jones County, Mississippi for their court date on Wednesday.

Back in May while driving through Jones County, the Motorhome Diaries crew was stopped for no reason. The standard trumped up charges of "disorderly conduct" and "resisting arrest" which are used when no real crime has been committed were filed, along with possession of beer (one bottle) in a dry county. For more on the arrest go here and here.

Here is a video showing what the Jones County Sheriff's Department did to the motorhome during their "search". An all too typical display of the total disregard for the property of others by law enforcement. Also shown is the fact the Jones County Sheriff's Department erased a video of the arrest, which is destroying of evidence.

Ron Paul Warns of Future Terrorist Acts - Back in 1998

Back on December 16, 1998, the day before he was to be impeached, President Bill Clinton launched a four day bombing campaign against Iraq. Iraq was a basket case due to the American imposed embargo, an embargo that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children. The deaths of these Iraqi children was infamously termed acceptable by Madeleine Albright.

Ron Paul speaking that day says that Clinton should be impeached, not for the Lewinsky affair, but rather for his illegal bombing campaigns. Paul predicts that our actions in Iraq and elsewhere will lead to terrorist attacks against American and the United States.

Education, Health Care and Rights

During the current debate about expanding government control of health care, we often hear proponents of more government control calling health care a right. If we have a right to health care, then wouldn’t follow that we have a right to food, clothing and shelter?

If it is a right for me to have health care, would I still have that right if I refused to work? If the answer is no, than it is not a right is it?

Now before people start jumping down my throat accusing me of saying that people without health care are all lazy bums, that is not what I am saying. The point is a right is something others can not legally deny you from having, it is not an obligation on others to do something for you.

You have a right to life, but there is no legal obligation for anyone to provide the means for you to live.

You have a right to free speech, but there is no legal obligation for others to fund your newspaper or TV station.

You have a right to practice your religion, but there is no legal obligation for others to fund your church.

Another argument of the proponents of more government control of health care is that health care is even more important than education and the government provides most of the education in this country. The analogy to education is appropriate because of the similarities in the ever increasing costs in both health care and education.

The tie in between the two is that in both health care and education the consumer of the product is not the direct purchaser of the product. There is a middleman (government or employer) who purchases the product. This removes the power of the consumer to seek a better product at a lower cost. It also removes the incentive for the consumer to shop for the best value for the money.

Government already purchases most of the health care in this country through Medicare and Medicaid. Government also highly regulates health care. It has not contained price increases.

Using the education model, is further government involvement going to control costs? The answer as shown by the fact below is a resounding NO!

According to the data kept by the US Department of Education, spending per pupil in the US increased by almost 350% from 1961 to 2004. Inflation and capital costs have been taken out. So per pupil expenditures are not increasing because of inflation or building, but because more is being spent in the day to day operations.

The War Party Loses George Will

Conservative columnist George Will wrote a column calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The reaction from the neocons who control the Republican Party was shift and harsh. This is one of the reasons that I believe the Republican Party is a poor choice for anyone who really believes in limited government. As Jack Hunter points out, to be embraced by the Republican Party, you must be pro-war.

Double Digit Losses for the Democrats?

Russia Today reports on the Democrats fall from grace:

I Want To Know Who They Are Lending Money To

Ron Paul discusses his bill to audit the Federal Reserve on Fox Business.