We Are NOT Running Out Of Resources!!!

From LearnLiberty.org:

Professor Steve Horwitz addresses the common belief that the world is running out of natural resources. Instead, there are economic reasons why we will never run out of many resources. In a free market system, prices signal scarcity. So as a resource becomes more scarce, it becomes more expensive, which incentivizes people to use less of it and develop new alternatives, or to find new reserves of that resource that were previously unknown or unprofitable. We have seen throughout history that the human mind's ability to innovate, coupled with a free market economic system, is an unlimited resource that can overcome the limitations we perceive with natural resources.

Question Authority? No You Should Shut Up And Obey.

The establishment, which includes the "mainstream media" is concerned about anyone who questions their authority. From TomWoodsTV

Tom Woods discusses the Associated Press article, "Tea Party Vision for Montana Raising Concerns." People in Montana have adopted unconventional views about how to reverse federal encroachments. We are supposed to be concerned about this, instead of about the encroachments themselves.

Protecting Us From Girl Scout Cookies

In the never ending saga of stupid and useless rules, from the Daily Mail:

A police officer in Villa Rica, Atlanta, swooped in on members of Troop 7984 as they were selling their Thin Mints and Caramel deLites and asked them if they had a peddler's permit.

Troop Leader Kathy Crook was stunned and then later upset when she noticed how scared her girl scouts were.

Ms Crook said: 'We were just told that we would have to pack up our cookie booth and we would need to go and get a peddler's permit. The customers that were there had to just be turned away.'

One of the girls in the group said: 'It was going good, we sold about 300. And then the cop came.

'He was scaring us because we thought we were going to go to jail forever.'

Both Villa Rica Police Chief Michael Mansour and Mayor J Allen Collins said they have spoken with the officer who dealt with the Girl Scouts, and they believe he did nothing wrong.

Mayor Collins told 11 Alive: 'This is a veteran officer who has a good record. I think this was just a big misunderstanding.

Libya Update

From AlJazeera:

A day after Muammar Gaddafi threatened protesters with death in a televised speech, an army commander tells Al Jazeera that his forces are with the people, not the Libyan leader.

The town of Misurata, in western Libya, has reportedly fallen to the opposition, and much of the east seems to be controlled by pro-democracy protesters.

Laurence Lee reports on the latest events.

Obama's Budget Cuts Put Into Perspective

From 10000Pennies:

How much is the $100 million dollars in budget cuts compared to the federal budget as a whole? This video imagines the budget as $100 in pennies to provide the answer.

End All Foreign Aid Including Israel

Senator Rand Paul says it is time to stop borrowing money from China to give to other nations. Jack Hunter comments on the Foreign Aid sacred cow.

The Debate About WikiLeaks

A humorous take on the WikiLeaks controversy and the Governments attempts to silence it.

Young Americans for Freedom: Virtually Non-existent in Numbers and Philosophy

Jack Hunter comments on the irrelevance of YAF.

Libyan Protests Spread to Tripoli While Army Units Join Protesters

Protest have spread to Tripoli and there are reports of Army units in Benghazi joining the anti government side.

We'd Better Have The Right Gun If Chaos Ever Hits Our Streets

Lionel (Michael William Lebron)explains the importance of the right to bear arms in times of civil unrest.

United States Government Internet Hypocrisy

From RTAmerica :

The Obama administration is trying to promote Internet freedom in countries like Iran that could be swept up by the same kind of political tumult that brought the regime in Egypt to its knees in a matter of weeks. But that is abroad, what about at home? Former Reagan Administration official Paul Craig Roberts says how does the US think it can be such a public hypocrite and have the whole world not notice!?

Bahrain: Army and Police Withdraw, Protesters Return

From Al Jazeera:

In Bahrain, thousands of people have returned to Pearl Roundabout, the centre of anti-regime protests and the scene of two separate attacks by security forces.

But police and soldiers have now left the area and the government says talks with opposition groups are under way.

Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from Manama where many protesters say they won't be attending.

Muammar Gaddafi's Brutal Crackdown

While Hosni Mubarak was content to hold on to power long enough to steal even more wealth from Egypt, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi seems determined to put down the protests no matter how many he has to murder.

The Philosophy of Liberty: You Own Yourself and the Fruits of Your Labor

From the Foundation for a Free Society:

Who Owns You? Does anyone other than you have the right to tell you what you can do to your body, or with your property? This video explores the fundamental concepts of Frederic Bastiat and John Locke on the issue of individual liberty and ownership of person and property.

Bahrain Violently Cracks Down On Protesters

The government of Bahrain assaulted peaceful protesters over night.

Big Government Conservatives

Jack Hunter comments on Ron Paul's CPAC straw poll victory and how the controversy over the victory demonstrates the contradictions of big government conservatives.

Watch for the Character Assassination from the Globalist Party

Lionel comments on Ron Paul's straw poll victory at CPAC and how it has the establishment freaked out. Lionel states that  the establishment will be piling on with character assassination.

Fox News Caught in a Lie

A video showing how Fox News out and out lied about Ron Paul's CPAC victory.

Ontario Government Trying To Seize Family Home

Katey Montague is the daughter of Bruce Montague. Bruce Montague was a Canadian gunsmith until his arrest on September 11, 2004 for violating the licensing and registration terms of the Firearms Act(Bill C-68).

Katey Montague describes what it was like growing up in the family home that her father, Bruce Montague, built with his bare hands, and is now in danger of being seized by the Ontario Government using their proceeds of crime law, the Ontario Civil Remedies Act.

The fact the home has nothing to do with crime, and was fully paid for with legally-acquired money is entirely irrelevant to the Ontario Government.





More background on this case from Chris DiArmani website:

The foreman of the jury that convicted Mr. Montague wanted to address the court to offer the jury's recommendation that Montague serve no jail time. Justice Wright denied him, saying his wishes were irrelevant. The jury's job is to convict or acquit, the judge's job is to impose sentence, he said.

When given the opportunity to address the court, Bruce Montague said he would accept whatever sentence the judge deemed appropriate.

You've taken everything we have, Donna Montague said. You've stolen money from us that nobody will even investigate, you've taken our life savings in the form of our gun collection, you've taken my husband and my children's father, and you've taken our family home. You have utterly destroyed a family for absolutely no good reason. It's disgusting. My forefathers fought for this country through three wars, and now you are destroying the antique firearms they used to defend Canada in the War of 1812 and the Fenian Raids. Our forefathers must be rolling over in their graves. They never fought for this kind of Canada!

After sentence was handed down, Bruce was immediately taken into custody and transferred to the Kenora Remand Centre. Katey Montague simply stood still, tears in her eyes as she watched her father taken away by two police officers.

After the sentencing hearing Donna and Katey Montague were driven home by a family friend, and Donna noted that "[Sergeant] Meeks (the arresting officer in the case) followed us all the way. We even pulled to the right hand in the passing zones and slowed below 80km/hr. He didn't pass until we got to Eaton Rugby Rd."

Meeks was, no doubt, just making sure they returned home safely, and did not mean to cause any further alarm.

Both the pre-sentencing report created by Bert Sombrutsku and Justice Wright's sentencing report made a point of chastising Mr. Montague for "using" his daughter to promote his ideas in the series of YouTube videos entitled Katey's Firearms Facts.

The pre-sentence report says: "To publicly assert his ideas via the internet, using his daughter, may be considered as being exploitative..." In his sentencing report Justice Wright stated: "He has also exercised poor taste in involving his young daughter in his campaign for the right to bear arms."

It is clear that neither man questioned Bruce about Katey's videos. It is equally clear they never bothered to ask Katey either, as she would have assuredly set them straight. Katey wanted to help her father. She did that the only way she knew how, by using the tools and technology of her generation to promote awareness of her father's case.

With that notion in mind, the Montague family, Bruce's case management team and lawyer Douglas Christie will continue the appeals process. It is a long legal road ahead, and it will be costly. To all those who have helped financially so far, the Montague family is eternally grateful.

If you would like to make a donation to help the Montague's continue the legal battle for all our rights to the Supreme Court, you can donate through the website at http://brucemontague.ca , or by mailing donations directly to "Bruce Montague Scrap C-68 Fund" c/o Roger Nordlund, Trustee, RR#2, Site 211, Box 7, Dryden, Ontario, P8N 2Y5.

Tapering Off Isn't Going To Work

Texas Congressman Ron Paul says that the small budget cuts being proposed in Washington will not get us out of our budget mess. Paul says we have to deal with the thinking on the role of government. Paul also discusses his potential 2012 run for President.

Protests in Yemen

From Al Jazeera:

In Yemen, armed police beat back thousands of protesters as marches continued in the capital Sanaa for a third day.

Demonstrators were calling for political reform, and an end to president Ali Abdullah Saleh's 23 year rule on Sunday.

Al Jazeera's Bhanu Bhatnagar reports.

Stop Propping Up Dictators Like Mubarak

Texas Congressman Ron Paul says the United States needs to quit supporting dictators around the world.

Senator Rand Paul Opposes the Renewal of the Patriot Act

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul explains why he opposes the renewal of the Patriot Act:

Senator Rand Paul Statement on PATRIOT Act Renewal

On Tuesday, Feb. 8, the House attempted to once again pass a renewal of provisions of the PATRIOT Act, some of whose original provisions have been found unconstitutional. These provisions up for renewal empower the federal government to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of our citizens. In a statement today, Sen. Rand Paul offered his opinion of the PATRIOT Act and how he will address it if it comes to the Senate.

“Last night, there was little debate, no committee hearings held, no amendments allowed, and no examination of whether our government had lived up to its responsibility to protect the liberty of the people. I commend the House for rejecting the renewal of the PATRIOT Act on these grounds,” Sen. Paul said.

“The fight will continue in the House over the next week. It is likely that even with this temporary victory, the House will pass these extensions and send the PATRIOT Act renewal to the Senate. And when they do, I will oppose it,” he continued.

“I do not say that lightly. I firmly believe it is a primary duty of our government to do what it can to protect the lives of its citizens. But I also believe it must in equal measure protect our liberty, and in this our government has failed us. We should remember the words of Ben Franklin, who famously said ‘Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.’”

“It is time for Congress to stop quietly extending this law and avoiding a serious discussion about protecting all the rights of all Americans. I will insist the Senate allow debate and amendments as we consider this important legislation,” he concluded.

Iraqi Christians: Biggest Victims of Bush's Iraq War

RT reports on the hidden victims of George W. Bush's Iraq War, Iraqi Christians:

Violence and intimidation has forced hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians to flee their homeland. Experts view them as one of the biggest victims of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, with the minority group a continued target of extremists.

We Can't Legalize Drugs Because There Is Just Too Much Money In It

From ReasonTV:

Recently, during an interview with Mexico's Televisa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the United States can't legalize drugs "because there is just too much money in it."

Apparently, Clinton doesn't understand that there's so much money to be made selling illegal drugs precisely because drugs are illegal.

Reason.tv uses Clinton's love of pant suits and Chardonnay to explain the economics of prohibition to the former presidential candidate.

US Foreign Policy To Blame For Unrest In Egypt

From Texas Congressman Ron Paul:

Our 30 Year Mistake

The events in Egypt of late have captured the attention of the world, as many thousands of Egyptians take to the streets both in opposition to and in favor of the current regime. We watch from a distance hoping that events do not spiral further into violence, which will destroy lives and threaten the livelihoods of average Egyptians caught up in the political turmoil.

I hope that Egyptians are able to work toward a more free and just society. Unfortunately, much of the blame for the unrest in Egypt and the resulting instability in the region rests with US foreign policy over the past several decades. The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability, including more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to pieces with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime in Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and Israel! We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and will no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but I am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided assistance to groups opposed to the regime.

So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-determination of the Egyptian people. Our double dealing has not endeared us to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national dignity.

“Diplomacy” via foreign aid transfer payments only makes us less safe at home and less trusted overseas. But the overriding reality is that we simply cannot afford to continue a policy of buying friends. We face an ongoing and potentially deepening recession at home-- so how can we justify to the unemployed and underemployed in the United States the incredible cost of maintaining a global empire? Moral arguments aside, we must stop sending hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign governments when our own economy is in shambles.

American media and talking heads repeatedly pose the same loaded questions: Should the administration encourage the Egyptian president to remain or to resign? Should the US ensure Mohamed ElBaradei or current vice president Omar Suleiman succeeds current president Mubarak? The best answer to these questions is that we should just do nothing, as Eisenhower did in 1956. We should leave Egypt for Egyptians to figure out. Some may claim that this is isolationism. Nothing could be further from the truth. We should enthusiastically engage in trade and allow travel between countries, but we should stay out of their internal affairs. We are in fact more isolated from Egypt now than ever, because the regime we propped up appears to be falling. We have isolated ourselves from the Egyptian people by propping up their government, as we isolate ourselves from Tunisians, Israelis, and other recipients of our foreign aid. Their resentment of our interventionist policies makes us less safe, because we lose our authority to conduct meaningful diplomacy when unpopular regimes fall overseas. We also radicalize those who resented our support for past regimes.

Let us hope for a more prosperous and peaceful era for the Egyptians, and let us learn the lessons of our thirty year Egyptian mistake.

Videos That Helped Spark the Egyptian Revolution

 Iyad El-Baghdadi

This vlog was recorded on January 18th by Asmaa Mahfouz, the girl who helped start it all. She had shared it on her Facebook, and it had gone viral. It was so powerful and so popular, that it drove Egyptians by the thousands into Tahrir Square, and drove the Egyptian government to block Facebook . I'll shut up now and let Asma talk.

Translated by Iyad El-Baghdadi, subbed by Ammara Alavi.

 

Asmaa Mahfouz recorded and posted this vlog on January 26th, after an eventful Tuesday on January 25th, the first day of th revolution. She describes what she saw and urges people to continue and join her after Friday prayers, on January 28th.

Internet Kill-Switch for the United States

Egypt has an Internet kill switch, one is coming for the United States.