Rogue Nation

So, if you think we or Israel can attack Iran and not expect retaliation, I'd have to say with regret that you are a moron. If you think we could easily handle Iran in an all-out war, I'd have to promote you to idiot.

Attacking Iran would be folly, but we seem to be living in the Age of Folly. Morons and idiots took us into an unjustified war against Iraq before we had finished the job in Afghanistan. Now we have troops tied down in both countries.

There's a lot of speculation that the US or Israel or both are planning to attack Iran. We should choose our battles wisely.

The Heller Misdirection

We can't really expect a statist creature like Antonin Scalia to embrace the view that the right to keep and bear arms includes the right of citizens, acting either individually or collectively, to kill agents of the state when such action is necessary and morally justified. Any other view of the Second Amendment is worse than useless; this is certainly true of the view that emerges in Scalia's Heller opinion.

The Heller opinion is far less than an endorsement for the second amendment.

Anxious in America

My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline — not terminal, not irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who need a better-functioning democracy — more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not working.

Don't worry Milton. The candidates are promising they can cure all our ills just by spending more money on health care, welfare, the drug war, and foreign aid. Nothing to worry about here after the election - just buckle up and hang on tight 'til then and everything will be OK. But maybe we could do with a little less democracy, a little less government and a little more liberty.

Arming America

For the past 32 years, law-abiding residents of Washington, D.C. have been at the mercy of one of America's most unforgiving gun control laws: a total ban on the possession of handguns in the home, as well as strict trigger lock and disassembly requirements for rifles and shotguns. Taken together, these restrictions have left Washingtonians unable to mount any sort of meaningful defense of themselves, their families, and their homes from armed intruders.

But things changed on Thursday.

Key quote: The Second Amendment now applies in the nation's capital. What about the states?

A small victory in the battle. Much more litigation will be forthcoming but a positive volley fired, somewhat surprisingly, by the Supreme Court.

Why the US government is hated all over the world

Recently I was in Washington. Everywhere there were the artificialities of fear. The steel pop-up barriers in the roads, the stop’em-bombs steel poles on sidewalks, the endless warnings to report suspicious behaviour on loudspeakers in the subway. The searches of everything, the metal-detecting doorways even on buildings of county governments, of schools. (Schools, for Chrissakes. What is wrong here?) And of course the confiscation of shampoo at the airport. This is nuts...

America was not like this. Now it is.

Fred Reed on America living in fear.

On the Impossibility of Limited Government

Now, year in and year out, the American government expropriates more than 40 percent of the incomes of private producers, making even the economic burden imposed on slaves and serfs seem moderate in comparison. Gold and silver have been replaced by government-manufactured paper money, and Americans are being robbed continually through money inflation. The meaning of private property, once seemingly clear and fixed, has become obscure, flexible, and fluid. In fact, every detail of private life, property, trade, and contract is regulated and re-regulated by ever-higher mountains of paper laws (legislation). With increasing legislation, ever more legal uncertainty and moral hazards have been created, and lawlessness has replaced law and order.

An examination of the state of our country and possible solutions to a government out of control.

The Gun-Rights Fight Isn't Over

Leading gun-control advocates, such as the Brady Center, are already spinning Heller as a victory: They claim the gun-rights lobby's strength is based on stoking the public's slippery-slope fears that any gun regulation is a forerunner to a total ban. With that ban now impossible, gun-control advocates believe they'll have more ability to restrict sales, possession and carrying in ways short of prohibition.

Gun-rights advocates, for their part, are expected to use this decision to challenge Chicago's handgun ban next, attacking another important question: Does the 2nd Amendment apply to state and local or only federal laws?

The Supreme Court decision on the second amendment question affirmed the right to "keep" arms in the home but left in legal limbo the ability of states and local governments to restrict the right to "bear" arms in places other than schools, courthouses, etc. There will probably be more rulings in years to come. Meanwhile, not much has changed except in Washington, D.C.

Ron Paul on the Planned Aggression Against Iran

Ron Paul warned us of the consequences before we went to war with Iraq. He was unerringly prophetic. Now, he's warning of more dire consequences should we choose to invade Iran. Is anybody listening?

The Eloquent Pogo

Pogo's general philosophy suited me fine, and I miss him. Every Christmas I lift an eggnog in his honor and sing, "Deck us all in Boston, Charlie! Walla Walla, Wash, and Alley-garoo." Sometimes I'm tempted to hop a bus for Waycross, Georgia and hunt for him. I'd borrow or rent a bateau and paddle around in the Okefenokee Swamp hollering, "Pogo-o-o-o! Where ARE you? We n-e-e-e-ed you!!"

John Wrisley is seeking a statesman to return us to our senses. He can't find one among the current crop of candidates (except Ron Paul).

Cheerleaders turn backs on reality

The reality is that America is faced by stagflation, economic recession and financial inflation at the same time. Rank and file American investors are beginning to understand this. As a result, US stock markets are looking decidedly nervous. The possibility exists for major falls in the months and years ahead. However, don't look for anyone on television to tell you this. They are too busy shaking their pom-poms.

So-called "reality" shows are very popular (Just for the record, I've never watched one). Reality, however, is glossed over on the television news coverage.

Is War Good For the Economy?

Somewhere, George Orwell isn't smiling. He'd no doubt be appalled, and a little nonplused, by the accuracy of his speculations in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, you'll recall, the deliberate impoverishment of the ordinary "proles" and the Outer Party types was a matter of INGSOC policy, a theme underscored by the general shabbiness of Orwell's dystopia, what with the constant shortages and the way thing always seemed to be literally and physically falling apart. Particularly striking is the Orwellian presentiment that the world of the future is bound to be poorer and, simultaneously, engaged in constant warfare.

More gloom and doom from Justin Raimondo. The light at the end of the tunnel is definitely a locomotive heading straight for us.

Boneheaded Miscalculations

Today, we are talking about one of the most boneheaded miscalculations of all time. Almost with a single maladroit stroke, a relatively small group of world-improvers undermined the progress of 9 generations. Five years later, Americans are on the losing end of the "biggest transfer of wealth in history," as T. Boone Pickens described the oil market of 2008. George W. Bush has the highest disapproval ratings of any U.S. president in history. America's most profitable industry - finance - has collapsed…its currency has lost a third of its value…and European, Chinese and Indian economists are wagging their fingers saying, "I told you so."

A dismal, bleak forecast for better economic times is offered by Bill Bonner. He blames - you guessed it - the Bush administration's ignorance of economics and politics.

Old Keynesian Dogs, Old Fiscal Tricks

Surprise! Surprise! Voters with less wealth want the government to stick a gun in the belly of anyone with more wealth, telling him to fork it over. Of course, voters do not want the government to send people with guns to stick in their bellies, on behalf of people even poorer, who are far more numerous.

The politics of envy is the politics of this commandment: "Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote." It is the politics of two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. It is alive and well all over the world.

Gary North is not optimistic about the state of our economic affairs.

Bless the Speculator

McCain wonders "whether speculation has been going on." He needn't wonder. Speculation always goes on. Speculation means to take a risk on what the future holds in hopes of making a profit. The world's stock and commodities markets are based on this principle. Sen. McCain must have meant it when he said, "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues".

Yikes! We need a president with a strong background in economics. It doesn't sound like McCain fits the bill. Obama doesn't either.

The Oil Follies

Anyone familiar with modern politics knows that Republicans and Democrats regularly vie with each other to see who can be more economically illiterate, but it seems that with this proposed legislation, Democrats are determined to take the lead and cripple the US oil industry permanently. It is a shame that for all the years Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and the White House they could not come up with any decent energy-based legislation, but at least we can now be thankful for small favors that Republicans seem to have "discovered" the evils of federal regulation of oil markets.

The attempts by Congress to manipulate the price of oil by interference in the laws of economics will have bad consequences says William Anderson.

What will History Say About Today's America?

Imagine what America's legacy will look like in a history book some 500 years hence. I can easily see some golden opening chapters where the dream of a democratic Republic - straight from Greco-Roman ideals - is realized. The nation which began bold and bright - breaking away from the tyranny of the British crown, rising to global dominance, and becoming a leader the rest of the world looked to, then comes to the 21st century:

Brian Trent, speaking for the Populist Party, analyzes our priorities in the 2008 election in this posting.

The 2008 presidential election is 4 1/2 months away. There will be endless point/counterpoint about who is going to win but, regardless of the outcome, little will change in the direction of the march toward more government, more taxes, more inflation. Both parties have the same goal of more power to the state. Anyone with different opinions cannot be heard through the noise of the mainstream media.

The Fed unreserved

In the 1950s, the average man earned enough money to fully support a wife and four kids, all the while saving for retirement and paying off his mortgage. Today the average man can barely support himself. It takes two bread winners in most families to make ends meet, and that is assuming only two children. Even with both parents working, the typical mortgage on the family home will never be paid off and retirement is now a pipe dream. Flush with high pay, low debt, and a strong currency, the Ugly American in the 1950s could vacation in Europe like a king. Now we can now barely afford the gas for a day trip to a Six Flags theme park.

Inflation is a sneaky thief. It sneaks up on you while you sleep and, though you know something is wrong, you do not realize you have been robbed until it is too late.

Obama's support for the FISA "compromise"

[N]o good comes from lending uncritical support to a political leader, or cheering them on when they do bad and destructive things, or using twisted rationalizations to justify their full-scale assault on your core political values. The overriding lesson of the last seven years is that political figures, more than they need anything else, need checks and limits. That is just as important to keep in mind -- probably more so -- when you love or revere a political leader as it is when you detest one.

The checks and balances designed by the framers have been ravaged by political manipulation.

When the Leftist-Hippie Dream Conflicts With the State They Helped to Create

The same leftists who have collectivized community life in these small, bustling downtowns - and created layers of bureaucratic, government plannning - have created the very mess that now has them complaining. The hippie in them has them believing in free living and individual will, while their love of socialist-utopian ideas has them creating smalltown government monstrosities that rule and plan every aspect of their community. Somehow, they don't see the hypocrisy in all of this.

The bureaucracy trickles downhill - local governments can be just as restrictive as the federal government.

TIME for Socialism

Anyone who is still wondering why the so-called "mainstream media" was so hostile toward Congressman Ron Paul's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination will find an answer in the June 2 issue of Time magazine. Congressman Paul is a deeply educated student of economics, among other things, and an unabashed advocate of economic freedom and limited constitutional government; Time magazine is staffed by socialist ideologues who display little or no evidence of ever having studied economics at all.

It's not just TIME - Socialism is what most people are voting for and all of us are supporting with our taxes. (Note: the cover pictured here is from Feb. 23, 1948)

A Totally Lawless Regime

As a consequence of Bush’s lies, there are a million dead Iraqis, mostly women and children, and four million displaced Iraqis, 4,100 dead American soldiers and tens of thousands of seriously wounded. No one knows how many dead in Afghanistan. And there is the ongoing Israeli slaughter of Palestinians and Lebanese that has fallen under the rubric of the “war on terror.”

The only ones pleased with these wars are the American neoconservatives, the Israeli right wing, the US corporate military-security complex, and Osama bin Laden.

Paul Craig Roberts wonders to whom we can turn in order to restore this country to the concepts on which it was founded.

On Gay Marriage

It is a confounded mystery to me why some people get all excited about homosexuals and lesbians getting married. As I've said before, if you are against gay marriage, then don't marry a gay person. That strikes me as a simple solution to the problem some people seem to have.

Charley Reese says freedom for all means what it says.

The Entitlement Mess

Congress is spending us into a hole. We hear about the cost of earmarks and the Iraq war. But what about "entitlements"?

That's the government's ironic term for programs that transfer money from people who earned it to people who didn't.

Entitlement? How can you be entitled to someone else's money?

Our reliance on the government gives them control of us.

Big Mama Thornton singing Hound Dog live

Elvis made it famous but Big Mama Thornton recorded it first - in 1952. Here's a live version of a more recent rendition. Enjoy!

A Stable Statist Society Requires Belief

...would the State "work" if the population didn’t "believe" in it? The coercive apparatus of the State, fine-tuned in the U.S. since the time of Washington and Jefferson, has risen to a level of fine art as it generates a belief in its necessity while simultaneously remaining just out of view.

Our government has taken care of us for so many years that it is questionable if we will ever be able to take care of ourselves as we once did.

Keep Your Eye on the Target

Part of the statement from Ron Paul to the House on 11/29/2001.

We have not done any better keeping our eye on the terrorist target on the home front than we have overseas. Not only has Congress come up short in picking the right target, it has directed all its energies in the wrong direction. The target of our efforts has sadly been the liberties all Americans enjoy. With all the new power we have given to the administration, none has truly improved the chances of catching the terrorists who were responsible for the 9-11 attacks. All Americans will soon feel the consequences of this new legislation.

Suppose, just suppose, that if Ron Paul had been President on 9/11/2001, we would have had a different approach. 15 of the 19 terrorists on those planes were Saudi and they're all dead. We have waged war against millions in the Middle East including Iraq and Afghanistan. That does not seem a rational response. Please read the entire speech here.

Reporter: I was a 'security threat' on flight

I barely had time to ask "What's up?" before a cop grabbed my shirt and pulled me to the side.

"Excuse me?" I protested.

He put his hands on my shoulders and chest and pushed me against the wall.

"Stand there and be quiet," he said, an edge in his voice. I obeyed and leaned back against the curving corridor.

"Let me see your hands," he ordered.

"Yes, sir."

An older officer approached.

"Here's the deal," he said. "A passenger saw you doing something suspicious."

Reason #26: Why I'll never fly again.

Where are the Legions?

As of January 2005, there are some 250,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen deployed in support of combat, peacekeeping, and deterrence operations. This figure does not include those forces normally present in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom or Japan unless bases at those locations are actively supporting a combat operation. Furthermore, tours of duty in these locations are routine and not considered hardship tours. If one were to include these forces the number of deployed troops worldwide would be around 350,000.

These numbers are before the "surge". The site does not mention the $650 billion + required to maintain these forces.

Prosecuting the Wrong People

When I heard that federal authorities had arrested the people that the government tells us were responsible for much of the subprime meltdown, I anxiously awaited the perp walk that would befall some notorious characters. Would we see Ben Bernanke wearing handcuffs, still dressed in his cams after having thrown even more money from the helicopter?

Would the person shuffling before the media be Alan Greenspan, the architect of 18 years of legal counterfeiting? Had the federal authorities finally come to their senses and arrested the people most responsible for the chicanery and outright theft of the savings and investments of millions of people?

Alas, no.

There is little hope that the real architects of the economic collapse of America will come under close scrutiny from the feds or the media.

Libertarian Candidate Barr Blasts McCain

Barr said that "the tremendous growth" of federal government powers since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks "has so dramatically shrunk the sphere of personal liberty in this country ... that it has really caused myself and many other Americans ... to take a much harder look at government power than we did in the past."

George W. Bush has left many conservatives scratching their heads and wondering how the train got so far off the tracks.

What Every American Should Know About Iraq

Some people think that anyone who disagrees with the American invasion and occupation of Iraq is either a bleeding-heart liberal appeaser, a George W. Bush hater, a blame America firster, an underminer of the troops, a traitor, or a geopolitical naif.

To those who see opponents of the war as fitting into one, several, or all of these categories, I say read this page.

A detailed account of the events involving the war with Iraq.

Oklahoma Declares Sovereignty

STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2nd Session of the 51st Legislature (2008)

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1089

By: Key

AS INTRODUCED

A Joint Resolution claiming sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over certain powers; serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates; and directing distribution.

The state of Oklahoma has declared sovereignty - but they will probably cave when the government threatens to withhold the loot if they don't play ball.

Terrorized by the Supreme Court

A lot of people who strongly believe in the war on terror are not above sowing a little terror of their own. From the reaction to last week's Supreme Court decision on Guantanamo, you would think the detainees were all going to be trained, armed and set free at Ground Zero, with free shuttle service to the nearest airport.

John McCain is having a struggle with the concept of habeas corpus.

Wooden Nickels and Steel Pennies

The United States House Of Representatives has already passed a bill, HR 5512, authorizing the Treasury Department to substitute steel for the nickel and copper now used in American pennies and nickels.

The rationale is that, by substituting cheaper metals, the government can save many millions of dollars. This is, in fact, a very valid point. Another observation is equally obvious and valid. The dollar has been devalued to such an extent that a penny — as in one hundredth of a dollar — can only buy a fraction of the metal needed to make a physical penny. Each coin takes significantly more than one cent to produce.

Who owns the penny or the nickel in your pocket. If you own it, can you melt it down and sell it for more than it's worth?

Rejecting Authority at Police State Checkpoint

The checkpoint in this video was nearly 50 miles north of the Mexican border, so it would have been utterly pointless in stopping illegal immigration.

The real purpose of these checkpoints is to condition Americans to get used to the police state.

This guy decided to challenge the authority of the Border Patrol - and won!

Customer Confidential

Here’s a scenario that is familiar to anyone who has ever set foot in Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, or any of a dozen other major retailers. After you have made a purchase, collected your bags, or packed everything into a shopping cart, you head for the exit. Just as you approach freedom an alarm sounds (usually a sequence of ugly, electronic grunts) and a robotic voice (always female) announces: “Please return to the checkout.” Other customers immediately look in your direction, and an employee begins to approach you. What’s your next move?

More tyranny. This time it's at WalMart and Costco. Entertaing saga of a shopper who is tired of being regarded as a shoplifter for removing purchased goods from an establishment.

Gas Prices Going Crazy

Jackie and Dunlap discuss high fuel prices.

Employers ponder tough tactics to halt smoking

Howard Weyers tried the "carrot" approach by giving his employees incentives and encouragement to quit smoking. But when that didn't work, he resorted to the stick. A big stick.

Tyranny in the workplace.

Airport Tyranny

I'd like TSA to give an account of themselves, namely just how many hijackings or bombings they have prevented, along with the evidence. Americans have been far too compliant and that has given the TSA carte blanche to treat travelers any way they wish. I'm staying away. TSA has its rules and Williams has his, and one of mine is to avoid tyrants and idiots.

Walter Williams acknowledges he has been intimidated by the TSA to the extent that he has "grounded" himself. So have I.

True Patriots

According to the Defense Department’s latest "Personnel Strengths" report, the United States now has troops stationed in 147 countries and 10 territories. This is the greatest number of countries that the United States has ever had troops in. Why are we policing the world? What is the point of having 57,000 troops in Germany and 33,000 troops in Japan? Germany and Japan each spend $40 billion per year on their military. Can’t they defend themselves at this point? We defeated them 60 years ago. It is time to leave. This is a prelude to decades of occupation in Iraq. Don’t believe the blather about withdrawal. The military has no intention of withdrawing.

This is paranoia to the max.

Afloat on an Ocean of Oil

No profits. No exploration. No drilling. And no domestic oil with which to correct our dependence on foreign oil and thus provide a measure of security to a nation that runs on oil.

If you wanted to bring the United States to ruin, you could not have designed and implemented a more perfect scheme. Along with too many members of Congress, environmentalists are America’s Fifth Column.

Who's looking out for this country if not Congress? Why don't they make the tough choices even if it means they may not get re-elected?

One More Day

It looks like a total mismatch on paper. Mediate, ranked No. 157 in the world, survived a playoff in sectional qualifying June 2 in Columbus, Ohio, just to make the field facing a man chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 professional majors.

This is Jack Fleck against Ben Hogan. It’s Chaminade vs. Virginia. It’s Appalachian State against Michigan.

One of the best Opens ever - and it's not over.

The Messenger Is the Message

I grew up with a great affection for what is now dismissed as "muck-raking" newspapers. Recognizing the inherently dishonest and criminal nature of all of politics, I admired the journalists who preferred exposing the muck of the system to the moderns with their unexamined defense of establishment agendas. Today, however, so much of the muck of politics is inextricably bound up with the interests of the corporate order that own the message machines.

I seldom watch the news anymore. The inane blathering about the newest scandal or who's cleric said what last year - I prefer sports or an old movie on TCM.

Politics is a Game

Who failed to seal our borders? Congress. Who voted for ruinous deficits, now totaling $9 trillion? Congress. Who voted to forbid the government from negotiating lower prices for the Medicare drugs? Congress. Who authorized a war on false pretenses? Congress. Who set Medicare and Social Security on the road to bankruptcy? Congress. Who votes to give billions of your tax dollars away to foreign governments? Congress. Who voted for free-trade agreements that have virtually destroyed America's manufacturing base? Congress.

We've got about four and half months before the election. Most incumbents will be re-elected. Not much is going to change after the election because they will continue to do what they have been doing - taxing and spending and meddling.

Empire or Republic?

The disconnect between the arsenal of the terrorist enemy and that arrayed against it in the post-9/11 years affirms Eisenhower’s warning about the military-industrial complex’s “unwarranted influence.” One wonders how lobbyists and politicians maintain a straight face as they argue, as Senator Joe Lieberman has, for $2.5 billion submarines to fight terrorists who lack even a dinghy.

We have overreacted to the 9/11 attacks. The damage to the economy since has been entirely self inflicted.

Barack grew up a Muslim

Melanie Phillips is the most recent commentator to draw attention to the massive body of evidence that leaves no doubt that Barak Hussein Obama was born a Muslim (Islam is patrilineal) and raised a Muslim (so registered in school, acknowledging attending Islamic classes, reported accompanying his step-father to the mosque, and able to recite the Koran in the original Arabic).

This will probably not be discussed in public during the campaign. We are too politically correct to allude to someone's religion - unless that person is not a Democrat. Mitt Romney's Mormon faith was used by the media to denigrate his candidacy but they are silent about Obama's Muslim background. Indeed, they are hostile to anyone who even refers to it.

Affordable Health Insurance is ILLEGAL!

In the late 1980s, I sold health insurance in New England to people who did not have it. Many were self-employed. A young healthy person could buy top-rated major medical for $30/month. That was low enough to encourage my clients to buy. Then, the “progressives” tack sugar plum mandates onto health insurance and eventually required all companies to take on any one who applied. The result? Costs soared and most private insurance companies withdrew from the state. That made it necessary for the state to create an indemnity pool to cover those without insurance. Guess what? The cost was sky high.

The government involvement with health care is the fundamental reason medical costs are so high.

THREE LITTLE FACTS AND THE END OF THE WORLD

Many were those who expected the world to end in 666, a year that carried the 'mark of the beast.' And in the early 19th century, the Millerites believed the world would end precisely at the close of October 22, 1843. They gave away their property and gathered on hilltops to await the end. At least one man with an extraordinary confidence in his pocket watch leapt off a barn roof at midnight, expecting to be taken up to Heaven in the moment of rapture. Like an investor, he got what he deserved, not necessarily what he expected. 

Predictions of doom and gloom come and go. They are often taken seriously and seldom come to fruition. So, take the naysayers with a grain of salt and keep a happy thought. Things could get better after the next election - but I doubt it.

Ron Paul says campaign to 'shift gears'

"Freedom is very popular. Not only is freedom popular, freedom works," Paul told supporters.

Hundreds of people rushed into a Houston hotel ballroom to hear Paul speak. They listened to a guitar player perform peace and freedom songs and gave loud cheers when Paul said the U.S. needs to bring home the troops from the Middle East. They also broke into applause when he spoke out for following the law and the Constitution.

He repeated his stances on other major issues, speaking against the United Nations and the income tax.

Ron Paul did not have a chance of being the nominee with such radical ideas as liberty, freedom, and following the law and the Constitution. He has ended his campaign for the presidency but the campaign for freedom continues.

Sitting on an Ocean of Energy, Doing Nothing

At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back.

But not us. We won't drill.

Key quote: California won't drill for the estimated 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil off its coast because of bad memories of the Santa Barbara oil spill - in 1969.

We won't drill for the estimated 5.6 billion to 16 billion barrels of oil in the moonscape known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because of - the caribou.

Rising financial decadence

The United States has been an affluent nation since its founding. But the country was, by and large, not corrupted by wealth. For centuries, it remained industrious, ambitious and frugal.

Over the past 30 years, much of that has been shredded. The social norms and institutions that encouraged frugality and spending what you earn have been undermined. The institutions that encourage debt and living for the moment have been strengthened.

Our government sees no relationship between personal debt and government debt. Short of dying, personal debt never goes away without credit repercussions. The same is true for countries.

$4 Gasbags

Amid $135 oil, it ought to be an easy, bipartisan victory to lift the political restrictions on energy exploration and production. Record-high fuel costs are hitting consumers and business like a huge tax increase. Yet the U.S. remains one of the only countries in the world that chooses as a matter of policy to lock up its natural resources. The Chinese think we're insane and self-destructive, while the Saudis laugh all the way to the bank.

Republicans have (nearly) nominated a candidate with the same mindset as Democrats toward developing our oil reserves; i.e., let's don't.

Torrey Hallelujah

Some major tournaments have the feel of duds for weeks leading up to them, not because the course isn't worthy or because the game itself has lost luster, but just because the alchemy isn't right. But this U.S. Open, hard by the sea, boasts exactly the opposite karma. Something intensely memorable, perhaps even inspirational, is likely to happen there this week. Some U.S. Opens are given away by cringe-inducing mistakes. This one instead promises to be ennobling. Who will be ennobled isn't yet clear. But don't let yourself miss this tournament. Its champion promises to be one for the ages.

Key quote: For fans, this all will ferment into a tasty brew. Great players at the top of their games, all with something to prove, on an unusually scenic course brutal in its length and designed, unlike many Open courses, not as much for enervating attrition as for shotmaking drama.

Christianity and War

If Christians at all levels of society were to withdraw their support for the war in Iraq, the war on terror, and the military, the war in Iraq would end tomorrow, the war on terror would be suspended, and the military would no longer receive a steady supply of cannon fodder from churches and Christian colleges. What a shame that non-Christians, including atheists, agnostics, infidels, pagans, and the irreligious, who oppose the genocide that the United States has unleashed in Iraq, have a moral code higher than that of many Christians.

An analysis of religious belief and the contradictory support of the state.

Is Obama's candidacy constitutional?

Bloggers are raising questions about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's qualifications to be U.S. president, because of the secrecy over his birth certificate and the requirement presidents be "natural-born" U.S. citizens.

Jim Geraghty, reporting on the Campaign Spot, a National Review blog, cited the "unlikely" but still circulating rumor that Obama was born not within the United States, but elsewhere, possibly Kenya.

This is the first I've heard of this. We'll keep an eye out for further news.

Crude Up and Kills Created Money

"I'll gladly answer that question, Senator! The reason that oil costs so much in dollars is that the purchasing power of the dollar has dropped by 40% in 5 lousy years, thanks to you letting the Federal Reserve create so much damned money, you lowlife scumbag! If the dollar still had its buying power, oil would still be $25 a barrel like it was in 2002, but nooOOoooo! You dumb, stupid, ignorant Congressional morons decided to borrow and then spend so insanely much money that the Federal Reserve was required (and only too happy!) to create all the money and credit needed to finance the disgusting orgy of your irresponsible government spending, now totaling $9.4 trillion in national debt, because if the Fed did not create the money, your enormous borrowing needs would have sucked up every freaking dime of savings in the country a dozen times over, driving interest rates through the roof, called the 'squeezing out effect'. That's why oil costs so much, you ignorant, preening Congressional moron!"

Richard Daughty has an answer for high oil prices.

"Stimulus" Spending: Making The Dead Parrot Twitch

It is a testament to the depraved, malicious ingenuity of our rulers that they devised a way to make a "gift" to us of our own plundered wealth, and then deliver it to us in a fashion that makes us poorer for receiving it.

William N. Grigg is an ungrateful "stimulus" recipient.

Tolstoy's Majority

The empire we speak of, and bemoan, and indeed from which we suffer economically and morally – is little more than a veneer. The emperor has no clothes; we know the fable well. It is also true that the American empire itself is hollow, a movie set with authentic looking building fronts, but with nothing behind them. The currency of our empire, whether fiat money or military effectiveness, is likewise not believable, and therefore not valued. The American empire rests entirely on our belief in it – take away that faith, and we shed the empire. The collapse of empire is really the act – by each one of us – of rising up from our knees, and brushing off the dust.

America is overextended in economical and military terms. We are all bluff and bluster and the rest of the world is starting to understand this. Many are starting to laugh out loud at our predicament.

Hypermilers Push the Limits of Fuel Efficiency

Even with gas at four bucks a gallon, Yahya Fahimuddin enjoys filling his car. It's a contest, a chance to see how many miles he can squeeze from every tank. He's getting about 45 mpg these days and says you can, too.

He's a hypermiler, one of a growing number of people going to often extreme lengths to get 40, 50, even 60 mpg or more. "It's like a videogame," he says. "Can I beat my new high score?"

Strategies to increase mileage on any vehicle. WARNING: Use these strategies at your own risk. Impatient drivers may not be amused.

Defending the Second Amendment

With the first 10 Amendments, it is not merely individual histories that matter, but a recognition that each Amendment is part of an additional, over-arching logic and special place in history. They are a “package” so to speak that collectively says something important about the people’s core, basic right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right against self-incrimination, and so on.  Each right is bound to the other; some flowing from a previous right, others there to protect the exercise of the other rights.

Interesting commentary on the Bill of Rights with special attention on the Second Amendment. Of course, the Constitution is no longer considered to be relevant as a guide to governing anymore.

Some Call It 'Counterinsurgency'

So an insurgent by definition is trying to overthrow a government, usually his own. Therefore if a population is resisting a foreign military occupation (or fighting other sects) they are not insurgents and it is not an insurgency. Is this just semantics? No. The point is that it is a natural human reaction to resist by force an alien foreign military occupation, whereas people are inclined to be more tolerant of their own government, before they take up arms, no matter how badly they act. Understanding this simple fact explains why the US has not been and will not be successful in its military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are about 190 sovereign nations and the U.S. has troops in more than 130 of them. It's not our job to police the world but that's what we're trying to do.

Transparency vs. secrecy

Even if confidentiality contributed more than a peppercorn to sound presidential advice, a presidential privilege would still be mischievous. It would enable the president to waive confidentiality for good or flattering information, but to withhold the bad and the ugly. A half-truth is another name for a lie.

The informing or sunshine function of Congress to facilitate self-government, in any event, should invariably trump presidential confidentiality.

Bruce Fein is daydreaming. He wants our government to inform us about what they're doing behind closed doors.

Voters Say ‘Drill’

Recent polling data from Gallup show the percentage of voters blaming oil companies for skyrocketing gasoline prices has dropped from 34 percent to 20 percent over the past year. At the same time, support for more drilling in U.S. coastal and wilderness areas has increased to 57 percent from 41 percent. 

And the candidates remain blind to these shifts.

Larry Kudlow speculates that McCain and Obama should encourage oil production instead of gasoline tax holidays and windfall profits taxation.

Key quote: Then there’s the oil nobody is talking about. The Bakken fields beneath North Dakota, Montana, and Canada hold an estimated 400 billion barrels of oil. In comparison, Saudi Arabia’s biggest field, Gahawar, has an estimated 55 billion barrels, while ANWR has an estimated 10.4 billion barrels.

Taxes and Distortions

Taxation distorts more than the economy, it distorts all aspects of human action. Consider the young man at my door yesterday. 

How to avoid the state mandated sales tax on a candy "sale."

The Weak-Dollar Threat to World Order

When the U.S. turns a blind eye to the consequences of diluting the value of its monetary unit, when we abuse the privilege of supplying the global reserve currency by resorting to sleight-of-hand monetary policy to address our own economic problems – inflating our way out of the housing crisis, pushing taxpayers into higher brackets through stealth – it sends a disturbing message to the world.

The dollar is weak and getting weaker. McCain and Obama are not concerned - their spending proposals will only make the situation worse but they must consider the voters. Bush is busy with other things. Congress cannot be bothered because they're trying to get re-elected. Don't you just love politics?

War and Inflation

And yet it is true: the Fed is the institution that has created the money to fund the wars. In this role, it has solved a major problem that the state has confronted for all of human history. A state without money or a state that must tax its citizens to raise money for its wars is necessarily limited in its imperial ambitions. Keep in mind that this is only a problem for the state. It is not a problem for the people. The inability of the state to fund its unlimited ambitions is worth more for the people than every kind of legal check and balance. It is more valuable than all the constitutions ever devised.

Do you ever wonder how we can afford billions a day for the war(s) we fight? We can't, really. But where do we get the money? Read on...

Packing in public

For years, Kevin Jensen carried a pistol everywhere he went, tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his clothes.

In hot weather the holster was almost unbearable. Pressed against Jensen's skin, the firearm was heavy and uncomfortable. Hiding the weapon made him feel like a criminal.

Then one evening he stumbled across a site that urged gun owners to do something revolutionary: Carry your gun openly for the world to see as you go about your business. 

In most states there's no law against that.

Check opencarry.org for the laws in your state.

10 airports install body scanners

Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently started using body scans on randomly chosen passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and at New York's Kennedy airport.

Why I'll never fly again - Reason #74

Machiavelli Was Right

If the police can protect us – which is another claim the gun-control people make – then why are so many people murdered, raped and robbed? Even the television fictional stories tell you the answer to that. The cops get there after the crime has been committed. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a crime scene. Nearly all the cop shows open with the police looking at a dead, unarmed body.

Charley Reese on your right to defend yourself before the constables arrive.

Get Ready for the Oil-Price Drop

The price of crude oil has jumped as high as $135 lately, up from $87 in early February. The news encouraged some Wall Street analysts to suggest oil might approach $200 before long. In fact, that's quite impossible: The world economy can't handle current energy prices, much less a big increase.

Which in turn means that oil prices will fall.

Alan Reynolds believes the high prices for oil - which, of course, translate into higher prices for almost everything - cannot remain at such high levels. Let's hope he's right. The markets will ultimately determine the price for oil unless our friendly politicians decide to come to our assistance. If (when?) that happens, all bets are off.

Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control

America currently has 151,000 troops in Iraq and, even after projected withdrawals next month, troop levels will stand at more than 142,000 – 10 000 more than when the military "surge" began in January 2007. Under the terms of the new treaty, the Americans would retain the long-term use of more than 50 bases in Iraq. American negotiators are also demanding immunity from Iraqi law for US troops and contractors, and a free hand to carry out arrests and conduct military activities in Iraq without consulting the Baghdad government.

It doesn't appear we'll be withdrawing from Iraq anytime soon - if ever. Invade and conquer seems to be the new agenda of our military instead of defend and protect. Our forces are stretched almost beyond it's means and maintaining additional bases will increase the already incredible strain on our already stretched budget. No politician (except Ron Paul) seems concerned about the budget however.

The Power of Four Dollars

At $4 a gallon, the fleet composition is changing spontaneously and overnight, not over the 13 years mandated by Congress. (Even Stalin had the modesty to restrict himself to five-year plans.) Just Tuesday, GM announced that it would shutter four SUV and truck plants, add a third shift to its compact and midsize sedan plants in Ohio and Michigan, and green light for 2010 the Chevy Volt, an electric hybrid.

Charles Krauthammer explains how market forces are more reliable than government interventions. Unfortunately, he also advocates taxing gasoline to give the market forces an "assist".

Two Ten-Year-Olds

Anyway, they're in the pool and Reagan turns to Isaac and asks, "Is Ron Paul still in the race? My Dad said he dropped out."

"That's not true." said Isaac. "He's still running."

Some swimming takes place then Reagan asks, "What's inflation? My Dad said that Ron Paul is really good on it but I don't know what it is."

(Now I'm really listening) 

more...

It's Not Exactly a National Emergency

From the founding of this nation, American presidents have developed and used various types of presidential or executive "directives." The best-known directives are executive orders and presidential proclamations, but many other documents have a similar function and effect. Presidential directives have been raised to dangerous levels by Presidents William Clinton and George W. Bush.

An examination of what constitutes a "national emergency".

The Fed’s War on the Middle Class

The middle class actually faces many important economic problems, but in reality they boil down to three current problems and one that looms large in our future. All four problems stem from a common cause — the Federal Reserve. History tells us that we either root out this cause or face economic demise.

Another rant against the Fed whose motto is "Have printing press - Will print".

Manslaughter by politicians

The fundamental problem is that many politicians do not understand or, perhaps, do not wish to understand tradeoffs. That is, every time they increase a regulation or a tax, or require a government expenditure that reduces economic freedom and does not meet a reasonable cost benefit test, they are not engaged in just some annoyance, but they are costing real human life years.

A suggestion that our politicians are engaged in manslaughter.

Dumb or Ill-informed About Energy Problems

Controlling the price of anything is very difficult and it can only be accomplished through the force of government, mostly by restricting supply.

The U.S. Congress is a major player in oil supply restriction, and OPEC nations must be laughing all the way to the bank.

Walter Williams thinks the U.S. Congress' assaults on oil executives is redirecting the focus from the real culprits - themselves.

Our Collectivist Candidates

"A greater cause," "community service" – to many of us, these gauzy phrases sound warm and comforting. But their purpose is to disparage and denigrate our own lives, to belittle our own pursuit of happiness. They're concepts better suited to a more collectivist country than to one founded in libertarian revolution – a revolution intended to defend our rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

David Boaz does not believe our presidential candidates understand the meaning of individual rights. He uncorks on Obama and McCain.

Image of toy banned by British Airways

'You cannot get on the plane because there is a gun on your T-shirt.'

The character's right arm is a gun, and Jayakody was ordered to change his shirt, or miss his flight, because of the threat from the image, according to a report in the Telegraph.

Alert security personnel prevent T-shirt terrorist from hijacking airliner.

RELATED ARTICLE

Score a Win for The Demons!

Those of us who live in Winchester generally love the idea of a town that is so small there is no government that extends beyond a mayor who meets at our little town’s one-room building monthly when community members meet. The problem is that we like things the way they are which means the government doesn’t like things the way they are. Our little town’s government works so well that larger government entities around us just can’t stand it. So they butt in. 

Living in a small town does not provide sanctuary from big government. Greg Perry describes how the state gets into your wallets to provide services you'll never use.

A Paralyzing Rise in Money Supply

"In the United States, the producer price index increased 6.9% in the year to March, while that for crude goods increased more than 30%. Like a bowling ball swallowed by a python, that inflation will move through the economic system and eventually be reflected in consumer prices. Indeed, it may already be showing up there; the seasonally unadjusted consumer price index for March was up 0.9% (an annual rate of around 11%) and only a heroic seasonal adjustment of 0.6%, double the next largest seasonal adjustment for any month in the last ten years, brought the figure down to an acceptable 0.3%."

The biggest "seasonal adjustment" in the last ten years? And the best it can do is bring March's annualized inflation to almost 4%? We're freaking doomed!

Richard Daughty mixes humor with economic news which is either disguised or ignored by most media.

The Very Definition of Uncivilized

The loudspeaker had declared in a most chillingly dulcet voice as I waited in line to be searched, “You know you aren’t a threat, prove it to us.” And how do we prove it? By total obedience, even to the most absurd and barbaric of orders.

I don't intend to ever fly commercially again. I know I would be an obedient lemming during the shakedown process but I would hate myself afterwards. The TSA has total control and has no qualms about humiliating us potential terrorists.

A True Memorial

OK, here is my post-Memorial Day gripe. Memorial Day is not the Fourth of July, Flag Day, Armed Forces Day or Veterans Day. It is a day to remember the war dead. You don't do that with picnics, brass bands, parades, pompous speeches and hype for the current war. "Memorial" and "celebration" are not synonyms. The day was intended for visiting cemeteries, not beaches or amusement parks.

Charley Reese sees a lack of patriotism in Americans and a lack of purpose in the military.

Every University a Junkie

It's a vicious cycle: Parents and students complain that the cost of college is too high. Politicians, seeking votes, boost aid. Colleges, competing for better-heeled students, offer nicer amenities and charge higher tuition. Parents and students complain again - and the addiction deepens.

Earth to government - Please quit trying to help us.

US Treasury chief: no 'quick fix' on oil

The Treasury chief was in the Mideast to deliver a message to officials of Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations that soaring oil prices are putting a burden on the global economy. He is urging the countries to open up their oil markets to investment that can boost yields, exploration and production.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson wants Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations to open up their oil markets but is not encouraging investment in the U.S. oil markets. Talk about sending mixed signals.

The Crash Course - Debt

Fun facts about the national debt and the repercussions  for all of us (U.S.). See how deficit spending affects the future. Hint: it's not a pretty picture. A 12:30 video by Chris Martenson - part 12 in a crash course on economics. He paints a gloomy forecast as a result of our national spending spree. Scary stuff unless you believe the free ride will last forever.

Our politicians (most of them) know the spending is out of hand - they are the ones who are doing the spending - but they are careful not to say anything about it publicly (except Ron Paul) lest the public discover what they are doing and find out how terrified they really are.

No Representation without Taxation

The politicians have finally convinced enough people that they can have everything for free without working for it.

Just vote for ME and I will tax those bad bad “lucky” people who actually produce wealth and give it you without any strings or restrictions. At this point, almost everyone collects some form of handout from the government. Everyone wants to keep their share of the loot and get more free loot, more than the next guy, that’s how one gets ahead in America today.

Key quote: Each generation grows up believing more and more that money grows on trees and all they have to do to get more is to vote for more welfare. Working for it is just too hard….

See Cycle of Democracy. 

The Government's Scapegoats

With food and energy prices soaring, housing prices collapsing, and the economy sinking into what could be a deep recession, the government has been searching around for villains. The latest scapegoats are speculators, OPEC, and of course, the big bad oil companies. As usual, our government ignores its own role in our current economic mess. To add insult to injury, most of the politicians’ proposed “solutions” would only make things worse.

Our representatives in Congress apparently don't understand basic economics, else they are more interested in their political fortunes than they are in finding solutions.