Fannie and Freddie Bailouts

"A failure [of Fannie and Freddie] would affect the ability of Americans to get home loans, auto loans and other consumer credit and business finance," Paulson said at a press conference in Washington. "And a failure would be harmful to economic growth and job creation."

I'm out of my comfort zone here but the rationale for bailing out these agencies is quite dishonest.

I assume the real reason is to bail out wealthy investors and banks and so on. The economy, of course, would be better off without the bailouts.

Let's assume F & F folded. Their wealthy shareholders would lose money. The banks whose loans they guaranteed would lose money. That's far better than the taxpayer or inflation-payer--that would be me and mine--losing money.

The longer term consequences: banks would tighten up on mortgage loans. Demand would decline as would real estate prices. That would actually help those buyers who have some cash or better credit. Those who didn’t would rent. That would help the vast number of owners of rental property including vast swaths of the middle and working-classes.

There would be winners and losers but overall letting F & F fail would be far better for the economy, and in my view those who say otherwise are lying or ignorant.

And I wrong?

Violent Politics

Writes Jack Douglas:

Have you read William Polk's new book on VIOLENT POLITICS? The early part is especially good in summing up his argument, built largely out of the best done on guerilla political-warfare over the centuries.
He emphasizes, of course, that THE BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS IS ABOUT 80% OF THE DETERMINANT OF THE OUTCOME. The one major factor running through all of the big and certainly successful guerilla insurgencies is OPPOSITION TO INVADING OR THREATENING FOREIGNERS. Once that exists as a major and growing factor in the society, the beginning insurgency can begin with pitchforks and hoes and rocks and sticks--and often do. They commonly begin with a tiny group of 25 or so men taking up cultural and material arms against the hated regime. In fact, as we all know, the Sons of Liberty in the early days did not use weapons other than their arms to throw tea in the harbor, etc. That led to British oppressions that MADE IT OBVIOUS THEY WERE FOREIGN OPPRESSORS. THE RED COATS BROKE THE COMMON BOND OF IDENTITY AS "ENGLISHMEN" AND THAT LED THE FARMERS TO PICK UP THEIR PITCHFORKS AND CREAKY MUSKETS FROM BOSTON TO BERGEN COUNTY TO KING'S MOUNTAIN TO....
The Afghan guerillas have helped the Karzai colonial regime to destroy itself among the people and the guerillas are now building their national liberation army, government in exile, etc. This is a guerilla war that is already 95% lost. Now Pakistan is lost for the same reasons and the U.S. daily attacks on women and children among the Pashtun is pushing the hatred of the U.S. above the 95% poll level--if that's even possible. Utterly incredible.
IN THE EXTREME CASE THE FOREIGNER AND HIS COLONIAL PUPPETS MAKE THEMSELVES SO TOTALLY HATED BY THE PEOPLE THAT THEIR EVERY MOVE BECOMES AN OWN GOAL SCORE, A DESTRUCTION OF THEMSELVES, SO THE GUERILLAS ARE BEST OFF LAYING LOW AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO DO MORE OF THE SAME. THE PASHTUN IN PAKISTAN SEEM TO BE DONG THAT--MERELY PUNCHING THE U.S. OR PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT ONCE IN A WHILE TO ELICIT SUICIDAL RESPONES. It doesn't take many weapons when you do that.
Very interesting that Polk gave a talk to the U.S. War College in the early 60's saying the communists had already won the war at this same stage. That led all the colonels and naval captains to furiously attack him and Rostow to call him a Cassandra. Polk said that was ok with him, since Cassandra was right--BEWARE GREEKS BEARING GIFTS! And be sure to look gift horses from enemies in the mouth, I always say.
I think the Russian and Chinese selling of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds in the past weeks has been one crucial factor in forcing Paulson et al. to officially take over the trillions of shaky debt they hold. [Of course, U.S. Big Banks and major regionals hold the same debt and are not selling it, thus facing bankruptcy as the tsunami of losses grows and that is another pressing reason Paulson has acted.] The Europeans have not sold yet, as far as I know, but people who really hate you behind the smiles are not loyal investors when the crunch comes. as Cassandra would put it.

Beggars at the Fascist Table

Now the Formerly Big Three - GM, Ford, and Chrysler - want $50 billion in printing-press money for starters. Let these UAW-ridden corporations go under, and new owners reorganize their assets, without trade unions. Of course, that won't happen. You can bet the open and secret bribes being spread around DC will enrich the criminals as usual. And watch conservatives endorse the bailout in names of tanks for the imperial legions, etc. What if Uncle Slaughter didn't have the means to bomb and bribe all over the world? Gives me shivers just to think about it. (Thanks to Andrew Murphy)

That "Country First" Philosophy

The Republican Party of 2008 is not the first political organization to adopt the slogan "country first" as its guiding philosophy. One of the intellectual fathers of twentieth-century German fascism was Paul Lensch, who wrote in his book, Three Years of World Revolution, that the philosophy of German fascism (Nazism) was expressed in the slogan "Gemeinnutz geht vor Eigennutz," which means "the common good comes before the private good." "Country first" or "national greatness conservatism" in today's vernacular.

In Mein Kampf (1943 Houghton Mifflin edition, p. 297) Hitler explained that in his "noblest form" the Aryan "willingly subordinates his own ego to the community, and if the hour demands, even sacrifices it." The individual has "not rights but only duties," said the mass-murdering dictator. The Nazis adopted a "25-Point Programme of the Party" in 1925 that was prefaced with the statement that "the activities of the individual must not clash with the interests of the whole . . . but must be for the general good." Fatherland First!

You don't have to hold your nose and read Mein Kampf to understand this. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized, autocratic government."

Tax-Funded Policing is Socialism

I will be giving a lecture titled Tax-Funded Policing is Socialism: Problems with the System and Alternatives on Monday, 8 September, at 7 pm. It will be at the University of Texas, in the ETC building, Room 2132. The lecture is sponsored by the Libertarian Longhorns. Open to the public. Parking is free after 5:45 pm.

International Lifestyle Police

An bureaucrat who sits on the UN IPCC thinks we should do our part in the prevention of Climate Change by becoming vegetarians. Although no laws have been enacted to this effect, the idea of someone in power thinking that they know what is best for me, my family, the kids next door, etc... is revolting. Also, this guy is an economist, but the headline implies that he's a scientist: "Eat less meat to fight climate change: UN expert".

Ron Paul Nevada Delegates Voted for McCain Too

Writes Ken Harwood: "As you know:

"About a dozen Massachusetts supporters of the Texas Congressman and GOP upstart decided to back McCain only an hour before the delegates began to cast votes for the presidential pick.

“We decided the best course of action was to give a little to get a lot,” said Chris Blanc, a Cambridge resident who supports Paul. “The Massachusetts GOP really wanted to show unanimous support.”

"Huh? Mass madness.

"One of those four had even solicited (& received) donations from the Las Vegas RP Meetup Group to help pay her way to St. Paul."

Scramble for Cash as Central Banks Dry Up

Today England, tomorrow America. A reminder that, as Burt Blumert points out, even the Fed can't repeal the law of gravity.

Backlash against Obama?

One thing I have liked about Obama has been what I think is his good-faith effort to reach out to evangelicals. No, I do not agree with his Welfare State Equals the Gospels message, but neither do I much care for the Kill al-Qaeda for Christ I am hearing from the Republicans. And I do believe Obama has been sincere in his reaching out to religious conservatives, unlike John Kerry, who regarded evangelicals as aliens from another solar system.

However, it seems that the Democratic attack machine has been unleashed against Sarah Palin. For example, the other night on his show, Bill Maher (who definitely cannot be mistaken for a conservative Republican) made fun of Palin's Downs Syndrome child and expressed disgust that Palin had five children. We have seen attacks from the Usual Suspects, and many of them have the "Christians are a bunch of nuts" theme.

On top of that, Emily's List and other pro-abortion groups are going to push an ad blitz against Palin emphasizing her own beliefs about abortion.

My sense is that these attacks -- and they will make the Swift Boat attacks look like political endorsements of Kerry, in my opinion -- are going to have the effect of driving evangelicals (including the Obama-leaning young evangelicals) away from the Democrats. It is one thing to have differences, but once again we shall see the Democrats treating conservative Christians as though they had no right to exist.

Barr, Baldwin, Phillies

Bob Barr walked the GOP convention and the Ron Paul countervention.

Some great photos from the Ron Paul event, including supporters of Barr and Chuck Baldwin.

The NH ballot will have two LP presidential candidates, Barr and George Phillies.

Barr will sue Texas over its ballot. He will not be on the ballot in West Virginia.

The Weekly Standard on the Ron Paul Rally

The Weekly Standard's Matt Labash was sent by neocon Bill Kristol to make fun of the Ron Paul extravaganza in Minneapolis. It could be worse. Labash is smart and funny, and only laughs at a middle and working-class revolution. Commissar Kristol, had he been present, would be calling for our consignment to the Gulag he's helped to build. Labash calls us "Paultards," my least-favorite epithet, maybe because I'm the adopted father of a special-needs child. Yet he doesn't seem too startled to be among libertarians, though he is there to marginalize us. Austrian economics. Ha ha. The Fed and its depression. Ha ha ha. On the other hand, he is less biased than writers for other zillionaire-contolled Beltway mags. But what is this business about my not normally being treated like a rock star?

Thank You, Alan Greenspan

The corporatist monsters Fannie and Freddie are broke, of course, and so the State will bail out its babies with more money stolen from the taxpayers, and more monetary deprecation. This is only the beginning of what we will suffer as a result of the Fed's artificial boom and bust since the State fell flat on its face on 9/11, and decided to run the counterfeiting presses 24/7. But this federal depression - with its impoverishment for the middle class and bailouts for Wall Street and the rest of the power elite - could bring on a social revolution. What, for example, will be the effect of everyone not rich frozen in his present location, because there wil be no selling and buying of houses under what we have been taught to think of as normal circumstances?

The Prince Georges Whitewash

Indeed, Kathryn, I am not surprised at all that the police would consider a police shooting "justified." Time and again, we have heard after notorious incidents of police misconduct and brutality that "the officers acted as they were trained," as though that is supposed to justify murderous and oppressive behavior.

The real problem is that the police and their supporters have become powerful political forces in this country, and consider any criticism of the police to be "un-American." (Read Michelle Malkin and you will see someone who fully supports a police state for the rest of us.)

Nothing will happen to the police in Prince Georges County, and this latest version of the Government Home Invasion will ultimately pass unnoticed. Every officer who participated in that "raid" should be thrown into prison, but, instead, they will be feted as heroes.

SWAT officers are let off the hook

Bill Anderson blogged about a Maryland drug raid in July. Now, not surprisingly, the officers who shot and killed the family pets, have been cleared of wrong-doing by the county sheriff.

Sarah Palin, Motherhood, and the Christian Conservatives

Doug Newman makes an interesting point about Sarah Palin, motherhood, and the Christian conservatives who are in love with her. If an unknown Palin had written to someone like James Dobson for advice, what do you think he would say if she wrote something like this:

"I have been a successful professional woman for the last 15 years. I earn $175,000 annually. Recently, I received an offer from a competitor that would more than double my income, but would also require almost constant travel. I have a four-month-old daughter with Downs Syndrome and a 17-year-old daughter who is four months pregnant. What should I do?”

There is no doubt that Dobson and Christian conservatives (and I am one of them) would say that motherhood is a higher calling than the offer from the competitor. The difference between me and the Christian conservatives who are in love with Palin (she soothes their consciences which have been destroyed by their support for McCain) is that I would recommend that Palin take motherhood over being the assistant warmonger in chief. They would make an exception.

The Lifeblood of the Empire

Here's a good-quality YouTube version of my speech at Ron Paul's rally:

Part I
Part II

Lawnmower Emissions

Consider your future lawnmower fully regulated!

Arrogance and Trading with Cuba

Ryan's post is well-worth reading, and he nails a number of issues. The government's Cuba policy is a true study in arrogance and tyranny.

Notice that it is the American state that determines who is our enemy and who is our "friend." We as individuals have no choice in the matter. Cuba, of course, is no threat to us, and the "crime" with which this company is charged is providing software to help Cuba find oil in its territorial waters.

"Illegally exporting controlled U.S. technology is tantamount to a breech of our borders," said Jeffrey Copp, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. "We will work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute anyone who threatens our national security by exporting sensitive technology contrary to U.S. Export Laws."

The Denver office of the FBI also worked on this investigation.

"Those who believe they can sit behind a computer, commit a crime, and get away with it are wrong," said FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis.

So far, none of the investigating agencies, the U.S. Attorney's office, ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) and the FBI has not been able to tell if Cuba has been able to use the technology purchased to actually drill for oil.

Now, since the government of the United States has made it a crime for U.S. oil companies to drill for oil offshore, it is tantamount to locking up reserves that could benefit consumers. However, if Cuba is able to find oil, that will have a positive effect for consumers on the world oil market.

Only trade with US government-approved dictatorships

These guys may be locked up for providing consulting services to Cuba. Cuba is not a government-approved dictatorship, so they should have consulted with the Saudi or Georgian governments instead. It's OK to trade with those despots.

The company is accused of selling "U.S. technology" to foreigners. That's where the company went wrong. It was probably under the impression that it owned the technology. Sorry guys, the US government owns everything whether you know it or not.

This reminds me of the policies that Britain and some other western nations had in the 18th and 19th centuries. Engineers and others with specialized industrial and technical knowledge were forbidden to emigrate lest they pass on their knowledge to foreigners in foreign lands. Of course, a large number of those prisoners of their own lands secretly emigrated anyway.

Don't get too smart either. The government, which already figures it owns you, may notice you.

Yet another reason to oppose the death penalty

Some states (like Texas) put non-murderers to death. This guy, who probably has an IQ of about 75 was sentenced to death in Texas for driving the getaway car. Being an accomplice to murder is not the same thing as committing murder, but Texas has a bizarre law that says otherwise.

Even granting this assumes, of course, that the state is even competent to decide matters of guilt and innocence, which it is not.

Montana Constitution Party Puts Ron Paul on November Ballot for President

The Montana Constitution Party has removed Chuck Baldwin from the ballot and is putting the ticket of Ron Paul for President and Michael Peroutka on the ballot for Vice-President.

Ron Paul was aware that the party planned to do this, and has said that as long as he can remain passive and silent about the development, and as long as he need not sign any declaration of candidacy, that he does not object.

A group in Louisiana has also filed to have Ron Paul's name on the ballot for President under the "Louisiana Taxpayers Party" label.

For much of the year, activists in both the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party asked Ron Paul's permission to run him on the ballot for President in November, but he repeatedly declined.

It is a great shame that he did not agree to this for other states. Ron Paul could have been the candidate of a broad coalition, regardless of how active he would have sought the office. Instead, we have a group of inferior third party candidates competing for the pro-freedom, anti-government vote.

Thanks to Ballot Access News for this information.

I Have Never Had Any Hope in the Republican Party

In reply to some comments I received regarding my "Ichabod!" article today on LRC I should say that I have never had any hope in the Republican Party. Years ago, when I was a registered Republican, and when I thought the Republican Party was the lesser of two evils, I voted Republican, but only because I was voting against Democrats. I still despised the Republican Party for its numerous sellouts. I remember in the early 1990s writing letters to the editor of Human Events (that were published) about how sorry the Republicans were. The Republican nomination of John McCain over Ron Paul, and the treatment given to Dr. Paul's supporters, was certainly no surprise to me. I haven't taken the Republican Party serious for years when it comes to being a friend of liberty, free markets, and limited government. My article is from the perspective of those libertarian-leaning Republicans who keep forgiving the GOP and hoping that perhaps "this time" the Republican Party will not screw up and screw them again. They are the ones who need to cry "Ichabod!" I did so years ago, and with this article publically do so again.

Mass. Ron Paul Delegates Vote for McCain

Thanks to Steve Vance for this report on the almost invariable result of Republican politics:

In a last-minute show of unity, Bay State Ron Paul supporters decided to throw their votes behind Sen. John McCain last night.

About a dozen Massachusetts supporters of the Texas Congressman and GOP upstart decided to back McCain only an hour before the delegates began to cast votes for the presidential pick.

“We decided the best course of action was to give a little to get a lot,” said Chris Blanc, a Cambridge resident who supports Paul. “The Massachusetts GOP really wanted to show unanimous support.”

Youtube Exonerates Biker

Yet another reason to keep the internet free, and for people to have cameras whenever cops are around.

Country First

"It is thus necessary that the individual should finally come to realize that his own ego is of no importance in comparison with the existence of his nation; that the position of the individual ego is conditioned solely by the interests of the nation as a whole...that above all, the unity of a nation's spirit and will are worth far more than the freedom of the spirit and will of an individual...we understand only the individual's capacity to make sacrifices for the community, for his fellow man." -- Adolf Hitler

(Thanks to Chris Rhoades.)

Why You Should Never Talk to the Police, Part 2,522

Poor Marion Jones was put in a cage for allegedly lying to the federal cops. It is illegal to lie to them, or say anything they can claim is a lie, even if you are not under oath. Don't talk! (Thanks to Mark.)

re: One McCain POW Lie

Writes Andrew Penn Fitzgerald: "Admittedly this is hearsay, but over the years I’ve read at least two accounts from fellow POWs who said that McCain was ordered by James Stockdale (who was the ranking US officer at the Hanoi POW camp) to turn down the early release because other POWs had been there far longer than McCain and should go first. If any of the POWs is a 'hero,' then, it is Stockdale.

"Admiral Stockdale would later speak truth to power when he went on record describing his flights over the Gulf of Tonkin during the famous incident and stated that he had 'the best seat in the house' flying over the US vessels, and that the North Vietnamese boat attacks of LBJ's story were a complete myth. It’s a true shame that most people’s memory of this great man is from a debate against professional politicians for which he had less than two days to prepare after being selected by Perot."

The Largest Vote for a Third Party Candidate in History

would occur if the Ron Paul major announcement was that Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr were stepping aside for him to be the nominee of the Constitution and Libertarian Parties. I would even vote if that happened.

'Major Announcement' by Ron Paul

We can't know for sure what it's about, but Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin both say they'll be at the important Ron Paul press conference at the National Press Club in DC on September 10th at 10:30am, to discuss the election. Anyone else?

One McCain POW Lie

Writes Todd LaClair: "Is there a more transparent lie than McCain's 'they asked to release me but I said no'? So, to clarify, the Vietnamese needed McCain's permission to release him, but not to hold him for five years?"

re: Ron Paul Delegate: 'The Republicans Are Nazis'

Writes Peter Gay: "I have just completed my voter registration form, and am out of the Nazi, I mean, Republican Party. The links you posted today about the Convention were well beyond the last straw - in my mind I was long gone - but they provided me with the motivation to change my registration immediately. I'm so sorry it took me this long to get out, but already I'm feeling much better about myself politically.

"Incidentally, please don't misinterpret these comments as indicating that I have any sympathy for the Communist, I mean, Democratic Party. I am now politically unaffiliated.

"There can be no doubt that my exposure to numerous authors and ideas, primarily through your blog, has led to my transformation over the past couple years, from a loyal 'Conservative Republican' to an anarcho-capitalist libertarian. I do appreciate it!"

William Penn and Jury Rights

With regard to Vin Suprynowicz's article today - I am familiar with jury nullification (mostly from reading LRC articles) and realize that most Americans are unfamiliar with jury nullification because it is neither explained in court nor taught in school. But Mr. Suprynowicz has relayed the story of William Penn's connection to jury nullification, and now I am appalled that I was not taught jury nullification!

The jury said if they couldn’t see the law, they weren’t going to convict. In fact, God bless them, they unanimously acquitted William Penn, who was thus free to emigrate to America, where he subsequently got his picture on a box of oats, and presumably did some other stuff.

Some of that "other stuff" lead to a deep-seated respect for William Penn in the area that I was raised (in Pennsylvania, named after William's father). Like many places in PA, my hometown has a Quaker heritage and still has a Quaker meeting house and school. The public high school was renamed to Penn Wood High, and the junior high schools were named Penn Wood East and Penn Wood West, in the 80's. The name of the school district is - you guessed it - William Penn School District.

We were taught, repeatedly, about William Penn and religious freedom, but I never once heard that the reason he was not jailed in England was because of jury nullification. It was glossed over: He was persecuted in England, his father was high-ranking, and so he fled to the US.

re: Ron Paul Delegate: 'The Republicans Are Nazis'

Writes Cisse Spragins: "You got that right. I was a Ron Paul delegate to the MO State GOP Convention and the treatment there (and at the lower levels caucuses) was quite similar. The contrast between the MO GOP convention and the LP National Convention, that I attended a week earlier, was stark, even for all the LP's issues. I was effectively cured from ever wanting to try to 'work from inside the Republican Party'. I'm an anarcho-capitalist, so it is only pragmatism that gets me involved at all..."

US Police State Drives Away Internet Traffic

Writes Thomas Schmidt: "It's always great to see that the Internet continues to route around failure, in this case the failure to respect individual privacy."

Ron Paul Delegate: 'The Republicans Are Nazis'

Writes a person from Texas: "I was a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention this year. If any delegate was known to be sympathetic to Dr. Paul, they were not allowed to speak to the convention. If they approached a microphone, the microphone would be turned off. If a delegate began to speak and attempted to mention Ron's name, the mic would be cutoff. Anyone sympathetic to the Paul delegates or even those for fair and open discussion were threatened with arrest. Houston police were everywhere and all they needed was a nod from the powerbrokers to haul someone off without offense.

"The Republicans are Nazis. I will never again vote, participate with or support them in any way. Knowing what I know now...even as an evangelical Christian, I would vote Democrat before I would ever again consider a fascist Republican. Dr. Paul is in a party that absolutely despises him and all that he stands for. Take a look at this link to see what they are doing to the Paul delegates that made it to Minnesota.

"The thought that I was a delegate to their convention makes me want to go bathe. I pray that they will be utterly defeated in November. They don't deserve to be dog catchers."

Ron Paul on the Colbert Show

(Thanks to Kalim Kassam)

A Flag in Her Office

So, Sarah Palin proudly displays an Israeli flag in her office in Juneau, and her "Pentecostal" faith makes supporting the state of Israel a central tenet of belief, possibly even more important than the Gospel itself (you know, that odd little fact that Jesus Christ was crucified and raised to redeem humanity from its sinfulness). As the Washington Times reports:

Mrs. Palin was baptized as a teenager at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church. She frequently attends the Juneau Christian Center, which is also part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God. Her home church is the Church of the Rock, an independent congregation.

"Historically, the Assemblies of God have been dispensationalists, which means they believe in 'the rapture' of Christians that takes them out of the world," said Mr. Matthews. "Central to that position is a very strong support for Israel. It's integral to their view of both prophecy and politics. Denying Israel is almost like denying the faith."

This got me to thinking. Flying the flag of another country, pledging allegiance and loyalty to another polity, this is not the behavior of politicians in a powerful, world ruling empire -- it's what people in conquered nations, colonies and satellite states do. I can imagine Czech communist party officials in, say, 1980, having the Soviet flag in their office, of groveling before the USSR and the CPSU. No serious politician in Moscow (the head of the Soviet-Czechoslovak Friendship Society is not serious) would fly or wear the Czech flag -- it was clear how power flowed, from Moscow to Prague. Or Senegalese politicians in the 1950s pledging their loyalty and love to France, but no one in Paris caring much about Senegal.

Now granted, there was no theology outlining the Moscow/Prague relationship (although Marxism is a kind-of secular premillennial dispensationism), nor in the French colonialism of Africa. I am also not a dispensationist (indeed, it is heretical) and I know that being a dispensationist is not a requirement for pledging allegiance to the state of Israel. Still, it's odd that the leaders of the allegedly powerful United States stumble over themselves swear their loyalty to another nation-state, another polity, with such fervor.

We're Still Fighting World War I

John McCain says the Cold War is over, but he still favors war to end all war. "I will draw on all my experience with the world and its leaders," he says, "and all the tools at our disposal -- diplomatic, economic, military, and the power of our ideals -- to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace."

New Publication: Beyond Distributism

This 79-page monograph is just out from the Acton Institute, as part of its Christian Social Thought Series.

I, I, I, I

I am a victim, a dedicated if imperfect servant of my country, not perfected until I realized that the State is far more important than I am, I love peace, I hate war, I will wage war, I will smite the Muslims, I will kill the Russians, I will strike down anyone who fails to bow the knee to me, I will drill, I will build nuclear power plants, I will care for the jobless, the homeless, the bankrupt, the sick, the oil men, the bankers, the arms merchants, the soldiers, the lobbyists; I was a POW, I bear the scars of Jesus on my body, I was wounded, I was hurt, I was crippled, I was jailed, I was tortured, I was imprisoned, I was gaoled, I was in captivity, I was behind bars, I was held against my will, except when I decided to stay, I told nothing, I told nothing, I told everything, country first, country first, freedom, low taxes, I will stand at your side, not in front of you, world empire, everything for the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State, hail me, hail me, hail me.

Policing Ron Paulians

The St. Paul police state was centered in the convention, of course, where the Secret Service and black shirts (oh, sorry, black hats) spied on Ron Paul delegates, harrassed them, stole their property, and demeaned them, with the threat of violence if they didn't heil the leader. (Thanks to John Parks.)

Lindsey Graham

>>Annoying, snarling, overbearing, monotone, boring<

James, Lindsey has a Democrat opponent who (in Gloria Steinem's endearing phrase) shares only a chromosone with Flim-Flam Graham.

His name is Bob Conley. He is anti-war, pro-liberty, anti-Lieberman, pro-life. Check him out.

Cindy's Speech Analyzed

Bring back Sarah! Bring back Sarah!

We dodged two bullets

The subtext of many positive libertarian posts about Palin is that we expected either the atrocious Romney or the horrendous Lieberman.

One rumor is that the house counting scandal torpedoed Romney--sweet!

Lindsey Graham

Annoying, snarling, overbearing, monotone, boring.

Bush attacks nuclear power

The U. S. attacked Pakistan the other day.

Remember when George Bush didn't know much about Pakistan? I wonder if he knows that Pakistan has nuclear weapons.

On the other hand, if you have nukes but do nothing when another government attacks, maybe those weapons aren't worth very much.

Re: Worse Than the Great Depression

Lew, Eric Englund stressed this most important point here on LRC: a house is a durable consumer good. However, not one person I know of (outside of self-educated skeptics, libertarians, or Austrians), be it a friend, co-worker, acquaintance, etc., gets it. A house is always and everywhere referred to as an "investment." This way, people can excuse away their oftentimes irresponsible, living-beyond-their-means housing purchase as something akin to a 401k contribution or gold coin purchase. If the house is an "investment," it must be considered saving rather than spending!

When I sat at lunch with several co-workers two weeks ago, talking about the housing depression in the Detroit suburbs, my very pointed and firm comment, "a house is not an investment; it is a durable consumer good," was met with shocked eyes (you're crazy!) and total silence.

My favorite comment outside of the "home as an