The sanctimonious hangman, interviewed by Pat Buchanan, wants to murder even more Muslims, with yet another phony excuse. Thanks to Nathan Entsminger for the video.
UPDATE That link no longer works, but here is the YouTube, and thanks to Minnesota Chris and all the many others who sent this to me.
"We're pretty much reprinting around the clock!" Do you have your copy yet?
Does anyone have a YouTube of the Pat Buchanan-Joe Lieberman colloquy on the alleged need to murder Persians, from Morning Joe today?
Manuel, here is text from ABC on that story: "Not-So-Safe-Deposit Boxes: States Seize Citizens' Property to Balance Their Budgets". You remembered the details well! "In Delaware, unclaimed property is the third largest source of state revenue."
I sense a theme in recent actions by the state: property forfeiture in the War on Drugs, property forfeiture in the Intellectual Property War and seizing of "unclaimed" property... The state is at war with us to sieze our property. Seems kind of obvious, but there it is.
Although I wouldn't consider the nomination his, yet. For a while, I would have said it was his for the taking. But many libertarians, and enthusiasts from the Ron Paul Revolution, might find this unsatisfactory: "In a news conference, Barr said 'only a fool' would specify a date and timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. But he said it's 'extremely important' and in the best interest of national defense to draw down dramatically the US troop presence in Iraq and decrease the military and political footprint in Iraq." For a critique of some of his other foreign policy views, see Justin Raimondo.
Lew: Your comment, in your earlier blog, read "The bust marks a return to reality." Might you be making a reference to this news story about Playboy's earnings?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080506/media_nm/playboy_dc_1
I just learned that the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (a private philanthropic foundation) awarded $60 million to undergraduate teaching institutions. The list of awardees indicates that many of the recipients were also "private" schools.
I often complain about scientists always wanting more money from the state for their worthy cause, so I am thrilled to hear about this completely voluntary science initiative. As an added bonus, it focuses on undergraduate schools, rather than the big research institutions, where a little bit goes a long way.
The bust marks a return to reality. (Thanks to Danny Ajamian.)
An interesting commentary on recent research on conservation is in last week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although it may be unintended, it sounds like the author is arguing for the application of Austrian Economics to environmental conservation in his conclusion:
although the goal of conservation is biological (e.g., maximize the number of species conserved), the means to obtain the goal are primarily socioeconomic... In the end, it is human actions that have caused the biodiversity crisis and changes in human behavior will be required to adequately resolve it.
WebsiteOutlook.com rates websites on their economic worth and daily pageviews.
LRC's worth is $286,780, and daily pageviews are 130,069. The New Republic's figures are $185,106 and 83,580. The Weekly Standard's are $112,967 and 50,776. Reason's are $96,579 and 43,218. CATO's are $61,466 and 27,186. And AEI's are $20,819 and 9,507.
So, as a website, LRC is worth 1.5 times as much as TNR, 2.5 times as much as the Weekly Standard, three times as much as Reason, 4.7 times as much as CATO, and 13.6 times as much as AEI.
Note: From WSO's lips to God's ear on LRC advertising potential! Also, our daily pageviews are understated, according to Google Analytics, but thanks to Doug Eberhardt for drawing all this fascinating information to my attention.
UPDATE from Burt Blumert: "How about pointing out that the neocons and Koch libertarians (if there is a difference) have vast funding and many full-time web staffers, and LRC is pretty much a one-man band?"
Writes Joshua Warren: "I was just playing the new videogame Grand Theft Auto IV, when I heard a quote that just thrilled me.
"The main character is told that a construction union is blocking the construction of a new hospital, and his next mission is to 'clear the union members out' of the construction site. Confused, the protagonist (a recent immigrant) voices his concern about attacking the simple union workers.
"He's then laughed at and told 'union's just another word for mafia!'
"Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that in such a mainstream game."
Writes Eric Garris: "I had no idea your state was so libertarian!" Of course, like the US constitution, the Alabama one has pretty much failed, though we are still one of the least-taxed, least-regulated states in the Imperial Union.
I don't see the need to put Webb on the ticket -- although he could name him as Secretary of Defense. The environment of temporarily-reduced violence that the surge created (and gave McCain the nomination) is collapsing, and the case against the war will be easy to make. If he needed to shore up his foreign policy bonafides, he could simply pre-announce his foreign policy team (SecState Biden, bring Perry back as SecDef, etc.); putting realist foreign-policy "veterans" back in the White House would add a lot to the narrative of "un-doing" the damage Bush has done.
As for the list, it excludes Brian Schweitzer, the Democratic MT Gov. who's a strong supporter of the second amendment and a major opponent of REAL ID and the Patriot Act. The Gov. has said in speeches that REAL ID is the first step on the road to a police state.
I think that the Dem's path to victory is in the Mountain West, where they have made the most gains in the past 4 years, hence their choice to have the convention in Denver. That's why I think it'll be a western Gov., either Schweitzer, Richardson, or the Governor here in Colorado, Bill Ritter. Ritter is a pro-life progressive (he was even a Catholic missionary in Zambia in the late 80s) from a swing state (that was red until '06) who's decent on gun rights.
Actor Farina, whose down to earth work I always enjoy, forgot he had a loaded 22 caliber pistol in his luggage at the airport. I believe him.
"The actor was booked on one misdemeanor count of carrying a loaded firearm - until the charge was upgraded to a felony when police discovered the pistol was not registered.
Bail was initially set at $25,000."
What gets me boiling mad -- really angry -- is not only that this is a misdemeanor, but it's a felony that the pistol was not registered. Not to mention the outrageous bail.
When I was a kid, having a 22 pistol or rifle was NOTHING! NOTHING!
My dad had two unregistered pistols (one a 25 caliber Mauser semi-automatic) that I inherited, and they are the only material objects I have from him. They are no longer in my possession because I am a felon in New York if I keep them here. Transporting them by car through Massachusetts is another felony.
Who even thought about registration? Today it's a felony if it is not registered? Is America a police state or is it a police state? The answer is obvious. Any of us can be put away for infractions that we are completely unaware of or for doing what any free and law-abiding person should be able to do. And that includes walking down the street with a loaded and unregistered pistol in one's pocket.
Gun carry laws are all well and good, but frankly I don't want to spend months of my life getting the State's permission to do what I should be able to do and once could in the first place.
Warning: foul language. (And thanks to Ryan Bassett.)
UPDATE: Here is a working link.
From US News:
McCain begins talking about his captors. They are living in Hanoi, he says, except for the Cuban, the man he called "Fidel," who would beat the American prisoners with an automobile fan belt. "He was particularly cruel," McCain says, his mood darkening almost imperceptibly. McCain says he has the CIA looking for "Fidel," and a reporter innocently asks why. "He was from a foreign country!" McCain says, his voice rising. "He had no business coming to Hanoi and killing my friends! And I'd love to bring him to justice!" And just as quickly, the storm passes. McCain adjusts his glasses a little and says, "It was a long time ago. I almost never talk about it." He looks from one reporter to another. "Really. There was a lot of humor in prison. A lot of funny stories.""See," writes Luke Oehler, "'Fidel' was a foreigner who had no right to be in North Vietnam - unlike the American foreigners who came to drop millions of tons of bombs on the country. BTW, just how many politicians have the power to task the CIA with settling their personal scores? Can ANY Senator issue such assignments? I'd honestly like to know.
"If the CIA ever does find the Cuban who tortured McCain, they'll surely take him to one of their secret prisons overseas. Considering his skills, the only question is whether he'll arrive as an inmate or a member of the staff."
Max Schultz in City Journal on "a celebrated green economy [that] produces pollution elsewhere, ongoing power shortages, and business-crippling costs." Thanks to Sean Corrigan, who calls it a "fabulous piece."
Law professor and famous blogger Glenn Reynolds writes a decent review of Ron's important new book. Despite the review, Ron is right on foreign policy, right on earmarks (an executive vs. congress issue, not a spending issue), and right on the Fed and the gold standard, but hooray for the reviewer's civil and intelligent tone. This is a first for the neocon Pajamas Media, and a recognition of what an historically important figure Ron is, as well as a tribute to Professor Reynolds. (Thanks to Steve Bartin.)
As Andrew Malcolm notes in the LA Times political blog, and as highlighted in red by Drudge, there is still a lot of opposition to Cap'n McCain within the Republican party. The Ron Paul guerillas will never give up, as Ron's #1 book and current state convention achievements show, and the Imperial Occupation Forces are vulnerable. Freedom, prosperity and peace! How, by the way, is a Rebel yell spelled? (Thanks to Greg W.)
Under PATRIOT Act II, if the government claims an "emergency" it has given itself the "right" to confiscate the contents of any safe deposit box.
Leave it up to government to call outright theft "patriotic" (as long as government bureaucrats are the thieves). What's next: Will they call taxation (a.k.a., legalized theft) "patriotic" too? (Oh yeah, they've been doing that for about 100 years already).
I just watched a story on the morning news about how states, California in this particular example, have been seizing the contents of safe deposit boxes without even the consent of the person whose items were stolen. In the news report, a woman's family jewels and important documents were simply taken by the state and went into the government's archives as belonging to "Unknown" when it was clearly her name and address on all the papers that had been taken.
The report also noted that "unclaimed property" is, in Delaware, the third most profitable source of income for the state.
