Bob Barr gets another hour with Glenn Beck. He demonstrates his moderate libertarianism here. Hopefully he wins over some viewers who were/are on the fence about voting third party. Many topics are discussed. The video below is in 6 parts thanks to YouTube 10 minute limits and commercials on the show.
Michael Phelps and other American athletes are bringing back loads of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals from the Beijing Olympics. A young libertarian economist asks if it was worth it.
I confess that due to being an athlete and loving competition myself, I greatly admire the athletes. Their abilities represent the human potential, and in a way every world record set pushes at our limits. However, surely a darker way of looking the Olympics is similar to Dan Clore’s article “A Libertarian View of the Olympics” as just a nationalized bread-and-circus event or an opiate for the masses. Surely some of the events are graded in a subjective manner – while one can run a marathon with a certain indisputable time, the same cannot be said of diving or synchronized swimming, or this jump-rope-tossing-and-dancing event I saw.
Dear libertarians, constitutionalists, and any other Ron Paul supporters,
I am writing because I think some of us do not realize the situation we are in. We are struggling against what Ron Paul likes to term “the Establishment.” We also need to be very wary of attrition. First, we need to recognize that it is paramount to keep ourselves together and politically active. Second, we need to patiently erode at the popular support for the Establishment and if possible flood the “hearts and minds” away from it. Third, this Establishment is a hurricane that is destroying the freedom, money, jobs, economy and even the very lives of We the People. That is what is trying to wear us down, and we need to bare our teeth into this storm, keep snarling our rejection back at it, and keep growing.
Don’t Get Lost! Stay Together, Stay Politically Active
Principle-wise, this stuggle could also be termed a ‘war of attrition’ is no different from the colonists in the first American Revolution, no different from any other guerilla war of any minority versus a majority, of any battle of the weak against the strong. We most likely number somewhere between the 83,000 at the Campaign’s website and the million-odd who voted for Ron Paul in the presidential primaries, but do not bet the farm on such a high figure.
Imagine Ron Paul as our general if you will. He has planted his flag on this small hillock of Freedom called www.campaignforliberty.com. We there all stand by him and his ideas of liberty and are basically throwing snowballs at passer-bys. Some we whack in the face and they fire back. Some though will say, boy that stung! and perhaps become aware of some truth behind this Establishment and then join us. Our job is to turn this little hill into a mountain, and eventually set off avalanches. This is goal of the Revolution.
Much has been argued on both sides of the recent Georgian - Russian conflict. Over at a favorite read of mine Antiwar.comJustin Raimondo calls great attention to the fact that Georgia attacked South Ossetia first. He also points out that Georgian President Saakashvili didn’t exactly come to power democratically no matter what is said on the matter. He is the foil for the current anti-Russian “narrative” from the main stream media in the US.
Both the Russians and Georgians make “information warfare” claims of each other. It seems to me both of their claims are true. Georgia attacked South Ossetia for their goal of independence. Russia used that attack as an excuse to wage all out war with Georgia. A curious interview occurred on the FOX News channel where a 12 year old girl (and her mother) both had harsh words for Georgia for bombing South Ossetia. It was almost as if Vladimir Putin himself controlled puppet strings attached to the girl and her mother. The truth we may never know, but it is a perfect example of the word warfare inherent in this conflict.
Over at NolanChart.com, Walt Thiessen has written a critical article on Bob Barr’s Libertarian campaign for President. It is a negative article that I, unfortunately, mostly agree with. Thiessen makes three major points:
Although some polls put Bob Barr in the 6% range in June, all polls now put him in the 1-2% range.
Measuring up to Ron Paul’s, Barr’s fundraising is comparatively non-existent.
Barr has “failed to win over the party faithful”, and has failed to adequately explain his support of unconstitutional bills in his past.
I agree with him on the first 2½ points, but when he and other people continue to say that Bob Barr has done nothing to alleviate the concerns of those who question his part, I strongly disagree. In every interview I’ve seen where people question his past support for the Patriot Act, the Drug War, etc., he has admitted his mistake, and explained how he seen the light and actually worked hard to reverse these things. What else can the man do? Only time will tell whether or not he is sincere or just being political expedient, but that’s not part of this argument. Bob has worked tirelessly for the past 5 years against the Patriot Act and it’s successors, FISA, and has even joined up with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Marijuana Policy Project in support of medicinal drug use. What else can the man do to alleviate concerns? If you simply choose not to trust him, that’s one thing. But to say that he’s done nothing is simply ludicrous.
Thiessen concludes by predicting Barr will get less votes in November than Badnarik’s 397,000 in 2004, which I feel is quite astonishing. I certainly hope this won’t be the case.
Dan Alba’s latest “‘Russia v. Georgia’ and the Media Spin Machine” did a great job exposing the American media spin on our world’s newest war in South Ossetia started by Georgia (not to be confused with the state with the tasty peaches). In this article I want to warn again of war with Iran, and of a possible WWIII and nuclear holocaust.
[Simultaneously, despite wars continuing or starting up in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Georgia region, today in Beijing our fearless leader and alleged murderer George W. Bush was videotaped relaxing, laughing, hugging, and slapping the bodacious bottoms of two lovely bikini-clad beach volleyball players from California.]
In July, I highlighted that House Concurrent Resolution 362 would enable war against Iran in the form of a total air, sea, and land blockade. This bill passed the House and is now in the Senate as Senate Resolution 580, with 32 co-sponsors. For those who would say such a blockade is NOT an act of war I remind you of the Union naval blockade of the South in the War of Succession, and the British blockades during the War of 1812, which led to the burning of Washington DC in 1814.
No, the Ron Paul supporter I speak of is not someone living in China or Japan loaning George W. Bush money to fund his “illegal” war in Iraq; thereby, giving him “credit”. I am the supporter I speak of, and I think Bush deserves credit for two very important things. It is pretty sad that there are only two things that represent the good in the 8 years of W, but so it goes.
First, George W. Bush has lifted the executive order moratorium on drilling off our coastlines. This action helped lower fuel prices significantly. The price of a single barrel of oil dropped more than 15 dollars in the week following the lifting of the ban. This seems to prove wrong those on the left in Congress (and elsewhere) that claim lifting the coastal ban would not show any immediate relief at the pump. So, thank you President Bush for doing something. Sure, you can do more, but this is a good start.
The second thing I give Bush credit for is his tax cuts. They certainly were not the sweeping cuts we sorely need, but they were fairly substantial. I fear with the potential of a Democrat in the White House beginning next year those cuts will be repealed. They not only should be made permanent, but more cuts should be done. However, cuts are only one part of the equation.
Cutting taxes without cutting spending only increases the yearly deficit and the national debt. This is an area where Ron Paul and Bob Barr rise above every other candidate for President. McCain likes to talk about cutting earmarks, but they are only a drop in the bucket. Doing that without other cuts is the equivalent of removing a single flea from a flea-infested pet.
George W. Bush could have certainly done more in his 8 long years in office, but he has at least done some good. Does his good make up for the bad? Not a chance. But we should at least recognize that there is some good. He even has a few more months in office to do more good things.
What will we think of the Bush Presidency 3 years from now? If history is any guide, once Presidents leave office they become more popular with the American public. Will this be the case for George Bush? Only time will tell.
Open your wallet and take a look at the money you have inside. Hopefully you have some metallic coins and slips of paper (actually its linen). Take a closer look. At the top in large letters it reads: ‘FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE.’
The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. It issued the money you hold in your hands, although the Department of the Treasury actually printed it. Although it has the word ‘Federal’ in the title, the Federal Reserve is a private bank or company delegated the power by Congress to manipulate the money supply. It is no more ‘federal’ than Federal Express or Wal-Mart for that matter. More on this later.
Now, far more curious is the use and definition of the financial term ‘note.’
Note - A written promise to pay a specific sum of money on a certain date. A written pledge to pay.
Interesting. A ‘Note’ is actually a form of Debt, i.e. you are owed its worth by the United States government. The linen also has text “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.” ‘Legal Tender’ is a legalese that means money that cannot be refused by law when you are paid or go to buy something.
But what is this note for debt actually worth ? A common fallacy is that the worth of the dollar is indirectly tied to the gold at Fort Knox. Dead wrong! Another is that the dollar is tied to the nation’s GDP/GNP/purchasing-power parity. There is some truth to this, as the dollar’s worth ‘floats’ or fluctuates with the exchange rates of other currencies like the Euro and Yen, but what is a dollaractually worth ?
This series will seek to explain what I’ve nicknamed the Money Matrix. We will first discuss what money really is or should be, then educate ourselves on why the current global monetary system is intrinsically flawed. As we proceed, taboo topics or not-well-understood time-bombs like the Federal Reserve, financial derivatives, and hyperinflation will be discussed. The last part of the series will seek to provide basic understandings of US big government finances such as the national debt, social security, the income tax, the trade deficit, etc. My goal is to explain this as simply as possible and how the current global monetary policy is morally wrong, so please ask any questions as probably both you and I will learn something further.
However, anything I write will just be tidbits of a greater truth, what I write will not be a substitute for thorough understanding. With that end in mind, I’ve included an online source list with comments at the end of this letter for you, the Reader, to peruse.
For your reference, this column really started with my outrage and personal search for truth concerning the morally wrong American wars of invasion or the “War on Terror,” but in a way I now believe I have been treating just a particularly egregious symptom, not the disease itself. Like Neo choosing the pill of reality, I believe I have at last come in contact with the walls of this ‘Matrix’, and having ripped a hole in it, and at long last can peek out and gaze at a reality for the first time from the outside in. I see how this Matrix has enslaved (or controlled, take your pick) all, and constrained mankind from our full potential. I see how this Matrix has enabled more wars and strife for our world, and I will now oppose it, rid of my ignorance. However, make no mistake, history is littered with battles of free men against this Matrix, and the wreckage of defeat is strewn throughout the sands of time, as well as the modern day. (To clarify the ‘Money Matrix’ idea, I believe it just consists of people and groups with their own motives, ideas, beliefs, resources, and desires, not some type of wacko conspiracy. These people (just like I) are just acting out life in their vision which may include “for the greater good of all” or for more self-centered reasons.)
As July ends, the American death count stands at 158 Americans YTD, and is on course to set a new all-time record in the seven-year war with close to 300 deaths. Coalition war death count from May-July 2008 is 99 dead, setting a record for any three consecutive months in the Afghan war. July 2007-July 2008 set a record with 257 coalition dead over any 12-month time span.
McBama has called for another “Surge” as the American people must be made to neglect these deaths and support these unconstitutional wars in this election year. Barackcuda has recently been showing his true audacious and imperialistic colors with his desire to leave the 140,000 private Blackwater-type and up to 80,000 Americans behind AFTER the “withdrawal” from Iraq while escalating war in Afghanistan and starting a third war with the sovereign nation of Pakistan, who opposes this as I explain here Utter Chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan as Barack Obama Sanctions Preemptive War .
Liberty Maven
Dan Alba’s latest “‘
