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By Guest Writer: Sean VanSickel Much has been said in recent years about legalizing drugs. Most of this discussion, however, deals specifically with the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. It is a fiercely debated subject, and no consensus has been reached. Something that has not been studied or debated nearly as much are the social and economic effects of legalized street drugs. The criminalization of drugs actually encourages crime, funds gang activities, and promotes drug addiction. Current U.S. drug policy echoes that of alcohol prohibition during the 1920s. Such prohibitions are beneficial in the sense that law-abiding citizens sometimes try to avoid the illegal product, but they do tremendous harm to society as well, since prohibitions ". . . can increase income-generating crime, such as theft or prostitution, by raising prices if the consumers finance consumption of the prohibited commodity from such crime ( The Effects of Prohibitions )." Prohibition c

What an awesome surprise! My friend and colleague, Matt Collins was able to get a few of us in to a private reception to meet libertarian apologist extraordinaire, John Stossel on Vanderbilt University's campus yesterday evening ahead of his debate with Ralph Nader. Awesome!

This excellent video features the history of Iran on a timeline stretching back to the U.S.-led installment of the Shah in 1953. Most Americans need to realize that the modern history of Iran didn't start with the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis in 1979. Instead, the very short documentary above chronicles the modern history of Iran as most Iranians see it- their struggle for freedom against an imperialistic U.S. foreign policy that overthrew their democracy in 1953 (yes America overthrew a democracy overseas) and replaced it with a pro-U.S. dictator . How could America have strayed so far, that our once humble republic sets up and supports kings in other countries? Can we be honest and admit this is wrong? Can we true patriots, who love freedom acknowledge when our government has violated it? Do we have the courage and fortitude to demand that our government change course and stand for freedom once again? Hat tip: The Daily Paul

Yeah- you have to read this . It's awesome.

The most recent article at my CAIVN column : The Sacramento Bee reports : "An aide in Kelso's office said that, conservatively, the prison system could save $213 million over five years by paroling just 32 inmates identified as severely incapacitated." This would cut costs, Kelso argues, while keeping Californians safe, because it restricts medical parole to prisoners who do not pose any danger to the public because they are physically incapable of committing another crime. Read the whole article here .

Please help Rand Paul run more of these TV ads in Kentucky by donating to his campaign now.

What is the proper relationship between the Federal government and the states? What ramifications does this relationship have for the recently passed health care bill? I explored this question in my live radio program yesterday evening with three awesome guests. Tennessee State Representative Beth Harwell discussed the Health Care Freedom Act she is cosponsoring to nullify the individual mandate in the State of Tennessee. Tenth Amendment Center Founder, Michael Boldin stopped by to explain the Founding Fathers' intent when they penned the Constitution. Finally, grassroots community organizer (the good kind though) Matt Collins called in to encourage grassroots participation in our political processes, lest America fall prey to more bad legislation like this health care bill. I also had a heated debate with a caller about one hour into the program, who just couldn't seem to understand how the principle of non-aggression applies to the government's actions. You can listen to

A creative project of Eric Olsen

From the most recent article at my CAIVN column : In all likelihood, California could be the very first state in the union to legalize the recreational use of marijuana this November. After legalization activists submitted nearly 700,000 signatures for a proposition to legalize marijuana, California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen certified a ballot initiative earlier this week to legalize the cultivation, possession, and sale of marijuana in the state of California for recreational purposes. The initiative will go on the ballot this November, and it needs only a simple majority to pass and become law (just as if the legislature had passed it and the governor had signed it), which should be a breeze considering that state-wide polling shows that 56% of California's registered voters support legalizing and taxing marijuana. But what does this all mean, and what deeper controversy will it ignite? Read the rest of the article here to find out.

Author: Roy Antoun / H.T. YALiberty I'm permanently moving my weekly radio program from 7 - 9 pm Central Time on Saturdays to that same time slot on Sundays. I've been getting some feedback that more people are at home and available on Sunday evenings than Saturdays, so we'll see how this works. Thanks so much for bearing with me as I make all these changes to get this libertarian blog where it needs to be (at the top of the blogosphere raining down libertarian ideas like a refreshing Spring shower and waging peace on the whole world). Like the picture above? Me too. It's a perfect prelude to announce a most awesome of interview line-ups for this Sunday's show. (Don't forget- it's this Sunday now!) Tim Daniel and I will be interviewing TN state representative Beth Harwell about her sponsorship of Tennessee's Health Freedom Act , to nullify ObamaCare. Then we'll be talking with Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth Amendment Center , to discuss

Enough said.

An idea recently occurred to me for an innovative, new kind of message forum to integrate into the Humble Libertarian website. It's different for sure, so it has its own list of pros and cons, separate from more traditional kinds of message forums. I've had a very small group of close friends help me test it out just a little, but I'd like to open it up to a wider pool of people who are interested in helping me to determine if it's kind of lame, or totally awesome . All you need to participate is a valid Twitter account. If you're interested in joining the new message forum here at T H L , please shoot me an e-mail with the subject "THL Forum."

With Earth Hour 2010, which is to say: "anti-poor, anti-freedom, anti-humanity, anti-progress, anti-happiness hour 2010" just a day away , let's review what Earth Hour really means: Anti-poor: It is anti-poor because its organizers support strict, coercive carbon mitigation policies which will destroy the ability of the third world poor to develop and become affluent. It's easy and fun to sit in the dark for an hour with friends when you know you can turn the lights back on, but you're being incredibly dense, insensitive, and cruel to the people of the world without your advantages, who have a dream of developing and becoming affluent like you. Those people often sit in darkness anyway, not by choice, but because of substandard power systems and intense poverty. They live in countries that need to industrialize, that need to burn fossil fuels, that need to use energy in order to develop. The carbon-regulatory schemes at issue with the Earth Hour supporters, will

Wait a second- hear me out on this... I think their heart is in the right place and that the Democrats' health care bill was certainly unconstitutional. But what I want to see is some nullification coming from the states, not Federal lawsuits filed by state officials, which will go through Federal courts, potentially take years to be resolved, and be subject to some bad precedent in Federal jurisprudence. Instead of implicitly acknowledging Federal authority over the states by suing in a Federal court, each state legislature should pass a law declaring the health care bill unconstitutional, and instructing the state's attorney general to protect state residents from any Federal agents that try to enforce it. States, not Federal courts, have the final authority on the constitutionality of Federal legislation, and it is their prerogative to nullify unconstitutional Federal laws by refusing to comply and committing to protect their residents who don't comply. The foll

It is incredibly encouraging to see state legislators and attorney generals vow to interpose between their residents and the unconstitutional encroachments of an out-of-control Washington. Their reasoning is absolutely correct. Requiring a citizen to purchase a product or pay a fee to the government is unconstitutional. Article I of the Constitution makes no provision for Congress to do such a thing, or even to meddle in the health care industry for any reason at all. So if it's unconstitutional to force citizens to purchase health insurance, and the states are going to battle to nullify that unconstitutional law by vowing not to comply with it, why don't they nullify other Federal policies that unconstitutionally require citizens to buy into programs that they'd rather not? How for instance, is it constitutional for the Federal government to require citizens to save for their retirement through Social Security (which is also a form of insurance in addition to a pensi

Hilarious!

From my most recent article at Our America Initiative : "It is tempting to lose heart after seeing Washington rack up a trillion dollars more in debt this weekend, while claiming that its new health care bill will actually save America money in the long run. It is especially discouraging to see Congress using back-room deals and arm-twisting to pass a bill that a majority of Americans didn’t even want. This is not how our government should work. But don’t lose heart or feel like the fight is over. In truth, it has only just begun..." Read the rest here . Also listen to what Governor Gary Johnson has to say about our out-of-control nation debt and why we can't afford the three trillion dollars the Democrats just spent:

Get your own t-shirt here . Yeah, I saw this on a Facebook status update and just had to turn it into a t-shirt for everyone to wear around. Here's the quotation: "Health care 'reform' passed by a Congress that hasn't read it, signed by a President who smokes, administered by an obese Surgeon General, financed by a Treasury Secretary who didn't pay his taxes, and paid for by a country that is broke - what could possibly go wrong?"

Refuting one of the most commonly repeated lies about the Democrats' health care reform bill:

Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but I think my new e-book " Learn About Liberty " does something extremely crucial at a time when it is most needed: it explains what libertarians believe and why. People are interested in libertarianism today, perhaps more than ever before in modern American history. Now is the chance to show them what we've got, tell them what we believe, and explain why it is so necessary for a good, happy, and flourishing society. The following are some banners for you to promote " Learn About Liberty " at your website in a post or in your sidebar. Please help me spread the message. After this, I have only one last announcement that I'm planning to make regarding Learn About Liberty . Keep your eye out for it. And keep your eye out for announcements about my next e-book! *wink* Thanks for supporting the message of liberty: <center><a href="http://www.humblelibertarian.com/2008/10/learn-about-liberty.html" target=&q

Did you hear about Joe Biden's F-bomb ? Oh yeah- the gaffe-prone Vice President Joe Biden totally dropped the F-word on national television at the President's signing of the new health care bill. Lol. Oblivious of the open mic in front of them, Joe Biden shook the President's hand and whispered (not very quietly) into his ear "this is a big *F-bomb* -ing deal." Here's the " Joe Biden F-Bomb video ..." No grand, eloquent, or flowery speech here. Nothing like "One small step for man..." just a crass "this is a big fucking deal!" How emblematic of the corrupt, classless, gutter politics dominating the White House today. The vulgar language is a fitting capstone to the vulgarization of America's parliamentary and democratic processes for the sake of unwanted Federal price-fixing and the sweeping consolidation of an already unchecked, monopolistic health insurance cartel. What Joe Biden really meant to say when he dropped the F-bom

At least for me, there can be little doubt that passage of the new health care reconciliation bill this weekend was a major loss for libertarians, the ailing American economy, the old and sick, the young and healthy, small business owners, America's struggling middle and lower classes, and yes- even the uninsured (who will now have to go through the government to get to the care they need- not really much of an improvement). But the battle is not over. There are still five things you can do: 1. Tell your Representatives how you feel You courageously and tirelessly held off this assault on our freedom, prosperity, and Constitution for a year. Now that the bill has passed, the Democrats who were responsible for this health care travesty are counting on you to lose interest and move on. Don't give them what they want. Make sure they keep paying the price for the dishonorable thing they did this weekend. Find your representatives' contact information with this easy-to-use reso

Watching the health care debacle unfold, I was of course, infuriated to see the hypocrisy of the Democrats on the issue of reconciliation, which they lambasted as undemocratic, dangerous, and wrong when George W. Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress threatened to use this "nuclear option" in 2005. Every single one of the Democrats' leaders who are advocating the (mis)use of reconciliation today, were among its fiercest critics not very long ago. Indeed, Joe Biden literally says in the video above that he prays that the Democrats won't be so foolhardy as to use reconciliation when they regain power. Now he's part of administration that is doing the very thing he and then-Senator Obama so vehemently opposed. But most Republicans watching this had better take something more away from it than their disdain for Democratic hypocrisy. You see, the video above shows just how responsible the Republican Party is for the problems Americans face today. By pushing the l

I am thrilled to have received my first donation and a couple brief testimonials for my new e-book... " Learn About Liberty " Here is what some people are saying: "Nice work. The length was perfect, and the story was clear and concise. I'm not much of a history buff, so I enjoyed learning about libertarian roots dating back to even ancient (Sumerian) times." -A reader "A very worthy and fascinating read." - C.S.Burks ( source ) So if you haven't already, I highly recommend that you give the book a read . If you want to write a short book review or testimonial for Learn About Liberty , e-mail me so I know about it, and I'll include you in the next round-up (with link love to your website or Twitter account).

Photo by Gage Skidmore On today's March 23rd "Give Me Liberty" money bomb (a single day of massive online donations), U.S. Senate hopeful Rand Paul has already raised over $125,000 towards his victory in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, with over twelve hours to go. Past money bombs indicate that he will raise even more in the second half of the day. Check back here for updates. UPDATE: with just four hours left to go, Rand Paul has raised $220,000. Let's push him all the way to $300,000 by midnight! In the meantime, the following is a message from Rand Paul: Dear friend, Today is the big day. It's your chance to show the establishment once and for all that we're here to take our government back! As I've traveled around Kentucky the last few weeks, I'm sensing an energy that is growing. It started with the Tea Parties. It's been fueled by the continued of of control spending and lust for power of our elected officials. The beginning of the

This short video explains how totally messed up the whole process was for getting this health care reconciliation bill passed. In the end no one will be able to say that Americans wanted this or that Congress was proud of it. Sad. Hat tip: Young Americans for Liberty

(Credit: AP) During the raging health care debate yesterday, a CBS News White House correspondent asked what, exactly, President Obama was watching. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs actually replied , "Mostly basketball." Seriously. This is CBS- not The Onion . What a jerk. Totally reminds me of how inappropriately cavalier Bush was: The President will also sign the new health care bill this Tuesday , breaking yet again, his promise to maintain transparency by posting all non-emergency legislation to WhiteHouse.gov for five business days before signing it. He has shamelessly broken this easy-to-keep promise without even blushing since the first days of his administration. I have as yet heard no explanation, no apology, not even an attempt to defend Mr. Obama's blatant lie. Thanks for nothing, Mr. President. Really classy.

The health care reform passed this weekend with a reconciliation vote of 220 to 211. Support for the bill was strictly party line, with 220 Democratic votes. Opposition to the bill was bipartisan, with all 178 Republicans and 33 Democrats opposing the bill's passage. (source: House Clerk ) In response to the passage of H.R. 4872, the "Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010," ( full text here ) the Internet is abuzz with questions like " What does the health care bill mean to me? " which is a trending topic on Google, along with " new health care bill pros and cons ," " healthcare bill summary ," and " obama health care plan explained ." Oh now you're interested? You couldn't have bothered to search for these questions before the bill passed, and determine your opinion in time to make a difference in its passage? Hmm? Okay. Whatever. At least you're paying attention now. Let's break it d

If only Republicans would act this way all the time, especially when they are in power. My hat goes off to you, Republican Party, for holding your ground on this most crucial of issues. I must say though, that you didn't have enough votes to block the Federal health care takeover because you lost your credibility over the last several years of voting for Federal expansion into other areas of our lives (including health care). You didn't lose this battle yesterday- you lost it over several years of behaving differently than you did last night. Learn the lesson. Fight for freedom. When you gain control of the House this Fall, be the party of limited government that you say you are. Don't forget how you felt and how you acted on March 21, 2010. That is the Republican Party I would like to see over the next decade.

I am hereby releasing my very first libertarian e-book, which is entitled: " Learn About Liberty ," and I am proud to announce that it is absolutely free! Just click the link above or the image below to start reading it right here on T H L . You don't even have to bother with PDFs or Word Documents. While the book is available absolutely free of charge, your voluntarily payment for whatever value you get out of reading it is encouraged and welcome! (More details on the concluding page of the book .) Also please help me spread the word about it and promote it to the many people out there who are interested in learning about libertarianism. My hope is that this will be a powerful educational tool and resource for years to come, which is one reason I wanted to make it available on my website to anyone who wants to read it. In the meantime, I will be working on my next e-book, which I am very excited about! Hopefully I will be ready to take orders for it by the end

Tonight we are going to be doing something different than usual. Instead of my typical weekly radio program , I will be hosting during my usual time slot from 7 - 9 pm CST for the Peace Blimp radio marathon, by Trevor Lyman- who brought you the Ron Paul blimp during his 2007-08 campaign ( details here ): Thank you for joining us this March 20th for the Peace Blimp Radio Marathon. Together we're marking the 7th anniversary of the Iraq war as the beginning of it's end. A special thanks goes out to all of our guests for their dedication to the cause of ending the U.S. wars of aggression and to those behind the scenes making this event happen. I'll be interviewing four really cool guests tonight: 7 - 7:30 pm CST - Six-term U.S. Congresswoman and 2008 Green Party Presidential Candidate, Cynthia McKinney . 7:30 - 8 pm CST - Senior Vice President of Campaign for Liberty , Jesse Benton . 8 - 8:30 pm CST - The host of Antiwar Radio for KAOS Radio 95.9 FM in Austin, Texas, KUCR 88

No Handle Bars meaning : This is one of the greatest anti-war, anti-police state, anti-military-industrial-complex songs ever written. It is also an ode to the power and potential of our world's young people today, a warning that we are balanced on a razor's edge between a future of limitless human flourishing and creativity, and a parallel future of war and destruction to rival even the darkest moments of the last century. Flobots founder Jamie Laurie stated : "The song is about the idea that we have so much incredible potential as human beings to be destructive or to be creative. And it's tragic to me that the appetite for military innovation is endless, but when it comes to taking on a project like ending world hunger, it's seen as outlandish. It's not treated with the same seriousness... The lyrics came to me as I was riding a bike home from work with my hands in the air — I had just learned how to do it — and I felt triumphant, but at the same time, I knew

Photo by Gage Skidmore From Liberty Maven : The Tea Party folks were jumping for joy the day after Scott Brown won the special election in Massachusetts. Brown’s victory was all about stopping the Democrats from passing health reform and little else. His subsequent vote, incidentally his very first vote, supporting Obama’s “stimulus 2″ jobs bill reinforced this reality amongst some of his now formerly devoted supporters. Rand Paul is everything the Tea Partiers wanted in Scott Brown and more. He is their Reagan fantasy becoming reality. Only they don’t appear to completely realize it yet. Sarah Palin’s endorsement was huge, but the jury is still out on whether Palin is more than just a conservative “Barbie” to Scott Brown’s “Ken”. Dropping the campaign sweat from Rand Paul’s brow on truly limited government litmus paper reveals two names that would make almost every conservative smile: Goldwater and Reagan. These two icons are at the very root of Rand Paul’s philosophy of governance.

Just got this text a little earlier today from an old high school friend of mine: I've spent my entire morning sending Jim Cooper e-mails on behalf of me, my mother and my brother urging him to vote no on health care. That's the spirit. Kill that bill!

What an excellent video! Please share this.

Power Line blog takes Christians to task for their overwhelming silence on the issue of violent religious persecution against their fellow Christians around the world. While I may not agree with all of their analysis, I am glad they asked the question : In a number of places around the world, it is open season on Christians. We read of Christians burned out of their homes and slaughtered in Pakistan. Most recently, at least 500 Christians were murdered in Nigeria... So where is the outrage? Not only should Christians care more, speak out more vocally on this issue, and take more action to make the world a safer place for Christians and for all persecuted minority groups, libertarians should consider religious persecution a main priority for focused activism. This is something people on all sides of the political debate can come together to accomplish. We can all come together and oppose the intolerant, vicious behavior of the Chinese government toward Tibet, and its spiritual and tem

Photo by Gage Skidmore From Congressman Ron Paul to patriots everywhere: ------------- Dear Friend, My son Rand is running a great campaign in Kentucky. Through hard work and your support, he is winning! We have a real chance to send the most principled, limited government leader to the United States Senate in a generation. But now, he needs you more than ever. The big government establishment has turned on their fundraising machine to try and defeat Rand. According to media reports, Rand's challenger has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past several weeks. The sources? Disgusting! PAC's, special interests and the banking industry - all of whom are opening up their wallets for Rand's opponent. Remember when AIG took billions of taxpayer bailout dollars not once, but twice? Well, I have it on good information that AIG's chief lobbyist just held a high dollar, big money fundraiser for Rand's rival. I am sure you can figure out why. Rand has shrewdly pur