The Humble Libertarian original

Below is the video version ( Jack Hunter -style, though admittedly not as good as the Southern Avenger's handiwork ) of my Op Ed this Monday, criticizing the progressive media's shameful hypocrisy on matters of race and party. W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page

'The government can prosecute private citizens for giving advice to a foreign organization - on how to negotiate peace or take its case to the United Nations, for example - if the group is on the U.S. terrorist list, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. In the most important foreign policy and civil liberties case of their 2009-10 term, the justices ruled 6-3 that a law prohibiting "material support" of foreign terrorist organizations can be used against people who claim to be providing only peaceful, humanitarian assistance.' Read the whole article at the San Francisco Chronicle . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

Not so shocking video: During her confirmation hearings, Senator Coburn asks Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan if the government has the Constitutional power under the Commerce Clause, to require all Americans to eat three vegetables and three fruits a day. She sidesteps the question by saying it would be a "dumb law." Then she says that the question of whether it's a dumb law is different from the question of whether or not it's Constitutional, implying that she thinks it is. If Congress passed such a law, we could count on Justice Kagan not to strike it down. That is her kind of judicial philosophy, the kind that says the Commerce Clause essentially permits the government to do anything it wants. Watch the video yourself: W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page Cross posted from YAL

"The Supreme Court ruling will open the door for California's concealed-carry permit laws to be challenged for giving local law enforcement too much personal discretion in deciding who receives the permits. The state's assault weapons ban and safe handgun regulations could also be vulnerable to challenges in court." Read the whole article at CAIVN . W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page

Meet Anna Chapman - a Russian spy . Seriously. A ring of 11 Russian spies was apprehended in New York yesterday for passing on information about the United States via electronic means. Among them, Anna Chapman , a 28-year-old Russian divorcee with a masters in economics and as the New York Post reports : "a Victoria's Secret body." Below: Russian spy Anna Chapman pulling off her best Jennifer Aniston impression. No kidding. Check out this Jennifer Aniston pic and tell me that Anna Chapman doesn't totally look like her. That's the real story here. Anna Chapman's been impersonating one of American television's most beloved stars. Not cool. All I can say about Russian spy Anna Chapman , is that this libertarian has never found Communism more appealing. (And how on earth did the New York Post get all these photos of Anna Chapman ?) You can read more information about Russian spy Anna Chapman at NBC and the Washington Post . In all seriousness...

"On an appeal of a 2008 red-light ticket, an appellate panel of Orange County Superior Court judges recently ruled that photos and video submitted by police were inadmissible as evidence. Instead, the appeal panel agreed with the defense that the photo and video were hearsay because no officer actually saw the driver run the red light, and the company that maintains the cameras did not testify in the case." Read the whole article here . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

A racist- the joke goes- is a Republican winning an argument with a Democrat. Indeed, social progressives shoot down any preference for less government and more liberty as racially-motivated. Think the government is spending too much money? Then you must be a racist. Oppose fascist medicine? Racist. Attend a Tea Party? Those were just a visceral reaction to the election of our country's first black president... because most Americans- especially the kind that watch Fox News- are racists. Cross posted from : Young Americans for Liberty The MSNBC crowd acts as if anyone who disagrees with their fiscal policy or jurisprudence must have a white hood in their closet, but the recent death of U.S. Senator and former KKK member Robert Byrd- a Democrat- highlights the truth about racism and partisan politics in the United States. As Scott Johnson notes in an article at The Power Line Blog , the Democratic Party has its own long and ugly history "as the party of slavery, segregation,...

The Supreme Court of the United States "ruled for the first time Monday that the Second Amendment provides all Americans a fundamental right to bear arms, a long-sought victory for gun rights advocates who have chafed at federal, state and local efforts to restrict gun ownership." (Source: The Washington Post ; via: Memeorandum ) What the Supreme Court has done today is " incorporate " the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights to restrict states from infringing upon the right to keep and bear arms. Some libertarians are thrilled while others view the ruling as just another instance of Federal encroachment on state sovereignty. The decision has broader ramifications as the GOP gears up for a public duel over Elena Kagan's confirmation the U.S. Supreme Court. Libertarian perspectives for and against: Jack Hunter, The Southern Avenger , recently argued that "the Supreme Court overturning Chicago's gun ban would damage the Constitution and incr...

Rand Paul's campaign for U.S. Senate representing Kentucky has launched what is being billed as the "first money blast of the general election." The campaign seems to prefer the term "money blast" to the grassroots neologism "money bomb" coined by supporters of Congressman (and father to Rand) Ron Paul's bid for U.S. President in 2007-08. In a campaign that constantly faces down charges of radicalism, the choice of words can make a difference. Ostensibly the campaign wants to avoid violent imagery, including the word "bomb." Speaking at a recent fundraiser in Washington D.C., Rand Paul said : '"You'll see that they want to paint me -- the Courier, the Herald, even some of these national newspapers up here -- as being 'extreme,'" Paul said. "One of the answers I learned from my dad, because they tried to do this to him, is flip it around and ask, what's extreme? It's extreme to have a $2 trillion def...

"The Guardian is reporting on the attempts of an exiled Sheikh to regain power in a bloodless coup . The plot, led by British solicitor Peter Cathcart, involves the use of Washington political lobbyists, PR agencies writing fake blogs and Twitter accounts, and a newspaper advertising campaign in the US. The coup attempt is remarkable in its choice of modern communications and political lobbying, rather than the traditional resort to violence." Hat tip: Slashdot Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

In her Op-Ed at the New York Times , Camille Paglia takes a critical view of sterile middle class culture in America, and argues that efficient, middle class values destroy the dynamic sexual polarization of many eras past. In Paglia's analysis: Beyoncé is hot. And Lady Gaga is not. Read the entire article here . I guess um... insert Rule 5 homage to Stacy McCain here. W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page

"According to the watchdog site PhotoEnforced, the state of Maryland has at least 375 red light cameras and 80 speed cameras. Your government is watching you, Marylanders. But don't think for a second that it's going to tolerate you watching back." Read the entire article at Reason . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

"As the elections near, however, voters will want to know where the party stands not just on the economy but on social issues. A perfect illustration is drug policy, where conservatives advocate continued prohibition but libertarians argue for legalization. Which way should the tea party lean when this issue arises?" Read the whole article at Cato . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

In this video, I narrate my most recent article at CA IVN - Jack Hunter style . Opponents of cannabis legalization worry that it will have a detrimental effect on society. That feeling is understandable, but citing a Cato study, I take a look at Portugal where all drugs were decriminalized in 2001. Ten years later not only has Portugal avoided a nightmare of spiraling drug addiction, all signs indicate that drug use in Portugal has declined. Take a look: And please Digg it up . Don't have a Digg account? Get one ! W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page

There are a lot of different ideas for tax code reform supported by libertarians. Flat tax. Fair tax. No income tax at all. And all of these proposals are opposed by some libertarians as well. It's a tough issue. Do we improve this system we rail so loudly against through some sort of gradualism? Or does supporting one of these "slightly better" systems mark us as supporters of legalized theft? Now, most of the arguments for tax reform stem from some semblance of "fairness". A progressive tax code isn't fair because it punishes the best and brightest. And our present tax code is also so confusing that only those who can afford good lawyers can get around it. Let's think pragmatically about what some sort of flat tax would encourage. The government is always looking to increase their tax revenue. They expect budget increases the same way you expect a small salary bump at your yearly review - regardless of the fact that your company lost business and cut ...

A research fellow at Cato discusses it: "But the problem with foreign policy doctrines is that they are not the real explanations for why America goes abroad to fight adversaries and help friends. Instead, these doctrines provide a rationale for American global interventions that in essence are a reflection of U.S. interests and capabilities — or the way these are being perceived by American presidents." Read the whole article here . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

"A man who opposes police use of cameras to send speeding tickets snatched a bully pulpit when the Bluff City (TN) Police Department allowed its website to expire. Computer network designer Brian McCrary of Gray discovered the police site was up for grabs, so he paid domain provider Go Daddy for the rights and is the proud new owner." ( source ) Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

Call your Congressman right away and urge a vote against H.R. 5175 the Disclose Act ! If it's too late, call and ask how your Congressman voted and praise him/her for voting against it, or express your disappointment (politely) if he/she voted for it. Use this tool to find your Congressman's office number if you don't already know it. Learn more about the Disclose Act and why it threatens our liberties here . W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page

With California's budget in crisis mode, the solutions have been presented by lawmakers and the media in strictly zero-sum terms. You can think of a zero-sum game as a pie. If one piece of that pie gets bigger, another piece necessarily has to become smaller. In other words, you either cut spending (by cutting services and reducing the quality of life in California) or raise taxes (which comes with its own set of drawbacks). Democrats support raising taxes- mostly on corporations- while Republicans want to cut spending. There is certainly something to be said for cutting wasteful spending out of the state's budget. For instance, the record numbers of non-violent offenders who are being held for life in California's prisons because of its Three Strikes Law , or the millions spent on the secure transportation of prisoners in comas and with other severe medical conditions that would prevent them from posing a threat if they were released on medical parole . The California bu...

Video: in this edition of Russia Today's CrossTalk, Peter Lavelle asks his guests whether de-criminalizing illegal drugs is the real solution to the "war on drugs". Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

In today's headline roundup, the Federal government finds more ways to halt the recovery in Louisiana, yet another plane gets stranded on a tarmac for hours in hellish conditions, we learn one more reason Elena Kagan does not belong on the Supreme Court, a new album entitled "Why Every President Sucked" makes its debut, Nikki Haley breaks the glass ceiling for multiple minorities (including self-described libertarians), and more! Cross-posted from Young Americans for Liberty : Stay out of our way! Federal goverment halts sand berm dredging in Louisiana, a technique that creates barriers to protect the coastline from oil. Flashback: Obama Secretary of Energy says BP is going to help save the world in 2007. Why does this keep happening? Passengers forced to remain on a plane for hours as it waited on the tarmac in sweltering 100 degree tempertures because the generators broke and there was no air conditioning. There were babies on the plane. People were fainting. Elen...

If we are to believe the US Government, the second greatest threat to America, after the terrorists, is drugs. And the biggest segment of drug use that appears to be growing is Marijuana use. This is the most prosecuted victimless crime' in the United States. Police time, government money, and prison space are wasted, to the point that $17 Billion has been spent on the war on drugs JUST THIS YEAR! 623,000 people have been arrested on drug charges JUST THIS YEAR! At the end of 2008, 2.4 million people were in the US prison system, and 25% of them were drug crime offenders. That's 600,000 people at the end of 2008! When we consider that the 10 year average of prison inmate increase is 3.4%, we can estimate that as of right now, there are almost 650,000 people in our prison system because of the War on Drugs ". We should also consider what happened when alcohol was prohibited. Gang wars, government money spent on finding and destroying illegal alcohol, increase in crime. Pre...

From Aaron Biterman of the Republican Liberty Caucus: Rand Paul’s Stance on Israel a Lesson for the Liberty Movement to Follow: A(nother) Libertarian Defense of Israel. You can read Aaron's article here . Matt Collins , Regular Columnist Articles | Author's Page

In today's headline roundup, Thomas Sowell thinks America is on the road to tyranny, a parkway built with stimulus funds has actually been named "President Barack Obama Parkway," General McChrystal is in trouble, American tax money in the hands of Afghan warlords and even Taliban insurgents, a tale of two disasters, Obama's obstructionism, Apple's privacy issues, Elena Kagan's awful gaffe, more evidence that gun control does not work, shenanigans in Congress, advice on home ownership versus renting, and two fine pieces by two fine libertarian institutes. Cross posted from Young Americans for Liberty : Thomas Sowell: Has tyranny come to America ? Too soon? Road built with stimulus funds named "President Barack Obama Parkway." Fired? Gen. Stanley McChrystal summoned to Washington to explain anti-administration comments. Your taxes at work: U.S. funding of a massive protection racket in Afghanistan indirectly pays tens of millions of dollars to ...

"...if we’re going to accept the libertarian view of property rights—which I do—then we must conclude that Palestine doesn’t belong to any one ethnic or political group. Rather, portions of the land belong to Palestinians, and portions of the land belong to Jews. Among other things, this means that the 1948 refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their homes. This also means that most of the Jews currently living in the land have the right to remain exactly where they are, as only a small number of Jews are living on land expropriated from Palestinians (Laila El-Haddad, ' Palestinian right of return is feasible ,' Al Jazeera , 31 May 2005)." Read the entire article Don Emmerich's Peace Blog . W. E. Messamore , Editor in Chief Articles | Author's Page