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Showing posts from 2011

The Compassion of Dr. Ron Paul

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The "racist" Ron Paul helps an interracial couple in need of medical help, and foots the bill.

Got Rid of My Site's Facebook Page

I had a Facebook page for this site that I was syndicating my feed on. I've got more subscribers on my Facebook profile than my page had Likes, so I canned it and will now syndicate my feed there.

The Top 10 Conspiracy Facts of 2011

"2011 was the year in which many conspiracy 'theories'became conspiracy FACTS. Articles that used to earn you a tinfoil hat designation suddenly were front-page news stories across the country. The world is stranger than we can imagine, it seems, and 2011 proved it yet again. Here are the top ten conspiracy facts that emerged over the last year." - Mike Adams, read the list .

Is Ron Paul Out of Date? No.

"There is a segment of the electorate that greets Congressman Paul’s continual harking back to the Constitution, and to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, as follows: Sure, those were good ideas, then; but nowadays, things are far more complicated. We lived a relatively simple bucolic life as a nation in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We travelled by horse and buggy, at best. There was no television, no computers, no Al Qaeda, no cars, no weapons of mass destruction; there was far less poverty, crime, juvenile delinquency, divorce, etc. Dr. Paul’s ideas are two centuries out of date. Nowadays, due to the complexity of modern society, his type of limited government free enterprise system simply cannot suffice. Congressman Paul should wake up to fact that we are now in living the 21st century. An old fuddy-duddy who is continually looking back to the past cannot possibly be a good presidential candidate in 2012. There is much wrong with this negative assessment of Ron Paul

Sandstrom Wants to Outlaw Peaceful Activities

"Let’s say I decide to play online poker. I have engaged in a peaceful, voluntary transaction with the proprietor of the site. There are no damages, no victim; but Rep. Stephen Sandstrom proposes that I be fined for this activity. Where does that money go? To the State, a party that suffered no harm by me or the website. This, right here, is crime. The State is forcefully taking my money even though I do not owe it under any contract, even though I did not harm the State in any way. This is robbery." - Nic Hooton, read the rest .

Can a Christian be a Libertarian?

"Christians in American politics have argued for years that God endorses the political agenda of Republicans or Democrats, but is there a third way to think about the relationship between God and government? Christians from the left and the right are increasingly turning to libertarianism not because it is a “middle ground,” but because it is an entirely different way of thinking about government and power." - Norman Horn, read the rest .

Epic Trailer Mash-Up For 2012's Biggest Blockbusters

The Real Iran the US Doesnt Want You to See

Jurors Can Say No

If you are ever on a jury in a marijuana case, I recommend that you vote “not guilty” — even if you think the defendant actually smoked pot, or sold it to another consenting adult. As a juror, you have this power under the Bill of Rights; if you exercise it, you become part of a proud tradition of American jurors who helped make our laws fairer. The information I have just provided — about a constitutional doctrine called “jury nullification” — is absolutely true. But if federal prosecutors in New York get their way, telling the truth to potential jurors could result in a six-month prison sentence. by Paul Butler, read the rest .

I Have a Mental Disorder

"It is now confirmed by USWGO News that the DSM-IV-TR Manual labels free thinkers, non conformers, civil disobedient advocates, those that question authority, and people considered hostile toward the government (aka Oath keepers and local militias) as mentally ill with the illness titled “oppositional defiant disorder” or ODD." - Brian D. Hill, read the rest .

On Modern Democracy

"The genius of modern democracy is that it makes the citizen a party to his own enslavement. Rather than give up 10% of his output to his feudal lord and master, he gives up 30% to 50% to his democratically-elected bosses. They tell him what to do. And he believes he is giving the orders!" - Bill Bonner

2-minute Case for Ron Paul

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10 Ways the U.S. Gov’t Has Destroyed Its Own Declaration of Independence

The irony cannot be escaped that a country that issued a document codifying independence for free citizens, should turn into one that declares outright war on all that signifies independent living and prosperity. It is not a king this time who is exerting ownership over the land and its people, but it is a similar top-down tyrannical system that employs police state enforcers in much the same manner. In America, this tyranny has remained largely disguised behind pleasantries and a growing bureaucracy centered around Orwellian safety measures, but those days are over; the king (the tyranny) has returned to make its move from the shadows out into the open square for public view. Its kid gloves have transformed to an iron fist, which always seems to herald the final phase. an Activist Post at Infowars.com, read the list .

Ron Paul On The Tonight Show

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Neocons for Obama

All of these polls showing that this Republican or that Republican having a better chance against Obama than their cohorts miss an important point. As the debates have shown, on policy, all of the Republican contenders are clones of one another, except for Ron Paul. He's a near opposite on almost every position. And he's the near opposite of Obama. What does that tell you? Well, for one, this election is really only about Ron Paul and not-Ron Paul. Obama and the Republicans are 95% the same. Obama has out-neocon'd George W. Bush, and the Republicans are all trying to out-neocon Obama. Ron Paul stands in stark contrast. Polls showing that Ron Paul has the best chance of beating Obama aren't going to sway neocon Republicans one whit. They want a neocon in office, and Obama's a neocon! They'd surely take Obama another term over Ron Paul. American politics is ridiculously monochromatic. There's no Left vs. Right, there never was. Both are statist, both are

Is Mormonism Compatible With Libertarianism?

Connor Boyack was interviewed on FreedomWatch for his book, " Latter-day Liberty ": Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com

Whose Interest Prevails?

A thought I've had recently, " whose interests should prevail, the parent's or the child's? "

Morgan Freeman on Black History Month

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What Can Voluntaryists Do Now?

Josh Freeman asks, "What are some actions, or some guidelines, that we can implement NOW in order to live life in accord with our principles? In the journey toward a completely voluntary society, what are the first steps that I, as an individual, can take in order to achieve that vision?" and I answer at Everything-Voluntary.

Exploitation of the Economically Weak

This sounds familiar, "We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions." - Adolf Hitler, (Speech of May 1, 1927. Quoted by John Toland , 1976, p. 306)

Giving Criminals an Upper Hand

"When I was a police officer in Epping I once arrested a man who was in possession of a stolen .22 caliber Röhm handgun. He was on his way to kill a witness in a grand jury proceeding in Kingston at the behest of his criminal organization. This man had five violent felony convictions on his criminal history. Having more than three violent felony convictions on his record and being in possession of a firearm subjected him to a potential fifteen year federal prison term and a ten year state prison term. He was charged by the Rockingham County Attorney and sentenced to ten years in state prison. Criminals, like the one who just shot the police officer near the Virginia Tech Campus, and the one I arrested in Epping, simply are not dissuaded by even the severest penalties imposed by law to curb their predatory behavior. Gun control laws only make it easier for violent predators to choose a location that they know will offer them almost no resistance to their evil acts… and that is beca

NAP Time For Kiddies

"How many failures of violent looting statist systems must it take before people come to realize that bashing your neighbor over his head in order to rob him of his property does not and can not lead to a more prosperous society?" - Michael Suede, read the rest .

Ron Paul, Bar None

US Bases in the Middle East

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Reddest of Red Herrings

"Left vs. Right is a red herring. The reddest and perhaps most misleading red herring in all political-economic theory. The true debate is not between left and right. It is, rather, between voluntarism... and coercivism... The sooner this lesson is learned, the sooner can we make sense of our otherwise paradoxical political debates." - Walter Block

Ron Paul the Big Dawg

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Wars on Terror, Drugs

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How Can a Free Market Provide What the State is Doing Now?

"It's a trap! The question 'show me how the free market will do this' is usually just a desperate attempt to create a diversion from the moral issue surrounding the use of force, and it is most likely not being presented to you by a sincere person likely to accept the idea of free markets if you answer these questions effectively. I have seen a few exceptions to this, so use judgment. Here is the essence of what I've found to be the most effective way of responding to this." - Spencer Morgan at Everything-Voluntary, read the rest .

Should Voluntaryists Vote?

"No tyranny like this has ever been taken over from within and reduced back to something consistent with freedom. It's just never happened and we're seeing why. As Stefan Molyneux often advises, we can test the feasibility of this strategy by starting with some smaller criminal gang or even a local book club. We can join it to see if we can turn it against it's avowed purposes like we hope to do with the state. If it can't be done in those small emperical tests, it's not worth wasting generations of effort and millions of dollars trying to do it with the largest institution of criminality that has ever existed in human history (the United States government)." - Spencer Morgan at Everything-Voluntary, read the rest .

7 Deadly Sins & Their Combinations

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Without Copyright Law

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Our Benevolent Rulers

‎"On Thursday night, Senator Rand Paul blocked passage of an amendment that would have allowed the government to indefinitely detain American citizens until Congress declares the War on Terror to be over. These Americans would be detained even if they were tried and found not guilty." - what in the hell are they up to in Washington ? Bravo Dr. Paul 2.0.

My New Favorite Talk Show Host

Obliterates a guy on war with Iran:

Latter-day Liberty: A Gospel Approach to Government and Politics

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Latter-day Liberty was written by a friend and fellow Latter-day Saint libertarian, Connor Boyack, with a foreword by Mark Skousen. It was just released in time for the holiday season. Check it out . Here are some notable endorsements: Ron Paul , "Connor Boyack has written a fascinating book that applies Mormon theology to the central question of statism vs. liberty that dominates our age. Latter-day Liberty provides an insightful analysis of both historical and modern political issues, and challenges the reader to reconcile religious beliefs with state actions. Not surprisingly, he finds that our federal government routinely violates the religious principles that many Mormons hold dear. Those who advocate limited government necessarily must advocate strong religious, civic, and social institutions. These institutions, rather than the state, should act as the central organizing mechanisms in American society. For this reason Latter-day Liberty can appeal to readers

Kings of Unintended Consequences

"It still baffles me that policy makers, media and the general public are surprised when the State attempts to force someone's concept of good living fails. This is known as unintended consequences. It is almost inevitable that every State attempt to either prevent voluntary associations or force involuntary associations results in what is known as 'perverse incentive'; that is, it has the opposite of the intended effect." - Nic Hooton, read the rest at Everything-Voluntary.

Schiff - Krugman Smackdown

How an Economy Grows

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Crashing College Classes

"There are three basic ways to take advantage of college classes without necessarily aiming for a degree: non-degree programs, auditing classes, or the less sophisticated, more free-form version, crashing classes." - Jessica Barker, read the rest . Sounds like good fun. Thought I'd share.

David O. McKay on Freedom of Choice

‎"Latter-day Saints should avoid affiliation with any committee, any group, any union that would, through coercion or force, deprive a person of the free exercise of his or her freedom of choice." - David O. McKay ... and the greatest violator of our freedom of choice? You guessed it, the State. ^_^

Starts With One

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The Ownership of Ideas

"The question of what can be the proper subject of ownership — what is property? — is an important theme of libertarianism. It arises in discussion of such diverse topics as slavery, pollution, animal rights and intellectual property. It is with intellectual property (by which is commonly meant, copyright and patent) that the question becomes unusually difficult, for what is being claimed is the ownership of intangibles, of ideas. The title of a recent book, Who Owns What Is In Your Mind? , concretizes a commonsense objection to intellectual property; most people would loudly declare: “no one owns what is in my mind!” Yet, if the information you have is a chemical formula which you accidentally glimpsed, do you have the right to market it as your own over the protests of the chemist who worked a lifetime to perfect it? Do you have the right to publish a book with characters named John Galt and Dagney Taggart? And if not, why not? Intellectual property was the subject of intensive

Who Can You Trust?

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Paul, or Paul

Cain, Romney, Gingrich, Paul = top tier. Cain's "reassessing" his bid and Romney's really a liberal. This leaves Gingrich and Paul, and Gingrich admits that Paul's positions are logical. So unless you prefer illogical policies, Paul's your only choice.

Repel Liquids

Check out this snake oil:

Religion and Kids

"A comment to me in a Facebook group, 'I hope your child's participation in religious stuff is voluntary.' Indeed, I'm happy to report that it is. I'd be a big fat hypocrite if it wasn't. This brings me to share a few thoughts on the subject." - me at my Faith blog, read the rest .

Secret Fed Loans to Big Banks #ows

The OWS crowd bemoans big Wall Street banks with nary a wimper over their root system. It's time they focus their ire on the correct institution, the Federal Reserve, the grand-daddy central big Wall Street bank, the queen of the Wall Street bankers' hive. "The Federal Reserve and the big banks fought for more than two years to keep details of the largest bailout in U.S. history a secret. Now, the rest of the world can see what it was missing." - Bloomberg, read the rest .

Top 10 Reasons Why the Mafia is Better Than the State

Too good!

New Age of Political Culture

"Ron Paul brings to government culture today a vision as complete and comprehensive as that which Martin Luther brought to religious culture. He is close to Luther in this regard as well: Ron Paul, like Martin Luther, dispels the worship of idols. Europe could not conceive of life without Roman dominance in the 1500s even as it descended into massive corruption. Until Luther, when half of the European establishment flipped. Paul and his libertarian cadre disdainfully view the political establishment of Washington, D.C., and it may be about to flip." - Bernie Quigley, read the rest .

Voluntary Communism

I share a Walter Block defense of voluntary communism at Everything-Voluntary, check it out .

Cleansing of The Libertarian Tent

I'm hereby kicking minarchists, ie. limited government types, out of the proverbial libertarian tent. Minarchists are just that, minimal statists. Though they give lip service to liberty, their greatest allegiance is to the state, albeit a so-called limited state. They don't deserve the name libertarian, in my opinion. They are statists through and through. It's time to cleanse the tent and kick them out. There's only two tents the way I see it: libertarian and statist. Statists have their degrees, sure, but they all rely on the use of initiatory aggression to setup their political systems. It's a true dichotomy, either you're a libertarian (anarchist, voluntaryist), or you're a statist. That's all there is to it. I don't think the libertarian philosophy can afford to make minarchist concessions. It would destroy the entire argument for voluntary political arrangements and prove it a fraud for liberty.

Thankful For

I am grateful and thankful for all sorts of things. For my life, my wife, my children, my parents, my jobs, my talents, my house, my car, and my Savior. However, I will say that I am not grateful or thankful for my "freedom". Freedom is a given, it's the default, the zero-point. You have freedom unless it's taken away by someone. To say that I'm grateful for what little freedom we have left in this world is to bring the wrong attention to coercivist institutions. It's to paint them as the giver and the protector of what freedom it hasn't consumed. I won't do that. And you shouldn't either. Freedom is ours by birthright, and the state steals it by force. Exactly what I am not grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Latter-day Captain Moroni

Insane Wars

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Ron Paul Grand-slams Hostile Interview

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An Anti-Mormon Argument I Haven't Heard

My goodness it's been a long time since I've heard an anti-Mormon argument that I've never heard before. Here's Jeff Lindsay on Joseph Smith's use of the name Lucifer from Isaiah in 2 Nephi.

Corporate Welfare

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Biggest Difference

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Planting the Voluntaryist Seed

A short conversation between my 6-year-old son and I before reading our bedtime story went as follows: Son : Dad, what is that second word on your book in the bathroom? Dad : "Defined", the title is "Liberty Defined" (Ron Paul). Son : What is liberty? Dad : Liberty is when nobody else is trying to control you. Son : Do we have liberty here (where we live, America)? Dad : We have a significant amount of liberty in America, but we are still controlled in many ways. Son : Who controls us? Dad : The government controls us in many ways, bad guys sometimes try to control us. Son : Oh.

Cost of War - Last Decade

Costs of War: 225,000 Lives and up to US$4 Trillion from Watson Institute on Vimeo .

Americans Are Too Darn Free

"To outward appearances, it might seem as though the left and right have never been more at odds. And for the average man in the street, drawn to the Tea Party on one side or the Occupy movement on the other, this might be true. But it is not so true for elite opinion. The nation's high and mighty may be divided about many things, but on one point they often agree: Americans are still too darn free." - A. Barton Hinkle, read the rest.

Toddler's Rules of Possession

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Reasons Why Dr. Ron Paul Should Not Be President

"If it is the case that elected officials reflect the desires of the voters then we are in a world of hurt. Andy Cobb and the Partisans recently appeared at a rally carrying a sign that read, Obama is a Keynesian. Many were outraged and took Cobb to task for suggesting that President Obama was from Kenya. And, there is the American electorate for you – they don't know the difference between a country and an economic system. These same people populate the comment strings whenever there is a news story regarding Dr. Ron Paul for President. Here are some of their reasons why Paul should not be President." - Bill Fangio, read the rest .

The Consistent Candidate

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The Law According to the Somalis

Davi Barker gives us a very interesting look inside Somali law, and concludes, The Somalis have demonstrated that providing justice in the free market is at least possible, and that you don’t need to pass statutes prohibiting murder and theft, because those laws already exist, whether you write them down or not. In short, they have demonstrated that life, liberty, and property are inscribed upon the hearts of mankind, like fingerprints in the clay of Adam. This is a must read .

The Broken Window Fallacy

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Great video explaining an important principle: destruction does not create prosperity.

Biggest Empire in the History of the World

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Now on Twitter

You can find me and my feed on twitter @skylerjcollins.

Two Ways to Shield Yourself

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The Drug Named "Control"

"If we are to outlaw drugs, then let us criminalize the worst drug of them all: the coercive control of sovereign individuals. Let us reject the notion that the punitive arm of the state can and should be employed to exceed its moral authority and instead impose whatever a majority of a legislature wishes. And most importantly, we must eliminate the cognitive dissonance permeating our society which supports outlawing certain harmful drugs while deeply inhaling the worst of them all." - writes Connor Boyack, read the rest .

Origin of Everything-Voluntary

"Alright so, I've started this website and listed out the topics I'd like it to cover, all really without any explanation of how they relate or why I believe they're all important. Let's do that." - Read the rest at Everything-Voluntary.com .

Introducing Everything-Voluntary

I've launched a new website titled " Everything-Voluntary ". From the About page: Everything-Voluntary is a blog dedicated to promoting the ideals of voluntary human relations. Relations in every realm of life, including politics, the marketplace, religion, schooling, and parenting should not be based on compulsion and violence. We believe that only those relations founded on the mutual consent of all parties involved are moral and ethical. The bloggers at Everything-Voluntary have dedicated their valuable time to educating others on and living the principles of voluntaryism. They believe that voluntary relations among human beings founded on mutual consent will lead to liberty, happiness, and prosperity. Coercive and compulsive relations rely on the unjustified use of violence. Such relations should be abhorrent to a civilized people. Each of the links at the top of this site will introduce you to the principles of voluntaryism in government, the free market, peaceful re

Thought Experiments on The Violence of The State

"Michael Suede of LibertarianNews.com has some excellent thought experiments on the violence of the state." - Read the rest on my Truth blog .

Is Mormonism a Cult?

"At times, the question arises, Is Mormonism a cult? While this question can be problematic, the short answer is of course! Let me explain. The word cult comes from the Latin cultus and as a noun describes the 'act of tilling or cultivating.'" - Greg @ Believe All Things, read the rest .

The Ron Paul Plan

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Astronauts Falling on The Moon

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Ron Paul, Believe it or Not

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Why Children Protest Going to School

Throughout our immense hunter-gatherer period, children were free to play and explore all day, day after day, and in that way to educate themselves. Education was always self-directed. In fact, the reason children are naturally so playful, curious, and social is because those traits were the motivating powers behind children's abilities to educate themselves.Those "childish" traits were promoted and shaped, by natural selection, precisely to serve the function of education, in conditions of childhood freedom. writes Peter Gray, read the rest .

Invasion Checklist

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"Legalize Freedom" says Ron Paul

"Almost every successful political campagin needs a slogan than voters can latch onto, and encompass all the traits and platforms a candidate wants to invoke. On Saturday, November 5th, Presidential candidate Ron Paul ushered in his slogan of 'Legalize Freedom' during his stop in the state of Minnesota that ties together is political, diplomatic, and economic messages." - Examiner, read the rest.

Utahns and Their Drugs

Utahns bemoan scarcity of personality-altering, mind-controlling "legal" drug, while complaining about cannibis, says Dallin Crump at the Utah Liberty Alliance.

Ron Paul "I Like Voluntaryism"

Child Sexual Abuse Scandals and Parents

Of all the people who's names are being brought to light as guilty for one thing or another in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal , we can't overlook the role of the abused boys' parents. Ultimately, parents are the ones responsible for the welfare of their kids. If they send their kids to school, to be raised by strangers, they're to blame when those strangers raise them to less than ideal standards. And they're also to blame if they send their kids to who turns out to be a sexual predator. It can happen anywhere, and from anybody. Teachers at school, your priest, your Boy Scout leader, your little-league coach, ANYBODY and ANYWHERE. Wake up, people! Be a little more involved in your kids' lives. Keep them a little closer, and make sure they're always " standing in holy places ". If it were me, take a pay cut, ie. keep one spouse home, and unschool your kids . Thousands of unschooled kids have learned every practical skill they've ever

Opposing Marijuana Criminalization

"The Deseret News editorial worries that 'the last thing the nation needs is an official stamp of approval' by decriminalizing marijuana. Does deciding not to use coercion against an individual who performs an action mean that one necessarily approves of that action? By not having laws criminalizing dangerous sports, video game addictions, or suicide, does that mean that we have implicitly given individuals approval to engage in such activities? Must we make illegal every action, item, or lifestyle of which we disapprove? Moral laws exist to defend life, liberty, and property; outlawing a plant hardly falls within the proper role of government." - Connor Boyack, read the rest.

Looking for Co-bloggers!

Looking for co-bloggers. Topics include: Mormon, libertarian, technology, science, unschooling, misc. fun. Short posts are okay, long posts are okay, just sharing a quote or link (with some commentary) are okay. I average 25/posts a week by myself. For those familiar with lewrockwell.com, I'd like to get it as active as their blog is, with several bloggers all promoting the above ideals. You don't have to be interested in promoting all of them, if you'd rather be more niche, that's cool! Longer posts / articles could be submitted to my Truth (liberty), Faith (Mormon), or Life blogs. Those are more formal than I want this main blog to be. Contact me on Facebook if you're interested!

Remember, the US has Nukes

Until the US and Israel stop threatening the world (including you and me) with their holding of nuclear weapons, they have ZERO credibility in demanding anyone else, like Iran, lay off the nukes.

What Kids See

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No Right To Complain?

"Since I (as a voluntaryist) don't accept the legitimacy of (nor even the need for) government to begin with, I have every right to complain about this inefficient, corrupt monopoly forcing itself on my personal being when I don't even want the services that it provides." - David Kramer

Malay Revisited

"KC Kern did a series of guest posts at Wheat and Tares called 'Legend of the Lost Book of Gold'. I thought he did a fantastic job discussing the theory. In part 1 , he discussed a story of Christian missionaries taught a group called the Karens that already worshiped a god called Y’wa. Part 2 discusses the actual theory in more depth. Part 3 discusses common objections to the theory, and Part 4 gives a conclusion to the series. If you haven’t read the series, please check it out." - Mormon Heretic

Changes to My Feed

It's been a blessing in disguise. I was using my Google Reader shared items function to manage my website feed. I was able to share all sorts of stuff without having to save it to my blog. Then Google removed the feature when they added Google+ sharing to Reader. So I created this "Latest" blog and now share everything through here. It gives me a place to make short blog posts like this one that aren't "truth", "faith", or "life" related. Not sure how often that will be, but when I do, I'll keep them short and sweet. Cheers!

Left to Die in the Streets

‎"I am reminded of a talk given by Frank Chodorov many decades ago. Chodorov was being very critical of government welfare programs in general, and was asked by a listener: 'But what will happen to sick, elderly people?' Chodorov replied: 'They'll be left to die in the streets the way they used to.' The listener retorted: 'When did that ever take place?,' to which Chodorov answered: 'Exactly.'" - Butler Shaffer

Exclusively Breastfeeding Mothers Get More Sleep

"In a study of over 6,000 mothers, breastfeeding mothers reported longer total sleep time, more daily energy, and better physical health than their formula- or mixed-feeding counterparts. They also reported lower rates of depression." ( source )

Parents Making Their Kids Cry On Purpose

Mt. Rushmore, Before Defacement

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Great Ron Paul Grassroots Video

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Ten Tips for Shopping with Children

"Remember that all children behave as well as they are treated. A child who is regularly given our time, undivided attention, patience, and understanding will have more tolerance for a shopping trip - and any other challenging situation - than the child who must face stressful situations without this emotional support." - Jan Hunt ( Read this article. )

80 Years Ago, Nothing's Changed

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Fanboi Moment!

Fanboi moment below: Me to WB: I consider you Rothbard incarnate, fwiw. Walter Block to Me: Thanks for that GLORIOUS compliment. Heeee!~!~ *giddy* ( via Facebook )

Democracy, Republic

Democracy = mob rule. Republic = representative mob rule by a constitution. Any questions? ( via Facebook )

December, Fat Boy!

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Why Should I Go To College?

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Cuba Legalizes Private Property

"Cuba announced Thursday it is allowing the purchase and sale of real estate for the first time since the early days of the revolution, the most important reform yet in a series of free-market changes ushered in by President Raul Castro." - AP, read the rest .

Lincoln Orders Bombardment, Suspension of Habeas Corpus

"Lieutenant-General Scott MY DEAR SIR: The Maryland legislature assembles to-morrow at Annapolis, and not improbably will take action to arm the people of that State against the United States. The question has been submitted to and considered by me whether it would not be justifiable, upon the ground of necessary defense, for you, as General in Chief of the United States Army, to arrest or disperse the members of that body. I think it would not be justifiable nor efficient for the desired object. First. They have a clearly legal right to assemble, and we can not know in advance that their action will not be lawful and peaceful, and if we wait until they shall have acted their arrest or dispersion will not lessen the effect of their action. Secondly. We can not permanently prevent their action. If we arrest them, we can not long hold them as prisoners, and when liberated they will immediately reassemble and take their action; and precisely the same if we simply disperse them-

Companies' Propensity to Bribe by Country

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Seduction, Deception, Entrapment, and the FBI

"Imagine a beautiful woman who is hired on by a company to attend its marketing events with a small team of hard-working salesmen. Traveling to a variety of conventions and other events, the woman sets her eye upon a (married) co-worker with whom she begins to subtly flirt. The flirting is cautiously reciprocated, and the tiny romantic spark increases with each new event they jointly attend. The woman’s body language and words are employed in what soon becomes a full scale process of seducing this man, who, overtaken by the woman’s beauty and interest in him, continues to play along and ultimately falls prey to her overpowering assertiveness. One night, the woman convinces the married man to join her in a nearby hotel room she acquired for the specific purpose of allowing them to spend the night together and become romantically involved. She even provides him with a fake itinerary and airplane ticket stubs to make his wife believe that he was at another company event. Nervously ex

The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and the Archaeology Question

"The Doctrine and Covenants has been overwhelming proven archaeologically. The events of the past that it reports, and the people, places, and things is describes have been proven archaeologically. If we follow the argument of sectarian critics, then the theological claims of the D&C have also been proven because its historicity has been proven. And because its theological claims have been proven, the Book of Mormon therefore has been proven to be ancient scripture since one of the theological claims of the D&C is that the Book of Mormon is authentic. If the critics are going to be consistent, and not trap themselves in a double standard, then they must concede that the Book of Mormon is authentic. The D&C has been proven archaeologically. The D&C testifies that the Book of Mormon is authentic. Ergo, the Book of Mormon is authentic." - Stephen Smoot, FAIR, read the rest.

Ron Paul Cleans House

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In Defense of Jury Nullification

"First of all, I want to thank you for inviting me to join your conversation about Bill Stuntz's new, posthumous book The Collapse of American Criminal Justice. As a friend of Bill's, I'm not completely objective. But I couldn't agree more that this is a hugely important book. One of the most remarkable attributes of The Collapse of American Criminal Justice is the counter intuitive solutions it offers to familiar problems. My favorite example is jury nullification--the decision by a jury to acquit a criminal defendant even if the defendant appears to have committed the crime. Although jury nullification is highly unpopular in most circles, Stuntz argues it actually was once a great virtue of American criminal justice, and that it would be a natural part of a healthier criminal justice system--a system that didn't incarcerate blacks at highly disproportionate rates. Let me explain." - Ta-Nehisi Coates, read the rest.

Fooled You!

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Obama to Arm Persian Gulf After Iraq Pullout

"The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran." - NYTimes.com, read the rest.

Unelectable

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Man Pleads Guilty to Black-market Organ Trafficking

"'The transplants were successful and the donors and recipients are now leading full and healthy lives,' the statement said. 'In fact, because of the transplants and for the first time in many years, the recipients are no longer burdened by the medical and substantial health dangers associated with dialysis and kidney failure.'" - WashingtonPost.com, read the rest.

Cultivate the Spirit of Freedom?

"Maybe I should spank my kids, force them to do things against their will, and put them in public school. I mean, really, your life these days is forcefully run by others to a larger degree every day. Maybe I should get them used to it? Get them used to being pushed around and told what to do? Learn to comply for their own good? Better idea, cultivate the spirit of freedom, and let them inspire it in others. Yea, I'll do that instead. May God have mercy on my soul." - Skyler J. Collins via Facebook

If We Don't Let Our Children Play, Who Will Be the Next Steve Jobs?

"We are raising today's children in sterile, risk-averse and highly structured environments. In so doing, we are failing to cultivate artists, pioneers and entrepreneurs, and instead cultivating a generation of children who can follow the rules in organized sports games, sit for hours in front of screens and mark bubbles on standardized tests. We say we're 'protecting' our children. We say we're setting them up to 'succeed.' Really, we're doing neither, and we're letting an entire generation down. The most fitting way to honor Jobs' legacy? Let our kids outside to play." - HuffingtonPost.com, read the rest.

Ron Paul and Third-party Candidacy

"If Ron Paul runs for president as a third-party candidate against Obama and Romney, he changes the entire dynamic of the campaign and totally transforms the national debate." - TheHill.com, read the rest.

Ron Paul as Third Party Candidate

"You aren't getting anything different by voting for Obama or one of the mainstream Republicans. Only Ron Paul is truly different than the rest of the Establishment candidates. So yes, if Ron Paul fails to get the Republican nomination, he should continue his campaign under a third party. Republicans say it would help Obama, I say, who cares? You aren't offering us anything different. I'd rather keep Obama than one day feel nostalgic that he's gone due to his successor one-upping him on Big Government policies, which has been the trend from both 'sides' of the aisle. It's Ron Paul vs. Non Paul. That's it. That's all their is to 2012." - Skyler J. Collins via Facebook

Image: Mexican Family Go Insane

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How PROTECT IP Breaks The Internet

Government Speaks

"If we are not allowed to steal money from companies that make things that people want and from the salaries of people who want to buy their products, then we will not be able to hire people to make things that no one wants to pay for." - Government

Why Young Children Protest Bedtime

"Infants and young children in our culture regularly protest going to bed. They make all sorts of excuses. They say they are not tired, when in fact they obviously are tired. They say they are hungry, or thirsty, or need to hear a story (and then one more story) -anything to stall. They talk about being afraid of the dark, or afraid of monsters in the closet or under the bed. Little babies without language, who can't yet describe their fears or try to negotiate, just scream. Why all this protest?" - Peter Gray, M.D., read the rest.

Quantitative Easing Explained