There are many reasons I like Ron Paul including the fact that he’s the only candidate who opposes war, doesn’t want to use the state’s gun to enforce behavior, and recognizes the right of self-ownership. He’s also the only candidate who doesn’t cover in fear at the name Lysander Spooner and is willing to admit that the Constitution isn’t perfect but merely an effective tool available at the moment to reclaim liberty:
Month: April 2012
So This is What We’ve Resorted To
We’re in the midsts of what some are calling the most important election in the history of the United States and so far the main issues being brought up are Romney strapping his dog to the top of his car during a trip vs. Obama eating dog meat as a child and Romney’s 13.9% tax rate vs. Obama’s 20.5% tax rate. This country is fucked.
No, seriously, consider getting out while you still can. This country is starting to look more and more like Idiocracy every day. What are the next big issues that people will be concerning themselves with? How about who has better fashion sense? Perhaps we can investigate eat candidate’s choice in toilet paper. One thing is for certain, people don’t seem to give a damn about the debt, civil liberties, the government arming Mexican drug cartels, or anything else that actually matters.
Feinstein National Carry Reciprocity Bill
I doubt anybody is surprised about this but everybody’s favorite hater of individual liberty has blocked the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012, oh and she’s citing the Trayvon Martin case because she likes to take entirely unrelated events and use them as justification for preventing individuals from having rights:
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday placed a hold on two controversial pieces of legislation that would force states that allow the concealed carrying of guns to recognize each other’s permits.
Feinstein informed party leadership that she would oppose the quick passage of two concealed carry reciprocity bills that critics argue would cause a “race to the bottom” in terms of concealed weapon law in the United States. The senator cited the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager killed in Florida, as one of the reasons she was applying the legislative brakes.
“Besides putting domestic violence victims in danger, the concealed carry reciprocity bills would also create potentially life threatening situations for law enforcement officers,” Feinstein wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
“In recent weeks, our nation has witnessed tragic gun violence in Sanford, Florida and in Oakland, California, which is only a short drive from my home. Notably, George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, had been issued a concealed carry permit under Florida law, even though he had previously been subject to a court order for domestic abuse of his ex-fiancée. Congress should heed the warnings of law enforcement and not force states to recognize the permits issued to individuals by other states.”
I’m a logical human being which is probably why I’m unable to understand Feinstein’s justification. How would the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act put domestic violence victims in danger or create life threatening situations for law enforcement officers? I’ll also hand her some exploitations of the tragedies bonus points for weaseling the Martin case into her statement.
Nowhere in the bill’s text is there any loosening of restrictions on those involved in domestic violence cases. Obviously this is par for the course when Feinstein is playing but she could at least try to give a sensible justification for hating individual rights. I’m also not sure how the bill would create a life threatening situation for police officers. How many permit holders have murdered police officers? I’m guessing the number hovers somewhere around zero. If somebody has so much disregard for life that they’re willing to murder another human being they certainly aren’t going to give two shits about laws prohibiting them from carrying firearms.
Furthermore Feinstein seems to believe that the lives of police officers are more valuable that you or mine. She doesn’t believe the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act could create life threatening situations for regular individuals, no, only for police officers.
As a voluntaryist I’ve explained my support for the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. It really boils down to the fact that the state can legitimately own property so any restriction they put on our right as self-owners is unjust, immoral, and unacceptable. No state has the right to prohibit me from carrying a gun, only rightful property owners can do that and only while I’m on their property. Carrying a firearm isn’t a violent act yet the state often reactions to people peacefully carrying firearms with violence. Feinstein would prefer the state continue to insert violence into an otherwise non-violence situation. It’s actually rather sickening when you realize how much politician love violence.
No Good Cop Goes Unpunished
If you’re being attacked by a police officer defending yourself will likely lead to your death. What happens when a police officer tries to stop a fellow police officer from attacking an innocent person though? The defender is deemed “psychologically unfit” to be a police officer:
So why aren’t those good cops busy tasering their off-base colleagues? Or at least giving them a good thumping?
The answer, it appears is “Regina Tasca.” She’s a Bogota, New Jersey, police officer who responded to a medical call to transport an emotionally disturbed young man to the hospital. As per protocol, she called for backup. Two officers from Ridgefield arrived on the scene, and proceeded to whomp on Kyle, the guy they were supposedly helping.
[…]
Even worse, Kyle was never charged, nor arrested, for any offense. Tasca says it’s because he never threatened, did not have a weapon, and indeed never resisted and was not violent. Eventually Tasca was able to pry the punching Ridgefield Park officer off Kyle, as seen in a picture taken by the Kyle’s mother, who also later commended Tasca in a phone call.
You know what comes next, right? Yeah. After physically intervening against two violent colleagues-in-blue, Tasca’a job is at stake. She faces a departmental trial on charges that she’s “psychologically unfit” to be a police officer.
I suppose that could be true. It all depends on what you’re looking for in your police officers — and what kind of cops you’re trying to screen out.
I think the last line is telling, the cop that was actually trying to defend the innocent person is being considered “psychologically unfit” which leads one to ponder what kind of psychological profile police departments are looking for. Perhaps they want the violent bullies patrolling the streets and beating on bystanders.
Why Libertarians Oppose Romney
With the likelihood of Romney’s ascension to presidential nominee becoming more likely by the day it’s not surprising that friction is developing between self-proclaimed conservatives and libertarians. We’re being bombarded with self-proclaimed conservatives demanding libertarians get behind Romney because the alternative is so much worse. When libertarians say they will only support Ron Paul they’re seen a whiners who are upset because they didn’t get their way. Truth be told libertarians refusal to support Romney has nothing to do with Ron Paul losing the nomination, it has everything to do with the very foundation libertarianism is based upon. There is such a vast difference between so-called conservatives and libertarians that they will likely never come together politically:
A simple way to demonstrate the chasm that separates libertarians from “conservatives” of the 21st century is to use news incidents and media images as Rorschach inkblots and consider how differently each would respond.
When a libertarian witnesses an emaciated destitute, confronted, seized, and roughly rifled by the constabulary under dubious pretenses on “reality” TV, he is not immediately elated. Most of us question the necessity of such an action even if a joint, crack pipe, or penknife is found. We are offended by the image of a man abject — on the ground and in the clutches of enormous, armored, and heavily armed men — without substantive evidence that he has harmed someone else. That these same public servants can bust into people’s homes, terrorize their children, kill their pets, shackle their persons, and destroy personal property on the flimsiest of pretexts is repellent to anyone placing even a modest value on the word liberty.
This debate is no more prevalent than in the gun community. Many gun owners are now backing Romney because they perceive Romney as “less” evil than Obama when it comes to gun rights. Other gun owners, such as myself, won’t back Romney because he opposes the vary foundation of libertarianism, the non-aggression principle.
First and foremost I’m not a libertarian because I support gun rights, I support gun rights because I’m a libertarian. Above all I strive to bring forth a world as free of coercion as possible. I don’t see gun rights as an isolated issue but as a right derived from self-ownership. As a self-owner I have the right to choose what I want to expend my labor to achieve and I also have a right to defend my person and property. If I want to purchase a firearm it is my right to labor to achieve that goal. Nobody has a right to prevent me from purchasing a firearm just as nobody has a right to prevent me from purchasing a car or television. The non-aggression principle opposes the initiation of force but not the return of force in self-defense, so ownership of firearms in no way violates the foundation of libertarianism. As a libertarian I also cannot justify coercing others into providing me security so I must provide my own and a firearm is a tool that allows me to do so.
When you boil it down all people are single-issue voters. If you’ve studied Austrian economics you’ve learned value is subjective and ranked. Each individual has a ranked list of things they value with more valued things appearing higher on the list than less valued things. At the very top of our list we have our most valued thing and, ultimately, that thing is our single issue that we will forsake all other issues for.
Here is where the main philosophical difference comes in between libertarians and those claiming we must support Romney if we have any hope of preserving gun rights. Libertarians’ single issue is the non-aggression principle whereas those demanding gun owners support Romney have gun ownership as their single issue. In order to support Romney I would have to forsake my single issue because Romney favors the use of force and coercion to control the actions of others. He supports war outside of self-defense, which is nothing more than forcing other countries to bow to the will of the United States. Romney also supports drug prohibition, which is a use of force to prevent individuals from deciding what manufacture, sell, and use. Let’s also not forget his support for the “assault” weapons ban, which is the use of force to prevent people from buying certain firearms. Asking a libertarian to support Romney is like asking a proponent of gun rights to support Sarah Brady.
Libertarians aren’t refusing to support Romney because we’re butt hurt over Paul not getting the nomination, we’re refusing to support Romney because Romney opposes the non-aggression principle. If you’re a proponent of gun rights who is angry at Paul supporters for not getting behind Romney you need to put yourself into our shoes and imagine yourself being asked to chose between Michael Bloomberg or Sarah Brady for president. Let’s further expand the situation and say you were supporting John Lott during the presidential nomination process but he lost to Bloomberg. Would you back Bloomberg because he is the “lesser” or two evils? I would certainly hope not. If you would then gun rights are not your most valued issue.
Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights Event
I thought I should give my readers a bit of a heads up. On Monday April 23rd Andrew Rothman, the vice president of Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, will be a presentation on gun rights for the Southwestern Metro Tea Party (ignore their horrible, horrible site). The presentation will be at the Chanhassen Rec Center located at 2310 Coulter Blvd. Chanhassen, MN 55317 and goes from 19:00 to 20:30.
I’m not sure what the exact presentation will be about but knowing Andrew’s work it’ll be good.
Minnesota is Fighting the Good Fight
While a majority of other states in the Union have rolled over and recommended fascists as their presidential candidates of choice Minnesota has been fighting the good fight. Instead of surrendering to the media’s propaganda that Romney is the chosen one we’ve given that dictator wannabe some headaches:
Mitt Romney may be the supposed frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination – but he’s not the most popular GOP candidate in Minnesota. Texas Congressman Ron Paul swept the 3rd, 5th and 6th Congressional District conventions over the weekend. Paul landed nine of nine state delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Paul also won one delegate in Minnesota’s 7th District March 31st while Rick Santorum picked up two. The four remaining districts will chose their delegates and alternates this weekend. Paul’s campaign is banking on Santorum backers throwing their support behind him. Romney finished third in Minnesota’s February caucuses which were non-binding.
This is one of the few times I can say I’m actually proud of my state. While every other state has been elevating Romney or Santorum as their recommended ruler for the next four years Minnesota is working hard to elevate the one candidate who doesn’t want to run our lives. At this rate when we have a choice between Obama and Obama Romney I can proudly say my state wasn’t responsible for the mess.
Use a Holster
You know what are great? Holsters:
There’s a story that has been circulating around the Web for weeks now with a rather gruesome headline: Arizona Man Shoots Himself in Penis. It’s the last thing any firearm owner wants to read about.
Joshua Seto, 27, tried securing his fiance’s pink handgun in the front waistband of his pants while exiting a local convenience store and the gun fired, striking Seto’s penis and continuing through his left thigh. It’s not a pretty picture.
Emphasis mine. That right there was the bad decision that lead to a bad result. If you every consider sliding your gun into your waistband, don’t. It’s just a bad idea that can lead to nothing by injury. Use a holster, it may save your life and the lives of your future children.
It’s Called Payback
How many people do you know that have spent time in one of the state’s cages? How many of those people were later found innocent of any wrongdoing? How many of the people found guilty were actually guilty of a crime involving a victim? The state loves to throw innocent people into cages and it’s always good to read stories about payback:
Venus Green, who was 87 when she was handcuffed, roughed up and injured by police, will receive $95,000 as part of a settlement with Baltimore City. The city chose to settle the case instead of taking a chance in front of a jury.
“We thought we would have a difficult time in front of a city jury, or any jury,” Baltimore City solicitor George Nilson said.
[…]
In July 2009, Green’s grandson, Tallie, was shot and wounded. Tallie said he was shot at a convenience store, but police insisted it happened inside Green’s house and that the shooter was either Tallie or Green.
“Police kept questioning him. They wouldn’t let the ambulance attendant treat him,” Green said. “So, I got up and said, ‘Sir, would you please let the attendants treat him? He’s in pain,'” Green said.
Green said the officer said to her, “Oh, you did it, come on, let’s go inside. I’ll prove where that blood is. You did it.”Police wanted to go the basement, where Tallie lived, but Green refused on the basis that the police did not have a warrant.
[…]
A struggle ensued between a male officer and Green.
“He dragged me, threw me across the chair, put handcuffs on me and just started calling me the ‘b’ name. He ridiculed me,” Green said.
An officer went into the basement and Green locked him inside.
“She locked the door, the basement door. She basically took matters into her own hands,” Nilson said.
“This was my private home, and if I latched it, that was my prerogative because he had no search warrant to go in my basement. So, I had to right to latch it,” Green said.
Venus Green is awesome. Since she was on her way to a cage for a crime she didn’t commit it is only fitting that she tossed her aggressor in a cage as well.
Italy Joining Greece
Watching the European Union slowly crumble is an unfortunate but inevitable thing. First Greece’s economy collapses and now Italy is moving to join them. Italy has already cut spending a minor amount and that means entities previously receiving government money are pissed:
A museum in Italy has started burning its artworks in protest at budget cuts which it says have left cultural institutions out of pocket.
Antonio Manfredi, of the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples, set fire to the first painting on Tuesday.
“Our 1,000 artworks are headed for destruction anyway because of the government’s indifference,” he said.
The work was by French artist Severine Bourguignon, who was in favour of the protest and watched it online.
Mr Manfredi plans to burn three paintings a week from now on, in a protest he has dubbed “Art War”.
A scorched Earth policy never really accomplishes much. Honestly, these individuals are probably making the life of Italy’s future fascist state easier by burning much of the art before the state decrees it to be done. Either way I’m not sure how destroying art is going to make an argument that museums need more money, I would say it’s probably time to get any important works of art out of the museums before some asshole torches them (and without pieces of art nobody is going to go to a museum so they’ll receive even less money). On top of the hissy fits being thrown by those who used to receive government money Italy has also admitted it won’t be able to balance the budget by 2013:
It was previously predicting a 0.4% contraction in the economy, but has cut that to a 1.2% contraction.
The government has also admitted that it will not be able to meet its target of balancing the budget by 2013.
It now says that it will be able to balance the budget by 2015, which is still more optimistic than the IMF, which says Italy will not have a balanced budget until at least 2018.
The only ways to balance a budget are to spend less money of bring in more money. This means Italy will either have to take funds away from more entities or increase the amount of money they steal from the people in the form of taxation. No matter what route the Italian state choose people are going to be pissed. That’s the kicker about government programs, eventually the state runs out of peoples’ money to steal and reality must be faced. It’s far better for everybody involved when the state doesn’t get involved in anything. Another interesting story coming from Italy that could be a sign of dire times is the rise in Italy’s gold exports:
Italian exports of gold ingots to Switzerland have soared in recent months, data has shown.
Exports to Switzerland were 35.6% higher than in February 2011 “mainly because of sales of non-monetary raw gold”, statistics agency Istat said.
This could mean any number of things. One possible reason people are buying Italian gold is because they’re trying to liquidate their holdings of Italian bonds or currency. Since Italy uses the Euro it’s most likely the former. If the Italian state is looking to go into insolvency it’s best to rid yourself of any Italian state assets, like bonds, while they’re still worth something. With the collapse of the euro looking more likely it would be foolhardy to convert those soon to be worthless Italian bonds into soon to be worthless euros. Thus converting those soon to be worthless Italian bonds into gold, which has traditionally held its value, is a much better option.
Italy is looking to be the second Greece.