Month: December 2012

Watch Rand Paul Advance Tyranny Again

Rand Paul has become something of a punching bag for me. Some libertarians claim that I’m too hard on the man and urge me to support him because he is just “playing ball” in order to gain a position where he can bring liberty to the masses. I have two problems with such plees. First there is the fact that we have no guarantee that he will every being to advance liberty. At what point in time will Rand’s secret liberty agenda be unleashed? Will it only happen if he gets elected president? If that’s the case what happens if he never gets elected as president, will he just continue advancing tyranny indefinitely? That brings me to the second problem I have with Rand. So long as “playing ball” involves advancing tyranny we’re not going to be better off under his “leadership.”

Consider the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA’13). If you look at the roll call you’ll notice something very interesting:

Paul (R-KY), Yea

None other than Rand Paul voted in favor of this $631 billion spending bill. Rand likes to come off as being fiscally conservative but nobody can really hold that title if they’re willing to vote in favor of a $631 billion spending bill at a time when the country is already massively in debt. On financial grounds alone Rand should have voted against this bill. But the financial side of the bill isn’t the only issue, there was a lot of garbage added to the legislation such as an amendment to impose stronger sanctions on Iran. The people of Iran are already suffering greatly under current sanctions yet the United States government wants to impose even stricter sanctions (is there any wonder why Iran hates us). If you look at the roll call for the amendment you’ll notice something very interesting:

Paul (R-KY), Yea

Rand not only voted on the NDAA’13 as a whole but he specifically voted in favor of an amendment that places stricter sanctions on Iran. This isn’t a minor issue. By voting for this amendment Rand is directly supporting increased violence and suffering against the people of Iran. If “playing ball” requires harming innocent people then the liberty movement can’t afford to “play ball.” The liberty movement is supposed to be about increased the liberty of individuals. Increasing violence and suffering against a group of individuals is nothing more than enhancing tyranny. Sanctions are an act of war therefore supporting any amendment that imposes or increases sanctions against another country is war mongering.

Through his votes Rand has failed to support his claimed fiscal conservatism and demonstrated that he’s a war monger, but that’s not all. Before voting in favor of the NDAA’13 Rand threatened to filibuster the legislation if an amendment wasn’t included that guaranteed citizens detained under the bill the right to a trial by jury. What’s ironic is the amendment actually made it easier to indefinitely detain individuals:

Afran explained that the new provision gives U.S. citizens a right to go to civilian (i.e. Article III) court based on “any [applicable] constitutional rights,” but since there are are no rules in place to exercise this right, detained U.S. citizens currently have no way to gain access to lawyers, family or the court itself once they are detained within the military.

“The biggest thing about the [2012] NDAA was that you weren’t getting a trial … Nothing in here says that you’ll make it to an Article III court so it literally does nothing,” Dan Johnson, founder of People Against the NDAA, told BI. “It’s a bunch of words, basically,”

Afran noted that the newest version actually goes further than the NDAA that’s now in effect.

“The new statute actually states that persons lawfully in the U.S. can be detained under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force [AUMF]. The original (the statute we are fighting in court) never went that far,” Afran said. “Therefore, under the guise of supposedly adding protection to Americans, the new statute actually expands the AUMF to civilians in the U.S.“

Supporting legislation that has a pretty title but does nothing is par for the course for Rand Paul but supporting legislation that actually increases the state’s ability to indefinitely detain American citizens without trial is a new low.

I know a lot of people that are currently on the fence regarding Rand Paul. They have expressed a desire to wait and see what Rand’s record looks like. To those people I say his record is pretty obvious at this point and he’s proven to be no friend of liberty. He argued in favor of an amendment that actually makes it easier for the United States government to indefinitely detain American citizens without trial. Then he voted in favor of an amendment that stands to directly increase the violence and suffering inflicted on the Iranian people. Finally he voted for a bill that contained both of the previous amendments and allowed the spending of $631 billions the United States government doesn’t have. I’m sure Rand could create a more deplorable record if he tried but it would require quite a bit of work.

Another Searched, Handcuffed, and Detained Person Managed to Shoot Himself in the Head

A student in Houston, Texas managed to “shoot himself in the head” after being searched, handcuffed, and placed in the back of a squad car:

This morning at North Shore Senior High School, a student was arrested. He was searched, handcuffed, and placed in the back of a police car. While in the car, the student retrieved a hidden gun and shot himself. Paramedics were called and quickly arrived on scene. He was transported to the hospital still conscious when he left. His family accompanied him to the hospital.

Nothing about this story as reported makes sense but it isn’t the first time an individual was searched, handcuffed, and placed into a squad card only to “shoot themselves in the head.” A similar incident happened earlier this year in Arkansas. How are individuals who have been searched by police officers and handcuffed able to retrieve a weapon and shoot themselves? I can conceive of only three ways these scenarios could play out. First the individuals shoved loaded guns up their asses and managed to retrieve them and shoot themselves in the head. Second the police officers who patted down the individuals were entirely incompetent. Third somebody executed the individuals once they were placed in the back of the squad cars and the story given is an attempt to cover up the crime.

Of the three scenarios the last seems most likely. If an individual did go through all the trouble of shoving a firearm up their ass why would they merely use it to commit suicide instead of using it to take a couple cops with them? Missing a firearm during a pat down seems extremely unlikely so I give that possibility the lowest chance of being the correct story.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Houston officers executed the student hoping the incident in Arkansas would give them a believable story.

Zimmerman Sues NBC Over Edited 911 Call

When the Zimmerman case first hit the public spotlight NBC released an edited 911 tape to make it appear as though Zimmerman’s actions were race related. NBC’s actions may make Zimmerman a very wealthy man:

Lawyers for George Zimmerman are seeking punitive damages from NBC over edits of a police call he made on the night Trayvon Martin was killed.

They allege heavily edited extracts of the call made Mr Zimmerman appear racist in the eyes of the public.

NBC issued over the incident but by then the damage had been done. In the eye’s of the public Zimmerman was viewed as a racist who gunned down Trayvon Martin not because he was pounding Zimmerman’s head into the pavement but because he was black. To this day people are still stating that Zimmerman’s actions were race related even though evidence strongly supports Zimmerman’s claim that he was being attacked by Trayvon and fired in self-defense.

Corporate Cronies are Rewarded

In general self-identified leftists support the state and oppose corporations while self-identified rightists support corporations and oppose the state. What both of these groups fail to see is that the state and corporations are married. When a corporation does something for the state the state rewards that corporation and when the state does something for a corporation that corporation rewards the state:

Whatever one’s views on Obamacare were and are: the bill’s mandate that everyone purchase the products of the private health insurance industry, unaccompanied by any public alternative, was a huge gift to that industry; as Wheeler wrote at the time: “to the extent that Liz Fowler is the author of this document, we might as well consider WellPoint its author as well.” Watch the five-minute Bill Moyers report from 2009, embedded below, on the key role played in all of this by Liz Fowler and the “revolving door” between the health insurance/lobbying industry and government officials at the time this bill was written and passed.

[…]

Now, as Politico’s “Influence” column briefly noted on Tuesday, Fowler is once again passing through the deeply corrupting revolving door as she leaves the Obama administration to return to the loving and lucrative arms of the private health care industry:

“Elizabeth Fowler is leaving the White House for a senior-level position leading ‘global health policy’ at Johnson & Johnson’s government affairs and policy group.”

Now that Fowler has fulfilled her duty of pushing Obamacare through she is returning to her seat in the corporate world. Not surprisingly she will be working in the government affairs and policy ground so she can leverage all the connections she made while working for the state.

It’s not turtles all the way down, it’s corruption all the way down.

The Dawn of Simple Home Firearm Manufacturing

Individuals have been working on 3D printed AR-15 lowers for a while now and one of these printed lowers was finally tested:

Earlier this year, amateur gunsmiths got together to see if they could print out some parts that could be used to construct a fully functional AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Last weekend, a 3D-printed lower receiver was tested to failure shooting real bullets, and made it through six shots before suffering what you could legitimately call a catastrophic structural failure.

Some people are pointing at this test as a failure because the lower failed after six rounds but I see it as the dawn of a new age. Technology, as a rule, has a tendency to improve. Even though this first lower failed after six shots it proved that the concept is workable. Now that the concept has been proven viable it’s time to improve the technology. This may involve using different materials or making design changes to reinforce weak points. It is my hope that someday future generations will look back at today and say “Man, they had it hard back in the early 21st century. Did you know that most people had to buy their firearms from dedicated manufacturers? It’s crazy! I’m glad we can just print up our firearms at home, going to the store would be such a hassle.” Decentralization makes suppression impossible. If anybody can simply print a firearm at home controlling firearms becomes impossible.

Tragedies are Only Avoidable Through Constant Vigilance

It’s never enjoyable to read a story about a child being killed. Yesterday in Minneapolis a child came across one of his parent’s firearms and shot his brother to death:

A 2-year-old boy was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon in a Minneapolis home by his 4-year-old brother, who got ahold of a handgun that “accidentally discharged,” police said.

As expected many advocates of gun control are using this tragedy in an attempt to advance their cause. Whenever a story like this appears in the news they claim that it demonstrates the danger of owning firearms in a home with children. What these stories actually demonstrate is the need for constant vigilance on behalf of parents. There are countless dangers strewn about every household that could cause death to a child. Cleaners and medications can kill a child who happens to ingest them. Electrical outlets offer danger if a child managed to insert a metal object into one. Stairs can cause a great deal of harm to a child if they fall down them. The number of dangers in the average household are mind boggling.

In each of the above mentioned cases parents must take precautions to protect their children. Cleaners and medication should be stored out of reach of children, electrical outlets should be covered, and gates should be placed at the tops of stairs. Firearms are not different. If you have young children in the house you should store firearms out of their reach. That doesn’t mean you have to store firearms unloaded and separate from ammunition but it does mean any defensive firearms you want to leave loaded should be kept in a quick access safe. You should also educate your children about firearms, specially teach them to be responsible around them.

Stories like this should reinforce the concern parents must have regarding safety and not just when it comes to firearms.

New York Punishing Those Who Suffered Storm Damage

You just catch any breaks in New York. First superstorm Sandy comes rolling though and destroys a great deal of property and then the state comes rolling through punishing people fro suffering storm damage:

Residents in one Queens neighborhood are crying foul after they were written up for failing to clean up the city’s own mess. It is yet another new complication in life after Superstorm Sandy.

Rosanne and Joe Cavaliere are still trying to clean up from the hurricane.

They have branches through their roof, busted front windows, and, to add insult to injury, they recently received a citation notice from the city.

Apparently denizens of New York are supposed to have cleaned up all the damage by now. What’s even funnier is the state’s excuse for issuing these citations:

The Department of Buildings said the citation is a mere formality. It’s a way to keep track of all downed trees.

That makes sense. The only way the Department of Buildings can keep track of all the fallen trees is to issue citations. There is no way they could have a team going around New York with tablets and use and application tied to Google Maps API to mark locations where fallen trees have been sighted. While the Department of Buildings has officially stated that the issued citations carry no monetary penalties it is likely some other penalties will be tied to those citations at a future date (for example, a citation against the property may appear when the current homeowner tries to sell the house and cause unnecessary headaches).

Reducing the Cost of Inflicting Violence on Employees

AutoZone employee Devin McClean used his personal firearm to protect his employer’s property. Such a deed would be seen as noble to many but the higher ups at AutoZone rewarded the diligent work of their employee by firing him:

After AutoZone employee Devin McClean stopped a serial thief from robbing the local auto parts store in York County, Virginia, some hailed him as a hero, but not the head honchoes at AutoZone. They saw McClean’s actions as a reason for termination.

[…]

An Autozone representative told a local news channel that the company has a zero tolerance policy for employees bringing weapons into their stores.

I’m not going to spend a great deal of time chiding AutoZone. Their stores are their property and that means they get to make the rules. What I am going to spend time discussing is the ramifications of AutoZone’s actions.

AutoZone has officially notified the world that their stores can be generally considered weapon-free zones. This means that individuals wanting to rob AutoZone stores or to inflict physical harm against AutoZone employees can be reasonably assured that little threat exists to them. The cost of committing violence in AutoZone stores has been reduced meaning the likelihood of violence being committed in those stores has increased.

What are the negative consequences of allowing employees to carry weapons at their place of work? There is the potential of frightening customers if the weapon is seen by there is no risk of any harm coming to an employee or the property. The possibility of customers being frightened by an employees weapon could be handled by a policy that states all employee carried weapons must remain concealed at all times. A mandatory concealment policy would alleviate the risk of frightening customers while keeping the cost of performing violence up. Unfortunately the higher ups at AutoZone have decided to opt for the lose-lose scenarior where employees that arm themselves must face the risk of being fired while criminals know that AutoZone stores are unlikely to offer much in the way of resistance.

The Great GOP Purge Continues

Even though Ron Paul has left the political stage many liberty advocates continue to hope that the political process will be our ultimate salvation. They continue to believe the best way of reforming this country is to hijack the Republican Party, replace the old guard with new liberty candidates, and use the reverse the political machinery so that it can produce liberty instead of tyranny. When anybody points out the flaws of this strategy supporters are quick to list elected “liberty” candidates like Rand Paul and Justin Amash as proof that the strategy will work in the long run. Here’s the biggest flaw in that plan, the Republican Party isn’t going to play along. In fact the Republican Party has taken notice of the liberty movement growing inside of it and has begun a glorious purge to remove any potential liberty supporter from positions of power:

A day after learning he was yanked from from the Agriculture Committee, Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp lit into GOP leaders Tuesday, charging that conservative Republicans are punished for not toeing Speaker John Boehner’s line.

“No good deed goes unpunished,” Huelskamp said at a Heritage Foundation event. “We were not notified about what might occur but it confirms in my mind the deepest suspicions that most Americans have about Washington D.C: it’s petty, it’s vindictive, and if you have conservative principles you will be punished.”

Huelskamp spoke at the briefing with Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), who was booted from the Budget Committee as part of a series of committee moves by Republican leaders that drew criticism from the right.

[…]

Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) were also stripped of plum committee assignments.

Amash has been given notice that he will not be allowed to hold any position of influence. This is just another step by the Republican Party to purge any semblance of the liberty movement. In all likelihood those involved with purging the liberty movement from the Republican Party will become more and more paranoid. Eventually they will purge anybody who can be even remotely tied to the liberty movement. Nobody should be surprised by this outcome though, the liberty movement forcefully entered the Republican Party’s house and the homeowners aren’t pleased.

I’m sure the Republican Party will eventually mandate blood oaths before individuals are allowed to participate in their petty party politics.

Krampus

My friend Dean alerted me to what is possibly the most metal mythology to surround the Christmas season. Behold, the Krampus:

Krampus is a beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish bad children during the Christmas season, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards nice ones with gifts. Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children in his sack and carry them away to his lair.

So this most metal of creatures goes around terrorizing wicked children and even goes so far as to kidnap the exceedingly wicked ones so it can drown them, eat them, or send them to Hell. In our society people worry that scary stories will cause psychological damage to young children. The ancient Germanic people had no such concerns and decided children should have the living shit scared out of them at least once a year. I leave you with this creature and one of the more bad ass representations of it: