Obama Administration Endorses Voter Intimidation

The political appointees of the Obama Administration have dropped the charges against Black Panthers who intimidated voters at a polling place with weapons. This is inexcusable. This is the type of thing that happens in third world dictatorships. Unless there is a major piece of the puzzle that is not in the article, voters need to demand an answer about this from the administration.

PATRIOT ACT Out Of Control

It's funny and tragic to me that some people actually believe that the Bush Administration actually made them safer. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The massive constitutional damage to the rights of Americans will take years to repair, if ever. How far back you need to go to find a President with a greater disregard for the Constitution and rule of law will not be known for some time, but it will be somewhere between FDR, Lincoln, and Jackson.

A prime example of this is the abomination of using the PATRIOT act, which will likely go down in history as one of the great legal abominations of American history, to indefinitely detain a home schooled tenth grader.

One of the idiotic beliefs of the neo-cons that run the GOP is that the laws they pass will be used only on the people they don't like. This is one of the reasons that they, and the Republican party, are not conservatives, nor are Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity or any of the other talking heads that misappropriate the term. They are right wing fascists to varying degrees. Basic conservatism tells us that any power granted to the government will be used to it's fullest, and stretched as far as possible. This is precisely why the founders strictly limited the powers of government, and warned against expanding them.

Law Enforcement are not bad people, they simply use every tool granted to them by us through politicians to do what we through politicians tell them to do. If we give them a tool they will use it. That's simply logical. So when you allow them to do things to American Citizens, remember that they will not simply do that to the Muslim they find suspicious because you would be ok with that, they will also do it to your pastor if he associates with the wrong antiabortion group, or you if you vent your frustration with politics wrong. They simply do the job we ask them to do with the tools we give them. We are to blame, not them. We asked for it and received it. It is the voters responsibility to not be fooled by politicians, and to hold them accountable for the laws they pass. It is us who re-elect those who disregard the constitution. It is us who fall into the "lesser of two evils" trap. When you look at who to blame for the state of civil liberties in this country, start by looking in the mirror, especially if you vote for one of the main parties.

So what is the solution? Think and share. Don't blindly follow. It may feel good to listen to the guy with an R after his name bash Obama for running a huge deficit, and expanding government, but ask how we fared under his party? Did the size of government increase, or decrease. Did they cut taxes AND spending? Or did they add to the debt by spending money they didn't have. Did they protect your gun rights AND your right to constitutional rights when in detention? When you talk to other people about your beliefs, don't do what President Obama suggested on the campaign trail and "get in their face". Listen to what's important to them. Find common ground and relate. Use nonthreatening examples, and don't be afraid to agree to disagree. The conversation is the victory. When people think though the issues and don't fall into soundbites, we make progress.

Biden Needs To Resign

Joe Biden has long been putting his foot in his mouth. However, his latest irresponsibility is too much. He is spreading panic over the so-called "Swine Flu" in a complete disregard for the economy and public order. It's not that he intends to be malicious, he just simply doesn't think before he speaks, and when you are the Vice President, that is unacceptable. Enough is enough, we need a new Vice President before his unthinking wording cost lives. If he does not realize it, President Obama should request his resignation.

Waste Of Resources

So apparently the precursor to SKYNET is going to be drones to sniff out marijuana. Governments are so terrified of people getting high in way that won't harm them and they don't pay taxes on, instead of ways like alcohol that will harm them but that they pay taxes on, that they are developing robots to spy on them. Doesn't anybody else see how insane this is?

Maybe You Don't Do That Again

I know there is a learning curve with running the country. The Obama Administration has learned the hard way that it's a bad idea to fly an Air Force One and two F-16s 1000 ft above New York, and not warn people. There's gotta be a better way to spend $300k.

Specter's Switch

Sen. Arlen Specter (PA) switched parties today, officially becoming a democrat. He claims that this is a result of changes in his constituency, which has been moving steadily democratic. Skeptics point to conservative challenges looming in the primary. In either case, this just goes to show how little difference there is between the parties. The Republicans are just Democrat Lites. Making a switch requires only a subtle difference. If only there was a viable third party...

Obama Administration Seeking To Strip More Rights

Taking over smoothly from the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration wants to remove an obstacle to police interrogation. It has asked the Supreme Court to allow police to continue to question suspects who have a lawyer or who have asked for one. This opens the door to a variety of interrogation tactics that come closer to Guantanamo Bay than people would imagine. Sure, it's not the Bush Administration pushing for actually torturing American citizens, but it'd likely result in much broader application.

What's Next?

Yesterday, there were tax protests across the country. Despite what partisans on either side said, these were not simplistic Republican rallies. In fact, they just might signal the end of the Republican party. Many of the signs decried steps taken by Bush, and the debt and deficit that were created in large part by Republicans. Republican numbers have been declining for a while now, and they essentially have no national vibrant leadership. The RNC chairman was denied the speaking role he requested at a tea party. People are catching on that the Republican party has become Democrat Lite. Right now the only thing saving them is the even greater lack of libertarian leadership. This may not last indefinitely.

The political atmosphere is becoming increasingly charged. The DHS keeps warning of right wing extremism without much evidence, and is blindly lashing out at veterans. This is ugly, foolish and unnecessary. As a chicken and egg effect, gun sales continue to soar. Waiting lists are over a year long, and factories are running 24hrs a day. The backlash against gun control is so strong, not only has a group of congressional democrats announced they will block any, even the President has backed off plans for it.

Backing up the claims of those who fear a stronger government, it was announced that the NSA had dramatically overstepped it's legal authority, and had spied on millions of people it didn't have the authority to spy on.

Despite DHS's assertions that it's only the "extremists" that are concerned by the growth of Federal power, even State Governors are speaking out. Texas' went as far as to mention secession, which hasn't been brought up by someone that prominent within memory.

It is far too early to tell what changes will come from this situation. But it seems certain that some will, and they may have ramifications for years to come.

Second Militia Movement?

The DHS is warning of a possible surge in "militia" and "right wing" activity. It is important, of course, to protect Americans against skinheads, crackpots and anyone who would use violence to make a political point. There is no doubt that white supremacist are using the election of President Obama to try to boost membership. Such groups must be monitored, and, when they break the law, punished.

However, in our vigilance against violent extremists, we must not dampen legitimate discussion. The government is in a phase of unprecedented expansion, and we must not allow those who object to be painted with the extremist brush. There have already been instances where a Ron Paul bumper sticker has been cited as possible probable cause to search a car. This is despicable political repression.

With the Texas government speaking out against the expansion of Federal power, the debate is likely to get more heated. Hopefully, legitimate discussion does not become collateral damage of the fight against extremism.

Capitalism Is The Answer

Glancing over the headlines today, I was struck by two examples of how capitalism can solved problems so much better than the government:

In response to America's increasingly broken health care system, store such as Walmart, CVS and Walgreens are opening thier own health clinics which can treat basic illnesses quickly, effectively and cheaply.

A Chinese company is poised to ovetake the electric car and battery market. It is also working towards making it's batteries 100% biodegradable. You can drink the battery fluid. Are they profitable? Buffet had to buy less than he wanted of the company. That says it all.

American Pirates

So the SEALs defeated a trio of Somali Pirates, and even in my somewhat cynical view, the Captain is a hero for offering himself as a hostage to free his crew. All's well that ends well, except that the Pirates have now vowed to kill Americans on sight.

The whole episode evoked the principles of one of my most passionate issues to me. I'm going to skip over the whole International/Maritime/Admiralty law specifics here, and just deal with concepts.

Start with this: You are sailing through an area where there is known Pirate activity. You know that if you put out a distress call, highly trained and armed people will arrive to help as soon as they can. Don't you still want to be able to defend yourself?

This is where most Americans are with criminals. For the majority of Americans, they live within reasonable traveling distance from a criminal with violent tendencies. If they call for help, it will arrive as soon as possible. However, in the intervening time, if you are unarmed, there is nothing keeping them from killing you, harming you, or taking you hostage. It is a basic human right to be able to protect one's self. That right can be supplemented by police, but not replaced by it.

Americans Don't Want Gun Control

Only 39% of Americans want more gun control. This number has been slowly dropping for years, yet has dropped precipitously recently, despite the recent spate of highly publicized shootings. The reasons are likely complex. The pollsters attribute much of the drop to a distrust of the Obama administration. Also likely is a larger distrust of government as a whole to do a competent job at anything. The fact that the AWB did nothing certainly didn't prevent any crime took some of the mystique out of gun control. Believe it or not, the cultural phenomenon of the Zombie Apocalypse probably played a role as well.

It now appears that a new Assault Weapons Ban is unlikely. In fact, 65 Congressional Democrats begged President Obama not to attempt to pass one, and vowed not to vote for anything resembling it. Congressman Mike Ross led the group, and is to be commended.

Right and wrong aren't dependant on popularity, but it's nice to see many Americans see through the propaganda.

Apparently Obama Doesn't Want A Second Term

President Obama will apparently push for a bill that would legalize illegal immigrants. While I personally have only a few qualms with this, it may well be a political invasion of Russia, especially right now.

The Obama Election: Stimulus For Gun Manufacturers

The boom in gun sales that started as soon as President Obama got elected continues to expand. It is increasingly difficult to even find semiauto rifles and standard ammunition. Factory orders are full for months on end. The price of ammo has skyrocketed. Money is pouring into the gun industry, which will hopefully means it has the resources to withstand the eventual attack of the Obama administration, led by Eric "The US is a nation of cowards" Holder. With someone who plays so fast and loose with the truth in charge of the coming draconian crackdown on personal self defense, one shudders to think what absurd promises will be made to the ignorant masses to try to gain their assent. "When we ban Human Killing Weapons(or whatever new made up term they'll use), not only will there never be another crime, but puppies and kittens will lick away all your tears!" This is pretty much the main thing the Republican party is any good for, so if they roll over on this like they have so many times before on self defense, my last vestiges of respect for them may go out the door with my freedoms.

The most ironic part of this is that the Obama Administration's fascist "solution" to gun crime will undoubtedly create more of it. People who otherwise would not buy a semiauto rifle or handgun are now going out and buying one because they may never get another chance. These, for the most part, are not the ideal gun owners, who generally own the majority of guns. So instead of sitting safely at a gun store, it's gathering dust unsecured under a bed, waiting to be stolen, pawned illegally or used in a crime.

If a ban is passed, then what? There are two possibilities: a total ban, or a ban on new production or importation. A ban on new production and importation is much more likely, but will not do much except drive up the price, making theft more enticing. But everyone who bought them before the ban will still have them, and the number will be higher than if the subject was never brought up. The less likely total ban would be even worse. The guns would be required to be either destroyed, or turned in for a token sum. In either case, many, many gun owners will simply file away the serial numbers and sell them onto the black market, and report the gun stolen or destroyed. All this is not even taking into account the loss of freedom and security by law abiding citizens.

Much of this hinges on the 2010 midterm elections. Mr. Obama likely does not have the political capital to push this through before then, as congressional Democrats remember the fate of the Democratic congress who voted in the last abridgement of the second amendment.

Drug Testing For Government Money?

So, some politicians who want to make a name for themselves are proposing drug testing people who receive unemployment, welfare, etc from the government. First off, in the case of unemployment, it's the money they paid into the system, so it's not government money/taxpayer money anyway. As far as everything else, decide whether you are going to treat them as a human or an animal. Either give them the money, and let them spend it as they see fit, or give them the food, housing, etc, that you consider proper. This is ridiculous political grandstanding.

On the topic of regulating what people who get government money can do, how about keeping the Iraqis from executing people for being gay(and don't pull out your bibles/Korans unless your going to execute people for everything included under the death penalty)?

Obama Raises Taxes On The Poor

President Obama has just broken one of his major campaign promises. He and his running mate repeatedly promised that there would be no tax raises on the poor. He just signed a bill which skyrockets tobacco taxes. Liberal tax analysts have long decried such taxes because they take a much larger portion of the poor's income than the rich, and because the poor are more like to smoke than the rich [probably has something to do with discipline(preemptive disclaimer: I've quit smoking. It's not that hard)].

New Chinese Weapon?

Apparently, the Chinese may have a new weapon which would, if reports are true, change the balance of power in the Pacific. It's a ballistic missile modified to strike a moving target and to modify it's course to tract the target and avoid defenses. It's believed to target US carriers, and is also believed to not currently have a countermeasure. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Good News

There is a piece of good news out of Washington for those of us who believe they should have the right of self defense. The NRA is apparently having a fair amount of success limiting anti-gun legislation. This is mostly due to pressure on Conservative Democrats/Democrats from Conservative districts. However, even liberal Democrats remember that the "Assault Weapons Ban" play a role in their loss in the 1994 elections, and are unwilling to risk a repeat of that defeat in 2010. Hopefully, this will stave off the attempts by the Statists to outsource self defense.

Response To The Obama Presser

President Obama gave his second Prime time speech and news conference. If you missed it, or don't watch TV because it makes you stupid, you can read it here.

My response was a very simple, two part thought. He is truly gifted at abstractly arguing for his position in rhetorical terms, and at sounding extremely centrist. He is able to do this for the very simple reason that he was won the battle over the battlefield. That is to say, he has succeeded in framing the argument in a framework where is positions are moderate and reasonable.

Conversely, Republicans have failed because they took the bait, and tried to argue with the President on his own terms. They are trying to argue over what course of State action would be the most effective, rather than arguing over what the role of the state is. As long as they do not challenge the role of the State, they will always lose. They are going against a relatively popular President who succeeded a extremely unpopular President of their party, and have historically represented some constituencies that are extremely unpopular currently. Going on his turf and arguing his issues on his terms is not a formula for success. In order to have a chance, they need to force the debate out of his home field and onto their field. In this case, their home field is the role of government in abstract. Most Americans are still against Statism. Hopefully, they will figure this out before the midterm elections which may well prove pivotal for the country.

Welfare Alternatives

After seeing that the so-called "Octomom" had planned on supporting her kids on welfare, I decided that I would go into a little more depth on what I see as a critical reform to the tax and welfare system.

The idea is extremely simple. Enact a dollar for dollar tax credit(not deduction) for charities that take the place of welfare, up to the full amount your taxes would be. Obviously, they have to be nonprofits, and some general guidelines would need to be put in place. As they take off, there will be less and less need to have any governmental welfare, and once it is unneeded, it can be ended.

The beautiful part is, it's voluntary. Pay taxes OR support private charity. Generally speaking, liberals give far less to charity than conservatives anyway, so both groups can be happy.

The critical component is this: it removes the role of government in a place it doesn't belong. No more governmental involvement in socialistic redistribution of wealth.

Indeed, this approach could be applied to virtually all functions of the government, outside of a few bare bones functions such as law enforcement. You know, the way the founders intended?

The real question is: why has this not been proposed by the Republican Party? It is in accordance to several of the key "official" principles of the party: limited government, reduced welfare and reduced effective taxes. But the Republican Party has been seduced by power. Truly reducing the power of the government would reduce the power they have when they manage to convince people to vote them in by complaining about things they have no plan to fix. Remember, it was Clinton who last reformed welfare, not either of the Bushes.

Without tax revenues, they couldn't invade other countries with their shiny toys that they spend 30-50+% of the budget they complain about on. They couldn't use earmarks to bribe the people who helped to elect them on a platform of no pork. With reduced government spending, there would be less lucrative contracts to sign immediately upon leaving office to lobby for government spending.

So Republicans really don't care about cutting down the size of government or taxes, at least outside of soundbites and campaign ads. That's why they don't do it when they have power. At least the Democrats tell us what they are going to do.

It's time for another way.

Deficit Spending

The latest projections are that the policies sought by the Obama administration will contribute to nearly ten trillion dollars in deficits over the next decade. A moderate Republican who was nominated for Secretary of Commerce by President Obama says the new budget will bankrupt America.

To President Obama's credit, he campaigned on these principles. People knew what they were getting, and the fault lies with the American public as a whole. Though they are not happy with the spending, they seem resigned to it. Republican complaints, while red meat to the base, are not resonating with moderate Americans. Why should it? The last Republican administration brought us an illegal, absurdly expensive war and loads of pork barrel spending. All this from a President who mouthed the official Republican lines, then turned around and did the opposite. True, he enacted a temporary tax cut. However, when you increase spending, you by definition increase taxes. The two are linked.

Because of this, it will take time for Americans to believe the words of the Republican party. In order to regain credibility, the Republican party must reject the pop politics of talk radio, of simplistic political duality, and re-embrace their foundation. They must embrace limited government, not just pay it lip service. Tell us how you would cut the deficit. Take back the House in 2010 and actually cut the budget, and not just settle political scores with budget trimmings that are more than offset with barely concealed bribes to campaign contributors.

How about changes to the tax code that actually empower the private sector to take over government waste. How about a dollar for dollar tax credit for charitable donations? What about a tax credit for private or home school? What about ending the War on Drugs?

It will take a bold agenda to capture the attention and trust of the public, because you squandered it last time. If you continue being reactive and negative, sniping at the Administration without offering new solutions, then there is a very real prospect of lasting one party rule in America.

Is This Where We're Headed?

It's widely agreed that President Obama is steering the country towards a British-style mild socialism. Somewhat higher taxes with a sturdier "social safety net". Doesn't sound so bad, does it? Well, check out this British family. All four of them claim to be too fat to work. So the government pays them a healthy salary to sit around and eat. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, eh? The worthless (can't find an word to use that isn't extremely vulgar)s whine that it's not enough money, that it's not their fault they are fat, and they are too poor to buy healthy food and don't have time to exercise. Can even the most bleeding heart liberal give me a reason they shouldn't be put down? Remember, none of the traditional excuses work. It's a socialist country. School and health care are free. They clearly aren't too busy working. Got anything?

If this is where we're heading, I don't want to go.

Where Are Americans Heads At?

There is an interesting article in the WSJ where a former Clinton pollster breaks down President Obama's poll numbers. He concludes that the numbers being reported in the MSM are misleading and that Mr. Obama's numbers are lower than Mr. Bush's were at the same time. He also notes that many Americans are deeply pessimistic about the near future, and are especially worried about the effects of deficit spending. This is likely to increase as China becomes increasingly vocal about it's loaning to the US.

Another key sign that Americans are uneasy is the continued reports of weapon and ammunition hoarding. Ironically, President Obama may be responsible for more guns being in circulation, if he spends his political capital before pushing through his draconian gun ban.

Some people are using the economic situation to advance common-sense legalisation. In California there is a bill to legalize and tax marijuana. Now that the stormtrooper-esqe Bush Administration DEA has been replaced by the somewhat more pragmatic Obama DEA, this would actually go into effect. This would cost the state less, while bringing in revenue. Funny how no one ever cites liberty as a reason...

Is The War On Success Driving Companies Offshore?

As a natural result of President Obama's War on Success, firms are starting to move offshore to escape the crushing US corporate taxes, which are among the highest in the world. The Swiss in particular stand to gain a great deal as they already have treaties with the US in place. This minimizes the consequences for firms. It may only be a matter of time before US citizens of high personal worth make similar moves.

Also, though he was obviously being hyperbolic, it's still not a good sign that a US governor is warning of a Zimbabwe style economic collapse in the US.

Establishment Losing Patience With Obama?

There are increasing signals that the Washington Democratic establishment is over it's honeymoon with President Obama. Even some in the admittedly left wing media are starting to question his general handling of things. His staff is getting slightly defensive. All of this is despite the fact the he remains popular with the public. However, that public opinion moves slowly is a double edged sword. While they may be slow to turn on the new President, they will also be slow to embrace him again if his luster fades.

Indeed, one of the criticisms of President Obama during the campaign was that once he was forced to make the difficult decisions, and put his rhetoric into practice, his supporting coalition would crumble. This seems to be happening. It is starting with the political class, and his largest challenge will be keeping it from spreading to the public. The spread is not a foregone conclusion. The public content will have more to do with the shape of the economy that policy squabbles.

The most dangerous part for the President is dealing with the "Blue-Dog" Democrats. Not only will they eventually reach the limit of their part loyalty, the voters they represent are easy pickings for the Republican insurgency. Navigating this constituency is key for the President's future success.

Warnings

Yet another leader who has experience with socialism warned President Obama against infringing on free markets today.

Those who have dealt with the state running the economy are far more protective of the free market than those of us who take it for granted. The have suffered first hand the chilling effect of such systems. Hopefully we will not be forced to learn this the hard way.

For a particularly harsh look at the Obama administration's plan, read this article by Kevin Hasset.

Conservatives vs. Republicans

David Frum has a very good article on why Rush Limbaugh is bad for the Republican party. He illustrates why if the Republican party continues to revere Limbaugh, they are doomed in the polls. It's a pretty decent article for MSM.

However, it misses the larger point. The Republican's problems go much deeper than Limbaugh. At the heart of them are a lack of firm ideological foundation and worse, a tendency towards hypocrisy when they do gain power. Both of these are rooted in the modern Republicans near constant opposition status. Since the end of the second World War, for only a few years did Republicans hold both Houses of Congress and the White House. When they did, they abandoned the principles they claimed.

Because they were in opposition for so long, to a large degree the Republicans defined themselves in opposition to the Democrats rather than creating a base of ideology. Consequently, they tend to attack more so than suggest alternatives. This is precisely what causes the hypocrisy when they do achieve power. Because the focus was simply on what the Democrats were doing wrong, the Republicans did not have a ideological framework to base their administration on. Instead, they go about it as righting wrongs and rewarding patrons. The best example of this is 2000-2004. For decades the Republicans had been complaining about "tax and spend" Democrats. They finally gain control of all three Houses, and what do they do? Skyrocket spending. Sure they cut taxes, but only for 10 years. Even if the tax cuts didn't sunset, they would eventually have to be repealed, as you can't cut taxes while increasing spending indefinitely.

As a result of a lack of agenda and hypocrisy, the Republican Party, is limited to opposition. True conservatives must not bow to the lesser of two evils mantra that is rolled out each election cycle when the Republicans field another lousy field of candidates that are "not great but at least they're not a Democrat". Aren't true conservatives against rewarding mediocrity? Until we demand excellence, we will keep getting the same welfare-grade candidates. We need to make our voices heard, and let the GOP know that they won't get our votes until they start standing for something, and following through on it when they have the chance.

The "Obama Bear Market"

The WSJ has an excellent write up on what is causing the "Obama Bear Market". With the jobless rate at a 25 year high, things are looking grim in the short term. Tent cities are starting to pop up, though they are not yet called Obamavilles. Declaring war on the successful is a sure way to slow down the growth that is needed. Hopefully President Obama realizes this before we are fully mired in the Second Great Depression. However, it looks doubtful that he learned the lessons of that time. Even the far-left New York Times notes that raising taxes during the Depression made it worse. Indeed, there was a surge in investment in 1938 when the Democrats lost 72 seats, dramatically reducing the attack on the successful. Hopefully we will repeat that in 2010, and not later.

The War On Success

As the Obama Administration's War on Success continues to be announced, the stock market continues to slide in the face of technical analysis that would suggest a rise. This is because the traders can read the writing on the wall. In fact, the Wall Street Journal opined that President Obama's actions may actually make the recession longer and recovery weaker.

There is also a growing sentiment of resistance to the punitive tax on success. People are realizing they really don't want to work just to have much of that money taken away, so individuals that run small businesses are considering working only part time so less of their income is taken from them. Why bother working so the money can be given to someone else? Of course, this will be devastating to the economy, as small business are the engine of job growth.

Before you get too nostalgic for Republican rule, read the memos the Bush administration kept secret for their whole administration. Basically, they claim the Constitution doesn't apply if they don't want it to. Scary stuff.

When will Americans stopping looking at politics as the lesser of two evils and start actually working towards a prosperous and free future? Hopefully before it is too late.

Yet Another

Yet another Obama Administration nominee has been found to need to pay back taxes.

Corruption We Can Believe In

Apparently President Obama's "Urban Czar" whatever that is, has some pretty shady habits. It seems that when people "contributed" to him, their projects got approved and funded. This is typical of the Chicago machine politics where President Obama got his political start.

The real question is: Can some of the wealthy pay off the Obama Administration to keep from destroying the economy and punishing success? It'd probably pay off after everything is said and done.

Another Take On The New War On Success

Over at CNBC, in the NBC family which is the farthest left of the MSM, Larry Kudlow has an excellent column which says Obama is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs and business.

The real question I have is this: When are the real conservatives going to show up? President Bush sure wasn't one. Mr. McCain wasn't either. The party has rejected it's true conservative voice in Ron Paul. If the Republicans don't move past complaining and propaganda, they risk losing their chance at a rebound when the Obama administration's policies fail.

Glimmer Of Hope

In the darkness of some of the oppressive new Obama administration, there is a glimmer of light that they may make some concessions on medical marijuana and lessen the federal enforcement of marijuana laws.

Fascism We Can Believe In

The Obama administration has unleashed a new multi-pronged attack on freedom. The net result is a complete undermining of personal freedom and responsibility and a massive expansion of government.

As always, they start with guns. By disarming a nation, you force them to rely on the state for protection. The most fundamental responsibility is for your own protection. By forcing you to give this over to them, they are forcing you to give part of the control of your life over to them. So it was no surprise that despite assurances to the contrary, there is a new "assault weapons ban" in the pipeline. This was announced by AG Holder, previously noted for calling the US a "nation of cowards". Semi-automatic rifles are critical for self defense. They are much easier to use and more accurate than pistols or shotguns, especially for women and the elderly. It has been all but proven that gun control does not reduce crime, and that in fact, more guns prevent crime. Of course, that is not their goal. The goal is control.

The next target is people who are successful. They are being targeted with significantly higher taxes and lower deductions. The liberal establishment will whine that these taxes are not that high by historical standards. The real issue is that, increasingly, only the successful pay any taxes at all, and much of that tax money is given to the unsuccessful. Once again, by punishing success and encouraging mediocrity, the state forces reliance on them.

Despite savaging the successful, allegedly to help the poor, there is also an attack on charities. The tax deduction for giving to them is being curtailed. This would not make sense if the goal was to actually help poor people, as private charity is much more efficient than government aid. Rather the goal is to eliminate competition with the government and force the poor to rely on the state, rather than the private sector.

The coming months and the 2010 election are going to be a critical battle for freedom. I urge everyone to educate themselves and others, and to make your voice heard.

Consequences

Unlike the police in the earlier article I posted, the Atlanta police who shot a 92 year old women in a fraudulent drug raid have been sent to prison. Due to the lax enforcement of due process, and outright fraudulent behavior of police in some cases, we will never know how many illegal raids have been conducted.

There is the beginnings of a common sense answer to this issue in California. Hopefully this nation will come to its senses before too many more lives are lost.

Trailer

I'm really interested in seeing this movie, even though I doubt it's anything new to me:

Big Brother

In President Obama's hometown, they are vowing to bring the Orwellian nightmare of constant surveillance to reality. This will come in the form of a security camera ON EVERY CORNER! Your every public movement will be recorded and tracked. There is no way that this can be justified. The excuse is to combat crime rate, of which Chicago has one of the worst in the nation. The reason for that is simple. Chicago, like the other most violent cities, does not allow citizens to protect themselves by carrying weapons. Therefore, the criminals know that their victims will be unarmed. The real qualm I have is that these cities view your personal protection as the role of the police. This is simply wrong. It is not the police's responsibility to protect you. It is YOUR responsibility to protect yourself. The police are there for extraordinary situations, and to arrest people who are guilty of a crime. Their job is not to protect you. No police officer will ever be as motivated to protect you or your family as you are. Therefore, they will never do it as well as you. Citizens must demand the right to protect themselves.

Wow. In possibly the worst sign yet, Prime Minister Putin of Russia is warning the US, and the rest of the world not to fall into the trap of socialism.

Latest Shenanigans

Though they have been cutting a more centrist path on actual policy than many feared, the Obama administration is continuing in one of the worst bipartisan traditions, giving a bunch of money we don't have to people who don't deserve it. The housing bill is probably the worst of the worst. On CNBC, which is a part of the farthest left branch of the American media, they showed and posted to their website traders on the floor openly lamenting and calling for a new Boston Tea Party. It's pretty bad when the farthest left MSM is comparing your administration to Cuba. Even high school students are starting to see through the propaganda and doubting the man their age group supported wholeheartedly. The fact that inflation is already creeping back, before all the spending, is also extremely worrying.

On top of all this, it is becoming pretty clear that all the "Change!" slogans were just that. Mr. Obama plays the fear card just as often as Mr. Bush did. What's worse is that it is quite possible that the Obama administration may be more corrupt than the Bush administration. Here is a list of some of the shadiness, and he hasn't even been in office a month yet.

Perhaps to distract from all of this, the New Attorney General laid down a royal flush of race cards, calling America a "nation of cowards" on race. He said this at an official Justice Department function celebrating Black History month. This is ludicrous. Blacks comprise roughly 11% of the US population. Yet they head both majority political parties(Mr. Obama and Mr. Steele), are President and Attorney General, and are represented on the Supreme Court. What other post-industrial country can claim anything like that? The closest is Israel, which is also vilified for being racist. Has an Arab run France? Has anyone from the Indian subcontinent headed Britain? Has a person of African descent run any country in Europe? Quite honestly, this is shameful and Mr. Holder should resign.

It's Been A While

It's been a little while since I blogged, partly being busy and partly being lazy. Here's my comments on the last three blog posts by someone who's not lazy, Becky:

It's a shame the 9th and 10th Amendments have been trampled so thoroughly. These are two of the most important amendments to the constitution, yet they are glossed over in public indoctrination/school. They specifically limit the powers of the Federal government to keep it contained. They have been increasingly ignored in recent years, which has resulted in much erosion of liberties.

The idiot sheriff where the photo of Phelps smoking was snapped is attempting to launch an investigation. Anyone who reads here knows how I feel about the war on Drug/liberty. This is a perfect example. We have a someone who wants to make a name for himself and is willing to trample over all kinds policies and procedures to do so. This is likely the same reason he, under the guise of the war on liberty/drugs bought a APC with a belt fed .50 cal for the police department. Speaking as someone who loves guns, and would love to own an M2, there is no reason for local law enforcement to have one, it will likely end badly.

Further shredding the Constitution, DC looks likely to get representation despite that being unconstitutional. If you want to modify the constitution, you have to pass an amendment. It's that simple.

Another One

There seems to be no end to the Democratic Politicians and their spouses who feel like they don't need to pay the taxes they inflict on others...

Detention Camps In The USA?

As if we didn't have enough to worry about these days, an corrupt congressman wants to establish military detention camps for US civilians on the mainland. Becky's analysis in the linked blog article is pretty much spot on.

Granted, this is still just a proposal, but this is the type of thing that must be fought tooth and nail. The wholesale abridgments of the Bill of Rights have been steadily increasing over the last century. This proposed atrocity would show that the promise of the Obama campaign couldn't be farther from the truth.

The fact is that this is one of the final pieces in the puzzle of how the US is setting up the potential for a military state. The original pieces were slow in coming but picked up dramatically with the "War On Drugs" which is really a war on liberty. An excellent example is here. I've covered the story before, but it really highlights the reason I talk about the war on drugs/liberty so much. The short version of the story is this: a small town mayor is minding his own business, innocent of any crime, when a SWAT team bursts into his house without identifying themselves, kills his dogs, handcuffs the entire family while screaming at them at gunpoint, ransacks the house, doesn't find anything, shrugs and leaves. They then refuse to apologize, officially clear them despite not one shred of evidence, comment on the story, or change policy. This is despite the fact that the only reason for the raid was a package of marijuana addressed to the couple, which was delivered by the police, who were investigating people mailing drugs to random innocent people. There is literally not one thing you can do to prevent this from happening to you.

After the war on drugs trampled the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Bush administration added the practices of warrantless wiretapping and extrajudicial detention for American citizens. With the final additions of detention camps the following becomes a very real scenario:

A terrorist ships something to you, intending to intercept it. It is identified in transit. They issue a no-knock warrant for your arrest. They kick in your door, shoot your pets in front of your children, handcuff everyone in the house while not identifying themselves, screaming instructions. They then ransack your house, dumping out every drawer and overturning furniture, then take you out to a waiting van where you, for all intents and purposes, disappear. You are taken to a detention center where it is decided you are an enemy combatant. You get no lawyer. Your family may be told you are in custody at some point, perhaps not. You may be tortured, or near-tortured. At some point, you may or may not get a hearing at a military tribunal, however, the normal rules do not apply, you may not choose your lawyer, all sorts of usually prohibited evidence is allowed, and the standard of guilt is lower. Your family will not be informed until it is over. After that, you may be imprisoned for life, executed, or released.

The above, while unlikely, is technically possible with the law and practices stretched to their limit. When we don't stand up for our rights, they are taken from us. This is the reason all infringements of the Constitution must be publicized and fought against at the ballot box and in the court of public opinion.

Obama Admits Mistake With Daschle

Well, here's something I can give President Obama some credit for. He admitted that not caring about the Daschle tax fraud was a mistake. Despite plenty of opportunities, Mr. Bush was never very good at admitting mistakes.

One would think someone as astute as Mr. Obama, or at least one of his advisers, would figure out that it was a bad idea to nominate three separate people with tax non-payment issues. It cannot be repeated enough that these are pro-tax people by and large. While it may be illegal for Republicans and Libertarians to evade taxes, it is at least not hypocritical.

President Obama noted that as he had run on a platform of change, it was not good to imply that politically connected people were treated differently than the public. Of course, it will continue to be true, but if he wants to get re-elected, he shouldn't throw it in people's faces.

Do Any Democratic Politicans Pay Their Taxes?

Another day, another Democrats discovered cheating on their taxes. Nancy Killefer withdrew from consideration for Performance Czar after it was revealed she didn't pay taxes on household help. It's hard to claim ignorance or incompetence when you're a former Assistant Treasury Secretary. Former Senator Tom Daschle finally withdrew from his HHS nomination after he realized it mattered that he committed tax fraud.

So far the recent list includes at least:

1. Rangel
2. Geithner
3. Kennedy
4. Daschle
5. Killefer

Yet, according to Vice President Biden, paying taxes is patriotic. So does that mean a large portion of the Democratic party is not patriotic?

No More Olympics For Phelps Over... Pot?

So it looks like Micheal Phelps may be in a lot of trouble due to a picture of him smoking a bong. This simply shows the irrationality of governmental bodies when it comes to drugs. Why should something he does in his recreational time prevent him from competing. There is no allegation that he swam baked, but under the rules that has no bearing. Even if he did, does anyone really think it would help him?

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that the real reason governments have pushed to use sanctioning bodies to punish illegal recreational drugs is because it disproves their lies about the dangers of these drugs. They want to portray these substances as being ruinous to health and success, and when athletes show that not to be the case, it undermines the propaganda. Remember, this is an organization that profits from two of the most lethal drugs there are, tobacco and alcohol.

There will likely be an outcry that Phelps is a horrible role model. This is hypocritical. How many athletes drink openly? Which kills more people by itself? As far as I know, no one has ever smoked themselves to death with marijuana, but plenty of people have died of alcohol poisoning.

Or will this be an example of real change brought about by Mr. Obama? Remember, he openly admits having smoked marijuana many times. He even promised to try to decriminalize it before he got too mainstream.

The old lie that marijuana will ruin your motivation is dead. What, if you smoke you mind end up only being President? Only winning 14 gold medals? Only starting in the NFL like Ricky Williams and dozens more?

It's time for the lies and hypocrisy to end. Banning performance enhancing drugs is one thing. But drawing capricious and arbitrary lines regarding recreation is ridiculous.

Another Dem Avoids Taxes

Now it looks like former Sen. Daschle didn't pay all his taxes until the scrutiny of higher office. It's amazing how many Democrats avoid paying the taxes that Vice President Biden called "patriotic". Does this mean they are unpatriotic by the definition of their own party? It increasingly seems as though senior Democrats don't like paying their taxes. Guess what? No one does. But not everyone votes consistently to raise taxes. It would at least be ideologically consistent for Republicans to avoid paying taxes (though it's been a while since one's been accused). But Democrats claim that taxes are necessary and good, then avoid paying them. Talk about hypocrisy.

Starve The Enemy

The FBI recently reported that 80% of the crime in the US is committed by gangs. Yet, this is coming after decades of astronomical increases in funding for law enforcement, and serious compromises of the Constitution. Indeed, the most powerful weapon in the government's arsenal is RICO, who's constitutionality is, at best, questionable. Still the only solutions ever proposed is more money spent and less rights for everyone.

So what is the solution? The surest way to deprive the gangs of funding. What is their principle form of funding? The illegal sale of drugs. While they may engage in high-profile robberies and other crimes, for the majority of gangs, the bread and butter support is wholesale or retail sale of drugs. Without these profits, the gangs, and correspondingly the crime they commit will shrink. This is on top of the violence that substitutes for the rule of law in the drug economy. When you can't go to a court to enforce a contract, you are forced to go to a gun. With legalization, all of that violence disappears overnight.

The saddest part is that we've already been through this once. Prohibition of alcohol had roughly commiserate effects. The criminals made windfall profits, while crime skyrocketed along the same lines. They caught on more quickly back then, and reversed Prohibition after only 13 years. Here is what one of the most successful men in American history, John D. Rockefeller, who had originally supported Prohibition, said at its end:

"When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before."

Another Reason Not To Eat HFCS

Despite what the cheesy ads say, High Fructose Corn Syrup is not good for you. Aside from common sense telling you something so modified from its original content should be avoided if possible, there are several known health risks associated with HFCS. Most disturbingly, it has been linked to severe liver damage. It has also been linked to decreased leptin production (which can lead to obesity) and a type of compound which is thought to do much of the damage from diabetes. Now, it appears that much HFCS is contaminated with mercury.

HFCS is the result of the high subsidies on corn and the high tariffs on sugar. With corn so much cheaper than sugar, it was cost effective to massively modify corn into sugar. This is also the reason US ethanol sucks, and overseas ethanol works. Ethanol here is made from corn, because it's subsidized. If you make it from sugar, it's much more efficient. One of the cures for HFCS is free trade. Ironically, many of the people most concerned about HFCS also hate free trade. These subsidies and tariffs were efforts by both parties to buy votes. They also illustrate how little difference there is between the parties. But I digress.

The other irony with HFCS is due to people simply hearing that HFCS is bad for them, then embracing the idea without doing their own research (it'd take about 5-10 minutes using Google). The idea that people won't drink soda because it has HFCS but will chug fruit juice all day is the most ironic. First, a good chunk of what people call fruit juice is loaded with HFCS. Second, even if you're getting pure fruit juice, think about what it is. It's all fructose, the very thing you were trying to avoid with the HFCS. It'll have the same effects, or worse, than soda. Fruit contains a multitude of nutritional compounds, many of which are left behind when it's juiced, such as fiber. Drinking juice is very different from eating fruit.

HFCS won't kill you (quickly), but if you're trying to get healthier, it's probably something to avoid.

Assorted News

Not many huge stories these days. Here are a couple that are interesting:

Consumer confidence is as low as it's ever been. That's probably to be expected, though the effects are brutal. Consumers seem to be acting counter-cyclical to how they should for the economy , which is to say they're hoarding cash when it's bad and borrowing too much when it's good.

Mr. Obama and the Republicans are playing nice so far. They may have found a common enemy in the hard left of the Democratic Party that is in power now.

Apparently drug money saved the world banking system.

As always Becky is speaking up for liberty.

NY Senator Silliness

After much speculation and suspense, the replacement for Sen. Clinton has been announced. There are a couple of interesting aspects here. Caroline Kennedy did not get the job, shockingly, even though the Democratic party, as much as they claim to be against privilege, have even more nepotism than the Republican party, possible due to their political machine roots. Kennedy apparently also had tax problems, which is endemic to the Democratic party these days. Apparently that's why they don't mind raising taxes, they just use their political connections to avoid paying them. Seriously, the list is getting kinda long. Rangel, Geithner and Kennedy so far have all had similar issues, and I think there is a least one more that is slipping my mind right now.

The position instead went to yet another moderate Democrat. While I am personally pleased with this(she was endorsed by the NRA), I wonder when the real consequences for the Democrats are going to start piling up. There have already been signs of it, but the fault lines for a real split are there.

I'd love to see the moderate parts of both parties form a unity party, like Kadima in Israel, the left start calling themselves what they are, socialists, and for the right wing of the Republican party join with the Libertarians, though I'd be shocked to see that actually happen.

It will be interesting to see if President Obama does face a rebellion in is own party, and if so, how he deals with it.

Terrorists Wiped Out By Plague?

So apparently an Al-Queda group has been wiped out by the Black Death/the Plague. What is curious is the article is basically optimistic about the situation, portraying it essentially as divine judgment. It would seem to me that the most likely reason for the terrorists being exposed to it would be an attempt to weaponize it, which, though the plague can be treated, should hardly be downplayed.

Why You Don't Mess With Israel

Copious Dissent posted a video of an Israeli defending himself from a grenade by throwing the grenade thrower onto it. I have no idea if it's verified, but either way it's pretty cool.

Global Warming Or New Ice Age

As many of my readers know, one of the few things I am ambivalent about is Global Warming. I think there may be climate change going on, but I don't know how much humans have to do with it. Talk about wishy-washy. The current weather isn't helping much. It is historically cold in much of the nation. The Russians think we are entering into a new Ice Age, but then again, they also think the US is going to split into six countries.

It is likely that the recession and the cold winter will put a damper on the talk of Global Warming. If the proponents of it are smart, they will fully switch to climate change. After all, only thirty some years ago we were talking about global cooling.

Many of the solutions proposed to fight global warming are foolish, extreme or will choke out business. However, many are good ideas regardless of the climate change impact. Hopefully, the new administration will be able to divine the difference.

Links

Just wanted to post two links I enjoyed from other blogs:

Becky, one of my favorite bloggers, writing about the War On Liberty/Drugs, one of my favorite topics.

Copious Dissent posted a video by Thomas Sowell, who has an interesting take on public schools.

US Declined To Back Bombing Iran

So, as I expected, Israel wanted to bomb Iran before the end of the Bush administration. President Bush declined support due to possible backlash in Iraq. Instead, he assured them that the CIA was undermining Iran's nuclear program.

This is classic US policy in the Middle East. Aside from being an easy way to shift blame away from their failures, why did the phrase "Death to America" originate in Iran? Because of the American government's support of CIA action in Iran, suppressing dissent. Intervention in other countries, more often than not, results in unintended consequences. It should be done only when there is absolutely no other choice. It remains to be seen what consequences will result from the intervention in Iraq.

If military intervention is going to be taken, it would seem that a good reason for it would be that a country with the slogan "Death to America" is going to produce a nuclear weapon. It will be interesting to see how Mr. Obama handles the situation, and perhaps even more interesting to see how his handling is perceived.

Craziness

Two random news stories caught my eye today.

First, virtually all of the flu in the US is immune to Tamiflu, the drug most commonly used to treat it. Obviously, this is not good. More interestingly, this did not occur due to overuse of the drug(for once) but just a random mutation of the virus. I'll resist the urge to get out my preventive medicine soapbox on this.

Second, Alaska is having a winter so cold it blows my mind. It's staying at -60 for weeks at a time, so cold that engines won't run. You know it's bad when Alaskans are complaining about the snow. My first thought was, of course, so much for global warming. My second thought was, how do you deal with that kind of crazy cold? I'm not particularly cold-sensitive, I'll wear shorts and a hoodie on 0 degree windchill days if I'm just driving somewhere. But its my understanding that at -40, if a part of your body is uncovered, you lose it. -60 is hard to fathom.

Dem Unity Straining?

Controversy over the Obama CIA appointment before he has even been inaugurated is the latest sign of Democratic unrest. Fault lines in the part have been showing ever since the DNC's strategy of using DINO candidates in 2006. The infighting between the Obama and Clinton campaigns didn't help a bit. In the debate on the bailout, party lines were muddled. Now, with Mr. Obama moving increasingly towards the center, he may be forced to contend with a situation that also faced another young, idealistic Democratic Senator turned President, that of dealing with a fractured party in addition to an official opposition. Mr. Obama's play to the center may reduce direct friction between the factions, but will also win him few allies. One interesting thing to watch will be the response of the Republican party if the Democratic Divide does emerge. They would be wise to stay out of direct conflict and instead build the image of their party which has been so damaged of late. Their choice may shape the Republican party for some time to come.

Innovation Over Handouts?!

Once again, an Asian car company has come up with an innovation to drive sales. Hyundai has a new promotion where, if you lose your job, you can return the car. This is aimed at people who still have a job, yet are too anxious to buy a car due to the economic downturn. It is still too early to tell if this will be a successful strategy, however, it highlights something severely lacking in today's economy. Everyone has been focused on getting government handouts and "managing expectations". However, two sure keys to success in the free market are quality and innovation. Hyundai has these down. They have chosen to at least try to determine their own destiny, rather than depend on charity. Regardless of success, kudos to them for trying to make something happen, rather than sitting around and whining.

Components Of Stimulus Emerging

Some of the components being discussed for the upcoming stimulus package are interesting. Most intriguing of all is that Mr. Obama apparently wants to pass his plan with over 80 votes in the Senate. How? Something for everyone. Big tax cuts and up to 600,000 new government jobs. This seems to be a continuation of the theme of his Presidency so far: Unity at any cost. The Republicans are being bought off at great expense, and the Democrats are getting only a fraction of what they want.

This is a strange reversal of the campaign, where the right(and myself) warned that we didn't know anything about Mr. Obama, and that he might be a closet socialist. Well, we were right and wrong. Nobody did know what Mr. Obama would do, but apparently he was a closet moderate republican! Even more bizarrely, much of what he looks likely to propose is right out of the things he criticized about the McCain campaign.

Though it is still extremely early, it looks as though the Obama presidency may be the exact opposite of what was expected: ambivalence.

Rush Job On Stimulus?

While at this point no one except anarcho-capitalists(not that there's anything wrong with that) opposes some form of stimulus package, the trickier question will be what's in it. However, carrying over from the Bush administration, we may not know until after it's passed. It now looks likely to race through the House before going into the pork-stuffing plant of the Senate, where the Democrats will need to buy some votes.

Most of the measures being discussed are not that objectionable so long as they are temporary. The follow up question will be what will be done to ensure long term growth? The two policies are very, very different, and the proposals seen so far by the Obama campaign are not the most encouraging. Raising taxes and imposing red tape is hardly the way to ensure a thriving economy.

Until this country renounces it's policy of bubbles, it will have one crisis after another, as that is what it is set up to do. There are worse things than continual rises and falls in the market. However, when every fall is an excuse to spend money we don't have, the rising will eventually slow or stop.

War In Gaza

The reason why I have not yet written about the Israeli offensive into Gaza, besides the fact that it's the holidays and I've been spending time with loved ones, is because, unusually for me, I don't have a clear cut answer. However, since the story is growing rather than going away, with the latest twist being that Israel's nuclear plant may be a target, I thought I would offer my two cents.

Let me start by saying I generally side with the Israelis. They have acted with much greater restraint than I would have in their situation. However, they hurt their cause so much with their poor PR. This may be helped with the new IDF youtube channel. It certainly is a unique perspective. However, it will not address the basic issue that Israel will always struggle as long as it tries to be both victim and victor. If you're going to attack, completely destroy your enemy. Mercy merely provides them the continued existence to regroup. If you need to deport everyone in Gaza to the West Bank in order to be safe, do it. Half measures only make you appear to be the bad guy while not solving the issue.

The Palestinians squander so much of the slanted press coverage they get. They have understandable grievances. If they made clear, reasonable demands and used civil disobedience only, they would have prevailed long ago. Instead, they resort the terror, which de-legitimizes them.

The worst part of watching this mess is knowing it will likely not be solved in our lifetimes. We are doomed to watch the same battles over and over with only the details changing. I sincerely hope that I am wrong in assuming this.