The Sudden Emergence of Tom Paine

 

by Murray N. Rothbard by Murray N. Rothbard DIGG THIS This article is excerpted from Conceived in Liberty. Audiobook recordings of this four-volume history, read by Dr. Floy Lilley, are available for free download.     On Sale $120   $75 Audio: FREE At the beginning of 1776, New England was ready for independence. So were such leading radicals as Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry of Virginia, Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina, and army leaders such as George Washington and Charles Lee. But the bulk of the colonies and the Continental Congress were not. One of the main stumbling blocks to a commitment to independence was personal loyalty to the British crown. There has always been a political taboo of almost mystical force against attacking the head of state, and always the convenient though emasculating custom of attributing his sins to his evil or incompetent advisers. Such long-standing habits impeded a rational analysis of the deeds of King George III. Furthermore, the old and obsolete Whig ideal of virtual independence under a figurehead king of both Britain and America could only be shattered if the king were to be attacked personally.

Police Forces Dressing In Black To “Instill Fear” In Citizens

 Police Forces Dressing In Black To “Instill Fear” In Citizens
Psychological influence of uniforms cited by authorities

Steve Watson
Infowars.net

 April 28, 2008

Recent news that police in Massachusetts are to switch to black, military-style uniforms in an effort to appear more authoritative and aggressive highlights a more general move to militarize police in America and affect a “post 9/11″ psychology of fear.

Ron Paul’s Best Seller….

 

April 30, 2008

Paul No. 1 on Amazon.com

Posted: 06:00 PM ET

Paul’s book is No. 1 on Amazon.com

(CNN) — Ron Paul’s loyal supporters helped him set campaign fundraising records and capture more delegates during his presidential run than some of his high-profile Republican rivals. They even managed to briefly shut down Nevada’s GOP convention earlier this month over a rules change controversy.

Military and Homeland Security Dictate Who Lives And Who Dies In A Pandemic….

 

Military and Homeland Security Dictate Who Lives And Who Dies In A Pandemic New report says doctors must allow elderly, weak to perish after ‘triggerevent’

‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ What It Really Means

 

By Michael Dan Jones

One of the most enduring traditional American hymns and patriotic songs is Julia Ward Howe’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It is a staple with many Christian church choirs and hardly a patriotic holiday passes without this song being sung and played at ceremonies nationwide. But is “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” truly appropriate for religious hymnals and patriotic ceremonies? Who was the author? What motivated and inspired her? What message was she trying to convey? What do the words mean? What meaning do they have for us today?

DO YOUR CHILDREN STUDY THE KORAN?

 By Derry Brownfield
May 4, 2008

NewsWithViews.com

To be politically correct our children are being taught to be tolerant to everybody and everything, regardless of how bizarre it may seem to our American way of life. Public schools are having students learn passages form the Koran and study some of the laws handed down by Mohammed. Our children are taught that Islam is a religion of peace and Allah is just another name for the God of the Holy Bible.

In 1988, a British novelist, Salman Rushdie published a novel. “The Satanic Verses,” which led to protests from Muslims in several countries. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, called for Rushdie’s death. As a result he was forced to spend nearly a decade hiding from the public.

If you were watching the evening news this past December you are aware of the British school teacher that was sentenced to 40 lashes and a year in jail for allowing her students to name their teddy bear “Mohammed.” Islamic mobs demonstrated in the streets and called for her execution. In Saudi Arabia a gang raped a 19 year old girl and the victim received a sentence of 200 lashes for riding in the car with her rapists. In 2006, a 34-year old mother was forcibly raped and ultimately tried and convicted of adultery, and was ordered to be stoned to death.

QUAGMIRES, WACKY POLICIES ARE STRAINING THE ALL-VOLUNTEER MILITARY

By Ivan Eland

May 4, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

Enmeshed in two military occupations that have turned into well-publicized quagmires, the Army and Marines are understandably having trouble enlisting new recruits. Their answer: vastly increase the number of convicted felons and other societal miscreants accepted into their ranks.

According to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, from 2006 to 2007 the Army more than doubled its felonious recruits and the Marine Corps increased its share by more than two-thirds. For example, some entrants had convictions for crimes of dishonesty—including burglary, robbery, and grand larceny—crimes of violence—such as aggravated assault, arson, and “terroristic” threats, including bomb threats—and sex crimes, such as rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, molestation, and indecent acts with a child. In addition, the two services dramatically increased their “conduct waivers” for people convicted of misdemeanors. Astonishingly, in fiscal year 2007, nearly one in five Army recruits were brought in under waivers for felonies and misdemeanors.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN APPROACH – FAMINE IS IN THE AIR

 By Greg Evensen

May 4, 2008

NewsWithViews.com

Hyperbole is not something I engage in for shock value alone and it is definitely not something I enjoy contemplating while discussing our national state of affairs. However, it is becoming more and more commonplace in discussions that deal with the United States and its immediate future.

If, as casual readers of current events, you have become aware of the escalating sense of urgency, with the impending multiple world crises, then you are most likely comprehending the current history making events as they unfold. Wars and rumors of war, pestilence, mysterious shakings in the heavens, earthquakes, AND now the ravages of world-wide famine are occurring around us at this very moment. Does this announce the Biblical introduction of the “end times?” I cannot answer that. I am not qualified to assess those prophesized events from a theological perspective. I can tell you from a military frame of mind, a common sense evaluation and a law enforcement point of view, that these days are like riding on a wild cat’s ass, and you ain’t seen nothing yet.

A Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

 

by Lawrence S. Wittner by Lawrence S. Wittner DIGG THIS Although few people are aware of it, there has been considerable progress over the past decade toward a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons. For many years, there had been a substantial gap between the pledges to eliminate nuclear weapons made by the signatories to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1968 and the reality of their behavior. To remedy this situation, in 1996 the New York-based Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy – the U.S. affiliate of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms – began to coordinate the drafting of a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention. Formulated along the lines of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force in 1997, this model nuclear convention was designed to serve as an international treaty that prohibits and eliminates nuclear weapons.

Bernanke’s Nightmare Chart

 

by Gary North by Gary North DIGG THIS In this report, I introduce you to an amazing chart. It is getting zero attention from the mainstream financial media. The information it conveys is at the heart of Bernanke’s looming problem. I have decided to post a link to this chart on a permanent basis in the “Free Materials” section of my website.

Cancel My Subscription

 

by Jeremy Parfitt by Jeremy Parfitt DIGG THIS Dear Reason: I have been a nearly continuous subscriber to Reason magazine for over twenty years. There was a time when, for a few days early in each month, I would arrive at home hoping that there was a “Reason” to check my mail box. You see, Reason magazine was a very important part of my life. I read every article, in every issue I received. In addition, I bought many gift subscriptions over the years, hoping to influence my family and my friends. I archived copies for future reference, and as a useful tool for debate and persuasion. Sadly, those times are gone. I am no longer excited by Reason, because Reason no longer presents an exciting and principled defense of “free minds and free markets”. I believe that Reason has become overly obsessed with its conception of itself as “the most influential libertarian publication in America”. This has led the editors at Reason to grant prominent and respectful space to authors promoting overtly statist and anti-libertarian viewpoints. At the same time, many writers at Reason act as if they are the sole arbiters of acceptable libertarian viewpoints. Consider the fact that Matt Welch chose to attack Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell and Murray Rothbard in his first editorial as editor in chief at Reason. This decision, coupled with his willingness to misrepresent the views of Paul, Rockwell and Rothbard suggest that he is more interested in maintaining acceptable liberal credentials than in promoting a principled defense of libertarianism.

The Trouble WIth Judicial Restraint by Kevin R. C. Gutzman

 

by Kevin R. C. Gutzman by Kevin R. C. Gutzman DIGG THIS On Monday, April 28, the Supreme Court in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board allowed Indiana to continue to require voters to produce government ID before they vote. The reasoning of the plurality was notably non-constitutional. So, too, were some of the conservative endorsements of the Bush Court’s handiwork. The editors of National Review Online, in an editorial posted April 29, evaluated matters thus: The decision in Crawford … underscores the importance of nominating conservative justices who understand the importance of judicial restraint. More than half of the states have passed laws requiring the presentation of some form of identification in order to vote. It is easy to imagine a more activist court overturning those democratically enacted laws based on a few liberal groups’ spurious claims of democracy denied.

The Legions Arrayed Against Us – Does Our Weakness Matter?

 

by Robert Higgs by Robert Higgs DIGG THIS Thucydides tells us that “the strong do what they will, while the weak suffer what they must.” We recall these words even after 2,400 years because they have the ring of truth. And a hard truth it is, especially for those of us who cannot but regard ourselves as ensconced among the weak. As we look about, we see that the strong, who control the state, are rampaging in every jurisdiction and, sure enough, in countless ways the weak are suffering the consequences of these destructive rampages. Libertarians habitually indulge in wishful thinking. We live in a country where freedom is under relentless attack in ways too numerous even to categorize easily. Governments at every level seem determined to crush each remaining molecule of liberty, and, worst of all, most of the citizens readily accept, when they do not affirmatively demand, the suffocation of freedom wherever it dares to raise its head. Schumpeter foresaw our present situation with clear eyes when he wrote in his diary: “Humanity does not care for freedom. The mass of the people realize they are not up to it: what they want is being fed, led, amused, and above everything, drilled. But they do care for the phrase.” Ah, yes, “land of the free”―try to utter that phrase three times without breaking down in laughter or weeping. Yet libertarians are constantly seizing on some little tactical retreat by Leviathan or some little endorsement of liberty and describing it as the beginning of an imagined “revolution.”

Iron Man and the Merchants of Death

 

by Jeffrey A. Tucker DIGG THIS The phrase Merchants of Death takes center stage in the movie Iron Man, which is a spectacular expose of a subject that dominates the American economic landscape but about which Americans have very little knowledge. The phrase and the movie deal with the odd juxtaposition of capitalism and war as found in the weapons industry. Here we have innovations and efficiency of the type we associate with the private commercial sector but serving ends that are the very opposite of capitalism. The industry serves war, not peace, depends on coercion, not human volition, and profits from destruction, not creation.

Ron Paul, The Revolution, and Ending Abuses and Usurpations

 

by Michael Scheuer by Michael Scheuer DIGG THIS Congressman Ron Paul’s new book, The Revolution, is an unusual presidential campaign book in that the candidate – Dr. Paul – is almost entirely absent. This is not to say that his presence is not felt; indeed, Dr. Paul is with the reader every step of the way and writes in a clear and very direct style. But the reader will find that Dr. Paul is not offering the audacity of hope or chanting change; he does not argue that it takes a village or having slept with a former president; and he surely does not hold up his military service as a reason why he should be elected. Instead, Dr. Paul politely, laconically, but frankly lays it on the line for his countrymen: America is in significant and potentially catastrophic trouble economically, financially, and militarily; the country’s political class is homogenous, gutless, and ill-educated; its two major parties do not offer a nickel’s worth of difference on important issues, especially foreign policy [pp. 2, 26, 163]; and our leaders are consciously negating parts of the Constitution, compromising America’s national sovereignty, and circumscribing the liberties of Americans. But then, astoundingly and correctly, Dr. Paul does not say “Only I can fix this mess” – as have Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain – he says: “Only you, the American people, can fix this mess.” Dr. Paul confronts Americans with a reality that ought to both chill and inspire them.