Monday, February 28, 2011

Herman Cain & Ron Paul win in Tea Party straw poll

Long-shot GOP candidate wins Tea Party straw poll - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Michael O'Brien, Feb. 27, 2011:

"Former pizza executive Herman Cain ... won 22 percent of the vote in a straw poll of [1,600] in-person attendees at the American Policy Summit, the first-ever conference organized by Tea Party Patriots.... Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R), meanwhile, won nearly 50 percent of the votes cast by 2,300 online straw poll participants.... Behind Cain amongst in-person attendees were former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) at 16 percent and Paul, at 15 percent. All three of them spoke at the convention.

"'Mr. Cain and Rep. Paul positions resonated with Tea Party Patriots this weekend and the straw poll indicates the enthusiasm for these strong conservatives,' said Mark Meckler, national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots, in a statement."

Friday, February 25, 2011

Property rights in the Constitution | The Liberal view

“Property rights” in the Constitution | Warren Kinsella, Feb. 24, 2011:

"What does it mean for you?

"Higher drug prices, in perpetuity, as Big Pharma will win eternal patent protections
"The loss of anti-pollution rules
"The end of new parks and the potential elimination of existing parks
"Elimination of zoning rules designed to prevent neighbourhoods from being ruined – noise bylaws, giant homes, etc.
"Friction with aboriginal peoples, with land claims being overturned and challenged
"Discrimination against women in divorce settlements
"The challenge of labour laws, and potential end to collective bargaining
"The loss of shorelines, and commercialization of public lands

"It’s crazy."

http://warrenkinsella.com/2011/02/property-rights-in-the-constitution/

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Will property rights finally get Charter protection?

Tasha Kheiriddin: Will property rights finally get Charter protection? National Post:

Feb. 24, 2011 - "On February 24, federal MP Scott Reid and Ontario MPP Randy Hillier held a joint press conference to promote the protection of a basic human right: the right to property. The two politicians will be introducing resolutions in their respective legislatures which would entrench constitutional protection to property rights in Ontario – and hopefully spark a move to enact similar protection in the rest of Canada as well....

"They propose to use section 43 of the Charter, which allows for an amendment affecting only one or more provinces (but not all) to be made by the Governor General, following the adoption of resolutions passed by the legislatures of the affected jurisdictions and both Houses of the federal Parliament.

"While the results of their efforts would apply only in Ontario, there is no doubt that they could encourage the citizens of other provinces to demand that their governments do the same – and pave the way for the national protection of these rights."

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/02/24/tasha-kheiriddin-will-property-rights-finally-get-charter-protection/

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Ron Paul article tops 1,000 reads in 1 day

The rEVOLution looks alive and well. Not only did Ron Paul's latest moneybomb, on Monday, raise more than $400,000 for his Liberty PAC in just 24 hours; but my article published yesterday on the event, "Ron Paul money bomb raises over $400,000", picked up 1,000 reads in a similar one-day period. To put that into perspective, only five articles of mine topped 1,000 reads in all of last year. Or, to put it another way, that's more reads than The Political Animal has received since I began keeping track. And Paul's not even a declared candidate yet. I predict that the excitement will only continue and increase.

Ron Paul money bomb raises over $400,000
http://www.nolanchart.com/article8383.html

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Ron Paul money bomb raises over $400,000

Ron Paul money bomb raises over $400,000 - George Dance, Nolan Chart, Feb. 22, 2011:

"A Presidents Day money bomb for U.S. Congressman Ron Paul raised more than $400,000 in 24 hours on February 21, rekindling speculation that Paul will be running for President in 2012.

"The proceeds went to Paul's political action committee, Liberty PAC, bringing the amount raised by the PAC in February to over $700,000.... On February 8, 2011, the PAC launched a revamped website and announced a 'new political effort.' 'Liberty PAC will play a critical role in Congressman Paul's political activities in 2011 and 2012,' said PAC director Jesse Benton.

"Liberty PAC's current mission is 'to fund Congressman Ron Paul's political activities as he travels the country to fight for the principles we hold dear: Liberty, Limited Government and a strong, pro-American foreign policy.'"

http://www.nolanchart.com/article8383.html

Monday, February 21, 2011

Striving for political and economic freedom (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Striving for political and economic freedom - Unleashed (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Chris Berg, Feb. 15, 2011:

"No amount of positive economic reform will excuse the absence of individual liberties, widespread government harassment, arbitrary arrest, political repression, a justice system divorced from the rule of law, rampant corruption, and restrictions on freedom of expression. And nor should it. An increase in GDP is no comfort for someone who has been tortured in custody just to fill an arrest quota, or someone who is unable to report a sexual assault for fear of being seen as 'fair game' by police.

"In the same period when Egypt was rapidly [moving] up the economic freedom rankings, its ranking by Freedom House, which measures civil and political freedoms, remained stagnant. That stagnation hides hundreds of thousands of individual human traumas at the brutal hands of the state.

"Dictators can’t always have it both ways. They can’t reap the benefits of economic growth -- with their higher tax revenues and more luxuries to hand to political supporters -- and maintain complete political control at the same time. No country can be both a police state and a market paradise."


Sunday, February 20, 2011

Libertarians changing conservative landscape | The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Libertarians changing conservative landscape | The Quinnipiac Chronicle - Matt Ciepielowski:

February 17, 2011 - "Libertarians are making the effort, reaching out to conservatives and offering them an opportunity to stay relevant. Instead of bashing Paul and his supporters, conservatives should be attempting to emulate them. What Republican besides Paul or Johnson could inspire and motivate a large-scale youth movement in 2012?

"Young people understand that there is no reason to get excited about conservatives like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, who talk about small government but still want to control what substances (or genitalia) people can put into their own bodies. Only a consistent message of freedom will appeal to those young people who realize that government has failed us, and most mainstream Republicans certainly don’t offer that."

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Weigel : Smearing Ron and Rand Paul

Weigel : Smearing Ron and Rand Paul - Slate, Feb. 18, 2011: 

"Another day, another vitriolic and personal David Horowitz attack on a conservative who doesn't meet his purity test. Today he amplifies Gary Bauer's call to action against a proposal from Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., to cut foreign aid to Israel.

"'Long ago Bill Buckley drummed the anti-Semites out of the conservative movement, and the movement thrived as a result. But the Jew-haters have returned. For years the Texas crackpot, Ron Paul, has been attacking America and Israel as imperialist powers — the Great Satan and the Little Satan, and calling for America’s retreat from the battle against our totalitarian enemies. '...

Paul did propose cutting aid to Israel, as part of legislation cutting aid to all Middle Eastern nations. This is the same thing his son Rand has proposed in the Senate. For some reason, as the younger Paul told me at CPAC, all anyone wants to talk about is the aid to Israel."


http://www.slate.com/BLOGS/blogs/weigel/archive/2011/02/18/smearing-ron-and-rand-paul.aspx

Friday, February 18, 2011

Rand Paul's Book The Tea Party Goes to Washington Available Now

Rand Paul's Book "The Tea Party Goes to Washington" Available NOW | Ron Paul 2012:

"In THE TEA PARTY GOES TO WASHINGTON, the newly elected senator and self-described 'constitutional conservative' explains why his party has to stand by its limited government rhetoric and why the federal government must be stuffed back into its constitutional box. Given the problems our nation faces, these are not mere suggestions, but moral imperatives.

"Rand Paul and those who voted for him want to stop borrowing, end the bailouts, and entitlements and the spending. In THE TEA PARTY GOES TO WASHINGTON you'll learn:

* The history of the Tea Party and why it isn't 'extreme'
* How both parties operate outside the Constitution
* Rand's plan for a balanced budget
* Why the Tea Party will endure"


You can order Paul's book at Amazon here:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

YAF’s Attack on Ron Paul - Hornberger

YAF’s Attack on Ron Paul - Jacob Hornberger, MWC News

February 15, 2011 - "[An] area in which conservatives and liberals have long been advocates of big government is with respect to the military and foreign policy. This is another area that separates libertarians from statists. Libertarians support a limited-government republic while conservatives and liberals support a vast overseas military empire, wars of aggression, invasions, occupations, sanctions, the CIA, militarism, and the military-industrial complex, along with the ever-growing taxes, debt, and spending needed to pay for it all.

"A few days ago, the long-time conservative organization Young Americans for Freedom, once again demonstrated the stark foreign-policy dividing line between conservatives and libertarians. The group publicly ousted Ron Paul from its national advisory board owing to Paul’s libertarian foreign-policy views.... In this Daily Caller article, the national vice chairman of YAF, Chris Bedford, explains the reasons for Paul’s expulsion from the group.

"Bedford’s article is standard conservative fare with respect to foreign policy, citing first communism and now radical Islam as grave threats that threaten the existence of the United States. Although Bedford doesn’t come out and say it, the implied position is the same that conservatives held during the Cold War: that unfortunately, it is necessary for conservatives to support big government in the form of a vast military empire, hundreds of overseas bases, foreign aid to dictatorial regimes, an enormous military-industrial complex, foreign wars and interventions, and of course ever-soaring budgets for the military and the military-industrial complex.

"Libertarians heard this conservative justification for big government during the 45 years of the Cold War. 'The only reason we favor big government,' conservatives cried, 'is because of the communist threat. If there were no communist threat, we could dismantle big government'.... Revealingly, at no time during the entire Cold War did conservatives ever cite the so-called threat from radical Islam as an excuse for big government. In fact, one of the things Bedford failed to point out in his article was that during the Cold War conservative icon Ronald Reagan actually supported radical Islamic groups that young conservatives like Bedford now consider an official enemy....

"In 1989, the worst fear of conservatives materialized: Much to their shock, their decades-long justification for big government disintegrated with the unexpected demise of the Soviet Union....

"Then, throughout the 1990s, with the ardent support of the conservative movement, the U.S. Empire went into the Middle East to stir up hornet’s nests. The Persian Gulf intervention, in which the Empire went after its old Reagan-Bush partner and ally, the dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraq sanctions, which killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children. UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright’s infamous announcement that the deaths of half-a-million Iraqi children were 'worth it.' The intentional stationing of U.S. troops on Islamic holy lands. The unconditional military and financial aid to the Israeli government and Arab dictators, including Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

"The inevitable anger and hatred against the United States came in the form of retaliation: the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, the attack on the USS Cole, the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and of course the 9/11 attacks....

"Yes, the conservatives had found a new official enemy to support their embrace of big government — from communists to drug dealers to illegal aliens and finally to Muslims. Needless to say, the last thing conservatives considered was that it was the U.S. government, which many of them treat as their god, that was at the root of the problem. When Ron Paul pointed out in that famous debate exchange with conservative icon Rudy Guliani that the terrorists came over here to kill us because of what the U.S. government was doing to people over there, conservatives considered that statement to be heresy and treason."

Read more: http://mwcnews.net/focus/politics/8674-yafs-attack-on-ron-paul.html
'via Blog this'

Monday, February 14, 2011

Liberty Summer Seminar & Jaworski Family Win Freedom of Assembly


Canadian Constitution Foundation

 Press Release
For Immediate Release: February 14, 2011.

Liberty Summer Seminar & Jaworski Family Win Freedom of Assembly

The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) today announced that it has succeeded in getting charges dropped against Marta and Lech Jaworski for hosting the Liberty Summer Seminar on their rural property in the Municipality of Clarington.
For video footage, click here.
Background
The Liberty Summer Seminar (LSS) has been held annually outdoors at the Jaworskis’ home for 10 years. The seminar brings together university professors, think-tank executives, and liberty-minded activists to speak to an audience consisting primarily of students about political and economic freedom.
The Jaworskis, who fled Poland in 1984 while it was still a totalitarian regime, were astonished to find themselves charged in August, 2010 with an offence under Ontario’s Planning Act, merely for hosting the seminar on their 20-acre property. “We left Poland seeking freedom, but when we tried to help celebrate freedom in Canada, we found ourselves being treated like suspected criminals,” said Marta Jaworski, 57.
The Jaworskis retained a local lawyer to help them fight the charges but Clarington refused to budge.
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly
In December, 2010 the CCF took on the case. The CCF is a registered charitable organization that engages in public interest litigation in selected cases where it perceives government bodies to be breaching citizens’ constitutional rights.
The CCF filed court documents maintaining that the forbidding of the LSS would constitute a breach of the Jaworskis’ constitutional right to freedom of assembly under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The municipality informed the CCF last week that the charges against the Jaworskis would be withdrawn, in recognition of the fact that “their use of the property was purely for the purpose of a peaceful assembly and expressive activity”.
CCF Litigation Director Karen Selick said, “We are very satisfied with this result, and we’re particularly pleased that Clarington conceded the Jaworskis’ constitutional rights instead of putting them through the ordeal of a trial”.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

CPAC: Libertarianism has hijacked the GOP

The Shotgun: CPAC: Libertarianism has hijacked the GOP - Abu Hatem, Western Standard, Feb. 11, 2011:

"Not only did the Campaign for Liberty sell out of tickets two weeks ago, but this year there were more libertarian and humble-foreign-policy conservatism groups than ever before. Gary Johnson's Our America Initiative took up a full booth, as did the Committee for the Republic, a loose coalition of antiwar conservatives affiliated with The American Conservative; the Republican Liberty Caucus and both Young Americans for Liberty and Students for Liberty were at the event as was the libertarian think tank The Independent Institute. Speakers such as libertarian Republicans Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and Gary Johnson spoke in the main gallery, and Justin Amash had a special reception at CPAC with Young Americans for Liberty. It is an easy estimate that a full 50% of attendees of this formerly mainstream conservative conference were actually libertarian activists."

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Gallup poll: GOP should consider Tea Party Ideas

Americans Believe GOP Should Consider Tea Party Ideas - Gallup, Jan. 31, 2011:

"About 7 in 10 national adults, including 88% of Republicans, say it is important that Republican leaders in Congress take the Tea Party movement's positions and objectives into account as they address the nation's problems. Among Republicans, 53% rate this 'very important.'...

"Although few Democrats (6%) are supporters of the Tea Party or even have a favorable view of it (11%), more than half say it is important that the Republican Party take the Tea Party's positions into account. Why this is the case is unclear, although Democrats may simply feel that the opposing party should pay attention to all of its constituencies.

"Perhaps underscoring the same principle, Republicans overwhelmingly feel their leaders should take the Tea Party's positions into account, even though barely half are self-identified as Tea Party supporters....

"public opinion of the Tea Party movement has changed little since Gallup's initial measurement in March 2010, with just under 40% viewing it favorably and slightly more viewing it unfavorably."

http://www.gallup.com/poll/145838/Americans-Believe-GOP-Consider-Tea-Party-Ideas.aspx

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Patriot Act vote fails in 'Tea Party uprising'

Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes - Washington Post, Paul Kane & Felicia Sonmez:

February 8, 2011 - "House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea-party bloc.

"The bill to reauthorize key parts of the counter-terrorism surveillance law, which expire at the end of the month, required a super-majority to pass under special rules reserved for non-controversial measures.

"But it fell short of the required two-thirds after 26 Republicans bucked their leadership, eight of them freshman lawmakers elected in November's midterm elections. With most Democrats opposing the extension, the final tally was 277 members in favor of extension, and 148 opposed."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/08/AR2011020806345.html

UPDATE: House approves Patriot Act extension, sending it to Obama - Washington Post, Felicia Sonmez, Feb. 17:

"The House on Thursday passed a 90-day extension of key provisions of the Patriot Act counterterrorism surveillance law.... The measure passed on a vote of 279 to 143.... Thursday's vote was nearly identical to the initial vote in the House last week, when 277 lawmakers backed the measure and 148 opposed it."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/02/house-approves-short-term-exte.html


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ford moves to privatize garbage collection

Ford moves to privatize garbage collection - thestar.com - David Rider & Daniel Dale, Feb. 7:

"Mayor Rob Ford’s mission to privatize city services has started with curbside garbage pickup for 165,000 Toronto homes, and members of his inner circle say it is just the beginning.

"Ford said Monday the city had faxed the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 416 notice of intent to contract out trash collection west of Yonge St. to the border of Etobicoke, where pickup is already privatized.

"A delighted Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said minutes later, 'we’ll have to see how this works,' but many more services are begging to be contracted out.

“'There certainly are a lot of things that we could look at, and anything that’s labour-intensive here is very expensive, we know that the cleaning of police stations . . . cutting grass and digging and labour-type work. We pay pretty good pay around here — a lot better than the people who pay the (tax) bills get,' he said.

"Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother and closest adviser, told fellow members of the budget committee at a Jan. 21 meeting: 'We should outsource everything we can,' in 2012."

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/934406--ford-moves-to-privatize-garbage-collection

Private garbage collection for Hogtown is an idea that I've been advocating since the great strike of 2002; please read my 2009 article,

Talking Trash - http://www.nolanchart.com/article6564.html

Monday, February 7, 2011

Egypt and Tunisia need economic freedom

Egypt and Tunisia desperate for economic freedom | The Australian - Craig Emerson, Feb. 8:

"The fundamental prerequisite for a market to produce the growth needed to support employment and prosperity is economic freedom. Without low regulatory burdens, quality legal systems, security of property rights, low levels of corruption and a sound currency, a country struggles to be economically free, even if there is political freedom. Where there is neither economic nor political freedom, the country becomes a cauldron.

"Without economic freedom, people can't start businesses, investment is stifled and trade can't flourish. The spark that lit the flames engulfing parts of the region was a young man's suicide in Tunisia. After years of struggle to keep his family of eight alive, Mohamed Bouazizi was finally broken because the vegetable stand that he operated was confiscated, essentially because he couldn't afford to bribe the police."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/egypt-and-tunisia-desperate-for-economic-freedom/story-e6frg6zo-1226001746314

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Reagan’s Libertarian Spirit | Britannica Blog

Reagan’s Libertarian Spirit | Britannica Blog - David Boaz, Feb. 4, 2011:

"Libertarians have mixed feelings toward Ronald Reagan....

"After a dispiriting era of stagflation, he revived American spirits and our faith in free enterprise. He slashed marginal tax rates and ushered in a 'long boom.' Along with Margaret Thatcher, he both symbolized and galvanized a renewed enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and free markets. He shocked the chattering classes in Washington and New York when he told the truth about communism....

"Reagan had his faults. But he was an eloquent spokesman for a traditional American philosophy of individualism, self-reliance, and free enterprise at home and abroad, and words matter."

Read more: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/02/reagans-libertarian-spirit/

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Viewpoint: Why Paul Was Right to Oppose Laser-Pointer Law - TIME

Viewpoint: Tea Party's Rand Paul Correct, Laser-Pointer Law Absurd - TIME - Michael Grunwald, Feb. 4, 2001:

"How extreme is freshman Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the libertarian darling of the Tea Party? On Thursday, Feb. 3, he was the only Senator to oppose a proposed amendment making it a federal crime to aim a laser pointer at an airplane ... but Paul was actually right to vote no. As the old saying goes: You don't have to make a federal case of it....

"It takes only about five seconds of thought to see that Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's amendment to impose federal penalties — up to a five-year prison sentence — for attempted plane zapping would be completely useless....

"The 96 Senators who voted for this silliness would say they're just trying to send a message to the public about a dangerous activity.... But that's not really the message they're trying to send.... The Senators are lawmakers, so they feel as if they need to make laws to show concern; they're covering their backsides in case a laser-pointing idiot ever does bring down a plane."

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2046475,00.html

Friday, February 4, 2011

Ron Paul calls Egypt a 'mess' made by U.S. intervention - Dallas News

Rep. Ron Paul calls Egypt a "mess" made by U.S. intervention | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com - Todd J. Gillman, Jan. 31:

"'This is a typical example of what happens when we run on intervention-type foreign policies. We get in the middle of these fights. We've been in the middle of this for 30 years now. We've given Mubarak $60 billion. We're responsible for a lot of the mess that is over there,' Paul said this afternoon on FOX News Channel's Your World with Neil Cavuto."


Hear Paul on Cavuto Jan 31 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPKJ14iFAXE

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A Look at the Libertarian Left

The American Conservative » Libertarian Left - Sheldon Richman, Feb. 3:

"They are standard libertarians in that they believe in the moral legitimacy of private ownership and free exchange and oppose all government interference in personal and economic affairs—a groundless, pernicious dichotomy. Yet they are leftists in that they share traditional left-wing concerns, about exploitation and inequality for example, that are largely ignored, if not dismissed, by other libertarians. Left-libertarians favor worker solidarity vis-à-vis bosses, support poor people’s squatting on government or abandoned property, and prefer that corporate privileges be repealed before the regulatory restrictions on how those privileges may be exercised."

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Left / Right Alliance for defense cuts

Stewart J. Lawrence: A Left / Tea Party Alliance? - Counterpunch , Jan. 26, 2011:

January 26, 2011: "[P]rogressive groups like the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and the Ralph Nader-founded Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) are now working in a de facto coalition with some 23 conservative groups, including Grover Norquist’s tAmericans for Tax Reform, and the national Tea Party group FreedomWorks, to push for deep cuts in US defense spending.

"The coalition has come together around the findings of President Obama’s Deficit Reduction Commission, which included a call for $100 billion in defense cuts. And at least one prominent congressman, eight-term Texas Republican Kevin Brady, who marched on Washington, DC with the Tea Party last fall to win their support for his re-election, has already moved to incorporate the Commission's recommendations into federal legislation."


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Amash article tops 1,000

My November Nolan Chart article on the young new libertarian Republican Congressman, "Justin Amash elected to Congress", gained a further 155 reads in its third month to end January with 1,098. In consequence it makes its debut on the 1,000 Club this month at #64.

A second article qualified for the Club last month. "Bob Barr denounces dog-killing drug raid", my 2008 article about the July no-knock raid on the home of Cheye Calvo (mayor of Berwin Heights MD), picked up 29 new reads to end the month with 1,007, debuting at #70.