Monday, December 31, 2012

Nelson vs. City of Rochester

Motion For Leave To File And Brief Of Amici Curiae CATO Institute, Reason Foundation, Minnesota Free Market Institute, And Libertarian Law Council In Support Of Petitioners | Nelson v. City of Rochester | Cato Institute - JDSupra:

Dec. 23, 2012 - "Rochester, New York, issued administrative warrants against petitioners’ homes based solely on the fact that a six-year period had expired under the local inspection law. The Fourth Amendment, however, prohibits the issuance of general warrants to search private dwellings. The authorities claim to seek evidence of housing, zoning, or other administrative code violations, of course, but they lack individualized suspicion that any of the renters are engaged in such wrongdoing. Indeed, these home invasions are exactly what the Fourth Amendment was intended to prohibit: In colonial days, the Crown granted British officials general search powers against any home they wished, at any time, for any or no reason. In Rochester, the warrants remain valid for 45 days, permitting multiple entries by city employees and courts are no longer involved after issuing the warrants. These administrative warrants sanction videotaping and photography of the home, which becomes publicly available online."

Read more: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/motion-for-leave-to-file-and-brief-of-am-91178/
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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Legal marijuana set to become a big Colorado industry

Legalized marijuana set to become a big Colorado industry - Denver Post - Steve Raabe:

December 30, 2012 - "Marijuana is poised to make a big splash in Colorado business after the passage of Amendment 64, allowing its legal sale and consumption.....

"In a fiscal-impact study, the Colorado Center on Law & Policy estimates that legal marijuana sales initially could be as much as $270 million a year. Those sales would produce state and local taxes of $47 million a year, plus savings of $12 million a year in law enforcement costs.

"Marijuana tax revenue dedicated to school construction would create an estimated 372 new jobs, according to the study."

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/marijuana/ci_22277867/legalized-marijuana-set-become-big-colorado-industry
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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Meanwhile, in the Libertarian Free State ...

Meanwhile, in the Libertarian Free State | NewHampshire.com - Henry Metz & Dan Moberger:

December 27, 2012 - "The logo of the Free State Project includes a crudely drawn image of a porcupine, a symbol that became part of the movement’s iconography after an online vote by early project participants.... According to the Free State Project’s website, the porcupine was chosen
by popular vote of its members because something more original and 'public relations-friendly' was desired to emphasize the 'freshness' of the movement’s approach....

"There’s little doubt that the Free State Project has established a foothold in New Hampshire. But even one of its more high-profile adherents acknowledges that there’s work to do in order to get the
organization instantly recognized by the average Granite Stater."

"'From what I’ve found, most people in New Hampshire don’t even know about the Free State Project outside of the political class,' said Mark Warden, a Free Stater who has twice won election to the state House of Representatives, most recently on Nov. 6.... 'For the most part, people I’ve met like the idea (of the Free State movement), but there’s no real sense of recognition,' added Warden, who moved to New Hampshire from Las Vegas, Nev., five years ago."

Read more: http://www.newhampshire.com/article/20121227/newhampshire14/121229313/-1/newhampshire01
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Best and Worst Christmas Films (Libertarian Edition) - Reason.com

The Best and Worst Christmas Films (Libertarian Edition) - Reason.com - ReasonTV:

December 17, 2012 -  "Reason TV's Kennedy throws lumps of coal at the most un-libertarian Christmas movies and specials of all time, a list that includes A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Memory, Love Actually, White Christmas, and Miracle on 34th Street[*].

"On the flip side, she explains why Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderfu Life, and The Sound of Music are her favorite fare when snuggling up to the electronic hearth with her kids and a Super Big Gulp filled with 100-proof eggnog."





Read more: http://reason.com/reasontv/2012/12/17/libertarian-christmas-films-the-best-and
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas: Mary gives birth to a great libertarian

Merry Christmas: Mary gives birth to a great libertarian | Washington Times Communities - Thomas Mullens:

December 24, 2012 - "It’s not a surprise that libertarian themes pervade many iconic Christmas specials. After all, they celebrate the birthday of one of the great libertarians of all time.

"In the Gospels, government is exposed as evil right from Jesus’ birth. A paranoid Herod is willing to kill all of the babies in the kingdom to try to eliminate the perceived threat represented by Jesus.

Tax collectors are considered de facto sinners, on a par with prostitutes. Libertarians would consider this unfair to prostitutes, but for the times this couldn’t land better.

"Jesus himself doesn’t disappoint, either. From the moment he begins his ministry, he wages a nonstop verbal war against the hypocritical, oppressive, tax-devouring Temple priests. Jews at the time were required to pay annual taxes to the priests and were also expected to come and make sacrifices at the Jerusalem Temple. Of course, they had to buy the livestock for the sacrifices from the priests and deal with the priests’ money changers in order to do that.

"That’s why the libertarian from Galilee kicked them out. This would have been considered a revolutionary act."

Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/dec/24/merry-christmas-great-libertarian-born/
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Monday, December 24, 2012

Libertarian themes pervade Christmas TV specials

Libertarian themes pervade The Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town | Washington Times Communities - Thomas Mullen:

December 8, 2012 - "Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970) ... didn’t disappoint.... One cannot help but see the parallels between Burgermeister Meisterburger’s idiotic law against toys and the U.S. government’s War on Drugs......

"First, the law is completely ineffective in stopping the children of Sombertown from playing with toys, aided by a young, energetic Kris Kringle. When the government confiscates the toys, Kringle brings more. When the government starts searching houses, Kringle hides the toys in stockings hanging by the fire....

"Meisterburger further emulates the U.S. government with ridiculous overreach in enforcing his unjust law, arresting not only Kris Kringle, but his whole family, his future wife Jessica and even the reformed Winter Warlock. All are charged with 'conspiracy,' a tactic utilized by the government to circumvent the rules of evidence in court and put over 2 million people in prison."

Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening-liberty/2012/dec/8/libertarian-themes-pervade-little-drummer-boy-and-/#ixzz2Fzt05NC7
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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Op-Ed: Top five books to get a libertarian this Christmas

Op-Ed: Top five books to get a libertarian this Christmas - Andrew Moran, Digital Journal:

December 19, 2012 - "If you haven't finished your shopping for that special libertarian in your life then here are five books to give that Ron Paul supporter, proponent of Austrian Economics and hater of big government.

"If you have ever come across a libertarian, one thing you’ll understand right away is that they have an extensive collection of books, whether it’s political theory (Frederic Bastiat), economic thought (Friedrich Hayek) and/or issues that affect personal freedom (Ron Paul).

"However, since there is a large selection of books out there, it’s pretty much a given that a libertarian in the United States or Canada doesn’t have every single book by Murray N. Rothbard, Milton Friedman or Thomas Sowell ... now would be the perfect time to surprise the libertarian in your life with some free market economics."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339411
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