Conservatives demand answers on Boehner snub

Conservatives demand answers on Boehner snub - FOXNews.com:

December 8, 2012 - "House Republicans who were removed from plum committee posts are demanding an explanation from House Speaker John Boehner....

"'We write to request a full and complete written explanation of the rationale for removing us from our current committee assignments, including any "scorecards" presented to the Steering Committee to justify our removals,' they wrote. The letter was signed by Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan.; Justin Amash, R-Mich.; and David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

"Huelskamp was yanked off the budget and agriculture committees; Schweikert was pulled from the financial services panel; and Amash was also booted from the budget committee. A fourth, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., lost his seat on financial services.

"The three who wrote the letter lamented that they were never 'officially informed' and never got a 'formal explanation.' But they claimed to have found out a 'scorecard' of past votes was presented to make the case for removing them....

"Boehner has also faced criticism from conservative groups and members for putting revenue on the table as part of fiscal talks with the White House, with some going so far as to say Boehner could be risking his speakership."

Read more: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/20297388/2012/12/08/conservatives-demand-answers-on-boehner-snub
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Book makes free-market case for copyright reform (video)

New book makes free-market case for copyright reform - Jerry Brito, Technology Liberation Front:

December 6. 2012 - "I’m happy to announce today that the new book I’ve edited, Copyright Unbalanced: From Incentive to Excess is now available. The book is not a moral case for or against copyright; it is a pragmatic look at the excesses of the present copyright regime from a free-market, limited government perspective....

"Conservatives and libertarians, who are naturally suspicious of big government, should be skeptical of our ever-expanding copyright system. They should also be skeptical of the recent trend toward criminal prosecution of even minor copyright infringements, of the growing use of civil asset forfeiture in copyright enforcement, and of attempts to regulate the Internet and electronics in the name of piracy eradication. These are the issues Copyright Unbalanced addresses."

Read more: http://techliberation.com/2012/12/03/new-book-makes-free-market-case-for-copyright-reform/
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How copyright criminalization threatens online innovation

How Copyright Criminalization Threatens Online Innovation - Forbes - Timothy B. Lee:

December 6, 2012 -: "Jerry Brito has pulled together an edited collection of copyright reform essays by libertarians (and one from a pair of libertarian-leaning conservatives) called Copyright Unbalanced.... Jerry’s book promises to be a handbook for free-market copyright reformers....

"I contributed a chapter focusing on a recent development that I find particularly alarming: the increasing use of harsh criminal penalties, including civil asset forfeiture, against online intermediaries....

"In 2008, Congress passed the PRO IP Act, which for the first time allowed the use of civil asset forfeiture in copyright cases. This tactic, which has become infamous due to its abuse in drug cases, allows the police to seize property without convicting, or even indicting, its owner of any crime. The police have used this tactic with devastating effect against startups such as Megaupload, a popular file-sharing site that was shuttered by the federal government in January. The feds seized the Megaupload servers, all the firm’s assets, as well as the personal assets of founder Kim Dotcom. And they have charged Dotcom with criminal copyright infringement and are seeking his extradition from his home in New Zealand."

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2012/12/06/how-copyright-criminalization-threatens-online-innovation/
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Amash slams GOP leadership for purging him without notice | The Daily Caller

Amash slams GOP leadership for purging him without notice | The Daily Caller - Vince Coglianse:

December 5, 2012 - "Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, who has reportedly been removed by Republican leadership from his post on the House Budget Committee, wrote on Facebook Tuesday that he has yet to receive official notification that he has indeed been removed:

"'Rumor has it that I’ve been removed from the House Committee on the Budget. Remarkably, I still have not received a single call, e-mail, or text from Republican leadership confirming this story. In fact, I wouldn’t even have learned about it if not for the news reports. I look forward to hearing from my party’s leadership about why my principled, conservative voting record offends them....

"'Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who was kicked off of both Budget and the Committee on Agriculture, voted with me against the 2013 House budget resolution because it does not sufficiently address the federal government’s debt crisis. That was one of only three times during this Congress that I voted against the Chairman’s recommendations in committee.'"

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/05/amash-slams-gop-leadership-for-purging-him-without-notice/#ixzz2EHo551Dl
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Right Fears ‘Purge’ As GOP Leadership Takes Control | TPMDC

Right Fears ‘Purge’ As GOP Leadership Takes Control | TPMDC - Benjy Sarlin:

December 4, 2012 - "Conservatives fear they’re being pushed aside by Republican leaders as the party looks to regroup from its election losses.

"'At the end of the day we lost seats in the House, we lost seats in the Senate, we couldn’t win the presidency, and the response is to purge conservatives,' Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) said Tuesday during a briefing at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.

"Huelskamp is one of four Republicans who were stripped of committee seats this week for bucking leadership over the last term. Huelskamp lost his spot on the Budget Committee, where he voted against the House GOP’s budget last year along with Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), who also was removed this week. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Walter Jones (R-NC), who also voted against the budget from the right, lost seats on the Financial Services Committee....

"Amash, speaking at the same briefing, said he had not received any personal messages or phone calls from leadership announcing his demotion. But he attributed his calls for reduced military spending as the most likely cause for the conflict.

"'I think they are willing to raise taxes to avoid any defense cuts,' Amash said. 'I think they’re willing to take really bad deals to avoid any defense cuts of even a few dollars.'"

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/right-fears-purge-as-gop-leadership-takes-control.php
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Libertarians Are the Only Hope For American Business to Be Competitive Again

Libertarians Are the Only Hope For American Business, and Republicans, to Be Competitive Again - John Mills, PolicyMic:

December 3, 2012 - "To defeat big government Democrats, business needs to organize a new coalition of libertarians, business, and 'Blue-Dog Democrats.' The Republican Party is fatally connected with the religious right’s rejected social agenda, and so the most plausible way to creating this new coalition is for business to leave the Republican Party and start providing serious financial support to the Libertarian Party.

"This year, majorities of voters in four states approved marriage equality by popular vote. By large margins, voters in Colorado and Washington approved marijuana legalization. This tells us a tipping point has been reached on some serious social issues.... Similarly, The total percentage of Americans who believe abortion should be illegal under all circumstances is only about 20%. When it comes to war, a March, 2012 NY Times-CBS poll found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69% — thought the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. The number almost certainly is rising, not falling."

Read more: http://www.policymic.com/articles/20024/libertarians-are-the-only-hope-for-american-business-and-republicans-to-be-competitive-again
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Gary Johnson sets record with Michigan write-in total - San Jose Libertarian | Examiner.com

Gary Johnson sets record with Michigan write-in total - San Jose Libertarian | Examiner.com - Shane Witting::

December 3, 2012. - "Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has set a record in Michigan, receiving 7,774 write-in votes. The record was previously held by Ralph Nader who received 2,322 write-in votes in Michigan in 1996, running on the Green Party ticket.

"Johnson's vote total exceeded that of Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson, whose name was printed on the ballot and received 5,147 votes. Anderson was placed on the Michigan ballot by the Natural Law Party....

"Johnson would have appeared on the ballot if not for a technicality during the GOP primary season. Johnson's name was placed on the Michigan primary ballot without his knowledge, and was unable to withdraw his name after filing the necessary paperwork minutes past the deadline....

"As of the writing of this article, Johnson and running mate James P. Gray have set a Libertarian Party record with 1,268,869 votes nationwide, or 0.99% of all votes cast."

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/gary-johnson-sets-record-with-michigan-write-total
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