I haven’t been at the computer much today. Have actually had Things To Do and a Life To Live. But several times in my very brief newsly perusals, I’ve encountered the oh-so-shocked question: “Did Holder Lie Under Oath?” The question always leads to this or something like it — Our Esteemed Attorney General denying all knowledge of targeting any reporter under the handy-dandy (to tyrants) 1917 Espionage Act just days before getting caught doing exactly that. He personally signed the warrant to go after Fox Newsy James Rosen as a “co-conspirator” in the supposed espionage. It’s not the targeting of…
Category: Free speech
I’ve been really remiss in reporting on the new Libertas Media Project — the amazing Brian Wilson’s answer to the cravens who canned him from his regular long-time radio-hosting gig a few months back. Libertas is part of the big, glorious, and increasingly successful effort to take information out of the hands of corporate gatekeepers and put it back where it belongs. Despite my woeful neglect ;-), Libertas Media podcasts are going strong. So far some have featured solos by Brian while others have been interviews with Lew Rockwell and Tom Woods. Look for Judge Napolitano and (no doubt) Jim…
Snitching: This is how it works. This is a classic case of how cops twist people into doing their will. Naive young kid in trouble with the law. Scared. He’s maybe not the brightest bulb (though he may think he is). Cops “befriend” him and magically make his “crime” go away. Cops pay him — quite a lot for a part-time job for a kid. He’s so eager to “earn” the money and please his handlers that he persuades himself that he’s a “hero.” SO eager to please that he starts twisting and exaggerating the “evidence.” Classic. Absolutely. Except that…
Obama staffer: vote early and often. (H/T O) Those prescription drugs in your emergency kit might last longer than you think. Maybe decades longer. (I’d be cautious, though, especially with antibiotics.) Why is the Taliban so scared of little girls? And why are Muslim leaders always so quiet about monstrous acts like this? So, Barack, you wanna debate civil liberties? Why do Ashkenazi Jews tend to have such high IQs? Interesting speculations. I’ve been having trouble getting around to several things, including a review of Wendy McElroy’s new book, The Art of Living Free. So just let me say a…
Funny how we’ve been assured for the last century or so that fingerprints are infallible evidence. (Tip o’ hat to Jim Bovard) Do bike helmet laws indirectly do more harm than good? Handy Helpful Hints … on growing cannabis. (Via Brad Spangler’s Twitter feed) Are you doing your bit to be sufficiently “suspicious” to the homeland (achtung!) security state? C’mon, it isn’t that difficult (as John Silveira predicted years ago). (H/T O) Hm. Wonder if this’ll worry that pack of paranoids? Slave ants rebel and destroy the young of their oppressors. (Via the very nice and mild-mannered JG) Hey, at…
“A Most Extraordinary Life.” (H/T F) You heard about the woman who got charged $83,000 for two doses of anti-scorpion venom worth $100 per dose. Here’s some background on why — and how Obamacare is only going to make it worse. What do you do when your beagle eats your cash? (Hint: It’s easier, though no less unpleasant, than getting your cash back from asset-forfeiting govthugs.) Survival preps: A week in a bucket. BusyPoorDad posted this is this morning’s comments. A very good idea, though I’d aim for a less grain-heavy mix of foods. Sometimes you see a claim that’s…
Finally got through my latest round of deadlines and returned to the snitch book this weekend. The first-round reality-checkers (lawyers, security people, ex-cops, people who’ve been hurt by snitches) gave valuable input. The second draft took less time than I thought once I got to it. So … you guys who volunteered to be second-round reality-checkers, get ready. I’m awaiting an answer on one biggish question. Then I’ll do one more quick run-through and the re-draft will be on its way to you. Around the end of this month or early October it’ll be time for the eagle-eyed proofreaders (of…
Apple has gotten a patent to remotely disable features on wireless devices based on their location. (This is from a not-always-reliable source, but is verified elsewhere.) I can’t think of a single legitimate reason to impose blanket blackouts like that based on location (language in the patent to the contrary). Lots of illegitimate ones, though. Halt recording at protests or public meetings. Or at cop checkpoints. Keep protestors from coordinating with each other on the spot. Not clear at the moment whether Apple plans to do this only on iPhones (one more reason not to have a smartphone). But no…
Via Wendy McElroy, John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute interviews Brandon Raub, the young man locked in the loony bin because of his Facebook postings. Raub was released on a judge’s order because the petition for Raub’s detainment was “… so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.” A wrongful-arrest lawsuit is now in the works. —– Of course, Raub violated the first commandment, which is …?
Don’t worry; I haven’t forgotten … well, all the things you might be thinking I’ve forgotten. I will write a post to kick off a women-and-carry-guns discussion (per yesterday’s comment thread). I will get the second draft of the snitch book done and off to you volunteer reviewers (next week with some luck). And I will get that long-promised raffle rifle decorated — although at this point I admit that promise still falls in the category of vaporware. And perhaps even verges on “political promise” territory. I can’t believe how busy this year has been. But it looks as if…