June 26_2007 - What the Future Holds if the Dems Win

The usual statist crapola unfortunately.

Arnold Kling wrote this analysis posted on TCS that seems to catch it all in a nutshell. One side of the Dems wants more, more, more! state intervention in our lives. The other side, well not so much, but..just run it all better and without a deficit too.

June 17_2007 - An Interesting Review of an Interesting Book

I saw this customer review on the Amazon.com webpage for a book I am currently reading. How Nonviolence Protects the State, by Peter Gelderloos.

Both are worth a look.

June 12_2007 - "Useful Idiots"

Hugo Chavez's "Useful Idiot"

"In political jargon, the term 'useful idiot' was used to describe Soviet sympathizers in western countries (particularly in the United States) and the alleged attitude of the Soviet government towards them. The implication was that the person in question was naïve, foolish, or in willful denial, and was being cynically used by the Soviet Union, or another Communist state."
From Wikipedia.

And speaking of which, I saw this blurb in an article in the right-wing tabloid Human Events.

Help Wanted: Cindy Sheehan Replacement
“Wanted: A mother or father whose son was a God-loving, red-blooded American who willingly gave his life for his country’s security and freedom. Applicant must be willing to shill for a ‘progressive’ presidential candidate, such as Sheehan did for John Kerry in 2004. Candidate must be able to curse like Mephistopheles, coddle the world’s dictators, be willing to leave her/his family, recite left-wing lies … with authority, and look good in Code Pink’s Pepto Bismol pink T-shirts.”

And I thought I was cynical. Pretty true though. Sheehan is an idiot, useful or not. See, when she openly endorsed nascent totalitarian Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and started criticizing Democrats for not keeping their promise to end the Iraq war the mainstream media and the Dem political elites dumped her like a hot potato. I guess you just can't be too cynical about the mainstream media and statist politicians can you? Apparently not.

Technorati tags: Cindy_Sheehan, Useful_Idiot, politics

June 08_2007 - Zog and Mr. Poop

Here is a short column I wrote for Strike_the_Root.com on my theory as to why liberal democracies eventually evolve into nanny-cratic authoritarian states over time.

The Origins of Authoritarianism in the Democratic State

"In a democracy however, the reverse is the case; the public’s every wish must be accommodated and acted upon instantly. And so laws are passed, regulations, specifications, and instructions are published, and are continually added to. And of course Zogs must be hired and armed in order to make it all work. And there’s the rub. The problems that all these rules, laws, and red tape address are minor and usually temporary; but the government-approved solution is nearly always permanent. And so the boil of public opinion reduces our natural and abundant liberty to steam which then disappears into the wind and then is gone. Permanently gone."

Technorati Tags: liberty laissez-faire nanny_state Lenny_Bruce economics

June 07_2007 - Some Thoughts on "Special Prosecuters" & Scooter Libby's Prison Sentence

Continuing on with my post from yesterday in re the injustice of the grand jury system and its misuse by so-called Special Prosecutors (i.e., those appointed to investigate political crimes) here is some profound analysis from Democratic Party operative and law professor Susan Estrich.

On Grand Juries:
"Libby is in trouble not for what he did, but because he wasn't as careful as the others during his interviews and grand jury testimony. If he'd just said, 'I don't recall' a hundred times, or even invoked the Fifth (whether properly or not, following the Monica Goodling approach), he wouldn't be bankrupt, ruined, disgraced and heading to prison."

Yep.

On Special Prosecutors:
"The whole phenomenon of special prosecutors turns the usual rules of investigating on their head. Instead of focusing on crimes, special prosecutors tend to focus on people themselves. Dig deep enough, ask enough questions, particularly under oath, and only those most experienced with the criminal justice system are likely to escape unscathed. Hardened criminals know enough to shut up. For others, the human tendency is to say too much, to shade the facts, to try to protect yourself and your colleagues, not necessarily from criminality, but from embarrassment. Lewis Libby is a lawyer, but he hadn't practiced in years, and neither had his wife. Unfortunately for him, it cost him plenty."

Indeed.

Technorati Tags: Scooter_Libby, Grand_Juries, politics, special_prosecutors Susan_Estrich

June 06_2007 - Some Thoughts on the “Scooter” Libby Sentence

I have no sympathy for Libby and his role in foisting the Iraq invasion on the American public. However, I have great empathy with his position as a human being who is being crushed like a little bug under the heal of Leviathan.

As someone who has been “invited” to talk with the FBI following the 9/11 attacks (which I declined to do) and who has been officially summoned twice to appear before grand juries I have some sympathy for Mr. Libby. The closest thing American law has to a Star Chamber this side of Gitmo is the modern grand jury process.

As originally conceived, the GJ was intended to protect persons accused of crimes by making the state prosecutor show before a jury of common citizens that first, a crime was committed, and second, that the prosecution had enough evidence to bring a specific person to trial for it.

Too bad that it ain’t how it all works in practice though. When you get up to testify, the only lawyer in the room is the DA. There is no impartial magistrate or judge to insure that the proceedings are conducted impartially and in accordance with the rules of evidence and the law. Persons giving testimony are not allowed to have legal counsel present. The panel of jurors only receives evidence as is supplied to them by the DA. Cross-examination of witnesses is not permitted. Oh, and the entire process is held in secret too. The public is not allowed to observe the proceeding, the news media is excluded, and anyone leaking info from the proceedings can be arrested. The transcript of the proceedings is withheld from any perusal by anyone, even you or your attorney, until such time as it is “unsealed” by the DA.

Real fair, eh? Even an experienced lawyer and political operative like Mr. Libby couldn’t avoid an indictment, and he knew all the rules, (rigged as they are) in advance, too. Now guess how much chance a non-lawyer has?

Bottom Line: Always refuse to testify by asserting your right to avoid self-incrimination. Assert the protection granted you by the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer any questions. Enjoy your constitutional protection against self-incrimination it while it lasts. Which may not be much longer.

Technorati Tags:
Scooter_Libby, Grand_Juries, Fifth_Amendment, Star_Chamber

June 04_2007 – Some Communist Criticism of Anarchism and Anarchists

I've been reading through these articles because I've often criticized the CP over the years for their statism, illogic, for resorting to violence, their hypocrisy and for their shamefully poor record of advancing liberty and equality among human beings. But I'll let these guys' words speak for themselves. Look through 'em if you care to. (So here ya go, Jerry.)

Left-wing Neo-Conservatives: The reflection of neo-conservatism in socialist thinking – Part One

Left-wing Neo-Conservatives: The mailed fist behind the anti-authoritarian phrase – Part Two

Anarchism and the Marketplace

The Anarchist Dead End – A series of articles from the (Detroit) Communist Voice .

Technorati Tags: Communist, Communist_Party, anarchy, anarchism, politics