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Freedom News Daily

In cooperation with Rational Review News Digest, ISIL brings you news, commentary and announcement of events – every weekday except holidays.

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NEWS

RRND/FND Fundraiser Update, 05/16/12

Dear readers,

Up to this point, I've kept our fundraiser updates infrequent (every 2-4 weeks), and off the web site (only email readers got them). Time to escalate a bit.

Our fundraiser goal is to reach either total contributions of $10k, or subscribing contributor revenues of $1,000/month, by December 23rd (our 10th anniversary as RRND).

To be on track for that cash goal, we should be at somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,100 by now. We're at $2,392.50.

Contributing subscriber revenues are at $490 -- but they were around $450 at the beginning of the year.

We aren't getting there. And while we've avoided "The World Will End!" hype for the last nine years and just kept on plugging, this time there will be consequences if we don't make our goal (the most likely one being my "retirement" from RRND/FND).

That's the long and short of it; I won't belabor it further. Thanks to all of you who have supported this publication financially. To those who have never returned value to us for value received (at whatever valuation YOU would place on the product if it was "cash up front"), now's the time to consider doing so. Here's the handy-dandy link:

http://rationalreview.news-digests.com/support-rrnd

Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Rational Review


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Colombia: Bomb kills at least two in apparent assassination attempt
Source: MSNBC

"A bomb blast on a crowded street in Colombia Tuesday reportedly killed several people and injured 19 others. NBC News said there were reports that the attack in northern Bogota was aimed at former Colombian Minister of Interior and Justice Fernando Londono and that two of his bodyguards were among the dead." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/ccg24go

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EU anti-piracy force strikes Somali targets
Source: Telegraph [UK]

"European anti-piracy troops carried out their first ever air attack against Somali pirates' equipment on land, strafing a series of skiffs with small arms fire during an early morning helicopter raid. ... The attack involved troops from several of the European navies currently patrolling off Somalia, from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal. " (05/15/12)


http://tgr.ph/KrxCjf

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Iraq: Suicide bomber kills five regime troops
Source: Sky News [UK]

"Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber who drove an explosives-rigged fuel truck into the front gate of an army post has killed five soldiers in the country's north. Officials at the scene in the city of Mosul said another 15 people were wounded in Tuesday's attack. Three of them were soldiers." (05/15/12)


http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=750794&vId=

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Afghanistan: Regime troops killed in Paktia, Helmand provinces
Source: Khaama Press [Afghanistan]

"According to a statement released by Afghan defense ministry at least 2 Afghan national soldiers were killed following a roadside bomb explosion at eastern Paktia province and another Afghan national army soldier was killed at southern Helmand province. The statement further added another Afghan national army soldier was injured in a separate incident at western Herat province of Afghanistan." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/IWZsQs

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NATO invites Pakistani pol to Chicago summit
Source: Los Angeles Times

"NATO on Tuesday announced that Pakistan would be invited to the alliance's Chicago summit on the future of Afghanistan this weekend, following signs from Pakistani authorities that they would end their nearly six-month blockade on Afghanistan-bound NATO supply routes through their country. President Asif Ali Zardari's spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh-Rasmussen phoned the Pakistani leader Tuesday to extend the invitation." (05/15/12)


http://lat.ms/IWZjfU

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NJ: Judge orders guns returned to blind man
Source: Digital Journey

"During the just completed hearing, prosecutors did not argue Hopler should not have guns because he is blind. Been there, done that. And without success. So they argued the seized guns should not be returned and Hopler's firearm license revoked, because he was a drunk. Hopler said at most, he had two drinks a day. But prosecutors had a witness who testified differently. According to Kenneth Struck, Hopler sometimes put away as much as 30 beers in a day. Struck just happens to be the ex-tenant who stole the guns from Hopler's safe and later pleaded guilty to burglary." (05/14/12)


http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/324845

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US officials sought to testify in Gitmo 9/11 trial
Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

"Defense teams in the Sept. 11 case at Guantanamo are asking a military judge to order senior U.S. government officials to testify at the U.S. base in Cuba as part of a motion to dismiss charges, a lawyer for one of the defendants said Tuesday. The motion to dismiss includes a request to compel testimony from eight 'top officials' from the administrations of President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, said Navy Cmdr. Walter Ruiz, who represents Saudi defendant Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/blqpzuj

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Greece to hold new elections after stalemate
Source: CNN

"Greece will hold new elections in response to a political stalemate that left the debt-racked country unable to form a government, the office of President Karolos Papoulias said Tuesday. The announcement comes as the Greek debt crisis threatens the stability of the European Union's single currency. Papoulias has called for all parties to meet with him Wednesday to set up a caretaker government that will conduct the new vote, his office said." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d2vmya7

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Australia: Gillard pledges $300 million of other people’s money to Afghan forces
Source: Newnan Times-Herald

"Australia has announced it will contribute $100 million annually for three years beginning in 2015 to support Afghan National Security Forces after they take responsibility for their country's security. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defense Minister Stephen Smith said in a joint statement on Wednesday they will take this commitment to the NATO and U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force summit in Chicago on Sunday and Monday." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/chvb9lh

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Argentina: VP targeted for illegal enrichment probe
Source: Barre-Montpelier Times Argus

"The legal battles of Argentine Vice President Amado Boudou grew more complicated on Monday when a federal prosecutor asked a judge to open an illegal enrichment probe. Also named were Boudou's girlfriend Agustina Kampfer, his longtime friend and business partner Jose Maria Nunez Carmona, and another businessman, Alejandro Vandenbroele, who allegedly served as Boudou's proxy in a series of business deals." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/c8ozp9m

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NC: Government lets emergency powers ruling stand
Source: Liberty For All

"North Carolina's failure to appeal a federal judge's ruling that struck down the state's emergency power to ban firearms and ammunition outside the home during a declared emergency adds one more Second Amendment victory to the court record being established by the Second Amendment Foundation." (05/15/12)


http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=7609

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MI: Groundskeeper fired for finding loaded gun
Source: Fox News

"A Detroit groundskeeper turned in a loaded handgun he found hidden in weeds while working, [and] was fired by the city's Department of Public Services [for gun possession on the job]. ... John Chevilott ... found the loaded snub-nosed revolver on May 3 when he and his crew were mowing a lawn in Wayne County. Chevilott [called] the police, but ... the Detroit police never did pass by, so Chevilott finished his work, drove the gun home and [then] turned it into his local police department. ... However, Chevilott's superiors at the Department of Public Services ... fired Chevilott (after 23 years on the job) for violating department policies." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d63bkyw

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US sets 2025 goal to tame Alzheimer’s
Source: BBC News [UK state media]

"The US says it will seek an effective treatment for Alzheimer's by 2025, as it faces an ageing population and spiraling health costs. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the goal as part of the first National Alzheimer's Plan. An additional $50m will be added to research funding during 2012. About 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's or related dementias, a number expected to reach 16 million by 2050, at a cost of $1 trilion." (05/15/12)


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18076186

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Report: Cancer pill effective but copay higher
Source: Arizona Republic

"Cancer treatment is changing: Increasingly, pills are the drug of choice rather than intravenous chemotherapy that drips into a patient's vein. In contrast to conventional IV chemotherapy, which often kills both cancer and healthy cells alike, many of the new oral oncology drugs target specific biologic processes in cancer cells and block their growth. In addition to being highly effective, they're convenient, especially for patients who live far from a treatment facility. ... At least 25 percent of the drugs in the oncology pipeline are oral medications." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/bpc84j7

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TX: Probe determines that wrong man was executed
Source: The Raw Story

"He was the spitting image of the killer, had the same first name and was near the scene of the crime at the fateful hour: Carlos DeLuna paid the ultimate price and was executed in place of someone else in Texas in 1989, a report out Tuesday found. Even 'all the relatives of both Carloses mistook them,' and DeLuna was sentenced to death and executed based only on eyewitness accounts despite a range of signs he was not a guilty man, said law professor James Liebman." [editor's note: Now there's a solid argument against the death penalty if I've ever heard one - SAT] (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d2mhlkn

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Idiot pol wants fed regulation of school lunch pizza
Source: Fox News

"A Democratic congressman is trying to give the federal government the power to regulate pizza in public school lunches, following a failed attempt last year. The legislation proposed by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., would end pizza being counted as a vegetable in school lunches and allow the government to set nutritional standards." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/7dhryvm

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TN: Bookstore’s sexuality display draws Christian blogger’s ire
Source: The Tennessean

"Author Nancy French had to do a little extra mothering on a pre-Mother's Day shopping excursion to Books A Million in Spring Hill. She was steering her children -- ages 13, 11 and 4 -- down the military history aisle when saw something that shocked her. She told them to freeze and turn around. There, on a shelf labeled 'Sexuality,' was the book 365 Sex Positions, complete with a cover photo featuring a nude couple demonstrating one." [editor's note: Ya know, they shoulda known better than to put Love so close to War ... - SAT] (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/c34pgga

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Boehner fires opening shot in potential debt ceiling showdown
Source: Christian Science Monitor

"To avoid a 'fiscal cliff' at year's end, House Speaker John Boehner is going to rely on an old road map. If President Obama and congressional Democrats want to raise the debt ceiling, Mr. Boehner will say in a speech later on Tuesday, they're going to have to hew to what might be called the Boehner principle: Every dollar of new debt must be paid for by at least a dollar of reduced government spending." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/clz45j7

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Ukraine: High Court postpones Tymoshenko appeal
Source: Agence France-Presse

"Ukraine's High Court on Tuesday postponed the appeal of ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her seven year jail sentence until well after the Euro 2012 football tournament gets under way, to the fury of her defence. ... Tymoshenko's supporters have accused President Viktor Yanukovych of pursuing the case in an act of revenge against his arch political rival while the European Union has also objected that the case is politically motivated." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/Krzybm

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NY: Former president of state senate convicted of embezzlement
Source: Fox News Latino

"Former New York state Senate majority leader Pedro Espada Jr. was convicted of swindling nearly $500,000 from the taxpayer-funded Bronx health clinic he founded to finance his lavish lifestyle. A Brooklyn federal court panel on Monday convicted Espada of four counts of stealing from the nonprofit Soundview Healthcare Network between 2005 and 2008." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KrqJhN

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Norway: Man sets himself on fire outside Breivik trial court
Source: CNN

"A man set himself on fire Tuesday outside the court in Norway's capital, Oslo, where Anders Behring Breivik is on trial over terrorist attacks last summer that killed 77 people. 'We don't know much about his motives, but he set himself alight outside the courthouse. Police were quick to put the fire out, and he has now been taken to hospital,' Unni Groendal, head of media for Oslo police, told CNN." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KrnBm9

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AZ: Shooter acted in self-defense
Source: The Republic

"Yuma police have confirmed the deaths of 27-year-old Jason Snelling and 26-year-old Glenn Curry following the Friday night shooting. Police have identified the shooter as 23-year-old Daniel Dillman. Officers say it appears Dillman shot the two men in self-defense, and he has been released from police custody." (05/13/12)


http://bit.ly/KrgfyU

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West Bank and Gaza: Thousands mark “Nabka Day”
Source: BBC News [UK state media]

"Thousands of Palestinians have attended demonstrations to commemorate what they refer to as the 'Nakba' or Catastrophe. It marks the day after the anniversary of Israel's independence in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes or were displaced." (05/15/12)


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18073381

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UK: Brooks charged over phone hacking scandal
Source: Reuters

"Rebekah Brooks, a close confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking scandal that has rocked the tycoon's media empire and sent shockwaves through the British political establishment. Brooks, 43, was charged with concealing material from detectives, conspiring to remove boxes of archive records from Murdoch's London headquarters, and hiding documents, computers and other electronic equipment from the police." (05/15/12)


http://reut.rs/Kr7a9s

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NC: Shooting death “justified”
Source: Jacksonville Daily News

"The Marine resident's wife opened the front door to find Darling standing there naked and talking about a lighter and a cigarette. ... Darling began yelling for the Marine resident to let him in the house. Darling was ramming the front door with his shoulder. The Marine resident told Darling to leave, and that he had a gun. Darling then punched the screen out of the window by the front door and then quickly thereafter jumped, diving head first through the screened portion of the window into the living room. The Marine resident used a 1911 .45-caliber handgun to shoot Darling three times in the back as Darling dove through the window, Lee said." (05/11/12)


http://www.jdnews.com/articles/darling-103808-death-killed.html

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COMMENTARY

The IP wars as “competition”
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by David D'Amato

"'Competition' today is no more than a clash between rich, monolithic global corporate titans who would rather use the legal system to ban competitors than actually compete. Competition between Samsung and Apple may be fierce enough in the courtroom, but what would happen in a real free market, one where no one was entitled to special privileges through IP?" (05/15/12)


http://c4ss.org/content/10338

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Believing you're free doesn't make it so
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G. Hornberger

"The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Washington, D.C., is holding a special event today to celebrate 'the brave efforts of dissidents and activists around the world in their fight to be free.' Wow! How exciting is that! At least one thing's for sure: these people aren't going to be celebrating the brave efforts of libertarians here in the United States in our fight to be free." (05/15/12)


http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2012-05-15.asp

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Let’s license everyone for everything
Source: Libertarian News Examiner
by Garry Reed

"36 states license makeup artists, 37 states certify security guards, 33 states examine auctioneers but only Louisiana finds it necessary to regulate florists. Fees to pass state-mandated exams, training and apprenticeships range from $15 to $650, even in so-called 'right-to-work' states. But shouldn't everyone be licensed for everything? Here are a few the power mad tax-sucking bureaucrats missed ..." (05/15/12)


http://www.examiner.com/article/let-s-license-everyone-for-everything

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Ron Paul is not ending his Campaign for Liberty
Source: Reason
by Brian Doherty

"A year ago, Paul was the presumed least-likely-to-succeed candidate in the GOP field. His radical libertarian bent and his fervent opposition to the GOP's standard foreign policy positions made him seem anathema to the party's primary base. ... Now, Paul is still the last man standing in opposition to Romney -- and far from fading, his fortunes both within the party and within the culture are rising." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KroQ4C

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Amendment done
Source: Strike the Root
by Willliam Hubbard

"I have sullied myself this day, and for no profitable reason. I have stained my soul and made a lopsided deal with the devil. I entered the voting booth this afternoon, for the last time, against my principle, in order that I may fight for other principles." (05/14/12)


http://www.strike-the-root.com/amendment-done

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Recognizing the snitch in your midst
Source: Living Freedom
by Claire Wolfe

"I'd like to say I have no experience with snitches. In a way; I don't. I've never (knock wood) gotten in trouble via a snitch. But over the years, countless numbers of fools have approached me asking my advice on how to do illegal acts. No doubt some of them weren't fools, but lazy or unskilled informants. I'll never know." (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/IWY14m

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Pirate Party: Giving politics a jolly roger
Source: Spiked
by Matthias Heitmann

"Once upon a time, the kind of people who thought big political ideas were irrevelant and who spent all their time obsessing about processes and structures were regarded as superficial technocrats. Not anymore. Now they are deemed to be at the cutting edge of political life." (05/15/12)


http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/12449/

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Fewer workers, more welfare
Source: The American Conservative
by Patrick Buchanan

"When the April figures on unemployment were released May 4, they were more than disappointing. They were deeply disturbing. ... The number of Americans of working age not in the labor force grew in April from 87,897,000 to 88,419,000 -- by an astonishing 522,000. This is an immense army for the rest of society to carry." (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/IWXxLK

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The GOP's dead-end path to prosperity
Source: In These Times
by David Moberg

"Mitt Romney may rue the day he called Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal 'marvelous,' as if he were describing a splendid buffet at the mansion of a friend. The plan from the influential, youthful Republican chair of the House budget committee does offer people like Mitt and his rich buddies tasty goodies -- $10 trillion in preserved and fresh millionaire-friendly tax cuts (over a decade), to be followed later with rollbacks in financial, environmental and every other regulation." [editor's note: I can hardly wait for this guy's take on the Gary Johnson budget plan - SAT] (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/cktpbxl

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Fiscal summit: Smooth words, deadly agenda
Source: Our Future
by Isaiah J. Poole

"The Peter G. Peterson Fiscal Summit started today with the dulcet tones of its billionaire conservative patron, Peter G. Peterson, and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner singing in harmony. It was a melody fraught with danger. It was designed to be soothing, even with the jolt that Peterson inserted into his opening remarks that the nation was facing a federal government debt crisis that is 'a transcendent threat to our economic future.' But that was the note that started the whole symphony in the wrong key." [editor's note: The irony here is how much libertarians would agree with the title of this piece, for entirely different reasons - SAT] (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/cvmhtof

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The Pirate Party knows where the money is
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

"Like many new and rapidly growing parties, the Pirate Party has only a partially formed agenda and undoubtedly means many different things to different supporters. However a general theme is clearly a support for freedom of the Internet. This means a rebellion against governmental efforts to track users and to limit the flow of material over the web." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/IWWSd9

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From rags to resorts
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Doug French

"When most people think of starting a business, or contemplate others doing so, the common belief is that a person should go into a business they have knowledge in -- not just something they know about, but something they know lots about. But is expert knowledge of a particular industry really a prerequisite to opening a new business in that industry or taking over an existing business?" (05/15/12)


http://mises.org/daily/6041/From-Rags-to-Resorts

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NC: Town and country, not racial lines
Source: The American Prospect
by Barry Yeoman

"In the week since North Carolina voters adopted a constitutional amendment banning recognition of any 'domestic legal union' other than heterosexual marriage, a consensus has formed among journalists about African-American complicity. According to this narrative, black voters let their Protestant traditionalism trump any sense of fairness toward lesbians and gay men--and became the critical voting bloc that gave Amendment 1 its landslide victory. ... There's a problem with this story line: It ignores the actual results of the election, which show that the fault line in North Carolina was not racial at all, but rather urban-rural." (05/15/12)


http://prospect.org/article/town-and-country

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Why Obama must hold Wall Street accountable
Source: The Nation
by Ari Berman

"Late last week, I heard the news about JP Morgan's staggering $2 billion in losses on the same day I read Matt Taibbi's Rolling Stone article about the death of financial reform and Nick Confessore's New York Times Magazine piece about President Obama's fundraising on Wall Street. After reading these two articles in conjunction with the JP Morgan news, I could only come to one conclusion: it's impossible to 'reform' Wall Street if the president is dependent on the financial sector to bankroll his re-election campaign. The banks can be Obama's friend or his enemy, but right now they can't be both." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/chss6k7

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Obama’s campaign slop to women
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Wendy McElroy

"Barack Obama is buying votes. The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) is a blatant sop thrown to a voting block on which his next presidency may depend: women, specifically, liberal women. Obama also hopes it will weaken Mitt Romney, who is trying to woo women himself and, yet, cannot endorse the PFA without alienating conservatives." (05/14/12)


http://www.fff.org/comment/com1205j.asp

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Pardon attorney owes Clarence Aaron a second chance
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
by Debra J. Saunders

"In 1993, a jury convicted Clarence Aaron for his role in two planned cocaine deals. Aaron was a 23-year-old college student. It was his first offense. Unlike his co-defendants, Aaron was not a career drug dealer. He didn't know enough to plead guilty and testify against others to win a reduced sentence. He perjured himself in court. A federal judge sentenced Aaron to three terms of life without parole for a first-time nonviolent drug offense. Aaron's only hope of not dying behind bars is a presidential commutation." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/dy4wvy4

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Uncle Sam or Uncle Sugar?
Source: Freedom Politics
by Arthur C. Brooks

"It seems that no matter which party is in power, the government always grows. Why is this? The answer is relatively straightforward. Politicians get attention -- and applause -- for doing things. When things are going poorly, people never call their congressman and scream, 'Don't just do something, sit there!'" (05/14/12)


http://tinyurl.com/coff7b2

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The real lesson of JPMorgan
Source: Orange County Register
by Robert Samuelson

"It's a teachable moment, but what's the right lesson? Already, the $2 billion-plus trading debacle at JPMorgan Chase has inspired a powerful storyline. Nothing has changed since the financial crisis, it's said. Big banks remain out of control, gambling recklessly. If Jamie Dimon's bank, reputed to be one of the best-managed, can get into trouble, what can we expect of the others? Government regulations and regulators need to be tougher to counteract bankers' greed and incompetence. The storyline is marred only by this: Everything in it is exaggerated, misleading or wrong." [editor's note: This is a fairly well-balanced analysis of the "bankster-scam" - SAT] (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/ccdqq7m

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JPMorgan's blunder is no market failure
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sandy Ikeda

"I am not going to try to defend JPMorgan Chase for its recent, widely reported financial blunders. I certainly don't know all of the relevant details behind its $2 billion loss. What I would like to point out is an invalid inference in arguments I've heard by those who would take this enormous loss as evidence itself of the need for greater bank regulation. It isn't." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d6rdlsa

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The disastrous student loan mess
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Rob Natelson

"You have to wonder how many other things the federal government will louse up before people demand a return to constitutional limits. The New York Times has published a widely re-printed report about the extent to which federally guaranteed and subsidized college loan programs have driven up the cost of tuition and leaving an entire generation 'hobbled' by debt." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/6pov7l4

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Obama meddling puts brakes on green car industry
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Patrick Fleener

"Fearing an electoral backlash over rising gasoline prices, President Obama has been touting his energy policies. 'We can't have an energy strategy for the last century that traps us in the past,' the president said in a recent appearance. 'We need an energy strategy for the future.' ... What's strange about this futuristic talk is that Mr. Obama's plan to boost vehicle efficiency relies heavily on decades-old policies that have repeatedly failed." (05/14/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d5mlbex

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Marriage laws must not discriminate against anyone, including the unmarried
Source: Competitive Enterprise Institute
by William Frezza

"For numerous reasons, culture war controversies are fraught with ambiguity, acrimony, and divisiveness. They inflame passions. They leave little ground for compromise. They give embattled political leaders a cheap and easy way to change the subject while energizing their base. And they feed the media's insatiable appetite for narratives that validate their biases." (05/15/12)


http://tinyurl.com/d3nl9nq

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The wages of sin taxes
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Christopher Snowdon

"Taxes on cigarettes and alcohol have often been justified by studies that claim to estimate the 'social cost' of these vices. These studies include intangible costs borne by individual consumers, such as 'emotional distress,' lost years of life, and individual expenditures on cigarettes and alcohol. These are personal costs, not social costs. They also fail to include the economic benefits the alcohol and cigarette industry gives to the UK in terms of employment and government revenue." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KrydkW

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The surveillance state: Knowing every bit about you
Source: LewRockwell.com
by Charles Scaliger

"No one ever accused Jeremy Bentham of thinking small. The early 18th-century British philosopher, social reformer, and co-founder of the celebrated philosophical school of Utilitarianism, Bentham was known for his unconventional ideas. Like many self-styled progressive thinkers of his age, Bentham expended a considerable amount of energy dreaming up new ways to use the power of the state to protect private citizens from their own alleged follies. The concept of the Panopticon was probably Bentham's best-known brainchild." (05/15/12)


http://lewrockwell.com/spl4/the-surveillance-state.html

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Krugman’s apologetics
Source: A Passion for Liberty
by Tibor R. Machan

"Paul Krugman, not unpredictably, once again (in The New York Times, Monday, May 14, 2012) went to bat to hit a home run for government regulation of, well, everyone (except the members of his own profession, namely, eggheads). His piece is titled 'Why We Regulate?' but fails to address the most fundamental issue. This is 'Who is the 'we' in his essay?' And why would 'we' be wiser and more virtuous than those whom 'we' regulate?" (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/KrvyHY

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Toward a greater understanding of Internet activism
Source: Cato Unbound
by Berin Szoka

"Obviously, social media lower organizational costs, especially of recruiting members. Less obvious is that, as Lupia and Sin explain, social media increase noticeability: 'members' ability to notice each other's actions.' Even in 2003, there was little way to tell whether your friends actually followed through when you asked them to help join a cause. But today, it's easy to encourage them to re-share material on Facebook or Twitter -- and to 'notice' whether they've done so." (05/07/12)


http://bit.ly/Kruunv

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No experience necessary at Department of Homeland Security senior positions
Source: Delaware Libertarian
by Steve Newton

"One of the positions that Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson has taken is that the Department of Homeland Security should be abolished. Now, current Janet Napolitano seems to be making his case for him." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KrkWso

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Land banking is expensive
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Audrey Spalding

"Regular Show-Me Daily readers know that we are not a fan of government development bets. Well, land banking takes that practice to the next level. Instead of government officials attempting to pick winners and losers by awarding tax subsidies, land banks can purchase and attempt to redevelop property. What could possibly go wrong?" (05/14/12)


http://www.showmedaily.org/2012/05/land-banking-is-expensive.html

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The rape of our military women
Source: Antiwar.com
by Kelley B. Vlahos

"Today, women make up approximately 15 percent of the active duty force and 20 percent of the reserve components. Simply put, the military would not have been able to wage the Long War without them. Now, in yet another example of how the military repays their time in the meat grinder, a number of women have come forward to say they were discharged for 'personality disorders,' -- which means no healthcare, no disability benefits -- after they filed sexual assault charges with the chain of command against fellow servicemen." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/KrfgyC

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Do you want the feds to raid medical marijuana clinics?
Source: Downsize DC
by Perry Willis

"Last Thursday Congress showed that it has no compassion for the sick and dying, and no regard for the Constitution. They defeated the Rohrabacher-Hinchey amendment, which would end federal raids in states that permit medical marijuana. Please 'Thank or Spank' your Rep. Deliver praise for a Yea, and condemnation for a Nay. If you do not act then Congress will assume you consent. Withdraw your consent." (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/Krcdql

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Not-So-Secret Service
Source: Liberty Unbound
by SH Chambers

Cartoon. (05/13/12)


http://www.libertyunbound.com/node/805

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Financial advisor
Source: EconLog
by David Henderson

"Every March I have my annual meeting with my tax accountant. The meeting lasts 30 minutes. In the first 15, we go over my numbers and in the last 15 he tells me stories about various investments he has been in, some of which made him a lot of money and some of which lost him a lot." (05/14/12)


http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2012/05/financial_advis.html

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Cruelty by Constitution, part 2
Source: Authority!
by Timothy J Taylor

"Gay marriage is shaping up to be a central issue in the November 2012 presidential election. Americans appear to be evenly divided on the issue. Older voters tend to be against the concept while younger voters generally support it. President Obama and the Democrat Party, to their credit, have claimed the high moral ground in this controversy." (05/15/12)


http://bit.ly/Kr5zQO

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Red scarves and status
Source: Bleeding Heart Libertarians
by Jason Brennan

"Going back to the hypothetical world above where red scarves are used to indicate status: Suppose, in that world, that Abrahamic churches, mosques, and synagogues also had a long tradition of distributing red scarves when a person became an adult. Suppose many Americans received a red scarf from their church at the same time that they received it from government. Suppose most of those churches refused to issues scarves to homosexuals because they regarded homosexual sexual activity as inherently sinful. If the government then began to issue scarves to homosexuals, that would not be an assault on the churches or their members' freedom." (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/Kr3h4l

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Timeline of a world-killing paradigm shift
Source: Strike the Root
by Glen Allport

"Here in Part Three, I present an outline of the events which have led us to where we are now. The growing momentum of this train of events is, I believe, moving us toward a global, civilization-killing catastrophe. Avoiding this disaster may still be possible, but I am not optimistic. This outline is organized around major events, much of it told in present tense and with what I consider the most important events highlighted as tipping points." (05/14/12)


http://tinyurl.com/c9aswrw

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AUDIO & VIDEO

Free Talk Live, 05/14/12
Source: Free Talk Live

"Creepy Talking Surveillance Cameras Coming to US :: Kate's Chalking Trial :: Jury Nullification :: Feds Sue Thug Sheriff Arpaio for Civil Rights Violations :: Illegal Trespass Bans :: What free speech? :: Bohemian Grove :: 15 Keys to Happiness :: Conspiracy Paranoia and Defeatism :: Forgiveness." [MP3] (05/14/12)


http://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2012-05-14/download

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John Glaser on Antiwar Radio
Source: Antiwar.com

"John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the government's premature bragging about foiling another underwear bomber terrorist plot -- which became embarrassing when news broke about the bomber's CIA/Saudi connection ..." [Flash video] (05/14/12)


http://antiwar.com/radio/2012/05/14/john-glaser-26/

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The American welfare state: How we spend nearly $1 trillion a year fighting poverty — and fail
Source: Cato Institute

Cato video featuring Michael D. Tanner. [Flash video] (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/KrB8Kr

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Sex politics and the GOP as we know it: An interview with Nancy Cohen
Source: Hit & Run

"Reason.tv's Tracy Oppenheimer sat down with Cohen to discuss the rise of sexual fundamentalism in America and how it helped shape today's Republican Party and political system." [Flash video] (05/14/12)


http://bit.ly/KrAGf0

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Free-market medical care
Source: The Lew Rockwell Show

"G. Keith Smith, MD, talks to Lew about the wild success, and low prices, that result from kicking out the feds." [Flash audio or MP3] (05/08/12)


http://bit.ly/KrAlJu

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MOVEMENT NEWS & EVENTS

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