DistributorInsertion:
Libertarian Party Chair's Iraq Exit Plan
National LP Chair Mike Dixon on Alan Colmes nationwide radio show
with call-in from Terry Liberty Parker in response to which
the Chair acknowledges that there is a violation of
the party's platform (its 'governing documents') in this plan
(aprx 25 minutes into show as 1st caller)
WindowsMedia Download/Playback at
http://txliberty.dyndns.org/inetpub/wwwroot/webfiles/AC050713.wma
-EndInsertion
Rational Review News Digest
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Published Monday-Friday, except for holidays
Made possible by the generous support of our readers
http://www.rationalreview.com/news
Produced in cooperation with
the International Society for Individual Liberty
http://www.isil.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume III, Issue #698
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005
Email Circulation 2,072
----- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS --------------------------------------
FREEDOM: "LIVING IT" VERSUS "TALKING IT"
Over 6,500 of us say, "Go for the real thing!" Propaganda from public
schools, the old media, and government itself make true liberty an
electoral non-starter today. Those of us who believe in individual
freedom are a small minority. The solution? The Free State Project.
We're up to it. Are you?
http://freestateproject.org
IRAQ EXIT STRATEGY
Please support our troops by getting them out of harm's way. America's
Path Forward provides a practical withdrawal solution which appeals to
hawks and doves alike. Please take the time to read the report - then
learn what you may do to help support the plan.
http://lp.org/cgi-bin/plan/plan.cgi?action=add_form
LEON'S POLITICAL ALMANAC
"You cannot step twice into the same rivers; for fresh waters are ever
flowing in upon you." -- Herakleitos
http://perspicuity.net/cgi/hypercal.cgi
THE GOLD CASINO
The gold standard in Internet gaming -- play for real gold, and
withdraw your winnings instantly!
http://2465679.thegoldcasino.com/
RELYING ON DOCTORS? WHY?
Rhetorical question! Forget about doctors and insurance idiocy; take
your health into your own hands with the experts at Native Remedies.
Centuries worth of knowledge at your fingertips!
http://tinyurl.com/9p92v
To advertise in our sponsor section, see:
http://www.rationalreview.com/news/advertise.shtml
-------------------------------------- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS -----
Today's News:
1) Iraq: Nine killed in attacks
2) Bush installs Bolton in recess appointment
3) Saudi Arabia: Abdullah assumes throne
4) Egypt: Police kill prime suspect in bombing
5) NASA to conduct spacewalk to mend shuttle
6) Santorum blasts Massachusetts senators over church scandal
7) Ohio: Pharmacist opens fire in attempted robbery
8) Guardsman in Iraq punished over blog post
9) Cap state spending: the next new wave?
10) First smokeless cigarette to go on sale
11) DNA evidence frees man after 19 years
12) Mexican mercenaries expand base into US
13) Louisiana: Robber, clerk in shootout
14) Homeland Security alleges 500+ "gang arrests"
15) Tennessee: Late rush on prescriptions never occurs
16) Sudan: Leader's death sparks war fears
17) Air National Guard at heart of base closing plan
18) Arizona: Task force tracks Phoenix "AM rapist"
19) A hacker games the hotel
20) Pentagon denies kangaro courts rigged
21) California: Court says businesses must same-sex, hetero couples
equally
22) UK: Suspect's tale of travel and torture
23) Iran to delay reopening nuclear plant
24) UK: Call for hi-tech border checks
25) Two more arrested in failed London attacks
26) UK: Headache sufferers flout new drug law
27) Marine sergeant charged with homicide
Today's Commentary:
28) The politics of troop withdrawal
29) Issues of "life" and "personhood"
30) America's party, again
31) A peace amendment to the Constitution
32) An excerpt from BIG FAT LIARS
33) Patients' right to choose
34) More fatwa fibs
35) Overview of America's elections
36) Operation Withdrawal Scam
37) Energy bill blues
38) Why Roberts's religion matters
39) What secret handshake?
40) First torture them, then rig their trials
41) Perfidious Bill Frist
42) Democrats used to support personal accounts
43) Trouble in the land of the free
44) Protectionist capitalists versus capitalist communists
45) Dog days
46) Trading with the enemy: An American tradition
47) Boycott mania
48) Oh, grow up!
49) Standing up to Roberts
50) Armageddon gets no press
51) Something to choke on, again
52) You can't fight terrorism with racism
53) Gun bill only sold out lawyers
54) Bullish trade versus myth information
55) Populist potential
56) But why can't Hillary win?
57) Bully for you
Today's Movement News and Events:
58) Don't let the drug thugs win
59) Just Say No to the ACS
60) Knapp blogs for Doctors Without Borders
Today in Political History:
61) Put down the margarine and come out with your hands up
News
1) Iraq: Nine killed in attacks
Middle East Online [UK]
"Nine people were killed in separate rebel attacks in Iraq Tuesday,
eight of them shot dead in Baghdad, police said. Five people were shot
early in the day when gunmen opened fire as they left a city hospital
where they had been to see the body of a Sunni cleric who was killed
Monday night.... An Iraqi police colonel died in a drive-by shooting,
and two employees of the finance ministry were shot dead on their way
to work in Baghdad, an interior ministry official said. ... In another
incident, a civilian was killed and five wounded, four of them
policemen, when a suicide car bomber attacked a police patrol ..."
(08/02/05)
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14174
-----
2) Bush installs Bolton in recess appointment
USA Today
"President Bush bypassed balky Senate Democrats on Monday and used his
constitutional powers to appoint John Bolton U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations. Bush said the diplomatic post was 'too important to
leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate
about U.N. reform,' a reference to the Senate's failure to act on
Bolton since Bush nominated him nearly five months ago." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/98voq
-----
3) Saudi Arabia: Abdullah assumes throne
Indianapolis Star
"King Abdullah quickly assumed the Saudi throne Monday after the death
of his long-ailing half brother, giving a smooth transition to the
leadership of this key U.S. ally and oil giant already grappling with
extremists and debating the need for reform. After a decade as de
facto ruler and the prime mover of recent reforms, the popular
81-year-old Abdullah is expected to seek to consolidate his power by
bringing more allies into government and perhaps open the door for
younger, more modern princes to play a role." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/9h5zh
-----
4) Egypt: Police kill prime suspect in bombing
Houston Chronicle
"Egyptian police shot dead one of the prime suspects in the bombings
which killed at least 64 people in the Red Sea resort of Sharm
el-Sheikh on July 23, the Interior Ministry said today. His wife was
also killed and their 4-year-old daughter was injured in an exchange
of gunfire with police, a security source added. Mohamed Fulayfel was
killed in the exchange near Gebel Ataqa, a hill 18 km (11 miles) west
of the town of Suez, it said in a statement. It did not say when the
gunfight took place." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/7fmtp
-----
5) NASA to conduct spacewalk to mend shuttle
Tampa Tribune
"NASA said Monday it will send out a spacewalking astronaut to fix two
worrisome pieces of filler material protruding from Discovery's belly
- a high-stakes operation to repair a problem that could threaten the
shuttle during re-entry. Engineers simply do not know enough about the
problem and its consequences to leave it unattended, so the fabric
strips will be pulled out or cut Wednesday 'to set our minds at rest,'
said deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/6l5wf
-----
6) Santorum blasts Massachusetts senators over church scandal
Boston Globe
"Senator Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania, yesterday alleged
that Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry of Massachusetts
'did nothing' about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in 2002. 'They
spoke nothing. They sat by and let this happen,' Santorum said.
Kennedy and Kerry blasted Santorum's comments in statements issued by
their aides. Santorum's comments yesterday escalated the controversy
about a 2002 article he wrote saying it was 'no surprise' that the
abuse scandal occurred in what he called the liberal bastion of
Boston. 'Senator Santorum's partisan, hate-filled comments do a
disservice to the victims of abuse,' said Kerry spokeswoman April
Boyd." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/7hhz7
-----
7) Ohio: Pharmacist opens fire in attempted robbery
WHIO TV News
"Authorities said a man tried to hold up a Dayton pharmacy, but the
pharmacist decided to fight back. The attempted robbery happened
Monday afternoon at Ray's Pharmacy on Catalpa Drive. Police said a man
in a mask entered the business and tried to hold it up. Officers said
that is when the pharmacist opened fire. Authorities said the robber
was not injured and ran away. Police continue to search for him."
(08/01/05)
http://www.whiotv.com/news/4795658/detail.html
-----
8) Guardsman in Iraq punished over blog post
Cincinnati Enquirer
"An Arizona National Guardsman serving in Iraq has been demoted for
posting classified information on his Internet Web log, an Army
official said Monday. Leonard Clark, 40, was demoted from specialist
to private first class and fined $1,640, said Col. Bill Buckner, a
spokesman for the Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Soldiers in Iraq are
allowed to maintain blogs or Web sites but cannot post information
about Army operations or movements. They also are barred from posting
information about the death of a soldier whose family hasn't yet been
notified." [editor's note: The main point of this prosecution seems
not to have protected any alleged "classified information," but rather
to silence Clark with a gag order; as a military blogger who does not
simply feed out the White House line, he's been under pressure for
some time - TLK] (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/cwhy4
-----
9) Cap state spending: the next new wave?
Christian Science Monitor
"Pumped up in part by the public-relations offensive of a former
bodybuilder -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- an initiative
may be muscling its way back to the top of statehouse agendas:
spending caps. The idea: keep state governments from spending more
than they take in. Known as TEL (tax and expenditure limitation), it
has moved front and center in California, which will vote on the
measure this fall, and in Ohio, which is considering doing so. Maine
and Oregon are preparing initiatives for 2006. Conservative groups are
poised to follow suit in 20 other states." (08/01/05)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0802/p01s02-usec.html
-----
10) First smokeless cigarette to go on sale
Ananova [UK]
"The world's first smoke and tobacco free cigarette is due to go on
sale. The cigarette has been cleared for commercial release and should
be on sale early next year.Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for
Therapeutic Products, has decided the NicStic is not a medicinal
product and has cleared the path for its commercial production. ...
the Swiss invention aimed at smokers who enjoy smoking regardless of
growing condemnation of the habit should soon be available for the
same cost as normal cigarettes.The smokeless and tobacco-free
cigarette uses a rechargeable heating coil in a plastic
cigarette-sized stick to dispense nicotine without smoke.NicStic's
inventors say their invention will allow smokers to "light-up" without
annoying others with passive smoke and therefore avoid the increasing
smoking bans in public places." [editor's note: Another victory for
the market! - MLS] (08/01/05)
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1483546.html
-----
11) DNA evidence frees man after 19 years
CNN
"A man who spent 19 years behind bars for a rape he didn't commit was
released from prison Monday after new tests of DNA evidence cleared
him. Friends and family broke into applause when a county judge
dismissed charges against Thomas A. Doswell. About 30 minutes later,
Doswell walked out of the county jail a free man -- expressing thanks,
not bitterness." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/cchst
-----
12) Mexican mercenaries expand base into US
Washington Times
"A renegade band of Mexican military deserters, offering $50,000
bounties for the assassination of U.S. law-enforcement officers, has
expanded its base of operations into the United States to protect
loads of cocaine and marijuana being brought into America by Mexican
smugglers, authorities said. The deserters, known as the 'Zetas,'
trained in the United States as an elite force of anti-drug commandos,
but have since signed on as mercenaries for Mexican narcotics
traffickers and have recruited an army of followers, many of whom are
believed to be operating in Texas, Arizona, California and Florida.
Working mainly for the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's most dangerous
drug-trafficking organizations, as many as 200 Zeta members are
thought to be involved, including former Mexican federal, state and
local police. They are suspected in more than 90 deaths of rival gang
members and others, including police officers, in the past two years
in a violent drug war to control U.S. smuggling routes." (08/01/05)
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050801-122047-2623r.htm
-----
13) Louisiana: Robber, clerk in shootout
KTBS News
"A would-be robber and a convenience store clerk got into a shootout
early today in Shreveport. It happened at a Citgo on South Lakeshore
Drive. Police said a man walked into the store and demanded money.
Rather than give up any cash, the clerk pulled a handgun. Both men
started shooting at each other. Neither was wounded." (08/01/05)
http://www.ktbs.com/news-detail.html?cityid=1&hid=26663
-----
14) Homeland Security alleges 500+ "gang arrests"
Detroit Free Press
"Federal authorities arrested 528 alleged gang members over a two-week
period, officials said Monday, targeting an estimated 80 violent
groups they say have spawned street crimes across the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called the gangs 'a
threat to our homeland security and ... a very urgent law enforcement
priority.' Investigators picked up most of the offenders between July
16 and July 28 on immigration violations for being in the United
States illegally." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/7hw46
-----
15) Tennessee: Late rush on prescriptions never occurs
Tennessean
"While prescription orders at Midstate drugstores were higher than
usual yesterday, the increase did not amount to the hundreds that
local pharmacists had expected to encounter. Benefit changes for
TennCare enrollees that eliminate or reduce the number of
prescriptions covered go into effect today. Pharmacist Don Sloan of
Southside Drug Co. in Springfield did not encounter lots of
last-minute customer requests to fill prescriptions before the end of
their coverage. But he was working on their behalf. 'We're normally
closed on Sunday, but we're here,' Sloan said about 12:30 p.m.
yesterday. He and three staffers were on duty even though their
business was closed to the public." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/bjxu6
-----
16) Sudan: Leader's death sparks war fears
Independent [UK]
"John Garang, the Sudanese guerrilla fighter turned Vice-President,
has been killed in a helicopter crash, sparking riots and fears that
Africa's longest-running civil war may be rekindled. In the capital,
Khartoum, thousands of south Sudanese attacked Arab shops and started
fires when news of his death was made public. Police said 24 people
died. There were also reports of tension in south Sudan as people
gathered to receive news of their leader." (08/02/05)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article303097.ece
-----
17) Air National Guard at heart of base closing plan
MSNBC
"A shake-up of dozens of Air National Guard units has emerged as the
most contentious part of the Pentagon's proposal to close or
restructure hundreds of military bases across the country. States are
suing over the issue. Lawmakers in both parties are griping. And the
independent commission reviewing the sweeping proposal has serious
concerns about the impact of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's
Air Guard plan." (08/01/05)
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8790067/
-----
18) Arizona: Task force tracks Phoenix "AM rapist"
Fox News
"A serial rapist has attacked nearly a dozen women in the city,
targeting those who live alone and tracking their movements before
breaking into apartments in the middle of the night. The 11 attacks
since November are creating fear in the city and prompting the Phoenix
Police Department to create a 50-member task force and tip hotline
dedicated solely to finding the rapist. Patrol officers have spent the
past several days fanning out across the city to pass out composite
sketches and warn residents that even the simplest precautions could
make a difference. 'If you're a woman who lives by herself, you have
to make certain -- you can't just think you did -- you have to check
that everything is locked,' said Detective Tony Morales. 'It's the
biggest thing you can do to protect yourself.' Authorities are calling
the suspect the 'A.M. Rapist' since he strikes overnight and quietly
gains entry through unlocked doors and windows." (08/01/05)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164356,00.html
-----
19) A hacker games the hotel
Wired News
"A vulnerability in many hotel television infrared systems can allow a
hacker to obtain guests' names and their room numbers from the billing
system. It can also let someone read the e-mail of guests who use web
mail through the TV, putting business travelers at risk of corporate
espionage. And it can allow an intruder to add or delete charges on a
hotel guest's bill or watch pornographic films and other premium
content on their hotel TV without paying for it. Adam Laurie,
technical director of the London security and networking firm The
Bunker showed Wired News how he conducted such attacks at hotels
around the world before he was to speak about the vulnerability
Saturday at the DefCon hacker conference in Las Vegas." (07/30/05)
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,68370,00.html
-----
20) Pentagon denies kangaro courts rigged
Houston Chronicle
"The Pentagon acknowledged today that two former members of the
military team handling prosecutions of suspected terrorists at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had alleged last year that the trial system was
rigged in favor of the government. Officials said, however, that the
prosecutors' charges had been thoroughly reviewed and dismissed as
unfounded. While declining to reveal specifics of the allegations, a
Pentagon spokesman said an investigation determined they were 'much
ado about nothing.'" (08/01/05)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3291085
-----
21) California: Court says businesses must same-sex, hetero couples
equally
San Francisco Chronicle
"California businesses must treat same-sex domestic partners the same
as married couples, the state Supreme Court ruled today in the case of
a lesbian couple seeking family membership in a golf club. The ruling
was the court's first on the scope of the state's domestic partner
law, which took effect this year and granted to registered partners
most of the rights of spouses under state law. Same-sex couples of any
age, and opposite-sex couples in which one member is 62 or over, are
eligible to become registered partners. About 27,000 couples have
registered with the secretary of state." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/8xenl
-----
22) UK: Suspect's tale of travel and torture
Guardian [UK]
"A former London schoolboy accused of being a dedicated al-Qaida
terrorist has given the first full account of the interrogation and
alleged torture endured by so-called ghost detainees held at secret
prisons around the world. For two and a half years US authorities
moved Benyam Mohammed around a series of prisons in Pakistan, Morocco
and Afghanistan, before he was sent to Guantánamo Bay in September
last year." (08/02/05)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,13743,1540752,00.html
-----
23) Iran to delay reopening nuclear plant
Tampa Tribune
"Iran threatened to reopen its nuclear processing plant here Monday
but later agreed to a two-day delay after receiving a request from the
head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency. Ali Agha Mohammadi, spokesman
for Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told The Associated
Press that International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei
asked Tehran for a 'maximum of two days' to send its inspectors to
Iran's nuclear facility where they can oversee the dismantling of U.N.
seals." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/cwrcf
-----
24) UK: Call for hi-tech border checks
Guardian [UK]
"Electronic checks that could identify terrorist suspects before they
board a plane to Britain may be rushed in amid heightened concerns
over port security in the wake of the suicide bombings.The 'e-borders'
scheme -- under which passengers' details will automatically be
scanned against police, intelligence and immigration watchlists before
they reach the boarding gate -- is not due to be introduced until
2008. However, ministers are investigating whether the programme,
which also keeps an electronic record of people leaving Britain, can
be speeded up because of its potential usefulness as a weapon against
terrorism." (07/31/05)
http://tinyurl.com/by9b2
-----
25) Two more arrested in failed London attacks
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Police investigating failed July 21 bomb attacks in London said
Monday they had arrested two men during raids in the city, as
authorities tried to determine whether there were links between that
attack and the transit bombings two weeks earlier. A total of 23
people have been arrested in connection with the failed bombing
attempt, including the four main bombing suspects in police custody in
London and Rome. British transport police, meanwhile, dispatched
reinforcements from around the country Monday to patrol London's
subway system in a show of force meant to discourage more attacks."
(08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/9qbyt
-----
26) UK: Headache sufferers flout new drug law
Guardian [UK]
"Patients who suffer from cluster headaches -- a debilitating medical
condition for which there is no cure -- are flouting the government's
ban on magic mushrooms because they say the psychedelic fungi are the
only thing to relieve the pain of their attacks. In the past two years
scores of British cluster headache sufferers have turned to magic
mushrooms, prompted by reports from the US that suggest that LSD and
psilocybin -- the active ingredient of magic mushrooms -- may be able
to control the intensity and duration of their headaches. Although
some have experimented with psychedelics before, the majority have no
history of drug taking. But many say they would rather risk jail than
forgo a substance that lets them lead a normal life. ... John Halpern
and his colleague Andrew Sewell have collected 60 case studies from
members of ClusterBusters. With the support of the Boston-based
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (Maps), they
plan to publish the cases in a leading journal with a view to getting
FDA approval for a clinical trial next year." (08/02/05)
http://tinyurl.com/a53fy
-----
27) Marine sergeant charged with homicide
CNN
"A Marine sergeant has been charged with negligent homicide, assault
and failure to obey an order in the February death of a recruit at the
Corps' main training facility at Parris Island, South Carolina, the
Marines said. Pvt. Jason Tharp, 19, of Sutton, West Virginia, drowned
February 8 on his final day of swim training. His parents have said he
wanted to get out of the Marine Corps at the time of his death."
(08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/85scd
Commentary
28) The politics of troop withdrawal
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
"In Iraq, like everywhere else, if things don't add up, it is safe to
assume that politics is involved. Although the insurgency in recent
months has worsened, Gen. George W. Casey, the commander of U.S.
forces in Iraq, astonishingly claims that security in Iraq has
improved and that substantial U.S. troop withdrawals are possible by
as early as next spring. What gives? The congressional elections in
2006. Although Bush administration officials have implied that demands
by Democrats for a U.S. troop withdrawal timetable are 'unpatriotic'
and 'aid the enemy,' when electoral politics is involved, the
administration is all too willing to predict troop reductions during a
specified time period." (08/01/05)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1542
-----
29) Issues of "life" and "personhood"
Free Market News
by Steve Trinward
"This writer has a different take, and it begins with defining terms:
Life is something common to ALL beings -- from the one-celled amoeba;
to fish, dogs and cats; to primates, dolphins and whales; to homo
sapiens itself, our own species of animal. ... Personhood is a much
more expansive concept, although it is limited (as far as we know) to
us human beings, with the possibility that some semblance of this
status may extend to dolphins, whales and some species of 'lower'
primate than ourselves. It includes some form of self-awareness, some
demonstrable ability to communicate with other humans, and the
capacity for what is often referred to as 'thinking about thinking.'"
(08/01/05)
http://www.freemarketnews.com/pview/5851/2195/html/index.php
-----
30) America's party, again
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
by Thomas L. Knapp
"Yes, Virginia, there are still environmentalists ... and some of them
are beginning to get smart about markets. As a matter of fact, the
'Wise Use' movement's corporate cronyism and anti-market bias is
beginning to show. As columnist John Tierney explains, environmental
groups in the west have begun taking land out of grazing and back into
a state of nature the old-fashioned way: by buying grazing permits
from the farmers who hold them at market prices. And this development,
of course, is driving the 'pro-market' corporate welfarists, and their
shills in the Bureau of Land Management, friggin' insane. It's time
for Democrats to begin pointing out that the issue is not environment
versus market, but environment and market against corporate welfare,
against laws which exempt polluters from responsibility for the damage
they cause while transferring the costs to everyone else, and against
bureaucratic regimes (which happen to be controlled by, um,
Republicans at this time) who 'manage' the environment on behalf of
the biggest campaign donors." (08/01/05)
http://knappster.blogspot.com/2005/08/americas-party-again.html
-----
31) A peace amendment to the Constitution
Liberty For All
by Joey B. King
"One of my favorite anti-war pieces is War is a Racket (WIAR) by
Marine Major General (MG) Smedley Butler. MG Butler was the only
person to win the Congressional Medal of Honor two times, so he knew a
thing or two about war. Interestingly, after he retired from the USMC,
Butler came to view himself as a: 'high-class muscle man for Big
Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a
racketeer for capitalism.' He worked for peace in the 1930's before
his death in 1940. As a warrior-turned-pacifist myself, my own
sentiments are similar to Butler's." (08/02/05)
http://www.libertyforall.net/2005/aug7/Amendment.html
-----
32) An excerpt from BIG FAT LIARS
The Libertarian Enterprise
by Morris E. Chafetz, M.D.
"Not only do you have a right to be fat, you have a right -- with one
caveat -- to do unhealthy things. The one caveat is the extent to
which you are responsible for others, whether, for instance, you are a
parent. If you are the parent of a child who is so fat as to be
unhealthy, the chances are very good that you are a bad parent. If you
are so fat that you cannot be a proper parent, you're a bad parent,
too. Rights invariably carry responsibilities, and self-respect
demands that both be embraced equally." (08/01/05)
http://www.ncc-1776.com/tle2005/tle330-20050731-05.html
-----
33) Patients' right to choose
Washington Times
by Henry I. Miller
"These are turbulent times for the Food and Drug Administration. The
almost daily barrage of headlines questioning the safety of marketed
drugs is probably depleting regulators' stocks of aspirin and
antacids. But as they try to soothe their own pain, regulators must
not forget their mission: to ease the plight of patients who need new
medicines. Past criticism of FDA mostly concentrated on what arguably
remains the agency's most important shortcoming: the delays and
escalating expense of getting drugs through the development pipeline
and into the market. Lately, however, events have shifted the focus to
safety. ... Regulators' increasing sensitivity to safety may have
become contagious: Drug manufacturers, too, seem to have begun to 'err
on the side of safety' to a degree that triggers voluntary removal
from the market of safe and effective drugs." (08/01/05)
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20050731-093604-9498r.htm
-----
34) More fatwa fibs
WorldNetDaily
by Ilana Mercer
"To considerable press fanfare, the Fiqh Council of North America
issued a fatwa, denouncing terrorism. The religious edict decreed that
'targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or
any other method of attack is forbidden, and those who commit these
barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs.' What religious authority
does the FCNA possess? Does its authority supersede that of say, the
imam of the Mosque of Mecca, Sheik Abd-al-Rahman al-Sudays? If so,
does the fatwa extend to those the eminent (but unoriginal) imam
dubbed 'pigs and monkeys' (a synonym for Jews among many Islamic
scholars)? This foremost Islamic authority had hateful -- and
hate-inspiring -- words for Hindus and Christians as well. Is that all
in the past now that the FCNA has spoken?" (08/02/05)
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45553
-----
35) Overview of America's elections
Liberty For All
by Sharona Merel
"I am a researcher ... of things hidden -- of government policy,
public and private, of hidden agendas, hidden history, hidden
hierarchies, and abuse of power, among other things. When one does
this sort of thing, we discover a piece of the puzzle here, and a
piece of the puzzle there, and we just start filling the pieces in.
Then, one day, we take a step back, and see the panorama and say,
'Dear God, there's a big picture here.' So, I can tell you there's a
big picture here, that vote fraud, which amounts to the deceiving of
the people, is just a piece ? albeit a big piece ? of the puzzle, and
that things are, by no means, what they seem. So, if we are serious
about all we hold dear, and about preserving the precious legacy of
this American Democratic Republic, in alignment with the inspired
vision of the Founding Fathers, well, then, we may wish to open our
minds and hearts, and hear." (08/02/05)
http://www.libertyforall.net/2005/aug7/Elections.html
-----
36) Operation Withdrawal Scam
Common Dreams
by Norman Solomon
"A few days ago, the White House launched a new phase of its
propaganda siege for the Iraq war. The opening salvo came on July 27,
when the commander of American forces in Iraq said that continuation
of recent trends would make possible 'some fairly substantial
reductions' of U.S. troop levels in the spring and summer of 2006.
Those reductions, Gen. George Casey proclaimed, will happen 'if the
political process continues to go positively and if the development of
the security forces continues to go as it is going.' Gen. Casey's
statement, which made big news, was the start of a media offensive
likely to last for the next 15 months, until the congressional
elections. We might call it Operation Withdrawal Scam. Overall, the
strategy is double-barreled: Keep killing in Iraq while hyping
scenarios for withdrawal of U.S. troops. ... Operation Withdrawal Scam
has begun. It will be a long maneuver." (08/01/05)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0801-26.htm
-----
37) Energy bill blues
Cato Institute
by Jerry Taylor and Daniel Becker
"With great fanfare, a conference committee has disgorged a 1,725-page
energy bill advertised as a 10-year $14.6 billion hit on the Treasury.
Most is a mind-numbing array of direct and indirect subsidies for
various energy corporations. We think it's time for both liberals and
conservatives to rethink the energy subsidy arms race. Policymakers
should free the energy industry from dependence on government, get rid
of energy subsidies and let the best fuels and technologies win."
(08/02/05)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4041
-----
38) Why Roberts's religion matters
Boston Globe
by Cathy Young
"The Supreme Court nomination of Judge John Roberts has reignited the
controversy over faith and the confirmation process. Law professor
Jonathan Turley has reported in The Los Angeles Times that during a
meeting with Roberts on Capitol Hill, Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of
Illinois, asked him about potential conflicts between his Catholic
beliefs and the law when it came to abortion or the death penalty.
While Durbin's office denies the account, it has added more fuel to
conservative complaints that Democrats are imposing a bigoted and
unlawful 'religious test' to keep 'people of faith' off the federal
bench." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/74eva
-----
39) What secret handshake?
America's Future Foundation
by James N. Markels
"'Why is it that membership in the Federalist Society has become the
secret handshake of the Bush nominees for the federal court?' asked
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) during judicial confirmation hearings in
2003. Now that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has been exposed as
having some involvement with the Society, left-wing activist groups
are renewing Sen. Durbin's speculation, implying that there are some
devious machinations at work. The short answer to Sen. Durbin's
question is, 'It's not.' The long answer is, 'It's not secret.'"
(07/31/05)
http://www.affbrainwash.com/archives/020123.php
-----
40) First torture them, then rig their trials
CounterPunch
by Joshua Frank
"So there you have it: first the trials at Gitmo are rigged, then the
unjustly convicted are not allowed to challenge their incarcerations.
All ethical considerations aside -- what we have here is a
constitutional crisis of epic proportions."(08/01/05)
http://www.counterpunch.org/frank08012005.html
-----
41) Perfidious Bill Frist
Sierra Times
by Geoff Metcalf
"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist sent shock waves through that
87-square miles surrounded by reality by endorsing a bill to make more
embryonic stem-cell research eligible for federal money. It is a
significant and 'expediant' [sic] break with the President who has
already indicated he will veto the legislation. Dwight Eisenhower
said, 'May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.'
It is a classic challenge for partisans of every stripe. However,
there is no confusion over the perfidious 'epiphany' of Frist. Why
would a Senate Majority Leader flip off his party's president? The
answer is the same ambition and duplicity that has driven Hillary
Clinton to reinvent herself for political viability. Neither Frist nor
Hillary are expressing the 'honest dissent' Ike referred to -- this is
the 'disloyal subversion' variety of do-over." (08/01/05)
http://www.sierratimes.com/05/08/01/66_205_130_38_87014.htm
-----
42) Democrats used to support personal accounts
FreedomWorks
by Max Pappas
"August 1, 2005, is the fifth anniversary of the Hyde Park
Declaration, a 'Statement of Principles and a Policy Agenda for the
21st Century' issued by the Democratic Leadership Council. The
Declaration, issued to guide the Democrats' policy direction from the
start of the new millennium, contains a considerable amount of sound
ideas, particularly on Social Security reform." (08/01/05)
http://tinyurl.com/b7m6k
-----
43) Trouble in the land of the free
Common Dreams
by John Atcheson
"Well, it's official; there's trouble right here in the land of
thefree. Mr. Bush can not only use taxpayer's money to set up
Soviet-Style propaganda events, but he can have US citizens kicked out
of these public meetings by strong-armed stooges impersonating Secret
Service Agents. That, at least, was the conclusion last week by the US
Justice Department Attorney who said there was not enough evidence to
prosecute an unnamed man who kicked three people out of one of Mr.
Bush's 'town hall' meetings in Denver this past March. The White
House, by the way, refuses to release the mystery thug's name. And
here in the good old USA no one seems to give a damn. Hundreds of
billions of dollars and nearly two thousand American dead to bring
democracy to Iraq, but no need to go overboard with that freedom stuff
here at home, thank you." (08/01/05)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0801-24.htm
-----
44) Protectionist capitalists versus capitalist communists
Reason
by Melanie Colburn
"It's a little ridiculous when the Chinese Foreign Ministry lectures
the U.S. Senate on the principles of free-market capitalism. But
that's what happens when the Senate steps in to block an international
oil trade, providing the lower bidder with the advantage. Last month,
Unocal board members chose Chevron's $17.1 billion bid as its
recommendation to shareholders (voting later this August) over the
higher $18.5 billion offer from China National Offshore Oil Corp.
(CNOOC). Though Chevron did up the ante by $1.1 billion in the final
hour, for months beforehand it remained the sweetheart bidder over a
company whose ties to the Chinese government raised concerns about
'our national interest.'" (08/01/05)
http://www.reason.com/hod/mc080105.shtml
-----
45) Dog days
The American Prospect
by Terence Samuel
"Democrats on Capitol Hill don't need any more evidence that they have
not been winning enough elections of late because they are constantly
being reminded of their losses, and that losing carries consequences.
But this has to be an especially difficult period. First, the
anticipated battle royal over the direction of the Supreme Court looks
set to turn into a brief arm-wrestling contest before John Roberts is
elevated to the Court, almost by acclamation. ... And, finally, in the
wee hours of the morning, the House passed the Central American Free
Trade Agreement, dubbed CAFTA, to open up markets with the Dominican
Republic and five Central American countries. ... Democrats were
solidly against CAFTA but could not seem to sufficiently mobilize
against it. The unions opposed it, but they were having their own
problems, and their threat against Democrats did not carry the same
weight they might otherwise have." (08/01/05)
http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=10057
-----
46) Trading with the enemy: An American tradition
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Murray N. Rothbard
"During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Americans continued the
great tradition of trading with the enemy, and even more readily than
before. As in King George's War, Newport took the lead; other vital
centers were New York and Philadelphia. The individualistic Rhode
Islanders angrily turned Governor Stephen Hopkins out of office for
embroiling Rhode Island in a 'foreign' war between England and France.
Rhode Island blithely disregarded the embargo against trade with the
enemy, and redoubled its commerce with France. Rhode Island's ships
also functioned as one of the major sources of supply for French
Canada during the war." (08/01/05)
http://www.mises.org/story/1880
-----
47) Boycott mania
Boston Globe
by Lawrence B. Glickman
"'One of the most remarkable circumstances . . . of our age,' wrote
William Ellery Channing, the Unitarian minister from Boston in 1829,
is the 'energy' with which citizens throughout the nation could
'easily act together.' Proximity was no longer necessary for effective
political action. Enabled by the advent of cheap print and the
national postal system, 'widely separated multitudes' could now unite
in protest 'with the uniformity of a disciplined army.' The virtual
army described by Channing so many years ago was America's first great
wave of consumer activism. Channing's observations are equally apt
today, as we experience a whole new wave of consumer boycotts (and its
flip side, the buycott) facilitated by another communications
revolution. Via the Internet, fax, and World Wide Web, along with
traditional modes of mobilization, a diverse group of protesters that
includes labor and civil rights activists, environmentalists and
feminists, evangelicals and gun owners, the young and the old,
progressives and conservatives, are using their collective, often
global, power to withhold support from businesses deemed immoral or,
conversely, use their purchasing power to support a cause." (07/31/05)
http://tinyurl.com/c499w
-----
48) Oh, grow up!
The Price of Liberty
by Lady Liberty
"Like many school children, I wanted to be one of the popular kids.
But the dresses I wore weren't the expensive up-to-the-minute style,
and my hair wasn't professionally cut or coifed. I didn't have money,
and I wasn't a cheerleader. To make matters worse, I was smart and I
was fat. Because I didn't meet any of their many stringent
requirements for fitting in, I was utterly rejected by the popular
kids. I really only gravitated to the 'bad' kids because I had nowhere
else to go. The real irony, of course, is that the popular kids were
often elevating themselves solely by making others -- like me --
believe they weren't good enough, but I didn't know that then. What
was important at the time was the fact that those 'bad' kids never
said a word about my clothes. They didn't make fun of me because I was
fat, nor did anybody say a single unkind word because my family didn't
have money. They'd offer me a cigarette when they lit up, but they'd
do nothing more than shrug when I said, 'No, thank you.' And far from
making derisive comments about my good grades, they were actually
admiring. Some even occasionally asked for help with one class or
another. On those rare occasions I got in trouble -- or more commonly
when somebody else was picking on me -- they stood beside me without
reservation. Yes, they broke the rules, but those 'bad' kids were the
best friends I'd ever had." (08/02/05)
http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/05/08/02/ladylib.htm
-----
49) Standing up to Roberts
Tom Paine
by Paul Rogat Loeb
"From the moment the John Roberts nomination was announced, the media
called it a done deal. NPR and The New York Times gushed over his
humility, humor and congeniality. With Roberts's belief system barely
mentioned, you'd think Bush had just nominated Mister Rogers. In the
wake of this media love fest, I keep encountering people who oppose
everything Roberts has stood for, but see no use in trying to stop
what seems his inevitable confirmation. But we can make a powerful
impact by raising the discomforting truth that Roberts may be closer
to a smiling Antonin Scalia. ... Roberts is being hailed as the
brilliant Harvard lawyer who gets along with everyone. He's
conservative, but reasonable. He doesn't froth at the mouth. He barely
barks. ... We need to tell a different story." (08/01/05)
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050801/standing_up_to_roberts.php
-----
50) Armageddon gets no press
LewRockwell.Com
by Paul Craig Roberts
"What has become of the print and TV media watchdogs who hounded
President Nixon from office because he lied about when he learned of a
minor burglary of no consequence in itself? What became of the
watchdog media that bayed after President Reagan because some
low-level neoconservative officials sold arms to Iran and diverted the
money to anti-communist insurgents in Latin America? President Clinton
was impeached by the House, though not convicted by the Senate, for
lying about a sexcapade with a White House intern. Now that we really
need them, the watchdog media has hired out as public relations and
propaganda shills for the Bush administration and the neocon network.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts114.html
-----
51) Something to choke on, again
Truthout
by William Rivers Pitt
"There have been two bad moments looming over the horizon for the last
couple of weeks. One is still in the offing, and a lot of people who
have been watching and working the details should prepare themselves
for the ram. The other went down this morning, and a lot of good folks
are choking on their own rage right now." (08/01/05)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/080105A.shtml
-----
52) You can't fight terrorism with racism
Washington Post
by Colbert I. King
"During my day job I work under the title of deputy editorial page
editor. That entails paying more than passing attention to articles
that appear on the op-ed page. Opinion writers, in my view, should
have a wide range in which to roam, especially when it comes to edgy,
thought-provoking pieces. Still, I wasn't quite ready for what
appeared on the op-ed pages of Thursday's New York Times or Friday's
Post. A New York Times op-ed piece by Paul Sperry ... and a Post
column by Charles Krauthammer ... endorsed the practice of using
ethnicity, national origin and religion as primary factors in deciding
whom police should regard as possible terrorists -- in other words,
racial profiling. A second Times column, on Thursday, by Haim Watzman
... argued that the London police officer who chased down and put
seven bullets into the head of a Brazilian electrician without asking
him any questions or giving him any warning 'did the right thing.' The
three articles blessed behavior that makes a mockery of the rights to
which people in this country are entitled." (07/30/05)
http://tinyurl.com/9mkkr
-----
53) Gun bill only sold out lawyers
Lenawee Connection
by Mark Lenz
"I'm not a member of the National Rifle Association. It's never
furnished me with a dime, and I don't expect any campaign
contributions anytime soon. That should make me unique because, to
hear media accounts, I must be the only person in America who isn't on
the NRA payroll yet agrees with the bill the Senate passed Friday
banning frivolous liability lawsuits against gun companies." (07/30/05)
http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2005/07/31/news/news06.txt
-----
54) Bullish trade versus myth information
Washington Times
by Donald Lambro
"Last week's House vote in favor of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA) was a victory for the free market and a potentially
huge defeat for the anticapitalist forces of protectionism, tariffs
and quotas. Though passed by a narrow margin (217-215), it showed the
United States remained on the side of open markets, free of the
anti-job, anti-growth tariff taxes and other big-government regulatory
barriers to foreign investment and trade that have prevented poorer
countries from climbing the economic ladder to growth and prosperity.
What struck me hardest about last week's debate were the economic
myths that permeated the rhetoric of CAFTA's opponents. They made the
same old charges they have hurled at previous free trade agreements:
CAFTA would destroy jobs and hurt America's economy." (08/01/05)
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20050731-093603-1629r.htm
-----
55) Populist potential
Intellectual Conservative
by W. James Antle III
"The cover of the August 15 issue of The Nation features the
bedraggled visage of socialist U.S. Representative Bernard Sanders,
the independent who serves as Vermont's lone congressman. Bernie is
drawn clutching a pitchfork against the backdrop of the Green Mountain
State?s cow country, beside the subhead: 'What Democrats Can Learn
from Sanders-Style Populism.' At this point, readers to the right of,
say, Ralph Nader are tempted to roll their eyes. The headline writers
might as well say the Democrats should turn their backs on Bill
Clinton -- their only winning presidential candidate since 1976 -- and
embrace the politics of Dennis Kucinich. It's exactly the kind of
idealistic but unrealistic advice one would expect from an eccentric
lefty magazine, the sort that self-respecting Republicans know better
than to take seriously. But they should take it seriously. Bernie
Sanders is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by liberal
Republican-turned-independent Senator Jim Jeffords in 2006. Despite
his avowed socialism, he is likely -- almost certain -- to win."
(08/01/05)
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4499.html
-----
56) But why can't Hillary win?
Slate
by Jacob Weisberg
"Political insiders mostly agree: Despite being an early front-runner
for the 2008 Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton faces long odds of
ever being elected president. But if she can't win, why can't she? One
facile argument, often voiced by Hillary-loathers on the right, is
that she's too far to the left. The 'real' Hillary is closer to Howard
Dean than Bill Clinton, a recent piece in the National Review
asserted. Wrong! An unhedged supporter of the war in Iraq, Sen.
Clinton stands at the hawkish, interventionist extreme of her party on
foreign policy. Despite her pandering vote against CAFTA, she's a
confirmed free-trader and deficit hawk. On the cultural issues that
often undermine Democrats, she seeks common ground, sometimes with
flat-earth conservatives like Rick Santorum, and has been nattering
about the 'tragedy' of abortion. Even Hillary's notorious government
takeover of health care was misconstrued as an ultra-lib stance. ...
In fact, Sen. Clinton's political positioning couldn't be better for
2008." (07/29/05)
http://www.slate.com/id/2123636/
-----
57) Bully for you
Salon
by Ian Williams
"This week is the 60th anniversary of the Enola Gay dropping the bomb
on Hiroshima, so perhaps it is entirely appropriate that George W.
Bush has gone for the nuclear option and dropped John Bolton on the
United Nations in New York. Bolton's diplomatic talents are such that
he could start a shouting match in a Trappist monastery. He should
make things at the U.N. go with a bang. It almost counts as tact on
the part of the White House that it waited until Monday to announce
Bolton's recess appointment, instead of making the announcement on
Friday as soon as the limos speeding senators to Ronald Reagan airport
on their ways home had left the U.S. Capitol." [subscription or ad
view required] (08/02/05)
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/08/02/bolton/
Movement News and Events
58) Don't let the drug thugs win
US Marijuana Party
ongoing
"The marijuana reform community is under attack!!! As most of you are
well aware by now Marc Emery, Canada's 'Prince of Pot' was arrested,
jailed and had his home and businesses raided on July 29th, 2005. He
and two of his employees now face extradition to the United States to
stand trial for shipping marijuana seeds across the border. ... I have
worked for Marc Emery via Pot TV and Cannabis Culture Magazine for
almost three years now. ... With his arrest and the seizing of his
assets I find myself without any income at all. Don't let the US
Government win this battle. Please help a sister out if you can. I
find it humiliating to have to ask for money from anyone but faced
with the prospect of food stamps from Uncle Sam or swallowing my pride
and asking for $5 from my friends I have chosen the latter." [Editor's
note: please read Loretta's complete plea for support which includes
links for those unfamilar with her work - MLS] (07/31/05)
http://usmjparty.blogspot.com/2005/07/loretta-nall-needs-your-help.html
-----
59) Just Say No to the ACS
PetitionOnline
Ongoing
"To: U.S. Congress ... A CALL TO END THE 'AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY'
AND RESTRICT THE CENSUS BUREAU TO ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE ... We oppose
the incredibly intrusive expansion of the U.S. census, the 'American
Community Survey.' This new survey contains 24 pages of intrusive,
inappropriate questions concerning matters that are simply none of the
government's business, including one's job, income, physical and
emotional heath, family status, dwelling, and intimate personal
habits. The survey questions are both ludicrous and insulting. It goes
on and on, mixing inane questions with highly detailed inquiries about
one's financial affairs. The government has no legitimate need for
this information, and should not have the power to demand it." May be
signed online.
http://www.petitiononline.com/STOPACS/petition.html
-----
60) Knapp blogs for Doctors Without Borders
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
08/06/05
On August 6th, bloggers around the world will participate in Blogathon
2005 -- a 24-hour writing marathon to raise money for various
charities. Thomas L. Knapp, publisher of Rational Review, will
participate at his personal blog, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pledges in support of
Knapp's campaign will be directed to Doctors Without Borders.
http://www.blogathon.org/blogathon.php?campaign&id=42
Today in Political History
61) Put down the margarine and come out with your hands up
Details, and the "quote of the day," from Leon's Political Almanac at:
http://perspicuity.net/cgi/hypercal.cgi
----------------------------------------------------------------------
RRND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://www.rationalreview.com/news
Support publication of RRND (not tax deductible)
http://www.rationalreview.com/news/subscribe.html
Support ISIL and Free-Market.Net (tax deductible)
http://www.isil.org/store/membership.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas L. Knapp ..... Publisher
Mary Lou Seymour .... Editor
Steve Trinward ...... Editor
R. Lee Wrights ...... Editor
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
Visit your group "rrnd" on the web.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
<font face=arial size=-1><a
href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12h5le8o4/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705060682:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1122998658/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992
">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font>
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
