The Militant Libertarian

I'm pissed off and I'm a libertarian. What else you wanna know?

Saturday, April 03, 2004

Sound of cash registers is music to the ears

By Bernard Zuel
March 18, 2004
Originally published on F2: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/18/1079199330947.html

Contrary to the music industry Chicken Littles, the sky is not falling down.

After several years warning of dire consequences for record companies because of rampant music downloading and copying, the Australian Record Industry Association yesterday released sales figures for 2003 showing an increase of nearly 8 per cent.

Album sales topped 50 million units, up from nearly 47 million in 2002. But even more dramatic was the increase in music DVDs where sales doubled in the year to nearly 5 million units.

Between them, albums and DVDs generated sales of a very healthy $646 million, up from $609.5 million.

What may have tempered celebrations at the record companies was the fact that while volumes were up 8 per cent, the dollar value of those sales increased by 2 per cent.

The disparity can be attributed to the strong move towards discounting prices for new CDs last year.

Lower prices have often been suggested as a way to address falling sales internationally but it was resisted for many years by the record companies here, who were putting a lot of effort into legal action against individuals and organisations involved in file sharing and copying.

The bad news for the record industry was the continued decline in sales of CD singles which dropped nearly 17 per cent, or 2 million CDs. This reflects a long-term trend internationally that the record industry believes has been accelerated by downloading music from the internet.

And at the terminal end of the industry, sales of cassettes continued their long-term collapse, dropping by nearly 40 per cent. In 2003 there were only 359,909 cassettes sold.

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Friday, April 02, 2004

What You Have to Believe to Be a Good Republican

by Joe McCarthy

30 March 2004

1. You have to believe that Soviet imperialism was bad, but that US imperialism is good.

2. You have to believe that subsidies and taxpayer financed bailouts for multinational corporations promote free trade.

3. You have to believe that importing non-White immigrants into a White country promotes national cohesion.

4. You have to believe that abortion is murder, unless the child is conceived in rape or incest.

5. You have to believe that Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe was criminal, but that Israeli occupation of Palestine is commendable.

6. You have to believe that Semitic Arabs are anti-Semites.

8. You have to believe that Bill Clinton's budgets were examples of big government liberalism, but that George Bush's first budget, which increased spending over any Clinton budget, was an example of conservative frugality.

9. You have to believe that Iraq should have been attacked and embargoed, but that China should be coddled and built up.

10. You have to believe that Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Arab who voluntarily lives in a cave when he could be sunbathing on a beach in Maui, hates us for our wealth and prosperity.

11. You have to believe opposing Bush's amnesty for illegal aliens is racist, but that bombing Arabs is not.

12. You have to believe that France is a bad socialist basketcase, but that Israel is a good socialist basketcase.

13. You have to believe that the best way to export democracy and prosperity to a country, is to bomb that country.

14. You have to believe that the welfare state is bad -- unless the welfare goes to corporate fatcats.

15. You have to believe that Clinton's cozying up to the Chicoms was treason, but that the Bush family's long support for the Chicoms isn't treason.

16. You have to believe that bin Laden is a threat to our freedom, but that John Ashcroft is not.

17. You have to believe that Iraq, which was in violation of approximately 16 UN resolutions should have been attacked, but that Israel, which is in violation of over 70 UN resolutions shouldn't even be sanctioned.

18. You have to believe that Saudi Arabia is an enemy of the United States, but that George Bush isn't an enemy of the United States for considering the Saudis allies.

19. Finally, you have to believe that this piece, which is critical of the government, was written by an anti-American traitor.

JOE MCCARTHY

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World's Worst Job



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Thursday, April 01, 2004

The Statue of Liberty: Symbol of Our Nation...

by Aaron Turpen

Well, they've re-opened Liberty Island to tourists and our beloved Statue of Liberty is to re-open to the public later this summer. That's very good news. Isn't it?

Well, it sounds good at any rate.

Since the statue, as Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton says, is "a symbol to the darker forces of terrorism before and after September 11," new "security precautions" will be enacted at the site.

Great, more security. Just what we need. Especially at the symbol of our nation's liberty. Seem a little oxy-moronish to you? Well, keep reading, it gets worse.

Currently, the statue is being "upgraded" to fix potential fire problems and a "lack of exits." Hmm...metal statue, concrete pedestal...fire problems?

Oh, and those "security upgrades." Can't forget those in this day of evil, mean terrorists and our eagerness to forfeit our rights so we can be safe from them...

Yep, they'll be making the security "airport like" (their own words!) and will be instituting a reservations system in order to alleviate long lines (thanks to security). Currently, they already have metal detectors to screen passengers before boarding the island ferry.

So...in order to see the Statue of Liberty, you'll have to submit to security screening (including, no doubt, taking your shoes off and allowing some minimum-wage officer to grope you just like at the airport) first.

Hmm...give up a little liberty in order see a big symbol of Liberty?

Next they'll want to screen people with background checks before allowing you to purchase a U.S. Flag (what if you have "flag burning" in your background?). I'm sure Orrin Hatch would be all over that one.

Then they'll want to institute helicopter and security patrols to make sure some nutcase with a Rocket Propelled Grenade doesn't try to deface Mount Rushmore!

Hell, why not require RFID tags in all copies of the U.S. Constitution being circulated to make sure it isn't used in some nefarious way?

The plaque on the Statue of Liberty "Give us your tired, your poor..." should be replaced with "GO HOME, POTENTIAL TERRORIST! WE DON'T WANT YOUR KIND HERE!" Maybe while they're "restoring" the statue, they should make an adjustment and have Lady Liberty holding an M-16 and a GI helmet...

Land of the free my ass.

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Recent Articles About Elections in Utah...

These are definitely eye-openers!

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595052927,00.html
GOP delegates deluged
Governor hopefuls launch barrage to win on May 8
Some 3,500 state Republican Party delegates are being bombarded with free meals, campaign DVDs and a lot of personal attention by the dozen or so GOP candidates in an intense political race to sew up support before the state convention.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595052480,00.html
An incumbent shake-up?
The 2004 election season could lead to something not seen in 28 years: The defeat of two major-office incumbents.
[This also outlines some of the huge advantages that incumbents hold in an re-election.]

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Good Reads

Here's the latest in my list of "Good Reads":

USAPA and Related
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03172004/utah/148658.asp
MATRIX is a good thing, officials say

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03262004/utah/utah.asp
Utah pulls its plug on MATRIX

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62701,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4
Airlines OK Security Plan [CAPPS II]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=EU%20US%20Passenger%20Data
EU panel weighs privacy action vs. U.S. [Airline Security]

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/22/loc_loc1acomp.html
Online crime fight targets teens - to help

http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040222-103500-1117r.htm
Privacy Maven Now Works for Feds

http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts34.html
Terror War’s Legal Cost

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2004/03/26/three_bush_protesters_taken_away_by_police/
Three Bush protesters taken away by police

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vppol163709471mar16,0,294291.story
Spy tactics endanger political dissent

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2470156
5th Circuit gives police new power in searches


Thoughts on Freedom and Liberty
http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/rieben/rieben1.html
Leaving Liberty

http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/herman/herman7.html
What Will You Do When They Come for You?

http://www.fff.org/comment/com0403k.asp
Health-Care Hilarity

http://www.collegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/01/4042c53575dcd
Right to privacy or protection from terrorists

http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040222-103500-1117r.htm
Your Papers, Please

http://www.endervidualism.com/guest/polyamory.htm
Confessions of a Libertarian Polygamist

http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/newman/newman3.html
How About a National 'Do Not Tax' List?

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/gregory3.html
Voting For The Lesser of Two Police States

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lott/lott28.html
The 'Assault Weapons' Ban Is Dead

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Lying Liars

Hey, lying politicians are back! We'll hear Democrats and Republicans calling each other liars at least until November.

But some of their lies they'll carefully ignore.

Every day I hear some Democrat charging the Republicans with "cutting welfare to the bone," with "gutting the safety net." Nonsense. The only time the Republicans have come close to making substantial cuts in the welfare state was under Clinton, with "welfare reform."

For years, what has passed for cuts is nothing other than cuts to some proposed budgetary increase. Cuts are mere fictions, something to lie about to one's fiscally conservative constituents.

This Democratic lie about Republicans lets the Republicans off the hook, so no wonder they accept the lie as a compliment! It's also a handy diversion from today's whopping growth in the domestic budget, deficits, and debt.

Just as Republicans lie about themselves, the Democrats do too. They pretend to be for the common man and against Big Business. But then you read how a major Democrat, Washington state's Governor Gary Locke, negotiated an "incentive package" to entice Boeing to place one plant in his state — billions of dollars for 800 or so jobs. Part is outright subsidy, another is tax breaks — shifting the burden to others. So how do the Democrats justify it? Secondary effects, ripple effects. In other words: trickle down!

With all this cooperative lying, ask yourself: Do we have two major political parties in order to provide competition . . . or just to provide cover?

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Liberty Activist Retroactively Fired by Verizon Communications

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LIBERTY ROUND TABLE

3/30/04; For Immediate Distribution

Liberty Activist Retroactively Fired by Verizon Communications

On March 29, 2004, Jeffrey "the Hunter" Jordan, a resident of New Hampshire, received notice dated 3/26/04 that Verizon Communications had fired him, retroactive to January 7, 2004. In the letter, the stated reason for the firing was "failure to comply with the policies outlined within Verizon's Code of Business Conduct". No details on how Mr. Jordan failed to comply with the company's policies were provided. Jordan is planning to fight this action. Friends of his at the Liberty Round Table, a group that advocates individual liberty and personal responsibility, have begun calling for a boycott of Verizon over the company's questionable actions regarding his case.

There is reason to believe the firing is related to Mr. Jordan's arrest on 12/29/03 in Ohio for carrying a concealed weapon. At that time he was on his way home from a holiday visit to his family in Kansas. After being detained a few days in the Ashland County jail, and despite having arranged for extra time off from Verizon, Jordan returned home to a phone message from his employer stating that he was suspended from his position.

Why has Mr. Jordan been suspended and then retroactively fired, without any hearing on either action, as is required by the terms of his employment contract? These questions have gone unanswered, as requests to Verizon seeking information on its activities have not brought any response.

Sunni Maravillosa, a friend of Jordan's and a fellow Liberty Round Table activist, said, "It is curious that Verizon is apparently firing Hunter for actions taken hundreds of miles from his Verizon work sites, in his own vehicle, and while on personal time. Also, that they've taken this action in violation of his contract, and without any due process or presumption of innocence, should be very troubling to all Americans."

Carl Bussjaeger, a friend of Jordan's in New Hampshire, commented, "I look forward to Verizon explaining in court why they met with Hunter's union after January 7th to discuss his ongoing suspension. If he was already fired, wouldn't that have been a dandy time to mention the fact?"

Jordan has issued the following statement: "I have for years now been subject to the day-to-day thoughtless tyrannies inherent in any big corporation. I have consciously chosen to tolerate these very real oppressions as part of the cost of earning a living, but now the corporate bureaucrats have gone too far.

"Verizon has consciously chosen to ignore one of the fundamental assumptions of American jurisprudence -- that a man is innocent until proven guilty. They've also chosen to blatantly violate the contract that tens of thousands of union employees fought long and hard over the years to hammer out.

"I am confident that justice will prevail in the end, and am fully prepared to fight these petty tyrants hiding behind the corporate veil just as strongly as I have every other sort I've run across in my journey through life."

People interested in joining the fight against this injustice are encouraged to write to Verizon, for which address information and letter templates can be found here:

http://www.gbronline.com/cwb/samizdat/huntersamples.html

For the latest news on Mr. Jordan's case, see the official "Free Hunter" web pages:

http://www.libertyroundtable.org/projects/freehunter/


For further comments, please contact Sunni Maravillosa, co-founder of the Liberty Round Table (http://www.libertyroundtable.org/), at Sunni@free-market.net.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2004

An Open Letter to All Members of Gun Owners of America

This was sent to the GOA today accompanying a candidate questionairre I was asked to fill out:

An Open Letter to All Members of Gun Owners of America

from Aaron Turpen, candidate for Utah State House of Representatives, District 40


March 30, 2004

Hello, my name is Aaron Turpen and I am a Libertarian Party candidate for the Utah State House of Representatives.

I received a candidate questionnaire from the Gun Owners of America today asking questions of me, as a candidate, about various gun control issues affecting our nation and our freedoms.

To be blunt, I found answering this survey to be very easy. However, I do not believe that the survey itself addresses my core beliefs and the core issue at hand: what did the Founding Fathers mean when they drafted our Second Amendment protection as part of our nation’s Constitution?

In my estimation, both the Utah State and the United States Constitutions are very explicit in their wording of our right to keep and bear arms. Before 1934, it was possible for anyone in this nation to purchase any military surplus item he or she wished to own, provided that person had the money to afford it.

It used to be that fully automatic weapons were available freely and shooting clubs and organizations abounded around the nation as a great way for enthusiasts to spend off-hours and weekends. Automatic weapons accounted for very few of the nation’s firearms use in crimes (despite the Al Capone image given to some of them) and still account for less than one half of one percent of them today.

I believe strongly that the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental to the protection of our freedoms from tyranny and that is exactly why the Founding Fathers made sure to include it in the Bill of Rights. Those ten amendments were meant to keep our government from getting out of hand; they enumerated and protected the fundamental rights a free people require to fight back and keep themselves free: speech, weapons, and privacy.

Today, however, we find ourselves in just the situation the Founders hoped to protect us against. We find ourselves unable to own many types of military firearms as the Second Amendment has been misconstrued to apply only to “hunting” and “sporting purposes.”

Today we find ourselves unable to speak freely, subject to unannounced searches and seizure, and even to forfeiture of our property at the whim of federal law enforcement despite the protections we have against those infringements.

I believe that all of these boil down to that single decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1934 to uphold the Department of the Treasury’s ability to tax and control a certain type of weapon simply based on how it looked.

Today, they continue to ask for the removal of weapons from private citizen’s hands based solely on how they appear: so-called “assault weapons.” It’s nothing but another form of bigotry.

As a legislator, I would advocate and propose legislation for the State of Utah to instill Vermont-style carry (as it was meant to be all along) to replace our current CCW requirements—part of which is to submit to a daily BCI check!

As a legislator, I will support all pro-freedom legislation which would remove governmental restrictions and put us back to our Constitutional roots: both federal and state!

It’s time to return our nation to its roots and, as our gubernatorial candidate Richard Mack says, “fight for the holy cause of freedom!”


Sincerely,


Aaron Turpen
Candidate, Utah State House District 40
www.vote-aaron.org

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Liberty is...

This absolutely excellent Flash animation explains the basic concepts of Liberty better than almost anything else I have ever come across:

http://www.isil.org/resources/introduction.swf

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Monday, March 29, 2004

'Toons





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Sunday, March 28, 2004

The Homosexual Agenda

Many of you have heard Antonin Scalia, Dr. Laura, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and others speak of the "Homosexual Agenda," but no one has ever seen a copy of it.

Since they are all so concerned about the "Homosexual Agenda," I thought it might be helpful to have a copy so I asked a friend of mine, who recently obtained a copy of the "Homosexual Agenda" directly from the Head Homosexual, if he would send me a copy. He did and now I am sharing it with all of you. I certainly hope it will assist you so that you will be prepared.

The Homosexual Agenda

6:00 am Gym

8:00 am Breakfast (oatmeal, egg whites and mimosas)

9:00 am Hair appointment

10:00 am Shopping (preferably at Nordstrom's or Saks)

12:00 pm Brunch

2:00 pm
(1) assume complete control of the U.S. Federal,state, and local governments, as well as all other forms of world government;
(2) destroy all healthy marriages;
(3) replace all school counselors in grades K-12 with agents from Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels;
(4) bulldoze all houses of worship;
(5) secure total control of the INTERNET and all mass media;
(6) be fabulous

2:30 pm Mud mask and forty winks of beauty rest to prevent facial wrinkles from the stress of world conquest

4:00 pm Cocktails

6:00 pm Light Dinner (soup, salad with romaine, radicchio, arugula, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and Pouilly Fuisse)

8:00 pm Theatre

10:30 pm "Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight!"

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Why Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is one of my heroes

H.J.RES.15
Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to abolishing personal income, estate, and gift taxes and prohibiting the United States Government from engaging in business in competition with its citizens.
Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 1/28/2003)

H.R.153
Title: To restore the second amendment rights of all Americans.
Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 1/7/2003)

H.R.1146
Title: To end membership of the United States in the United Nations.
Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 3/6/2003)

H.R.2778
Title: To abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks, to repeal the Federal Reserve Act, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 7/17/2003)

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