Jun 01

American death rates rise for the first time in a decade

Free, capitalist societies invariably produce populations who live longer, healthier lives.

Wherever markets have become freer, life expectancies have grown, and death rates have gradually decreased.

For years, the only country on earth where life expectancy has declined was North Korea.

Now the New York Times is reporting that the U.S. is experiencing a rise in death rates after a decade of increasing taxes, regulation, government control and socialism. See here. mo7

Suicides, medication overdoses and complications from mental illnesses have all contributed to the rising death rates.

Jun 01

4th Circuit Court of Appeals: Government May Track Americans by Cell Phones without Warrant

Astounding blow to privacy from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. See here.

For years the government has been arguing that any information you give up to a “3rd party” is not “private.” Thus, the government may intercept it without so much as a warrant.

Although warrants are necessary for government to tap one’s land-line phone, the government argued that cell phone transmissions are essentially like radio broadcasts. And the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has now agreed with the government!

The implications of this decision are far-reaching. If no one has any expectation of privacy in cell phone calls, the government may freely track almost everyone’s movements without warrant.

And land lines are increasingly obsolete. Virtually everyone uses cell phones for most of their telecommunications today.

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May 31

Did Al-Qaeda Ever Exist?

Writer Arjun Walia is out with a brilliant new essay (see here). Walia cites recent revelations by the highest-level CIA agent in charge of the Osama Bin Laden unit.

The agent has now admitted that “Al-Qaeda” (which means “the base” in English) never existed! It was a CIA operation the entire time.

A number of intelligence analysts have suggested that “Al Queda” began as a CIA data base of known anti-Soviet muslim rebels in Afghanistan which were known operatives of western intelligence (‘the base’).

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May 22

Government claims Arctic is Melting Months Prematurely; Satellite Data Show Otherwise

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Here is today’s Huffington Post headline:

“Spring Has Sprung In The Arctic … But It’s Way Too Early For It:

NOAA just reported the earliest snowmelt in 78 years of recorded history.”

But intrepid data analyst Tony Heller examined the Danish satellite imagery of Arctic ice. “Temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing over the Arctic Basin for the next two weeks, well into the normal melt season.” Heller added that there is almost no melting going on yet in the Arctic. See here.

May 22

Portland, Oregon Public Schools Ban all Global-Warming Skepticism Materials

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Not since the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial has a government school board imposed such a ludicrous rule on school curricula. Last week, the government school board of Portland, Oregon UNANYMOUSLY VOTED TO BAN all schoolbooks or other materials which question or doubt the government’s theory of apocalyptic manmade global warming. See here.

This astounding act of tyranny and censorship rivals the actions of pro-creationist authorities who prosecuted John Scopes for teaching his students about the theory of evolution in 1925.

Will Portland’s public schools now begin firing teachers who inform students about scientific skepticism of global warming, as Dayton, Tennessee fired Scopes? Will teachers be removed for sneaking global-warming skeptic materials into their classrooms?

May 22

Added Course: “Government’s War on the Poor: the Lesson of Lysander Spooner’s American Mail Company”

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Government masquerades as a protector and defender of the poor.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Government’s worldwide are the greatest promoter of impoverishment, starvation and suffering for the world’s poorest.

Mostly governments keep people poor by imposing legal barriers and licensing schemes upon poor people–which prevent poor people from launching rewarding careers.

During next week’s Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Roger Roots will be lecturing on the topic of “Government’s War on the Poor: the Lesson of Lysander Spooner’s American Mail Company.”

The specific times and locations of the lecture are to be announced. Look for Dr. Roots at the Montana LP Delegation table. (Roots tends to be an active and serious LP delegate, and will be participating in Party business throughout the weekend.)

May 22

Seminar next week in Orlando, Florida: “Fully Informed Juries”

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LSU President Roger Roots will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Libertarian Party National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Roots will be lecturing on the topic of jury nullification.

The Libertarian Party National Convention will be held from Friday, May 27, through Monday, May 30, 2016 (Memorial Day), with special committee meetings, candidate and activist training seminars, and a Welcome Reception on Thursday, May 26. Visit LP.org and its ‘Action’ tab for details.

The convention will be held at the Rosen Centre Hotel & Resort in Orlando, Florida.

May 19

Venezuela was once among the richest and safest countries in Latin America: Now men die in the streets fighting over five dollars

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Even the Associated Press has begun to notice the collapse of Venezuela just 15 years after the country adopted socialism:

Vigilante violence against people accused of stealing has become commonplace in this crime-ridden country of 30 million, once one of the richest and safest in Latin America. The revenge attacks underscore how far Venezuela has fallen, with the lights flickering out daily, and food shortages fueling supermarket lines that snake around for blocks.

See here.

May 18

Venezuelan socialism drove away 9,000 companies

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Socialism is a curse that no one should wish for–unless one wishes it on a hated enemy.

Any society that adopts socialism will inevitably become sick and weak over time.

Venezuela went hard-line socialist in 2000. Sociology professors in the U.S. cheered the Latin American country on.

But just 16 years later, Venezuelans are starving and dying in the streets.

Venezuelan GDP fell 3.9 percent in 2014, and 5.7 percent in 2015.

In 1999 there were 13,000 Venezuelan companies. By 2016 that number had fallen to 4,000. See here.

May 18

Montana newspapers in a frenzy over people disobeying government at Yellowstone National Park

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A terrifying spectacle of hate has become front-page news in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and the Billings Gazette.

For the past 2 days, both papers have focused on a story of some fun-loving (but foolish) Canadian tourists who allegedly strayed off the government boardwalk at Yellowstone National Park’s Prismatic Spring geothermal area. The young men apparently sought a few moments of excitement, and defied National Park Service signs warning visitors not to walk out on the surface of the hot bubbly mud. See here, and here.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people have done the same thing.

But the Canadians posted video on social media. See here.

Chronicle and Gazette writers have led a torrent of hatred against the hapless young men, detailing how the Canadians violated various rules of the Park Service. “Yellowstone park rules explicitly prohibit tourists from traveling off boardwalks or designated trails in hydrothermal areas,” the Chronicle wrote.

Astoundingly, the Chronicle even reported the NPS’s blatantly unconstitutional anti-filming regulation–WITHOUT SO MUCH AS MENTIONING THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE REGULATION MAY VIOLATE THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

Additionally, park policy prohibits filming from the social trails above Grand Prismatic Spring.

The park requires film permits for commercial, nonprofit, documentary, promotional or educational filming, including entertainment broadcasts and some student projects.

Rachel Cudmore, who works in the film office at Yellowstone National Park, told the Chronicle in an email that no permits were on file for High On Life or any of the four men associated with the project. She added that the project “would have required a commercial film permit.”

“Typically, anyone that is filming or photographing for reasons other than personal enjoyment should contact the Film Office to inquire about a special use permit for these activities,” Cudmore said.

The Chronicle even expressed astonishment that

Filming without a permit was not one of the charges listed in the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, though Reid said it was possible that charge could arise later on.

Cudmore said filming without a permit was a misdemeanor crime with a maximum prison term of six months and a maximum fine of $5,000.