Monday, July 4, 2011
Take Back Independence Day
We as formerly free people are concerned by the creeping loss of freedoms and expansion of government over the past century. In particular we fear that the revolutionary, anti-authoritarian attitudes once associated with Independence Day have been replaced by the blind nationalism and complacency of “The Fourth of July.”
What is Take Back Independence Day?
Are Fireworks Displays A Good Expenditure Of Public Funds?
I was having Toyota trouble again, and spent half the day Saturday (one of my precious 3 days of one of my rare three-day weekends) at the repair shop. The manager had to drive me home because I'm leaving my car. They didn't have the parts so had to order them, but because of the long weekend, they won't arrive until Wednesday. On the way home, the manager asked about fireworks for the holiday, and if I knew if the county was going to pay for a show. He pointed out that last year they didn't because of budget shortfalls. I said, truthfully, that I had no idea. Should public funds even be spent on such a thing?
In some states or localities, it is illegal to buy fireworks, though even in California, people have traditionally just crossed the border into Mexico to buy them. When we were kids I remember one July 4th when my dad put on a show for us in the backyard. We watched from the window as he took a couple of sparklers and waved them around, then ended the show by lighting an emergency flare and letting it burn.
That was not as good as the years we spent in another house. It had a big picture window, and my mom had set a bar (the kind where you served food and drinks) in front of it where you could sit and watch, because it gave a great view of one of the annual fireworks displays. In fact, we could even see cars as the parked on a hillside, their headlights pointed right at us, as they got ready to watch from that direction.
I haven't seen live fireworks in years. And I've never understood the appeal of watching them on television. I guess this will be yet another year when all I get is the distant sound of neighbors blowing their fingers off with cheap roadside fireworks.
Perhaps I need to visit the Disney parks more often.
In some states or localities, it is illegal to buy fireworks, though even in California, people have traditionally just crossed the border into Mexico to buy them. When we were kids I remember one July 4th when my dad put on a show for us in the backyard. We watched from the window as he took a couple of sparklers and waved them around, then ended the show by lighting an emergency flare and letting it burn.
That was not as good as the years we spent in another house. It had a big picture window, and my mom had set a bar (the kind where you served food and drinks) in front of it where you could sit and watch, because it gave a great view of one of the annual fireworks displays. In fact, we could even see cars as the parked on a hillside, their headlights pointed right at us, as they got ready to watch from that direction.
I haven't seen live fireworks in years. And I've never understood the appeal of watching them on television. I guess this will be yet another year when all I get is the distant sound of neighbors blowing their fingers off with cheap roadside fireworks.
Perhaps I need to visit the Disney parks more often.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Malaysia Bans Yellow Clothing
The state everywhere is the enemy of freedom, justice and human rights. As activists switch to different colors, pretty soon Malaysians will be banned from wearing any clothing at all. It will become a giant nudist colony!
Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com
Israel Afraid of the Truth
Greece has strongly blocked the peace activists, setting sail to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza, a peace activist says.
In an interview with Press TV, Dr. Paul Larudee, Co-Founder of Free Palestine Movement in Greece, explains the latest news from the flotilla in Athens.
In an interview with Press TV, Dr. Paul Larudee, Co-Founder of Free Palestine Movement in Greece, explains the latest news from the flotilla in Athens.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Police Taser Handicapped Teen
A mentally-handicapped teenager Jesse Kersey in Ohio was stopped by police and when the teenager who also has a speech impediment tried to explain his condition to the officer Willie Hooper, well the cop thought he was being disrespected by Kersey. The teenager was not only beaten and pepper sprayed, but he was also tased.
Jesse Kersey, a mentally handicapped 17-year-old, was riding his bicycle near his home and otherwise minding his own business when he was accosted by a stranger named Willie Hooper, an armed enforcer in the employ of the city of Dayton, Ohio. Jesse, who suffers from a speech impediment, found it impossible to communicate with Hooper. Accordingly, he went home to find his mother, Pamela Ford, in the hope that she could help.
Hooper, like many others in his chosen occupation, apparently is an individual in which immense, unearned self-regard co-exists with incurable obtuseness. Although he had previously been informed of Jesse's disabilities, he chose to perceive the youngster's stammering as a "diss." So he sent out a call for "backup" and barged—- uninvited and without legal authority of any kind — into the family's home. When a neighbor attempted to explain, once again, that Jesse had a speech impediment, the officer snarled a threat to arrest him if he didn't go back into his house.
Hooper was quickly joined on the scene by Officer John Howard, and this brace of valiant protectors of public order shot the cringing, terrified youngster in the back with their Tasers while his mother pleaded with them to stop. When the Portable Electro-Shock Torture devices failed to subdue Jesse, Howard doused him in pepper spray, then assaulted him with his fists and a police-issue club called an ASP. Within a few minutes, at least twenty other officers materialized to assist in taking down a single harmless, handicapped youngster, who was handcuffed and hog-tied before being hauled off to jail.-Police 'Flash Mob' Beats, Tasers Mentally Handicapped Teen
Jesse Kersey, a mentally handicapped 17-year-old, was riding his bicycle near his home and otherwise minding his own business when he was accosted by a stranger named Willie Hooper, an armed enforcer in the employ of the city of Dayton, Ohio. Jesse, who suffers from a speech impediment, found it impossible to communicate with Hooper. Accordingly, he went home to find his mother, Pamela Ford, in the hope that she could help.
Hooper, like many others in his chosen occupation, apparently is an individual in which immense, unearned self-regard co-exists with incurable obtuseness. Although he had previously been informed of Jesse's disabilities, he chose to perceive the youngster's stammering as a "diss." So he sent out a call for "backup" and barged—- uninvited and without legal authority of any kind — into the family's home. When a neighbor attempted to explain, once again, that Jesse had a speech impediment, the officer snarled a threat to arrest him if he didn't go back into his house.
Hooper was quickly joined on the scene by Officer John Howard, and this brace of valiant protectors of public order shot the cringing, terrified youngster in the back with their Tasers while his mother pleaded with them to stop. When the Portable Electro-Shock Torture devices failed to subdue Jesse, Howard doused him in pepper spray, then assaulted him with his fists and a police-issue club called an ASP. Within a few minutes, at least twenty other officers materialized to assist in taking down a single harmless, handicapped youngster, who was handcuffed and hog-tied before being hauled off to jail.-Police 'Flash Mob' Beats, Tasers Mentally Handicapped Teen
Friday, July 1, 2011
"From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, the war on drugs is undermining civilization."
Most Americans have been told that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a great president and one of the most popular presidents of all time. However, most people — even most historians — do not know that the reason for his popularity was the repeal of Prohibition. He won the Democratic nomination for president at the 1932 convention by switching from being a Dry to a Wet (that is, by siding with repeal). The repeal of Prohibition was the most popular plank in the Democratic Party platform, and it was FDR's number-one issue and campaign promise. He made it his number-one priority when he was in office. (He also cut federal worker pay by 25 percent).
The results from repeal were both immediate and amazing. Taverns, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and wineries reopened for business. Jobs were suddenly and noticeably available for the first time in years. The unemployment rate plunged from its historic high level of 25 percent. Crime and corruption sank, with the murder rate falling to its pre-Prohibition level in a manner of a few years. For politicians and government employees, repeal meant a new source of tax revenue and an end to budget cuts. Tax revolts, which had sprung up all across the country in opposition to government, sadly faded away. The people rejoiced that "Happy Days Are Here Again."
A similar opportunity lies in our future as the economic crisis continues to widen and worsen. We need to continue to learn and teach the real lessons of prohibition, some of which can be found in this free book. To unmask the true nature of government control and to demonstrate the superiority of individualism within a classical-liberal environment, we must make ending the war on drugs a priority.
- Mark Thornton: Why Legalize Now?
The results from repeal were both immediate and amazing. Taverns, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and wineries reopened for business. Jobs were suddenly and noticeably available for the first time in years. The unemployment rate plunged from its historic high level of 25 percent. Crime and corruption sank, with the murder rate falling to its pre-Prohibition level in a manner of a few years. For politicians and government employees, repeal meant a new source of tax revenue and an end to budget cuts. Tax revolts, which had sprung up all across the country in opposition to government, sadly faded away. The people rejoiced that "Happy Days Are Here Again."
A similar opportunity lies in our future as the economic crisis continues to widen and worsen. We need to continue to learn and teach the real lessons of prohibition, some of which can be found in this free book. To unmask the true nature of government control and to demonstrate the superiority of individualism within a classical-liberal environment, we must make ending the war on drugs a priority.
- Mark Thornton: Why Legalize Now?
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