The International Libertarian

Links for 2008-04-04 [Digg]

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Second Life's Church of Enturbulation Building is Complete
Now Anons and clammers have another virtual space to lurk.

Links for 2007-09-17 [Digg]

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Pajamas Media Are Ron Paul Deniers - Removed Paul from Poll
What a bunch of babies! Now FReeping a poll is called "vote-swarming." Kind of like "slamming" (oh how violent and victimizing of the poor little neocons are the Paulenteers).

Links for 2007-08-14 [Digg]

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Pajamasmedia presidential straw poll is flawed !!
The poll result is captured at 2:44 PM Eastern time. Fred Thompson is in the lead with 99 votes at http://pajamasmedia.com/strawpoll2008/results.php. However, after I voted, Ron Paul is leading with 77 votes, and Fred has 43 votes. Strange!http://pajamasmedia.com/strawpoll2008/results.php?precinctid=d7b93ad39dd2b3ab00924ee074aabdd3a

Links for 2007-06-18 [Digg]

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Pajamas Media - Presidential Straw Poll 2008 - Ron Paul leads again
Ron Paul has won week 20 of the Pajamas poll. Notice that the Pajamas folks don't even mention him in their write-up. I guess they just don't get. Ron Paul WILL be the next President whether they like it or not.

Links for 2007-03-26 [Digg]

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

"People United To Rebuild The Twin Towers" Challenge Ground Zero Corruption
"While most Americans have hoped all along that the confusion and corruption at Ground Zero would finally give way to new Twin Towers, politicians at every level have failed to show the leadership required," according to a spokesman for the Twin Towers Alliance. "This transcends politics and we wish, for once, that our officials would do the same."

Links for 2007-03-25 [Digg]

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

"People United To Rebuild The Twin Towers" Challenge Ground Zero Corruption
"While most Americans have hoped all along that the confusion and corruption at Ground Zero would finally give way to new Twin Towers, politicians at every level have failed to show the leadership required," according to a spokesman for the Twin Towers Alliance. "This transcends politics and we wish, for once, that our officials would do the same."

Links for 2006-12-11 [Digg]

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Please Wish Lauren Canario Merry Christmas In Prison
Just got this from Kat Kanning. Frankly I'm disgusted that the media in this country, given how much attention they give to political prisoners in other countries, refuses to cover this story. 80 Days in prison without a trial for trespassing? Thats positively tyrannical.

Please Wish Lauren Canario Merry Christmas In Prison

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 03:23:00 +0000

Just got this from Kat Kanning. Frankly I'm disgusted that the media in this country, given how much attention they give to political prisoners in other countries, refuses to cover this story. 80 Days in prison without a trial for trespassing? Thats positively tyrannical. Please read on, and do what you can to wish Lauren a merry christmas. She hasn't seen her kids in 80 days, and won't be allowed to by the state of Connecticut:

Lauren Canario's now been imprisoned 80 days without a
trial for her fight against eminent domain.

She's been nominated for Freedom Fighter of the Year
on Strike the Root. If you have a moment, please
vote:

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

Also, she'll be spending her birthday (Dec. 23rd) and
Christmas imprisoned. It takes over a week, I
believe, to get anything to her her there. If you
could spare a moment, please send her a card or
letter. I don't believe she can receive any packages.

Lauren Canario #334457
c/o York Correctional Institution
201 West Main Street Niantic, CT 06357

Thank you!
Kat

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who
can labor in freedom. – Albert Einstein

SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE MEMBER DENOUNCES "NO-SWIPE" CREDIT CARDS

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 01:10:00 +0000

"It's About Time," says CASPIAN

A member of the Senate Banking Committee denounced RFID "no-swipe" credit cards at a press conference Sunday. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said contracts for the cards should have warning boxes disclosing "the known weaknesses of the technology." He cautioned cardholders about their vulnerability to identity thieves, commenting you "may as well put your credit card information on a big sign on your back."

"No-swipe" or "contactless" credit cards contain RFID microchips that communicate account information silently and invisibly by radio waves. These microchips have earned the nickname "spychips" because the information they contain can be read without an individual's knowledge or consent.

While Congress is just waking up to the dangers of RFID technology, privacy and civil liberties organizations like CASPIAN have been sounding the alarm for years.

"It's about time for Capitol Hill to recognize the dangers of RFID," said Dr. Katherine Albrecht, Founder and Director of CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering). "Perhaps now members of Congress will listen to their concerned constituents and work to pass long overdue bipartisan RFID labeling legislation not only for credit cards, but other RFID-tagged consumer items as well."

CASPIAN has had model RFID labeling legislation titled "The RFID Right to Know Act" available to federal lawmakers since 2003. (See http://www.spychips.com/right-to-know-bill.html.) The legislation was authored by by Zoe Davidson of the Boston University Legislative Clinic.

While CASPIAN supports free-market solutions to the problems of privacy invading technologies like RFID, the group believes consumer notice is needed so the free market can work. "We believe consumers have a right to know when the things they wear, carry, and interact with contain tracking devices--especially credit cards that can leak sensitive personal information," said Liz McIntyre, CASPIAN's communications director.

McIntyre, a former federal bank examiner, points out that vulnerable "swipeless" technology not only poses a threat to customers, but to the financial institutions that have issued millions of contactless cards, as well. "What excuse will organizations like JP Morgan Chase make if consumers are harmed financially because they have their personal information siphoned by identity thieves? These issuers stand to lose millions of dollars."

CASPIAN demanded a recall of RFID credit cards last month after the New York Times reported that a team of security researchers found that virtually every one of the "no-swipe" credit cards it tested was vulnerable to unauthorized charges and put consumers at risk for identity theft.

Researchers demonstrated how thieves could secretly skim information from the cards, right through purses, backpacks and wallets. The data included the cardholder's name, credit card number, expiration date and other information that could be used to make unauthorized purchases.

Albrecht and McIntyre are offering to testify before Congress about their extensive research into the dangers posed by RFID, and to send a copy of their book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move" (Penguin/Plume Oct. 2006) to interested federal legislators.

=========================================
TO LEARN MORE

"NY Sen. Schumer warns of no-swipe cards"
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8LPMID00.htm

New York Times article about "no-swipe" credit card vulnerabilities:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/business/23card.html

Security researcher's detailed report on "no-swipe" cards:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/20061023_CARD/fc2007-submission.pdf

Greetings from The Land of Snow Crash

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 16:05:00 +0000

Hello folks, we've been off the blog for a few weeks now, though we've been working hard. As you may have read, I've gotten into the virtual world of Second Life, which offers some fantastic opportunities, not only for experiments in liberty, but economic opportunities as well.

Following our interview with Thor Columbia of Meta Bank, I became business partners in SL with a new libertarian from Michigan, Tavi Tuck, who has also joined the Free State Project and become one of its First 1000 (Thor Columbia has also become one of the First 1000 since the election, he's now convinced even a thousand activists can take over a state like NH. Gee, now I just need one more person to refer me when they join and I win a Golden Porcupine Award!). Tavi and I formed the SL firm of Brautigan & Tuck, and we bought half a sim of land, which we've been very hard at work developing over the past month.

It is now nearing completion. The development, in Magritte region, is mostly themed on sites and enterprises from the novel Snow Crash. The primary location is of course The Black Sun, the famous club of characters Hiro Protagonist and Da5id Meier. Also included is Ng Security Systems, Cosa Nostra Pizza, Snooze n Cruise, and even the Reverend Wayne's Pearly Gates. A couple who bought land from us to build a castle have a historic marker denoting it as "Da5id Meier's House".

We also have some corporate deals in the offing. One is with Stone Brewery of San Diego, a microbrewery known for its "Arrogant Bastard Ale", Ruination IPA, and other similarly named offerings. We've built a brewery in SL that sells kegs to other bars, kegs which sell beer bottles that are animated and have lives of 45 minutes, which cost 1 linden each. This is a first in SL, and spells the beginning of a true consumer economy there. We plan on using this temporary technology for other ventures, like the pizzaria.

We are now planning to purchase two whole sims in late December, to develop more themes from the novel like The Raft, including a working aircraft carrier, as well as themes from The Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon. As an editor of Stephenson's now defunct Quicksilver Metaweb wiki, I've obtained the archives of that wiki and plan on making it available within and without SL to help preserve that knowledge base, a sort of "Stephensonian Institution".

All of this activity has been accomplished free of both taxation, and government regulation. We've built a well planned community, that is also attractive and fun to be in, policed by a private protection agency as described by David Friedman's "The Machinery of Freedom", that is neither chaotic or lawless. So far, this experiment has disproven the claims of critics of anarcho-capitalism.

We have not been free of difficulties, though. Our simulation has been attacked several times, by both individual jerks out to cause trouble in person, wearing "sock puppet" avatars that were fresh-baked, as well as a SL-wide hacker attack that was, according to LL and our estate company management, focused on our sim. We have survived all challenges, and are dealing with such attacks through Ng Security, and the help of others in SL.

We have also gotten publicity, in a few individuals blogs, but also recently in SLNN.com, one of the main SL related media outlets, where we were featured in a large series on the impact of Snow Crash upon SL.

Our promotion of Meta Bank has also had benefits. They first set up an ATM within our sim, though there were often problems with the SL servers crashing them from cache errors (possibly malicious activity). The Bank just got their own banking server independent of the SL system, and crashes have stopped. They also just opened their second branch in our sim, next to the pizzaria. Meta Bank is also going to be changing its name, as its management found out that there is a real life Meta Bank in South Dakota, which has a poor reputation. We'll report on that name change as it happens.

PRA Release: Seventy-Five Organizations and Policy Leaders Call for Eminent Domain Reform in Senate

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:33:00 +0000

WASHINGTON — Today, a letter signed by seventy-five organizations and policy leaders from across the country was sent to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) requesting that the Senate advance legislation upon return in November to limit the ability of states and localities to abuse eminent domain. The letter can be viewed here.

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced S. 3873, the “Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2006” as the Senate means to address the Kelo v. City of New London, CT court case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2005. As the companion legislation to the bipartisan H.R. 4128 passed in the House last November, S. 3873 similarly seeks to curb eminent domain abuse by withholding federal economic development funds from states and localities that engage in these abusive practices. Since passage, H.R. 4128 has mired in the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA).

The American public continues to fervently oppose this type of government takings. In the last year, over thirty state legislatures heeded the call and enacted legislation aimed at curbing the abuse of eminent domain for private use. Ballot measures will be voted on by residents in more than ten states on Election Day, with Louisiana voters already passing a measure last month. And one national survey after another demonstrates a minimum of eighty-five percent of public support in reforming eminent domain abuse to protect homes, businesses and churches from government’s grasp.

“With politicians constantly entranced by polling data and grassroots activism, it remains shocking that the Senate has remained relatively silent on the issue,” said Scott A. LaGanga, executive director of PRA. “With over a year of waiting, property owners are frustrated with the lack of initiative by our Senators in Congress to protect Americans from government’s ability to snap up a family’s home or church today to make a mansion tomorrow. Action to correct this injustice must be taken during the lame duck session.”

As stated in the letter, “Committed to correcting the United States Supreme Court’s misjudgment in the Kelo v. City of New London, everyday citizens have voiced their support for Congressional action to limit private lands from being seized for private economic development by the government.”

The following organizations signed the letter to Majority Leader Frist (letter can be viewed at Property Rights Alliance website): 60+ Association, Alabama Farmers Federation, Alliance for Worker Freedom, American Association of Small Property Owners, American Conservative Union, American Family Business Institute, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Land Rights Association, American Policy Center, Americans for Limited Government, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Prosperity-New Jersey, Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for the Preservation of Liberty, American Shareholders Association, Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights, Castle Coalition, Center for Individual Freedom, Citizens for Limited Taxation, Citizens for Property Rights-Vermont, Coalition for Property Rights-Florida, Commonwealth Foundation, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Eagle Forum, Ethan Allen Institute, FreedomWorks, Frontiers of Freedom, GOP Blogger.com, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Illinois Policy Institute, Independence Institute, Iowa Wednesday Group, James Madison Institute, League of Private Property Voters, Liberty Coalition, Maryland Taxpayers Alliance, Media Freedom Project, Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, Missouri First, Montana Policy Institute, National Grange, National Taxpayers Union, Nevada Policy Research Institute, North Carolina Property Rights Coalition, Ohio Taxpayers Association and OTA Foundation, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Pacific Research Institute, Paragon Foundation, Inc., Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, Pennsylvania Landowners’ Association, Pius Pagan Publishing, Property Rights Alliance, Property Rights Alliance: Hawaii, PROTEX, Reason Foundation, Republican Liberty Caucus, Rightmarch, Rio Grande Foundation, Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, Small Business Entrepreneurship Council, Small Business Hawaii (SBH), South Carolina Landowners Association, South Carolina Policy Council, Tennessee Center for Policy Research, The Rutherford Institute, The Taxpayers League of Minnesota, Virginia Institute for Public Policy. (In addition, four other policy analysts signed this letter).

Demonstrate Your Support For The Liberty Dollar

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:32:00 +0000

Received the following release from NORFED this evening. NORFED is now going on the lobbying offensive in Washington, and is looking for support from the rising groundswell of grassroots people who have expressed their approval of NORFEDs defense against the legally unsupportable attacks by the US Mint on the Liberty Dollar.

It has become clear that the core of the Mint's claims in its attacks is that the Liberty Dollar is claimed to be being passed as "US current money", which it is not and never has been. It would be an insult to the Liberty Dollar to compare it with the debased debauchery that is what passes for "money" by the fiat dictates of a government that has become unhinged from its Constitutional moorings and, as we have seen with this weeks suspension of the sacred right of habeus corpus, is drifting rapidly into the shoals of tyranny and the rocks of fascism.

Time To Step Up And Demonstrate Real Support For Real Money – The Liberty Dollar

Breaking News…We are hearing from our efforts to leverage Congressional Inquiry that the US Mint has received much more response from the public than anticipated following their web posted warning on September 14, 2006 . It’s time to really let them know how much you value the Liberty Dollar by calling or faxing the US Mint! To make a call use (202) 354-7227, for sending a fax use (202) 756-6200. After reading this special News Alert please call or fax the US Mint and in a very positive way ask if the statements listed below are NOT true. Do not be nasty or attacking; this gets us nowhere. Always be respectful. Also, please distribute this widely to everyone on your mailing list.

On With Other News…

Over the last six weeks we have heard a lot of support for the mission, goals and cause of the Liberty Dollar and precious metal backed private currency…Reporters, Editors, Talk Show Hosts, Calls and e-mails from listeners and readers who had never before heard of the Liberty Dollar are committing to “fight the good fight” for the right to choose their method of payment for goods and services. Liberty Dollar Merchants, Associates and Regional Currency Offices, taken aback from a malicious media assault, have been gnawing on what it all means and how to move forward.

It’s time to regroup, shake off the debris of fear and exchange your Federal Reserve Notes for the Liberty Dollar. This is the support we need now. Circulating (as in bartering), Accumulating or Collecting: The three most effective ways to do good, have fun and protect your purchasing power.

If any of the following statements were illegal or a federal crime, would there not have already been arrests? Liberty Dollars are exchanged, given out, presented and accepted hundreds of times a day throughout the country…lots of opportunities to make an example out of someone.

But once you wade through the citations and legalese of the US Mint’s warning(s), it becomes very clear: THE LIBERTY DOLLAR CANNOT BE PASSED AS “CURRENT MONEY” OR GOVERNMENT MONEY. NO ONE SHOULD ACCEPT THE LIBERTY DOLLAR THINKING IT IS GOVERNMENT MONEY. This, of course, would contradict the goal of the Liberty Dollar!

Merchants CANNOT be prosecuted for accepting the Liberty Dollar KNOWING that it is private currency!

Merchants CANNOT be prosecuted for giving out the Liberty Dollar in change if the customer KNOWS it is private currency!

Users CANNOT be prosecuted for presenting the Liberty Dollar to a Merchant when the Merchant KNOWS it is private currency!

Regional Currency Offices, or anyone else, CANNOT be prosecuted for exchanging Liberty Dollars for Federal Reserve Notes when the customer KNOWS it is private currency!

NO ONE CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR HAVING POSSESSION OF THE LIBERTY DOLLAR!

If any of these statements were false, then having or using any of the hundreds of local or community currencies such as the Ithaca Hour, Disney Dollar, Berkshares, Barter Bucks, etc., would be a crime.

On September 14, just five weeks ago, our website, Liberty Dollar.org, received ten times its normal traffic. Online orders surged for the introductory special, supporter kits and educational materials as well as lots of small orders from new individuals wanting to know just who this Liberty Dollar outfit is.

The wave of curiosity has died down and so has the normal volume that the Liberty Dollar has experienced over the last 12-18 months. I believe the current lull is retrenchment from those stinging from the national media assault as well as caution on the part of the newly introduced that are concerned over legal repercussions. Consider the above statements regarding the legality of the Liberty Dollar. These are the conclusions of NORFED and its Counsel.

Exchange your Federal Reserve Notes for Gold and Silver Libertys and Certificates now. Circulate (barter), Accumulate and Collect…It’s the right thing to do.

Is the US Dollar tanking? Will there be a significant economic downturn? Is a War right around the corner? Is Peak Oil fact or fiction? Will extreme weather knock out your power and communications? What do you want to be holding when significant change occurs? A Federal Reserve Note Or Gold And Silver Private Currency From The Liberty Dollar?

Please visit the Liberty Dollar at: www.LibertyDollar.org or call our National Fulfillment Office at 888.421.6181 or 800.NEW.DOLLAR to reach your local Regional Currency Office.

Russo Speaks: Freedom 2 Fascism Pirated, Releasing Directors Cut & PP View Versions

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:53:00 +0000

From: AARON RUSSO [mailto:aaronrusso@msn.com]
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 6:21 PM
To: XXX@XXX.com
Subject: please spread thru internet

Please advise everybody that the copy [of AMERICA: FROM FREEDOM TO FASCISM] on poodlecrap (see below) is an incomplete, pirated version that does not contain all the necessary information. It is also of poor quality and certainly not approved by me.

This week i will be posting the final directors cut of the film on my Website www.freedomtofascism.com .

It will be offered on the highest quality resolution on the Internet on a
pay per view format for $5. It will also be offered for sale on DVD for $19.95.

Lastly it will be posted on Google for free on a lower quality resolution as
compared to the pay per view version on my Website.

Please advise everybody to see the complete directors cut of the film so the
entire truth of what is happening to our country will be understood.

Thank you,
"one people
one movement
freedom for all"

Aaron Russo
AARON

End The Experiment With Government

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 13:58:00 +0000

Human beings have been experimenting with various forms of social control since pre-history. Extrapolating the basic family unit to tribal, community, province, national, and now global levels to varying degrees of success or failure over the centuries, the social side of the human animal has, like his drive to bring the forces of nature under control, sought to bring his fellow human beings under control for his own security and/or personal gain.

But now these two drives are in conflict. Since the beginning of the atomic age, when man first harnessed the natural power of the atom, scientists and ethicists have warned the political class about the proliferation of nuclear power as a destabilizing influence on peaceful governments and international relations. Non-proliferation treaties were actively negotiated and enforced behind the scenes of the superpower conflict of the Cold War. The US enabled Britain, France, Israel, Japan, and others of its friendly postwar allies to develop peaceful nuclear power, and some even developed nuclear weapons. All have responsibly kept those weapons in their deepest reserves of self-defense only in the case of invasion or first strike upon their own nations.

The peaceful development of nuclear energy has had successes, with Japan and France gaining a majority of their energy from this source, and other countries, which enjoy domestic coal or other energy sources, less so.

The Soviets were similarly interested in keeping the nuclear genie in the bottle, but at the same time enabled China to join the nuclear club, along with a host of Warsaw Pact nations gaining peaceful nuclear energy. With the split up of the USSR, a number of former Soviet republics took control of nuclear weapons stored in their territory, though most surrendered them to Russia in the interests of stability and non-proliferation.

However China has pursued a much more fast and loose policy with regard to non-proliferation. It enabled Pakistan and North Korea to attain nuclear weapons capability, and as we've seen, those nations have proliferated the technology to such rogue nations as Iran, Libya, Iraq, among others. While Libya has stepped back from the brink in order to rejoin the community of nations and avoid an expected, if not planned, US attack, others have not been so responsible.

North Korea, given a pass by former Presidents Carter and Clinton in the 1990's to continue its nuclear programs for 8 years without international oversight, possibly the greatest treason against US national security since Benedict Arnolds betrayal, used that time to build its fuel processing capabilities and perfect its nuclear weapons manufacturing capacity.

As we saw this past week, North Korea has detonated at least one small nuclear weapon, though reports are that it had much lower than expected yield. NK has also tested a new ICBM capable of reaching most of the US several times, so far with failures, but building a reliable ICBM is technically easier and cheaper than building nuclear weapons, so it is only a matter of time before North Korea has the ability to strike the US. NK has resisted all international attempts to entice it to surrender its weapons program, demonstrating the utter failure of the UN system to perform its core function of ensuring world peace.

Iran has likewise resisted efforts by the west and the UN to bring its nuclear ambitions and programs back under international oversight and compliance. The mullahocracy is currently enriching weapons grade uranium, and is expanding its processing capabilities, apparently deep in bunker protected facilities, as if expecting international military action against it for its sins. The CIA expects Iran to test its first weapon within 5 years.

While President Ahmedinejad of Iran insists his nations ambitions are peaceful, he refuses to explain what peaceful purpose there is to weapons grade nuclear fuel, and refuses to apologize for or disavow his statments proposing to wipe the nation of Israel "off the map". Indeed, he contiues to make such statements, and is also contributing to the insurgencies in Iraq with training, shelter, and weapons, as well as arming Hezbollah with thousands of rockets.

As all this is happening, the international community, and most national governments, abjectly refuse to exercise their prerogatives of power to secure the world against these two rogue nations. Even in the US, Democrats would rather talk about surrendering Iraq to the Islamofascists than to talk about their own failings in North Korea, or propose solutions to Iran. At the same time, the Bush administration is castrated with a Secretary of State who would rather negotiate than do anything else (what else is new), and a Secretary of Defense who should be telling stories he can't remember to his great-grandkids beside the fireplace.

What is the point of having a slightly tyrannical government as the primary superpower if it isn't going to do its job of securing the nation? What is the point of a United Nations that is anything but united?

The foreign policy experts are calling for more international treaties to bring nonproliferation "under control". The problem is that we have plenty of nonproliferation treaties already that haven't done anything. Like the failure that is gun control, nuclear non-proliferation treaties are a joke: they only disarm the law abiding, criminal states, like street thugs, do not obey gun control or nuclear control laws or treaties if their intent is criminal activity. Victim disarmament is the proper label for nuclear nonproliferation treaties, just as they are the proper label for gun control laws.

It is thus rather evident that attempts to legislate against the development of technologies are inherently faulty and incapable of being enforced upon parties determined to flout them.

Instead, we should be looking at the root factors that enable the construction of nuclear weapons if we as a race want to put the nuclear weapons genie back in the bottle.

The primary root factor is government. To date, not a single private corporation has ever built a nuclear weapon, even though many parts for such are build by private firms under government contract, and personnel with the requisite skills tend to wind up in private industry. To date, not a single private individual has ever built a nuclear weapon. The degree of resources required to produce enough weapons grade nuclear material is rather staggering, even in this day and age. It remains in the billions of dollars.

Building nuclear weapons requires the assets of a national government, and the legal power to enforce secrecy upon its citizens. It requires access to natural resources capable of being exploited outside the channels of international commerce (for instance, Iraqi attempts to purchase Nigerian yellowcake signalled its ambitions in the 1990's, a fact that even Dan Wilson has admitted to be fact in recent months). It requires a defense infrastructure capable of defending a geographic territory against conventional attack by parties interested in stopping it from attaining its ambitions.

No corporation on earth has these capabilities, even though many corporations peacefully operate nuclear power plants. No corporation has exhibited a desire to attain these capabilities. No individual has a hope of attaining these capabilities, James Bondian fantasies notwithstanding.

The assertion by luddites like Bill Joy that future technologies, like nanotechnology, will enable cheap nuclear fuel processing, but this is based on a poor understanding of the science of nanotechnology. It is highly likely that nanotech devices capable of sorting isotopes atom by atom simply will not be robust enough to withstand the molecular damage done by nuclear radiation. As fuel concentrations rise, so does radiation levels, causing greater nanite die-off. There is a natural ceiling of purification possible with molecular nanotechnology. Modern isotope processing requires batches of liquid chemical compounds of heavy isotopes processed through centrifuges. This is a rough method that does not depend on placing radiation sensitive integrated chips and nano-mechanical assemblies in close proximity to nuclear decay reactions.

For this reason, the nanotech shibboleth is shredded as an excuse for technology controls.

No, the real "problem technology" in the nuclear proliferation problem is the technology of government. It is a blunt instrument that runs roughshod over individual liberties strictly for the purpose of amassing and weilding power and wealth outside the free market system. If we are to start banning technologies, lets start with this one.

IntLib Interviews President of Meta Bank in SL

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:47:00 +0000

Today, we are sitting down in the virtual reality of Second Life with Thor Columbia, President of Meta Bank, which exists entirely within the SL universe. Meta Bank is an interesting example of the sorts of enterprises that are developing entirely "in world", and eventually will become concerns capable of being a "real life" living for those engaged in such ventures. From his perspective as President of Meta Bank, Thor has a unique perspective and view of the SL economy, how it began and is developing, and where it is headed. Given the many libertarian aspects of SL, we sought out this interview to gain a look into this perspective for the benefit of our readers.

For the reader, there will be references to various Second Life specific terms or acronym. SL refers to Second Life, RL refers to your “real life”. A Linden Dollar is the form of currency in Second Life, and currently exchanges for US Federal Reserve Notes at about 275 Lindens per $1 FRN.

[9:31] Thor Columbia: Welcome to Meta Bank
[9:31] IntLib: Thanks for having me
[9:32] Thor Columbia: I'm glad to hear some one is covering more about the banking system here in SL.
[9:32] IntLib: Its something of interest to people in the libertarian community.
[9:32] Thor Columbia: Speaking of which I am an active member of the Maryland Libertarian Party. I'm the current Chair of the Howard County Libertarian Party in Maryland
[9:34] IntLib: Ah, excellent. So you campaigned for Mr. Zeese?
[9:35] Thor Columbia: I know him well and he is a great guy, but I have been spending most of my time trying to get a local judge elected, David Titman in Howard County, who just got 30% in the primary. The way the judges’ races work in Maryland is that the Libertarian Party is able to nominate him to the final election day, but he also runs in the primaries against the Democrat and Republican.
[9:37] IntLib: Then that is a good result. Nice way it works down there.
[9:37] Thor Columbia: If we got over 50% of the vote on primary day he would have knocked off one of the competitors but the way it worked out he will be in a 3 way race
[9:37] IntLib: Well, 30% of 3 is a damn good result
[9:38] Thor Columbia: He is running a very good campaign, lots of poll workers, takes NO donations from lawyers as he sees it as a conflict of interest for a judge
[9:39] Thor Columbia: I have been following the Free State Project since day 1. I love the Porcupine you have as your group mascot.

[9:41] IntLib: Does Meta Bank and the other banks in SL operate as full reserve or fractional reserve systems within the SL economy? When you take in x Lindens in deposits, do you lend out x Lindens, or are you able to lend out a multiple of your deposits based on a reserve ratio?
[9:42] Thor Columbia: We loan out a percentage of our total lindens that come in the form of deposits, normally 70%. Also unlike some of the other banks we keep the lindens we get in deposits with in the SL economy. By that I mean, we take in SL dollars and loan to businesses and people in SL. Some of the other banks (Ginko for instance) takes SL dollars and uses them in RL businesses.

[9:45] IntLib: Ah, so they are able to extract dollars from the system. Is there any record of a balance of payments between the SL and RL economies?
[9:46] Thor Columbia: Not really, as you may know there is a market for the SL dollars in which they are freely bought and sold. As it is more dollars come in then go out, however a bank taking money out of the economy and draining the capital base does not seem productive to me. That is why I started Meta Bank, because I wanted to create a capital base that would grow in-world businesses.

[9:48] IntLib: Excellent. Sounds like I chose the right banker. Perhaps you can explain what the typical lending terms are and how they differ from what people are used to in RL?
[9:48] Thor Columbia: They are very similar to the terms in RL, first you pick a plot of land you would like to buy, then you come to us and apply for a loan. If you meet the basic criteria, then we purchase the land for you. You make weekly payments to the bank for a period of 60 to 90 days, depending on the size of the loan, and when the payments are complete we deed full ownership over to you. The payments are pre-calculated to include the amount of the interest in this case (0.25%) per day. If you fail to make several of the payments in a row we will first give reminders, however if no payments are made we sell the land to recoup the bank's loss.

[9:55] IntLib: What percent of your customers default on loans?
[9:56] Thor Columbia: It seems to be relatively low, we have a good filtering system on the front end, the applicant must meet certain criteria, such as age of character, in order to show they are a long term member of the SL community.

[9:58] IntLib: Ah, that brings up a good question: lots of new players looking for First Land, and get business ideas in SL, what period of time must a new character be in SL to qualify?

In walks Extrems Brock, who works at the Bank.

[9:59] Extrems Brock: Hello there
[9:59] Thor Columbia: Hey Extrems
[9:59] IntLib: Hello Extrems
[9:59] Thor Columbia: Extrems is our resident builder and part time scripter here at Meta Bank.
[10:00] IntLib: I believe we met yesterday.
[10:00] Thor Columbia: excellent
[10:00] Thor Columbia: Well to your question, as a general rule loan officers want the customer to be at least 30 days old, as a rule if someone has been active in world for that long they are likely to stick around.

[10:03] IntLib: That sounds reasonable. Another question I had was to employment. It seems to me that there are very limited options for employment in SL: generally the camping chairs and dancing, and the adult industry, if someone wants to move beyond that, they seem to need specific skills in demand, like design or scripting, etc. I myself am trying to find work in SL as a writer. How does the lack of employment opportunities impact the economy and your lending?
[10:06] Thor Columbia: There is a lack of structural employment for the people in-world, however I think that as the companies grow and the economy grows more and more structured jobs will come, however the current system is very freedom oriented, instead of trying to meet the job requirements some one else sets there are thousands and thousands of people creating there own original content and being their own boss. I would compare it closest to a digital ebay; many people sell and buy on ebay. However there is always a lack of tiered employment, though since SL is more like a 3D internet than anything else I expect there will be many job opportunities in the future. Already many fortune 500 companies are moving into SL, and when RL companies realize the incredible potential of SL for making money a couple years from now, I expect to see a gold rush for talented workers in SL, similar to gold rush on programmers during the later 90s.

[10:12] IntLib: That sounds promising. As a long time freelancer myself, in various IT disciplines, I found that in the regular internet, many or most companies are reticent to employ someone strictly on a telecommuting basis. How do you think that that will differ with people working in SL, and will companies realize the difference?
[10:13] Thor Columbia: Well with SL it's all tele-commuting, in fact if you take "Electric Sheep" a successful SL company as an example, the members of the company are in different nations around the world, all working together in real time in SL. In fact as the price of oil continues to rise year after year I would not be surprised if we see more and more companies tele commuting entire divisions via SL.

[10:16] IntLib: Good point. Your reference to "Electric Sheep" is interesting, given its based on a cyberpunk novels name.
[10:16] Thor Columbia: Yeah, I once heard SL described very accurately as "The Matrix" without the scary machines.

[10:19] IntLib: Do you find that most people you lend to keep up their payments by injection of dollars, or through employment and business in world?
[10:21] Thor Columbia: I find that most people get there money through jobs, however there is a large contingent of the population that are shoppers and just spend spend spend. They figure it is only 10 to 20 RL dollars for shopping, however that goes a long way in SL. I myself input money from RL on a regular basis.

[10:23] IntLib: Do you offer any sort of "credit card" services beyond lending for tangible (as much as they can be) assets?
[10:24] Thor Columbia: We are working toward that goal of having a full selection of lending services: land lending, credit card and everything in between.

[10:25] IntLib: I myself made a promise to myself that outside of my blogs' AdSense money, I'd not put any money into SL, to see if this can truly be treated as a viable second economy by someone starting out fresh. Do you see that sort of thing happening, and are people able to work their way up the socioeconomic ladder with that kind of a standard, not subsidizing themselves with dollars?
[10:26] Thor Columbia: Yes I do, the guys at Electric Sheep are making a very good wage off of just their skills; they input no money originally, and I have seen many examples of this. Over 2000 people have SL as their full time RL job: creating content, scripts and everything.
[10:28] IntLib: Wow, that is impressive.
[10:29] Thor Columbia: Yes, this place is a libertarian dream, no limits; you can rise as far as you can imagine. The people that just shop will continue to shop, and some people just play for fun, however if you are entrepreneurial in any way you can accomplish incredible things.
[10:30] IntLib: I figured that there were essentially two classes of folk here, the tourists and those who try to live in world as much as possible
[10:31] Thor Columbia: This place is the great social equalizer, no one knows your name, race, age, social class, you are judged solely on your abilities, talent and attitude.

[10:31] IntLib: Do you have any discloseable data on the growth of the Meta Banks assets to date?
[10:32] Thor Columbia: No I would not want to have the other banks aware of our size. However I will tell you we are growing at a double-digit monthly rate. The largest bank in SL is Ginko Financial, but we intend with a better business system to surpass them with in a year.

[10:34] IntLib: That sounds like you've got your work cut out. What, btw, is the asset size of Ginko?
[10:35] Thor Columbia: Unknown, they don't disclose, however I know enough to say they have upwards of 10's of thousands of USD, however with out any transparence, it may well be in the 100's of thousands of USD. Your guess is as good as mine, however a good guidepost is the number of ATM's they have.

[10:36] IntLib: Okay, so they likely expect so much business from any given ATM eh?
[10:37] Thor Columbia: yes, and I know they have several hundred ATM's with in SL. We are rapidly expanding our own ATM base but we have a long way to go to surpass the Ginko.

[10:38] IntLib: I've talked with some other libertarians who are interested in establishing some sort of a gold backed system of finance here in SL. What do you think of such proposals, and are they really necessary?
[10:40] Thor Columbia: I like the idea of creating a system backed with something real, our current fiat systems seems unsustainable to me, however I don't think anything here will surpass the linden dollar in use, and I like the fact that it is not a pegged currency and instead a free market currency. If you wanted a backed currency I would need it to be traded on an open market.

[10:42] IntLib: Okay, um well, from my involvement in Blogshares and using their B$ currency, I had wondered at the possibility of establishing some sort of currency exchange between the two systems. Would that be viable here?
[10:43] Thor Columbia: btw, do you know where I can get one of those International Libertarian t-shirts?
[10:43] IntLib: Oh yeah, I'll give you a copy, made it myself.
[10:43] Thor Columbia: Excellent. Off topic, but "International Libertarian"?
[10:44] Thor Columbia accepted your inventory offer.
[10:44] IntLib: Ah, well, it started originally as a tiff between myself and L Neil Smith, over his anti-war sentiments and my anti-isolationist ones, but I am applying IntLib to becoming a blog that reports on stories and issues of libertarian concern that happen anywhere in the world.
[10:48] Thor Columbia: Excellent, I am disappointed when some one wants the libertarian ideal for their own country but is not willing to support the fight for human freedom elsewhere. Any way, back to your question, and thanks for the shirt.
[10:50] IntLib: No problem
[10:51] Thor Columbia: It would be interesting to see a completely digital economy using a currency supported by a gold or other metal standard.
[10:52] IntLib: How about exchanges with other virtual currencies, like Blogshares B$?
[10:53] Thor Columbia: I don't know how the logistics would work but it would be interesting to try.

[10:54] IntLib: Okay. Is there anything that you'd like to communicate with the general public or the libertarian community about your experiences or Meta Bank?
[10:55] Thor Columbia: Yes. People live within the limits they place on them self's. I believe we should all strive to higher goals for freedom and self improvement, in the world of business I think we would all do very well to forget the structured higher education model of employment. While it takes more energy to judge a person on ability and not a piece of paper, you will find much greater reward in the end.

[10:59] Thor Columbia: Are you still involved with the FSP? Please pass on that the Howard County Libertarian Party fully supports the goals of the Free State Project. After the election we intend to help in any way we can to create the light on the hill that this county needs in the form of the Free State Project.
[11:02] IntLib: That is great to hear. We're still working towards our ultimate membership goals, but have also launched a group called The First 1000, of a thousand people who have pledged to move within a year. So far, we've got over 430 in state, though we started with about 250 who were already residents.
[11:03] Thor Columbia: In fact I hope to have a house in New Hampshire with in a couple years, however I am not dependent on the [membership] threshold as I am coming to join the FSP one way or another. I think we need some more people involved, however I think the greatest need is more in the way of money for the Libertarian cause, and that is what I am working toward here and in several RL companies. I own a number of companies including a biodiesel company. We are building a 4 million gallon operation here in Maryland. However I would like to make New Hampshire the RL head quarters of Meta Bank as it grows.

[11:14] IntLib: Another question I had about SL economics is, that in RL, for example, settlement and development began with agriculture and hunting, then light industry and heavy industry. Why do you think that no attempt has been made to enable those sorts of resource utilization economics in SL to build wealth and infrastructure?
[11:15] Thor Columbia: In SL there are truly only two commodities, other than the skills of people which is a natural commodity, those two commodities are land and primitives. Labor, land and prims. We are rapidly refining these to create original content and workable structures. It’s amazing to see the evolution of it all.

[11:18] IntLib: Okay, a question I had about the limitations of primitives for given lots, why isn't there a mechanism for people to buy more primitives for their land, or is there?
[11:19] Thor Columbia: well currently if you run over you just buy more land and use the primitives on either that land or your old land

[11:19] IntLib: Sure, but doesn't that generate a lot of open land, which is generally useless in a virtual system like this?
[11:22] Thor Columbia: Understood, however that works out well as it gives open space next to another very developed structure. It all depends on how much detail you want on a property, most places do not need so many prims
[11:23] Extrems Brock: Oh yeah Thor, we need more primitives again.
[11:23] Thor Columbia: However it would be nice if they sold prims without the land, it would make it simpler.

[11:24] IntLib: Yeah, I guess my question philosophically is, outside of creating open space between structures as you say, is that its nice to have a sort of environmental sentiment (as it seems to me), but without trees and animals living in the space, what is the point?
[11:25] Thor Columbia: Esthetics I suppose, however it is more basic then that, each square can only support so many prims I think is the deal, some thing they need to upgrade.

NOTE: Each area of ~65,000 sq meters, called a ‘region’ or ‘sim’ is supported in the Linden Labs Network by a single server. Too may prims in one region overloads the server and causes what is called “lag”, or a slowing of the sim. This also tends to occur when there are lots of people in a single sim at one time, particularly people who are implementing their own personal primitives. In order to minimize lag, LL restricts the number of prims per square meter that land owners can build.

[11:26] IntLib: Okay, um being new, I'm not totally clear on its definition, so perhaps you can explain what exactly a "primitive" is? I understand they are objects. (Thor conjures a wood textured cube on the conference room table)
[11:27] Thor Columbia: That is a prim
[11:27] Extremes Brock: A primitive is a physical basic 3D shape. Each primitive uses server resources.
[11:27] Thor Columbia: It is a box or cube or a 3D shape in which you can change and mold into anything and everything you see, the chair your sitting in, the wall, everything in the room is made of many prims, colored and changes and made to look like other objects.
[11:28] IntLib: Okay, I understand that, but for instance, is one of these chairs one primitive, or multiple primitives?
[11:28] Extrems Brock: Multiple, you can only make complex shapes with multiple primitives.
[11:28] IntLib: So a more complex object eats up more primitives.
[11:29] Thor Columbia: You got it. Each lot of land gets a certain number of prims, and if you go beyond that you must buy more.
[11:29] Extrems Brock: 3 per 16m, 117 per 512m, 15000 per 65,536m, 65,536m = one region
[11:30] IntLib: Okay, understood. I've been shopping land, btw, so I have a basic understanding of the prim limits on each parcel. Would you say that there is a significant market in people buying land and developing sub parcels for resale, or is that market oversupplied? Can the land barons buy a parcel and tap off some of its prims for themselves, then resell the land with fewer prims?
[11:32] Extrems Brock: This can be done on a private estate (I think).
[11:33] Thor Columbia: Yes there is money in land resale, however it has to be done on a very very large scale to be economical.
[11:34] IntLib: Do the apartment building developers do very well?
[11:34] Thor Columbia: They do all right, the big money is in developing plots for RL companies that are willing to pay huge sums for custom jobs.

[11:36] IntLib: Ah, interesting. Some friends of mine own Uvvy Island, and are developing a sort of corporate center there, and I've seen similar setups elsewhere, but they seemed under occupied, in fact, a LOT of SL seems under occupied. What is your take on that?
[11:37] Thor Columbia: Well that will change over time, and get more dense over time, at first a player may get land and then not do anything with it. The land gets abandoned and people start using it more and more for more productive things

[11:38] IntLib: Oh, another question about First Land. Is that something a new user is expected to buy outright, or do they finance it?
[11:39] Thor Columbia: They normally buy out right since it is less then two USD

[11:39] Thor Columbia: Intlibber, it's been a pleasure but I have to log off for an hour or so.
[11:40] IntLib: Sure no problem, I was just going to thank you for your time.
[11:40] Thor Columbia: I'll contact you later. It's great to hear what the FSP doing.
[11:41] IntLib: Its good to hear there are more folks in SL from the movement. Feel free to stop by the Gimme Liberty Bar any time, we often meet there to listen to Free Talk Live, which is a syndicated and podcasted radio show by Free Staters.
[11:41] Thor Columbia: Great I'll see you there... bye. (Thor vanishes)

Beware Of Blogs: Jury Awards $11.3 Million For Blog Defamation

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:08:00 +0000

Excerpt from USA Today

Jury awards $11.3M over defamatory Internet posts
By Laura Parker, USA TODAY

A Florida woman has been awarded $11.3 million in a defamation lawsuit
against a Louisiana woman who posted messages on the Internet accusing her
of being a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud."

Legal analysts say the Sept. 19 award by a jury in Broward County, Fla. —
first reported Friday by the Daily Business Review — represents the largest
such judgment over postings on an Internet blog or message board. Lyrissa
Lidsky, a University of Florida law professor who specializes in
free-speech issues, calls the award "astonishing."

Update On The Lauren Canario Imprisonment

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:30:00 +0000

A few slight corrections here, and a slight update, other than that, we've got a whole lotta "no comments".

Okay, the corrections first (unlike the MSM, we acknowledge our failings on the front page above the fold, not on the back page in small print). Lauren was apparently sitting on the porch of a family that gave her permission to be there. They had not received a check from either the New London Development Corporation or the city yet, so legally, it was still their property, and their right to have guests.

Lauren did have a valid lease with Bill Van Winkle, also, and so was validly a resident of the neighborhood at the time, and not a "squatter" as the powers that be are trying to pretend.

As to the charge that she was "squatting" in the house she was arrested at, this is clearly bogus. Firstly, sitting on a front porch is not considered by the law to be inhabiting the interior of the home. If police can bust you for open container for drinking a beer on your own front porch (and police have won many a conviction in such situations), on the premise that you were drinking in public, and not within the confines of your home, then Lauren cannot have been considered 'squatting' inside the house. Furthermore, given she had permission from those who were still owners at the time to be there, her neighbors, there was absolutely no trespass involved, any more than a neighbor waiting on your porch for your return can be considered trespassing.

The conversation about her court appearance, it turns out, came from her PREVIOUS arrest by the city about her anti-eminent domain activism. We have, however, come to find out that during that arrest, she was, in fact, shackled to the point that she now has scars, kept under lights 24/7, and kept in the psych ward, all for exercising her constitutional rights to no cooperate and not speak.

What kind of a country have we come to where people make lame excuses that, "if she'd only comply this would be over." THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, people. As we have written previously about Gandhi and the problems of using civil disobedience against governments that don't care about public perception and western values, the fact is that in this case, we do live in a society that claims to have western values, and a government that claims to be based upon the principles of the Enlightenment: rule of law, rights of the individual sacrosanct, Constitution above all else.

Saying "just behave to get along" is a surrender to the forces of fascism rising within our society, and an abrogation by the citizenry to defend the Constitution against clearly demonstrated *domestic* enemies of that sacred document of trust and liberty. The Constitution is about your damn RIGHT to misbehave as you wish, so long as you don't harm others, other than defending against those who agress against those rights.

That this battle is in earnest is clear in the minds of the powers that be. Numerous calls by many of Laurens supporters, and readers of this blog have universally said that the prison is refusing to comment about Lauren's treatment. The office of CT Governor Jodi Rell has refused comment, as has NH Governor Lynch's office.

That they are denying the peoples basic right to know what is going on in their government is indicative of the hijacking of liberty that is going on. We do have further ammo to spend.

To those who have commented that "if shes incommunicado, how do you know how she's been treated." A fair question. We were relying on the statement of Kat Kanning, Laurens close friend. According to Kat, Lauren was detained in shackles, under lights 24/7, in the psych ward last time for her use of silence and non-cooperation. This was confirmed by observations of scabbing and scarring on Lauren's wrists and ankles after her release from her prior detention in this facility.

Given that government stooges are creatures of habit and procedure, who follow "the book" religiously (or claim they are supposed to), it seems rather logical to us that if she is being held in even more secluded confinement this time, with absolutely no contact with the outside world, even with her own husband and kids, it seems reasonable to us that the state of Connecticut is hiding something from the public. Government thugs only hide information and people when they've done something wrong. It is reasonable in this case to expect them to remain true to form.

It turns out that Amnesty International (a group which I am not normally all that hot about), did a rather damning report about this womens prison, how male guards were raping prisoners and exchanging privileges for sex, as well as intimidating prisoners who complained about conditions. This was brought up on Dvorak Uncensored, which carried our original story yesterday.

The good news is that one of Laurens supporters contacted Amnesty about Lauren's case, who said they were not aware of this case, but would have one of their CT people investigate. When asked, a prison official stated that if an Amnesty International rep showed up, they would be admitted and allowed to inspect the conditions of Lauren's detention. So apparently we may get an answer to all the controversy surrounding this story.

IntLib Quote of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 08:44:00 +0000

"It's a good thing I had a bag of Marijuana instead of a bag of spinach.
I'd be dead by now."
~ Willie Nelson

UPDATE: We have been reliably informed by the director of the NH Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) that, through mutual friends, he was able to ask Willie if he actually said this, as there has been some controversy, particularly over at Snopes.com, whether Willie did or not, or whether it was paraphrased from the writing of humorist Argus Hamilton by some anonymous fabricator on the internet. Willie says that he never said it, but really enjoyed the statement it made. Thanks, Willie!

So file this under your "coulda, shoulda, woulda said, but didn't actually say it" department. Who knows, now that he's been made aware of it, you may be hearing him say it some time in the near future!

We might point out to those who are unfairly singling out spinach in these times of e coli tainted food, that this is very un-PC, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says:

My PC book says that we can't just profile spinach. We have to pull all vegetables off the shelves.

Thanks everybody, for clearing this up.

BlogMad.com Ranks IntLib Highly

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 05:49:00 +0000

As evidence of our market penetration, blog indexer Blogmad.com ranked IntLib 42nd for referral traffic in September, and is currently ranking 24th so far in October (this may change as traffic varies).

We've certainly been trying. Unfortunately, some indexers don't seem to be working too well these days. Blog index icon Technorati seems to be broken. They haven't responded to multiple ping requests of ours for 5 days, and their site is now displaying in some sort of cellphone browser format. Multiple emails have not been responded to. This non-pingability seems restricted to IntLib alone, as our sister blog, Constitution Park, was pinged successfully the other day.

Blog "ecosystem" site The Truth Laid Bear seems to have problems keeping accurate daily traffic counts, and grossly undercounts links to blogs (where Technorati sees 51 links from 28 blogs as of last week, TTLB only sees 11 blogs linking to us).

And what is with ranking by crosslinks? Having links doesn't create traffic, as we've proven: over 41,000 hits last month while being misunderestimated by the major blogger community. We generate 99.9% of our traffic from two places: digg and reddit. Links don't indicate popularity, it only indicates how many other bloggers asses you've kissed. We've posted links to lots of blogs, and those reciprocating have been few and far between.

We're interested in hearing of our readers experiences with various blog indexes.

Eminent Domain Protester Canario Held In Gitmo Style

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 21:25:00 +0000

Lauren Canario, Free State Project member noted for protesting against REAL ID and most recently, the eminent domain taking of Mrs. Kelo's New London, CT home, is being treated inhumanely in Connecticut's high-security York Correctional Institution.

According to close friend Kat Kanning, Canario, arrested Sept 22, on a mere charge of trespassing (on property she had a valid lease agreement with the owner for), is being held in shackles under bright lights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While she can receive mail, she can neither make or receive phone calls, nor send out mail.

The shackling and lighting treatment is one that has historically been used by oppressive governments to break the will of political prisoners and spies, prior to mind control indoctriation or interrogation. That she is being held in solitary confinement in the prisons psych ward is indicative of Soviet era reports of political prisoners being institutionalized as psychiatric patients. Prison officials allege that they've put her in the psych ward because she refuses to talk.

Thus, she is being treated as a psych patient only because she is exercising her right to not cooperate with her oppressors and her right to not speak.

Nor, apparently, does she have a lawyer. Bill Von Winkle, a Fort Trumbull homeowner from whom Canario rented an apartment, helped her get a lawyer, but “when she saw that I wasn't walking, that I was dragged, she decided she didn't want to represent me,” Canario said.

The silence that has frustrated two judges was not planned, she said at one of her public appearances.

“When I get angry, I can't talk,” she said.

Neither have the courts appointed counsel for her, another violation of her rights. Thus, she remains in a condition much like that of the 'unlawful enemy combatants' that President Bush is holding in Guantanamo Bay.

While we in the US are now familiar with this 24-hour-a-day lighting treatment having been used improperly on Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison by US forces, and in Guantanamo's notorious "Camp X-Ray", on some of the most heinous terrorist enemies of the United States, we are shocked to see this sort of treatment being perpetrated upon a middle aged woman arrested for the mere charge of trespassing (again, on property she had a valid lease to be on from the lawful owner).

A call made to York Correctional Institution resulted in a refusal by staff on duty to make any statement about Lauren's condition, deferring to Major Karen Oien, who will be available tomorrow for comment.

Inquiries to NH Governor John Lynch's office as to whether he will try to intercede with CT Gov. Jodi Rell to protect the rights of Canario, who is a New Hampshire resident, have been made, but not responded to.

What does the government have to fear from a middle aged woman who offered absolutely no resistance to her arrest, has no record of any violent crimes, who is being abused for her exercise of her right of silence and noncooperation?

Lauren can, apparently, receive letters, so those wishing to express support for her can mail them to:

Lauren Canario #334457
c/o York Correctional Institution
201 West Main Street
Niantic, CT 06357

If you wish to ask NH Governor Lynch to intercede on Lauren's behalf, you can call his office at 603 271-2121 and ask for Amy Harrington. Be polite.

Those wishing to get worked up can, of course, call CT Gov. Jodi Rell's office at (800) 406-1527. Be sure to note Lauren's prisoner number.

We'll be back tomorrow with updates on what the powers that be say about Lauren's treatment.

Leftist Students Attack Free State Project Founder

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:40:00 +0000

Free State Project founder, Professor Jason P Sorens, graduate of Yale University, and currently faculty at the University of Buffalo, has come under attack in an on-campus email campaign by leftist group "Truth Out" for his libertarian views. Most specifically, the emails being sent to all UB students completely slander and defame the Free State Project, libertarians in general as "extreme right-wingers" who "care more about property than human beings".

From: Truth Out
To: *snip*
Subject: politics of the psc 341 professor
Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2006 17:21:56 -0500

Hello

Ever wonder about the politics of our professor?

Jason Sorens, founder of the Free State Project, a group trying to get 20,000 people who plan to move out to rural New Hampshire, never pay taxes, never contribute anything of value to American society, and who value private property over human life. So they are taking their belongings and their guns out to New Hampshire to live in isolation from the rest of the American population. They are trying to privatize nearly everything and fundamentally dismantle public education and many social programs and services. This organization is sympathetic toward secessionist movements in general. Libertarianism is a extreme right-wing philsophy which believes that private property and the free market has a greater value than human life and society. And he teaches here at UB... So why exactly is someone teaching at UB who believes in dismantling public education? Is there a connection between his politics and how his courses are organized?

The email then lists several web pages of interviews with Sorens and about the FSP.

"Wow," Sorens commented, "I guess some people don't know the meaning of
academic freedom, eh?"

Apparently not, though such attacks are part and parcel of an entrenched left wing campaign among students and faculty to drive libertarian and conservative faculty members and student groups off campus. Long time readers of IntLib will recall our previous activism in support of libertarian Professors Zywicki and Robinson (regular contributors to The Volokh Conspiracy) in their insurgent campaigns for election to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees by alumni against entrenched insider candidates, and the ensuing left wing hostility. Those of you who track conservatives like David Horowitz may note his campaign against these sorts of left wing persecutions and discriminations against conservatives and libertarians on campus.

Our leader is under attack, it is time to bring attention nationally to this sort of intolerance by the left wing of other political views on campus, and establish once and for all that attacking faculty on their honest and rational political views is not acceptable.

What is more hypocritical is that, at the same time that the left is attacking Sorens for his rational libertarian views, they are shielding radical leftist professors who promote radical, irrational, moonbat conspiracy theories about events like 9/11, as we've reported previously. One would expect that, given that hypocrisy is the only crime that the left apparently recognises, that they'd try to avoid it, but apparently this is one more case of "Do as I say, Not as I Do" by the moonbats.

Meet John Stossel at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 07:07:00 +0000

New Hampshire Liberty Forum
Attaining Personal and Economic Freedom in America's Freest State
February 22 - 25, 2007 in Concord, New Hampshire.

Here's an event for libertarians looking to explore the Free State can attend in February. Keynote speaker will be noted ABC anchor John Stossel, host of his famous "Gimme a Break!" debunking shows, cohost of 20/20, and author of several books, including "Give Me A Break". His speech, to be titled The Enemies of Liberty, will be delivered immediately following a delicious four-course meal. As demand for this speech is expected be extremely high, and the number of seats is limited, a separate fee will be charged to attend Mr. Stossel's keynote. Mr. Stossel will also be available to sign copies of his books.

Other speakers will include:

Sharon Harris, president of The Advocates for Self-Government

Jack Cole, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the CATO institute

More speakers will be announced soon...

Further information about registration, fees, etc. can be found at the FSP's website page on the event.

Early Bird registration is happening now, so the FSP recommends getting the best pricing while you can. Ticket prices of the event will get more expensive. The prices seem especially reasonable, given the quality of the speakers and variety of panel discussions available.

Also, they have negotiated a special rate at the Holiday Inn, once their quota is reached, the hotel rate will be higher as well.

There will aso be other panel discussions on various topics, there appears to be a rather full schedule of events, which will only fill out as the event nears. They've got five speaking halls reserved for this, in addition to the main hall.

IntLib Quote of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 23:30:00 +0000

"I can't get over the "Statue Of Liberty Holding An Automatic Weapon" logo on that blog. Libertarians are so damn cute!" - Jimbob at Metafilter

The logo is a hit! Hey, Jimbob, the IntLib logo can be bought on any sort of t-shirt or knick nack at the IntLib Cafe. Link in the masthead...

Liberty Dollar Wins Grand Prize for Security Printing

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:40:00 +0000

It sure has been a big month for NORFED and the Liberty Dollar. First all the hoopla falling out of the US Mint's absurd pronouncement that the Liberty Dollar was 'illegal', which resulted in a ten times increase in traffic to the Liberty Dollars website, and a concurrent increase in orders.

We here at IntLib saw almost 30,000 hits on this site from the four articles we've done so far on this story (links at the bottom of this article), from over 25,000 unique individual browsers. Three of our four articles became popular hits at Digg.com, reddit.com, and have been linked to by many other sites.

Now we hear that, in an age when Federal Reserve Notes are being counterfieted at will by international criminals like the North Koreans, the Liberty Dollars printed warehouse receipt certificates have just won a Grand Prize for Document Security at the DMIA's Peak Awards 2006, to be presented at Print Solutions 2006 conference and show, October 3-5, near Chicago at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois.

Now Liberty Dollar Certificate holders can be secure knowing that their warehouse receipts are using the most secure printing technologies available to the commercial printing market, to prevent counterfieting, fraud, and dilution of the money supply. Printed by Verify First Technologies and Pro Document Solutions, the certificates went up against the best printed media from around the world.

"The contest was for the whole world and it covered checks, stock certificates, bonds, gift certificates, basically everything that would need to be secure," said NORFED founder Bernard von Nothaus in a prepared release, "Just another sign that the Liberty Dollar is a winner."

Liberty Dollar University and Anniversary
This year's Liberty Dollar Uuniversity 11 will feature the latest Liberty Dollar happenings with a Meet/Greet at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 25 and concludes with lunch on Saturday, October 28 in Skokie, Illinois.

The Liberty Dollar celebrates its 8th Anniversary this coming October 1st and this LDU11 will be an extra good one, according to its organizers. In addition, the Annual RCO Congress will follow it on Saturday afternoon. All RCOs are encouraged, to attend the RCO Congress.

LDU11 will be held at the Comfort Inn Northshore-Skokie, 9333 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL. Reservations at the hotel by calling 847.679.4200. Mentioning the Liberty Dollar is necessary to receive a room discount. The conference is $200 for Associates and free for RCOs. Attendees must call the NORFED office at 888.421.6181 to make their reservations, as walk-ins will not be accepted.

Regarding the upcoming 8th anniversary of the Liberty Dollar, von Nothaus had this to say, "For those who thought we would not last 30 days... they were wrong. For those who think we will not last 30 more days... they will probably be wrong too. I sincerely do not think that it is possible to bar people from using gold and silver between “consenting adults.” Our country is nearing a crisis point, a Decisive Moment, on many fronts. It is time for everyone who believes in the US Constitution and a Republican form of government to take action... before it is too late. Please take as much action as possible. There is safety in numbers and there are a lot of people who support the Liberty Dollar as it has become the rally point for similar ideals. Let your voice be heard!"

BACKDATE:

US MINT Claims NORFED Are Federal Criminals

US Mint v NORFED: The legal case

NORFED Fires Back At US MINT

Liberty Dollar Says NO to US Mint

Barry Hess, Libertarian for Arizona Governor

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:31:00 +0000

The Arizona State University Web Devil has coverage of gubernatorial candidate Barry Hess, with the typical "not a snowballs chance" journalistic cynicism:

We at IntLib got to chat with Barry this evening to get his position on the issues.

Hess says that Janet Napolitano has made a mess of the states educational system, and the Republican candidate is merely Democrat-lite with some Christianity mixed in. Libertarians are really resonating with people who are fed up with the "business as usual".

"We're having a good go of it and the major media is realizing we're having an impact. Where candidates always say 'I'm god, you need me', I'm just acting as a carrier for the message of liberty."

For education, Barry will be drastically improving the public school system but not the established infrastructure. Currently 40% of students graduate functionally illiterate in AZ. Barry wants to focus on the progress of the individual students rather than building schools. He would issue a laptop computer to any Arizonan regardless of age, with access to a central testing certification program. Like New Hampshire's "Real World Learning", Hess thinks that people are capable of learning anywhere, and shouldn't be limited to government approved buildings.

Kids who cut up in class and are suspended would be responsible for taking their lessons at home via laptop. Barry would end the forced zombification of students with prozac and ritalin. He would heavily emphasize parental involvement in student progress, particularly with kids exhibiting special needs for extra attention. Parenting begins in the home, not the schools. "We need to bring critical reasoning skills back into the curriculum, enabling kids to become citizens capable of spotting the illogic in politicians."

"We used to have to teach people what a libertarian was. Now, in AZ, people want to know what the difference is between Republicans and Democrats, cause they don't see one."

Barry is confident that he will make a significant impact this year. The only people who disregard the validity of Libertarians in Arizona are the MSM and the christian fundamentalists. His campaign has received a lot of publicity and endorsements, and is expecting some major ones in the next few days.

Barry wants to roll eminent domain back to the original Constitutional basis, of using it only when a property owner uses their resources to harm another.

He agrees with abolishing all victim disarmament zones, including schools and airliners, adopting "Vermont carry". He would stop REAL ID, though both major parties in the legislature seem to be for it.

Barry would limit car registrations to $10, with no graduated fees any longer. He would, most importantly, abolish the state income tax, and defy the Federal Income Tax enforcement within the state, likely through ending the use of employers as tax agents. "We have already successfully sued against their use of notices of liens and illegal conversion, we got 20,000 notices thrown out of the county records with one lawsuit."

Barry is a dedicated libertarian of principle, who is very effective communicating the message, but at the same time good at networking with a "big tent". He has spoken a number of times at the Goldwater Center, and is best of friends with Don Goldwater, who recently lost the Republican Primary, as well as Minutemen chairman. David Nolan, founder of the LP, former LP Presidential candidated Michael Badnarik, as well as radio personalities Ernie Hancock and Charles Goyette have endorsed Hess. He even has endorsements from professional wrestlers Sean Morley (aka "Val Venis") and Glenn Jacobs (aka WWE's "Kane"). He has obtained endorsements from Republicans like runner Lynn Petronella, and should be receiving more in the future.

He has the endorsement of The International Libertarian.
Hess For Governor 2006
P.O. Box 6011
Glendale, Arizona 85312
Telephone (602) 843-3827
Fax: (602) 843-0897

Professor Sunstein to Speak on 'Libertarian Paternalism,' Oct. 5

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:19:00 +0000

Legal scholar Cass Sunstein will deliver a lecture titled "Libertarian Paternalism Is Not an Oxymoron" at Princeton University, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in McCosh 50.

Sunstein, a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School, advocates libertarian paternalism as a concept that legitimizes private and public institutions' attempts to steer personal choices without infringing on individual liberty. His lecture will offer examples in many areas, such as government and private entities helping consumers, victims of discrimination and poverty, workers and those at risk from natural disasters.

Sunstein's principal research interests include administrative law, environmental law, welfare law, jurisprudence and constitutional law. He has written numerous books, including "Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America" (2005) and the forthcoming "Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge" and "Are Judges Political? An Empirical Investigation of the Federal Judiciary."

Sunstein's talk, designated as the Walter E. Edge Lecture, is part of the University’s Public Lecture Series.

We would encourage libertarians in the Princeton area to attend to see just what Prof. Sunstein means by "libertarian paternalism": whether he means giving choices that encourage people to act in their own long term rational self interest, or whether he wants to give biased choices that financially coerce people into acting in a politically correct way, or, worse yet, more of the same old all or nothing, one size fits all style of New Deal government repackaged with a new schtick.

The NHLA has seen big government paternalists up here in NH trying to repackage their nanny state programs in libertarian buzz words. We suspect that Sunstein's lecture will be more of the same, particularly given his past opposition to originalism in Constitutional interpretation, but we are open to being pleasantly surprised.

NY Libertarian Candidate Demands Debate Time In Cornell

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:03:00 +0000

By Steven Xian
Sep 27 2006
The Cornell Daily Sun

While masses of Democrats and Republicans hustled and bustled into Bailey Hall to hear the heated debate between gubernatorial candidates Eliot Spitzer and John Faso yesterday evening, one group was left out in the Ithaca cold.

“We have no choice and we have no voice!” exclaimed one of the many signs held by the Cornell Libertarians and Ithaca Libertarians gathered outside of Bailey Hall, protesting the exclusion of Libertarian candidate John Clifton from the debate.

The League of Women Voters of New York (LWVNY), which sponsored the debate, ignored Clifton’s demands for an inclusive debate with third party candidates. As a result, Clifton took matters into his own hands and came all the way from New York City to Ithaca in protest.

“This is a puppet show stunt by the Democrats and Republicans!” Clifton declared.

“All Faso and Spitzer have to do is call each other on the phone and set up an inclusive debate. But instead, third parties are marginalized by [the bipartisan] structure,” he said.

One might ask, what is the Libertarian school of thought?

“The commitment to the individual and individual rights is a primary theme,” Clifton explained.

The basis of this political philosophy is the maximization of individual rights and minimization of the role of the government. An ethic of self-responsibility is emphasized and thus, forcing an individual to provide aid to another, as in the case of welfare, is wrong, according to Libertarians.

Accordingly, one of the issues on Clifton’s platform is ending of the restaurant smoking ban, which limits an individual’s choice as to whether or not to smoke. Data shows that this policy has hurt the business of many New York restaurants, especially those bordering states without a restaurant smoking ban.

“If there’s one restaurant in New York and just another one not too far across the border line, and somebody want to smoke, where do you think he’ll go?” Clifton asked.

Also on his platform is the elimination of the state income tax, beginning with those making less than $75,000 a year. This falls in line with libertarianism because “all taxation is theft,” Clifton explained.

On the issue of education, Clifton advocated creating more options for educating youth. He emphasized giving teachers more direct control of how things are run and taught rather than relying on the Department of Education, “which has more bureaucrats than Europe.”

“There is too much compulsion … and parents should take sovereignty in deciding how their children are educated,” Clifton said.

Yet despite his clear platform, Clifton was not invited to yesterday’s debate. Why, one might ask?

“Third parties are politically unessential. They rarely get more than a few percentage points and they lack a large constituent base,” said Alex Bulanov ’09, who describes himself as Republican.

Jennifer Ng ’08, a Democrat, thought along similar lines.

“The last time a third party candidate was elected governor of New York was back in 1800’s,” she said.

Libertarians, however, have different reasons for their exclusion.

“I think the major party candidates are afraid to have other voices heard and that’s why I think they exclude third party candidates,” said Nigel Watt ’10, who was among those protesting.

Curry Taylor, vice president of Cornell Libertarians offered his view: “I think it’s clear from the people protesting with us here today that there aren’t a lot of choices in the two major parties. We’re not happy with the fact that John Clifton was excluded today and we haven’t been given a satisfactory reason why.”

A simpler explanation was offered by Evan Mulvihill ’09.

“The League of Women Voters can’t count past two,” he said.

And indeed, for most students at Cornell University, two is the norm and third parties are essentially discredited and invisible. But with a platform that includes the lowering of the legal drinking age to 18, who wouldn’t give the Libertarian party at least a second glance?

Libertarian Ejected From Public Festival In Kansas

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:34:00 +0000

Joshua Seiden, Staff Affiliate September 28, 2006
The Johnson County Sun

City officials want to know why police ejected Jason Peck, Libertarian candidate for the 24th District in the Kansas House, from the Mission Arts and Eats Festival.

During the festival's second night, Peck conversed with event goers and distributed campaign literature. Peck said no one objected until Councilwoman Suzie Gibbs approached him with a Mission police officer.

"They told me that I had to leave and that if I came back they would cite me for trespassing," Peck said. "I don't know if the decision came from a higher-up or what."

Gibbs did not respond to messages left on her residential and mobile phone voicemails, nor e-mail. She also could not be reached at City Hall.

Mayor Laura McConwell said in a press release that city officials should not have ejected Peck.

"This is a very unfortunate turn of events and I want to personally apologize to Mr. Peck for the way he was treated," McConwell said. "Mr. Peck should not have been asked to leave this public event. Mr. Peck was within his rights to be campaigning during the Arts and Eats Festival."

McConwell said that Mission is conducting an investigation and has contacted the District Attorney's Office and the League of Kansas Municipalities for guidance.

Peck said he wants assurance that such an incident will not occur again.

"I've got a lawyer who is going to be in contact with them to explain to them why what they did was wrong and also to ask for something in writing to us (stating) that it won't happen again," Peck said. "Otherwise, we're going to file suit."

Peck said city officials silenced his freedom of speech.

"I guess the bottom line with me is that this is a First Amendment issue and I'm really kind of surprised that there's anybody out there, particularly in the City Council, that doesn't understand that," Peck said. "It's disappointing to me that it has to come to this point."

Those who wish to express their opinion to Ms. Gibbs can reach her here:
Suzanne (Suzie) Gibbs:
6432 Reeds Drive, Mission, KS 66202
(913) 671-8564
sgibbs@missionks.org
(Term Expires 2010) <-- This means someone needs to run against her.

Jason Peck:
Currently Jason works as a Senior Programmer / Analyst for Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, (Alice Scott, her daughter Sarah Padilla, his son Kenneth and his daughter Krystal). He is a motorcycle enthusiast, a lifelong competitive shooter, hunter, fisherman, and enjoys all types of outdoor activities. A US Army veteran, volunteer firefighter/EMT, Peck has also been involved in JayCees, NMSS, and established one of the first volunteer youth programs at the Johnson County Juvinile Detention Center in 1996.

Jason plans on focusing on the following priorities during the upcoming campaign.

Continue efforts to pass a constitutional amendment preventing eminent domain abuse. Jason strongly supports HB 5025, a firm resolution to protect private property owners' rights.
Introducing legislation to allow Kansas to opt out of "No Child Left Behind" and regain control of its public schools.
Introducing legislation to eliminate the sales tax on food products. This is a regressive tax on the poor and elderly, and the income tax rebate intended to offset the tax is ineffective.

Congressional Incumbent vs Libertarian in CA 7th

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:26:00 +0000

By Jennifer Gentile /Staff Writer
TheReporter.com

The race for the 7th Congressional District seat this November is a face-off between a congressional veteran and an avowed Libertarian.

Camden McConnell, the Libertarian in the race and a structural engineer by trade, is running against Democratic incumbent George Miller, who has served in Congress since 1975.

Miller, after graduating from Diablo Community College and San Francisco State University, earned his law degree from the University of California, Davis. The father of two is originally from Richmond and now resides in Martinez with his wife, Cynthia.

McConnell, 64, was born in Fort Bliss, Texas. The 64-year-old McConnell graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. He also holds a master of science degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After his military service, which included tours in Vietnam, McConnell began a 16-year career as a structural engineer.

The married father, who has lived in Pittsburg since 1983, belongs to the Structural Engineers' Association of Northern California and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

McConnell said his philosophy is in line with the nation's founding fathers.

"I agree with the founding fathers that each man is entitled to own himself, his property and all that he produces and may dispose of all as he determines to be in his best interest without interference from the collective entity known as government," McConnell tells potential constituents on is Web site, www.camdenfor congress.org

In an interview Monday, McConnell said Libertarians favor smaller government, both in size and expense, and are against laws that inhibit the economy and citizens from making their own choices. The biggest difference between him and his opponent, he said, is their perception of government.

"I think we need to end the uncontrolled growth of government," McConnell said.

When government is in the hands of professional politicians from either of the country's major parties, McConnell said, it has a tendency to become out of control.

"Our country is broken," having strayed very far from the vision of limited government, personal liberty and respect for property rights held by the framers of the Constitution," the candidate said. "I want to help set it right."

Depending on the voter, Miller's experience could help him or hurt him in the election. According to a biography posted on his Web site, www.house.gov/George Miller, some of the congressman's primary issues are education, labor and the economy. He continues to serve on the House Resources Committee and founded the House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. He is also the Senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

The congressman was also among the four authors of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Miller "did not endorse every aspect of this bipartisan bill," according to the biography, "but some of its most important features came directly from some of Miller's earlier legislative efforts, such as improving teacher quality, holding schools accountable for the education of all children, and the need to provide greater financial resources to schools to meet the new goals."

One issue the candidates do agree on is the war in Iraq. McConnell said, "It was wrong for us to go there," and Miller has called the war "a historic blunder with tragic consequences."

"There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and there was no connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein," Miller said during a speech on the House floor. "The administration used fear to scare this country into war based upon those lies. He (Bush) refused to properly prepare for the war or for its aftermath. And now, our soldiers, their families, and our Nation are paying the enormous price of this President's tragic blunder."

McConnell said that in the eyes of many Libertarians, Martin Van Buren was one of the finest presidents in the nation's history. He was under great pressure to go to war with Mexico and Britain during his tenure, but resisted.

In the case of Iraq, McConnell said he would favor withdrawal.

Jennifer Gentile can be reached at vacaville@thereporter.com.

UK Abrogates '5th Amendment' Over Speeding Tickets

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 05:59:00 +0000

They say that the American Revolution was ignited over a piddling few pence tax upon tea, or stamps on papers or some such, but this story is further evidence that Britain is descending into outright fascism.

Turns out that laws to do with the notorious highway cameras, and their application toward catching speeders has a problem: identifying the drivers.

See, since a camera records the speed without human supervision, a car caught speeding is brought to court without any human witnesses to the violation, ergo nobody can testify against the accused.

Secondly, determining who IS the accused can often be a problem, particularly at night or in clement weather. Seeing as how there is a lack of a human accuser, car owners brought to court based on photos of license tags have resorted to refusing to identify who was driving, i.e. 'taking the fifth' as we say here in the US. While Britain doesn't have a Constitution like ours, our 5th Amendment is based on a long established English common law right against self incrimination.

The state has thus fined car owners for refusing to testify, a violation of their right to not speak.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: "Despite rapidly mounting evidence that speed cameras have proved to be a deadly mistake, government appears to be incapable of seeing the damage that's being done."

He went on: "The so-called 'right to silence' is ancient and worthy. I am certain that speed cameras have made our roads considerably more dangerous by diverting attention from more important safety factors."

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "The UK Government does not accept this claim and is vigorously defending this case. We are confident of its defence, which has been upheld in the UK courts."

We shall be watching.

NH House Commission Hearing on RFID Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Lorrey) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 03:16:00 +0000

COMMISSION ON THE USE OF RADIO FREQUENCY TECHNOLOGY (HB 203-FN,
Chapter 165:1, Laws of 2006), Room 304, Legislative Office Building (behind the state house)
Concord, New Hampshire
10:00 a.m. Regular meeting.

Rep. Sam Cataldo, CASPIAN Founder and "Spy Chips" author Katherine Albrecht, and others will be appearing as RFID commission members for this public hearing regarding Radio Frequency IDentification technologies, with an eye toward formulating regulations to prevent the violation of NH citizens' privacy or other rights with these technologies.

If you care about your privacy and the future of your freedom, you'll attend this meeting to contribute your opinion and hear what the commissioners have determined to date. This is an issue of importance to all libertarians and others who care about their privacy rights. Don't let the state seize your privacy in the name of security.