Weekend Update, No. 12

This week the editorial razor was not honed to its customarily sharp edge.  Categorization and article sources have been added to compensate.

The Price of Freedom, by Fred Reed @ LRC
A work that will make you laugh out loud both times you read it.  The hilarious, curmudgeonly Reed takes airline security to its apparent conclusion.  Check out his site for more fun.




The Quest for Socialist Medicine

All You Need to Know About Healthcare Reform, by Ludwig von Mises @ LRC Blog
Mises' analyses never fail to impress.  In three insightful paragraphs he illustrates perfectly how Obamacare and all social insurance systems fail.

What the "Affordable Health Care for America Act," HR3962 Actually Says, by John David Lewis @ CapMag
The heroic Lewis has actually read and analyzed the behemoth.  The excerpts from the bill he quotes, and his studied interpretation are guaranteed to induce nausea.

True History

Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were Anti-Slavery, by Chuck Baldwin @ C4L
More striking truth you never learned at school.  Add Jefferson to the list of key historical figures whose positions on government make them targets for smear campaigns in education and media.

Who Really Won World War II? by Michael Kreca @ LRC
Dismantles the widely held beliefs of why the US entered the war, and who was the big winner.

Why 'The Greatest Generation'? by Robert Johnson @ STR
Some important questions for the generation who tolerated some of the worst abuses of government.

Republics vs. Democracies, by Edward Cline @ CapMag
This lesson can never be reviewed too often.  Though our current crop of schemers and crooks hails it as the greatest good, our founders viewed pure democracy with fear and loathing, and for good reason.

Police State USA

Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr. on the Failure of the Public Sector, the Coming Military Crackdown, and What Can Be Done to Stop It, by Scott Smith @ TDB
Constitutional scholar and lawyer sees the Federal Reserve and our burgeoning police state as the two most important problems facing the country.  A riveting interview, and equally worthy analysis that follows.

Handcuffed, Disarmed for Obeying the Law, by Vin Suprynowicz @ LRC
The police view civilians as the enemy, period.  Striking evidence presented here.

Police Fight Cellphone Recordings, by Daniel Rowinski @ The Boston Globe
Their arguments are entirely ludicrous.  Public servants financed by public dollars in public places have absolutely no expectation of privacy when on the job.  They simply don't want their deeds exposed to the light of day.

Ignorance, Incompetence AND Malice

The Broken Logic of Statism, by Don Cooper @ LRC
The idea that government knows better about everything.

Ideas and Politics: How to "Re-Invigorate" the GOP, by Silvia Bokor @ CapMag
There is only one way -- devotion to individual rights.  Unfortunately, it will never happen.

Can the Government Keep Us Safe, by Andrew Napolitano @ LRC
The judge examines its pathetic track record.

The Weird Factor, by Justin Raimondo @ Antiwar
More and more have come to the conclusion that the official government story on the pants bomber just doesn't make any sense.  Raimondo focuses on three aspects of the story that aren't even addressed by the government, the first two of which were mentioned previously here at PB.  The third is the presence of a man on the flight who videotaped the entire event.  At least two witnesses have come forward.  Be sure to check out his link to the Israeli art students.  It's a long but riveting read.  A quote from a senior intelligence officer:

There are some very, very smart people who have taken a lot of heat on this -- have gone to what I would consider extraordinary risks to reach out. Quite frankly, there are a lot of patriots out there who'd like to remain alive. Typically, patriots are dead.

Nice.

How the US Government Created the 'Drug Problem' in the USA, by Michael Kreca @ LRC
"These were and are all classic government COINTELPRO-style tricks – this is how natural herbs and their mild, pharmaceutical-grade derivatives were quickly and easily made lethal and consequently demonized."

Majority of Americans Dislike Jobs, by The Daily Bell
The reasons are fiat money, central banking, government regulation and outright nationalization of large portions of the economy.  The Daily Bell connects the dots yet again.

Women Become Majority Workers, by The Daily Bell
You simply must read their commentary on this subject.  Women's liberation undermines the family, allows indoctrination of children, and camouflages the effects of currency devaluation.

The Craziest Tax: Lost Your Job? The IRS Thinks You're Loaded, by Ted Rall @ The Smirking Chimp
The ridiculous policies of government defy belief.  Another instance where stolen money is given away only to be stolen again.  Even more insane than the Medicare tax on physicians who participate in Medicare.  Brilliant!

Tsunami Spending? Wave Your Money Bye, by Michael Stetz @ The San Diego Union-Tribune
You'll be stimulated by viewing these signs that point the way to safety for beachgoers.  Next up, "Comet Impact Zones."

Unauthorized Health & Wellness

Iodine for Health, by Donald W. Miller, Jr. MD @ LRC
Academic cardiac surgeon persuasively advocates intake 100 times greater than the US RDA.

Researchers Achieve Cancer-Killing Effect with Oral-Dose Vitamin C, by Bill Sardi @ LRC
Wow.  Oral liposomal form of Vitamin C acheives plasma levels sufficient to kill 50% of lymphoma cells in vitro.  Other studies emphasize the importance of avoiding carbohydrates, which interfere with the vitamin's beneficial effects.  Sardi notes that the article appears to have been suppressed.  Gee, haven't we here at PB explored this road before?

Why Expensive Trainers Could Be Worse Than Useless, by Chris McDougall @ The Daily Telegraph
Run barefoot, go faster, get fewer injuries.  What do you think Nike thinks of that?



European Socialist Blueprint

Businessman Is Arrested in Front of Wife and Son... For 'Anti-Gipsy' Email that He Didn't Even Write, by James Millbank @ The Daily Mail
The PC thought police are on the job.  The offense?  Use of the word 'likey.'  No, it's not some British insult you've never heard of.  It rhymes with one.  Seriously.

TV Star Warned Over Waving Knife at Intruders, by Huw Borland @ Sky News
Because in Britain, self-defense is not a right.  The rights of your assailants trump it.  Again, seriously.

Our Worldwide Empire

Left and Right Against the Empire, by David Spero @ Dissident Voice
The liberal/conservative construct is an artificial device (see also: Hegelian dialectic) used to blind us to the fact that our true enemy is state power.

The Dismal Science

Inflation 101, by Puru Saxena @ SafeHaven
"In our opinion, inflation is evil and the sole reason why human beings have become modern-day slaves."  I wish I would have said it myself.  If you don't already understand why this is so, read this article.  Then read it again until the message is internalized.

Dinosaur Media

What Didn't Happen After the DC Handgun Ban Ended, by William Ciucci @ The Washington Post
The paper itself hasn't made the point, so a letter writer had to.

A Naturalist Looks at Avatar, by Douglas Hermann @ STR 
This movie is generating a lot of controversy.  True, Cameron can be crude in espousing some of his more liberal views.  However, the crux of the film is libertarian.  The property rights of the native people are systematically violated by the military-industrial complex.  Hermann astutely points out the missed opportunity to skewer our media.