Friday, May 27, 2011

Human rights: Situation in Iran is growing worse - latimes.com #iranelections

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 'under a spell', Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi says - Telegraph #iranelections #tcot #freeiran #jcot

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8514929/Mahmoud-Ahm...

...."The president has taken the unprecedented step of refusing to obey orders handed down by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, less than two years after the pair formed a powerful political alliance to defeat anti-regime protests that swept the country."...

... "Regime elements are taking sides, but the president is looking increasingly isolated as the Revolutionary Guard and the clerical establishment swing behind the Supreme Leader. Even Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, whose apocalyptic vision of Shia Islam Mr Ahmadinejad is thought to follow, has joined in the criticism. I've told some of my close friends that I am more than 90 per cent certain that he has been put under a spell," Ayatollah Yazdi told reporters. "This is not natural at all. "No sane person does such things unless his free will has been taken away."...

Posted via email from Americans for Freedom in Iran

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Circumcision Controversy: What Else Should SF Voters be Allowed to Ban? » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog #tcot #jcot #tlot

Iran working on trigger for nukes, U.N. agency reports JTA #irannuclear #iranelections #jcot

EU to Sanction #Iranian Bank - WSJ.com #iranelections #freeiran

Is #Pakistans nuclear arsenal secure? #tcot #gwot

Pakistani commandos regain control of Karachi military base | World news | The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/23/pakistani-commandos-regain-karach...


BBC News - After Karachi: Is Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal safe?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13507767

Pakistan Retakes Naval Base After Militant Attack | News | English

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Pakistan-Retakes-Naval-Base-After-Militan...

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Hamas to PA: Tear agreements with Israel to pieces - Israel News, Ynetnews

Protect IP act fka #COICA #censorship bill comes up for vote in the Judiciary Committee thurs.

The Protect IP act formerly known as the COICA censorship bill comes up for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday contact it's members.For why see below.


Judiciary Committee Set to Pass Protect IP Act | Adweek

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/judiciary-committee-set-pass-anti-pirac...

Senator Richard Blumenthal - United States Senator for Connecticut: Contact

http://blumenthal.senate.gov/contact/

Contact | U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware

http://coons.senate.gov/contact/


Contact Form - Contact - United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas

http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm


Contact Dick Durbin - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

http://durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact


United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, California : Contact Us

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Home


Contact Grassley

http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm


Email Orrin - Contact - United States Senator Orrin Hatch

http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin


Senator Amy Klobuchar

http://klobuchar.senate.gov/contactamy.cfm


Contact Senator Kohl

http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm


Contact Senator Kyl

http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm


Patrick Leahy - United States Senator for Vermont: Contact

http://leahy.senate.gov/contact/


Contact - Mike Lee, United States Senator for Utah

http://lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact


United States Senator Jeff Sessions, Alabama :: Constituent Services :.

http://sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ConstituentServices.Co...


Senator Charles E. Schumer

http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm


Senator Sheldon Whitehouse | Senator for Rhode Island: Contact

http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Monday, May 23, 2011

Could Ahmadinejad's apocalyptic fantasies lead to war with Israel,or a Iranian civil war? #iranelections

Pajamas Media » Ahmadinejad’s Team Expects Arrival of 12th Imam … on June 5


http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/ahmadinejad%e2%80%99s-team-expects-arrival-of-12...

...."Supporters of the supreme leader are referring to Ahmadinejad’s group as “The Deviant Movement.” This “group” has announced that within the upcoming weeks a monumental event will turn the tide to their advantage. Based on a report from Iran’s Ayandeh, one of the officials within “The Deviant Movement” has informed his confidants that certain sources close to the “Mahdi’s Emergence Movement” have stated that an important event will soon change the course of operations to Ahmadinejad’s favor. According to interpretations offered by Ahmadinejad’s team, a high -ranking member of the Islamic Republic will meet with a climactic incident. This in turn will build up to the announcement of the “covert emergence” of the Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi) in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Hardliners critical of Ahmadinejad maintain that his team believes a covert emergence will commence on the 14th of Khordaad (June 5) in Medina, setting the stage for the announcement of
the
actual emergence in the next few years. ".....


.... "The Deviant Movement states that: “At the time of the covert emergence, his regent (i.e., the supreme leader) will be deposed from his position.” Previously, Ali Mottahari —a pro -supreme leader member of the Islamic Parliament —criticized Ahmadinejad: Ahmadinejad believes that the covert emergence has, in fact, occurred. Therefore, he acts like he no longer needs the supreme leader and that he can disobey him, as he is taking his orders directly from the Mahdi himself."....

...."Mehdi Khazali, son of Ayatollah Khazali....has added that there will be a bloody reckoning between Ahmadinejad’s allies and the supreme leader"....

....."As I revealed recently, a secret Iranian documentary, The Coming is Upon Us , details the last condition for the reappearance as the destruction of Israel and the conquest of Jerusalem by Ahmadinejad. He has been portrayed as the mythical figure in centuries -old Hadiths, Shoeib -ebne Saleh, the Islamic commander who attacks Israel in the End of Times and creates the needed circumstances for the reappearance of the Shiite messiah, the 12th Imam Mahdi. The question is: Will the rifts in the Iranian leadership push Ahmadinejad and his team to draw Israel into an unwanted war to prove that he is that mythical figure and to facilitate the Rapture? ....

Posted via email from Americans for Freedom in Iran

Could Ahmadinejad's apocalyptic fantasies lead to war with Israel,or a Iranian civil war? #iranelections

Pajamas Media » Ahmadinejad’s Team Expects Arrival of 12th Imam … on June 5


http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/ahmadinejad%e2%80%99s-team-expects-arrival-of-12...

...."Supporters of the supreme leader are referring to Ahmadinejad’s group as “The Deviant Movement.” This “group” has announced that within the upcoming weeks a monumental event will turn the tide to their advantage. Based on a report from Iran’s Ayandeh, one of the officials within “The Deviant Movement” has informed his confidants that certain sources close to the “Mahdi’s Emergence Movement” have stated that an important event will soon change the course of operations to Ahmadinejad’s favor. According to interpretations offered by Ahmadinejad’s team, a high -ranking member of the Islamic Republic will meet with a climactic incident. This in turn will build up to the announcement of the “covert emergence” of the Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi) in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Hardliners critical of Ahmadinejad maintain that his team believes a covert emergence will commence on the 14th of Khordaad (June 5) in Medina, setting the stage for the announcement of
the
actual emergence in the next few years. ".....


.... "The Deviant Movement states that: “At the time of the covert emergence, his regent (i.e., the supreme leader) will be deposed from his position.” Previously, Ali Mottahari —a pro -supreme leader member of the Islamic Parliament —criticized Ahmadinejad: Ahmadinejad believes that the covert emergence has, in fact, occurred. Therefore, he acts like he no longer needs the supreme leader and that he can disobey him, as he is taking his orders directly from the Mahdi himself."....

...."Mehdi Khazali, son of Ayatollah Khazali....has added that there will be a bloody reckoning between Ahmadinejad’s allies and the supreme leader"....

....."As I revealed recently, a secret Iranian documentary, The Coming is Upon Us , details the last condition for the reappearance as the destruction of Israel and the conquest of Jerusalem by Ahmadinejad. He has been portrayed as the mythical figure in centuries -old Hadiths, Shoeib -ebne Saleh, the Islamic commander who attacks Israel in the End of Times and creates the needed circumstances for the reappearance of the Shiite messiah, the 12th Imam Mahdi. The question is: Will the rifts in the Iranian leadership push Ahmadinejad and his team to draw Israel into an unwanted war to prove that he is that mythical figure and to facilitate the Rapture? ....

Posted via email from fightingstatism

The irrationality of Obama's speech on Israel is not in the details,it's the whole idea that Hamas will make peace. #jcot #supportisrael #tcot

RRD:Arguing over whether Obama wants land swaps misses the point.Obama's whole premise;that peace can be achieved with Hamas,is insane.It is as if one was focused on the details of the Munich Agreement,while ignoring the fact that the Nazis would violate the agreement.So long as Hamas exists peace is impossible.The only question is not "should there be peace","or how to go about achieving peace",it is:how many Israelis(and Palestinian children turned into human bombs) should die in pursuit of a delusion.The only way peace can be achieved is if the Palestinians throw off Hamas,(which the majority put into office to begin with.),and that is unlikely anytime soon.(And this does not even address the question of Fatah's sincerity).


See here for more links:

Obama's fantasyworld Middle-East vs. Reality #jcot #tcot #supportisrael - fightingstatism


http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/obamas-fantasyworld-middle-east-vs-reali...

Compromise — Ayn Rand Lexicon


http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/compromise.html


..."There can be no compromise between a property owner and a burglar; offering the burglar a single teaspoon of one’s silverware would not be a compromise, but a total surrender—the recognition of his right to one’s property.


“Doesn’t Life Require Compromise ?” The Virtue of Selfishness, 93. pb 93.

...."But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromiser is the transmitting rubber tube . . . When men reduce their virtues to the approximate, then evil acquires the force of an absolute, when loyalty to an unyielding purpose is dropped by the virtuous, it’s picked up by scoundrels—and you get the indecent spectacle of a cringing, bargaining, traitorous good and a self -righteously
uncompromising evil."....

Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual, 216; pb 173.

Posted via email from fightingstatism

The irrationality of Obama's speech on Israel is not in the details,it's the whole idea that Hamas will make peace. #jcot #supportisrael #tcot

RRD:Arguing over whether Obama wants land swaps misses the point.Obama's whole premise;that peace can be achieved with Hamas,is insane.It is as if one was focused on the details of the Munich Agreement,while ignoring the fact that the Nazis would violate the agreement.So long as Hamas exists peace is impossible.The only question is not "should there be peace","or how to go about achieving peace",it is:how many Israelis(and Palestinian children turned into human bombs) should die in pursuit of a delusion.The only way peace can be achieved is if the Palestinians throw off Hamas,(which the majority put into office to begin with.),and that is unlikely anytime soon.(And this does not even address the question of Fatah's sincerity).


See here for more links:

Obama's fantasyworld Middle-East vs. Reality #jcot #tcot #supportisrael - fightingstatism


http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/obamas-fantasyworld-middle-east-vs-reali...

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Cain fails to grasp concept of "Right of Return" regarding Israeli-Palestian conflict #tcot #2012 #tlot

RRD:Two points:1st.Cain evidently does not understand the term,or Israel's position on it.However he did not endorse the "Right of Return".He said it would up to Israel(which,by definition,means it won't happen.)You cannot endorse that which you don't grasp.(Which Ms.Bruce implicitly acknowledged)Her title is therefore somewhat misleading.
2nd.I have no reason to doubt that Cain supports Israel(based on this statement alone at least,I am still researching him),but his ignorance of this matter is obviously a flaw that will expose him to ridicule from both the left and the right.


Herman Cain Agrees In Principle to Palestinian Right of Return « Tammy Bruce


http://tammybruce.com/2011/05/herman-cain-agrees-in-principle-to-palestinian-...


Cain Clarifies Remarks on "Right of Return"


http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?KiIe--7yBR-eH60S8

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Poll shows American Jews st... JPost - Jewish World - Jewish News #jcot #tcot

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Dear Mr.Lindh STFU #tcot #gwot

RRD:Dear Mr.Lindh.Your misogynistic little shit of a son joined a group that blows the brains out of schoolteachers for teaching girls to read.He joined a group that beat elderly women to death for accidently exposing their ankles.


He is scum,and so are you.

Rather then insult the women of Afghanistan,our soldiers,and the victims of September 11 with your self-righteous evil,you should get down on your knees and be thankful that your piece of shit son was not executed(as he would have been in any previous war)He deserves to rot in prison.
I hope you spend the last years of your worthless little life struggling,to no avail,to free your scumbag son.I hope that you suffer some small degree of the anguish that the victims of the Taliban have suffered.


Your son should never walk out of a jail cell alive.He should never be released.


Sincerely

RRD

NYT: Bin Laden's Gone. Can My Son Come Home?


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/opinion/22lindh.xml

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Why Santorum Must Be Defeated

I could go on-and-on denouncing Santorum,but I will let him damn himself.Objectivists should have no problem grasping the nature of his evil.Those who are not Objectivists should familiarize themselves with Ayn Rand's writing to understand the nature of my opposition.

Here is a link to Santorum's book:


Amazon.com: It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good (9781932236293): Rick Santorum: Books


http://www.amazon.com/Takes-Family-Conservatism-Common-Good/dp/1932236295


RRD:A review of Santorum's book
Goodbye to Goldwater - Reason Magazine


http://reason.com/archives/2005/12/01/goodbye-to-goldwater

...."Above all, it [the book]is worth noticing because, like Goldwater's Conscience, it lays down a marker. As Goldwater repudiated Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, so Santorum repudiates Goldwater and Ronald Reagan....

....."Or, to put it differently, there are two kinds of freedom. One is "no -fault freedom," individual autonomy uncoupled from any larger purpose: "freedom to choose, irrespective of the choice." This, he says, is "the liberal definition of freedom," and it is the one that has taken over in the culture and been imposed on the country by the courts. Quite different is "the conservative view of freedom," "the liberty our Founders understood." This is "freedom coupled with the responsibility to something bigger or higher than the self." True liberty is freedom in the service of virtue --not "the freedom to be as selfish as I want to be" or "the freedom to be left alone" but "the freedom to attend to one's duties --duties to God, to family, and to neighbors." ...... Thus "selflessness in the family is the basis for the political liberty we cherish as Americans."....


.... "Freedom is not self -sufficient," writes Santorum. "....


....." Where Goldwater denounced collectivism as the enemy of the individual, Santorum denounces individualism as the enemy of family. "In the conservative vision," he writes, "people are first connected to and part of families: The family, not the individual, is the fundamental unit of society." Those words are not merely in tension with the individual-rights tradition of modern conservatism. They are incompatible with it."....

...." In an August interview with National Public Radio, he acknowledged his quarrel with "what I refer to as more of a libertarianish Right" and "this whole idea of personal autonomy."....

...."A list of the government interventions that Santorum endorses includes national service, promotion of prison ministries, "individual development accounts," publicly financed trust funds for children, community investment incentives, strengthened obscenity enforcement, covenant marriage, assorted tax breaks, economic literacy programs in "every school in America" (his italics), and more. Lots more. "....

...."He has no use for a constitutional (or, as far as one can tell, moral) right to privacy, which he regards as a "constitutional wrecking ball" that has become inimical to the very principle of the common good. Ditto for the notions of government neutrality and free expression. He does not support a ban on contraception, but he thinks the government has every right to impose one. ".....


Here is a link to the NPR interview mentioned in the Reason piece:


Rick Santorum, 'It Takes a Family' : NPR


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4784905

Here is his,(literal) attack on the Pursuit of Happiness:


YouTube - Santorum: pursuit of happiness harms AmericaYouTube - Santorum: pursuit of happiness harms America


Rick Santorum Blames Social Security Problems on 'Abortion Culture' - Politics News - ABC News Radio


http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/rick-santorum-blames-social-secur...


YouTube - Santorum: birth control harms women and society


From the website Santorum Exposed:

http://santorumexposed.com/pages/ontherecord.php


"I don't think it works. I think it's harmful to women, I think it's harmful to our society to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated, particularly among the young. I think it has, as we've seen, very harmful long-term consequences for society. So birth control to me enables that and I don't think it's a healthy thing for our country." --Saying that birth control is harmful to women, society and our country. CN8's "Nitebeat with Barry Nolan", July 28, 2005.

"The notion that college education is a cost -effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong." --Arguing that poor, unwed mothers don't really need college educations. It Takes a Family , Pg. 138, July 2005.


"Many women have told me, and surveys have shown, that they find it easier, more “professionally” gratifying, and certainly more socially affirming, to work outside the home than to give up their careers to take care of their children. Think about that for a moment…Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism, one of the core philosophies of the village elders." --Blaming "radical feminism" for making women want to work outside the home. It Takes a Family , Pg. 95, July 2005.


"But unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave." --Comparing a woman's right to choose to slavery. It Takes a Family , Pg. 241, July 2005.

"In far too many families with young children, both parents are working, when, if they really took an honest look at the budget, they might confess that both of them really don’t need to, or at least may not need to work as much as they do… And for some parents, the purported need to provide things for their children simply provides a convenient rationalization for pursuing a gratifying career outside the home." --Questioning the needs and motives of families in which both parents work. It Takes A Family , Pg. 94, July 2005.


"In this case, what we're talking about, basically, is priests who were having sexual relations with post -pubescent men. We're not talking about priests with 3-year-olds, or 5-year-olds. We're talking about a basic homosexual relationship. Which, again, according to the world view sense is a perfectly fine relationship as long as it's consensual between people. If you view the world that way, and you say that's fine, you would assume that you would see more of it." --Regarding Catholic Priests who molested children. Associated Press interview, April 2003. [RRD:Has Santorum heard of Statutory Rape,or the term "Consenting Adults"]

"And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society ? I would argue yes, it does. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution, this right that was created, it was created in Griswold —Griswold was the contraceptive case —and abortion. And now we're just extending it out. And the further you extend it out, the more you —this freedom actually intervenes and affects the family." --On his belief that there is no right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution. In the Griswold case, the U.S. Supreme Court found that married couples had the right to use birth control. Associated Press interview, April 2003.

RRD:Additional quotes from the article:


USATODAY.com - Excerpt from Santorum interview


http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-23-santorum-excerpt_x.htm


...."The idea is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we[RRD:The States] absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire."....


RRD:Back to Santorum exposed.


“Marriage is not about affirming somebody’s love for somebody else. It’s about uniting together to be open to children, to further civilization in our society.” --Showing his romantic side. “Fox News Sunday”, Fox News Channel, August 3, 2003. "

"It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning "private" moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm." --From Fishers of Men, an opinion piece about child molestation scandals involving Catholic Priests. Catholic Online, July 12, 2002.


RRD:Santorum promises Pork

Rick Santorum: Left, Right, and Wrong | Cato @ Liberty


http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/rick-santorum-left-right-and-wrong/

Let me pick out the following quotes for emphasis:


..." True liberty is freedom in the service of virtue --not "the freedom to be as selfish as I want to be" or "the freedom to be left alone" but "the freedom to attend to one's duties --duties to God, to family, and to neighbors." ...


RRD:This is a view that the Mullahs of the Islamic Republic of Iran would readily embrace.


...."The family, not the individual, is the fundamental unit of society."
I,(or perhaps I should say "this sub-unit of his family unit") regard Santorum as the Christian Right's version of Obama.Both want to kill this country's Libertarian soul & replace it with a collectivistic,statist vision.Both attack the FUNDAMENTAL principles that this country was founded upon.There are only three real differences:
1.Santorum is a religious fanatic,Obama is a leftist statist.


2.Obama rarely,(if ever) tries to claim that the Founders would support his position.Santorum by contrast wishes to bury the Founders under the revisionist lie that they would have embraced his theofascism.


3.Santorum is potentially more dangerous than Obama.Why?Because his nomination (& particularly his election) would mean,NOT the triumph of Social Conservatives(by which I mean anti-abortion & anti-gay marriage,& whom I will not smear by indiscriminately lumping them in with this maniac),but that the most statist & totalitarian--in philosophy if not always policy-- wing of the Social Conservatives would triumph.Were this to occur it could wreck any chance of getting the GOP on the track of defending individual rights for years.All this while the Democrats cement their policies into place.


Though I am skeptical of Dr.Peikoff's statement regarding the 2004 election(fn1), if there was ever someone who epitomizes what he warned about,it is Santorum.


There are very few people whom I could not support against Obama.Santorum is one of them.

fn1


Because Dr.Peikoff seems to lump all Social Conservatives together,but even more so because he argued that not voting was not a rational option.


See here:


Peikoff on the coming election - THE FORUM for Ayn Rand Fans


http://forums.4aynrandfans.com/index.php?showtopic=4756&st=0&p=41457&#entry41457

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Obama Digs in on Israel’s Borders [& security] FrumForum #supportisrael #jcot #tcot

Alert!Mitch Mcconnell will not rule out tax increases #tcot #tlot

RRD:Contact Mcconnell and tell him NO TAX INCREASES!


http://mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Republicans suggest deal possible on taxes, health | Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/22/us-usa-debt-idUSTRE74E1HD20110522


....."Representative Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, said he would "absolutely" be willing to negotiate with Democrats on his plan to control healthcare costs. Separately, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell did not rule out a tax increase --a contrast to other Republican leaders who have insisted that any deal to increase the country's borrowing authority must consist of spending cuts alone. "We're not going to do the deal here this morning," McConnell said on Fox News, when asked if a deal could include revenue increases. "....

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels won't run for president - latimes.com #tcot #2012 #tlot

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The idiotic "above the law" critique against Google re: Protect IP #censorship bill fka #coica #freeweb

..."Is Eric Schmidt really suggesting that if Congress passes a law and President Obama signs it, Google wouldn’t follow it? As an American company respected around the world, it’s unfortunate that, at least according to its executive chairman’s comments, Google seems to think it’s above America’s laws."....

RRD:How can mere mortals stand against such genius?Following this line of reasoning,everyone from James Madison and Thomas Jefferson(challenging the constitutionality of the Alien & Sedition act), to Korematsu(Japanese American Internment),to the entire Civil Rights Movement,should be denounced for their hubris in thinking that they are "above the law".In reality this Congress & this President(and past ones of course) have repeatedly acted as if their whims were the first and last legal word on a subject.Under this administration,(which made a campaign issue of upholding civil liberties) we have seen the bizarre spectacle of four year olds being groped to see if they are terrorists.To act as if something is constitutional simply because President Obama & the Congress(or any President,and any Congress) passes it,is the height of absurdity.


Being Concerned With Free Speech Implications Of PROTECT IP Does Not Mean You Think You're Above The Law | Techdirt

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110520/13252214358/being-concerned-with-fr...

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Obama's fantasyworld Middle-East vs. Reality #jcot #tcot #supportisrael

RRD:Yesterday Obama delivered another speech on the middle-east.


The fantasy:

Transcript: Obama's Speech About The Arab World : NPR


http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136466323/transcript-obamas-speech-about-the-ar...


The Reality:

Dore Gold on whether the US has,in fact,called for a return to the 1967 borders in the past,and on whether those borders are defensible.


http://www.jcpa.org/text/security/gold.pdf


[A brief overview of Israels quest for peace]

Days of Violence, Days of Mourning, Days of War « Commentary Magazine


http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/20/obama-should-study-israels-histo...

Friday, May 20, 2011

Obama Administration to Honor ‘Green’ Schools That Teach ‘Environmental Literacy’ | NewsBusters.org #tcot #tlot

Obama's fantasyworld Middle-East vs. Reality #jcot #tcot #supportisrael

RRD:Yesterday Obama delivered another speech on the middle-east.


The fantasy:

Transcript: Obama's Speech About The Arab World : NPR


http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136466323/transcript-obamas-speech-about-the-ar...


The Reality:

Dore Gold on whether the US has,in fact,called for a return to the 1967 borders in the past,and on whether those borders are defensible.


http://www.jcpa.org/text/security/gold.pdf


[A brief overview of Israels quest for peace]


Days of Violence, Days of Mourning, Days of War « Commentary Magazine


http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/20/obama-should-study-israels-histo...

Obama's fantasyworld Middle-East vs. Reality #jcot #tcot #supportisrael

RRD:Yesterday Obama delivered another speech on the middle-east.


The fantasy:

Transcript: Obama's Speech About The Arab World : NPR


http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136466323/transcript-obamas-speech-about-the-ar...


The Reality:

Dore Gold on whether the US has,in fact,called for a return to the 1967 borders in the past,and on whether those borders are defensible.


http://www.jcpa.org/text/security/gold.pdf


[A brief overview of Israels quest for peace]


Days of Violence, Days of Mourning, Days of War « Commentary Magazine


http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/20/obama-should-study-israels-histo...

UK author James Fergusson advocates sharia law in West #no2sharia #tcot #tlot #p2

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Has anyone else noticed that Obama confuses his pronouns? #supportisrael #jcot #tcot

He uses I when he means they,(or we),and he uses We(and the United States as in "the United States believes"....) when he means I.

To all this I say:Speak for yourself brother!

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

(In Farsi can someone subtitle it into english?)YouTube - Iran - Interview with mother of executed prisoners Mohammad & Abdollah fathi after the executions #iranelections

Mullah Yazdi: Iran is calm only on surface | Freedom Messenger #iranelections #freeiran

Iran: Calls To Halt Execution Of Kurdish Activist

Alert! Goodwin Liu,one of Obama's most radical judges comes up for a cloture vote tomorrow!Call your Senator & demand a filibuster. #tcot #tlot

RRD:Goodwin Liu is one of Obama's
most radical nominees to the judiciary.His nomination comes up for a cloture vote tomorrow.He must be defeated.


Liu believes that the courts should invent a constitutional right to health care & welfare.


Liu is militantly in favor of racial quotas and set asides.He favors reparations for slavery.


Liu is in favor of using foreign law to interpret the constitution.

Liu would be one of the least experienced nominees to be appointed to the appellate court.Yet it is believed that this is a stepping stone towards the Supreme Court for some.


See below:


Upcoming Vote on Liu Nomination - National Review Online


http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/267475/upcoming-vote-liu-nomination...


Why Goodwin Liu’s Nomination Should Be Defeated - By Ed Whelan - Bench Memos - National Review Online

http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/267539/why-goodwin-liu-s-nomination...


A extended essay on why Liu should be defeated by Ed Whelan


http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubid.4342/pub_detail.asp


Dems Pulling Out All the Stops for Confirmation of Goodwin Liu | FDL News Desk

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/05/18/dems-pulling-out-all-the-stops-for-con...

Goodwin Liu isn't qualified to serve on the federal bench | The Daily Caller

http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/07/goodwin-liu-isnt-qualified-to-serve-on-the-...


» Constitutional Infidelity: Progressive Judicial Philosophy - Big Government

http://biggovernment.com/jwales/2010/05/10/constitutional-infidelity-progress...


Pajamas Media » Goodwin Liu and Robert Chatigny: Obama’s Worst Judicial Nominees Yet?

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/goodwin-liu-and-robert-chatigny-obamas-worst-jud...


If You Think Obamacare Is Bad… | Cato @ Liberty


http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/if-you-think-obamacare-is-bad/


Goodwin Liu: Obama’s Most Radical Judicial Nominee | The Foundry


http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/23/goodwin-liu-obama%e2%80%99s-most-radical-...

Why Goodwin Liu Matters | The Foundry


http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/24/why-goodwin-liu-matters/

President Renominates Radicals and Oddballs for Judgeships


http://www.openmarket.org/2010/09/17/president-renominates-radicals-and-oddba...

Four Radicals Renominated to Federal Judgeships


http://www.openmarket.org/2011/01/08/four-radicals-renominated-to-federal-jud...


On Richard Painter and Reparations (Updated) | Verum Serum


http://www.verumserum.com/?p=22201

Richard Painter’s Ignorance Regarding Goodwin Liu, Reparations | Verum Serum


http://www.verumserum.com/?p=22126

Goodwin Liu’s Views on Reparations Should Automatically Disqualify Him from the Judiciary | Verum Serum


http://www.verumserum.com/?p=24539

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Execution of Two Brothers in Iran-Habibollah Latifi may be Next! #iranelections #p2

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

YouTube - YouCameAlong (1945) #Aynrand co-wrote the screenplay! #teaparty #objectivist #objectivism

92-Year-Old Palestinian Woman in a Right-of-Return Demonstration On Hamas TV: Palestinians Should Massacre the Jews Like We Massacred Them in Hebron

Nearly 1 in 5 Obamacare waivers go to restaurants, nightclubs, hotels in Pelosi’s district – Patriot Update

Hamas MP and Cleric Yunis Al-Astal: The Jews Were Brought to Palestine for the 'Great Massacre' through which Allah Will 'Relieve Humanity of Their Evil'

Analysis: New US anti-piracy bill will kill the Internet | TG Daily

Death Penalty News: URGENT ACTION APPEAL for Sherko Moarefi, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, at imminent risk of execution in Iran

Iranian Protester Who Climbed Atop Crane February 14 Transferred to Evin’s Ward 350 Persian2English #tcot #iranelections

The Fathi Brothers Executed in Isfahan Prison Today Persian2English #tcot #p2 #humanrights #iranelections

Fahti-brothers

http://persian2english.com/?p=21957

Mohammad Fathi, 27, and Abdollah Fathi, 29, were executed this morning for Moharebeh (enmity against God)

..."They endured severe physical and psychological torture to accept the false charges against them. The charges include, “Involvement with anti-revolutionary groups”, “Taking action for arms struggle”, “Enmity against God" and “Armed robbery”....

Bijan Fathi, the father of the two confirmed their murder this morning by hanging.

I offer my condolences to their family & loved ones,but words are inadequate for dealing with this kind of evil & horror.

Posted via email from fightingstatism

The Fathi Brothers Executed in Isfahan Prison Today Persian2English #tcot #p2 #humanrights #iranelections

Fahti-brothers

http://persian2english.com/?p=21957

Mohammad Fathi, 27, and Abdollah Fathi, 29, were executed this morning for Moharebeh (enmity against God)

..."They endured severe physical and psychological torture to accept the false charges against them. The charges include, “Involvement with anti-revolutionary groups”, “Taking action for arms struggle”, “Enmity against God" and “Armed robbery”....

Bijan Fathi, the father of the two confirmed their murder this morning by hanging.

I offer my condolences to their family & loved ones,but words are inadequate for dealing with this kind of evil & horror.

Posted via email from Americans for Freedom in Iran

Save Bahman (shirko) Maarefi from Execution - Sign the Petition

Obama signs legislation to make supplements and alternative health remedies illegal - Atlanta wellness | Examiner.com

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Budget chief wants plan with 50-50 split between spending cuts and tax hikes - The Hill's On The Money

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/160273-senate-dem-would-reduce-d...


RRD:Gee,I wonder where Tea Partiers got the idea that massive deficit spending would lead to tax increases.Don't they feel silly for thinking that that was Democrats would propose(along with some Republicans).

Posted via email from fightingstatism

The COICA #censorship bill has a new name:The Protect IP act,have they addressed the objections to the bill? #freeweb #tcot #tlot

RRD:Two of the problems with the bill may have been addressed(fn1):1.The definition of a infringing site appears to have been narrowed.2.They say that they will now actually try to contact the site owner.But even if they have addressed those problems there are still two problems from COICA that may still need to be resolved.
The first:Will the accused be able to get a swift(as in almost immediate) final ruling on the legality of the speech after a full adversarial process?(fn2)Or will the Government be able to get a "temporary" injunction censoring someone's website that will be resolved months,or years later
(think of how this could be used by a incumbent to supress his critics during a presidential campaign.
No,my concern is really not for pirates,despite the claims of the bill's supporters that only opponents of intellectual property rights could oppose the bill).
The second problem?Have they abandoned their insane attack on the Domain Name system.(see fn3)
There are other changes to the bill as well:

1.Search Engines can now be ordered to remove the site from their listings(something that raises First Amendment implications of its own).There is supposedly a provision allowing the accused to "petition the court to suspend or vacate the order" .But whether this meets constitutes prior restraint remains to be seen.

2.The bill allows a copyright holder to bring action against a alleged infringer.In and of itself there is nothing wrong with this(so far as I know) the problem however is the same one as with the government cases;i.e. will the individual's right to due process be adequately protected.

3.They seem to have removed the provision allowing whole domains to be taken down. e.g. taking down Posterous,or Wordpress.com to deal with a sub-domain such as piratecopyrightedmaterial.wordpress.com.This last resolves one of my major concerns,We but the others remain.


Footnotes:

fn1.

I say MAY have been addressed because these types of laws should be gone over with a fine-tooth comb to see what may be hidden in them.


See:

Son Of COICA: PROTECT IP Act Will Allow For Broad Censorship Powers, Even Granted To Copyright Holders | Techdirt


http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110510/13285714230/son-coica-protect-ip-ac...

And this is a site hosting the text of the new bill:

http://www.dontcensorthenet.com/full-text-of-the-protect-ip-act-of-2011

fn2


Letter from Law Professors Opposing COICA | Public Knowledge


http://www.publicknowledge.org/letter-law-professors-opposing-coica


....."...."To begin with, the Act is an unconstitutional abridgment of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. It directs courts to impose “prior restraints” on speech –the “most serious and the least tolerable infringement on First Amendment rights,” Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart, 427 U.S. 539, 559 (1976), which are constitutionally permissible only in the narrowest range of circumstances. See Near v. Minnesota, 283 U.S. 697 (1931).; see also Center For Democracy & Technology v. Pappert , 337 F. Supp. 2d 606, 651 (E.D. Pa. 2004) (statute blocking access to particular domain names and IP addresses an unconstitutional prior restraint). The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that the category of “prior restraints,” while traditionally applied to “orders forbidding certain communications when issued in advance of the time that such communications are to occur,” Alexander v. United States, 509 U.S. 544, 550 (1993) (emphasis added), also
encompasses any governmental action suppressing speech taken prior to “a prompt final judicial decision . . . in an adversary proceeding” that the speech is unlawful. Freedman v. Maryland , 380 U.S. 51, 58-60 (U.S. 1965) (statute requiring theater owner to receive a license before exhibiting allegedly obscene film was unconstitutional because the statute did not “assure a prompt final judicial decision” that the film was obscene); see also Bantam Books v. Sullivan, 372 U.S. 58 (1962) (State Commission’s letters suggesting removal of books already in circulation is a “prior administrative restraint” and unconstitutional because there was no procedure for “an almost immediate judicial determination of the validity of the restraint”); Fort Wayne Books, Inc. v. Indiana, 489 U.S. 46, 51-63 (1989) (procedure allowing courts to order pre -trial seizure of allegedly obscene films based upon a finding of probable cause was an unconstitutional prior restraint; publica
tions
“may not be taken out of circulation completely until there has been a determination of obscenity after an adversary hearing.”). These cases “require a court, before the material is completely removed from circulation, . . . to make a final determination that material is [unlawful] after an adversary hearing.” CDT v. Pappert , 337 F.Supp.2d, at 657 (emphasis added). The procedural seps prescribed by the Act do not come close to comporting with this Constitutional requirement. In place of a final determination after an adversary proceeding that the website in question contain infringing material, the Act permits the issuance of speech -suppressing injunctions without any meaningful opportunity for any party to contest the Attorney General’s allegations of unlawful content . The domain name registrars, registries, service providers, and domain name server operators against whom injunctions can be issued pursuant to the Act will have, in virtually all cases, no informa
tion
whatsoever concerning the allegations regarding the presence of infringing content at the target websites because they have no relationship to the operators of those websites; they are therefore in no position, and they have no conceivable incentive, to contest those allegations. The Act contains no provisions designed to ensure that the persons actually responsible for the allegedly infringing content –the operators of the target websites –are even aware of the proceedings against them, let alone have been afforded any meaningful opportunity to contest the allegations in a true, adversarial proceeding. ".....


fn3

An Open Letter From Internet Engineers to the Senate Judiciary Committee | Electronic Frontier Foundation

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/09/open-letter


Other Links on COICA (including some that are no longer relevant)


#COICA the most dangerous #censorship bill you've never heard off #s3804 - fightingstatism


http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/coica-the-most-dangerous-censorship-bill...


DHS ICE seizes 84,000 wrong domains: Child porn oops and COICA - Computerworld Blogs


http://blogs.computerworld.com/17834/dhs_ice_seizes_84_000_wrong_domains_chil...

American University Intellectual Property Brief » U.S. Senators Continue War On Internet with “Online Infringement” Bill

http://www.ipbrief.net/2010/09/26/u-s-senators-continue-war-on-internet-with-...

Groups oppose #coica censorship bill - fightingstatism

http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/groups-oppose-coica-censorship-bill


The Volokh Conspiracy » Once Again, the Copyright/Trademark Tail Tries to Wag the Internet Dog


http://volokh.com/2010/11/13/once-again-the-copyrighttrademark-tail-tries-to-...

COICA and the Internet "Ecosystem" | Center for Democracy & Technology

http://www.cdt.org/blogs/david-sohn/coica-and-internet-ecosystem

Senate Needs to Rein in Copyright Bill | Center for Democracy & Technology


http://www.cdt.org/blogs/andrew-mcdiarmid/senate-needs-rein-copyright-bill

Stop the #COICA internet #censorship bill #tcot #tlot #s3804 - fightingstatism

http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/stop-the-coica-internet-censorship-bill-...


Can Senator Patrick Leahy Actually Provide The Proof That The COICA Censorship Law Is Needed? | Techdirt

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110217/01092913147/can-senator-patrick-lea...


What Congress Can Learn from the Recent ICE Seizures | Electronic Frontier Foundation

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/02/what-congress-can-learn-recent-ice-seiz...


When the Internet Nearly Fractured, and How It Could Happen Again - Nancy Scola - Technology - The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/when-the-internet-nearl...


Mozilla resists US gov't request to nuke "MafiaaFire" add-on

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/mozilla-resists-us-govt-reque...

ICE domain seizures relied on twisted evidence and MPAA say so - Computerworld Blogs


http://blogs.computerworld.com/17575/ice_domain_seizures_relied_on_twisted_ev...

COICA,a bi-partisan internet censorship bill returns,in the House call your Rep. #freeweb - fightingstatism

http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/coicaa-bi-partisan-internet-censorship-b...

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Monday, May 9, 2011

Call Grassley & Coburn & demand that they oppose tax increases #tcot #tlot #teaparty

Hatch will oppose any deficit-reduction deal that includes raising taxes - TheHill.com

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/157291-hatch-will-oppose-any-gang-of-six-d...


...."Hatch controls only one vote out of a hundred in the upper chamber, but as the senior Republican on Finance, he wields considerable influence in the GOP caucus. He could imperil any bipartisan deal that emerged from the Gang of Six next month that would raise revenue by eliminating narrow tax breaks. And he will make it more difficult for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D -Mont.) to move any legislation that raises taxes through the panel. This may force Baucus to reach out to his long-time negotiating partner, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R -Iowa), instead."....

...." Three Republicans on the panel, Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Mike Crapo (Idaho) and former Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), voted for the proposal. Two of those men are now members of the Gang of Six, the bipartisan Senate negotiating group that is trying to craft a legislative package reflecting the proposals of the deficit commission. Coburn said in a radio interview Thursday that the group could call for tax increases on some people but that taxes would not be raised by a significant amount. "There's no plan to have a significant tax hike on anyone," Coburn said on Laura Ingraham's radio show. But Coburn has not ruled out tax increases altogether. "
"Will some people pay increased taxes? I'm sure they will," Coburn said. The prospect has alarmed conservatives. Norquist says Coburn’s pledge to spare taxpayers from a “significant tax hike” is not sufficient. “What does he mean by saying it’s not significant ? That’s a description, not a number,” said Norquist. “He didn’t really tell us anything.” Hatch’s staunch opposition to tax increases adds to the pressure on Coburn and Crapo not to agree to higher tax rates within the panel's eventual proposal. Both lawmakers sit with Hatch on the Finance Committee. "....

Contact Grassley


http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Contact Form - Tom Coburn, M.D., United States Senator from Oklahoma


http://coburn.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactForm

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Call Grassley & Coburn & demand that they oppose tax increases #tcot #tlot #teaparty

Hatch will oppose any deficit-reduction deal that includes raising taxes - TheHill.com

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/157291-hatch-will-oppose-any-gang-of-six-d...


...."Hatch controls only one vote out of a hundred in the upper chamber, but as the senior Republican on Finance, he wields considerable influence in the GOP caucus. He could imperil any bipartisan deal that emerged from the Gang of Six next month that would raise revenue by eliminating narrow tax breaks. And he will make it more difficult for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D -Mont.) to move any legislation that raises taxes through the panel. This may force Baucus to reach out to his long-time negotiating partner, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R -Iowa), instead."....

...." Three Republicans on the panel, Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Mike Crapo (Idaho) and former Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), voted for the proposal. Two of those men are now members of the Gang of Six, the bipartisan Senate negotiating group that is trying to craft a legislative package reflecting the proposals of the deficit commission. Coburn said in a radio interview Thursday that the group could call for tax increases on some people but that taxes would not be raised by a significant amount. "There's no plan to have a significant tax hike on anyone," Coburn said on Laura Ingraham's radio show. But Coburn has not ruled out tax increases altogether. "
"Will some people pay increased taxes? I'm sure they will," Coburn said. The prospect has alarmed conservatives. Norquist says Coburn’s pledge to spare taxpayers from a “significant tax hike” is not sufficient. “What does he mean by saying it’s not significant ? That’s a description, not a number,” said Norquist. “He didn’t really tell us anything.” Hatch’s staunch opposition to tax increases adds to the pressure on Coburn and Crapo not to agree to higher tax rates within the panel's eventual proposal. Both lawmakers sit with Hatch on the Finance Committee. "....

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Iran conducting final pre-start tests at nuclear plant #iranelections #freeiran

Iran conducting final pre-start tests at nuclear plant

Israel celebrates 63rd Independence Day - Israel News, Ynetnews

Are Iran's Revolutionary Guards Preparing for a Coup? - FoxNews.com #tcot #ucot

Are Iran's Revolutionary Guards Preparing for a Coup? - FoxNews.com #iranelections #freeiran #humanrights #jcot

Activists Protest Outside Cyprus Embassy, Demand Rights of Iranian Refugees Be Upheld mission free iran #iranelections #humanrights #p2

Why is Obama not trying to capture more members of Al-qaeda alive so that they can be interrogated? #gwot #tcot

RRD:HT to Bill Bucko.I should add that I agree with this article for another 2 reasons.1.Obama is still seeking to gut the defense budget.
2.He declared our withdrawal date for the Afghan surge before it even began.

Obama Winds Down the War on Terror | RedState

http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2011/05/06/obama-winds-down-the-war-on-terror/


...."The killing of Osama bin Laden has created a series of dilemmas for the left. My colleagues have detailed the debt owed the Bush Administration which the current administration juvenilely and churlishly refuses to acknowledge . And many on my side are willing “to give the president credit” for doing his duty. According to reports bin Laden’s location has been known to the administration since March with the same degree of certainty that existed on May 1, so I fail to see what credit is really due unless we are saying that indecisiveness is a virtue. Bin Laden’s death will eventually be seen as the unofficial end of the US assault on al Qaeda. We will leave a war not won and forsake a victory that would make the world a safer place simply because Barack Obama doesn’t have the guts to prevail. What is worse, he wants to give the impression of being serious. Intelligence is the key tool in fighting any war. Technical means are valuable but the only way you can obt
ain
insights into the enemy’s operations and intentions is through prisoners. Taking prisoners and getting intelligence from them carries with it three implications: 1) you have a place to keep them, 2) you have a means to extract the information from them in a timely fashion, and 3) you have a plan for what to do with the prisoners when their intelligence value is exhausted. "

RRD:He then cites:


Under Obama, more targeted killings than captures in counterterrorism efforts

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/13/AR20100213037...

And concludes:

...."Our ability to kill or capture terrorists, roll up their networks, and interfere with their operations is being degraded by the lack of fresh information while the administration continues to act like a tee ball team, all the while talking about its “gutsy call.”...

RRD:Let me chip in my own two cents here.Anyone who believes that it is "gutsy" to send men into harm's way(unless you know them, or they are your loved ones) is delusional.It may be a difficult decision,but to speak of it being "gutsy" because of the POLITICAL RISKS to the President,while men are risking being MAIMED,TORTURED and KILLED is indicative of how out of touch with reality the inside the beltway crowd is.Nor is this true just for Obama.There is a long history of this kind of sycophancy dating back to ancient times,but that does not excuse it.

Posted via email from fightingstatism

New blog on #Objectivist music #aynrand #teaparty #objectivism #tcot

RRD:I don't know the creator of this blog,so I am not endorsing his future writings,but he seems interesting & sincere,so feel free to check him out.


The Objectivist Music Blog: 05/07/11

http://objectivistmusic.blogspot.com/2011_05_07_archive.html

Posted via email from fightingstatism

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Life imitates Atlas Shrugged:Using a Government induced shortage to attack the suppliers of the commodity #teaparty #atlasshrugged

RRD:Today I will begin a series of, pieces,in which I will be publishing excerpts from Atlas Shrugged(within the guidelines of fair use) that I regard as particularly relevant to our time.
All the page number's are from the current paperback version.

This one is on the Government's habit of crippling a industry,& then condemning it for it's failure to produce.

A conversation between Ken Danagger,a coal magnate,& Hank Rearden a steel industrialist,and the inventor of a revolutionary new metal called Rearden Metal.The scene takes place after the country has moved to coal once the Government essentially destroyed the oil industry.It is also a crime to prefer one client over another for a good or service.Hence customers who were farsighted enough to order Rearden Metal are made to wait,while mediocrities who scorned it get "their fair share",as determined by the state.The penalty for violating this law is ten years in jail,unless "permission" is sought from the bureaucrats.


"Danagger had explained that half of his original order would be sufficient to brace such tunnels as would cave in,if he delayed the bracing much longer,and to recondition the mines of the Confederated Coal Company,gone bankrupt,which he had purchased three weeks ago."....
..."The newspapers are yelling that coal is now the most crucial commodity in the country.They are also yelling that the coal operators are profiteering in the oil shortage.One gang in Washington is yelling that I am expanding too much and something should be done to stop me,because I am becoming a monopoly.Another gang in Washington is yelling that I am not expanding enough and something should be done to let the government seize my mines,because I am greedy for profits and unwilling to satisfy the public's need of fuel.At my present rate of profit,this Confederated Coal property will bring back the money I spent on it--in forty-seven years.I have no children.I bought it,because there's one customer I don't dare leave without coal--and that's Taggart Transcontinental.I keep thinking of what would happen if the railroads collapsed."
He had stopped,then added,"I don't know why I still care about that,but I do.Those people in Washington don't seem to have a clear picture of what that would be like.I have."....

pg.355-356

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