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Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Mon, 03 Apr 2000 12:00:00 GMT

I'm adding new items at the bottom today.

A highlight from issue #5 of Harry Browne's campaign journal:

The day starts with a second interview with Larry Marino on KIEV, a large talk station in Los Angeles. He is obviously a Republican and very contentious -- disputing my opposition to the Drug War, closed borders, and some other issues dear to the hearts of Republican pundits and politicians.
He, like so many people, keeps talking about Libertarians wanting to "open the borders." The point I keep coming back to is that the borders are open already. There is no way you can keep out of America people who are determined to get here. And every attempt to do so takes us closer to a police state -- making you and me carry national identity cards to be shown on demand, forcing employers to be responsible for verifying the citizenship of anyone they employ. And still the people will come -- just as the drugs flow across the border despite draconian efforts to stop them.
The principal solution to the immigration problem is to end the welfare state. Then the people who come will be the ones who seek opportunity and will do the work we don't want to do -- cleaning hotels, picking lettuce, and clerking in 7-Eleven stores in dangerous areas. Those who are looking only for a free lunch will have to look elsewhere.

Kelly Shiers at the Halifax Herald via Cannabis News - Marijuana Victory: The Canadian government has granted the right to cultivate and smoke canaabis to a man with a brain tumour. [cn]

John Donnelly at the Boston Globe via Cannabis News - Narcotic Bill Reopens Drug War Debate: as part of the debate on the bill that authorized $1.7 billion in military "aid" to Colombia, some members of the House of Representatives tried, unsuccessfully, to steer some of the money to treatment programs in the U.S. The proper solution, of course, is complete deregulation of all drugs, but if we can get treatment instead of jail, that will be a good start. [cn]

David Horowitz at Salon - What Hillary Clinton won't say: "Rudy Giuliani has dramatically reduced the number of shots fired by police at civilians in New York, as well as the number of people killed by anyone there." Another perspective on Herr Rudy's gestapo. [wnd]

Geoff Metcalf at WorldNetDaily - Consequences of a sellout: Commentary on the sell-out of Smith and Wesson to the Brady bunch. "Government control of private-sector industry used to be called fascism. Today it is called the Clinton administration... In damning S&W and their fascist masters I also want to applaud those brave, principled, and courageous manufacturers like Browning, Glock, and Taurus and remind them of Benjamin Franklin's words, 'If we don't hang together, we shall all certainly hang separately.'" [wnd]

James N. Markels at liberzine.com - Role reversal in the Supreme Court: A constitutionalist examines the recent decision of the supreme court finding that the FDA has no jurisdiction over the tobacco industry. They made the right decision, but for the wrong reasons. "I would argue that it is likely we are facing the same situation in the case of the illegal drug market, as crime and unregulated black-market products are probably causing more health damage than a regulated recreational drug market would. But I digress."

Sierra Times was down early this morning. Their page said, "This account has been disabled.. To have the account restored, contact Customer Service." Apparently it was just a technical glitch. They're back up, with lots of news, including the following gems:

The Sierra Times quote for the day:

Progress in every age results only from the fact that there are some men and women who refuse to believe that what they know to be right cannot be done. - Russell W. Davenport

Tina Terry at Sierra Times - Politically Incorrect Multiculturalism: Tina relates a distinctively multicultural brunch group and why the supposed champions of multiculturalism "would have been sore as hell at seeing it." If you follow only one of my links today, make this the one. [sierra]

I knew it would happen. Today The American Mind made my sources page with the story below. Hi, Sean.

Charles Bloomer at Enter Stage Right - Another casualty of tyranny: good commentary on Smith & Wesson's capitulation to the Brady bunch. "In totalitarian dictatorships, tyranny is easy and straight-forward. The word of a dictator is law. Tyranny in a liberal democracy is not as simple and requires more creativity. The journey toward total power and control in a liberal democracy requires patience and the willingness to accept a slow, sometimes erratic, pace. Tenacity, perseverance and an irrepressible desire for control are necessary traits. The ability to twist the language and press emotional buttons are also useful in the pursuit of tyranny... A society without the means to protect itself against the egregious tyranny perpetrated by an abusive government is called slavery." [mind]

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Quotes

Government doesn't work. Never did. Never will. Can't. But there are lots of good people. Love them.

-- Bill St. Clair

The Atlanta Declaration

Every man, woman, and responsible child has an unalienable individual, civil, Constitutional, and human right to obtain, own, and carry, openly or concealed, any weapon -- rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, anything -- any time, any place, without asking anyone's permission.

-- L. Neil Smith

Reread that pesky first clause of the Second Amendment. It doesn't say what any of us thought it said. What it says is that infringing the right of the people to keep and bear arms is treason. What else do you call an act that endangers "the security of a free state"? And if it's treason, then it's punishable by death. I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.

-- L. Neil Smith

A Penalty Clause for the Bill of Rights

Any official, appointed or elected, at any level of government, who attempts, through legislative act or other means, to nullify, evade, or avoid the provisions of the first ten amendments to this Constitution, or of the Thirteenth Amendment, shall be summarily removed from office, and, upon conviction, deprived of all pay and benefits including pension, and sentenced to imprisonment for life.

-- L. Neil Smith

Based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, and some of its own empirical work, the panel couldn't identify a single gun control regulation that reduced violent crime, suicide or accidents.

-- John Lott, commenting on the National Academy of Sciences report on gun control laws.

Who is a libertarian?

Zero Aggression Principle ("Zap")

"A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to advocate or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of what they may claim."

-- L. Neil Smith

(Formerly called the "Non-Aggression Principle", or "NAP")

Why Did It Have to be... Guns?

Make no mistake: all politicians -- even those ostensibly on the side of guns and gun ownership -- hate the issue and anyone, like me, who insists on bringing it up. They hate it because it's an X-ray machine. It's a Vulcan mind-meld. It's the ultimate test to which any politician -- or political philosophy -- can be put.

If a politician isn't perfectly comfortable with the idea of his average constituent, any man, woman, or responsible child, walking into a hardware store and paying cash -- for any rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, anything -- without producing ID or signing one scrap of paper, he isn't your friend no matter what he tells you.

If he isn't genuinely enthusiastic about his average constituent stuffing that weapon into a purse or pocket or tucking it under a coat and walking home without asking anybody's permission, he's a four-flusher, no matter what he claims.

What his attitude -- toward your ownership and use of weapons -- conveys is his real attitude about you. And if he doesn't trust you, then why in the name of John Moses Browning should you trust him?

-- L. Neil Smith

Concise

"Tell me," I was once asked, "What do you think about gun control? Give me the short answer." To which I replied, "If you try to take our firearms we will kill you."

-- Mike Vanderboegh

Also from The Atlanta Declaration:

... like going to the bathroom, breathing, eating, sleeping, or making love, it turns out that self-defense is a bodily function one cannot safely or effectively delegate to a second party.

-- L. Neil Smith

This does not mean that "Marijuana should be available by prescription." It means that morphine sulfate should be available in five pound bags at the supermarket for a couple of bucks, like sugar... but probably in a different aisle, to avoid confusion.

-- Vin Suprynowicz

If you refuse to pay unjust taxes, your property will be confiscated. If you attempt to defend your property, you will be arrested. If you resist arrest, you will be clubbed. If you defend yourself against clubbing, you will be shot dead. These procedures are known as the Rule of Law.

-- Edward Abbey

The state can only survive as long as a majority is programmed to believe that theft isn't wrong if it's called taxation or asset forfeiture or eminent domain, that assault and kidnapping isn't wrong if it's called arrest, that mass murder isn't wrong if it's called war.

-- Bill St. Clair