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Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Wed, 17 Jan 2001 13:00:00 GMT

From The Federalist:

Restoring prayer ... will scarcely at this date solve the grievous public school problem. Public schools are expensive and massive centers for cultural and ideological brainwashing, at which they are unfortunately far more effective than in teaching the 3 R's or in keeping simple order within the schools. Any plan to begin dismantling the public school monstrosity is met with effective opposition by the teachers' and educators' unions. Truly radical change is needed to shift education from public to unregulated private schooling, religious and secular, as well as home schooling by parents. --Murray Rothbard

Also from The Federalist:

Letterman... It's now official. Hillary Clinton is now the junior Senator from New York; she was sworn in. She used the Clinton family Bible for the swearing in -- you know, the one with seven commandments.

Angus Glashier says:

There's but a single difference between the Left and the Right: the Left tend to be good looking.

Not bad, but I think Victor Milan said it better (and I always like an excuse to repeat this quote):

The great distinction:
A conservative is a socialist who worships order.
A liberal is a socialist who worships safety.

To which I always add:

A libertarian is a capitalist who worships freedom.

Joel has warned us to never sign non-compete agreements. Here's why. [joel]

Camille Paglia promised back in the beginning of December that she'd have another article on January 10. It's a week late. What's up Camille? I miss you.

Joseph Sobran at LewRockwell.com - Money and Morality: The U.S. constitution gives the government the authority to coin money, not to print counterfeit paper money. Mr. Sobran explains why we should return to real, precious metal, money. [lew]

But in the twentieth century paper money made a roaring comeback. Congress abdicated its constitutional duty by assigning the authority to print paper money to the Federal Reserve Bank; in time, Federal Reserve notes became legal tender with no backing in precious metals. The Fed gained an arbitrary power over economic life that Congress itself was never supposed to have. In effect it had the authority not only to "coin" money, but to counterfeit it.
Inflation and all its consequent unpredictability, with wild swings in the "business cycle," became permanent facts of American life. Today, when the Fed talks, the economy trembles. There was no such instability when money was tied to gold and silver. The Federal Reserve System represents the rule of men rather than the rule of law.

Charley Reese at the Orlando Sentinel - Flag issue is really all about power: Mr. Reese reminds us of what the confederate flag really means and why the War of Northern Agression was really fought. [lew]

For all the hoopla one hears today about the Confederate flag, the truth is that the issue that divides most Americans is exactly the same one that once split the country.
No, it isn't slavery, race, homosexuality, abortion or any of the other current topics.
It's simply this: Where should the power reside, with us and through us, our elected officials at the city, county and state levels, or should it reside in Washington?
No kidding. That's what the real argument was about back then and right now. Are we a national government or are we a federation of sovereign states?

Mark and Tina Terry at Sierra Times - Caveat Ashcroft -- and other Republican Ruminations: John Ashcroft is a drug warrior extraordinaire. The Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act was his baby. He is being touted as a friend of the second amendment, but it's hard to believe that someone who would write legislation decimating the first and fourth amendments really cares about the second. GOA apparently doesn't think much of his second amendment support either. They rated him a C-- back in October. This is between "Leans Our Way: occasionally" and "Leans Anti-Gun: usually against us". Mark & Tina recommend signing DRCNet's petition at http://www.stopjohnashcroft.org/. I did. [kaba]

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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