A Bad Omen

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Wed, 01 Aug 2001 14:28:56 GMT

From John McCabe:

The most dangerous, most pervasive, most addictive, most brain-damaging, most widely used drug is: television. That's why the TV news is so hot to tell you all about all the other drug problems. It keeps the heat off.

Demitria Monde Thraam has renamed her blog from Randomonium to Anodyne, "strong medicine for a weak constitution". I changed her entry on my links page.

The editors of Unknown News are moving from San Francisco to Kansas City. Have fun, guys! Good luck in your new home.

Due to high rents and higher rates of hypocrisy in San Francisco, Unknown News will be relocating to Kansas City, MO, over the next few weeks.

As we pack, drive halfway across the country, look for work and an apartment, and get settled, this site may see occasional updates. Don't expect the daily headlines we're accustomed to posting, however.

When you're jonesin' for a fix, we wholeheartedly recommend Ghost Rocket, Leviathan, Liberal Arts Mafia, and other daily logs as excellent sources of high-fiber alternative news.

With a little luck, we hope to resume daily updates to Unknown News around the middle of August.

Feel free to beat the rush, by getting all excited now.

And if anyone needs a librarian (MLS) or copy editor (BFD) in or near KC MO (or you'd like to take us to dinner in our new home town), you're cordially invited to get in touch.

Helen and Harry Highwater

Norman MacLeod - The Klamath Basin: America's Federally Mandated Ecological Disaster Zone - a photo essay of the destruction wrought by goverment closure of the Klamath Basin Dam. [unknown]

Ron Paul in the House of Representatives - A Bad Omen - I couldn't find a permament link for this, so you'll have to click on link number 5 on the linked page. Dr. Paul reminds us that the trial of Slobadon Milosevic by an international court threatens U.S. sovereignty. [grabbe]

The U.S. today may enjoy dictating policy to Yugoslavia and elsewhere around the world, but danger lurks ahead. The administration adamantly and correctly opposes our membership in the permanent International Criminal Court because it would have authority to exercise jurisdiction over U.S. citizens without the consent of the U.S. government. But how can we, with a straight face, support doing the very same thing to a small country, in opposition to its sovereignty, courts, and constitution. This blatant inconsistency and illicit use of force does not go unnoticed and will sow the seeds of future terrorist attacks against Americans or even war.

...

The U.N. War Tribunal in the Hague should insult the intelligence of all Americans. This court currently can only achieve arrest and prosecution of leaders of poor, small, or defeated nations. There will be no war criminals brought to the Hague from China, Russia, Britain, or the United States no matter what the charges. But some day this approach to world governing will backfire. The U.S. already has suffered the humiliation of being kicked off the U.N. Human Rights Commission and the Narcotics Control Commission. Our arrogant policy and attitude of superiority will continue to elicit a smoldering hatred toward us and out of sheer frustration will motivate even more terrorist attacks against us.

...

We cannot have it both ways. We cannot expect to use the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia when it pleases us and oppose the permanent International Criminal Court where the rules would apply to our own acts of aggression. This cynical and arrogant approach, whether it's dealing with Milosevic, Hussein, or Kadafi, undermines peace and presents a threat to our national security. Meanwhile, American citizens must suffer the tax burden from financing the dangerous meddling in European affairs, while exposing our troops to danger.

A policy of nonintervention, friendship and neutrality with all nations, engagement in true free trade (unsubsidized trade with low tariffs) is the best policy if we truly seek peace around the world. That used to be the American way.

Nicki Fellenzer at KeepAndBearArms.com - The Moment - One woman's personal experience of the inalienable human right to self-defense. [kaba]

I know the exact day, and moment when my views on the Second Amendment were formed... It was when a Soviet border guard stuck a rifle in my face and threatened to shoot me when I was eight years old.

Vaughn Ivie at KeepAndBearArms.com - When the Eagle Screams - Have you screamed for freedom lately. If not, why not? FREEDOM!! LIBERTY!! [kaba]

KeepAndBearArms.com - Some of the "Children" Who Died by Gunshot - the Brady Bunch are currently mumbling that 10 children a day die from gunshot wounds. We should be happy about the deaths of many of these "children". [kaba]

Vin Suprynowicz - Punishing graffiti victims - Another article in The Libertarian series. Clark County, NV has instituted an anti-graffiti ordinance. It authorizes county employees to clean up graffiti. On private property, they pay the freight. On commercial property, however, it mandates that the property owner pay for cleanup, either himself or after being billed by the county. A lien will be put on their property if they refuse to pay. Vin reminds us that the property owners are the victims here. Rather than penalizing them for crimes against them, the county should be finding the perps and forcing them to pay the cleanup costs. Vin then dredges up the stories of Carl Drega and Garry Watson to remind us of what can happen when government disrespects private property. Personally, I wish this kind of thing happenned more often. Maybe the government would finally learn. Yeah. Right.

Dave Kopel at National Review - Words of Freedom - another in a long line of articles reminding us that the preface to the second amendment, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State", in no way removes the power of the main phrase, "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Both historical and grammatical interpretations support this. So which part of "shall not be infringed" do the Brady Bunch misunderstand? [picks]

Jerry Pournelle - XCOR Aerospace Begins Manned Flight Testing - a commercial rocket vendor! This press release has not yet appeared on the XCOR Aerospace web site. [pournelle]

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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