End the War on Freedom

The Idiot's Warehouse

I know the idiotÂ’s warehouse
Is always full.

I know each of us
Could run back and forth from there
All day long

And show everyone our vast collection.

Though tonight, Hafiz,
Retire from the madness for an hour,

Gather with some loyal friends
Or sit alone

And
Sing beautiful songs

To God.

(The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, translations by Daniel Ladinsky)

Jimmy Breslin at Newsday - Those Who Rush When Alarm Sounds - a beautiful story about a few of the rescue workers in New York City. [Jim]

Dave Polaschek sent a bunch of links about frangible bullets. I haven't read them yet:

Manufacturers:
http://www.safetyslug.com/
http://www.pla-net.net/~precart/frangible.html
http://www.westcoastbullet.net/frangiblebut.ivnu
http://www.triton-ammo.com/products/CQFrangilble.html
http://www.remington.com/ammo/pages/pistolrev/disintegrator.htm
http://www.candrammo.com/cr-ammo.htm
http://www.sinterfire.com/index.html

Articles:
http://rwebs.net/dispatch/output.asp?ArticleID=57
http://www.janes.com/security/law_enforcement/market_review/
jah_2000_2001/ammunition_handbook_2000-2001_02.shtml
http://www.ornl.gov/spm/methods/powder/NTammo/Ntammo.htm
http://www.firearmsid.com/Feature%20Articles/GreenBullets/GreenBullets.htm

More information:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/9517/guntech.html#SS

Alex Shiels is "tracking cypherpunk-ish issues in the wake of the WTC attack" at zem's weblog.

Declan McCullagh at Wired - Congress Mulls Stiff Crypto Laws - the encryption wars are beginning again. [zem]

Pierre Lemieux at Laissez Faire City Times - The Lessons of Terrorism - 1/3 of the U.S. economy devoted to government, and they couldn't protect us. They spend most of it attacking us with drug laws, gun laws, market regulations, and money redistribution schemes. And airport security was itself responsible for the ability of the terrorists to live long enough to accomplish their goals. Mr. Lemieux has a couple of ideas for what to do now: catch the murderers, do not further restrict liberty.

In his Tuesday night address, George Bush said: "I've directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice." This is a figure of style. Law enforcement is in large part directed against peaceful citizens.

...

Second, whatever state action is taken, it must not constitute an excuse for restricting our liberties even more. The main danger in reacting to the crimes of tyrants is that our states become more similar to them. Free individuals will lose the war against terrorists if their own governments trample on their liberties under the excuse of protecting them. It is tragically ironic that the September 11, 2001 tragedy follows decades of government restricting our liberties under the guise of fighting foreign tyrants or terrorists.

Advocates for Self-Government - Terror Attack in America: Libertarian Responses and Action - As usual, the Advocates have good, sober, practical ideas with plenty of links: Pray, Donate blood and platelet; Share any information that may help bring the terrorists to justice; Defend Arabs, Muslims, immigrants, and foreign visitors in America; Defend American civil liberties; Call for reforms in U.S. foreign policy; Continue to build a movement for liberty in America; Speak out -- effectively and persuasively, Stay informed and up-to-date; Read what libertarian leaders are saying about this crisis -- and be prepared to answer questions yourself, and around the world; Other Libertarian Commentary.

"War is the health of the state," said Randolph Bourne. During crises and wars government intrusions and infringements upon our personal and economic liberty increase dramatically. It is during times like these that defenders of freedom must be ready to speak out and defend our liberty from such threats.

Forces in government will use this tragedy to push for innumerable laws to restrict the freedom of Americans. Expect to hear calls for increasing government surveillance of Americans, censoring the Internet, requiring national identification cards, loosening restrictions on military and civil spy agencies, restricting immigration, limiting various Bill of Rights freedoms, and so on.

...

United States political leaders have pursued a foreign policy of intervening in the internal affairs of foreign nations for decades. In doing so, they have participated in dreadful crimes against people around the world; supported anti-freedom dictatorial rulers; participated in the killing of hundreds of thousands of utterly innocent civilians; and earned the enmity of many millions of people.

This interventionist foreign policy is a tragic betrayal of our heritage, and flies in the face of the wisdom of America's Founding Fathers, who urged us to follow a foreign policy of, in Jefferson's words, "Friendly relations with all nations, entangling alliances with none." By ignoring this wisdom of the Founders, we have lost much moral high ground and made enemies around the world.

Tina Terry at Sierra Times - Cut from the herd - The victims in the three airplane bombs were herded into the backs of the planes. Herded like sheep because they were denied, by their own government, the right to defend themselves. Three passengers in the fourth airplane decided not to be herded and saved untold thousands at that plane's target. None of the planes would have reached their targets had the passengers been properly armed, as is their God-given right. [sierra]

Gary North at LewRockwell.com - The Unasked Question of 9-11: What Was the Motive? - The World Trade Center bombing used a new weapon, but not a new idea. Western armies have been slaughtering civilians for a long time. [lew]

But I don't see that there was anything new here, either. Substitute the word "Dresden" for "New York City." The Allies -- mostly the United States – firebombed a defenseless German city, day after day, in 1945, a city with no military significance in 1945. At least 25,000 civilians died in the resulting firestorms, with 350,000 left homeless in winter. Our fighting men did this from air in streams of hundreds of bombers, when there were no German fighter aircraft to defend the city.

...

This country has been waging a terrorist campaign against Iraq's civilians for over a decade. Estimates range from 750,000 to 1,500,000 civilians dead because of our continuing trade sanctions, half of them children. We refuse to lift these trade sanctions until Saddam Hussein resigns. But he remains in power only because President Bush refused to pursue a military objective -- warriors vs. warriors – by conquering Iraq in 1991. He deliberately let Saddam's army get away. Now we starve Iraqi children for a strictly political objective: to get him to resign. The public neither knows nor cares. Motive? Here is a motive. It's called revenge -- not for the sake of the secular Baath party, but on behalf of Islam.

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