Frodo Baggins Charged With War Crimes

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Tue, 09 Jul 2002 12:00:00 GMT

The reason there are so few female politicians is that it is too much trouble to put makeup on two faces. -- Maureen Murphy

and:

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein

From brianf:

Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything. -- Joseph Stalin

From Wakin' Up with the Wolf, a morning drive show to which I often listen on the way to work:

The Bible has an answer to every question. It even talks about PMS: Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Bethlehem. -- Larry the Cable Guy

From The Federalist:

There is a reason behind the movement to strike the words 'under God' from the Pledge of Allegiance -- and from our national customs, and our currency, and our public ceremonies. It has very little to do with atheism. It has a great deal to do with authoritarianism....They [the radical Left] abhor the words 'under God' because these words stand in the way of an all-powerful state. The French and American revolutions were waged on precisely the same declared rights of liberty and equality. One was a ghastly failure that ended in the reign of terror; the other, a magnificent success. Why? In the philosophy of the French Revolution, the rights of man were defined by a governmental committee and extended at the sufferance of that government. In the American view, these rights come from God, their existence is preeminent and their preservation is the principal object of government. If the source of our fundamental rights is not God, then the source becomes man -- or more precisely, a government of men. And rights that can be extended by government may also be withdrawn by government. Words matter. Ideas matter. And symbols matter. The public furor fomented by the Ninth Circuit Court over the Pledge of Allegiance must not be devalued as a mere defense of harmless deistic references and quaint old customs. The principle at stake is central to the very foundation of the American nation and the very survival of its freedoms. -- California State Senator Tom McClintock

Remtek - The Arms Site - articles on modern arms from many manufacturers: FAMAS, FN, GLOCK, HK, IMI, SIG, Steyr, and more. [smith2004]

The Guardian via coldfury.com - Frodo Baggins Charged With War Crimes - satirical commentary on the International Criminal Court. Hehe. [picks]

The charges brought by Sauron and Saruman are serious and were commented on at length by the Dark Lord himself at a press conference held after he delivered the formal papers to the Court. As a full signatory to the Court's original charter, Sauron is legally entitled to bring charges before the Court, and the Court's decision will be binding on Mr. Baggins, per the charter establishing the authority of the Court over the entire world, whether the particular defendant lives in a member country or not. The Shire has repeatedly refused to ratify a proposal to join the Court; the proposal has languished in the legislature, bogged down by stalling tactics employed by right-wing and unilateralist legislators intent on blocking it. Gondor and Rohan have likewise not joined the ICC, for similar obstructionist reasons.

Drew Cullen at The Register - eBay buys PayPal - for $1.5 billion in stock. Slashdot discussion here. [register]

John deLaubenfels at Strike the Root - My Draft-Dodging Days - reflections on the Vietnam War draft, and why people who support reinstating the draft are murderers. [market]

InfoWarz at snetnews Topica forum - 4th of July Truth - some practical advice for celebrating Independence Day. [market]

Have your papers ready as you approach the holiday police checkpoints.

Don't criticize the President or other government officials, you might be in violation of the Patriot Act and considered a possible terrorist.

Don't mention the Constitution in any district court or you could be held in contempt.

If your children get out of line this holiday, do not discipline them, or they may be kidnapped by the Dept. of Social Services and held hostage until you receive approved psychological therapy and are deemed acceptable.

AP via Centre Daily Times - Serpico decries anti-terror measures - Frank Serpico, whistle-blowing former NYC cop, denounced GW's nazis at an Independence Day reading of the Declaration of Independence in Chatham, NY. Wish I'd known about this. Chatham is a short drive away. [politech]

"It is my opinion that never before have we, as a nation, stood in greater danger of losing our individual liberties as we are today," he said. "We, the people of this great nation, are being punished for the transgressions of our leaders and their consorts."

Despite catcalls from the audience, he continued with his statement before moving on to the text of the historic document.

"When I still have the freedom to speak, I'll always use it," said Serpico, best known for fighting corruption within the police department in the 1960s.

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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