End the War on Freedom

"To say that I consider Bush a 'bad' president would be a severe understatement. I think he's bad in a way that redefines my understanding of the word 'bad.' I used to think U.S. history had many bad presidents. Now, my 'bad' category consists entirely of George W. Bush, with every previous president redefined as 'good'." -- Jonathan Chait of the L.A. Times

"Of his decision to invade Iraq, [Bush] said: 'Sometimes in this world you make unpopular decisions because you think they're right.' Or you stick to them even after you know they're wrong." --Maureen Dowd

"We don't feel at home unless we hear some boos, so you're welcome." -- Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines

"Friday was the second presidential debate, which was a town hall format. That's where everyday Americans, not just reporters, get a chance to have their questions avoided." -- Jay Leno

From brad:

"Computers have enabled people to make more mistakes faster than almost any invention in history, with the possible exception of tequila and hand guns." -- Mitch Ratcliffe

"There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence." -- Jeremy S. Anderson

"Progress (n.): The process through which Usenet has evolved from smart people in front of dumb terminals to dumb people in front of smart terminals." -- obs@burnout.demon.co.uk (obscurity)

"Getting a SCSI chain working is perfectly simple if you remember that there must be exactly three terminations: one on one end of the cable, one on the far end, and the goat, terminated over the SCSI chain with a silver-handled knife whilst burning *black* candles." -- Anthony DeBoer

From my Mom:

# Sharon Theimer - FEC May Regulate Web Political Activity - over my dead body they will. Michael Badnarik for President in 2004. [geekwitha.45]

# David Brownlow at News with Views - Boycott the "Two-Party" Charade! - indeed. [sierra]

Despite all the huffing and puffing, Bush and Kerry were together on almost every issue - from invading countries that never threatened to harm us, to the further expansion of a federal government that, by almost any objective measure, is spinning wildly out of control. Their only disagreement was quibbling over how quickly our few remaining freedoms should be taken away.

# What Really Happened - The United States Is In Deep Doodoo! - one from the archives on the crime that is the Federal Reserve. [whatreallyhappened]

# Edgar J. Steele - Left is Right and Right is Wrong - a particularly good rant, once you get past the commercial message at the top, with hardly a mention of Israel. Election 2004: Deathman meets Panderman.

Not surprisingly, America no longer is respected. It is feared, and with good reason. And we Americans no longer receive the indulgence that American economic and military success brought us in the past. Yes, unfortunately we still are seen as being crass, obtuse, self centered, loud and pushy. Difference is, increasingly we are perceived as being mean, venal and even criminal. Thanks, George.

By the time you read this, the third and final Presidential Election debate likely will be over. I see no need to wait and watch it to pronounce what now is apparent to all: The John and George Show is a farce. Talk about Stupid White Men! In one corner we have evil incarnate...Deathman, who loved to execute people as Governor of Texas and loves it even more now that he has access to cruise missiles. And, in the other corner is...Panderman! "I can't tell you how much respect I have for..." is a phrase I hope never to hear again in this lifetime. Kerry is beyond disgust for having used it repeatedly in an obvious attempt to curry favor with those who clearly disagree with his positions, if you can call them that. In fact, Kerry is beyond disgust for a great many reasons, but I am so disgusted with him that I can't bring myself to list them all just now. Besides, we haven't the time - there are only three weeks to go until the election.

...

Excuse the interruption. I had to go take a valium and mix a drink. My shaking hands, clenching and unclenching in uncontrollable spasms, took over the keyboard, Ouija-like, and I ran screaming from the room in horror at what was being spelled out.

I'm better now...honest. Lessee, where were we when I completely lost it?

Oh, yes - the Presidential debates. I mean, does anybody really give a rat's ass which of these two weenies "looks more Presidential?" Debating? Hell, both ought to be testifying...in their own defense at their respective trials for treason.

...

During the second "debate," at one point, Bush became flustered at having run out of drivel to spout and asked, "Is my time up yet?" obviously wishing that it were.

Is your time up yet? Yes, Mr. President - your time is up. Please just go away and become a particularly bad memory.

# Vin Suprynowicz at LewRockwell.com - Morlocks vs. Libertarians - great rant on why you shouldn't vote for Tweedle-dum or Tweedle-dumber. [lew]

Either I am the sole owner of my mind and body and the labor through which I use them to generate wealth, or I am not. If someone else has a prior claim on some portion of my labor, then I am a slave.

Whether I "only" have to work the first four months of the year to pay "my" taxes is irrelevant. If someone can enter your house without your permission and use a whip to drive you into the fields to harvest his crop, you are a slave. The fact that you remain "free" to gather round the campfire at night and sing a few spirituals is irrelevant to your underlying condition.

The only "reform" the slave cares about is the one that tells him, "You're now free to go where you please, and sell your labor for whatever price you can get, and keep it all (or spend it) as you see fit."

Libertarians understand and (mostly) embrace this principle. Yes, some minarchist Libertarians would settle for getting us back to the indirect excises intended by the Founders of 1787 -- arguing it's a more achievable goal and would "sure be better than what we've got."

But at heart, any true Libertarian realizes that taxation is slavery.

Meantime, what of these other "conservatives" of the right? Their "tax reform" schemes reveal that all they really intend is to "improve the efficiencies of collection," in ways which are "revenue neutral" (not reducing Massa's total cotton crop), shifting the well-funded levers of state power into new hands (theirs) -- usually in order to "make this a Christian nation" by more rigorously arresting and imprisoning those who exercise their God-given freedom to engage in self-medication, birth control (yes, there were places in this country where they tried to jail people for distributing birth control information to married couples, less than 50 years ago), and/or fornication.

Yes, the urge is always there to bend and modify the principle of self-ownership, in order to seem more "mainstream" -- more "reasonable." But unless you have actual principles, define them clearly, and stand by them in the face of all the sirens' seductive cries, you will surely lose your way in the discount market for souls which constitutes modern American politics.

...

I will cast that vote [for Michael Badnarik] on Nov. 2, and get my ass whupped (politically speaking), and go to bed proud and justified.

Whereas 95 percent of Americans (they must start to feel like the Eloi, shuffling in to the sound of the Morlocks' dinner bell in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine) will vote for one of two interchangeable Skull & Bonesmen without any discernible political principles, who (no matter which wins) will proceed to raise our (net) taxes, take away more of our freedoms, and continue frittering away whatever remains of America's reputation for decency by continuing the violent military occupation of scores of foreign countries that have never attacked or declared war upon us.

...

Pretend with me that you're an old German on your deathbed today. Would you rather tell your grandchildren, "I voted for the Nazis because they seemed better than the Communists and no other party could win"? Wouldn't you rather be able to rise up and say, "I publicly denounced the Nazis and the Communists. We were a minority -- 1 or 2 percent -- but we stood up for the truth and we were right! We proved not all Germans were mindless torchbearers for tyranny! We were ridiculed, we were beaten and jailed, but we saved this nation's soul. Now children, go and live your lives in a way to make me proud"?

Wouldn't you?

# Mike Anthony, Alan Korwin, & Vin Suprynowicz at Sierra Times - Real Questions for Bush & Kerry - some questions you never heard at the debates because they require real answers that would either reveal the tyrannical nature of both candidates or force them to promise to reduce government power. Followup on this Gunlaws.com page. [sierra]

# Linspire - Nvu, pronounced N-view, is an open source WYSIWYG web authoring system. It runs on Linux and Windows. I haven't tried it, and probably won't, since I'm happy to write my own HTML and use BlogMax to wrap my template around it. But for non-geeks, this is likely a useful tool. [madogre]

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