John Kerry slams 'new isolationism'

Today I traveled to another town, bought a few things and talked with some people who live there. But I didn't shoot anyone or blow anything up or try to force anyone to live a certain way. I guess interventionist warmongers like John Kerry would call me an isolationist.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/john-kerry-slams-new-isolationism-and-says-us-behaving-like-poor-nation

You have to respect the office

I've heard it said that whether you voted for the guy or not, and whether you agree or disagree with his policies, "you have to respect the office". (I'm pretty sure I even said it myself at one time.) But why? Would we say the same about the office of dictator, or Caesar, or emperor? 

Over the last hundred years, the office of the U.S. president has overseen the near elimination of the Bill of Rights in America, the transfer of trillions of dollars from the American people to powerful and politically connected special interests, and the killing/maiming/displacement of countless millions of human beings.

The office authorized the rounding up of innocent Americans into concentration camps based on their Japanese descent, ordered the only two nuclear attacks in history and did so against hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and has routinely invaded, occupied, bombed and destroyed countries at will.

The office presently claims the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner any time, any place in the world against Americans and non-Americans alike. It also presides over the government with the largest prison population in the entire world. It also oversees the most expansive spying and surveillance apparatus in human history. It also viciously prosecutes truth-tellers and whistle-blowers who expose government crimes against society.

What could there possibly be to respect about this terrible office?

Heroes and Villains

This is a movie where the villains are the three-letter government agencies prohibiting potentially life-saving and pain-relieving medical treatments, the armed bureaucrats who use violence against their non-threatening victims because of peaceful activities, and the corporate cronies who utilize the power of the state to enrich themselves. 

And the heroes, however flawed they may be, are the individuals who benefit society with entrepreneurism, who care for each other and help each other regardless of whether it is approved by "the authorities", and who dare to defy the state in the pursuit of their own needs and the needs of their communities. 

In other words, Dallas Buyers Club is wonderfully true to life (unsurprisingly, it's based on a true story). It is an all-around great film and I highly recommend watching it.


UPDATE: I should add that it's rated R for a reason, so viewer beware.

Cop arrests Fireman

In a joint statement released after the session, they called the officer's detention an "unfortunate incident," labeling it "an isolated incident and not representative of the manner in which our agencies normally work together toward our common goal." - story at CNN.com

They absolutely do not have a common goal. The goal of firemen is to help people in emergencies. (I am, of course, opposed to the way fire services are organized through government coercion, but that's another discussion). The goal of the police is to enforce "THE LAW", a.k.a. hurt people for infractions of "THE LAW", mostly as defined by busybody authoritarian politicians and their special interest groups.

Seriously, so what?

When I talk about my support for completely ending prohibition, I often mention the fact that I have never used any of the drugs the government currently prohibits. I do that to preempt the dismissal that I'm just some guy who wants to get high. 

But even if that was what I wanted, so what? I drink alcohol for the purpose of altering my consciousness, and so do the rest of people I know who enjoy having a drink. I also love the taste of great beer, but that's certainly not the only reason why I just paid $5.99 to get 22 ounces of it from Trader Joe's, and I doubt it's why over 250,000,000 cases of Bud Light were sold in the U.S. last year. 

There are many reasons, both economic and practical, to end the War on Drugs. This is the moral case: government officials locking a human being in a cage because they choose to put a substance in their own body that some authoritarian politician decides should be illegal is just about as wrong as it gets.

First TV interview with Edward Snowden

VIDEO: German Television does first Edward Snowden Interview (ENGLISH)

"If I am a traitor, who did I betray? I gave all of my information to the American public, to American journalists, who were reporting on American issues. If they see that as treason, I think people really need to consider, "Who do they think they are working for?" The public is supposed to be their boss, not their enemy."

This interview is phenomenal. Edward Snowden is articulate, intelligent, and truly heroic.