January 2012
A Few Thoughts on New Year's Eve
1. There is no paper towel better than Kleenex Viva Choose-a-Size. First, it’s just a fantastic paper towel … soft enough to be used as a napkin, even a tissue if you’re in a bind, and yet it’s still absorbent enough to clean up a mess. Second, you can choose the size. This is good for the environment and good for your finances. I challenge you to name a better paper...
December 2011
Progressives and the Ron Paul fallacies - Glenn... →
Everyone should read this.
“By virtually all accounts, the 2012 presidential race was to hinge on a restless...”
– Voters Say Republican Candidates’ Personalities Matter - NYTimes.com
New York Times interviews 36 people and uncovers fact that voters sometimes choose candidate based upon their personality. Tomorrow, the Times interviews fifty people and discovers that people like eating ice cream, but...
“From inside Agosto’s cruiser, Richardson watched a drug-sniffing dog scratch at...”
– In futile car search for drugs, Pompton Lakes police inflict $12K worth of damage | NJ.com
Sometimes the war on drugs is eight armored cops tackling a man because he has a joint. Sometimes the war on drugs is a no-knock raid at the wrong house and the shooting of an innocent person. Sometimes...
“Asked if a president could bomb Iran without Congressional permission, Mr....”
– G.O.P. Field Has Broad Views on Executive Power - NYTimes.com
Of the current Republican field, only Paul takes a position materially different than Obama’s current one.
The Candidates on Executive Power - Interactive... →
Useful comparison of the candidates’ various positions.
“Perhaps this warped view is why Paul believes that al-Qaida terrorists caught in...”
– Ron Paul is dangerous, Union Leader publisher says - Joseph W. McQuaid - New Hampshire Union Leader - POLITICO.com
So Ron Paul wants to arrest terrorists and put them on trial for their crimes. And this makes him “nuts,” according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. It’s pretty...
“One of Michele Bachmann’s top campaign advisers is breaking with his own...”
– Bachmann defection opens new rift in campaign – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs
Making Crazy not Crazy
azspot:
“Many of Ron Paul’s newsletters purport to reveal plots to suspend the Constitution. They raise fears about a movement toward one world government and the machinations of the Israeli lobby. By any standard, Mr. Paul regularly wrote — or published — opinions and theories that disqualify him for consideration to any high or low federal office. It isn’t likely that many of Mr. Paul’s more...
elijahlain asked: I love it when Squashed and yourself get a dialogue going. If you have a chance, I would love to read your reaction to his recent post on drone strikes found here: squashed[.]tumblr[.]com/post/14931281834/drone-strikes-and-the-american-way --- (take out the brackets) Appreciate your thoughts. Keep it up!
“Imagine a candidate who, more than 15 years ago, fundraised and attempted to...”
– David Groshoff: Ron Paul: Secret Homophobe or Misunderstood Ally?
The point is well-taken. Actions do speak louder than words. But words still speak. And when they’re vile, they ought to be explained better than they have been here.
“PolitiFact doubtless regards its having criticized both Republicans and...”
– What ‘Fact Checkers’ Call Lies, I Call Politics: Ramesh Ponnuru - Bloomberg
This is right, of course.
“Other commanders in chief have presided over wars with far higher casualty...”
– Under Obama, an emerging global apparatus for drone killing - The Washington Post
The article looks at the President’s secretive and expansive drone program. I’m not going to pretend that any of the issues concerning the “War on Terror” are easy. But the most troubling...
“With Ron Paul’s now-infamous newsletters once again making headlines, I mulled...”
– Julian Sanchez, The New York Times on Ron Paul’s Newsletters
The New York Times is pretty bad about this. They seem to think they are the major leagues, and that it’s journalism when they call up a story from the minors.
“Holy buckets. Before I rant, note the following: this is all about Libertarians...”
– I’ll Believe In Anything, talking about my post
I’m not sure why the author of this thinks my Jewishness somehow disqualifies me from talking about racism. I am sure they haven’t read much about Herbert Spencer or the libertarian origins of the abolitionist movement.
Libertarians and Racism
squashed:
… I think The Callus is right—at least to the extent that the Libertarians’ race issues go beyond some awful things that Ron Paul may or may not have allowed to be said in his name. I would lay it out a bit differently, though.
Any real-world political ideology should grapple with the problems of the real world. A political ideology that could only function in a fantasy world...
kohenari asked: There's a terrific post at the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog this evening that echoes much of what you've been saying, with some nice history too. Just FYI.
This Beltway Libertarian
crankyminarchist:
Why the Beltway Libertarians Are Trying to Smear Ron Paul
via statehate:
Relevant
I’m a libertarian, I live within the Beltway, and I’m upset about the newsletters, so perhaps I should respond.
We Beltway libertarians would like for Ron Paul to succeed. We don’t necessarily agree with everything he stands for, but he’s a ton closer to where we...
“What I want Paul detractors to confront is that he alone, among viable...”
– Grappling With Ron Paul’s Racist Newsletters - Conor Friedersdorf - Politics - The Atlantic
Every Paul supporter and detractor should read the whole thing.
Anonymous asked: The author of the racist newsletters is Lew Rockwell.
3 tags
It's a Shame About Ron
I don’t agree with Ron Paul on everything, but he comes closer to my policy preferences than any candidate still running in the Republican field. He’s the only politician I’ve ever donated to; I gave in 2007, before I found out about the newsletters that were published under his name. Reports of the newsletters caused me to regret my donation, and exposed a character defect in...
“This used to be funny, but now it’s really just terrifying. We’re dealing with...”
– Dear Congress, It’s No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works | Motherboard
I’ve seen this quote blogged and reblogged a lot these last few days, and it’s a good quote, and it comes from a really good post. The whole thing is worth a read. But there’s something...
“Kim Hye Sook was aged 13 when she was sent to join her parents at the Gwalliso...”
– North Korean prison camp survivor speaks out - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Another way to remember a tyrant upon his death.
Diagnosing Ron Paul
I wrote this post back in 2008, in light of reports concerning newsletters bearing his name. It seems relevant again, so I’m rerunning it below:
The consensus among respectable, establishment libertarians (to the extent there is such a thing) is that Ron Paul is probably not much of a racist, but that he tolerated the racism in his newsletters because they kept the money flowing. This...
Animal Farm
The general response to my last post seems to be: Bush already did this; move along. Yes, I know … we’ve been holding people indefinitely for years. The point is that we were promised change, and we’re getting the same, old, awful injustices. There was a reason for the Animal Farm reference; like the pigs in Animal Farm, this regime is busy reenacting the hated policies of...
“And the brief against Congressman Ron Paul? Here’s the whole argument:...”
– Pretending That Ron Paul Doesn’t Matter Won’t Make Him Go Away - Conor Friedersdorf - Politics - The Atlantic
National Review is unfair to Ron Paul, as is their habit.
IPR Exclusive: Gary Johnson to Announce... →
This is good news for the Libertarian Party. Knowing the party, they’ll ignore this good fortune and enlist Jesse Ventura as their candidate.
UPDATE: Just saw on Twitter that Johnson has already denied this. Says: ”It may be something that I end up doing but it’s certainly not going to happen tomorrow.”
More on Apple and Taxes
letterstomycountry:
… . Apple is keeping cash reserves overseas because that’s where the growth potential (i.e. market share) is, not because tax rates are lower. Reducing America’s corporate tax rate would not encourage Apple to bring their cash reserves back to America because their decision to invest (or not invest) in Apple’s business enterprise has more to do...
Not a Joke
So Chuck Todd flashed his middle finger on air, and then gave this apology:
The camera is always on. A lesson some of us never learn. My apologies. Am personally embarrassed. Was a joke with someone on other side
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) December 14, 2011
As a practical matter, who cares if he held his middle finger up?—it’s just a finger! Everyone has one.
But as a joke, the...
“Think Apple looked at tax rates before it decided to open their stores ?...”
– My Views on Corporations & Taxes — Mark Cuban (via apoplecticskeptic)
Apple is keeping 2/3rds of its massive cash reserves off-shore because it doesn’t want to pay taxes on them here. That’s money that the company could invest here, but isn’t. So Cuban is spectacularly...
“Gary Busey just endorsed Newt Gingrich. Why should I care about what this...”
– a friend of mine
"The governor who got rid of 1,200 state... →
“At the 1983 Oscar ceremony, Polish director Zbigniew Rybczynski had possibly the...”
– Tango (1981) - Trivia - IMDb
“The reason why I’ve become less skeptical about Mr. Huntsman’s chances is that...”
– Jon Huntsman’s Path to Victory - NYTimes.com
“He’s hired more than 50 lobbyists to senior positions, a handful of his...”
– Obama and the special interests | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner
“The team showed up at 5:30 a.m. with flash-bang grenades, burst into the home...”
– Idiot SWAT Team Tried to Catch Guy Who Was Already in Prison
Every single day, SWAT teams use unnecessary force to endanger the lives of innocent people, either because they wrote down the wrong address, or because they are relying upon an obviously unreliable informant, or because of stupid...
