Tuesday, January 8

Ron Paul: An Absolute Faith in Free Markets and Less Government

Well, almost.  "But critics note inconsistencies in Paul's long public record. For example, while Paul crusades against big government and voted against government funds for victims of hurricane Katrina, he has requested and won billions in special projects for his congressional district...."  (4 pages, Editor's pick)

Iranian Vessels ‘Harass’ U.S. Warships

Yup. The poor little U.S. warships were just innocently cruising through the Straits of Hormuz, minding their own business on behalf of the biggest and most powerful empire in the world, when all of a sudden the big bad Iranian gunboats confronted them and threatened to blow them up. Looks like Gulf of Tonkin II: Persian Boogaloo is about to hit theaters everywhere in Iran.

Barack Obama’s American Exceptionalism
“Recognizing the need to lay out a foreign policy agenda defined by more than opposition to the war in Iraq, Senator Obama set out to explain his broader vision for U.S. foreign policy in an April 2007 speech before the Chicago Council of Global Affairs. The speech contained a healthy helping of high–minded rhetoric about the need ‘to stay on the offense, from Djibouti to Kandahar’, of leading a global effort ‘to keep the world's deadliest weapons out of the world's most dangerous hands’, of the need to build ‘stronger alliances’, and of leading ‘a stronger push to defeat the terrorists' message of hate with an agenda for hope around the world’.” Here in Illinois, we’ve had to put up with Obama’s obnoxiously unrelenting and self-serving PR machine for the past four years. Trust me when I say that he’s a total phony.

Hillary Clinton: ‘It’s Tough Being a Power-Hungry Witch’
“Campaigning in New Hampshire one day before the first-in-the-nation primary, Senator Hillary Clinton got emotional and had tears in her eyes as she spoke with voters about how hard it is to balance a busy campaign life and her passion for the country's future.” Oh, god—Someone pass me a bucket!!! Be sure to check out the video. That so many have taken this pompous, self-important ass so seriously for so long is a mystery for the ages.  (Lady Macbeth has ice water coursing through her veins.  She is ruthless. - Ed.)

Rural Oregon Mayor’s Racy MySpace Page
"Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist created a stir with her MySpace page, where at one time anyone could see photos of her on one of the town's fire engines, clad only in a black bra and panties.” I’d say she was merely dressing in the manner most appropriate to her profession. Few politicians are possessed of such candor.

Please Go Away

Roderick Long’s proposal for an online anarchist petition.

Anarchist Round Table: ‘The Ron Paul Revolution’
Root Striker Stefan Molyneux, Wendy McElroy and Brad Spangler discuss some interesting observations of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign and its implications for the libertarian movement. The program is part of Molyneux’s Freedomain Radio series.

Murray Rothbard on Milton Friedman, 1970

For the “econo-geeks” among our readers. Really quite interesting.

Story of the Year: The ‘October Surprise’

“Yes, it's a lousy time to be a [major record label]. CD sales are down nearly 30 percent since 2000, digital distribution has rendered the labels' once-coveted relationships with brick-and-mortar retailers (the ones that still exist) increasingly less valuable, cheap recording technology has made big advances unnecessary, and online promo avenues like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube have leveled the playing field for acts without access to marketing dollars. In fact, Radiohead's release and Madonna's deal were merely the highlights of a remarkable month of developments that all pointed toward the seemingly inevitable--if perhaps unnecessarily hasty--conclusion that major labels are the buggy-whip industry of the 21st century.” I believe it was the late John Lennon who said, “Evolve or die.”

Alice Miller: ‘We Can Identify the Causes of Our Suffering’

Top 10 Signs Your Country Is Going Fascist
Dig it: Both satire and not satire at the same time.

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