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*** June 2012 low content thread ***

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Nielsio replied on Sun, Jun 24 2012 8:08 PM

This Week in Liberty, Episode 1. Guest: Rob (Autolykos). Internet regulation, IP, cheap computing

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gotlucky replied on Sun, Jun 24 2012 8:53 PM

So we have over 3,000 guests online right now!  It seems like the number of guests reading the forums has gone up over the last few months.  Cool.

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DanielMuff replied on Sun, Jun 24 2012 10:18 PM

And 7,000 of those are bots :D

To paraphrase Marc Faber: We're all doomed, but that doesn't mean that we can't make money in the process.
Rabbi Lapin: "Let's make bricks!"
Stephan Kinsella: "Say you and I both want to make a German chocolate cake."

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gotlucky replied on Sun, Jun 24 2012 10:21 PM

Ever the optimist, eh?

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http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/06/rio20-summit

CAN companies succeed where governments have failed to protect the environment? The question was repeatedly asked in Rio de Janeiro this week, at the UN’s vast three-day environment summit, which was due to end on June 22nd.

Is this another non-event, or should I be worrying about new wave of eco-fascism?

The Voluntaryist Reader - read, comment, post your own.
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Wheylous replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 2:16 AM

Awe, Autolykos is Rob! Listen to his voice up there ^

Sorry for thinking you were a cranky Picard.

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Protester Accuses Tony Blair of War Crimes (Investigation Called for by the Court)

On Legalizing Marijuana: Mitt Romney VS. Ron Paul

Must View: The Importance of Staying Ahead of Price Inflation

As Soldiers Come Back in Coffins, CorpoGovernment Operatives Just Spin the Revolving Door

Vermont Tax Collectors Drill Dentist

Inside anecdotes on Prescott Bush

Seagulls and Persistence

The Neocon Purge of "Ron Paul Types" from the Republican Party

First Reaction to Huerta de Soto

What Greece Should Do

The President Disappeared on Saturday and There's a Bilderberg Meeting Coming Up: Coincidence?

17 Year Old Builds a Better Search Engine

"Of note, he indicates he didn't gain the skills to create his invention from formal education, but rather from studying on his own---which is how most of us learn about Austrian economics."

Bilderberg Hotel Cancels Alex Jones' Hotel Reservation

IMF chief who doesn't pay taxes: "Greeks could "help themselves" by "all paying their tax"

How the Federal Reserve Manipulates Interest Rates and the Money Supply

FLASHBACK: When Obama Ditched the Press in 2008 to Attend a Bilderberg Meeting

Ron Paul Is a Golden Multi-Millionaire

Wells Fargo Seizes Stockton, California City Hall

James Altucher Lived with a Trotskyite

New French Law: CEO pay to 20 times that of the lowest paid worker. Easy CEO solution: fire low wage workers

Hoppe: As a Rule Intellectuals are Worthless Gasbags and Smartasses

 

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Autolykos replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 7:43 AM

Wheylous:
Awe, Autolykos is Rob! Listen to his voice up there ^

Sorry for thinking you were a cranky Picard.

Haha no problem. I'm glad I don't sound cranky! smiley

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Wheylous replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 12:00 PM

How'd you get the gig?

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gotlucky replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 4:35 PM

It's an interesting chart, JJ, but it leaves itself wide open to criticism because it doesn't have "insurgent" casualties listed.  But in terms of civilian casualties to US casualties, just wow.

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How about the charts here, then?

TEDxMileHighSalon - Michael Huemer - The Irrationality of Politics

 

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anarcken replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 5:25 PM

i was a warehouse wage slave

still, women are discriminated against

turns out the models were wrong

well, i try my best to be just like i am, but everybody wants you to be just like them! they say sing while you slave, and i just get bored!
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gotlucky replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 5:36 PM

Yikes!

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Clayton replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 5:36 PM

@JJ: What a great talk... and it's short, too, so it can keep people's attention. TED never fails to amaze me.

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Notice how he got no applause for the second example.  wink

 

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Clayton replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 6:22 PM

Yep. I thought that was a nice bit of jujutsu rhetoric. I also thought his choices for examples of irrationality were the two best possible.

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gotlucky replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 9:25 PM

 

Lowell Man Arrested For Throwing French Fries At Stepdaughter

I can't even believe the lack of pertinent information in this.  So why am I posting it?  If the article is accurate, what a gross violation of this man's rights.  No sense of proportion whatsoever.  Kidnap and jail a man for throwing french fries?  What's next?  Shooting bubble gum thieves?

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Mens Rea replied on Mon, Jun 25 2012 10:40 PM

^^ That's in my city 8-0

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Entertaining: Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn Responds To Bilderberg Questions

The comments on the videos are pretty entertaining too.  Especially the Paula Zahn one.

Is Argentina Headed for Hyper-Inflation?

Must Watch: How Cronyism Works in Washington D.C.

Egypt's Mubarak Sentenced to Life in Prison

Here's What The Smartest Investor I Know Thinks Will Happen To Facebook Stock

Ron Paul's Bankster Protection Portfolio Comes through Big Time, Again

Is More Fed Easing Around the Corner?

ADA Study Confirms Dangers of Fluoridated Water

What Happened to the Austrian School Economist that took a Job at the Fed?  (this one is quite good)

Max Keiser on Bilderberg’s Role in the Financial Crisis

 

Emails Show Obama Fake-Fighting the Drug Industry

"Obamacare emails made public last week show that Obama is skilled at publicly pretending to fight a supposed bad guy -- the drug lobby, in this case -- while ensuring neither side actually gets hurt, both sides get paid, and everyone can be chums afterward."

Greece and the Banksters

A nice quick assessment of Greek sentiment

"By the end of this century, I suspect the U.S. and most other nation-states will have, for all practical purposes, ceased to exist."

"All Nickels, Please"

Keynesians as Insane Warmongers

Analyst: Facebook Will Disappear in 5 to 8 Years

James "The Wizard" Altucher Responds to Analyst View that Facebook will Disappear

Milton Friedman Died a Mechanical Keynesian

The Quickly Developing Social Security Crisis

 

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gotlucky replied on Tue, Jun 26 2012 4:56 PM

 

Confrontation With TSA Agent Leaves Grandpa's Ashes On Floor

From the article:

 

 

 

"They opened up my bag, and I told them, 'Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,'" Gross told RTV6's Norman Cox. "She picked up the jar. She opened it up.

 

"I was told later on that she had no right to even open it, that they could have used other devices, like an X-ray machine. So she opened it up. She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it."

 

Gross says about a quarter to a third of the contents spilled on the floor, leaving him frantically trying to gather up as much as he could while anxious passengers waited behind him.

 

"She didn't apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments. I couldn't pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me."

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gotlucky replied on Tue, Jun 26 2012 7:07 PM

 

Profanity Rally Protesters Slam Town's Anti-Swearing Law

The protest rally was organized by Adam Kokesh, a libertarian who publishes podcasts online from a Virginia studio. He says police can "steal from you if they don't like what's coming out of your mouth."

Of course it was.

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Clayton replied on Tue, Jun 26 2012 7:36 PM

Profanity Rally Protesters Slam Town's Anti-Swearing Law

This is highly counter-productive.

a) Securing a "right to swear in public" will not strengthen property rights or combat Leviathan in any way

b) It is not clear that a prohibition on swearing in a municipality is any more anti-libertarian than a prohibition on nudity - public space in an urban area is only semi-public in the sense that the norms regulating allowable "homesteading" of such public spaces are naturally much stronger than those regarding the use of empty wilderness.

c) In general, modern Western culture is suffering from a surfeit of high-time-preference libertinism and a deficit of low-time-preference propertarian liberalism. We already have gay marches and so on. That is well-covered territory. What we really need is stronger property rights and a rollback of the surveillance state in order to reinstitute the basic right to privacy, particularly financial privacy precisely because it is the first line of defense against government taxation.

The etatists have twisted the law & order conservatives around on themselves. "If you have nothing to hide, then why do you need to hide anything?" Well, for the simple reason that "out of sight, out of mind" - what the government doesn't know you have, they can't tax just like what criminals don't know you have, they can't steal. Putting valuables in the glove compartment or trunk is a much less expensive alternative to leaving them on the front seat and buying some expensive car alarm.

d) This is precisely the kind of "annoying, in-your-face libertarianism" that gives libertarianism a bad name with mainstream folks. Middle-class soccer moms have no interest in having the right to swear in public. If you want to persuade them to change their hearts & minds on the dangers of etatism, you need to explain how it is actually in their interests. For example: "If the Leviathan State is rolled back, you and your husband will keep more of your paycheck(s) and have more money in your household with which to raise, feed, clothe and educate your children. Would you rather have a better standard-of-living for your children or send US troops over to bomb Iraqis so Lockheed-Martin can justify another contract develop some new murderous, spying drone prototype?"

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gotlucky replied on Tue, Jun 26 2012 7:58 PM

Well put, Clayton.

Clayton:

b) It is not clear that a prohibition on swearing in a municipality is any more anti-libertarian than a prohibition on nudity - public space in an urban area is only semi-public in the sense that the norms regulating allowable "homesteading" of such public spaces are naturally much stronger than those regarding the use of empty wilderness.

Exactly.  Just because there are statutes does not necessarily make them wrong, though most of the time they are.  There is no reason to believe that property owners would necessarily permit swearing on their property and therefore on the street that they own outside their property.  However, it is likely that swearing would be permitted in a large amount of areas, as who is going to take the time to take people to court for swearing?  But in a town center, especially in an area where there would be a lot of middle class families, it is highly likely that this kind of behavior would not be common.  And if someone were especially profane, then it is likely that some security officer would remove the person from the property.

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Clayton replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 2:18 AM

Wow, respect. H/T LRC blog. The problem is that there are just too much other bullshit the cops can pull (using "lawful orders"). Fortunately, this guy was dealing with less-than-maximal bullies. If you study the law carefully, you can stand your ground with most cops. The key is you have to realize that they all receive a standardized set of "cop law training" and you have to know the legal boundaries they were taught in that training. Most of them didn't pay close attention to all the minutia so if you start going into the fine details and it sounds roughly like what they heard in training, they might back down. But it's still dangerous. All you need is one asshole who doesn't care if he gets written up (because that's the most that will happen to him) and you'll end up flat on the concrete with a knee planted in the back of your neck.

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Autolykos replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 7:40 AM

You beat me to it, Clayton! cheeky

Check out the pro-police comments. I've decided that, whenever someone tells me "I'm just doing my job," I'm going to calmly reply, "That's the problem."

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Autolykos replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 7:41 AM

Wheylous:
How'd you get the gig?

I've talked to Nielsio on Skype in the past. He just messaged me recently on here inviting me to start doing podcasts with him. smiley

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Autolykos replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 8:03 AM

Not to start a debate on this in the low-content thread, but... cheeky

Clayton:
This is highly counter-productive.

In all honesty, and with all due respect, I'm not sure if I agree.

Clayton:
a) Securing a "right to swear in public" will not strengthen property rights or combat Leviathan in any way

I think the point is about self-ownership, but I could be wrong.

Clayton:
b) It is not clear that a prohibition on swearing in a municipality is any more anti-libertarian than a prohibition on nudity - public space in an urban area is only semi-public in the sense that the norms regulating allowable "homesteading" of such public spaces are naturally much stronger than those regarding the use of empty wilderness.

Asking someone to leave property that he doesn't own because you, as either an/the owner or an agent of the owner(s), don't like the way he's behaving, is perfectly legitimate IMO. Certain establishments have dress codes (no hats allowed, no shorts allowed, etc.). What I take exception to is the notion that saying certain words in certain places entails giving up certain property rights - in this case, the right to $20 of one's own money. I believe Mr. Kokesh shares this opinion.

In a voluntaryist world, all property will be either unowned or privately owned. By "privately owned", I don't mean "individually owned", but rather "exclusively owned". So technically "privately owned" is a redundant phrase, as all ownership is private (i.e. exclusive). Note that this certainly allows for property to be jointly owned by two or more individuals. I'm not sure where the notion of "public space" fits in there, to be honest.

Clayton:
c) In general, modern Western culture is suffering from a surfeit of high-time-preference libertinism and a deficit of low-time-preference propertarian liberalism. We already have gay marches and so on. That is well-covered territory. What we really need is stronger property rights and a rollback of the surveillance state in order to reinstitute the basic right to privacy, particularly financial privacy precisely because it is the first line of defense against government taxation.

The first and most fundamental property right that anyone has is in himself. Asking someone to leave your house because of the way he's behaving doesn't violate his self-ownership. Since he doesn't own your house, or the land it's own, he has no prima facie right to be there. But if instead you tell him that he now owes you some amount of money because of his behavior, then you are violating his self-ownership. His behavior (assuming it wasn't destructive) didn't take anything from you, so it doesn't follow that you have the right to take something from him as a result. I think this is the philosophical point behind Mr. Kokesh's protest.

Clayton:
d) This is precisely the kind of "annoying, in-your-face libertarianism" that gives libertarianism a bad name with mainstream folks. Middle-class soccer moms have no interest in having the right to swear in public. If you want to persuade them to change their hearts & minds on the dangers of etatism, you need to explain how it is actually in their interests. For example: "If the Leviathan State is rolled back, you and your husband will keep more of your paycheck(s) and have more money in your household with which to raise, feed, clothe and educate your children. Would you rather have a better standard-of-living for your children or send US troops over to bomb Iraqis so Lockheed-Martin can justify another contract develop some new murderous, spying drone prototype?"

I don't think it's necessarily an either-or thing. That is, I think both approaches can be taken simultaneously. But as long as people think it's okay to tyrannize those who they simply don't like, and/or are okay with not having rights that they wouldn't exercise anyway, I think they're lost to the cause of libertarianism.

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Clayton:
and you'll end up flat on the concrete with a knee planted in the back of your neck.

...or worse.  That's why the video (especially at least audio) recording is so important.  I highly recommend everyone get a small digital audio recorder to keep on your person at all times, and run it anytime you even remotely feel like an encounter is about to occur.  (I don't care if your iphone has an audio recording app.  It's took big, and too cumbersome to initiate recording.  Get a dedicated recorder.)

 

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Autolykos replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 9:27 AM

A "winning" comment on the video Clayton linked to:

"Well heres the thing, I don't care if its in his rights to openly carry a gun, I don't think he should be allowed to carry a gun down the street."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that translate to "I don't care if it's in his rights to openly carry a gun, I don't think it should be in his rights to openly carry a gun"?

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John James replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 10:42 PM

So in case you haven't noticed, the original uploader got the "law student vs. cop" video removed.  Apparently that upload wasn't the original one.  The funny part is, he's gonna have a hell of a time trying to stop it.  Do a youtube search for "law student cop" and laugh at what you find.

Anyway, if you're going to embed or link to it, g'head and link to the original from the kid's channel.  He deserves it:

 

 

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gotlucky replied on Wed, Jun 27 2012 11:59 PM

So I know that there are some filmakers here on the forum, and there was a discussion a while ago on good software to use.  Anyway, Valve is releasing the Source Filmmaker for free.  It's in beta now so you have to apply for a beta key first.  I don't know how useful it will be now, as they are limitting it in the beginning, but it seems like they are aiming to make it a full feature program...for free!

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Clayton replied on Thu, Jun 28 2012 12:16 AM

Tests find only marijuana in face-chewer's system

Clearly, we need to step up enforcement of the drug laws... after all, just look what Marijuana can do to you!

 

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Nielsio replied on Thu, Jun 28 2012 4:39 PM

Menger versus Mises and Rothbard on how money works

Article at: http://nielsio.tumblr.com/post/25583537960/menger-versus-mises-and-rothbard-on-how-money-works

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Gero replied on Thu, Jun 28 2012 5:49 PM

News Corp. approves Murdoch plan to split company

Health care law survives _ with Roberts' help

Coverage for most Americans, a scramble for states

Campaign impact: Obama, Romney seize on ruling

House votes to hold attorney general in contempt

AG emails: Get to the bottom of Fast and Furious

Roberts delivers for president who had opposed him

High court ruling benefits most health care firms

Hospital stocks jump after health care ruling

News organizations don't all get ruling right

Polish game on communist hardships goes global

Analysis: Health care ruling won't stop arguments

Justice Ginsberg Correctly Points Out That Romney Put the Country on the Road to Obamacare

Ron Paul Responds to Supreme Court Obamacare Decision

Libertarian Reaction to Supreme Court Ruling on Obamacare

Mitt Romney on Obamacare Upholder Chief Justice Roberts

Prosperity by Mandate

Why ObamaCare Will Fail: A Reading List

A Taxing Decision

What DC Schools Can Teach Us about Obamacare

Supreme Court Unlawfully Rewrites Obamacare to Save It; Four Votes (Led by Kennedy) to Strike It

Congress: ‘It’s Not a Tax.’ SCOTUS: ‘Yes It Is.’

You Will Now Be Required to Pay for the New York Times

What’s Next After the Obamacare Ruling?

The Ultimate Bush Disaster

ACLU Welcomes Health Care Decision (See, the ACLU is not too pro-liberty.)

Cases leading up to the Supreme Court decision

Supreme Court Ruling

The Michael Jackson Principle (I found this article funny)

10 Reasons Countries Fall Apart (I mostly agree with this except for three points. Somalia is not great because of U.S.-backed warlords, not anarchy. Columbia is not great because of a U.S.-backed drug war. Peru, I don’t know, but this government-as-cure-all doesn’t make sense. If the country is wealthy enough, private landowners can build roads.)

Famous KGB Spies: Where Are They Now?

Everything in Syria Is Going to Plan

The Dictators Are Smarter Than You Think

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Clayton replied on Thu, Jun 28 2012 6:31 PM

@Nielsio: I failed to perceive any contradiction between Menger and Mises/Rothbard... can you provide a cite of the passage of Mises or Rothbard that you feel contradicts Menger?

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