Well, in a change from my usual ruminations on current affairs, I thought I would mention that I am planning to take a scuba diving course. I am off to my regular haunt of Malta/Gozo this late-summer to do a PADI course, as well as relax down there. Yes, you have guessed it, people blog about scuba diving as well as many other pastimes these days. As a keen amateur sailor, I have always wanted…

From Samizdata.net

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

Here’s yet another example illustrating why the practice of SWAT style raids should be ended: robbers posing as cops.
Here’s the news story from WRAL:
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This is the unedited surveillance video:
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As bad as this situation was, it could have ended much worse. It’s very fortunate that the armed […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

Michael Caine, one of the UK's best-known actors, is thinking of emigrating due to the UK government's recent decision to impose a new, top-rate income tax of 50 per cent, which once other changes are taken into account, will be nearer 65 per cent. Iain Martin, writing in the Daily Telegraph story that I linked to, points out how Caine is just one of the more recognisable examples of the sort of person looking to…

From Samizdata.net

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

Tired of hearing about violence at the Mexico border, the false claims of firearms coming from the United States that fuel the violence and the imprisonment of citizens who are doing nothing other than trying to help patients with medical problems? If so, the Wall Street Journal has a solution to drug war blues:
An administration […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

In July of 2001, Portugal tried something which would horrify policy makers the world over: the decriminalization of all drugs. As a result, Portugal turned into a country overrun with drugs, stoners, drug tourists, and criminals…right?
Not according to a report by Cato’s Glenn Greenwald entitled Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

I’m taken to task in the comments every time I write about how Truthers and other conspiracy theorists harm the freedom movement.  Now that someone has just been arrested for posting threats on Twitter, let’s take a look at how the newspaper reported (emphasis added) the individual accused of the threat:
According to an FBI criminal […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

“The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears.” — President Barack Obama
Along with other plaintiffs, talk radio host Michael Savage has sued Homeland Security Secretary Janet Reno and Attorney General Eric Holder for […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

According to this ABC News headline, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has offered a “right-wing mea culpa” for the report this site played a major role in bringing to public attention.  However, journalist Rachel Martin (or perhaps her copy editor) either has a political agenda or they just aren’t all that smart over […]

From The Liberty Papers

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

There is an interesting feature article over at Reuters about how, as a result of the financial crisis and the rigid labour market laws of much of the continent, millions of young Europeans leaving school and college face a bleak future over the next few years. Even during the relatively prosperous period of the Nineties and much of the 'Noughties, youth unemployment in nations such as France was shockingly high, sometimes into double figures. Europe's…

From Samizdata.net

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom

Someone tell Dissident Frogman: his meme is spreading! Our favorite meme hack, spotted on a New York A train. Photo: copyright Dale Amon, All Rights Reserved One of his friends had to translate, but I believe he said he bought it in Bucharest……

From Samizdata.net

Tags: Libertarian, Politics, Liberty, Freedom