Government, Violence, and Bill Clinton

Here is a great article by Radley Balko on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and the government lead massacre in Waco, TX.

[hat tip to Jake]

"Liberty" Protestors Are Just Republican Hacks

There was a group of people holding signs advocating "limited government" as my wife and I were driving past Walgreens in Wentzville, MO yesterday afternoon. Other signs read something to the effect of "We've had enough" and "We're not going to take it sitting down", etc. There was also an individual holding a flag pole with the US flag above the Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flag and other references to "liberty".

Intrigued, I circled back around in order to ask the group one simple question:

ME: Do you also support bringing home the troops?
MAN: Sure.
ME: Sure or yes?
MAN: Yes.
This conversation took place as I was yelling from my car at an intersection, so it didn't allow for further debate or questions. None was really needed as I got the answer of which I was afraid and suspected.

I must clarify that his tone as he answered with "sure" suggested that bringing home the troops was an afterthought. He answered "sure" as though I had just asked him if he wanted a second helping of mashed potatoes, hence the need for my follow up question.

Assuming this man speaks for the group, these are just more jaded Republicans upset because their brand of government expansion is not being implemented. I wonder where these protesters were as Bush grew the government for 8 years? Where were they when Bush suspended habeas corpus? Where were they when Bush invaded Iraq and Afghanistan? Where were they when Bush bailed out the big banks and auto makers?

I asked the question about the troops because Republicans only seem to start being concerned about "liberty" when domestic spending is increased, but have no problem with the US expanding the empire abroad. Until the Republicans are ready to understand what liberty truly is, I wish this word were expunged from their vocabulary in order to protect its definition.

My Suggestion for the Missouri Budget

A friend wrote to inform me that Missouri legislators are asking the public to come up with ways that the state can save money during the current budget shortfall. There is a new link on the senate website called "rebooting government" where senate bureaucrat Charlie Shields allows the public to submit these ideas.

Here is my submission:


Senator Shields,

One of the largest and most ineffective expenditures in the Missouri budget is the "war on drugs". Missouri ranks in the top ten of states with the highest increase in number of prisons between 1979 and 2000. (http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410994_mapping_prisons.pdf)

These prisons are seeing a large percentage of non-violent drug offenders. How long must we keep deluding ourselves to think this "war" is actually working? Is it worth the cost? More importantly, is it worth the number of lives that are ruined by the unnecessary and ridiculous imprisonment for the simple possession or inhalation of a plant?

Senator Shields, ask yourself this question: “Do I own my body?” If you answered “yes” to that question, then you must take the next logical step to understanding that if you own your own body, then your neighbor owns his. To be free, one must also let others be free to do as they please provided they are not harming others. There are already laws against causing harm to others and theft, which are common crimes that have become part and parcel of the drug culture because of its prohibition.

When any service or product is made illegal, it is pushed underground and thus removes the legal recourse to solve grievances and the access to the desired substances. This is what made Al Capone a very rich man because of his virtual monopoly on the violent means of solving “disputes” and providing a product that the people clearly want.

Legislation does not change behavior – there is no marked decrease in drug usage as a result of its prohibition. End the drug war. Stop caging our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors. Let people live how they want to live and do with their bodies as they choose, even if you personally disagree with their choice.

The simple dissolution of the drug war will create a state budget surplus, which means it is the right thing to do morally and financially.

Respectfully,

Jake Smith, St. Louis

And the Insane Drug War Continues...

The writer of this article is lauding the snitch who gave cause for the tax feeding busy bodies with badges in Greensburg, IN to waste more tax payer money to continue the insane war on drugs. As is always the case with these tyrants, it would be easy to laugh at the way this was written if it weren't so tragic. Here are some excerpts:

Another tip from a watchful citizen early Tuesday morning brought the Greensburg Police Department closer to exterminating the drug problem in the city.

[As though the drug "problem" will ever be exterminated. How pathetic.]

In the interim period before the warrant was granted, the GPD kept a secure perimeter around the residence, making sure that no one went in or out of the apartment, Chief Heaton explained.

[A secure perimeter? For the "dangerous" marijuana smokers?]

“It definitely tied up our units (for about two hours),” Heaton said.

“The officers did a great job of identifying the odor and confirming the suspicious activity and suspicious noise,” Heaton said.

The Police Chief stressed again the importance of community involvement in a case such as this. Without the tip from the public, the alleged marijuana den might not have been uncovered and busted.

Why I'm Against Capital Punishment

Jacob pointed me to this article at Reason.com where Radley Balko wrote about the staggering number of people who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime and later exonerated by DNA evidence. I used to be a ravenous advocator of the death penalty, seeking revenge on those convicted of capital offenses, but my opinion has changed over the years.

First, as Balko points out, the State gets it wrong too often. With the emergence of DNA testing, many wrongful convictions are now being revealed. How many more innocent people must be put to death before the pro-capital punishment crowd is convinced?

Another reason is that aggressive violence NEVER solves anything. This is not to say that one should not defend himself against an armed intruder if his life is in danger, but there is nothing defensive about putting a noose around a man’s neck, or in today’s terms, a needle in a man’s vein. Many supporters of the death penalty invoke a verse from the Bible that states, “an eye for an eye…”. Overlooked is that pesky passage from the Ten Commandments: “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

I only reference the Bible in this application, because oddly, and sadly, there is a large contingent of death penalty supporters who align themselves with the Christian faith and use the Bible as the guide to which all things are measured – if it supports their particular side of the argument. (see Pro-lifers)

Most of all, I can’t think of a person less qualified to end a man’s life than a government bureaucrat. Those who truly support liberty cannot in good conscience support a system where the State is the arbiter of life and death, as this is the only collective group that lacks the incentive to reach the right conclusion in criminal justice cases.

Politically expedient and career driven prosecutors climb the ranks with convictions, not acquittals, and exonerating evidence is often suppressed in an effort to reach that conviction. Perhaps the solution would be to create a real incentive for prosecutors to get it right: negative personal consequences for those who have committed an act of willful negligence or other means of obstruction of justice leading to a wrongful conviction.

That’s right – the prosecutor must serve the sentence charged to the wrongfully convicted victim.

US Treasury: Pakistan Must Raise Taxes

The empire commands its territories to raise taxes to help pay for ... the empire. And if the Pakistani government chooses not to? Well, the empire has an answer for such insubordination.

Green Police

I'm watching the Superbowl and just saw the "Green Police" commercial from Audi. Is that some sick attempt at humor? With the police state as ragingly oppressive as it is, the ad wizards at Audi thought it would be a great idea to show a heavy handed police force tormenting the public for such innocuous "crimes" as choosing plastic bags over paper and using incandescent light bulbs? I'm not much for organized boycotts and I probably can't afford an Audi anyway, but rest assured they will never get a dime of my money.

Note: I am one of the biggest supporters of individuals choosing to act in an environmentally sensitive manner. Recycling has been a regular occurrence in my house for years.