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February 26, 2007

Gore: Moses or Chicken Little?

With An Inconvenient Truth winning this year's Oscar for Best Documentary, the polemicists are staking out the poles. From the Left: Gore is Moses, delivering the truth from on-high. From the Right: Gore is an alarmist Chicken Little.

I would ask the following questions before taking a position:

1) Does anyone have the "right" to pollute?
2) Is the Earth warming?
3) Do climatologists have a superior track record for predicting climate change and its causes?

My answers, based on what I've seen and believe, is No, Yes, and No. The air and waters are commons, and unless and until rights are established, I believe that the people and government can and should police what goes into these commons. Al Gore is to be commended for highlighting the fact that the Earth is warming, and in ways that may be a by-product of polluting behavior. Whether he and the climatologists are correct that the main cause is carbon dioxide seems murky at best. Their position is reasonably coherent, but their theories are built on suppositions and speculation.

Moderation in all things is not perfect counsel, but it seems to work far more than it doesn't. It may not be glamorous or fulfilling, but it does seem to work in most cases. I'm skeptical that CO2 is the cause of global warming, but I'm as sure as I can be that cutting down on emissions into the atmosphere makes a lot of sense, on a lot of levels. We don't need to "split the baby" to conclude that.

-Robert Capozzi

Posted by RobertCapozzi at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2007

Amazing Grace Review

On Friday, I recommended readers of this blog check out the movie Amazing Grace which is playing in theatres now. I enjoyed the movie, but as someone who has been involved in the political process for much of my adult life, I found the movie to be something more akin to a history/civics lesson than a movie for entertainment as many of the film's reviewers have pointed out.

I still recommend the movie and believe that anyone who struggles daily against the establishment will gain from watching it, but I think that it is an even better choice for the average movie-goer who is less interested in politics than in the story itself. These are the people who may realize that the world around them is not a "given" and that they can change it for the better.

Posted by PaulGessing at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2007

Amazing Grace

If your weekend plans are not already booked, may I suggest you check out a new movie coming out this weekend in most areas of the country called "Amazing Grace." The story is of William Wilberforce's efforts as a member of Parliament in 18th-century England to end slavery and the slave trade in the British empire.

I first heard the story of Wilberforce and his compatriot Thomas Clarkson from Larry Reed, President of our sister think tank in Michigan. Reed visited New Mexico in November of last year and those who attended the events also heard the story of Clarkson and Wilberforce.

Essentially, Clarkson started the world's first think tank with the "libertarian" goal of ending the slave trade. He and Wilberforce acted as a team and over nearly 50 years accomplished their goals. The lessons are that ideas matter and you should never give up.

I can't do the story justice here so see the movie. I'll have my review posted over the weekend.

Posted by PaulGessing at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2007

Does War Make Presidents Great?

Just a few days removed from Presidents Day, I think the question "What makes presidents great?" is extremely important. Many think Roosevelt was great because he led the nation during WWII, but he destroyed the Constitution and his policies prolonged the Great Depression.

Lincoln and Wilson are just two of the many presidents who have had their reputations inflated by going to war. I doubt that will happen to Bush, but only time will tell. I personally subscribe to the notion that if William Henry Harrison isn't the greatest president in our nation's history (he died after being in office for only 30 days, not much harm he could do there), it is probably Martin Van Buren.

Posted by PaulGessing at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2007

LOL!

Perhaps more than any player on the world stage, Dick Cheney is a funny man. He may not be intentionally funny, but this headline made me laugh this morning:

U.S. wants to leave Iraq "with honor," Cheney says

Unable to rewire his brain since the 70s, it appears, the term "peace with honor" was used by the last deeply imperial president, Richard Nixon, about his desire to exit the Vietnam War.

The obliviousness of Cheney's statement has to be funny, or else it'd be frightening.

-Robert Capozzi

Posted by RobertCapozzi at 06:41 AM | Comments (0)

George Will on Ron Paul

George Will is pompous and self-serious, but as one of the few mainstream political commentators with an ounce of common sense, I actually respect him and think he's one of the smarter pundits in Washington. Thus, I was interested to read his take on Ron Paul's run for the White House.

While Will can't help but to belittle Dr. Paul's chances of making it to the White House, I felt that his column was relatively fair and thoughtful compared to what a Limbaugh or Hannity might say. Of course, more hard-core libertarian types had their own thoughts on Will's article, Justin Raimondo for one and Dan Phillips writing for Lew Rockwell.com as well.

Needless to say, with the likes of Giuliani (hawkish, anti-gun), McCain (hawkish, crazy), Romney (hawkish, flip-flopper), and Gingrich (armegeddonite) as the current standard bearers for the Republican Party, someone has to defend what was until George W. Bush and 9/11, the Republican Party's limited government ideology.

Posted by PaulGessing at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2007

Dixie Chicks Among Esteemed Outlaws

I've never been a die hard fan of "The Chicks," but I grew to respect them after they spoke their minds about Bush and -- instead of apologizing and groveling -- stood by their opinions and took the subsequent hit with their fans. According to this interesting article "The Chicks" are actually part of a long tradition of open-minded or even "progressive" country performers.

I loved "Walk the Line" and had no idea Johnny Cash sang antiwar songs and I had no clue at all that Willie Nelson sang about gay cowboys...Kudos to the Dixie Chicks and others who are willing to put their careers on the line by bucking popular opinion.

Posted by PaulGessing at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

Stumbling on Buddha

Wow! This quote from Buddha that we posted over two years ago picked up 7,662 views over the weekend. All these vists were thanks to StumbleUpon and its user ratings system. As the name suggests, SU is about running into something you wouldn't have known about and therefore you may not have sought out. Is SU the next great tool of the Internet?

-- KDR

Posted by KevinRollins at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2007

Good News in the War on Drugs

Good news is a relatively rare commodity these days, so it is with great happiness that I report some good news in the "war on drugs." First and foremost, a new study has found that AIDS patients do indeed benefit from smoking marijuana.

Also, in what could be a boon to additional research on the effect of marijuana on patients having various diseases, a DEA judge -- I didn't know such people existed -- has recommended that the federal government allow researchers to grow the pot they use in their studies. Previously, the feds prohibited other outlets from growing the pot needed for the studies and when scientists asked permission to do so, they were often denied access. Typical government catch-22. Anyway, the battle isn't over yet, DEA Administrator and notorious drug warrior -- you don't get to that position by being "soft on drugs" -- Karen Tandy has the final say. Here's hoping she makes the right call.

Posted by PaulGessing at 12:32 AM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2007

The Case Against War

The Bush Administration has officially begun its efforts to make a bogus case for war with Iran. Although the Administration and the media will once again work in lock-step to steamroll the opposition in making the case for war, Congressman Ron Paul, in a very simple and straightforward manner, explains the myriad reasons not to go to war.

Posted by PaulGessing at 12:24 AM | Comments (1)

February 09, 2007

Asking Better Questions

Shock of shock! Horror of horrors!

This news report tells us that the Pentagon's Inspector General has found that political appointees in the Pentagon "goosed" intelligence reports to make the case for invading Iraq.

Is it any wonder that so many Americans oppose the surge? They fooled us once, shame on them. Fool us twice, shame on us.

As the Who taught us: "We don't get fooled again."

Politics and life generally, it seems, is about asking better questions. This story catalogs how people with agendas can spin the nation into war, one based on false (or, perhaps, highly misleading) pretenses.

Compound W keeps changing the subject. "Mistakes were made, but now we must [fill in the blank]."

Forgiveness is divine, yes, but when VP Cheney suggests that Compound W will do the surge regardless of what Congress says, the credibility gap widens. When he lays his head down to sleep at night, how can Cheney possibly expect anyone to believe what he says?

-Robert Capozzi

Posted by RobertCapozzi at 07:16 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2007

The biggest lies told by the state

may be found in the federal budget. Steven Rattner, managing principal of a New York investment firm, examines the budgetary facts our rulers are tying to hide from us. His findings? Even if Bush's predictions that the government accountants will be able to claim that the budget is balanced in five years, the US Government will still face trillions in long-term debt.

This is because the official budget figures are determined by using accounting tetchiness that would land any CEO in jail. For example, the official budget counts the Social Security "surplus" as a current asset in order to reduce the size of the deficit, instead of as representing money needed to help pay off a future long-term liability.

The official budget also does not properly account for the $200 billion in federal pension obligations or the $39 trillion Social Security/Medicare debt facing the nation. Rattner does not mention how the official budget understates the long-term costs of the war, which will add a couple more billions (or trillions) to the debt.

While this at first glance seems fairly depressing, there is an upside for libertarians in that these figures confirm Ron Paul's observation that we will eventually win because the welfare-warfare state will run out of money.

Hat tip Jacob Sullum.

Posted by NormSingleton at 09:38 PM | Comments (1)

February 06, 2007

Let Me In--Recovery from Autism is Possible!

Free Liberals interested in alternative treatments and/or just looking for some uplifting reading may want to check out Laura Santos' Let Me In--Recovery from Autism is Possible! The book details how Mrs. Santos used "alternative" treatments to help her son recover from autism.

Posted by NormSingleton at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

February 05, 2007

Anti-Terror Extortion?

The Mooninite terror saga continues. Turner Broadcasting and the ad company, the aptly named Interference, Inc. which devised the light-box "terror" plot, are paying $2 million to state of Massachussetts to make amends. On its face, this is another example of the government blaming others for the very chaos it brought about. However, Turner may be doing quite well even so.

If we were to add up all the earned media that the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie has received from this "fiasco" it might well sum to greater than $2 million dollars. Moreover, the nature of the coverage will certainly appeal to the kind of sick minds who appreciate the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, such as myself. It was surreal to see a clip of the Mooninites on the very stodgy evening news, explaining their modus operandi:

"We do whatever we want to whomever we want."

A very un-free liberal statement. But, very funny, nonetheless.

-- KDR

Posted by KevinRollins at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2007

Superbowl Gambling and Silly Laws

Knowing the way things work on the Internet, the phrase "Superbowl gambling" will gain this posting a massive amount of hits? Why is that? Just because gambling -- whether it is on football or the NCAA Tournament -- may well be America's real pastime. As Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today points out, the sheer popularity of gambling makes governmental efforts to stop it look downright silly.

I couldn't agree more. Although I'm not much of a casino gambler, putting a few bucks on NFL games and filling out a bracket sheet for March Madness are enjoyable and time-honored traditions. Government meddlers need to leave us alone.

Posted by PaulGessing at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)

February 01, 2007

The Dark Side of Green

Forget the Super Bowl, this weekend's "must see TV" is John Berlau talking about his book Eco-Freaks. John's lecture airs Saturday at nine a.m.and seven p.m., and Sunday at 4 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, on C-Span Two. Get a little sample of what John has to say about the way the environmental movement is bad for humans and other living things here. And buy his book.

Posted by NormSingleton at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

4 Terror Plots Thwarted?

In his State of the Union address, Bush claimed that four terror plots had been prevented. Unfortunately, he forgot to notify American intelligence because a number of those on the front lines in the so-called "War on Terror" simply have no idea what Bush is referring to. Keith Olbermann calls him on it.

Posted by PaulGessing at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)

Greatest Prank Ever

What seemed to be a possible national emergency yesterday was apparently just a mean trick played by the Mooninites, who do not share our earthly morality. I refer to the suspicious packages found in Boston.

What is ludicrous is that the “emergency” continued after it must have been obvious to those who “deactivated” the first one that it was just a hoax. However, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley told us of the government’s expert appraisal of the dire situation. From CNN.com:

"It had a very sinister appearance," Coakley told reporters. "It had a battery behind it, and wires."

A photo caption on Yahoo! described the sinister object:

“The device consists of light emitting diodes on a circuit board forming the shape of a gesturing character which is part of a promotion for the TV show 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force,' a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball…”
Frightening.

I look forward to hearing the details of what the Boston P.D. knew and when they knew it, especially since they are looking to pass the cost of the anti-terror actions to the Adult Swim network and its agents.

-- KDR

Posted by KevinRollins at 01:40 AM | Comments (0)

Free-for-all (frfr-ôl) -- n. A disorderly fight, argument, or competition in which everyone present participates.

from Dictionary.com



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The Free Liberal is an independent journal of transpartisan thought.

The views expressed herein are those of the writers individually and not necessarily those of the Free Liberal, the Center for Liberty and Community, or its board of directors.