About This Blog

Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) was the greatest economist of my time. His greatest works can be accessed here at no charge.

Mises believed that property, freedom and peace are and should be the hallmarks of a satisfying and prosperous society. I agree. Mises proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the prospect for general and individual prosperity is maximized, indeed, is only possible, if the principle of private property reigns supreme. What's yours is yours. What's mine is mine. When the line between yours and mine is smudged, the door to conflict opens. Without freedom (individual liberty of action) the principle of private property is neutered and the free market, which is the child of property and freedom and the mother of prosperity and satisfaction, cannot exist. Peace is the goal of a prosperous and satisfying society of free individuals, not peace which is purchased by submission to the enemies of property and freedom, but peace which results from the unyielding defense of these principles against all who challenge them.

In this blog I measure American society against the metrics of property, freedom and peace.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

THE TOP FIVE (Recent News Items You May Have Missed)

In chronological order...

Item#1 -- 12/26/2011, From Right Wing News: [Official] Statement from fmr. Ron Paul staffer [Ed Dondero] on Newsletters, Anti-Semitism
Money Quotes:
Is Ron Paul a “racist.” In short, No... ...Is Ron Paul an Anti-Semite? Absolutely No... ...Is Ron Paul a homo-phobe? Well, yes and no. He is not [at] all bigoted towards homosexuals...Again, let me stress. I would not categorize that as “homo-phobic,” but rather just unsettled by being around gays personally... ...Lew Rockwell and Burton Blumert were there too. We were greatly surprised by this. Nadia was eventually convicted of embezzlement and went to jail for 6 months, plus had to pay $140,000 in restitution to Ron...There were rumors at the time, and long thereafter, that Lew and Burt had pinned it all on Nadia, and that they had their own reasons for the “coup.” For years afterwards, Rockwell, and Blumert had complete control of Ron’s enterprises through Jean McIver and (former JBS/Jesse Helms fundraiser) David “James” Mertz of northern Virginia... ...Ron was “under the spell” of left-anarchist and Lew Rockwell associate Joe Becker at the time [immediately after 9/11/2001], who was our legislative director. Norm Singleton, another Lew Rockwell fanatic agreed with Joe.
Dondero continues, saying Paul is "Anti-Israel, and Anti-Israeli in general." Then, he describes a sentiment that many US Presidents have probably uttered in frustration -- and in PRIVATE! -- to stunned subordinates:
He wishes the Israeli state did not exist at all. He expressed this to me numerous times in our private conversations. His view is that Israel is more trouble than it is worth, specifically to the America taxpayer. He sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs.
Item#2 -- 12/28/2011, From Libertarian Republican: It's now official: Gary Johnson to leave the GOP for the LP 
Who knows what this means. It might persuade Ron Paul not to leave the GOP if he fails to win the nomination. Bad for Obama. It might entice him to join Johnson on the Libertarian Party ticket. Good for Obama. 

Item#3 -- 12/28/2011, From Stop The Leftist Propaganda Machine: Marco Rubio, Kelly Ayotte, John McCain, Marsha Blackburn and several other Republicans co-sponsor SOPA bill with Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
I don't quite understand why Marco Rubio would do this. Wikipedia has this to say about SOPA:
Proponents of the bill say it protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws especially against foreign websites.[5] Opponents say that it infringes on First Amendment rights, is Internet censorship,[6] will cripple the Internet,[7] and will threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech.[8]
I haven't researched SOPA, but I should and will. Two gut-reactions? First, SOPA seeks to "regulate" the internet. Big mistake. I like the internet the way it is. Second, anything with Debbie Wasserman-Schultz' name on it cannot be good for anyone interesting in preserving property, freedom and peace.

Item#4 -- 12/29/2011, From Stop The Leftist Propaganda Machine: The problem with today’s Republican party – 55 percent view “progressive” as positive
Reforming the Republican Party from within will be no mean trick. Then again, 76% and 68% of Democrats and Independents respectively view "progressive" as positive. Pick your poison.

Item#5 -- 12/30/2011, From Daily Paul: Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Ron Paul for President !
Renewed hope for anyone interested in bringing the Republican Party back to its roots.

Item#5 -- 12/31/2011, From Libertarian Republican: Bachmann plays the Drug Legalization card against Ron Paul
Bachmann has always impressed me as someone more interested in getting elected than in doing the right thing. This development brands her as either uninformed or deeply pragmatic. 

Item#5 -- 12/31/2011, From Daily Paul: HUGE: ANOTHER Mossad Chief Agrees With Ron Paul: Nuclear Armed Iran NOT Inevitably A Threat to Israel
For what it's worth.

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