The question isn’t who is going to let me; the question is who is going to stop me.
Ayn Rand, author and creator of the Objectivist philosophy
Category: Libertarianism
Friday Quote – 11/1/13
It is difficult to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.
H.L. Mencken, satirist
Honestly, I think this is the biggest issue arguing with progressives and statists. They project what they would do, or are afraid they would do, with increased liberty, and assume we will do them and must be prevented from doing so through the force of government.
H/t reader David
It’s Nice to Know I’m Only Symbolically Racist
A new study was released on PLoS One that links those of us who support gun rights to racism.
After accounting for numerous other factors such as income, education and political ideology, the researchers found that for each one point increase (on a scale from one to five) in symbolic racism there was a 50 percent increase in the odds of having a gun in the home and a 28 percent increase in support for policies allowing people to carry concealed guns.
Each one point increase in symbolic racism (a modern measure of anti-black racism) was also associated with a 27 percent increase in the odds of opposing bans on hand guns in the home. After accounting for those who already had a gun in the home, the odds were reduced to a non-significant 17 percent increase. However, the authors note that this reduction is unsurprising as opposition to bans on guns equates to self interest on behalf of those who already own a gun and do not wish to give it up. And racism was already strongly associated with having a gun in the home.
Oookay…. So what exactly is this “symbolic racism” that I am being accused of harboring?
Symbolic racism supplanted old-fashioned or overt/blatant racism which was associated with open support for race inequality and segregation under ‘Jim Crow Laws’, but it still captures the anti-black sentiment and traditional values that underpinned blatant racism. Symbolic racism has also been found to be related to stronger opposition to policies that may benefit blacks (e.g. welfare), and greater support for policies that seem to disadvantage blacks (e.g. longer prison sentences).
(Emphasis mine)
So, let me get this straight. If I don’t support policies that the authors of this study (and their ilk) deem as pro-black, then I’m somehow transmogrified into a “symbolic racist.” And gee, it’s amazing how many of those policies are held by fiscal and social conservatives, who coincidentally, tend to own guns at a higher rate. I wonder if the authors of this study considered opposition to gun control as part of their “symbolic racism.”
Friday Quote – 10/25/13
A right, such as a right to free speech, imposes no obligation on another, except that of non-interference. The so-called right to health care, food or housing, whether a person can afford it or not, is something entirely different; it does impose an obligation on another. If one person has a right to something he didn’t produce, simultaneously and of necessity it means that some other person does not have right to something he did produce. That’s because, since there’s no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy, in order for government to give one American a dollar, it must, through intimidation, threats and coercion, confiscate that dollar from some other American.
Dr. Walter E. Williams, economist and commentator
This is a concept that those who say healthcare, education, and even clean water are basic human rights should stop and ponder. Even the right to keep and bear arms does not require that someone provide me with arms, just that I am allowed to keep those arms that I purchase or produce.
Sometimes an Article Comes Along…
And I say, “Dammit, that is exactly what I would’ve written if I could have just found those same words.” I came across this on the Book of Face and it perfectly encapsulated me frustration when dealing with progressives.
You need to read the whole thing, but here’s the part that made me squirm with envious joy:
Friday Quote – Christopher Hitchens
I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness.
Christopher Hitchens
Friday Quote – 9/27/13
There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences.
P.J. O’Rourke, satirist
H/t reader Robert
Loopholes
This is an example of a loophole. A law or instruction that has enough ambiguousness in its wording to allow an interpretation that conflicts with the spirit of the law or instruction.
A law you don’t like is not a loophole. Know the difference.
Freedom of the Press Under Attack
Recent indictments of journalists for talking with whistleblowers (the charges are for stealing classified info, but really for talking with whistleblowers) have led to a demand by the press for a federal shield law. Since the Democrats in The Senate want to keep their public relations firms (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN) happy, they have been debating a shield law in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The caveat is that the new law would define who is and who is not considered a “covered journalist.” Read: authorized journalist.
From David Codrea:
Defining “covered journalists” as those who are “an employee, independent contractor or agent of an entity that disseminates news or information,†the bill would also “extend to student journalists,†the report continues, meaning it will also codify who is an “Authorized Student.â€
Under that definition, most bloggers (particularly gun bloggers) don’t qualify as “covered journalists.”
Here are some problems:
1. Freedom of the press is not limited to professional journalists any more than the freedom of speech is limited to professional speakers. “The press” includes everyone from the professional reporter to the guy blogging in his or her free time.
2. If the government is allowed to say who is not a journalist, expect them to crackdown when non-authorized people discusses topics that the government doesn’t want discussed.
3. If the only protection a journalist has is a government-issued permission slip, expect the media to report only what the government wants reported, less the permission slip is withdrawn.
I don’t expect the mainstream media to fight this much. After all, they get theirs under the current definition. Plus, they can get rid of those annoying bloggers taking their readers.
One Day, Two Remembrances
This year we not only remember the September 11, 2001 attacks, but we are also remembering the attack in Benghazi.
First for all of you 9/11 Truther imbeciles (yes, ad hominen, fuck off!), Popular Mechanics has done a bang-up job of dealing with your conspiracy myths. Note, I said myths, not theories. Theories require rigorous scientific testing to be valid.
Next, for those who want to understand the what and why of the Benghazi attack, I would recommend Brandon Webb’s short ebook on the subject. It’s never as simple and partisan as the chattering class makes it out to be.