The Islamic Nanny-State bans women on the back of Motor Scooters

Gaza Goes Fundamentalist in the Extreme

From Eric Dondero:

Hamas is instituting a new round of restrictions and regulations on public morals specifically targetted at females throughout Gaza. Women are now banned from dancing. And girls are now required to wear headscarves and full-length cloaks. There are also extreme restrictions on dating, card playing and beach wear. On the latter, full length pants are no longer permitted. Woman are only allowed to bathe in full burqa attire.

As for alcohol brought in from "heathanist" Israel, it will be poured out in front of the "smuggler" at their feet, at Israeli border crossings.

Perhaps the oddest new regulation, and one that smacks of nanny-statism; females are no longer allowed to ride on the back of motor scooters with a male companion. But at least one Hamas spokesman is trying to put a positive face on it, using a Western-style liberal/progressive argument for safety purposes.

According to Hamas Public Morals spokesman Rafik Abu Hani via Bloomberg:

Everyone backs alcohol prohibition, Abu Hani said, and the motorcycle restriction is a safety issue.

Al-Astal, the Hamas legislator, said it wasn’t a coincidence that youth were the principal targets of the push.

“We are working on young people, the next generation, to be more correctly Islamic,” he said. The older generation “is lost.” And as for motorcycles: “A girl has to hold onto a boy’s waist to ride in the back. Things can happen. You know what I mean,” he said.

LINKS

This article linked by GOP12

Rightwing Hottie Alert! Germany's Kristina Köhler, recent Merkel appointment

From Cliff Thies:

In a bit of a re-shuffle of her cabinet, Chancellor Merkel has appointed Kristina Köhler, 32, to be Minister of Family Affairs, Women, Senior Citizens and Youth (they have such positions in Europe). You might say she is the face of the new "Twitter" Generation of conservatism. Certainly a face that German men won't tire of looking at on the nightly news.

Achtung! For continuous coverage of European politics from a libertarian perspective, including regular updates on Chancellor Merkel, visit LR's sister blog Worldwide Liberty.

NORTH CAROLINA: County Sheriff switches from Democrat to Republican

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, Sheriff John Ingram of Brunswick County surprised constituents with a letter stating that he was officially joining the Republican Party.

From the StarNewsOnline:

“As I embark upon this season of Thanksgiving, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my life and the opportunities and blessings bestowed upon me. It is after much reflection and contemplation that I have decided to join the Republican Party. Though my career in law enforcement as a Democrat has brought me to this place in time, it is my humble choice to live free as my conservative principles and discipline desire.”

Chief Deputy Charles Miller is also expected to switch. Interestingly, Miller also serves on the local school board. And a switch to GOP would give Republicans complete control of the board.

Brunswick County is directly south of Wilmington. It has a population of 110,000. It includes the towns of Carolina Shores, Ocean Isle Beach and Sandy Creek.

Conservatives and Libertarians Have Common Goals

GUEST COLUMN

By Matthew Avitabile

Especially in the wake of Ron Paul's 2008 bid for the Republican nomination for the Presidency, talk of the split between conservatives and libertarians has heated up. In fact, some libertarians voted for Libertarian Party Candidate Bob Barr and some even voted for Barack Obama himself.

But over a year since the election, it can be seen that this was faulty thinking.

The Libertarians who voted for Obama did so because they believed that he would end the war. In fact, he is sending more troops to Afghanistan and has kept troops in Iraq. This voting was a poor choice, seeing that the President will not only send in more troops, but is still dangerously ill-informed on foreign affairs.

Some voted for Obama because of privacy rights. Candidate Obama railed against Bush Administration policies of eavesdropping to catch terrorists. When actually in power, Obama has expanded these powers, while still talking against them.

Libertarians must remember what they have in common with the conservative movement. Both sides support gun rights and will likely work together to stop any potential efforts of the new Administration to restrict firearms.

Libertarians also believe in property rights. They believe that the right of a citizen to own and use their own property is absolute. Voting for a statist system is likely to restrict these rights. Even the most liberal Republicans support guns and property. Many in the DNC would like to restrict our rights.

We must make sure we set America right. Fighting each other will only strengthen Obama's hand and will assist in his bid for reelection. We must band together for our joint interests and against the hypocrisy of the modern statist Democratic Party.

Editor's Note - Matthew writes for Jumping in Pools blog.

Mitch Daniels of Indiana: Taxation is inherently Coercive

Hoosier State Gov. says taking money from Taxpayers violates Individual Freedom

From the Washington Times, "Indiana's Governor offers Austerity as a Virtue," Nov. 29:

The second-term governor of Indiana hasn't traveled much outside his state since he left his post as President Bush's Office of Management and Budget director in 2003. Yet the former Reagan White House adviser talks with the libertarian- and conservative-sounding conviction that might be expected to grab the attention of even the most politician-disdaining activist in the emerging tea-party movement.

When the subject turned to taxes and spending at the recent Republican Governors Association meeting in Austin, Texas, Mr. Daniels made clear his dislike of both.

"The essence of our nation is the protection of individual liberties," he says in an interview with The Washington Times. "That means, for example, never take a dollar from a free citizen through the coercion of taxation without a very legitimate purpose.

"And then we have a solemn duty to spend that dollar as carefully as possible, because when we took it we diminished that person's freedom. Otherwise, that citizen could spend that dollar on something he or she chose. This is an obligation of everybody who serves in government."

MARYLAND: Capitol City Councilwoman says she'd be more Happy as a Libertarian

"Too many tell us what we want to hear. They don't want to offend anyone and are more worried about being liked (and thus re-elected) than acting on principle." - Alerdman Stankivic

Annapolis Ward 6 Alderman Julie Stankivic has decided against a run for reelection.

Reports HometownAnnapolis.com:

Even if you didn't know what Julie Stankivic looked like, you could probably spot her during an Annapolis City Council meeting.

She'd be the one rolling her eyes, shaking her head, or sighing quietly at what her colleagues and the mayor were about to do. When it was her turn to speak, she'd make her case passionately, but she'd still be on the losing end of a lot of 8-1 votes.

"I have a lot of people out there sad that I'm going," Stankivic said. "They're like, 'But you're the voice of reason.' "

Yes, Stankivic can be sarcastic and cutting, and she rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Some aldermen grimace at the mention of her. She knows what detractors think. And she doesn't much care.

"It's not my problem," she said forcefully as we sat in a coffee shop. "It's their problem. ... I think that honesty and integrity are a lot more important than political correctness."

She even managed to annoy city workers.

On city employees who didn't like her proposed changes to their 35-hour workweek and "insane" step system that includes annual raises for the first seven years: "Of course not, because they don't want to work!"

Stankivic than says she may just join the Libertarian Party.

Stankivic, 44, ran as an independent, switched to the Republican Party and is now considering switching to the Libertarian Party. ("I'm probably 80 percent Libertarian, 20 percent Republican," she said.)

She thinks people have become much too dependent on government. Even if you didn't agree with that - and many in overwhelmingly Democratic Annapolis don't - we need more elected officials to say the emperor has no clothes.

No indication in the article if she'll be switching before her term is up.

Nookie Girl Stepfanie Velez-Gentry misses NJ House seat

by Ryan Christiano

I'm sorry to report to LR readers that despite our wonderful victory for Chris Christie for Governor, another candidate we libertarian Republicans were pulling for Stepfanie Velez-Gentry lost her race for State Assembly. She was running in a heavily Democratic district (Camden area).

But here's an interesting story about her from a few days ago...

From PolitickerNJ:

Velez-Gentry would take Christie administration position if offered

By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com Reporter

Former Republican assembly candidate Stepfanie Velez-Gentry made national headlines for her unusual occupation, but she would be willing to put that job aside if offered one by the incoming Chris Christie administration.

“I would absolutely be interested,” she said. “I want to help make changes in the community, and if something was offered to help make changes I would take it.”

Velez-Gentry, 29, runs Nookie Parties, LCC – a company where traveling salespeople host parties to sell sex toys and other adult novelties – or, as PolitickerNJ.com described it when it was first reported in the Inside Edge, a “naughty Tupper Wear party.”

Rather than generate controversy, however, Velez-Gentry’s business won her favorable press for her entreupeunerial spirit. The Associated Press picked up the story, as did the New York Daily News, and it ricocheted to several other media outlets and blogs. Howard Stern even talked her up on his radio show.

Stefanie's Facebook Page.

Tiger a libertarian?

Libertarian video producer and Sarah Palin for President promoter John Ziegler has soured on Tiger Woods over his latest tabloid-style marital mishap. But Ziegler identifies the world's most famous athlete as a "libertarian-conservative."

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

“While I have been mocked by many, I have never questioned or regretted my loyalty to you because I was so certain that you were the unique celebrity who actually deserved the lofty status of role model and even hero,” Ziegler wrote. “In an era when an unsoiled celebrity was as rare as you shooting 80, you were the exception that gave us all some hope. I even convinced myself that you were poised to one day be the conservative/libertarian version of (President) Obama and would eventually be the President of the United States once you were done doing more important things like breaking all of Jack Nicklaus' records.

“Now I feel like a complete fool. I have apparently been duped and I am angry. Real angry.”

Ziegler gives no indication as to why he believes Woods to be a right-leaner. However, House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner did make an effort to recruit him to the GOP last year (see NewsMax "Boehner Golfs With Tiger Woods — Republican Recruit?") Of particular note, the LA Times reported that before the election, Tiger, the son of a retired 20-year Military Veteran "refused to say whether he was supporting Barack Obama or John McCain."

CLIMATEGATE HUGE NEWS!! Lord Monckton announces Criminal Investigations

On the eve of the Copenhagen Summit criminal indictments may be handed down by British officials against those scientists and researchers who purposely hid data and deceived authorities. Lord Monckton, Viscount of Brechley, tells interviewer James Corbett that he and his colleagues have just formally requested that such charges be filed.

From CorbettReport.com:

Corbett: "Bombshell after Bombshell continues to emerge from the leaked documents behind the academic Berlin Wall at the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the Univ. of East Anglia. The latest developments, the Vicount of Brenchly and Professor Fred Singer have filed a joint request with the UK Information Minister to investigate the possibly criminal wrongdoings of the Scientists involved in this scandal..."

Lord Monckton: We have a Freedom of Information Act in the UK, paid for by taxpayer's money, that requires that such information be made available to any legitimate inquirer, Steve McIntyre of Canada... Prof. Jones at the Univ. of East Anglia put out an email to his colleagues after the request was received, saying we do not want to answer this material so therefore please, will you destroy all your emails on how we worked together on the UN's 4th Assessment Report... He said destroy the data. That is a criminal offense. We have reported Prof. Jones, and the University and the Freedom of Information officer there and the Research Unit to the Information Commissioner, and we have asked him to investigate and prosecute those responsible...

Lord Monckton was educated at Cambridge. He is a former Advisor to Margaret Thatcher. He is a member of the Conservative Party, and holds numerous distinguished titles, in the UK and abroad.

CLIMATEGATE: Deciphering the Emails

by Clifford F. Thies

According to the IPCC, there is a trend of rising global temperature caused, for the most part, by human activity. Unfortunately for the IPCC, this isn’t supported by the data. So, what do you do? You, of course, hide the evidence. Can’t let the “skeptics” have any “fodder” (to quote the emails of the Climate Fascists).

Now you see it (i.e., evidence of natural variation in temperature, beginning with the earth’s recovery from the “Little Ice Age” and including several shorter cycles of 30 to 40 years, including the cycle in red that caused a lot of Alarmists to say we were causing global cooling during the 1970s).

Now you don’t (what the IPCC published in their 2001 report, notice the recent data wasn’t included).

Of course, the Climate Fascists can’t hide the evidence forever: The blaring fact that global temperature has been moderating during the 2000s. Even some top Warmists are starting to come clean.

"The emails are very damaging... The response of the greens and most of the scientists I know is profoundly ironic, as we spend so much of our time confronting other people's denial. Pretending that this isn't a real crisis isn't going to make it go away. Nor is an attempt to justify the emails with technicalities. We'll be able to get past this only by grasping reality, apologising where appropriate and demonstrating that it cannot happen again." -- George Monbiot, leading Global Warming Scientist, UK Guardian

So, who are you going to believe, the Climate Fascists at the UN or your own lying thermometer?

Complete detailed code from emails in an easy to read format at What's up with that? Blog. Climategate source code explained by libertarian researcher Michael Suede at Fascist Soup.

Note - Dr. Thies has a Ph.D in econometrics and statistics.

LR rated one of America's Top Right Blogs

I trust everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I spent my holiday watching the 8-part HBO series John Adams rented from Blockbuster. Our Second President, Adams was the workhorse of the American Revolution. A sharp Boston lawyer, with a loving wife and family, he had an absolutely amazing life journey. Highly recommended!

A couple other items of interest:

We've been rated as one of the Top 133 Conservative blogs by the popular international finance blog Bombs & Dollars, Editor Mitchell Blatt. Our ranking? Right in the middle - Number 62.

Top Ten in order: Michelle Malkin, HotAir, Breitbart's Big Government, Newsbusters, Ace, Instapundit, RS McCain, Patterico, NR's The Corner, and Sweetness & Light. Others near the Top: Atlas Shrugs, Jawa, AS, Jammie Wearing Fool, Rightwing News and RedState. We were one of only a handful of explicitly "libertarian" blogs on the list. Two others - Reason Hit & Run (#26) and Cato at Liberty (#54). The factors that went into the rankings, included: "influence, entertainment value, information-value, frequency and regularity of updates, and personal interest."

Secondly, please take a few minutes to visit our sister blog Worldwide Liberty. Right now we have some breaking news regarding our two favorite United Kingdom parties; the Independence Party (UKIP), and the UK Libertarian Party. Also, an absolutey Must See! video from UKIP leader Nigel Farage. Finally, an article by Cliff Thies on Puerto Rico's Republican Governor. And add it to your Daily Favorites!

Snooty AK College Prof. slams Palin, says she's Anti-Intellectual: AK Blue Collar Libertarian Mark Fish Responds

Prof. Steven Haycox, Editorial excerpt, Anchorage Daily News (ADN), Nov. 27, "Palin's anti-Intellectualism Dangerous":

in her book Palin explains that her college journey was interrupted frequently because she had to work to earn her tuition, at other times she has disparaged education. Her poor showing in the Katie Couric interview and her manifest disinterest in the details of governance suggest someone for whom information is not important. In the election campaign and on her book tour Palin has represented herself as ordinary, a person whose values come from the cultural experience of hard-working, Christian common folk who regard more than rudimentary schooling as unnecessary. There is more than a hint of anti-intellectualism in her message and her demeanor. Impatience with critical analysis and appreciation of the complexities and ambiguities of reality is characteristic of many of the faithful attracted to her rallies and book-signings.

Throughout American history education has been understood as a pathway to economic advance, responsible citizenship and human fulfillment. But that assumption is subject to considerable challenge today. Yet it is still true that high school and college completion leads to higher lifetime earning. And the disadvantaged sense the truth that their powerlessness corresponds to their failure to understand government and other power structures. Thus, as Palin's populism encourages anti-intellectualism, it represents a significant disservice to the very people she purports to champion. It's a disservice that's a danger for them, and for American society.

Mark Fish, Common Sense Alaska, Responds:

My father often told me that “ higher education is a wealthy man's only hope for his idiot son”. No one is more indicative of that statement than Mister Haycox. Only an idiot would attack the proverbial hand that feeds him as Haycok did in his recent commentary in the Anchorage Daily News, “Palin's Anti-Intellectualism Dangerous”. As a general rule I do not pick an argument with someone with little capacity for understanding, but Haycox's hubris deserves an accounting by “a person whose values come from the cultural experience of hard-work.”

From his working class taxpayer provided perch, in front of doe-eyed coed's and others who must tolerate his ego for membership into the club of elitism, it is no doubt easy for him to forget he is not the sole purveyor of truth.

Perhaps Mr Haycox , being unaware of the critical analysis, complexities and ambiguities in daily working class routines, incorrectly judges an entire class of Americans. Frankly, I am surprised Mr Haycox hasn't fallen deathly ill by the spit of those who serve him his food.

I wonder how Mr Haycox would fair doing anything from troubleshooting a digital electronic control unit on a GE 701c turbine engine to harvesting a walrus in the middle of the Bering sea with a piece of bone on a sharp stick or any other job done by working class Americans. Not very well I surmise.

I am sure if they were allowed, working class American's could do Mr Haycox job and at half the price. After all, how hard can it be to poison the brainwashed minds of Alaska's youth with asinine statements like “FDR saved capitalism”. Really!

No doubt elitist with superiority complexes will go to work picking apart my articles for double negatives, bad grammar or syntax and miss the content altogether. Vladimir Lenin had a term for these elitist he called them useful idiots. In Mr Haycox case, I doubt the word useful has any application.

You see, I have the ability and access to read the works of Thomas Paine, John Locke, Fredric Bastiat, Lysander Spooner, and a host of real intellects, tell me why I should tolerate the condescending attitude toward my family that Mr Haycox possesses?

The only reason to listen to Haycox's rant is to get a piece of paper that buys a membership into a club which allows you to leech off someone else labor. Maybe that is why myself and the likes of Palin disparages Pseudo-intellectuals like Haycox. They take credit for work that is not theirs and live off the hard labor of others.

I like many other American's would rather live in liberty off the fruit of our own labor.

Mr Haycox, maybe someone with your limited capacity would understand what I am trying to convey if I stated it in a way you would expect from a working class rube so,

KISS MY GRITS YOU ELITIST SOB !

Note - Mark Fish is a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus and is also active with the Alaska Libertarian Party. He's a Army National Guardsman (ret.). In 2008, he ran for the House of Reps in an Anchorage district.

Sarah gets a new fan; fmr. ACORNer Anita Moncrief declares herself for Palin

Liberal Activist and ACORN worker turned Conservative whistleblower on ACORN Anita Moncrief has just declared herself an official "Palinista." In a Member Diary at RedState titled, "An Unlikely Palinista," Moncrief details her journey from 2008 Hillary Clinton supporter, to reluctant Obama backer, to Palin skeptic, to now Palin booster.

From RedState:

my dream choice for the next president, Hilary Clinton. Clinton had been in my heart since 2000 and I boldly told anyone who would listen that she would triumphantly return to the White House in eight years...

I never expected Obama to win the nomination. When he did, I put aside my disappointment and got behind him. I tried to feel pride in his accomplishments and overlook his obvious ACORN ties... I ignored Palin’s innate charm, grace and beauty. I found myself secretly laughing with her and admiring her spunk but would never admit it.

In 2009 as I began to transition from liberal to conservative, I wondered whether I would get behind Palin and if I did, would that make me a hypocrite. A series of unlikely events answered that question for me. As the fight against ACORN became ugly and people began to spread lies and take sides, I finally understood Palin. She is a lightening rod for anyone who does not stand for truth and wants to maintain a status quo or move toward socialism...

Moncrief concludes:

Sarah Palin really is a lesson in an American life: she never claimed to be perfect but through sheer grit, determination and an undeniable likability, she showed this self-described feminist what being a woman in this new America is all about.

You can help Anita and her continued efforts against ACORN and contribute to her Legal Defense Fund at FightForAnita.com

UPDATE!

Anita Moncrief has just become a Twitter follower of this blog.

From the Editor: Welcome Anita!

America's so-called Poor Class now Richer than ever

MOOCHER WATCH!

From Eric Dondero:

According to the Heritage Foundation, last year the Census Bureau declared that there were 35.6 million "Poor Americans." That equals to 14% of the population. (Source: Robert Rector, Heritage Found. Welfare).

But what exactly is meant by "Poor" in America?

Economist Steven Horwitz, who is affiliated with both the Found. for Economic Education and the Inst. for Humane Studies, has just cross-referenced other data released by the Census Bureau. From The Austrian Economists:

The Census Bureau just released the 2005 data on what households have (HT: Ariel Goldring) and it has allowed me to update my data. In addition, I've also rendered the data more consistent. Each column on the poor below reflects households below the poverty line. In previous iterations I had said it was the "lowest quintile." I've discovered that some of my data was that, but the older stuff was "below the poverty line." I've now made it all poverty line as the cutoff. Here's the historical data:

Percentage of "Poor" Households 1984 compared to 2005:

Washing Machine - 58.2%, 68.7%
Clothes Dryer - 35.6%, 61.2%
Dishwasher - 13.6%, 36.6%
Refigerator - 95.8%, 98.5%
Stove - 95.2%, 97.0%
Microwave - 12.5%, 91.2%
Color TV - 70.3%, 97.4%
VCR/DVD Player - 3.4%, 83.6%
Personal Computer - 2.9%, 42.4%
Cell Phone - 00.0%, 48.3%
Air Conditioner - 42.5%, 78.8%
One or More Cars - 64.1%, 72.8% (2001)

(Source: Census/Gov/Population)

Horwitz continues:

The overall lesson is clear: lives for Americans below the poverty line continue to get better in terms of what they are able to put in their households and have to make use of everyday. And do note that the average American household in 2005 was doing much better than its 1971 counterpart. MUCH better - and this doesn't even count medical advances and the like.

David Boudreux at Cafe Hayek comments:

"America's poor people continue to get richer, and are positively wealthy compared to the typical American of the 1970s."

This weekend, while you're on the shopping line at Wal-mart, Best Buy or CostCo, ask yourself this question: Is the person next to you in line with that Big Screen TV in their cart, receiving a monthly government assistance check? Are they paying for that luxary item with money stolen from your hard-earned tax dollars?

Libertarian Global Warming skeptic Chris Horner now says "I told you so"

Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has been dubbed a "scourge" of environmentalists. He has appeared on Glenn Beck's Fox show, Comedy Central with Jon Stewart, and CNN questioning the science and data behind Global Warming. He was even targetted as a "top Climate Criminal" by GreenPeace in its annual Field Guide for Enviro-Actists. Now it appears the "right-leaning libertarian" (bio) has got the last laugh.

Appearing on Fox Business (via EyeBlast TV) with Charles Payne he said he now feels vindicated:

Payne: You seem vindicated by these hacked emails. How you feeling about this thing?

Horner: The words "It told you so" have come to mind a lot in the last week... In the computer code itself we have language we have statements like "apply a very artificial correction decline, two exclamation marks, all caps... use a trick to hide the decline." I might be tempted to entertain such a fantasy if not for an independent investigation by congress already proving that these very specific acts in question were a trick to hide the decline in temperatures.

So, they're trying to brazen these out Charles. And the president as indicated is trying to double down. They're panicked.

(Continuing)

Cap and Trade kills jobs... it killed jobs in Europe, sent jobs here. Carrol County, Kentucky steel jobs at American Stainless Steel. Their CEO now says those jobs are going to Malaysia. I don't know what about that we don't understand. Cap and Trade is energy rationing. It will kill jobs. There's no reason to believe Barack Obama was lying when he said his goal was to cause energy prices to skyrocket.

This is an ideology in search of an excuse. The scientists have now affirmed, not revealed, affirmed... These are the same people I named in my book admitting to precisely the same actions I described in my book.

Yeah, I told you so has come to mind a lot recently.

Horner's book "Red Hot Lies - How Global Warming Alarmists use Lies, Threats, Fraud and Deception to Keep You Misinformed," published in 2008 is available here.

Mohammad al-Sabban calls fixing of Climate Change data "very serious"

Could threaten "whole climate debate"

Just Breaking...

Mohammad al-Sabban is the Senior Economic Advisor to the Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and the lead negotiator for Saudi Arabia to the upcomming Global Climate Treaty talks in Copenhagen. He has become the first delegate to comment directly on the recent release of controversial email exchanges regarding Global Warming from the Climate Research Unit in East Anglia, Great Britain.

From the NY Times "Hacked E-Mail Data Prompts Calls for Changes in Climate Research" by Andrew Revkin:

The lead Saudi Arabian climate negotiator, Mohammad al-Sabban, said that the affair could affect negotiations over a new global climate treaty. “This is very serious and can put the whole climate debate, including any future agreement in Copenhagen and beyond, in big question,” Mr. al-Sabban said in an e-mail message.

Rightwing Protesters in UK need to learn a thing or two from American Rightists on how to keep Neo-Nazis out

From Eric Dondero:

Loyal Britishers are preparing to hold a massive rally to protest the building of a new gigantic Islamic Mosque right in the heart of London. The Mosque has already been a hub for Radical Jihadists organizing protests against Britishers. Some of the Muslim Youth have thrown rocks, taunted police, and led street fights against locals. (See photos of recent violence against British citizens at InfidelsUnite blog).

But the Anti-Islamization protesters are worried of an infiltration by Neo-Nazi groups and the racist-leaning British National Party (BNP).

A rally flyer for the Protest that could be considered as a bit overly restrictive, has been released by Stop Islamization of Europe (obtained via Pamela at Atlas):

NO MORE MOSQUE BUILDING DEMONSTRATION

Location: Square in front of Harrow Civic Centre, Station Road/Milton Road junction.

Date: 13th December 2009

Time: 14.00 – 16.00 (2pm – 4pm)

APPROVED FOR PROTEST

1. Approved anti-sharia and anti-Islamisation chants, banners and placards will be permitted.

Official chants:-

2. English, Welsh, Scottish, N. Irish, national flags, national flags of other countries, certain other national flags will be permitted and encouraged. Some flags already known to be represented are: Bulgaria, Denmark, Serbia & Israel

Let us know which flag you’ll be flying!

3. Certain other flags representing communities struggling against Islamic colonisation such as Papua New Guinea and Biafra will be permitted.

4. Certain civil rights flags, banners and placards will be encouraged provided they are displayed within the no-sharia context of the demonstration.

5. ALL MUST BE APPROVED BY THE ORGANISERS BEFORE THE PROTEST

BANNED FROM PROTEST

1. As with previous SIOE demonstrations, political parties are banned.

2. Any racist chanting, banners and placards will result in immediate ejection of the perpetrators from the demo as will nazi salutes.

3. Totalitarian symbols such as nazi swastikas, communist hammer and sickles, Islamic star and crescent, UNLESS CLEARLY CROSSED OUT OR DEFACED WITH A STOP SIGN.

Banners, placards and speeches will be shown to the police prior to the protest starting if requested.

Banning certain chants, suggesting appropriate protest sign language, and banning specific political parties, may not be the best approach. Perhaps the Protest Committee would do better to take a cue from their American counterparts who choose rather, to deal with pesky Neo-Nazi interlopers the old-fashioned way.



UK: Stop Islamization of Europe Facebook Page

USA: United for a Sovereign America (USA) website

Glenn Beck-inspired "Don't Enlist/Re-enlist under Obama" Campaign gains another adherent

WND's Ilana Mercer Says US Military now too PC and too Bureaucratic

From Eric Dondero:

Ilana Mercer is a libertarian columnist who writes for numerous conservative journals and websites in Canada and the United States. She's also a Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, Israel's premier libertarian think tank. The Advocates for Self-Government describes her as a self-proclaimed "Wandering Jew"; a human rights advocate who rails against the state's assault on basic civil liberties. (Bio here). Though, she leans Paleo-libertarian, is generally AntiWar and hangs out at LewRockwell.com, she's no Pacifist Leftie.

Mercer is now the first prominent figure to join in with Glenn Beck's recent highly controversial call to avoid Military Service under Obama.

From her column in World Net Daily (WND), Nov. 27, "Make me Thankful; Don't Enlist."

The state's response to the slaughter at Fort Hood of 13 of its own by a Muslim Army psychiatrist, who also wounded more than 30 in the shootings at the Texas military post on Nov. 5, will be met, first, with more bureaucracy – more salaries for more slackers – and, thereafter, with a brick-thick report!

When asked what he would do if he were in charge of a soldier who was making radical statements, Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs – and an adherent of the military's look-away doctrine – mumbled about the need "to ensure that we treat everybody fairly."

Everybody but the good guys.

For his part, Attorney General Eric Holder has since promised to "work with this committee on ways in which we can prevent such a tragedy from occurring again."

You'll be equally relieved to know that the same bloated behemoth is proceeding at full throttle against three U.S. Navy SEALs.

Petty Officers Matthew McCabe, Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas are accused by Ahmed Hashim Abed – thought to be behind the premeditated murder and mutilation of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004 – of punching him.

As I've argued since September 2002, Americans have no business in Iraq. But so long as our servicemen are there, they should not be hobbled in defending themselves, which is precisely what is happening.

Before they are permitted to detain their attackers, soldiers are required to double up as cops, and go through a CSI-like protocol.

About the frustration of being forced to release most captured combatants, a soldier said this: "We've repeatedly found ourselves fighting the same enemy again and again."

Thinking of enlisting? You'll be fighting not for country and countrymen; but will be granting a banal bureaucrat a lien on your life.

Ilana's blog is Llana Mercer BarelyaBlog.com

Climategate goes Viral: New Media mock of CRU's Michael Mann

New Video from Minnesotans for Global Warming

Bouncing ball head of Michael Mann of East Anglia, at the center of the scandal.

Al Gore gets "punked" at approx. 50 seconds in.

Editor's Note - We are headlining another video on this issue over at our sister site Worldwide Liberty. The video was produced by libertarian researcher Michael Suede. It's a bit nerdy, but extremely useful. It discusses in detail the actual source code that was released in the recent hack of the CRU and the manipulation of climate data by climate scientists.

Climategate: Obama administration official John Holdren caught in controversial emails

First direct link to an Obama official

From Eric Dondero:

The libertarian-conservative website Canada Free Press is breaking this story:

Obama’s Science Czar John Holdren involved in unwinding “Climategate” scandal

Lift up a rock and another snake comes slithering out from the ongoing University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit (CRU) scandal, now riding as “Climategate”.

Obama Science Czar John Holdren is directly involved in CRU’s unfolding Climategate scandal. In fact, according to files released by a CEU hacker or whistleblower, Holdren is involved in what Canada Free Press (CFP) columnist Canadian climatologist Dr. Tim Ball terms “a truculent and nasty manner that provides a brief demonstration of his lack of understanding, commitment on faith and willingness to ridicule and bully people”.

The Free Press goes on to publish a series of email exchanges between Holdren and Michael Mann (photo), the East Anglia scientist who is the point man most center in the growing scandal. Mann is best known for having allegedly used sparse data to come up with the "Tree Ring" theory backing up a large portion of available Global Warming statistical data.

It includes these two email exchanges from Mann and Holdren:

On 16th October 2003 Michael Mann, infamous for his lead in the ‘hockey stick’ that dominated the 2001 IPCC Report, sent an email to people involved in the CRU scandal; “

Dear All,

Thought you would be interested in this exchange, which John Holdren of Harvard has been kind enough to pass along…” At the time Holdren was Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy & Director, Program in Science, Technology, & Public Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government. (Editor’s Note: He is now Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—informally known as the United States Science Czar. )

““In an email on October16, 2003 from John Holdren to Michael Mann and Tom Wigley we are told:

”“I’m forwarding for your entertainment an exchange that followed from my being quoted in the Harvard Crimson to the effect that you and your colleagues are right and my “Harvard” colleagues Soon and Baliunas are wrong about what the evidence shows concerning surface temperatures over the past millennium. The cover note to faculty and postdocs in a regular Wednesday breakfast discussion group on environmental science and public policy in Harvard’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is more or less self-explanatory.”

Note - Libertarian Republican's contributing writer JB Williams is a frequent contributor to the Canada Free Press.

Libertarian threatened with having the "crap beat out of him" for questioning Global Warming Science

Emails exposing East Anglia scientists as more Thuggish than Nerdy

Pat Michaels is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He has a Ph.D in Climatology and is a distinguished professor for Public Policy at George Mason University in Virginia. He also co-authored Climate of Extremes.

His name has popped up in the growing Climate-gate scandal.

From Fox News "GOP Senator tells Scientists to retain controversial emails":

In another e-mail, published in the Wall Street Journal, a scientist wrote, "I'm really sorry that you have to go through all this stuff, Phil. Next time I see Pat Michaels at a scientific meeting, I'll be tempted to beat the crap out of him. Very tempted."

Michaels, a senior fellow in environmental studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, has written a number of books forcefully challenging the science of global warming.

Michael's home page with links to scholary works can be found at Cato.

Editor's Comment: If any of you all happen to run into Prof. Michaels at a libertarian policy conference be sure to buy him a beer.

Sarah Palin hints at President in 2012 for the first time, The Villages, Florida

PTA Mom, Blue Collar Wife and Small-town Mayor to President of the United States: Only in America!

President in 2012? "I like that very much..."

Excerpted from the Orlando Sentinel Nov. 24:

Former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin rolled through Central Florida on Tuesday, finding raucous fans in a conservative retirement community before ending her day in Orlando to cheers of "President Palin."

And though Palin has dodged questions about her political future, her devotees made it clear they want her on the 2012 ballot.

"I addressed her as 'President Palin,' " said Debbie McMillan of Orlando. "She said, 'I like that very much — I could live with that.' "

As she sat down to sign books, her team provided the bookstore staff with a CD to play that started with the Brooks & Dunn tune "Only in America."

The line of fans with copies of the memoir from the self-proclaimed "pitbull with lipstick" snaked through the aisles of the bookstore and ended fittingly in the romance section as many professed love for her and the idea that she could be the nation's next president.

Sheila Schulte, 54, a resident of The Villages who was wearing a button on a red, white and blue scarf that read "Sarah Palin for President 2012," leaned over and thanked Palin for serving as a great inspiration.

Palin responded, "You're welcome and I like your pin."

Note - The largest ever event for McCain/Palin was held in early October, 2008 at The Villages for Sarah Palin. The attendance was an estimated 70,000, some estimates put the number over 80,000.

Country moving more Conservative, and more Pro-Marijuana

LEGALIZE FREEDOM

On November 3, voters in Maine overwhelmingly approved a measure to allow for sale of medicinal marijuana at state-approved clinics.

The American Medical Associaton (AMA) just reversed their long held opposition to medical marijuana.

Now the Washington Post is reporting that the Marijuana Legalization movement is vastly gaining adherents. From WaPo:

A Gallup poll in October found 44 percent of Americans favor full legalization of marijuana -- a rise of 13 points since 2000. Gallup said that if public support continues growing at a rate of 1 to 2 percent per year, "the majority of Americans could favor legalization of the drug in as little as four years."

A 53 percent majority already does so in the West, according to the survey.

Comments a leading Marijuana advocate:

"This issue is breaking out in a remarkably rapid way now," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "Public opinion is changing very, very rapidly."

At the same time a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that Americans are rapidly becomming more Conservative. A full 40% described themselves as "Conservative," while only 20% identified as "Liberal."

Conservative, yet Pro-Pot; that particularly ideological view is often described simply as "Libertarian."

Glenn Beck advises, unless we Fight a Real War, avoid Military Service

Political Correctness and Anti-Military attitude of Obama Administration now destroying morale

* General McChrystal says the real tragedy of Ft. Hood was not Hasan's radical Islamic inspired murderous rampage, but rather the adverse affect it may have on "diversity."

* Navy Seals facing Court Martial for punching an Islamic Terrorist and giving him a fat lip after he was captured. He had brutally murdered 4 Americans.

* Obama dithers for months on sending reinforcements to Afghanistan. Finally decides on a half-way compromise instead of full amount of Troops as the Generals requested.

Glenn Beck takes unusual step of now advising his own family member not to re-enlist with our current President as Commander in Chief.

Hasan case raises new argument against the Draft: Military Service is a privilege, not a right

An Argument against the Draft even Conservatives can support

by Eric Dondero

I have been involved with the Anti-Draft movement for over 25 years: first as a Draft Resistor myself; then assisting others with avoiding the Draft such as my friend Paul Jacob who spent 6 months in federal prison for refusal; lobbying on Capitol Hill with my friend Alaska Libertarian Chair Scott Kohlhaas in 1994 to abolish Selective Service, and finally in helping draft legislation for my boss Congressman Ron Paul to abolish the Agency in the late 1990s. I thought I'd heard and subsequently espoused every argument there was against Mandatory Service.

A few examples:

* Draftees make poor soldiers and sailors.

* No soldier or sailor wants to fight by the side of someone who doesn't want to be there.

* The Draft runs completely counter to American values of liberty and freedom of choice.

* The Draft is an expensive and inefficient way of boosting Military ranks.

* The Draft fundamentally denigrates the service of those who voluteered to serve.

* The Draft amounts to compulsory service which is essentially a form of slavery.

How incredibly ironic that the Major Nidal Malik Hasan murderous rampage at Ft. Hood has created yet another reason to oppose the Military Draft. And it's an argument that is wholly conservative and appeals to conservative instincts, not just one that would be supported by libertarians on the Right.

From the American Thinker, "Dismiss General Casey" by Ken Blackwell of the Heritage Foundation:

No one has a right to serve. Service is an honor and a privilege, but it is not a right. Colorblind people and people with heart murmurs are perfectly loyal Americans. It casts no aspersion on them or their families to be excluded from military service.

All military personnel in the U.S. Armed Forces must demonstrate their loyalty to the United States of America. When they raise their right hand and take that oath before God to protect the Constitution of the United States "from all enemies foreign and domestic," Americans have a right to expect that that oath will be enforced. No one gets a pass.

Precisely! Military Service should be restricted to only those individuals who are among the most Patriotic and Loyal in the land. AntiWar Liberals, Hard Lefties, and certainly any individual who professes loyalty to another country or religion that is hostile to the United States should not be permitted to wear the uniform of any of our Military branches. Mandatory Service through a Military Draft, would of course run completely counter to this, and be applied to everyone, regardless of their political ideology or if they were associated with a religious belief hostile to America.

The honor of serving one's country should be preserved for Real Americans who uphold our United States Constitution, subscribe to American cultural values, and respect our Flag, our History, and everything that our great Nation stands for.

This includes the lowly Private all the way up to the Commander in Chief.

Note - In 1985, as an honorably discharged and decorated US Navy Veteran, the Selective Service System attempted to force me to sign up for the draft, because I hadn't signed up before I joined 5 years earlier, and upon my discharge I was still under the age of 25. They hadn't prepared for such an occurence. I refused and threatened to go to the media. My case went to the highest levels of the SS. They backed off. I won. Today I serve as one of three Libertarian members of the Selective Service Board nationwide who openly advocates abolishing the Agency.

Angelina Jolie: Now out as an Obama-hating Libertarian

It's been rumored for quite some time. With her interest in producing and starring in Ayn Rand's iconic Atlas Shrugs, and with her famous Tea Party supporting Dad Jon Voigt, many had pegged the actress as a closeted libertarian. The rumor just got one step closer to being confirmed.

From USMagazine, Nov. 24:

Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie's seal of approval.

"She hates him," a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).

"She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise," adds the source.

"Angie isn't Republican, but she thinks Obama is all smoke and mirrors," the source says.

In reaction to the quotes attributed to Jolie, Billy Dennis at Peoria Pundit notes:

She's all for self-reliance and 2nd Amendment rights... sounds awfully libertarian to me.

Meanwhile AllahPundit at HotAir opines:

Not only did she famously call for the United States to stay put in Iraq in order to avert a humanitarian disaster but she was officially undecided on last year’s election until fairly late in the game.

Finally, Left Coast Rebel Tim Daniels comments:

it is interesting and worthy of note to see her opining that she isn't a fan of the Obamanation. Even saying the *gasp* 'S' word. Say it isn't so! Let's be honest folks, being a Hollywood celebrity and even being mildly free-thinking/conservative/libertarian or otherwise is tantamount to having leprosy.

What about Ft. Hood? Obama administration still stalling

From: Jim Lagnese, Right Guy

Grass Roots Americans are waiting on the Obama administration to respond to the attacks on American forces from a Muslim Jihadist at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Some Americans are expressing their extreme anger for Obama's inaction.

One American has put up a billboard in Wheatridge, Colorado (suburban Denver) urging Americans to "Wake up! Remember Ft. Hood." Car dealership owner Phil Hood, who put the billboard up on his property, says:

"Everything I have read about Mr. Obama points right to the fact that he is a Muslim. And that is the agenda of what Muslim is all about. It's about anti-American, it's about anti-Christianity," Wolf said.

A recent Rasmussen poll found that by a margin of 63% to 14% Americans believe that political correctness prevented the Military from responding to the threat posed by Ft. Hood killer Nidal Malik Hasan. Also in the poll, only 43% are happy with how Obama has handled the crisis, while 29% believe he's reacted poorly to the terrorist killing spree.

Hardline GOP Libertarian about to be elected to California Assembly

Libertarian with a Capitol 'L'

From Eric Dondero:

Well, we lost Tom McClintock out of the California State Senate. He got himself elected to Congress. And Chuck DeVore is leaving his Assembly seat for a potential move to the US Senate, now running in the GOP primary to take on Barbara Boxer. This leaves only Sen. Tony Strickland of Ventura County all by himself on the Senate side, but no no hard-liner libertarians in the General Assembly, that is, at least til mid-January.

A special election run-off will be held to fill a vacant Orange County seat in a very Republican district. And the 1st place finisher for the first round is an almost certain winner. Even better, he just happens to be the most hardline libertarian to come down the pike since McClintock or DeVore.

Meet Chris Norby. Movement libertarians have known Chris and known about him for years. He served with Libertarian Mayor and City Councilwoman Bonnie Flickinger in Fullerton (pop. 110,000) back in the 1990s. There were rumors back then that he even sent in his membership dues and officially joined the Libertarian Party of Orange County at one point during his stint. He was certainly a friend and frequent guest at LP of Orange Cty. meetings and events.

Now, upon his election he could possibly become the most well-known libertarian state legislator in the entire US.

From Capitol Weekly out of Sacramento:

After tallying a 2-1 victory over Republican rival Linda Ackerman in a special election primary last week, Chris Norby is a prohibitive favorite to join the Assembly after a Jan. 12 runoff.

One thing he is not likely to ever be: a crossover budget vote.

“Chris is a hard-line, ideological conservative, with a libertarian bent,” said Jon Fleischman, publisher of the popular conservative blog The Flash Report. “I think it’s fair to say that he will join the Republican Caucus and will immediately be one of its most hard-line members.”

“I don’t think raising taxes is going to solve out budgets woes,” Norby told the Capitol Weekly when asked about the likelihood of him ever supporting a Democratic budget plan. “It could make them worse.”

For a little context, this is the Assembly seat where a Republican Mike Duvall had to resign after he was caught on tape bragging about a recent sexual conquest. About a hot lobbyist in Sacramento, Assmb. Duvall said something to the effect of "she was a hot piece of ass" (paraphrased, actual comment a bit more explicit.) Duvall is married.

Norby will be significantly more the Nerd. Continuing:

Norby taught high school history for 18 years. Some say he has the manner of a college professor.

“He’s certainly an in-depth policy wonk,” Fleischman said. “He reads a lot, calls around a lot, gets a lot of information. He’ll be either the favorite of the lobbyists, or the most hated by the lobbyists, depending on if a lobbyist wants to do the work to educate a legislator who really wants to understand the issues.”

And like other Libertarians, he's Nerdy in a principled not willing to compromise sort of way. Continuing:

Even his fans say Norby is unlikely to follow [husband Sen.] Ackerman into Legislative leadership. He’s drawn comparisons to outsider Assemblyman Chuck Devore, R-Irvine, for his unwillingness to compromise on what he sees as key Republican issues.

“He’s definitely a small government conservative,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “I think he’s rubbed a lot of people on both sides of the aisle the wrong way.”

These stands won him the support of libertarian conservatives like Congressman Tom McClintock, whose support Lewis said was key in the runaway win over Ackerman, and anti-tax crusader Lew Uhler.

In fact, he's so uncompromisingly libertarian, that he often takes stances in opposition to business interests seeking to get government favors.

Norby on Property Rights:

Norby may also run afoul of some business concerns for his uncompromising stand on property rights. He’s an outspoken critic of economic redevelopment agencies, controversial governmental bodies that has often seized private property in order to push economic development goals. Norby served as state chair of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR) and also wrote a book, “Redevelopment: The Unknown Government.” According to Norby, big retailers and other corporate interests have used these governmental agencies to siphon away money from local business and even from education.

He's also quite unpopular with the Teacher's Unions:

Norby may differ from many Republicans in saying he’d like to raise teacher pay. Of course, he wants to do so by making teachers work harder and having them teach more periods. This, he said, would attract brighter, harder-working people. He also doesn’t necessarily want to raise spending on education, instead putting “more money into the classroom” by cutting administration and unproductive programs.

“I’m not popular with the CTA [California Teachers’ Association],” Norby noted dryly.

Come January after he's sworn in, the California Assembly will no doubt take a hard-Right turn to the libertarian side. And just in time. For the State, still bucking spending cuts proposed by the GOP, is on the verge of complete bankruptcy. Let's hope that a sensible cut-the-spending first, libertarian approach can save the Golden State from complete ruin.

Editor's Note - Jon Fleischman, quoted in the article above, is an old friend of mine, and a friend of Cong. Ron Paul's Chief of Staff Tom Lizardo, from Bill Buckley's Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), back in the 1980s. Fleischman also serves as a longtime aide and adviser to Congressman Ed Royce.

Global Warming Fraud: Liberal Media working overtime to Spin out of the Story

by Eric Dondero

A serious scandal is emerging on the Global Warming front. A series of emails were discovered by top researchers based in Canada debunking the theory. The email communications came from rival pro-global warming researchers based in the UK. They clearly indicate an intention by the pro-global warming researchers to cover up data unfavorable to the advocacy position. Further, the communications indicate that the cover-up took place with the express intent to gain greater funding for continued global warming research from the US and European nations.

An example of one of the email exchanges published on Sunday in the Washington Post:

In one e-mail, the center’s director, Phil Jones, writes Pennsylvania State University’s Michael E. Mann and questions whether the work of academics that question the link between human activities and global warming deserve to make it into the prestigious IPCC report, which represents the global consensus view on climate science. “I can’t see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report,” Jones writes. “Kevin and I will keep them out somehow — even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!”

It's still undetermined as to how the emails surfaced. Some say through a computer hacker, others call it a whistle-blowing incident. Regardless, the scandal has caused a huge embarrassment for the Left. And the scandal keeps growing by the hour.

American Spectator calls ClimateGate, an "exploding scandal." Chris Horner at AS explains the fundamentals of what's beginning to emerge:

document destruction, coordinated efforts in the U.S. and UK to avoid complying with both countries' freedom of information laws, and apparent and widespread intent to defraud at the highest levels of international climate science bodies. Numerous informed commenters had alleged such behavior for years, all of which appears to be affirmed by leaked emails, computer codes and other data from the Climatic Research Unit of the UK's East Anglia University.

Horner goes on to write that Global Warming-gate cuts at the heart of the underpinnings of both the Kyoto Protocol and Cap and Trade.

In the last couple days, the Left has undertaken a full-blown push-back effort. Their propoganda machine has been working overtime, trying to spin their way out of the story, and protect the environmentalist interests, scientists involved in the cover-up, Al Gore, and the Obama administration.

Their spin line? The leaked emails from the researchers weren't really serious, they were just examples of typical "peer review."

From Futurismic:

Smart enough to hack, not sophisticated enough to appreciate the daily give-and-take of how science works–is that how we nonscientists are going to approach critical issues? Maybe we can do better than that.

From Real Climate:

there is a peek into how scientists actually interact and the conflicts show that the community is a far cry from the monolith that is sometimes imagined. People working constructively to improve joint publications; scientists who are friendly and agree on many of the big picture issues, disagreeing at times about details and engaging in ‘robust’ discussions...

And this particularly condescending explanation from the hugely popular liberal site BoingBoing. The Leftist website so kindly "puts it all in context" so that the reader doesn't have to think on their own. From BoingBoing:

Hacked climate scientists' emails in context

In a nutshell: science is about the advancement of competing theories and the evaluation of these theories in light of evidence. The East Anglia Climate Research Unit's scientists disagreed in some particulars, and used peer-review to resolve them (and continue to do so). No one is paying them to cover up evidence that climate change isn't real or isn't caused by humans -- but they are conducting science the way that scientists do.

You see, all those email communications admitting to the global warming fraud were not really serious. Tt was all just done for the sake of "robust debate" so typical of the scientific research community.

Nothing to see here. Move on... move on...

Sarah Palin Fever hits Ft. Bragg; 5,000 screaming fans attend Book Signing at Army Base

Bigger than the Beatles, Springsteen or the Stones?

Working the rope line like a true Pro. Which American politician is the real Rock Star?

From the Editor: Last night we discussed Sarah Palin's book tour and the controversial LA Times piece on her rise in popularity on "Libertarian Politics Live." 5 special guests from 5 different Right Libertarian blogs. Listen to it on the sidebar here at LR, or click on the home page for the show.

Palin a "Republican dunce" says LA Times: Intentional or Wisecrack against Liberal Elites?

From Eric Dondero:

The Los Angeles Times had a major piece on Sarah Palin yesterday, "Sarah Palin vs. Barack Obama: The approval gap silently shrinks to a few points." Overall, a very decent article talking of how Palin's approval numbers, hovering around 43%, are nearing Obama's, now at 48%. Also, Palin's on the upswing, while Obama a definite downward trend.

But completely out of the context of the article, was a seemingly nasty slam at Palin at the very beginning of the piece.

From the LA Times:

Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican dunce and he's obviously a male Democrat genius.

But Sarah Palin's poll numbers are strengthening.

And President Obama's are sliding.

Guess what? They're about to meet in the 40s.

Here's a couple reactions from two top Right libertarian bloggers.

Tim Daniels, Left Coast Rebel:

The above prefaced by a cheap shot that hampers the read:

Not that it matters politically because obviously she's a female Republican
dunce and he's a male Democrat genius.(Genius at what? Bankrupting America?)

Also note this this LA Times writer stresses to point to Palin as the 'female' Republican. Coincindence? Not likely. Regardless, the piece and subsequent Memeo chatter point to something interesting and important. Sarah Palin taps into a different crowd than the typical GOP type does right now. She's believable. She's likeable. She excites folks that usually wouldn't be. Her political standing is moving up in the public too; ie her perceived leadership ability.

From the Connecticut-based blog Libertarian Advocate:

I read the same piece this morning and as to the seemingly snarky line you quoted above I took away quite a different perception of it. I read it as being laced with a somewhat sneaky but entirely intended irony directed at those liberals who are, for whatever reason culturally indoctrinated and emotionally compelled to despise Sarah Palin simply because she is a Conservative woman.

The female Left seem to be hopelessly locked into the idea that a conservative female is a traitor to their sex. They are not terribly unlike extremist muslims who believe that apostates deserve execution. So the FemLeft happily engage in personal character assassination to bring down "apostate" conservative females such as Palin.

Anyway, fascinating to watch the liberals squirm as their God, BOTUS, twists in the political winds of a resurgent conservative movement.

My own personal view, at first stunned disbelief that the LA Times would print such a slam. But then, I thought it was so over the top, that it surely had to be intentional and as Libertarian Advocate says, "snarky" not necessarily against Palin, but more aimed at her snooty liberal critics.

What do you think? Please post your comments, slam or non-slam on Palin?

Democrats in Retreat for 2010 Congressional Elections: 2 Dems hint they could Lose, 1 other Resigns

From Eric Dondero:

Three big developments in Congressional races the last week, signal that at least some Democrats realize they're in big trouble heading into 2010.

Firstly, a largely unexpected announcement on Monday that Rep. Dennis Moore or Kansas is planning to retire. Moore is relatively young, scandal free, and is generally viewed as a moderate Democrat. But as The Hill reports, Moore bowed down to Pelosi and voted for key liberal agenda items, which may have sealed his fate, in a Republican-leaning District, in a very Republican State.

From The Hill:

Moore, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, on Monday became the first incumbent this cycle to announce he would retire from Congress next year without running for another office. The GOP immediately began asking whether other veteran Democrats would bow to the political pressure and join him.

Moore, like many conservative Democrats, would probably face a tough reelection bid, since he voted for the stimulus, climate change legislation and the healthcare bill.

Then there's this odd development coming out of Idaho.

From Political Game blog:

Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) sat down with the Moscow-Pullman Daily News for a story Sunday that contained some rather irritating quotes--quotes that spotlighted exactly why it is that progressive Democrats, Minnick's base, are frustrated with Minnick's voting record and may not support him for re-election.

Apparently, the freshman congressman wouldn't be disappointed should he be unseated in the 2010 congressional race. Minnick offered the following quote to the Daily News...

"I would like to go back. If I don't, that's not the end of the world."

One of the first rules of politics, no matter what office is being sought, from dog catcher to US President, never even hint that you don't have the fire in the belly to win, or are non-chalante of the outcome of your race. Anyone remember how quickly Fred Thompson's Presidential run fizzled in '08, over the "fire in the belly" issue?

Finally, Colorado specially appointed Senator Michael Bennet told CNN's John King that he would cast his vote for the final version of the health care bill including the public option, even if it meant a sure loss of his seat.

Some are interpreting what on the surface may appear as a principle stance, as an admission that in reality he may not win reelection.

From Doug Heye, US News:

"I'll risk my job to vote for healthcare," Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet told CNN's John King yesterday. For many on the Left, the statement was a rallying cry of martyrdom... But scratch the surface just a little bit and one is quickly reminded that however Bennet may vote on Harry Reid's healthcare bill, his job is already at risk.

Appointed in January to fill the seat vacated by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Bennet has never run for elective office. As a Senate candidate and United State Senator, Bennet has not exactly captured the hearts and minds of Colorado voters. Poll after poll shows Bennet's approval rating lagging behind his disapproval and as President Barack Obama's numbers slide, so go Bennet's. A sample Denver Post headline, "Poll: Bennet not wowing voters."

It's noteworthy that all three of these Members of the House and Senate come from deeply to relatively Red States. So, their jobs were in doubt to begin with.

But such open admissions and insinuations begs the question, are there other Democrats who see the writing on the wall, but are just not admitting it?

Pro-Defense libertarian-leaner Pete Hoekstra leads GOP field for MI Gov.

Congressman Pete Hoekstra has a solid lead in the crowded Republican primary field for Governor.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Detroit Free Press Michigan Gubernatorial Primary

•Pete Hoekstra 21%
•Mike Cox 15%
•Michael Bouchard 13%
•Rick Snyder 5%
•Tom George 3%
•Unsure 37%

Hoekstra, lead Republican on the House Intelligence Comm. has recently garnered a great deal of national media attention for questioning the Obama administration's handling of classified materials, and for inaction in the War in Afghanistan.

Current Dem Gov. Granholm is term-limited.

Latest from Wendy Macy: Rand's Balancing Act

Questions the establishment leanings of Mitch McConnell. Is he leaning Grayson?

Republicans partly to blame for past deficits and spending and McConnell may have joined in.

Meanwhile, Rand has to be careful not to anger McConnell supporters, while also keeping his Tea Party rebellion base energized.

WendyMacy.com

Bush Act allowing Guns in National Parks set for February: Liberals in utter Panic over New Rule

Would allow Citizens to carry Guns to protect themselves from Wild Animals

From Eric Dondero:

Environmentalists, Greens and other Liberals are gripping themselves for the implementation of a leftover Bush administration law, which will take affect in February. One of last acts of the former Republican President, was to put forward a law to allow gun owners to carry their weapons in America's National Parks.

Commented Daniel White at Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner back in May:

Anti-gun pundits can scarcely hide their disdain for gun owners in the face of yet another defeat, this time as legislation to reinstate the Bush rule change permitting law-abiding concealed handgun license holders to bring their firearms with them into National Parks...

But now that the laws implementation is imminent, liberals are in a complete panic mode. And what's driving them over the edge, is a provision that overrides state laws, including liberal-leaning states. From the AP:

The new rule goes further than a draft proposal issued last spring and would allow concealed weapons even in parks located in states that explicitly ban the carrying of guns in state parks. Some states allow concealed weapons but also ban guns from parks.

John Haughy of Outdoor Life reports on the case of one of the typical weenie whiners. His article is titled, "How to make a Liberal a Libertarian."

Somehow, 'putting another code in the books' is a bad thing when it reaffirms Second Amendment rights in national parks.

"Artist and blogger Todd Wilkinson is unhappy about the upcoming rules change which will permit law abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms in National Parks beginning in February.

'I have never, after hiking thousands of miles and visiting dozens of national parks, ever felt the need to carry a loaded firearm inside one.' [Wilkinson wrote]

"Classic Liberal thinking," White astutely diagnoses. "Because he hasn't felt the need to carry a gun, nobody should. I'm sure Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell (photo) didn't feel the need to carry a gun when she went hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia before being killed by coyotes two weeks ago.Fortunately, a Montana man didn't feel the same way when he was attacked by a Grizzly bear in the Cabinet Mountains [not a national park but it could happen there as well.] He shot and killed the charging bear."

As Haughy duly notes, many Americans may escape Ms. Mitchell's demise here in the US, starting in February, thanks to the Bush rule. At least for Americans on the Right and Center. Liberal Americans don't seem to be too concerned about preserving even their own species.

Note - A Canadian version of this article is running over at our sister site Worldwide Liberty.

NORTH DAKOTA: Yet another potential Republican pick-up for 2010

From Zogby via Hedgehog:

US SENATE – NORTH DAKOTA (Zogby)

John Hoeven (R) 55%

Byron Dorgan (D-inc) 36%

Hedgehog describes the seat as an "easy pick-up" for the GOP. Only one problem: Hoeven has given no indication that he desires to resign the Governorship to switch to Senate. And many North Dakotans, want the Governor, who is extremely popular, to stay right where he's at.

Editor's Comment - How could he possibly lose with a "stache" like that?