FOX ELECTED MAYOR OF HENHOUSE!:

The world of international politics is strange, to say the least, and more than a little disconcerting at times. But never would I have guessed, much less believed it to be true, that Muamar Gadaffi could be elected (that's right, elected) as head of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. The logic behind this move is simply beyond my humble ability to explain. [link via Unqualifed Offerings]

DAILY QUOTE:

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of the government. The history of government is a history of resistance. The history of liberty is the history of the limitation of government, not the increase of it.
- Woodrow Wilson
[via Freedom Blog]

ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE:

Alex Singleton at The Liberty Log offers an excellent refutation of the argument for "Buying British" (or the American equivalent "Made in the U.S.A.") by explaining the concept of comparative advantage (the concept developed by David Ricardo). In short, tariffs, quotas and excise taxes only serve to hurt the national and world economies, even though they do protect particular domestic industries.

SAUDIS TAKING THEIR BALLS AND GOING HOME:

According to this Financial Times report, Saudis have withdrawn between $100 to $200 billion in funds out of the U.S. I think I'm having a New York moment when I say "good riddance." I'm not sure if there has ever been a bigger bunch of back-stabbers than the Saudis and it's high time we woke up and took a big fat wiff of the freaking roses here. Seriously, what is it going to take before we realise that the Saudis are not our allies. And before I get flamed (although that would sure do the ole site counter a good turn) I'm not talking about every single Saudi national on the planet. I mean only to impune the integrity of the Saudi rulers .. and the Saudi radicals involved in terrorism ... and the Saudi religious leaders who won't speak out against the Islamofascists ... and the Saudis who are simply too disinterested to take any sort of actual stance on the fact that their native society breeds lunatics of the first order, relegating the rest of us (read U.S.) to beating back the tide of fanaticism pouring out of the Rub al-Khali desert*.

I think my favorite angle of this whole saga is the fact that the Saudi elite send their children to be educated in our schools, send their diplomats to our State Department in order to exact favorable treatment wherever U.S. holds sway (read in every economic arena in the world), and sink billions of dollars into our markets, and all the while fomenting virulent anti-western sentiment in their own back yard. Eddie Haskell had more backbone and moral conviction than the Saudis.

* In my highly agitated and inebriated state last evening, I mistakenly referred to the "Sahara" (in Africa) instead of the "Rub al-Khali" desert which comprises the entire south of Saudi Arabia.

MODERN WARFARE:

It seems that "tens" of Saudi nationals plan to file a suit against "the U.S. government and media organizations for the alleged psychological and financial damage they suffered in the aftermath of September 11", reports Reuters. This comes on the tail of the suit filed against the Sudanese government and Saudi officials, banks and charities by several Americans who count family members among the slain September 11 victims.

Let's try to balance the equities here:

U.S.A. - Suffers the loss of 3000 innocent civilians, billions of dollars in property damage, and incalculable psychological and emotional suffering, all at the hands of 19 Middle Eastern men (directly), 15 of whom were Saudi Arabian citizens, and all of whom were counted among the ranks of Al Quaeda, a radical Islamic organization headed by a former Saudi (Osama bin Laden) and strikingly similar in theistic outlook to Saudia Arabia's nationalized religion, Wahabiism.

Saudi Arabia - Nationals are "harassed" by FBI agents in search of information; Saudi Arabia is looked upon with increasing suspicion because 15 of 19 hijackers hailed from there, myriad links of financial support for radical islamic groups and terrorist organizations are established, and anti-western invective is routinely heard emanating from Saudi shores and sources; Saudi Arabian men are virtually assured of never being searched before boarding an airplane in the U.S.; Some funds of Saudi nationals are frozen because ties to terrorist organizations are identified; The U.S. military continues to protect Saudi Arabia from would-be aggressors (e.g. Saddam Hussein) despite zero cooperation from Saudi forces to protect Americans and next to zero cooperation from Saudi Arabia in rounding up those responsible for September 11.

My only hope is that there is indeed a trial, that a counter-claim is filed and that a jury is seated of which I am a member.

FORMING A MONOPOLY 101:

Jacob Bourne at Freedom Blog highlights yet another example of legislation paring down our freedom by helping to create a monopoly -- this time by prohibiting the selling or refilling of propane tanks unless they are equipped with an overfill prevention device. Echoing Smith and Hayek, he admonishes:

The next time someone from the government tells you how this new law is being passed for your benefit look at them skeptically and remember the road to serfdom is paved with good intentions.

DAILY QUOTE:

This is probably a bit of a misnomer since I may not necessarily post a quote every day, but that's my intention. In any event, here's the quote:

As far as the substantive inertia of our laws is concerned, that favors not the status quo but private autonomy, whether or not that is what the status quo prescribes. That is to say, private freedom can neither be constratined nor continue to be constrained without good reason.
-(then Prof.) Antonin Scalia

IRAQI INVASION BEGINS -- IN BERLIN?:

According to this Reuters report, an Iraqi opposition force has occupied the Iraqi embassy in Berlin.

A group calling itself the Democratic Iraqi Opposition of Germany issued a statement in German saying it was launching a "peaceful and temporary" action to press its demands for an end to the rule of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"In the name of the Iraqi people and their legitimate leadership, the Iraqi opposition, we declare that the liberation of Iraqi soil begins today. We are taking over the Iraqi embassy in Berlin and with this the first step in the liberation of our beloved fatherland."


Good job, fellas. Now how about trying the same thing in Iraq. I'm not sure what this will accomplish, although it's sure to cause Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder some consternation. It will be interesting to see how he spins it.

**UPDATE: Hostages have been taken and shots fired.

D.C. HOMERULE:

I previously weighed in on this issue, but find the need to revisit it after reading this post on Unqualified Offerings referring to a post by Radley Balko. Like Radley, I live in Virginia and that would not change even if D.C. residents weren't taxed by the federal government. This is primarily because I enjoy having as much freedom from government intrusion as possible and being able to vote. Of the three possible places to live in the D.C. metro area (D.C., MD, or VA), Virginia is the only place that offers such luxuries.

Where I disagree with Radley is the whole "Taxation without Representation" issue, which really makes me laugh. First, if any place is guilty of such taxation its D.C. The District taxes the wages of those who work there despite the fact that the vast majority of them are residents elsewhere. Second, the highest taxes in the area of any sort are the local District taxes, which suggests that if federal taxes were indeed abolished for the denizens of D.C., the excess would quickly be mopped up by the local government. Third, the District is the direct beneficiary of anything the federal government does, good or bad, by virtue of being the center of the free world. Fourth, D.C. does have a voice in Congress, and although she can't vote, she is far from inconsequential. Fifth, there are no locks, gates, bars or walls preventing anyone from moving out of the District if they so choose -- in fact I know at least three people who have recently moved to the District. Sixth, if D.C. were a tax haven, those living there would be enjoying at least some of the benefits created by those who don't live there (e.g. free museums, national defense, federally subsidized loans and grants, etc.) and you could expect that the population would swell tremendously.

I don't know that Radley Balko, or Unqualified Offerings necessarily disagrees with me on this issue, I just used their posts as a (re)jumping-off point to clearly state my objections to D.C. Homerule.

EFFICIENT MARKET THEORY:

Don't know what it is? See this post by Jacob Bourne at Freedom Blog. Then go and check out the rest of the site ... you'll be glad you did.

ESCAPE FROM L.A.:

The Washington Times gives an update on the growing din over the possibility of secession from Los Angeles by the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.

The action sounds drastic, but proponents of the secession movement say that Los Angeles, with its 3.7 million people spread across 465 square miles, has become too sprawling, too chaotic and too populous to govern. They complain about shoddy services, uneven police protection, high taxes and a who-cares attitude from City Hall.
"We have one message: decentralization," said Gene LaPietra, the millionaire nightclub owner behind the Hollywood secession movement. "L.A. is entirely too big to manage under the current system. Right now we have long-distance government — they're totally out of touch with the people."


It seems that the wealthy taxpayers on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains are getting tired of being soaked by those whom they subsidize (hereinafter the "L.A. Free Riders") and getting nothing in return. On the other side of the coin, the L.A. Free Riders are worried about losing their cash cow.

Even so, opponents call secession too risky, arguing that it could result in higher taxes and fewer services for Los Angeles. Losing the Valley means losing wealthy enclaves like Encino and Sherman Oaks, although the area also includes lower-middle class communities.

When all else fails in California, just blame the Republicans.

Secession foes have already begun framing the issue as Democrat versus Republican, even though both San Fernando Valley and Hollywood are overwhelmingly Democratic.
"During the debate, they [secession foes] stood up and said, 'It's a right-wing conspiracy,' and they were saying it to three liberal Democrats," said Jeff Brain, president of Valley Vote (Voters Organized Toward Empowerment), which put the San Fernando measure on the ballot. "It's ludicrous."

In order to follow the dabate over this initiative (set to be voted upon Nov. 5, 2002) visit the blog Secession Watch.

LIBERTARIANS FOR WAR AGAINST IRAQ:

Alex Singleton continues to make the case for a strong Libertarian stance in favor of war with Iraq. While I don't think that we are necessarily ready to go full-force into Iraq from a political point of view, I do agree with the philosophical justification advanced by Singleton. Simply put, Iraq threatens our freedom, and such threats should be eliminated with a fearsome dispatch.

GREEN CAPITALISTS:

Peter Cuthbertson of Conservative Commentary ably explains why corporations that claim to be working in favor of the environment probably are.