Archive for January 2012
Happy Friday (the 13th)
The weekend is here! Check out these stories from today.
- Remember that whole debt ceiling thing? Yeah, we’re there again.
- Then again, there could be hope yet. Obama’s attempt to merge and consolidate federal trade agencies could be a true gesture towards smaller government.
- Frank Hurdle at the Col. Reb Sez blog defends Haley Barbour and the pardon power more generally as a means of rehabilitating criminals. UMFreedom on Barbour’s pardongate here.
- In other state news, Matt Eichelberger at Cottonmouth reports on Speaker Gunn’s decision to hire a “political ad man with a salary commensurate with a circuit court judge.” That’s $110,000 a year. Eichelberger laments, “The party of small government, indeed.”
- Matt Zwolinski of the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog has a good piece at the Daily Caller, emphasizing the importance of organizations like IHS. He’s right that organizations like IHS, YAL, and SFL have more long-term significance within the liberty movement than a single campaign. It’s important to note, though, that candidates like Ron Paul introduce many to the concept of a free society.
- Lastly, for your Friday the 13th viewing pleasure:
Stay up-to-date, follow Ole Miss YAL on Facebook and Twitter.
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James Robertson currently attends the University of Mississippi, where he plans to receive degrees in Political Science and English. He is the President of the Ole Miss Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He can be contacted at jrrobert@olemiss.edu, Facebook and Twitter.
Thursday Links
Ahh, Thursday – the beginning of the weekend in Oxford. Here’s what we’re reading this Thursday morning:
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Marshall Ramsey's Always-Cutting Take on Haley's Pardongate
Coverage of Haley Barbour’s Pardongate expanded yesterday as the former governor came under criticism for issuing around 200 pardons his last day in office. Attorney General Hood’s efforts to block the release of prisoners seems to be moving forward. Haley’s defensive statement here.
- Mississippi Democrats are calling for a shortened legislative session. While this move is probably politically motivated given the recent Republican takeover of the House, giving the government less time to mess things up seems like a good idea. This is where Texas gets it right.
- The latest poll released from South Carolina shows Romney (23) essentially tied with Gingrich (21), followed by Santorum (14), Paul (13), Huntsman (7), and Perry (5).
- Another Iranian nuclear scientist is dead, further evidence that either American or Israeli forces are actively waging a covert war on Iran’s nuclear program.
- Another one of the reasons our military presence abroad inevitably inspires others to fight against us.
- MSN Money has a great piece warning about the dangers of another round of quantitative easing by the Fed. The author, Anthony Mirhaydari, lays it out: ”In simple terms: The Fed is laying the groundwork for another round of unmitigated money printing.”
- The Department of Justice asked a judge to rule in favor of allowing citizens to record police officers on duty. As Radley Balko notes, “The federal government rarely urges a federal court to give the government less power.”
- While covering the GOP primary in New Hampshire, Adam Kokesh had a surprisingly cordial encounter with a police officer discussing the use of recording equipment.
- Ole Miss YAL hosted Kokesh to speak in the grove during the 2008 presidential debate at Ole Miss. That video here.
Stay up-to-date, follow Ole Miss YAL on Facebook and Twitter.
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James Robertson currently attends the University of Mississippi, where he plans to receive degrees in Political Science and English. He is the President of the Ole Miss Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He can be contacted at jrrobert@olemiss.edu, Facebook and Twitter.
Haley Barbour’s Pardoning Frenzy Stirs Up Media Circus
Yesterday, Phil Bryant was inaugurated as the 64th governor of Mississippi. The outgoing Haley Barbour wasted no time his last day on the job, pardoning 27 convicted criminals, many of them felons. This last-minute pardoning frenzy has made both national and international news.
- Tom Freeland at the North Mississippi Commentor blog examines some of these cases in several posts, noting that Karen Irby was also granted clemency. More on the Irby case here.
- Cottonmouth also has coverage, noting that the pardons allow convicted murderers to once again carry firearms. He also raises an interesting question about whether Barbour’s pardons violated a state constitutional provision due to lack of prior notice.
- Back in 2009, Radley Balko wrote about Barbour’s “bizzare” pardon record at Slate, noting that the governor granted pardons to “murderers who just happen to do work on his house.”
As expected, have taken to both Facebook and Twitter, to voice their disgust. On a somewhat lighter note, though, others have turned to farce:
- @lindsey_brooks posts: ”"THIS JUST IN!!! Haley Barbour’s latest pardons: Darth Vader, Count Chocula, Cruella de Vil, Skeletor, and Voldemort.”
- @thirdcup writes: ”Next time you see Haley Barbour, skip the hellos and say “I beg your pardon.” “Pardon me” will suffice as well.”
Primary Day in New Hampshire
Today, residents of New Hampshire head to the polls to vote in the nation’s first
presidential primary. The Democrats failed to field a legitimate primary challenger to Obama, pledging their implicit support for his foreign intervention and disregard for civil liberties at home. Glenn Greenwald confronts this hypocrisy masterfully.
On the Republican side, though, things are a bit more interesting. Polling suggests that Mitt Romney will easily win the state, followed by a possible second place finish for Ron Paul and Huntsman in third.
- Tom Woods, who spoke to Ole Miss YAL after the release of his book Meltdown, is on the ground in New Hampshire.
- A recent Politico piece suggests that Ron Paul’s libertarian message is failing to inspire voters, referring to his stump speech as “a grim, thousand-points-of-darkness jeremiad that makes the rest of the GOP field’s somber depiction of Obama-era America seem sunny.”
- In light of the current election season, A. Barton Hinkle discusses the liberal backlash against Citizens United and why the Supreme Court made the right decision.
- Now that Romney is the established front-runner of the Republican field, several of his opponents are laying it on. Both Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman have criticized Romney for firing workers while working at Bain Capital. As James Pethokoukis from the American Enterprise Institute notes, the attacks are purely political and suggest that the Republicans’ understanding of free markets is superficial at best.
“Of course, Romney and Bain weren’t in the game to create jobs. They were in it to make money for their investors and themselves. Then again, the same would go for Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Warren Buffett, and just about every other successful entrepreneur and investor you could name. But that is the miracle of free-market capitalism. The pursuit of profits by creating value benefits the rest of society through higher incomes, more jobs, and better products and services.”
- On an unrelated note, Reason’s Brian Dougherty has a fascinating post which asserts that Haiti’s lack of prosperity stems from their insecure property rights.
Join us back here tomorrow to discuss the New Hampshire results!
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James Robertson currently attends the University of Mississippi, where he plans to receive degrees in Political Science and English. He is the President of the Ole Miss Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He can be contacted at jrrobert@olemiss.edu.
Mad Hatter in the White House, Raising Kim K’s Taxes, & Vermin Supreme’s “Secret Dental Police”
Happy Monday, everyone! Beginning today, Ole Miss YAL will be sharing some of our favorite links from around the Internet. Please feel free to comment, offer your suggestions, and share any interesting stories with us.
- Roger Wicker, Senator from Mississippi who voted to allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens, already has two challengers who’ve qualified to run against him
- According to recently revealed evidence, the White House hosted a secret “Alice in Wonderland” Halloween party in 2009. Apparently, administration officials decided not to publicize the event “for fear of a political backlash during hard economic times.” Let them eat cake, right?
- If you were busy watching the network television debates this past weekend, you might have missed the enormously entertaining “Lesser-Known Presidential Candidates Forum.” Make sure you don’t miss Vermin Supreme.
- At the Mises Institute, James E. Miller defends Kim Kardashian against a group of tax-happy Californians. Challenges the class-warfare mentality that animates many progressives.
- Daniel Hannan points out that defenders of free markets must be careful when claiming that we are currently suffering from a lack of capitalism. Instead of railing against so-called “crony capitalism,” libertarians should focus on highlighting concrete reforms that allow markets to regulate big business.
- George Monbiot, environmental blogger for The Guardian, discusses the libertarian conception of property rights and declares them unworkable when dealing with modern environmental challenges. Is this a role which only government can fill, or can a system of clearly defined property rights defend against pollution?
- At Reason, Damon Root addresses a common criticism of libertarians: that they want to scale back the federal government but have no problem with the state governments abridging liberties. As Root points out, the US Constitution, by way of the Civil War amendments, includes several provisions that prohibit states from infringing upon individual liberty.
Have a great week!
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James Robertson currently attends the University of Mississippi, where he plans to receive degrees in Political Science and English. He is the President of the Ole Miss Chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. He can be contacted at jrrobert@olemiss.edu.
