Michael Hampton

Editor and publisher of Homeland Stupidity.

U.S. has lost “consent of the governed”

U.S. has lost “consent of the governed”

February 19, 2010

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday shows that only 21 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. government has the "consent of the governed" as specified in the Declaration of Independence.

“Desperate” man flies plane into IRS office building

February 18, 2010

It's tax season again. And for many of us, the idea of doing taxes and giving the IRS the pound of flesh they demand is a harrowing thought. One Austin, Texas, man, claiming to have been fed up with being ripped off by the IRS for over 20 years, flew a small plane into a building containing the local IRS office this morning.

Liberty Conspiracy – 2-17-10 The Fundamentals: Jefferson, Steam Engines, and Intellectual Property

Liberty Conspiracy – 2-17-10 The Fundamentals: Jefferson, Steam Engines, and Intellectual Property

February 18, 2010

Gardner Goldsmith looks back at history, in an attempt to answer the question: Is government-enforced copyright and patent "protection" reconcilable with a free society?

National Animal Identification System scrapped

National Animal Identification System scrapped

February 5, 2010

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will announce Friday that it is dropping a controversial plan to track livestock.

Bernanke confirmed for second term as Federal Reserve chairman

Bernanke confirmed for second term as Federal Reserve chairman

January 28, 2010

By a 70-30 vote, the Senate confirmed embattled Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term Wednesday afternoon.

Everything You Know About Unions Is Wrong: 12 Labor Union Myths

Everything You Know About Unions Is Wrong: 12 Labor Union Myths

January 26, 2010

Private sector union membership has been on a slow and steady decline for decades. While union leaders decry the numbers, saying that good union jobs are disappearing, the reality behind unions is much more complex. To an extent, they have become a victim of their own success.

Government study finds Head Start “costly failure”

Government study finds Head Start “costly failure”

January 18, 2010

With literally nothing to show for the $100 billion it has wasted so far, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wants even more money to "strengthen" Head Start, a preschool program its own study finds is a failure.

Does your school teacher want your children to die?

Does your school teacher want your children to die?

January 12, 2010

Not only aren't your children learning much of anything in public school, they may well be in mortal danger, thanks in part to the attitudes and beliefs of their teachers and school administrators.

Report: IRS customer service lacking

Report: IRS customer service lacking

January 8, 2010

The Internal Revenue Service seems less interested in providing "customer service" and more in intimidating you into paying up, whether you truly owe anything or not.

Geithner’s Fed told AIG to hide “backdoor bailout”

Geithner’s Fed told AIG to hide “backdoor bailout”

January 7, 2010

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, during its $180 billion bailout of American International Group, Inc., instructed AIG to omit details of its purchase of certain toxic assets from a December 24, 2008, Securities and Exchange Commission filing, according to e-mails between the company and the Fed released Thursday.

Spring food crisis may trigger economic collapse

Spring food crisis may trigger economic collapse

January 7, 2010

You have maybe two months to stock up on the necessities of life before food prices rise dramatically, potentially prompting a global food panic, widespread famine, and quite possibly the long-expected collapse of the U.S. economy.

TSA withdraws subpoenas over leaked security directive

TSA withdraws subpoenas over leaked security directive

December 31, 2009

Two days after serving two journalists with subpoenas demanding that they reveal a confidential source, a move that prompted widespread backlash among frequent fliers, the Transportation Security Administration has withdrawn the subpoenas and returned a damaged laptop to one of the writers.

Aviation security failed to prevent Christmas Day attack

Aviation security failed to prevent Christmas Day attack

December 28, 2009

The Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit has shown exactly how ineffective most of the post-September 11 security measures have been in providing actual security, even as passengers flying in its aftermath experience even more stringent security theater.

Government employees underworked, overpaid

Government employees underworked, overpaid

December 25, 2009

If you're struggling to make ends meet in this economy, you aren't alone. But government employees aren't with you. The average federal government employee takes home far more in salary and benefits than you do, their pay has risen throughout the recession, and is set to continue to rise.

Public school lunch worse than fast food

Public school lunch worse than fast food

December 15, 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is buying beef and chicken to serve to your children in public school that fast-food chains reject as poor quality or even unsafe.

Poor children more likely to be drugged

Poor children more likely to be drugged

December 14, 2009

Low-income children on Medicaid are given antipsychotic drugs at a rate four times higher than children covered by private insurance, and for less serious conditions, according to new research to be published early next year. Do children on government health care get drugged more often because they need it, or because it's easier for the bureaucrats?

Growth of charities “troubling”

Growth of charities “troubling”

December 7, 2009

As the economy continues to falter, the number of charities formed in the U.S. has risen dramatically, a phenomenon that some in Washington want to stop.

“Offensive” Michelle Obama ape picture one of dozens

“Offensive” Michelle Obama ape picture one of dozens

November 25, 2009

Google posted an apology for image search results in which the top image depicted first lady Michelle Obama as an ape. The image, however, was just one of dozens of images of celebrities and political figures altered to look like apes.

September 11 pager traffic released

November 25, 2009

The document-leaking web site Wikileaks announced Tuesday that it would release 500,000 alphanumeric pager messages sent on September 11, 2001. I'm brewing coffee and preparing to "live" blog the more interesting of these half million intercepts as they are released over the next 24 hours.

De Menezes family settles with London police

November 23, 2009

The Metropolitan Police of London will compensate the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, who police officers shot and killed in 2005 mistakenly believing he was a suicide bomber.

Homeland Security Career Fair Fail

Homeland Security Career Fair Fail

November 23, 2009

If only the terrorists were this easy to find.

Audit the Fed moves forward in House

November 19, 2009

The House Financial Services Committee voted Thursday to add Rep. Ron Paul's broadly supported proposal to audit the Federal Reserve to a larger banking reform package.

Poor canal maintenance led to Katrina flooding

November 19, 2009

The flooding which nearly wiped the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, La., off the map after Hurricane Katrina was caused by the Army Corps of Engineers failing to maintain a navigation channel through the city, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Suicide epidemic hits Chicago bureaucrats

November 17, 2009

Chicago, long one of the most corrupt cities in America, has seen three of its government bureaucrats commit suicide in recent memory, the latest being the president of its school board.

Gay newspaper network shut down

November 17, 2009

On Monday, the Washington Blade and several other gay newspapers were shut down after the Small Business Administration, which had put them in receivership, was unable to sell them.

Do newspapers need government bailouts?

November 12, 2009

New Hampshire's guarantee of a $250,000 line of credit for a local newspaper freshly emerged from bankruptcy is raising fresh questions about whether media outlets which receive government assistance can remain independent, and whether government should offer such assistance at all.

Should parents be licensed to have children?

November 10, 2009

Raising a child is probably the most important thing a person will ever do in life. Yet we constantly hear stories of child abuse and neglect.

Prosecutors: We can frame you with impunity

November 5, 2009

Prosecutors trying to put you in prison for a crime you didn't commit can fabricate evidence, coerce witnesses into lying on the stand, and enjoy absolute immunity. They cannot go to prison. They cannot even be sued. They aren't even likely to get so much as a reprimand from the bar association or from their bosses, even after publicly admitting to framing you.

FBI database error results in firing

October 31, 2009

An error in a national criminal record database cost Eschol Amelia Studnitz her job.

One Nation, Under Surveillance

October 21, 2009

What have you got to hide? The answer may shock you: If you're like most Americans, you have far more than you realize that you need to be hiding, and not doing so may be putting you and your family in grave danger.

Overdraft protection practices draw ire, legislation

September 30, 2009

Your bank balance is running low, but you use your debit card around town to make a few small purchases -- say, a coffee at Starbucks, a couple of movie tickets, and some screws at the hardware store. When you get home you find out you have actually overdrawn your account and your bank has charged you $30 overdraft fees on each of those small purchases. Complaining to the bank gets you nowhere. What do you do?

Ga. pastor shot and killed in botched drug raid

September 4, 2009

Police officers dressed as gangbangers shot and killed a northeast Georgia pastor Tuesday as he was trying to drive away from a convenience store.

Cash for Slackers: Federal government needs 600,000

September 3, 2009

The federal government needs to hire 600,000 people over the next three years, including 273,000 for "mission-critical" positions, according to a survey released Thursday by a statist think tank.

Democrats’ health care pep rallies confuse, mislead

September 2, 2009

Many Americans who still support Democratic health care proposals have no idea what would actually happen to health care should they pass, according to the New York Times, but are turning out in support on an 11-city bus tour anyway.

Energy Department still wasting energy

August 27, 2009

You could power 9,800 homes for a year on the energy that the U.S. Department of Energy is wasting by not using setback thermostats in its facilities, many of which already have them installed.

You’re still alive, no thanks to government

August 26, 2009

A five year old e-mail forward purporting to describe a "Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican" is making the rounds again this week. The e-mail, originally published at Michael Moore's web site, is a fictional account of Joe the Republican, who supposedly derives numerous benefits from "liberals" who have interfered in his life using government in ways he never saw or understood, ostensibly in order to make him safer, healthier and happier.

VA mistakenly tells veterans they have Lou Gehrig’s disease

August 25, 2009

An Iraq war veteran once told me he thought his Veterans Administration doctor was trying to kill him. It seems the latest VA cost-saving trick is to try to frighten veterans to death.

Stefan Molyneux: The “Against Me” Argument

August 23, 2009

Arguments from pragmatism fail to convince because people refuse to believe studies and statistics, and arguments from principle fail because they are too abstract for people to grasp. How, then, does one argue for liberty?

Civil unrest grips U.S.

August 10, 2009

The debate over health care reform has turned violent in the last week as protesters on both sides of the issue clashed in cities across the country, revealing a long-simmering civil unrest.

Bombs smuggled into federal buildings

July 9, 2009

For less than $150 you can buy all the parts necessary to construct an improvised explosive device that can be carried undetected into virtually any federal building in the country, thanks in large part to security weaknesses with the Federal Protective Service, the agency charged with protecting those buildings.

Congress raised your credit card costs

July 6, 2009

If you have a credit card, you've almost certainly just received, or are about to receive, a notice that your rates, fees and minimum payments are going up. For this you can thank Congress.

Independence Day

July 4, 2009

It has become clear to even the least astute observer that the United States is in decline and has been so for some time now. Despite the hollow promises of the government's talking heads, however, worse is yet to come. What is to become of the United States of America? Will the beacon of liberty, already dangerously dim, be finally extinguished?

Report Public Corruption

July 1, 2009

Many of you reading this are government employees yourselves. Are you aware of wrongdoing within your agency or department? Have you tried to report it through established channels such as an inspector general and gotten absolutely nowhere -- or gotten fired, or worse? Now a new option is open to you.

Homeland Security profiles conservatives, libertarians as “right-wing extremists”

April 14, 2009

Did you buy extra ammunition after Barack Obama was elected President, and are you still concerned that he might ban your guns? Are you concerned that the economic crisis could devolve into a depression, or worse? Do you think the federal government has overstepped its authority under the Constitution? If so, the government thinks you're a right-wing extremist and a potential terrorist threat.

TSA compromised covert airport security testing

April 13, 2009

The Transportation Security Administration compromised security testing of airport security screeners at as many as 11 airports by sending out an e-mail about the tests and failing to report the compromise, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.

Dick Heller and Dane von Breichenruchardt: How to Regain a Freedom

April 8, 2009

Dick Heller, who thinks of himself as "just a regular guy," became part of history June 26, 2008, when the Supreme Court ruled in his favor in the landmark Second Amendment case which bears his name. Heller and the lead attorney on his legal team, Dane von Breichenruchardt, tell the story of how they won and what legal challenges they will bring next.

CBP officer sues DHS over immigration raid

April 8, 2009

Last July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a raid of a home allegedly looking for a fugitive alien. Instead, they found a Customs and Border Protection officer.

What do you need from Homeland Stupidity?

April 6, 2009

Those of us who criticize the government have no end of material to work with. There's far more stupidity in government than I'll ever have time to publish, let alone write about myself. Yet I believe that we who criticize should also offer solutions to the problems we point out, and moreover, that when those solutions improve the state of things, that we should act to implement them. As part of this, I want to hear from you about what you want to see Homeland Stupidity do.

Angela Keaton: Libertarian Single Issue Organizing and Coalition Building

April 6, 2009

"When my goal is to get something on the table, to have my issue actually be resolved," says Angela Keaton, "all they really need to know is: war bad, peace good."

Great Depression II

April 3, 2009

To those of you who are facing layoffs, foreclosure, or worse, help can't come fast enough. But so far all you've been offered is a measly $400 tax rebate and vague promises about how the bailouts and the stimulus package will create more jobs and get the economy moving again. And of course, you're doubtful. You're right to be.

Dick Heller: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Supreme Court

April 2, 2009

For Dick Heller, the battle to reclaim Second Amendment rights from the District of Columbia was over 30 years in the making, and it isn't over yet.

John Taylor Gatto: Walkabout London: An Unscientific Look at Open-Source Education

April 1, 2009

So many of the world's billionaires and other great achievers, past and present, never graduated from high school, or never even went to school at all, that one begins to wonder if there's a pattern here. Could removing your children from public school entirely be a key to their future success?

Lisa Snell: Competition is Revolutionizing Public Schools

March 31, 2009

When I think of public schools, the first thing that comes to mind now is the high school principal who was removed from his position and escorted from the building by police because he wanted his teachers to use lesson plans. Everyone knows public schools are broken. Can they be fixed?

Boston T. Party: The Future of the Second Amendment Post-Heller

March 29, 2009

The June 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller Supreme Court decision was hailed as a victory by advocates of gun rights. It was also hailed as a victory by advocates of gun control. Who is right to claim victory? And what legal challenges do gun owners face in the future?

Marc Stevens: Delusions

March 26, 2009

If you consider yourself a citizen of the United States of America, or of any other country, you should not watch this video until you have mentally prepared yourself to have everything you believe in challenged. You have been warned.

Mary Ruwart: Deadly Secrets Behind Soaring Pharmaceutical Prices

March 25, 2009

Dr. Mary Ruwart is a quiet heroine of the liberty movement. In addition to being author of one of the most widely cited books on liberty, she is also a pharmaceutical industry insider, and at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, she told exactly why prescription drugs (and health care generally) are expensive and difficult to access, and how many people have died because of it.

Glen Jacobs: Why Liberty is Inevitable

March 25, 2009

If you've ever seen professional wrestler Glen Jacobs at his day job, you may be quite surprised to hear him speak when he's not at work.

Ethan Nadelmann: Ending Drug Prohibition

March 19, 2009

When alcohol was prohibited in the United States, it didn't take long for people to recognize it as a universally bad idea. Yet the same is true of the prohibition of other drugs, and for the same reasons. A popular slogan at the time was, "Save Our Children: Stamp Out Prohibition." Perhaps we should bring it back, because the war on drugs certainly is endangering our children.

Gary Franchi: Activism, Networking and Media in the Digital Age

March 18, 2009

As virtually everyone is aware, the Internet has changed the way people do business and how they live their lives. It has also changed the way people do activism.

David Nolan: Libertarian Strategy and Tactics in the Age of Obama

March 17, 2009

"Most people do not value liberty," says Libertarian Party founder David Nolan, "at least not as much as we do." What does this mean for those who wish to spread the message of freedom?

Alan Schaeffer: Alliance for the Separation of School and State

March 14, 2009

Separate school and state? But how will children get an education unless the government gives it to them?

New Hampshire Liberty Forum 2009

March 12, 2009

What happens when 500 activists for freedom converge on the same hotel in one of the freest places left in this country?

Surveillance Self-Defense

March 8, 2009

You haven't done anything wrong, so why should you worry about surveillance? It was Cardinal Richelieu who said, "If you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang him." The United States doesn't hang innocent people any more, but it certainly does imprison them by the millions, and occasionally does kill them.

The Million Dollar Washers

February 27, 2009

The U.S. military paid just under $1 million for two 19 cent flat washers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Government employees who despise you

January 5, 2009

A fundamental change occurs in the psyche of most people who work for the government. They begin to develop a superiority complex. After a while, they begin to believe they can do whatever they want to anyone who isn't part of their exclusive club. And to an extent, they're right: they have all the guns, after all. Here are a few examples of government employees showing their disdain for the ordinary people whose money they live on.

Securing the homeland, one liberty at a time

December 18, 2008

It's that time again, time for outgoing government bureaucrats to make room for fresh new faces and to say goodbye. Today, outgoing Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff said goodbye to the country in a video. Of course, the government can't seem to do anything right, and now we can add making simple videos to that list.

Illinois governor arrested for corruption

December 12, 2008

Illinois governor Milorad "Rod" Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested Tuesday on federal corruption charges, for allegedly attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, and trying to have Chicago Tribune editorial board members fired.

Radio host jailed over couch

November 14, 2008

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Ian Freeman will spend 100 days in jail because he questioned the legitimacy of a system which would penalize him for having a couch in his yard and conduct his trial in secret.

Homeland Stupidity Voters’ Guide

November 3, 2008

With there being less than a hair's difference between presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain, many Americans are going to wake up today still undecided on which to vote for, the giant douche or the turd sandwich. Today I want to share with you how I think you should approach the polls on this Election Day, 2008.

I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt.

September 29, 2008

We've all heard the real economic news by now, or worse, experienced it. You've gone to the bank to find it closed, or you've gotten laid off, or you're just feeling the pinch in your wallet as money grows ever tighter. You need to understand how and why it happened if you're going to get yourself out of this economic mess, because surely you've figured out by now that your so-called leaders in Washington aren't going to do it; they seem hell-bent on making things even worse for you.

Secret bailouts coming?

September 26, 2008

It's bad enough that the federal government wants to spend trillions of dollars of your children's money to bail out financial institutions that should be allowed to collapse for the good of the economy. But under the terms of the proposed bailout plan, the government will be able to rescue bad banks in secret.

Spammer in the federal government?

September 23, 2008

I get more spam than most, and I just hit the Junk button for most of it. But when spam comes in with my real name attached, then I give the spammer a few minutes of extra attention. Usually this results in their web hosting and advertising accounts being canceled.

Toward a Department of Bailouts

September 22, 2008

Last week the world of finance was rocked hard as the policies of the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government finally came home to roost, with one major investment bank going under and many more in dire straits and being bought up at fire-sale prices.

The blogger’s energy tax

August 31, 2008

There's just too much information on the Internet these days, and it's killing the poor old newspaper. That's why we need a tax on information technology to reduce the flow of information, according to one proposal.

Why do you need an ID?

August 26, 2008

Would anyone fly again if they knew the government's security procedures weren't intended to make people safe, but only to make them feel safe?Would you?

“Scheduled Departure” crashes, burns

August 25, 2008

A three-week trial program where illegal immigrants could voluntarily leave the country without being arrested has ended with only eight people signing up.

I.O.U.S.A.

August 22, 2008

Americans should be marching on D.C. by the millions with pitchforks in hand in protest of what the government has done to the economy and the nothing it plans to do about it. Yet they aren't, primarily because they don't understand the problem.

Spy shoes: RFID to be embedded directly into clothing

August 14, 2008

Protesters gathered Wednesday afternoon at the opening of the RFID in Fashion conference in New York City to urge clothing manufacturers and retailers not to embed tracking chips into articles of clothing.

DHS official gets death threats over shock bracelet letter

August 8, 2008

Perhaps the webmaster at Lamperd Less Lethal needs an electric shock.

Illegal immigrants, please go away

August 4, 2008

The federal government has tried almost everything in its various bids to get undocumented immigrants out of the country. Now it's trying something simple and unusual: just asking them to please leave.

The TSA Follies

August 2, 2008

"Your safety is our priority," the Transportation Security Administration web site tells us. So how does the TSA explain these four ways it's keeping air travelers unsafe?

“Our national security system is broken”

August 1, 2008

A congressionally mandated study released Wednesday found that the U.S. national security system is outdated and needs major restructuring.

New Orleans to kick people out of travel trailers

July 19, 2008

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin announced that the city would begin citing residents who did not vacate the FEMA trailers in which they have been living.

Why the global financial system is about to collapse

July 8, 2008

The global financial system is about to collapse because the U.S. dollar is about to collapse. The U.S. dollar is about to collapse because of a simple economic fact that no one has the power to change or conceal.

Independence Day

July 6, 2008

On July 4 I woke up in Pennsylvania, in a mansion which had served as a station on the Underground Railroad, that network of people and places which helped slaves escape their bondage before and during the Civil War. And I thought that, with the replacement of yesterday's chattel slavery with today's universal bondage, it may be time for a new Underground Railroad.

Electric shock for air passengers?

July 4, 2008

You check in at the airline ticket counter. But instead of a boarding pass, you get shackled with an electronic bracelet which tracks your every move, contains all your personal information, and can shock you senseless. This vision of the future of air security is being floated around the Department of Homeland Security's research and development office.

Low morale at TSA leads to distraction, attrition

July 1, 2008

Transportation Security Administration employees have a hard time getting their workplace concerns addressed, despite several agency initiatives, contributing to low morale and one in six screeners quitting their jobs each year, and potentially threatening airline security.

Government: the man-made disaster

June 30, 2008

We finally know why the federal government prevented Wal-Mart from delivering water to Hurricane Katrina victims: it was free.

Second Amendment right partially upheld

June 26, 2008

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday that the individual right to keep and bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment was nevertheless open to regulation, restriction, licensing and registration, just like the First Amendment.

Obama: Bad for the environment and your wallet

June 23, 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama not only wants to raise the price of your gas, he wants to raise the price of your food. Not to mention tax you to death for the privilege.

AAMVA to build REAL ID verification hub

June 22, 2008

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators received a no-bid contract worth millions of dollars to implement a "verification hub" connecting state and federal databases under the REAL ID program.

“Strike teams” invade Iowa flood victims’ homes

June 18, 2008

So far the federal government has done little to respond to the historic floods in eastern Iowa which are among the worst in recorded history. In order to maintain tyranny in the flooded areas, local governments have had to step up to meet the challenge.

PorcFest 2008 wrap-up

June 16, 2008

If you missed the fifth annual Porcupine Freedom Festival in Gilford, N.H., last week, make plans now to attend the next one.

Porcupine Freedom Festival

June 12, 2008

The only place on the planet can you find hundreds of liberty loving activists who are actually doing something to advance the cause of freedom is right here in Gilford, N.H., at the fifth annual Porcupine Freedom Festival.

FEMA: Don’t rely on us after flood

June 11, 2008

Indiana residents affected by Saturday's flooding shouldn't expect assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency any time soon, and perhaps not at all.

Bush: Federal contractors’ employees need permission to work

June 10, 2008

President George W. Bush on Friday signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to verify the employment eligibility status of federal contractors and subcontractors.

Protected infrastructure: Ramblin Express casino shuttle

May 31, 2008

It's May again, that time of year when the Department of Homeland Security hands out millions of dollars of your hard-earned money to whoever it wants for the strangest of reasons, or none at all, in the name of "infrastructure protection." Today's stupid spending: $184,415 for a casino shuttle.

A Global Struggle for Security and Progress

May 28, 2008

The war on terror could be recast as "A Global Struggle for Security and Progress," according to an internal Department of Homeland Security memo.

The Revolution: A Manifesto

May 26, 2008

If "Truth is treason in the empire of lies," as Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) writes in his new book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, then Paul has certainly committed treason by laying out the truth of the precarious state of the United States in 2008.

Does FEMA need more power?

May 18, 2008

When the next hurricane threatens to strike, how will you get the news? For that matter, will you survive? Some want to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency even more authority over disaster response than it already has, even while it struggles to modernize the country's emergency alert system.

Copyright © 2010 Homeland Stupidity.