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.
Politics
Audit the Fed moves forward in House
Posted: November 19, 2009 10:55 pm
Updated: November 19, 2009 11:14 pm
Suicide epidemic hits Chicago bureaucrats
Posted: November 17, 2009 2:48 pm
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
Posted: November 17, 2009 1:29 am
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?
Posted: November 12, 2009 4:43 pm
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?
Posted: November 10, 2009 7:01 pm
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.
Atlantic Yards, Shadow Government, and Albany Frozen in Amber
Posted: October 29, 2009 1:01 am
October 14th. The big chill was early, even for Albany. A press conference was being held in the park across from the New York Court of Appeals. The highest court in the state was set to hear Goldstein et al v. New York State Urban Development Corporation. The press conference speakers and their supporters were primarily Brooklynites up from The City. Veterans of the Atlantic Yards wars. Folks who’ve attended numerous court proceedings, marched in myriad demonstrations, and organized countless fund-raisers in a six year effort to keep their homes, businesses, and neighborhoods from being crushed by Atlantic Yards, the dream baby of mega developer Forest City Ratner. Eminent domain abuse is the heart of the matter.
Abbie Hoffman’s Contrarian Shoes
Posted: September 23, 2009 9:20 pm
Festival planning sessions “led” by Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and other luminaries at the Yippie House were chaotic and open to the dozens of crashers drifting in and out. Nothing like the war room strategy sessions imagined by fantasists on the right. Weird to see, four decades later, fantasists on the left spinning similar conspiracy theories about the masses of Tea Party protesters. Many of whom carry flags sporting rattlesnakes and the slogan “Don’t Tread On Me.”
Cash for Slackers: Federal government needs 600,000
Posted: September 3, 2009 1:20 pm
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.
Life, Inc: Tripping the Corporatism Fantastic with Douglas Rushkoff
Posted: September 1, 2009 11:30 am
Updated: September 2, 2009 5:38 pm
When reading the account of the Expo I had to put Life, Inc. down and check the cover. Had Random House sent me an advance copy of the wrong book? Was this Bonfire of the Vanities Redux? Or had Mark Twain or Jim Thompson risen from the dead to re-skewer American grift? Nope. There was the short sweet title Life, Inc. Followed by . . .
Energy Department still wasting energy
Posted: August 27, 2009 10:52 pm
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.
Stefan Molyneux: The “Against Me” Argument
Posted: August 23, 2009 10:48 pm
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.
Posted: August 10, 2009 10:09 am
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.
Congress raised your credit card costs
Posted: July 6, 2009 10:34 pm
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
Posted: July 4, 2009 11:59 pm
Updated: July 5, 2009 12:26 am
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
Posted: July 1, 2009 12:01 am
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”
Posted: April 14, 2009 7:20 pm
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.
Dick Heller and Dane von Breichenruchardt: How to Regain a Freedom
Posted: April 8, 2009 8:13 pm
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.
What do you need from Homeland Stupidity?
Posted: April 6, 2009 3:48 pm
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
Posted: April 6, 2009 12:42 pm
Updated: April 6, 2009 2:08 pm
“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
Posted: April 3, 2009 9:46 pm
Updated: April 3, 2009 11:02 pm
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
Posted: April 2, 2009 3:27 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:38 pm
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
Posted: April 1, 2009 1:50 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:37 pm
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
Posted: March 31, 2009 11:51 am
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:36 pm
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
Posted: March 29, 2009 3:16 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:35 pm
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
Posted: March 26, 2009 3:30 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:32 pm
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
Posted: March 25, 2009 2:42 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:29 pm
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
Posted: March 25, 2009 2:42 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:28 pm
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
Posted: March 19, 2009 10:59 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:27 pm
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
Posted: March 18, 2009 1:23 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:26 pm
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
Posted: March 17, 2009 12:10 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:18 pm
“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
Posted: March 14, 2009 1:11 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:24 pm
Separate school and state? But how will children get an education unless the government gives it to them?
New Hampshire Liberty Forum 2009
Posted: March 12, 2009 4:42 pm
Updated: April 5, 2009 2:22 pm
What happens when 500 activists for freedom converge on the same hotel in one of the freest places left in this country?
Government employees who despise you
Posted: January 5, 2009 1:43 am
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.
Illinois governor arrested for corruption
Posted: December 12, 2008 12:51 pm
Updated: December 12, 2008 2:06 pm
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
Posted: November 14, 2008 6:39 pm
Updated: November 14, 2008 11:51 pm
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
Posted: November 3, 2008 11:01 pm
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.
Nightmare on Election Street
Posted: October 31, 2008 1:21 pm
Updated: October 31, 2008 4:43 pm
Hit the road Halloween. For those who loathe politicians (count me in) there’s no more horrific time than the final days of a presidential race. Our flesh creeps as the last candidates standing (sort of) do the Transylvania Twist faster and faster, spinning their true (sort of) beliefs on a dime and contorting themselves into whatever position seems ripe for the moment.
Obama McCain: A Man For This Season
Posted: October 17, 2008 4:28 pm
Evil omens re the economy hath melded Obama and McCain into one man, living in the cramped quarters of one craven political soul. Something/someone has to give. President-wannabe Obama McCain steps forth to issue a decree. Let the bailouts begin! Up the oligarchy! State capitalism we are here!
I.O.U.S.A.: One Nation. Under Stress. In Debt.
Posted: September 29, 2008 12:01 am
Updated: September 29, 2008 12:20 am
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.
The Big Bailout Circus
Posted: September 28, 2008 8:22 pm
The Big Bailout Circus has the nation in stitches. Taxpayers are being sewn into a skin-tight forever suit by an amazingly bipartisan group of government clowns. But despite the agreement about the need for a slap dash redo of the U.S. financial system — and by extension our political system — the designing bozos disagree about details. And none can resist an occasional hit of the rubber chicken . . .
Secret bailouts coming?
Posted: September 26, 2008 2:58 pm
Updated: September 26, 2008 7:37 pm
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.
Toward a Department of Bailouts
Posted: September 22, 2008 11:45 am
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.
I.O.U.S.A.
Posted: August 22, 2008 3:31 am
Updated: August 22, 2008 4:12 am
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.
Obama Parts the Sea, Cuomo Heeds the Community, Cynics March on DC
Posted: August 12, 2008 1:23 pm
Cynicism is a sin in the Age Of Hope. But cynics won’t go gently into the goody good night. . . .
“Our national security system is broken”
Posted: August 1, 2008 6:01 pm
A congressionally mandated study released Wednesday found that the U.S. national security system is outdated and needs major restructuring.
Bloody Toto Guilty of Mortgage Fraud
Posted: July 27, 2008 3:24 pm
A Brooklyn jury has found Emmanuel “Toto” Constant guilty of mortgage fraud and grand larceny. Constant is the former founder and leader of FRAPH, the Haitian paramilitary group that in the early 90’s systematically tortured and murdered thousands of supporters of deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Independence Day
Posted: July 6, 2008 8:57 pm
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.
Second Amendment right partially upheld
Posted: June 26, 2008 3:29 pm
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
Posted: June 23, 2008 8:33 pm
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.
“Strike teams” invade Iowa flood victims’ homes
Posted: June 18, 2008 6:55 pm
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
Posted: June 16, 2008 3:11 pm
Updated: June 16, 2008 4:15 pm
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
Posted: June 12, 2008 5:10 pm
Updated: June 12, 2008 5:33 pm
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.
Hillary’s White Wedding/Mortgage Fraud Rescue Wrap/Why Are We in Iraq
Posted: June 8, 2008 11:02 am
Back in April (it seems like an eon of Clinton ago!) FBI Director Robert Mueller gave a speech to the American Bar Association titled “Corporate Fraud and Public Corruption: Are We Becoming More Crooked?” The question was left open. Mueller wrapped up with a Teddy Roosevelt quote: “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual, and of nations alike.”
Protected infrastructure: Ramblin Express casino shuttle
Posted: May 31, 2008 11:51 am
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
Posted: May 28, 2008 8:15 am
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
Posted: May 26, 2008 5:05 pm
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?
Posted: May 18, 2008 12:07 pm
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.
The TSA Follies
Posted: May 15, 2008 8:59 pm
Ostensibly the Transportation Security Administration exists to keep Americans safe when they fly. In reality it’s a bureaucratic nightmare which never should have been created in the first place. Consider what the TSA has done to pilots and air marshals to put you at risk.
Fort Trumbull Circa 2008: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Posted: May 7, 2008 12:42 am
Updated: May 14, 2008 5:27 pm
After the last few resistors departed in 2006, Corcoran Jennison, the preferred developer for the Fort Trumbull project, got cracking on a tony utopia. A thousand condos bloomed. Crowds of affluent young professionals now sip lattes and tap laptops in cafes overlooking the Long Island Sound. Revenues are rolling in. Property taxes have been slashed and children are learning to read and write as well as kids did a half century ago.
The real squeal:
Hillary’s Housing Fix in a New York Nutshell
Posted: March 30, 2008 11:57 am
“What are you working on today, Madam President?” asked Doctor Murchison.
“My plan to fix the housing crisis,” said Hillary, without looking up.
New Hampshire gets REAL ID extension
Posted: March 29, 2008 8:01 pm
The Department of Homeland Security has granted an extension to New Hampshire for compliance with the provisions of the federal REAL ID program.
State rep just says no to common sense
Posted: February 15, 2008 1:28 pm
The New Hampshire state representative who made headlines last year when he e-mailed a constituent suggesting that he snitch out his marijuana-smoking friends is at it again.
Obama and Ron Paul Take New York State, Tastee-Freeze Opens in Hell!
Posted: February 10, 2008 7:39 pm
Albany. The capital of New York. The heart of state government. Can’t you feel the rhythm of the beat? Lub dub lub dub. Pols who make it there, don’t need to go anywhere — they can stay in Albany forever and ever and ever. The governor’s mansion is akin to the hotel in “The Shining.” After taking over, the new guy always goes barmy. He doesn’t even have to live in it. Just throw an occasional reception.
Stimulus Package Store, GSE Jumbo Out Back
Posted: January 30, 2008 12:59 am
Hot damn. The government is going to stimulate the economy. Not with a lap dance or lubricated love glove, but with taxpayer dollars. Come summer, Mister and Miz America will get a rebate from Uncle Sam. What a man! Some people will get more than a thou of their own money back. Consumers will rush out and pump the economy. Wal-Mart here we come. Simultaneously, just like in romance novels.
Live free or don’t
Posted: January 9, 2008 6:15 am
I’m suffering from mixed feelings about the New Hampshire primary results. There was only one candidate truly worth voting for on Tuesday, who truly exemplifies the Live Free or Die spirit. Then again, the Old Man of the Mountain is gone, and perhaps that Live Free or Die spirit fell with him.
New Hampshire Liberty Forum wrap-up
Posted: January 8, 2008 6:58 pm
The 2008 New Hampshire Liberty Forum, for me, was three action-packed, fun-filled days of meeting great people, hearing some of the best speakers anywhere, and partying hard late into the nights.
Barry Cooper: Sue the police
Posted: January 8, 2008 8:46 am
Barry Cooper is one of the most controversial people in the anti-prohibition movement. The release of his 2006 DVD, Never Get Busted Again, got him kicked out of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and led many to call him a sellout, or worse.
Death to fiat money
Posted: January 6, 2008 10:14 am
Updated: January 6, 2008 11:24 am
Bernard von NotHaus remains undaunted after a federal raid on his Liberty Dollar business in which his means of production and inventory were seized along with tons of precious metal owned by thousands of individual Americans.
Sticking it to the statists
Posted: January 5, 2008 3:57 pm
The opening ceremony of the 2008 New Hampshire Liberty Forum was likely the most important presentation of the entire conference, and yet less than half the attendees were present. That it was held at 9:30 am might have something to do with that.
New Hampshire Liberty Forum, Thursday
Posted: January 5, 2008 11:44 am
Updated: January 5, 2008 7:37 pm
Thursday afternoon I arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here in Nashua, N.H., to attend this year’s New Hampshire Liberty Forum. And I would have posted this yesterday morning, if it weren’t for Comcast.
John McCain at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum?
Posted: January 4, 2008 6:08 pm
So far at this year’s New Hampshire Liberty Forum I’ve learned that perhaps John McCain isn’t such a strong supporter of the Second Amendment after all.
Welcome USA TODAY readers
Posted: January 3, 2008 3:18 am
Why did I say that Ron Paul’s foreign policy is the only way to end terrorism?
The Market for Liberty
Posted: December 31, 2007 5:30 am
Economics isn’t merely a dry, boring study of money. It is, boiled down to its essence, a study of human nature: how people interact and trade with each other. Since this obviously involves money, there is no shortage of people who want some of that money for themselves, when they haven’t earned it. And the chief ways in which they take that money are to confuse people and to establish governments.
Ron Paul’s $6.3 million tea party
Posted: December 17, 2007 4:50 am
A blizzard which dropped eight inches of snow on Boston Sunday didn’t stop over 700 people from packing into Faneuil Hall to hear speeches about Dr. Ron Paul. And nothing could stop 61,000 supporters of Paul’s presidential campaign from dropping a record-breaking $6.3 million into his campaign coffers.
Double or Nothing: Money Bomb November 26 and December 3
Posted: November 20, 2007 3:00 pm
For the last two weeks I’ve been telling everyone that Ron Paul needs money sooner, rather than later, since the campaign has to pay for advertising in advance and it takes several weeks from the time the money is spent to get ads on the air.
Today the campaign sent out an email confirming and reiterating this point. This is it, in full:
Mukasey’s Homeland Security Court
Posted: November 8, 2007 12:06 am
One of the requirements for a totalitarian police state is a system of kangaroo courts, star chambers which operate in secret and in parallel to the existing judicial system to convict political prisoners of pretended crimes against the state, which could never survive in the regular courts. And former judge Michael Mukasey, nominee for U.S. Attorney General to replace Alberto Gonzales, has proposed that the United States adopt such a system of courts.
Ron Paul Christmas
Posted: November 6, 2007 2:30 am
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) raised over $4 million in a single day of fundraising coordinated entirely by grassroots supporters on the Internet, and a new grassroots campaign aims to more than double that amount.
Hillary Clinton, The Shadow Party and Me
Posted: October 31, 2007 7:03 pm
Halloween 2009. A big night at Castle Clinton. Aka the White House. Even though Bill Clinton is the first black ex-president, his face glows phosphorescent. Bill is thrilled. President Hillary has raised him from the international dead zone to serve as co-host of her first Halloween bash. “The Shadow Party” has Washington abuzz. Anybody who is anybody is coming to the costume ball.
Crunch time for Ron Paul
Posted: October 15, 2007 8:39 pm
Updated: October 15, 2007 9:25 pm
Though the national convention where the candidates for President will officially be chosen is almost a year away, what Ron Paul supporters do in the next three months will be critical to determining how far he goes in the race. As many supporters are new to politics, this is a crash course on what you can do to ensure that the Republican national convention chooses Ron Paul next September.
We do battle with words, not guns
Posted: October 10, 2007 5:53 am
Here at Homeland Stupidity, no government cow is sacred. Waste, fraud, abuse, plain incompetence, and bad policy are all fair game. As a result, government officials in the higher pay grades tend to be displeased with what they read here. As a general rule, the higher the pay grade, the more displeased.
Therefore, I was not at all surprised to hear that high-ranking officials in the U.S. Marshals Service were upset with Sunday’s published story regarding their Office of Protective Intelligence. I was, however, surprised to spot two surveillance teams while going about my business Tuesday night.
Marshals investigate potential threats to the nation
Posted: October 7, 2007 3:50 am
Updated: October 7, 2007 6:45 pm
Satire became reality Friday afternoon when half a dozen armed federal agents wearing body armor showed up at this author’s home and detained everyone in the house for nearly 90 minutes to determine who might pose a threat to the government.
GAO: Not much progress at Homeland Security
Posted: September 12, 2007 4:11 am
In the four years since its creation, the Department of Homeland Security has fallen far short of expectations, according to an extensive Congressional audit released last week.
REAL ID: Arizona plans secure driver licenses
Posted: September 9, 2007 2:33 am
The state of Arizona will join Vermont and Washington state in creating a secure state identification document which can be used for travel within Canada and Mexico and will also likely meet the requirements of the REAL ID Act.
CIA pre-9/11 counterterrorism: “Lions led by asses”
Posted: August 26, 2007 1:29 am
In December of 1998, then-Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet wrote in an internal Central Intelligence Agency memorandum that “We are at war” with Osama bin Laden and that he wanted “no resources or people spared in this effort, either inside CIA or the [Intelligence] Community.”
But a 2005 report from John L. Helgerson, the CIA’s inspector general, parts of which were declassified this week, found that Tenet failed to follow through and create a plan for countering the terrorist threat posed by bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
Aaron Russo, 1943-2007
Posted: August 25, 2007 2:29 am
Updated: August 25, 2007 2:48 am
Award-winning filmmaker and libertarian political activist Aaron Russo succumbed to cancer Friday at age 64.
The Appalachian Summer of Eliot Spitzer
Posted: August 23, 2007 3:42 pm
You won’t believe how much fun the New York State political scene has been this Summer! Like Uncle Ira says, ain’t nothing more persistent than chicken thieves who’ve gotten used to easy pickins.
Vermont accepts the other REAL ID
Posted: August 22, 2007 7:28 pm
The state of Vermont has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to develop a new driver license document which will be accepted in lieu of a passport for border crossings, the department announced Tuesday.
San Francisco continues gun owner persecution
Posted: August 16, 2007 2:17 am
After a humiliating defeat for an attempt to completely ban honest people from owning firearms, San Francisco, Calif., mayor Gavin Newsom two weeks ago signed local legislation requiring gun owners in the city to keep their firearms locked up in boxes or with trigger locks.
Bush gets surveillance “blank check”
Posted: August 11, 2007 12:17 am
Last weekend the Bush administration pushed through Congress a law to bolster the government’s ability to intercept the electronic communications of foreigners and other “persons reasonably believed to be outside the U.S.” without a court order.
NSA spying program tip of iceberg
Posted: August 2, 2007 12:35 am
In late 2001, President Bush signed an executive order authorizing a controversial National Security Agency program, and on Tuesday, director of national intelligence Mike McConnell revealed that the executive order authorized not only the “terrorist surveillance program” whose existence was revealed in 2005, but a series of other programs as well.
Jersey Ham ala Sharpe James, Redevelopment Scams on the Side
Posted: July 30, 2007 2:05 am
Listen up kiddies, summer doesn’t mean down time when it comes to corruption in Jersey.
What has government done to you?
Posted: July 23, 2007 5:07 pm
How has government violated your rights to life, liberty and property? Tell us your story.
Completely Incompetent Agents
Posted: July 21, 2007 2:45 am
The legacy of the Central Intelligence Agency is one not simply of an omnipotent spy agency which can learn anything from anyone and pull off covert operations with ease. The true legacy of the CIA, according to a new book, is its sheer incompetence.
TSA seizes water, lets bombs through
Posted: July 19, 2007 12:38 pm
Updated: July 19, 2007 1:11 pm
Several people walked into Albany International Airport in Colonie, N.Y., in late June, carry-on bags stuffed full of bomb parts, and strolled to the security checkpoint.
Transportation Security Administration screeners seized every bottle of water from all of them.
To harass and annoy
Posted: July 19, 2007 4:27 am
Updated: July 19, 2007 4:55 am
On June 18, I visited the Plainfield, N.H., home of Ed and Elaine Brown, to attend a press conference. Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice has decided they should keep an eye on me.
But one or two people have decided that they should harass and annoy me as well.
The news just keeps breaking
Posted: July 18, 2007 3:22 am
Updates to stories previously covered at Homeland Stupidity.
Attrition plagues DHS senior management
Posted: July 17, 2007 2:26 am
Before you decide that, what with all those senior management positions open, a move into the Department of Homeland Security is good for your career, you should know that many people don’t last long there.
Four potential risks to intelligence fusion centers
Posted: July 16, 2007 11:08 pm
Updated: July 17, 2007 2:44 am
The more than 40 local and regional intelligence fusion centers created after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to improve information sharing between the federal government and state, local and tribal law enforcement, are failing to accomplish their mission of protecting the homeland.
Homeland Security management positions vacant
Posted: July 14, 2007 1:06 pm
One-fourth of top management positions at the Department of Homeland Security remain vacant as of May 1, according to a congressional report released this week.
Independence Day
Posted: July 4, 2007 11:59 pm
Updated: July 5, 2007 1:39 pm
This day the rain moved in early in the afternoon, and continued well into the night, and yet people still set off their fireworks here in a city where it’s, as far as I know, perfectly legal to do so. But while the star-spangled banner yet waves, the freedom it represents is a distant memory.
