Author: Campaign For Liberty Blog

By Anthony Gregory

Muslim leaders have declared it a violation of Islam to go through TSA full body scanners. Some will be up in arms about this, but I think they make a valid point. But here’s a pickle for the establishment: If they force Muslims to go through the scanners, they would be violating Muslims’ freedom of religion. But if they exempt Muslims from the scanners, they would be giving preferential treatment, also in violation of the First Amendment. The solution? As with everything else the government does that violates peaceful religious doctrines, there is only one way to reconcile the intrusive federal program with the religious freedom of all Americans — abolish the program entirely. If airport security were handled by the market, as it should be, the potential constitutional issue would disappear.

By Anthony Gregory

I say to the Republicans, let them. If Obama wants to own the situation there, he will also be to blame if the situation once again deteriorates, which is a distinct possibility.

But notice the more important issue here: The man who ran against the Republicans largely on the issue of Iraq is now claiming it’s a great success. Nothing makes one party’s blunder a bipartisan success as much as a simple change in leadership. All it takes is the passing of time, and both parties come to accept the core features of tyranny—presidential wars, the welfare state, corporatist bailouts and all the rest.

By dljholt

Dear Friends of Liberty,

Del. Bob Marshall’s HB10, the Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act, passed on the House floor yesterday with a bi-partisan vote of 72 – 26 and will now move to the Senate. The vote went like this:

YEAS–Abbitt, Albo, Anderson, Armstrong, Athey, Barlow, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Byron, Carrico, Cleaveland, Cline, Cole, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox, J.A., Cox, M.K., Crockett-Stark, Dance, Edmunds, Garrett, Gear, Gilbert, Greason, Griffith, Howell, A.T., Hugo, Iaquinto, Ingram, Janis, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, Kilgore, Knight, Landes, LeMunyon, Lewis, Lingamfelter, Lohr, Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., Massie, May, Merricks, Miller, J.H., Miller, P.J., Morefield, Morgan, Nixon, Nutter, O’Bannon, Oder, Orrock, Peace, Phillips, Pogge, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Rust, Scott, E.T., Sherwood, Shuler, Stolle, Tata, Villanueva, Ward, Ware, R.L., Wright, Mr. Speaker–72.

NAYS–Abbott, Alexander, BaCote, Brink, Bulova, Carr, Ebbin, Englin, Herring, Hope, James, Keam, Kory, McClellan, McQuinn, Plum, Pollard, Scott, J.M., Sickles, Spruill, Surovell, Torian, Toscano, Tyler, Ware, O., Watts–26.

ABSTENTIONS–0.

NOT VOTING–Morrissey–1.

The Senate version of the healthcare bill had it’s second reading on the House floor with debate yesterday with the third and final reading and vote today. You can watch streaming video of the vote today at noon here.

The Virginia Firearms Freedom Act passed victoriously out of the Militia, Police & Public Safety Committee this morning with a bi-partisan vote of 19 – 2.  HB69 will now move to the House floor for a vote next week. Here is how the vote went:

YEAS–Sherwood, Griffith, Wright, Carrico, Lingamfelter, Nutter, Athey, Cline, Gilbert, Merricks, Morefield, Edmunds, Cox, J.A., Barlow, Shuler, Lewis, Miller, P.J., Tyler, James–19.

NAYS–Scott, J.M., Keam–2.

ABSTENTIONS–0.

NOT VOTING–Cleaveland–1.

It goes to show that, unlike the Washington Empire, lawmakers in Virginia understand that it is their constituents who harness the power to elect them to office and know they must listen.

Congratulations, Patriots, for a job well done!

Yours in liberty,

Donna Holt

By Daniel McCarthy

Last week Matt Hawes called attention to Tim Carney’s important new book Obamanomics. A friend of mine points out that Carney’s book could be called Bushonomics, too — one of its strengths is that it documents the continuity between the big-government Republican president and his Democratic successor. Both of them have have ripped-off taxpaers on an unimaginable scale and have reaped rewards from big-business lobbyists for doing so.

Carney gets into the bipartisan nature of the corporate state a little bit in his three-part interview for Young Americans for Liberty, part one of which is below.

You can read more about Obamanomics here. And if you’re coming to CPAC, you can attend a Carney book signing hosted by Campaign for Liberty.

By Matt Hawes

Pass this CNET story along to any family or friends who still believe Obama represents “change.”

In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in their–or at least their cell phones’–whereabouts….

Read the rest.

By Doug Bandow

Afghanistan is supposed to be a NATO war.  But most of America’s European allies do little, at least little of value to combat the Taliban.  For instance, Germany insists on putting its troops as far away from conflict as possible in the north.  But even that isn’t enough.  Now the Germans are asking for U.S. military support.

Reports Agence France Presse:

US commanders are weighing plans to send more American troops to northern Afghanistan, a region under the command of German forces, a US official said on Tuesday.

The likely deployment follows a rise in violent attacks by insurgents around Kunduz and elsewhere in regional command north, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

German media have reported about 2,500 US troops would head north, including about 1,000 focused on training Afghan security forces.

But US and NATO commanders have yet to announce how many troops might be assigned to the north, which has been relatively calm compared to the country’s east and south.

“They (the Germans) asked for additional support,” said the official.

   

Washington spends far too much on the military and American forces are stretched thin.  One remedy would be to pull U.S. troops out of Europe, where they aren’t needed.  Let the Europeans, who have more than ten times the GDP of Russia, defend themselves.

Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance

By Matt Holdridge

This via CNN:

Washington (CNN) — Their message is loud and clear: Big government is out of control; states need to take back their constitutional rights.

A movement has been growing over the past two years of urging states to exert their rights under the 10th Amendment. The Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

A number of states have passed resolutions that assert their rights. While the resolutions have no legal teeth, they’re intended to carry a message: States’ rights are being trampled on.

The anger behind the so-called ‘Tenther’ movement comes from what advocates see as the federal government’s forcing policies on the states — most notably on health care reform, economic recovery measures and social issues.

But critics of the movement say the resolutions go too far by nullifying or ignoring federal laws.

Read more here.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, Tom Woods has been outspoken regarding the concept of nullification. In fact, Tom will be giving a lecture for C4L next week in DC regarding this topic at CPAC 2010.

As Tom has pointed out, C4L’s Pocket Constitution is the only one to our knowledge that contains the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798. Click here to watch Tom Woods explain the history of the resolutions and the implications of nullification in modern times. 

I personally believe this is a worthy cause. However, I do see the irony that in one breath the states say they’ve had enough federal involvement in their affairs but in the other they plead for more federal aid. It’s like a critically ill drug user admitting they have a problem while at the same time continuing to pump increasing amounts of narcotics into their veins. 

Do you think these 10th Amendment resolutions will amount to something substantial in the end?  Or will the states back down when threatened with losing their federal funds?

By Anthony Gregory

See Jane Hamsher on the tension between libertarian, non-interventionist and traditional America First small-government conservatives that make up much of the grassroots Tea Party movement, and the socially conservative pro-war, pro-corporatism neocon wing of the movement, typified by the GOP establishment.

By Matt Hawes

Via CNNMoney.com:

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke unveiled a blueprint Wednesday for pulling back — when the economy is strong enough –the trillions of dollars the central bank provided to prop up the nation’s banks and the U.S. economy.

“These programs, which imposed no cost on the taxpayer, were a critical part of the government’s efforts to stabilize the financial system and restart the flow of credit,” Bernanke said in prepared testimony for a House Financial Services Committee hearing that was postponed due to snow. “As financial conditions have improved, the Federal Reserve has substantially phased out these lending programs.”…

Read the rest.

No cost to the taxpayer?  Ah, of course, putting us on the hook for trillions of dollars (and who knows what else to foreign central banks) has no cost.  If these programs are so great, by the way, then why not reveal who got the money?

On second thought, why ask questions?  After all, we should just sit back and trust the one who never saw the crisis coming (and helped to cause it) to guide us back to prosperity.

Or… we can do something else.

By Matt Hawes

This latest Center for Freedom and Prosperity video takes a look at the need for competition in education.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIGmU2wJm-A

By minnesotachris

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=05D4054B4DFF11D2 (4 part playlist)

Note: Be sure to check out Dr. Mercola’s article on Dr. Paul.

By Matt Hawes

Via Fox News:

President Obama said Tuesday that he’s “bent over backwards” to engage Iran in “constructive” dialogue and the U.S. will push in the United Nations to sanction the country, which has begun enriching uranium to levels capable of making an atomic bomb….

Read the rest.

The more things “change,” the more they stay the same – which reminds me of the story circulating today about this billboard in Minnesota:

With stories like the above item on sanctions in the news, this billboard almost begs the response, “Why?  You never left.”

By minnesotachris

Dr. Paul discusses the Tea Party movement, which as we know began during his presidential campaign:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je5u37NgiUY

By Matt Hawes

From The Hill:

A similar 74 percent of insiders believe Congress will not pass legislation requiring an audit of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed has come under heavy criticism this year for its role in propping up the economy and carrying out bailouts of major financial institutions. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke received the fewest votes in favor of his confirmation of any Fed chairman….

The FD survey included 300 insiders working in lobbying, government, media, nonprofits and think tanks, among other associations. The poll was conducted between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 with an error margin of 5.7 percent….

Read the rest

I can almost guarantee that a similar poll before the Audit the Fed effort ever started would have found that Washington “insiders” believed it would never get over 50 cosponsors in the House, never get any support in the Senate, and would stall out in committee.

We’ve proven all the insiders wrong so far (and taken the fight right to the top of the Fed during Bernanke’s confirmation hearings).  Keep contacting Congress.  Let’s prove the insiders wrong yet again.

By Anthony Gregory

Republicans once championed liberty against overbearing federal interference in the realm of dietary supplements, but the man who helped bring us McCain-Feingold is now pushing a bill that would assault this precious freedom. But many Americans have begun to stand against it.

By Matt Hawes

Reason TV takes a look at how prices have come down over time and quality has improved in the Lasik eye surgery market due to less government interference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E29LD98ruo

It’s time to try true reforms, as called for in our Operation Health Freedom plan, to put consumers back in control of their health care decisions.

By Matt Hawes

According to the U.K.’s Guardian:

Barack Obama will make a fresh push this month to get his troubled health reform package through Congress by holding a meeting with both Democrats and Republicans aimed at finding common ground.

The half-day of discussion, to be held at Blair House opposite the White House, is to be carried live on television to counter public criticism that too many deals in Washington are made behind closed doors….

Read the rest.

The discussion should be interesting to watch, if nothing else but for the ways both Obama and congressional leaders try to get around saying what they actually think while on camera.

By John Tate

Last year, Campaign for Liberty made a big impact at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). This year, we’re looking to show the political establishment that the freedom movement is stronger than ever!

Taking place February 18-20 in Washington, D.C., CPAC’s three day series of events will bring together thousands of conservative and libertarian activists.

In addition to the C4L volunteers who are coming in from all across the country to help us spread our message, we’ve assembled a top-notch roster of speakers who will be participating in a wide variety of activities, including panel discussions, speeches, book signings, and private briefings.

Activities include:

– A book signing with Congressman Ron Paul after his speech to the main CPAC audience

– “Lincoln on Liberty: Friend or Foe?” with Thomas DiLorenzo

– “When All Else Fails: Nullification and State Resistance to Federal Tyranny” with Tom Woods

– A book signing and speech by reporter and Obamanomics author Tim Carney

– A Friday night private briefing and speech by former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson

– A Thursday night event with Dr. Paul, Judge Napolitano, and Tom Woods, including a question and answer time

These are only some of the events we have scheduled.

Time is running out, however, on our discounted tickets and lodging. The deadline to purchase our discounted tickets and lodging packages is this Monday, February 8, at 5 pm eastern.

Click here for more information on our events and how to buy tickets.

With so many excellent speakers, C4L volunteers from across the country, and a packed agenda of activities, C4L at CPAC 2010 is guaranteed to be a refreshing time of education, interaction, and fun.

I look forward to seeing you there!

By Doug.Bach

This is promising news from the Illinois Review:

Rasmussen Reports that few Americans agree that increasing national debt is the way to make the nation’s economy stronger:

While influential 20th Century economist John Maynard Keynes would say it’s best to increase deficit spending in tough economic times, only 11% of American adults agree and think the nation needs to increase its deficit spending at this time. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 70% disagree and say it would be better to cut the deficit.

In fact, 59% think Keynes had it backwards and that increasing the deficit at this time would hurt the economy rather than help.

To help the economy, most Americans (56%) believe that cutting the deficit is the way to go.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Americans, in fact, say the size of the federal budget deficit is due more to the unwillingness of politicians to cut government spending than to the reluctance of taxpayers to pay more in taxes.

Maybe Republicans should begin referring to Democrats as “Keynesian liberals”?

By minnesotachris

Presented by Congressman Ron Paul at “The Failure of the Keynesian State,” the Mises Circle in Houston, sponsored by Jeremy S. Davis. Recorded Saturday, 23 January 2010. Includes introductory remarks by Mises Institute president Douglas E. French, and by Institute founder and chairman Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W6KJRIums4