Free Republic

Dr. Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institue and Doug Casey of Casey Research joined me today for a lively discussion about the need for government and why it always turns out wrong. Amazingly, these two prominent advocates of personal freedom have never met before. They vehemently disagreed on the possibiliteis of an anarchical society; Doug believes it's the only sensible way for people to co-exist, and Yaron believes it's a sure pathway to tyranny. The discussion then turned to the state's monopoly on force, where Doug's belief is this inevitably leads to grave injustice, and Yaron insists force be...

Gary Gibson of www.WhiskeyandGunPowder.com and Jeff Berwick of www.DollarVigilante.com join your humble host for a no holds barred discussion of why they believe that anarchy is the best course for humanity. While one can question the practicality of a world without government, Gary and Jeff have really thought things through and believe that we are all grown-up enough to live without the guiding hand of all knowing government. And while that may or may not be the case, governments today are teetering on the edge and we may have no choice but to prepare for life without them. Certainly government...

"This bankrupt belief has taken complete control of our government, educational system, medical industry, and our corporations. And unless we demand better from each other and our political leaders, our society is doomed to collapse under the crushing weight of the Corruption of America. It's time we got back to our traditions as Americans and started doing more to take care of our families, communities, and ourselves." This is a small outtake of a very long article. If you have 15 minutes go and read this as the author raises some very good points about things that are leading to...

Occupy protesters try to disrupt ports; police make arrestsBy Mike Pearson, CNN updated 5:27 AM EST, Tue December 13, 2011 (CNN) -- Occupy protesters succeeded in shutting down overnight operations at California's port of Oakland on Monday night after a day of similar protests in several other U.S. cities. The protests in Oakland have "disrupted workers trying to get to work and impaired the port's ability to operate," port spokesman Issac Kos-Read told CNN. Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said the port has told its members not to report for work for the overnight...

ROME — The director of a Rome office of Italy’s tax collection agency was wounded in the hands and eyes on Friday after opening a letter bomb, Italian police said. The man was hospitalized but the extent of his injuries were not immediately known. The police were investigating what they said was a stapled package mailed through the Italian postal system. Prosecutors in Rome have opened an investigation into whether the letter bomb’s senders had terrorist aims, the ANSA news agency reported. The explosion in Italy comes a day after German authorities intercepted and defused a package bomb mailed to...

In more than two dozens cities across the nation Tuesday, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement took on the housing crisis by re-occupying foreclosed homes, disrupting bank auctions and blocking evictions. Occupy Our Homes said it's embarking on a "national day of action" to protest the mistreatment of homeowners by big banks, who they say made billions of dollars off of the housing bubble by offering predatory loans and indulging in practices that took advantage of consumers. In Atlanta, Occupy Our Homes activists went to the courthouses in three of the area's largest counties, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Fulton,...

There are many reasons to think Ron Paul is a bottom feeder. He refuses to support a Constitutional amendment to protect normal, heterosexual marriage. He voted to turn the United States military into a San Francisco bath house by repealing DADT. He wants to see drugs and prostitution legalized. He thinks Islamo-Nazi Iran should have a nuclear weapon. He surrounds himself with lunatics like Cindy Sheehan's love slave, Screwy Lewy Rockwell. In general, there isn't a sewer RuPaul (H/T: Mark Levin) isn't too proud to hunt for food in. Then, there's this. From CBS News: *********************************** "Libertarian Congressman Ron Paul...

The “Occupy London” movement stormed the offices of a mining company called Xstrata today, as reported by The Australian, which found the story of great interest to its readers because Xstrata has extensive operations in Australia: About 60 protesters got inside Panton House, Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) said, where the diversified Anglo-Swiss firm has its British office. Another 200 were held outside within a police cordon, in the heart of central London's West End entertainment district. Some covered their faces with masks as they swept through the building. The protesters reached the roof and unveiled a banner reading "All...

"I think the problem is that the poor children, keep in mind it's 42% of poor children who live at or near poverty, it's 25% in poverty. Our audience needs to keep that in mind." Cornel West said on MSNBC this afternoon. "Poor children need more than just a $1,000 for their family, they need a war against poverty to make it a major priority in the way which we have a priority for Afghanistan, and a priority to bail out banks, and a priority to defend corporate interests when it comes to environmental issues," West said about more and...

Hundreds of students and faculty members temporarily shut down a University of California Board of Regents meeting being held simultaneously today at campuses in San Francisco, Davis, Merced and Los Angeles by standing in the conference rooms and chanting slogans so loudly the regents could no longer conduct business. The meeting was going smoothly until the public comment portion ended at 9:30 a.m. and several demonstrators began yelling the Occupy movement's familiar "mic check!" call, signalling the desire to have a protest meeting. There were about 50 students at each campus' regents meeting, which was being conducted by speakerphone. "We're...

Vandalism, violence, burning and shutting down the nation’s fifth busiest port weren’t enough for Occupy Oakland. On Friday, the General Assembly for the group voted unanimously for “a coordinated shutdown of ports on the entire West Coast on December 12." According to a statement from Occupy Oakland, this move is in “response to coordinated attacks on the occupations and attacks on workers across the nation.” “We call on each West Coast occupation to organize a mass mobilization to shut down its local port.” Occupy Los Angeles had already called for action against one shipper at that port, stating, “occupation will...

The Occupy movement is stepping up its confrontational tactics, plotting “alternative forms of protest,” including flash mobs that can be deployed nationwide. Citing the success of last week’s so-called Day of Action protests, Take to the Square, one of Occupy’s main online planning forums, has devised an “Alternative Day of Action” to coincide with international Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. “Our freedom and dignity are under attack as a result of market dynamics and corrupt government institutions that are turning our local and global societies into increasingly unjust places,” the site complains. The Occupy forum calls for “alternative forms...

The various "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations around the country declared Thursday to be a "day of action" in the ongoing protest of big banks and Wall Street policies that they blame for a sagging economy. While thousands protested in Manhattan, Los Angeles and other cities, several hundred people took to the streets of downtown Amherst. According to video supplied to The Republican by Julie Varney of Amherstwire.com, demonstrators assembled in front of Bank of New England branch at South Pleasant and Amity Streets. At one point, the footage shows demonstrators storming into the bank lobby to disrupt business. After several...

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — They were caught in the middle of madness. Some grade school students were forced to walk a gauntlet of screaming “Occupy Wall Street” protesters just to get to school on Thursday. It was a wild day in lower Manhattan for most everyone involved, including elementary school children who had to brave the mayhem just to get to class on the other side of Wall Street. GALLERY: Occupy Wall Street “Day Of Action” In the middle of thousands of protestors yelling and chanting — some kicking and screaming – CBS 2’s Emily Smith found little school kids...

"...In New Hampshire on Thursday, [Herman] Cain accused the [OWS] protesters of "trying to destroy the greatest nation in the world" with plans to stop traffic and subway commuters. He accused them of trying "to infringe upon people's right and liberty to go to work."

UPDATE 11.25am: OCCUPY Melbourne protesters have supplied drugs to homeless children and wards of the state as young as 12, a charity group says. The Salvation Army's Major Brendan Nottle said two 16-year-old girls were also invited to the home of activists in their late 20s and early 30s, while another 16-year-old was given marijuana to smoke. "We've had young people actually coming to our workers, as young as 12 and 13, and saying that they’ve been down at Occupy Melbourne," said on 3AW this morning. "They’ve been making statements to our workers around them being allowed to sniff glue...

Here is the link to the just-issued-warning to Japanese residents and visitors in New York City by their Consulate to stay away from those "Occupy" people. LINK

Communist/Anarchist OWS Demonstrators have been taunting the local police for HOURS on end to provoke them into a fight, and now the police in Oakland, with support by many other local agencies, appear to have had just about enough and appear ready to restore order to the streets of the city.Live Leftist Link Here6:00 a.m. Pacific/9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Everybody’s been too damn polite about this nonsense: The “Occupy” movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. “Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America. “Occupy” is nothing short of a clumsy, poorly-expressed attempt at anarchy, to the extent that the “movement” – HAH! Some “movement”, except if the word “bowel” is attached - is...

<p>These videos are for entertainment but illustrate what the occupy movement and black bloc anarchists are about. Anarchy and a meltdown of our system.</p>

The low-life anarchist morons are now threatening to disrupt the 2012 Republican Iowa Caucuses for President in January. Links provided below. Tell me this is not starting to spin out of control? They would be pretty foolish to actually do such a thing in Middle America.

The morning after Occupy Oakland's midweek violent protests, the take in the Bay Area was that it was a dirty, rotten shame that a few bad-egg anarchists hijacked a mostly peaceful protest and made an otherwise good cause look bad. That is so delusional. From the start, troublemakers have advocated violent protest during the group's general assemblies. Guys with masks and ill intent threw rocks and bottles at police before officers used tear gas -- and Iraq vet Scott Olsen, 24, sadly was injured -- to clear Frank Ogawa Plaza on Oct. 25. They were armed with incendiary devices when...

Occupy Wall Street protesters declared victory after thousands of demonstrators shut down one of the nation's busiest shipping ports late Wednesday, escalating a movement whose tactics had largely been limited to marches, rallies and tent encampments since it began in September. As a voice over a bullhorn said "The night is not over, yet," protest organizers told demonstrators to head back to the downtown plaza where the Oakland movement has been based for more than a month. The Occupy encampment across the street from City Hall also was the scene of intense clashes with authorities last week. The nearly 5-hour...

<p>OAKLAND -- Protesters have effectively shut down maritime operations at the Port, Director Omar Benjamin said at a media briefing Tuesday, as more than 4,000 people are at the gates.</p> <p>The crowd stretched several blocks down Middle Harbor Road leading into the port as they begin their attempt to shut down the port for start of the 7 p.m. night shift.</p>

The only thing the “Occupy Wall Street” gang has done in the past month is occupy space and news headlines. Whatever we’re being told about these “occupiers” by their sympathizers, when they get an opportunity to speak for themselves, it’s clear that their “minds” are fully occupied with stealing from the rich to give to themselves — and they want the government to do it for them. But….this Anti-Occupation Gang has inspired me to create a number of graphics in response to their antics.7. From “FREEDOM!� to…Next: An appropriate graphic given the lack of port-o-potties at OWS…6. Taking a Dump...

As the national media continues to promote the idea that these absurd "Occupy" protests demonstrate some groundswell of popular opinion, reports continue to emerge from localized media showing how ugly these encampments are becoming. A report out of Cleveland that  police are investigating a rape claim made by a 19-year-old woman last weekend has received little attention. Do you suppose if a rape claim was made against a tea partier that it would receive more attention?It's gotten so bad in Baltimore that organizers are discouraging alleged victims from going to the police (maybe they should go to Sheriff Biden).Meanwhile,...

I AM NOT MOVING - Short Film - Occupy Wall Street This video is meant to be a warning to our leaders.

What I saw at the copycat Wall Street “occupation” in downtown Atlanta.It’s the beginning of week two of the copycat Wall Street “occupation” in downtown Atlanta, specifically in Woodruff Park, which the protestors have rechristened Troy Davis Park, after the recently executed cop-killer. I’ve covered some Tea Party events, the point of comparison by some commentators. Not only did I see for myself that the comparison was illegitimate, but I saw something disturbing that has been missed in the coverage. The situation could end with occupiers concluding their protest playtime by sputtering about “corporate greed” as their parents drive them...

Italian police fired tear gas and water cannons Saturday in Rome as violent protesters turned a demonstration against corporate greed into a riot, smashing shop and bank windows, torching cars and hurling bottles. The protest in the Italian capital, which left dozens injured, was part of the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations against capitalism and austerity measures that went global Saturday. Tens of thousands nicknamed "the indignant" marched in major cities across Europe, as protests that began in New York linked up with long-running demonstrations against government cost-cutting and failed financial policies in Europe....

When I grew up in the South during the era of segregation, my family had little money. But my father Luther and mother Lenora were rich in ideas, faith and love. They were hard workers and family oriented, and instilled those same values in their children. My father worked three jobs to fulfill his dreams -- a house for our family and a Cadillac. My mother was a maid. They both believed in the American dream, and made their dreams come true. Though their circumstances were tough, they never played the victim card. They never made excuses. From what I’ve...

Herman Cain has been caught lying in last night's GOP debate. Cain, who was the former deputy chairman and then chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve throughout the 1990's, had been opposed to an audit of the Fed. He had also said that Ron Paul supporters frequently ask him "annoying questions" about a Fed audit, even accusing the Paul campaign of sending agents to harass him at every event he attends. According to the Daily Caller: The Daily Caller obtained an advance copy of Cain’s book, “This is Herman Cain,” which goes on sale Oct. 4. In the manuscript,...

A Very Organized Anarchy at Occupy Wall StreetPublished: Monday, 10 Oct 2011 | 10:23 AM ET By: John Carney Senior Editor, CNBC.com The anarchy of occupy Wall Street is as literal as it is organized. Taken literally, anarchy means that there is no government. No one in charge. Down here at Zuccotti Square, where the Occupy Wall Street protesters have been encamped for nearly four weeks, there is no one in charge. But there is a lot of organization. The protesters have organized themselves into a dozen or so "working groups" that deal with various issues. There's a security working...

The aftermath of the September 16, 1920 Wall Street bombing. Photo: Library of Congress, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper PhotographDescriptions of the event on Wall Street might seem eerily familiar. “It was a crush out of a blue sky—an unexpected, death-dealing bolt,” one witness observed, “which in a twinkling turned into a shambles the busiest corner of America’s financial center and sent scurrying to places of shelter hundreds of wounded, dumb-stricken, white-faced men and women—fleeing from an unknown danger.… Looking down Wall Street later I could see arising from the vicinity of the subtreasury building and the J.P....

The anti-instruction manual — because there are no rules for bad behavior! Children are natural masters of anarchy, but are too often unaware of the power they wield in their cute little hands, and too seldom encouraged by grown-ups to figure that out. In "A Rule Is To Break: A Child's Guide To Anarchy" that determined little devil girl Wild Child wages her own one-girl rebellion against the stifling world of adults who just want her to behave! And she brings her friends along! Prepare for the upcoming Toddler Rebellion with Wild Child as your guide!

Zvi Mazel, who served as Israel's ambassador to Cairo between 1996 and 2001, expressed his concerns on Sunday over the events that took place in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Friday night. An angry Egyptian mob tore down the security wall that had been built around the embassy, and then proceeded to enter the embassy, where they nearly broke into a room where six Israeli security men were holed up. Egyptian commandos eventually rescued the guards who disguised themselves in keffiyas, Arab head gear, and in Muslim clothes. The guards, along with the Israeli Ambassador to Egypt and other...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Vandals damaged vending machines at BART's Glen Park Station in San Francisco on Thursday night, hours after at least two dozen people were arrested during a protest at the Powell Street Station. About eight to 12 men dressed in black hoodies came into the Glen Park Station and used hammers to smash fare gates, eight Clipper Card readers and ticket vending machines at about 10 p.m.,

A "flash point" in law-enforcement terms is "a point at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being." One such point sits just ahead on the horizon in America, with various leftists and anarchists preparing to mobilize all their reserves for a burst into action beginning on and around Sept. 17. The goal appears to be to bring the Arab Spring and European-style mob action stateside. While various websites related to the events call for "peaceful" protests against government and business, the website names contain words such as "rage" and "revolution." What is their purpose? Frankly, it doesn't...

BART officials are again warning commuters that they may close stations in downtown San Francisco or alter service in response to a demonstration planned for 5 p.m. tonight at Civic Center Station. This is the third consecutive Monday that activists plan to rally against BART . . .

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A back-to-school campaign is drawing criticism for encouraging graffiti among school-aged children. The campaign, dubbed by the art-retailer Aaron Brothers as "Artrageous," is hosting free events and giving out free "graffiti starter kits" to participants. But city council members are calling the move outrageous by promoting an act of vandalism as art. Councilman Dennis Zine introduced a resolution this week trying to stop the company from hosting the event, claiming kids may be tempted use the tools for illegal reasons. Zine is seeking a seek and desist order to legally prevent the store from holding the...

In an increasingly urbanized world, earthquakes threaten unprepared cities with mass destruction.Seismic risk mitigation is the greatest urban policy challenge that the world confronts today. If you consider that too strong a claim, try to imagine another way in which bad urban policy could kill a million people in 30 seconds. Yet the politics of earthquakes are rarely discussed, and when discussed, widely misunderstood. Take the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, which released 600 million times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. The ensuing partial meltdown of the Fukushima reactor prompted international hysteria about nuclear power, but few...

Many commentators are on a mission to contextualise the riots that have swept parts of urban London and other British cities. ‘It’s very naive to look at these riots without the context’, says one journalist, who says the reason the violence kicked off in the London suburb of Tottenham is because ‘that area is getting 75% cuts [in public services]’. Others have said that the political context for the rioting is youth unemployment or working-class anger at David Cameron’s cuts agenda. ‘There is a context to London’s riots that can’t be ignored’, said a writer for the Guardian, and it...

The Great Recession gave birth to a lost generation across the world, where youth unemployment rates stretch into the 20s, 30s and even 40s. Those millions have responded with violence. The riots and fires consuming London are a story about senseless violence and crime. They are also a story about urban politics, race relations, education inequality, and British culture and society. But underneath all of that, they are part of an economic story that is universal. For the last year, Great Britain has embraced austerity to a degree that would make some American conservatives blush. The purpose of shrinking government...

I just noticed on Twitter and Facebook that the Left is calling for a US Day of Rage on September 17th. The Twitter #s are: #USDOR, #occupywallstreet, #revolution Facebook: Occupy Wall St. or US Day of Rage They invite people to occupy Wall Street and DC and State Capitals. Publius is Very Unhappy! Bring your tents! Wall Street belongs to us! Demand the the top 2% pay their fair share! Lots of tweets but the Facebook pages are low volume. In addition, there is a group of Muslim activists that are pushing this and in England for the rioters to...

<p>"This is the uprising of the working class. We're redistributing the wealth," said Bryn Phillips, a 28-year-old self-described anarchist, as young people emerged from the store with chocolate bars and ice cream cones.</p> <p>Phillips claimed rioters were motivated by distrust of the police, and drew a link between the rage on London's street and insurgent right-wing politics in the United States. "In America you have the tea party, in England you've got this," he said.</p>

The flash mobs in America or the Blackberry mobs in London have one thing in common. It isn't race, though they tend to predominantly be minorities. It's identity. The counterculture has not changed dramatically since the 70's, but it has tossed aside any appearance of idealism. The new counterculture draws in two groups, disaffected upper middle class white youth and lower class black youth. Their goals are purely materialistic, looted iPods and government subsidies for housing, education and anything else they can think of. These are the children of the welfare state with little in common except a rejection of...

Rolling coverage of the third night of violent disturbances in London, with arson and looting reported at several locations across the capital.

Can you smell it? There is blood in the water. Global financial markets are in turmoil. Banking stocks are getting slaughtered right now. European bond yields are absolutely soaring. Major corporations are announcing huge layoffs. The entire global financial system appears to be racing toward another major crisis. So could we potentially see a repeat of 2008? Sadly, when the next big financial crisis happens it might be worse than 2008. Back in the middle of 2008, the U.S. national debt was less than 10 trillion dollars. Today it is over 14 trillion dollars. Back in 2008, none of the...

Giddy with its success in fending off Congressional interference with its Libyan intervention, the Obama Administration is said to be assessing whether to take similar steps toward Belgium. “For more than a year now Belgium has had no government,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton observed. “There hasn’t been any panic yet, but how long can we rely upon the traditional lethargy of the Belgians to keep things from getting out of hand?” It’s not as if everything has come to a halt in Belgium. Shops are open. Factories continue to manufacture goods. Even government offices and officers are still on...

At least two people were stabbed and hospitalized, and three others injured after a massive brawl involving dozens of people broke out in the parking lot of a McDonald’s near San Jose State University.

With the fizzling of the DREAM Act last year and the belief that President Obama is doing little to help their plight, activist groups took matters into their own hands this week, boldly publishing a guide for youth on how not to get deported. Compiled by the Asian Law Caucus, Educators for Fair Consideration, DreamActivist.org and New Immigrant Youth Alliance, the 63-page page manual titled Education Not Deportation: A Guide for Undocumented Youth in Removal Proceedings is intended to help those who've exhausted all other options.