**************************************************
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
*
* Volume IV, Issue #1,041
* Thursday, December 7th, 2006
* Email Circulation 2,061
*
* Published every non-holiday weekday
* by the staff of Rational Review
*
* On the Web: http://www.rationalreview.com/news
* In cooperation with ISIL: htp://www.isil.org
**************************************************

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In The News:

1) Iraq: Ten US troops killed as ISG report released
2) Gates confirmed as Secretary of Defense
3) UNSC approves regional force for Somalia
4) France: Iran facing UN sanctions
5) Life on Mars? New findings say "maybe"
6) House to vote on "fetal pain" bill
7) Investigators: Katrina aid still being abused
8) White House withdraws airline proposal
9) UN OKs weapons trade treaty resolution
10) 12 million suburbanites live in poverty
11) Panel: Bush's Iraq policies have failed
12) Vanderbilt team's discovery could replace the light bulb
13) Somalia: Muslims pray or lose their heads
14) AK: Anticorruption whistle-blower takes top job
15) CA: Two top execs leave Yahoo in reorg
16) Harvard narrows hunt for a leader
17) New spam sneaking past filters
18) UK: Asbos failing to rein in persistent offenders
19) UK: Calls to pardon "UK's last witch"
20) UK: You just couldn't rake it up
21) Australia: Navy can fire on fishing boats
22) PA: Philly victim disarmers will ask to search
23) NJ: Judge -- man isn't violating gun laws
24) TX: Store clerk shoots robbery suspect
25) A newspaper chain sees its future

Everybody Has An Opinion:

26) The peasant who stood up to Hitler
27) In defense of desk rage
28) Phillies 2008: Repeal the Military Commissions Act
29) America: A police state
30) Sovereign immunity needs to go
31) Our genocidal narcissism
32) Passing of a giant
33) Goldilocks 2.0
34) Those big bad corporations
35) We've been here before
36) Divided we reform
37) And they're not off
38) Botched raids not rare
39) Missing the obvious
40) The message
41) Venezuela's Stockholm Syndrome
42) Retirement trendsetter
43) Conservatism from A to Z
44) US out (sort of) by 2008!
45) The barbarians have taken The Hill
46) The AMT reckoning
47) Imperialism and the logic of war making
48) Benefit consumers: End cable monopolies
49) An influx of immigrants 2: America
50) The economics of spam
51) Let the airline mergers begin
52) Voting for peace in 2008
53) In power, powerless
54) What's next after Castro?
55) Romney, the consumer
56) Outing is in again
57) E-pay not so free-pay anymore
58) Roman Empire is falling -- so it turns to Iran and Syria
59) Support the GI movement
60) Becoming what we despise
61) The surreal politics of premeditated war
62) Post Rapture Post
63) Blind obedience or clear conscience
64) Surrendering to Big Brother is now cool
65) Strategic estimate: First step on the path to freedom

See No Evil, Hear No Evil:

66) Freedom Rings, 12/11/06
67) FMNN eRadio: Fed quotes
68) The Iraq Study Group's recommendations
69) Free Talk Live, 12/06/06
70) Freedomain Radio #545

Weekly Symposium:

71) Private parts

What's Up In The Freedom Movement:

72) Today's events
73) Support GI Resistance

WaYbAcK:

74) Remember the Arizona

***************
* In The News
***************

1) Iraq: Ten US troops killed as ISG report released
Hampton Roads Daily Press

"Ten U.S. troops were killed in Iraq on Wednesday, a major blow on the
same day a high-level panel in Washington recommended gradually
shifting U.S. forces from a combat to a training role. The bipartisan
Iraq Study Group released recommendations for changing course in the
country, saying President Bush's policy in Iraq 'is not working.' The
Iraqi government said the U.S. report did 'not come as a surprise,'
and it agreed that Iraq must take the lead in its own security."
(12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y9rotu

-----

2) Gates confirmed as Secretary of Defense
LA Daily News

"The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as
defense secretary, with Democrats and Republicans portraying him as
the man who will help overhaul President Bush's Iraq policies. The
95-2 vote was a victory of sorts for Bush, who named Gates to replace
Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon on Nov. 8, a day after voters gave
Democrats control of Congress for next year." (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yjxurb

-----

3) UNSC approves regional force for Somalia
MSNBC

"The U.N. Security Council authorized an African force to protect
Somalia's weak government against an increasingly powerful Islamic
militia, hoping to restore peace and avert a broader conflict in the
region. The U.S. resolution, co-sponsored by the council's African
members, partially lifts an arms embargo on Somalia so the regional
force can be supplied with weapons and military equipment and train
the government's security forces." [editor's note: Talk about
Orwellianism! If Somalia has a "government," the "Islamic militia" is
it. The UN-recognized "government" was created out of whole cloth by
US and UN busybodies next door in Djibouti and has barely even existed
in, let alone "governed," Somalia - TLK] (12/06/06)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16081544/

-----

4) France: Iran facing UN sanctions
CNN

"Iran will face U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to halt
its nuclear program, France's foreign minister said Wednesday, but
major powers are still divided on exactly how far punishment should
go. 'The question is about the scope of sanctions but there will be
sanctions,' Philippe Douste-Blazy said on RTL radio. The measures
would fall under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter,
Douste-Blazy added." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yj6sdl

-----

5) Life on Mars? New findings say "maybe"
Houston Chronicle

"Photographs from an unmanned NASA craft suggest that underground
water occasionally rises and flows across Mars' frigid terrain,
further raising the prospect that the Red Planet hosts conditions
suitable for life, scientists announced Wednesday. Bright streaks,
appearing within the past seven years in two gullylike areas in the
southern hemisphere of the planet, triggered the scientific
excitement. Previous photos suggested water flow that had taken place
hundreds of millions of years ago rather than anything that scientists
could conceive of happening during their lives." (12/07/06)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4384842.html

-----

6) House to vote on "fetal pain" bill
USA Today

"The last days of Republican congressional rule are shaping up to be
symbolic and brief, with GOP leaders hawking an abortion restriction
with no chance of becoming law, loading up tax breaks with unrelated
matters and dumping an unfinished budget on Democrats. 'It's
appropriate that the do-nothing Congress is ending by doing nothing,'
said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the next House majority leader. That's
not exactly true." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yhtz4j

-----

7) Investigators: Katrina aid still being abused
USA Today

"The government continues to waste tens of millions of dollars in its
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, including giving rent checks to
evacuees already living in free housing and student aid to ineligible
foreigners, U.S. investigators said Wednesday. The Government
Accountability Office also found that the Federal Emergency Management
Agency has been able to recoup only $7 million of the more than $1
billion in improper payments identified by investigators months ago."
(12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ydrguy

-----

8) White House withdraws airline proposal
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

"Already rebuffed by a Republican-controlled Congress, the Bush
administration withdrew its plan to give foreign investors more
management control of U.S. airlines. The decision was announced
Tuesday by Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters after the
department reviewed public comments about the proposal, including
votes by the Senate and House this year to prevent the plan from going
forward." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y5jq32

-----

9) UN OKs weapons trade treaty resolution
Waco Tribune-Herald

"Over U.S. objections, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution
Wednesday that could lead to the first international treaty on
controlling the trade in assault rifles, machine guns and other small
arms. The nonbinding resolution asks the secretary-general to seek the
views of the 192-member General Assembly on the feasibility of a
comprehensive treaty 'establishing common international standards for
the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.'" (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y4evbr

-----

10) 12 million suburbanites live in poverty
Marion Star

"As Americans flee the cities for the suburbs, many are failing to
leave poverty behind. The suburban poor outnumbered their inner-city
counterparts for the first time last year, with more than 12 million
suburban residents living in poverty, according to a study of the
nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas released Thursday." (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y9qrqv

-----

11) Panel: Bush's Iraq policies have failed
Allentown Morning Call

"President Bush's war policies have failed in almost every regard, the
bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded Wednesday, and it warned of
dwindling chances to change course before crisis turns to chaos.
Nearly four years, $400 billion and more than 2,900 U.S. deaths into a
deeply unpopular war, violence is bad and getting worse, there is no
guarantee of success and the consequences of failure are great, the
panel of five Republicans and five Democrats said in a bleak
accounting of U.S. and Iraqi shortcomings. The implications, they
warned, are dire for terrorism, war in the Middle East and higher oil
prices around the world." (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/tfebj

-----

12) Vanderbilt team's discovery could replace the light bulb
Tennessean

"Their 'Holy cow!' moment came and went quickly. Almost at the speed
of light, you might say. Michael Bowers chooses to refer to those few
seconds of unexpected scientific discovery in a Vanderbilt University
chemistry lab as the 'James, get the camera!' episode. Either way,
it's been more than a year since a team led by Vanderbilt associate
professor Sandra Rosenthal discovered a new way to make solid-state
lights that produce white light. Put simply: The finding could someday
replace the common light bulb and, the researchers say, cut the
world's electricity consumption in half. For this, Rosenthal, Bowers
and research associate James McBride continue to haul in accolades and
awards. The latest comes in the form of a 2006 'Breakthrough Award for
Innovation' from Popular Mechanics magazine." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ybfbku

-----

13) Somalia: Muslims pray or lose their heads
Fox News

"Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day
will be beheaded, an official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be
implemented in three days. Shops, tea houses and other public places
in Bulo Burto, about 124 miles northeast of the capital, Mogadishu,
should be closed during prayer time and no one should be on the
streets, said Sheik Hussein Barre Rage, the chairman of the town's
Islamic court. His court is part of a network backed by armed
militiamen that has taken control of much of southern Somalia in
recent months, bringing a strict interpretation of Islam that is alien
to many Somalis. Those who do not follow the prayer edict after three
days have elapsed, 'will definitely be beheaded according to Islamic
law,' Rage told The Associated Press by phone. 'As Muslims we should
practice Islam fully, not in part, and that is what our religion
enjoins us to do.' He said the edict, which covered only Bulo Burto,
was being announced over loudspeakers throughout the town." (12/06/06)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234817,00.html

-----

14) AK: Anticorruption whistle-blower takes top job
Christian Science Monitor

"Sarah Palin has toppled two giants. The former mayor of Wasilla, a
rapidly growing bedroom burg north of Anchorage, crushed Gov. Frank
Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Then in the general
election she defeated former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles, a political
veteran who was seeking a return to the office he held for two terms.
Monday at her swearing-in in Fairbanks, she simultaneously became
Alaska's first female governor, Alaska's youngest governor, and the
state's only beauty-queen-turned-chief-executive. Not bad for a
suburban mother of four with a relatively thin resume that critics
claimed marked her as a lightweight. Not only that, she won during an
election in which Republicans in general lost big, including at
governors' mansions. The party dropped six states, leaving Republicans
in control of just 22 governor's seats. Governor Palin is one of three
female Republicans to be running a state." (12/06/06)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1206/p02s01-uspo.html

-----

15) CA: Two top execs leave Yahoo in reorg
San Francisco Chronicle

"Hoping to regain momentum lost to rivals big and small, Web portal
Yahoo Inc. disclosed plans Tuesday for a reorganization that includes
the resignation of its chief operating officer and the head of its
media operations in Santa Monica. Dan Rosensweig, the Sunnyvale
company's chief operating officer, plans to leave in March. Lloyd
Braun, the former ABC studio chief who led Yahoo's video, news and
music businesses, has already left. 'The Internet is continuing to
grow and evolve at a rapid pace, and we're reshaping Yahoo to be a
leader in this transformation,' Terry Semel, Yahoo's chief executive,
said in a statement." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y6o44h

-----

16) Harvard narrows hunt for a leader
Boston Globe

"Harvard has whittled down hundreds of nominees for its next president
to a small list, including internal candidates and presidents of some
of the nation's top universities, according to a source familiar with
the process. The source would not give a specific number, but said the
university is considering a smaller group than the 30 names that the
presidential search committee presented to Harvard's Board of
Overseers on Sunday. Harvard is focusing on an elite group of
academics, many of them with deep ties to Harvard. The university's
last president, Lawrence H. Summers, who had been a Harvard professor,
was atypical because of his political experience in Washington as
Clinton's former treasury secretary." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y6e5o6

-----

17) New spam sneaking past filters
Arizona Republic

"Hearing from a lot of new friends lately? You know, the ones that
write, 'It's me, Esmeralda,' and tip you off to an obscure stock that
is 'poised to explode' or a great deal on prescription drugs. You're
not the only one. Spam is back, in e-mail in-boxes and on everyone's
minds. In the past six months, the problem has gotten measurably
worse. Worldwide spam volume has doubled from last year, according to
Ironport, a spam-filtering firm, and unsolicited junk mail now
accounts for more than 9 out of every 10 e-mail messages sent over the
Internet. Much of that flood is made up of a nettlesome new breed of
junk e-mail called image spam, in which the words of the advertisement
are part of a picture, often fooling traditional spam detectors that
look for telltale phrases. Image spam increased fourfold from last
year and now represents 25 to 45 percent of all junk e-mail, depending
on the day, Ironport says." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ybvp8c

-----

18) UK: Asbos failing to rein in persistent offenders
Guardian [UK]

"Antisocial behaviour orders are ineffective with a hard core of
persistent offenders whose behaviour is blighting communities across
Britain, according to a report by the government's official spending
watchdog published today. Over 55% of those given an Asbo did not
comply with its conditions and a hard core of 20% breached them more
than five times, the National Audit Office report said. One youngster
breached his Asbo 25 times. Edward Leigh, the chairman of the Commons
public accounts committee, said the report revealed that, for a hard
core of persistent offenders, the measures were not working." (12/06/06)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,1965895,00.html

-----

19) UK: Calls to pardon "UK's last witch"
BBC News [UK]

"The family of the last person in the UK to be prosecuted under the
Witchcraft Act will mark the 50th anniversary of her death by calling
for her pardon. Medium Helen Duncan, who was born in Callander,
Perthshire, was imprisoned using the law during World War II. She was
targeted by the government after revealing to a seance audience that a
warship had sunk before the news had been released to the public. ...
She was arrested in 1944 and sentenced to nine months in prison at the
Old Bailey for crimes under the Witchcraft Act of 1735." (12/06/06)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6212880.stm

-----

20) UK: You just couldn't rake it up
The Sun [UK]

"A tearful woman was accused of littering -- for sweeping leaves from
a council tree into a pile. Streetsweepers refused to remove the heap
at the end of Sandra Pote's drive because some had fallen into her
garden. Sandra, 61 -- who for years has brushed leaves into a pile in
the gutter -- thought she was doing the cleaning truck crew a favour
as they drove down the road in Torquay, Devon. But she was accused of
fly-tipping. Furious husband Malcolm, 61, said yesterday: 'She was in
tears.' Torbay council insisted the couple should have taken the
leaves to a tip. A spokesman said: 'Householders have a responsibility
to deal with leaves on their property.'" (12/06/06)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006560416,00.html

-----

21) Australia: Navy can fire on fishing boats
The Age [Australia]

"The navy has been given permission to fire at illegal fishing boats
that refuse to be apprehended in Australian waters. Under new rules of
engagement approved by Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, the navy will
also be given tear gas, capsicum spray and abrasive acoustic devices.
'The foreign fishing vessels that are coming to our country are
increasingly sophisticated,' Dr Nelson told Parliament yesterday.
'They are engaging in activities which are very dangerous to our
personnel and indeed to our patrol boats, including using very large
sharpened poles (and) the throwing of missiles. It is extremely
important that anybody who comes to this country seeking to steal our
fish and breach our sovereignty knows that they will be met with a
very strong, disciplined Royal Australian Navy.'" (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yyme2g

-----

22) PA: Philly victim disarmers will ask to search
Centre Daily

"After an uptick in city homicides this year, the vast majority of
them involving guns, law-enforcement officials have created a task
force to try to rid the city of illegal guns. The unit, funded with $5
million from the state, will hire retired Philadelphia homicide
detectives and others to target neighborhoods where gun violence is
most pervasive. Police also plan to ask home owners at times for
consent to search their homes without a probable-cause warrant,
District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham said Monday. 'If we go to a house,
we're going to ask the owner of the house if they will consent to a
search for illegal weapons,' Abraham said at a news conference. 'Any
gun that we can find that way is one more gun we can get off the
street.'" [editor's note: Oh, of course, officer, DO come in and
search to see if I have any illegal guns - MLS] (12/04/06)

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/16163063.htm

-----

23) NJ: Judge -- man isn't violating gun laws
Express Times

"District Judge Diane Repyneck threw out 17 citations Monday against a
62-year-old township man accused of violating local gun laws. The
judge ruled Richard Seruga of the 3800 block of Bee Line Drive was
guilty of one count of disorderly conduct but was not in violation of
any other township laws when he repeatedly fired his gun at a target
behind his home..... 'chiding the township for continuing to cite
Seruga even after Repyneck threw out Seruga's previous citations based
on the argument that the law allows an exception for property owners
to fire on their own land.' ... Repyneck wasn't persuaded by the
prosecution's arguments. She also dismissed another charge against
Seruga of using an illegal backstop in his backyard firing range. The
only charge that stuck was the disorderly conduct charge stemming from
Seruga's interaction with [Township police officer] Jones. " (12/05/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y2apjv

-----

24) TX: Store clerk shoots robbery suspect
Ft. Worth Star Telegram

"An employee of Bennett's Grocery Store shot and wounded a Cleburne
man as he attempted a robbery Tuesday night, Burleson police said. ...
According to police reports, Baxter, who carried a large hunting
knife, walked around the counter and demanded money from the clerk.
The store owner yelled from the office, but Baxter refused to leave
and was shot twice, police said. The suspect fled in a Ford F-150
pickup along with another suspect, Justin Wade Germain, also of
Cleburne. The two men then stopped at the Wal-Mart on S.W. Wilshire
Blvd. to buy bandages, Aaron said. They made an illegal left turn, and
were pulled over by state troopers until police arrived." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/tfcxx

-----

25) A newspaper chain sees its future
Washington Post

"Myron, 27, is a reporter for the Fort Myers News-Press and one of its
fleet of mobile journalists, or 'mojos.' The mojos have high-tech
tools -- ThinkPads, digital audio recorders, digital still and video
cameras -- but no desk, no chair, no nameplate, no land line, no
office. They spend their time on the road looking for stories, filing
several a day for the newspaper's Web site, and often for the print
edition, too. Their guiding principle: A constantly updated stream of
intensely local, fresh Web content -- regardless of its traditional
news value -- is key to building online and newspaper readership."
(12/04/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ycx9cm

*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 12/07/06
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 49,642 ... Max - 55,048
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 2,918
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************

****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************

26) The peasant who stood up to Hitler
LewRockwell.Com
by Justine Nicholas

"He was not an artist, scholar, statesman or even a Ghandian activist
who devoted his life to ending violence and injustice. Nor was he a
member of a pacifistic religious group like the Jehovah's Witness or
Society of Friends. Rather, he was an Austrian peasant who was the
sexton in his local Catholic church. Like most people of his time,
place and social class, he didn't continue his formal education beyond
grammar school. He lived far removed from the creative energy and
political ferment of Vienna, Berlin and Paris. His contact with that
world came but once a week, when he visited the library of a nearby
village. La Bibliotheque Nationale it wasn't. But it provided him with
intellectual and spiritual sustenance that would fortify him when the
S.S. officers came calling." (12/07/06)

http://www.lewrockwell.com/nicholas/nicholas21.html

-----

27) In defense of desk rage
The Free Liberal
by Jonathan David Morris

"My local news station recently did a piece on something called 'desk
rage,' which is apparently supposed to be like road rage, only at work
instead of on the roads. According to the reporter, desk rage can
manifest in several ways: aggression; poor productivity; abuse of sick
days; stealing supplies; and irritability or depression. My problem
with this report isn't that it's untrue. It's that they say it like
it's a bad thing." (12/07/06)

http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/002469.html

-----

28) Phillies 2008: Repeal the Military Commissions Act
Rational Review
by George Phillies

"American law and tradition make clear: The accused are entitled to
speedy trials before a jury. The accused may not be tortured until
they confess. Evidence obtained through torture is not admissible. The
accused has the right to cross-examination of the witnesses against
him. Older readers will recall the days before Miranda, when prisoners
in American jails were likely to be abused until they confessed,
especially if they were dark of skin or spoke with an accent.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court brought those days to an end. The
Military Commissions Act turns all American law and tradition on its
head. The Military Commissions Act is un-American to its core. It
should be repealed immediately." (12/07/06)

http://www.rationalreview.com/content/21776

-----

29) America: A police state
Liberty For All
by Ed Lewis

"The writer knows that many people believe America is developing into
a police state in which human rights, justice, truth, liberty, and
overall righteousness are going by the wayside along with security,
such as that provided by our shores being defended against invasion.
The writer maintains, though, that America is already a police state
and that security of the people has nothing whatsoever to do with its
development." (12/06/06)

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=410

-----

30) Sovereign immunity needs to go
American Daily
by Larry Pratt

"Most people in the 21st century look back on earlier times and wonder
how folks could ever have believed in the divine right of kings (other
than the king himself). Well, we better wipe that condescending smile
off our faces, because we are no better today right here in the U.S.
of A. ... Bob Arwady runs the Ammo Dump, a gun store in Houston,
Texas. His first exposure to the abuses of sovereign immunity came
from a knock on the door from the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality. After operating his new shooting range for police and public
shooters for four months, the Commission shut him down with the threat
of fining shooters $5,000 for each bullet they put in the dirt berms
used as bullet traps. They claimed that they had a water sample that
proved that those bullets were leaching lead in dangerous quantities
into the stream behind his range and polluting water downstream. It
turns out that the signed affidavit by the Environmental Quality
officer stating that he had taken the water sample was a lie." (12/05/06)

http://www.americandaily.com/article/16659

-----

31) Our genocidal narcissism
The Power of Narrative
by Arthur Silber

"In fact, all the ISG recommends is that we 'stay the course' -- and
the newly-empowered Washington Democrats have already made it clear
they will do absolutely nothing to change our direction in any manner
that actually might affect events. In the near future, I will offer
further thoughts on that as well. The most critical element of the
status quo that remains unchallenged is our alleged 'idealism,' the
notion that we act out of the best of motives and that we 'meant
well.' Most Americans refuse to seriously consider the idea that Iraq
represented no serious threat to us whatsoever, and that our leaders
knew it." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ylfo2p

-----

32) Passing of a giant
Free Market News Network
by Walter E. Williams

"Professor Friedman, above all, was an economist's economist. During
his professional life, his research on statistical techniques,
consumption behavior and monetary theory became part and parcel of
today's accepted wisdom among economists. His research on monetary
theory and the role of money in an economy has provided central banks
worldwide with the knowledge, whether they use it or not, for monetary
stability. Professor Friedman will surely be remembered for these
intellectual contributions, but what he'll be remembered for the most
is his steadfast support for personal liberty." (12/06/06)

http://www.fmnn.com/Analysis/120/6526/walter.asp?nid=6526&wid=120

-----

33) Goldilocks 2.0
TCS Daily
by Ken Yarmosh

"Unless you have been hanging out in the back alleys of Internet
geek-dom chances are you have never heard the term 'Web 2.0.' It's a
phrase that has caused much confusion outside geek circles and
significant debate within them. And it plays a critical part in the
growing digital economy. When someone uses the term Web 2.0, he
generally is referring to a growing number of new websites and tools
including things like blogs, podcasts, wikis, social networks (e.g.,
MySpace), and video sharing (e.g., YouTube). These tools are making it
easier to create and publish content." (12/07/06)

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=112006A

-----

34) Those big bad corporations
No Force, No Fraud
by Bob Smith

"Corporations are not the source of our problems ... when they take
advantage of corrupt politics; they're just the paid henchmen. They're
also often the scapegoats if the collusion becomes too prominent in
the public eye. Government officials can, with self-righteous
indignation and practiced use of media, use their power to turn on
their own co-conspirators, at the same time whitewashing their own
involvement. Obviously, they're very good at that, because many
Americans, like those I keep running into, believe that corporations
are the enemy and government is their friend. I've come to believe
this may be the most dangerous and foolish myth in the nation." (12/05/06)

http://libertyed.org/noforce/2006/12/those-big-bad-corporations.html

-----

35) We've been here before
AntiWar.Com
by Leon Hadar

"I'm not a financial speculator, and I don't play one on television.
So please don't base your decision on whether or not to bet against
the U.S. dollar on my thoughts about the fate of the greenback, which
has fallen to a 20-month low against the euro recently. But for
someone like myself who is interested in the relationship between
economics and politics, especially as they affect global affairs, the
current weakness that the U.S. currency seems to be experiencing
hasn't come as a total shock. Hence while economic analysts have been
examining the volatility of the dollar and searching for explanations
by focusing mainly on U.S. economic indicators, including the restless
housing market and the weakening confidence of consumers, or the
structural differences between the U.S. and European economies, it
seems to me there is a need to integrate the discussion into the
larger domestic and global political context. The problems of
America's mighty currency need to be viewed from the perspective of
the U.S. capital." (12/07/06)

http://www.antiwar.com/hadar/?articleid=10120

-----

36) Divided we reform
National Review
by the editors

"In recent weeks administration officials and a few Democrats have
talked about the possibility of reaching a deal on Social Security. It
seems pretty clear that Democrats will not accept any deal that
involves letting workers invest some of their Social Security taxes in
personal accounts. Some conservatives have concluded that any deal
without such accounts is not worth making. As much as we favor
personal accounts, we disagree. A deal would have to be carefully
negotiated, but conservatives ought to be willing to contemplate one."
(12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y9zo9r

-----

37) And they're not off
AlterNet
by Will Durst

"I startled some guy in the next lane at a red light when I shouted at
my radio today. A semi famous network newscaster had come on opining
how former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack could easily take the 2008 Iowa
caucuses as a favorite son, resulting in a subsequent focus on South
Carolina, which is John Edwards territory and this might all work out
to upset the Hillary Clinton Applecart Express. AAIIIIEEEE! The guy
next to me barely missed a covey of walkers as he peeled out. I mean,
okay, I know, political projection is as predictable as a spilt glass
of milk before nap time at a day care center for hyperactive four year
olds. But for crum's sake, a little common human decency por favor.
We've barely finished showering off the crap flung in the midterms and
need a moment or so to send our clothes and our souls out to the dry
cleaners. Or burn and bury them then buy new ones." (12/06/06)

http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/45197/

-----

38) Botched raids not rare
Reason
by Radley Balko

"The botched Atlanta raid that ended in the shooting death of
88-year-old Kathryn Johnston was sad and tragic, but unfortunately, it
was neither uncommon nor unpredictable. After taking a year to
research and write a paper for the Cato Institute on the proliferation
of forced-entry, paramilitary-style raids, I'm sorry to say Johnston
is just one of at least 40 innocent people killed in botched raids
over the last 20 years in America. Worse, there are dozens more cases
of low-level offenders, bystanders -- and police officers -- killed or
injured." (12/06/06)

http://www.reason.com/news/show/117095.html

-----

39) Missing the obvious
The Weekly Standard
by Frederick W. Kagan

"After months of work, access to the best experts in the world and
weeks of anticipation from politicians and the American public, the
Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group report landed in our laps yesterday.
And that noise you heard was a resounding thud. The reason: The report
basically punts on the most important issue of the day -- establishing
security in Iraq. All of the pious exhortations to get Iraqis to sit
down with one another, to engage Iran and Syria and to find political
compromises are meaningless if we are unable to stem the tide of
bloodshed that now engulfs much of Baghdad and Anbar province. Yet the
Baker Report devotes scant space (8 pages out of 56 in the proposals
section) to the security problem and its recommendations are
unoriginal: Increase the number of American soldiers embedded in Iraqi
units as trainers by stripping them out of the combat brigades now
working to fight insurgents." (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ydnvrp

-----

40) The message
Slate
by John Dickerson

"What a book launch. Wednesday, the entire world focused on the
release of Vintage paperback ISBN: 0-307-38656-2, also known as the
Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward-- A New Approach. The 10
primary authors gathered in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office
Building to unveil their plan for stabilizing Iraq as a prelude for a
U.S. troop withdrawal. The nine men wore grays and blues -- official
Wise Men issue. Sandra Day O'Connor dressed in fuchsia, as if
revolting against her years of having to wear a black robe. It was the
kickoff of a weeklong media blitz that will culminate as all
successful Washington book launches do, with appearances on all the
Sunday talk shows. Much of the media coverage is likely to focus on
142 pages detailing 79 specific recommendations about troop levels,
timelines, and Iraqi politics. But what came though most forcefully at
the press conference was a broader critique of the Bush
administration's conduct."

http://www.slate.com/id/2154987

-----

41) Venezuela's Stockholm Syndrome
Independent Institute
by Alvaro Vargas Llosa

"I am often asked why a government as authoritarian and corrupt as
that of Hugo Chavez wins elections. In my five trips to Venezuela
since Chavez took office eight years ago, I have come to a conclusion
that many Venezuelans suffer something akin to Stockholm syndrome,
that state of psychological dependence that the victim develops with a
kidnapper." (12/06/06)

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1864

-----

42) Retirement trendsetter
Cato Institute
by William Shipman

"Germany introduced Social Security in 1889; we followed suit 46 years
later. Germany pays retirees' benefits by taxing its workers. So do
we. Because of increasing lifespans and declining birthrates, the
number of German workers has been shrinking relative to elderly
beneficiaries. The same has happened here. Germany's response has been
to increase workers' taxes and decrease retirees' benefits. We've done
the same. These government responses have not solved the problem in
Germany, nor have they here. And now the German Conservatives and
Social Democrats have agreed to a major, and new, reform of their
Social Security system: Raise taxes further and cut benefits more.
Will America follow once again?" (12/07/06)

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6792

-----

43) Conservatism from A to Z
The American Conservative
by Daniel McCarthy

"This book launch had the feel of a wake -- an Irish wake for some,
not so much for others -- attended by Montagues and Capulets. Yet an
appropriate spirit it was, for the book contains something of Nash's
genteel ambiguity and Lukacs's unsparing honesty, as well as Decter's
herpetological resolve. This is all to the good. American
Conservatism: An Encyclopedia doesn't truck in the witless
triumphalism that characterizes so much of the Right. Nor does it
present any feigned unity. Instead, editors Bruce Frohnen, Jeremy
Beer, and Jeffrey O. Nelson -- professor at Ave Maria law school and
editor in chief and publisher of ISI Books, respectively -- let all
the many schools of thought within American conservatism (and
libertarianism, too) have their own say. Entries on divisive figures
are here given, as a general rule, to sympathetic profilers, which is
the only way a book like this could have been assembled without
becoming a polemic in its own right." (12/04/06)

http://www.amconmag.com/2006/2006_12_04/review.html

-----

44) US out (sort of) by 2008!
Mother Jones
by James Ridgeway

"The bottom line in this morning's release of the much anticipated
Iraq Study Group report is a new emphasis on embedded special
operations and combat teams within the Iraqi military, allowing a
drawdown of troops in the region. Under this model, intelligence and
logistical support would likely continue to come from the United
States; since Iraq has no air force, the U.S. would probably fill that
gap as well. The report, which notes that 'the situation in Iraq is
grave and deteriorating,' says that U.S. military operations in Iraq
'should evolve' so that 'by the first quarter of 2008 ... all combat
brigades not necessary for force protection should be out of Iraq.
...'" (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yfh7mq

-----

45) The barbarians have taken The Hill
Liberty For All
by GOA staff

"The Brady Bunch is already licking their collective lips in
anticipation of the new Congress being seated. Visit the Brady
Campaign's website and you will see talk of a 'momentum shift' in our
nation's capital that will 'make it hard for the gun lobby to weaken
gun laws and creates opportunities for passage of common sense [sic]
gun proposals.' Indeed, the attack has already begun." [editor's note:
The attack began a long time ago -- and GOA, with its tacit
endorsements -- via specious "grading" -- of anti-gun Republicans like
Missouri's Jim Talent, has chosen to be part of the problem rather
than part of the solution - TLK] (12/06/06)

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=411

-----

46) The AMT reckoning
National Center for Policy Analysis
by staff

"The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) became law in 1969 after President
Lyndon Baines Johnson's last Treasury Secretary, Joseph Barr, created
a liberal uproar by disclosing that 21 millionaires had managed to pay
little or no income tax in 1967. Thus the 'alternative' tax was
designed to capture high earners who claimed a lot of deductions. But
this year it will strike four million Americans, and next year without
a change in law it will snare 23 million -- one in four tax filers."
(12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/yxjh9a

-----

47) Imperialism and the logic of war making
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joseph T. Salerno

"Commentaries on war stretching back more than two millennia to the
Peloponnesian Wars have enshrouded the fundamental causes of war in an
almost impenetrable fog of myths, fallacies, and outright lies. In
most studies, war is generally portrayed as the inevitable outcome of
either complex historical forces or accidental circumstances generally
beyond the understanding or control of the human combatants." (12/06/06)

http://www.mises.org/story/2405

-----

48) Benefit consumers: End cable monopolies
Heartland Institute
by Diane S. Katz

"From the time cable lines began replacing TV antennas four decades
ago, municipalities have required cable firms to obtain franchises
under the assumption that cable service was a 'natural monopoly' in
need of taming. This local regulation, which was never justified, has
become destructive now that there are assorted technologies and
service providers that consumers could choose from if given the
chance." (12/06)

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=20220

-----

49) An influx of immigrants 2: America
Frontiers of Freedom
by Joe Mariani

"How is America doing in terms of demographics? Our fertility rate is
hovering at just below replacement level, averaging 2.09 children over
the lifetime of each American woman. Of all industrialised nations,
including Russia, Japan and Australia, we are the only country in
which the current population has a future. Even China's fertility rate
is down to 1.73, indicating a shrinking and aging populace. Why are we
so different from the rest of the advanced world, which is spiraling
down to non-existence?" (12/07/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y7pjme

-----

50) The economics of spam
Foundation for Economic Education
by Christopher Westley

"What's the matter with the Internet? I used to love it, at least the
part of it that brought e-mail. One of the highlights of my day used
to be Outlook Express's friendly tone announcing that another e-mail
had arrived in my inbox. Then I would stop what I was doing to see
which friend or colleague was checking in, or what requested
information had arrived. Those were my glory days of e-mail. I miss
them." (written 11/03; posted 12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/tb3dw

-----

51) Let the airline mergers begin
Acton Institute
by Anthony B. Bradley

"As U.S. Airways proceeds with its hostile $8 billion bid for bankrupt
Delta Airlines Inc., some worry that the move will mean fewer options,
less competition, and higher prices. The more probable result is the
contrary. A more extensive consolidation of the airline industry
should be welcomed. If not thwarted by the government and labor
unions, consolidation will make the 130 carriers now flying more
efficient and competitive, delivering multiple benefits, including
more options and lower prices, to consumers." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y9dcwl

-----

52) Voting for peace in 2008
Tom Paine
by David Corn

"What's the best way to judge a potential president? It might be to
look at the hard decisions a candidate has made in the past. And for
several of the probable and possible 2008 contenders, the October 2002
vote in the Senate on the resolution granting George W. Bush the
authority to attack Iraq whenever he deemed fit was the most difficult
call they had to make. It certainly was the most consequential. All of
the current senatorial presidential wannabes who were in office then
-- Democrats Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Christopher Dodd,
Evan Bayh, and Republicans John McCain, Chuck Hagel and Sam Brownback
-- voted for the bill. So, too, did former Sen. John Edwards. (Sen.
Barack Obama, who opposed the war, was not yet in the Senate.) But
there were differences in how each approached and explained his or her
vote." [editor's note: This is a pretty good summary of how little
there is to choose among, of the so-far-declared wanna-bes - SAT]
(12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ygbkqe

-----

53) In power, powerless
The American Prospect
by Robert B. Reich

"Democrats won control of Congress on two big issues -- the war in
Iraq and the economy. Yet both issues will remain almost completely
out of their control, at least for the next two years. The president
remains commander-in-chief until January 2009. And in that role,
according to the Constitution, he has the authority to decide defense
policy and military strategy. Unlike Lyndon Johnson, who felt the
pressure in 1967 when public opinion turned against the Vietnam War,
President Bush is not up for reelection, so public opinion won't sway
him. The president said recently he'll stay the course in Iraq -- even
though the administration's own intelligence review says our presence
there is causing more terrorism, not less." (12/06/06)

http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=12278

-----

54) What's next after Castro?
Christian Science Monitor
by John Hughes

"While President Bush is understandably preoccupied with the far-off
Middle East, there is uncertainty, and perhaps mischief brewing, in
America's own backyard. This past weekend marked the eclipse of Fidel
Castro, who spent a lifetime trying to convert Latin America to
anti-American socialism. The weekend also saw the consolidation of
power by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Mr. Chavez seeks to assume Mr.
Castro's mantle and inject even more virulent anti- Americanism into a
leftward drift like we are witnessing in such countries as Bolivia,
Ecuador, Nicaragua, and even Mexico, where leftists showed surprising
strength in recent elections. Evidence of Castro's fading in Cuba was
his absence from celebrations of his 80th birthday in Havana this past
weekend. The celebrations had already been postponed from Aug. 13, his
actual birthday, because of ill health." (12/06/06)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1206/p09s02-cojh.html

-----

55) Romney, the consumer
Boston Globe
by Steven A. Camarota

"The recent news story about apparently illegal immigrants employed by
the landscaping company that tends Mitt Romney's yard seemed to
suggest that he was at least partly to blame for this. But, the
consumer, in this case the governor, is in no way responsible for
business practices that go on behind the scenes. In fact, if the
governor had asked the workers in question if they were illegal, he
could have actually been sued under federal law for discrimination.
Think about it in a practical way. If consumers really are responsible
in some way for businesses that hire illegals, why single out the
landscaping company? What about the fast-food restaurants or video
stores frequented by Massachusetts politicians and their employment of
illegals? Given how many illegals work in poultry processing, there's
also a good chance that the turkey most of us ate for Thanksgiving was
processed by an illegal." [editor's note: Despite this writer's
insistence on dismissively terming these people as simply "illegals,"
the piece has some merit - SAT] (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/th9fz

-----

56) Outing is in again
In These Times
by John Ireland

"Over the past year, gay sex scandals have rocked right-wing political
and religious circles in the United States. Jim West (mayor of
Spokane, Wash.), Mark Foley (congressman from Florida), and the Rev.
Ted Haggard (president of the National Association of Evangelicals)
all learned the sting of a public flogging. The first two men were
'outed' when their homosexual orientation was involuntarily exposed
publicly by investigative journalists, while Haggard was outed by a
gay male escort who claimed to have had sex with him. Historically,
the press has been hesitant to give a voice to allegations of
hypocrisy if they relate to hidden homosexuality, but the tide is
beginning to turn, if only slightly. On Nov. 8, comedian Bill Maher
appeared on CNN's 'Larry King Live' and told the world that Ken
Mehlman, head of the Republican National Committee, is gay." [editor's
note: But make one thing clear -- in the Foley case, the issue was not
his "orientation," but his abuse of power over subordinates pages. In
all cases noted here, though, the hypocrisy of the subjects is notable
- SAT] (12/06/06)

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2931/

-----

57) E-pay not so free-pay anymore
San Francisco Chronicle
by David Lazarus

"Don't virtually all banks want you at the ATM instead of bothering a
teller? Don't their automated phone systems bend over backward to keep
you from getting anywhere close to a human being? The reason, or so
we've been led to understand, is that electronic transactions are
cheaper (read: more profitable) for banks. ... So how come these same
banks attach all sorts of fees to electronic credit card payments?
Isn't that counterproductive? Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat,
gave a speech last week on anti-consumer trends in the credit card
business. He specifically mentioned fees for electronic payments. ...
'By getting payments earlier, a company can earn interest on that
money,' he observed. 'Charging families a fee to pay their bill on
time is outrageous, however, and there ought to be a law against it.'
Levin is, by the way, a lawmaker. And his party is about to take
control of Congress." (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y72rc7

-----

58) Roman Empire is falling -- so it turns to Iran and Syria
Independent [UK]
by Robert Fisk

"The Roman Empire is falling. That, in a phrase, is what the Baker
report says. The legions cannot impose their rule on Mesopotamia. Just
as Crassus lost his legions' banners in the deserts of Syria-Iraq, so
has George W Bush. There is no Mark Antony to retrieve the honour of
the empire. The policy 'is not working.' 'Collapse' and 'catastrophe'
-- words heard in the Roman senate many a time -- were embedded in the
text of the Baker report. Et tu, James?" (12/07/06)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2054595.ece

-----

59) Support the GI movement
Common Dreams
by David Zeigler

"Today there is a growing GI movement against the War in Iraq. It has
the potential to tremendously impact the War in Iraq and end US
foreign policies of empire. But it needs our help. On December 8-10,
there will be three days of action across the US to show widespread
public support for the courageous troops that resist. Educational
events, rallies, marches and vigils will take place around the US. In
the 1960's an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of
history. This movement didn't take place on college campuses, but in
barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in Army stockades,
Navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It
penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread
throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one
expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and
thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel,
infested the entire armed services." [editor's note: For local events,
see www.couragetoresist.org/x/ - MLS](12/06/06)

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1206-22.htm

-----

60) Becoming what we despise
Truthdig
by Robert Scheer

"The excuse for this heinous treatment of a U.S. citizen is the same
as that given for an entire orgy of despicable treatment of prisoners
held in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and a gulag archipelago of
secret military facilities around the world: Our enemies, all linked
through sophistry to the 9/11 terror attacks, are so vile and
dangerous that the limitations on government power enshrined in our
guiding documents and political culture no longer apply. Once the Twin
Towers were knocked down, supposedly, we could no longer afford to be
'nice guys' -- as if the rule of law is an indulgence of only the most
secure nations. By that standard, any tyrant can justify the cruelest
of actions by citing enemies, real or imagined, be it King George III
blockading Boston Harbor to teach the rebellious colonists a lesson or
Saddam Hussein killing Kurdish villagers after an assassination
attempt on his life. The very uniqueness of our national experiment
was the checks and balances put upon the government to prevent such
convenient rationalizations for abuse of the individual. The Founding
Fathers won a war, but their true contribution to human history was to
tackle head-on the reality that humans and their institutions can so
easily become that which they despise." (12/05/06)

http://tinyurl.com/y7ew5t

-----

61) The surreal politics of premeditated war
CounterPunch
by Richard Behan

"George W. Bush, who proudly claimed the mantle of 'war president,'
was keenly rebuked in the recent mid-term election. The event was
notable, but it merely continued the surreal politics of premeditated
war -- a politics that has dominated the last six bizarre, hideous
years of our nation's history." (12/06/06)

http://www.counterpunch.org/behan12062006.html

-----

62) Post Rapture Post
Post Rapture Post
by staff

"Do you know someone who is in danger of being 'left behind' because
of a sinful life? Imagine if you could write a letter to a friend or
loved one after the Great Day of Reckoning. Maybe a message to your
family telling them to trust in God, and that everything will be okay.
Perhaps you would leave instructions to care for your pets after your
departure. It could be that your message is the light that opens a
sinner's eyes to the Glory of God and allows them entrance to Heaven
during the trials before the Second Coming. This is where the
Post-Rapture Post comes in. Just write your letter and it will be
hand-delivered immediately following the exodus of the pure from the
Earth. But you must be thinking to yourself, 'How can the letters be
delivered after the Rapture?' The answer is simple. The creators of
this site are Atheists. That's right, we don't believe in God. How
else would we be able to deliver your correspondence after the
Rapture?" (publication date unknown, circa 2005)

http://postrapturepost.com/index.html

-----

63) Blind obedience or clear conscience
News With Views
by Nancy Levant

"We the people realize our dilemma. We realize that renegade
politicians and causes have overtaken our government. We the people
have allowed the contamination of our rights and our freedom, and we
the people have allowed aristocrats to implant their government of
choice. We the people have allowed the 2-Party system to destroy and
overtake the United States of America. I repeat: We have allowed the
2-Party System to destroy and overtake the United States of America.
The Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, and Generation X are all
guilty as sin, and each and every one of us holds full and total
responsibility for the decay of rights and freedoms. ... Today's
American follows well over 1,000,000 known rules for the rabble, and
99.9% of the American people are 100% clueless about what, when, how,
or where the rules and regulations of our new government exist."
(12/05/06)

http://www.newswithviews.com/Levant/nancy70.htm

-----

64) Surrendering to Big Brother is now cool
Another Day in the Empire
by Kurt Nimmo

"Surrendering to Big Brother is now cool, as even James Bond, in the
remake of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, has himself a microchip -- for
the sake of safety, of course. ... Increasingly, it would seem that if
you want to eat, you will be forced to surrender your biometric data.
Acceptance begins at the grade school lunch line." (12/02/06)

http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=685

-----

65) Strategic estimate: First step on the path to freedom
Strike the Root
by Kevin Van Horn

"I just didn't see anything I could do towards achieving that goal
that had any reasonable chance of making a worthwhile difference ...
until I ran across the extensive and detailed literature on nonviolent
struggle. Over the last 25 years an impressive parade of dictators and
authoritarians have been forced to relinquish power via this
technique." (12/06/06)

http://www.strike-the-root.com/62/horn/horn3.html

*******************************************************************
* RRND MEDIA SHELF -- Tchotchkes from today's edition
*
* Iraq Study Group Report
* http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307386562/rationalrev08-20
*
* American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia
* http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1932236430/rationalrev08-20
*
* Casino Royale, movie showtimes and DVD notification
* http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JPCA/rationalrev08-20
*
* Amazon Gift Certificates -- The perfect gift for readers!
* http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00067L6TQ/rationalrev08-20
*
* Note: Affiliate links generate commissions for RRND's editors.
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*****************************
* See No Evil, Hear No Evil
*****************************

66) Freedom Rings, 12/11/06
Freedom Rings

Open line libertarian talk radio with Kenneth John. 9AM CST on WRMN
1410 AM, Elgin, Illinois, or via webcast. [Live radio or stream]
(12/11/06)

http://www.freedomrings.net/

-----

67) FMNN eRadio: Fed quotes
Free Market News Network

"The Mogambo Guru [Richard Daughty] gently critiques the latest
monetary statements made by our current financial leaders." [MP3 or
stream] (12/06/06)

http://www.fmnn.com/eRadioLaunch.asp?rid=823

-----

68) The Iraq Study Group's recommendations
Cato Institute

Cato daily podcast, featuring Ted Galen Carpenter. [MP3] (12/06/06)

http://tinyurl.com/ybmnn8

-----

69) Free Talk Live, 12/06/06
Free Talk Live

"Homosexual Couples Having Children / Persuading Liberals on
Extinction / Feds busy protecting 150 yr old dead birds! / 13 and 12
yr old prosecuted for having sex! / North American Union / Labeling
Paranoia / Ginger Beer / Drug Addiction / Child Porn, Incest, Teen
Sex, and Imposing Morality / Mismanaged LP campaign now begging for
more cash!" [MP3] (12/06/06)

http://ripple.radiotail.com/357/FTL2006-12-06.mp3

-----

70) Freedomain Radio #545
Freedomain Radio

"Give 'em GUNS! The ultimate statist answer to every complex problem."
With host Stefan Molyneux. [MP3] (12/06/06)

http://www.freedomainradio.com/Traffic_Jams/FDR_545_Give_Em_Guns.mp3

********************
* Weekly Symposium
********************

71) Private parts

This last weekend, I had an interesting conversation with a
(state-oriented) leftist friend. We disagree about a lot of things.
The thing we agreed on this weekend, oddly enough, was why we were
talking with the lights off. The lights were off at my home (for the
second multi-day stretch in about five months) because of ...
"privatization."

As a libertarian, I believe that electricity (and all other
commodities, services, utilities, etc.) should be provided by and
purchased through the free market. As a (state-oriented) leftist, my
friend believes that electricity (and at least some other commodities,
services, utilities, etc.) should be provided by, and purchased
through, government.

We agree that trying to split it down the middle brings out the worst
of both worlds. In the case of the "privatized" situation with in my
area -- in which a privately owned, for-profit enterprise enjoys a
government-enforced monopoly on the provision of electricity -- this
has twice in 2006 expressed itself in multi-day dangerous (for some,
fatal) blackouts.

This week, I'd like symposium participants to discuss that phenomenon
... why and how it occurs ... and also to propose better ways to move
currently "publicly administered" functions into the private sector
without such side effects. I'll describe my own situation in more
detail in comments.

http://www.rationalreview.com/content/21621

*************************************
* What's Up In The Freedom Movement
*************************************

72) Today's events

Check our sidebar calendar for this week's Thomas Szasz Awards
ceremony and other upcoming freedom movement events. Don't see your
event? Drop us a line at info@....

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=info%40rationalreview.com

-----

73) Support GI Resistance
Courage to Resist

Join military resisters their families, veterans and concerned
community members taking public action Dec. 8-10th! Events currently
planned in SF, NY, Portland, and more! Plan or attend an event in your
community.

http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/blogcategory/31/45/

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* WaYbAcK
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74) Remember the Arizona

Details, and the "quote of the day," from Leon's Political Almanac at:

http://perspicuity.net/cgi/hypercal.cgi

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