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braincrave
in braincrave
Here's the backdrop: in 2005, the US Supreme Court ruled in Castle Rock v. Gonzales that a person does not have a constitutional right to police protection, even in the presence of a restraining orde...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People always claim that anarchy will never work. My response is typically "why is anarchy more radical than going into a $14 trillion debt, or starting wars that murder millions of people, or promot...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
More and more, schools are adopting zero-tolerance policies. High schools are now filled with armed police, metal detectors, and drug-sniffing dogs. Is that the environment in which children can pro...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 1991, John Taylor Gatto, New York City Teacher of the Year (1989, 1990, and 1991), New York State Teacher of the Year (1991), and author of The Underground History of American Education, wrote the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Facts don't necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite."
Before you read this article to determine where that conclusion came from, ponder that quote for a moment...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ex-Harvard professor and now Obama's information czar Cass Sunstein previously wanted to "ban conspiracy theorizing" and "impose some kind of tax, financial or otherwise, on those who disseminate suc...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. They destroyed the government's credibility in the Vietnam War by revealing that the US government had intentionally misled...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The US government has recently passed a healthcare law that REQUIRES Americans to purchase health insurance. The US government also nationalized and now owns the car company General Motors. If the go...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Christina Hoff Sommers wrote in her book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men that "it's a bad time to be a boy." Certainly, government curriculums in schools is misg...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The folks at the Venus Project and the larger Zeitgeist movement think society has many problems, and they are concerned. Hard to disagree. When a doctor is trying to cure what ails you, he'll typica...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Libertarians are often talking about freedom and liberty. Thomas Jefferson claimed in his magnum opus the Declaration of Independence that we all have a right to liberty. But freedom and liberty aren...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Porn is like bacon: some won't eat it for religious reasons, some consider it filthy, some feel guilty after eating it, but everyone else (which is most of the population) loves it. Funny enough, sci...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
To claim that the US supports freedom (i.e., the absence of physical coercion) is nonsensical. Everything the US government does is anti-freedom. Take the situation in Egypt, for example. American ad...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life sta...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In case you haven't heard, the US Totally Stupid Administration (aka TSA) has deployed Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) body scanners at many airports that produce radiation to scan your body for po...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I was recently having a conversation with a friend who was getting on my case because I don't vote in political elections. She likes Ron Paul but ultimately decided to vote for Obama because she knew...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which revolutionized the cotton industry. But he had a hard time profiting from his invention because he tried to charge farmers a huge price (2/5 of their profits...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Over the last week, we've had a few discussions come up around how the government protects the environment. Though I didn't know it until I did some research, I wasn't surprised… FTA: "Who's the gr...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When it comes to non-violent, ideological leaders, Mahatma Gandhi has got to be toward the very top of the list. His resistance to British tyranny through mass civil disobedience is famous. Needless...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Liberalism, atheism, male sexual exclusivity linked to IQ
Ha! Let the flame wars begin.
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Feb 27, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The government is coming for your retirement accounts, 401Ks, and pension plan. After all, they want to make sure you have enough for retirement of course... It's all about your safety and well-being...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Meanwhile, as Bradley Manning (aka "unappreciated hero #1") languishes in jail and is tortured by Obama's administration... There's an adage that goes "give to a good man all the powers he requests t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that the US government ordered a farmer to destroy his own crops in order to increase market prices. The case, Wickard v. Filburn, went to the US Supreme Court, and the court sided wi...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
All economic goods must be produced by someone. They aren't gifts of nature or something that can be conjured up by waiving a magic wand. Somehow, people have gotten the false idea that it is governm...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Does the US constitution allow for gay marriage? Is gay marriage a constitutional right? There are answers from both a constitutional law perspective as well as a morality perspective. What do you th...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The government lied about the BP oil spill? (Tries to act surprised.) Is this kind of like when Bush claimed "mission accomplished" in Iraq (or Obama's recent second fake end to the Iraq war)? You've...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned from "America's worst mom" that the earliest episodes of Sesame Street are "for adult viewing only" for fear they will give kids dangerous ideas (Sesame Street just couldn't bring its...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
One of the problems with democracy is that it leads to corporatism. "Corporatism is a system where businesses are nominally in private hands, but are in fact controlled by the government. In a corpor...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Do a search on the web and you'll find all sorts of criteria for what makes an effective leader. People can't even seem to agree on the definition of leadership. As a result, theories abound. But wha...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Robert Heinlein once wrote: "Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor."
The number of students going to UK universities is falling. Additionally,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Pulitzer prize winning author, Columbia professor, historian, and liberal Eric Foner thinks liberalism is in a state of contradiction. One the one hand, he says liberals want an "activist government"...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I won't repeat the statistics, as there are too many. Bring a strong stomach when you read these. Politicians are not your friends. Unless you are in the top 1%, government is hurting you and your ch...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In his pamphlet The Law, French economist Frederick Bastiat stated "Since the law organizes justice, the socialists ask why the law should not also organize labor, education, and religion." Bastiat c...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As Thanksgiving rolls around to the US, children will be taught the false story of the first Thanksgiving (just one of many myths children are taught). The real story is a case study that teaches a v...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You don't say? Hey Al Gore, what do you think?
FTA: "A cross examination of global warming science conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Law and Economics has concluded tha...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Will wonders never cease? California now has mandatory DNA collection from anyone arrested for a felony, whether or not they are ever charged or convicted. Instead of being limited to serious, violen...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
An embryo has no rights. Rights do not pertain to a potential, only to an actual being. A child cannot acquire any rights until it is born. The living take precedence over the not-yet-living (or the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that there are surgeons who specialize in restoring virginity.
FTA:
The clinic is not in Dubai or Cairo, but in Paris. And the surgery they are waiting for is to restore their...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
From the "you can't make this crap up" file... Of course, the European government is focused on solving the most pressing problems that individuals face. After all, it's always been such a "crime" th...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who "passionately" believes in the welfare system, is lashing out at parents who are raising their children through social welfare programs. He thinks the issue is a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
FTA: "A MOTHER found by the Family Court to be violent, untruthful, lacking moral values and responsible for the psychological and emotional abuse of her children has been given custody of them. The...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
School used student laptop webcams to spy on them at school and home
School-sanctioned privacy intrusion? "Schools are only interested in a child's best interests" claim those who ignore knowledge...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Obama's die-hard base is continuing to turn on him and abandon him... for the right reasons. (And Obama's administration is lashing out angrily at liberals, claiming that they should be "drug tested"...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As if Duke University's reputation for discrimination wasn't tarnished enough... if you go to school at Duke, don't expect to learn common sense.
Is the following a result of the Duke lacrosse non...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Noam Chomsky said Ayn Rand was "... one of the most evil figures of modern intellectual history." Yet I find Atlas Shrugged an amazing book (and so do many others, like the man who recently drove aro...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Obama has a car czar, a food czar, a bank bailout czar, a poverty czar, bird flu czar, a czar czar... he has 37 czars in all. Interestingly enough, he doesn't have a philosophy czar. Perhaps you thin...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We are social beings. As a result, depending on how much you value the opinions of others, what someone says about you can matter. Often, you've likely heard people negatively labeled as fringe cons...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
FTA: "Whether or not you are philosophically inclined toward libertarianism or anarchy, it's hard not to agree that voting for politicians has been an unmitigated disaster if you measure success by l...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ron Paul has entered the US presidential race for the third time as a Republican. But he's not really a Republican - he's a Libertarian. Ron Paul, like all Libertarians, is always talking about limit...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
After providing $900 billion in "stimulus" with zero (and some would argue negative) impact on the economy, increasing the national debt by over $2 trillion (in slightly over 1 year, and it continues...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
FTV: "I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work, or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth. Banks are g...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People always complain that freedom, self-rule, and/or anarchy are unworkable and too extreme. Why are any of those more radical or extreme than going into $14 trillion of debt, being in a permanent...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
From Reader's Digest... Why do the lobbyists always win? Why does the political system even allow lobbyists to exist? Why are farm subsidies even allowed? Does this occur in other countries?
FTA:...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Which is better for a poor person - to be paid $3.00/hour for working or to be unemployed where the minimum wage law is $6.00/hour? Unions love minimum wage laws, and they spend millions lobbying for...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You're an idiot.
That's right. According to New York spin doctor Sheherazad Jaafari (aka press-aide or press attaché), Americans are easily manipulated. All politicians need to do is admit that th...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The Nazis and Joseph Stalin were famous for their show trials, where "guilt" was determined by the authorities before the trial. From the court jester files, we continue to find that the the American...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Well, when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal." So said President Richard Nixon in his 1977 interview discussing presidential authority.
Fast-forward 30 years. "I was a cons...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In politics, it seems that everything is an issue. Why? Because everything that politicians do is based on wealth redistribution - taking from one person and giving to another. As a result, politics...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Some claim that the reason music piracy is so prevalent is because the cost of music is so high (especially when the actual CD production costs are so low - a cursory look suggests it's less than $0....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The history of humanity is based on progress. Progress has been the result of individuals coming together to solve problems and to enhance our lives. But history also provides numerous examples of gr...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
This animation drawing alone is enough reason to watch this video, even if you have no interest in the topic. It's amazing...
FTV: "As long as the task involved used only mechanical skill... the h...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad - including two Reuters news staff. FTA: "The impo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is it ironic that this is published in a UK newspaper? Not so long ago, police used to be called "peace officers." Keeping the peace and initiating violence are contradictions. Wasn't police abuse in...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Written in 350 BCE. 'nuff said.
FTA: "Democracy, for example, arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Among the New Year's resolutions made, it's likely that some have resolved to file for divorce this year. As always, the government is only too happy to help. Why? Any question about government start...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How do you make economics more fun so that people better understand basic concepts and, just as important, what the ramifications are from making poor economic choices?
FTA: "Who is better informe...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The purported anti-war left used to scream about the wars when Bush ruled. When Obama became ruler, they went silent (for the most part). After all, it's only unjustified violence and murder when the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It's the typical Catch-22. You can't get hired for a job because you have limited experience, and you can't get experience until you get a job. It appears there are many young people who are having ...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Government - they are experts at manipulating people. They even have a scary-sounding name for it: "psy-ops." What happens when they turn against their own? The psychological thriller The Manchurian...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As proud supporters of Creative Commons, we were encouraged to see so many websites effectively shut down or "go dark" on January 18, 2012 in protest of the tyrannical SOPA/PIPA bills that the US gov...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that Communism, "the greatest social engineering experiment we have ever seen," is responsible for approximately over 100 million deaths. The Communists tried to construct a "utopia.....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It's interesting to trace the history of controversial subjects. Take political correctness for example. Political correctness, "used to describe language, ideas, policies, or behavior seen as seekin...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How many of you learned about the Hitler Youth (aka HJ), the paramilitary group of the Nazis? Is the government building one for Obama? In Hitler's time, the stormtroopers were referred to as "brown...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Can we all agree that, no matter who it is, the US president does not have the legitimate power to bomb another nation without an act of Congress formally declaring war?
Five wars have been declar...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
And the court jesters speak: Yes, we know your client is innocent of sexual abuse and sodomy... don't speak to us about irrelevant ideas like innocence - we don't care. I am physically sick to my sto...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
For all the socialists in the group, you'll love this one. Thou SHALT shoplift: Priest tells congregation it's better than robbery or prostitution. Of course, you all agree with his advice, correct?...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In my favorite book, Atlas Shrugged (a book about philosophy), there is the following statement:Â 'Thinking is man's only basic virtue, from which all the others proceed. And his basic vice, the sou...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In Atlas Shrugged, Dr. Floyd Ferris states: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed? ...We want them broken... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
A federal appeals court says three Seattle police officers were justified when they used a stun gun on a pregnant mother who refused to sign a traffic ticket. The dissenting judge called the ruling "...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ron Paul famously said of neocons:
The neoconservative ethos, steeped in the teachings of Leo Strauss, cannot abide an America where individuals simply pursue their happy, peaceful, prosperous l...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is feminism doomed to fail? Is there even one accepted definition of feminism? Are there any benefits of feminism?
FTA: "Although it is not Susan Pinker's intention in writing it, reading her exce...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Economics are very simple to understand. Granted, there are faux economists like Nobel-prize winner Paul Krugman who try to confuse people with false theories that last only until other people's mone...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Voltaire once said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." In England, a Christian street preacher was arrested and locked in a cell for telling a passer-...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I Learned that moral principles are not determined by majority vote.
FTA: "A majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea. Voting is merely a proper political device within...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The US government and NATO forces are a bunch of murderers. Like Dick Cheney, who goes on national television to rub in our faces that he authorized and sanctioned torture of innocent people knowing...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Nuclear energy was discovered in the context of war (specifically World War II). In the 1950s, the US Air Force tried to come up with an idea of putting a nuclear reactor on an airplane to keep it ru...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a new 5-day "morning-after" pill that's been tested for US approval (New 5-Day 'Morning-After' Pill Tested For U.S. Approval).
Some people say the choice to abort is moral and use various...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Economics is typically considered very dry and of little interest to most. But to paraphrase the adage typically referring to politics, just because you ignore economics doesn't mean that it will ign...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
They've been trained by US governments. They are expert killers. They believe that the principles espoused in the US Constitution are actually worth defending. They've been patient, but have had enou...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How do we know the right thing to do in our lives? In other words, what moral principles are at the foundation of our actions? Utilitarianism is the philosophy that the moral worth of an action is de...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Drunk parking? How do you go to jail from a DUI (DRIVING under the influence) in a car that WON'T START? Remind me again why the legal system is honorable and fair? I couldn't make this shit up if I...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Put on your tinfoil hats for this one. We recently saw that a country's government can easily and quickly shut down the internet. In a classic rope-a-dope, as Hillary Clinton babbles propaganda about...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When it comes to politics, it's difficult to say "liberals believe this" or "conservatives believe that." After all, within each political ideology, there are many views; sometimes even views that se...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Recently, past Ku Klux Klan member and the US's longest-acting Senator Robert Byrd died. In 1944 (2 years before he went to work for the government), he wrote "I shall never fight in the armed forces...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.'...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As the adage goes: How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving. On Obama's White House website, he states: "My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of opennes...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Governments love to pander equality and anti-discrimination laws (well, granted - they were for discrimination before they were against it). Their latest villain? The Internet Service Providers (ISP)...