National Blog

Liberty NewsWire Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

by michelleanne44 on February 21, 2012

Both at home and abroad, critics have argued that Hollywood’s vision of an Internet — one where it is empowered to hunt down violators — cares far more about protecting copyright than it does about protecting the public’s ability to freely associate and communicate online. But as unsettling as that might sound to those of us in the United States, it can be downright terrifying in places where fears of totalitarianism and surveillance are fresh and real." - Nancy Scola for Salon. Read the full article immediately below.

Liberty NewsWire: February 20, 2012

by gcorneli24 on February 20, 2012

The Astros are marking their 50th anniversary this season, so they'll be wearing an assortment of throwback uniforms for Friday home games. That includes the uniform of the Houston Colt .45s, which was the team's name for the first three years of the franchise's existence.

But in a move that's outraging uniform historians and firearms fans alike, the Astros have decided to make a significant tweak to the Colt .45s jersey design. They're removing the smoking handgun. - ESPN

Gun Control:

Liberty NewsWire: Friday, February 17th, 2012

by michelleanne44 on February 17, 2012

The city of Northampton is once again taking a bold stance against a controversial federal law. It became the first city in New England to pass a resolution rejecting the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday night." - Heidi Voight for WWLP News. See full story immediately below.

Individual Liberty

NDAA:

Northampton, MA Local News - Northampton "opts out" of federal law

Liberty NewsWire: February 16, 2012

by gcorneli24 on February 16, 2012

A bipartisan group of senators, meanwhile, is introducing a resolution that rules out a strategy of containment for Iran and holding a press conference Thursday afternoon. Some Democrats have been reluctant to sign onto the effort because they don’t want to interfere with Obama’s role as commander in chief in an election year. - The Hill

Foreign Policy

Virginia v. NDAA

by mostrolenk on February 16, 2012

Unlike their Federal counterparts, the Virginia House of Delegates takes seriously the U.S. Constitution and voted 96-4 in support of House Bill 1160 (HB1160). HB1160 prevents any employee or member of the military of Virginia from assisting an agency of the U.S. armed forces in investigating, prosecuting or detaining a citizen of the U.S. in violation of the U.S.

"Is Harrisburg's Nightmare America's Future?"

by Tim Shoemaker on February 16, 2012

I grew up just a few miles outside of Harrisburg, so I found this latest feature from ReasonTV examining Harrisburg's fiscal morass fascinating.

As ReasonTV asks at the end of the video description, "Is your town the next Harrisburg, PA?"

Liberty NewsWire: Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

by michelleanne44 on February 15, 2012

Support for Acta in Europe is waning as both Bulgaria and the Netherlands refuse to ratify the international anti-piracy agreement." - Reuters in The Guardian. See full article immediately below.

Individual Liberty

SOPA/PIPA:

The Guardian - Acta loses more support in Europe

Drones over the U.S.A.

by mostrolenk on February 14, 2012

Last week, Congress passed legislation that requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to draw up plans by 2015 to allow for commercial drones in national airspace. This, along with the integration of returning military drones into U.S.

Liberty NewsWire: February 14, 2012

by gcorneli24 on February 14, 2012

The greatest threat to the health-care overhaul might not be the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear challenges to the law next month. Or the shifting alliances of an election year. In the end, it’s more likely to be a lack of medical providers. If the law succeeds in extending health insurance to 32 million more Americans, there won’t be enough doctors to see them. In fact, the anticipated shortfall of primary-care providers, by 2015, is staggering: 29,800 - Sarah Kliff, The Washington Post

Obamacare

The Fed: The Mismanagement of Millions

by gcorneli24 on February 13, 2012

A week ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released January’s unemployment data, showing good news regarding our economic recovery: Employment in January rose by 243,000 new jobs and unemployment dropped by .2 percentage points to 8.3%, the lowest level since 2009. While this seems like a good sign at first glance, other numbers paint a more pessimistic picture. The labor force participation rate, sitting at 63.7%, is the lowest it has been since the early 1980s.