Thursday, May 01, 2003

NRA HAS OWN MEMBER ARRESTED AT NATIONAL CONVENTION. The National Rifle Association apparently had one of its members, a pro-gun activist, arrested at its national convention on Sunday, April 27, 2003 in Orlando, Florida for handing out pro-gun freedom literature from the Free State Project, Inc. The unlucky NRA member was Timothy Condon, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Director of Member Services for the rapidly growing Free State Project. He was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Sunday for "trespassing" outside the Orange County Convention Center when he refused to leave or cease handing out the Free State Project literature (see sample). [The Free State Project] I'm not surprised. The Free State Project is basically a libertarian organization, so naturally the National Republican Rifle Association doesn't like it. 10:57:06 PM    comment () Terrorism Down. So says the State Department in its annual report on global terrorism. The report, which you can read here, lists a total of 725 deaths in 199 separate terrorist events worldwide in 2002. North America rated a big 0 in both categories; so much for the Fourth of July El Al shootings. Intro, with basic stats and a picture of Basque separatist Ainhoa Mugica Gona's Noel Redding 'do, here. [Hit & Run] Another benefit to the government of arbitrary terrorist designations. Not only can you declare anyone you don't like a terrorist, but you can also pretend that real terrorists aren't terrorists to make it look like your anti-terrorist efforts are more successful than they really are. 10:35:28 PM    comment () Footnotes to History A look at some small (and not-so-small) nations that don't appear in the typical history or geography text. 2:07:50 PM    comment () After being stuck in the $320-330/ounce range for a while, gold has moved back above $340. 12:48:55 PM    comment () Voluntary Slaves. Why do people feel they must justify those who tyrannize them? I think it's because their self-respect is at stake. They don't want to feel or recognize that they have become voluntary slaves of the state. That would be too humiliating. So they consent to their own servitude with a vengeance. By defending the state, they can feel that they are on the side of power -- which is true. They can also feel, in spite of the most obvious facts, the illusion of freedom. Like children sucking up to a schoolyard bully, they can pretend they are not in abject fear of what they defend. What we are really seeing is total submission to the state masquerading as patriotism. Nobody wants to feel like a slave, to admit that his acts are governed by fear. All the rhetoric of democracy is designed to disguise these discomfiting realities of power. [Sobran's] 12:24:18 PM    comment () The Secrets of September 11. Even as White House political aides plot a 2004 campaign plan designed to capitalize on the emotions and issues raised by the September 11 terror attacks, administration officials are waging a behind-the-scenes battle to restrict public disclosure of key events relating to the attacks. [...] And even congressional staffers close to the process say it is unclear whether the administration's resistance to public disclosure reflects fear of political damage or simply an ingrained "culture of secrecy" that permeates the intelligence community--and has strong proponents at the highest levels of the White House. [MSNBC] 8:50:17 AM    comment () US worried about Venezuela's link to terrorism.   The US State Department said today that Venezuela has become a source of concern over terrorism. The Department mentioned Chavez critique over the use of force by the US in Afghanistan and his "mixed posture" in general over the fight on terrorism. This was part of the Department's annual report on terrorism. The Department also accused Venezuela of not backing investigations and the "persistence of unconfirmed versions that there are links between the Venezuelan Government and the Colombian Revolutionary forces FARC. The full report in English is here and the section on Venezuela is here. [Miguel Octavio: Venezuela] That's bad news for Venezuelans. I hope the US government doesn't decide to "liberate" them. 8:41:04 AM    comment ()

© Copyright 2006 Ken Hagler. Last update: 2/15/2006; 1:53:48 PM.