The Strong-Arm U.S. Corporate Empire

I had forgotten that crony statism (crony capitalism/corporatism/"corptocracy") of U.S. corporations extends so much beyond our borders. Everyone knew that Halliburton was screwing the U.S. government in Iraq, but I was not aware of the extent our corporations were screwing foreign nations with World Bank help and threats to and "regime change" in foreign lands.

I was reminded of the extent that U.S. corporations and the U.S. government go to secure economic power abroad, when the CIA finally officially confirmed the truth that it was instrumental in the overthrow of democratically-elected Mossadegh in 1950s Iran.

Speaking Freely: Vol. 1: John Perkins is a documentary that is a good primer or refresher on the topic. Though it doesn't offer up any strong solutions, it does offer another very convincing example of how crony statism is destroying economies.

Netflix.com

The Most Attractive P-Series Ruger

Though it is out of production, and this judgment goes against my own purchase, the most attractive Ruger P-Series pistol, surpassing the original P89 and the transitional P345 and the workhorse P95, rising to the top, for grace and not necessarily functionality, neutered by a lack of picatinny rail, and a slave to the ubiquitous and controversial cartridge .40S&W is the P944.

Fukushima Ineptitude, Coverup Act Of War?

The case could be made that the Japanese government's handling of the Fukushima disaster could be considered an act of war. Whether by ineptitude, nationalism, neglect, or malice, the damage, though meted out through prolonged suffering, could kill ten times the 9/11 benchmark.

The above is a recollection based on snippets of news stories. But if it is 70% true, then Japan could be on its way to isolating itself from its "natural" ally, while tensions grow with China, because the contaminated seawater is drifting to California, the leftist coast.

This brings to mind another act of war: the FDA's reassurance to the people of Manhattan that toxic levels were OK, even though they exceeded all previous  FDA standards prior to 9/11.

Again, I am basing these "facts" on a recollection, but I am convinced that they are born out by the facts as the truth.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/08/japan-pm-fukushima-leaks

An Agorist Roadmap

An Agorist Roadmap, by Kyle Bennett, guest poster on Let A Thousand Nations Blossom blog.  A very interesting article. A little light on substance, but heavy on "Rah rah!" And I think the libertarian movement needs a little more of both, so the post is worth a read - and is compelling enough to stimulate some further reading.

The Fed Gov Needs to Stoke a Dubbie

My dad, a medical professional, went to another conference that featured a lecture that picked on a recreational drug (The last drug of ill repute was alcohol and the "discovered" genetic determiner for alcoholism.).

The gist of the talk was that marijuana saps initiative, so it must be kept from the hands of the young.

Well, maybe the Obama administration needs to light up some herb, because the bureaucracy has done far too much.