The Market Fundamentalist

Earth Day is as traditional a holiday now as Easter or Labor Day. But instead of hunting for chocolate eggs deposited by mystical rabbits, it is observed as a day to search for reasons to blame civilization for destroying or endangering the future of all real rabbits, and humans as well.

But this year, can’t we step back a bit and ask: “Are we really paving paradise and putting up parking lots?”

No, says the Pacific Research Institute, which has published its annual index of environmental progress.

The environment is, in fact, flourishing. By most standards, air and water are the cleanest they have ever been. Forests are expanding, not shrinking.

But if Earth Day is all about blaming corporate greed, it is also about praising big government regulations for any progress that has been made.

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Last Wednesday I visited Damonte Ranch High School to attend their Student Activism day.

I was very well received by the students, in particular by Morgan Holmgren. Morgan is a young Libertarian, who is not afraid to speak out as a Libertarian. He has impressed his friends with his views. Many students who came to the LP table to see our literature mentioned that they had some knowledge of Libertarian positions because of Morgan. We hope to see more of Morgan. He took my business card, and we look forward to hearing from him.

Had a stimulating conversation with a teacher who said he was Catholic. He is socially conservative, but has argued against the Church becoming more involved with government in defining marriage and other issues. He was enthusiastic about libertarian ideas.

We gave out lots of LP million dollar bills, Viewpoints, and World’s Smallest Political quizes. The students were for the most part bright and receptive. Many of course just wanted credit for stopping at the table, but there were those who appreciated our message of peace and prosperity.

I look forward to next time!

On a personal note, my cars still being out of commission, I walked from the bus stop to the school. It was a good three miles. I never, never could have walked three blocks, never mind three miles, this time last year! Prolotherapy rocks!

On the eve of April 15, the subject of taxes and war is most appropriate.

On of the most moving articles I have read was posted to lew rockwell.com.

Written by an expatriate American living in India, it gives a libertarian perspective on how Ghandi’s non-violent approach to tax resistance was directly connected to war and empire.

It is unfortunate that the anti war movement is stuck in the perpective that taxes can produce good results.

The state exists because it is the corporation that has a monopoly on the supposedly legitimate use of force. A republican government, strictly limited by a written constitution and controled by the people could control that monopoly. An anarcho-capitalist non government would have strict real-world limitations on violence and war as well.

Unfortunately, the anti-war left continues in the delusion that all we have to do is elect the right people and taxes will be spent on social justice, not war.

Never mind that social justice programs have traditionally used the rhetoric of war (war on poverty, war on crime, war on drugs, war on illiteracy, etc. etc.) .

The idea still exists in too many good people’s minds that government is a force for positive good, rather than at best a tool to protect our “negative rights.”

So, to my brothers and sisters in the anti war movement, who decry the use of tax dollars to fund needless foreign war, my I humbly submit that, in the spirit of Ghandi, you should also oppose the use of tax dollars to fund a domestic class war?

Dr Jennifer Daniels came to Reno this week. She is an interesting woman, persecuted by the State of New York over her decision for economic and scientific reasons to stop prescribing pharmaceuticals and turn her practiceinto a natural healing rather than allopathic one.

We taped three hours with her. She has such impressive credentials, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Wheaton School of Business!

She was featured in the Wall Street Journal as a black entrepreuner. She had a successful practice, but found discrimination by the insurance companies . She decided, after consulting her patients, to turn to traditional medicine, and nutritional counseling.

Disaster struck in the form of one patient who abandoned his healthy regimen as the result of a drinking binge.

Dr Daniels has been a Libertarian Party Candidate for Mayor of Syracuse, NY. She has also been a candidate in the New York Green Party.

Contact Dennis Grover for more information and to order tapes and DVD’s.

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Iraq-Two Years Later: guests Lisa Paul of Moveon.org, Shane Piccinini of Sierra Interfaith Action for Peace, Steve Gifford of RAWC, Patty Cafferata, Republican, former State Treasurer. Bob Tregilus commented from the audience.

Good show, with challenges on the technical side. In particular, our hostess Lisa Stiller may be hard to hear at times.

Best exchanges-Steve Gifford contradicting Patty Cafferata on her excuses of the intelligence failure regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Most Banal Partisan Bickering-Shane Piccinini and Patty Cafferata partisan wrangling over which intervention was better, the Balkans or Iraq.

Best Insights-Lisa Paul on whether exporting Democracy with War is all its cracked up to be.

Most overused analogy-Patty Cafferata bringing up the Hitler comparison with Saddam Hussein as the unstoppable fuhrer.

Weakest arguments for a better future–Steve Gifford saying alternative energy is the best option to free us from oil. Patty Cafferata shoots him down with a simple “not realistic.”

Best solution ignored by the mainstream-Bob Tregulis asking why the US should be a superpower and why not a policy of non-intervention. Left and right agree its not an option, but do not say why.

Worst ommission- Not once did a panelist mention the word

Neocon

Or, for that matter:

Israel

Watch it on SNCAT channel 16 Charter Cablevision Reno!

I thought the convention went very well. I would have liked to have seen more faces from Northern Nevada. The Clark County party dominated the event. It may be a tribute to our energetic young vice-chair, Joe Silvestri.

There was no contention. Everything passed by consensus. The bylaws were amended smoothly, the officers elected represent a full slate with the election of James Young of Reno as our Northern Regional Representative.

George Squyres gave an excellent presentation about the major changes to devolve power from National to the State parties.

Now it is up to us to build a grassroots movement. Our VoteforaChange campaign is a good foundation for just that.

Will the people of Nevada respond?

Will you?