One Way to Read It

I'm moving on to greener pastures. Visit me at  ballotandcross.com My views have changed a lot since I began this blog.  I started out as kind of a socialist.  I am now an anarcho-capitalist. My views—on war, the environment, and our responsibility for the poor, local food—have changed little.  I am proud of many of the posts on this blog.  But it's time to separate from the past and begin anew. I hope those of you who've enjoyed this blog will move forward with me. Thanks, C-L-W

This post was so well written, that I wanted to share it in full: The Bloody Cruelty of Empires Posted by Lew Rockwell on April 13, 2011 06:58 PM When the Romans, in a series of wars, destroyed the great commercial civilization of Phoenician Carthage (Libya), they burned it to the ground and forced their new slaves to sow salt in the fields, to poison them, or so we are told. Today, the Americans (or, rather, their Nato running dogs) are doing something far worse: they are using depleted uranium ammunition, as they did in Iraq and so many other places, to poison the land and the people and the unborn. The number of malformed babies and miscarriages will be horrific. Here’s what they did to the people of Falujah for daring to resist the invading and foreign contractors. Say, isn’t it the pro-life Christianists who do this and cheer it on? (Thanks to Luis Almeida)

Your tax dollars at work, paying for a TSA agent to molest little girls (click for video). Don't you feel safer?

I am no longer a Democrat because I am anti-war. I am not a Republican, because I am anti-mercantilist. There is only one free-market, anti-war candidate that I know: Ron Paul. There are a bunch of losers aiming for the GOP ticket for president. Many magazines, newspapers, and shows seem to conveniently omit Ron Paul, even though he won the 2011 CPAC poll. Author Tom Woods here defends the misrepresented Paul:

Government propagandists have successfully convinced many that war is good.

Ed Schultz claims to be a liberal, but he sounds like a neocon to me. Obama has been criticized for trying to compromise between parties, but it looks like he's unified them under one party, the War Party.

There are a lot of Mormons out there who make me sad . But there's wheat among the tares. Jonna, a convert from Finland, is coming out with a new album that looks great. See her website . I also watched an interview with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the broadway musical "The Book of Mormon." At first this made me nervous, I thought it was more negative propaganda against the church. But they say it's more of a celebration of Mormonism. And I'm happy that they approach my religion with the same skepticism and mockery as they would any other. That's fair.

Though I’m Mormon, I support Ron Paul over Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney, I’m sure, is a great man—but he knows it. Take a look at his hair. He wears that piece like crown of assumed authority. Ron Paul looks like an amicable grandpa who sometimes tells stories that no one understands (but in his case, it is caused by our ignorance, not his senility). We need wisdom more than charisma, experience more than courage. Charisma and courage have led us into countless, endless, wars in the last century. We need wisdom that will steer us toward peace. We need the experience of men who have seen the innocent die , who know firsthand the cost of sacrifice, who will never sacrifice our children to an unjust war. We need a revolution. We need Ron Paul .

Obama promised to cut the budget by an astounding $100 million: Some of that money will be used to prevent you from enjoying yourself: Some will be used to pay men to abuse, rape, and murder people . A lot will be used to support dictators , assassinate democratically-elected leaders , and wage unjust wars (see D&C 98 starting with verse 32). Happy tax season.

This video made me cry: This made me laugh: This made me hope:

Clever. Ads start at 0:24.

The creators of South Park play a vital function in our society, of questioning established institutions, and challenging the status quo. Thankfully they have decided to dedicate much of their time on the Mormons. Mormons have continuously been strengthened in their faith by critics, who, thinking they have found a hole in our doctrine, have stuck their finger in, only to unleash a geyser of new information that supports and substantiates the story of Joseph Smith. T he South Park episode "All About the Mormons" ( Season 7 Episode 12 ) oversimplifies Joseph Smith, which can be forgiven, because it is a cartoon. Nevertheless, the idea that Joseph was well-received by an easily-duped public distorts history, for people in the 1800s were just as skeptical of Joseph then as they are now (if for different reasons), and rather than a receiving a sunny welcome, Joseph was persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and murdered. The fatal weak point in South Park's criticism, shared by m...

The TSA notoriously searched a shirtless four-year-old autistic kid. The boy's father took off his shirt , but still. A TSA xray rapescan operater in Colorado was caught masturbating to a highschool football team. Rapescan executive Deepak Chopra traveled to India with President Obama , ensuring a continued alliance between our government and the every-traveler-a-porn-star industry. The TSA made a breast cancer-survivor show her breast implant. The TSA broke the seal on a urostomy bag of another cancer-survivor, soaking his pants in urine , and did not apologize. I continue my rallying cry to travelers: "Don't wash your balls" for the TSA. It's unconstitutional, intrusive, humiliating, and ineffective.

The TSA has taken naked pictures of flyers with enough detail " to enable agents to determine whether a man has been circumcised, or whether a woman is menstruating , " they will now fondle the balls and breasts of those who refuse to be blasted with radiation (even children). The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Tip/Wag - TSA, Bert & Dogs www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive We have a right of protection from warrantless search and seizure. The government has trespassed against the 4th amendment, and must be held responsible. We can fight against this unconstitutional procedure. I advise all travelers to not wash your balls a few days before you travel. When they finger your privates, moisten their glove with an odor foul enough to be classified as a biological weapon. It's time to fight back. The government does not have the right to treat us like criminals, nor to molest our childr...

At the DMV of all places. I've been reading a lot of Austrian Economics, which proves that freedom is the best economic policy for prosperity, and I wondered why government-run businesses are said to be so bad. When I went to register my car I took mental notes: The customer service at the DMV isn't terrible. The workers seem more like office staff than CS reps. But it wasn't awful. Each employee had a laser printer. At my work, we share one printer between three sections (over 20 people). That's an example of wasteful spending you hear about. Not a huge deal. What was it that makes the DMV so bad? They're not selling anything that I want. What is their product? If I pay them about $200 bucks a year, they promise not to send cops to harass me. If I don't pay, cops will pull me over and fine me, and if I don't pay the fine, they'll jail me like a criminal. I'm bribing them to not bully me. In this exchange, I get "protection" and the...

It is sad when people murder. We must mourn with those who mourn. The pastor who planned on burning Qurans (Korans) today should be ignored. First, unless he steals the Qurans, he has to purchase them. This means that the pastor is supporting Quran printers, which is a good thing. Also, burning books? Really? He is definitely making a statement, but he communicates no intelligence. I would ask you to take some time to read the Quran today. Reach out to the Muslims in your community, and let them know you bear no ill will toward them or their religion. And one word on "the 1st 9/11." Some anti-Mo's made a movie a few years ago calling the Mountain Meadows Massacre the 1st 9/11. Apparently some of the documentation of the massacre that makes Mormons look really bad, was forged by the notorious Mark Hoffman. I'm not sure on the precise nature of the documents, but I imagine this, like most other horror stories about Mormons, has been exaggerated. Not that the ...

According to KSL, the “patriot” who put up this billboard has been “ watching radio and TV talk shows and is skeptical the center is supposed to promote peace. ” Thanks Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, for trampling the freedom of religion in order to persecute Muslims. Here's commentary on what the billboardist has likely been watching: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party Jon Stewart, once again, is a master teacher.

Whenever someone asks you to believe that war is good for the economy, he asks you to acquiesce in a conspiracy that murders to get gain.

I recently wrote this to my friend who works for the IRS. Taxes are necessary, especially for the national defense. Two cases to support this: The Irish of the 8th and 9th century, and the American Indians of the 14th through the 19th. The Irish and the Indians lacked a centralized government, and therefore paid no taxes. Because of this, trade flourished and war was non-existent among them. However, both societies were destroyed by outsiders who paid taxes, and who therefore had the means to support a well-trained army. Lesson: pay enough taxes to provide for the common defense. The question now arises: how much should the people pay? This is where your job comes in. You might not get to set the tax rate, but it is your job to make sure people pay up. Why does an ordinarily honest citizen risk “stealing” from the government? Because a man evades taxes that he considers unreasonably high. In other words, tax evasion does not prove that Americans are criminals; rather, it proves...

I've been having this discussion with a friend recently: Though our conversation wasn't nearly as cool.