GOVERNACIDE: Afghanistan war has failed spectacularly

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

http://www.inforum.com/opinion/columnists/4341146-carlson-its-time-end-americas-longest-war

Carlson: It’s time to end America’s longest war
By Brock Carlson on Oct 10, 2017 at 11:35 a.m.

*** begin quote ***

On Oct. 16, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of Afghanistan, was launched by the U.S. government in response to the 9/11 attacks. Now, 16 years later, that war continues under a new name, with its third commander-in-chief, new generals, and is being fought by soldiers who were toddlers when it started.

The war has cost an estimated $2.7 trillion dollars, 2,403 US soldiers killed in action, over 1,000 coalition soldiers killed, over 20,000 US soldiers wounded, who knows how many suicides, and over 149,000 Afghans killed, who are people too after all.

The time has long passed for politicians and generals to stop the talk of “national security” and admit that our nation’s longest war has failed. Not only has it failed, but it has failed spectacularly.

*** end quote ***

Why can’t we just declare victory and bring all the girls and boys home now!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — attributed to Einstein

I don’t care (really) about the money. After all, it’s a “sunk cost” and business school teaches that you should ignore it when making a decision about the future.

I do care about the human toll — vets, their families, the country’s moral fiber, and all the collateral damage.

Besides weren’t almost all of the hijackers Saudis? I never saw us hold them to account.

Argh!

Dona Nobis Pacem

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: KILL the Department of Agriculture

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

https://spectator.org/on-the-department-of-welfare-crony-subsidies-and-math-about-vegetables/

Crony Capitalism Watch
On the Department of Welfare, Crony Subsidies, and Math About Vegetables
* If the Department of Agriculture were honest, that’s what it would call itself.
JON CASSIDY October 11, 2017, 12:05 am

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The bulk of its budget, some $126 billion, is required by law to be wasted on welfare, farm subsidies, and such, but for the $25 billion remainder, the department has some discretion as to how it would like to waste the money on welfare and farm subsidies. There are massive programs for wasting the money indiscriminately, but also grant programs to spend the money in a targeted pointless way. An Austin gardener wants $100,000 to sell his hippie neighbors on the merits of organic produce? This is the place to fund that.*

*** and ***

*It should be noted that organic food is a good idea. But it’s an idea that sells itself and we don’t need the Feds making the case.

*** end quote ***

Let’s end the DoA as a bad idea whose time has past!

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RANT: Amazon Breaks Up With … …

Monday, October 16, 2017

Amazon Breaks Up With FTL!

Amazon apparently didn’t like us telling you that shopping through the links at shop.freetalklive.com helped Free Talk Live, so last week they dumped us. Seems like a pretty lame excuse to end an agreement that had lasted for more than a decade, but that’s what happened! (To be clear, we’ve only been dumped by Amazon US. The affiliate links for the UK and Canada Amazons are still working.)

If you want to do online shopping with Free Talk Live, go ahead and bookmark our Walmart link: walmart.freetalklive.com

Also, you can still use cryptocurrency like bitcoin to get deep discounts on everything you buy at Amazon and a small part of your purchases at SaveatPurse.com do benefit FTL.

So, even without Amazon US, there are still plenty of ways for you to buy and benefit Free Talk Live. Thanks for helping us while helping yourself to the stuff you need and want!

Also, thanks for listening to Free Talk Live,
Ian

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I’m upset with Amazon. Maybe if I complain?

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POLITICAL: “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs” — birth control

Monday, October 16, 2017

http://www.jeffjacoby.com/20409/if-you-can-pay-for-aspirin-you-can-pay-for-birth

If you can pay for aspirin, you can pay for birth control
by Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe
October 11, 2017

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News flash to Warren, et al.: There is no attack on health care, and no in America is being deprived of birth control. You are losing nothing but the power to force nuns to pay for your oral contraceptives. As a matter of common decency, you should be ashamed of demanding something so outrageous.

*** end quote ***

Why do the Taxpayers have to pay for this?

Why do the Taxpayers have to pay for “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”?

Why do the Taxpayers have to pay for anything and everything that the politicians and bureaucrats can dream up?

Argh!

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ECONOMICS: Seems like cost-savings will sweep the land of truck drivers?

Sunday, October 15, 2017

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/10/american-trucker-automation-jobs

End of the road

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“Labor accounts for 75% of the cost of transporting shipments by truck, so adopters can begin to realize those savings. Beyond that, while truckers are prohibited from driving more than 11 hours per day without taking an eight-hour break, a driverless truck can drive for the entire day. This effectively doubles the output of the trucking network at a quarter of the cost. That’s an eight-times increase in productivity, without taking into account other benefits gained by automation,” he says.

*** end quote ***

Clearly, that efficiency will lower the prices of goods and services.

The human cost to individuals will be catastrophic.

As Jason Stapleton keeps saying: “You must invest in your own human capital.” 

The job you have today may not exist in a decade; adapt or die.

And, politicians and bureaucrats or “unions” can’t stop the “eight times increase in productivity”.

Sigh!

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SECURITY: Use a password manager PLEASE!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

https://www.lifewire.com/password-managers-4151868

I recommend and use LASTPASS. It makes it trivial to use long unique complex passwords

https://lastpass.com/f?408336 

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WSJ: Repeal the Jones Act

Friday, October 13, 2017

FROM BEHIND THE WSJ PAYWALL

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The better solution is for Mr. Trump to waive the Jones Act for Puerto Rico for at least a year, and then throw his weight behind a Congressional repeal of the law. Otherwise, he’s rewarding the swamp of shipping special interests at the expense of Puerto Ricans and U.S. taxpayers.

*** end quote ***

Under the heading of “never waste a good crisis”, “we”, little L libertarians, should take the opportunity to repeal one of the “payoffs” to Crony Capitalists.

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RANT: Twitter suspension is political?

Thursday, October 12, 2017

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/twitter-suspends-rose-mcgowans-account-1048018

Twitter Suspends Rose McGowan’s Account
11:00 PM PDT 10/11/2017 by Abid Rahman , Jackie Strause

The actress, who has emerged as a Hollywood voice in the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal, revealed the news on her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

******

Seems like twitter is afraid to offend the Hollywood establishment?

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GUNS: Anti-gun proposals would be immoral, ineffective, and inefficient.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

http://www.wnd.com/2017/10/top-5-anti-gun-proposals-and-why-theyll-never-stop-a-madman/

TOP 5 ANTI-GUN PROPOSALS AND WHY THEY’LL NEVER STOP A MADMAN
Firearms expert reveals only real way to save innocent lives, end mass shootings
Published: 13 hours ago GREG COROMBOS

*** begin quote *** 

“In 98-plus percent of these mass public shootings since 1970, these attackers have gone in places where they knew victims weren’t able to defend themselves, so-called gun-free zones where general citizens weren’t allowed to have guns for protection,” Lott explained.

“The reason why they go and do that is because they may be crazy in some sense, but they’re not stupid. They want to kill as many people as possible. And they know if they go to a place where people can’t protect themselves, they’re going to be able to go and kill more people.”

*** end quote ***

In short, the looney left has not come up with a single idea that would prevent anything.

We are plagued by their “good intentions” and Unintended Consequences!

Argh!

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: First Gooferment creates the problem … …

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

FROM BEHIND THE WSJ PAYWALL

https://www.wsj.com/articles/end-of-the-social-security-number-a-white-house-official-thinks-so-1507069469

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‘I feel very strongly that the Social Security number has outlived its usefulness.’—Rob Joyce, the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator

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Identity theft would be VIRTUALLY impossible without the “Social Security Number”.

Ignore for a moment that the societal problems that the whole concept of “Social Security” has created, just look at the havoc that the “identifier” has created.

The Nazis tattooed numbers not hose they wanted to kill. Cows are ear tagged “identification purposes”. What’s the difference?

Argh!

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