Libertarianism.Org: David S. D'Amato- 'The Most Liberal Value: Free Speech'

Source:The Daily Review- perhaps liberal democracy is not for the oversensitive in America.

"Recent events on American college campuses have prompted a debate on where we should draw the line that divides permissible from impermissible speech. Many students argue that some kinds of speech cause real trauma and hurt, and that therefore universities ought to intervene to protect them. The essential argument is the old and illiberal one that some words and ideas are simply out of bounds, that our benevolent rulers—in their infinite wisdom—must decide which words we may say or write, which books we may read, indeed, which opinions we may hold. Nevertheless, we might excuse students, unsophisticated and new to the world of ideas, for their failure to understand true liberal values. In all of their eager, overwrought opposition to intolerance, they have become the picture of intolerance. Much less pardonable, though, are the cowardice and capitulation of scholars and university administrators, who, despite their erudition and experience, have cleared the way for an authoritarian culture of hypersensitivity that grows stronger by the day. Just as the events of September 11th cowed us into embracing the most dangerous of enemies, the national security state, so too has our irrational fear of “hate speech” (and other similarly amorphous categories) persuaded us to abandon one of our foundational liberties. As Robert Higgs recently observed, we have regrettably become “a massively entertained, hyper fearful bunch of people who will sit still for a police state.” 

From Libertarianism.Org 

"As Professor Tom Bell explains, it was unfavorable speech that not only allowed individuals to protest Jim Crow laws and neo Nazis, but to fight for unpopular causes like the abolition of slavery or gay rights. In order for society to progress, hateful and offensive speech should not be censored. Freedom of expression must be protected." 

Source:Learn Liberty- on free speech in America.

From Learn Liberty

If someone told you that believe in free speech all the time, except when someone says something that they disagree with, find offensive, or offends people they believe deserves special protection, how would you respond to that? Someone says something that offends someone all the time in America. Whether the supposed target of the speech is right to be offended or not. Welcome to liberal democracy where you always have to the right to express yourself. The right for people to be intelligent and ignorant in the same society and even in the same person.

Again, we're talking about expression and speech. Not politeness, or meanness. Free speech in America is a guaranteed constitutional to a liberal amount of free speech that covers both politeness and meanness. As well as criticism and constructive criticism. Which means Americans have a hell of a lot of freedom to express themselves. That is what liberal free speech is about. Our Founding Fathers, (Our Founding Liberals) made Freedom of Speech our First Amendment for a very good reason: they saw it as our most important constitutional right.

No such thing as liberalism without free speech, free expression, freedom of assembly, the freedom of beliefs and philosophy including freedom of, or from religion. Without these guaranteed liberal constitutional rights liberalism doesn't exist and we are left with a world with one statist collectivist ideology after another with no one promoting freedom and free democracy. Except for perhaps today's so-called Progressives (Neo-Communists, really) who are more interested in the collective than individual rights including free speech.

Without liberalism and Liberals, we don't have the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Think about that for a second for anyone who wants too or claims liberalism as their political philosophy. Liberalism, the philosophy of liberty and individualism, as well as tolerance and equality, just as long as they're not forced upon people by the state. Without liberalism we don't have all of those guaranteed individual rights that Millennial's today have no problem taking advantage of when they're expressing their own views. Just as long as others aren't able to do the same when they say things that these college students disagree with.

If someone wants to convince me they're a Liberal, I'm going to ask them about free speech. I imagine their first answer will be something to the effect that they're in favor of it. That will be the easy part, but then like a good prosecutor that I'm not I'll ask them about political correctness, critical speech and even offensive speech. If they say they have no issues with redneck or Christian jokes as far as people having the right to make those comments, or that they agree with them, I'll agree with that person on that.

But then I'll ask today's young people (to sound corny) "how about minorities and Muslims? Do you support free speech or political correctness? Do you believe minorities deserve special protection that majorities don't when it comes to criticism and humor, or that everyone has the right to free speech regardless of who they're speaking about?" 

Depending on how young people answer those questions will determine if they're a Liberal or not. The person who says they're a Liberal and supports free speech regardless of who, or what it is about, will be the Liberal. At least when it comes to free speech. I would also want to know how they feel about Freedom of Choice in general and the Right to Privacy, government's role in helping who are struggling (to use as examples) but my first question would about free speech.

Liberalism, of course is not just about free speech. Liberalism is about individual rights and free choice, quality opportunity for everyone to succeed and that government even has a role here to see that everyone can succeed in society. But a big part of liberalism has to do with free choice and free expression. 

Our liberal free speech rights, our liberal rights to express ourselves, including public anger at our government when they do something that we hate and strongly disagree with and that even includes flag burning. Something that I'm against, but I support the right of others to disagree with me on that. 

Without freedom of speech as a liberal value, you don't have liberalism. It would be like being a Socialist who doesn't believe in the welfare state. A Libertarian who doesn't believe in the Right to Privacy: the philosophy would be destroyed as a result.

Commentary Magazine: Noah Rothman: 'The Party of Religious Freedom?'

Source:Commentary Magazine- The Donald J. Trump: thank God there is only one of them. America is not big and strong enough for another one.

"Marco Rubio missed an opportunity last night to do something that might have been politically stupid but nevertheless righteous. There is a malignancy eating away at the Republican Party, and Rubio passed on an opportunity to begin the work of excising it."

From Commentary Magazine

"The First Amendment- Prohibits making any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion. That is just covers Freedom of Religion in the United States under the First Amendment."

I don't like blogging about Donald Trump, because he's not a real presidential candidate. He's simply looking to further his own one-man reality TV career and perhaps get another book and documentary that of course is all about The Donald. As if there's nothing else going on in the world and no one else to write about. And if you watch CNN on the regular basis, you might get that impression from them anyway. 

But The Donald is pandering to a group of Americans on the Far-Right inside the Republican Party who believes only they have Freedom of Religion in America. And everyone else is subjected to what big government will allow them. Karl Marx would be proud.

The Republican Party and I think the establishment has already figured this out, but the party as a whole needs to decide are they going to be a party of Freedom of Religion, or are they going to be a fascist party that only tolerates religion and speech that they agree with. In other words is Freedom of Religion real for all believers and non-believers, or just for fundamentalist Evangelical Christians. 

Freedom of Speech covers all speech including offensive and critical speech of minorities, but speech that could come off as even anti-American to Democrats. Or just speech that Republicans agree with. Do Republicans want to be a party of freedom, or a fascist party that only supports the rights of people that Neo-Confederates and the Far-Right already agree with.

With The Donald, again a one-man reality TV star that is keeping CNN and MSNBC in business all by himself, but shouldn't be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. But the Far-Right, the Ann Coulter's, Alan Keyes, Pat Buchanan's, etc, of the world actually believe in this, garbage (to be kind) and would have no problem with either shutting down Mosques and rounding up all Muslims and perhaps Arabs in general. Either through executive force, or passing a couple constitutional amendments to do that, because neither one is constitutional right now. 

And this is what makes a pander and demagogue like Donald Trump dangerous. Because he will never come within a thousand delegates or more of winning the GOP nomination for president, or 270 votes of winning the Electoral College of winning the presidency as an Independent. But there plenty of people out there on the Far-Right who take him seriously and are using him for their own means. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

You can also see this post at The FreeState, on Blogger.

USA Today: Dan Carney- 'Football is Foreign to American Values'

Source:USA Today- Sunday Night Football on NBC's Michele Tafoya, talking to a Baltimore Raven in 2015. 

"Football is America’s game. We know this because the NFL says so, and because it attracts huge audiences. But mostly we know it because there’s a holiday dedicated to giving thanks for it."

From USA Today Opinion

"Asking Americans some questions about football

SUBSCRIBE to keep updated with football from Baha's point of view:The Life of Baha."

Source:The Life of Baha- talking about American football.

From The Life of Baha

I can’t think of another sport other than maybe baseball that represents America better than American football. Think about it: America represents almost everything that Americans love about America: winners and losers, finale, hard work, teamwork, reward for success, physical play, toughness, violence, fair play, the game is designed for TV, for if no other reason that the field is a hundred yards long and roughly fifty yards wide. Not that different from an average TV set today.

American football, is a working man’s game and even a working woman’s game as well. It is a sport for hard-working middle class Americans which most of us are. Unlike golf and even soccer, which is about as yuppie and coffee-house a sport as there is anywhere in the world.

I can see why Socialists in and outside of America don’t even like football, or prefer soccer, or even a combination of those things for the reasons why football represents America so well. With Socialists, the idea of winning and succeeding is somehow considered selfish if it is done on a an individual basis.

With soccer, the idea is not to win and to even score, but to prevent your opponents from winning and scoring. Ties, are like kissing your sister, or eating a cheeseburger dry, or without fries. Somehow doesn’t seem satisfying in America. But for Socialists: “What’s wrong with a tie? Not about losing, but about how you play the game.”American football can’t be that bad if you got a billion people or more every year watching our Super Bowl. America only has three-hundred and twenty-million people and still growing.

Americans, are a people on to themselves. Other than maybe Canadians I think you’re going to have a hell of a time finding a nationality that is anything like us. We are the true rebels on this planet where we actually expect to get out of life what we put into it. Unlike most of the rest of the developed world where it is not about individual success, but about how everyone else is doing.

With American sports and football is the perfect example of this: we expect one team to win and to know who had the better team at least for that one game. Because again we like winners and losers and whole concept is very foreign to especially Europeans who prefer soccer and collectivism.

It’s easy to see why soccer is so loved in Europe and the rest of the developed world outside of America and Canada. But there isn’t another sport again other than maybe baseball that better represents America and Americans like American football.

You can also see this post at The Daily Press, on Blogger.

Anglophenia: Siobhan Thompson: 'How to Insult Like The British'

Source:Anglophenia- Siobhan Thompson: teaching Americans how to be British assholes? The last time I checked, Americans were already experts on being assholes. LOL

"If you ever get into an argument with a British person, you'll wish you'd have watched this video. Siobhan Thompson gives you the tools to sling insults like a Brit.

Here are a few other insults via the Anglophenia blog:BBC America."

From Anglophenia

I couldn't swear like a Brit to save my life or someone else's, being an American and everything. Being of German background and just outside of Washington in Maryland I have a hard time making my voice sound that snobby and Anglo-Saxon formal.

I tend to sound more like I'm from Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia, than Connecticut, or London. If I was told I wouldn't have to die if I could swear just once like a Brit, I would probably ask what's the least painful way you can kill me. But I know how to make fun of the Brits, especially the snobby English who look down at people who drive BMW's as being poor. Since we have so many English-Americans in America especially on the East Coast and in New England.

What can I say about Britain? I hate the food, the weather, the socialism, collectivism in general, their top-down big unitarian London knows best for everyone else in the United Kingdom kind of government.

But similar to Ireland, their women sound good and their people are very funny. Watching Prime Ministers Questions is probably as funny as watching Saturday Night Live. Of course SNL has been going downhill since the mid-1990s or so, but PMQ has been going uphill. If American politicians could insult like British politicians, maybe our politicians would be as popular as personal injury attorney's and door to door life insurance salesman. Because the Brits do it in a way where even the person on the other side has to laugh at them self.

Britain, similar to Florida except without the great weather, food, hot Latin women, is a great place to see and visit, but not somewhere I would want to live. But a place where you could have a great time as a foreign visitor and get around. (If you can remember the steering wheel is on the right side of vehicle, or I guess machine in Britain) And have a great time laughing even at yourself as an English person tells you how much you suck and makes you laugh in the process.

But Britain is one of those countries where I think I might try to learn how to swim three-thousand miles back to Washington if I couldn't catch a flight, or boat, perhaps a car that swims, after a few days. Because of the rain and preppy snobby attitude. 

You can also see this post at Real Life Journal, on Blogger.

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger.

Anna Smith: Kobe Bryant: 'Will Retire After The 2015-16 Season'

Source:Anna Smith- Los Angeles Lakers great, Kobe Bryant.

"Kobe Bryant Will retire after 2015 2016 Season" 

From Anna Smith

Probably easy to say this now, but Kobe Bryant’s time to retire from the NBA has been here for a while. And it was really just about him finally seeing that and deciding to give up what has been one of the great NBA careers of all-time as far as what he’s personally accomplished and what the Los Angeles Lakers have accomplished with him. 

The Lakers are at least arguably the team of the 2000s winning four NBA Finals and six Western Conference Finals. The player of the 2000s at least if not post-Michael Jordan. 2008 MVP, 11 times All-NBA First team. 

But the Lakers haven’t made the NBA Playoffs since 2012 and have been pretty bad since. Actually, being the second best team not just in Los Angeles, but at Staples Center with the Clippers becoming a real force in the NBA. Yes, the Clippers and you’re not seeing that, because you’re high right now. Either on Red Bull, or something illegal.

Kobe, has been beat up the last few seasons, because of age and so many miles that he’s piled up on the NBA court which takes a toll on anyone’s body, even great players who accomplish superhuman feats. 

So Kobe I believe is late on this and the Lakers still aren’t very good and again looking like one of the worst teams in the NBA at 2-13 right now. Headed to their fourth straight non-playoff season in a league where 8-15 teams make the playoffs in each conference. All you have to do is be mediocre to make the NBA Playoffs and the Lakers aren’t even that right now. 

So as great of a career that Kobe has had and I at least believe the best player post-Michael Jordan (at least in the 2000s) but not the greatest Los Angeles Laker ever, both Kareem and Magic are better, but it has been time for Kobe to call it a career.

I grew up watching NBA basketball in the 1980s just outside of Washington with the Lakers being my second team behind the Wizards, who were called the Bullets back then. And fell out of love with the Lakers when they signed Shaquille O’Neal and went to a more ball control half court style of offense. Which was common for most NBA teams in the 1990s. 

But I’ve always have a lot of respect for Kobe Bryant, because he was truly a great player and not just a great talent. He was a gentlemen and professional basketball player in an era of realty TV and pop culture celebrity wannabes who played basketball really just to get on ESPN Sportscenter, be celebrated online and further their NBA careers. 

Kobe, is very similar to Tim Duncan in how he presents himself as the constant professional who lets his game speak for itself. He was a great player who would have thrived in the NBA hey day of the 1980s just like Big Tim and will be surely missed. 

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The Daily Conversation: 'Bernie vs Hillary On The Issues'

Source:The Daily Conversation- BS vs HRC.

"How Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders view the major issues of the 2016 Democratic Primary Presidential Campaign."

Source:The Daily Review- BS vs HRC.

From The Daily Conversation

The differences between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton? Well which Hillary Clinton are you talking about. 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, hopefully not as Secretary of State. Don’t want 2016 to be about Libya for her, assuming she is the Democratic nominee for president.

I actually like the 2015-16 Hillary quite a bit. She’s even now in favor of legalizing marijuana at least at the state level. Has publicly admitted that the Iraq War was a mistake, even if she privately knew that in 2006.

The 2015-16 Hillary looks like the Pragmatic Progressive. But I still prefer the Progressive With Results from Martin O’Malley. And if he can ever get a non-relative to endorse him for president and give his campaign money, he might still make a run for the Democratic nomination. Because he’s already accomplished as Governor of Maryland what Bernie and Hillary say they want to do, but have never actually accomplished anything.

With Bernie Sanders, like him, dislike him, hate him, love him, terrified of him and would never want to let him see your wallet and financial information for fear that all of your money would suddenly disappear after Uncle Sam takes what he wants from you, you have to at least respect him.

Bernie is a real-life politician not a made up Hollywood politician, but a real-life human being and politician at the same time, (which might be a newsflash for a lot of Americans) who actually knows what he believes and says what he thinks. For the most part.

I mean free college, free health care, free health insurance, I think he’s at least smart enough to know that people will have to pay for all of their new government services and that of course they won’t be free. These will not be Christmas presents from their rich Uncle Bernie. But their Socialist Uncle Sam, or Bernie, who’ll have new taxes to pay for these services.

Two guarantees in life, death and taxes, at least in America. And taxes are bills that Americans have to pay to get the free government services. Free government services is like trying to take a bath with dirt and playing football in the bathtub. It simply doesn’t exist for anyone whose a taxpayer.

Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders, to me at least looks like Bill Clinton vs George McGovern, or Jerry Brown, from back in Jerry’s hippie radical days in the 1960s and early 70s. Hard to imagine that once Bernie after he finally picks a number by how much he wants to expand the Federal Government in size and in money, assuming that ever happens, that he could beat Hillary anywhere outside of New England and San Francisco. And perhaps just Vermont and San Francisco. Too bad for Bernie that New York City is not a state, because maybe he could beat Hillary there.

Because Americans and even Democrats, are learning that to create all the new big government that Senator Sanders wants to create, the rich won’t pay for all of that. Their money will be in other countries even before some committee in Congress like Ways and Means, or Finance, looks at his proposals.

So of course the middle class Americans will get stuck with the tax bills for all of these new programs. Hillary, is already scoring against Bernie in the debates on this. About whose going to pay to being Sweden to America.

Hillary can say: “I have friends in Congress both in the Senate and House who I’ve worked with on these issues in both parties. And we can work together on these issues.” With Bernie it will an all or nothing approach that will die in Congress faster than a constitutional amendment to repeal both the first and second amendments.

The Richest: The Worst Black Friday Disasters

Black Friday, the official start of the Christmas shopping season in America and as someone who has some experience working in retail I know how crazy it can be. It is that one day of the year where Americans can go crazy and not look crazy, because they must have whatever the current OMG product is out there. Generally having something to do with new technology. And if they don’t get that product, they’ll look like so old school, or 2014 or whatever the year is compared with people who already have that new smart phone, iPad, or whatever the hell it is. It is that one day of the year that people find great deals on stuff that they don’t need and buy it. To wake up the next day to figure out they don’t want or need whatever the thing is that they just found a great deal on. And besides, what they just bought is already old school compared with whatever the latest thing is.

It is that day of the year where people can camp out the night before so they’re in at Best Buy, Macy’s, or whatever the store is, the second it opens and be able to buy whatever they think they’re looking for at that second, to find out they don’t want it, or need it when they get home. Or perhaps its a present and they think to them self, “why would this person want this.” Black Friday, is 21st Century pop and valley culture gone wild, where everyone has that one day to be more like whatever their favorite current celebrity is until they find a new one the next day. Despite all the stupidity that comes from Black Friday with all the faddism that comes from it, as someone smart once said and I’m paraphrasing, but that idiots are useful. Black Friday, puts money in people’s wallets, saves people money if they spend their money wisely on stuff they can actually use and need and it also creates a lot of jobs. Things that we still need a lot of as a country.

For Social Justice Warriors, (speaking of useful idiots) Black Friday is not a racist holiday. It is not some racial slur at African-Americans and anyone else of African descent. It is also not some day that promotes economic greed and the weakness’ of private enterprise, capitalism and corporate greed. It is a great use to the American economy, because it creates jobs and keeps business’s successful. It puts money in average Americans wallets and saves money for a lot of Americans who spend the day wisely. Yes, private business’s end up doing very well on this day, but that’s called private enterprise and capitalism. And workers and consumers don’t do well when business’s don’t do well. These things go together. And someone not a fan of this system should explain what they would do differently. Perhaps try to find some state-run business that has real competition that does well on Black Friday. Or Rainbow Friday, or whatever the politically correct term would be for it.