Conservative Conversation and Community
In mid-December, I wrote about the murder of a convenience store clerk in “Drug Dealing: Not a Victimless Crime.” In that piece, you saw the rapid response of a makeshift shrine, with many prayer candles burning. Now, that temporary shrine is replaced with a permanent cross, lit by two prayer candles at all times.
The cross confirms the sparse details given in a follow-up KTAR news story, shortly after the murderous attack, or robbery attempt:
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My Ricochet profile includes a statement of principles. In part:
MoreOn economics, I support maximizing liberty under the minimum law needed for
informed, consensual exchanges. There is no truly free trade or truly neutral
government.
I find curious the subject of sanctuary cities; specifically why limited government conservatives support the Trump administration’s attempts to “do something” about them. Those attempts haven’t yielded much other than litigation, and so the Trump administration has started talking about arresting local officials who do not play along. Similar is the Attorney General’s recent decision to rescind the Cole Memo, paving the way for federal prosecutors to begin cracking down on marijuana producers and retailers in states where such a thing is legal.
We have the phenomenon of those conservatives who talk about the virtues of federalism, states’ rights, subsidiarity, and limited government but it all goes right out the window when it comes to Mexicans or pot.
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John Stossel joins the Whiskey Politics Podcast just as we were setting up at Freedom Fest (apologies for the few audio glitches). John spoke on regulations, entitlements, the ongoing drug war, the impact of legalization, why he despises Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and how to ensure future generations will be taught about the benefits of free markets. John can now be found on Reason TV and is focusing on teaching students basic economic principals at Stossel In The Classroom where students can get free DVDs.
For decades you have seen John appear on ABC News and Fox Business Channel preaching libertarian political philosophy and views on economics focusing on free markets. John has received 19 Emmy Awards and five National Press Club awards for excellence in consumer reporting. Stossel has written three books recounting how his experiences in journalism shaped his socioeconomic views, Give Me a Break in 2004, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity in 2007, and No They Can’t! Why Government Fails but Individuals Succeed.
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The author is a veteran newspaperman and was arguably the most libertarian writer in the mainstream media during his long career with the Las Vegas Review-Journal (a collection of his essays has been published as Send In The Waco Killers). He earlier turned his hand to fiction in 2005’s The Black Arrow, a delightful libertarian […]
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Last year, Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana, thanks to a popular initiative. I was happy with the voters’ decision, even though I’m not a fan of weed and would recommend people avoid it. Our society doesn’t need another way to avoid reality, but the drug war has staggering costs, both in personal freedom and government spending. That’s why I’m happy to see a few states roll back the restrictions on something as commonplace as pot.
Earlier this week, Ohio voters rejected a referendum to legalize grass, though this proposal also created an unwieldy cartel to distribute the product. I was fine with Ohio voters’ decision, as well. My own state of Arizona is expected to have a ganga legalization vote next year and, though I’m currently undecided, I wouldn’t be surprised if I voted against it. So why am I fine with Coloradans and Washingtonians passing around blunts, and also fine with Ohio and Arizona just saying no? It’s not as inconsistent as it seems.
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“My mother was a smoker,” Chris Christie told a New Hampshire audience in a video that has gone viral. Though she tried everything – gum, patches, hypnosis – nothing worked. When she was diagnosed with cancer, he continued, “No one came to me and said, ‘Don’t treat her ’cause she got what she deserved.’ No one … said, ‘Hey listen, you know your mother was dumb. She started smoking when she was 16. Then after we told her it was bad for her, she kept doing it, so we’re not going to give her chemotherapy, we’re not gonna give her radiation, we’re not going to give her any of that stuff — you know why? Cause she’s getting what she deserves.’ No one said that.”
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I asked this question on Fred’s post about the problems his family’s had filling his mom’s prescriptions for painkillers — medication she needs to treat the pain of advanced lung cancer. Moments after asking it, I began thinking, “Hey, wait — that’s a good question.”
Or maybe it isn’t, but I figured there could be no harm asking, because I bet I’m not the only one to wonder.
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It seems to me that social media have used shame to effectively sway public opinion about gay marriage. See how nice this person is? How can you deny him/her/zhe the marital benefits they desire? You must be a very bad, mean, hateful person. Don’t make them feel bad! Shame on you! It also goes on […]
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Here is a story of a mother and cannabis activist whose eleven-year-old son spoke up during his DARE program at school about some of the facts the officer was incorrect about. As [Banda] Shona’s son listened to the misinformation given by authorities to his class during the drug education presentation, he courageously spoke up and informed […]
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