Campaign for Liberty begins health care campaign.

Campaign for Liberty has begun a television ad campaign concerning the health care bills now set to destroy the United States. You can contribute to the effort here.

The Government Can’t Control Health Care Costs

Matt Kibbe; August 25

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President Obama and members of Congress claim they can realize billions of dollars in cost savings simply by gaining control over the medical industry. They cannot. Despite its longstanding ability to fix prices through legislation and market dominance, the government has not and cannot effectively control the rising cost of health care.

The Harold B. Estes letter is confirmed.

For the past few days an email has circulated with a letter reported to be from Chief Boatswain’s Mate Harold B. Estes who served onboard the USS Missouri and other posts during World War II.

We have learned that Chief Boatswain’s Mate Estes is a real person who does, indeed, reside in Hawaii. He is a well-known figure in Hawaii having a record of service to his community after service to his country.

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McDonald v. Chicago making its way through court.

The question presented is Whether the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is incorporated as against the States by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities or Due Process Clauses.

I haven’t read all of the briefs, but I wonder if any of them pointed out that there is a document that “incorporates” the Second Amendment against the States. It’s called the Constitution of the United States of America. In fact, that document would have never passed had they not added the first ten amendments to the Constitution known as the inalienable Bill of Rights.

After all, Sotomayer said in her confirmation hearing that the Constitution and the words of the founding fathers should be the most important factor in any court decision.

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During a slow week at the Court, the amicus briefs filed Monday in the gun rights case McDonald v. Chicago continue to be the biggest news. At Balkinization, David Gans describes the “overwhelming case” made by the Constitutional Accountability Center in its amicus brief (of which he is a co-author) for the Court to rejuvenate the Privileges or Immunities Clause; at the same time, Gans aims to quell concerns that such a move would endanger the constitutional rights of non-citizens. Douglas Berman of Sentencing Law and Policy sifts through the briefs for arguments about criminal justice implications. And at The Volokh Conspiracy, Orin Kerr segues from originalist arguments in the briefs to a discussion of originalism and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

Panel votes to audit the Fed; cap its spending at $4 trillion

A key congressional panel on Thursday approved legislation introduced by the Texas congressman that—for the first time in the central bank’s 95-year-history—would require government audits of Federal Reserve monetary policy, as well as how much the central bank has lent and will lend to specific banks.

Fed Chief Ben Bernanke and other key members of the Obama administration, including Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, had vigorously opposed the move.

Federal Reserve tries theater ads to burnish its image

Spots urging shoppers to use their credit cards wisely will be shown on big screens in 12 U.S. cities. The central bank has long been accused of neglecting its consumer protection duties.
But will George Clooney write, direct and star in them?

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Seems Ron Paul has ruined Bernake's day.

Reporting from Washington – The Federal Reserve isn’t too popular these days, what with its failure to predict or prevent the financial crisis and recession, not to mention its involvement in last year’s bailouts. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has a bestselling book out called “End the Fed,” and some lawmakers are looking to cut back the central bank’s power.

It sounds like a perfect time for an ad campaign.

In Kentucky, a Senate Candidate With a Pedigree for Agitation

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Representative Ron Paul proved to be a surprising presence in the presidential race in 2008. Now his son, Dr. Rand Paul, has become an unexpected contender in the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky.

Dr. Paul — an ophthalmologist and a son of the congressman, a Texas Republican and former presidential candidate — has become a serious challenger in the race to succeed Senator Jim Bunning.

Harold B. Estes is real.

Honolulu Advisor, Thursday November 25, 2004

Harold B. Estes is a real person. According to a report by Navy League of the United States, in September of 2003 he was the inspiration for a weekly television show to be produced in Hawaii highlighting service at sea. It seems they have even honored him in the Fore and Aft publication.

Harold B. Estes: True or false e-mail?

This is another email making the email rounds. I am posting it to let you know it is unverified. If you can verify it, please feel free to comment. Even “Snoops” does not know.

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Where’s the debate, Al?

Obamanation shuts down First Amendment.

Obamanites do not seem to have a problem with State-over-religion in their interpretation of Separation of Church and State. They have managed to convince CafePress to discontinue “Pray for Obama” T-shirts with “secret code.” The ADL calls it a “death threat” and pastors who have prayed that prayer have been questioned by the Secret Service.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it seems, is all but forgotten.

CafePress has reversed itself for the second time and discontinued once and for all the sale of “Pray For Obama: Psalm 109:8″ merchandise, which is Christian code for “pray for Obama to get killed by God.”

CafePress pulled the merchandise earlier this week when people pointed out what the prayer meant, but they quickly restored the items, telling Gawker in a statement yesterday that the slogan was in line with “current public discourse and our determination of what it is fair political commentary.”

Psalm 109 is a “Cry For Vengeance.” Verse 8 reads: “Let his days be few; and let another take his office”; it goes on to ask God to kill the supplicant’s enemy and make beggars of his children. So some sneaky Christians thought it would be funny to sell T-shirts bearing the slogan at CafePress, because Godless liberals wouldn’t know that it was really a prayer for God to kill Barack Obama for being Muslim.

CafePress Is No Longer Officially Okay with Praying for Obama’s Death

Bloggers Getting Help On Two Legal Fronts

Citizen Journalists Are Getting Aid In The Courts And Legislatively

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Bloggers and other new media journalists are fighting for a seat at the big media table. The latest efforts are aimed at securing equal rights for reporters who write exclusively for the cyber-realm. These efforts are being made on a couple of different fronts.

First of all, making sure that both professional and citizen journalists who work exclusively for online media are included with more traditional journalists in any laws that are passed to protect journalists. Secondly, activists are making sure that online professional and citizen journalists have access to legal help in court battles. Both fronts are being seen by media activists as essential to making sure that all who perform journalistic functions are equal-class citizens.

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Police: Census worker made death look like homicide to get money

FRANKFORT — A part-time U.S. Census worker found dead near a secluded Clay County cemetery killed himself but tried to make the death look like a murder, authorities have concluded.

Bill Sparkman, 51, of London, apparently was trying to preserve payments under life insurance policies he had taken out, one as recently as May, which paid benefits if he died as a result of murder or accident, but not suicide or natural causes, police said.

Big Brother or Big Help? OnStar 2009 can stop moving cars via satellite

General Motors and its partner, OnStar, plan to introduce a new feature to GM vehicles in 2009: the ability for police to remotely stop a moving car if it has been reported as stolen. While the move adds another weapon against grand theft auto, it also opens doors that are cause for concern.

Starting in 2009, police may be able to stop vehicles in their tracks with a simple phone call. The technology would come as part of something that most of us are already familiar with: General Motors’ OnStar system. GM and OnStar demoed a prototype today of the new feature, called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, which will be targeted at… well, stolen vehicles on the road. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown will come as part of OnStar’s newest hardware, which will be available in some 1.7 million vehicles in 2009.

Football Thanksgiving and Super blunders.

Food snobs fork over $225 for taste of heritage turkey

The Bourbon Reds can cost up to $225 apiece.

No, we’re not talking fancy oak-barrel-aged liquor.

We’re talking heritage turkeys, relatively rare breeds of bird raised like their 19th-century counterparts — free range, natural mating (mainstream turkeys these days are too fat to mate) and slow growing — all part of the sustainable food production movement.