Now This...

Just in time before the start of 2016, a new poll just released has rocked the political and academic world! By the widest margin ever recorded, Brian Wilson , noted broadcaster, blogger, podcaster, author and LRC contributor, has been named 2015 “America’s Most Admired Political Pundit” according to a Gallop survey.

Toward the end of my last conversation with Judge Napolitano, I asked him for a prediction, just one prediction for 2016 that I could note on the calendar and we could track for accuracy and precedents. You may recall, the judge responded that the answer to my question was part of his end of the year column for Lou Rockwell.com which he had already written. As a result, all of us would just have to wait until the 31st to find out. Fearlessly, I have a few predictions of my own.

Most people prefer to believe that their leaders are just and fair, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which he lives is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it.

Dear Santa, Here’s a great idea for a Christmas present only you can bring as a gift to America. With your state-of-the-art workshop along with the talent and genius of your elves, your North Pole HQ could make this happen just in the Nick of time (Nick…St Nick…get it?! Ho Ho Ho!) OK - here’s the plan: Since none of the GOP Top Tier Presidential candidates have all the qualities and talents necessary to capture the hearts and minds of American voters, construct the Perfect Composite Candidate made from the “best and brightest” qualities of all of them!

  Islam is not like any other religion. What I am about to share is the ultimate truth that has been lived, experienced and suffered by me for more than 30 years. This experience was gained by living in my home country of Egypt which is now a pure Muslim society. Like so many others I have been burned by this transformation. This transformation has seen me witness and experience Islam turn my home country to ruins and its followers are now threatening to bring the same fate to your own country.

A lot of Americans believe that the American “Founders” created a system that automatically fixes itself. They talk about the “balance of powers,” and think that it will always save them from a tyrant. The balanced powers of the US Constitution, however, were trashed within fifteen years and doubly-trashed just a century ago. In the Constitution,

In response to this New Yorker piece.... So a staff scribbler with the dependably predictable anti-gun prejudice tosses off an opinion piece chock full of the same nutty emotive code words and factually incorrect statements, all the while ignoring significantly inconvenient elements of the story that mess with his conclusions. Paraphrasing Dean Wormer ("Animal House" for the youngsters): Myopic, uninformed and proud of it is no way to go through life, son. Owning a gun -  or 5 dozen guns -

From a colleague, reiterating some of my earlier comments and adding some new ones... BW They will kill him before they let him be president.  It could be a Republican or a Democrat that instigates the shutting up of Trump.  Don't be surprised if Trump has an accident.  Some people are getting very nervous: Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Jon Corzine, to name just a few. 

I'm the first one to admit that in the grand scheme, I really don't know anything. But here's the way I see it: An incident such as just transpired in Paris has several elements to be scrutinized: motivation (such as, say, adherence to a violent ideology), facilitation (such as, say, how the killers were funded and/or armed), and provocation (such as, say, blowback, or retaliation to western foreign policy).

Life is complex and there are no easy or simplistic answers. All paths include risks, and ultimately, all paths are determined by US. IF we are victims, we are our own oppressors. Our power cannot be taken, it can only be given.

The United States is in decline. While not all major shocks to the system will be devastating, when the right one comes along, the outcome may be dramatic. Not all explosives are the same. We all know you have to be careful with dynamite.

  Of the many accusations thrown at the Obama administration: Incompetence, Brilliant, Stupid, Evil, Clowns, “clowns” may be the most misleading. The Obama administration is deadly serious. It’s made excellent progress on achieving all of its goals. Calling them clowns leads to a state of denial that (a) minimizes the significance of what they have accomplished, (b) underestimates their focus and discipline which is superb,

Quoting.... We don’t need to wake people up. Enough people are already awake. What needs to happen now is that those people who are awake become motivated, determined and carry out their duty to act against the enemy. We don’t need more dispiriting, defeatist voices.

My friend and " Judging Freedom " colleague Judge Andrew Napolitano speaks openly about Pope Francis, his visit to the US and his traditionalist Catholicism vs a "Marxist" Pope... Click here

"Who is best qualified to be President?" How does one become "qualified" to oversee the coercive micromanaging of the lives of several hundred million people? One doesn't. Ever.

In next year’s Republican Presidential primaries, voters will be dealing with something new: a real choice! Not just among the crowded field of candidates but the most varied group of individuals we’ve seen in some peoples’ lifetimes: veterans of the Inside-The-Beltway political machine, New Kids on the Block and, most uniquely,

Even with the rest of the world in some stage of social, political and economic turmoil, some good news seeps out occasionally.... BW "The group, consisting of scientists from the CSIRO, the University of Melbourne and Monash University

Need even more proof of the horrors that result when "Government is here to help"? Andrew Syrios pens a few informative paragraphs about the history of Government's destructive incursions into the "institution" of marriage.

Predictably, in the wake of the recent dual homicides here on the shores of Smith Mountain Lake where I live, the strident screeds for gun control are ringing throughout the mainstream media courtesy of All The Usual Suspects paddling around the political cesspool.  Emotions are funny, volatile things, difficult to control under the best of circumstances.

Rummaging thru some boxes that hadn’t been unpacked from several previous moves, I rediscovered a great little book published back in 2002. The title is “Mobocracy – How the media’s obsession with polling twists the news, alters elections and undermines democracy”.

Note: I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking at length with Mr. Machan 20+ years ago in Atlanta with the release of "Private Rights and Public Illusions". I regret my knowledge and appreciation of the principles of Freedom and Liberty

Personally, I cannot comment with any informed authority on the recommendations that follow the article below. However, the writer provides a compelling summary of where we've been, how we got here and what's next. BW The End Game The next step in getting ready for the collapse is an all-out effort to confiscate the wealth of the public. This can be seen in the effort to push investors away

"As reported by The New American, Comey testified that he believes the government's spy and law enforcement agencies should have unfettered access to everything Americans may store or send in electronic format: On computer hard drives, in so-called i-clouds,

"The State is 'nothing but men acting in concert'. The grounds for justification of State action can only be “the same principles which differentiate the proper from the improper actions of the individual. […] Despite the lofty pretensions of most governments, the fact remains that they, like any other group of men,

If you share pictures on-line, you are likely inviting very UNwelcome guests to steal your stuff - and maybe other things... Ain't technology great?! Sometimes not so much...    Check it out here BW

Like 90-some million Americans, several close friends/family members have been in the job hunt for some time. Their stories of the apply-wait-interview (or not) process has been fascinating

Former guest Roger Pilon (VP-Cato Institute) writes a compelling piece about the latest government atrocities:

"Time is the sole arbiter between Precience and Paranoia" is one of my personal homilies conjured during a lively discussion on "conspiracies" on KSFO/San Francisco. With that in mind here are some timely observations from friend John Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute: Once upon a time, there was a nation of people who believed everything they were told by their government. When terrorists attacked the country,

It seems few had any major "tear down these flags" problems with The Confederate Flag until some nutjob killed fewer people than die in Chicago every Friday night. Populist policy-setting and news media provocation by Lowest Common Denominator appears to be the nanny-state's new media normal. Actually, Cognitive Dissonance is the New Normal...

"Wherever government officials sense a credible threat to their power, they invariably take every opportunity to crush it by any means necessary: this is the first principle of how governments function, and every libertarian is all too familiar with it. The post-9/11 era has brought this lesson home,

The array of ad hominems flung in the face of libertarian anarchists is astonishing. We are called utopian, simplistic, unrealistic, impractical, and unconstructive, at best, and quite commonly called idiotic, arrogant, ill-informed, stupid, malevolent, and even destructive. A man from Mars listening to these calumnies

Even if you have never read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" or seen the valiant attempt to make it into a 3-part movie, John Galt's speech,the heart and soul of Rand's novel, covers 56 pages in the paperback edition; it alone is worth the time to read. But in today's world of Instant Gratification, many who should won't make the effort.

Free speech is necessary to free society for all the stuff after the “but”, after the “however”. There’s no fine line between “free speech” and “hate speech”: Free speech is hate speech; it’s for the speech you hate – and for all your speech that the other guy hates. . . .  Click here

Back in the early '90's, I had the pleasure of my first interview with Joseph Bast , President/CEO of The Heartland Institute . Today, Heartland is among the leading think tanks in America on the forefront of Liberty related issues: free speech, environment, health care and others. Recently, the Vatican teamed with the United Nations for Pope's Global Warming Summit,

Friend Monty Pelerin writes: "There are no economic problems. There are only political problems. Economics is self-equilibrating, if not meddled with. Every political intervention is an attempt to thwart individual intentions and

If you haven't heard Robert Eschauzier, here's your chance.   See also "Cause and Defect" here

Still having a problem understanding that "Liberty" thingy? Check this out...

Recently, I became acquainted with Robert Eschauzier, of The Online Freedom Academy Discussion Group and author of the thought-provoking essay below. Yesterday, I enjoyed a brief but enlightening conversation during which he agreed to extend our chat later this month for the Libertas Media Project which will be available here. While it may be obvious to some,

On April 6th, I posted " A Final (?) Word on the Doctrine of Ethical Virtue ", a reference to Robert Eschauzier' s " Anarchism and Aristotle’s “Doctrine of Ethical Virtue ”. Philosophically and strategically, I thought it was a slam dunk of the musings-passing-for-deep-thought from one Nelson Hultberg. I was wrong. I was correct - except from Mr. Hultberg's perspective. He subsequently engaged in a spontaneously combusted on-line debate with Mr. Eschauzier. If you enjoyed the first, you will enjoy the last: Robert Eschausier's mis-matched tangle with Mr. Hultberg.

When they lose the moral/philosophical argument (against 'government', 'authority' and the State), statists love to fall back on "What's the alternative?" Then they expect Anarchists to describe how every aspect of everyone's lives, until the end of time, will all work perfectly without

Robert Eschauzier posts responses to Nelson Hultburg's piece in the Daily Bell...   Read it here...

The distinction between natural rights and positive rights illustrates how many people view government’s role today. For example, take a person buying an automobile and a person seeking health care or buying health insurance. If government is empowered

Judge Andrew Napolitano and I have been "Judging Freedom" for 3 years. But even in 3 years, you can cover just so much in 20-30 minute increments per week! The mission statement of the Libertas Media Project and the central focus of our conversations

Buffalo Springfield had a 1967 hit with prescient lyrics to this column from Tom Englehardt. Pull quote: After all, a grim new American system is arising before our eyes. Everything we once learned

“Government: If you refuse to pay unjust taxes, your property will be confiscated. If you attempt to defend your property, you will be arrested. If you resist arrest, you will be clubbed. If you defend yourself against clubbing, you will be shot dead. These procedures are known as the Rule of Law.” —Edward Abbey The problem is that the people are taught that when violence has been made “legal” and is committed by “authority,” it changes from immoral violence into righteous “law enforcement.” The fundamental premise upon which all “government” rests is

"...authoritarians and other sociopaths seek one thing above all else – control. Some are satisfied with just dominating the local PTA, but others want to dominate the world. It is just a matter of degree, but these people exist. And they will do whatever they can to smother the rights of others, which recurs time and again throughout history." James Turk The approach is reminiscent of that of King Solomon’s offer to “cut the baby in half” (the Aristotelian mean?) in order to satisfy competing claims for the child.

With all the Cheers and Jeers of C-PAC 2015 fading into Yesterday’s News, let us carpe the diem to add to the growing list of oxymoronic fantasies in desperate need of extinction, a term heard early and often whenever conservatives and libertarians congregate: “Limited Government”. Like “settled science”, the Tooth Fairy and Honest Politicians, not only is there no such thing, there never has been.

...that may save you indescribable hassles, physical injury, money and your freedom.... Watch here. (Take notes)

FOX News Senior judicial analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano and I are buds. If you haven't heard, he and I chat weekly in "Judging Freedom", 20 minutes of revealing (and usually entertaining) conversation about current events that impact Freedom and, by extension, our personal, daily lives. I've often told the Judge, on and off the air, he should come out swinging harder than he is seen on FOX, even harder than he has done in "Judging Freedom". Whether my

It’s unfortunate Hart and others feel compelled to ever sharpen the point on their heads with modifiers like “William F. Buckley, Jr conservatives”, “Goldwater conservatives”, “Born-again conservatives”, “un-re-constitutional, fat-free, lo-cal, no sodium, Natural Blond conservatives”.  At least Democrats are Liberals are Progressives – and that’s about it. When did any “D” further define himself as a “Karl Marx liberal” or a “Vladimir Lenin liberal” or a “ABCNBCCBSCNNNPR liberal?

From Zero Hedge : The kabuki theater that passes for governance in Washington D.C. reveals the profound level of ignorance shrouding this Empire of Debt in its prolonged death throes. Ignorance of facts; ignorance of math; ignorance of history; ignorance of reality; and ignorance of how ignorant we’ve become as a nation, have set us up for an epic fall. It’s almost as if we relish wallowing in our ignorance like a fat lazy sow in a mud hole. The lords of the manor are able to retain their power, control and huge ill-gotten riches because the government educated serfs are too ignorant to recognize the self-evident contradictions in the propaganda they are inundated with by state controlled media on a daily basis. (Read more at Zero Hedge.)

From our friends at the Rutherford Institute: Consider the following facts:   

A friend and fan of Talk radio sent a puff piece about a syndicated colleague whom I've known casually for a few years. The article/interview made him out to be quite "larger" (as to influence) than he actually is, at least as far as the pecking order in this biz. Both the writer and the talk host did not shy away from fostering the notion that both he and Talk radio were the tails wagging the dogs of politics and public opinion. With that in mind, I wrote back.. He was set up to one side of me when we were broadcasting from CPAC a few years back.

When will they ever learn...? When will they ever learn? - Pete Seeger (Minor edit: When will WE ever learn.....? If Americans were honest with themselves they would acknowledge that the Republic is no more. We now live in a police state.

From Zero Hedge: Once upon a time, America was the land of the free and the home of the brave, but now we are being transformed into a socialist police state where control freak bureaucrats use millions of laws, rules and regulations to crack down on anyone that dares to think for themselves. How bad? This bad....

From Zero Hedge: The human race is rather amusing in that, generally speaking, much of it seems to desire conflict, struggle, and competition for its own sake. Some people seem to have a natural desire to play the ruler and boss others around. Some have a natural desire to play the victim and be bossed around.

Thirty years ago (!!), I had the opportunity to interview George Carlin. If it hadn't been for our respective schedules, I think we'd still be talking today.     One of his succinct moments.