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	<title>inertia&#187; Anthony Martin</title>
	<atom:link href="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/author/anthony-martin/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com</link>
	<description>Ⓐ³</description>
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		<title>Bloodbath?</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/397/bloodbath/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/397/bloodbath/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:37:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[//It seems that at the moment, the primary rejoinder of the White House about the information released by WikiLeaks is that more innocent lives have been put at risk now than would have been without the leaks.  If this is true, at some point, further leaks would cause the loss of innocent to approach the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float: left; width: 140px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; left: 8px;"><script>//<![CDATA[
reddit_url="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/397/bloodbath/";
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</script><script language="javascript" src="http://reddit.com/button.js?t=1"></script></div><!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'>It seems that at the moment, the primary rejoinder of the White House about the information released by WikiLeaks is that more innocent lives have been put at risk now than would have been without the leaks.  If this is true, at some point, further leaks would cause the loss of innocent to approach the level that would result from a complete withdrawal.  That&#39;s why I think these predictions are all total fabrications and BS.  The White House likely believes there is a very real &quot;risk&quot; resulting from future leaks.  They would likely call them &quot;copycat leaks.&quot;  But courage is contagious, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange">Assanage</a> so astutely pointed out.  Therefore future, even bigger leaks are an altogether credible inevitability.  Why not minimize the loss of innocent life by making a strategic withdrawal as soon as possible?  If innocent life really is such a priority to the White House, why not leave now?
<p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/bloodbath">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>
</p></div>
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		<title>The Magic Threshold</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/390/the-magic-threshold/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/390/the-magic-threshold/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:48:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
		<description><![CDATA[//WARNING: This is forbidden knowledge.  I'm just telling you right up front.  If you explore this idea too much, you might become an "undesirable."  You've been warned. Basically, the point I'm trying to make here is that taxation is theft.  It seems to me that most people believe taxation is not theft.  They believe theft [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float: left; width: 140px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; left: 8px;"><script>//<![CDATA[
reddit_url="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/390/the-magic-threshold/";
//]]&gt;
</script><script language="javascript" src="http://reddit.com/button.js?t=1"></script></div><!-- google_ad_section_start --><p><strong>WARNING</strong>: This is forbidden knowledge.  I'm just telling you right up front.  If you explore this idea too much, you might become an "undesirable."  You've been warned.</p>
<p>Basically, the point I'm trying to make here is that taxation is theft.  It seems to me that most people believe taxation is not theft.  They believe theft is immoral and taxation is just not seen as immoral.  I'm going to question this notion.  The basis is that if one person "taxes" you, it's theft.  But if multiple people tax you, somehow it's not theft (assuming they've taken the necessary precaution of writing words on paper, also known as "law").</p>
<p>The way I see it, taxes are institutionalized theft.  That is, theft that has been made "legitimate."  But how does someone take something immoral and convert it into something moral?</p>
<p>I've pose two questions to help sort out the difference between theft performed by an individual and institutionalized theft (that is, theft by a group of individuals, also known as government).</p>
<div><ol>
	<li>If taxation is not theft, what would government have to do in order to commit theft?</li>
	<li>If taxation is not theft, is over-taxation theft?</li>
</ol></div>
<p>For some reason, the first question takes a lot of effort for people to answer.  It's a little out of left field, right?  The second question sort-of gives an inch to the idea.  In fact, it allows the you to answer the first question and open the door to the idea that taxation is actually theft.</p>
<p>If I can get some agreement from above line of questioning, I can bring it home with a soliloquy I call "The Magic Threshold."</p>
<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 40px; border: medium none; padding: 0px;">
<p><strong>The Magic Threshold</strong></p>
<p>Premise: 1) Assuming taxation is not theft *until* the level taxation is deemed to be excessive. 2) Government is not capable of theft *until* taxation is excessive; before that it is just not theft. 3) This level might well be different for everyone.</p>
<p>Questions: Is it possible for an individual to do the same? Is there a certain level at which taking something that's not yours is also *not* theft *until* a certain nominal level, *then* after that level is crossed, it *becomes* theft?</p>
<p>If so, what was it called before the theft threshold is crossed for that individual?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You might simply reply, "I don't think it applies to the individual. It applies to the collective of society."</p>
<p>To which I reply, "But I assume you are not suggesting that collectives are bound by a different set of moral consideration, right?"</p>

<p style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/the-magic-threshold">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a></p>

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		<title>Mark Edge Interviews Benjamin Powell: Immigration</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/388/mark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigration/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/388/mark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigration/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:54:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[// &#160;&#160;Download now or listen on posterous Mark Edge Interviews Benjamin Powell_ Immigration.m4a (18447 KB) Attached is an excellent interview from July 14th, 2010 between Mark Edge and Benjamin Powell on the topic of immigration. And in &#34;rebuttal&#34; by Lou Dobbs: Notice, all Dobbs can do is call Powell an idiot and a jackass.  That&#39;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float: left; width: 140px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; left: 8px;"><script>//<![CDATA[
reddit_url="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/388/mark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigration/";
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</script><script language="javascript" src="http://reddit.com/button.js?t=1"></script></div><!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'>       <div style='padding: 5px 5px 10px 5px; margin-top: 5px; border: 1px solid #ddd; background-color: #fff;line-height: 16px;'>       <div style="float: left; margin-right: 5px; overflow: visible;"><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/Edzo1gvwFDFQgDxoumklB5GgIWjkKDCiD9ERCJCZFxYoqWfIdzP3lF4T6mPS/Mark_Edge_Interviews_Benjamin_.m4a' style='color: #bc7134;'><img src='http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/unknown.png' style='border: none;'/></a></div>       <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #424037;line-height: 16px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;<br/>Download now or <a href='http://inertia.posterous.com/mark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigrat' style='color: #bc7134;'>listen on posterous</a></div>       <b><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/Edzo1gvwFDFQgDxoumklB5GgIWjkKDCiD9ERCJCZFxYoqWfIdzP3lF4T6mPS/Mark_Edge_Interviews_Benjamin_.m4a' style='color: #bc7134;'>Mark Edge Interviews Benjamin Powell_ Immigration.m4a</a></b> <span style="font-size: 10px; color: #424037;">(18447 KB)</span>       <br style="clear: both;"/></div>      <p>Attached is an excellent interview from July 14th, 2010 between Mark Edge and Benjamin Powell on <a href="http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2010/Powellimmigration.html" target="_blank">the topic of immigration</a>.<p /> And in &quot;rebuttal&quot; by Lou Dobbs:<p /> <object height="417" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zoDb3D7B2Zo&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" /></param><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zoDb3D7B2Zo&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="window" height="417" width="500"></embed></object><p />Notice, all Dobbs can do is call Powell an idiot and a jackass.  That&#39;s his only rebuttal.  On top of that, Dobbs confuses &quot;fact&quot; with &quot;opinion.&quot;  The fact is, there is no such thing as illegal immigration because that notion is built on top of the opinion that states and nations exist in the first place.<br /></p>      <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/mark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigrat">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F388%2Fmark-edge-interviews-benjamin-powell-immigration%2F&amp;linkname=Mark%20Edge%20Interviews%20Benjamin%20Powell%3A%20Immigration"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Statelessness and &quot;Cyber-Scammers&quot;</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/384/statelessness-and-cyber-scammers/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/384/statelessness-and-cyber-scammers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:52:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[As reported by Slashdot: Barence writes &#34;A pernicious new type of scam is targeting British computer owners, reports PC Pro. The con is both fiendishly clever and ridiculously simple. The fraudster cold-calls the customer and tells them that Microsoft has detected a virus on their PC, then invites them to download a piece of remote-assistance software. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'><div><div>As reported by Slashdot:<br /> <br /></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Barence writes &quot;A pernicious new type of scam is targeting British computer owners, reports PC Pro. The con is both fiendishly clever and ridiculously simple. The fraudster cold-calls the customer and tells them that Microsoft has detected a virus on their PC, then invites them to download a piece of remote-assistance software. No doubt reassured by the lines of indecipherable code flitting across their screen, the caller assures the customer they can make the virus vanish – but first, of course, they want payment. £185 to be precise. The spoof site behind the scam is approved by McAfee&#39;s Site Advisor and bears Microsoft logos, something which both companies have failed to act upon. Meanwhile, an assortment of British regulators have said there is nothing they can do to stop it.&quot;<br /> </blockquote><div><br />Source: <a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/07/06/1554229/The-Unstoppable-Tech-Support-Scam" target="_blank">Slashdot</a><p>This is a great example of what people imagine a stateless society would look like.  If the authorities aren&#39;t there to step in, how will people be protected against predators and &quot;cyber-scammers?&quot;  Well, in the current &quot;regulated&quot; environment, scammers are encouraged to think of ways around regulation.  Regulations only offer a false sense of security.  People are actually left unprotected from the scams when a simple exploit is discovered.</p><p> Compulsory &quot;safeguards&quot; that are required or will be required by government causes software and hardware vendors to raise their prices by embedding their regulatory costs.  After a particularly bad incident like the one in the above article, vendors will be required by government to add more fraud protection after the fact, otherwise leave the market.  In the case of the EU, it already has many regulations on the books that increase the cost of going to market.  Regulations upon regulations will also keep certain vendors out of these markets.</p><p> Regulatory costs in systems like this are hidden by the falling price of physical computer hardware (costs naturally fall in the computer industry).  But believe me, these embedded costs are there.  At some point soon, I expect government intervention in information technology will represent the bulk of the cost of information technology (it probably already has).  Regulations will also get further and further behind the latest threat from scammers.</p><p> What would be the reality in a stateless situation?  What is the solution without government regulation?</p></div><p /><div>Well, since people would know there&#39;s no compulsory safety net, computers would be sold with an optional support service.  Due to the lack of embedded tax levied and regulation compliance on the sale of hardware and software, the initial price would be much lower in the stateless society.  So people who can support their own systems don&#39;t have to pay for these services.  There is no distributed penalty.<p> Imagine an entire computer rig, both hardware and software, that costs $50 without support service.  Then you pay another $50 for security service that expires after two years.  This security service comes with a great support package (like perimeter software with automatic updates and phone support).  After two years, you can renew the service for another $50 or buy a newer (better) rig for $50 (plus another $50 for another two years of service).</p><p> If someone manages to scam you, the computer security company pays for a new rig plus compensation for damages beyond that.  The security company then has a direct incentive to secure its customers from being scammed.  So they will make sure you&#39;re on the latest firewall software or what have you.  They will also send you understandable information about the latest scams.  For some people who need it, there would be cause to send DVDs with instructions on how to handle calls from scammers, e-mail attachments, et cetera.  Again, because they have an economic incentive to prevent fraud, there is no limit to the innovation they&#39;ll use.</p><p /></div><div>And if they fail to protect on a constant basis, they run the risk of going out of business, unlike legislators do in our current situation.</div> <div><br />Then there&#39;s competition.  Maybe another computer security company only charges $25 because they don&#39;t send training media.  Or maybe all of the computer security companies realize they are competing against your family members and <span>geek <span>friends who offer free support.  Maybe your geek friend will chip in to pay for some or all of the $50 to keep you from calling.  Maybe the geek friend gets a discount or reward for hooking up all his technophobe friends with a support contract.  Competition and voluntary interaction is where the free market  really shines.</span></span></div> <div> <br />Is it perfect?  No.  But it would be way better and more effective than the compulsory system we now have (and also what&#39;s on the horizon in the near future).<br /></div><p /><div>For more information about statelessness and what a voluntary society might look like, please consider: <a href="http://c4ss.org/content/2973" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://c4ss.org/content/2973" target="_blank">http://c4ss.org/content/2973</a></div> </div><p />      <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/statelessness-and-cyber-scammers">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" 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		<title>The Good Stuff</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/382/the-good-stuff/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/382/the-good-stuff/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:51:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I am told I am a very negative person and I don&#39;t say enough good things about the United States.  Well, part of that is because we so often base our perception of the US as being its government.  But the people are the rulers, thus the elected officials are the servant government.  At least, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'>I am told I am a very negative person and I don&#39;t say enough good things about the United States.  Well, part of that is because we so often base our perception of the US as being its government.  But the people are the rulers, thus the elected officials are the servant government.  At least, that&#39;s how it should be.  There is also supposed to be a division between a country&#39;s private sector and its public sector, otherwise we have state run for-profit initiatives, which is a bad thing (fascism).<p /> So I&#39;ve decided to look for the good things about American, inside and outside the government.  This is by no means an exhaustive list.  This is more-or-less a grouping of accolades and accomplishments I&#39;ve singled out for specific reasons.<p /> And remember, all praise is <b>relative</b> opinion.<p /><b>Warren G. Harding</b><p />I was asked who my favorite president was in the last 150 years.  Off the bat, President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_G._Harding" target="_blank">Warren G. Harding</a> came to mind.  The reason is, when they started to see economic problems, his solution was to invite his buddies over to the White House to play cards and drink booze.<p /> I like that approach.  Doing nothing was a pretty good plan.  True Laissez-faire.<p />In other words, he did nothing and the economic problems subsided quickly.  But in the process of doing nothing, he also allowed the Federal Reserve System to continue to exist, so that was a Bad Thing.  Not his fault, but not something he saw fit to fix either.<p /> <b>Harry Truman</b><p />There had to be another president on my list, so after doing a little more research, I&#39;ve decided <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman" target="_blank">Harry Truman</a> is another favorite.  He did a lot more than nothing.  He got the federal government out of the way of the free market.  He started to restore the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_Agreement" target="_blank">gold standard</a> after the war.  He repealed price controls that were put in place for the war.  In other words, he did things that were detrimental to the growth of the Federal Government.  He took his oath seriously.<p /> Any president who puts us back on the gold standard gets a AAA rating in my book.  If Bush had done it even after all of what has happened, even after saying, &quot;I&#39;ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system,&quot; I would have given him a AAA rating if he would have at least put us back on the gold standard.  Keep in mind, if Bush did that, the dollar would probably have to be revalued to $40,000 per gold ounce instead of $35 like in Truman&#39;s day, but that&#39;s a step in the right direction (I just pulled that number out of the air, same place the dollar comes from).<p /> <b>SpaceX</b><p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is an American space-transportation startup company founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk. It is developing partially reusable launch vehicles - the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 - and the Dragon series of space capsules.</blockquote> <div>Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> <br /></div><br /><object height="417" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/To-XOPgaGsQ&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" /></param><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/To-XOPgaGsQ&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" wmode="window" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="417" width="500"></embed></object><p /> The reason this is impressive is that they did this in spite of all the resistance and interference of the government.  But it also illustrates where private industry is technologically.<p /><b>Chinese Food</b><p /> Technically, I&#39;m referring to American-Chinese Food, but this 15 minute video sums it all up:<p /><object height="326" width="446"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" /></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff" /></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/Jenny8Lee_2008P-high.flv&#038;su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/Jenny8Lee-2008P.embed_thumbnail.jpg&#038;vw=432&#038;vh=240&#038;ap=0&#038;ti=424" /><embed allowFullScreen="true" src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="326" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/Jenny8Lee_2008P-high.flv&#038;su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/Jenny8Lee-2008P.embed_thumbnail.jpg&#038;vw=432&#038;vh=240&#038;ap=0&#038;ti=424" bgColor="#ffffff" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="446"></embed></object><p /> <b>Is America Number One?</b><p /> Here&#39;s an ABC special from late 1999 featuring John Stossel.  It&#39;s 40 minutes long and outlines exactly why I&#39;m happy to be here.<p /><object height="417" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PZpDjxIPpFc&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" /></param><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PZpDjxIPpFc&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" wmode="window" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="417" width="500"></embed></object><p /> <b>Coming To America</b><p /><object height="250" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2424744&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=00ADEF&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2424744&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=00ADEF&amp;fullscreen=1" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="250" width="500"></embed></object><p />So there you have it.  That&#39;s the good stuff about America.  I&#39;m sure there&#39;s a lot more, but remember, <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/my-great-uncle-alfred" target="_blank">I&#39;m a curmudgeon</a>.       <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/the-good-stuff-23">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F382%2Fthe-good-stuff%2F&amp;linkname=The%20Good%20Stuff"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Your Token Government</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/380/your-token-government/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/380/your-token-government/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:34:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[//As part of an ongoing dialog with fellow Christians, when the discussion leads to politics, as it does many times, my position seems to perplex.  Many times, it boils down to the question, &#34;What is the legitimate role of government?&#34;And if you know me, the answer I give is none whatsoever.I concede that if we [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="float: left; width: 140px; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; left: 8px;"><script>//<![CDATA[
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</script><script language="javascript" src="http://reddit.com/button.js?t=1"></script></div><!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'>As part of an ongoing dialog with fellow Christians, when the discussion leads to politics, as it does many times, my position seems to perplex.  Many times, it boils down to the question, &quot;What is the legitimate role of government?&quot;<p /><div>And if you know me, the answer I give is none whatsoever.</div><p /><div>I concede that if we are forced to have a government, then the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and private property.  Or, to put it even more simply, the role of government is to protect individual rights.  Anything more is an overstep of bounds.</div> <p /><div>But if we are forced to have a government, that force can go beyond the original role.  Why?  Because it was forced upon us in the first place.</div><p /><div>Yet this is what people probably mean when they say they are in favor of small government.  They&#39;re in favor of small force, hoping that it won&#39;t become big force.  Of course, this also turns on the notion that any person in favor of government smaller than <i>you</i>  like is considered to be some kind of anarchist.</div> <p /><div>With Christians, the discussion leads to Romans 13 and other parts of scripture.  Ok, so if that&#39;s you, then here&#39;s a question for you:</div><p /><div>How can anyone defend small government using Romans 13?  I don&#39;t think the original audience saw Rome as a small government.</div> <p /><div>Also if you can manage to demonstrate that small government is authorized by Romans 13, how small can it be before it becomes unbiblical?</div><p /><div>Well, I have yet to get a good answer to those questions.</div>      <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/your-token-government">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F380%2Fyour-token-government%2F&amp;linkname=Your%20Token%20Government"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/378/homeschooling-vs-public-schooling/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/378/homeschooling-vs-public-schooling/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 18:18:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/MRfW0obV9nktosDVCswgijwUNsKrInE1E4DrVBSFc11DbDcL8JwDCoFxW137/30926_115864978446432_10000068.jpg" width="400" height="400"/> <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/homeschooling-vs-public-schooling-1">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F378%2Fhomeschooling-vs-public-schooling%2F&amp;linkname=Homeschooling%20vs.%20Public%20Schooling"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Because of Romans 13</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/358/because-of-romans-13/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/358/because-of-romans-13/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:50:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[// anarchism n. The&#160;belief&#160;that proposes the&#160;absence&#160;and&#160;abolition&#160;of&#160;government&#160;in all&#160;forms. Specifically, a&#160;political&#160;and&#160;philosophical&#160;belief that all forms of&#160;involuntary&#160;rule&#160;or government are&#160;undesirable&#160;or&#160;unnecessary, and that&#160;society&#160;could&#160;function&#160;without a ruler or involuntary government (a&#160;state). &#160;Me: I don't think government &#160;&#160; &#160; should have a monopoly&#160;&#160; &#160; on the use&#160;of&#160;force.You: I don't even know what&#160;&#160; &#160; that means.&#160;Me: Well, you know what&#160;&#160; &#160; government is, right?You: Yes.&#160;Me: [...]]]></description>
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<p><strong>anarchism <em>n.</em></strong></p>
<p />
<ol>
<li>The&nbsp;belief&nbsp;that proposes the&nbsp;absence&nbsp;and&nbsp;abolition&nbsp;of&nbsp;government&nbsp;in all&nbsp;forms.</li>
<li>Specifically, a&nbsp;political&nbsp;and&nbsp;philosophical&nbsp;belief that all forms of&nbsp;involuntary&nbsp;rule&nbsp;or government are&nbsp;undesirable&nbsp;or&nbsp;unnecessary, and that&nbsp;society&nbsp;could&nbsp;function&nbsp;without a ruler or involuntary government (a&nbsp;state).</li>
</ol>
<p><span style="font-size: small; font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;">&nbsp;Me: I don't think government<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; should have a monopoly<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; on the use&nbsp;of&nbsp;force.<br />You: I don't even know what<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that means.<br />&nbsp;Me: Well, you know what<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; government is, right?<br />You: Yes.<br />&nbsp;Me: And you know what a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; monopoly is, right?<br /> You: Yes.<br />&nbsp;Me: And you know what force<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; is, right?<br />You: Yes.<br />&nbsp;Me: So where's the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; confusion?<br />You: Well, I guess I've never<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; put it all together like<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that.&nbsp;I&nbsp;thought monopoly<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; was part of business and<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; stuff.<br />&nbsp;Me: Yes and no.<br />You: Government isn't in the&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; business of force.<br />&nbsp;Me: It's not?<br />You: I don't think so.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Government is about law<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; and order. &nbsp;Justice.<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Stuff like that.<br />&nbsp;Me: And when it isn't?<br />You: Well, it's not perfect.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Nobody said it was.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; It's the best&nbsp;option we<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; have, though.<br />&nbsp;Me: And how did you come to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that conclusion?<br /> You: I guess from school.<br />&nbsp;Me: You mean government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; school?<br />You: And church.<br />&nbsp;Me: You mean the 501(c)(3)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; organization?<br />You: What?<br />&nbsp;Me: Churches have a tax<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; status called 501(c)(3)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that gives them&nbsp;economic<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; favors&nbsp;from government.<br />You: OK, look. &nbsp;Even if<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that's true, which I<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; seriously doubt, the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Bible says we should<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; submit to government.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; The church just&nbsp;teaches<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; what the Bible says.<br /> &nbsp;Me: So we should submit to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; our government because<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; the Bible says&nbsp;so?<br />You: Because of Romans 13.<br />&nbsp;Me: Was Paul writing to you?<br />You: Yes, all of us.<br />&nbsp;Me: So Paul was writing to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; all humans, everywhere,<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; all time?<br />You: Well, I guess he did<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; have a specific audience<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; in Rome. &nbsp;But&nbsp;it&nbsp;still<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; applies. &nbsp;It's good<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; advise.<br />&nbsp;Me: What advise was Paul<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; giving in Romans 13?<br />You: That government exists<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; whether we like it or<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; not. &nbsp;That&nbsp;government is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of God.&nbsp;&nbsp;And the greater<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; context is that we<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; should live in harmony<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; with&nbsp;one another.<br />&nbsp;Me: So if a government&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; exist, that alone is<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; prima facie evidence<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;that God&nbsp;created&nbsp;that<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; government?<br />You: Prima facie-wa?<br />&nbsp;Me: Prima facie evidence is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; evidence&nbsp;that is correct<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; "on its first<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;appearance"&nbsp;or correct<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; just at a&nbsp;glance.<br />You: Yes, in a nutshell, but<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I think you're about to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; use that&nbsp;against me<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; somehow.<br />&nbsp;Me: Exactly. &nbsp;What about<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; King George III of the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; United Kingdom?<br /> You: What about him?<br />&nbsp;Me: Did Paul imply that King<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; George was of God?<br />You: But you aren't talking<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; about starting a new&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; government like&nbsp;the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; colonialists did.<br />&nbsp;Me: So then, it's OK to&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; resist King George<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; because the&nbsp;colonialists<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; intentions were&nbsp;to set<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; up a new government in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; its&nbsp;place?<br />You: I think you're trying to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; trap me again. &nbsp;All I'm<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; saying is&nbsp;that you can't<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; use Romans 13 to defend<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your position.<br />&nbsp;Me: Only you can.<br />You: Well, yeah, because the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; outcome is still at<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; least a government&nbsp;when<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; it's all over.<br />&nbsp;Me: I don't see anything in<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Romans 13 that says you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; can resist a&nbsp;government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that is of God for any<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; reason. &nbsp;So how was the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; American Revolution<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; justified in resisting<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; King George? &nbsp;I'm&nbsp;just<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; asking you to be<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; consistent. &nbsp;The<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; American Revolutionary<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; War began when armed<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; conflict between British<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; regulars and&nbsp;colonial<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; militiamen broke out in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; New England in April<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 1775.&nbsp;Were the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; militiamen&nbsp;acting&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; consistently with&nbsp;Romans<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 13?<br />You: Among the two choices,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; be ruled from afar by<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; King George or be&nbsp;ruled<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; by a republic, the&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; republic represented the<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; best&nbsp;situation yet still<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; fit within Romans 13&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; example.<br />&nbsp;Me: So even if I could&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; provide an even better<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; situation, if it&nbsp;doesn't<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; fit within the Romans 13<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; example, it is not a<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; viable&nbsp;option?<br />You: Yes, you got it!<br />&nbsp;Me: May I disagree with you?<br />You: Well of course, but keep<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; in mind, you are&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; disagreeing with&nbsp;God.<br />&nbsp;Me: Maybe so. &nbsp;But if I was<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; to disagree with you,<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; would you take&nbsp;steps to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; keep me from acting on<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; my disbelief or would<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; you&nbsp;leave it between me<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; and God?<br />You: Me personally? &nbsp;No, I&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; don't think I would. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; It's between you&nbsp;and&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; God.<br />&nbsp;Me: That's great! &nbsp;So if you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; were "asked" to&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; "contribute" one half of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; one&nbsp;cent&nbsp;towards keeping<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; me from acting on my<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; belief, would you&nbsp;not<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; contribute?<br /> You: Wait a second. &nbsp;You mean<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; pay my taxes, right?<br />&nbsp;Me: Right. &nbsp;It might cost $1<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; million for government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; to deal with&nbsp;me. &nbsp;Your<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; "fair share" is maybe<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; about one half of one<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; cent.<br />You: Well. &nbsp;I guess I would<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; pay if it kept me out of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; jail.<br />&nbsp;Me: So either jail or be<span style="float: right ;"><a href="http://twitter.com/arrowj/status/11265282174">@arrowj</a>, <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/TSD-core/browse_frm/thread/815b6e5d867481b5/36d5469c776730cf?#36d5469c776730cf">TSD Core</a></span><br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; jailed.<br />You:&nbsp;Because of Romans 13.<br />&nbsp;Me: Is that what Paul meant<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; by, as you say, living<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; in harmony with&nbsp;one<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; another?<br />You: But that's your own<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; fault, not mine.<br />&nbsp;Me: It's my own fault?<br />You: Yes. &nbsp;You're the one in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; error. &nbsp;Clearly.<br />&nbsp;Me: So you are banking on<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your interpretation of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Romans 13 to&nbsp;absolve<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your role in the use of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; force by government to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; throw&nbsp;me in jail for<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; acting to&nbsp;resist<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; government?<br />You: You call it an<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interpretation, but it's<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; pretty widely&nbsp;accepted.<br />&nbsp;Me: Widely accepted by the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 501(c)(3)&nbsp;organizations?<br />You: You seem to think you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; have a better idea than<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; government. &nbsp;But<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;government is&nbsp;God's<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; idea. &nbsp;How can you have<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; a better idea than&nbsp;God<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; does?<br />&nbsp;Me: God, by definition, has<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; the best ideas. &nbsp;I do<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; not believe&nbsp;Romans 13<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; defines your government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; as&nbsp;one of those ideas.<br />You: You hold a minority<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; opinion. &nbsp;If you can get<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; more people to&nbsp;believe<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; the way you do, maybe<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; things will change.<br />&nbsp;Me: So until then, be<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; jailed?<br />You: That's our system.<br />&nbsp;Me: No, that's your system.<br /> You: You can always leave.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; You always have that<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; option.<br />&nbsp;Me: So be jailed or leave.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Those are my options?<br />You: All you're doing is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; trying to make me sound<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; like a monster.&nbsp;&nbsp;But<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; what you're talking<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; about sounds an awfully<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; lot like&nbsp;anarchy. &nbsp;I<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; think maybe you are the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; monster.<br />&nbsp;Me: And government schools<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; told you anarchy is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; chaos. &nbsp;501(c)(3)s<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; told you anarchy is not<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of God.<br />You: You keep turning this<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; around on me. &nbsp;I don't<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; like that very&nbsp;much.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I'm sorry I called you a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; monster. &nbsp;Let's agree to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; disagree!<br /> &nbsp;Me: I am just pointing out a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; conflict of interest.<br />You: The Romans 13<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interpretation is clear<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; enough that a conflict<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of interest wouldn't<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; matter, if it even<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; existed.<br /> &nbsp;Me: And there is no doubt in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your mind that God<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; grants a monopoly&nbsp;use of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; force to government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;because of Romans 13?<br />You: I'm still not sure what<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; you mean by that. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Wouldn't anarchy&nbsp;also<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; require&nbsp;force?<br />&nbsp;Me: Yes.<br />You: So what's the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; difference?<br />&nbsp;Me: Imagine there were two<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; governments on the same<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; plot of land&nbsp;that you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; and I could choose from.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Neither government was<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; perfect.&nbsp;&nbsp;But you and I<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; could pick our&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; allegiance&nbsp;between the<span style="float: right ;"><a href="http://fr33agents.ning.com/forum/topics/now-what">Now What?</a></span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; two at&nbsp;any time or on a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; whim.&nbsp;&nbsp;Those two<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; governments would&nbsp;have<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; to compete&nbsp;for&nbsp;scarce<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; allegiance. &nbsp;Technically<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; speaking,&nbsp;these<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;governments&nbsp;are not&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; governments&nbsp;because&nbsp;they<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; do not have&nbsp;a&nbsp;monopoly.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Therefore,&nbsp;we have<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; anarchy.<br />You: I don't get how that's<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; any better.<br /> &nbsp;Me: Scarce&nbsp;allegiance is how<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; it's better. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Competition makes&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; everything better.<br />You: Yeah, well I bet over<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; time, one will get much<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; bigger than the&nbsp;other<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; until&nbsp;eventually one<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; crushes the other and<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; you're back&nbsp;where you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; started.<br />&nbsp;Me: There were only two in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; my illustration, but<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that's why there<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;actually&nbsp;needs to be<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; more than two. &nbsp;The<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; number&nbsp;should&nbsp;actually<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; be&nbsp;unlimited.<br />You: That's crazy. &nbsp;That<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; would be a huge mess. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; How is there any<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;accountability in&nbsp;a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; thing like that?<br />&nbsp;Me: Is there accountability<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; now?<br />You: Yes. &nbsp;There is more<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; accountability now than<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; there would be if<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; everybody had their own<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; one-person-government. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; That's just&nbsp;total<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; anarchy.<br />&nbsp;Me: Does $12 trillion of<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; debt represents a system<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that has&nbsp;*any*&nbsp;semblance<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of accountability?<br />You: $12 trillion of debt is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; a lot better than total<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; anarchy.<br />&nbsp;Me: Isn't it nice how you<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; get to decide that and<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; not me, but I am&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; considered&nbsp;bound by that<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; debt anyway?<br />You: Like I said, it's not<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; perfect. &nbsp;Anyway, I'm<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; trying to change&nbsp;that<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; from the inside. &nbsp;All<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; you're doing is standing<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; on&nbsp;the outside, maybe<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; even adding $1 million<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; to it so the&nbsp;government<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; will&nbsp;go after you. &nbsp;At<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; least I'm being<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; productive.<br />&nbsp;Me:&nbsp;Because of Romans 13.<br />You:&nbsp;Because of your screwed<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; up interpretation of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Romans 13, yeah.<br />&nbsp;Me: I bet a lot of&nbsp;colonials<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; accused each other in a<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; similar&nbsp;way. &nbsp;Those in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; power have a way of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; turning us against each<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; other. &nbsp;Many colonials<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; thought a 1% or 2% tax<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; wasn't really&nbsp;too much<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; to&nbsp;ask as long as they<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; could keep the relative<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; peace.&nbsp;&nbsp;Isn't it<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interesting that now we<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; are asked to pay 40%.<br />You: I didn't pay 40%. &nbsp;I got<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; my Federal tax return<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; filed&nbsp;and it was less<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; than that.<br />&nbsp;Me: If you don't pay 40%,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your children pay the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; difference plus&nbsp;whatever<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; they pile on by then<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; because that is at least<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; what&nbsp;is spent&nbsp;right now,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; at least on the books.<br />You: And you yourself are<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; adding to it! &nbsp;Stop it!<br />&nbsp;Me: So you think it's &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; reasonable to send<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; accusations my way for<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; your government's out-<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of-control spending?<br />You: There are a lot of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; things you can do<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; without risking the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;government coming down<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; on you like a ton of &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; bricks.<br />&nbsp;Me: For now, that may be<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; true. &nbsp;But that list of<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; things is getting<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; smaller, which is<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; convenient for you.<br />You: Like what?<br />&nbsp;Me: Well, just take free<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; speech. &nbsp;Public<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; speaking. &nbsp;That's on the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; top of your list, right?<br /> You: Yes. &nbsp;That should be<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; safe.<br />&nbsp;Me: Well, have you ever<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; heard of "Free Speech<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Zones?" &nbsp;I happen to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; think free speech zones<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; are wherever I happen to<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; be standing&nbsp;(via Michael<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Badnarick).<br />You: I don't agree with "Free<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Speech Zones." &nbsp;But the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; prohibited zones are<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; easy to&nbsp;avoid. &nbsp;What are<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; you doing,&nbsp;seeking them<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; out just to get in<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; trouble?<br /> &nbsp;Me: I haven't done that, but<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; are you suggesting I am<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; wasting tax&nbsp;payer funds<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; if I did that?<br />You: Yes.<br />&nbsp;Me:&nbsp;Because of Romans 13?<br />You:&nbsp;Because of Romans 13.<br />&nbsp;Me: Well, my friend. &nbsp;I see<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; that as&nbsp;circular, flawed<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; reasoning.<br />You: How so?<br />&nbsp;Me: We have a differing<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interpretation, but your<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interpretation&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; authorizes the&nbsp;use of<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; force against my<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; interpretation&nbsp;because<br /> &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; of my interpretation.<br />You: But I'm right, clearly.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/because-of-romans-13">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>
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<!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F358%2Fbecause-of-romans-13%2F&amp;linkname=Because%20of%20Romans%2013"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>US: A Totalitarian Government</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/356/us-a-totalitarian-government/</link>
		<comments>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/356/us-a-totalitarian-government/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:44:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[&#34;The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge is the foundation of all totalitarian governments&#34; - Who Said it? (click here) Let me spell it out.  Today, the president and vice-president have the power to throw anyone into prison as a terrorist, claiming emergency powers the War on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'>&quot;The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge is the foundation of all totalitarian governments&quot; - Who Said it? (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill" target="_blank">click here</a>)<p /> Let me spell it out.  Today, the president and vice-president have the power to throw anyone into prison as a terrorist, claiming emergency powers the War on Terror.<p /> <object height="417" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oAy_U7DaqA&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" /></param><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oAy_U7DaqA&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1" wmode="window" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="417" width="500"></embed></object><p />One of Obama&#39;s campaign promises was to reverse any and all unconstitutional laws within the first 100 days in office, saying:<p /> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I would call my attorney general in and review every single executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution.</blockquote> <div>Source: <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2008/05/28/bushs-laws-will-be-scrutinized-if-i-become-president-obama-says/" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, or try: <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;q=%22I+would+call+my+attorney+general+in+and+review+every+single+executive+order+issued+by+George+Bush+and+overturn+those+laws+or+executive+decisions+that+I+feel+violate+the+constitution.%22&amp;aq=f&amp;aqi=&amp;aql=&amp;oq=&amp;gs_rfai=">Google</a><p /> I still holding my breath. <img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/Oajp4vghmlfz6mmsqXiQEF2vM6br02KqnFSF4A4WjrnER831OKTFsqGvjiVY/324.gif" width="12" height="12"/> <br /> </div>       <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/us-a-totalitarian-government">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F356%2Fus-a-totalitarian-government%2F&amp;linkname=US%3A%20A%20Totalitarian%20Government"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Providing Effective Services</title>
		<link>http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/354/providing-effective-services/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:52:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[If you were doing business with an organization that made the same&#160;mistake fifty times and, try as they might, they were never able to&#160;correct the problem, would you continue doing business with them? Say you want a nice New York style&#160;cheesecake for your dear&#160;old mother's birthday each year. &#160;Every year, you go to the same [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- google_ad_section_start --><div class='posterous_autopost'><p>If you were doing business with an organization that made the same&nbsp;mistake fifty times and, try as they might, they were <em>never</em> able to&nbsp;correct the problem, would you continue doing business with them?</p>  <p>Say you want a nice New York style&nbsp;cheesecake for your dear&nbsp;old mother's birthday each year. &nbsp;Every year, you go to the same bakery, and&nbsp;every year, for fifty years, they fail to print her name on the cake&nbsp;correctly. &nbsp;And her name is Gurtrude, so maybe you understand it's not&nbsp;the easiest name to get right. &nbsp;But would you really go back to the&nbsp;same bakery year after year, times fifty?<p /> If this was the only bakery in town, maybe you'd eventually go to the&nbsp;next town, just to see if someone, anyone, can get her name right,&nbsp;just once.<p />Or maybe you'd attempt to write the happy birthday message yourself. &nbsp;How hard can it be? &nbsp;At this point, you might reason that if a bakery can't&nbsp;handle this, what makes anyone think they can produce a tasty&nbsp;cheesecake in the first place? &nbsp;You might just make your own.</p>  <p>In other words, you have options. &nbsp;That &nbsp;fact alone keeps stuff like&nbsp;this from happening fifty times in real life. &nbsp;After about the third&nbsp;time, the bakery will realize they need to handle the problem because&nbsp;they're losing business because of their own ineptitude.</p>  <p>So this other story didn't take place over the course of fifty years like my illustration. &nbsp;But a mistake was made fifty times (and cheesecake was involved, although it wasn't part of the ongoing problem).</p>  <p>This should help illustrate two things.</p>  <p>First, monopoly is a bad idea. &nbsp;If an organization is able to remove choice and alternatives, how can effective pressure be applied to that organization if it has systemic flaws? &nbsp;The only way to initiate change in such an organization is from the inside. &nbsp;But the removal of choice and alternatives means internal change has less, if any, motive.</p>  <p>Second, if they can't fix this problem, an honest mistake, what assurance does anyone have to expect other more serious problems to be addressed, especially when they can so easily be hidden by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Blue_Line">the thin blue line</a>?</p>  <p><span style="font-size: large;">NYC cops sorry for pounding couple's door 50 times<br /></span></p>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">NEW YORK (AP) - Cheesecake in hand, the police commissioner personally apologized Friday for the 50 or so mistaken, door-pounding visits that police have made to the home of a bewildered elderly Brooklyn couple in the past eight years.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">It seems a glitch in computer records had led them over and over to Walter and Rose Martin's modest home in the Marine Park neighborhood, about 7 miles southeast of the Brooklyn Bridge.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">The most recent intrusion came Tuesday, with officers pounding on both the front and back doors, yelling "Police, open up!"</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">On Thursday, detectives from the NYPD's Identity Theft Squad went to see the Martins again - this time to apologize. "And we wanted to be sure perps weren't using that address for identity theft," NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told The Associated Press on Friday.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">The detectives told 82-year-old Rose and 83-year-old Walter that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had ordered them to solve the problem, which started eight years ago and was first reported this week in the New York Daily News.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">To bring home the sincerity of the NYPD's contrition, Kelly showed up Friday at the Martin's house with a gift: New York cheesecake.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">The commissioner rolled into the quiet Brooklyn neighborhood at midday, stopping in front of the Martins' small, neatly kept house, a large American flag fluttering by the front door.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">Kelly "went to apologize - and to explain," Browne said. "They expressed appreciation that the police commissioner came and they showed him pictures of their grandchildren."</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">The snafu started in 2002, when police used the Brooklyn address as part of what Browne called "random material" to test an automated computer system that tracks crime complaints and records of other internal police information. Before that, the work was done manually.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">The couple first complained about the harrowing police visits in 2007, when Rose Martin wrote a letter to Kelly. "And we identified the problem then," Browne said. "It was a mistake by the police department."</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">Police wiped the Martins' address from the system.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">Or so they thought, Browne said. Instead, the visits continued, and some computer files bearing the Martins' address stayed in the system.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">"We thought all the test data had been purged, but apparently it had not," Browne said. "The Martins' address ended up migrating to various complaint forms and warrant information."</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">Most of the visits came in 2006 and 2007, he said. After the latest, "We realized we still had a problem and went back and further purged the records," the deputy commissioner conceded.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">To make sure it will never happen again, Browne said the address has been flagged with alerts, so if there's any record indicating officers should question the Martins, "they're barred from doing it."</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">Rose Martin has asked the department to write her an official letter to that effect.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">"It seems like too simple a correction for something that has been going on for eight years," she told the New York Daily News, which first reported the story.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">"I'm not feeling well today," she told the AP after the commissioner's visit, adding that neither she nor her husband could comment.</blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><br /></blockquote>  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">But they did their best to carry on their business. Walter Martin left the house briefly to walk the dog, with a young man helping him.</blockquote>  <p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16032/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=NJKHO7fq">AP</a></span></p>  <p>I have attached a podcast short (25 minute) episode from "<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/school-sucks-podcast-the-end/id326517856">School Sucks Podcast: The END of Public Education</a>" that explains how government provides services versus how regular people provide services. &nbsp;The only difference is that this podcast episode uses education to illustrate the business plan. &nbsp;But it's the same for any government service, including police and public education.</p>  <p>       <div style='padding: 5px 5px 10px 5px; margin-top: 5px; border: 1px solid #ddd; background-color: #fff;line-height: 16px;'>       <div style="float: left; margin-right: 5px; overflow: visible;"><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/3GGX90pZjcGM9oafiFQFFLtP0k2VyLD2EOLsyaZNSw4J8nWnF4VgJYZRLOMv/Episode_1_The_Business_Plan.mp3' style='color: #bc7134;'><img src='http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/mp3.png' style='border: none;'/></a></div>       <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #424037;line-height: 16px;"><b>Episode 1: The "Business" Plan</b> by School Sucks Podcast: The End Of Public Education&nbsp;&nbsp;<br/>Download now or <a href='http://inertia.posterous.com/providing-effective-services-0' style='color: #bc7134;'>listen on posterous</a></div>       <b><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/inertia/3GGX90pZjcGM9oafiFQFFLtP0k2VyLD2EOLsyaZNSw4J8nWnF4VgJYZRLOMv/Episode_1_The_Business_Plan.mp3' style='color: #bc7134;'>Episode 1_ The _Business_ Plan.mp3</a></b> <span style="font-size: 10px; color: #424037;">(17381 KB)</span>       <br style="clear: both;"/></div>      </p>      <p style="font-size: 10px;">  <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a>   from <a href="http://inertia.posterous.com/providing-effective-services-0">Anthony Martin's Weblog</a>  </p>  </div><!-- google_ad_section_end --><p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Finertia.freedom-blogs.com%2F354%2Fproviding-effective-services%2F&amp;linkname=Providing%20Effective%20Services"><img src="http://inertia.freedom-blogs.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p><br /><br />No tags for this post.]]></content:encoded>
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