“I just don’t think she possesses the mental capacity to be the President of the United States. She’s a goofball!”

So everyone’s favorite host of Freedom Watch has weighed in on Sarah Palin. To me, she’s a completely divisive figure. People seem to either idolize her or loathe her. I don’t think she has much chance of being the next POTUS. In fact, I’d be surprised if she did better than Giuliani did in the GOP primaries of 2008.

For more about what lead up to the Judge’s “straight talk” listen to the audio:

(Thanks to Media Matters for the audio)

by John Browne – Senior Market Strategist, Euro Pacific Capital

In a small bit of Washington irony, a government panel convened this week under the guise of ensuring ‘expressive freedom’ on the Internet, while at the same time the Obama Administration put Fox News on notice that ideological rectitude would be a prerequisite for White House engagement.

This heightened wrangling with the media comes at a time when ordinary Americans are rapidly becoming disillusioned with the major parties. Their disgust is evident in innumerable web discussion sites that, for many, have replaced the major media outlets as the primary source of information. In its focus to keep control of the conversation, the Administration is seeking to disguise the fact that the ‘change’ Mr. Obama promised in the election is unlikely to materialize.

Wishful thinking of the Nobel committee aside, what we have seen thus far from Obama is simply more of what had been delivered by the prior administration.

Obama renewed our military commitment to the quagmire that is Afghanistan. But he is hesitating now that the United Nations has uncovered fraud in the recent presidential elections there. Whether or not one believes the war is winnable, this type of hollow chest-pounding did not help anyone under G. W. Bush, and will not under Obama.

Domestically, Obama has re-enforced the doctrine of ‘too big to fail,’ which essentially involves ’socializing’ the costs of reckless Wall Street failures while ‘privatizing’ the gains made through their use of taxpayer funds. As a result of this policy, elite investment bankers are now seeing bonuses that rival those at the bubble’s peak. As an answer to Bush’s publicly funded rescue of GM and Chrysler, Obama gave some $10 billion to the very trade union that had brought Detroit to its knees. In the first nine months of his Administration, Obama has increased the Treasury debt by some 20 percent to almost 100 percent of GDP, or a staggering $12 trillion dollars.

Even facing the vast $104 trillion of additional, ‘off-balance sheet’ government obligations, Obama is pushing ahead with a new Health Bill. This is not even a populist measure, as most Americans are sensibly standing in opposition to this attempt to bankrupt their country. The legislative momentum is wholly provided by a small ideological core of Democrats at the expense of the greater good, a pattern set by Bush and his zealous Republican base.

It is becoming clear, even to Democrats, that Obama doesn’t aim to implement better policies, but to make the public feel better about the same old policies.

Unfortunately for the President, America is a free enterprise, capitalist and right-of-center country that does not take naturally to socialist policies. What is so concerning is that rather than learning this lesson, the White House is trying to silence the voices of opposition.

It is widely accepted that a free press will foster a healthy and vibrant cross section of views. While it is clearly susceptible to hyperbole, Fox News has nevertheless been instrumental in exposing the radical, socialist and even communist backgrounds of a surprising number of advisers and unelected officials close to the President. Their efforts in this regard have served the public.

These revelations about left-of-center tendencies would not have been damaging if the public were indeed in a mood to be led by leftists. If that were the case, the Administration would have dismissed Fox News as a network for conservatives to gripe to themselves. Perhaps the official uproar indicates Obama has noticed that some 50 percent of the Fox News audience is composed of Democrats and Independents.

Certainly, no credence can be given to the official position that the Administration is opposed to deliberate bias. On the other side of the aisle, MSNBC is just as partisan as Fox News, and in many ways functions as the media arm of the Democratic National Committee. Yet the President does not spar with that network. Perhaps he is attacking Fox News in response to MSNBC’s dismally low ratings, proof that the latter network really is just a forum for socialists to gripe to themselves.

At its core, this issue transcends left-right bickering. Politicians across the spectrum are feeling increasingly threatened by an unregulated media. The media is more accountable to the public than politicians, as ratings are measured in real-time, not election cycles. Fox News is benefiting from the reality that Americans believe in limited government, lower taxes, unhampered enterprise and personal responsibility. Although both parties pay lip service to these ideals, their actions reflect a clear belief in more control, less freedom and bigger government. This has led to a deep voter frustration and disenchantment with the two major parties.

It’s common sense that if the President wants to regain voters’ trust, the answer is to listen to their concerns. If investors are moving their wealth overseas, the answer is to become more competitive at home. This feud with Fox News shows that the President has not yet heeded this advice, and, really, would rather not hear it.

For a more in-depth analysis of our financial problems and the inherent dangers they pose for the U.S. economy and U.S. dollar, read Peter Schiff’s 2008 bestseller “The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets” and his newest release “Crash Proof 2.0: How to Profit from the Economic Collapse.” Click here to learn more.

More importantly, don’t let the great deals pass you by. Get an inside view of Peter’s playbook with his new Special Report, “Peter Schiff’s Five Favorite Investment Choices for the Next Five Years.” Click here to dowload the report for free. You can find more free services for global investors, and learn about the Euro Pacific advantage, at www.europac.net.

1. Ron Paul on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
2. Ron Paul on Russia Today.
3. Ron Paul on Al Jazeera (Part 1) (Part 2)
4. Ron Paul interview on Newsmax.
5. Ron Paul on FOX and Friends.
6. Judge Napolitano defends Ron Paul on Fox Business.
7. Ron Paul on Glenn Beck radio show.

Please comment with links to any appearances that I missed.

Quote of the Day: “80% of success is just showing up” — Woody Allen

Our new media outreach efforts are picking up steam. There are several items of good news. First . . .

Jim Babka will be guest hosting the Jerry Hughes national radio talk show today. He’ll be interviewing . . .

* Dr. Rand Paul, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky, and the son of Congressman Ron Paul.
* Peter Schiff, President of Euro Pacific Capital, frequent TV commentator, and candidate for Chris Dodd’s Senate seat in Connecticut

If you want to hear about Rand Paul’s and Peter Schiff’s Senate campaigns please tune-in to hear Jim guest-host the Jerry Hughes show today. You can listen on the Internet . . .

At 2:06 PM Eastern Time (1:06 PM Central, 12:06 PM Mountain, and 11:06 AM Pacific) please to the Accent Radio Network to get the Internet feed.

You’re encouraged to participate in the show:

* The toll-free call-in number is: 1-866-222-2368
* You’ll be able to Twitter questions and comments to Jim too.

In addition, the “Brother Can You Spare a F.R.A.U.D.?” song has been picked up by World Net Daily, which has a huge audience.

They ran it, Wednesday, as their “VideoNetDaily” pick.

And finally, there’s been an explosion this week in media coverage of the “Read the Bills” idea, but we want to save the details on this one for next week. Stay tuned.

Please help us expand our media outreach efforts . . .

* You can start a monthly credit card pledge for $5, $8, $10, $15, $25, $35 or more per month
* Or make a one-time donation of $25, $50, $125 or more

Click here if you want to start a monthly pledge, and let us know on our secure online contribution form if it’s okay to advertise your support in the following list . . .

NEW MONTHLY PLEDGERS IN SEPTEMBER: Gerry Benton, Henrik Pedersen, James Spaller, John Houghton, Poul Petersen, Mark Wilczek, Mann Page Ciesemier, Leslie Thomas-Rieser, Jim Lorenz, Chelsea Moller, 3 unlisted — (12 new pledgers total)

Click here is you want to make a one-time donation, and please let us know on our secure contribution form if its okay to advertise your support here:

NEW ONE TIME DONORS IN SEPTEMBER: Jamie Sigler, M. W. Baumeister, Pamela Sanderson, Brad Peters, Michael Lord, David D Segesta, John O’Donnell, Robert C. Jones, Jr., A.J. Stukenborg, Nathan Bailey, 4 unlisted — (14 new donations total)

I hope you can tune-in to the Jerry Hughes show today, and thanks for being a part of the growing Downsize DC Army.

Perry Willis
Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

D o w n s i z e r – D i s p a t c h
is the official email list of DownsizeDC.org, Inc. & Downsize DC Foundation

WASHINGTON — A year after he became a surprise of the Republican presidential field, Ron Paul is still on message.

“It is surreal that in a free country we are talking only about HOW government should fix health care, rather than WHY government should fix health care,” Paul, a Texas congressman and medical doctor, wrote in a recent Internet posting. “This should be between doctors and patients.”

Running for president in 2008, Paul raised more than $33 million and built a robust Internet following. It didn’t always translate into votes and never produced a primary victory, but it did help the libertarian build a platform for his free-market philosophy. And he’s using it to sing a decidedly different song from Democratic and Republican choruses in Washington.

- On the “Cash for Clunkers” program that gives government aid for people trading in old gas guzzlers, which will then be destroyed: a bad idea because it destroys a vital market for the poor.

“A new driver or new worker needs a cheap car,” Paul said.

Continue reading…

The reason they choose these camera angles becomes obvious as the report unfolds. Revealing the man’s race would not fit their version of the story. They’d look idiotic if they talked about all these “white people” carrying guns at Obama events if the one they showed was actually black. As it turns out they look not only idiotic but extremely biased.

By the way, what former Presidential assassin goes by the name “Mark” Hinckley? At least that comment appears accidental.

I’m thinking of this now because it seems every time I read something from Robert Higgs I approach that same feeling. Higgs is a liberty rock star. In a recent article he annihilates the pro-regulatory power-grabbing bottom-feeders of our government.

Even if systemic risk does exist, why should anyone believe that the fakers and time-servers employed by a government regulatory agency will have the ability to gauge its magnitude and to identify the specific firms that must be eased away from the precipice—always, of course, at the great expense of taxpayers and holders of dollar-denominated assets?

Let’s be frank: systemic risk is the greatest—and perhaps the phoniest—excuse for unwarranted bailouts ever devised by the mind of man.

Read all of “Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Report on the Government’s Financial Reforms” by Robert Higgs. You’ll be glad you did.

“If I wanted to read a write-up today of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champions League cup, I might open up a British newspaper. If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I’m not sure it would be the first stack of clips I picked up… Again, I think if you do an even moderate Google search, you’re not going to find many of these newspapers and truth within, say, 25 words of each other.”

I’m not even really sure where he’s coming from on this one. The Daily Telegraph is not a British tabloid – it’s by all accounts a credible newspaper which has the largest circulation of any in the United Kingdom. Further, the report isn’t from an anonymous source – it quotes American Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who actually agrees with the Obama Administration when it comes to not releasing the photos, using their sensational nature as his justification. Is Gibbs really disputing the reporting of Taguba’s statements, or Taguba, the man who carried out the investigation of Abu Ghraib, himself?

On second thought, maybe I can see why he’d target the press.

Update: Was Gibbs right afterall? Taguba is now stating he never saw the photos in question, but rather was speaking generally about photos which have already been released, and was taken out of context.

Of course, the ultimate regulators are individuals like you and me. Through the political process we can regulate the poor performing stooges out of office. Strangely enough that rarely happens. The Peter Principle is alive and well within our lawmaking bodies. So this calls into question the political process itself. How is it possible to unwind the tightly bound, knotted, and tangled ball of yarn that is politics in the U.S.A. today? Should we consider tossing it in the trash and seeking a replacement? Is it fixable?

Even if Ron Paul’s “Audit The Fed” bill H.R. 1207 becomes law we still end up with the government doing their own auditing, effectively creating another element of bureaucracy that can be manipulated toward politically favorable results. That being said it is certainly a step in the right direction. I’m ecstatic that over 110 lawmakers have chosen to cosponsor the bill. Perhaps there’s a chance it will actually deliver on its promise. I’d certainly love to find out.

However, there is a fundamental flaw in calling for more transparency or regulation of the regulators. When we call for such things isn’t it vitally important that the entity bringing us the information be completely disconnected from government? Any other way, we end up back where we started.

It seems the press (today we call it the media) used to provide this function rather admirably on its own. Who is today’s equivalent of H.L Mencken? Barack Obama’s completely scripted 100 days celebration “press” conference is all the evidence we need to show how little freedom the press really has in our time.

Government is the new Hollywood, except the women are nowhere near as attractive and the men aren’t as intelligent.

Every uttered phrase is calculated to project the government as your personal superhero. You rejoice for a moment when you are unbound from the track until you realize you are merely being relocated to another track  for a bigger and faster oncoming train.

The marriage of government and the media has eliminated the concept of freedom of the press. We certainly can’t trust the government to regulate itself.

It is up to the modern day pamphleteers,  the free, unfettered, and independent online media, to shine a light on the swine-flu-infected dung heap known as government.

In the end, transparency can be found by turning off your television and turning on your computer, or reading a book.

Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano continues with its 11th show tomorrow. Looks like it will be another great one. Here is the rundown on guests and topics:

Guests:

• Glenn Beck
• Ron Paul
• Lew Rockwell
• Jim Bovard – The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF)
• Shelly Roche – Doing the Twitter and interactive thing again
• Pastor Steve Anderson – Pastor who was tazed and beaten at a border checkpoint.

Topics:

• DHS/FBI report on right-wing extremism
• Torture Memos
• “Constitution-free” zones
• Secession

Don’t forget to get interactive with the show by sending your “tweets” to Shelly Roche during the show: @shellyroche. Also post and vote for show topics, questions, and future potential guests at freedomwatch.uservoice.com.

Please note there are three forums accessible on the right sidebar of the page. There is one for posting questions related to this week’s show topics, another for posting topic ideas for upcoming shows, and one for posting requests for specific guests. All posts can be voted on as well. Do it now.

Looks like another great show is in the works.

The show will be cross-broadcast on Alex Jones’ radio show from 2pm – 2:10pm.

Also joining the Judge this week will be:

In studio: Cody Willard (Fox Business Happy Hour) and new guest Andy Levy (Fox Red Eye).

On phone: Lew Rockwell and Peter Schiff.

Live video feed (2nd half of show): Ron Paul and new guest Michelle Muccio (Acton Institute).

Also, there may be one more surprise guest added to the lineup at the last minute.

It sounds like another great show with some new blood (so to speak). Please spread the word and tune in to the show tomorrow at 2pm if you can. The more people that watch the show online the better chance it has of making into the normal Fox TV lineup. You can watch the show here: http://foxnews.com/strategyroom (Foxnews.com Strategy Room online channel).

Joining the Judge’s regular guests will be John Lott, author of one of the classic gun rights books, “More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws“. Also, Larry Pratt, the Executive Director of Gun Owners Of America will be on the show.

Joining these gun rights experts and the Judge will be semi-regular guests: Lew Rockwell, Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, Cody Willard, and Tracy Byrnes.

You can watch this liberty power hour at http://www.foxnews.com/strategyroom

It airs beginning at 2pm EST on Wednesday. The show is 60 minutes long and commercial free. If you are unable to tune in to the show look for it a bit later that day here at Liberty Maven.