Columbus Was a Monster - TLF107

Who was Christopher Columbus, really, and what should he be celebrated for? What's in the News with stories on sex robot brothels, Rand Paul, Pentagon power, new FAA regulations, and California controls companies. Finally, a Statists Gonna State segment on the state of Texas defining pickles. This episode is brought to you by ZenCash, now known as Horizen, a cryptocurrency that infuses privacy, anonymity, and security done right. Also, brought to you by Free Talk Live, providing you with fresh, pro-liberty content 7 days a week on more than 180 radio stations across the country.    WHAT’S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES As with most things the government does, government mandated holidays are usually full of bullshit and propaganda. Columbus Day is no different.  Christopher Columbus may have first left his mark on the Americas in the 15th century, but the United States didn’t establish a federal holiday in his honor until 1937. Commissioned by Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to explore Asia, Columbus instead sailed to the New World in 1492. He first disembarked in the Bahamas, later making his way to Cuba and the island of Hispanola, now the home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Believing that he had located China and Japan, Columbus founded the first Spanish colony in the Americas with the help of nearly 40 crewmembers. The following spring, he traveled back to Spain where he presented Ferdinand and Isabella with spices, minerals and indigenous peoples he’d captured. It would take three trips back to the New World for Columbus to determine that he hadn’t located Asia but a continent altogether unfamiliar to the Spanish. By the time he died in 1506, Columbus had crisscrossed the Atlantic numerous times. Native American groups argue that the Italian explorer’s arrival in the New World ushered in genocide against indigenous peoples as well as the transatlantic slave trade.  Essentially, this is a holiday to highlight Western imperialism and the conquest of people of color. The circumstances surrounding Christopher Columbus’ foray into the Americas have led to an end to Columbus Day observances in some areas of the U.S. In such regions, the contributions Native Americans have made to the county are recognized instead. But these places are exceptions and not the rule. Columbus Day remains a mainstay in nearly all U.S. cities and states. To change this, activists opposed to these celebrations have launched a multi-pronged argument to demonstrate why Columbus Day should be eradicated. So, let's look at the controversy and see where I stand on it.   WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In virtual sin news, Houston City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to ban a sex robot brothel set to open soon near the Galleria area. The ordinance allows the business to sell the sex robots but not to allow customers to use them inside the business. In falling far from the tree news, Senator Rand Paul has issued a statement on the Brett Kavanaugh issue. In Pentagon Power news, Senators, notably Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), are pushing for clarification from the Pentagon about their interpretation of the concept of “collective self-defense,” under which the US military claims a near-limitless power to conduct unilateral strikes on enemies not authorized by Congress. In controlling the air news, President Donald Trump signed legislation passed by Congress that extends FAA policy for another five years. The FAA Reauthorization Bill includes several provisions that will affect air travelers. In power-hungry news, Companies headquartered in California can no longer have all-male boards. That's according to a new law, enacted Sunday, which requires publicly traded firms in the state to place at least one woman on their board of directors by the end of 2019 — or face a penalty. STATISTS GONNA STATE Statists literally want to control every single aspect of your life. This is why they tell you how much water your toilet should flush when you take a leak, or, as Texas does, they tell you how you have to define your food. Anita and Jim McHaney are retirees who moved from Houston to the Texas countryside in 2013. Their plan was to live well and grow food on a 10-acre homestead, earning extra money selling produce at the local farmers market. They grew okra, carrots, kale, swiss chard, and beets. Lots and lots of beets. And this is where the McHaney's ran into trouble. Like most states, Texas has a so-called "cottage food law" that exempts certain items sold at farmers markets from the state's commercial food manufacturing regulations—foods like bread, produce, nuts, jams, popcorn, and, of course, pickles. But what constitutes a "pickle," and who gets to decide?