I Am Not At War in Syria - TLF062

It looks like the US is going to be more involved in Syria under Trump. I am not at war. What's in the News with stories on government indoctrination centers, government ignoring the Constitution, closing asset forfeiture loopholes, political correctness police with teeth, and secession in the US. And, a Muh Roads segment on counties in Oregon shutting down government services. This episode is brought to you by Praxis, where you can get a full-time job in nine months making $50,000 a year with no college degree. Also brought to you by Wry Guys t-shirts, the makers of all of the Pax Libertas Productions t-shirts, including for this show. Awry wit for today's shit. WHAT’S RUSTLING MY JIMMIES I don't talk a lot about foreign policy and war on this show for several reasons. First of all, there are far better libertarians at giving you the scoop on that, such as Scott Horton and the teams at Anti-War.com and The Libertarian Institute. Secondly, though, I try to focus this show on topics that affect us directly as much as possible so that we can try and find solutions to helping us live that voluntary lifestyle today. However, when I hear the beating drums of war like I did this week, I feel like I have to talk about it. Apparently, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning President Obama who escalated our involvement in Syria was only a drop in the bucket in that country. Now, President Trump is going to escalate things even more by instructing the Pentagon to "annihilate" the Islamic State in Syria in a bid to prevent escaped foreign fighters from returning home. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that the president has "directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS. The intent is to prevent the return home of escaped foreign fighters." Interestingly enough, though, ISIS in Syria and the US government both seem to have the same end game in Syria in mind, which is a removal of Bashar al-Assad as the head of the Syrian government. The US government wants to put up their hand-picked puppet ruler while ISIS wants to do the same.  What's worse is who is poised to take control if the US gets its way and takes out both ISIS and Assad in Syria. Based on commentary provided by David Nelson of The Libertarian Institute, it seems pretty clear that the group that has the strength to take over Syria if the US removed Assad would be al-Qaeda. WHAT'S IN THE NEWS In government indoctrination center news, a Trenton, Ohio middle school student was suspended after liking a photo of a gun on Instagram. In unfit to exist news, apparently, the First Amendment protections of the freedom of the press mean exactly nothing in the West Virginia capitol building. In legalized theft news, the Colorado legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill that would take a huge step towards closing a federal asset forfeiture loophole.  In I can't make this shit up news, a Scottish YouTuber comedian Markus Meechan, AKA Count Dankula, is facing up to a year in prison for teaching his girlfriend's pug to be a Nazi. In secession news, conservatives in Washington have about had it with the state’s rampant Marxism, and are now taking matters into their own hand to reclaim their independence.Republican lawmakers in the state have filed a bill to secede from Washington and create a new state called Liberty. MUH ROADS People are getting fed up with high taxes, but most people will still vote for every tax increase that comes before them "for the good of society," even at the detriment of their own family's budget. This is evident around the country, and the question most often asked is, "without the government, who will build my favorite pet project or provide for my favorite service?"  But, in some places, people have had enough. They are no longer voting for tax increases to fund unnecessary services and projects, and are instead finding out that they can easily do without them. Take Douglas County, Oregon, for example. Inside a big wood-paneled downtown library there, a sign spells out the future in four words. Come June 1, “All services will cease.” Last fall, Douglas County residents voted down a ballot measure that would have added about $6 a month to the tax bill on a median-priced home and save the libraries from a funding crisis. So, this spring the library system's 11 branches have slowly been closing. Roseburg's central library will be the last to go.