The LAVA Flow | Libertarian | Anarcho-capitalist | Voluntaryist | Agorist

Chelsea Manning walked out of prison this week, finally free. But, should we celebrate her as a hero? Thank you for joining me on the thirty-ninth episode of The LAVA Spurt, Is Chelsea Manning a Hero? 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.

Chelsea Manning walked out of federal prison on Wednesday, May 17th, and her first actions were to take a picture of her feet as she made some of her first steps of freedom in seven years, then she went to eat pizza. Chelsea was granted clemency by Obama, cutting her 35-year sentence for leaking an enormous trove of military intelligence records short by a few decades.

Then known as Bradley Manning, she leaked nearly 750,000 military files and cables to WikiLeaks aged 22. The materials included battlefield video.

Manning said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard for the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn't believe would harm the U.S. No document was classified higher than secret and her defenders say no one was endangered by the leaks.

Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation's most sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety. Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures. Frankly, if the ambassadors were embarrassed by their actions, maybe they should have thought about the implications of those actions prior to taking them, just sayin'.

But what exactly did Chelsea reveal? It is important to remember the crimes her leaks revealed.

New Hampshire, with a second Libertarian Party representative and cannabis decriminalization. This is the thirty-eighth episode of The LAVA Spurt, New Hampshire, It's Like This Too. 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.

As you guys know, I moved to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project a more than a year and a half ago. I get the question often from libertarians around the country, "If it's the Free State Project, why isn't is a libertarian utopia yet?" These libertarians missed the operative world, Project. It is exactly that, a project, an experiment if you will, to see if thousands of active, hard-core libertarians in a given geographic area can bring about Liberty in Our Lifetimes. I'm confident that it can, which is why I move here, and it is weeks like this that remind me that we really are helping to make a difference, and with only 10% of the people moved so far, and, including in-state friends, the Free State Project is nearly at 25% of its goal of 20,000 libertarians in the state. 

This week alone, we had one big win that probably wouldn't have happened without Free State Project participants and native libertarians, along with others, working together to make it happen. The New Hampshire State Senate passed marijuana decriminalization with a vote of 17 to 6. This is highly unusual because the house has sent cannabis decriminalization bills to the senate eight times in the last 10 years, always to be shot down in the senate. The bill the senate passed is slightly different than the original house bill, so it has to go back to the house to be reconciled, then on to the governor's desk. The house will almost certainly pass the reconciliation since they voted 318 to 36 to send the original bill on to the senate. And, the Republican governor has made it clear that he will sign the measure into law, calling ti "common sense marijuana reform."

Another bit of good news is that the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire now has its second sitting state house representative. Joseph Stallcop was elected in November as a Democrat and he made the switch to the Libertarian Party this past Tuesday. This follows Caleb Dyer making the move to the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire from the Republican party back in February. This makes New Hampshire the state with more sitting state reps than the other 49 states combined. And, as Arvin Vorha, the Vice Chair of the national party, said, this is perhaps the youngest political caucus is the world, since both representatives are 21 years old.

Pope Frankie is running his mouth about libertarianism from his gilded throne of socialism. What's in the News with stories on court sentencing software, tortured to death in jail, the federal drug war, and no more 5th Amendment. Also, a How to Live a LAVA Lifestyle on Praxis and a Herding Cats with your chance to win two free tickets to Porcfest. 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.

Pope Francis has apparently decided that sitting on his gilded throne and sticking to religion is not his thing. Of course, he's always been that way, decrying capitalism and the free market every chance he gets. He can do this since he has a skewed version of the world where, to make money, all he has to do is tell people they either have to give to his church or they go to hell. No market incentives here, just make-believe, fraud, and lies. And, the church can even sell sacraments and influence. It's more like organized crime than a free-market company. 

This time, Pope Franny talks about libertarianism, and he is apparently not a fan.

In computer courts news, a man was sentenced to six years in prison in part due to a secret algorithm in a piece of software.

In tortured to death news, Madison Jenson was allowed to dehydrate to death in a Utah jail as she begged for her life. 

This episode is brought to you by Praxis. Make sure to check them out today!

In taking some teeth from the federal drug war news, Congress, once again, is blocking the Justice Department from spending any money that interferes with state medical marijuana laws.

In taking some teeth from the federal drug war news, Congress, once again, is blocking the Justice Department from spending any money that interferes with state medical marijuana laws.

In unfit to exist news, a Florida judge, someone who is supposed to uphold the protections of the Constitution, has granted a motion to compel two suspects in an ongoing case to reveal their smartphone passcodes to allow prosecutors to search for evidence related to an extortion allegedly carried out by a couple.

As you guys know, Jessica and I chose a very non-traditional avenue to educate our kids, going with unschooling. There are tons of benefits to this style of education, and I will surely get into those one day, but one downside it has, if you want to call it a downside, is that it does not prepare our children for traditional education styles, sitting in class, taking notes, memorizing lectures, etc. This means that traditional college education may not be right for my boys. And, I'm ok with that, coming from the perspective that I put myself in massive school debt for very little gain by going to college. I don't want my kids saddled with this.

So, what opportunities has the free market given us to solve this problem? One that I've been watching for a while is Praxis, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when Praxis approached me about sponsoring this show. Jess and I had already decided to look heavily at Praxis for our children's future prior to them contacting me because it is an amazing product.

So, as you guys know, PorcFest is rapidly approaching. It is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21st - Sunday, June 25th. If you've never been to a PorcFest event, it is the one libertarian event of the year that you really don't want to miss. And, if you keep listening, I'll give you and a partner of your choice a chance to go to PorcFest for FREE, on me!

Arkansas rushes to murder potentially innocent men using the death penalty, What's in the News with stories on Saudia Arabia women's rights, the TSA, IRS, strippers and Backwordz, and a Statists Gonna State on CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Julian Assange.

My former home state of Arkansas has been making waves in the news lately by rushing death row inmates to the death penalty chamber because of some expiring drugs, including two people who could potentially be innocent of the crimes they are accused of and several others who suffer.

The state of Arkansas hasn’t carried out an execution in over a decade. So why the sudden, blood-crazed rush to carry out as many as possible? For one reason: the supply of drugs they use to carry out state-sanctioned murder are about to expire. What the actual fuck? The rush of executions is so that the state can use up all of its lethal injection drugs before they go as sour as an old carton of milk.

This is essentially state-sanctioned murder, because, one of those men executed was Ledell Lee. There is DNA evidence in his case, hair found at the crime scene, which the state has refused to test. A judge ruled that the DNA, which could have exonerated him, should never be tested.

In seriously, what the actual fuck news, the United Nations has elected Saudia Arabia to sit on the Woman's Rights Commission for the term from 2018 - 2022. I guess it could be worse. They could have put the Westboro Baptist Church on the Gay Rights Commission.

In other human rights abuses news, the Transportation and Safety Administration says it's allowed to investigate inside your underwear and you should just accept it.

In legalized theft news, the IRS deliberately targeted innocents for civil forfeiture program that stole millions from Americans.

In more stolen money news, a Palm Beach County employee has been pocketing the licensing fees paid by strippers for years. 

And in returning some stolen money news, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states have no right to keep money based on overturned convictions. 

In liberty music news, the band BackWordz, led by Being Libertarian's Eric July, hit #2 on the Heatseekers Album chart, a chart dedicated to new and upcoming bands with their new album Veracity. They also snagged the #1 spot for Alternative New Artist, the #5 spot on the Hard Rock chart, the #11 spot on Rock chart, and the #14 spot for a band on an Independent label.

The hypocrisy of the left, and in particular the media, is disgusting. Back in February, after Donald Trump tweeted that the U.S. media were the “enemy of the people,” the targets of his insult exploded with indignation, devoting wall-to-wall media coverage to what they depicted as a grave assault on press freedoms more befitting of a tyranny. By stark and disturbing contrast, the media reaction yesterday was far more muted, even welcoming, when Trump’s CIA Director, Michael Pompeo, actually and explicitly vowed to target freedoms of speech and press in a blistering, threatening speech he delivered to the D.C. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

But, since Pompeo wasn't specifically targeting the mainstream media, but instead was talking about WikiLeaks, the media swallowed it. It was almost impossible to find even a single U.S. mainstream journalist expressing objections or alarm, because the targets Pompeo chose in this instance are ones they dislike – much the way that many are willing to overlook or even sanction free speech repression if the targeted ideas or speakers are sufficiently unpopular.

Let's be honest, the media is against WikiLeaks primarily because they are getting a lot of attention as a non-mainstream media source, and the media is threatened by it. When we have groups like WikiLeaks and other alternative sources for our news, this cuts into the bottom line of the old guard media, and they are terrified, as they should be.

While we're talking about Assange, it came out last week that the Justice Department is ready to file arrest charges against him, and potentially other members of the WikiLeaks team. 

Should police officers be held personally responsible when they mess up? This is the thirty-seventh episode of The LAVA Spurt, Hold Cops Responsible.

If you are harmed or killed due to the negligence of a doctor, that doctor is held personally responsible for that act. This is why doctors carry expensive malpractice insurance when they practice. If a doctor loses too many malpractice lawsuits, they can no longer get insurance for a reasonable rate, if at all, which means they can no longer practice medicine because most hospitals require a doctor to carry malpractice insurance, or some hospitals carry the insurance for the doctors. If that insurance is too costly for a specific doctor, the hospital will no longer cover that doctor. This is how it should be. While some states do require doctors who practice to have malpractice insurance, this is not necessary. If we had a true free market in medicine, we could shop our doctors with much better information. Think Consumer Reports for doctors in your area.

But, this brings me to my main point. If police officers were also held personally responsible for screwing up, like when they kill someone unarmed or beat someone for no reason, then there is no doubt these actions would happen with much less frequency. Last week, this happened in my old stomping grounds of Arkansas.

There have also been two other similar cases recently.

Back in February of this year, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was told he must decide whether to pay $100,000 in damages, from his own pocket — stemming from a civil lawsuit involving an inmate abuse case — or face liens on his assets. 

In February of last year, a Judge awarded 19-year-old Dontrell Stephens a $22.4 million settlement for being shot and paralyzed by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Lin

Trump has proven that he's no different than Clinton by being just another war hawk. Is anyone surprised? Thank you for joining me on the thirty-sixth episode of The LAVA Spurt, Trump Beating the War Drums. 

Trump is fitting right in at the Oval Office by continuing the war hawk stances of every modern president since... well... forever. His act of war against Syria and his saber rattling against North Korea is exactly the same sort of thing we've seen from Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, and exactly what we would have seen from Hillary Clinton had she been elected.

While Trump campaigned as an anti-war candidate and that he would handle Russia differently than Clinton would have, I don't think any real libertarians are surprised by this turn of events. Trump is just following in a long line of footsteps and will continue to do so, not only in the area of war.

The funny thing about this is that even Trump himself was anti-Syrian war when Obama was saber-rattling a few years ago. Oh, how the weak and lame have fallen. Some of Trump's previous tweets on Syria prior to being President should be re-read by current President Trump. Here are a few examples:

What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.

That was in August of 2013. In September of 2013, Trump had two other tweets for Obama:

President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and trememdous downside.

AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE US GETS NOTHING!

Sadly, Trump was right in 2013, the action of bombing Syria puts more lives, including American lives, at risk than any action of Trump's presidency so far. I have a friend in the Navy right now and he has told me that the war drums are beating extra loudly right now. He told me that, "I've washed my hands several times and the blood isn't coming off." I am terrified for my friend, for all men and women in the armed forces, and for all of the men, women, and children in Syria. He also tells me to tell my listeners, "Just know that a disgusting amount of people in the service are itching for war." Brother, keep your head down and keep me posted on what is going on out there, Grey Duck!

There is no way that bombing Syria is going to end well for us. There is no way the calls for regime change and US boots on the ground helps us in any way, and all it will do is pull Russia into a proxy war with us, which will essentially bring about another cold war. Sen. Graham is calling for 6,000 boots on the ground and US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, is saying that regime change in Syria is inevitable and that nothing "is off the table" when it comes to imposing tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran.  Haley also said, "We don’t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there." What the actual fuck?

This is terrifying stuff and could be an impetus to a large regional or even world war. 

And, speaking of cold wars, Trump has also sent the US Navy’s Third Fleet forward-deployed strike group, headed by the supercarrier USS Carl Vinson and supported by guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, orders to re-route toward the Korean Peninsula. And, the National Security Council has presented President Donald Trump with options to respond to North Korea's nuclear program — including putting American nukes in South Korea or killing dictator Kim Jong-un, multiple top-ranking intelligence and military officials told NBC News. 

This is just what we need, another war with North Korea which will do nothing but give legitimacy to Kim Jong-un's rhetoric to his people that it is North Korea against the world. This will solidify his domination and dictatorship over his people, which is the exact opposite effect we would be looking for. 

Why is it that the people who claim to be our leaders want to wave their pricks around to see who has the biggest one all the while putting the average civilian more at risk and risking the lives of our military men and women as if they are nothing more than cannon fodder? 

I remember the previous calls for war with Syria in 2013. I remember the anti-war sentiment that was out there at the time from the right because Obama was president. Now, the right is calling for this war and calling for regime change. Where is the anti-war left? Maybe this will finally get them back out in droves, although the left-leaning media seems to also be complicit in helping Trump beat the war drums. 

As libertarians, we must remain diligent calling for peace and an end to war posturing, acts of war, and war making. We must be on the front lines saying these actions are wrong and spreading a message of non-intervention. We need to hold the war mongers accountable.

As George S. McGovern once said, "I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.” Fuck war mongers in the neck. I have four words for them. Not in my name.

Until next time... keep striking the root!

How would Private Defense Agencies be funded in a free-market society? What's in the News with stories on police state USA, ICE detentions, and asset forfeiture. And, a Herding Cats segment on two cool events coming up.

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It's a question I hear a lot, "without the government, who would protect me from an invading army." This is actually a good question, as even if we lived in a free-market society, who is to say the rest of the world does? Frankly, I am of the mindset that most countries would never consider attacking a free-market society because the financial benefits of trading between each other would make it foolish. Generally, when bread and money cross borders, soldiers rarely do. However, as we know, governments don't always act rationally. There would need to be a defense against that. Enter private defense agencies.

I've talked about Bob Murphy's pamphlet "Chaos Theory" several times on this show because it has some excellent answers to this and many other questions. 

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In legalized theft news, the Drug Enforcement Agency has seized, or rather, has stolen over $4.15 billion in over 100,000 cash seizures since 2007. 81% of those seizures, a total value of $3.2 billion, were forfeited administratively, meaning without charging someone with a crime or any judicial oversight.

In sitting on ICE news, a US citizen is suing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, alleging that he was illegally detained.

In legislating the future news, Chicago high school students may soon need to create a plan for their future in order to graduate. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has laid out his new proposal, which would require students to develop a post-high school plan before receiving a diploma. 

In police state news, everything that you may possibly do is considered suspicious, including having a reclined car seat. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that a reclined car seat is suspicious behavior and can be used by police as a justification for warrantless searches. 

In even more police state news, the ACLU of South Dakota has exposed a nightmarish by-product of the drug war in their state. To find out if a person has traces of an arbitrary substance deemed illegal by the state, cops are torturing adults and children alike.

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For the second year in a row, my wife and I are on the planning team for Freecoast Festival, and this year is going to be better than ever! You don't want to miss this one, I promise.

The theme this year is "Living a Voluntary Life Today," and it is one I am especially excited about. 

I hope to see you guys there the weekend of September 8th - 10th. You can get all of the details and the tickets at EventBrite or by going to thelavaflow.com/freecoastfestival.

Also, don't forget about PorcFest 2017! Jess and I are also on the planning team for this event, and you don't want to miss it. It is going to be June 21st - 25th at Roger's Campground in the mountains of New Hampshire. Tickets are on sale at PorcFest.com right now for $80 per person for the entire 5-day event, with kids being free. My kids told us last year that they enjoyed PorcFest more than Disney World, and I know Jess and I did as well. I met so many of my listeners there last year and I hope to see many more of you there this year. Don't miss it!

Are you still sending your kids to government indoctrination centers? Be careful that they're not picked up by CPS for some asinine reason, because Child Protective Services is immoral. What's in the News with stories on a Vault 7 update, taxation of charity, LBRY saves 20,000 lectures, judicially supported tyranny, and the USDA is a terrorist […]

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The city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is trying to steal property using eminent domain, but some citizens aren't just sitting idly by and letting it happen, including a listener of The LAVA Flow. Thank you for joining me on the thirty-fifth episode of The LAVA Spurt, Myrtle Beach City Stealing Property. And, make sure to […]

The post Myrtle Beach City Stealing Property – TLS035 appeared first on The LAVA Flow Podcast.

Judd Weiss has spilled the beans on some dirt inside the Johnson campaign. Thank you for joining me on the thirty-fourth episode of The LAVA Spurt, Johnson Campaign Shenanigans. And, make sure to hang out to the end of this episode for your chance to win a prize pack! Judd Weiss, the former running mate with John […]

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