TLS Podcast Picks: Stefan Molyneux on Language and the State and the Motorhome Diaries

Anti-Statism, IP Law, Podcast Picks
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Recommended podcasts:

  • FDR #1688: Stefan Molyneux’s opening speech at Porcupine Freedom Festival (PorcFest) on “Language as the Ultimate Government Program” (June 26 2010; video below). It’s a fascinating, audience-participation talk about how the state uses euphemistic language to disguise and cover up the evil that it does–and how we can fight it. Also interesting–listen to crowd cheer at about 1:00 to the introductory speaker explaining that Molyneux does not use intellectual property for his books etc.–awareness of the evil and statism of IP is growing in our movement, even among the political type/activist type libertarians. This is quite something (Molyneux and I had a good conversation about IP a few months back here.) Also interesting: at about 43:00 he talks about why it’s futile to waste time evading the census; and at about 56:00 he’s asked, regarding, say, civil asset forfeiture laws, whether it’s time to shoot the police. Molyneux answers that it cannot be said that it’s immoral to shoot men in blue uniforms who are commiting crimes against you–but that in today’s situation, it’s suicide and futile; that our battle has to be one of ideas. Also funny is at 45:00 where he discusses libertarian Jan Helfland, who while he is good in interviewing politicians and catching them in inconsistency and hypocrisy, still believes in the state and apparently told Molyneux in a debate that anarchists should be driven into the sea with tanks.
  • FDR #1509: Stefan Molyneux’s interview with the guys behind The Motorhome Diaries–Pete Eyre, Jason Talley and Adam Meuller, who who spent seven months in a bus looking for freedom in America. Fascinating interview–at around 42:00 they say that around the country, in addition to Molyneux’s program, the biggest influences they heard people talk about were FreeTalkLive, LewRockwell.com, and Mises.org. Also: at around 33:00 they discuss the book they have planned, and explicitly say that they do not believe in intellectual property and will release a free version online. They also give a fascinating account of their arrest in Jones County, Mississippi, based on trumped up charges by the local pigs.
  • Episode 185 of AppJudgment, discussing the new Hulu Plus app for iPad, its new business model and how this will play out and affect other TV distribution models.

As an aside, I have to say, I’ve been a bit negative in the past about libertarian activism (see my The Trouble with Libertarian Activism). But cases like the Motorhome Diaries guys and Molyneux’s heroic activism for liberty and his reception at the PorcFest event are inspiring and give me a smidgen of hope. And it seems like we are reaching a point where most libertarians are recognizing IP as the statist evil that it is. This must be driving the Randian libertarians nuts. I think we just need 10-15 years of generational change to wash out these holdovers and relics in a Kuhnian revolution in libertarian consciousness…

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Article: Five Months of Packing Heat

Articles, Firearms, Technology
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Several months ago I made the decision to apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon, because I wanted to have another level of protection for me and for my family as we go about our business around town.

I will not talk about the permit process, whether you should get one, or about any libertarian implications of licking the state’s boot to obtain permission to carry metals and chemicals on one’s person. You are on your own about that. Instead, I will simply, and briefly, go through the various trials and tribulations that I went through.

Read the Full Article by Manuel Lora

Afterwards, discuss it below.

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MI wants to tax your shift meal

Taxation
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In college, I quickly learned that working at a restaurant is a great way to guarantee you’ll get at least one free (or drastically reduced) meal per shift. I always vied for the Sunday buffet brunch shift because even though I had to show up early on Sunday after a late Saturday night, buffet brunch meant 1) I only had to take drink orders, bring fresh rolls, and bus tables, 2) I could enjoy a huge plate of brunch leftovers once the restaurant was closed, and 3) I could pack a to-go box with rations for my now-husband. During the rest of the week, the long hours on my feet and difficult customers were well worth the 1/2 price dinner and shift drink that came with each night on the floor.

Of course, leave it to politicians to destroy this small but crucial perk. Michigan State Representative Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) has introduced House Bill 6214, which would tax restaurant employees on meals they receive while working. Let’s be clear here: when I was a server in Alabama, the minimum base pay was $2.13/hour. Yes, servers get tips and depending on where they work, they could be making well over $100 per night in tips alone. But if the restaurant is dead, you go home with a few measly dollars and the knowledge that your weekly paycheck will be enough for a tank of gas and a few staples from the grocery store. I counted on my shift dinner to be my meal of the day–supplemented with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cheese on crackers.

Now, Representative Meadows wants to take more money from the pockets of restaurant employees. I’ve known some fine “professional” servers who have worked in the food industry for the majority of their lives. These people generally work at high-class establishments and make more than I do in my 9-5. However, the majority of folks working in restaurants aren’t doing it for the big bucks. They are busting ass by night at Chili’s after working their day jobs, they are folks without extensive training or educational opportunities, and they are people with a nice smile and warm demeanor that can hustle a few extra dollars from a table. It’s unfortunate that Representative Meadows now wants to target this population with this terribly greedy plan. More money for the state of Michigan, less for you!

Photo courtesy of bradleyolin.

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