Given that I’m neither very religious nor gay, I do not take an emotional stand for or against gay marriage. As an extreme libertarian, I don’t think marriage of any kind should be sanctioned or certified by the State, nor should any privileges accrue to encourage one social choice over another. As an anarcho-capitalist (the most extreme kind of libertarian), I don’t even recognize the legitimacy of the State much less wish the State to recognize the legitimacy of my marriage.
Nevertheless, I have been trying to get at what exactly is fueling the pro-Chick-fil-A demonstrations. I got a tweet during the last show saying it was homophobia plain and simple, but I don’t buy that. If Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy had said Chick-fil-A will no longer serve or hire gays, I doubt he would have experienced an upwelling of support. On the contrary, it is my experience that the vast majority of Americans are appalled at discrimination and would not have wanted to be associated with a purely bigoted policy. A minority might have supported him, but not for long–I suspect the company would have been out of business with a policy like that, legal or illegal.
Was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day a wild success because people wanted to show their support for the First Amendment like many claim? I don’t think so. It’s true that Rahm Emanuel, the Mayor of Chicago, and Tom Menino, the Mayor of Boston, want to control Cathy’s speech by using the force of the State to punish him economically, but I did not get the sense that the crowds in Atlanta were focused on these northern mayors.
Are Chick-fil-A appreciators coming out in droves to show their disapproval of gay marriage in particular and homosexuality in general? I’m sad to conclude there is an element of that in all of this, but it’s not the driving force.
I believe that the overwhelming driving force behind the record-breaking success of Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day is
General
Guest Post: END THE FED? IT’S BEEN DONE!
This summer has me running in all directions, so I haven’t been able to post much. My apologies for that, however, as luck would have it, my sister Booie wanted to share some thoughts on Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed Bill recently passed by Congress….
When England tried to place the colonies under the monetary control of the Bank of England, many in America were strongly opposed. This was one of the factors leading to the Revolutionary War. Nevertheless, the First Bank of the United States was chartered in 1791, thanks to the machinations of Alexander Hamilton, in line with Northern mercantile interests. In exchange for support by the agrarian South for the bank, Hamilton agreed
Doomsday List From This Week's Show!
This week on the show we talked about a list I came upon: Top Ten Global Risks we face over the next year. Here’s the list:
10. Regime implosion in North Korea, on the basis that the surprisingly rapid acclamation of Kim Jong-un as ‘great successor’ to his father is a façade.
9. A deflationary trap in the United States similar to what Japan experienced in 1992-95, with dire consequences for global growth.
8. Cartels capture the Mexican state, wherein the essential functions and institutions of government are ceded to powerful drug lords.
Mommy, Do You Love America?
I thought I would repost this in honor of the Fourth of July… When my seven-year-old daughter asked me this question last night, I was gutted. Do I, the daughter of a Harley-riding, ultra-conservative, flag-fying World War II veteran, love America? I, who lives the American Dream? Granddaughter of orphan and immigrants; waitress and community … Read more
Recommended Reading
I have gotten quite a few requests lately for books to read. While I do write thorough reviews of selected books I think are important–you can check those out here–I thought I’d make available lists to browse of fiction and non-fiction titles I found worth reading. Recommended Fiction Recommended Non-Fiction
Double Fake Justice Roberts: Republican Supreme Court Justice Sells Us Down the River Twice in One Week!
In the movie, I think Bill Pullman should play Justice Roberts playing a conservative. Are these guys separated at birth or what??? Anyway, Justice Roberts voted this week both to uphold Obamacare and to strike down three of four provisions in the controversial Arizona immigration law while allowing the “your papers please” provision to stand. … Read more
Finally! Operation Fast & Furious Is Making the Headlines!
I have been saying since October that Operation Fast & Furious was Obama’s Iran-Contra and have been speculating as to why it was not front page news every day. Finally it is front page news as Attorney General Eric Holder is cited for contempt of Congress even after President Obama tried to shield him behind … Read more
Must See Stefan Molyneux Video: The Story of Your Enslavement
I always enjoy listening to Stefan Molyneux, fellow voluntarist, and when my sister Booie sent me this video I wasn’t surprised that I enjoyed it tremendously. I find this kind of thing particularly exhilarating if you have already begun to notice the underlying truths being revealed, but this video also serves as a great introduction … Read more
"Not Obama" Is Not Enough: On & About This Week's Show
Scary Week!
Last week was scary! The Eurozone seemed to be in free fall from fears of Grexit to Spaindemonium! And the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower on Friday, June 1 than it did on December 31–all gains for the year erased. But the worst news was that unemployment ticked up from 8.1% to 8.2%–or so they say. The actual unemployment number is more like 22% according to Shadow Government Statistics. Obama says the 8% is still an improvement over the 10% we saw in 2010, but scratch the surface and you might find that the reason that “headline” number fell is that it doesn’t include long term discouraged workers, while the ShadowStats number does. The more comprehensive number has risen from 20% in 2010 to 22% today–things are getting worse not better!
Republocrat Oligarchy
Obama wants us to stay the course but I want no part of that! Unlike most in the mainstream, however, I think voting Republican is also staying the course! It’s no coincidence that spending and government grow year after year, decade after decade, regardless of which party is in control of Congress or the White House. Self-proclaimed former neo-Trotskyist