Mike Gravel Criticizes Pro-War Hollywood in Iran

Mike Gravel, who ran for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination in 2008, recently attended Iran's third annual "Hollywoodism" conference. This appears to be an event that examines how Iran and Islam are portrayed by America's entertainment industry. Iranians are especially unhappy with the recently released film, Argo.

Thomas Erdbrink reports in The New York Times (February 18, 2013):


Mike Gravel, a former Democratic senator from Alaska, said Hollywood had brainwashed its audiences into thinking negatively about Iran. He said it was "fundamental" to discuss the American movie industry's ways of portraying Iran in order to prevent "an insane war."


While seeking the LP nomination in 2008, Gravel ran on a strongly antiwar platform.

Read the rest of Erdbrink's report.

SNL's Hagel Satire Shows Israel Lobby Losing Grip on Popular Culture

The Israel lobby has long dominated America's mideast foreign policy, not only though a direct political influence, but also by its influence on America's popular culture. Any real criticism of Israel has long been absent (taboo?) on America TV.

But this recent Saturday Night Live parody of the Senator Chuck Hagel hearings shows that that may be changing. America's cultural elite are not turning against Israel -- just against blind, worshipful, uncritical, knee-jerk support of all things Israel.

It's that blind, knee-jerk Israel-worship that is being parodied here:

It's a small thing, one solitary SNL skit. But it's a positive development, and perhaps a bellwether of more to come.

Chuck Hagel -- A Pro-Peace Defense Secretary?

Okay, not as "pro-peace" as I would like. But Carol Moore forwards the following message from Robert Naiman:

President Obama wants to nominate Senator Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. Hagel wants to end the war in Afghanistan, prevent war with Iran, and make reasonable cuts to the Pentagon budget.

Some right-wing groups are trying to scuttle the nomination by making up lies about Hagel's record. Show President Obama you have his back in nominating his first choice, Chuck Hagel, by signing this petition.

That's why I signed a petition to President Barack Obama, which says:

"President Obama, we have your back. We support your choice of Chuck Hagel to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. We will urge our Senators to vote for his confirmation."

Will you sign this petition? Click here.

Thanks!

Well, it sounds like Hagel might not be as bad as some other potential choices -- especially if you read Doug Bandow's piece in The Huffington Post (Dec. 21, 2012): Neocons Against Chuck Hagel.

So you may want to consider signing the above petition.

Ron Paul Earns 21,416 California Write-In Votes in 2012

The California Secretary of State reports that Ron Paul got 21,416 write-in votes for president in 2012.

This is remarkable, considering that Ron Paul only got 17,006 California write-in votes in 2008, when he ran against the Libertarian Party's unpopular Barr/Root ticket.

Despite the LP's 2012 presidential candidate, Gary Johnson, being more popular among libertarians than the Barr/Root ticket -- and a stronger overall candidate -- Paul still increased his vote totals in California.

Perhaps part of the reason was the Johnson was too pro-war. Peacenik libertarians can feel proud denying the LP those additional 21,416 votes.

Wayne Allyn Root Predicts Mitt Romney Landslide

It's been a while since I posted. I'm losing interest in electoral politics. I've also lost much interest in Wayne Allyn Root, ever since he left the Libertarian Party to support Mitt Romney.

But here's something funny...

On November 1, 2012, Root wrote an article for his website, entitled: WAYNE ROOT’S ELECTION PREDICTION IS LOOKING LIKE MOST ACCURATE IN NATION, in which he wrote:

"The media frenzy created by a Las Vegas oddsmaker (Wayne Allyn Root) predicting a Romney landslide…might be of interest to your viewers.

"Wayne's prediction (below) was made at a time when Obama led in EVERY poll in the country. His exact prediction (as you can read below) was Romney by 5 to 7 points and 100 to 120 electoral votes.

That's Root, writing about himself in the third person. Self-proclaiming himself as "a Las Vegas oddsmaker" (i.e., an expert), whose prediction of a Romney landslide is looking to be the "most accurate in the nation."

Now that Root is no longer in the LP, one can laugh at his hilariously hyperbolic bloviating.

If you're in the mood, read the rest of Root's article.

My 2012 Write-In Vote for Ron Paul

If you write-in Ron Paul's name for president in 2012, your vote WILL count -- at least in Alabama, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Maine (so far -- more states may yet be on the way).

That's according to an October 5, 2012 posting on The Daily Paul.

I live in California, and I cast my write-in vote for Ron Paul this past week!

Even if my vote didn't count, I'd still vote for Paul. A vote that's not counted is like not voting -- and not voting is better than voting for one of the lesser evils on the California ballot.

Politico.com quotes Libertarian Party candidate Gary "lesser of three evils" Johnson as saying that a write-in vote for Paul is "meaningless."

Thanks for the tip, Gary. But how "meaningful" would a vote be for your confused and contradictory message, including your support for wars.

Sure, Paul won't win. But neither will Johnson. It's likely that Johnson won't even get 1% of the vote. Contrary to the LP's big hopes and daydreams, Johnson didn't get into the debates, and the race tightening such that Romney looks to have a fighting chance of beating Obama.

Since this is "the most important election in history" and "too important to lose," Americans will once again be "going home" to the major parties that actually have a chance of winning.

If I'm going to vote for a candidate who can't win, I'd rather vote for someone who is uncompromisingly antiwar -- or even not vote at all -- than vote for Gary "lesser of three evils" Johnson.

2012 California Ballot Propositions -- Libertarian Recommendations

Here's something from the LPLAC [Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County] Yahoo Group:

I realize that Tom McClintock is not a big el Libertarian, but his philosophy is very close. Here is his take:

Prop 30: Your Wallet or Your Kids -- NO

Either approve $36 billion in higher sales and income taxes or else Gov. Brown threatens to shoot the schools. Don't worry, the income taxes are only on the "very wealthy," but it turns out the "very wealthy" include many small businesses filing under sub-chapter S, meaning lower wages, higher prices and fewer jobs. California already has one of the highest overall tax burdens in the country and yet has just approved a budget to spend $8 billion dollars more than it's taking in. Moral of the story: it's the spending stupid.

Prop 31: Rotting Mackerel by Moonlight -- NO

This one shines and stinks. On the shiny side, it moves us toward performance-based budgeting, restores certain powers to the governor to make mid-year spending reductions and requires new spending to be paid for. On the stinky side, it provides a two-year budget cycle that makes fiscal gimmickry all the easier and locks into the Constitution an incredibly anal process for local communities to adopt "Strategic Action Plans" serving such open-ended new age objectives as "community equity" and nudges them into establishing regional governments to push this agenda. The purpose of local governments is to provide basic services, not to pursue utopian four-year plans.

Prop 32: Cutting The Piggies Off From The Trough -- YES

In the "It's About Time" category, this measure would finally prohibit unions, corporations, government contractors, and state and local governments from deducting money from employees' paychecks for political purposes without their express written consent. As Jefferson wrote, "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." This puts an end to this despotic practice.

Prop 33: Rewarding Responsible Drivers -- YES

Here's a no-brainer: should car insurance companies be allowed to offer a discount to drivers who maintain continuous coverage? No, it's not a trick question. Under California's convoluted law, if you switch auto insurers you can't qualify for the continuous coverage discount. This measure says you can.

Prop 34: Lifetime Room and Board (and Sex-Change Operations, too) for Murderers -- NO

This abolishes the death penalty for first-degree murder. Enough said.

Prop 35: Red Light on Human Trafficking -- YES

Prop 35 greatly expands the definition of "Human Trafficking" (already illegal), and greatly increases existing penalties. The problem is real and growing and needs stronger sanctions, although there are some provisions in Prop 35 that make it ripe for prosecutorial abuse, including limiting the ability of defendants to cross-examine witnesses and broadening the definition of trafficking to include those who never had contact with the victim. On balance, though, the good outweighs the bad.

Prop 36: Gutting Three Strikes -- NO

After many years of rising crime rates, Californians finally struck back with the three-strikes law. It is actually a two-strikes law: after two serious or violent felonies -- in which one has murdered, assaulted, raped, robbed or pillaged his fellow citizens -- he is on notice that any further misconduct will remove him from polite society. Prop 36 would require that the third strike also be a serious or violent crime, giving dangerous criminals yet one more opportunity at atrocity. The Left predicted that "Three Strikes" would have no effect on crime -- in fact, crime rates have plummeted. When it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.

Prop 37: Spit it Out - NO

This is the latest effort of the Nanny Left to tell us what to eat. It requires foods that contain any ingredients resulting from biotechnology advances to carry the scary warning: "GENETICALLY ENGINEERED." There is not a shred of evidence that biotechnology is the least bit dangerous -- it often reduces the need for pesticides. To avoid branding their products with the Scarlet Warning, food processors would have to prove that every scrap and crumb in their fare is devoid of biotechnology or face crushing lawsuits. Grocery prices high enough yet?

Prop 38: Pay More, Get Less - NO

Not to be outdone by Prop. 30, this measure heaps $120 BILLION of new income taxes on those earning more than $7,316 (the new millionaires and billionaires of California's impoverished economy). It's for the schools, of course. No doubt these dollars (which families would just waste on necessities) will be as well spent as the staggering fortune that we're already shoveling into the sclerotic school system.

Prop 39: Tax Us Before We Hire Again - NO

This is a $1 billion per year tax increase on California businesses to subsidize a whole new generation of Solyndra scams. But remember, businesses don't pay business taxes; they only collect them from employees through lower wages, from consumers through higher prices, or from investors through lower earnings. Prop 39 might be bad news for California's employees, consumers and investors, but it's great news for the Nevada Chamber of Commerce.

Prop 40: Your GOP Donations At Work -- YES

This is a monument to the stupidity of some Republican Party leaders, who spent nearly $2 million of party funds to qualify -- and then drop -- this referendum to overturn the Senate reapportionment because several state senators didn't like their new districts. They had hoped to run in their old seats, but after qualifying the initiative found out they couldn't anyway. A "Yes" vote affirms that the new non-partisan Citizens Redistricting Commission works.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE!

NOT SO FAST!

Los Angeles County Libertarian activist Ted Brown differs with some of McClintock's recommendations. Brown writes:

Prop 34 -- YES on getting rid of the death penalty; the government has no right to kill people, as far as I am concerned.

Prop 35 -- NO on the sex trafficking measure; this will pass with 75% but it still has many bad provisions; our own Cop to Call Girl author, Norma Jean Almodovar, is one of the opponents.

Prop 36 -- YES on modifying 3 strikes, so that the 3rd strike must be a serious or violent one.

Measure B on the L.A. County ballot should be a resounding NO -- especially since my wife and I wrote the argument against it. This measure would force adult film actors to wear condoms.