1. It might be 8 days into the New Year, but the late Harry Browne’s libertarian New Year’s resolutions are an excellent read.  It would be super cool if more people would remember these.
2. On a related note, The Cato Institute put up a small blurb on the “libertarian surge“; I wasn’t feelin’ the blockquote, but did appreciate David Boaz’s notes.
3. Here’s a twofer on the Facebook bra color status meme.  I mean, the meme for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Yeah, that’s the ticket!
4. In pop cultural news, Lost beat out President Obama’s State of the Union for a Feb. 1st broadcast.  I’m guessing he and the First Lady are big fans; now, if they could just get Joe Biden to STFU when the show is on.
5. The Tax Foundation argues that high taxes and an inhospitable business climate have led to a loss in jobs for Ohioans.  That’s going to be Philly pretty soon.
6. If you live in the Southern US, you might want to check out Operation Defuse, a new Texas based organization that aims to “empower the public so they may better understand the police/surveillance state by educating them about fusion centers and the role they play in both militarizing and federalizing our police forces.”
7. I’m glad to see that the Green Party is doing something, well at least CA and NY Greens are.  If the party had done a little bit more aside from act like disorganized hippies, I might still be a member of it.
   
8. I’m breaking my own informal rule by linking to the same site twice in a dump, but Alan Reynolds from Cato at Liberty explains how Faux News is simply wrong about the true unemployment rates.
9. In “so cool” news: Kathleen Hanna has donated a whole buttload of papers from her Bikini Kill days to NYU for their newly announced Riot Grrrl collection.
   
10. Dennis Kucinich is not too thrilled about – what appears to be – shady, backdoor TARP dealings.  A+, Obama, A+
11. Ladies of Liberty Alliance still has some calendars leftover.  If you purchase a 2010 wall calendar for just $9, they will throw in a desktop calendar for free!  Come on, buy one, it goes toward a great cause!
12. NJ ditches mandatory minimum sentencing for selling drugs in a school zone.
13. In “Settling for the Lesser of Two Evils is the Greater Evil,” Liberal Arts Dude discusses why he wishes we could have a “none of the above” option when we vote in the US; he also debunks common two party objections to third party politics.
    

And this is how we get back into the swing of things!

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1. Let’s start with the depressing: Afghanistan General Stanley McCrystal sees no indication of an al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan.  So, could we maybe, GTFO or is killing brown people too much fun?
2. Sheldon Richman of the Foundation for Economic Education discusses some of the problems with raising tariffs on cheap Chinese tires.  I liked this quick synopsis a little bit better than Reason’s.
3. Here is some information about why Philadelphia is broke.  Most of the commenters are fucking brain donors, so don’t bother reading.  Note, there are no confirmed cop firings in that article.
4. Can Rihanna even remember the World Trade Center collapse?
5. In neato news: the New York Times does a small writeup on bento boxes.  Despite the fact that it makes me sound like a Wapanese asshole, I fucking love the things.  They are so cute!
6. In fucking “duh” news: Rob Miller isn’t the only one who has raised $1M for his congressional bid.
7. Abortion is a medical procedure, therefore, I expect it to be covered under my health care plan.  Instead, Obama is not going to cover it, presumably because pro-lifers don’t want their tax money going towards abortion.  Too bad that morality doesn’t extend to elective procedures like surgical starvation, which I’m assuming will be covered.
8. Apparently, Tila Tequila was assaulted, allegedly by her boyfriend.  I won’t be following the story too closely, because I’m sure the interwebz have been buzzing with “she was asking for it”esque statements because she’s Tila Tequila.
9. In much less irritating news: enjoy this short blurb from Chow.com about the “lobster boom.”
10. In “at least it involves a cockface getting pummeled news”: Main Line Animal Rescue (based out of DC), will be donating 5 bags of dog food to a DC based animal shelter for every time Michael Vick is tackled during the Eagles’ October 26th game.
11. It’s getting chilly out, so have my favorite knitting tutorial site.
12. If you’re wondering why I don’t support the whole Tea Party thing, CNN can hand you a ton of reasons.
13. In a similar vein to link #11, it’s getting chilly out, which means it is almost my favorite season ever: PUMPKIN SEASON!  SHAZZAM!

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1. In response to the “no one should have to go broke because they get sick” Facebook meme, a bunch of conservatives and libertarians started with a “no one should have to go thirsty because they can’t afford good beer” which led to this video by Reason.tv.  Full disclosure: I have not watched it, but based on the accompanying commentaries I’ve seen, it’s problematic for a lot of reasons.  (It’s called nuance, guys!)
2. Philadelphia Free Library is closing every single branch.  Apparently, all the libraries in the state are also fighting to stay open.  I’m so thrilled that the library is getting closed down, but the last time I checked, there were NO cuts to the Philadelphia Police Department.
3. Roderick Long breaks down the major theses of left libertarianism.
4. For a not-cliched, but still 9/11-y link: Will Wilkinson wishes for a return to a 9/10/01 America.
5. In “wtf”news: While this case is certainly horrifying, I love how the commenters, the shrink, and the reporter are all acting like it’s super duper extra special worse than what happens to little girls and teenaged girls every single fucking day.  I guess that’s just normal, expected rape, right?
6. The state of Texas destroyed an elderly couple’s lives and wiped out their life savings by having the division of “Adult Protective Services” deem them unfit. But guiz, the gubment is totes not gunna fuck up health care!
7. In “duh” news: Oh, lookie here!  Apparently it wasn’t that evil, chinky chang bitch Yoko Ono who broke up The Beatles, but stifling taxes on the band.  I’ll bet that a lot of teenaged guitar playing white guys are pissed that they’re just racist and sexist.
8. Oh man, this 9/11 post is too fucking awesome to not share.  And by “awesome,” I mean as fucking awesome as a Fat Elvis velvet painting: April Winchell Presents The Second Annual Mother of All 9/11 Posts.  I feel like I should dust off a blink or marquee tag for this shit.
9. Hi, Joyce Slaton, I agree wholeheartedly.  Chopped is the best food tv show on the air.  I am ADDICTED to that show.
10. In more fucking “duh” news: sports venues are not a great way for cities to bring in cash money.  Question: why can’t the corporations whose names are splashed all over the damn stadiums actually pay for this shit instead of taxpayers?
11. This is slightly old, but necessary.  Since Cash for Clunkers went so well, the government is now thinking about running a Cash for Appliances program.
12. In even more fucking “duh” news: an Atlanta gay bar was raided last night.  Don’t worry, I’m not holding my breath that we’ll see any coverage of this incident on Reason.
13. And wrapping things up: Lulu may be one hell of a dog, but the very surly looking and adorable little girl English Bulldog is one lucky pup.

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1. I absolutely, 100% must have Star Wars chopsticks for all of my chopstick eating needs.
2. I can’t believe I forgot this article last time, but in Famous Last High School Bitches: A Rant, Michelle Dean wonders where all the Darlene Conners, Angela Chases, and Blossom Russos went.
3. In completely unpredictable news: Ron Paul is a hypocrite and loves pork barrel spending.  I’m shocked, aren’t you?
4. The Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) calendars just went on sale.  As a politically minded woman, I implore you to please consider purchasing a calendar.  Your purchase helps LOLA get off the ground and helps empower other women to become leaders within the male-dominated world of libertarian politics.
5. In completely unpredicatbler news: East Jerusalem shuts out thousands of Palestinians on Holy Day.  Gee, I can’t imagine why there might be some issues in the Middle East.
6. How timely!  Mike Gogulski at nostate.com posts a Rebel, Reclaim, Resist graf stencil for resisting against “whatever evil there is in your situation and that of those around you. Could be … uncaring ‘friends’ … whatever.”
7. The Vancouver PD is apparently afraid of tofu, patchouli, and dirty hippies.  At least they don’t advocate bear macing those faggots.
8. Although I wouldn’t normally trust Courtney Love’s judgment for much, her recent tweeting about Tavi, The New Girl in Town has given me a new fashion blog to love.  So what if she’s only 13, she’s already old enough to know that the font named “Curlz” is always a bad idea.
9. In “duh” news: cutting your hair at home saves money.  Yeah, coming from someone who prefers to DIY whenever possible: fucking DUH.
10. Finally, some resolution to the Rainbow Lounge Raid!  The good: two ACB agents and their supervisor all lost their jobs and the ACB is revamping procedures!  The bad: the cops aren’t being held accountable for their actions and it really isn’t getting to the bottom of the issues. Ah well, it’s better than nothing.
11. Here, have a piece on anti-sexism in the libertarian movement.
12. No fucking way, are you telling me that Walmart’s clientele is predominantly poor and fits into a particular stereotype?  Really?  OMG you must have a PhD in Sociology to figure that one out!
13. And wrapping everything up: I-95 and airport ramps clear of motorists’ cars. FINALLY. I’ve almost gotten into a few accidents because these fucks don’t bother to LOOK before pulling back onto 95.

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1. I’m opening with a must read for anyone arguing that libertarianism and feminism are mutually exclusive.  Libertarian Feminism: Can This Marriage be Saved? I’m not finished reading it yet, but the link was provided by one of the authors and I am really digging it so far.
2. Inspired by my stupid idea that vanilla vodka + hours of Wii sports would somehow be fun, I bring you Wii injury.com.  I imagine I will wind up there within the next month or two.
3. In shameless promotion news: my comments on Young Americans For Liberty have made their rounds, and it appears that they’ve caused (at least) a small stir.  Considering some of the feedback I’m receiving (like, hi, I totally got a private email from…well, we’ll just say someone pretty well-known & influential in LP circles), I’d say I done good.
4. On that thread, I was also handed a link to the Ladies of Liberty Alliance.  While I think the name is a little “meh,” I love concept.  Hell, call it “turd in a box,” for all I care, as long as it serves the same purpose.  I pretty much always support efforts to organize women in non-female dominated circles, and love anything that helps train women to be leaders. (Don’t you just hate the kind of typos that alter the meaning of an entire sentence?)
5. In non-libertarian news: so, what was that about wasting resources?  Thanks to women like Maureen Picozzi, hundreds of thousands of misogynists can continue to feel vindicated when they blabber about false rape charges.  Cause certainly, rape is the only crime involving false charges.
6. Halloween II brought in $17.4 million this weekend.  Even though I’m going to bury my face into Libertarian Boyfriend’s shoulder the entire time, I must see this!
7. In wtf news: the poor French are dealing with exploding iPhones.  I know someone who will be so amused by that.
8. In completely unpredictably news: Douchebag extraordinaire Joe Francis has been accused of assaulting a woman.  Hey, media, quit making him relevant, plz?
9. In “duh” news: If you don’t want people to know your address, you probably shouldn’t post it on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site.  Cause, well, some people are going to use that to break into your home, for starters.
10. iPhone has a “find my iPhone” setting.  People like to steal iPhones.  Do you not see where I’m going with this?
11. Reasons why I love Bitch: this point/counter-point about Meghan McCain.  While there are definitely things I like about Ms. McCain, she also supports some deplorable shit, and I think that gets lost a lot of the time.
12. Similarly to the Cow Days episode of South Park (which always makes me fucking cry because the cows. are. drawn. so. fucking. cute.), 28 Swiss cows & bulls threw themselves off a cliff in the Alps.  I guess these ones weren’t aware they could just use guns.
13. And to wrap things up, here is a critique on the Olbermann “omg, like, why should anyone distrust the government?  Obama of Nazareth is in office, which means everything is like, perfect!” attitude.

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