Tobias and Nicholas broadcast live from PorcFest 2009 in Lancaster, NH.
If you don't see the player above, refresh the page.
Socialize Us! (Before the Bureaucrats Do)
Free Minds Radio
FREE MINDS RADIO: EPISODE 0041 - JULY 05, 2009
Independence Day weekend, the FDA to ban Percocet and Vicodin, gold vending machine, is the anti-war movement dead?, NH and the Free State Project, MA to fine you $25 if you take a traffic ticket to court, sofa swap banned because of fear of bed bugs, and the war on drugs.
WHAT IS IT?:From the writer of the free podiobooks EDEN, HARVEY and NOTES FROM THE VAULT comes the print debut of the sci-fi horror masterpiece that launched Phil Rossi's career: CRESCENT.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: CRESCENT is the story of a smuggler anti-hero named Gerald Evans and his often illicit exploits on a frontier space station (Crescent Station) where something has gone very, very wrong. Something malevolent is bleeding into our universe and it is very, very hungry. The book is chock full of sex, violence, death, possession, mystery and terror. What's not to like?
WHAT'S THIS GOT TO DO WITH LIBERTY?: Some major liberty-related story points are Gerald's attempts to escape the control of a deranged mayor named Ezra Kendall, Gerald's illicit black market activities and people having their minds and bodies infiltrated and controlled by outside forces. It is, however, not specifically a pro-liberty book. It's just a fantastically creepy and entertaining read for anyone who loves a good scare and an engaging story with memorable characters. Crescent goes on sale Thursday, July 9th, 2009. Purchase the book on that day to "rush the charts" and help make it a publishing success for a well-deserving author.
Compared to many people around the world, the average American is quite wealthy. Many people in the US and other developed countries around the world would like to help improve conditions in the developing world. I feel the same way, although I am not in favor of government-funded foreign aid for two reasons:
First, government uses taxes to confiscate funds from people whether they wish to give or not, regardless of their financial situation. Second, much of that aid is syphoned off and pocketed by corrupt regimes and officials, or creates a dependency without actually improving the long-term economy of a country receiving aid. The old parable about teaching a man to fish is apropos here.
There are many people in places around the world who are in desperate need of basic necessities in order to survive. While I think that private charity is an admirable thing, charities tend to focus on providing basic necessities to the poorest people around the world they don't do much to improve infrastructure or, most importantly, spur economic growth.
Free Minds Media would like to publicly thank Sam for the sacrifices he made in his efforts to cast light on the injustices of a broken system. Sam's strength and perserverance in the face of an oppressive, tyrannical system designed to break people and crush their spirits has changed lives. Sam's actions have convinced dozens of Free State Project participants to move sooner rather than later and he has inspired all of us to increase our efforts by an order of magnitude. From all of us here at Free Minds Media, thank you so much Sam.
The Fourth of July weekend is a time when most Americans get together with family and friends for barbecues, fireworks, and other festivities. There's nothing wrong with that, but I feel like Independence Day is an opportune time to reflect on how the United States began, and what state it is in today. Personally, it makes me a little bit sad.
The United States came into being with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed the creation of one of the most radical experiments of its day. At a time when kings claimed to be rulers annointed by God Himself, the idea that government was merely a man-made institution was radical in itself, but the Founders went further. They understood that government was destructive of life, liberty, and property and so they set out to create a new form of government that was limited and accountable to the people. In retrospect, liberty was not granted equally to all, and the limitations on the new republic were insufficient to prevent the growth of government.
One of the most interesting things to come out of the 2009 Porcupine Fest going on in Lancaster, New Hampshire this weekend was super-activist and Rob LaBelle-lookalike Mike Barskey's PiMPmyactivism.info, a new website featuring a series of video sessions where liberty activists get together to practice dealing with statist intrusions into their lives such as being pulled over by state revenue generators looking to make a quick buck by hassling peaceful people daring to travel from one point to another to robed enforcers deciding whether or not they should cage you, conscript you into temporary slave labor or steal some of your money for disobeying the absurd rules written down by other state parasites.
The site has a few examples but is pretty sparse at the moment. You can expect more video updates from Porcfest in the very near future. Check it out, join in on the conversation and help it to grow. After all, "Practice Makes Perfect".
WHAT IS IT?: 
Compared to many people around the world, the average American is quite wealthy. Many people in the US and other developed countries around the world would like to help improve conditions in the developing world. I feel the same way, although I am not in favor of government-funded foreign aid for two reasons:
The Fourth of July weekend is a time when most Americans get together with family and friends for barbecues, fireworks, and other festivities. There's nothing wrong with that, but I feel like Independence Day is an opportune time to reflect on how the United States began, and what state it is in today. Personally, it makes me a little bit sad.
One of the most interesting things to come out of the 