Freedom Lawyers of America
A site that will discuss what can be done to end slavery in America and to sell the amazing stories in the recently released book entitled, ''In the Teeth of the Wind'' by Shelly Waxman. The site is also dedicated to fostering and certifying the proper use of independent contractors for IRS purposes.

Misc.
Friday, May 28, 2004 :::
 

One in 75 U.S. men in prison
----------
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
   "America's inmate population grew by 2.9 percent last year, to
   almost 2.1 million people, with one of every 75 men living in
   prison or jail. The inmate population continued its rise despite
   a fall in the crime rate and many states' efforts to reduce some
   sentences ..." (5/27/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/505469210.html

Montana voter registration drops
----------
Independent Record
   "The number of Montanans registered to vote for the primary
   election this year dropped by 11 percent -- more than
   75,000 in all -- from the last presidential election in
   2000 ..." At first, this was attributed to a change in
   procedures for dropping inactive voters, but it occurred
   prior to that. The secretary of state speculated that it
   could be due to "disillusionment since 2000". (5/28/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/523021909.html

Singapore lifts gum ban, but ...
----------
Aberdeen News
   "Singapore is lifting its notorious ban on chewing gum after 12
   long years .... Before Singaporeans even think about unwrapping a
   pack, however, they must submit their names and ID card numbers.
   If they don't, pharmacists who sell them gum could be jailed up
   to two years and fined $2,940." (5/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/541363410.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 6:33 PM



Thursday, May 27, 2004 :::
 

 Little fanfare for Libertarians as they make White House bid
    USA Today

"A national political convention opens here this week but it won't get
a lot of air time on the evening newscasts, cause traffic tie-ups or
rack up big municipal bills for overtime pay for cops. ... With just
800 delegates expected, it isn't even a good sized convention by
Atlanta standards, where the average convention brings about 1,000
people and the visitors bureau doesn't even ballyhoo those with less
than 5,000. ... The main event of the convention comes Sunday when
the party will choose its nominee from a field of seven ..."
(05/26/04)

http://tinyurl.com/ysaqz

Sex restriction for Italian soccer stars
    Ananova [UK]

"Italy's soccer squad can have sex with their wives or girlfriends
during the Euro 2004 finals -- but only for one hour in the evenings.
But if they reach the quarter-finals, partners will be allowed to
visit for a whole day, said coach Giovanni Trapattoni. The players
were told that during the tournament's group stages, they could have
their loved ones visit their hotel rooms, but for just sixty minutes
in the evening." (05/26/04)

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_968507.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 8:20 AM



Tuesday, May 25, 2004 :::
 

New Mexico court: cops can't ID passengers without reason
----------
Santa Fe New Mexican
   "The [NM] state Court of Appeals says a Roswell police
   officer went too far in demanding identification from a
   passenger in a routine traffic stop." The judge's
   opinion made it clear that the action violated the
   Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; the state
   Supreme Court declined to hear the case. (5/24/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/912847485.html

Tucson officer under investigation for tasering handcuffed child
----------
Arizona Daily Star
   "A veteran South Tucson [AZ] police sergeant is under
   investigation for firing his stun gun to subdue a handcuffed
   9-year-old girl. .... The sergeant who used the hand-held Taser
   remains on duty." (5/25/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/919888771.html

Oregon man cleared as FBI admits bungling fingerprint test
----------
Statesman Journal
   The case against Portland OR attorney Brandon Mayfield has
   been dropped after the FBI admitted it "misidentified"
   his fingerprint as matching one found on evidence from
   the Spain train bombings. Mayfield's attorney said that
   a civil-rights lawsuit against the U.S. government is
   being considered. (5/25/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/909456767.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 6:35 PM



Thursday, May 20, 2004 :::
 

Michigan House rejects balancing budget on smokers' backs
----------
Detroit News
   "The Michigan House ... rejected Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to
   raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products to help
   balance the state budget." (5/20/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/574702319.html

California jury acquits doctor on pain prescription charges
----------
San Francisco Chronicle
   "Dr. Frank B. Fisher ... was acquitted of charges that he had
   defrauded the state Medi-Cal system -- the only criminal charges
   that hadn't already been dropped -- by a Shasta County Superior
   Court jury .... The Fisher case is one of the first and most
   ambitious prosecutions in the country involving doctors accused of
   over-prescribing pain medications." (5/20/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/566170718.html

 

Michigan House rejects balancing budget on smokers' backs
----------
Detroit News
   "The Michigan House ... rejected Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to
   raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products to help
   balance the state budget." (5/20/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/574702319.html

California jury acquits doctor on pain prescription charges
----------
San Francisco Chronicle
   "Dr. Frank B. Fisher ... was acquitted of charges that he had
   defrauded the state Medi-Cal system -- the only criminal charges
   that hadn't already been dropped -- by a Shasta County Superior
   Court jury .... The Fisher case is one of the first and most
   ambitious prosecutions in the country involving doctors accused of
   over-prescribing pain medications." (5/20/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/566170718.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 2:25 PM


 

 Iraq: US airstrike on house kills 40
    Washington Times

"A U.S. aircraft fired on a house in the desert near the Syrian border
yesterday, and Iraqi officials said more than 40 people were killed,
including 15 children. U.S. military officials said the target was a
suspected safe house for foreign fighters from Syria, but Iraqis said
a helicopter had attacked a wedding party. Associated Press
Television News footage showed a truck containing bloodied bodies,
many wrapped in blankets, piled one on top of the other. Several were
children, one of whom was decapitated. The body of a girl who
appeared to be younger than 5 years old lay in a white sheet, her
legs riddled with wounds and her dress soaked in blood." (05/20/04)

http://washingtontimes.com/world/20040520-022514-4084r.htm

-----

Army may call up inactive reservists
    Detroit Free Press

"The U.S. Army is mustering soldiers for duty in Iraq wherever it can
find them, and that includes among people long considered off-limits.
The Army confirmed Tuesday that it pulled the files of 17,000 people
in the Individual Ready Reserve, the nation's pool of former
soldiers. ... The Individual Ready Reserve pool is composed of people
who completed their active-duty tours but are subject to involuntary
recall. A soldier who has served a 4-year enlistment in the Army, for
example, would remain in the pool for an additional 4 years. During
that time, he or she would receive no pay and would not drill with a
reserve or National Guard unit." (05/19/04)

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/troops19_20040519.htm

UN Security Council calls on Israel to stop demolition
    USA Today

"With the United States abstaining, the U.N. Security Council
Wednesday demanded that Israel halt the demolition of Palestinian
homes and condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians near a Gaza
refugee camp. The decision by the United States, Israel's closest
ally, to allow the adoption of a critical resolution reflected the
Bush administration's displeasure at Israel's foray into Gaza."
(05/19/04)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-05-19-un-israel_x.htm

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:25 AM


Is it Possible
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 :::
 

German couple finds there IS no stork
    Fox News

"A childless German couple finally found out why they weren't able to
conceive -- they had never had sex. Doctors at the Lübeck campus of
the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany
described the case in a medical bulletin, according to Ananova.com.
After eight years of marriage, the 36-year-old man and his
30-year-old wife went to the campus' fertility clinic to figure out
what was wrong. Doctors gave them a battery of tests and were baffled
-- both husband and wife were healthily fertile. Then came the
important question. 'When we asked them how often they had had sex,'
said a clinic spokesman, 'they looked blank, and said: 'What do you
mean?'" (05/18/04)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120309,00.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 8:07 AM



Monday, May 17, 2004 :::
 

Three Connecticut prison guards fired over club membership
----------
Boston.com
   "Three [CT] state prison guards have been fired for joining
   the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, a membership that officials
   worry can create problems between inmate and jailer. The
   Department of Correction fired the guards ... saying
   their association with the Waterbury Outlaws chapter was
   enough to incite gang violence among inmates." (5/17/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/967131457.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:10 PM


 

Medical marijuana bill passes Vermont House
    Marijuana Policy Project

"In a voice vote, the Vermont House of Representatives today gave
final approval to medical marijuana legislation, bringing a long and
complicated legislative struggle close to a final conclusion. The
bill had passed by a 79-48 margin on May 13. The Senate, which had
previously passed a different version of the bill, must approve this
version before the bill goes to Gov. James Douglas (R) for his
signature. 'It's been a long and sometimes difficult process, but
this is an important step forward for patients fighting for their
lives against cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis,' said Neal Levine,
director of the state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, D.C. 'We hope the Senate will quickly give its approval
and that Governor Douglas will promptly sign this humane and
compassionate bill into law.' The Bush administration had mounted an
all-out effort to kill the measure." (05/14/04)

http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr051404.html
US guards "filmed beatings" at terror camp
    Guardian [UK]

"Dozens of videotapes of American guards allegedly engaged in brutal
attacks on Guantanamo Bay detainees have been stored and catalogued
at the camp, an investigation by The Observer has revealed. The
disclosures, made in an interview with Tarek Dergoul, the fifth
British prisoner freed last March, who has been too traumatised to
speak until now, prompted demands last night by senior politicians on
both sides of the Atlantic to make the videos available immediately.
They say that if the contents are as shocking as Dergoul claims, they
will provide final proof that brutality against detainees has become
an institutionalised feature of America's war on terror." (05/16/04)

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1217973,00.html

US athletes told to cool it at Olympics
    Washington Times

"American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during
their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens,
for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's
already-battered public image. The spectacle of victorious athletes
grabbing a national flag and parading it around the stadium is a
familiar part of international sporting competition, but U.S. Olympic
officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint
and avoid any jingoistic behavior. The plan is part of a charm
offensive aimed at repairing the country's international reputation
after the deepening crisis in Iraq and damaging revelations of the
mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib
prison." (05/16/04)

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040516-121028-9603r.htm

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:32 AM



Friday, May 14, 2004 :::
 

U.S. Senate passes private tax-collection bill
----------
GovExec.com
   "The Senate ... passed a corporate tax bill that would allow the
   Internal Revenue Service to let private companies help with debt
   collection. Under the tax legislation (S. 1637), which passed ...
   by a vote of 92 to 5, the IRS could sign contracts with private-
   sector debt collection companies, as long as those companies
   abide by the same rules as federal agents." (5/13/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/393602730.html

Coloradans increasingly using fake names for ER care
----------
Rocky Mountain News
   "Coloradans are increasingly using fake names when they show up in
   emergency rooms because they can't afford their medical bills, ER
   doctors said ..." Apparently it hasn't occurred to the doctors
   that encroachments on patient privacy might be in play as well.
   (5/14/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/349334962.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 2:09 PM


Hey, I'd take that for a month
Thursday, May 13, 2004 :::
 

California attorney worth $3000 an hour?
----------
Seattle Times
   "Lawyers who persuaded Microsoft to settle their class-action
   lawsuit accusing the company of price-fixing are asking for $258
   million in legal fees, the largest amount ever in an antitrust
   case. .... It amounts to about $3,000 per hour for one lawyer,
   more than $2,000 an hour each for 34 other attorneys and
   $1,000 an hour for administrative work." (5/13/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/550333363.html
 

Forget global warming; now it's global dimming
----------
San Francisco Chronicle
   "In the second half of the 20th century, the world became, quite
   literally, a darker place. .... No one is predicting that it may
   soon be night all day .... Still, the dimming trend -- noticed by
   a handful of scientists two decades ago but dismissed at the time
   as unbelievable -- is attracting wide attention." (5/13/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/506295411.html

8- U.S. cell phone directory plan raises privacy concerns
----------
Fox News
   "The cell phone industry hopes to have a directory for wireless
   phone numbers by the end of this year, but privacy advocates,
   lawmakers and some industry officials worry that consumers could
   be in danger of losing the anonymity cell phones provide."
   (5/13/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/514086637.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:46 PM


 

 34 killed in biggest Gaza operation in 8 years
    Indianapolis Star

"An explosion destroyed an Israeli armored vehicle Wednesday, killing
five soldiers, in the second such attack by Palestinian militants in
Gaza in two days. Hours later, an Israeli missile attack killed seven
Palestinians. ... In all, 11 Israeli soldiers and 23 Palestinians
were killed in three days of Gaza fighting Tuesday and Wednesday, and
more than 175 Palestinians were wounded in the biggest operation in
Gaza in eight years." (05/13/04)

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/146076-4675-010.html

Colleges offerring video games studies
    Reuters

"Playing video games is no longer just a pastime of young boys. Now
it's also homework for American college students. Thanks to the
growing place of games in mainstream entertainment, universities
across the nation are now offering classes in video game design,
hoping to teach students skills for a career in a business that now
generates roughly as much revenue as Hollywood's domestic box office
receipts. This fall, students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) in Troy, New York -- internationally known for its
mathematicians and engineering programs -- can minor in video game
studies, said Kathleen Ruiz, co-director of the new program. "
(05/12/04)

http://tinyurl.com/3xozx

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 8:54 AM


Huh, am I reading this right? Overturned a verdict of not guilty against police and reopened the case??
Tuesday, May 11, 2004 :::
 

Federal judge rules Oregon police liable for excessive force
----------
Statesman Journal
   "A federal judge overturned a jury verdict and ruled that six
   Portland [OR] police officers are liable for using excessive force
   to apprehend a man who crashed through a glass window after taking
   hallucinogenic mushrooms. U.S. Magistrate Janice Stewart declared
   the jury's 2003 verdict to be a 'miscarriage of justice.'"
   (5/10/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/951573449.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
NewPulp Publishing
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 4:40 PM


Getting Closer to Zechariah's Prophecy
Friday, May 07, 2004 :::
 

Palestinian sovereignty rights affirmed
    MSNBC

"Over strong Israeli and U.S. objections, the U.N. General Assembly
approved a resolution Thursday affirming the Palestinians' right to
sovereignty over the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The decision
came during intense negotiations that brought European Union
countries on board for a final vote of 140-6, with 11 abstentions."
(05/06/04)

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 6:53 AM


misc
Wednesday, May 05, 2004 :::
 

Marijuana use up among US adults
    Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Habitual marijuana use increased among U.S. adults over the past
decade, particularly among young minorities and baby boomers,
government figures show. The prevalence of marijuana abuse or
dependence climbed from 1.2 percent of adults in 1991-92 to 1.5
percent in 2001-02, or an estimated 3 million adults 18 and over.
That represents an increase of 22 percent, or 800,000 people,
according to data from two nationally representative surveys that
each queried more than 40,000 adults." (05/05/04)

http://tinyurl.com/39y44

Driver fined for not putting dog in seatbelt
    Ananova [UK]

"Traffic police in Germany have slapped a fine on a dog for not
wearing a seatbelt. Bobbie the dog was travelling in the back of his
owner's car when traffic police pulled the vehicle over in Kempten in
the foothills of the German Alps. They handed his owner, who wishes
to remain anonymous, a £17 fine which has now grown to £29 because
he's refusing to pay it." (05/04/04)

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_943040.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:47 AM


The Prisoner was My Favorite TV Series
Tuesday, May 04, 2004 :::
 

Maine island to get "The Prisoner" treatment?
----------
Wired
   "If you have ever seen the cult '60s British television program
   'The Prisoner' ... you can imagine what life may soon be like on
   Ayers Island [ME] .... [Visitors] will be spied upon by a
   comprehensive network of video cameras, motion detectors and
   sensors. Lurking behind all of those sensors will be an artificial
   intelligence system ..." (5/4/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/753079293.html

Mass. public defenders stop taking cases in wage protest
----------
Boston.com
   "[MA] Lawyers who take court appointments in District Court
   and Superior Court have sought an increase in their
   hourly wage, but neither Gov. Mitt Romney nor the
   Legislature have supported the raise. The current hourly
   rate for public defenders is $30 in District Court, $39
   in Superior Court and $54 in murder cases." The proposed
   increase would make the fees $60, $90, and $120." (5/4/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/662874781.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:52 PM


misc
Friday, April 30, 2004 :::
 

Canadian MMJ users reject gov's product
----------
Canada.com
   "Nearly a third of the patients who got marijuana through Health
   Canada's medical access program have returned the product, says an
   activist who sees that as proof that federal pot isn't worth
   smoking." (4/30/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/298228403.html

Zurich gov buys brothels in failing attempt to 'clean up' city
----------
SwissInfo
   "The authorities in Zurich are buying brothels in the city's
   notorious red light district, Langstrasse, and converting them
   into housing as part of efforts to clean up the area. But while up
   to 20 'salons' have been forced out, the number of prostitutes
   working the streets continues to rise." (4/29/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/293207407.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:39 PM


Amen on the no national borders--we are all human beings  

Get rid of all socialistic benefits, except my social security--now that I am getting it. Also do not cancel my wife's disability payments or any other government scam I can get my hands on.

Now get to work on Gunner.

 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:28 PM


Iraq
Thursday, April 29, 2004 :::
 

What's going on there reminds me of "The War of the Jews" by Josephus. Striking parallels. Rome/USA--Jews/Muslims

 

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:30 PM


We Know How Sprm Ct Will Rule Don't We  

Government seeks to quash medical marijuana exception
    Liberty For All

"The government wants to roll back the decision by a federal appeals
court that the prohibition on marijuana is unconstitutional when used
to prosecute people who use it medicinally. Tuesday the Justice
Department asked the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals ruling in Raich vs. Ashcroft. ... The government contends
there should be no medical exceptions to the federal anti-marijuana
laws." (04/29/04)

http://www.libertyforall.net/2004/may9/Prosecutions.html
Court martial in Iraq
    CBS News

"Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a
brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of
mistreating Iraqi prisoners. But the details of what happened have
been kept secret, until now. It turns out photographs surfaced
showing American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held
at a prison near Baghdad. The Army investigated, and issued a
scathing report. Now, an Army general and her command staff may face
the end of long military careers. And six soldiers are facing court
martial in Iraq -- and possible prison time." (04/29/04)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/27/60II/main614063.shtml

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:19 AM


Yeh, I'm Tired of the Change Too
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 :::
 

 Louisiana to stay on daylight savings time?
----------
The Advertiser
   "There would be no turning back of clocks next fall in Louisiana
   when most states go off daylight savings time, under the Slidell
   Republican's House Bill 291. Louisiana would become the first
   state to go permanently on daylight savings time, known as 'war
   time' when it was first put into practice by the federal
   government during World War II." (4/28/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/572882629.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:51 PM


misc  

Missouri tracks scofflaws through pizza delivery databases
    USA Today

"It's dinnertime, and you're hungry and tired, so you pick up the
phone and order your favorite pizza. But you might have just landed
yourself a lot more than pepperoni and cheese. If you owe fines or
fees to the courts, that phone call may have provided the link the
state needed to track you down and make you pay." (04/27/04)

http://tinyurl.com/yrygo

-----

Marijuana convict won't face drug testing
    MAPINC

"Citing an Oakland case's precedent, a federal magistrate in San
Francisco refused Monday to order drug testing for a Sonoma County
man who has been freed from federal prison camp to appeal his medical
marijuana conviction. ... Convicted of marijuana cultivation, Keith
Alden was sentenced in December 2002 to 44 months in federal prison,
but he went free April 1 after a panel of three 9th Circuit judges --
citing the Raich ruling -- ordered him freed pending an appeal of his
conviction. He's the first person released from prison due to the
ruling." (04/26/04)

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n640/a09.html

-----

Shooter goes out with a bang
    Yahoo! News

"Friends of a champion Irish clay pigeon shooter have fulfilled his
dying wish by packing his ashes into shotgun cartridges and blasting
his remains over firing ranges around the world. Shooting enthusiast
Tony Mullan made the request before he died at Easter aged 63 after a
year-long illness. 'Tony said 'I want to go out with a bang and it's
up to you guys to help me,'' said Willie Hughes, Mullan's best friend
and shooting partner of 20 years." (04/27/04)

http://tinyurl.com/2cn5r

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:50 AM


Looks like we are going into the final stages of despotism and socialism
Monday, April 26, 2004 :::
 

 Patriot Act gaining in popularity?
----------
Seattle Times
   "[T]he [USA Patriot] act suddenly has emerged as a
   cornerstone of Bush's re-election campaign, while
   Democratic rival Sen. John Kerry and others have toned
   down their criticism. The Patriot Act is proving to be
   more popular in opinion polls than once expected ..."
   (4/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/862714502.htmlIRS gives state tax thugs names of "tax shelter abusers"
----------
Capital Times
   "The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has given the Wisconsin
   Department of Revenue the names of more than 300 firms
   and individuals suspected of being involved in abusive
   income tax shelters. .... In addition, the IRS supplied
   3,500 names to California officials. .... The new list
   of possible tax cheats comes at a time when [WI] state
   government may be facing a $277 million budget gap ..."
   (4/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/840780596.html
Austria turns toward socialism in presidential election
----------
BBC
   "Opposition candidate Heinz Fischer has been elected
   Austrian President -- the first Social Democrat to hold
   the largely ceremonial post since 1986. .... During the
   campaign Mr Fischer .... stressed his commitment to
   Austria's neutrality and to the country's welfare
   state." (4/25/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/832449603.html
Virginia woman loses suit over SSN use
----------
The Daily Press
   "A Hampton [VA] couple's attempt to disassociate themselves
   from their Social Security numbers because of their
   religious beliefs was dealt a legal setback ... when a
   judge convicted Leslie Carmichael of driving without a
   valid license." (4/24/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/798014292.html

 New Hampshire busybody wants state troopers to stop more drivers
----------
SeacoastOnline
   "[NH] Assistant Safety Commissioner Earl Sweeney says ....
   '[I]f you ride around for eight hours and you're
   observant that you should find somebody to stop every
   hour or two.' .... He said troopers should hand out more
   tickets for stop-sign and solid-line violations, and
   make more stops for missing a license plate, rolling on
   bald tires or not showing brake lights." (4/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/838560385.html

Rhode Island nannies to tie youth driving to other behavior?
----------
Boston.com
   "[RI] State lawmakers are considering a bill to cut down on
   school truancy. The bill would give Family Court the
   authority to suspend a student's driving privileges if
   the juvenile has skipped school. Authorities also could
   act on a driver's license for certain behavior, such as
   possession of cigarettes or alcohol ..." (4/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/850212260.html

Oregon doctors nannied on obesity prevention
----------
Oregon Statesman Journal
   "The Oregon Medical Association's ruling House of Delegates
   urged doctors to take a more aggressive stance on
   preventing obesity. .... 'This epidemic is real, hits
   very close to home and threatens the health of not only
   this generation and future generations, but also our
   entire health care system and our economy,' said Dr.
   James Unger ..." (4/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/852542492.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:42 PM


misc.
Monday, April 19, 2004 :::
 

Zero tolerance school policies finally raising alarms
----------
Houston Chronicle
   "As schools across the nation have attempted to crack down on
   violence and danger ... they also have increased the number of
   offenses for which children can be sent to discipline schools,
   suspended, expelled, ticketed or even arrested. A growing body of
   evidence suggests that these efforts have gone too far." (4/18/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/773082104.html

U.S. Congress to investigate claims Saddam bribed UN
----------
Independent
   "An American congressional panel will begin hearings this week
   into charges that Saddam Hussein bribed officials around the world
   with billions of dollars from the United Nations' oil-for-food
   programme." (4/19/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/777692794.html

 Illinois town rankles pols with tax-collection refusal
----------
Chicago Sun-Times
   "[T]he Village of Rosemont, the northwest [IL] suburb housing the
   stadium [Allstate Arena], ... refuses to charge event-goers an
   amusement tax that has been in effect countywide since 1997." That
   means county officials have not had their pockets filled as they'd
   like; the legal battle is ongoing. (4/19/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/769271411.html

 Nevada police on record-setting shooting pace
----------
Las Vegas Review Journal
   "Police officers in Southern Nevada have shot and killed five
   people since Jan. 1, putting local police agencies on pace to
   exceed the nine fatal officer-involved shootings last year and the
   record-setting 10 fatalities in 2002. There have been seven
   officer-involved shootings altogether this year, but weapon-
   wielding suspects in two cases survived." (4/19/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/760829113.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 5:13 PM


Fw: Happy tax day, USA; Yee's cleared, but muzzled
Thursday, April 15, 2004 :::
 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235

----- Original Message -----
From: "Free-Market.Net"
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 11:11 AM
Subject: FND: Happy tax day, USA; Yee's cleared, but muzzled


> FREEDOM NEWS DAILY
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Please forward this to anyone who might enjoy FND. To join or
> leave this free list, click to: http://free-market.net/news/
>
> Freedom headline news:
> 1- Happy tax day: it took longer to file this year for many
> 2- IMF warns U.S. deficit threatens world finance
> 3- Iraq violence means U.S. military breaks deployment promises
> 4- Verichip pushes chipping people to use firearms
> 5- U.S. to get domestic spy agency?
> 6- UT senator Hatch says USA Patriot only rankles the "fringe"
> 7- Ethics complaint filed against Kennedy aide over memo
> 8- U.S. Army drops charges against Yee, but silences him
> 9- Iraqi politicians "an obstacle" to U.S. occupying force
> 10- Dallas company uses creative data-mining to find state nonpayers
> 11- Western Amerinds file claim for 20+ million acres of U.S.
> 12- CIA had pilot-school alert; failed to act
> 13- U.S. gov squashes privacy rights for sensitive drug testing
> 14- Largest U.S. bureaucracies communicate worst
> 15- Gov critics say management is FBI's problem
> 16- Some question harsh penalties for breaking CAN-SPAM
> 17- Most Wisconsinites are sheep on taxes
> 18- Cali fire protection: choose between people and environment
> 19- Houston gov mulling privatized parking meters
> 20- Colorado CLU sues drug thugs
> 21- Arizona university gets athletics welfare tax
> 22- Detroit mayor's prayer vigil doesn't quell crime
> 23- Indianapolis busybodies crack down on private signs
> 24- Bin Laden offers Europe a terrorism truce?
> 25- UN envoy proposes "caretaker" gov to transition Iraqi gov
> 26- Kiwi police get DNA-swiping okay
> 27- Aussie Prime Minister to meddle in teen's sex change treatment?
> 28- Canadian prime minister the "prince of pork"
>
> Freedom commentary:
> 1- April 15: a day of moral shame
> 2- Book review: "Liberation by Oppression"
> 3- The power of language and the language of power
> 4- Bush is a piker at manipulating science
> 5- The truth about freedom
> 6- Fixing a broken tax system
> 7- April 15: the American citizen's final exam
> 8- Five reasons you don't owe income tax, dammit!
> 9- The new neutrality
> 10- Dangerous minds: Hernando de Soto
> 11- Time to take another look at teacher certification
> 12- The FSP's unique role among libertarian organizations
> 13- A taxing meditation
> 14- FASB stumbles stock options
> 15- Social Security and taxes
> 16- Parental rights and the pledge
> 17- Dominion and stewardship: believers and the environment
> 18- Hubris and nemesis
> 19- "It's so simple, it's ridiculous"
> 20- Feeling a draft
> 21- How our government evolved
> 22- Private promises, public priorities
> 23- Rolling democratic dice in Iraq
> 24- The media and power
> 25- Warning: eating can be hazardous to your health
> 26- Hybrids in carpool lanes: a nonstarter
> 27- A national ID card won't make us safer
> 28- Protest is not terrorism
> 29- Robin Hood, friend of liberty
> 30- Why I love the IRS
>
> Freedom movement news:
> 1- Guidelines for creating a new institute
> 2- ISIL 2004 world conference
> 3- 2004 summer seminars in political economy
> 4- Shoots from the Grassroot Institute, 4/14/04
> 5- Iraq quiz
>
>
> 1- Happy tax day: it took longer to file this year for many
> ----------
> Fox News
> "The [U.S.] government estimates that the average taxpayer
> filing a typical tax return with itemized deductions and
> income from interest, capital gains and dividends, has
> to spend 42 minutes more than last year doing the math
> and paperwork. The total estimated time to finish these
> common forms is 28 hours and 30 minutes." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/271362037.html
>
> 2- IMF warns U.S. deficit threatens world finance
> ----------
> Newsday
> "Uncontrolled U.S. budget deficits would pose a serious threat to
> global prosperity in coming years as rising interest rates depress
> economic growth in the United States and around the world, the
> International Monetary Fund warned ..." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/270131615.html
>
> 3- Iraq violence means U.S. military breaks deployment promises
> ----------
> Salt Lake Tribune
> "The Pentagon has extended orders for 450 Utah combat engineers
> whose yearlong tour was to have ended this month, breaking a
> pledge to all GIs when they were deployed to Iraq last year."
> (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/325783398.html
>
> 4- Verichip pushes chipping people to use firearms
> ----------
> Wired
> "A new computer chip promises to keep police guns from firing if
> they fall into the wrong hands. .... The technology is the latest
> attempt to create a so-called 'smart gun' and could be marketed to
> law enforcement agencies within a year ..." And of course, there's
> talk of legislation mandating chips for firearms owners. (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/261739365.html
>
> 5- U.S. to get domestic spy agency?
> ----------
> San Francisco Chronicle
> "Revolutionary changes in the nation's counterterrorism efforts --
> including creation of a new domestic spy agency -- are among ideas
> receiving serious consideration from members of the commission
> investigating the Sept. 11 attacks." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/266430838.html
>
> ---------- LOOKING FOR SPANISH LIBERTARIAN BOOKS ONLINE? -----------
> Look no further -- the Hispanic American Center for Educational
> Research (HACER) has listings and links in their library. They also
> publish or reprint many excellent Latin-American commentaries in
> English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/740209835.html
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 6- UT senator Hatch says USA Patriot only rankles the "fringe"
> ----------
> Salt Lake Tribune
> "Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says the USA Patriot Act is an
> excellent weapon against terrorism that rankles only those on the
> political fringes. .... But at a hearing of the U.S. Senate
> Judiciary Committee ... opponents from across the political
> spectrum voiced concerns that parts of the act are eroding civil
> liberties ..." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/343186788.html
>
> 7- Ethics complaint filed against Kennedy aide over memo
> ----------
> CFIF
> "The Center for Individual Freedom ... filed an ethics
> complaint ... against Olati Johnson, the former aide to
> Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) who wrote the ... memo
> urging the Senator to delay consideration of a judicial
> nominee in order to manipulate ... the outcome of the
> University of Michigan affirmative action cases ..." (4/13/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/282184572.html
>
> 8- U.S. Army drops charges against Yee, but silences him
> ----------
> Seattle Post-Intelligencer
> "The Army dismissed the final, minor charges against Capt. James
> Yee ... tossing out the last thread of an espionage case that once
> tied him to a prison holding suspected terrorists but which later
> unraveled. However, the victory for Yee ... will be a silent one.
> ... [T]he Army handed Yee an order gagging him from speaking
> publicly about the case." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/276813543.html
>
> 9- Iraqi politicians "an obstacle" to U.S. occupying force
> ----------
> Washington Times
> "Iraqi politicians are playing a growing role in blocking U.S.
> commanders from unleashing fatal force on insurgents. In the most
> glaring example, Adnan Pachachi, a Sunni member of the U.S.-
> appointed Iraqi Governing Council, insisted to American
> Administrator L. Paul Bremer that Marines cease their attacks on
> insurgents in Fallujah so he could initiate talks." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/356840923.html
>
> 10- Dallas company uses creative data-mining to find state nonpayers
> ----------
> SEMissourian
> ACS Inc. is a company that works with states to increase
> collections of fines and fees. One of their methods of finding
> individuals relies on buying databases from other companies,
> including pizza delivery lists and magazine subscriptions.
> (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/610246066.html
>
> 11- Western Amerinds file claim for 20+ million acres of U.S.
> ----------
> Rocky Mountain News
> "The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma filed a claim
> ... for 27 million acres given to the tribes in a 19th
> century treaty but said they would settle for 500 acres
> to build a casino in a symbolic return to Colorado." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/355340723.html
>
> 12- CIA had pilot-school alert; failed to act
> ----------
> Toronto Star
> "In August, 2001, George Tenet and his deputies at the CIA were
> given a briefing paper labelled 'Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly'
> about the arrest days earlier of Zacarias Moussaoui -- but they
> did not act on the information. The incident was one of a string
> of glaring intelligence failures at the CIA ..." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/353770236.html
>
> 13- U.S. gov squashes privacy rights for sensitive drug testing
> ----------
> Fox News
> "As soon as next year, the [U.S.] federal government will overhaul
> its drug-testing program for certain highly sensitive government
> jobs and begin requiring hair, saliva and sweat tests along with
> the urine checks. .... [T]he government says employees in highly-
> sensitive jobs must be clean -- a mandate that outweighs their
> privacy rights." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/348278752.html
>
> 14- Largest U.S. bureaucracies communicate worst
> ----------
> GovExec.com
> "The Defense and Homeland Security departments, two of the
> largest federal agencies, did a relatively poor job of
> relaying clear, comprehensive and meaningful information
> in their annual performance reports last year, according
> to George Mason University researchers." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/253265585.html
>
> 15- Gov critics say management is FBI's problem
> ----------
> c|net news
> "... Ashcroft warned that through the 1990s, 'the FBI's
> information infrastructure had been starved, and by
> Sept. 11, it collapsed from budgetary neglect.' The
> analysis drew a skeptical response from government
> watchdogs, who painted it as a typical bureaucratic
> reflex: Blame the budget rather than management." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/268781516.html
>
> 16- Some question harsh penalties for breaking CAN-SPAM
> ----------
> c|net news
> "Spammers convicted under a recently enacted national
> antispam law could face stiff sentences under newly
> finalized government recommendations. .... [A]
> representative for the National Association of Criminal
> Defense Lawyers [said] 'The whole idea behind the
> federal sentencing guidelines was to make the punishment
> fit the crime. But this is just junk mail.'" (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/256457299.html
>
> 17- Most Wisconsinites are sheep on taxes
> ----------
> Capital Times
> "With the April 15 deadline looming, an overwhelming share of
> Wisconsin residents say it's wrong to cheat on their income taxes.
> .... Ninety-one percent of those surveyed say citizens have an
> obligation to be completely honest when they fill out their tax
> forms. Only 5 percent said it's OK to cut corners." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/364482760.html
>
> 18- Cali fire protection: choose between people and environment
> ----------
> Contra Costa Times
> "California must choose between protecting the environment or
> protecting life and property as homes spring up in what once were
> wildland areas in the nation's most populous state, a governor's
> review panel concluded ..." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/323732978.html
>
> 19- Houston gov mulling privatized parking meters
> ----------
> Houston Chronicle
> "[V]anishing meters cost the city [Houston] thousands of
> dollars in lost collections ... and creates confusion
> for drivers looking to park legally. The inability of
> the city's Parking Management Division and Department of
> Public Works and Engineering to ensure contractors
> replace meters and signs is one of example of why a
> private company should take over meter operations ..." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/322882890.html
>
> 20- Colorado CLU sues drug thugs
> ----------
> Colorado Freedom Report
> "The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado
> (ACLU) announced ... that it had filed suit ... against
> the North Metro Drug Task Force .... The suit alleges
> that Task Force made her strip naked ... in full view of
> her neighbors and male law enforcement officers and
> forced her to submit to an unjustified, humiliating, and
> degrading 'decontamination' ritual ...." (4/12/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/299157811.html
>
> 21- Arizona university gets athletics welfare tax
> ----------
> Arizona Daily Star
> "Pima Community College [AZ] students will be paying more -- some
> substantially -- to attend classes next year even though the
> tuition rate will remain the same. The college's governing board
> ... approved a new student services fee of $2.50 per credit hour
> that would generate money for activities such as athletics."
> (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/345447016.html
>
> 22- Detroit mayor's prayer vigil doesn't quell crime
> ----------
> Detroit Free Press
> "Despite recent citywide prayer vigils, public appeals by police
> and politicians to end gun violence, and [Detroit MI] Mayor Kwame
> Kilpatrick's multi-agency task force charged with getting wanted
> felons off the streets, guns continue to kill and injure
> Detroiters at an alarming rate." Maybe they would do better
> focusing on the criminals instead of the guns. (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/337555525.html
>
> 23- Indianapolis busybodies crack down on private signs
> ----------
> Indy Star
> "Indianapolis inspectors trashed more than 190 illegal signs in a
> single sweep ... as part of an effort to crack down on a code
> enforcement issue they said affects both aesthetics and public
> safety." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/361011770.html
>
> 24- Bin Laden offers Europe a terrorism truce?
> ----------
> Reuters
> "A purported audio tape by Osama bin Laden, aired on Arab
> television ... offered a truce to Europeans if they
> pulled troops out of Muslim nations but vowed to
> continue fighting the United States and Israel." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/324803110.html
>
> 25- UN envoy proposes "caretaker" gov to transition Iraqi gov
> ----------
> San Francisco Chronicle
> "The United Nations emissary to Iraq laid out a blueprint for
> Iraq's transition to sovereignty ... proposing a caretaker
> government to shepherd the country to free elections by the end of
> January 2005. Under the proposal, the U.S.-appointed Governing
> Council would be dissolved when the United States hands over power
> June 30 ..." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/274242486.html
>
> 26- Kiwi police get DNA-swiping okay
> ----------
> New Zealand Herald
> "[New Zealand] Police will be able to take DNA samples from
> burglary suspects and those suspected of offences
> punishable by at least seven years in jail under a new
> law .... Justice Minister Phil Goff said the Criminal
> Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill ... would
> greatly enhance the police ability to resolve crimes." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/333644714.html
>
> 27- Aussie Prime Minister to meddle in teen's sex change treatment?
> ----------
> Sydney Morning Herald
> "Prime Minister John Howard said ... he was seeking further advice
> in relation to a Family Court decision allowing a 13-year-old girl
> to start treatment to become a boy. .... The decision is the first
> time an Australian child who is biologically one sex has been
> given legal approval to begin a gender change for purely
> psychiatric reasons." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/328863946.html
>
> 28- Canadian prime minister the "prince of pork"
> ----------
> Canada.com
> "The Liberal [Canadian] government embarked on a spending
> spree in the first two weeks of April, announcing more
> than $1-billion in spending that targeted Liberal
> constituencies and regions expected to be key
> battlegrounds in an upcoming election." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/330574157.html
>
> For more News Reports see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/news/
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> FREEDOM COMMENTARY
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> FEATURED COMMENTARIES:
> 1- April 15: a day of moral shame
> ----------
> TOC
> by Edward Hudgins
> "[T]his is ... the relationship between most citizens and
> politicians. Politicians tell us, 'We know you're not up
> to the burden of raising your own children..., insuring
> yourselves ..., saving for your retirement, tying your
> own shoes or wiping your own noses without our help.
> Don't worry, we'll give you all you need.' If we have
> any integrity we should spit on such offers." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/288535927.html
>
> 2- Book review: "Liberation by Oppression"
> ----------
> FEE
> by Brian Doherty
> "... Thomas Szasz ... has tirelessly agitated for over four
> decades ... in defense of the rights of our culture's
> most abused group: the so-called mentally ill. .... In
> Liberation by Oppression Szasz uses another illuminating
> metaphor to revisit his favorite topic, 'mental illness'
> as an excuse for oppression." (4/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/290316335.html
>
> 3- The power of language and the language of power
> ----------
> Strike the Root
> by Roderick T. Long
> "[E]uphemism of some sort is a pervasive and universal
> feature of (nonlibertarian) political speech -- and not
> accidentally so. Government, by its nature as a coercive
> monopoly, necessarily violates the norms of peaceful
> cooperation and reciprocity whose approximate observance
> is a precondition for social existence." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/183286436.html
>
> 4- Bush is a piker at manipulating science
> ----------
> CEI
> by Henry I Miller
> "The political silly season has spawned a flurry of attacks on the
> Bush administration for 'politicizing science.' To be sure, some
> of the criticism is justified. .... But the critics seem to have
> become overnight converts in wanting public policy to be science-
> based. Not one of them was publicly censorious of the Clinton
> administration's blatant and heavy-handed abuse of science."
> (4/11/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/293756822.html
>
> 5- The truth about freedom
> ----------
> USTL
> by Paul Jacob
> "Folks in the Middle East are ready for freedom and
> democracy. They can handle it. That's always been my
> view: people everywhere naturally love freedom and are,
> well, darn good and ready for it." (4/12/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/287185796.html
>
> 6- Fixing a broken tax system
> ----------
> Heritage Foundation
> by Daniel J Mitchell
> "Maybe it's time for America to board the flat-tax bandwagon. It's
> frustrating to see former communist nations adopt the flat tax
> while the United States struggles with an unfair tax system that
> combines the worst of class-warfare ideology and the worst of
> special-interest deal-making." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/314731350.html
>
> 7- April 15: the American citizen's final exam
> ----------
> Antiwar.com
> by Anthony Gregory
> "Government education is responsible for the attitudes of so many
> Americans that allow the state to get away with its worst crimes.
> As my friend Stony pointed out to me, the government's
> perspective, concerning its school system, could be summed up as
> follows: 'We taught you everything you know.' It's kind of creepy
> when you think about it." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/173184206.html
>
> -------------- Questions about nutrition and health? ---------------
> ACSH has answers! They're an education organization dedicated to
> providing the public with sound scientific information on food,
> nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment
> and health. Check them out!
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/237856585.html
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 8- Five reasons you don't owe income tax, dammit!
> ----------
> Reason
> by Brian Doherty
> "Here are some of the core arguments against the legality of the
> income tax one finds in the tax honesty movement. Devotees
> probably would regard them as oversimplifications. This is
> certainly not an all-inclusive list." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/130055976.html
>
> 9- The new neutrality
> ----------
> TCS
> by Michael J Totten
> "Europeans may feel anxiety about America's oversized role in the
> world. But Americans are not going to go into their countries and
> murder their citizens. Middle Easterners have and will." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/300747974.html
>
> 10- Dangerous minds: Hernando de Soto
> ----------
> Cato Institute
> by Gene Healy
> "... de Soto is an extraordinary individual. It's not every
> economist that finds himself the target of terrorist bombings and
> assassination attempts. Because of his scholarship and activism on
> behalf of the world's poor, in the late '80s and early '90s, de
> Soto was repeatedly targeted by the Marxist terror group, the
> Shining Path." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/279294024.html
>
> 11- Time to take another look at teacher certification
> ----------
> Mackinac Center
> by Jon B Perdue
> "School districts typically require teachers to finish an
> accredited teacher certification program involving costly and
> lengthy courses on teaching theory. This system precludes retired
> military personnel, corporate leaders or anyone with expertise
> outside of the education field who would bring real-world
> experience into the classroom." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/297677346.html
>
> 12- The FSP's unique role among libertarian organizations
> ----------
> FSP
> by Stephen Cobb
> "The libertarian failure can be seen in the lack of concrete
> results: by nearly any measure one could name, our ideas have not
> won out. .... As the only libertarian organization performing the
> role of concentrating activist manpower, it is critical that the
> FSP stay focused ...: 'The Free State Project is an effort to
> recruit 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire.'"
> (4/12/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/295827209.html
>
> 13- A taxing meditation
> ----------
> PRI
> by Lloyd Billingsley
> "This year, tax freedom day, the day Americans cease working for
> the government and begin working for themselves, came on April 11,
> the earliest it has been since 1967. While a welcome change, that
> is still not early enough." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/278233913.html
>
> 14- FASB stumbles stock options
> ----------
> Townhall
> by Alan Reynolds
> "The FASB proposal to require companies to treat the estimated
> fair value of stock options as an actual and current expense rests
> on a dubious conjecture about what the cost of stock options to
> stockholders really is and when it occurs. .... The FASB scheme
> looks like a risky way to repair some problem that has yet to be
> seriously defined." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/301558433.html
>
> 15- Social Security and taxes
> ----------
> FoG
> by James Hamilton
> "Because a financial crisis looms over Social Security, the huge
> tax bite that falls on Americans will only get bigger unless
> something changes. Social Security has to be fixed -- now."
> (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/316391760.html
>
> 16- Parental rights and the pledge
> ----------
> Ifeminists
> by Wendy McElroy
> "Just as separation of church and state should live or die on the
> merits of its substance, so too should the question of a
> noncustodial parent's standing in court. It is a question that
> should not be discarded on the back of a technicality." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/578330879.html
>
> 17- Dominion and stewardship: believers and the environment
> ----------
> Acton Institute
> by Samuel Gregg
> "As the United States prepares to celebrate Earth Day on April 22,
> people of faith should be wary of a 'neo-pantheism' underlying
> much of the secular environmental agenda." (04/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/795315049.html
>
> 18- Hubris and nemesis
> ----------
> Antiwar.com
> by Nebojsa Malic
> "The wannabe global hegemons seek power, secure in their
> belief in their vast superiority over the rest of
> humanity. Since admitting errors would mean immediate
> adverse consequences, while perpetuating them only gives
> them access to more power, the second choice is
> obviously more appealing." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/106401755.html
>
> 19- "It's so simple, it's ridiculous"
> ----------
> Reason
> by Brian Doherty
> "It's devoted to the belief that the secret forces of the
> universe can be bound by verbal formulas if delivered
> with the proper ritual. There are numerous formulae in
> the tax honesty spellbook .... Which spell is best: The
> summoning of the Sovereign Citizen? The incantation of
> the Constitutional Definition of Income? The banishing
> spell of No Proper Delegation?" (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/122604521.html
>
> 20- Feeling a draft
> ----------
> Antiwar.com
> by Paul Craig Roberts
> "Moderate Shiite clerics, who have been attempting to hold the US
> to its promise of democracy and elections, have indicated that an
> attack on Najaf would lead to a generalized Shiite uprising. Such
> an uprising would involve huge numbers. The calls for more US
> troops would be urgent. The only source of those troops is to
> reinstate the draft." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/103241283.html
>
> 21- How our government evolved
> ----------
> LewRockwell.com
> by Brad Edmonds
> "The market allows the self-interest of consumers to balance that
> of producers. When forcible government steps in, people in
> government are forced to take sides; they will generally take the
> side that benefits them. Defeat always results for one of the
> sides, while free markets tend toward win-win outcomes." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/140648185.html
>
> 22- Private promises, public priorities
> ----------
> TCS
> by Duane Freese
> "Michigan's Gov. Jennifer Granholm says that she has assurances
> from ... John Kerry that he won't pursue stiff fleet fuel economy
> standards on sports utility vehicles that would hurt Michigan's
> auto industry. .... It's true that Kerry has flip-flopped on ...
> the gasoline tax. .... But in the case of CAFE, his remarks have
> been rather confusing." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/313211198.html
>
> 23- Rolling democratic dice in Iraq
> ----------
> Cato Institute
> by Patrick Basham
> "Bush may need to compromise his democratic ideals with a
> healthy dose of pragmatism. What may be desirable in
> Iraq in the short to medium term is democracy lite,
> i.e., democratic gradualism. One must appreciate that
> the United States is attempting to sow the seeds of
> 21st-century political institutions in the soil of a
> 15th-century political culture." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/285445273.html
>
> 24- The media and power
> ----------
> Strike the Root
> by Per Bylund
> "The symbiosis between the media and the government is the
> main reason I distrust whatever is on the news. Next
> time you watch the news on television, take a moment to
> count how much news originates from the government or
> bureaucracy, and how much is really a result from
> investigative, trustworthy journalism." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/206103348.html
>
> 25- Warning: eating can be hazardous to your health
> ----------
> CCF
> by staff
> "In a 1500-word masterpiece, Shaw rightly dismisses Americans'
> growing but flawed sense -- fed by activist-driven food scares --
> that their next bite could be their last." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/302288634.html
>
> 26- Hybrids in carpool lanes: a nonstarter
> ----------
> LA Times
> by Robert Poole
> "When I was a boy, my father taught me the importance of always
> selecting the right tool for the job. Carpool lanes are a tool for
> managing traffic and making our freeways flow better. There are
> many ways public policy can encourage less-polluting and more
> energy-efficient vehicles. But trying to make HOV lanes energy
> and emissions problems is using the wrong tool for the job."
> (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/249603572.html
>
> 27- A national ID card won't make us safer
> ----------
> Minneapolis Star Tribune/Schneier.com
> by Bruce Schneier
> "[T]he card would be a minor invasion of our privacy, and
> undoubtedly it would add to the growing list of interruptions and
> delays we encounter every day; but we live in dangerous times, we
> live in a new world .... It all sounds so reasonable, but there's
> a lot to disagree with in such an attitude. The potential privacy
> encroachments of an ID card system are far from minor." (4/1/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/588160604.html
>
> 28- Protest is not terrorism
> ----------
> Haaretz
> by staff
> "In addition to the protests of those directly harmed by the
> [security] fence ... there are also groups of Israelis and
> foreigners protesting against it in solidarity with the
> Palestinians. .... Demonstrators must not be made to pay with
> their lives for legitimate civil protest." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/339125664.html
>
> 29- Robin Hood, friend of liberty
> ----------
> LVMI
> by Adam Young
> "As so much in legends, the historical truth isn't what
> matters. Instead it is the legendary deeds of Robin Hood
> that excite us. The man who challenged the state, who
> dared to take what the rotten government claimed to own,
> the man who not only did these deeds himself, but also
> recruited others to help him and in doing so, gained the
> trust and affection of his people." (4/14/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/166262674.html
>
> 30- Why I love the IRS
> ----------
> Loose Cannon Libertarian
> by Garry Reed
> "How anyone can describe taxpaying as 'patriotic' is beyond
> any comprehension I've ever been able to wring from
> Psychology 101. Patriotism demands the perpetual protest
> against taxes. Our nation was born of it. .... The
> reason I love the IRS is the knowledge that once we
> abolish it ... we will have solved 90 percent of this
> nation's politically transmitted diseases." (4/15/04)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/340806074.html
>
> For more Commentary, Opinion, and Book Reviews see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/commentary/
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> FREEDOM MOVEMENT NEWS
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Guidelines for creating a new institute
> ----------
> HACER
> Spanish-language document to help individuals create new
> pro-freedom institutes. (PDF file)
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/580091254.html
>
> For more Online Resource Directories see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/homepages/
>
> ISIL 2004 world conference
> ----------
> ISIL
> ISIL's world conferences keep getting better! 7/21-26 in lovely
> Rotorua, New Zealand, with optional post-conference tour.
> Confirmed speakers include: Elbegdorj Tsakhia, Jan Narveson,
> Louis James, Jim Peron, and many more. Great opportunity to see
> Hobbiton, too. Online reservations (price varies with currency
> fluctuations) available.
> mailto:isil@isil.org
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/781281305.html
>
> 2004 summer seminars in political economy
> ----------
> Independent Institute
> General information for II's two summer seminars for high school
> and college students, 6/14-18 and 8/9-13 at the Institute's
> Oakland CA conference center. Enrollment form, more information
> available. Email with questions.
> mailto:cclose@independent.org
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/292596667.html
>
> For more Events see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/events/
>
> Shoots from the Grassroot Institute, 4/14/04
> ----------
> Hawaii Reporter
> by Richard O Rowland
> "Inviting an Uncivil Society"
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/286365581.html
>
> For more Magazines and Periodic Columns see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/magazines/
>
> Iraq quiz
> ----------
> LewRockwell.com
> by Jim Cox
> Take a twenty question quiz to see how much you know about Iraq.
> Answers are given after the quiz with links for references.
> http://www.free-market.net/rd/145251011.html
>
> For more Games, Surveys, and Tools see:
> http://www.free-market.net/directorybycategory/games/
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> End of Today's Freedom News Daily Update
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Please forward and copy this message. Freedom News Daily is edited
> by Sunni Maravillosa. It's a service of Free-Market.Net: The
> Freedom Network and The International Society for Individual
> Liberty, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Click here to suggest stories:
> http://free-market.net/cgi/addNews.cgi
>
> Please support Freedom News Daily and our other activities with a
> tax-deductible donation: http://www.isil.org/store/membership.html
>
>


::: posted by sheldon waxman at 2:36 PM


Fw: BookExpo America 2004 - Chicago
Wednesday, April 14, 2004 :::
 

I will be signing books there.

 

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

----- Original Message -----

From: BookExpo America

To: shelly@cybersol.com

Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 4:59 PM

Subject: BookExpo America 2004 - Chicago

BookExpo America is pleased to bring you information about the event that may be of interest to you. To discontinue receipt, scroll to the end of this message.

	Educational Programs: June 3-6, 2004 International Rights Marketplace: June 4?6, 2004 Exhibition Halls: June 4-6, 2004 Dear Bookseller, At BookExpo America you?ll discover the newest trends, surround yourself with thousands of exhibits, meet best selling authors (over 500 of them will be signing autographs) and uncover niche publishers and titles. Plus?New Visitor Super Pass Saves & Simplifies Your exhibition registration price now includes access to the exhibition halls for the entire show, the autographing program and your choice of over 80 conference sessions as well as many other events - a major savings. Register early and save. Register today at www.bookexpoamerica.com and you?ll not only save, you?ll receive valuable updates on everything that?s new. Big savings on travel. Click on www.bookexpoamerica.com and check our new travel and hotel section for exclusive access to special deals on hotels, airfare and rental cars. You?ll get the LOWEST AVAILABLE RATES. (Note: Certain all day seminars and author events will require separate fees, you can upgrade your registration to include these.) BookExpo America 2004 gives you the ultimate competitive advantage. 20,000 new titles covering virtually all categories of books. 1,200 publishers, including 800 you can?t see anywhere else. 2,000 exhibitors. Over 500 authors. Pavilion areas for graphic novels, children?s books, Spanish books, and more. Conference sessions that cover all the competitive challenges you face.

For complete Event details visit www.bookexpoamerica.com or call customer service at 1-800-840-5614 or 1-203-840-5614 Leaving our List. BookExpo America makes every effort to send you only information we believe you will find useful. We apologize if this information is no longer valuable to you. Please bear in mind that removal from our list is permanent. You will no longer be eligible for special offers and promotions. Still want to be removed? Please click on the link below and provide the information requested. Your request will be processed within ten business days. www.recusprivacy.com Reed Exhibitions  Attn: Privacy Administrator  383 Main Ave.  Norwalk, CT 06851

 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:03 PM


You can Bet there is central bank intervention in Forex today
Monday, April 05, 2004 :::
 

And fund liquidation of long positions in gold.

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 10:04 AM


PTSD on CNN  

It was reported today that there is a new medical treatment for PTSD. The theory is that bad things that happen to people create an "adrenaline rush", which causes memories to be hyperimplanted in the memory. The drug Propanol, if given early on after the experience, has proved to be very successful in moderating the symptoms caused by traumatic events. It does not erase the memory; it only modifies the effects of the adrenaline rush so that the memory does not cause the traumatic physical symptoms of: nightmares, pounding heart, sweating, reliving of the event over and over, etc. Very interesting.

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:17 AM


Science Fiction????  

 

THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCATE

N E W S L E T T E R

"Dedicated To Small Business"

 

April 5, 2004 / Volume V, Issue 21

Small Business Network, Inc. ©2004 - All Rights Reserved

Reprints and other distribution by permission only.

www.smallbusinessadvocate.com

 

Jim Blasingame, Publisher/Writer

Davonna Hickman, Editor

 

Please feel free to forward The NEWSLETTER to friends and associates.

They can subscribe by clicking here and writing "subscribe" in the message box.

You may also use this link to send comments and suggestions.

 

 

WAKING UP IN WAL-WORLD

A Satire

 

Riiinnnnngggg ---- Riiinnnnngggg ---- Rin

"Uhh, hallow."

"Good morning, Walter.  This is your wake-up call.  It is 6:30am in Wal-World, time zone 3.  Current temperature is seasonally appropriate at a crisp 11 degrees Wal-Cius.  Wal-Weather for today has been programmed to rise to a very comfortable 25 degrees W-C.  Have a nice day."

Walter Wallace II, a 35 year-old Wal-Mart community planner, had received the same phone call every morning of his life since he was eight years old.  That was the year, 2048, when planet Earth, as he and all other Earthlings had known it for thousands of years, became Wal-World, wholly owned by Wal-Mart.

In the 50 years prior to 2048, the world economy gradually became dominated by Wal-Mart.  But it seemed that the momentum of this assimilation gained frightening velocity not long after Wal-mart was first identified as the largest corporation on the planet.

By 2030, Wal-Mart had moved its headquarters from Bentonville, Arkansas to occupy the entire lower tip of the island formerly known as Manhattan - now renamed New Wal-Town. From its offices on Wal-Street, the company directed strategic acquisitions worldwide that would, quite literally, change the world.

The Big Move
In the summer of 2048, Walter and his family, along with everybody he knew, moved into an apartment inside a Wal-Mart.  That fall, Walter and his little sister, Wilma, enrolled at the Wal-School inside their new Wal-Mart community.

Other than actually moving into a Wal-Mart, the lives of Walter's parents, Wilbur and Wanda, didn't change all that much by the move; both already worked for companies wholly owned by Wal-Mart. Wilbur was a supervisor at a Wal-Car automobile factory, formerly Honda-GM-Volkswagen, and Wanda managed the kiosks that vended Wal-Mac food.

Living inside a Wal-Mart did simplify life; most people on the planet, now called Wal-Lings, spent much of their lives there anyway.  Walter remembered his dad telling him, "by the time of 'The Big Move' in '48, it was hard to tell where Wal-Mart stopped and the rest of the world started."

Wal-History
In 9th grade Wal-History class, Walter learned how the company kept building bigger facilities to house all of the acquisitions they had made, until finally, with Wal-Mart selling literally everything the world's consumers consumed, it made sense to just move everyone inside.

Coincidentally, 2048 was also the year the last remaining small business in the world closed. With everybody now living next to a Wal-Laundry, Louie's Dry Cleaning in Lansing, Michigan, finally threw in the towel when Louie could no longer use the convenience angle as a competitive advantage in his marketing effort.

By 2028, world agriculture output was controlled by Wal-Mart, which pretty much put the kibosh on restaurant and grocery competitors.  Three years later Wal-Mart finished sewing up the world's garment industry, from fiber to fabric to finished goods, and then proceeded to mop up the global petroleum industry.

The year 2035 saw Wal-Mart pull off the hat trick, achieving total control over autos, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and information/technology.  The latter was made easier as a result of Microsoft being decimated by years of anti-trust lawsuits.

All that was left, after polishing off the transports, utilities, telecom, and banks over the next 5 years, was to allow the culture enough time to adjust to the concept of Wal-World. That was essentially accomplished by 2048, when Wal-Mart announced that it had acquired 98% of housing and commercial space in the developed world.

Now that Wal-Mart controlled everything, there was really no need for any of the world's currencies.  It had been years since anyone had seen cash, let alone a traditional paycheck.  Everything Wal-Lings needed was provided by Wal-Mart, and the value of products and services they consumed was deducted from their salary accounts, including withholding for Wal-Care, the universal healthcare system, and the Wal-Pension. Anything left over - what once had been known as "take home pay" - was deposited in a debit account accessed by a Wal-Card.

Walking to work that morning in 2075, Walter stopped at a Wal-Mac kiosk to get breakfast.  As he swiped his Wal-Card to pay, a strange noise began coming out of the machine.

Eeep---Eeep---Eeep---Eeep---Eeep---Eeep---Eeep---Ee

Another Wake-Up Call
"Hummph?"  Walter grunted, as he slapped the snooze button.  "Wazzat?  Where am I?"

"Honey, are you okay?" Walter's wife, Susan asked. "You must have had a nightmare.  You've been tossing and crying out for the past hour."

"Boy - I'll say," Walter sighed, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck.  "I dreamed Wal-Mart had taken over the world."

"I told you not to eat clams so close to bedtime," Susan scolded.  "Now come downstairs.  Breakfast is ready."

Shuffling into the kitchen, Walter sat down at the table as Susan handed him a cup of coffee and the paper. "Hurry up," she coaxed.  "You've got to open the store in an hour."

"I tell you, Susan, that was the worst nightmares of my life.  It was just awful.   They controlled everything, even the governments."

"Who?  Are you still talking about Wal-Mart?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Walter said.

"I told you not to get all worked up over all the different industries Wal-Mart is getting into.  We're cutting out the clams AND web surfing before bed from now on.  Now read your paper and maybe that will take your mind off of it."

"She always seemed to know how to settle me down," Walter thought, as he took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.  But then, opened up his paper, Walter saw this headline:

"WAL-MART BECOMES WORLD'S LARGEST CORPORATION."

Ni-Ni-Ni-Ni, Ni-Ni-Ni-Ni
As a cold chill ran down Walter's spine, the radio in his head was playing the Twilight Zone's signature music, ni-ni-ni-ni, ni-ni-ni-ni, ni-ni-ni-ni.

In his small business later that day, Walter thought about his baby boy, Wilbur, and the time-line of his dream.  What will the world look like when Wilbur's son turns 8?

Walter thought about his dream of passing his small business along to his children, and vowed to do his part to fight the Big Boxes in the only way a small business can.

Talking to his employees that morning, Walter told them, "We can't win the price war with the Big Boxes.  We can't win the selection war, either.  But we can win the service war, and the innovation war, and the creativity war.

"Our small business is vastly more capable than any of the Big Boxes at giving customers that most valuable of commodities.  Not price. Not selection. Not new and improved. We can give them time." Walter declared. "We'll give them time through innovative and creative ways of delivering our products and services.  Not how much do they want to pay, but how do they want it, when do they want it, and where do they want it?

"All we have to do is let our customers know that, when service matters, when technical information matters, when your time matters, think of us.  Small businesses can do those things better than any Big Box.  And then," Walter reminded his people, "we have to deliver what we promise."
 

Write this on a rock - Wal-World will never happen as it did in Walter's dream.  But if you let the Big Boxes intimidate you and cause you to throw in the towel, or worse, get into a price war you cannot win, one day you will wake up in your own version of Wal-World.  If you let that happen, you might as well go ahead and move in.

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:01 AM


On The Subject of Lawyers
Sunday, April 04, 2004 :::
 

There are good and there are bad, as in all professions. Many students become lawyers for idealistic reasons and not for money. There are many moderately poor lawyers, contrary to the popular perceptions. It was lawyers who founded this country. Some lawyers are now fighting the fascistic system they, unfortunately, allowed to be put in place, such as those who I count as Freedom Lawyers. There are too many laws, period. The more laws, the more lawyers, cops, jails, etc. The proliferation of laws has to stop.

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 12:00 PM


You are abusing the Freedom Lawyers of America Group's messaging
Saturday, April 03, 2004 :::
 

I have warned you before. Please keep your messages short and stop cross-posting and posting email links. Once more and I will have to remove you from our list. Moreover, you have become a ranter. My discussion group is only interested in real news and real facts.

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 2:43 PM


Jobs data killing metals
Friday, April 02, 2004 :::
 

Man, things move fast.

Also, heads up, IRS thinking about applying witholding for self-employed people.

 

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman,
Writer/Lawyer/Independendent Contractor Specialist
PURCHASE MY BOOKS AT WEBSITE
http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:04 AM


Misc.
Thursday, April 01, 2004 :::
 

An article in Wednesday's Kalamazoo Gazette reports that, "The Kalamazoo
County Jail reached an all-time high population of 414 prisoners Monday
morning in what Kalamazoo County Sheriff Michael Anderson called 'an
intolerable situation'."
(Kalamazoo Gazette)
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-9/108075001251470.xml

U.S. House committee passes copyright bill expanding FBI power
----------
c|net news
   "The House Judiciary intellectual property subcommittee voted for
   the "Piracy Deterrence and Education Act" (PDEA) ... overruling
   objections from a minority of members that it would unreasonably
   expand the FBI's powers to demand private information from
   Internet service providers." (3/31/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/185248292.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 3:05 PM


misc.  

Bills back drug testing in middle, high schools
   MAPINC

"Jenny Watkin is president of Boca Raton [FL] High School's student
council and a member of the varsity soccer and bowling teams. She has
a GPA of 3.6 and is headed to Florida State University in the fall.
She says her active student life leaves no time for illegal drug use,
yet next year, students such as Watkin, 18, could find themselves
being tested if bills making their way through the Florida
Legislature become law. The bills ( HB 113, SB 1838 ) would give
school boards more power to require drug testing of all middle- and
high school students participating in any extracurricular activity,
whether it be the chess club or the varsity football team."
(03/31/04)

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n513/a07.html
 Google to offer free e-mail with 1GB in storage
    MSNBC

"Search giant Google Inc. announced Wednesday that it would launch a
free ad-supported Web-based e-mail service that would let each user
store up to 1 gigabyte of data and include a built-in search
function. The announcement of the new 'Gmail' service was first
reported by the New York Times and quickly reported by CNET News.com
and wire outlets as well." (03/31/04)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4641298

 Supreme Court repeals 4th Amendment in border states
    Arizona Republic

"A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that border agents
have wide freedom to search vehicles entering the United States even
if they do not have a specific reason to suspect wrongdoing. Writing
for the court, Chief Justice William Rehnquist said border
authorities need broad discretion to search vehicles to combat drug
trafficking and terrorism. The government's interest in preventing
the entry of unwanted persons and effects is at its zenith at the
international border,' Rehnquist said. More than 90 million Mexican
vehicles enter the United States every year, according to the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico." (03/31/04)

http://tinyurl.com/2pn2d

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:14 AM


misc
Monday, March 29, 2004 :::
 

5th Circuit ukase guts 4th Amendment
    Channel 6 News

"It's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will
affect everyone: Police officers in Louisiana no longer need a search
or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of your home or business.
Leaders in law enforcement say it will provide safety to officers,
but others argue it's a privilege that could be abused. The decision
was made by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Two
dissenting judges called it the 'road to Hell.'" (03/26/04)

http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/2953483/detail.html
Giant X-ray machine used in drug search
    BBC News [UK]

"A 7ft-tall X-ray machine was used for the first time by police who
arrested 35 people during a raid on two pubs in north-west London.
More than 400 officers took part in the operation to scan suspects
for drugs and weapons in Harlesden High Street. Equipment was brought
in on articulated lorries on Friday night, and suspects had the
choice of being strip-searched or scanned. The machine shows a
'graphic' image of the suspect minus their clothes." (03/27/04)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3573933.stm

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:22 AM


misc.
Sunday, March 28, 2004 :::
 

Santa Fe to mandate dog seat belts?
----------
Yahoo News
   "Santa Fe is considering requiring doggie seat belts. A major
   rewrite of the city's animal control ordinance proposes that
   Santa Fe dogs be buckled up when riding in trucks and other
   vehicles." (3/25/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/130470508.html
Indiana state police criticized for encouraging drunk driving
----------
Indy Star
   "An appeals court sharply criticized Indiana State Police
   ... for conducting an 'outrageously dangerous' traffic
   stop by knowingly encouraging an informant under the
   influence of drugs and alcohol to speed through a small
   town." They took that action so that the man's passenger
   could be arrested for drug charges; the impaired driver
   was taken home. (3/26/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/100163243.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:12 PM


misc
Thursday, March 25, 2004 :::
 

US loses online gambling case
    Miami Herald

"Antigua and Barbuda, the Caribbean island nation, won a World Trade
Organization ruling that U.S. legislation criminalizing online
betting runs counter to international law. According to a
confidential ruling to the two countries today, Antigua, with a
population of 68,000, won a complaint that a U.S. ban on Internet
gaming violates WTO accords on commercial services. The U.S. ban has
slashed revenue in Antigua, which developed online gambling to boost
an economy whose main income, tourism, suffered after a series of
hurricanes." (03/25/04)

http://tinyurl.com/3cwjs

-----

6)  One vote decides Libertarian primary
    San Jose Mercury News

"Three weeks after the polls closed, there is apparently a one-vote
winner in a seesaw battle to pick a Libertarian candidate to run for
a Silicon Valley [CA] state Senate seat in the November general
election.Software engineer Michael Laursen received 285 votes in the
Libertarian primary, while his opponent, John Webster, garnered 284,
according to the Santa Clara County registrar of voters. The race
drew attention because of Webster's view that children should be
allowed to have sex with adults, and his sex-related felony
conviction in 1990. ... Webster was ahead by one vote on election
night, but Laursen later pulled ahead." (03/24/04)

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/8263116.htm

Cynical electorate is uninterested in political process
    Guardian [UK]

"Politics is on the verge of becoming a minority interest, the [UK]
Electoral Commission warned yesterday. Its audit of political
engagement paints a bleak picture of a nation with little political
interest, knowledge or satisfaction. Its poll, conducted by Mori,
found that political apathy is so extreme that only about half (51%)
of those questioned were certain to vote at the next election and
just 42% could name their MP. In findings that shocked pollsters,
interest was so low that only two out of five people (38%) had
discussed politics or political news in the past two to three years."
(03/25/04)

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/apathy/story/0,12822,1177406,00.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 8:45 AM


James Please Note Second Part
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 :::
 

YOU CAN BET MONEY ON HOW THIS WILL TURN OUT!!!!

Supreme Court hears privacy case
    MSNBC

"Do you have to tell the police your name? Depending on how the
Supreme Court rules, the answer could be the difference between
arrest and freedom. The justices heard arguments Monday in a
first-of-its-kind case that asks whether people can be punished for
refusing to identify themselves." (03/22/04)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4580000/

-----

Census shows world's population growth is slowing
    Dodge City Daily Globe

"The world's population growth is slowing because women are having
fewer children and more people are dying from AIDS, especially in
Africa, according to a Census Bureau report released Monday. The
report forecasts there will be nearly 9.1 billion people by 2050, a
nearly 50 percent increase from the 6.2 billion in 2002. However, the
growth rate is slowing significantly." (03/22/04)

http://ap.dodgeglobe.com/stories/20040322/2004017.shtml

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 8:05 AM


The last item is about the Haymarket Riot in Chicago at the turn of the century. Mr. Parsons was wrongfully convicted and pardoned by Gov. Altgeld (the " F
Monday, March 22, 2004 :::
 

 Florida teachers predict "retention time bomb"
----------
Miami Herald
   "[Florida's] new plan to ensure that third-graders can read
   before they are promoted will have a dramatic
   consequence: An explosion of older students in
   elementary and middle school classrooms. Educators say
   they are are bracing for a 'retention time bomb'
   stemming from the state's clampdown on social promotion
   that took effect this school year." (3/21/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/592499681.html

Michigan governor mandates job protectionism
----------
Detroit Free Press
   "To help keep jobs in Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm will sign a
   pair of executive directives ... to prohibit the state from
   contracting with businesses that would do the work in foreign
   countries. In addition, companies now doing business with the
   state would be required to say who is doing the contracted work
   and where it is being done." (3/22/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/624782240.html

Missouri pols take vacation, leave budget issues dangling
----------
St Louis Post-Dispatch
   "[MO] Legislators left for their weeklong vacation last
   week without advancing the bills that make up the $19
   billion budget. .... 'While we now have a state dinosaur
   and state grass, we have no hint of a state budget from
   the House,'" said Governor Holden. (3/21/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/641619938.html

Ohio State University sells out alumni to credit card company
----------
Dayton Daily News
   "Ohio State University sold the names, phone numbers and addresses
   of all 358,000 alumni to a credit-card company, university
   officials said. It's the first time the school has given out a
   complete alumni contact list, said Eileen Bertolini, director of
   information services for university development, which manages the
   alumni database." (3/22/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/646016018.html

Chicago police protest naming of park after anarchist
----------
Chicago Sun-Times
   "The Chicago Park District is proposing to name a park for
   [anarchist Lucy Parsons] on the Northwest Side as a recognition of
   her efforts on behalf of workers, women and African Americans. The
   head of the Chicago police union is objecting, dismissing her as
   'a woman whose historic roots come from the defense of her
   husband.'" (3/22/04)
http://www.free-market.net/rd/651842359.html

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 5:29 PM


misc..  

 Drug crackdown pains patients
    MAPINC

"The government's widening crackdown on prescription-drug abuse is
having an unintended consequence: It's making it tougher for people
with chronic pain to get treatment. ... Patients with chronic pain
say the government initiatives are making it harder for them to get
the painkillers they need to battle conditions such as arthritis and
cancer. The crackdown is making doctors more reluctant to prescribe
some drugs out of fear they will attract attention from regulators.
Doctors are also getting more vigilant. One Tennessee doctor turned
in a patient he believed wasn't actually taking a prescription
painkiller. The arrest took place in the doctor's office." (03/20/04)

http://www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v04/n461/a01.html

-----

Woman's gun may have saved her life
    Oakland Daily Press

"Four years ago, she was helpless as a man robbed her at gunpoint. On
Friday, legally armed with a handgun, she may have saved her life.
And Farmington Hills [MI] Police Chief William Dwyer, who dreaded a
change in the law in 2001 to make it easier to receive a concealed
weapons permit, admits that he's changing his mind about that law.
Dwyer said the woman could easily have been killed after she was
targeted by a couple looking for an easy score." (03/20/04)

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/03202004/pol_20040320011.shtml

-----

New deaf signs: Limp wrists and slant eyes must go
    Telegraph [UK]

"Political correctness has caught up with sign language for deaf
people. Gestures used to depict ethnic and religious minorities and
homosexuals are being dropped because they are now deemed offensive.
The abandoned signs include 'Jewish,' in which a hand mimes a hooked
nose; the sign for 'gay,' a flick of a limp wrist; and 'Chinese,' in
which the index fingertips pull the eyes into a slant. Another
dropped sign is that for 'Indian,' which is a finger pointing to an
imaginary spot in the middle of a forehead." (03/21/04)

http://tinyurl.com/2rfnr
Canada plans pilot marijuana project
    MSNBC

"Canada plans to make government-certified marijuana available in
local pharmacies, a move that would make it only the second country
in the world to allow the direct sale of medical marijuana. Officials
are organizing a pilot project in the British Columbia province
modeled on a year-old program in the Netherlands." (03/21/04)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4574925/

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 7:50 AM


misc.
Friday, March 19, 2004 :::
 

Taiwan's President Chen shot
    CNN

"Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has been rushed to hospital after
being shot while campaigning for Saturday's election, the
Presidential Office says. Chen was shot in the stomach at 1:45 p.m.
(0545 GMT) Friday but his condition was not critical, his office
said. The office said the president was conscious and that Chen had
urged for calm. Vice President Annette Lu was also wounded in the
attack. ... Chen and Lu had been driving on the back of a convertible
four-wheel drive vehicle in the president's hometown of Tainan when
an unknown gunman opened fire." (03/19/04)

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/taiwan.chen/

-----

3)  NATO sends reinforcements to Kosovo
    MSNBC

"Ethnic Albanians torched Serb homes and churches Thursday as Kosovo
convulsed in a second day of violence, its worst since the province's
war ended in 1999. Serbian nationalists set mosques elsewhere on fire
and threatened to retaliate with 'slaughter and death,' and NATO sent
reinforcements to quell tensions in the U.N.-run province and ease
the threat of renewed conflict in the volatile Balkans." (03/18/04)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4547376/

Libertarian seatbelt resister's case continued
    Algonquin Countryside

"Ken Prazak says he would rather go to jail than pay a $25 ticket for
not wearing his seat belt while driving through Algonquin [IL]. Come
April 30, the East Dundee resident will know whether he will be
sentenced to jail time. ... Prazak filed two motions to dismiss the
$25 seat belt ticket on the grounds the law is unconstitutional. One
motion states the law is a violation of the Ninth Amendment, which
allows a person to retain individual rights not covered in the
Constitution, and another motion claimed he was not afforded due
process as stated in the Fifth Amendment. The third motion was filed
to suppress evidence due to a lack of probable cause. 'They want me
to pay $137 for my right to a jury trial on a $25 ticket, it's
ridiculous,' Prazak said. Prazak is an active member of the local
Libertarian party, and hosts a radio talk show on an Elgin radio
station." (03/18/04)

http://tinyurl.com/2cxma

-----

7)  Missouri legislature passes repeal of First Amendment
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"The abundance of outdoor sex advertisements also has caught the
attention of Missouri legislators, who are aggressively trying to cut
down on the signs. Separate bills approved by the state House and
Senate would ban most highway billboards for businesses where workers
appear nude or where more than 10 percent of the store space is used
to display pornography. Sexually oriented businesses located within
one mile of a highway would be allowed just two onsite billboards:
one with the name, address, phone number and operating hours of the
business, the other warning minors to keep out." (03/19/04)

http://tinyurl.com/25dh9
Program encourages public to snitch on drug-throwing dealers
    Montreal Gazette [Canada]

"In a bid to stop drug-filled tennis balls and arrows from being
hurled over prison fences, Leclerc penitentiary officials and Laval
police have launched a campaign asking the public for help. Laval
police plan to hand out more than 2,000 pamphlets in the coming days
to residents near the 44-year-old medium-security penitentiary,
asking them to watch for any suspicious behaviour. The program aims
to halt the practice of drug couriers using sports gear to send
narcotics to their customers in detention." (03/18/04)

http://tinyurl.com/23owh
Arizona Senate approves 80mph limit
    Arizona Republic

"Arizona state senators may be sending negative messages on highway
safety by clearing the way for 80-mph speeds on rural interstates and
rejecting a bill to allow police to pull over drivers not wearing
seat belts, activists say. 'I'm perplexed at the Legislature. They
are essentially saying 'no' to stronger seat belt laws and saying
'yes' to driving faster,' says Michael Frias, deputy director of the
Governor's Office of Highway Safety. The speed limit legislation ...
allows the Arizona Department of Transportation to raise the speed
limit to 80 from 75 mph on roads like Interstate 10 from Phoenix to
Tucson. If enacted, it would be the nation's highest speed limit. But
senators last Thursday voted 19-10 against a proposal [that] would
have allowed police to stop a driver solely for not wearing a belt.
Police can ticket for that now only after stopping a driver on
another violation." (03/18/04)

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0316limits16.html

WHO: Legal drugs pose greatest health threat
    MSNBC

"The health threat from legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco is much
greater than that from illegal narcotics, the World Health
Organization said Thursday. The first report of its kind by the
global body found that dependence on alcohol and cigarettes has a
much greater cost for societies than illegal drugs like cocaine and
crack." (03/18/04)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4556847/

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, Writer/Lawyer
"The Black Messiah Murders," Sam Cohen #1
"Piranhas On the Loose," Sam Cohen #2
"In the Teeth of the Wind,"
"All Anybody Needs to Know About Independent Contracting"
PURCHASE AT MY WEBSITE: http://thelawyer.info/ OR Call Iuniverse toll free 1-877-823-9235 

::: posted by sheldon waxman at 9:16 AM