The Calpino Files are exclusive articles for mdlibertarian.com written by Mike Calpino. Below are snippets and then links to the full articles.
As we bemoan the many ills of our society today, one of the ones often mentioned is that of our general cultural decline. Morals and values that were the norm fifty or one hundred years ago are almost non-existent, taboo behaviors of past eras are now not only accepted but granted privileged status. This is important because it is common history, values and experience that provide cohesion for a people, society and culture. Today everyone recognizes how divided we are and that is due, in large part, to the disintegration of the things that have historically provided our national "glue".
Don't Touch My Junk
The controversy over new airport screening procedures has continued to grow. No doubt it will explode over the long holiday weekend, particularly is planned protests involve even a fraction of the flying public. The TSA and Homeland Security have dug in their heels and defended the new procedures as necessary to ensure our safety. If a majority of Americans begin to strenuously object or even refuse, there is the possibility of a real confrontation over these methods. Even more importantly, it is getting people to talk about government intrusion in a way they have not considered before. It is the various levels in which these procedures have struck a nerve that need to be explored.
Groping for Answers
The news of the week are the new procedures implemented at airports around the country in the name of security. Once again we are closing the barn door after the horses are gone and refusing to consider the fact that it is a broken latch that keeps letting them out. First there was 9/11 so the list of prohibited objects in an airport grew immensely. Then there was the shoe bomber so we all have to take off our shoes. Then there was the underwear bomber so now we have to endure the hands of TSA employees in places only our wives or husbands should see. There have already been terrorists who placed explosives in various body cavities, and drug smugglers have been doing that for years. Are we going to have to endure full body cavity searches next?
Are You Ready for Hyperinfaltion?
The day after the election the Federal Reserve announced it was going to engage in "Quantitative easing" to the tune of $600 billion dollars over the next eight months. Commodities have already reacted to this, with gold, oil and other raw materials rising rapidly. We are to expect inflation after supposedly going through an extended period without it. If we go though a time of even double digit inflation, we should consider ourselves very fortunate. If it were a different time in our history, perhaps that is what we could expect. We have, however, put ourselves into a very precarious position with our debt and liabilities. What I would like to give you is a short history lesson because nations have gone through this before and the causes are easy to determine.
Read the Rest...
The Beginning of the End....
Last week’s elections were historic, there is no question about that. Voters were fed up with our lurch into socialism and with the rise of the TEA party movement, questions of government spending, control and intrusion were finally being discussed openly and honestly. Many people became involved in politics for the first time, recognizing that politics affects everything in our daily lives and if we ever want to regain some control over our lives (i.e. our liberty) politics can no longer be ignored or left up to the "political class." All this represents a good trend. Read the Rest
Copyright 2010 Mike Calpino.
