http://www.lp.org/…

Libertarians are taking President Barack Obama to task for once again intentionally spreading false information about the source of guns used by Mexican drug cartels and blaming the United States for crime in Mexico.

“This war is being waged with guns purchased not here, but in the United States.  More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States,” said Obama in a face-to-face meeting Thursday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Mexico City.

That claim, however, is blatantly false.   According to information supplied by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) the real number is closer to only 17 percent.

Read More…

For those of you not fortunate enough to live in the tri-state area of the right coast, let me introduce you to the alcohol purchasing laws in PA:

• Wine and Spirits (the hard stuff) are sold in state owned Wine and Spirits shops.  The hours are controlled and they are tightly linked to the state.
• Wineries can sell wine at the location where they make it.  I’m not sure about distilleries or breweries.
• Beer can be purchased as special taverns in quantities of two six packs or less.
• Beer can be purchased in bulk (case, keg, etc.) at special “Beverage Distributors”.
• Wine and Spirit shops have their prices fixed by the state.

The system seems to be a series of compromises and concessions from an initially overly restrictive system.  As such beer is treated differently than everything else.  Does this seem confusing and stupid to anyone else?  Booze costs next to nothing to produce and yet the price must be inflated to account for taxation and cost of difficult distribution.  Even so, somebody who wants to be drunk all the time could still do so in PA for about $12 bucks a day.  Does anyone out there actually think price can be used to dissuade people who are addicted?  Also, with retail locations limited it must be incredibly difficult to introduce a new product to market.  How many awesome new beers and liquers are we missing because of this?  Lastly why aren’t more citizens upset about this?  Is it that we feel we should be happy that the government still lets us get at the sauce?  Flex your rights PA, lets see you scrap some antiquated legislation.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

http://www.lewrockwell.com/…

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh, instituted a 10 percent tax on alcoholic drinks this year. The local restaurant and bar owners obtained twice as many signatures as required to put a referendum on the ballot asking simply whether the tax should be reduced to 0.5 percent. The county council, trying to preempt this, created their own referendum asking whether to replace the drink tax with an increase in property taxes. Now the county solicitor is further attempting to stop the tax cut referendum by claiming that it’s illegal since it doesn’t raise taxes elsewhere to make up for the shortfall that would be brought about if the drink tax were to be reduced to 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, these same “public servants” prattle endlessly about the glories of democracy; but what good is democracy if the voters are only allowed to choose from the questions and candidates the powers that be permit to appear on the ballot?

Apparently, when it comes to taxes, they are only supposed to increase, or at least remain constant. Of course, for this to happen the taxpayers’ bank accounts have to decrease, but that’s okay. We peons should be expected to make do with less, but government never should.

Pennsylvania Constitution: Article 1, Section 2:

All power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety and happiness. For the advancement of these ends they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think proper.

Looks like they may need Section 21:

The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.

http://www.freep.com/…

The DJ was spinning old records by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and the Meters during Funk Night last weekend, when the heavily armed cops dressed in commando-style uniforms burst into the west-side Detroit art gallery.The cops yelled at the patrons to hit the floor. Witnesses said some officers used their feet to force down a couple of people who failed to move fast enough or asked too many questions.

Detroit police conduct raids frequently for all sorts of illegal activity, and the public never hears a thing. But cops almost never raid art galleries filled with young hipsters, students and at least one lawyer. So this May 30 raid, not unexpectedly, is turning out to have an afterlife: The gallery and patrons have decided to fight back, and the American Civil Liberties Union has become involved.

To the police, CAID was a blind pig, where people were buying beer after hours. They handed out 130 tickets for loitering in a place where alcohol was being sold illegally and impounded 44 cars, which cost $900 to get back.

Cops found no drugs, no weapons, no people with outstanding warrants.

Police spokesman James Tate said officers warned Timlin about violations during a visit several weeks ago. “We don’t often do that,” Tate said. “He was advised of the issues he needed to clarify.”

Timlin confirmed the visit, but said he believed he had made the necessary changes. He said the police told club officials May 30 that they also need a permit to allow dancing.

As a response to the raid, Timlin has launched a week-long arts festival that started at midnight Friday and will end with a concert Saturday.

Timlin is lining up bands, artists, lecturers, filmmakers and others to keep the CAID going 24 hours a day for 8 days.

Timlin said the 192-hour art festival this week will be alcohol-free, but in featuring dancing, he seems to be asking for more trouble.

“We’re standing up for what we believe in,” Timlin said. “We’d prefer that the police come and dance with us.”

But if they are found guilty by the courts will they refuse to pay the fines? Are they willing to go to jail for what they believe in? Will they fight to get their $900 back?

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/

The businessman was meeting with clients for lunch at Mimi’s Café when he noticed the woman. Sitting a few tables over with her 4-year-old boy, she seemed groggy – yet she was drinking a mimosa.

It got worse. The woman ordered a glass of white wine, then another. She was so out of it, the businessman would later write in a statement to police, that she looked ready to fall asleep at the table.

When the woman paid her bill and left the restaurant, the businessman was right behind her, cell phone in hand. When she ran a stop sign in the parking lot, he called the police.

By the time the cops showed up a few minutes later, the woman already had parked at the Chandler Mall, less than a mile from Mimi’s. She was buying bath salts when the businessman pointed her out to the cops.

Thanks to the businessman’s intervention, Shannon Wilcutt was eventually charged with three felony counts: a DUI above 0.08, a DUI with a child under 15 in the car, and drug possession.

Justice served, right?

Hardly.

This article showed up on my Fark RSS feed. It’s dated March 2008.

Not sure how I missed it, but apparently I wasn’t the only one either.