Liberty Letters

Liberty Letters Has Had a Change of Address

Steve Farrell — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:01:21 +0000

Dear Liberty Letters readers. We've moved, nearly two months ago, to libertyletters.wordpress.com. Sorry for the delay in letting you know.

We've now got a rich array of daily content not only at Liberty Letters, but a full network of websites I've created

OutoftheBestBooks.wordpress.com (daily readings from the Harvard Classics/Great Books of Western Civilization/and other classics.

LibertyLetters.wordpress.com (daily legislative updates from an array of trusted organizations, Liberty Letters quote of the day (from the Founders with brief commentary), and American Minute with Bill Federer.

CenterForMoralLiberalism.wordpress.com (think tank dedicated to defending and promoting the Judeo-Christian ethic, limited government, and the American Way … from the perspective of the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The full title of the organization is The Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism.

cmlblog.wordpress.com (the official blog for the Latter-day Center of Moral Liberalism

PreachMyGospel.wordpress.com (daily quotes from the Preach My Gospel manual of the LDS Church)

StiffRightJab.wordpress.com. This is my political website in the group where you'll find I have selected a staff (and we are adding more writers weekly) to fulfill our mission statement: Independent and intelligent, punchy and precise news and commentary that stands up for faith, family, and freedom - and stiff right jabs humanism, socialism, and internationalism.

All of these websites offer daily material that you'll love! And it keeps getting better daily.

So please come and join us.

Warning: we are soon to change all of these to .coms or .orgs etc - and MND will actually be the service provider and tech for the site. So hold on to your hats! We'll keep you posted.

If you are interested in writing or serving as a volunteer, drop me an email.

Steve Farrell, president, Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism

Creditors Protection Bill: Another Bogus 'Conservative' Solution

Steve Farrell — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:55:16 +0000

Regarding the new Bush Administration tax cutting stimulus package, professor George Reisman warns,

Today, we have a credit crisis emanating from the collapse of the real estate bubble that the Fed launched in order to cope with the effects of the collapse of the stock market bubble that it had launched only a few years earlier. Now, in order to cope with the effects of the collapse of the real estate bubble, the government and the Fed are looking for yet another program of monetary "stimulus." This time it's to be in the form of cutting taxes while financing an undiminished, indeed, an increased amount of government spending by means of the creation of still more new and additional money.

Little surprise right? This is Compassionate Conservatism at its best: compassionately cut taxes to ease the very economic crisis their Keynesian tricks caused, only to increase the national debt, raising the inflation rate (by printing and circulating these unbacked - by gold - dollars), and ultimately crushing us with the debt, but more especially with the interest, both of which ultimately must be paid back.

When in doubt about all this, remember what J. Reuben Clark Jr., warned years ago: "interest never sleeps."

Read: A Creditors' Protection Bill - Mises Institute

The Liberty Letters are a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism

School Board Settles Lawsuit By Amending Policy and Accepting Student’s Community Service Hours at Church

Steve Farrell — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:19:35 +0000

Liberty Counsel. Long Beach, CA – The Long Beach District School Board has approved a
settlement agreement with Christopher Rand, a high school student who
was denied credit for community service hours he completed at his
church. Chris has now received full credit for the hours. The district
administration also rewrote its community service learning policy to
allow students to complete mandatory community service hours at either
secular or religious organizations, including churches, on the same
terms.

In October 2007, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against the
district because Chris’s school refused to grant credit for more than
70 hours of community service, solely because it was performed at Long
Beach Alliance Church. He interacted with the children in the church’s
programs, answered questions, assisted with crafts and art projects,
supervised activity time to help ensure safety, and performed other
duties.

After Chris submitted the required documentation regarding his
volunteer service, he was denied credit because the district’s prior
community service learning policy stated, “Service to your religious
community does not count.” If Christopher had given the same service in
a secular school or in a nonreligious childcare program, his service
would have been credited. Shortly after Liberty Counsel filed suit, the
district agreed to award Chris credit for the full 72.5 hours that had
previously been rejected.

In addition to giving Chris credit for his community service, the
district accepted input from Liberty Counsel in revising its policy to
comply with the First Amendment. Under the new policy, religious
organizations will receive the same treatment as other nonprofit
organizations in terms of the types of community service work that is
permitted. Students are expressly allowed to supervise and assist with
leading organized children’s activities, such as those performed by
Chris. The district also agreed to pay attorney’s fees and costs to
Liberty Counsel.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty
University School of Law, commented: “When community service is a
graduation requirement, schools cannot limit service to secular venues.
Discrimination against performing community service for religious
organizations violates the First Amendment and offends the rich
religious heritage that made this country great.”

Used with permission of Liberty Counsel

The Liberty Letters are a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism

College No Prerequisite for Many New Careers

Phyllis Schlafly — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:16:34 +0000

U.S. News & World Report, which has made a name for itself by ranking and announcing the best colleges every year, is now ranking and listing the best careers for young people. A comparison of the latest lists shows a shocking disconnect and makes for dispiriting holiday reading.

While the price of a college education has skyrocketed far faster than inflation, many careers for which colleges prepare their graduates are disappearing. U.S. News' Best Careers guide concludes that "college grads might want to consider blue-collar careers" because bachelor's degree holders "are having trouble finding jobs that require college-graduate skills."

Incredibly, U.S. News is telling college graduates to look for jobs that do not require a college diploma. Among the 31 best opportunities for 2008 are the careers of firefighter, hairstylist, cosmetologist, locksmith, and security system technician.

Where did the higher-skill jobs go? Both large and small companies are "quietly increasing off-shoring efforts."

Ten years ago we were told we really didn't need manufacturing because it can be done more cheaply elsewhere, that auto workers and others should move to information age jobs. But now the information jobs are moving offshore, too, as well as marketing research and even many varieties of innovation.

The flight overseas includes professional as well as low-wage jobs, with engineering jobs offshored to India and China. Thousands of bright Asian engineers are willing to work for a fraction of U.S. wages, which is why Boeing just signed a 10-year, $1-billion-a-year deal with a government-run company in India.

Society has been telling high school students that college is the ticket to get a life, and politicians are pandering to parents' desire for their children to be better educated and so have a higher standard of living. Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., wants the taxpayers to guarantee every kid a college education, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says more education is the means for Americans to compete in a global economy.

But it doesn't make sense for parents to mortgage their homes, or for students to saddle themselves with long-term debt, in order to pay overpriced college tuition to prepare for jobs that no longer exist. Tuition at public universities has risen an unprecedented 51 percent over the past five years.

President George W. Bush calls the loss of U.S. jobs "the pinch some of you folks are feeling." I guess his words are designed to show his "compassionate conservatism," but the reality is far more than a pinch.

U.S. News offers this advice for the nerds who still spend five to six years earning an engineering degree despite increasingly grim prospects of a well-paid engineering career: "Look for government work." Or maybe you can be an "off-shoring manager" and be part of the process of shipping your fellow graduates' jobs overseas.

A Duke University spokesman said that 40 percent of Duke's engineering graduates cannot get engineering jobs. A Duke University publication suggests that the best prospect for good engineering jobs is for the U.S. government to start another major project like going to the moon.

U.S. News warns us that "government is becoming an employer of choice." Corporations are getting leaner, but government can continue to pay good salaries, with lots of vacation days, sick leave, health insurance and retirement benefits, because government rakes in more tax revenue in good times and can raise taxes in bad times; and if the Democrats win in 2008, we can expect government to expand even more.

Presidential candidates have gotten the message from grass-roots Americans that we want our borders closed to illegal immigrants. Headlines now proclaim "Immigration Moves to Front and Center of GOP Race" and "GOP Candidates Hold Fast on Immigration at Debate."

But Republican Party candidates haven't yet gotten the message that jobs are just as big a gut issue as immigration. The Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey conducted Dec. 14-17 reports that, by 58 percent to 28 percent, Americans believe globalization is bad because it subjects U.S. companies and employees to unfair competition and cheap labor.

Where are the limited-government fiscal-conservatives when we need them to refute the notion that the best an engineering graduate can hope for is a job with the government? Are fiscal-conservatives too busy chanting the failed mantra of "free trade" even though it has resulted in millions of good U.S. jobs being shipped overseas?

When are we going to call a halt to the way globalism is destroying U.S. jobs by foreign currency manipulation, theft of our intellectual property, shipping us poisonous seafood and toys, and unfair trade agreements that allow foreign subsidies (through the so-called Value Added Tax) to massively discriminate against U.S. producers and workers?

Used with permission.

The Liberty Letters are a project of The Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism, and are written by NewsMax.com pundit Steve Farrell and friends. Support these projects with your purchase of Steve's highly praised inspirational novel, "Dark Rose."

Liberty Letters Quote of the Day: Lincoln's Farewell Address

Steve Farrell — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:48:04 +0000

My friends - No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. With the assistance of that Divine Being, who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be ever where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell. - President Elect Lincoln's Farewell Address at Springfield, Illinois, February 11, 1861

Gratitude, grief, humility, faith, trust, interdependence, love. It is all there. A sublime and inspiring bit of prose, from the President Elect of the United States. The sort of mastery of words and humility before a Higher power that guided our nation through civil war, inspiring us then and now to carry on, and do what needs to be done, regardless of the test, trial, or tribulation..

The Liberty Letters are written by NewsMax.com pundit Steve Farrell, and are a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism. Please help support both of thee worthy projects by getting your copy of Steve's highly praised inspirational novel, "Dark Rose." Click here to read the reviews.

Will Fox News Return the Call?

Steve Farrell — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:50:25 +0000

On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Ron Paul received a sympathetic ear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Leno told Paul on Monday night’s show: “I’m trying to figure out why Fox News chose not to put you on.”

“You know, we tried to find that out,” Paul replied. “But they didn’t return our call."

And you know, we at Liberty Letters can't help but notice that Ron Paul received ten percent of the vote in Iowa, broke all records for fund raising in one quarter ($20 million this past quarter) - which shows a huge swell of support; and by contrast establishment guy, Rudy Giuliani, gets 4 percent in Iowa, and is included.

And so we really want to know, does Fox News really believe in the democratic process? Should any conservative still tune in to a network that pretends to appeal to their values? Is Fox going to re-think its position, and perhaps follow Mitt Romney's example of humility and say, flat out, "I was wrong," before it's too late?

We're all waiting to see. It's only their continued legitimacy and financial well being that is on the line … oh yeah, and our rights and freedoms to elect the candidates of our choice after hearing all of their positions and arguments.

Will Fox News return America's call?
The Liberty Letters are written by NewsMax.com pundit Steve Farrell, and are a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism.

Liberty Letters Quote of the Day: Burke on Tyranny's Changing Faces

Steve Farrell — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:05:02 +0000

[8] It is very rare indeed for men to be wrong in their feelings concerning public misconduct; as rare to be right in their speculation upon the cause of it. I have constantly observed, that the ^*38generality of people are fifty years, at least, behindhand in their politicks. There are but very few, who are capable of comparing and digesting what passes before their eyes at different times and occasions, so as to form the whole into a distinct system. But ^*³⁹in books everything is settled for them, without the exertion of any considerable diligence or sagacity. For which reason ^*40men are wise with but little reflexion, and good with little self-denial, in the business of all times except their own. We are very uncorrupt and tolerably enlightened judges of the transactions of past ages; where no passions deceive, and where ^*41the whole train of circumstances, from the trifling cause to the tragical event, is set in an orderly series before us. Few are the partizans of departed tyranny; and to be a ^*42Whig on the business of an hundred years ago, is very consistent with every advantage of present servility. This retrospective wisdom, and ^*43historical patriotism, are things of wonderful convenience; and serve admirably to reconcile the old quarrel between speculation and practice. ^*44Many a stern republican, after gorging himself with a full feast of admiration of the Grecian commonwealths and of ^*45our true Saxon constitution, and discharging all the ^*46splendid bile of his virtuous indignation on King John and King James, sits down perfectly satisfied to the ^*47coarsest work and homeliest job of the day he lives in. I believe there was no professed admirer of Henry the Eighth among the instruments of the last King James; nor in the court of Henry the Eighth was there, I dare say, to be found a single advocate for the favourites of Richard the Second.

No complaisance to our Court, or to our age, can make me believe nature to be so changed, but that public liberty will be among us, as among our ancestors, obnoxious to some
[9] person or other; and that opportunities will be furnished for attempting, at least, some ^*48alteration to the prejudice of our constitution. ^*49These attempts will naturally vary in their mode, according to times and circumstances. For ambition, though it has ever the same general views, has not at all times the same means, nor the same particular objects. A great deal of the ^*50furniture of ancient tyranny is worn to rags; the rest is entirely out of fashion. Besides, there are few Statesmen so very clumsy and awkward in their business, as ^*51to fall into the identical snare which has proved fatal to their predecessors. When an arbitrary imposition is attempted upon the subject, undoubtedly it will not bear on its forehead the name of ^*52Ship-money. There is no danger that ^*⁵³an extension of the Forest laws should be the chosen mode of oppression in this age. And when we hear any instance of ministerial rapacity, to the prejudice of the rights of private life, it will certainly not be the ^*54exaction of two hundred pullets, from a woman of fashion, for leave to lye with her own husband.

^*55Every age has its own manners, and its politicks dependent upon them; and the same attempts will not be made against a constitution fully formed and matured, that were used to destroy it in the cradle, or to resist its growth during its infancy.

^*56Against the being of Parliament, I am satisfied, no designs have ever been entertained since the Revolution. Every one must perceive, that it is strongly the interest of the Court, to have some second cause interposed between the Ministers and the people. The gentlemen of the House of Commons have an interest equally strong, in sustaining the part of that intermediate cause. ^*57However they may hire out the usufruct of their voices, they never will part with the fee and inheritance. Accordingly ^*58those who have been of the most known devotion to the will and pleasure of a Court, have, at the same time, been most forward in asserting an
[10] high authority in the House of Commons. When they knew who were to use that authority, and how it was to be employed, they thought it never could be carried too far. It must be always the wish of an unconstitutional Statesman, that an House of Commons who are entirely dependent upon him, should have every right of the people entirely dependent upon their pleasure. It was soon discovered, that the ^*59forms of a free, and the ends of an arbitrary Government, were things not altogether incompatible.

^*60The power of the Crown, almost dead and rotten as Prerogative, has grown up anew, with much more strength, and far less odium, under the name of ^*61Influence. An influence, which operated without noise and without violence; an influence, which converted the very antagonist, into the instrument, of power; which contained in itself a perpetual principle of growth and renovation; and which the distresses and the prosperity of the country equally tended to augment, was an admirable substitute for a Prerogative, that, being only the offspring of antiquated prejudices, had ^*⁶²moulded in its original stamina irresistible principles of decay and dissolution. The ignorance of the people is a bottom but for a temporary system; the interest of active men in the State is a foundation perpetual and infallible. However, some circumstances, arising, it must be confessed, in a great degree from accident, prevented the effects of this influence for a long time from breaking out in a manner capable of exciting any serious apprehensions. Although Government was strong and flourished exceedingly, ^*63the Court had drawn far less advantage than one would imagine from this great source of power.Edmund Burke, Thoughts On the Present Discontents, 1784

Liberty Letters hopes the lesson is obvious: don’t suppose that a politician, political party, or partisan political movement is up to no good (including the one that you may be involved with) simply because none of the historical words that spell tyranny are in vogue. The word “socialism” is a clear example. It is a bad word, with a bad reputation; and so it is rarely used, and always changing names and faces. Thus we have socialism, communism, fascism, fabianism, democratic socialism, liberation theology, the third way, compassionate conservatism, corporatism, planned economies, state-monopoly capitalism, futurism, the welfare state, internationalism, the regulatory state, and so forth. They all mean the same thing in the great fundamentals, and there are so many other labels that can be used, are used, and will be used. Burke’s lesson is fundamental, and speaks of a re-occurring motif in history. That is why we must look at the principles involved, to the fine print, and think - not look to the labels, not get caught up in blind partisanship, and in personality worship.

Forced redistribution of the wealth, intrusive regulation of private property and industry, denial of freedom of religion in any setting, regulation of the press, controls over private associations, graduated income taxes, centralized control over education, huge property confiscations by the state, the creations of national banks in private hands with an exclusive monopoly, etc., are all fundamentally the same, but will rarely be mentioned in the flashing lights of their packaging that they are steps toward tyranny, or indeed, already tyrannical.

Liberty Letters is a project of the Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism

Changing Definitions

Steve Farrell — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:45:26 +0000

Definitions can be important. An important technique of the socialist revolution against religion, morality, and true liberty has been to hijack words and reinvent their definitions to their exact opposites.One example is the word liberalism. In the founding era, liberalism, or as we call it today, classical liberalism, was an outlook on political science that believed in limited government (thus maximum liberty) on the one hand, tempered by an educated and moral people on the other hand (which can also imply liberality, or fairness, or loving one's neighbor as himself), which hopefully translates into "ordered liberty," or "freedom to do what is right."

And again, freedom to do what is right means the state will stay out of your way in things like your career choices, or how you run your business, or what how you exercise your religion, so long as you don't hurt anyone, or deprive them of their sacred rights in the process. But if you do, then the state has a legitimate interest in looking into the matter, and restraining or punishing you if necessary.

Others would add to this definition by stating, as Joseph Smith did, that "to every kingdom there is a law, and to every law there are certain bounds and conditions."

I like that. For true liberty can only exist where there are certain basic laws in place (with some logical and fair-minded flexibility), otherwise there is anarchy, followed by the rule of the jungle, and after that, complete tyranny as a police state steps in (at the invitation of the victims) to restore order.

Freedom to exist, must have a reasonable set of limits. But beyond these, we are very liberal with man's freedom of choice. That was liberalism. Minimum government, with a few good moral and eternal laws keeping freedom within reasonable bounds, and of course, an educated and moral populace so that those limits will be, for the most part, respected.

Liberalism today, to illustrate my point, is the precise opposite of the original and true definition; that is, maximum government and control on the one hand, and yet absolute freedom in the morality department to do whatever one pleases, that is, as Karl Marx taught, there is no morality, there are no eternal truths, there is no reason or legitimacy in a few fixed laws and bounds, it's all relative, relative to empowering the state. Why? Because what we have is the pincer strategy - pressure from above, and pressure from below. Pressure for centralize power mixed, as government is the answer for everything; and pressure from below because without moral limits cries comes every sort of crime, in ever increasing numbers, which cries for ever increasing intervention from the state. Or as someone once said, "A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged."

And yes, here's the kicker, it all backfires on the politically correct immorality grouping of the day, who will with ever centralizing power have their "freedoms" taken by and by with everyone else's. Welcome to Reality 101.

The hijacking, and redefinition of the word "gay" by the left, is another obvious example … and thus what was once a pathology, homosexuality, is now redefined as "normal, happy, healthy," everyone smile … even though the suicide rate among gays is exorbitantly high. It just isn't a happy lifestyle. Never has been.
Another word re-invented by the left to its opposite is discussed in today's National Review Online, by Rich Lowry; it is fascism. Fascism, as this editor has long taught (but which has not been taught in the schools or the media), is but a form of socialism. Indeed, Lenin's NEP was fundamentally a fascist model, as was Gorbachev's Peretroika. That is, by way of one example, complete state ownership of the major industries, highly regulated status of the other industries and businesses, and free enterprise for Mama and Papa businesses.

On another level, there was private ownership in those regulated and Mama and Papa industries, but it had aggressive, freedom destroying limits. Publishers could freely compete, but not with a variety of political views (they had to pull the party line), but they could only compete for audiences; e.g. the senior audience, or the youth, or, let's say, manufacturers.

Thus, they had the economic benefits of private ownership and competition, but not freedom of speech as we understand it. Similar examples abound.

Lowry reviews a book by Jonah Goldberg, "Liberal Fascism," that exposes the fraud of the conservative right and Christians as fascists. Fascism and communism are sisters of the left. Both are highly centralized liberty destroying variations of the same idea.

Definitions are important.

Read the review: Rich Lowry on Liberal Fascism on National Review Online

Registrar says 'I won't' to gay weddings and sues council over ceremonies which offend her religious beliefs

Steve Farrell — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:37:12 +0000

A registrar in England is refusing to perform gay weddings because they violate her conscience and deeply held religious convictions. She is taking her local council to court over the matter. The secular approach is a very invasive one which insists that simply being “offended” is grounds for all kinds of lawsuits. And while we at Liberty Letters find the secular legal outlook that protects the favored minority of the moment from being "offended" by another man's views, a dangerous assault on freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. Yet, we wonder why it is that these freedom loving individuals won't extend the same protections against "being offended" to Christians around the world? Can't they see that this movement they've attached themselves to is not about freedom, but statist control? Not about protecting private moral decisions, but vigorously assaulting that moral order, the Judeo-Christian ethic, that stands in the way of political revolution?

Read the story in the UK's Daily Mail.

The Liberty Letters are written by NewsMax pundit Steve Farrell and friends; and are a project of The Latter-day Center for Moral Liberalism.

What Global Warming? And, Who Turned Out the Lights?

Steve Farrell — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:09:32 +0000

A Liberty Letters wacko environmentalism moment courtesy of IVA:

Ø Unfortunately for environmental alarmists, there has been no global warming now for almost a full decade, even though carbon dioxide concentrations are up about 4% since 1998. In fact, the southern hemisphere last year experienced one of its coldest winters on record, with record low temperatures and widespread frost and snow. It snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in 89 years, and in Johannesburg for the first time in 25 years, while Chile suffered losses of $200 million in agriculture because of the tough winter. Even New Hampshire set a record for December snowfall, breaking a mark that had stood since 1876. (Br-r-r! Where did global warming go? - The Boston Globe)

Ø As you have been warned in this space, environmental authorities
in Britain are now calling for the evacuation of any room in which a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) breaks, because of its mercury content. The UK Environment Agency insists that debris not be removed
with a vacuum cleaner, but rather must be handled with rubber gloves, sealed in a plastic bag, and taken to official recycling sites. Good luck with that. (WorldNetDaily: Warning: Vacate room when CFL bulb breaks)

A Liberty Letters PS.: The environmental movement is not about protecting the environment, but about promoting the state, especially a future socialist state under the United Nations where your views about the environment, if you have any, will be relegated to "Who cares!" The best check on pollution is free enterprise coupled with the old legal approach of only going to the law, and that the traditional court system, when your back yard, your water supply, your whatever has been tainted by negligence or design. This with a removal of case law, making each issue to be handled by a case by case basis; and add to this, environmental law drafted, legislated, controlled and thus accountable to local voices, is the better, more inspired policy. There may be occasional exceptions to such an approach; but under the Jeffersonian approach to such exceptions, they must always and forever be treated as exceptions, with the general law still in force.