UNR Students for Liberty » The State

Pretentious College Students, Or, Why People Don’t Take The Budget Cut Protests Seriously

Barry Belmont — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:15 +0000

It seems like not a day goes by where one is not inundated with the doth-protesting-too-much of college students on the cuts to higher education in Nevada. What strikes me most about these complaints is the self-righteous presumption that these students are ‘owed’ a college education, that they deserve a college education funded through the taxes of their fellow citizens. Showing this attitude in stark banality is this faceless protestor and their hand drawn sign:

This sign holder has such an inflated sense of importance, such a reprehensible sense of self-worth, such a disturbing sense of entitlement that I am left at a loss for words. Cutting our budget is cutting my dream. Our budget meaning the State’s budget meaning the taxes of its inhabitants meaning money taken from innocent people under the threat of violence. These protestors must actually believe that this money should belong to them, to pursue their own ends. They, with their blossoming college educations, know what this state and its inhabitants need more than those whose funds they are plundering. They are, in their opinions after all, the up-coming leaders of the world.

Which brings us to the sad point of contention. These people–these, people–must truly think they cannot accomplish such things on their own. They must truly think they are so helpless that achieving greatness (obtaining a college degree) can only be accomplished by writ of that omnipotent GodPower The State. But if such is the case, then how can they justify their protests? Either they are gifted and talented people (who therefore are likely able enough to support their own endeavors) or they are the weaklings suckling at the teat of bloated Mother Government (and why should coercive funds be so wasted?).

And hence, the reason the vast majority of the population of the state does not care about the cuts to higher education is because of the participants in higher education themselves. The protesting students uncomfortably mix an inflated sense of entitlement (being that they are sooooo important to the future of the state) with a childish weakness unbecoming of anyone who will one day grab the reins of the world. The people who make our higher education system better are those busting their ass studying in the library, writing reports, doing research, coding for hours–the unseen movers of knowledge.

And not the people holding up little crappy signs begging Peter to be robbed for the sake of Paul.

Is Killing Innocent People Ever Justified – John Stossel?

John Russell — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:36:56 +0000

At the International Students for Liberty Conference, students around the country were able to ask John Stossel questions pertaining to various topics. One of the topics, war, was introduced and I had the opportunity to ask John and Boaz how libertarians justified killing innocent people during times of war. Well, the question appeared on the show that was aired yesterday, and you can find me asking it at around 15:00:

And as a backup in case Youtube removes it:

What do you all think?

A Policeman’s Duty

Barry Belmont — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:27:42 +0000

“It is a policeman’s duty to protect men from criminals—criminals being those who seize wealth by force. It is a policeman’s duty to retrieve stolen property and return it to its owners. But when robbery becomes the purpose of the law, and the policeman’s duty becomes, not the protection, but the plunder of property—then it is an outlaw who has to become a policeman.”

–Ayn Rand

We even made a video emphasizing the point:

Yet Another Consequence of Those Who Subscribe to, and Believe In, the Myth of the Social Contract

John Russell — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:32:25 +0000

These are innocent human beings:

See the pictures and other videos as well here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-kill-team-20110327

110 Tomahawk Missiles Closer to Freedom

John Russell — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 21:04:05 +0000

An ABC article cited a sentence out of a joint statement from France, the US, and Britain where a warning was issued stating that: ‘… the “international community will make him [Gadhafi] suffer the consequences” …’ Really? Just Gadhafi? How many times will people buy that kind of rhetoric after Iraq and Afghanistan? I think Lew Rockwell puts this sentiment into perspective quite well…

Meanwhile, in the White House…

U.S. Launches Missiles in Libya

Barry Belmont — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:32:31 +0000

For that minority of you following the news, the unrest in Libya has finally prompted the United States government (as part of a broad coalition) to take action and use military force.

I am unsure of exactly how to feel about the situation (it’s beyond nuanced), but for those interested, please follow along at CNN’s live blog of the situation.

Imagine

John Russell — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:36:14 +0000

… 23 hours in solitary confinement.
… not being allowed to exercise.
… anti-depressant medication being forcefully administered.
… carpet burns from the heavy blankets.
… no pillows or personal belongings.
… stripping to your underwear before bed
… not being allowed to have a blanket over your head.
… a light on in the prison cell 24 hours a day.
… a guard checking on you and waiting for a reply every 5 minutes.
… being shackled hand and foot during all visits.
… only being allowed to sleep during certain hours.
… becoming psychologically impaired due to the solitude.
… Amnesty International decrying abuse.
… doing this for 7 months and counting.
… having no trial yet.

This is happening to a US citizen who saw immoral activity and decided to report it after multiple attempts to try and stop it. Google Bradley Manning.

They Shut Off the Internet?

Barry Belmont — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:07:26 +0000

If you haven’t been following the news, a whole bunch of stuff is currently going down in Egypt. In response to this social upheaval and mass protest, the Egyptian government has pulled the plug on the country’s internet connection.

How this is physically possible coupled with the conundrum of how anyone could think this was in anyway acceptable is beyond me. And to think…we worry about ‘net neutrality’.

This is unfortunately, yet another episode in the never-ending disturbing history of The State.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday?

John Russell — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:48:44 +0000

January 22nd has been designated by many pro-life groups to raise awareness regarding the issue of abortion and the sanctity of human life. An article on Lew Rockwell entitled Pro-Lifers for Mass Murder highlighted the hypocrisy many members within these groups have when it comes to their ardent opposition to abortions but their complete approval in the actions the State takes to slaughter people over seas. Though comparing the murderous activities of war to that of abortion is ridiculous and intellectually dishonest, I would like to extend and broaden the hypocrisy claim given in the article by describing members within these groups who feel that designating rights at the expense of other people is wrong, such as providing ‘free’ healthcare or welfare to some people at the expense of others, but find that doing so with an unborn child is completely justified.

The abortion debate can be summed up into the notion of private property rights. The uterus is just as much as someone’s private property as a house. If one were to leave their front door open, say by mistake or to merely let in some fresh air, and one comes downstairs to find a bum sitting on the couch, a home owner is fully within their right to kick ‘em out. Right? Even if by kicking him/her out of the house directly causes that bum to die, one cannot possibly be obligated or be responsible for him and be coerced into housing and feeding him until he is back on his feet. By forcing a woman to bear a child, pro-life proponents seeking government enforcement are positively and forcefully designating rights to the child at the expense of someone else, in this case the mother. This is the same reason why positively assigning healthcare rights or welfare rights through coercive means to some people at the expense of other people is equally wrong.

I’d like to hear some input from some of you regarding this argument, but if we are to believe that we own ourselves, our actions, and the things which we acquire when performing these actions, then why must this be foregone when a unwelcome guest implants itself in the body?

The Separation of Church and State…

Barry Belmont — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:42:36 +0000

…and the connection of fist and face.

So, a few activists in Hawaii, after having witnessed a clear violation of the First Amendment (namely, a Christian prayer said by public officials in the state’s senate chambers), pointed out that these legislators were in fact breaking the law. Not content to be told this, security escorted them out and tried to break their face (and succeeded in breaking their camera).

Who ever thought this could happen in America?