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Friday, July 03, 2009 Objectivist Roundup By Diana Hsieh @ 11:01 AM Rational Jenn has posted the latest Objectivist Roundup. Go check it out! Labels: Objectivism   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Tom Stevens' Blog Post Reveals Him to be First-Rate Louse By Diana Hsieh @ 4:54 AM Paul and I just finished four lovely days of hiking in Acadia, Maine. (I'll blog some about that later today, if I can.) We've had not-so-great internet access, however, so I'm a bit behind on some internet-dependent tasks, including blogging. However, tomorrow I'll start a daily (but short) blog post on OCON. However, I want to mention that Dr. Tom Stevens -- of the so-called Objectivist Party has written the most absurdly offensive blog post possible: Farrah Fawcett's E-Mail Reveals Ayn Rand Thought Their Sharing The Same Birth Date Had Significance. I won't pain you by quoting the pompous blog post, but basically he accuses Ayn Rand of relying faith, superstition, and mysticism because she apparently made an offhand remark to Farrah Fawcett about them sharing a birthday. Sheesh. Labels: False Friends of Objectivism, Libertarianism   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Thursday, July 02, 2009 Today's X-Ray By Paul Hsieh @ 12:01 AM One could pretty much guess the history from this image: Yes, that's a foreign body in the patient's rectum. More specifically, it's an electric toothbrush. And according to the ER doctor who removed it, it was in the "ON" position. Labels: Health Care, Humor   E-mail Paul Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Wednesday, July 01, 2009 Wednesday Open Thread #73 By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM Here's yet another Open Thread for your thoughts: For anyone in the fiery grip of a random question, comment, joke, or link they'd like to share with NoodleFood readers, I hereby open up the comments on this post to any respectable topic. (Please refrain from posting personal attacks, pornographic material, and commercial solicitations.) Labels: Open Thread   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Good News on Free Speech By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM Wow, this news from the Institute for Justice is surprisingly hopeful: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29,2009 First Amendment Blockbuster at the Supreme Court: Court Orders New Arguments in Citizens United, Majority Appears Poised To Strike Down Electioneering Communications and Corporate Speech Bans First-Ever Study of Impact on Nonprofits Demonstrates Need To Rein in Out-of-Control Speech Regulations Arlington, Va.--The U.S. Supreme Court today ordered a new round of oral arguments in Citizens United v. FEC, the "Hillary: The Movie" case. The Court wants parties to address whether Austin v. Michigan, a case that bans certain political speech by corporations, including nonprofit corporations such as Citizens United, should be overturned. The Court also wants to consider whether part of McConnell v. FEC, upholding the so-called "electioneering communications" ban in McCain-Feingold, should likewise be overturned and the ban struck down entirely. "The Court has set up a blockbuster case about Americans' First Amendment rights to join together and speak freely about politics," said Steve Simpson, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Citizens United v. FEC. "A majority of the High Court appears to recognize the grave threat to free speech posed by both the electioneering communications ban in McCain-Feingold and the ban on corporate political speech. This case could mark a significant advance for First Amendment rights and will have major implications for state laws nationwide." Indeed, a study released today shows the critical need to rein in speech regulations that have flourished since the Court upheld the electioneering communications ban in McConnell. At least 15 states have electioneering communications laws, and in many cases those laws regulate even more speech by more groups than the federal ban. Indeed, just last month, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice, a federal judge struck down Florida's law. He noted that "no court has ever upheld such a sweeping regulation of political speech." The study is the first ever to examine the impact of speech regulations on the kind of nonprofit corporations at issue in Austin. The study shows that these laws impose on nonprofit groups a heavy regulatory burden for their speech and most lack the resources to comply. "Locking Up Political Speech: How Electioneering Communications Laws Burden Free Speech and Civic Engagement" by political scientist Dr. Michael Munger of Duke University is available at http://www.ij.org/citizensunited. "Since McCain-Feingold, campaign finance regulation has exploded, leaving practically no room for free speech about politics," said Bill Maurer, an attorney with the Institute for Justice and lead counsel for the Institute on its Citizens United brief. "With each new regulation, more citizens are shut out of the political process. That is why it is essential for the Court to revisit and indeed overturn Austin and McConnell." The Citizens United case came about because the Federal Election Commission banned the airing of "Hillary: The Movie," produced by the nonprofit Citizens United, on cable TV and required the group to "name names" of the film's backers by disclosing to the government detailed personal information about donors if the group ran TV ads for the film. At oral argument, justices appeared concerned that if the government could ban corporate-funded films about candidates, it could also ban books. Revisiting Austin and McConnell allows the Court to fully consider whether speech regulation has gone too far. "The Court will now squarely confront the inevitable consequences of regulating political speech: If the government can ban ads, it can ban movies and books as well," said Simpson. "But we don't ban books in America. Once you start regulating political speech, there is no place to stop. This is exactly why the First Amendment forbids government from controlling and limiting speech in the first place." Simpson continued, "It takes money to speak effectively, so the right to free speech must include the right to spend money and raise money to make that speech heard." "Reconsidering Austin and McConnell is a critical start to fixing what is wrong with campaign finance regulation, but it should not be the end," said Simpson. "The root of the problem stretches back 30 years to Buckley: the belief that some speech deserves government regulation simply because it advocates for one candidate over another. In America, we have the right to try to convince fellow citizens how to vote. It's called 'political speech,' and it's exactly what the First Amendment was designed to protect. We cannot fully protect First Amendment rights until the Court does away with the distinction between 'good' speech and 'bad' speech altogether." All my hopes are with Steve Simpson and the other good folks at the Institute for Justice! I am so grateful for their hard work hard to protect our rights -- and for this ray of sunshine in the bleak landscape of American politics today. Labels: Free Speech   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Monday, June 29, 2009 Yaron Brook at Virginia GOP By Paul Hsieh @ 12:01 AM On May 30, 2009, Yaron Brook gave the following speech to the Virginia Republican Party as their keynote speaker. He gave a strong, principled defense of individual rights, capitalism, and the separation of church and state. And he properly blamed the Repubicans for their failure to uphold these basic American ideals. You can watch his talk here at the ARC-TV website. His speech is also available on the ARI YouTube channel in two parts -- Part 1 and Part 2: Labels: ARI, Politics   E-mail Paul Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Sunday, June 28, 2009 Recap #48 By Diana Hsieh @ 2:00 PM This week on We Stand FIRM, the blog of FIRM: Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine: Monday, June 22, 2009: Market-Based Reforms at Safeway by Paul Hsieh, MD Tuesday, June 23, 2009: The Unfree Market in Health Care by Paul Hsieh, MD Wednesday, June 24, 2009: Will on the Public Option by Paul Hsieh, MD Thursday, June 25, 2009: Armstrong: Reject Political Control Of Health Care by Paul Hsieh, MD This week on FA/RM, the blog of Free Agriculture - Restore Markets: Thursday, June 25, 2009: Farm Policy Article in The Objective Standard by Monica Saturday, June 27, 2009: Science vs. Dogma by Monica Saturday, June 27, 2009: Science vs. Dogma by Monica Saturday, June 27, 2009: HR 2749, Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 by Monica Labels: FA/RM, Health Care   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Sunday Open Thread #72 By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM Here's yet another Open Thread for your thoughts: For anyone in the fiery grip of a random question, comment, joke, or link they'd like to share with NoodleFood readers, I hereby open up the comments on this post to any respectable topic. (Please refrain from posting personal attacks, pornographic material, and commercial solicitations.) Labels: Open Thread   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Saturday, June 27, 2009 Vegans Versus Carnivores By Diana Hsieh @ 7:01 AM Heh: I can't possibly summarize this delight from Passive Agressive Notes for you. You'll just have to look. (Via The Hoondat Report) (My apologies for the light blogging. I'm insanely busy right now, and my queue is still bare.) Labels: Food, Funny   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Friday, June 26, 2009 Gay Marriage Argument Chart By Diana Hsieh @ 2:03 PM Heh: a chart of arguments about gay marriage. (Via somewhere I can't recall.) Labels: Politics   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)     Yaron Brook and Peter Schiff By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM I've not yet had a chance to watch Yaron Brook's many interviews posted online over the past few months, with one exception: this stellar 19 minute in-studio interview of Yaron Brook and Peter Schiff on Judge Napolitano's Freedom Watch. To hear The Virtue of Selfishness discussed in such a positive way was mind-blowing, but I was particularly pleased to see Dr. Brook -- once again -- hammer on the moral fundamentals, rather than merely skimming the political surface. You can find that interview, plus tons of other multimedia goodies, collected at the new web site ARC TV. Clearly, I have lots of catching up to do! Labels: Objectivism   E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink ()    Comments (New Page)

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