Libertarians see 'crony capitalism'

as the issue behind Occupy protests 
Libertarian Party 
"Crony capitalism" is the problem that lies behind the Occupy Wall Street protests,
the Libertarian Party said in a statement today.

"I have been following the Occupy protesters, who call themselves the '99%', with interest," the party's chairman, Mark Hinkle, said in the statement.

"It's true that 99% of Americans do not enjoy the special benefits of crony capitalism. Crony capitalism is very different from real capitalism. In crony capitalism, government hands out special favors and protections to politically well-connected businesses.

"The TARP bailouts, Solyndra, and the military-industrial complex are all facets of crony capitalism.

"Libertarians love free markets and hate crony capitalism.

"Unfortunately, hypocritical Republican politicians have taught a lot of Americans to think that 'free markets' means freedom for government and big business to engage in crony capitalism.

"That's not what free markets are. A free market is where the government leaves businesses alone, does not attempt to pick winners and losers, does not stifle competition, does not hand out corporate welfare, and does not absolve businesses of liability for their actions. Most of our economy today does not resemble a free market at all.

"It's unfortunate that so many businesses today go to the government begging for handouts and special treatment. I wish they wouldn't. But the real problem is the politicians who choose to give those favors to them, at everyone else's expense.

"I hope the Occupy protesters will start to direct their anger away from Wall Street and big businesses, and toward our government, which has done so much to destroy free markets and entrench crony capitalism."

Experts cautious about the Iranian slay plot
,reports Judith Miller.
http://www.judithmiller.com/10510/iran-assassination-plot

As well they should be, considering that the blockbuster indictment puts the Justice Department's drug war in a positive light, diverting some of the bad press it was getting over the "Fast and Furious" gun-running gone awry. Doubtless Attorney General Eric Holder, who was taking quite a bit of flak, also is breathing sighs of relief.

This outcome, however, seems to mostly a side benefit of the Iranian plot bust, as Holder scrambles to contain the political damage damage over the venture by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which put guns into the hands of Mexican drug banditos.

Considering the haste with which a group of lawmakers and President Obama rushed to judgment, with pledges of relaliatory sanctions, some oberservers will wonder whether a mini "Gulf of Tonkin" was ginned up in order to justify applying more pressure against Iran's nuclear program.

A previous version of the foregoing item contained a factual error.

Notes from Cyberia 
Miller warns on the terroristic implications of the great Blackberry blackout.
http://www.judithmiller.com/10511/cyber-terror-vulnerability

Bioterror potential spotlighted by listeria deaths
The latest outbreak of a food-borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, exposes the vulnerability of the public to the potential of deliberate contamination, though there is no indication of such an act following the deaths of vulnerable people who ate tainted melons.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that:

"Listeriosis, a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is an important public health problem in the United States. The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, rarely, persons without these risk factors can also be affected. The risk may be reduced by recommendations for safe food preparation, consumption, and storage."

The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of listeriosis in coordination with state and local health departments, including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The outbreak started in the late summer.

 

Collaborative investigations by local, state, and federal public health and regulatory agencies indicate the source of the outbreak is whole cantaloupe grown at Jensen Farms’ production fields in Granada, Colorado.