Serf City

New York Politics from a Libertarian Perspective

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16 hours 53 min ago

April 29, 2008

13:09
I recently finished reading an advance copy of Bring a Gun to School Day, an outstanding debut novel (novella) from Darian Worden. I review it in this week’s edition of The Libertarian Enterprise: Erik Shylding, like Holden Caulfield before him, is the perfect embodiment of the alienated male teen of his day. Of course, in Holden [...]

April 24, 2008

14:47
It looks like the end of the line for another cherished New York institution. If the thugs at the State Liquor Authority get their way, Scores adult entertainment club will soon go the way of CBGB and the automat. Scores West already lost its liquor license last night, apparently, as the result of alleged backroom prostitution [...]

April 16, 2008

16:52
We all know (because Al Gore put it in a slide show) that global warming might lead to starvation in third world countries in a hundred years or so. But anti-global warming policy is leading to starvation right now. The government-mandated demand for ethanol is driving up the cost of grain to catastrophic levels: “The reality is [...]
09:45
The sheriff’s car sure has come a long way since the days of “The Andy Griffith Show.” This was used in that massive raid/kidnapping of the folks with the unapproved religion in Texas last week. Hat tip: Lew Rockwell

April 15, 2008

16:18
It’s that special day again. To quote Homer Simpson, “Look at all those morons! I paid my taxes over a year ago!” Whether you’re paying your taxes today, paid them in January, or plan not to pay them at all, there are a few things we should all be clear on. Yes, taxation is theft. Yes, [...]

April 10, 2008

16:10
I hate being wrong, but I’m starting to get the sense that my early enthusiasm for a potential Bob Barr presidential run may have been misplaced. To be sure, Barr has had a whirlwind of MSM publicity, mostly favorable to the Libertarian Party, since he announced the formation of his Exploratory Committee last weekend. But Barr [...]

April 9, 2008

22:42
We interrupt our coverage of New York and national politics to bring you this scene from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where Governor Deval Patrick wants to prosecute online poker players: The video is from the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, whose founder Dr.  Charles Nesson will be the guest speaker at the Manhattan Libertarian Party’s May [...]

April 8, 2008

22:50
I just noticed the April e-newsletter of my council member Rosie Mendez in my inbox. It reports that Mendez introduced an excellent piece of legislation that would override the parade permit rules adopted by the NYPD a year ago requiring any group of 50 or more to obtain a permit. Currently, anyone in such a [...]

April 6, 2008

14:11
Before he was “exploring” a Libertarian presidential candidacy, before he was on the Libertarian National Committee, before he was a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, Bob Barr was the biggest drug warrior in Congress. He was so bad on the drug war that the late, great Ron Crickenberger, political director of the national Libertarian [...]
13:51
Eric Sundwall from the capital region Libertarians has a fascinating interview with former Democratic Senator and current Libertarian presidential candidate Mike Gravel. I don’t think he’s a real libertarian, and I sure don’t agree with him on everything, but Gravel sure is a deep thinker and an interesting guy.  
09:22
http://thirdpartywatch.com/… According to bloggage at the New York Times (confirmed by other sources), Bob Barr announced today that he’s (drum roll, please) … forming an exploratory committee. Barr’s newly launched web site also bears the “exploratory committee” label. Don’t know about y’all, but I’ve never heard of a prospective presidential candidate forming an “exploratory committee” weeks after his [...]

April 3, 2008

16:04
The new state budget isn’t official yet, but one certain outcome is that it will boost the state cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, making it the highest in the nation. The state’s $2.75/pack tax, combined with New York City’s own $1.50 tax, will push the cost of major brands to over $9 per pack in the [...]

April 1, 2008

15:40
It looks like Bob Barr is finally heeding the call of my typo-titled petition and will seek the Liberarian nomination for President. I think this is very good news. Barr is simply outstanding on a lot of libertarian issues, and he’s certainly libertarian on all the top issues of the day, like the the war [...]
15:27
… from jury duty, that it. I’m going to have a lot to say about the experience and lessons learned in an article for the next print edition of Serf City. For now, it suffices to say that it sucked big time, and I’m glad it’s over.

March 27, 2008

08:55
As Vin Suprynowicz wrote, voire dire is French for jury-stacking. I’m experiencing that process first-hand right now. We’ll see what happens.

March 26, 2008

09:54
Two interesting op-eds from today’s NY Times. (I think only the first one is in the print edition.) The first is from Readon Magazine editor-in-chief Matt Welch on John McCain’s “decade-long attack on the individual.” Key excerpt: “We are fast becoming a nation of alienating individualists, unwilling to put the unifying values of patriotism ahead of our [...]
08:58
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have jury duty starting today. I’ll post periodically throughout the day if anything interesting happens — hopefully without saying anything that will get me arrested. Thankfully I’m in the New York County criminal court section, so I might get an interesting case, not the lame civil court section. Things got [...]

March 23, 2008

15:18
Just another obscure and ironic historical fact that shows life isn’t as black and white or left and right as the mainstream media would have us believe.

March 21, 2008

11:38
Back when Bob Barr was still dismissing the notion (must have been weeks ago), I made the case for Barr to run as the Libertarian candidate for President. Now it looks like Bob is warming to the idea. Come on, Bob, do it! Yes, I know he isn’t a perfect libertarian — but honestly, neither is Ron [...]
09:53
Janet Mercereau, the widow of a Staten Island fire marshal, has been indicted in the murder of her husband. She has always been considered the prime suspect because “three bullets were fired from the fire marshal’s own service revolver issued by the FDNY. “ Just one question: Why in the world does the Fire Department get to [...]