Liberty Nation presents our selection of the best stories this week. Some may be articles, others may be podcasts, videos, or radio broadcasts, but each has been chosen for their quality and scope.
The editorial team at LN hopes you can use this weekly post to catch up on stories that you might have missed. Let us know in the comments section which is your favorite.
#1 Don’t Be Fooled: Democrats Still Want Your Guns
By Graham J. Noble
At both the federal and state level, Democrats have passed – and intend to pass – a host of new firearms restrictions.
The debate over immigration dominates the headlines so completely that one could be forgiven for thinking it is now the only issue upon which Congress is focused. It is entirely possible that, for the Democrats who now control the House of Representatives, this perception is a good thing. It allows them to prepare legislation on other issues they would rather not openly discuss. The nullification of the Second Amendment is something the left has been working towards for a very long time, and electoral success in the 2018 midterms gave the Democrats a new opportunity to jam through new laws that will make life as difficult as possible for gun owners.
This is not just happening at the federal level, though; blue states are crafting new regulations that may not actually prevent law-abiding citizens from buying firearms but make it extremely difficult for them to legally carry, transport, or use them. Read More.
#2 Colorado Joins Anti-Electoral College Pact
By Jeff Charles
Democrats are looking to destroy the system to gain power.
Well, it looks like Colorado has joined the anti-Electoral College club, which seeks to turn the United States from a republic into a direct democracy when it comes to presidential elections. Recently, Colorado’s Senate passed a bill that would have the state join the Popular Vote Pact. If enough states follow suit, it would render the Electoral College meaningless.
…the pact is essentially impotent for the time being.
The Popular Vote Pact is an agreement among participating members to give their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote. In this way, the left seeks to destroy the Electoral College, which would ensure that only a handful of states would have a voice in determining who occupies the Oval Office. Read More.
#3 Netflix Roger Stone: Shaken Not Stirred
By Leesa K. Donner
Conservative bad boy rivals P.T. Barnum as The Greatest Showman.
Set your HD TV onto “Get Me Roger Stone,” the Netflix documentary on the recently-arrested politico, and you can almost hear Adele wailing the Skyfall theme in the background. It isn’t so much that the longtime Republican operative is the MI6 agent, it’s that he thinks he is that makes this an entertaining watch.
Oh, don’t kid yourself; it’s another leftist treatment of a conservative that is supposed to look even-handed. There are cameo appearances of Tucker Carlson, Paul Manafort and even POTUS, who all sat for the Netflix cameras – but it is Jeffrey Toobin who is the main thread of the documentary, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know about it. Read More.
#4 No Escape From Police’s Facial Recognition Software
By Laura Valkovic
With little permission or oversight, police use facial recognition to find suspects and track the public.
The mental picture of police dusting for fingerprints may be the most iconic image of 20th-century law enforcement. Gone are the days when investigators would rely on such quaint procedures, as biometrics – the use of each individual’s unique biological features for identification is advancing at breakneck pace. Lawmakers have yet to catch up to the tech companies developing tools like facial recognition software, but that hasn’t prevented law enforcement from deciding it needs the technology – in the most covert way possible.
While taking fingerprints and other personal information has been subject to strict scrutiny and oversight, no such restrictions have been placed on artificial intelligence software that can identify and collect data on members of the public from their facial features – whether they are criminals or not. Read More.
#5 Exposing Political Clichés: Polls Don’t Matter
By Andrew Moran
The only poll that matters is on Election Day. Yeah, and pigs fly!
The Democratic primary season is upon us, so that means the field of 2020 (not the year, but the number of presidential candidates) will try to endear themselves to the electorate. This year’s crop of politicians – young and old – will employ a series of clichés that their predecessors did, making observers who have covered these contests every four years roll their eyes, cringe, and consume a glass of scotch.
Just as human beings need food, water, and oxygen to survive, politicians need power, tax money, and polling data. They may think we’re so naïve as to believe that they care about our well-being, but we have been around long enough to realize that those who seek and hold public office concern themselves only with advancing their careers and bribing the populace with their own money. Read More.
