LibertyMinute February 13 2014

 Attorney General Eric Holder, displaying the self-adoring parochialism that typifies the political class, thought he was conferring a compliment on Hank Aaron when he depicted the baseball immortal as the forerunner to Barack Obama.

 Hank Aaron, who was one of the first black athletes to play Major League Baseball, broke Babe Ruth's venerable career home run record.

 During a Washington reception held to celebrate Aaron's 80^th birthday, Holder pointed to the White House and said that Obamas's path to the presidency was ?made easier? by Aaron's achievements.

 Aaron grew up in the segregated South, and experienced poverty, racial bigotry, and death threats. He recalled how his parents taught him to practice the Golden Rule even when it was routinely broken by those who despised him without cause.

 Holder's remarks cast Aaron in the role of John the Baptist ? a forerunner clearing a path for someone much worthier than himself. Obama enjoyed a materially comfortable upbringing, and experienced little, if any, racial hostility. His supposed greatness is displayed by the power he wields ? his ability to confiscate wealth or to kill people. Hank Aaron, who never injured anyone while inspiring and bringing happiness to millions, is by far the worthier figure.

 Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.

Liberty Minute February 12 2014

To understand why refugee NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden can?t come home, one need only consider the recent plea bargain extracted from former State Department contractor Stephen Kim.

A year ago it was revealed that the Obama-Holder Justice Department, which was investigating Kim for leaking information to the press, was treating Fox News reporter James Rosen as a ?co-conspirator? under the Espionage Act. Kim had provided Rosen with information regarding negotiations with North Korea. None of the information did actual harm to national security, nor was there evidence of intent to do such harm.

However, federal judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, expanding the scope of the Espionage Act, ruled that it was not necessary to demonstrate harm, or even malign intent, in order for a prosecution to proceed. Faced with the prospect of a lengthy prison term, Kim pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, and will now spend a little more than a year behind bars.

Kim, as noted earlier, was a contractor for the State Department, just as Snowden was a contractor for the NSA. Snowden?s disclosures to reporter Glenn Greenwald did no harm to national security, and revealed extensive criminal misconduct on the part of that agency -- but under the updated and frankly totalitarian interpretation of the Espionage Act, that wouldn?t matter.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute February 11 2014

Henry Magee was sleeping when armed intruders burst into his home last December 19. Knowing only that he and his family were at mortal risk, Magee grabbed a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding Sgt. Adam Sowers, who was part of a police task force carrying out a ?no-knock warrant? in search of drugs.

Magee was arrested and charged with murder. On February 6, a grand jury in Burleson County, Texas declined to indict Magee, accepting his claim that he acted in self-defense because he believed his home was being burglarized. Magee still faces charges related to marijuana possession.

No-knock raids for non-violent offenses are commonplace in our country, and in many of those operations innocent people are hurt or killed. In such circumstances, the police demand the benefit of the doubt, emphasizing that officers must make split-second decisions.

The same is true of Magee?s actions ? but as a man who was defending his home, he had a far stronger moral and legal claim than any police officer who is not actively defending an innocent life.

The needless death of Adam Sowers was not the result of a crime committed by the man who shot him, but rather of the criminal policy he was called upon to enforce.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute February 10 2014

Last August, Victor and Alissa Madrigal held a birthday party for their daughter at their home in Idaho Falls. The celebration was a little noisy, but none of the next-door neighbors was troubled by it.

One woman several blocks away, who harbored a grudge against the Madrigals, called the police to complain about the noise. When the officers arrived, they didn?t knock on the door to ask the family to quiet down; they barged onto the property without permission or a warrant, and told Victor that he would be cited for disturbing the peace. One of the cops, Officer Clark Lund, demanded Victor?s ID ? and then arrested him when he turned to comply with the demand. Victor and his brother, Delosanto, were tasered, assaulted, and arrested. The police shoved one pregnant woman to the ground, and also shoved Victor?s 79-year-old mother.

Victor and his brother were charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, and assault on an officer. On Friday, a jury acquitted them of all charges ? in large measure because the sworn testimony of the officers was contradicted by cellphone video of the incident.

This case is one of many illustrating the need for an independent record of all dealings with the police.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute February 7 2014

The one thing tyrants can?t stand is ridicule. They thrive on flattery, they pretend to indulge principled criticism, they feel a sense of perverse satisfaction when made the targets of hatred ? but they are infuriated by displays of defiant wit that puncture their pretensions of omnipotence.

The Gibson Guitar company has created a special line of Les Paul guitars intended to mock the bureaucrats who staged an armed raid on their factories in Tennessee two years ago. A troupe of armed thugs descended on the plants, stole a half-million dollars? worth of property, and shut down operations. All of this was supposedly justified by technical violations of an obscure trade act. However, the company was neither cited nor charged with an offense ? nor was it ever compensated for the crimes committed by the raiders who invaded their facilities.

The Feds did return the rosewood they had seized during the raids, and Gibson has incorporated it into the fretboards of its new ?Government Series II? Les Paul guitars.

Appropriately, this new guitar comes in only one color ? the same shade of khaki tan that is common in the attire of the jack-booted cretins who enforce bureaucratic decrees.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

 Liberty Minute February 6 2014 

It has been said that the most important question in human affairs is this: Was man created just below the angels, or has he risen just above the apes?

 Those who accept the Bible?s view of man as a special creation understand that we are fallen creatures who nonetheless have the eternal moral law written on our hearts. Unlike other orders of creation, humans have the ability to think in abstract terms, and to use persuasive language to enlist the peaceful cooperation of others. Most important in all of this is the moral feature called the conscience. 

Researchers from Oxford University ? people who doubtless subscribe to the ?just above the apes? view of mankind ? have identified a region of the brain that could be considered the neurological home of the conscience. That structure, which is called the lateral front pole, is believed to be involved in assessing the choices we make, and contemplating paths that we didn?t take.

Significantly, this cerebral feature is unique to humans. No other animal studied ? including other hominids ? displayed the same characteristic.

 What elevates man above other creatures is the moral operating system called the conscience --

our innate knowledge of the moral law. What the Oxford researchers found may be the fingerprints of our Creator. 

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

LibertyMinute February 5 2014

The Christian existentialist philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once commented that many people will more easily tolerate public displays of inspired oddness than a simple profession of Christian faith.

It over-taxes the word ?oddness? to apply it to the antic display of depravity that occurred during the recent Grammy Awards. The organizers conducted what they called a ?mass wedding? of homosexual couples. The program included a performance by alleged singer Katy Perry that was unabashedly occultic.

The gatekeepers of acceptable opinion saw nothing objectionable about this paroxysm of self-indulgent degeneracy.

A few days after that event, NBA star Kevin Durant was interviewed by ESPN following a record-breaking stretch of twelve consecutive games in which he scored at least 30 points. Asked by reporter Doris Burk what inspires his performance, Durant simply answered: ?God. That?s all I can say. Jesus Christ? It?s all Him.? That reply prompted what appeared to be an awkward chuckle from the reporter, who ended the interview.

Durant is arguably the best player in the game. He is respectful of his opponents, deferential to his fans, and very generous in donating to charity. He is also a Christian believer, which makes him incomprehensibly odd to the cultural elites who shape the public mind.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute February 4 2014

According to statist political theory, the government exists to provide indispensable services that are not offered through private, voluntary action. Without such intervention, we are told, people would die of starvation and neglect, medical emergencies would be ignored, and chaos would ensue.

Such claims are impossible to reconcile with the dismal reality of government performance. A splendid example of officially licensed lethal indifference was provided in Washington, D.C. recently, when a 77-year-old man died literally next door to a fire station after collapsing from a heart attack.

The man?s daughter pleaded with firefighters to render the aid they had been trained to provide ? only to be told that they couldn?t respond unless somebody called 911. Help didn?t arrive until twenty minutes later, by which time the victim was dead.

This official inaction contrasts sharply with the outpouring of private aid rendered by individual citizens in Atlanta following the recent ice storm. While Atlanta?s Mayor and the Governor of Georgia were basking in self-approval at a lavish luncheon, thousands of drivers were stranded on the interstate. Without aid from government services, citizens reached out to assist each other on the freeway and in the city.

At its best, political government is an impediment to help, rather than the facilitator thereof.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute February 3 2014

As a member of Congress nearly 20 years ago, New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer was part of a special panel investigating the Federal massacre of the Branch Davidians outside Waco, Texas. During those hearings, Schumer distinguished himself through his aggressive partisanship, his hostile contempt toward Davidian survivors and critics of federal actions, and his defense of the use of lethal force against people he regarded as extremists.

Schumer left the indelible impression of a person who not only could countenance the official persecution of political opponents, but celebrate their extermination. That impression was reinforced by a recent speech gave to the liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress.

Addressing the familiar Democratic Party complaint that Republicans have been ?obstructionists,? Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, endorsed IRS action to target conservative groups opposed to the Obama administration?s agenda. According to Schumer, ?There are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies? to stifle the president?s critics.

That policy prescription does fall somewhat short of calling for the ATF, FBI, and Delta Force to lay siege to the homes of the president?s critics. But it differs from such a suggestion only by degree.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. 

Liberty Minute January 30 2014

 Like countless other Americans, Los Angeles resident Sergio Arreola was the victim of criminal violence by the police.

 In April 2012, Arreola ? who was just finishing work ? got a phone call from his wife asking for him to help a relative with a flat tire. When he arrived on the scene, a Pomona police officer was there.. The officer, who was immediately abusive and suspicious, ordered Arreola to keep his distance, then to open his trunk. Arreola calmly complied ? only to be thrown to the ground and beaten by the officer and several others who arrived as backup.

 The incident was recorded on audio and video, and the record proved that the police lied about their actions. Nonetheless, Arreola was charged with resisting and obstruction, and as a result lost his job and his home. After a long and unnecessary legal struggle, he was acquitted. But he has yet to get his job back, and both he and his family have suffered irreparable harm.

 What distinguishes this incident from thousands of others like it is the fact that the victim is also a police officer.

 Yes, police abuse citizens, lie about their actions, and get away with it. Just ask Officer Sergio Arreola.

 Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.