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  • Thomas L. Knapp

Thanks For Asking! — 07/13/16 Jul 13, 2016

This week's AMA thread, and the podcast to follow, are brought to you by Darryl W. Perry:How it's done:Ask me anything (anything!) in the comment thread below this post;I'll answer in comments, on this weekend's podcast, or both.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

I Wish This Was a Thing Jul 13, 2016

For years, I thought it odd that US television programs would air at (for example) 10pm Eastern Time, 9pm Central Time, 8pm Mountain Time (all of those are actually the same time, of course) ... but 10pm Pacific Time. Why should the Californians, Oregonians and Washingtonians get a weird break like that? If they want to watch Good Morning America (which airs at the same time in all US times zones, live in Eastern, tape-delayed elsewhere), they should get up at 4am their time or go pound sand.But now I find that I really wish I could do that kind...

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A Serious Suggestion for Niantic Jul 12, 2016

Among the various developments related to Niantic's new Android/iOS "augmented reality" game Pokémon Go -- for example, armed robbers using "beacons" to lure victims -- I'm already hearing (for example on last night's episode of Free Talk Live) about people playing the game while driving.Obviously, that's dangerous.Just as obviously (anarchist here!), I don't recommend a legislative solution.What I do recommend is that Niantic get an update into action ASAP which disincentivizes playing the game in a moving car (I doubt if they could get more specific than that to target driving only).For example, the game could switch to a black screen, audio...

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The KN@PP Stir Podcast, episode 86: Happy weekend before Bastille Day! Jul 11, 2016

This episode of the KN@PP Stir Podcast is brought to you by Darryl W. Perry:In this episode:Thanks For Asking! (Fergie, Me, and Jill Stein -- it's not what it looks like!);Hey, I watched Trumbo.There's additional Thanks For Asking content at Thursday's post/comment thread.Side note: I mention the Chromecast along the way in this episode. Now that it works with my router (at one time it didn't), it's a fine piece of equipment. You might want to look into getting one if streaming media from your computer or phone to your TV strikes you as a solution to this or that home...

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Offhand Thoughts on a Possible Conference/Retreat Jul 8, 2016

I did some thinking overnight about an offhand comment exchange with friend and reader Shivan Lane. I've been thinking for years about doing some kind of conference (perhaps under the heading of a Rational Review News Digest reader event, or maybe some other hook). Now I'm thinking about it again. Here's what it would look like. Let me know in comments if you find the idea interesting ...First, the event would take place in a city that's fairly cheap to travel to from most of the US, and in an area of the city that's fairly close to the airport,...

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Brief Comment on Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt Jul 6, 2016

I'm not really very exercised about the ruling, but I've commented briefly on it a few times in a few places, and my most recent comment was lengthy and detailed enough to serve as a blog post. So hey, why not? The comment in its original is at spiked, where David Nolan (no, not that David Nolan unless the resurrection occurred without me noticing) calls the ruling "A Victory for Abortion Rights." Here it is:"The Texas law ... would have closed several abortion clinics and forced thousands of women to travel hundreds of miles to access abortion services."No, the Texas law would...

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Thanks For Asking! — 07/06/16 Jul 6, 2016

This week's AMA thread, and the podcast to follow, are brought to you by Darryl W. Perry:Ask me anything -- anything! -- in comments, and I'll answer in comments, on this weekend's podcast, or both.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Hillary Clinton and Criminal Intent Jul 5, 2016

A couple of weeks ago, Republican ... er, Libertarian, sort of ... vice-presidential candidate William Weld, a former prosecutor who presumably knows better, tried to give Hillary Clinton a free pass on Servergate:[Y]ou can't indict somebody if there is no evidence of intent, and I don't see it, I don't see any evidence of criminal intent ...This morning, FBI Director James Comey pulled the same shit:[W]e did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information ...Clinton is benefiting here from a creative re-definition of "intent" as that word...

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The KN@PP Stir Podcast, Episode 85: The 4th of July Frazzles My Nerves Jul 5, 2016

This episode of The KN@PP Stir Podcast is brought to you by Darryl W. Perry:In this episode:Thanks For Asking! (Guccifer 2.0, Gun Craziness, I Want to Ride My Bicycle, The Other Independence Day (the one with Will Smith);You didn't think you'd get away without a lecture about The MITE, did you?;The Usual Close.Yes, this episode is disjointed -- recording problems, fireworks in the background, dog scared of fireworks in the background, phone calls in the middle of recording ... But hey, it's in the can now. As mentioned inline, much of the Thanks For Asking thread didn't make it to...

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A Lazy Media Habit That Bugs Me Jul 3, 2016

When I search for the phrase "here's what we know," Google returns 1.28 million results and, confirming my impression, most seem to originate with news sites. First page results of note:The San Bernardino Sun: "Here's what we know about the Kendall fire burning in San Bernardino"The New York Times: "The Panama Papers: Here's What We Know"Time: "Here's What We Know About the New Taliban Leader"Los Angeles Times: "Here's what we know about Noor Salman, the widow of the Orlando gunman"National Public Radio: "Here's What We Know About the Orlando Shooting Victims" (headline later updated to something else)I strongly suspect that...

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Why Does Kathy Gilroy Hate the Victims of the Orlando Nightclub Attack? Jul 3, 2016

The story in brief: A suburban Chicago gun shop decided to raffle off an AR-15 rifle to raise money for the OneOrlando Fund, which is helping victims of Omar Mateen's attack on patrons of the Pulse nightclub. They shut down the raffle after "legal questions" were "raised." By which I mean:Kathy Gilroy, an anti-gambling crusader from Villa Park, said she had complained to the McHenry Police Department about the gun raffle. She said she has gotten various local law enforcement agencies to shut down numerous raffles previously but that it's often an uphill battle."Who is enforcing these laws?" Gilroy asked....

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Gonna Rear Back and Pass Some Contrary Theorizing Jul 1, 2016

Loretta Lynch's line on her recent encounter with Bill Clinton goes something like this: "Oh, both our personal airplanes happened to be parked next to each other so he came over for a few minutes and we shot the breeze about our grandkids."The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy [TM] line on said encounter goes something like this: It was an unethical consultation -- maybe even essentially a plea bargain talk -- between Clinton and Lynch, with Clinton lobbying for leniency or even an official cover-up on behalf of either his wife (Servergate) or himself (corruption at the Clinton Foundation).My theory: The whole...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 1

That Thing I’ve Been Hinting About … Jul 1, 2016

... is here.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE07/01/16POC Darcy G. Richardson904-428-9281media@themite.orgELECTION 2016: TRANS-PARTISAN TAX CUT TIME?July 1, 2016 - Liberals and progressives hate regressive taxes. Conservatives and libertarians, well, they just hate taxes in general. Common ground from which well-sowed seeds might bring forth a bountiful political harvest? Activists behind the Mobilization for Incremental Tax Exemption, aka the MITE, think that's possible. The ad hoc, trans-partisan project backs two proposals:Passage of legislation mandating an annual, regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income tax of no less than $5,000 each year until AT LEAST such time as said exemption reaches $100,000...

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A Garrison Center Update Jun 30, 2016

I don't do nearly enough of those, do I?As of earlier today, Garrison Center op-eds had been picked up by mainstream newspapers and non-libertarian political publications 77 times in June.That's a new record, beating the March count of 74.My goal is 750 pickups for the year. Based on the first six months of the year, we are on track for 776.A couple of the larger first-time picker-uppers this month: The Louisville, Kentucky Courier Journal and Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union.But of course you don't have to be big to be interesting -- take, for example, the Fredericksburg, Virginia Free Lance-Star, or the Caledonian Record, the circulation...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 0

Bon Mot of the Week? Jun 30, 2016

It's a scam, skillfully pitched to fool the gullible. His framework is a house of cards built on sand in a wind tunnel. Its most noticeable feature is a total divorce from basic economic realities.Succinct, accurate, devastating: Steve Chapman on Trump on trade at Reason.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 0

Is Donald Trump the 2016 Presidential Campaign Cycle’s Max Bialystock? Jun 29, 2016

Based on both the quality and reception of his play so far, there seems to be a strong case for thinking so:But if so, who's his Leo Bloom?[update: Naturally, I didn't think to myself before posting this, "I wonder if anyone else has had that thought?" Naturally it turns out that I'm far from either the first or most prominent - TLK]Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Thanks For Asking! — 06/29/16 Jun 29, 2016

This week's AMA thread, and the podcast to follow, are brought to you by Darryl W. Perry:Ask me anything (anything!) in the comment thread below this post; andI'll answer in comments, on this weekend's podcast, or both.Like KN@PPSTER? Check out Tom Knapp's work at the Garrison Center too!

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

If I Had a Hammer … Jun 28, 2016

... I'd probably leave it home if I could afford to attend FreedomFest 2016.I can't afford to attend FreedomFest 2016, but if I could afford it I'd have great fun checking out talks by Angela Keaton of Antiwar.com, Jeffrey Tucker of Liberty.me, Will Coley of Muslims 4 Liberty, Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation, Doug Casey, John McAfee, Andrew P. Napolitano, and bunches and bunches of other pro-liberty, pro-peace types.Of course, for some reason FreedomFest's organizers always seem to feel obligated to add at least a few authoritarian douchenozzles to the speaker roster as well. Last year they hosted war criminal Allen West. This...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 0

Early Predictions are Dangerous But I’m Sticking With Mine for Now Jun 28, 2016

I don't know if I've even mentioned that early prediction here on KN@PPSTER yet, but here it is (I've been making it for a couple of months in various venues):In November, assuming he's the GOP nominee (I still think a successful national delegate rebellion is just barely possible), Donald Trump will win every state that Mitt Romney won in 2012. He will also win Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, he will at least be competitive in New York and New Jersey, and he may even put California in play.Of course, it's not just early predictions that are dangerous, but any predictions...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote0 1

Apparently Everyone is Supposed to Have Strong Opinions on the “Brexit” Jun 27, 2016

But I don't.In large part, I defer to my friend Sean Gabb of the UK's Libertarian Alliance since he's there and knows quite a bit about the British situation and since I'm not and don't. He did vote for it, but he also expresses more skepticism than I would have expected toward the notion that it's all that and a bag of chi ... er, crisps. Here's his latest on the subject.The thoughts I do have are tentative and as follows:A lot of people seem to think that the United Kingdom has exited the European Union. It hasn't. The EU is...

By Thomas L. Knapp Vote1 4

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