A Hornets' Nest
Mark Davis
2013-01-25 07:46
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
A man showed up at my door one day not so long ago and said that he was from the Departmental Official Office of Motherland Security (DOOMS) and I was in danger of being stung to death by hornets. I told him that I did not fear hornets and, though I occasionally noticed one, I did not think that they were a big problem. As a matter of fact, I found that if I...
Everybody Does It
Mark Davis
2013-01-08 08:44
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see." ~ Ayn Rand
The good old “argumentum ad populum” or “appeal to the people” is a logical fallacy that has been used by countless children the world over for time immemorial. Unfortunately, the equally old lesson traditionally...
WTF, Max?!
Mark Davis
2012-08-29 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
I’ve enjoyed Max Keiser and the Keiser Report for the last few years. His stands pointing out the thoroughly corrupt financial system, supporting silver and gold money and calling out the US Treasury Department pimps like Paulson and Geithner with their revolving door to Goldman Sachs have been outstanding. Max also took a very courageous stand...
Black and White (Are You Experienced?) - Part II
Mark Davis
2012-06-12 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
Part II – It’s the Little Things
When I was a kid, of about 10 or 11 years old, my younger brother (9 or 10) and I would visit my grandparents’ house. My grandmother sometimes would let us walk to a little store about a mile away to get a soda, candy or snack. There wasn’t a straight road to the store and we had to...
Black and White (Are You Experienced?) - Part I
Mark Davis
2012-06-11 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
If you can just get your mind together
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise
From the bottom of the sea
But first, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have
I know, I know you probably scream and cry
That your little world won't let you go
But who in your measly...
A Book Review of Jerome L. Wright’s 'Equal Freedom'
Mark Davis
2012-01-05 01:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.” ~ Albert Einstein
A new book by Jerome L. Wright would have made Einstein proud. The book is Equal Freedom – The Principle of Equal Freedom and Noncoercive Government. It breaks new ground in the libertarian intellectual movement...
An Open Letter to Hank Williams, Jr.
Mark Davis
2011-10-17 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
Dear Mr. Williams,
You are the man! Standing up to the corporate media like you did was heroic. I know that heroic is a word that gets way overused these days, but I can’t remember the last time an entertainer stood their ground when assailed by the self-appointed politically correct Gestapo that polices the airwaves. ...
Fun and Gun
Mark Davis
2011-10-13 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
I’ve had enough of the emotional handwringing about the evil of guns and the chastising rhetoric about gun owners. Of course, inanimate objects like guns can’t be evil or good; they are just tools that can be used for good or evil. Further, gun owners are no more inherently wicked than people who own knives, hammers, shovels or...
For What It's Worth (Go Thoreau!)
Mark Davis
2011-07-08 00:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
There's somethin' happenin' here.
What it is ain't exactly clear.
There's a man with a gun over there
A-tellin' me I've got to beware.
I think it's time we stop.
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin' down. ~ Buffalo Springfield
What to do? When asked what to do about the predicament that I have described over the...
Debt Madness
Mark Davis
2011-02-22 04:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
Finalist #1 in the "Odious Debt" essay contest
It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning. ~ Henry Ford
Are you mad yet? Tired of all the odious bulldebt being dumped on your head out of...
On Social Contracts
Recommended
Mark Davis
2010-12-31 04:00
Column by Mark Davis.
Exclusive to STR
“The great political superstition of the past was the divine right of kings. The great political superstition of the present is the divine right of parliaments. The oil of anointing seems unawares to have dripped from the head of the one on to the heads of the many, and given sacredness to them also and to their decrees.” ~ Herbert Spencer...
The Myth of Public Goods
Recommended
Mark Davis
2010-06-25 03:00
By Mark Davis
Exclusive to STR
The myth of public goods is based on the belief that there are special things that everybody needs, but nobody will pay for. The priests perpetuating this myth include self-interested professors who spend a lifetime informing young, bright-eyed students about the magical qualities of these special goods that can only be provided by popular...
Between Barack and a Hard Place
Mark Davis
2010-06-14 03:00
Exclusive to STR
Socialism (noun)-
1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2. procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3. (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the...
Hail the Austrians! (Do the math)
Mark Davis
2009-07-20 16:00
Exclusive to STR
July 21, 2009
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." ~ Mark Twain
The current economic collapse and financial system breakdown were forecast and explained by only one "school" of economic theory: the Austrian. The irony is that the other two "major schools" - the Keynesian and...
The Grand Illusion
Mark Davis
2009-01-22 17:00
Exclusive to STR
January 23, 2009
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
From Don't Get Fooled Again by The Who
The coronation of the new Emperor...
Problem Solving 101
Mark Davis
2008-12-31 17:00
Exclusive to STR
January 1, 2009
"I can't wait to get to Washington DC , roll up my sleeves and get to work solving everybody's problems." ~ Alan Grayson, Representative-elect of Florida 's 8th District
The above statement seems to be the general theme of the Democrats, as they will now control the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. It was certainly the theme of Mr....
Creditism
Mark Davis
2008-09-16 16:00
Exclusive to STR
September 17, 2008
"I ain't never worked for a poor man." ~ George V. Davis
Capitalism is blamed whenever the economy inevitably contracts after an artificial boom caused by the creation of credit money. The boom and bust cycle is considered by most to be as natural as the tides. The ignorant media trumpet that irrational business people just go overboard for no...
The Anarchist Vote
Mark Davis
2008-01-13 17:00
Exclusive to STR
The beatings will continue until morale improves. ~ Unknown
The Ron Paul for President Campaign has been the cause of much discussion among anarchists as to whether we should all jump on the bandwagon. The exposure of ideas we all hold dear during his campaign pertaining to the elimination of state agencies and policies, especially central banks, has reached a larger audience...
Holy Wars
Mark Davis
2007-11-13 17:00
Exclusive to STR
November 14, 2007
In the beginning Man created God; and in the image of man created he him.
And Man gave unto God a multitude of names, that he might be Lord over all the earth when it was suited to Man.
And on the seven millionth day Man rested and did lean heavily on his God and saw that it was good.
And Man formed Aqualung of the dust of the ground, and a host of others...
Where's the Bottom, Dude?
Mark Davis
2007-09-12 16:00
Exclusive to STR
September 13, 2007
The phrase "We have hit bottom" will be used a lot over the next couple of years; especially by the paid cheerleaders in the financial and political media. The "Don't worry, everything is okay" crowd will become shriller as events occur that they truly never believed possible. But the sky is not falling, just another pyramid scheme...
Conspiracies, Plots and Agendas
Mark Davis
2007-06-03 16:00
Exclusive to STR
June 4, 2007
Conspiracies and plots typically refer to nefarious covert schemes that the good, common folk would consider evil. Agendas are more overt, but can be just as evil. Co-conspirators and plotters are largely denigrated while the organizers of agendas are believed to be less harmful because they operate "out in the open." One person's agenda for saving the...
Ron Quixote
Mark Davis
2007-03-05 17:00
Exclusive to STR
Ron Paul for President gives many people hope that the system can work. If only the right man could take the reins, then this beast would be controlled and used for good purposes. The long years of conditioning and indoctrination are difficult to get past. As a naïve young man, I voted for him because I thought that capital L Libertarianism could really work to reform the...
Conscience vs. Authority
Mark Davis
2007-02-21 17:00
Exclusive to STR
February 22, 2007
Subjugating conscience to authority leads to an unhealthy person and dysfunctional societies. The state requires the subjugation of conscience to central authority as a matter of course. Therefore, a dysfunctional society and unhealthy citizens must follow from state control. The more control a state asserts over a society, the more dysfunctional that society...
Slaves, Serfs and Taxpayers
Mark Davis
2006-10-30 17:00
Exclusive to STR
October 31, 2006
"The essence of all slavery consists in taking the produce of another's labor by force. It is immaterial whether this force be founded upon ownership of the slave or ownership of the money that he must get to live." ~ Leo Tolstoy
Slaves, serfs and taxpayers all refer to conditions of bondage. These conditions all restrict the use of your person and...
Bread and Circuses
Mark Davis
2006-08-24 16:00
Exclusive to STR
August 25, 2006
The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others. ~ Don Shula
Bread and circuses have gotten a bad name thanks to the state. Who or what else could possibly disparage the goodwill associated with eating and entertainment? Of course the source of the negative connotation is that bread and circuses are used by politicians to buy loyalty and provide...
Reprint Rights
RECENT COMMENTS BY Mark Davis