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Lady Liberty's "Their View" Contributors:

Alan Caruba
Alan Caruba is the founder of The National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information about "scare campaigns," begun in 1990 initially to debunk environmental claims but which has since expanded to include many other topics such as education, immigration, and Islam. Caruba began his professional career as a working journalist and, since the 1970s, has been a public relations counselor. He is the author of several books and has written numerous magazine articles over the years.

R.A. Hawkins
Richard Hawkins was born in Aurora, Colorado and grew up in Littleton, Colorado in a quiet little neighborhood nobody has ever heard of called Columbine Knolls. He has been married to the same woman for twenty-six years, and worked for the same aerospace company for twenty-eight. His primary interests over the years have been his family, sociology, mastering his survival skills, windsurfing, music, politics, raising wolves, art of all types, mycology, perma-culture, archeological anomalies, geo-politics and staying gainfully employed; not necessarily in that order. He often describes himself as a separate subspecies of human – ‘Eclecticus-Iconoclastimus’. His primary driving force is his unwavering belief that as sovereign citizens we are each responsible not only for our own beliefs and actions, but where those beliefs and actions take us in life: That the truly intelligent person learns to determine what the consequences might be for our beliefs and actions and then acts accordingly. Our individual actions always affect far more than we can imagine. R.A. Hawkins is the author of "Through Eyes of Shiva," available via Amazon.com. More of Mr. Hawkins' commentaries can be found on his web site, Entropical Paradise.

Jonathan David Morris
Jonathan David Morris is a political writer based in New Jersey. A strong believer in small government, JDM often takes aim at oppressive taxes, entitlements, and laws, writing about incompetence at the highest levels of culture and government. Catch his weekly ramblings on his web site.

Rep. Ron Paul Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He is known among both his colleagues in Congress and his constituents for his consistent voting record in the House of Representatives: Dr. Paul never votes for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Dr. Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.

Frank Salvato
is the managing editor for The New Media Journal. He serves at the Executive Director of the Basics Project, a non-profit, non-partisan, 501(C)(3) research and education initiative. His pieces are regularly featured in over 100 publications both nationally and internationally. He has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, and is a regular guest on The Right Balance with Greg Allen on the Accent Radio Network, as well as an
occasional guest on numerous radio shows coast to coast. His organization, Basics Project, is partnered in producing the first-ever national symposium series on the threat of radical Islamist terrorism. His pieces have been recognized by the House International Relations Committee and the Japan
Center for Conflict. Mr. Salvato is available for public speaking
engagements.

Nancy Salvato
Nancy Salvato is the President of The Basics Project, a non-profit, non-partisan research and educational project whose mission is to promote the education of the American public on the basic elements of relevant political, legal and social issues important to our country. She is an experienced educator and an independent contractor with Prism Educational Consulting. She serves as Educational Liaison for Illinois Senator Carole Pankau. She works nationally and locally furthering the cause of Education Reform. Her writing is widely published on the internet and occasionally in print venues such as the Washington Times. Her opinions have been heard on select radio programs across the nation. Additionally, her writing has been recognized by the US Secretary of Education.

What They Thought April 15, 2007

Alan Caruba
R.A. Hawkins
Jonathan David Morris
Rep. Ron Paul
Frank Salvato
Nancy Salvato

Click here for columnist bios

Alan Caruba
Homeland Security in Tewksbury, NJ

New Jersey is not likely a target of terrorist plans, though I suppose as vulnerable as anywhere else, reaped approximately $1,481,990 recently from just one program administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Overall, DHS will provide $34.6 million in direct assistance nationwide this year and, since 2005, has disbursed more than $69.7 million in equipment and training.

Designed to help first responders such as law enforcement and emergency services by enabling them to purchase equipment, as my eye scanned three pages of cities and towns I noticed that the Neptune Township police will buy something called video detective. So did Glen Ridge where I was briefly editor of the local weekly. Neither my current hometown nor former one, both of which border Newark, received any grants. Newark received none, perhaps because the city bought a new garbage truck with a former grant.

Suffice it to say, Avon by the Sea, Chatham, Surf City, Perth Amboy, or Tewksbury are not likely to find themselves fighting or responding to terrorist attacks and please do not ask me how New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Law Enforcement got a piece of the action, purchasing night vision goggles. Read the rest...

Alan Caruba Web Site Contact Back to Top

R.A. Hawkins
Human Nature
(Humans vs. Nature)

It has been interesting to read the numerous articles and commentaries regarding the vanishing bees. The newest theories have to do with mobile phone technology running them out of their hives. It is a fact that (according to the article link referenced at the end of this commentary), if a cell phone is placed near a beehive, the bees will not return to that hive. My first suggestion would be for people not to leave their cell phones near beehives. I know I’ve certainly quit that habit.

However, if this is true, it does say something that we would be wise to heed. We need bees to pollinate our crops. If the bees aren’t pollinating the crops, we’ll have to get a new breed of migrant worker that runs around with little Q-tips touching all of the flowers. The cost of food might go up a tad, but we’ll still have our phones so that we can impress everyone with how much everyone wants to converse with us for hours on meaningless garbage.

But before we decide to automatically blame cell phones for this new dilemma, here are a few other things to ponder...Read the rest...

R.A. Hawkins Web Site Contact Back to Top

Jonathan David Morris
The Sanjaya Principle: Why Ron Paul Can Be Our Next President

The 2008 presidential election is now less than 19 months away. As far as I’m concerned, that means now is the time to start planning how to destroy it.

Before now, I never would have written an article of this nature. Before now, I never would have imagined what I’m about to say could potentially have an impact. There is a reason third-option candidates never stand a chance in presidential elections, and that is because Americans not only like to vote for someone they roughly believe in—they like to vote for someone they think can actually win.

But something different is happening at the moment. And that something different makes me believe something different can happen in next year’s election.

The something different in question is a lanky, long-haired Indian kid named Sanjaya Malakar, who, despite his lack of charisma and talent, is somehow taking this year’s “American Idol” by storm. Read the rest...

Jonathan David Morris Web Site Contact Back to Top

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
April 9, 2007
The Federal Reserve Monopoly over Money

Recently I had the opportunity to question Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke when he appeared before the congressional Joint Economic committee. The topic that morning was the state of the American economy, and many of my colleagues raised questions about how the Fed might better "regulate" things to ease fears of an economic downturn. The tenor of my colleagues' questions suggested that Mr. Bernanke's job is nothing less than to run the U.S. economy, like some kind of Soviet central planner.

Certainly it’s true that Mr. Bernanke can drastically affect the economy at the drop of a hat, simply by making decisions about the money supply and interest rates. But why do members of Congress assume this is good? Read the rest...

Rep. Ron Paul Web Site Back to Top

Frank Salvato
You Either Abide by the First Amendment or You Don’t

It really doesn’t matter whether you find radio shock jock Don Imus’s description of the women on Rutgers’ basketball team offensive or not. In an age when you can turn on any popular urban radio station and hear most of the words used in George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” comedy routine the term, “nappy-headed hos” can hardly be deemed offensive, especially coming from a shock jock. What is at issue is whether or not the politically correct have used bullying tactics to infringed upon the guaranteed right of free speech under the First Amendment.

I can’t say that I am a fan of Don Imus but then I can’t say I dislike him either. I have never taken the time to listen to his radio show nor have I viewed his broadcast on MSNBC. Being from Chicago, I grew up listening to Larry Lujack, Dan Walker – the governor of Rock ‘n Roll – and later on Jonathon Brandmeir and Steve Dahl. Imus wasn’t a Chicago staple.

Of course, Chicago had its fair share of FCC imposed and special interest group inflicted radio personality suspensions but those seemed to work more in the favor of the radio show being yanked from the air than for the government or advocacy group. Read the rest...

Frank Salvato Web Site Contact Back to Top

Nancy Salvato

No column this week.

Nancy Salvato Web Site Contact Back to Top

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