Best Political Books of 2012

Mark Levin – Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America

Michael Kranish – The Real Romney

Ron Paul – Liberty Defined

Scott Rasmussen – The People’s Money

Leftwing socialist Ralph Nader points out the hypocrisy of rightwing socialist teabaggers.

This time of year, adherents to the world’s great religions celebrate a Great Light shining in the Darkness. The setting is perfect for inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere, who have lived through the darkest months of the year and now anticipate the bright days ahead.

Absent its various sectarian interpretations, the symbolism should be especially meaningful for we libertarians, because we see our philosophy and way of life- which is the way of peace and mutual, voluntary cooperation among humankind- as a great light shining in the darkness of centuries of coercion, slavery, and war.

I believe our very lives span the winter solstice of human history. The oldest among us have seen in their own life times, the very blackest horrors governments have ever conceived or perpetrated against humanity. The great darkness of absolute statism in all of its ugly forms, from fascism to communism to military dictatorship, has blanketed the earth in its foul, polluted mire for a century.

Yet in the midst of this great darkness there has shined a great light, the dawn of a new era, and the promise of brighter days to come. Humanity is awakening. I say again- the humanity inside each of us is awakening to the hope and possibility of a free and open society. Playing no small part in this crucial turning point has been the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

Shining a light on the darkness of ignorance, information famine, propaganda, and lies, the Internet is- without any rivals- the number one reason and hope I have for the belief that truth and freedom will prevail over lies and slavery in our lifetimes. Its advent is not only metaphorically a great light shining in the darkness, but quite literally, the use of Light itself to spread and store information. How perfectly poetical!

So I will leave you with the injunction to hope and to marvel at the Great Light men have wrought, and to fight tenaciously to keep that Light free and unobstructed by the designs of power-hungry legislators and executives in Washington. History has no shortage of King Herods.

Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
Articles | Author’s Page

Here’s some more in depth commentary I wrote for CAIVN on Pat Robertson’s recent statements regarding the decriminalization of marijuana use. Apparently, Christian Broadcasting Network is trying to do some damage control and say that Robertson only advocated less strict sentencing, not full-blown decriminalization. That may or may not be his actual position, but in my most recent CAIVN column, I show that Robertson’s recent statements were clearly and explicitly in favor of decriminalization.

Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
Articles | Author’s Page

l

We’re off til Monday morning bright and early, so blogging,
tweeting, and all other activity in these parts will be minimal to
the maximum.

We wanted to leave you with some holiday cheer, however, so
here’s a sampling of Reason offerings over the years that relate to
the Christmas season.

On behalf of the Reason staff, here’s wishing you a great
holiday.

And now, on with the show.

First up is our 2010 Christmas video, “A Joe Biden (War on)
Christmas,” which many early viewers took seriously (really, read
the comments at our YouTube channel and then be very, very afraid
for the future of your country).

Last year, we rolled out “Be Happy! Why this is the best holiday
season ever,” which didn’t perplex viewers, though it enraged more
than its fair share with its upbeat celebration of continuous toy
improvement (CTI). Those of us who remember shock-tastic electric
football games (clearly, the origin of today’s over-the-top
touchdown celebrations stem from the St. Vitus Dance-like gyrations
of players too close to the corner of the field with the vibrator
in it!) will beg to differ.

For some reason no one can quite remember, we skipped an actual
Christmas video in 2008, though we did feature Christopher Hitchens
at our Very Special, Very Secular Christmas Party in 2007, where
the author of, most recently, Hitch-22, led the crowd in a dramatic
reading and dolorous sing-along of Tom Lehrer’s “Christmas Carol.”
Mr. Potter never treated George Bailey as tough as Hitchens’ treats
Santa Claus below.

Then there are the stories, the good old-fashioned writings
we’ve produced over the years that are like carols not set to music
or sung by roving bands of annoying, well, carolers.

Highlights include:

2008′s “Peace,
Love, & Misunderstanding: What’s so funny about Christmas as a
secular holiday,” by Jacob Sullum.

2008′s “Merry
Christmas, Kwanzaa is Over,” by Michael C. Moynihan.

2008′s “The
Fight Before Christmas: Why the War on Christmas is even less
winnable than the War on Drugs,” by Greg Beato.

2006′s “Oy,
Tannebaum: You’ve got your Christmas in my Chanukah,” by Jacob
Sullum.

2005′s “Santa
Claus Conquers the Martians: The War on Christmas is over. Guess
who won,” by Jesse Walker.

2004′s “The
True Spirit of Xmas: How 4/5 of the country became an oppressed
minority,” by Julian Sanchez.

And for a holiday-themed buzz-kill that remains as relevant as
it did when it first ran in 2005, check out “Who Grew
Your Tree?: If you like Christmas, thank an immigrant,” by
Jesse James DeConto and me, which calls attention to the
hard-hearted and misguided immigration laws of these United
States.

For readers employed by the TSA and other jobs with lots of
down-time where concentration and attention really aren’t required,
check out every mention of Christmas at Reason.com by
going here.

And as the year’s end approacheth, two things to remember:

1. Reason’s first-ever cruise sails from Florida January
30-February 6. It’s chock full of Reason staffers (Welch,
Sullum, Bailey, and myself), Reason contributors (Dalmia and de
Rugy), and scintillating guest stars (Matt Ridley, Patri Friedman,
and Ben Rast), and exotic ports of call (Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, the Lost City
of Atlantis). It’s also suprisingly affordable, with cabins
that include meals and all Reason fees starting at around $1,500.
Cheaper than a hotel, plus Matt Welch playing shuffleboard!

2. This is a great time to make a tax-deductible
donation to Reason
Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes this website,
Reason magazine, and Reason.tv. If you’ve got unexpected or unspent
stimulus burning a hole in your pocket, consider giving a gift to
us. Your donations – have I mentioned they are tax-deductible -
help us fight for “Free Minds and Free Markets” in our own
publications as well as in the nation’s leading newspapers, opinion
journals, and talk shows. Go here for more info
on that.

Our top shovel-ready project for 2011 is to make more
politicians cry. Click below for details.

Someday, probably within your lifetime, writes
Tim Cavanaugh, the one-cent coin will go away. The penny, the first
coin minted in the United States, was obviated by inflation before
most members of today’s work force were born. Its production cost
is more than half again as much as its face value. Its detractors
include respected economists, forward-looking realists, and coastal
cosmopolitans; its supporters consist largely of sentimentalists,
hoarders, the zinc lobby, and the dwindling number of women named
Penelope.

View this article.