Cambodia: Opposition leader sentenced to 27 years for being opposition leader

Source: The Hill

“A court in Cambodia on Friday found Kem Sokha, leader of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, guilty of treason and sentenced him to 27 years imprisonment to be served under house arrest. Judge Koy Sao of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court said Kem Sokha, backed by foreign powers, had used human rights and politics as a guise to organize people to stage a ‘color revolution’ … The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved shortly after his 2017 arrest on related charges. The ruling, four months ahead of a general election, is the latest blow against the opposition, which has faced years of legal harassment from the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Kem Sokha, 69, is the country’s most prominent opposition politician not in exile — others having fled abroad to escape what were generally seen as politically inspired prosecutions.” (03/02/23)

https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-cambodian-opposition-leader-gets-27-years-on-treason-charge/

Immigration Controls Come with Death

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“Not surprisingly, immigration-control advocates are coming fiercely to the defense of George Allan Kelly, the 74-year-old Arizona man who is charged with murdering a Mexican citizen who illegally crossed the border into the United States and trespassed on Kelly’s ranch. … There is an important point to make about all this, something that immigration-control advocates are loath to confront: It is their system of immigration controls that is the root cause of Cuen-Butimea’s death as well as Kelly’s legal difficulties. … Under a system of open borders — genuine open borders — Cuen-Butimea would have been free to cross into the United States. Thus, he would have crossed at the regular crossing points. There would have been no reason to be trespassing on Kelly’s ranch.” (03/02/23)

https://www.fff.org/2023/03/02/immigration-controls-come-with-death/

US applications for jobless claims fall for third straight week

Source: ABC News

“The number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell for third straight week. That’s good news for American workers, but potentially bad news in the fight against inflation by the Federal Reserve, which has been ratcheting up its benchmark interest rate for a year in an effort to cool the economy, loosen the labor market and tame inflation. Applications for jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending February 25 fell to 190,000 from 192,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. It’s the seventh straight week claims were under 200,000. The four-week moving average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, rose by 1,750 to 193,000, remaining below the 200,000 threshold for the sixth straight week. Applications for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for the number layoffs in the U.S.” (03/02/23)

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/applications-jobless-claims-fall-3rd-straight-week-97578803

Proponents of Fiscal Stimulus Need to Stop Using World War II as an Example

Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Vincent Geloso

“Each time a recession nears, some call for governments to step in to ‘stimulate’ the economy. Not through monetary means (printing money), but through fiscal ones. If the government initiates more projects, places more orders, and hires more workers, the reasoning goes, it stimulates consumption and thus facilitates the recovery. … According to this political imagery, this meant that factories were running full time. That farmers had a strong and steady demand for foodstuffs. That there was no unemployment. … the American economy was stimulated out of the shadow of the Great Depression. Essentially, the war was a boon to the economy in the United States. This imagery, however, is incorrect. Those who use it are being fooled by the data’s flaws and limitations. In no way can wartime spending be used to justify fiscal stimulus.” (03/02/23)

https://www.aier.org/article/proponents-of-fiscal-stimulus-need-to-stop-using-world-war-ii-as-an-example/

India: Opposition hails “historic” move to protect election body’s independence

Source: Independent

“Reforms to protect the independence of India’s elections regulatory agency have been ordered by the country’s top court in a move praised by not just opposition parties but observers as well. New appointments to the Election Commission of India (ECI) will now be made by the president on the advice of a committee that will include the prime minister, the leader of the opposition from India’s lower house of parliament or the leader of the largest opposition party and the chief justice of India. The new system will remain in force until a law is enacted by parliament in this regard, ruled Justice KM Joseph, who headed the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court that issued the directives on Thursday. … India’s Election Commission has faced criticism from opposition parties and observers for being under the government’s control.” (03/02/23)

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/election-commission-india-narendra-modi-bjp-b2292770.html

The Criminal Band

Source: J.L. Cells
by James Leroy Wilson

“Murray Rothbard (March 2, 1926- January 7, 1995) was born 97 years ago today. In the late 20th century, the economics professor was the leading intellectual in the libertarian movement and its most prolific scholar. He co-founded the prominent think tank Cato Insitute and later the Mises Institute. His legacy as a political strategist and coalition-builder in the libertarian movement remains controversial. He cheered the Black Panthers, opposed the Vietnam War, and reached out to the far left in the 1960s. Later, he reached out to the far right. Mainstream critics accused him of supporting communists and also of racism. When all sides condemn you, that could mean you’re right. Or very wrong. Regardless, my appreciation of Rothbard is in his role as a monetary theorist, historian, and polemicist.” (03/02/23)

https://jlcells.substack.com/p/the-criminal-band

Lightfoot loss a lesson for everyone else in politics

Source: Fox News
by Greg Gutfeld

“Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot … became Chicago’s first incumbent mayor in 40 years to lose re-election. Congrats, Lori. She deserves it because she broke another glass ceiling. She was the first Black lesbian mayor of Chicago, but now she’s the worst mayor ever, which sadly means no Black lesbian mayors for awhile in Chicago. Way to ruin it for them. She got roughly 17% of the vote. So even if her fan base from the Cook County Jail population, all 5,700 of them voted, still wasn’t enough. … But why is it news at all? It shouldn’t be news when the worst mayor in the country loses. This should be expected. But it wasn’t. Why is that? Well, it’s news, because she lost despite having more protection than a Fort Knox full of condoms.” (03/02/23)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/greg-gutfeld-lori-lightfoots-loss-lesson-everyone-else-politics

Tunisia: Tunis governor refuses protest permit, cites alleged plot

Source: Reuters

“A Tunisian opposition coalition said on Thursday it would hold a demonstration on Sunday despite being denied permission by the authorities who cited an alleged plot by the group’s leaders against state security. Leaders of the National Salvation Front coalition are among prominent opponents of President Kais Saied arrested over the past month on charges that the opposition says are politically motivated. The governor of Tunis said in a statement that he was refusing permission for Sunday’s protest because of the charges against the National Salvation Front leaders. The arrests, which also include other senior politicians, the owner of a major media outlet and a prominent businessman, represent the biggest crackdown on opponents of Saied since he seized most powers in 2021.” (03/02/23)

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunis-governor-refuses-protest-permit-citing-alleged-plot-2023-03-02/

Germany: Ice cream parlor offers cricket-flavored scoops

Source: SFGate

“A German ice cream parlor has expanded its menu with a skin-crawling offering: cricket-flavored scoops with dried brown crickets on top. The unusual confection is available at Thomas Micolino’s store in southern Germany’s town of Rottenburg am Neckar, German news agency dpa reported Thursday. Micolino has a habit of creating flavors that are far outside Germans’ typical preferences for strawberry, chocolate, banana and vanilla ice cream. In the past, he’s offered liver sausage and Gorgonzola cheese ice cream as well [as] gold-plated ice cream for 4 euros ($4.25) per scoop. ‘I am a very curious person and want to try everything,’ Micolino told dpa. ‘I’ve eaten a lot of things, including a lot of strange things, and crickets were something I still wanted to try, also in the form of ice cream.'” (03/02/23)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/german-ice-cream-parlor-offers-cricket-flavored-17815372.php