Free Republic

Two men swept up in the multistate federal drug paraphernalia sting known as "Operation Pipe Dreams" in February were sentenced Thursday to five years of probation, and six months in home detention. They were fined $20,000 each. Jason Robert Harris, 31, and Saeed Mohtadi, 33, pleaded guilty in May to one count each of conspiring to sell drug paraphernalia. The pair, both active in Eugene, Oregon's burgeoning art glass scene, operated several Internet businesses that marketed glass pipes and bongs created by a cadre of local glass artists. They advertised their wares as incense burners and labeled other items "for...

Thought for the day If you believe in a truly libertarian society, your only way to success is in working to build a society based upon traditional morality, shame and chastity. Contradictory? Actually, no. Given a little examination, it turns out to be rather obvious; almost self-evidently true. If you want to live in a country where every man supports himself rather than looking to the taxpayer, where crime is rare and so massive police powers, ID cards and DNA databases are superfluous, you will not do so on the back of the destructive policies of social liberalism. Libertarians traditionally...