Free Press Publications

For most of my adult life, I’ve heard about the eerie comparisons between George Orwell’s 1984 and our present day. After reading, or rather listening to the audiobook, 1984 again recently I noticed not only the similarities, but also some stark contrasts between Orwell’s vision of the future and our present day. Most of the oft-mentioned comparisons to 1984 involve Big Brother, and indeed the first mention of the telescreen and Thought Police does sound remarkably similar to the NSA. “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

Last Summer, Artem Vaulin, the alleged operator of KickassTorrents, was arrested in Poland and the website was taken down. The US Department of Justice has sought to extradite Vaulin, who is still in a Polish jail. Vaulin has retained some of the attorneys working on behalf of Kim Dotcom, the alleged operator of another file sharing website Megaupload. Like Vaulin, Dotcom is not an American citizen and does not live in the United States. Dotcom has also not been extradited to face trial. Dotcom is being prevented from challenging the asset forfeiture on the grounds, according to the 4th Circuit...

By Darryl W Perry Vote1 0

The US Senate is an interesting legislative body with rules and procedures that make little sense to anyone who does not closely follow the legislative process. Many people believe that the US Senate requires all pending legislation to obtain a 60 vote majority before the body is able to pass a bill with a simple majority. It is true that Senate rules require a three-fifths majority vote to end debate on most pending legislation; however Senate rules also allow for some legislation to bypass the need for cloture – the legal term for voting to end debate and avoid a...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

In January 2015, then-Attorney General Eric Holder made headlines when he issued a directive stating, “Federal adoption of property seized by state or local law enforcement under state law is prohibited, except for property that directly relates to public safety concerns, including ﬁrearms, ammunition, explosives, and property associated with child pornography,” which represent a small percentage of the seizures made under the federal program of civil asset forfeiture. On July 19, 2017 that directive was rescinded by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who issued Order 3946-2017 stating, “Federal forfeiture of property seized lawfully by state and local law enforcement agencies is...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

The last week of June was important in many ways for advocates of school choice. At the federal level, the US Supreme Court, according to Qartz, “made rulings on two cases in Missouri and Colorado that, while concerning small issues within specific school districts, likely have massive ramifications on the country’s entire public and private education systems alike.” The Missouri case, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, involved a church-run school alleging a violation of rights because they were excluded from receiving taxpayer funding. The majority opinion states, “the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

Nearly two years ago Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to 2 life sentences plus 40 years in prison for his role in creating and operating the Silk Road online market. This sentence, and indeed the entire conviction, was appealed based on suppressed evidence and the existence of corrupt federal agents working on the investigation into Silk Road. Former Secret Service Agent Carl Mark Force & former DEA Agent Shaun Bridges each plead guilty to to money laundering and obstruction of justice; Force also plead guilty to extortion. In the appeal, Ulbricht’s attorneys used all caps to highlight some of the ways...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

Memorial Day has become the unofficial start of Summer, a time for businesses to hold sales and a time for family barbecue’s. It has also lost a lot of meaning in recent years, as people say “Memorial Day is a time to remember our men & women in uniform.” Memorial Day was first celebrated as “Decoration Day” when friends and family would decorate the graves of soldiers killed during the American Civil War. In 1971, Memorial Day became an official federal holiday and became a holiday to remember all victims of war. Most people only think of soldiers, their families...

By Darryl W Perry Vote2 0

There aren’t many things a civil libertarian will say the Obama Administration did right, their minor reforms on federal mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines were certainly steps in the right direction. The Trump Administration has now reversed course and taken giant steps backwards. On May 10, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a MEMORANDUM FOR ALL FEDERAL PROSECUTORS stating in part, “It is of the utmost importance to enforce the law fairly and consistently.” Adding the goal of the memo is to “achiev[e] just and consistent results in federal cases” by requiring prosecutors to “charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable...

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

According to media reports, Donald Trump has proposed slashing the budget for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) from nearly $400 million per year to $24 million in fiscal year 2018, which begins September 1, 2017. UPI reports that such a funding cut would eliminate 33 jobs from the the so-called "drug czar" personnel. UPI adds, the ONDCP which was “created in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan, is responsible for managing the executive branch's anti-drug efforts and coordinating with state and local authorities to those ends.” In other words, the ONDCP is responsible for government propaganda that tells...

By Darryl W Perry Vote2 1

George Orwell once wrote, “Truth is treason in an empire of lies.” This statement has become increasingly truer over the last decade with Thomas Drake, Shamai Leibowitz, Chelsea Manning, Donald Sachtleben, Stephen Kim, Jeffrey Sterling, John Kiriakou and Edward Snowden having been charged with violating the Espionage Act during the Obama Presidency. John Kiriakou, the former CIA officer who was the first to confirm specific torture methods used by the CIA, said “You can either go through proper channels and risk prison, or you can go to the press and risk prison. Or you can just keep your mouth shut....

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH) recently sent out an email titled “Tax Day Should Be Simple”.

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

In March 2014 the Institute for Justice filed suit on behalf of Celeste Kelly, Grace Granatelli and Stacey Kollman against the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. IJ reports, “each [woman] turned their lifelong love of animals into their own businesses through which they offer animal massage. Massaging horses is Celeste [Kelly]’s livelihood; Grace [Granatelli] massages dogs; and Stacey [Kollman] owns a horseback riding and horse training business where she also massages horses. Each [woman] spent hundreds of hours learning animal massage techniques to obtain private certifications, and each woman has more than ten years’ experience massaging animals.” However the...

By Darryl W Perry Vote3 0

Nicolas Maduro is a perfect analogy for government: those at the top will enrich themselves while everyone else is left in a worse state.

By Darryl W Perry Vote3 1

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer recently said the DOJ may increase enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that allow its recreational use.

By Darryl W Perry Vote1 0

From a boycott of Starbucks because their cups aren’t sufficiently Christmas-y enough, to boycotts of Star Wars movies, a #deleteUber campaign, Nordstrom, Budweiser, Target, and the States of Utah & North Carolina for various reasons; it seems there is always a boycott of some sort. Which leads to the question: Do boycotts work? The short answer is: sometimes. One can find examples of boycotts leading to their desired outcome, the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, for example led to the end of segregation on city buses. One can also look at the boycott of Chick-fil-A over the company CFO’s opposition to same-sex...

By Darryl W Perry Vote2 0

President Donald Trump recently signed an Executive Order aimed at withholding federal funding from so-called Sanctuary Cities.

By Darryl W Perry Vote3 1

Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he was going to build a wall on the US border with Mexico and that Mexico is going to pay for it.

By Darryl W Perry Vote3 0

Libertarian Party Chairman Nicholas Sarwark recently received some criticism for a statement he made on the Lions of Liberty podcast. When asked about Ron Paul, Sarwark responded, “He had policy prescriptions that were straight-up wrong and anti-libertarian... None of us should be given a pass on having to have actual libertarian positions... State’s rights is not a libertarian position, and it’s something Ron Paul had pushed for a long time.” (more…)

By Darryl W Perry Vote1 0

January 1 is more than just the date that marks the start of a new year, and the time that many people make resolutions about how their life is going to change. January 1 also marks the date that hundreds of new laws and regulations take effect across the country. (more…)

By Darryl W Perry Vote0 0

I read a headline that perfectly answers the question posed by a meme that asks: “There are over 350,000 churches in America. So why are there over 200,000 people sleeping on the streets?”

By Darryl W Perry Vote4 1

Is Orwell’s 1984 better than the reality of 2017? Aug 13, 2017

Does the system preserve the status quo? Jul 30, 2017

AG Sessions ramps up War on Drugs Jul 23, 2017

A lack of choice is unfair Jul 2, 2017

Second Circuit Court upholds Ulbricht’s double life sentence Jun 4, 2017

Memorial Day: Remembering the victims of war & “war” May 28, 2017

Jeff Sessions takes two steps backward on sentencing reform May 14, 2017

Ending Drug War propaganda May 7, 2017

Trump to continue Obama’s War on Whistleblowers Apr 23, 2017

Make “Tax Day” simple, again! Apr 16, 2017

The tyranny of occupational licensing Apr 2, 2017

The curious case of Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela Mar 26, 2017

White House out of touch with the rest of the country in regards to cannabis Feb 26, 2017

Sanctuary Cities are nullifying at a local level Feb 12, 2017

Border Adjustment Tax: is a tax on you Jan 29, 2017

Libertarians support individual right not States’ Rights Jan 8, 2017

New Year, new laws Jan 1, 2017

Church facing fine for hosting homeless Dec 25, 2016