Staff Sergeant Travis Sanford, a special operations weatherman, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as a member of a Marine special operations team. Shortly after midnight on March 8, Sergeant Sanford and his teammates left their forward operating base in a convoy to conduct a routine reconnaissance patrol to disrupt enemy movement. Two hours into the mission, Sergeant Sanford and part of the team moved to a compound south of an Afghan village. Seeing movement and hearing voices, the team established security from positions that overlooked the village. With the aid of night vision equipment, the team was able to quickly quell a firefight just prior to sunrise. However, once the sun came up, more than two dozen insurgents emerged from fortified positions and attacked with continuous machine gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades, and small arms fire.

Manning a M-249 light machine gun, Sergeant Sanford immediately engaged the enemy with suppressive fire. After several minutes of sustained combat as enemy rounds struck their position and whipped over their heads, the team took their first casualty. A Marine near Sergeant Sanford was struck in the head by an enemy round. Without hesitation and despite being exposed to enemy fire, Sergeant Sanford began performing life-saving procedures on the Marine. Sergeant Sanford and another teammate pulled the wounded Marine to cover where Sergeant Sanford and the team’s medic continued to administer critical care.

Once the wounded Marine was on a stretcher, Sergeant Sanford carried him 50 yards across an open field so that he could be evacuated. Sergeant Sanford continued to attend to the patient while simultaneously passing weather information to the inbound medical evacuation helicopter. After the patient was transferred to the helicopter, Sergeant Sanford ran back across the field to his team to reengage in the firefight. After nearly four hours of sustained engagement, the team was able to break contact and return to base. Intelligence personnel later reported that multiple combatants were either killed or wounded and several enemy fighting positions and weapons had been destroyed.

For his heroic actions during combat, Sergeant Sanford was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

The post Portrait in Courage: Air Force Staff Sgt. Travis Sanford appeared first on Human Events.

Premium ammo is more expensive than traditional hollowpoint ammunition, sometimes a lot more. Many of the high-end rounds have special construction techniques and all of them have a lot of engineering time behind their development.

For anyone working within a budget, the extra cost of these ammunition lines simply may not be affordable.  At more than $1/round in many cases, it becomes expensive to test your preferred handgun with the ammo to make sure it will cycle reliably and provide reasonable accuracy.

So the question is “Will cheap ammunition work for self-defense?”  In at least one case, I say: “Yes.”

Remington UMC 115 grain JHP

The UMC line is Remington’s pedestrian line of ammunition.  There isn’t anything hyped in this ammo series: just quality handgun and rifle ammo at reasonable prices.

The Remington UMC L9MM1B ammunition is a 115-grain jacket hollowpoint load packaged in 100-round boxes. I’ve found these at the gun counter in Walmart for less than $30 before the recent ammo shortage. These rounds are packaged in relatively non-flashy green and white boxes.

Even though I prefer to carry a premium self defense ammo in my firearms, I can’t deny that having a small stockpile of good, but inexpensive, hollowpoints makes sense for my needs. On more than one occasion, I have handed a box of this stuff to a friend or family member when they purchased a gun, but didn’t buy any hollowpoints to feed it.

This particular load uses a standard lead core hollowpoint with a copper jacket. A 115-grain bullet is on the light end of the most popular bullet weights in 9mm, which means it tends to have faster muzzle velocities than other loads.

Remington publishes the muzzle velocity as 1145 fps from a 4-inch barrel. This is fast enough to ensure reliable expansion in most situations, and produce about 335 ft-lbs of energy.  From the specs, this appears to be a decent self-defense load that is operating at normal (not +P) pressures.

Range Time

I’ve tested the 9mm Remington load through a variety of handguns including:

• Bersa BP9CC
• Glock 19
• Glock 26
• Kahr CM9
• SIG Sauer P226
• Smith & Wesson M&P9

With more than a thousand rounds put downrange, the ammo has functioned very well in all of the handguns. Additionally, the load is easy shooting due to the standard pressure and light bullet weight.  In the guns I have shot, accuracy is better than I expected.

I ran the ammunition over a chronograph while shooting a SIG P226 and Glock 19. The P226 has a 4.4-inch barrel and the Glock 19 has a 4.02-inch barrel length. The ammo velocity averaged 1251 fps out of the SIG and 1176 fps from the Glock.  Both of these velocities were more than the published specs on the ammunition.

However, the velocities were not consistent from shot to shot. With the SIG, I measured a standard deviation of 136 and 134 with the Glock.  So it is possible that I got a box of ammo that didn’t hit Remington’s normally high quality standards – or my chronograph was infected by gremlins.

Taking a look at a review of this same ammunition at Pocket Guns & Gear, the reviewer obtained much better consistency (SD of 12.5) and velocities more in line with my expectations (average: 1015 fps) with a Kahr PM9 (3” barrel).

In that same review, the Remington round penetrated 12 inches of ballistic medium covered with two layers of denim. The recovered bullet had expanded to 0.567 inches and retained 114.2 grains of weight. That is pretty darn good results from a “cheap” hollowpoint.

Bottom Line

In head-to-head competition, a premium hollowpoint load will likely perform better than this Remington UMC load in a wide range of testing. The UMC bullet is not bonded, so it is more likely to have problems than a bonded bullet when going through hard mediums such as windshield glass. Fortunately, most citizens in a self-defense shooting don’t need to punch through hard cover.

Standard hollowpoints like this one rely heavily on velocity to ensure reliable expansion. More expensive rounds like the Hornady Critical Defense use technology to help ensure expansion, even at low velocities. So, the Remington UMC’s use in very short-barreled pistols may not produce the expected performance.

Even though there are arguably better performing rounds on the market, I still feel this Remington load is a solid choice for self-defense.  It offers respectable performance at a very reasonable price (in a normal market, anyway). Plus it is likely to be found at common retailers.

If you need inexpensive self-defense ammo in 9mm give the Remington UMC a look.

The post Remington UMC 9mm: Good enough for self defense? appeared first on Human Events.

“Anti-gun legislation is not advancing as quickly as Democrats would like,” said Scott L. Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, the state’s premier second amendment organization and official National Rifle Association state affiliate.

Since January, the Democrat-controlled state legislature has introduced over 80 gun bills; the assembly passed 24 of them in February; and the senate consolidated the count to 14 bills as of May 13, he said. “This doesn’t happen without a fight.”

Reports of bad blood between Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D) and Senate Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R) spilled over onto the floor of the chamber, he said, citing news reports.

Kean blocked several key pieces of the anti-gun rights bill package from passage earlier last week by not consenting to a procedural request from Sweeney to allow emergency amendments, said Bach, who is an attorney and former member of law enforcement.

“In retaliation, Sweeney has blocked all Republican-sponsored bills for the foreseeable future,” he said.

This is a tactical political struggle that does not end here, he said.  “It’s just the beginning of a long, chaotic fight that could go deep into the summer depending on when the governor acts on bills that come to his desk.”

Assuming office in January 2010, Christie  became the first Republican to win a statewide election in New Jersey in 12 years.

Bills that are in technical limbo will take time to finalize and proposals will be debated by legislators into late June, said the NRA board member.  “The Democrats would have liked to pass these bills much sooner.”

The closer we get to Election Day, the less likely it is that these bills will be enacted into law, said Bach. “Both houses of the state legislature and the governor’s seat are up for reelection this year.”

Anthony P. Colandro, master instructor and owner at Gun For Hire the largest firearms instruction school in New Jersey, said, “This is an entire waste of tax payer dollars. Our state is in fiscal ruin and the politicians are grandstanding over gun control.”

Gun control policies are ineffective, he said. “We don’t ration gas to limit drunk driving.”

“Limiting firearms takes guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens while providing a revolving door for criminals,” said the education and training committee member of the NRA.

State lawmakers have not addressed violent behavior, he said. “They are focusing on a tool instead of focusing on criminals, violence and mental health concerns.”

Colandro, who is a board member of ANJRPC and New Jersey Second Amendment Society, said he supports Christie for reelection.

“The governor is his own man. He can see this legislation as far reaching and unnecessary,” he said.

“However, Christie seems aloof in addressing the topic,” he said. “This legislation forces Christie to take a stand on firearms.”

Frank Jack Fiamingo, president and founder of New Jersey Second Amendment Society, an organization dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment rights of all New Jersey citizens, said, “The various groups across the state are working toward increased gun safety and education.”

Unity is not a problem, he said. “We are unified more than ever before.”

NJ2AS members would like a reasonable solution, he said.  “If lawmakers want to write legislation that makes a clear distinction between criminals and law-abiding citizens, we’re all for it.”

The group agrees to the school safety study, increased penalties for criminals involved in trafficking firearms, and restrictions for felons convicted of a violent crime, Fiamingo said. “These laws do not punish legitimate firearms owners.”

“We are not okay with additional laws that restrict law-abiding citizens,” he said.  “It makes no sense because those laws do nothing to prevent crime.”

Gun owners and activists were not treated fairly by the establishment, said the semi-retired business owner. “They did not give us enough time to review the legislation.”

Even when it was time to be heard, officials ignored their own constituents who showed up overwhelmingly pro-gun, he said.

“Our concerns and recommendations fell upon deaf ears,” he said.

“I believe that the Democrat majority intends to push through as many laws as they can to dump on Christie’s desk,” said Fiamingo. “The Democrats somehow expect this to hurt Christie’s career.”

In the end, Christie the politician will find a way, Fiamingo said.

“I think Christie will try to find something palatable enough to vote for, and veto everything less palatable,” he said. “I would say veto all of it.”

The post NJ gun rights advocates wait for Christie to cave appeared first on Human Events.

Make the most of your day!

RJL

Third Infantry Division’s Sgt. James P. O’Connor receives the Medal of Honor from 7th Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch.

 JAMES P. CONNOR
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Cape Cavalaire, southern France, 15 August 1944. Entered service at: Wilmington, Del. Birth: Wilmington, Del. G.O. No.: 18, 15 March 1945.

 Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 15 August 1944, Sgt. Connor, through sheer grit and determination, led his platoon in clearing an enemy vastly superior in numbers and firepower from strongly entrenched positions on Cape Cavalaire, removing a grave enemy threat to his division during the amphibious landing in southern France, and thereby insured safe and uninterrupted landings for the huge volume of men and materiel which followed. His battle patrol landed on “Red Beach” with the mission of destroying the strongly fortified enemy positions on Cape Cavalaire with utmost speed. From the peninsula the enemy had commanding observation and seriously menaced the vast landing operations taking place. Though knocked down and seriously wounded in the neck by a hanging mine which killed his platoon lieutenant, Sgt. Connor refused medical aid and with his driving spirit practically carried the platoon across several thousand yards of mine-saturated beach through intense fire from mortars, 20-mm. flak guns, machineguns, and snipers. En route to the Cape he personally shot and killed 2 snipers. The platoon sergeant was killed and Sgt. Connor became platoon leader. Receiving a second wound, which lacerated his shoulder and back, he again refused evacuation, expressing determination to carry on until physically unable to continue. He reassured and prodded the hesitating men of his decimated platoon forward through almost impregnable mortar concentrations. Again emphasizing the prevalent urgency of their mission, he impelled his men toward a group of buildings honeycombed with enemy snipers and machineguns. Here he received his third grave wound, this time in the leg, felling him in his tracks. Still resolved to carry on, he relinquished command only after his attempts proved that it was physically impossible to stand. Nevertheless, from his prone position, he gave the orders and directed his men in assaulting the enemy. Infused with Sgt. Connor’s dogged determination, the platoon, though reduced to less than one-third of its original 36 men, outflanked and rushed the enemy with such furiousness that they killed 7, captured 40, seized 3 machineguns and considerable other materiel, and took all their assigned objectives, successfully completing their mission. By his repeated examples of tenaciousness and indomitable spirit Sgt. Connor transmitted his heroism to his men until they became a fighting team which could not be stopped.

The post Medal of Honor Roll Call: James P. O’Connor appeared first on Human Events.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes

Breakfast is so important that I’m always searching for tasty, nutritious recipes to make sure my family starts the day right. This oatmeal is loaded with ingredients known for their cholesterol-fighting abilities, including oats, walnuts, and apples. Plus it’s quick and easy to make. You can use additional water in place of the apple juice to lower the sugar content, and simply add a bit of stevia and/or some vanilla-flavored protein powder.

Note: Organic ingredients are always preferable to conventionally grown.

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, cored and chopped finely
• 1 1/4 cups fresh, filtered water
• 1 cup unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice
• 1 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or lite salt
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 3 teaspoons raw, organic honey

Directions:

1. Combine chopped apple, water and/or apple juice, oats, cinnamon, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring the oat mixture to a boil on medium heat. Boil for one minute, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat. Add walnuts and honey, and stir to mix.

Cover and allow the oatmeal to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

The post Apple Walnut Oatmeal appeared first on Human Events.

From talking to patients, I’ve discovered that many people consider statins to be “miracle” drugs that allow them to eat anything they please without worrying about consequences. No wonder statins are the top selling prescription drugs in the country, with nearly half of the nation’s adults taking them.

What many people don’t understand is that statins rob the body of an essential nutrient known as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This vitamin-like substance plays a huge role in our lives, since it is responsible for roughly 95 percent of the energy creation within our bodies.

Although we manufacture CoQ10 internally, production slows as we age. So anyone over age 40 is most likely already experiencing a slowdown in CoQ10 production. Add statins to the mix, and you’ve got an older individual with serious fatigue issues.

Many people don’t know this, but your heart and brain use an enormous amount of energy just getting their everyday jobs done. That’s why you’re likely to feel both mentally and physically exhausted when your CoQ10 levels are low.

To keep energy up all day, I strongly urge everyone over age 40 to take at least 100 mg of CoQ10 daily, whether you have heart disease or not. For individuals taking statins, I recommend doubling that dose to 200 mg daily. As my patient Gene noticed, taking CoQ10 supplements made a big difference in his energy levels – something he’d been struggling with for several years.

The Problem with Statins

While statins can be helpful for patients who already have heart disease, I hesitate to prescribe them to reasonably healthy patients who want to take them as a preventive measure. Statins are not harmless drugs by any means. There are some 300 side effects linked to statins, including:

• Liver failure
• Damage to nerves
• Muscle pain and damage
• Nausea and vomiting
• Depletion of vital minerals, including zinc and selenium
• Constipation and/or diarrhea
• Weakness
• Headaches

Many times, these side effects don’t kick in right away, so when they occur, patients don’t connect them to the drugs. And there are less noticeable side effects, too. For example, new research shows that statins may block the benefits of omega-3 supplements, such as fish or flaxseed oil. Considering the long list of health benefits we get from omega-3s, that’s a serious problem.

In my opinion, the best approach to preventing heart disease is with lifestyle adjustments. The big two factors are…

1. Eating a nutritious, whole foods diet.
2. Practicing moderate, daily exercise.

There is no pill or magical substance that can replace those two essentials.

Here are four basic suggestions on how to avoid statin-related side effects and keep your heart and brain healthy.

1. Substitute a Statin Alternative

When it comes to lowering cholesterol, statins aren’t the only game in town. A natural substance, known as red yeast rice (available without a prescription at most health food stores), is chemically identical to a statin but is not as powerful and has far fewer side effects. Follow the dosage instructions on the product you purchase.

2. Make Meals Matter

I’ve noticed that, for many people, meals are a touchy subject. Everyone has favorite foods that they enjoy, and being deprived of them can take away some of life’s small pleasures. So, when a patient really needs to make dietary changes but is reluctant to give up unhealthy items, I often suggest they add a few better choices to balance the good and bad.

Adding the proverbial “apple a day,” for example, may seem like a small step, but it has a big payoff. Research has shown that the substances in apples may:

• protect against several forms of cancer.
• counteract damage done by rogue molecules known as free radicals.
• reduce inflammation.
• support a healthy immune system.
• repair damage caused by aging.

Most people like apples, so this is a much easier sell than, say, broccoli. Once a patient has gotten accustomed to an apple a day, I encourage them to branch out and try a new fruit or vegetable. Because, the truth is, that list of benefits I cited for apples is pretty much true for all fruits and vegetables, with some minor differences.

Eventually, most patients find that eating more produce isn’t as terrible as they imagined it would be. And once they start feeling better and the pounds begin to fall off, it’s a good bet they’ll understand how powerful – and beneficial – dietary change can be.

3. Move On

Maintaining a healthy heart, regardless of cholesterol levels, requires exercise. The heart is a muscle, and nothing strengthens it better than activity, like regular, brisk walking.

Unfortunately, few people get sufficient daily exercise. A new survey of nearly half a million Americans shows that only about 20 percent of U.S. adults get the recommended amount of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise daily.

Unless your physician has declared workouts off limits, please carve out 20 to 30 minutes each day for walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, or other activity. Personally, I find that exercising first thing in the morning not only gets me going, but it also takes one important item off my to-do list, which is a nice way to start the day. Try it, and see if it works for you, too.

4. Consider CoQ10 Supplements

If you’re over age 40, I’ll repeat what I said earlier – you need supplemental CoQ10. Your body is simply not producing enough on its own to keep energy levels where they should be or to protect you from serious illness. For example, a recent study found that low blood levels of CoQ10 were observed in a broad range of critically ill, hospitalized patients and were also associated with fewer daily activities after those patients were discharged from the hospital.

Clearly, it’s important to maintain healthy levels of this essential nutrient. Look for supplements that include boosters like resveratrol and Pterostilbene, antioxidants that make it more absorbable. Because they work, these are the ingredients I used to formulate my own version of CoQ10 supplements. As I mentioned earlier, if you’re currently taking statins aim for a daily dose of 300 mg of CoQ10. If you’re free of heart disease and aren’t taking statins, 100 mg daily should be sufficient.

If you’re concerned about cholesterol, remember that your body needs it for a number of important functions, including hormone production. In addition, cholesterol provides some little-known benefits, such as…

• Helping fight cancer
• Maintaining a sharp memory
• Protecting your chromosomes from aging
• Assisting with the production of serotonin, a “feel good” chemical messenger in the brain.

So please don’t get competitive about lowering your cholesterol further than your physician recommends. There are downsides to very low cholesterol, including depression, aggressive behavior, dementia, and an increased risk of a type of stroke known as cerebral hemorrhage. Instead of fretting about cholesterol, simply work to increase your number of healthy behaviors each day, and see what a difference that can make!

The post Lower Cholesterol Without Statin Side Effects appeared first on Human Events.

Concerns that the policies aimed at keeping interest rates about as low as they can go are understandable but easy-money proponents at the Fed can cite a number of recent economic reports and corporate earnings shortfalls to confirm that the U.S. economy remains weak. However, investors are wise to recognize that the Fed ultimately will reverse course when inflation returns and unemployment rates fall below the current politically hazardous level of 7.5 percent.

First, the price of gold, which is a traditional hedge against inflation, <a href=”http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-17/gold-swings-after-six-day-loss-amid-etp-drop-dollar-s-strength.html”>fell today</a> for the seventh consecutive trading session and its longest slump in four years. If inflation was a true risk, gold would be rising rather than falling. Fed officials can use the sliding gold prices as a key reason to keep interest rates low.

Second, Wal-Mart is among a number of corporations that recently reported weaker-than-expected sales. Wal-Mart’s management expressed concern that its budget-conscious shoppers are scaling back their spending, and executives cited the company’s fading financial results as proof that prices need to be kept low to cater to customers.

Third, construction of new homes in the United States fell 16.5 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000 units, marking the lowest level since last November. Builders acknowledged delaying the release of new houses or boosting new home prices. Both factors contribute toward putting home ownership further out of the reach of prospective buyers.

Fourth, consumer prices fell 0.4 percent in April for a second straight month of decline, the Labor Department reported yesterday. That slippage brings down the average annual increase in food prices to 1.7 percent, when excluding food and energy, falling below the 2 percent mark that Fed officials favor for a healthy economy.

Fifth, Europe’s economy seems to be sliding rather than recovering. Indeed, the euro-zone economy shriveled further during the first quarter of 2013 to mark an unprecedented sixth successive quarterly economic fall in the region. France, one of Europe’s biggest economies, slipped into recession, and Germany, Europe’s largest economy, barely grew, according to first-quarter data released Wednesday by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical agency.

Sixth, a reversal of the Fed’s current easy-money policy to stimulate growth would be contrary to its public mission of maximizing full employment, as well as maintaining stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates. With unemployment around 7.5% and many workers taking part-time positions rather than full-time jobs that they would prefer, the Fed is far from achieving its goal of restoring full employment.

The only people who seem to be encouraged about the economy right now are members of the general public. <a href=”http://www.cnbc.com/id/100746068″>Consumer sentiment</a> is climbing, and investors still are bidding up the price of equities in search of heightened returns that the interest paid on savings accounts cannot match. Many of those people may be the ones who have taken on too much debt in the past, and Fed officials need to look beyond the scope of financially unsophisticated laymen in carrying out its mission.

Unless much more positive indicators about the U.S. economy arise in the coming weeks and months, any change in the Fed’s easy-money policy as soon as this summer seems slim.
<em>
Paul Dykewicz is a seasoned journalist who is the editorial director of the Financial Publications Group at Eagle Publishing and the editor of the <a href=”http://www.eagledailyinvestor.com/”>Eagle Daily Investor</a> website. He also edits five monthly investment newsletters, <a href=”https://www.markskousen.com/offers/products/fss121-skousen-editorial-ss4-aud/”>Forecasts & Strategies</a>, <a href=”https://www.fabian.com/offers/products/wsj225-editorial-link-wash-aud/”>Successful Investing</a>, <a href=”https://www.fabian.com/offers/products/hyh215-amrheim-editorial-link-fear-aud/”>High Monthly Income</a>, <a href=”https://order.nicholasvardy.com/offers/products/aip351-alpha-editorial-link-aud/”>Alpha Investor Letter</a> and <a href=”https://order.chrisversace.com/offers/products/ptp346-dawson-editorial-2lifetime-audio/”>PowerTrend Profits</a>, as well as a number of time-sensitive trading services.
</em>

The post Reasons Remain for Fed to Keep Easy-Money Policies Fueling Equities appeared first on Human Events.

With Japan’s recent rebound supported by the sharp decline in the yen’s value, there is only so much farther the yen can fall before any economic gains, if they remain sustainable, become merely asymptotic. With Abe and the BoJ needing more than a short-term effect, they are banking on the policy paying off for the long haul.

However, it is not as if Japan is the only economic region of the world trying to jumpstart its market. The euro zone is focused on bailing out some of its fiscally floundering nations. In the United States, the Federal Reserve has stimulated the markets, though the overall economy remains lackluster.

It is not as if all three economies can produce magic money out of thin air. In a global economy of give-and-take, something’s got to give. How much longer will Japan’s relative success in devaluing its currency, to reduce the price of its goods to spur exports and economic growth, be allowed to stand unchallenged?

Japan has put itself in a good position for now. Thanks to the BoJ’s policies, its first quarter 2013 results have been positive. Easy-money-fueled optimism and expectations for more gains in the future led to gains in both private consumption and exports. Though a weaker yen also has the inverse effect of raising import costs, the Japanese economy benefitted overall in its strong first quarter.

Eagle’s global guru, Nicholas Vardy, explained a couple months ago: “The weaker yen makes Japanese exports more competitive and boosts earnings from overseas for the household names among Japanese corporate giants… for every 10 yen the currency weakens against the dollar, profits of exporters would rise by 7% to 10%.”

However, the yen reached the 100-to-the-dollar level much quicker than many observers expected. Such a dramatic change could lead to volatility in the Japanese markets and leave little room for the gradual, steady improvement the BoJ and Abe desire.

To that end, the BoJ has taken action to move investors from safer bonds into equities in an effort to solidify the gains and growth of the Japanese economy. According to an official, “The BoJ is walking a very narrow path trying to engineer a gradual, not a sudden, rise in long-term rates backed by improvements in the economy.”

Others warn of the riskiness of Japan’s current path. “The bond market has been distorted by the BoJ. It’s reliant on central bank purchases more than ever, and a lack of liquidity will keep it vulnerable to sharp swings,” said Masaaki Kano, chief Japan economist at JPMorgan Securities.

Still, Abe has committed to these policies and their pace for the long term. He recently set a goal of tripling Japan’s infrastructure exports and doubling the country’s farm exports by 2020. In addition, he called for increased private investment to sustain and bolster economic gains. It remains to be seen whether or not Japan will manage to achieve these aims.

Whatever the future holds, it is important to remember that Japan, and its success or failure, does not exist in a vacuum. As the weakened yen profits from exports, the stability of Japan’s newfound resurgence depends upon whether others fail to retaliate. With inflation possible in the United States at some point due to the Fed’s own easing policies, the BoJ needs to keep its easing at least on a similar pace to maintain its ideal yen-to-dollar ratio. The question remains: in a world where everyone is trying to eke out profits and growth amid tough times, how much longer can Japan keep ahead of the game?

Matthew Moniz is a contributor to Eagle Daily Investor.

The post How Long Will the Japanese Rally Last? appeared first on Human Events.

But Miller also described the tax system as “voluntary.”  Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) supported him.  Of course, every sane person listening to this drivel immediately declared their desire to un-volunteer.

A sharp-eyed Twitter correspondent, TalkRadio200, spotlighted at Twitchy.com remembered hearing this “voluntary tax system” line before.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) peddled it during an unintentionally hilarious interview with a very patient, but persistent, host named Jan Helfeld in 2008:

It’s a very illuminating exchange that says a lot about the liberal mindset.  (And also the clueless arrogance of Harry Reid, who apparently forgot about the ubiquitous system of paycheck withholding for income taxes in the United States, and scrambles to recover with the hysterically funny claim that withholding is an uncommon practice reserved to certain programs.  It’s impossible for anyone with lick of common sense to watch this part of the conversation without laughing out loud.)

This idea didn’t originate with Reid.  He’s just twisting it into a pretzel of Orwellian socialist rhetoric because he doesn’t want to admit that the government uses force to redistribute income.  Tax preparation software company Turbo Tax offers a concise summary of the voluntary taxation concept:

The nature of the voluntary tax system in the U.S. takes the calculation of taxes owed out of the hands of the federal government. You are responsible as an individual taxpayer to calculate what you owe. You’re expected to voluntarily comply with the tax code by reporting what you owe to the government and paying the entire amount that you owe under the law.

The Internal Revenue Code is the law of the land when it comes to determining your tax liability. While you may be able to take a deduction here or there that’s in a gray area, and you may be able to argue that you have complied with all applicable tax laws, the taxes that you are legally required to pay are outlined in the IRC.

Although the U.S. tax system is voluntary, failure to comply carries stiff penalties. If you under-report your income or overstate your deductions, you’ll face fines and interest charges. If you fail to file a tax return, the IRS will file a substitute return based only on the information it has — meaning you likely won’t receive the benefit of any deductions and will end up paying more tax than you should. The IRS also has the power to levy your bank accounts, garnish your wages and place a lien on your property if you don’t voluntarily pay what you owe. In serious cases, you may even face criminal charges.

In other words, the “voluntary” aspect of taxation is that you’re allowed to figure up your own tax liability, either on your own or by hiring professional assistance.  It has nothing to do with the nature of taxation itself, or your obligation to participate in the system, which is why Reid makes such a fool of himself when he tries to portray American taxation as some kind of free-willed community-spirit activity, compared to the dictatorial income seizures of certain other unspecified governments.  He does eventually get around to an essentially correct definition of “voluntary taxation,” but connoisseurs of the absurd will find much to savor before he gets there.

Socialists love to appropriate the language of free enterprise to cloak their agenda of compulsory income redistribution.  They frequently refer to taxes as “contributions.”  When they want to raise taxes, they describe it as “asking” the targets of class warfare to “pay their fair share.”  Their endless references to “fairness” are meant to portray them as noble seekers of cosmic balance, obeying transcendent principles, rather than greedy politicians hungry to confiscate more loot from the people who earned it.

And when the government spends money, its faithful acolytes sanctify the process by calling it “investment” – which is perverse and ludicrous, because investment is voluntary, and investors suffer the consequences of poor or unlucky decisions, unlike the super-State and its unicorn-powered Treasury printing presses.

Therefore, it’s not surprising to hear these silly efforts to portray the IRS as an operation “customers” would “voluntarily” patronize.  They like to think of the entire bloated central government in those terms, as a loving maternal caretaker and “partner” that just wants to help good people achieve their dreams.  They know what the IRS really is, they understand the obscene amounts of power it commands, and they appreciate the deadly consequences to republican self-government when those powers are abused for political ends.  They just don’t want you thinking about those weighty issues.  Much tyranny can be hidden behind a smiley-face pin.

It would be great if the defenders of liberty could retake the English language from these hooligans, depriving them of a vital tool for herding gullible people down the socialist rat hole.  I’d stay away from playing these little word games with “voluntary taxation” if I were them.  Few of us are gullible enough to swallow that without choking on it.

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Kelly was just getting warmed up.  A few moments later, he was comparing the IRS to the monster under a child’s bed.  When he was done, he received a thunderous standing ovation, which he later said he was “humbled to receive” on Twitter.

Among other things, Kelly says he doubts Barack Obama’s story about learning of the scandal from TV news reports on Friday afternoon.  He wondered why Miller didn’t seem to be outraged at the “huge blow to the faith and trust the American people have in their government” dealt by the IRS scandal.  He said he was more concerned after today’s hearings than he was before.  And he memorably noted that the IRS does not accept the kind of excuses that it’s currently foisting on Congress and the American people.

To give you an idea of what Rep. Kelly and the rest of the Republicans trying to deal with this situation are up against – the Democrats won’t be much help, and frankly America will be lucky if they’re not an active obstacle to the investigation – here’s the moment from today’s hearings that went right into the history books, as Miller incredibly tried to dismiss the outrageous abuse of IRS power as “horrible customer service.”

Rep. Kelly has also joined with Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) to reopen the investigation of General Motors dealership closures.  It has long been suspected that politics figured into the decision about which dealerships would be closed, as those owned by known conservatives were treated much the same way as Tea Party groups looking for tax exemptions from the corrupt IRS.  In fact, this was one of the reasons Kelly ran for Congress – the dealership founded by his father was one of those slated for closure.

“We are troubled by the recent reports from the Treasury Department indicating that the Internal Revenue Service targeted groups for excessive scrutiny on the basis of their political affiliation,” Kelly and Renacci wrote to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Thursday.  ”This news raises serious questions about past decisions made by the Department regarding auto dealership closures that occurred in 2008 and 2009.”

The congressmen asked Lew to provide “all e-mails, phone records, notes, memoranda, reports, and other communications regarding the decision-making process for dealership closures from the Automotive Task Force.”  They also want the names of all officials involved in the decision-making process, the data they used, and records of the meetings they held.

Here’s a little bonus Kelly from yesterday, as he tees off on ObamaCare and the way it “drives a wedge between business owners and their employees.”

The post Rep. Mike Kelly goes nuclear on the IRS appeared first on Human Events.