When the swine flu “pandemic” initially broke out I chastised the main stream media for participating in fear-mongering. I even introduced this t-shirt into the Rotting Nation store.

It seems like Congressman and, more importantly, Doctor Ron Paul has a similar opinion calling the swine flu a non-event. He also noted the 1976 swine flu scare when a vaccine was created under the purview of Congress that killed more people than those that died from the swine flu itself. Dr. Paul was one of only two Congressmen to vote against the bill.

Watch the video here:

Rand Paul, son of the libertarian leaning Republican congressman Ron Paul, is running for the Kentucky Senate seat and he needs your help. The goal, according to a link on Rand Paul’s facebook page, is it to get 10,000 people to donate $100 each for a total of $1 mil. The event is similar to Ron Paul’s Nov. 5 money-bomb, which garnered attention for his campaign in the presidential primary.

You don’t have to be a Kentucky resident to donate, so head over to randpaul2010.com and donate. I know, times are tough, but even if you can’t donate $100 any amount would really be great. If you can spare $25, it might be worth it.

A message from Rand:

Rapper Beanie Siegel was arrested in New Jersey for possession of marijuana while on his way to a show.

California wildfires have been allegedly linked to marijuana growers. Something like 70 percent of all marijuana plants seized by the US government are found on public land. Maybe if the plant was legal to grow and sell we wouldn’t have this problem. It would more likely be grown in a safer environment where the farmers are not forced to build outdoor camp fires to cook food. The farmers would also own the property they were growing on, so they would be more likely to keep it safe.

Two Honolulu police officers were caught in Las Vegas smoking marijuana in a parked van.

Walnut Creek, California, a community located almost 20 miles east of Oakland, is freaking out over it’s first medical marijuana dispensary application. After realizing the town had no restrictions to stop such an establishment, the city council called for a 45-day moratorium on marijuana dispensaries while they figure out what to do. My prediction? The council will take the time to find some obscure rule/law or permit violation and deny the dispensary.

Another insanely rich and successful person has admitted to smoking marijuana. This time it is Brad Pitt. You can add him to the long list of celebrities, athletes, politicians, musicians and presidents who have admitted to smoking the stuff in the past.

Washington Post article calls for the legalization of drugs.

Speaking of prohibition, it would be a bad idea to ban Salvia Divinorum.

At a recent “Town Hall Meeting” in Portsmouth New Hampshire a man was spotted open-carrying a loaded fire arm on his lower leg. The main stream media, particularly MSNBC, was shocked and appalled by this. “How could a man be allowed to exercise his second amendment right”, they seemed to be asking.

Some notable facts: The man was on the private private property of a church and the owners of that property knew he was there and permitted his presence. Obama was going to be at a near by high school hours later. Also, open-carry is legal in New Hampshire and the firearm was registered correction: guns do not have to be registerd in NH and this one was not. MSNBC got this wrong. Law enforcement was aware of his presence and the crowd did not seem to be bothered. Only the media was making a big deal out of the situation.

Some reactions from MSNBC pundits. Notice how they pull the race card:

The man was later identified as William Kostric. He was later interviewed on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews. Personally I think Kostric did a great job of disarming the notoriously hotheaded Matthews. He got his viewpoint out there without raising his voice and without allowing Matthews to step all over him.

I will let Kostric speak for himself on the reasons why he decided to open carry at the event:

The Young Americans For Liberty were holding a protest in D.C. when the cops were sent to break them up. See what happens here:

Make sure you watch to the end so you can see the vehicle that was sent out. This is your tax dollars hard at work.

Ron Paul’s new book End the Fed has just been made available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

One reviewer says: “Everyone must read this book — Congressmen and college students, Democrats and Republicans — all Americans. The Federal Reserve, which serves private banks, has compromised our economy and is undermining our freedom. It can and must be stopped now. Ron Paul shows us how and why we must end the Fed. Read this book!”

From the description: “Most people think of the Fed as an indispensable institution without which the country’s economy could not properly function. But in END THE FED, Ron Paul draws on American history, economics, and fascinating stories from his own long political life to argue that the Fed is both corrupt and unconstitutional.”

I also recomend Thomas Wodds’ Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse to read while you wait for End the Fed.