National's Tony Ryall is about to introduce his private members bill to revamp the the Proceeds of Crimes Act 1991. He says, "We want to make convicted drug dealers and gangs show ALL their property has been acquired through legal means, or we'll take it off them."

"Not only does Tony show total ignorance of the 'burden of proof' concept --a dangerous oversight in a Justice spokesman -- he also appears to be suffering a bad case of envy" says Libertarianz spokesman Lindsay Mitchell. "When describing one gang's property and holdings exceeding $10m, he expostulates, ' If they can't prove it's clean money, then the Crown should confiscate it !'"

"What he refuses to acknowledge is that it is only the enforced illegality of drugs that pushes up their value and desirability as a commodity. It is existing laws that provide lucrative livelihoods for those prepared to 'risk and speculate'. These traders are not forcibly removing dollars from the pockets of their customers, like Tony's colleagues do. They receive money voluntarily given by customers who voluntarily buy."

"Its a laughable hypocrisy, that the IRD heavies -- well-versed in the business of coercively extracting "something for nothing" -- should be empowered to confiscate property and holdings acquired through consensual means. It may be legal but its certainly not moral."

"The prohibition of drugs is a relatively recently introduced experiment which is FAILING," says Mitchell. "If Tony really wanted to disempower gang culture he would advocate an end to the illegality of drugs, which simply pushes up profits to thugs who deal in illegality. Libertarianz would outflank the thugs by repealling all laws dealing with victimless 'crimes,' and they would stop jailing and fining individuals for exercising their right to hold sovereignty over their own bodies." ends Lindsay Mitchell.

It's Enough to Make You Vote Libertarianz!

ENDS For further information please contact: Lindsay Mitchell Liberatarianz Spokesman (04) 562 7944, Dandl.Mitchell@clear.net.nz

* LIBERTARIANZ * More Freedom * Less Government *

www.libertarianz.org.nz www.freeradical.co.nz

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>