The Friday Morning Roar!Rick Perry & Chuck Hagel Start the Fearmongering Over ISIS Rick Perry, fresh off his 2nd Amendment rights being stripped, has taken the stage to fan the flames of domestic panic over the terrorist group known as ISIS. He's not alone, however, as Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has also jumped on the bandwagon following the brutal and barbaric beheading of American journalist James Foley this week.Perry:

“They need to be eliminated, and they need to be eliminated now,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said of the  growing threat of the Islamic State, a “terrorist army” formerly known as ISIS rampaging through Iraq.

Video at the Daily SignalHagel:

Evidence is pretty clear. When we look at what they did to Mr Foley and threatend to do to all Americans and Europeans. There is no other way to describe it but barbaric. They have no standard of decency of responsible human behavior. They are an imminent threat to every interest we have."

Videos of Hagel can be seen at Zerohedge.comIt's tragic this man died, who was in the media and thus to be left unharmed, as is understood by international wartime standards. He deserved better. Typically terrorists don't play by the rules set out by countries with standing armies and large-scale wars. There is no defending this act, but there is ample evidence explaining it, stemming from the U.S. attack in and occupation of Iraq, as well as ongoing interventions to destabilize the region when the U.S. administration doesn't like the leadership in place. This is the epitome of blowback, and it often harms the civilians far more than the military forces that instigated it.That being said, the US apparently did try to rescue Foley, however failed to do so. And this is where the conversation should more or less end. The U.S. rightly tried to save him, could not, but will attempt to protect its citizens on the ground there more thoroughly. What should not be taken up is another jihad against the jihadi, which will only result in more bloodshed, the proliferation of terrorists and trillions more taxpayer dollars thrown into a quagmire. See:  Afghanistan (and of course Iraq).Our old pal Dick Cheney also pulled the war drums out of the closet, and said that terrorist activity had doubled in the region over the past 10 years. And what has happened over the last 10 years? That's right! Rampant American occupation and nation building. What a coincidence.These politicians want to alarm the public, draw attention away from the problems of the interior, which are many, and point our eyes and ears at the enemy that is barely relevant. Yes, this horrible act occurred, but to claim that ISIS is going to march/swim/fly over here and cause massive deaths is ridiculous. Not to mention the revelation that the U.S. actually helped to train ISIS in Jordan to help them overthrow the regime in Syria. Add another Jihadi Freinemy to the list!It's an excuse to continue to crush our liberties, abuse us in airports and fund the crony capitalist military-industrial complex.Don't buy the hype. If they want this type of barbarism against Americans to end, they would quit Empire-building in the region.Chinese Police Bust Jackie Chan's Son For Pot; Faces Jail Time & Possible ExecutionSadly, we have another story of how the War on Drugs can and does ruin lives. But this time, in China! For all the differences the Chinese government has with our American government, they do agree on some things and drug warring is one of them.Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee, who is fairly prominent in the Chinese entertainment industry as an actor and singer (because every celebrity child is a singer), was arrested with another friend for possessing marijuana - roughly 100 grams. From Kotaku:

Both younger Chan and Ko can and probably will be charged and punished for drug consumption. It's implied that consumption carries a lesser punishment compared to possession. A police statement, however, says that younger Chan is currently held for suspicions of harbouring suspected drug users. Younger Chan may face anywhere from mandatory rehab to three years in prison for the hundred grams of marijuana police found. During CCTV's broadcast they mention that the Younger Chan can face other charges including selling drugs. Drug dealing in China is technically an executable offense.

China has executed convicts over drug related offenses in the past. China doesn't release individual data over the amounts of drugs they were carrying. Traditionally, China executes drug offenders on the UN's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. According to AFP, China executed six people in 2010 over drug dealing related cases.

Well, it's nice that they have an official day for it. Maybe the Premier of China pardons one drug offender every International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, just like Obama does with Turkeys on Thanksgiving.

It's hard to say what China will do here. It certainly wouldn't want throw the book at one of its most marketable exports and a living legend within the country. Jackie has already thrown his son under the bus, presumably to curry favor and get him a lighter sentence. It wouldn't be surprising to see them really go after the other friend, Ko, to set an example.

An execution likely won't happen, as there are too many international eyes watching this one. Whatever the final result of this, however, it highlights the terrible assaults on liberty that accompany the War on Drugs, both domestically and abroad.

Almost Half U.S. On Government Handouts 

CNS News has tallied up the latest available census reports in the U.S. and the numbers aren't pretty. According to government statistics, roughly half the country, or 49.5% of the populace is on some sort of government welfare.

The 153,323,000 total benefit-takers at the end of 2012, said the Census Bureau, equaled 49.5 percent of the population. The 150,026,000 taking benefits other than veterans’ benefits equaled about 48.5 percent of the population.

Michael Suede of LibertarianNews.org adds some additional numbers to the mix:

Keep in mind those figures don’t count the people who make their living as a parasite on the productive class.  According to 2012 data, there are 4.3 million federal employees and 3.7 million full time state employees.  I’d wager that each one of those probably consumes the value of three welfare recipients.Those numbers also don’t count state government pensioners who may not yet be collecting socialist security.

We may have reached the point of no return, wherein so many people in this country are dependent on the government and thus inspired to vote as a block to keep the gravy train coming, that it is virtually impossible to stop the bleeding. A true Welfare State.The only problem is, there isn't enough revenue to keep this up, and the government money-addicted masses will soon find themselves without the aid they have come to rely on as they sit in their Lay-Z Boys and eat Fritos bought with EBT cards. And that's when the @$&* will hit the fan.Of course, this ignores the fact the real recipients of welfare in this country are the crony capitalists, who rig the economy through favorable regulations, cartellize entire industries, and inhibit opportunities for individuals to create their own wealth. This is what must ultimately change for people to lift themselves out of the serf class.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!