Last Night's Presidential Forum

A Summary:

Brownback used many words to answer questions and I can't recall a single one of them.

Alan Keyes is black.

Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo...the room seemed colder when they spoke.

Huckabee thinks there's more crime in inner cities because of drug and alcohol problems. Nice Mike.

Ron Paul correctly pointed out that prohibition is not only unwise but unfairly prosecuted against minorities in our justice system. I was not surprised that Ron Paul had the loudest cheers throughout the whole evening from an audience that has probably never cast a vote for a Republican.

Romney, Thompson, Rudy and McCain didn't show up because of a mix of excuses offered that ranged from scheduling conflicts to fear of an inhospitable atmosphere at this traditionally Black College. In my view the forum was a model of civility and all those involved operated within a very high standard of decorum. America needs more forums like this one.

Huckabee is so dumb, I'm not sure he'd be that great of a pastor let alone president.

Non-Medicated Free Association

I headed to downtown Seattle to see Ron Paul and there were lots of Paul supporters down there. I ate at a downtown mall food court and sat next to three people who looked like they were out for a night on the town. Turns out they were Paul supporters as well and were all lifetime Democrats. I spoke with the older woman (probably in her late 60's) and she was hoping to get a copy of Ron Paul's latest book signed. As it turned out the group was pretty normal looking and present were many local mainstream Republicans who I will not identify here.

I recently spoke with someone close to the national campaign and suggested the campaign insist that Rudy and Mitt have their microphones killed while Ron Paul speaks in the next debate. Their childish antics of chuckling, coughing, and making noises during his small time to talk should not be allowed.

Lately I've been amused by the movie Dazed and Confused. I did not count this movie as one that influenced my life because it came out too late though it does make me long for the 70's again. And why I'm not sure. My personal view of drug abuse in particular is one of near zero tolerance. None of my friends take drugs and if they do they know better than to do it around me. It was true even when I played in a band and it is true now. I should point out that in my youth I drank like a thing that drinks alot (choosing fish was too obvious...c'mon)

Went to a high school football game the other night as well. The coach of the home team had just died of cancer and there was a time to honor him and celebrate his life. It's amazing how a community can better express itself just prior to 48 hard-fought minutes on the gridiron. Nice to see the country still has testosterone.

Mike Huckabee is a dolt.

Fred Thompson is an empty shirt if I ever saw one. I used to be optimistic at one point about Republicans that talked about smaller government but now I just feel lied to.

I've often said that LBJ was the worst president in my lifetime and now I know why. He thought that expanding a foreign war and expanding the entitlements here at home would be a good idea and it ended up ushering in a decade of poverty (the 70's). This "Guns and Butter" philosophy is the same prescribed by our current joke of a president and they're both from Texas. LBJ and Dubya are the worst presidents in my lifetime though Bush wins out because he inflicted his damage for two terms.

A friend told me that he discovered a photo of a young woman celebrity that she had taken for her boyfriend yet it magically became available worldwide. The photo was described as the young gal standing in her bedroom with no clothes on. My buddy showed it to another friend and his friend said, "She has a really nice bedroom."

I rode my motorcycle over to Grump's house on what will probably be the last acceptable weather day to do so. He mocked my bike only a little. He'll have Ron Paul yard sign magically appear in his yard.

I learned awhile ago that someone I work with is pregnant. I'm pretty excited for her because I know she'll be a great mom and the world needs more great moms.

I'm trying to come up with an alternate story for what I do for a living. What I do is hard to describe and would only inflict painful boredom on anyone who I attempt to explain it to. I'm thinking of just calling myself a "drifter." and when they ask questions I'll just quote lyrics from the song King of the Road.

There are no homos in Iran in case you didn't know.

Answers to emails I've been flooded with over the last two weeks:

No, I've already met Ron Paul and I just left him alone.

Yes, I was going to go to Uganda this year but will go next year instead.

Good point, but see my Huckabee statement above.

No, I knew the original band members were not together since two of them are DEAD! DUH.

Yes, she does have a nice bedroom...I agree.

New Post Soon

I've been exceedingly busy the last couple of weeks and haven't had time to put words together. I've had a few emails asking me about the Ron Paul visit to Seattle and others asking about different current events...I'll do a digest post similar to my medicated blog posts but this one will be chemical free.

Talk to you soon,
-t

1964 Revisited

An excellent excerpt from Reagan's Rendezvous with Destiny speech in support of Goldwater in 1964. Wouldn't it be great to have a party that still believed in this?

Not too long ago two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, "We don't know how lucky we are." And the Cuban stopped and said, "How lucky you are! I had someplace to escape to." In that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.

You and I are told increasingly that we have to choose between a left or right, but I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism, and regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course...

...You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

I've been pretty busy this week but I'll write to report on the Ron Paul festivities I'll be attending as Dr. Paul visits the Puget Sound area this week.

Aaron Russo Passes

Another great libertarian died this year. Aaron was a promoter for Bette Midler and produced The Rose and Trading Places but I don't hold any of that against him. He is credited as being the one who brought Led Zeppelin to the United States and from the entertainment standpoint...that's how I wish to remember him.

Later in his life he became a great advocate for liberty and energized the LP with his candidacy narrowly losing the nomination in 2004.

Rest in Peace Aaron.

The Associated Press is Dumb.

Found this story yesterday and couldn't believe it. Tried to show it to a friend and they said the story was gone. I still had it on my screen so I took a screenshot of it.



Click on the photo to see the larger image.

The text briefly tells the story of an Iraqi woman who claims two bullets hit her house following a raid by coalition forces. The elderly woman is clearly not a terrorist so the subtext is the injustice of the military exercise. The story attempts to take a cheapshot at the military by showing an elderly Iraqi woman who has been victimized by our troops as our uncaring soldiers recklessly perform raids in and unjust and illegal war.

Now I'm against the war as much as anyone but this story is over-the-top. They at least had the decency to pull the story immediately but I caught them anyway. Notice that the bullets being held by the woman in the photo have never been fired from a gun. So how did they hit her house? Did a coalition soldier throw them at her house? Maybe he was just throwing her some ammunition so she could defend herself.

This story tells me a few things about the Associated Press:

The Associated Press does not check their stories for accuracy. (duh)

No one at the Associated Press has ever owned a gun.

The Associated Press is Dumb.

Can Ron Paul save the marriage?

Since the 2000 general elections, many in the GOP have been frustrated, and at times, very angry at libertarians and in particular with the Libertarian Party. In my own state the Chairman of the local GOP was quoted several times blaming Senator Slade Gorton's loss to Democrat Maria Cantwell on Libertarians.

The GOP head was quoted as saying:

The GOP's Vance theorized that "most people who vote for Libertarians or Greens or any third party candidate are people who hate Democrats and Republicans and are looking for a third party candidate. But I've always thought that in a really close race like Slade Gorton's (2000) race, yes, Libertarians beat us (Republicans). (Credit to the Seattle PI who can count me among the informed citizenry now)

Vance may have been correct in this case as Republican Slade Gorton lost by 2,229 votes while Libertarian Jeff Jared earned 64,734 votes. For the record I voted for Jared and if he had not appeared on the ballot, I would've written myself in or perhaps my cat as "Chairman Meow." (credit to PJ O'Rourke)

Ryan Sager even wrote a book recently entitled The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party. The title of the book is generous to libertarians as they are not nearly powerful enough to battle for control of either the GOP or the Democrat party.

I have heard many on the right chastise libertarians for leaving the marriage and starting a new life as a third party. It's not just pure libertarians that moved out and didn't leave a forwarding address. The spirit-filled paleo-conservatives in the Constitution party have gone too. Among activists these two segments represent about a million voters nationwide which is a considerable voting block considering the narrow margin of victory in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. The only two groups remaining comfortably within the GOP are the Rockefeller Republicans and the Religious Right but even their relationship together is strained as they both rally around the troops to save their union.

Since 1996 in my state alone the GOP has blamed one Senate seat and one Congressional seat on the presence of the Libertarians and Constitution parties. Their claim is that there is room for them in the big tent of the Republican party and there's no need for infighting to result in electing Democrats. In other words: Things will be different if you just move back in with me and the kids, darlin'.

The Ron Paul candidacy has shed some light on what that reception might look like. The state GOP in Iowa not only made sure Ron Paul wasn't invited to a major forum but treated his supporters like outsiders in the Iowa Straw Poll. The straw poll itself is nothing more than a fundraising scheme for the local party where each candidate must buy-in to participate. Paul's candidacy not only bought-in but brought many people who would normally not attend a GOP event. But was there room in the big tent after all?

Polling was done among the leadership of the Iowa GOP to predict the outcome of the Straw Poll. As the chart shows below (credit Yahoo news) they just may have let their own bias impact their predictions unless they seriously thought not a single Ron Paul supporter was going to show up to the straw poll.



The media wing of the GOP (also known as Fox News) in a fair and balanced way decided to report Paul's 5th place finish with 9% in this way:



During the Straw Poll the emcee of the event was Laura Ingraham. While Ron Paul supporters marched in to the arena quite loudly she interrupted her own introduction to quip, "The inmates have left the asylum." For anyone who has listened to her radio show (and I have and usually find her quite funny) you'd know that she meant nothing by the comment but I doubt supporters of Mitt or Rudy would ever be compared to insane people.

So at a party fundraiser which was supposed to attract activists, the grassroots candidate and his supporters were seen as the crazy ones and the candidate who paid for bus rides for his supporter and fed them lunch (essentially buying their votes) was considered to be the celebrated champion of the party establishment. Even Reason magazine observed that the Paul supporters were treated as if they had "pissed in the collective punchbowl."

It may come down to Dr. Ron Paul to save the marriage. If as his support grows he is treated with respect as an activist candidate who tried to steer the direction of his party to save it. If he is continued to be marginalized and his army of supporters cast aside as irrelevant, the marriage will be lost. At that point the only hope of staying together is if the disaffected groups succumb to battered voter syndrome...hoping that if they keep going back eventually things will be different.

Worthless Dollar (UPDATED)

Update: The Fed pumped 35 billion dollars into our monetary system in what is called "liquidity" but to the average Joe it should be known as PRINTING MONEY OUT OF THIN AIR. Seems that the stock market wasn't going to do very well since many banks were taking it in the shorts with all of their sub-prime home lending. So instead of Wall Street actually assuming the risk for their stupidity, you paid for it with a devalued dollar. This monetary system is unsustainable.

Found this quote today in the China Daily:

He Fan, an official at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, went even further today, letting it be known that Beijing had the power to set off a dollar collapse if it choose to do so.

"China has accumulated a large sum of US dollars. Such a big sum, of which a considerable portion is in US treasury bonds, contributes a great deal to maintaining the position of the dollar as a reserve currency. Russia, Switzerland, and several other countries have reduced the their dollar holdings.

"China is unlikely to follow suit as long as the yuan's exchange rate is stable against the dollar. The Chinese central bank will be forced to sell dollars once the yuan appreciated dramatically, which might lead to a mass depreciation of the dollar," he told China Daily.

While the other presidential candidates are spending time establishing whether they're pro-life or pro-choice or if 'don't ask don't tell' is a good policy...we have other nations who are not exactly friendly to us deciding whether or not our money should be worth anything.

It goes without saying that the only candidate on top of this issue is...you guessed it...

...Ron Paul.

Rude is rude.

Last night I went to a bookstore to pick up...you guessed it...A BOOK! I go to bookstores every so often but usually they're a source of frustration. Some of you know, as I have mentioned before, that I have a reading disability. I never check books out of the library because I wouldn't be able to read them without having to check them out several times in a row. That is more of a hassle than it is worth to me.

When I'm in a bookstore I find myself bombarded with letters, different print, and oceans of words. Even looking for a specific book on a shelf can be a problem and it's not too uncommon for me to be found just wandering around trying to find my way.

I found myself in the non-fiction area that was crowded with people and among them was a person in a wheelchair. Some other bookstore customers were very rudely stepping around and in front of this person in the wheelchair like they were furniture. This always angers me as I've always been extra-sensitive to the needs of those with physical limitations. To expand on this with even more boring personal trivia, my mother had polio as a child and has always been greatly limited in regard to mobility. Growing up this made me always aware of people and their handicaps but not in ways you may expect. Most handicapped people adapt fine and ask very little from anyone else except the normal amount of respect earned to another human being.

Once the area had cleared of people I knew I needed to ask for help to find my way around the bookstore. I didn't feel like approaching any of the rude people so I just asked the person in the wheelchair.

"Can you help me? I'm trying to find the autobiographies." I leaned in a bit toward her so she could hear me.

"They're probably with the rest of the biographies." She rolled her eyes as if my question was the dumbest one she had heard all day.

"Yeah, okay. I appreciate your help." I walked away and realized that she was probably the rudest of all the rude people around me. Part of not pandering to the handicapped is allowing them the humanity of being jerks.

Beyond that there is the less-obvious observation that while I was willing to consider her own physical defects she wasn't willing to consider a defect of my own over which I have no power. I stayed polite to her anyway, not because she deserved it but instead because my normal operating procedure is to be exceedingly cordial in public. (Unless I'm in Wisconsin...but perhaps a story for another day) I guess rude is rude and it doesn't matter if there are wheels attached to the chair you park your butt in or not.

I did finally find my book. I wandered over to the cashier and paid for it. Leaving the bookstore I was approached by a skateboarder wanting some coins and a Lyndon LaRouche supporter wanting me to take a periodical. I left them both empty-handed.

Funny Expressions

An expression that has made my mind wander in thought lately is one I often use to describe someone venturing into something new where the consequences and troubles are not yet known.

"It's the pioneers that take the arrows."

The funny part about this statement is that while the pioneers take the arrows, it's those that come after the pioneers who no longer have to take the arrows because apparently the arrow slinging folk either are out of arrows or are all dead...or have since opened casinos.

Maybe "trailblazing" is a better term.

Security Moms and Black Helicopters

Recently I had a discussion with a group of libertarians that was for me very frustrating. In the case of many in the conversation it was clear that their isolation from reality had led to what I call the "Dungeons and Dragons view of politics." In this group a sub-discussion had broken out about whether Ron Paul was a libertarian or merely a paleoconservative.

Even after this more discussions broke out with each person involved announcing what particular subsidiary of libertine thought of which they considered themselves a part. In other words some were Orcs, some were Rogues, and still others Paladins. These discussions can often be normals in certain circles of libertarians. But much like D&D weirdos all I can do is restrain myself from starting a punchfest. Now I know how my dad felt when he talked to John Birchers.

The New York Times magazine is doing a piece this Sunday on Ron Paul of which most I've already read in advance. It paints a view that Ron's supporters are basically a loosely organized group of the people and views I described in the previous paragraph. Whackos. Fringe.

I'm in partial agreement with this notion of the whacko support but this oversimplification is even a stretch for the New York Times. Like all groups of Americans, they are more complex than they appear and with Ron Paul's supporters it goes far beyond Federal Reserve conspiracies, black helicopters, and one world government.

That said, it really bothers me what is considered mainstream thought among "normal" citizens when it comes to political thought. I remember during the 2004 race when "security moms" were seen as a segment society that both Bush and Kerry had to win. It was seen as important and normal for both of these candidates to use rhetoric to simply make these "security moms" feel better. Whoever had the plan that made them feel secure would get their vote.

So while there are real problems in this country that need to be discussed, it's the "whackos" that dare to address them while the "normal" citizens simply want to feel secure.

Whacko subjects:

Sound Money
Unmanageable domestic obligations (entitlements)
Unfairness of the Income Tax
International military intervention
The failed war on drugs

Normal Subjects:

Flag burning
Minimum wage
Which government managed health care plan is best?
Are you pro-choice or pro-life?
Same sex marriage

You'll notice that in large part the "normal subjects" are matters that don't impact the average person's life but are instead simple enough for everyone to have an opinion. These subjects serve as distractions and enrage your everyday sensibilities. They know you care deeply about these subjects personally so they'll talk about them even though these politicians can do little to make a substantive difference regarding them.

This coming year politicians will be spending millions of dollars doing polling to find out what angers you, scares you, or makes you feel insecure so they will know how to scare you with ghost stories about their opponent. While all this is going on, the whackos will be discussing real political subjects between games of D&D and World of Warcraft.

My favorite drifter

A year ago I got off my motorcycle and was getting ready to go into a grocery store when I was approached by a drifter. This drifter was in his early 20's and was soft spoken and had what seemed like a pretty gentle spirit.

"Can you help me?" he asked. I asked him what he needed help with. I'm not against helping anyone in need.

"My girlfriend and I are homeless and she's sick." A reasonable enough request really though you'll have to pardon me, I'm a bit of a skeptic.

I asked him where his girlfriend was and he told me they were staying in a motel off of Highway 99. The next thing I wanted to know was what was wrong with her.

"Uh, I don't know." He replied. This was not the answer I was looking for but one I half expected.

So I spoke plainly to him:

"Look dude, maybe I can help you but you have to cut the bullshit for a minute, okay?" He nodded and said he would.

He then told me that he and his girlfriend were homeless and had a lot of problems and all he needed was cash. I asked him if he planned to buy drugs with it. He said he did not do drugs. I told him it was too bad because I had some and was willing to give them to him. (a complete lie) He then sounded interested all of a sudden. So while I had his attention I gave him some advice.

I told him that I had problems and I had money. I asked him why my problems hadn't gone away...after all I had a bank account. He thought about it and said "I guess everyone has problems."

I told him I wasn't going to give him money because it wouldn't solve his problems and it wouldn't solve mine. He then stood there waiting for me to give him drugs (that I didn't have) and I finally said, "You're not getting any drugs either, not from me." He respectfully walked away and thanked me for my time. This man was probably the coolest transient I've met.

Just last week I ran into him again in front of the same store and this time he was with his girlfriend. He was asking shoppers for money and then he saw me.

"I'm sorry to bug you again but could you help us." He obviously remembered me from a year ago. Here we both were again. Not much had changed apparently in either of our lives. He was still trying to score some cash for a bag and I was still buying corndogs at the grocery deli.

I told him that I really didn't feel like giving him any money as I didn't think it would solve any of his troubles. "That's what he told me last time. " He said leaning toward his girlfriend. He clearly remembered what I told him. He thanked me and took off.

Last night I was taking boxes of books to a used bookstore in another town and trading them in for store credit. When I came out of the store there was my favorite homeless guy. He came up to me to bum cash and finally recognized me.

"Why do I keep running into you?" He asked.

"Maybe I'm someone you should really listen to." I told him.

"I know." He chuckled a little bit and walked off. He passed by several other people without bumming.

Next time I see him I'll probably just punch him.

Pop Music Planet Savers

I thought about a long blog for this but I can't even justify expelling the energy from my fingers to do it.

I saw the video of Madonna (fake guitar playing and all) yelling at the crowd:

"Jump up and down if you want to save the planet! C'mon you mother****ers!"

I'm embarassed for her and everyone else who was associated with it.

To quote Dr. Evil from the first Austin Powers movie:

"There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster."

From the Low Hanging Fruit Department

Presidential Candidates In First Ever Gay Debate

365Gay.com reports that "For the first time the leading candidates for the presidency will hold a televised debate devoted solely to LGBT issues. "

I'm confused. All the presidential debates so far already seemed pretty gay to me.

(badooom tshhhh!)

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Enjoy the buffet and please everyone tip your wait staff.

Good night!

Ron Paul Revolution

In February I mentioned that Ron Paul was running for president. Since then I've resisted blogging about his campaign until it was justifiably newsworthy. On a daily basis I bore Grump with details about Paul's campaign and he is a good sport letting me vent my enthusiasm and has only told me to shut up a dozen times or so. Up to now Ron Paul's campaign has been growing but only now would I consider it truly newsworthy.

Ron Paul's videos on YouTube were being viewed more than any other candidate and he had more friends on his MySpace page than any other GOP candidate. These two facts withstanding everyone was still pretty sure that this obscure, unheard of Congressman from Texas did not have any true supporters with blood in their veins.

During the first three debates the host networks held unscientific polls in different ways and Ron Paul won all three. This was dismissed as "trickery" by all three networks claiming that Ron Paul's internet support consisted merely of phantoms in an echo chamber. In other words nothing that would impact the real world or would make an impact in the GOP primaries. Ron Paul's libertarian views were all that were necessary to push him off to the fringe and he would bow out quickly as a footnote in the race.

Only that didn't happen.

What happened instead was that Ron Paul arrived at the 3rd debate in New Hampshire to find that hundreds of his supporters carrying signs (from a local Ron Paul organization unaffiliated with the campaign) had come out in force to support the candidate. CNN and others didn't know what to make of disproportionate amount of support shown for Dr. Paul outside the hall where the debate was held.


Because Ron Paul is the only GOP candidate against the war in Iraq (and has been from the beginning) many in the party have tried to remove him from future events and forums. The chairman of the GOP in Michigan started an online petition to have Ron Paul removed from future debates that did manage about one hundred signatures. A counter-petition was started to expose this party officer that collected over 14,000 signatures in 24 hours. The chairman also mentioned that the phone lines at the GOP office in Michigan were overwhelmed and eventually shut down (as well as their email server) and he stopped answering his cell phone and home phone. Apparently the internet phantoms were angered.

Then in June phantom supporters were contacting the Ron Paul campaign and asked why Dr. Paul was not attending a candidate forum hosted by Iowans for Tax Relief and Iowa Christian Alliance. The campaign was initially convinced that they had misplaced the invitation so calls went out to the host organizations to let them know that Dr. Paul was interested in coming. This is when it became known that Ron Paul was deliberately not invited. The reason cited was that he did not have a significant amount of organization in Iowa to be considered a viable candidate.

In response to this the Ron Paul campaign organized a rally to celebrate "Life and Liberty" in the convention room next door to the candidate forum. They worked quickly because they only had one week to put the event together. What resulted was a packed room of over 1000 people. (which outdrew the original candidate forum) In fact the video at this link shows in a humerous way how much larger Ron Paul's footprint was in that convention center.

Finally the biggest news to date was broken this weekend by ABC News as Ron Paul released his fundraising figures for this last quarter and it was reported that Ron Paul now has more cash-on-hand than John McCain (around 2.5 million dollars on hand). McCain will eventually supplement his campaign with federal money (read: YOUR MONEY WHETHER YOU SUPPORT HIM OR NOT) but Dr. Paul's fundraising has come primarily from individuals as he has already indicated predictably that he will not take federal money for his campaign even though election laws allow it.

Eventually the number of candidates will dwindle from the ten major candidates to just a few. Those like Tommy Thompson, Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback will eventually drop out to allign themselves with a winner in order to preserve a cabinet post or perhaps invest in some political capital for themselves later. None of these candidates have a groundswell of support and none of them will shape the views of the party in the years to come. Supporting Ron Paul may not produce him as the nominee but you may end up with a new political base in America that believes that the federal government has no role in your wallet, your bedroom, or the internal affairs of other nations. That in my opinion is what his candidacy will do...give true hope for America.

Independence Day

Like Cinco de Mayo the use of '4th of July' as the colloquial substitute for the holiday has seen the meaning watered down. How much though I'm not able to tell.

Independence Day is my favorite holiday without exception. In my town I get up and go see the kids parade followed by the grand parade and then I go watch a pretty fair Revolutionary War reenactment at a local park. Where I live (Greater Seattle Metropolitan area) people still understand what Independence Day is...to some degree. I'd imagine in the heartland this is even more true.

An example of misunderstanding Independence Day on a smaller scale come from when I remember hearing Rosie O'Donnel speak about the 2nd amendment. Before you read further don't think this is just some right-wing target practice on an overweight, lesbian blowhard...not everything Rosie says is insane.

Rosie said that she felt the 2nd Amendment wasn't really a right but instead was written for colonial times so that patriots could use their arms to protect themselves from the British. The quote is below:

"I think the Second Amendment is in the Constitution so that we can have muskets when the British people come over in 1800."

One of my great problems with this understanding of the 2nd Amendment is that it is a fundamental misunderstanding of the war for independence. When colonists took up arms against the British, they were taking up arms against their own country, not foreign occupiers. The war was against an unjust government that had placed taxes and restrictions on their lives without the proper representation in parliament to have their grievances heard. When these acts of tyranny were placed on the 13 colonies only force would result. Whether it be force from the government to collect taxes and enforce restrictions or force on the part of the colonists to throw back the oppression.

I could bore you with tons of quotes from the Federalist Papers on the original intent of the 2nd amendment. The consensus among the founding fathers was that the protection of free individuals was their own responsibility. This protection was against any government that raised a standing militia against its people.

Incidentally if you remember the Clinton administration's liberal use of standing militias against the people (DEA, ATF, NSA, et al) you'll understand the proper use of the 2nd amendment.

The misunderstanding of this amendment and many others comes from a misunderstanding of Independence Day. When we call it the 4th of July I wonder how much of the meaning is lost over time to newer generations responsible for upholding the freedoms we are supposedly guaranteed. I quote the late Harry Browne:

Most of us care only about the rights and freedoms that affect our own lives. People who don’t own guns can easily believe that reducing gun ownership will save lives without inconveniencing them in any way. Politicians are particularly prone to this attitude. Most of them work in buildings with heavy security; many of them have armed chauffeurs and armed escorts. So they don’t feel imposed upon when restrictive gun laws prevent average citizens from defending themselves.

All of our rights come with risks and when abused can cause serious problems. In the long run protecting all of our rights (even the ones we aren't' currently using) will protect the ones we use and protect our liberty. So let the 4th of July come and go but celebrate Independence everyday.

A dumb school logo

Tomorrow night I'm attending a high school commencement exercise also popularly known as a graduation. I happen to like graduation ceremonies and always have. I like the sense of achievement that is celebrated but I also know that just about everything that is achieved in high school means nothing. Even as I look back on my own high school graduation I'm able to remember many great memories and consider it a worthwhile moment in my life.


Anyway this graduation is at Arlington High School. Arlington is a small town north of Seattle along the freeway. When I looked at the logo of the school on the invitation I couldn't help but think I'd seen it before. It looked far too familiar to be merely a logo of an obscure high school.

I did some thinking and then discovered where I remember it. Below is the school's logo.

I'd like to add that the mascot of 'Eagle' is the most used mascot in the United States and isn't very original. I would go so far to call this logo lame but there is at least one corporation in the United States that makes a great deal of money from this logo. Below is their version.

This logo is of course the one used by Anheuser-Busch Companies known primarily for Budweiser Beer. The similarities are impossible to ignore.

I have some suggestions for the school to use their logo as an opportunity to get rid of their lame nickname and replace it with something more appropriate for their brand identity.

1. Arlington - The Cool, Refreshing High School

2. Arlington - The King of Schools

3. Arlington - When you've said lame mascot, you've said it all.

4. Arlington - Waaaazuuuuup? Doin' my homework...reading a book...

Before you email me and complain that I'm endorsing beer drinking in a post related to a high school I'd like to point out that I didn't choose the similar logo. I didn't pick their lame mascot. I didn't say anyone under the age of 21 should drink beer let alone Budweiser. Keep it in perspective please.

Normal updates coming

I won't go into too many details about the slowdown in updates except to say that I've been to four funerals in seven weeks. This is a unique time in my life that requires careful reflection and blogging updates have come slowly as a result.

Thank you for understanding.

One year ago

It was one year ago today that my family was struck with some tragedy. My niece's husband was killed when he was the victim of a hit and run. His body was found at the end of the street where they lived as he was walking home from a nearby restaurant/bar. He was celebrating after having just received a raise from work.

Here is an update on what has gone on over the last year:

The guy who did it plead guilty and the judge gave him the maximum sentence without time served. He's likely to see jail for around four years.

Every other week I've noticed the local news report of someone killed or injured due to a hit and run. I'm angered that the laws in my state and around the nation focus attention on what people do to themselves rather than on what people do to each other.

My niece has had ups and downs but I would summarize that this year has been difficult for her and she has not always adjusted well. She hides alot of sadness sometimes.

My grandniece is doing great and is a wonderful little girl. Her big challenges are a bit ahead of her yet.

Two days after it all happened I made a call out on my main website and this blog for people to help. She had a great deal of bills to pay and the young couple were only getting started in life. They were living with my sister to get on their feet financially and had some savings though not enough to cover immediate costs.

My niece began receiving checks, gifts, and notes of encouragement from all over the country and a few from other countries as far as New Zealand. Several thousand dollars rolled in because of your loving kindness. The bills did get paid and while the checks have been cashed I know she was strengthened by the cards and letters that she received.

Just about a month ago I was dealt with another blow as a guy I've known for about 11 years was killed in a freak accident that involved wheels from a tractor trailer coming off and crushing the side of the van where he was sitting. He left behind his wife and four month old daughter in a profoundly sad and similar situation. After hearing of this my niece wanted the address of the widow to pay forward a tiny bit of the incredible generosity you all extended to her.

I know this blog is a place for my stupid commentary, bunker ramblings, and political thoughts from a classical liberal perspective. I share odd facts, weird dreams, thoughts on holidays and use the word 'ass' to describe things. But when I took a minute to offer a chance to help I was overwhelmed by your response.

When I started this blog I only wanted to keep an active place to write everyday or as often as possible but I have received far more than I had bargained for. You all have my sincere thanks for visiting, reading and participating.

The Illegal Immigrants and the Original American Dream

Lots of talking about immigration this week. I've heard the following statement more than a few times in the last few days:

No one is suggesting we can deport 12 million people. We need to get them a legal status so they can pay taxes and be documented.

Wait a minute. Are you telling me that 12 million people came here from another country and were willing to cross the desert just to be able to work even without a social safety net?

I have an idea:

Instead of documenting illegal immigrants why not make the rest of us more like THEM? I'd like to be an undocumented American. Perhaps if I could become a Mexican citizen I could come here illegally and actually live the original American dream.

Think about that the next time your local politican goes on and on about building a wall to keep them out.