Coming Soon To A Bus Stop Near You

From the people who brought you pat downs and feel ups at the airport comes a new travesty. The TSA has decided that bus stops in the Mid-West and across the nation should be graced with their groping and rights violating presence. Indianapolis looks like a good place to start, too.

(Indianapolis) -- Transportation Security Agents are stepping-up their visibility in Indianapolis. They have begun security screening for bus riders. TSA officers were stationed at the IndyGo bus stop at Capitol and Market Thursday morning checking passengers as they boarded the buses. Officials say the added security was not a reaction to any threats. The airport-style security checks actually started Wednesday at Ohio and Meridian. It appears no one was denied access to the buses although several knives were found discarded at the bus stop.

The sad thing is that altogether too many people submitted to this and some even went so far as to throw away pocket knives before they were searched. I cannot help but wonder what the TSA reaction would have been had I been a passenger on that bus and they'd found my trusty .45 ACP strapped on? What kind of alarm bells would have been set off for someone like me who was exercising their lawful right to carry a concealed weapon?

Thank goodness I'm never going to find out. I drive my own vehicle wherever I wish and do not contribute to the mass transit delusion. I can only imagine that these checkpoints will spread over time and everyone will become complacent about the ever encroaching security state being foisted upon us by governmental entities such as TSA and Homeland Security. CCTV cameras on every corner and random ID checkpoints will become the norm and very few voices will be raised against it. The police state is growing and the people behind this know that if they can get Americans in the heartland to go along with it, then it will be a done deal.

Given the number of issues currently besetting the people in Indiana, (like out of control property taxes, new taxes, rampant crime, etc) it is no wonder that the TSA chose now to start their little program. Like most governmental cancers we can expect to see this one spread.

So, get ready folks. Here it comes and very, very few will raise a stink about. Certainly not Republicans or Democrats, this is their idea of a wet dream. Perhaps the Indiana Libertarians will speak out, if anyone cares to listen. My guess is that this will grow into a full fledged, permanent event that will spread throughout the state. Checkpoints will likely be next, and considering that Indiana just did away with seat belt checkpoints the cops are champing at the bit for something new to do. This seems tailor made for people who like to stop other people going about their business. I am reminded more and more of my years in South Africa during the Apartheid era. I never thought I'd see the day come when I could make that sad comparison while living in the States.

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TSA, Police State, Indianapolis, Libertarian, Homeland Stupidity

No Fear

Many people in Indiana are upset today, just as they were upset yesterday and in the days preceding. You see, taxes of all sorts have gone up in this state. Property taxes are the main culprit, tho. Some homeowners and businesses have seen as much as a 150% increase in their taxes. The odds are pretty good that there will be a number of seizures, due to failure to pay and other people shall have to sell their homes, just so they can live elsewhere without the state bankrupting them. This is especially true for the elderly on fixed incomes.

There are numerous people calling upon politicians to "do something". Unfortunately, the politicians already "did" something. They spent lots of money and raised taxes. Then they recessed, went out for a few drinks and had a good laugh. It was just business as usual and, regardless of the letters to the editors, the calls, the outrage and protests it will remain business as usual tomorrow. The bureaucrats and politicians do not care what we think. All they care about is funding their cancerous growth.

All the protests in the world will do no good. Why? Because the politicians and their lackeys have no fear. They don't fear the people of Indiana and they don't fear being turned out of office. They know that they'll be replaced by someone who holds government in high esteem and who will continue to see to its growth and "well being". The legislators do not fear losing their part time jobs and the petty bureaucrats who actually run the day to day operations are immune from job loss, (unless they anger their masters). Like most cancers, they are firmly entrenched and unlikely to be treated as cancers should be treated. By excision.

They. Just. Don't. Care. There is no incentive for them to change their ways and cease bankrupting the people of this state. And I do not blame them. My ancestors fought a war against the greatest military power in the world and beat it. All for a paltry 2-3% tax increase. Yet, we routinely accept 30-50% taxation as a matter of course and are meekly subservient to those who impose it upon us. No-one in this state, or the country is willing to instill the necessary fear into the hearts of the politicians and their bureaucrats, so that they will leave us alone. Taxes continue to rise, and shall do so for years to come, while government continues to grow.

I truly feel for the people who are going to lose their homes and businesses. My property taxes went up, too. It is likely that they will go up again next year. Why? Because they have no fear of repercussions for their continued spending and taxing. They, unlike taxpayers are fearless. They sit in their offices and laugh at the very people whom they "serve", protected by their armed guards and the certain knowledge that they are firmly in control and shall remain so for the foreseeable future. They, unlike the homeowners facing these property tax bills have no fear. Some tables need to be turned. Others need to be kicked over.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." - Claire Wolfe

Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Indiana, Taxation

Federal Tentacles

Well, today is the day that new "security" rules are being imposed at the Indiana State Capitol. They have added metal detectors, x-ray machines and now forbid those of us who legally carry weapons from entering our government complex. Legislators and judges are exempt from this rule, tho. Apparently those who steal massive amounts of money via taxation, legislation and imposed punitive fines are more trustworthy than the people who have paid for their license, gone through the background check and carry their weapons on a daily basis.

Why is this? The simplest explanation is the most likely. They do not trust us and never have and this is just the latest example of their disdain for the people of this state. The banning of legally carried arms at the Statehouse should have been a non-issue for anyone, given that there has NEVER been an incident that would lead anyone to believe that there was a need for such a ban. So where did this new rule come from? Not from the legislature, as we have constantly heard since they first announced it. Not from the Governors office, where armed civilians have met with the "leader" of this state, in the past. No, it came from the bureaucracy, in the form of the Indiana Counter-Terrorism and Security Council. Who's ever geard of these nitwits and why are they infringing on our rights?

One truism in finding out the root cause of most things is to "follow the money". He who has the money makes the rules and in this case the money for this taking of rights comes from your unfriendly neighbourhood Department of Homeland Security. Yep. The federal government has decided that the Indiana Statehouse should be gifted with money to be earmarked for "safety".

Since 1888 Indiana's capitol has been an open house for the people of the state. That will no longer be the case, now that the safety patrol has arrived. Despite the fact that there has never been any kind of serious security incident, it is now expedient for the powers that be to seal off once opened doors and to disarm the good people of this state who would visit the people whom they elected to run things. How sad that some nameless and faceless committee is allowed to do this.


Even sadder is that the likely motivator behind this is the Federal government and their Department of Homeland Security. They gave the money for this project, which likely would not have been undertaken otherwise and set the parameters under which the money could be used. Like most government drones that are given money someone in the bureaucracy suddenly felt motivated to "do something". That something was to disarm the peaceful, law abiding people who would visit their Statehouse. Disgusting.

They, the people running things at the Statehouse, don't trust us. They never have and likely never shall. Just remember, folks. Distrust is a two way street and we now know how you and your DHS masters feel about us. Don't blame us when we act accordingly.

Technorati Tags:
Indiana, 2nd Amendment, Politics, Libertarian

Idaho Opts Out Of REAL ID

Idaho's legislature has passed House Joint Memorial 3 and rejected participation in the REAL ID Act, according to the ACLU and the Idaho legislatures bill status site. The battle wasn't a very hard fought one, either. Kudos to the politicians in Idaho who have decided that a national ID card is a bad idea on many different fronts.

On a vote of 19 to 14, the State Senate today approved House Joint Memorial 3. The State House of Representatives had approved the bill unanimously on February 20. While the bill does not require the signature of Idaho Governor Butch Otter, he has also been a vocal critic of the Real ID Act.

The bill states in part that Idaho, "shall enact no legislation nor authorize an appropriation to implement the provisions of the Real ID Act in Idaho, unless such appropriation is used exclusively for the purpose of undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the costs of implementing the Real ID Act or to mount a constitutional challenge to the act by the state Attorney General."

In other REAL ID related news the Arizona Republic is reporting that Arizona's State Senate is set to approve Senate Bill 1152 which says, in plain and easily understandable English that Arizona will not be participating in the REAL ID Act.

“Section 1. Title 28, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 28-336, to read:

28-33628-336. REAL ID act; implementation prohibited

This state shall not participate in the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005. The department shall not implement the REAL ID act of 2005 and shall report to the governor and the legislature any attempt by agencies or agents of the United States DEPARTMENT of homeland security to secure the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005 through the operations of that department.”

Sadly, no penalties are mentioned for government entities who attempt to "secure implementation of the REAL ID Act" other than reporting them to the legislature or the government. I think a lengthy prison sentence would be appropriate, perhaps busting rocks out in the desert would be a fitting penalty.

Other states are also poised to join Maine, Arizona and Idaho in striking out against the REAL ID Act.

...Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. Bills rejecting Real ID have also been introduced in Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and West Virginia, with more expected in the coming weeks.

Sadly, the state of Indiana, of which I am a resident, lacks the fortitude to tell the Federal government that they will not bow down. The Indiana legislature has had to concern themselves with pay raises, anti-gay marriage amendments, lottery privatisation and HPV vaccinations for school aged girls. Keeping the people of Indiana free of a national ID card and increasing their privacy is the farthest thing from their minds. At least there will be some states which refuse and manage to carry the ball. Indiana will (hopefully) ride their coat tails to a REAL ID free country.

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REAL ID, Libertarian, Idaho, Indiana, Politics

What Can You Expect From Government Schools?

Not much, it seems. Right now there's a story hitting the national headlines about two 6th grade students in a local school district who were engaging in sex during an "Industrial Arts" class. For those of us with a more jaundiced view of government schools this really comes as no surprise, neither should the cover up which is occurring where this story is concerned. The school and all the administrators are playing the no comment card, as we would expect, and cannot see what the big problem is, and the public is justifiably upset over the matter. Not necessarily the sex, but the refusal to elaborate on the matter. Parents of children in that district, (you know, those pesky tax payers?) want answers on the matter (as does the local press) and they are all receiving a hardy "Get Screwed" from the school and the district administration.

I, for one expected no less than this, but that's just me, (and a few thousand others who lack faith in the competency of the government school system). This same school system expelled an Eagle Scout a while back for having a pocket knife on him. The kid had accidentally carried it to school and went to the office and turned it in, thinking it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately for the Eagle Scout their Zero Tolerance policy allowed them to expel him and they did so. Sex in class is apparently not a Zero Tolerance issue...go figure.

When I see this occurring I chuckle, because it was inevitable that something like this would be glossed over by the government school administrators. This act, and the government administrators "response" to it are just what parents should expect from state sponsored schools. Sex in a classroom and a cover up should be a surprise to no-one with more than two brain cells to rub together.

If government schools can teach your children whatever they wish, despite your wishes to the contrary, then incidents such as this should come as no surprise to you. People shouldn't be too upset when the government administrators decide that what happens in Vegas school, stays in Vegas school and is none of your business. That this particular incident even came out was sheer luck. One cannot help but wonder what else these people have covered up over the years. Violence? Failing students? Sub-standard "education"? Political indoctrination? Student/ teacher sex? The list of potential cover ups is almost without end.

Incidents such as this are one of the main reasons that libertarians constantly call for the separation of school and state. By its very nature government is opaque, abhorring transparency and openness. Secrecy and obfuscation are inherent in their nature and necessary to achieve their goals. Why should government schools be any different? Look for things to get worse, folks. Since it is legal for them to teach what they wish, they will. If they get away with these cover ups, (which they do) then they can, and will do as they wish with your children. The schools are not yours. The government is not yours. Who will your children belong to?


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Libertarian, Separation Of School And State, Government Schools, Indiana

Government Charity Kills

People on the Gulf Coast are finding out the hard way that government charity is a dangerous and, sometimes deadly thing. Remember all of those FEMA trailers? Well, they are apparently not the good deal that many people thought they were going to be.

Along the Gulf Coast, in the towns and fishing villages from New Orleans to Mobile, survivors of Hurricane Katrina are suffering from a constellation of similar health problems. They wake up wheezing, coughing and gasping for breath. Their eyes burn; their heads ache; they feel tired, lethargic. Nosebleeds are common, as are sinus infections and asthma attacks. Children and seniors are most severely afflicted, but no one is immune.

There's one other similarity: The people suffering from these illnesses live in trailers supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

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The interiors are fabricated from composite wood, particle board and other materials that emit formaldehyde, a common but toxic chemical.

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Air sampling by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at holding stations where groups of trailers were kept before they were set up revealed high formaldehyde levels even in outdoor air. At the holding station in Pass Christian, formaldehyde in outdoor air was 30 to 50 times the level recommended by the EPA, and several times OSHA's workplace standard.

How many people have been sickened or died due to these toxic government trailers? Government charity looks to be a rather sickening proposition. Reasonable people must find it odd that FEMA has no minimum standards for quality that would contain the simplest of rules, such as "Don't use toxic materials in building these trailers, because people might get sick or die".

The amount of foot dragging going on seems all too typical, too. FEMA just doesn't seem to care that their trailers are toxin pits and have little fear of repercussions. Must have something to do with that whole sovereign immunity concept the government and its minions are so fond of.

The people of the Gulf Coast region have been through more than enough since hurricane Katrina. Having to deal with this, on top of unscrupulous insurance companies, lack of housing and a depressed regional economy are seemingly more than anyone should have to bear. As we can see, government charity rarely comes without some poisonous string attached. Sad to say that many of these toxic trailers were made right up the road from me here in Indiana and passed by me numerous times on their way to the Coast. There's plenty of shame to go around on this one.

Technorati Tags:
Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast, FEMA, Toxic Trailers, Indiana

Discriminating Legislation

Once again the ugliness of state sponsored discrimination rears it's draconian head in the mid-West. Indiana's legislature has decided to once again pursue an amendment to their state Constitution that would ban same sex marriages at all levels, civil and religious, despite existing law which already bans same sex marriage. It is also an amendment which would imperil private businesses ability to grant benefits to their employees.

Provides that marriage in Indiana consists only of the union of one man and one woman. Provides that Indiana law may not be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.

The state Senate has already approved the measure and has passed it onto the Indiana House for further action. The gay community is understandably upset by this, as are civil libertarians who can see this measure for what it is, discrimination against a segment of the population via political means.

Many think this bill is likely to die in the House, but with the outpouring of bipartisan support in the state Senate it is not unlikely that it could pass. The oddest of things is that same sex marriage is already illegal in Indiana. The laws of this state are rather clear on the matter and the gay community is not only aware of the law, they are obedient to and reasonably accepting of the established law, for the moment. The proposed amendment, which would allow the masses to vote against a minority is a different matter entirely.

I, like many libertarians hold the viewpoint that the state really has no business telling people who may or may not marry and should not grant favours based upon marital status. It's strictly between the interested parties, (and, on occasion their employers) . Unfortunately, the state does not feel the same way, nor do their supporters and so we are stuck with state sanctioned, sanctified and permitted marriage, like it or not. Marriage has become a political issue and, in the case of same sex marriages one which has all too often placed in the arena of mob rule of late.

What I find especially irritating about the matter at hand this go around ,is the silence on the bill from the Libertarian Party of Indiana. Apparently legislated discrimination is of less importance to the state party than a sales tax holiday, jury service exemptions or other bills currently before the legislature. So far there has been no comment from them. Oh, there has been some commentary from individual libertarians in the state, but no firm stance from the political party and that's unconscionable, given the nature of the bill.

One of the purposes of a political party is to address hot political issues and there are few which are hotter than this amendment. Add into that the fact that the gay and lesbian community are, for all intents and purposes a politically homeless constituency and this would seem to be a heaven sent opportunity for the LP in Indiana to come down on the right side. Saying that the state has no place in marriage is all well and good, but it does not put an end to the issue, nor does it excuse you from taking a stance and choosing a side. Ignoring a hot button issue for political expediency or to preserve some image is cowardice and the political arena should not be peopled with fair weather friends. That's an attitude which has already led us far along the path to ruin.

Political libertarians should be in the forefront of any battle which pits the state against individuals. Here we have a proposed law which would enshrine unequal treatment under the "rule of law" and the one political organisation which you might think would stand opposed to such an act is woefully silent. Libertarians miss too many opportunities, especially in the political arena where friends could be made. Politically minded libertarians often bemoan their lack of growth as a political party and look for new constituencies to reach out to. Well, here's your chance folks.

“He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.” -William James

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Libertarian, Gay Marriage, Indiana, Politics