"The Time Has Come..."

The Walrus said, "to speak of many things."

And so it is. The time has indeed come to speak of many things, but mostly to speak of things Libertarian related. L. Neil Smith recently gave a speech to the the Larimer County LP which he posted at The Libertarian Enterprise and it got me to thinking about things I had decided to place on the back burner for awhile.

As I speak to you here this evening, ladies and gentlemen, our libertarian movement—in fact, what I have always referred to as the "general freedom movement"—is in the worst disarray I've ever seen it in, in my 44 years as an active, self-conscious member of it. The traditional American aspiration toward individual liberty is in greater danger at the moment than probably since the War Between the States.

Truth such as this is painful and necessary if change is to occur. It is also a necessity if change for the worse is to be stopped from ocurring. I have spoken around this matter in the past and mentioned some of the parties involved, but L. Neil has made me take the decision to point one or two things out to a few people.

He is entirely correct when he states that Libertarianism and the Liberty Movement, such as it is are in disarray. Why? My guess is the influx of disenchanted "others" and their attempts to "reform", the apathy of the duh masses finally getting to folks and the government running roughshod over everyone with no sign of let up. It can get downright discouraging.

And the problems are getting worse by the day. Taking a look at the 'Reformista" in the Libertarian party, it's fairly easy to see that they are, for the most part refugees from the Republicrats and their ilk. These folks want to see "electability" as goal number one for "their" party and principles are of no concern and may be set aside to insure "electability" of their candidates. Of late the rhetoric in some circles has become what some could easily term as hateful. In a political party that has a big enough tent to suit almost anyone these folks are strong on "get out" and weak on "come in", (and, yes the LP is a big tent. The price of admission is a simple affirmation of Zero Agression). I've seen some of them come right out and and damn libertarian principles in their headlong rush to get elected. They abhor the Zero Aggression Principle and it's adherents, cursing them as obstructionists and worse. They are attempting to rewrite the Libertarian Party Platform, (which I will admit could use a tweak or two to make it a bit more relevant to the times) but, are seemingly not too concerned about growing the government and its reach. One plank of their proposed reformed platform goes so far as to call for the Federalisation of ALL police, from the local to the Federal. That's not a very libertarian principle, regardless of what they may contend.

In the headlong rush to become like the very party (BOYN) they fled from they are intent on changing the party that welcomed them as refugees and lost souls into the very monstrosity they fled in the first place. These folks actually trust government to "do the right thing", sad to say. What they think of the Free Market and Murray Rothbard is not to even be repeated in polite company and most get a quizzical look if you even mention Konkin, (or they froth). They advocate limited freedom, regulated life and "good government" under the misleading title of "incrementalism".

Incrementalism: Patrick Henry said "Give me Liberty or give me death" he did NOT say, "Give me Liberty Sunday through Thursday and the rest of the week is yours, umm-kaay?" This is the problem with the Reformista and incrementalism as they would take it.

Political candidates being pragmatic is one thing, eschewing core principles in the name of electability is quite another. If the denizens of the LP wish to be perceived as Republican Lite, as seems painfully obvious in many cases, then they should join back up with their fellow Republicrats and go that route. Libertarianism, in all its many forms is just not for them...and that's OK. It's a big world. When I see so many supposed Libertarians (big and small L) supporting Republicrats in so many different ways it makes me wonder about them and their agenda. Are they just so many deep cover, Karl Rove inspired 007 wannabe's? I don't know...but it makes me wonder some days.

As we have seen in recent weeks Republicrats are quite eager to use the Libertarian Party to goad their fellow statists into choosing them over another Republicrat statist. And the Reformista are more than happy to see this, falling all over themselves because big name Republicrats have "defected". It apparently lends "credibility" of some sort to the LP in their eyes, altho I fail to see how. Of course, as we have also seen these "defectors" are more than willing to drop out on a whim...leaving state LP's with no candidate in the November elections. Talk about getting played...I have to wonder if anyone other than myself remembers the Reform Party and what happened to them when they accepted "renegade" Republicrat Pat Buchanan into their ranks as a candidate.

Let's face it, folks. Things are FUBAR in a massive way and that's exactly what the powers that be want. The Libertarian Party may not have enjoyed a lot of success over the years but it has managed to do one thing that others haven't. It has survived where others have not. The successful Reform Party is gone. Sabotaged unto death by people who wished it to become the very thing they fled in the first place. We know for a fact that history repeats itself and that is what is about to happen with the LP, if some folks get their way.

That said, it is my opinion that it really doesn't matter anyway. The Powers That Be are assured of victory and will never relinquish control to Liberty minded individualists. The Machine is here and will keep running until it is dismantled, breaks down or runs out of fuel. All we can hope for is to stay out of its way and toss in the occasional Monkey Wrench in an effort to slow things down. The certainty is that politics ain't working anymore.


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Libertarian, Politics, Republican, Democrat
Karl Rove, Movement of the Libertarian Left, Reform Party, Liberty

"Hey, It's Good To Be Back Home Again"

So sang John Denver and truer words were never spoken, or sung as the case may be. My family and I arrived home yesterday after a much needed vacation. No internet, no blogging (online, at least) and not really much in the way of news despite having access to television. I did manage to catch brief glimpses into the news (the death of Zarqawi and the defeat of an anti-Gay American Amendment) now and again but, the desire to seek it out was just not there. I must admit that there were moments when I wondered what some of my compatriots were writing about but I knew I would catch up on them in time, so I didn't fret about it.

That's not to say that my mind did not wander in the usual directions. There were plenty of things during our trip to and from our vacation site to raise my hackles and point up the fact that this country is going down the wrong road, with little hope that it can or will take a turn for the better.

Along the way we were asked to provide government approved ID almost any time we sought lodging, as well as providing the state government vehicle ID number. Sad to say, I am pretty sure that I managed to mangle that plate number every time it was asked for. It sucks to have dysnumeria, (which I actually do have to deal with) but it's a convenient excuse. And, as I found out an ATM card with your photo on it is accepted by virtually everyone (other than guys in jackboots) as legitimate photo ID. Something for my comrades in arms to bear in mind.

As usual, there were numerous signs along the Peoples Highways that let us know that the powers that be were not only watching us, they were spending lots of money to do so. This was never quite so clear as it was in Virginia, a place where I attended High School and worked as an adult. Here we have a state which was once the cradle of Liberty in our country and now it is no more than picture of the coming police state. Mind you, this is nothing new! Even when I was a teenager going about my teenaged business in Mt. Vernon it was abundantly clear that Virginia was headed this way. Fairfax County, Virginia was quite proud of the fact that their law enforcers were the number 2 department in the country, (behind that fine upstanding organisation out in Los Angeles) and their enforcers were always going about their business in a forceful manner. So, who couldn't see where this would inevitably lead?

Not only was my legally obtained Radar Detector illegal in Virginia, (Honest, officer it was unplugged. Would I lie to you?), but there roads were covered by federally funded signage imploring me and my family to buckle up, (something we do as a logical precaution anyway and not because someone in a uniform might force us to do). After all it was for our own good and our safety, right? Surely, it had nothing to do with raising revenue via a Federal program that put money in local law enforcements pockets, right? Right.

And the constant reminders about the need for security could not have been driven home any more than they were when we were winding our way through the highway system at Hampton Roads. Traffic cameras are one thing, but really guys...do you really need a pole mounted camera every 1/10th of a mile!?! And on ever ramp and junction? That's not a traffic system, folks. That's a surveillance system and is many multitudes beyond anything I ever saw in communist China or anywhere else. And, somehow the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia have allowed this to happen. So much for the cradle of Liberty. I find it odd that Virginia has gone this way, especially given their state motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis"...oh, the irony.

I did get to see something interesting at a 7-Eleven in Chesapeake, Virginia. My guess is that some of these stores allow law enforcers to have free beverages while on duty. OK, as private entities that's their business and they can do as they wish. The cops I saw taking their Big Gulps didn't pay and, even when addressed by the staff didn't even bother to say thanks for the refill, they just took their stuff and left without a word. I asked my wife, after we left what she thought would have happened if I had approached the staff and pointed out that I had a gun, so why couldn't I have free stuff like the cops, too? We got quite a laugh out of that, since we knew the answer.

I must say that it was a relief to get into North Carolina. They should call the crossing at the border Check Point Charlie, because that's what it felt like.

It was a nice week in quiet Avon, North Carolina. We enjoyed the food, (for the most part...see my upcoming Roadfood blog for more on that), weather and beaches. My wife took up windsurfing and I reacquainted myself with the peaceful joys of fishing and playing on the beach with the kids. Even that was ever so slightly tainted by the tentacled grasp of politicians...starting next year North Carolina will force people to beg and pay for permission to fish in the ocean. All in the name of adding revenue to government coffers, as usual.

Despite all this, I'll likely return next year and have an equally wonderful time being with the people I love the most and taking a peaceful respite from everything else. Even blogging. Unless the place we rent next year has broadband......oh, dear.....


Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Politics, Virginia, North Carolina

Admiring The Marxists

Unlike many people who rage against Marxists and other communists, (based upon their no doubt extensive reading and radio listening), I have lived among true Marxists, those who worshipped Lenin, Mao and their beloved Revolution. And, I must say that I have a certain admiration for these Bolsheviks and their unwavering support of "The Revolution". These are folks who have, at one time or another sent people to the wall for betrayal of the Revolution and its precepts. That is something I find admirable, in a fashion, and it is something we should have been doing for the last 200 years or so.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

What should be the penalty when a person in power betrays the principles our forefathers fought, bled and died for? When the spirit of the American Revolution, (now debased by such corporate whores as Chevrolet, in pursuit of a justly shrinking market share) has been thoroughly raped and destroyed by the people who were ostensibly entrusted with its care, what remains to done? The Bolsheviks would have taken them to the wall. The French would have introduced them to Mssr. Guillotine. The Chinese would have sent them to the farms or soccer stadium.

And Americans? Well, Americans would, and do, re-elect them. Time and again. So-called Freedom Loving Conservatives, Leftist-Liberal Democrats and "libertarians" (a designation which is becoming useless as it is co-opted by people who are anything BUT libertarian) all act in concert to betray the principles of our own Revolution.

The day which we set aside to "honour" the signing of our Declaration of Independence is nothing more than a day off for the vast majority of wage earners. There are a few picnics, some sparkly fireworks and adoration of the military and government via parades, but there is nothing that celebrates the Spirit of our Revolution. Ask around, if you don't believe me. Ask some people what the Revolution was about. Ask them what the 4th of July was set aside for. Ask them about the Spirit of their Revolution, that Spirit that once fired the souls of people and made them reach for their muskets. Ask them if they would be willing to do as our American Revolutionaries once did. Ask them if they believe today's rulers are as bad as the other King George.

Ask them if they think the Spirit of our Revolution has been betrayed and what should be done. I can well imagine the stares you'll get. Perhaps, if you do this in public...say, on the 4th of July, ....they may even wander off and report you to some Homeland Security sort of person. How supportive of the Revolution is that! Of course I expect that vast majority of people to give you American Idol, government school or NASCAR inspired answers, or they'll likely regurgitate something they heard from a radio idol on their way to the gym or work.

I cannot help but wish that more people had the willingness and propensity to enforce the Spirit of our Revolution. It's certain that no politician or politician wannabe will ever do so. The Revolution my forefathers fought for has long ago faded from the memory of people who are more than willing to allow the depredations of bad governance, (as if we needed someone to run our lives) to continue unabated. Even those who call themselves libertarians are more than willing to see things continue as they are and pay lip service to concepts such as "limited government", "fiscal conservatism", "decreased taxation" and so on. When is partial slavery OK? How much rape is acceptable? What percentage of Freedom is an acceptable level? What amount of privacy is allowable?

The Spirit of our Revolution has faded from the scene and likely will never be seen again. And that is something I must admire the Marxists for. They once kept the flames of their Revolution close while we, "The Land of the Free" tossed ours by the wayside in our rush to be controlled by others. We should all look to the Marxists and take some inspiration from them in this instance. Viva la Revolucion!

"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms... The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson, 1787.

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Libertarian, Politics, Movement of the Libertarian Left, 4th of July

Death Of A Tax?

Not bloody likely, but it is nice to hear about the possibility of such a happening every now and then. It looks as if the Treasury Department may be giving in on the long abused Spanish-American War Telephone Tax that we all pay. There is even speculation of its repeal...yeah, like that's ever gonna happen. This administration and the Beltway Boys at Capitol Hill are never going to relinquish their grip on the billions that this tax adds to their coffers and if anyone is foolish enough to think that the US Government is going to refund $13 billion to the people who have paid it over the decades they're delusional.

That $13 billion in refunds will have to be begged for when/if you fill out a tax form. Anyone want to bet that never shows up on any tax forms? And, for those who've been around for a few years the "refund" won't be anywhere near what we've actually paid in taxes over the decades, regardless of what Rick "Insane" Santorum says. Even if it were to make it to the point of refund how much you want to bet they tax it as income? Given that this will have to go before the Congress, (who've never met a tax they didn't like) for repeal the chances for this are slim and none, even in this election year. And, with the impending departure of Secretary Snow it is even more likely that this will get buried and forgotten amidst all the "news" and scandals du jour. Shoot, this story has already been buried and it's new News.

Still and all, it is nice to think that sometime, someday a tax might be repealed. Of course, I've always been a sucker for hopeful fiction.

Update: Looks like Snow is definitely going now. And the tax story is non-existent in most of the press and buried where it is mentioned.

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Taxes, News, Libertarian, Politics