Bobby Barr The Door

The Neo-Cons has escaped Fort Mudge!

And, unfortunately they have taken command of the "conservative" Republican movement in the US political arena. More than willing to grant imperial and dictatorial powers to the their annointed leader the rank and file of the Neo-Conservative movement gathered in the droves at their annual CPAC event in Washington, D.C.

One of their many guest speakers was Mr. Bob Barr. Most libertarians are familiar with former-Representative Barr, since the Georgia LP helped hand him his walking papers a few years back, much to the chagrin of many people on the right. That defeat, tho was an epiphany for Mr. Barr. It woke him up to the reality that being an ardent supporter of the 2nd Amendment wasn't enough. You have to support them all, with equal ardour, understanding and fortitude. Mr. Barr's awakening to this moved him just a bit closer to the libertarian quadrant of the political spectrum. The neo-Conservatives that make up the rank and file of the Republican right nowadays just cannot seem to stand that and they made it abundantly clear at Mr. Barr's speaking engagement at CPAC.

Mr. Barr, in a debate event with Viet Dinh, (one of the authors of the USAPA, along with the likes of John Kerry), asked some posed some very simple questions. Questions that any libertarian could have easily answered.

"Are we losing our lodestar, which is the Bill of Rights?" Barr beseeched the several hundred conservatives at the Omni Shoreham in Woodley Park. "Are we in danger of putting allegiance to party ahead of allegiance to principle?"

Barr answered in the affirmative. "Do we truly remain a society that believes that . . . every president must abide by the law of this country?" he posed. "I, as a conservative, say yes. I hope you as conservatives say yes."

The responses apparently ranged from semi-polite golf claps to outright booing from the audience.

.....Richard Sorcinelli, booed him loudly. "I can't believe I'm in a conservative hall listening to him say [Bush] is off course trying to defend the United States," Sorcinelli fumed.

And this is the mentallity that pervades the New Right, the Republican marching society that was brought to the Neo-Conservative side by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the other talking heads. Folks like this have little knowledge or care for the likes of Goldwater, Buckley and other " conservatives. Newt Gingrich is probably too liberal for their tastes and it irks them to no end that someone like Bob Barr, defeated by libertarians asks them the no-brainer questions that they have no answers for.

Mr. Barr's opponent elicited a much more vocal response from the masses gathered to hear the exchange.

Dinh, now a Georgetown law professor, urged the CPAC faithful to carve out a Bush exception to their ideological principle of limited government. "The conservative movement has a healthy skepticism of governmental power, but at times, unfortunately, that healthy skepticism needs to yield," Dinh explained, invoking Osama bin Laden.

Mr. Dinh and his audience show a surprising frame of mind on the subject of liberty and freedom and the Constitutional limits on the power of the Presidency. These people have become fully engaged in the Bush Cult of Personality, where the "Great Leader" can do no wrong and all decisions are correct because of the times in which we live and the decisions which the Leader takes. That is a truly disturbing mindset and has led other countries down paths that ended badly.

Mr. Barr summed it up well for the audience, not that they grasped what he was saying.

"That, folks, was a red herring," he announced. "This debate is very simple: It is a debate about whether or not we will remain a nation subject to and governed by the rule of law or the whim of men."

And there we have it. Mr. Barr, unlike his audience understands that democracy, blind faith and Constitutional ignorance are steps along the path to ruin. Blind faith in the current administration and their policies, along with acceptance of the propaganda surrounding their actions by the New Right are setting a dangerous precident and leading the country in a direction better left untravelled.

Mr. Barr, unlike so many others on his side of the aisle now understands what we Libertarians have been saying for years and he is preaching to his own choir. Unfortunately, their voices will inevitably drown out the wise words of a decent man. Unless there is a new revolution within the ranks of the right, (highly doubtful) there will be a continued soldification of their power and a huge movement away from "conservative" values that they once held for a short time and a full blown jump into the camp of far right extremism. A place that offers no room for dissent and would gladly consolidate power in the hands of an individual.

TGIF- An Evangelical Air Force, Patriot Act Redux , Danes And Moor

Thank the gods it's Friday and Congress will go home for the weekend and be able to do no more damage, until Monday, anyway. Seems as if they have managed to leave us a few parting shots for the week, tho and the day is still young.

An Evangelical Air Force
Now, is it just me or does anyone else find the possibility of a branch of the military being open to Evangelicals, witnessing and conversion to be disturbing? While the military is, and should be a place for individual faith it is not a place for evangelising. The worst part is that Congress has bowed to pressure from Fundamentalist Christians and given them one more victory to embolden them and their agenda. First we saw the death of a reasonably enjoyable television show at the hands of the Evangelical right, the sanitised Superbowl after a pasty was shown on TV and now the Congress has handed the Theocrats a new victory. One more step in the march to an American Theocracy.

The USA PATRIOT Act Gets A Facelift
Unfortunately, it still resembles Tammy Faye Bakker no matter how much you sand down the spackle. While specifics are not available to me at the moment the news reports lend credence to my thought that as usual they've done nothing to let this odious piece of anti-liberty smeg die. Renewal will be a certainty and we still have to see what the Senate does with whatever is sent to them. We know that, regardless of what is sent to Bush's desk, he will sign it. Guess he still needs to practice signing his name, eh? Clue to the Congress, "People, there's a reason that Sunset provisions are placed in legislation. Let it friggin' die!"
I notice that the Democrats are still in favour of allowing the anti-privacy banking elements crafted by John Kerry remain. Personally, I cannot wait for the entire thing to die, but I have no hope that it will ever go away, short of a revolution.

Danes Get Onboard The Train
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has now joined the "Call Out Iran and Syria" Train. He isn't wrong, mind you the governments of Syria and Iran are responsible for the riots on their countries and the attacks on Embassies. Unfortunately, some politicians who earlier this week had a different viewpoint...(*cough*...Mr. Bush....*cough*)...have changed their minds about things and are using the issue as a political leveraging point for the further marginalisation of the twin dictatorships of Syria and Iran. The Jyllands-Posten "Mohammed Cartoon" controversy is a win/win for all parties. The Islamic Jihadists get to use it to inflame their forces and the Hawks in the West get to use it to enhance their anti-sovereignty rhetoric. The race is on and there are likely to be no winners in the coming conflict.

Putin's Our Buddy, Right?
That's what we keep hearing, anyway. Russia's a partner in the War On Terror, the USSR is dead and Democracy is on the march in Russia. Pssst, hey buddy? Wanta buy a watch?
Seems as if Mr. Putin is more than willing to embrace the new regime in the Palestinian territories, even when no-one else in the West is willing to do so until they renounce some of their core "principles", like "death to Israel", initiaition of force and terrorism. While this may just be an invitation to talk and attempt to convince Hammas of the error of their ways it leave you wondering. The USSR...err..Russia has not had a solid presence in the Middle East since the 70's and their loss of bases in Egypt. It would not be a great stretch to imagine a renewal of the Soviet Hegemony given Mr. Putin's Stalinesque attitudes and his former station within the KGB. Some things never die unless you've driven a stake through their hearts.

A Steve Kubby Update 2/9/06

Michele Kubby has posted a new update at Kubby.com letting folks know about some changes in attitudes among the people imprisoning him.

As you all know Steve has lost weight while being incarcerated, he has not been able to follow his very strict health diet, nor take any of his life saving medicine. Steve was finally given Marinol as a joke by the medical staff. The staff knew it was a farce and that medical marijuana really did not exist and that traditional medicines can work for Steve and they tried to prove it with this inhumane experiment at the risk of this man.

Well, all of a sudden the tables have turned!

Yes! The Placer County Law Enforcement at the jail is standing utterly amazed! Since the first dose of Marinol, Steve has been experiencing small amounts relief from the benefits of the one cannabinoid in Marinol - THC. The very same people that were mocking and ridiculing Steve and telling him he needed to fess up to the truth and tell everyone that medical marijuana was a farce are calling him "Mr. Kubby." They are beginning to see the error of their ways because Steve has now proven the exact opposite! The Jail has even tried to make his special Tofu Salad diet for him.

Cannabis is Medicine!

Placer County set out to prove Fraud and got the truth instead. Justice is closer [than it ever has been] at this moment.

The medical staff (Dr.'s and Nurses) are telling Steve that they had no idea about the medical efficacy of marijuana and that it could actually help the way it has for him. They are all telling him that he should not be in jail, but rather, out being studied so marijuana cannabinoids can be studied to find out whey they have been working so well for him.

More at Kubby.com. Keep Mr. Kubby in your thoughts and please don't forget to let the Governor of California know where you stand on this. No matter where you live you have an impact.

A Who'da Thunk It Day

Bush Wiretaps Were Legal?
Hmm...maybe not so much, I'm thinking. Looks like the FISA judges were warned, they warned Bush's NSA and Bush about serious "irregularities" and then Mr. Bush and crew went ahead and did as they damned well pleased. As more and more of this story comes out the smell gets riper.

The two judges' discomfort with the NSA spying program was previously known. But this new account reveals the depth of their doubts about its legality and their behind-the-scenes efforts to protect the court from what they considered potentially tainted evidence.

Smells really bad inside the Beltway these days.

Torture? What Torture?
I guess there's really no need for any investigation into allegations of torture by America and it seems that the "fine gentlemen" of the House International Relations Committee agree. Especially, Henry Hyde.

Bush Changes Tune On Protests
With new marching orders from within the White House Dubya and Condi have changed their tune and rhetoric concerning the Jyllands-Posten "Mohammed Cartoon" controversy. Seeing a chance to hammer Iran and Syria for their state sponsored and sanctioned protests new orders have been issued by someone. As we watch the lead up to a probable future conflict with Iran, events such as this will come more frequently and be taken by the administration. How often do you get a chance to change your mind in this WHite House? (PS: Dear Muslims...we have a depiction of Mohammed on the frieze of our Supreme Court building, just thought you should know...now, back to your rioting! Have a nice day!).

Paleontologists Dig Up Thurmond.
Finding a new form of statist to collect taxes is tough in an election year. Best to find an old dinosaur to go with the current batch in Congress.

No Glass Ceiling For Teen Girls
Despite the failure of government sponsored indoctrination programs in the government school system it seem that more teen girls are using drugs and smoking more than their male counterparts.
Depsite all the pograms...err...programs, to indoctrinate kids we see teen girls playing catchup with the guys, even while drug usage numbers are dropping. So what will the Nanny Staters suggest for this one? More self-esteem classes? Visits from NOW? Here's mine, if it's a self esteem issue.

Are You A Good Citizen Or A Bad Citizen?
As if we needed yet another test to tell us what we are are should be. I took it and as if I didn't already know it....I'm a bad citizen.