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

Placing Faith

I didn't watch the Presidential candidates debates, nor do I plan to watch them in the future. I have seen snippets of them, tho. It's virtually impossible to avoid them these days when you visit a libertarian site or blog. Someone is sure to have a link, an embedded video or the like, touting the victories of the the "libertarian" Republican candidate Ron Paul and his opponents.

It's practically a love fest on the part of many folks. Sure, he's less distasteful than Adolf Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo or Floppy McRomney and he says things that many libertarians agree with. In the end, tho I cannot help but think that he wants to rule from the White House throne just as much as the others. Perhaps he would be a more benevolent ruler, (if he had more than a snowflakes chance in Hell of being elected), than the other candidates from the right or left sides of the aisle, but he wishes to be a ruler nonetheless.

I cannot help but envision the Paul Presidency, should it somehow be allowed to occur. It would be one of impotency, for the most part. Congress and the Courts would block everything coming from his executive branch. He would undoubtedly block most things coming from the Congress, but would likely find that he faced a united, bipartisan front from both sides of the Boot On Your Neck Party. His vetoes would be overturned on a regular basis by the powers that be, setting records that would keep the folks at Guinness busy for years. There would certainly be no return to a Constitutional form of government, (no matter what his vociferous followers think), that will never be allowed to transpire.

For the faithful out there Dr. Paul is a candle in the gathering darkness and they are flocking to his light in the hope that something will come of their efforts. Struggling against the darkness is natural, but futile in this case. If it instills some modicum of hope in them, for the short time he is allowed to call himself a Republican candidate, then I wish them the best in their endeavours. While hope is said to spring eternal in the human breast it is also said that we should put not our faith in rulers, regardless of how benevolent they may seem.

It's past time that we began to create our own lights in the gathering darkness. Therein lies our best and brightest hope.

Technorati Tags:
Ron Paul, Libertarian, Hope

Gone And Soon To Be Forgotten

While I'm not doing a happy dance, I am certainly not saddened by the news that Jerry Falwell has at last parted this mortal coil. For too many years we had to continuously hear the vitriol issue forth from this theocratic totalitarians mouth. Here we have...had...a person who would have gleefully watched as gay and lesbian Americans were marched off to camps. Non-Judeo Christian faiths would have followed closely in their footsteps, no doubt. He would have liked nothing more than to see this country turned into an American theocracy, with hand picked Christian politicians at the helm. A world in which we would be told what to watch, read, listen to and believe by "true believers" would have been his preferred world.

The sad and frightening part is that he wielded more than enough influence to walk the halls of power in Washington, DC and influenced a great many people in the Boot On Your Neck Party, regardless of which side of the aisle they stood on. We will likely still be feeling the effects of this man's political meddling for many, many years to come. Falwell, his Republicrat allies and his followers have shaped the modern form of the right side of the BOYN Party, much to the detriment of those who truly love liberty and freedom. Falwell, his movement and his followers are largely responsible for the current political landscape being inflicted upon us.

Now that the head of the serpent has been removed we shall have to see where we go. Will we see a demise of the religious rightist movement, at last? A move away from theocracy and Christian fundamentalist inspired politics? We can only hope. Politics is a nasty business, at best. Mixing it in with Millenarianism makes it vastly more dangerous and distasteful.

Nehemiah Scudder has left the room and we are all a little better off for it.

Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Jerry Falwell, Politics

The Government Moves Fast

When it wishes to, that is. It looks as if Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Knight is going to be discharged again. In what appears to be a retaliatory move for speaking out about being gay and being recalled to service in the US Navy the US Navy has announced that they are now going to "fire" him for being gay.

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Navy has informed Petty Officer Second Class Jason Knight that it intends to fire him under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law just weeks prior to completing his one-year commitment. Knight, an openly gay sailor, was recalled to active duty in June 2006 and recently completed a tour of duty in Kuwait, where he was open about his sexual orientation with his command and fellow sailors. Knight told his story last weekend in the newspaper Stars & Stripes and was notified yesterday that he will be receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy based, in part, on his recent media interviews. Knight was scheduled to end his commitment on May 28, 2007, but will face early dismissal because he chose to go public about his experience.

This is a sad commentary on the US military and their stance towards gay and lesbian Americans, but shows without doubt the ability of the military to move quickly when they're being shown up. If FEMA had been able to respond even a fraction as quickly as the Pentagon did in this case, the the government response to the devastation of the Gulf Coast would be a distant memory by now.

Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Iraq, Gay Rights