Zen and the art of politics

Ode to Anarchism

2010-10-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

A statement from my distant past keeps coming to mind. The statement has been ingrained in all of us. We accept it as truth prima facia. But in reality it, like most everything we accept without question, is complete bullshit.

In a computer repair shop in Overland Park, KS, 20 years ago, a debate was raging. The subject was politics, and one of the techs said to another, "Ya, but you don't vote, so you have no right to complain". At the time I was 20 years old and it made perfect sense. I self-righteously agreed. After all, I was a VOTER, and I made a difference, right? Well, possibly, but not likely. After thinking on it a few years, I'd like to travel back in time and challenge the premise of the statement.

You see, the premise of the statement above is that if you choose not to participate in what is almost certainly a dispicable, corrupt game of posturing and grandstanding for control, you should be willing to surrender your basic human rights. I'm sorry, but in what amounts to a competition for control over pfiefdoms, where we are all to be serfs choosing our overlords I see no way to win. Most often elections present us with a false dichotomy of choices that have been offered by those who are in power simply because they are the best manipulators. So they ascend to prominence by becoming a cult of personality. And I am expected to think I owe one of the two of them something? These are almost always people who appeal to the most base of human instinct in order to seize power for themselves. They pit one group against another in order to claim their authority. But the reality is, if we all agreed and cooperated, they would be completely useless wastes of oxygen and gravity. With the advent of the internet, airline travel, and cell phones, we are all beginning to realize we are alike deep down. We don't need to kill each other over resources, languages, skin color, or religions. Without these fears, we need no leaders to "protect" us from each other.

So maybe I will vote and maybe I will not. But if I choose not to, it does NOT mean that I have no human right to complain, or fight back by any means necessary against power that is often illigitamate in the first place. The kings of the earth are no better than the lowest peasants by birth. Both are born naked into the world, both will die alone, and both will do whatever it takes to advance their own self interest.

In an ideal world, no government would be necessary. Until we reach that utopia, we should strive for the minimal amount possible. But whether we ever reach it or not, I reserve my rights as a human being - even if I choose not to participate in a system that is essentially corrupt at its core.

Pig Trail Harley Davidson in Rogers, AR 4th anneversary Celebration

2010-08-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm dumping facebook

2010-08-20T21:30:00.001-07:00

As much as I love facebook, I have to dump it. Altough it is an incredible tool that has allowed me to connect with long lost friends and keep up with current friends, it has become an insidious thief that has robbed me of my time and substituted genuine human interaction with a series of virtual transactions that are just not human.

Keyboard commandos reign in cyberspace. They say things on my facebook they wouldn't have the balls to say to my face. People attempt to argue the deepest mysteries of life in a 2 inch box on a screen with someone they don't even know. Differences of perception are treated as falsifiable scientific problems, where barricades of links and evidence (99% bullshit) are hurled back and forth like 7.62mm ammunition from an m-60 machine gun.

Well to hell with it all. If you have something to say to me, call me, come by my house, or stop by my desk. If you want to see any of my pictures, links or anything else I'm interested in, I'll post it here. If you don't like it, go somewhere else.

The Libertarian Debate Club

2010-05-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Libertarian National Convention has been a depressing disappointment. We had a chance to turn this debate club / issues organization / activist network / support group / educational think tank into a real political party, and we forecefully and quite rudely rejected it. Wayne Allyn Root brought some things to this party that no other candidate has - the experience, knowledge, networking infrastructure and passion needed to successfully market our brand. Yes, I said MARKET our BRAND.

You see I have this odd idea that elections are popularity contests. For some strange reason, I think that if you are going to have a political party, you should try to actually get elected. And to get elected, you need to have people skills, emotional intelligence, the ability to listen, compromise when necessary, and keep your mouth shut at least every once in a while. This convention proved to me beyond any doubt that this Libertarian Debate Club has none of that.

The detractors of Mr. Root were rude, beligerant, and childish. They heckled, they hurled insults, and disrupted his speeches like little children throwing a temper tantrum. He isn't pure enough. He is credentialed enough. He doesn't pass our litmus test. He's one of "them". He dared to NOT say something once. He dared to taylor his message to his audience. He actually wants to be RELAVENT. He wants to spend time adding members rather than polishing a platform that nobody but we understand or care about. In short, he wants to WIN ELECTIONS.

The LP purists, anarchists, and self-deluded superheroes of freedom proved they are still politically childish and naive, however, by their relentless campaign to purge Mr. Root for his lack of purity. What is he saying that is so against our principles? I asked that question throughout the convention to his detractors and came up with nothing.

We heard loud jeers and boos when he said he didn't want open borders until the welfare state was ended. Ooooohhhhh, that's just so anathema to our religion of liberty, isn't it? How dare he declare us a soverign nation that has a right not to bankrupt itself providing welfare to the world?

These people personally insulted Wayne, his family, his past, his friends, his convictions, and the cause of liberty itself. I am tired of being connected to a party of infantile, arrogant, rude, and out of touch activists who want nothing more but to argue with each other over the procedural rules governing whether the committees are allowed to change punctuation in the by-laws. And I'm certainly not interested in spending thousands of my dollars, days off, holidays, and evenings giving my life to a cause that does not want to be successful. It makes no sense to run a political party that wants to get people elected but doesn't give a damn what voters think.

Someone stop this juggernaut of unreason and let me off.

This life

2009-12-12T19:25:00.001-08:00

Theme song from Sons of Anarchy

Ridin' through this world
All alone
God takes your soul
You're on your own

The crow flies straight
A perfect line
On the devil's path
Until you die

This life is short
Baby that's a fact
Better live it right
You ain't comin' back

Gotta raise some hell
Before they take you down
Gotta live this life

Gotta look this world
In the eye
Gotta live this life
Till you die

You better have soul
Nothin' less
Cause when it's business time
It's life or death

The king is dead
But life goes on
Don't lose your head
When a deal goes down

Better keep your eye
On the road ahead
Gotta live this life

Gotta look this world
In the eye
Gotta live this life
Till you die

Dear diary

2009-11-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

7/5/2020

Dear Diary,

I can't believe it's this cold for a day in July, but the president says global cooling will only get worse if we don't lower the cap on Co2 emissions. I'm all for saving the planet but my electric bill is already over $700.00 per month. I guess even higher taxes is the only way we can really control the weather though.

And it looks like I won't be able to see my doctor for another 6 months, at least. The government hit the debt ceiling again and can't pay any of the bills. Now that the Chinese won't lend us any more money, the president says the federal reserve will have to monetize our debt. Well I don't know what that means, but he says it will pump more money into circulation and that's always good I guess. The president says the Chinese are mean and greedy now that they're rich capitalists. Anyway, he says we're so far in debt that the only way we can even pay the interest on it is to have the government give out more money. I sure am glad we have smart people in office because I would have never thought of that. If only we had more money for our publick schools maybe the would have taught me about that stuff.

My Spanish lessons are coming along nicely. My teacher says I'm starting to sound just like every other American! I even feel like I belong here now. And when I finally do go back to the doctor's office, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to fill out all the payment forms without any help.

Oh and I've got my eye on a new car. Yep, the Chevy celery stalk. It has a range of 20 miles and goes up to 35 miles per hour on the highway. My wife doesn't like it because it's so expensive, but it's union made, so I figure it's worth the $95,000.00 sticker price. Besides, there's a tax rebate of $75,000.00 on it so it's not that bad. I just hope I don't hit a deer in it.

Those deer are way overpopulated here ever since the Feinstein-Boxer omnibus child safety and adorable furry animal equality and anti-scary looking gun act was passed. But guns and hunting had to be outlawed to stop the holicost against animals every year. Just as soon as the government can pass a law to make more money, they'll hire veterinarians to catch the deer and move them to forests. They'll probably get eaten by coyotes or bears, but that's natural and sustainable so it's good. Besides, I'll be safe in the car. the government mandated automatic seat belts, helmets, knee pads, mouth pieces and jock straps. The car just puts them all on! And it has a dash cam with a live feed into the police station in case I forget something.

Well I have to get going. I need to take my obesity pill and get some rest now. Tomorrow I think I'll go see Michael Moore's new documentary: "How I got filthy rich bashing capitalism".

My first archery white tail harvest

2009-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love to hunt. Never one to be content with watching life through a windshield or a TV screen, I have a strong desire to live it. And living it means being a part of the food chain. An ACTIVE part. Some people are happy to walk in to the supermarket and toss a steak into the cart. And that's not a bad thing, but it doesn't hold a candle to harvesting your own, in terms of quality, taste, experience, and certainly not satisfaction and the feeling of independence.

One of the reasons I was so willing to move to Arkansas was the hunting. Granted the state is probably not a match for Kansas white tails, but it does hold its own. So I figured that's what I'd start with down here since it's what I know best.

A little over 2 years ago I made up my mind I wanted to harvest a white tail with a bow. I love going primitive. The biggest buck I have taken to date was with a .50 caliber springfield hawken flintlock. There's nothing like it. 10 yards, eyeball to eyeball, with only one chance... and when you pull the trigger, just like any one of the 50+ men on the lewis and clark expedition in that long cold winter out on the frontier, the pan flashes, the fire passes through the touch hole, and the muzzle cracks. When the smoke clears, you hope you've put a lead round ball through your quarry. And I did! But I wanted to take it a step further.

So I spent a wad of jack on a really nice bow (started with a crappy one and realized it wasn't going to work!). I got a Ross Cardiac and set it up. I practiced and practiced. I was already familiar with the up close and personal hunting tactics from black powder hunting (modern rifle hunting really requires almost no skill, I'm sorry to say). I learned how to scout, how to stalk, how to outsmart one of the most woods-wise animals on the planet. But I did it the hard way.

Last season I spent countless hours in the stand. Sun up to sundown, with my thermos of coffee, my lunch (often deer jerky from another hunt), and my imagination. I had 2 chances to shoot. Both missed the mark, mainly due to the fact that I did not have surprise in my favor, which is CRITICAL with white tail hunting.

This year started off almost as badly. My first chance came a couple of weeks ago. It was twilight, and I was back in the woods when a nice sized doe and 3 fawns came strolling into my sights. By the time I got a clear shot, I had trouble seeing (yes it was legal, but barely, right at sundown). I missed. I nearly cried.

Last weekend fortunes changed. About 6:00pm, a medium sized 6 point buck strutted into my lane. He almost walked directly under my stand. He was so close I could have almost stuck him with an Arkansas toothpick! Having learned from my previous experiences how NOT to alert him to my presence, I waited. I waited until I had a clear shot, and he couldn't possibly see me in his peripheral vision as I drew the string back.

The string felt heavy. I've shot this bow a million times. I have a spring scale that measures the draw weight at 60 pounds. It may as well have been 600 I was so filled with adrenaline, because I WANTED THIS. And I was tired of missing.

At about 15 yards, he stopped and turned. My 20 yard pin was right on his front left quarter, just behind the elbow. Perfect alignment... and then.... SNAP!

The arrow flew at over 200 miles per hour. In an instant, the string popped, and he bucked. He literally looked like a Brhama coming out of the gate. Then he trotted off. He never knew what hit him. I waited to move, so as not to scare him and make him run farther, still not 100% sure whether or not I hit him.

Then I saw my arrow, stuck in the ground. I didn't understand what happened, because I was almost positive I hit him when he bucked. When I got out of my harness and down from the tree, I saw the blood on the vanes and the fur on the broadhead, and I knew I had him! The arrow had passed COMPLETELY through his vital area.

A frantic search began. Would I lose him after all this? Who should I call to help? Can he be found before dark? I send a text message to my wife to tell her. I called my daughter out to help in the search. I looked and looked. He was nowhere to be found. However, the area was surrounded on all sides by asphalt. I saw no blood on any of it.

I knew he was near. After a good 30 minute search, I found him. Friends there is no greater thrill in life than to see a buck dropped, waiting to be brought in!

Dragging him out of the woods was not easy, but I did it. My daughter helped me gut him and hang him up. That's the nice thing about having raised my kids "country", they've got frontier skills (and attitudes). She even identified most of the organs in the animal!

We were up until midnight working on him. We got him guttted, skinned and quartered. We hung the hide and tossed the quarters into the deep freeze (set to refrigerator temp). We worked on the meat, hide, and antlers again tuesday night until about 10:00, and some last night.

We have made jerky and sausage, hamburger and steaks. So far we've sampled the jerky and sausage and it is to die for! The part of the hide we saved is in the final stages of preservation. And I've ordered a chrome skull from bass pro to mount the antlers on (actually 2, one for that big buck I took with the flintlock!).

I cannot wait to share this experience with the next generation of hunters, which in this case is my step daughter. Since my own kids have no interest in hunting, it's my only chance to pass on my knowledge of the sport. In a few weeks she'll be down with her crossbow to claim her first hundred pounds of meat!

Nope, it's kid rock

2009-09-21T19:40:00.001-07:00

AS if anyone actually reads this blog anyway LOL

im a pimp - you can check my stats
And rollin' a Fleetwood that's how I mack
I rock all the tracks, so the world knows
I love all the girls smack all the hoes
Show love to those who come real with it
Life's a bitch but I deal with it
I'm in it to win it like Yzerman
Can drink about 15 Heinekins
I'm not born again but if I was
I'd ask to come back with a little more love
Puffin' a Winston, drinkin a 4-0
Kid Rock and I'm gonna let you know
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, thinking, trying to free my mind
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, trying to free my mind

It's been a couple of months in this smokey room
Eatin' shrooms, drinking Boone's
Writin' tunes and hoping to get
One of these motherfucking songs to hit
A little bit of love that's all I need
A little inspiration in a bag of weed
A seed to plant so my tree can grow
You know I left my girl cause I don't need that
H-o-o-old-up wait a minute I'm about to flow
Like a breeze through the trees you can watch me blow

Puffin' a Winston, drinkin' a four-oh
Kid Rock and I'm gonna let you know
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, thinking, trying to free my mind
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, trying to free my mind

Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Free my mind... Ooohhh yeah

I ain't no rough guy, ain't no tough guy
Don't get out much, and don't dress up fly
A pawn in the game that's all I am
Givin' all my duckets to Uncle Sam fuck it
I'm free to do what I please little lady
I was born at night but not last night baby
I've been around, seen some things
I've slept in dumpsters, got high with kings
I don't bring much, ain't got a lot to say
But I got more time then Morris Day

Puffin' a Winston, drinkin' a four-oh
Kid Rock and I'm gonna let you know
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, thinking, trying to free my mind
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, trying to free my mind
Smokin' and drinkin'
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, thinking, trying to free my mind
Tryin' to free my mind
I been sittin' here just wastin' time drinking,
smoking, trying to free my mind
Wastin' my time....hey I'm smokin'...hey I'm drinkin'
...tryin' to free my mind
I been sittin' here just wastin' time...drinking,
smoking, trying to free my mind

Terminal Preppie

2009-09-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

I've decided I just can't top the Dead Kennedys. Written 20+ years ago, this timeless wisdom still stands as a lighthouse in my world of nebulous political logic...

So I'm going to post lyrics from their best songs here, starting with Terminal Preppie. But it'll get even better. Religious vomit, Let's lynch the landlord, When ya get drafted, and many, many more will follow....

I go to college
That makes me so cool
I live in a dorm
And show off by the pool

I join the right clubs
Just to build an impression
I block out thinking
It won't get me ahead

My ambition in life
Is to look good on paper
All I want is a slot
In some big corporation

John Belushi's my hero
I lampoon and I ape him
My news of the world
Comes from Sports Illustrated

I'm proud of my trophies
Like my empty beer cans
Stacked in rows up the wall
To impress all my friends

No, I'm not here to learn
I just want to get drunk
And major in business
And be taught how to fuck

Win! Win!
I always play to win
Wanna fit in like a cog
In the faceless machine

[Chorus]
I'm a terminal terminal terminal preppie
terminal terminal terminal preppie
terminal terminal terminal terminal
terminal terminal terminal terminal

I want a wife with tits
Who just smiles all the time
In my centerfold world
Filled with Springsteen and wine

Some day I'll have power
Some day I'll have boats
A tract in some suburb
With Thanksgivings to host

[Chorus]
I'm a terminal terminal terminal preppie
terminal terminal terminal preppie
terminal terminal terminal preppie

OVER RATED!

2009-08-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

While I'm compiling lists, I figured I'd create one that outlines the most over rated things of our time. Here is what I have so far:

1. Faith. TOTALLY over rated. Why is it even a virtue? You mean to tell me that just because you believe in something for no reason whatsoever, you are a better person than I? Let's say you believe in the tooth fairy still, even at 40 years old. THIS makes you a better person? Or you believe a flying pink unicorn fertilizes your garden at night. Don't laugh! It's no more ridiculous than the fairy tales we read our kids or any of the world's religious teachings.

2. A college education. Seriously, save your money. In this day and age, it's not difficult to educate yourself. You don't need to spend $100,000.00 and go 600 miles away from home to "find yourself" or "become more well rounded". GO TO A LIBRARY, or here's an idea STOP AND THINK FOR YOURSELF.

3. Disenfectants. Anti-bacterial soap. Anything "new and improved", or that is "introduced" as the "all new". Save your money, you'll need it for a good shrink who specializes in OCD. You're not going to die without fogging your house over with lysol every 15 minutes. In fact, I like to live by the old addage that, "DIRT DON'T HURT".

4. iPhones. I'm not impressed with your phone just because it doubles as a light sabre. To the contrary, I'm quite happy with my Palm treo (which was found in an archealogical dig and proves I'm at least as old as Moses). This thing has speech recognition (nothing new btw), internet (both PDA and teathering), 40 channels of TV, a still and video camera, mini-SD slot, full color touch screen (imagine that), AND...... AND..... YEP. It can EVEN figure out my tip at dinner. There's an ap for that! IT'S CALLED AN EFFIN CALCULATOR. (which really isn't necessary if you can figure 15% mentally, which is any 7th graded should be able to do).

5. Solar panels and wind turbines. OK ya I really, REALLY want this technology to work. I'd love to be off the grid more than anything in the world. But then there's reality. THE REALITY is that at 6c per kilowatt hour, your windmill will have to run full speed for about 18 years to pay for itself, and you will need to cover your house, front and back yard, driveway, and part of your neighbors house with solar panels to generate enough power to RUN A TOASTER. It's just not there yet people.

6. Baby on board signs in people's windows. What the hell do you think? That just because you have a "Baby on Board" sticker in your window I'm going to not hit you? Are you SERIOUS? I'd hit you just as soon as I'd hit anyone else! Get over yourself. Just because you figured out how to squirt out a puppy doesn't mean you're any better than anyone else. And besides, if you're like most of the rest of the people I see with these stupid signs, you probably drive a 9,000 pound tank anyway, and I'm on a motorcycle. "Cyclist on board"!

Well enough for now. More later. THIS BLOG is probably the MOST over rated thing right now LOL

Everything that's wrong with America

2009-08-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

Kids these days!

Yes, it's a cliche. Yes, the fact that I employ this cliche shows my age. But as with all things redundant, there's truth in it.

So what's wrong with America, besides kids these days? I'm working on a list...

1. Obsession with things that don't matter. Case in point: a ridiculous article I ready recently on Yahoo! news (surprise, not). The author was a writer for, of all things, that most erudite bastion of intellectual discourse, COSMO. What was the thorn in her side? Well, it wasn't the $10 trillion in debt that our benevolent government is going to add to our ledger in over the next 10 years. It wasn't the erosion of liberty, the devaluation of the dollar... no, it was text etiquette. This brainless breeder cow was more concerned with whether it's OK for your BFF to text u with abbreviations like cula8er than she was with.... oh, I dunno.... THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Case in point, her use of 2nd person plural pronouns in place of 2nd person singular pronouns in the interest of political correctness. If your friend is a moron, THEY probably read cosmo. No, HE probably reads cosmo. FRIEND=SINGULAR, THEY=PLURAL, match them up you bimbo, just as you would your sun dress with one of your 800 pairs of shoes.

2. The financialization of America. Why is it that there is more money being made re-arranging money than there is actually BUILDING THINGS? Simple: DEBT. We're awash in debt, and someone needs to be paid to shuffle it, primp it, prune it, beautify it, water it and talk to it. America needs debt wisperers. Pssst... there's a fortune to be made playing a shell game. You won't add anything of value to the economy, but who cares, right?

3. Using kids to pimp your shit. Stop putting kids on the radio and TV to sell your crap. It's not any more cute than it was when you used them to record your answering machine message. We don't think your kids are cute, get it? In fact we think they're brats. YOU think they're cute. WE don't. Sell your own snake oil, stop using your kids to do it.

4. Vice taxes and laws. You can take these and shove 'em. We don't for a minute think you're more moral than we are, and we damn sure don't think we OWE you ANYTHING just because we drink, smoke, use drugs, hire whores, pay stippers, or rent goats for Roman style orgies. (OK, there should be a tax on goat orgies, because not even I would go that far). We're not going to take it anymore. We're buying tobacco seeds and growing our own, just like we do everything else you outlaw: UNDERGROUND. Nothing changes, but the gummint LOSES revenue, becomes a hypocrite, and fills up prisons.

5. Shopping carts. They're too damned small. This is AMERICA dammit. We like things BIG. I want a shopping cart so big it needs a V-8 diesel engine of its own. I'm tired of trying to crap 3 days worth of groceries into a cart the size of a matchbox.

6. Guys wearing flipper-floppers. Do I need more proof the sperm count has gone through the floor into the basement? Do you NOT own a pair of BOOTS? Or at LEAST some effin A tennis shoes? Seriously sweetie, you're little pedicure may be cute, but save the damned flipper floppers for the beach and the bathroom, even if if they do match your new golf visor. A few of us still have our balls intact, and just because your wife has yours in a jar, it doesn't mean we want to look at your tootsies.

flag THIS

2009-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Flag THIS, White House!

That's right, President Obama, you can FLAG my entire blog as "fishy" if you'd like. In fact I hope you do, but I'm not going to waste the keystrokes to report myself to FLAG@WHITEHOUSE.GOV despite your orwellian request for me to do so.

Yet again We the People see you implement another of your communist tactics, taken straight from the playbook of one of your marxist professors most likely, asking people to "report fishy e-mails" about ObamaCare. My friends from former communist countries such as Hungary and Poland recognize this tactic of yours all too well. Turn the people against each other. Distract them. Tell them a lie so many times it becomes the truth.

Well that spitwad don't fly here partner. You and your band of union thugs can't intimidate the entire American population into submission. Your comrades in congress cannot smear us all with the endless stream of lies that flow from their offices. We don't wear swastikas. We're not racists. We're not radicals. We're not paid off, we're not organized, we're not even Republicans, we're AMERICANS. We understand the U.S. Constitution. We understand that you are its enemy. And we're not going to let you and your cronies hijack our liberty and way of life.

You have no right to re-distribute the wealth of all 300 million residents of this land. Robin Hood may be your hero, but he's still a thief. And YOU are a thief when you use the power of the majority to steal from the minority, regardless of how well your intentions may (or may not) be.

So You can FLAG this blog, FLAG ME, and FLAG every libertarian in this country with a backbone, because we are not going to take it anymore.

We aren't going to take your lies, smears, and character defamation. We're better than that. We won against the communists in the cold war, and we'll win against those communists who have infiltrated our government and institutions. Enjoy your honeymoon while it lasts. The backlash is coming.

Hughes Net Sucks

2009-08-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

The big news today? I'm dumping Hughes Net. You've probably seen their moderately annoying commercials touting their fast download speed and how much better they are than dial-up. Dial up, maybe. Anything else? HELL NO.

Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy this service unless you have no other choice. The first major problem with it, (and they don't bother to tell you this) is that you have a 24 hour download limit. It's 250mb with their basic service. You can upgrade it to I believe 400, but that's it. You go over that, and they knock you down to turtle shit speed as punishment. That's right, you sit in the cyber dog house for another 24 hours (minimum) at about 56k. Oh, unless you do your downloads between 2:00a and 5:00a. Sorry, but I need my internet all the time.

The second problem is that their service is slow. Slow as in, barely better than dial up. I just now tested it and got, AT MOST 997kbps. DSL and cable run about 5-7mbps. And best of all, THEY'RE BOTH CHEAPER than hughes!

To make matters even worse, you're locked in with a 2 year contract. I hate this lousy service so bad, however, that I'm going to EAT $400.00 to get out of it and switch to DSL (which is half the price for a million x better service).

Yes it was my mistake. I'm doing this to warn you so you can learn from it.

HUGHES SUCKS.

The problem with socialized medicine

2009-07-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

The problem with socialized medicine, and socialized everything for that matter, rests squarely on the principle of the basic human right of ownership. Recently I was reading a little bit of John Locke's philosophy (which heavily contributed to the founding fathers of this country's philosophy, as well as the actors in the French Revolution and probably other political actions), and something jumped out at me: his staunch support of the basic human right to keep the fruits of his labor.

Locke held that when a human being transformed something from one state to another, it became his PROPERTY; and that governments were social contracts designed for the primary purpose of preserving personal property. What an interesting idea! In other words, when I work, I get the reward! It's was a novel concept in the world then, as it is now; particularly among the socialist elite that is running this country at the moment. This was the basic ideal of our founding fathers, most notably Thomas Jefferson, who abhored large government because of the apathy and dependency that it created.

Contrast that philosophy with the philosophy of Barack Obama, a production of Acorn and protege the leftist elite. He and his comrades are working overtime to promote a much different idea: The idea that the fruits of your labor or not in fact yours; but belong to the society as a whole. And, it follows that a strong government is needed to enforce this system, since it is not the usual state of human affairs to work tirelessly just to give away all the fruits of your labor.

So Obama proposes that the governement should "provide" or even "give" all citizens healthcare because it is a "right". Right. In order to give someone the fruits of someone else's labor, which is what we're talking about here, it is necessary to deprive the laborer of his fruits. This is a form of slavery at worst and wealth redistribution at best; because the GOVERNMENT has NOTHING to give. It produces NOTHING; therefore it can GIVE nothing. As Henry David Thoreau once said, "Government is best but an expedient...". Government is nothing but the force required to enforce the social contract of the people.

But the will of the people is not always just. It is far from just when it seeks to impose the will of the majority on the minority simply to deprive the minority of its lawfully gained fruits of labor. At this point democracy is reduced to a tyranny of the majority and the government becomes a thief. We now find ourselves in this situation. We have a Robin Hood government that plans to take the fruits of a minority's labor and provide it to the majority.

Soon the people will realize that they are not gaining from their own labor, and they are being robbed of their own wealth by the very government that they entrusted to enforce their rights to that wealth. When this happens the wealth will leave this country and go elsewhere. We will then be stuck with what's left; and will begin fighting with each other over the spoils.

This is the CHANGE that I expected from community organizer, labor union supporter and socialist in chief Barack Obama. Unfortunately the voting public by in large has not taken 5 minutes to read about John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, libertarianism, or any other facet of world history and philosophy.

Now they're going to get what they deserve: a crushing debt that will enslave their children and grandchildren; a dependency on a grossly inefficient system that makes their health care decisions for them, and a giant sucking sound as the best talent in the country boards the next flight out.

Thank you, fellow citizens, for squandering the final few trillion dollars that put the last nail in our collective coffins.

General update

2009-07-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! We had a great turnout at the Northwest Arkansas Free Thought Society meet up last night! The group is really growing. Doc is working on a video and a play featuring our founding fathers and their sentiments regarding organized religion. I think it needs some work, but he gets the point across. The main characters are Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, George Washington and Ben Franklin. All of course were at best "deists" and some (notably Jefferson) could be regarded as atheist. Regardless of their personal beliefs, however, they all favored a secular state. Doc (and all of us) seek to dispel the notion that we were "founded as a Christian nation" and work to support separation of church and state (a phrase used by Jefferson).

IN other news... we are all starting the atkins diet. Of course to me its not really a "diet"; it's more of a way of eating that the human species was evolved to live by. So today we're rounding up all of our sugar, flower, starches, sauces.... anything with sugar, corn syrup, etc and we're tossing it all (or donating it). We have the book and Krystal is in charge of making the shopping list. Since I have lost 16 pounds in the last 2 months, and only have another 5 or so to go, I'm just going to start in the maintenance phase. I'm training for distance running and swimming, so I don't really need to go through induction I don't think. But that's exactly where Alice and Krystal are starting. So we'll have a cart load of meat, fish, eggs, cheese, and vegetables it sounds like. Fine with me.

I've managed to shave off a fair amount of time on my 2 mile run. My goal is to match my time in basic training of 13:47. I'm closing in on 15 minutes now, which is a huge improvement over my probably 18 minutes a few months ago. That's what swimming and running every day will do for ya though! A parallel goal is to do a 10k by the end of this fall. I guess I need to get to work and find one.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

2009-06-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that. It's actually Virginia's motto. Wikipedia says it is often mistranslated as "death to tyrants" but actually means "thus always to tyrants". At any rate I prefer the mistranslation personally, and the state's seal seems to favor it as well. Who needs latin anyway? Screw it. DEATH TO TYRANTS!

Well John Stossel did a pretty good interview of Glenn Beck on 20/20 Friday night. It's nice to see self proclaimed libertarians starting to infiltrate the mainstream media. It was a nice piece. I'm glad there are people like Beck and Stossel out there who can put a smiley face on liberty, because I'm a tad bit more rough around the edges. Personally I think Beck needs a bit of polishing on his philosophy and debate skills, (and I'm available, btw, for a small fee), but all in all he's the best man we've got in the media today. I continue to look for men with backbone who are willing to be in the limelight (as I have done). They are few and far between. Even that joker Ken Lewis is licking the feds' boots. I could not believe I was watching it... He actually testified before congress that yes he was pressured to take the tarp money and push the deal through with merril, but sugar coated it by immediately following up like a puppy dog who got caught crapping on the carpet with some drivel along the lines of "but it was for our own good". Please. If you're making that kind of jack you need to go buy yourself a set of balls buddy.

Tomorrow the free thought society of Northwest Arkansas (which I am of course proud to be a member of) is hosting a presentation and book signing by Dr. Darrel Ray. I did the press release for it but I don't think we got any play (I listed the founder as the contact so I don't know if he got any airtime or press). Ray is a psychologist with a degree in religion as well. He will discuss and sign his book, "The God Virus", which as I understand it puts religion in its place as a short circuit in the human mind. I of course will have a full analysis after meeting Dr. Ray and reading his book. Hopefully we'll draw in a few hecklers to liven it up a bit.

Slavery, racism, women as property (and sex slaves), and God

2009-06-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

How do all these things fit together you ask?

Well I didn't know they did myself, until I actually read the bible cover to cover. It's been years since I cracked open the "good book", but I have actually read it through more than once (unlike most of the faithful I know and debate, who usually don't know much about it at all).

Reading the bible, I learned that:

Slavery is righteous. This is a solid principle of the bible, new testament and old. In fact, there is an entire book devoted to it named Philemon. You see when a runaway slave who was owned by Philemon came to the apostle Paul for assistance, Paul urged him to be a good slave and return straight back to his owner.

Homosexuals should be put to death. So should anyone of a different religion, anyone who has sex outside of marriage, any child who disobeys his parents, adulterers, fortune tellers, having sex with animals, disobeying a priest, and many other offenses. The good news? Having sex with your wife while she's menstruating is NOT a capitol offense. Nope, for that you just are "cut off from your people". So if you catch your neighbor having sex and you see evidence in his bathroom that his wife may be "unclean", you'd better call the neighborhood watch.

God is racist. Yep, that's just the cold reality. The Jews are his chosen people you see. In fact it wasn't until only recently that non-Jews could avoid hellfire. Now "gentiles" like me have a chance at redemption only because God's favorite race rejected him.

God is only good, but everything came from God. That includes evil. Wait a minute, how did something come from him that he is not? OK I admit, I just threw that one in. It really is never dealt with in any depth in the "good book". I don't suppose there is any reason to open a Q&A session when any dissent is met with punishments such as turning a person into a pillar of salt, "smiting" him with hemorrhoids, drowning him, or just striking him dead.

If God asks you to murder your own children, you should do it. Now today we'd call someone nasty names, like "insane" and "just nuts". But back then things were different. It was in fact expected of you to kill your son if you heard voices claiming to be god who told you to do so. Good ol' father Abraham... he'd a done it, I swear!

If evil men show up at your door and want to have sex with your buddies, offer them your virgin daughters instead. That's what Lot did, and he was considered a righteous man. Righteous enough in fact for God to save him from fire and brimstone!

Jesus did not in fact come to bring peace on Earth. I'm not sure why we see this at Christmas every year, when He himself states, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I come not to send peace, but a sword". Huh. Better get to work explaining that one away!

Well I think that's enough for now, you get the picture. If this book (collection of 66 books actually, chosen over time by who knows who for who knows why to be "cannonized", were written in modern English and released on the shelves tomorrow, the same people who like to thump it on podiums would be picketing the book stores for selling it.

When I mention the above passages (and others) to my faithful friends, I'm constantly amazed at the mental gymnastics they perform to explain it all away.

Wouldn't it just be easier to see it for what it is?

The State V. YOU

2009-05-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how many things are "for the common good" or "for your own good" or even PATRIOTIC when the government does them, but illegal when YOU do them. Here are just a few examples I've come up with.

When Bernie Madoff runs a ponzi scheme, people are OUTRAGED. They demand that he go to jail and rot. When the GOVERNMENT runs a ponzi scheme, it's called "social security" and frequently needs to be "shored up".

When a gang extorts income from the producers in its neighborhood, it's called EXTORTION and BLACKMAIL and the people demand that the Ricoh act be used to put them all in jail. When your government does it, it's called INCOME TAX.

When that same gang runs out of something and goes to another neighborhood to steal it by force, it's called ARMED ROBBERY and again the people demand that the guilty be sent off to prison. When your government does it, it's called WAR, and it goes so far as to declare God is on its side.

When the mob prints money, it's called counterfeiting, and the secret service is called in to lock up the offenders. When your government does it, it's called MONETARY POLICY and is necessary and patriotic.

When your neighbor declares your religion, it's an outrage and he's judging you. When the government does it, it's IN GOD WE TRUST on your license plates and money.

And THIS is the socialist state that we so proudly defend? THIS is what we call FREEDOM? Friends, THIS IS A JOKE. You live in a society that tells you what you can and cannot put into your own body (drugs, vaccines), what you can and cannot put ON your body (helmet laws, seat belt laws), what you can and cannot do with your own money in your own home (internet gambling, prostitution, and any number of other victimless crimes between consenting adults).

It is NOT freedom, it is NOT liberty, nor does it resemble anything even close. It is orwellian brainwash that the masses of sheeple march in lockstep with. It is FEAR that your government uses to CONTROL YOU.

Thomas Jefferson said, "When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, that is tyranny". So I ask you, WHO FEARS WHO in today's neo-fascist state?

There is no man so enslaved as the man who is a slave but believes he's free.

Wow, I don't remember where that quote comes from, but it sure sums up the American public.

The fleecing of America (cont'd)

2009-05-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well friends I've been busy and haven't posted much for a while. Not only have I been busy, but I've basically found myself in a state of resignation. I'm resigned to the fact that the fleecing of America has gone into hyperdrive, and we are now seeing the last of the buzzards fighting over what scraps remain.

As you all know I've spent much of my life in service to the cause of liberty and freedom. And I don't mean freedom in the sense that the orwellian nanny state uses it currently to demand our thoughtless submission. No, I mean liberty in the sense of individual sovereignty, which is another discussion for another day, which will of course be lost on 99% of the people who run across it.

That very liberty - individual sovereignty - is an ideal that is dead. We are now at the tail end of the dependency cycle and it must run its course. The time to rally and carry the standard is over. What I'm about to say is going to shock most of my readers, but I've thought about it for quite some time, and it is this: We should now join the socialists that run this country and help to speed up the final transition to complete and total socialism / fascism. At this point all we're doing it delaying the inevitable a few more years at BEST. And when the inevitable comes it will be WORSE.

We libertarians are keenly aware that the bank is broke. The ponzi schemes that the socialist / fascist traitors in our government have brought upon us are finally collapsing. WE know that our entire system is a ponzi scheme. The scam known as the federal reserve is robbing us blind, as Thomas Jefferson warned any central banking system would. Social security, and all the other welfare scams under its umbrella are insolvent. We're leveraged to the hilt, all with paper IOUs. The house of cards is coming down, whether we like it or not. And it's due to the greed, ignorance, and lack of self discipline of the dependents that allowed it to be put into place.

You see we as a nation collectively have sold our souls to the bank. Anyone who thinks that the economy is turning around, or will turn around, is in serious need of a history lesson. We are the most leveraged society in the history of the world. The parasites of the land, who produce nothing but pursue a slash and burn tactic in their eternal quest to suck the lifeblood out of the those who do produce are winning.

The unions and the democrats are hell bent on pillaging what remains of our production engines. When they're done, nothing will be left. They won't stop until they've destroyed every last ounce of wealth in the country. Then the class warfare and class envy they created will turn into outright aggression and it will be a full on war.

The military industrial complex, which has run this country for years, has combined forces with the oil industrial complex and the Republicans to bring us their brand of fascism and socialism. Theirs generally disdains unions and the unabashed socialism of the democrats; but puts Jesus and and a slice of apple pie on the plate with it to make it a little easier to swallow. But make no mistake about it: it is still a domestic enemy of the United States Constitution. But as I stated early on in this rant, the blame lands squarely in the lap of the American sheeple. THEY are the ones who allowed this; no, DEMANDED it, and now here we are, and their solution to the problems they've caused is MORE?

My dad used to say, "you can't borrow your way out of debt". Only an idiot would think that would work. Yet we as a nation are desperately trying to do just that. Collectivism doesn't work. Our founding fathers knew this; which is why they created a REPUBLIC not a DEMOCRACY. The fact that 99 out of 100 people out there think we actually ARE a democracy is proof of the problem.

At the rate we're circling the drain, it won't be long now until all the riches of the greatest nation ever on the face of the earth will have been plundered. In fact I'll go out on a limb and say they already HAVE been plundered, the accountants just haven't settled up yet. As more and more "de-leveraging" occurs; we'll see it unfold. And when our grandchildren and children are wearing barrels and selling pencils on the street corner for a fish head and a bowl of rice, will anyone's mind be changed?

Not likely. The socialists will insist we didn't have enough socialism. The unions will insist the evil corporations did it. And the moronic majority will buy whatever brand of BS the current establishment is selling. Until they finally hit bottom and realize that the concept of the "common good" is complete crap, and only then will the rugged individualist again reclaim his sovereignty.

So bring it on Nancy Polosi and Obama. You're only a few votes away from completely destroying us. Get it over with. We rugged individualists are ready to rebuild, starting with the US constitution - less an amendment or two.

Thwarting Theocracy in Missouri

2008-02-16T20:38:00.001-08:00

Coincidentally, the religious right in Missouri seems to be marching in lockstep with Kansas.

Recently a bill was introduced to amend the Missouri Constitution to emphasize the right of students to pray in school.

This of course is nothing but political grandstanding. That right already exists and has been vigorously defended by many organizations. I don't know of anyone (myself included) who would oppose voluntary prayer, bible study, meditation, wiccan ritual study, or any other form of religious expression.

However, apparently we are seeing another instance of the Christian persecution complex coming into play. Someone said a pastor said that he heard a student on some bus somewhere was told he couldn't bring a bible on board. Hence the bill. This is done solely to ignite a firestorm of ideological nonsense which is unnecessary.

The 1st amendment and the Missouri constitution already guarantee the right of freedom of religion.

But then again, style over substance in politics is nothing new.

Thwarting Theocracy in Kansas

2008-02-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

The religious right is on the march again. Today I met them in Topeka to square off over a bill regarding "In God We Trust" License plates.

The persecution complex that these people feel is not only ironic, but is becoming more apparent. While I am fully behind every individual's right to practice his religion, I do not like the idea of the state endorsing any one person's religion.

Here is a summary of the article:

http://cjonline.com/stories/021408/bre_license.shtml

Bring our Troops Home

2008-02-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Friends, we're faced with a quagmire of biblical proportions in Iraq. We've crossed borders that we should have never crossed. We continue to meddle in the affairs of every nation in the world, and see ourselves as world police. This policy has destroyed nations throughout history, and ours will be no exception. Not only will it destroy our nation in due course, it's destroying the lives of our soldiers, their families, and the nations we have bombed into oblivion. I don't buy the excuses and lies that our federal government has used to justify this invasion. In fact, I believe we have been fed a wholesale bill of goods, and it is becoming increasingly apparent.

Although I love to write, I myself cannot express the tragedy of the war in Iraq any better than long time Rock and Roller Ozzy Ozbourne. Like him or not, the man is a survivor. He's faced his demons, he's conquored them, and he's seen enough of life to be able to have a wise opinion of man's aggression against his fellow man. Therefore I offer these words, sung by him in his new hit single, "black rain":

The black rain is falling
Contaminating the ground
The human race is dying
The dirt all scattered around

What is the price of a bullet
Another hole in the head
The black rain over a coffin
Another soldier is dead

How many victims of bullets
How man more have to die
People dying in masses
And it ain't justified

We've got our mighty warriors
Defenders of our home and our pride
We've crossed too many borders
Military suicide

War killing sons and daughters
another will attack, there is no turning back
Blood running down like water
You think you got away? Until the judgement day comes

Politicians confuse me
I watch the body count rise
While all the children are marching
Into the desert to die

The human pshyche is twisted
The madness rising again
Another empire falling
I watch them dying in vain

**************

To our troops: I salute you, and I'd give you the shirt off my back. You are the true heroes. You answered the call of duty. You've done your job. You've honored your comittment. To our politicians: shame on you.

When will we learn? Do we seek to build an empire and impose our will on the world, or will we choose a foreign policy of peace and non-intervention?

Support our troops. Bring them home.

Oh, and by the way, Where is Osama?

SCHIP extension / tobacco tax update

2007-12-29T11:57:00.001-08:00

For those who have been following the SCHIP expansion program, you
are probably in the same boat as I am. You are trying to figure out
how much of an increase in tobacco taxes you'll be paying, but you
can't seem to get an explanation anywhere.

Well, after a couple of hours worth of research, here is what I've
come up with. I am no lawyer, so anyone who is please correct me if
I'm wrong here.

There are apparently 2 separate bills for the SCHIP expansion (at
least 2, there are actually probably 200). But for purposes of our
discussion, we're concerned with mainly these two.

The first is S2499, which just passed. The 2nd is HR976, which has
been vetoed.

S2499 re-authorizes the SCHIP program. There is no tax increase in
the bill. HR976, which by the way, was co-sponsored by Dennis Moore
and Nancy Boyda, is the bill that attempts to pay for it with
punative tobacco taxes.

Although HR 976 has passed both the house and senate, President
Bush's veto has held so far.

votesmart's explanation of HR976 can be found here:

http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=16062

It contains a summary of the tax increases. They're scary folks.

How to make cheap liquor by the gallon - legally and safely

2007-10-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well President Bush's veto held up to the U.S. house's attempt at an override on the SCHIP expansion. Whew. We can breathe a sigh of relief, but not for long. The socialists are probably on the march as we speak and marshalling their forces for a re-write.

At any rate, with that nasty bit of legislation out of the way, it's time to sit back and have a drink. What's that? You're tired of paying ridiculous "sin" taxes on your liquor? Look no further. I've got a solution.

Home brewing is legal, safe, cheap, and easy when you know what you're doing. Note that this does NOT involve a still of any kind. That is both dangerous and illegal. This information is strictly for brewing alcohol, which is legal in Kansas so long as it's not sold or given to anyone (or performed by a minor). this info is intended for adults ONLY and I would be the first to support prosecuting any minor who used the info. However, it's basic chemistry, so if someone wanted to figure it out, he would.

OK, here we go. Beer is a little more of an art than hard liquor, and it costs more to produce. So I'm starting off with the hard stuff. The supplies you'll need will run you about $30.00. Then you'll need about another $15-$20 to make your first 6.5 gallon vat of ethanol alcohol (the good drinking stuff). From then on, that's about how much it will cost you. Your finished product will be either 6.5 gallons of 40 proof (20%) pure ethanol alcohol (ETOH) or 3.25 gallons of 80 proof (40%).

Supplies can be purchased at any home brew shop, or over the net. At a minimum, you'll need:

(1) 7.5 gallon food grade bucket with lid (must have hole in lid)
(1) spigot with drain hose, filled with activated charcoal
(1) package of liquor quick brewing yeast / ingredients
(17.5) pounds sugar
(6.5) gallons water

Disolve the sugar into lukewarm water. Add the yeast packet. Cover. Wait 7 days. Drain through charcoal filter. Congratulations, you've got 6.5 gallons of 40 proof ETOH. You want 80 proof? Freeze it. Drain the alcohol off the top, then discard the water.

You can add this directly to a soft drink or purchase flavors for any type of liquor you prefer for about $5.00 per bottle (makes a 5th).

There you have it. No still, no dangerous vapors, no poisonous by products, no legal trouble, and NO TAXES.

Does it bother you to pay so much in taxes for something that is basically just rotten sugar and yeast and can be made cheaply, safely, and easily by any adult with a room temperature IQ?

The U.S. Senate attempts to destroy the cigar industry

2007-07-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I got word that the U.S. Senate was proposing a punitive tax, primarily on cigars. The current federal excise tax is limited to $0.05 per cigar, but the new bill seeks to raise that amount by a factor of over 20,000%. Large cigars (the kind I prefer, churchill sized, or double corona), would have a tax of up to $10.00 levied, PER STICK.

The excuse for the destruction of an entire U.S. industry is that it's "for the children". Like all poor legislation, destructive and ineffective taxes like this are masked by being "good for the children". The idea is that the federal government will raise huge amounts of money to fund states' child healthcare programs by "soaking" us cigar smokers.

So our government continues to advance its Robin Hood agenda, stealing from those who have managed to scrape together a few extra bucks and wish to enjoy a good smoke, and re-distributing to the charity of their choice (in this case the welfare state, the least effective of them all).

Well if it would work, it would be needed, since thousands of U.S. workers will be laid off if this tax passes. Of course it won't work, because cigars would just go black market. Got a contact in Honduras? (I do). Just call him and have him cut the pages out of a book and ship you home some good Hoyo de Moneterey excaliburs for a few limpuras. Most of us don't mind paying a reasonable excise tax on all of our luxuries, but this tax is an INSULT.

Please call your U.S. Senators TODAY and tell them this bill is a bad idea. It doesn't matter if you partake in fine tobacco or not. The crosshairs will be on you soon enough. And even if not, this is just bad policy. It will not raise much revenue, it is guaranteed to create a black market, and it will destroy an industry that employs thousands of Americans.

Landmark Supreme Court ruling

2007-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that passengers in traffic stops ARE allowed to challenge the constitutionality of searches and seizures, per the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Evidentally there was a case of this in California where the defense sought to have evidence dismissed on the grounds that it belonged to the passenger, and he had no ability to walk away from the situation. He felt obligated to go along with the officers' search, even though he was not suspect himself.

Although this is good news for us who are lovers of liberty, there are some general guidelines you can always follow to minimize your risk of intrusive searches by law enforcement. I like to review these from time to time. The ACLU has created a great CD that is about an hour long. It shows traffic stop scenarios, what to do, and what not to do. It advises you about your rights, *in general*, but of course you never REALLY know where you stand until you land in court.

So, here are my 10 commandments for traffic stops. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. It's just my observations and interpretations of the law as a citizen.

1. Ask early and often, "Am I being detained, officer, or am I free to go?". The U.S. Supreme court has ruled that once the initial traffic stop is completed, and you receive a ticket, you are under no further obligation to discuss ANYTHING with the officer. Many times the officer will even tell you this, then beging questioning you. Your answers WILL be held against you in court because you offered them voluntarily. If you ask this question, and the answer is, "you're free to go", turn around and walk away / drive off without further comment.

2. If you are asked any intrusive questions, that appear to be phrased in such a way as to get you to imply consent to search, say, "I don't consent to any searches, officer". This makes it clear you don't agree with any search, either implicitly or explicitly.

3. When pulled over, only roll your window down as far as necessary to communicate with the officer, unless he asks you to roll it down all the way of course. This prevents him from sticking his entire head in your vehicle and nosing around.

4. Keep everything out of plain sight. If there is nothing at all in plain sight in your vehicle, no smell of alcohol or drugs, etc. then there is probably no probable cause for a search.

5. Allow the driver to do ALL the talking. Don't offer any more information than is absolutely necessary to answer the question. "Yes", "no", and "I don't know" are perfectly acceptable answers. If in doubt about your rights, ask the officer if you are required to answer a question, and if you are allowed to consult legal counsel before doing so. Always remember that the cops are not your attorney, nor are they on your side. Their job is to find you doing something wrong. Don't believe promises that your life will be made easier if you just go along with them.

6. Know that often, law enforcement will delay arresting you to avoid reading you your rights. If they see something, they may continue to ask questions rather than arrest you immediately. This is another good time to ask, "Am I being detained, or am I free to go?".

7. Remember that attitude is 90% of any situation. Politeness goes a long way. Conversely, if you seem nervous or rattled, law enforcement will sense it and will push as hard as they can to find something to pin on you. Never argue, and certainly never resist with force. Resist the urge to smart off. Save your arguments for the judge, as difficult as that may be.

8. Answer questions, but follow up with a question, such as the ones listed above.

9. If you are stopped, and asked to step out of your vehicle, roll up your windows and lock the doors behind you. This makes it clear that you are not inviting any officer into your car by default. It makes searches much more difficult to defend in court.

10. Don't do anything illegal to begin with. Use the above tactics to avoid harassment, and to strengthen our legal system. It will cause law enforcement to respect our rights, and be much more careful when violating our privacy.

Missouri votes to continue the nanny-state

2007-05-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Once again, bikers' attempts at repealing Missouri's helmet law have failed. After a familiar debate, the legislature shot it down. As usual, there was heavy reliance on annecdotal evidence and little critical thought. The blogs are full of the predictible responses, "not on my insurance", and "Why should I have to pay for your life support with my tax dollars".

Well you shouldn't. In fact, you shouldn't have to pay for ANYONE's life support with your tax dollars. This is a problem of socialism, not liberty. Of course my principle objection to this is one of individual liberty. A person should be free to do what he wants, as long as he accepts responsibility for his actions and they don't hurt another person. The government should exist to enforce our rights, not dictate how we live our lives.

I'll attack the insurance argument first. Insurance companies compete for business. They employ teams of actuaries to study probabilities, expenses, risks, etc. They then develop products to take to the market based on these findings. I have yet to have an insurance company of any kind offer my an individual policy and ask the question, "Do you wear a helmet when you ride your motorcycle"? Why not? Because they evidentally don't consider it a significant actuarial factor. If they did, they would either refuse to cover me, or charge me more. They would offer a discount rate to attract more business to those who did wear them. But they don't. End of argument.

Next we'll deal with the safety aspect. The D.O.T. requires that helmet be tested for impacts of up to 15mph. The average crash occurs at about 35mph, in an intersection with an oncoming vehicle in a left turn. Keep in mind, 15mph is you going 7.5mph and me going 7.5mph. That doesn't really make me feel any safer somehow. There is some evidence that the added weight of the helmet puts a person at an increased risk of cervicle spine damage as well. Picture your head as a bowling ball on a broomstick. Now add more weight to it. Accelerate it to 60mph and come to a sudden stop. What breaks? The weakest point of course. I could go on, but you get the point. Efficacy is highly questionalbe. Furthermore, head injuries are very common in car accidents. And horse accidents, bicycle accidents, etc. Why not force them to wear helmets as well?

Lastly, here's a newsflash: motorcycles are dangerous. That must really come as a shock to some people, but it's true. They are recreational vehicles. There's no reason anyone HAS to ride one, yet some make that choice. Just think how much money we could all save if we outlawed them? Is that next?

In fact, we could outlaw all sorts of things. Sky diving, scuba diving, horse racing, fatty foods... think how much safer we'd all be.

Personally I'd rather die a free man than live as a subject of the nanny state.

306 Shopping Days

2007-05-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

I just got word that my trial date has been set (Peck v. Mission, KS, et. al). The date is March 4, 2008, 9:30a. That leaves only 306 shopping days until court! In other items of interest, my girlfriend (and campaign manager) Alice Scott has been added as a plaintiff.

It is truly a relief to finally get a court date for this case. It has been about 8 months since the incident, and about 7 months since we filed suit. Until now we didn't even know when we'd go to trial (assuming it does go to trial of course).

In other news, I was elected to Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of Kansas last weekend (it was formerly my appointed position). This means I will take a whack at helping to lead the party for the next 2 years. I'm told leading libertarians is like herding cats. I have little doubt of that, but if we're ever going to be taken seriously we've got to narrow our focus and work together.

The Kansas Legislature has adjourned for the year. This means our liberty and property are once again safe, for the time being. Once again I disagree with most of the votes cast by the JoCo reps, and tended to agree with the votes cast by the more rural reps. You can take the boy out of the country....

In a surprise to the social conservatives, gambling passed. I think this was long overdue for the state. Now we just need to amend the constitution to get the state out of the casino business. I believe Kansas will now be the only state in the country where the casinos are owned by the state.

In not-so-surprising news, the budget was dramatically increased. Despite the rosy pictures painted by some, we're headed for financial disaster if this keeps up.

Concealed carry pre-emption also passed. This should probably have been in the original bill to begin with.

The eminent domain "reform" was killed in committee (thanks in part to Americans for Prosperity and the Libertarian Party of Kansas).

Until next time,
There wasn't much else of interest to the average person I suppose.

Stupid e-mail tricks

2007-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well I had a free moment today, so I thought I'd disect another idiotic e-mail chain letter. This is supposed to dazzle the reader and make him believe in magic I suppose. The only thing missing was the "send this to everyone you know in the next 10 minutes or something bad will happen..." at the end.

So, here's the e-mail I got. It's followed by my explanation:

MATH PROBLEM

HERE IS A MATH TRICK SO UNBELIEVABLE THAT IT WILL STUMP YOU. PERSONALLY I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO CAME UP WITH THIS

1. GRAB A CALCULATOR. (YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS ONE IN YOUR HEAD) 2. KEY IN THE FIRST THREE DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER (NOT THE AREA CODE) 3. MULTIPLY BY 80 4. ADD 1 5. MULTIPLY BY 250 6. ADD THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER 7. ADD THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER AGAIN.
8. SUBTRACT 250
9. DIVIDE NUMBER BY 2

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE ANSWER?

Yes, I do. I recognize it because this is stupid and the equation really does nothing. Here's why:

******************

First of all, if you take out the phone number part, the equation equals 10,000. That made me suspicious.

So I looked at the parts of the equation itself.

250 shows up twice. Once it's multiplied, once it's subracted. Why? Because when you add 1 to the phone prefix, and multiply it by 250, you have to back out the extra 250 (because you added 1 and multiplied that 1 250 times).

So, the +1 and the -250 cancel out. Forget them.

The phone suffix shows up twice also. It's added to itself, thus doubling the value. But, since the entire result is divided by 2 at the end, that can be dismissed as an extra step as well.

But what about the 80 and the 250 (multiplied)?

80 * 250 is 20,000. Again, these are the only two siginficant numbers in this equation. That's why you get the same result (10,000) by just going 80 * 250 / 2. Again, keep in mind everything is divided by two. So, it's really 40 * 125.

So what does the 80 * 250 (or 40 * 125) do?

It increases the value of your phone number by a factor of 20,000 (10,000 when divided).

So, here you go:

Take the 1st three digits of your phone number and multiply by 10,000. You get x,xx0,000. Or, as a phone number, you would see: xxx-0000 (where x=your phone prefix). Starting to look familiar?

Because there's nothing left to do but add in the last 4 digits of your phone, you get your phone number.

This is what I call "mental gymnastics".

Letter to Mike Hendricks (Kansas City Star Columnist)

2007-04-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

It is dispicable that Mike Hendricks has already begun to politicize the tragedy at Virginia Tech. As the rest of the country struggles to come to terms with what has happened, Hendricks wastes no time introducing the divisive subject of gun control.

Mr. Hendricks, there will be a time for this debate. That time is not now, before the victims have even been buried. Please hold off your leftist agenda long enough for the rest of us to honor the victims and their families. Seeking to capitalize on the losses of others in this manner is truly disgusting.

Our condolences go out to the families of the shooting victims, both injured and lost. These are the moments that heroes and villans are made. Let's focus our attention on those who deserve it for the time being, not an agenda.

Industry Designation Achieved!

2007-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Monday was a bit of a red-letter day for me. While it may seem boring to others, after multiple courses and tests, I finally received my "Fellow, Financial Services Institute" designation from the Life Office Management Association.

I have completed over 14 college level courses and been tested on each one as part of this program. Although only 10 were required, I picked up 2 other designations along the way.

Although I have long been interested in investments, finance, interest rates, the stock and bond markets, etc., correctly answering at least 80% of 750 questions (10 courses, 75 questions each) has proven challenging. Even I was bored at times (the word "excruciating" came to mind several times as I studied!).

What does this mean? Well, it probably means that I now have just as good a chance as a trained monkey to pick good stocks and mutual funds LOL. But even more importantly, it has helped me to understand the financial services industry much better.

Looking for advice on your portfolio? Give me a call. I promise to so thoroughly confuse us both, that you WILL end up going to a trained monkey for advice instead!

Now I need to go see the doctor since I apparently sprained my shoulder while patting myself on the back! :-)

Until next time...

Quick Lawsuit Update

2007-02-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

It has now been over 5 months since my incident at the Mission Arts and Eats festival. We are still working on getting my case to trial in United States District Court. Here is the latest:

We have added the chief of police to the suit. We did this because we found out through the process of discovery that he was present as the events unfolded, in plain clothes, and was in fact in charge at the time.

All defendants have been served with my complaint. The chief and the city council person have responded with an answer. In their answer, they denied most of my complaint, and even went so far as to say that my detention was "consensual". This of course is the epitome of absurdity. At any rate, the other 4 officers have changed their legal counsel due to a conflict of interest. We are now awaiting their answer.

As soon as we have that answer, the court should begin setting dates for us to proceed with the case (discovery, depositions, etc, and hopefully a trial date).

To date no reasonable offer has been made to settle the case. It is my hopes that this will go all the way to a jury trial. At present, that seems entirely possible. In the meantime, my legal expenses have mounted. Although my attorney has taken the case on contingency, there are still expenses I must cover. I continue to pay them as I'm able, but it's not easy.

Universal Health Care Proposal

2007-01-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have finally gotten the time to do a little analysis on the universal health care mentioned by our Governor in her 2007 State of the State address. Here is what I've got so far:

*************

In her 2007 State of the State address, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius called for universal a healthcare plan. No details of the plan were given out; however we can look at some history to get an idea of what those details might be.

In 1993, the Kansas Commission on the Future of Health studied the issue of universal healthcare. Despite the fact that the 11 member commission believed healthcare was a "fundamental right"; they conceded that even at the time, huge tax increases would be necessary to fund any program. One projection was a $1.8 billion increase in individual income tax, the other was an increase of $1.6 billion in payroll taxes. This year's entire proposed state budget is $12.1 billion. The group suggested creating a state run insurance company, which would "eliminate insurance companies and their agents from the mix". -axis of logic, Jan 14, 2007.

According to CBS News, all pending legislation for universal healthcare would require an expansion of medicaid. It also requires all employers to provide health insurance. They would further create a state insurance agency or product, or at least a marketplace for health insurance.

Again, we do not know any of the details of the Governor's plan, or if there even is one. But we do know that most Americans agree that healthcare is in crisis, and something needs to be done. However, we should be careful not to fall into the "do something, do ANYTHING" trap that has precipitated poor legislation in the past. For these reasons, let's take a more critical look at what is at the heart of the matter.

First of all, a short discussion of "rights" is in order. How do we determine what a "right" is? Historically, in the United States rights have been "positive" rights. A positive right is something that a person is entitled to that is not at the expense of another. A negative right, on the other hand, entitles one person to something at the forced expense of another. Clearly, universal healthcare as a right will be at someone else's expense. By granting a negative right, we take away a positive right from someone else, which is in this case the right to decide how best to spend one's own money.

The next problem is the most obvious problem, the expense. Who will pay the bill? The one-two punch of higher income taxes and higher costs to employers (for covering all employees) is virtually guaranteed to cause higher unemployment. Most people would agree that a $10.00 an hour job with no benefits is better than a $0.00 per hour job with benefits. However, with soaring labor costs, many employers will be forced to reduce their workforce, re-locate, or outsource.

Next there is the problem of a principle known as anti-selection. In the insurance industry, anti-selection occurs when those who most need insurance seek it most diligently, and those who least need it do not. A similar problem exists with credit agencies and banks. Customers who pursue loans the most vigorously are usually the ones who are the least credit worthy. Insurance companies work hard to develop products that do not encourage anti-selection. With universal healthcare, however, (at least as with medicaid today), there are no copays, and no deductibles. There are no exclusions, and, as a result, abuse is rampant. The cost is therefore much higher than it would be if the plan was completely administered by a private insurer. Moreover, "eliminating insurance companies and their agents from the mix" causes more problems than it solves.

Insurance companies are among the largest, if not the largest class of investors in the country. They routinely purchase investments such as long term bonds, stocks and mortages, that drive our economy. They are also among the largest employers. By taking away one of their best selling products, the overall economy would suffer greatly.

Universal healthcare is a laudable goal. I believe in this goal; however I disagree on the exact methods used to realize the goal. There are a number of smaller, more incremental (and therefore less intrusive and economically dangerous) options available. Some of these include high-deductible health plans in conjunction with medical savings accounts, tax incentives, more portability for existing health plans, allowing the direct purchase of medications from other countries, increased contributions to charities, and finally, less red-tape.

Various and sundry items of minimal interest

2006-12-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well I haven't posted in a while, so I thought maybe I should breathe some life into the blog for a change.

I bought a new car! Yes, folks, my poor old 1992 Crown Victoria has been retired. On may way to my sister's farm in Southern Missouri, I struck a deer. This deer didn't even have the common courtesy to get hit in such a manner that he would be able to process either. The real tragedy is not just the fact that my old crown vic ("crown royal as we call it") sustained a mortal wound, but also the fact that I got no meat from the deer. And the real irony is that I was on my way to a DEER HUNT.

That was the only deer I saw that weekend. I didn't stop to collect on my groceries, for several reasons. First off, it was freezing cold, secondly it was pitch black, thirdly we were on a 2 lane highway in the middle of nowwhere, and lastly, it's just too dangerous to pull over on the highway.

I was already considering a new vehicle. This event significantly sped up the decision. I did the only thing any red blooded American man could do: I bought another Crown Vic.

This Crown Vic is now the love of my life. It's a 2006 with just over 8,000 miles on it. Fully loaded with things I still haven't figured out. The best part: all leather interior! It'd be great if it was buckskin, but I really prefer cowhide anyway. There's just no substitute for 239 horses of Detriot Iron. This V-8 kicks ass and takes names.

Some think of it as an old man's car. I prefer to think of it as a pimp mobile. It's smoothe, quiet, and responsive. You tell it to jump, and it doesn't even ask how high, it just jumps. In the proud tradition of American motoring, it just says "get the f- out of my way". This of course is why the cops and taxi drivers prefer the Crown Vic.

All I need now is to get the windows tinted. That will be the icing on the cake. Well, it's getting late, and if I don't get that car into my bed soon my girlfriend will hog all the space and it won't fit.

Sample regulation from the IRS (funny)

2006-11-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Albert Einstein allegedly once said that the US tax code is the only thing that is "impenetrable to the human mind". In my studies of retirement plans, I have found this to be quite true. Today I became so tired of reading IRC minutae, that I wrote my own little piece of the tax code. I honestly think I could get congress to adopt it if I submitted it to them. See what you think:

**************

If a person is less than 59 and a half, but greater than 40, and he retired before the Clinton Administration but After the Reagan administration, and social security income comprises less than but not equal to 35 and 1/3 %, adjusted for inflation during odd numbered years only, prior to the enactment of the Employee Security and Increased Income Benefits plus Free Cheese for Pygmies act was passed, then he may or may not be allowed to use the 4/5ths rule when calculating the value of his dependents' portion of an irrevocable trust from life insurance proceeds... NOTE that this does NOT apply to pacific islanders or blind midgets who lost a leg while working on the railroad during the depression.

If a person began to draw social security using tax dollars collected before 1946, and part of those dollars included wooden nickels, then the non-taxable portion of the wooden nickels may not be subject to minimum withholding according to the Smith-Shyster-Huckster and Screwem act of 1976. Any descendant of a civil war veteran who receives proceeds from wooden nickels may use these proceeds to purchase retirement supplies such as ridiculously big sunglasses, polyester pants, and oxygen tanks, but not lottery tickets (unless sponsored by qualified Indian tribes on Indian reservations or bona fide casinos owned by persons who are at least 1 / 35th Indian). If the civil war descendant is from a union soldier, then the benefit shall be increased by 50 basis points, or 10 times the number of canteens found on the battlefield, minus the retirement age of the oldest officer in the war, whichever is less. If the civil war descendant is from a confederate soldier, the wooden nickel rule applies. In the case that a descendant has ancestors from both sides, a graduating scale will apply, based on the aggregate increase in value of wooden nickels and civil war era canteens.

In any case that an individual attained the age of 70 and 3/4 before 9/13/2000, the principal portion of his IRA proceeds shall be subject to a mandatory high water test. If the plan is participating and contributory, the high water mark shall be deemed to have been met, unless the plan is non-qualified. If the plan is non-qualified, the high water mark will only have been met if an increase in vested employer contributions exceeds inflation as determined by the consumer price index by a factor of two times, reduced by the baseline increase of social security as determined by congress. If the high water mark is met, an employer will qualify for safe harbor designation if and only if he has shown due diligence in sheltering employee contributions, or is part of an enterprise zone, or has taken significant steps to reduce global warming. If an employer has not been found in safe harbor, and the high water mark is met, then 1/2 the principal after 9/13/2000 will also be taxed, plus any interest earned that was credited with a rate of greater than 10%, or if it was compounded daily rather than monthly.

I could go on... but why? Of course the real question is, why do we subject ourselves to this enormous drain on our economy, as well as the micro management and control that goes along with it?

And the winner is....

2006-11-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you're all aware, the results of this election are now in. My personal goal was to carry 5% of my district. Believe it or not, that's a fairly lofty goal for any 3rd party candidate in a 3 way race. When it was all said and done, I fell just short of that goal, receiving 4.76%. Throughout this campaign, and all future campaigns, we should bear in mind that at this stage of the game, our primary goal is to grow the LP and promote it as a viable, legitimate alternative to the monopolistic "Demopublican" system we are under. I know I can honestly say in my race, the Jeffersonian ideal of smaller government was ONLY represented by myself and the Libertarian Party. With that in mind, let's review what was accomplished in the last 6 months:

Thanks to your support, my campaign was able to: 1) visit nearly 4,000 houses, distributing campaign literature to each of them about myself and the Libertarian Party, 2) Identify more than a few new potential party members and activists, 3) Get numerous stories in the news media about the LP and our ideals (I lost track of how many articles and mentions!) 4) Become acquainted (and on good terms) with our Republican State Representative, 5) Raise nearly $2,000.00 for my campaign! 6) Placed nearly 100 yard signs, and last but not least 7) land a lawsuit in federal court against several individuals in government who lack even the most fundamental comprehension and/or respect of our state and federal constitutions.

I've learned a great deal in my first campaign. I fully intend to come back stronger, smarter, better financed, and with even more support in 2008. As a party, our goal is to achieve "major party" status in Kansas by 2010. In order to do this, we will need to pull at least 5% in a statewide race. We are well on the way to realizing that goal. In the meantime, I would like to offer my sincerest congratulations to Mr. Ed O'Malley for his victory in our race. Despite our differences, he is an honorable man and will serve us well for the next 2 years in Topeka. I'm certain that he has no doubt, however, that we will meet again soon in a debate forum near you!

Soccer Welfare: It's not just for millionaires anymore

2006-10-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Once again, we're being asked to support a tax hike because it's "for the children". We're shown advertisements on TV that portray Johnson County as a place whose biggest problem is a lack of soccer fields. We're told that soccer, and I quote, "keeps kids safe". Then we're told all about now if we approve the $75 million bond issue, there will be all sorts of new jobs and economic progress. Then, to top it all off, the slogan proponents chose is, "it's for the children, and nothing else". This is a crock.

First of all, soccer fields for kids blue valley is really not at the top of my priority list. Those of us who live in other parts of the county, such as the Northeast section, have problems of our own. Real problems. Like already high property taxes for starters. Evidentally they're not high enough for the pro-soccer welfare crowd.

Secondly, the choice of location for these fields is poor. Because of the location, expensive upgrades in infrastructure will be required (NOT part of the bond issue), and development of the fields themselves will be excessively expensive.

Next, it's not "just for the children". It's also an indirect form of corporate welfare. By passing the bond issue, the city can re-zone the area and request STAR bonds from the state for another $100 million to build a KC Wizzards stadium. How convenient. Our tax money going to create a home for the Wizzards, who are owned by a millionaire investor.

And lastly, there's the cost of the bonds themselves. The pro-soccer welfare crowd would have us to believe that this project somehow magically pays for itself. Again, this is a crock. WE will be paying back the $75 million bond issue, with interest, over the next 20 years. The average homeowner's property tax will increase over $18.00 per year, by their estimates. Then there is the STAR bond. If this fails to raise the expected revenue, (which is what would happen if the Wizzards backed out or went backrupt), guess who's left holding the bag? YOU, the taxpayer.

So when you visit the poll, please cast your vote AGAINST soccer welfare. There are better, less expensive, and more central locations for a soccer complex. And, as for the STAR Bonds for the Wizzards, well, as far as I'm concerned they can buy their own land just like every other business.

Sun Publications provides unfair election coverage

2006-10-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

The Overland Park Sun Newspaper has repeatedly ignored 3rd party political candidates. We 3rd party candidates are somewhat used to being ignored by mass media, but this is a local paper covering local races. For reasons unkown to me, all Libertarian candidates have been left out of the Sun's coverage. This is despite the fact that we all are serious candidates who are actively campaigning, and will be on the ballot in the general election.

Some recent examples: Page 23A of the 10/19/2006 OP Sun features a FULL PAGE of political candidates. The races featured are for Insurance Commissioner, and State house districts 19, 29, and 48. We have candidates in ALL of these races, yet there is not a single mention of them. Our opponents all had their responses to questions published. Want another? Page 5A of the same paper. All state house races in this area are listed, along with links to a recent candidate forum video. of the 18 races featured, we had candidates in 8. The title of the races list the democrat v the republican, but again, no mention of the Libertarians.

Does the Sun feel that it's not necessary to cover 3rd party candidates? Do they just feel it's not worth the ink, or that worse yet we might "take votes away" from their favorite political candidate? (and believe me, they have them). Well I have news for the Sun. The Democrats and Republicans do NOT OWN the elections. The votes aren't THEIRS to be taken. We are on the ballot, and we should have access to all debates and featured stories regardless of what they think of us.

This is an outrage, and an insult to democracy. Please write the Sun (www.sunpublications.com) and let them know how you feel as I have.

Statement of Support For Stonewall Libertarians

2006-10-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

A group known as the Stonewall Libertarians has asked me if I support the statement listed below. This statement was drafted by them; however I do agree with it in its entirety. It is a confirmation of my support for equal rights for all, regardless of (among other things) sexual orientation. I have promised to myself and the voters that they may not agree with me all the time, but they will know where I stand. This is an example of that stance.

**********

"I believe in full equality for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals regardless of their sexual orientations or perceived gender identity or presentation. I would call for the immediate repeal of federal and state Defense
of Marriage Acts. I would do away with the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, thus allowing our gay and lesbian service men and women to serve their country openly and proudly. I oppose the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment and all state constitutional amendments seeking to define marriage as a bond between one man and one woman. I would do away with all special benefits and privileges granted to individuals on the basis of their marital status. I would like all state governments and localities to get out of the business of granting marriage licenses and allow people to enter into contractual relationships to order their lives as they see fit, but so long as the government continues to grant marriage licenses to heterosexual couples, I believe gay couples are entitled to the "equal protection" of the laws and should be allowed to obtain government issued marriage licenses as well.
I do not believe the government should require religious institutions to perform marriage ceremonies that go against their church doctrine. I oppose all laws that discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered Americans
and feel they deserve full equality under the law."

Oct. 3 candidate forum

2006-10-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

The candidate forum at the Southridge Presbyterian Church went very well. Below is the text of my opening and closing statements.

*******

Opening

First of all, I'd like to thank the church and the league of women voters for inviting us. This is a great opportunity for all of us, and it is truly an honor to parcitipate in this forum.

My name is Jason Peck, and I am the Libertarian candidate for State representative in the 24th district. Briefly, the purpose of the Libertarian Party is to promote a free market economy, civil liberties, and a foreign policy of peace, free trade, and non-intervention.

I'm originally from Kansas City. I graduated Shawnee-Mission North class of 1989. While in high school, I enlisted in the Kansas Army National Guard at the age of 17. I graduated US Army Infantry school in Fort Benning, GA in 1989. I served 6 years in the Kansas National Guard as a heavy anti-armor weapons crewman. I now have friends from my former unit who are awaiting orders for their 2nd tour of duty in Iraq, so our freedoms take on a very personal meaning to me.

While working full time, I earned my B.S. in Computer Science from the American College of Computer and Information Systems. Sometimes, I look back on my life, and think that I started off with nothing, and still have most of it left! I was married 15 years, but unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on whom you ask), my marriage ended a few years ago. My girlfriend and I are now full time parents to our 3 children.

WE have Kenneth, age 14, a freshman at SM North, Krystal, age 12, an Antioch Middle School 7th grader, and Sarah, age 16, a Shawnee-Mission South Sophomore.

My work with various charities began at an early age. in 1998, I helped start up one of the first all-volunteer programs at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center. I have volunteered for the National MS Society, 5 years as an MS-150 bicycle rider and 3 years as a medic. In 1999, I led the fight against the city of DeSoto's proposed bicycle ban. I then joined a volunteer fire department and earned my EMT. I served 5 years as a firefighter / EMT and secretary treasurer. I was later promoted to captain in a department of 23 men and women. I'm a former Kansas JayCee. I was active several years with the Ottawa, KS chapter. And, every so often, I'm recognized for my work at the Kansas City Rennaisance Fest where I have been on the security and medical staff for 3 years. Most recently, I created a website to help parents network to keep track of their kids in CyberSpace. CyberDads.info has been featured on channel 9 news, 710am talk radio, the Overland Park Sun, and the Kansas City Star.

As you can tell, I am not a career politician. I have, however, followed politics since an early age. I believe that a good leader is really just a very good follower. I am now continuing my endeavors by running for the Kansas House of Representatives.

Our state, much like our nation, carries a heavy debt load. Every family in this room now owes over $500,000 in government debt. When you consider that our state budgets $750,000.00 per year to tell us to wear our seatbelts, will be paying $240 million in debt repayment, and wastes money on things like replacing stop signs with roundabouts, it's easy to see why (out of time).

******************

Closing

Ladies and gentlemen, out government has strayed from its roots. Our founding fathers had the wisdom to recognize that we as human beings are born with certain inaliable rights, and realized it was their duty to limit the extent to which the government could infringe on those rights. This was a revolutionary, radical ideal that has served us well.

But today, our government is bloated, and no longer serves us, but bogs us down in beauracracy. We have gone from a state and a nation of tax and spend to a state and nation of borrow and spend. As I mentioned earlier, every family in this room now owes over $500m in gov't debt. Our homes and businesses are being seized under the guise of "economic development" and sold to the highest bidder. Our federal government has burdened us with an unfunded mandate known as the No Child Left Behind Act. I agree with Mr. Randau, that it's time we stood up to the federal government and took back control of our public schools.

Furthermore, our government wastes time and money arguing about victimless crimes such as gay marriage and flag burning. We are being taxed into the ground to pay for millions on welfare, and when we see what we're paying for with poor responses to events like hurricane Katrina, I wonder where the money is going.

Kansas is only one of 16 states that tax the sale of food. This is a very regressive tax that hurts the poor and the elderly on fixed incomes the most. This year our legislature failed to pass an increase in the exemption for this tax, despite the fact that it was endorsed by the AARP and catholic charities. We need to return our government to its libertarian roots, and get it out of our pocket books, and out of our personal lives. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who would trade freedom for the illusion of security deserve neither".

We are still the land of the free and the home of the brave. This year, lets take back our government from the special interests and the 2 party monopolistic system.

As your candidate, I make no promises other than this: I will fight for all your rights, all the time, and that includes both fiscal and civil rights.

What our founding fathers knew that we've forgotten

2006-09-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

The United States of America is an experiment. In a sense, we're a laboratory that was created to study human nature. The lab was created just a very short time ago (relatively), by a handful of incredibly gifted men. No, they were not perfect. Yes, slavery existed when their vision of freedom was penned into existence. But in a world of feudalism, monarchy, and oppression, the notion of a sovereign individual had to begin somewhere. The very notion itself was radical enough that unfortunately some compromise had to be made. Though it got off to a rocky start, our system has proven itself to be the best in the world, and has even self-corrected with regard to the civil rights of blacks, Indians, Chinese, and non-Christians. We still have a ways to go before we extend this thinking to gays and atheists, but in a few hundred years who knows what will happen.

What was this radical philosophy? What was it that prompted Benjamin Franklin to respond, "A republic, if you can keep it" when asked what type of a system he had just helped to create? It was the simple notion that sovereignty begins with the individual and is licensend to the state, rather than vice-versa.

Thus the U.S. constitution was created. A document unique in human history, it didn't "grant" us anything; instead it RECOGNIZED our rights to exist as sovereign and free beings, and sought to set in concrete the limit to which government could infringe on that sovereignty.

In a perfect free world, the bill of rights would not be necessary. People would recognize that no person has a right to run any other person's life; nor should they be forced to support the poor judgments of another person at gunpoint.

It has been necessary, however, to codify these rights, because they are so foreign to human nature. Our very nature is to demand that others validate our views by agreeing to our traditions, at least implicitly, but sometimes even explicitly. When will this impulse subside? Probably about the same time that the sun ceases to rise. It is an integral part of our existence that just won't die.

Henry David Thoreau said it best when he said, "Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes inexpedient". In the machinery of life, government is a source of friction rather than lubrication. This is particularly true in the world of commerce. In a marketplace of pure competition, no government is necessary. Of course we all know that pure competition cannot exist because greed unchecked will destroy just as quickly as greed eradicated. However, our society has shifted from a capitalist system that leans toward pure competition to a system of mercantile, in which businesses (especially small businesses) survives in spite of government, not because of it. For some reason, however, the leftist cry of "more government" never seems to stop.

Government, as the principal friction of commerce and free ideas, causes problems. In the case of the proposed government sponsored soccer complex in Overland Park, KS it subsidizes millionaires and discourages entrepreneurs. And this is not an isolated incident. One of the richest men in the country is on welfare! Ted Turner, billionaire media superstar, actually receives government subsidies for his buffalo ranching operations. There are plenty more examples. Even Ronald McDonald has been on welfare.

All of this leads me to one of my favorite quotes, from Ronald Reagan, "The governments view of economics: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it". This accurately depicts the role of government as merely a parasite that rides on the backs of producers who work day in and day out to create economic opportunity and material success. Why do we as intelligent beings put up with a system of taxation that not even Albert Einstein could comprehend? Have we forgotten that we were founded on a tax rebellion? Why do we settle for an inefficient system that drains our economy like a black hole drains space? When will we decide that we deserve better?

Campaign updates

2006-09-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with my campaign, family and work that I haven't really had a chance to update this blog. However, I'm taking a short break from it all to post an update on the status of my race. First things first. As most of you know, Saturday, 9/16/2006 was a black day in my life. To make a long story short, my campaigning was stopped by force at a public festival. My two opponents were allowed to remain in the festival because they paid for booths. Bear in mind, all of this was on public property, and was open to the public free of charge. I have since learned that a single city council woman was behind this entire event.

I don't like to admit this, but that night I actually cried. Friends, this doesn't happen often. But when I looked back upon my life, and how readily I offered myself to the cause of liberty and my country, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I enlisted in the Army National Guard at the age of 17; taking an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies; both foreign and domestic. Since the time that I decided the US Constitution was worth my life, and as any vet can tell you, it has taken a special place in my heart.

Later, I offered my service as a volunteer firefighter / EMT. I was an active FF / EMT on 9/11/2001, when I watched my brothers and sisters sacrifice their lives without hesitation. Once again, I faced my own mortality, and deemed my community and country worth it. Time and time again, I, like my brothers and sisters in the fire service, risked my life to save lives and property of people we often didn't even know. More recently, I accepted the offer to run for State Representative on the Libertarian ticket.

This was not a decision I took lightly. To represent an entire house district is an awesome responsibility, and a sacrifice on top of that. But again, I deemed my community and country worth it. And after all this, I was slapped in the face with a brazen, obviously partisan attack on not only my campaign, but freedom itself. Friends, I was not urinating on a crucifix. I was not burning an American flag. I was not supporting nazis or ku-klux-klan members. I was walking the streets, shaking hands and handing out flyers. At that point I was asked to either cease campaigning, pay the $100.00 booth fee, or leave the fair. I opted for none of the above, and claimed first amendment protection.

At one point, I had 5 uniformed officers surronding me. I repeated my claim to them all, that I would not stop campaigning, nor would I leave. It was at that point that they decided I was leaving one way or another. I chose not to partake in their mace and tazers, and, feeling that my point was made, chose to have them escort me off the premises.

I filed a complaint with the city PD, and asked to be put on the next city council meeting's agenda. I stated at that time to both the city and the PD what happened, and that I required a written apology. Honestly, I didn't expect one.

I was surprised, and elated when I received a personal, written, and public apology from the Mayor of Mission, KS. Furthermore, the PD has demonstrated the highest degree of professionalism and courtesy in their investigation of this matter. I am relieved, excited, and invigorated by the city's significant efforts to right this situation. It has, once again, restored my belief in my community, and my country.

There is, however, one bit of unfinished business. I have yet to receive an apology from the city council woman behind this entire ordeal. Councilwoman Gibbs, I await your apology. You will not treat me, nor anyone else in this country as a second class citizen. I will defend this freedom for myself, my political opponents, and yes, even you, until my heart pumps air. In the meantime, I hearby call for not only your apology, but your resignation.

Free Speech? Sure, if you have a permit of course.

2006-09-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a very sad day in my campaign. The City of Mission, KS held its annual "Arts and Eats" festival in downtown Mission. Since the entire city of Mission is within district 24, I decided that would be a great opportunity to get out and meet people and spread the word about my campaign.

Last night I spent an hour at Kinkos making a new flyer. I then came home and spent another hour folding it, and made sure I had everything ready. Then, around lunchtime, Alice and I set off for the fest.

I began introducing myself to as many people as I could, and asking them if they'd like to talk or at least take a flyer. The response was fairly good. My two opponents of course had the same thing in mind, but they each had a booth at the fair.

Within about an hour or so, I was approached by city officials and told that I could not campaign at the fest. They explained that it was not fair to allow me to campaign for free when my 2 opponents had paid for a booth. I of course pointed out that they got a booth, so they received what they paid for. I did not want a booth. I just wanted to excercise my 1st amendment right to campaign on public property.

A short time later, I was approached my Mission PD. They told me I had to quit "soliciting" or leave. I told them I was not soliciting, I was engaging in free speech. They disagreed, and repeated their statement. After some consulting with their superiors, they decided to tell me that I could walk around with my sign, but could not hand out literature as that constituted "soliciting". I told them I would not quit and they'd have to arrest me.

Being shrewd policitians, the officers' superiors told them that I was not to be arrested. Instead, I was to be escorted out of the fest, but the officers on no uncertain terms told me that I would NOT be arrested, period. Clever. Throw me out, but don't arrest me. That way there's no bad PR, and they don't have to deal with that nasty little first amendment issue.

I'm very disappointed in what our nation has become. Some elderly gentleman I was talking to stood up for me and told the officers that "this is no longer America". I agree.

2006 Candidate Forum

2006-08-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

In each election year, the League of Women Voters has been a consistent and gracious host of televised candidate forums. This year is no exception, and, despite the fact that I am a lowly 3rd party candidate, I have been invited to the forum. The 24th district State Representative race is scheduled for 9/8/06 at 3pm.

I am looking forward to an evening of discussion about Kansas politics. I plan to raise my 3 issues as often as possible: 1) Eninent domain abuse, 2) No Child Left Behind, and 3) the sales tax on groceries. I believe all 3 of these issues are important to the people of the 24th, and they deserve to know that their legislature has been negligent in its duties with regard to these issues. In each case, the action taken by their lawmakers has been either insufficient or non-existent.

In addition to my 3 issues, I've learned a great deal from the people of the 24th district in my door-to-door campaign. I recently met a fellow firefighter who has been retired for some time now. The state has not given him any cost of living adjustment, nor have they increased his pension in any form for over 6 years. Yet the same state has the nerve to continue to demand more of his tax money. I would like an explanation for this.

I would also like an explanation for why our government sees fit to pass on a crushing debt to my children. For example, I've heard enough of the school funding argument. The fact is that our public schools leave much to be desired, but the only thing our politicians can seem to debate is how much more to give the schools and when. It's time we demand some fiscal accountability from our schools, as well as some results to correlate with the increases in taxes they continue to demand. How can we justify throwing more money at our schools when they insist on catering to the lowest common denominator? They are not subject to any form of consumer competition, nor do they have any incentive to leaner and more efficient. Furthremore, there is no recourse against the 2% of students who terrorize the other 98% who are there to learn but cannot because of their disruptive (and sometimes violent) behavior. Our public school systems lack discipline and their policies are merely paper tigers.

To my brother in the fire service, I say to you: You should not have to get a second job in order to finance your government's inefficiencies. You should not have to scrape up loose change to help your children put your grandchildren in private schools to escape the public school system. You, my friend, have answered the call. It's now time for the state of Kansas to answer your call.

Sac and Fox Pow-Wow part II

2006-08-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

The Pow-Wow was great! Unfortunately, much of the dance competition on Sunday was canceled due to inclement weather. The competators work extremely hard on their regalia, and much of it is not weatherproof. It is all hand made, and attention is paid to the smallest detail in the extreme.

Saturday we watched the competition, and we listened in as the tribal eleders led the ceremonies. I must say I was impressed. The Sac and Fox are truly a great people, and their hospitality is without equal. They have a sense of family, honor, and heritage that would make many cultures jealous, and yet they proudly call themselves Americans. There was more than one warrior honored for service to his country, including one young man about to depart for a tour in Iraq.

When the MC announced that the Sac and Fox are a generous people, he was not exaggerating in any sense. For $5.00 each we were allowed into the pow-wow. We not only got a spot to camp, but we got showers, very nice buffet meals, and this was ALL WEEKEND. To top that all off, this whiteman who has been known to be a fairly mean gambler came out up $40.00 after a few hours in the casino! That money was promptly returned to the tribe, as I came home with a few souvinirs.

I bought a 15 month calendar with some extrordinary native artwork, autographed, for $5.00. I also bought an arrowhead from the same gentleman for $1.00. For anyone looking for a very real American Indian experience, I highly recommend the Sac and Fox Pow-Wow. I do have a few pictures on my website:

http://cyberdads.info/pow-wow/pow-wow

Enjoy.

My first visit to the Sac and Fox Nation

2006-08-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to this weekend for some time now. Every year, the Sac and Fox Nation holds its annual Pow Wow to showcase the American Indian traditions that they have worked so hard to preserve. Contests are held for Native dancers of all ages and all styles, awards are given, and the native lifestyle in general is celebrated. The Sac and Fox Nation is one of the smallest Indian tribes in the area, and yet they remain one of the most authentic. I can truly say that tomorrow morning I will be leaving the United States, and I don't even need a passport.

As many of you know, my girlfriend's daugher is a Sac and Fox tribe member. This is her opportunity to meet up with relatives and explore her heritage. I am honored to be a guest of the tribe, and plan to support them in every way I can. I have been told that the tribe will barter for skins, bones, and other goods, so I plan to bring some of the artifacts I have collected while hunting. I have some buffalo hide, a cow skull, some possum skulls and other types of living art that I have decorated. I hope that my soon to be Indian frineds will find them at least somewhat valuable.

It is truly remarkable that a white man like myself is allowed to even set foot in a nation such as this; after the agregious injustices that our government has inflicted upon these people. As my friend's helmet sticker so aply states, "Sure, you can trust the government, just ask an Indian". Hopefully this white man's humility will serve to stoke the fires of friendship with a tribe that inhabited this land long before my people. Though neither of us are responsible for the actions of our forefathers, the fact is that we still live our lives in their shadows. I have always felt a kindred for the people that learned to live in balance with the land and the other life that shared their space; and I hope to grow to appreciate that respect even more in the coming days.

The black man may have once been a slave, but the Indians have long been pushed aside, onto "reservations" that are smaller than a decent farmer's land, to become slaves to themselves. My heart goes out to the Indian tribes of the Americas. May the great spirit be with you my friends.

Door-to-Door campaign ramps up

2006-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

The 66th annual Black Hills Motor Classic (a.k.a Sturgis Bike Week) is now officially over. Once again, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, worn it out and used it as a shop rag. The rally was great, though I did notice attendance was drastically down. The most likely reason for this is of course our steep gas prices. In and around Sturgis we were paying $3.15 - $3.30 per gallon, which is only really tolerable to my budget because of the fact that my bike gets 40-45 mpg. And yes, we rode all the way up and all the way back. In my opinion, that's the only way to go!

Now it's time to kick the door-to-door campaign into high gear. With the days getting shorter, and advance ballot voting available in October, there really isn't much time left to get facetime with the voters of the 24th district. So far we have visited about 3,500 houses out of a total of 10,000 in the district. We have not thus far knocked on every door, because we wanted to cover the entire district and leave flyers and didn't figure we had time. This was my strategy because my $0.03 flyers that I made in MS-word were the only form of advertising I had, next to letters to the editor that I've had published. Well that has recently changed!

My campaign war chest now has enough money (over $1,100 in donations) to allow me to purchase 250 yard signs, 500 business cards, and have enough left over for a voice-broadcast campaign or some radio and newspaper spots. This is really exciting for me because it moves my campaign more into the "serious" category where it belongs. Also, it is rare for any 3rd party candidate to raise this much money for a state rep race. The signs and cards will be in by the end of August. I have a deal in the works with a telemarketing firm to handle my voice broadcast campaign and, if I decide to go forward with it, will begin that in mid to late September.

I have already spent a great deal of time and money on my campaign. I have filled out every single survey that has been sent to me, I have attended caucuses and meetings, published numerous op-ed pieces, all in addition to going door-to-door. I'm doing this because I think the voters of the 24th deserve to know where a candidate stands. Some candidates don't like to fill out surveys because it risks exposing some of their less popular opinions. I have chosen to accept this risk in order to mount a "what you see is what you get" campaign. Nobody agrees with any candidate 100% of the time. I may not even agree 100% with what I said yesterday sometimes LOL. But the point is, there will be no doubt what a vote for Jason Peck means when we visit the polls this November. Economic and Social Freedom, tolerance, and a government guarantee of an opportunity rather than a result are what my campaign is all about. Now let's see how many other candidates are willing to be this forward in the coming 80+ days.

The Countdown To Sturgis Bikeweek Continues...

2006-07-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend is spent, and so am I. The heat is taking its toll as I work on the bike in the driveway, in the yard and garden getting it ready, and running all over town in my non-AC compliant vehicles.

We ran all over town gathering the necessities of a week long bike rally. We picked up all sorts of new leather (grips covers, hair ties, tool bags, lighter sheaths, you name it), spare tent stakes, nylon cord, leather waterproof treatment, spare bike parts & tools, oil, oil filters, new brain buckets for the fascist states that we pass through with helmet laws, the list goes on and on.

I just got done equipping my bike with a cigarette lighter adaptor. This wasn't all that difficult, but I never really decided to do it until now. It's mounted just behind the right rear footpeg, and works great. We'll now have XM satellite radio and a place to charge our cell phones. Needless to say, a week long trip covering thousands of miles on a motorcycle can be very unforgiving. Bikers frequently do not get second chances. I've survived more time and miles on 2 wheels than some people have on 4, and this will be my 4th trip to the black hills. Nevertheless, I take each trip seriously and approach it as my first.

"If you see my bike on a trailer, call 911, it's stolen". I ride my bike to Sturgis, unlike the soft-butts that make up the majority of the trailer ridden highways of I-29 and I-90. There is just no substitute for striking out on your own with nothing but yourself, your horse, and whatever you can cram into your saddle bags.

In less than a week, we'll be walking the same ground as General George Armstrong Custer, Chief Sitting Bull, and countless pioneers who forged their way west. I'll be sitting in the same bars and casinos as Wild Bill Hickock, testing my ability to gamble and hold liquor with the best sinners in the nation. During the day, we'll ride through the cool forests of the black hills, taking in the crisp air and fresh smell of pine as we make our way farther west, through Custer National Forest and on to Hewlett Wyoming. We'll stop by to take in Mount Rushmore, which of course is graced by an image of one of our greatest Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt.

Freedom is an aquired taste; and those of us who are fortunate enough to know its true meaning will never settle for anything less. There is nothing so close to a true libertarian state as you'll find for the next 2 weeks at Sturgis, South Dakota. If you've never been, you don't know what you're missing.

3 Weeks until the 66th Anual Black Hills Motor Classic

2006-07-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

In the midst of a crisis in the Middle East, a campaign effort in full swing, a garden that's about ready to harvest and can, and dealing with 3 teen-age kids who are all to ready to go back to school, I'm looking forward to a break. That break is a scant 3 weeks away, and will come in the form of the 66th Anual Black Hills Motor Class, in Sturgis, South Dakota.

The Sturgis tradition continues, after all these years, as a way for motorcycle enthusiasts of all stripes, religions, and beliefs to come together to ride, take in some great music, and celebrate freedom. It is an experience unparalled anywhere on earth, and has to be seen to be believed. Many years the attendence exceeds over 500,000 bikers. Groups like the Hell's Angels and El Foresteros ride alongside the Christian Motorcycle Association, and the majority of bikers: individuals and couples, groups of friends and co-workers. Some are mechanics, some are lawyers, some are plumbers, some are janitors, and some are physicians. It doesn't matter at Sturgis. Nobody wears a nametag. Nobody wears a uniform. When you belly up to the bar, the biker next to you could be an outlaw, but he could be a prominent attorney (but I'm being redundant here LOL).

Miles and miles of cycles pour into South Dakota and Wyoming from everywhere in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The home of ranchers, buffalo, numerous national forests rich with history, American Indians, white men and anyone else with a motorcycle ride free as a brotherhood. Sturgis has no shortage of chrome, leather, silicone and testosterone. The U.S. Air force regularly performs fly-overs. The Mobil Vietnam Veterans Memorial is on display. Groups ranging from The American Cannabis Society to Bikers for Christ set up booths downtown. A biker can order a shot of whiskey, he can attend a bible study, or he can just ride through the black hills and take in the scenery.

Sturgis Bike Weeks is truly a celebration of diversity and freedom. It draws rugged individualists from every corner of the nation. It's long on individual liberty, and short on regulation. Bikers outnumber police about 10,000 to 1. Yet for some reason, I've never seen any problems, nor do I ever feel ill-at ease. After all, I'm safe, and my property is safe, because the legislature is not in session!

I have never felt more at home than I do in the black hills of South Dakota with 500,000 of my closest biker friends. In fact, I was so inspired by it, that I wrote this poem:

Chrome and leather, horses of steel
As far as can be, a scene so surreal
Thunder in the streets; the artwork goes by
The fire in the pipes ascends to the sky

An offering of humility; a feeling of tranquility
Amidst the lone savage is a belief in civility
To flirt with death is to be married to life
The lure of a mistress brings love to a wife

Ink on the skin; some say it's a sin
Feeling is human, it comes from within
You may deny it now, and avoid it somehow;
It comes back tenfold; to it you will bow

Freedom to move, freedom to ride
Your wife at your back, your friend at your side
Open the throttle, it obeys your command
Hundreds of horses in the palm of your hand

To those who don't know; to those who don't care
The future lies in the youth who stop as they stare
An honest opinion is a child's dominion
The excitement of the day can never go away

So saddle your horse, then plot your course
Your ride awaits, you'll have no remorse!
Set up your tent, then bare your breast...
We're goin' to sturgis, the best of the best!

A break from local politics...

2006-07-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

Once again, our federal government has done something so agregious that I must break from local politics to voice my opposition.

The United States, since about the time of Teddy Roosevelt, has developed a bad habit of meddling in the affairs of other nations. Although we do have some responsibility as the last superpower on the world stage, we have worn out our welcome in many areas of the world.

The Middle East has always been a hotbed of sectarian violence. Since biblical times, various factions have fought and killed their neighboring tribes. Women, children, animals, and all living things were sometimes killed in a scorched earth policy. The hatred that we see in modern times has ancient roots, and is not going to be solved by George Bush, nor any of his successors.

In the middle ages the crusaders fought to take the holy land from the "infidels". These Europeans were scarecely prepared for the fierce fighting they encountered, but, as we see today, religion is a very powerful motivator. The slaughter continued in the fight against the Ottoman Empire and anyone else that stood in the way of the Noble's quest for the holy grail. As recently as the 20th century, England was continuing to expirament with Islamic regions. Iraq is a sterling example of this failed policy.

The English crown attempted to unite 3 separate ethnic groups to form a single nation. Obviously the only way these sworn enemies could be held together is under the iron fist of a brutal dictator. The most recent dictator was of course Saddam Hussein. When the west had finally had enough of Hussein, it launched another crusade to oust him. The result is just what any student of history could have predicted: an even more unstable Middle East, and a virtual civil war in which the U.S. and our allies are forced to take sides.

The most disappointing chapter in this saga in recent times is our Congress' virtually unanimous vote to support Israel in this conflict. The nation of Israel was created by the league of nations, with President Truman's strong support. To date this author sees no strategic value in our support for Israel, nor does he see any benefit from our armed support of this country. The only reasons that can reasonable be offered is that Israel is supposed to be a democracy, and then, of course, the more plausible explanation: Religion.

Israel continues to pound its neighbors with bombs and rockets. This puppet nation has treated the Arabs it has displaced like dogs since 1948. Although this is common knowledege, apparantly the number of congressmen with the gall to stand up for it can be counted on two hands.

In writing this article, the author of course stands a very good chance of being labeled as anti-semitic. This is not the case, however. The author fails to see any reason to continue to support and arm a nation that fights its neighbors, killing women and children indiscriminately. Though it is true that Israel was provoked in the most recent exchange, the retaliation has been excessive. Why does this continue to go on? The most obvious explanation is the powerful Jewish lobby that has our congress' undivided attention.

Newt Gingrich recently commented that this is the beginning of world war III. Granted this may be a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly possible. Let's hope not, because we're a bit too pre-occupied to defend ourselves at the present moment.

We, the people of the United States, need to send the Jewish lobby packing, as well as any other foreign country that seeks to influence our foreign policy to such a radical extent. It's about time we took our contry back, and stopped the nation building expiraments that are getting our uniformed men and women killed. Please write your congressman and let him know that you are watching, and you're tired of the killing, most all of which is done in the name of God.

Where does the money go?

2006-07-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

As I'm known to do every so often, I created a spreadsheet and tracked nearly every dime I made and spent in a pay period. I hadn't done this in a while, and, although I had my suspicions, the results shocked even me. Here are my expenses, broken out by percentage. Note that the percentage is over 100%, meaning I had to draw on savings. This is obviously not a typical budget, but it is not very far off nonetheless:

Income tax: 26%
Medical expenses (insurance, dental & medical co-pays, etc): 26%
Retirement savings: 4%
Utilities: 27%
Grocery: 10%
discretionary: 8%
Short term-loan repayment: 12%

Notice that 52% of my check is gone before I ever see it (Income tax and payroll deductions for heatlh insurance). Another 27% goes to utilities, which admitedly is a bit high for several reasons (the heat wave, some charges on my phone bill that were put there fraudulently and will be credited back, etc). But these things do happen fairly regularly.

Note that I didn't break out expenses for gasoline. This is because I use very little. I ride a motorcycle 7 miles to work, and that's about it other than short errands.

The important thing to note is that my budget has to be fairly average (middle class). I make decent money, I have 2 kids, and I'm debt free. But I'm being strip mined by 2 expense categories, taxes and health care. And this of course doesn't count property tax, sales tax, etc.

There isn't much that can be done at this point about either one. I will be attempting to find cheaper insurance in the form of a Health Savings Account (HSA) shortly, however I have one child in braces and another not far behind. And, I'm running for state office to help lower taxes, so I'm doing all I can.

It seems the world today has no problem with saddling up the working family man and riding him into the ground. Not only am I paying huge expenses to support a welfare state, and insurance that's sky-high mainly because of excessive government involvment (and people who are insulated from actual expenses because of insurance), but I support 2 kids as well (I have full custody and currently am not receiving any child support).

Having said all that, there are those on the left who can do nothing more but try harder to pick my pockets. They don't see anything morally wrong with forcing me to contribute to their charity (the welfare state) when I can't even afford to pay my own bills much of the time, largely because of the welfare state in the first place.

It's time that the working class cast off the shackles of guilt trips and stood up for ourselves. We're pulling the load of an entire nation, and are made to feel guilty when we say enough is enough. Well I'm saying it now: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. It's time for an overhaul of our tax and spend (or borrow and spend as the case may be) government, and our wildly out of control health care system.

Will you take a stand, or will you cower at the threat of a guilt trip from the left?

Crime emergency declared in Washington, DC

2006-07-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

According to a Washington Post article today, there has been a "crime emergency" declared in our nation's capitol. The story can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120202018.html

How ironic it is that the worst crime in the entire nation is in our federal government's backyard. While people are being murdered, raped, robbed, and mugged, what is our federal government doing? It's busy trying to outlaw internet gambling, flag burning, gay marriage, and making sure "under God" stays in the pledge of allegiance.

Why do we allow the federal government to tell us we can't gamble on the internet? I have enjoyed internet gaming for years, and the crime rate at my house is zero. Yet our self-righteous congressmen and dictatorial president have decreed that they know what's best for me... not just once, or twice, but over and over. I must not burn the flag. I must not support gay marriage. I must say "Under God". I cannot gamble on the internet. I cannot smoke pot even if I'm dying of cancer (yet I can get a perscription for marinol at $80.00 a pill).

It is a sad state of affairs when this type of legislation is the best our government can offer, while at the same time the city they call home is a virtual combat zone. How about they stop worrying about what I'm doing on the internet and others are doing in their bedrooms and pay attention to something that actually matters?

Smoking ban is all smoke and mirrors

2006-07-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

I was extremely disappointed to read the opinions in today's opinion page of the Kansas City Star regarding the proposed smoking bans in restraunts and bars. 10 people were asked whether or not they supported the ban, and, all 10 said yes. Some had a few caveats, but the decision was unanimous nonetheless. Numerous reasons were given, but the one that is perhaps the most troubling is the (paraphrased), "I don't smoke, so it should be banned", or "I just quit, and I don't want the temptation to start again, so yes it should be banned".

Of all 10 opinions, not one seemed to recognize two key facts: 1) smoking is legal, and 2) bars and restraunts are private property. Nothing more needs to be said. If we as citizens fall into the trap of asking the government to outlaw things that we personally don't agree with, which take place on or in private property, where do we draw the line? Frankly, I don't like hip-hop music. Two of my favorite bars in town used to blast hip-hop several nights per week. Not once did I consider asking the government to ban hip-hop music simply because I wanted to go to one of these establishments and not be bothered by music I don't like. Instead, I didn't go on those nights, and voted with my wallet. And guess what? Neither of them is playing hip-hop any longer! (That could be a testimonial of how much I drink I suppose???? LOL)

Granted there is a difference between hip-hop and tobacco smoke. It is a widely accepted fact that tobacco smoke, even 2nd hand, causes health problems. There, I said it. Everyone knows it. But the fact remains that smoking tobacco is legal, and the hypocritical lawyers and politicians are making a fortune from it, while at the same time demonizing it. If it's so bad, why not just outlaw it? The reason is simple, the almighty dollar.

The bottom line is not whether or not you smoke. It's not even whether or not you want to smell smoke in a bar or restraunt. The bottom line is this: at what point do we outlaw legal, peaceful activities in and on private property that nobody is forced to participate in? And, as a follow up question, where does it end?

America: Freedom to Fascism

2006-07-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

A new film by Aaron Russo is schedule to be released later this month. The film is called America: Freedom to Fascism. The promotional website can be found at http://www.freedomtofascism.com There is a 15 minute preview of the movie on the website.

Though I have not yet seen the entire movie, the website and the preview do make some good points. I am concerned, however, that the presentation of these points in the manner that Russo has chosen is somewhat deceptive. For example, he maintains that there is no law requiring U.S. citizens to pay a federal income tax. He fails to mention the 16th amendment (which was passed in 1913 and authorizes an income tax), and title 26 U.S. law (a large portion of income tax code) however.

He then launches into a familiar diatribe about the Federal Reserve being a "private corporation" Again, he fails to fully explain how the fed works. The fed, as well as our monetary system, is probably one of the least understood aspects of modern life. When Russo asks the average person on the street if he was aware that "the fed is a private corporation", he most often is met with the proverbial deer in the headlights look. The film is really more of a statement on people's lack of understanding of our legal and financial systems than it is an exposure of a conspiracy (Russo's main goal in my opinion).

Because there is so much misunderstanding about the fed, and because I work in the financial industry and have a basic understanding of the subject, I decided to write a wikipedia article on Russo's film (on the subjects of the tax code and the fed). I am working with another wikipedia author who is a tax attorney, as well as an individual who is promoting a website debunking the myths of the film. Here is what have composed thus far:

******

America: Freedom to Fascism is a movie produced by activist Aaron Ruso. Russo maintains that there is no law requiring U.S. citizens to pay federal income tax. In the movie, he interviews citizens from all walks of life and challenges them to find any law requiring that the tax be paid. Russo also maintains that the Federal Reserve bank is a private organization and is largely responsible for our nation's debt. Again, he interviews people and asks them if they were aware that our national debt was owed to a private corporation. He then explains his position on this.

The examples above are just two of Russos stated objectives. The film is already creating controversy, however. Many people believe that the movie does not fully disclose the facts regarding such topics as income tax and the federal reserve.

For instance, in the case of the federal income tax, the 16th amendment clearly states that, " The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration". Furthermore, the current federal income tax code is a matter of record. Title 26 of the U.S. code enumerates current tax law, as authorized by the 16th amendment.

A more detailed examination of Russo's claims about the federal reserve raises more questions as well. The federal reserve bank, created in 1913 by an act of congress, is a unique entity that operates independently of the US government, but still subject to its authority. The federal reserve banking system is comprised of 12 regional banks. A board of 12 governors, appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by congress, preside over the banks. They collectively have the authority to alter economic conditions in order to influence the economy. This is accomplished though such activies as changing the prime interest rate (the rate member banks pay for short term loans from the federal reserve), increasing or decreasing the reserving requirement (the amount of deposits that member banks must retain in relationship to loans), and stock margins (the amount of stock that may be purchased on credit). There are other powers that the Federal Reserve has, such as buying and selling government securities, which influence the supply of money.

A bank that is a member of the federal reserve is required to purchase stock in the federal reserve. This stock is unlike traditional stock, however, because the rights of the stock owner are very limited. For example, the stock cannot be used in personal transactions such as assignment and collateral. It cannot be sold or transferred. Dividends are limited to 6% by law, however the federal reserve itself does not operate for profit. Instead, the interest revenue it collects is used to pay operating expenses only. All remaining funds above operating expense are despoited back into the U.S. Treasury. Thus, critics of the film maintain that the Federal Reserve is not strictly a private corporation, although it can be said that it is not strictly a branch of government either.

The reason for the autonomy of the Federal Reserve is to shield it from the demands and pressures of politics. Since neither the governors nor the member banks stand to gain from the fed's decisions, they are free to set market conditions as they see fit. This prevents the corruption that could arise should the government be allowed to speed up or slow down the economy, such as in an election year.

********

What we as concerned citizens should advocate is a repeal of the 16th amendment and an abolition of the IRS. Seeking to advance conspiracy theories about how a banking cartel is profiting from our income tax (as Russo says) is not only deceptive, but largely a waste of time.

Flag burning amendment fails in the senate

2006-06-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

In another mid term election stunt, the Republicans neo-conservatives have again intorduced more wedge legislation. This of course was expected, but is disappointing nevertheless. Several days in the legislative session were wasted in this debate, as was the case the last time the amendment was introduced, which was, not coincidentally, another election year.

Like the anti-Gay Marriage amendment, this is meant to be a distraction. I personally have never in my life seen anyone burn an American flag. This is probably due to the fact that their life expectancy would be reduced considerably by those nearby. I don't recall being stuck in traffic because of all the people running out to buy lighter fluid and flags. In fact, I don't think I've even seen anyone burn a US flag inside this country, even on the news. So what exactly is the problem?

The problem is more style over substance. It's an effort to elevate the symbol of freedom above freedom itself. The trouble is, there are many symbols out there that are very important to people. Like the flag, they represent many of our core ideals. If we outlaw the burning of the flag on the grounds that it's disrespectful, why stop there? Why not outlaw burning pictures of a flag. Why not outlaw speaking out against the flag? If someone cussed the flag out publicly, isn't that tantamount to burning it? And what about those other symbols, like the Bible, or the Koran, or my Voter's registration card? Those should be protected as well, right?

What is the point of freedom if you're only free to say and do things that the government doesn't find offensive?

1st anneversary of the Kelo decision

2006-06-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tommorow is the 1st anneversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Kelo vs. New London. This was a case where the City of New London, Connecticut decided to seize land from a group of homeowners in order to make room for a new facility. The new facility was for the Pfizer corporation, so that they could open a research facility. Some of these residents had held land and/or homes in the area for over 100 years. Despite this, the city condemned their land and seized it. Below is an excerpt from the dissenting opinion in this case (written by Justice O'Connor):

Today the Court abandons this long-held, basic limitation on government power. Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded–i.e., given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public–in the process. To reason, as the Court does, that the incidental public benefits resulting from the subsequent ordinary use of private property render economic development takings “for public use” is to wash out any distinction between private and public use of property–and thereby effectively to delete the words “for public use” from the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Accordingly I respectfully dissent.

The most frightening sentence in this paragraph is the last one, that this decision effectively deletes the eminent domain clause from the 5th amendment.

Because of this, some states have decided to take action. In Kansas, a constitutional amendment was introduced in the legislature this year, HCR 5025. This amendment would put a question on the ballot in the November general election. It would be up to the people to ratify, and it would bar this type of abuse from ever happening in our state (which ranks as the 2nd worst abuser nationwide). The resolution failed by 3 votes.

Why is it that our lawmakers denied us the right to vote on a constitutional amendment? Do they really think only they know what's best?

Tommorrow, at the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, KS, we will be holding a demonstration to remember this anneversary, and to promote a constitutional amendment to stop it. The demonstration begins at 11:00 and will conclude at 1:00.

Over the next hill

2006-06-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to take yesterday off for two reasons. 1) It was father's day, and 2) I had to go help with preparations for next weekends "Janie's over the next hill" ride for the Imacculata Manor.

Father's day went well. The kids got me a very nice box of cigars, each individually encased in glass, and stored in a very nice box. The cigars are hecho a mano en Honduras, which for those non-Spanish speakers means "Made by hand in Honduras". Honduran tobacco is generally regarded as second only to cuban in terms of strength and quality. Not surprising since many of the tobacco farmers there took their seeds and knowledge from Cuba when Castro took over and migrated to places like Honduras. At any rate, it was a very nice thought, and I'm proud of my kids for being so politically incorrect.

Now a break for a great cause: Janie's over the next hill ride. The ride is an annual event promoted heavily by 99.7's "Slacker", Gail's Harley-Davidson, Shawnee-Cycle Plaza, and many other great sponsors. Visit www.overthenexthill.com for complete details. The ride is a benefit for The Immaculata Manor, which is a home for mentally challenged girls and women. My friend Gary Brownsberger is in charge of the ride, and his sister is a long time resident at the facility.

We're expecting 600 riders this year. That's 600 bikes, lined up in formation, going just over 85 miles through the beautiful countryside North of the river (they call it God's country, but I'm not really sure about that!). We've got great cooperation from the local police departments to help stop traffic for us, and yours truly will be one of the Road Captains that will help ensure a smoothe ride.

If you've got a bike, no matter what kind or brand, gas it up and meet us for the ride, this Sunday morning at Bob Evan's in Liberty!

Kansas Republicans Revise State Platform

2006-06-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I was surfing political websites, as I'm known to do from time to time. One of the sites I visit regularly is www.johnsoncountyrepublicanparty.com There are some interesting, and even humorous parts of this site (such as RINO sightings, RINO being Republicans in Name Only). This helps me to keep tabs on the 2 parts of the republican party, the conservative Christian Right wing, and the moderate wing. It seems there is quite a power struggle going on there.

Another part of the website lists some excerpts from recent changes to the Republican Party State platform. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hold a candidate responsible for his platform, nor am I naive enough to believe that every party member has to march in lockstep with it. We're all human beings, and we all have opinions. It is worth noting, however, the slant that I see more and more in GOP politics. That slant is the "God is on our side" angle. Consider the following excerpts, taken from the site above (click on "Key Issues"):

We oppose pornography in all forms... (A very open ended statement. I wonder if your harlequin romance should be burned?)

The benefits of marriage shall be between one man and one woman (I don't know about you, but I feel much safer knowing that gays can't marry each other.)

Kansas students should be allowed and encouraged to fully discuss and critique all science-based theories for the origin of life in science curricula. ... (It's official folks, Intelligent Design is now in the GOP platform).

... Gambling should not be expanded to include state-owned facilities. (Can't have that now can we? After all, anyone with an internet connection already has gamblin in his living room. There's no reason for us to want to try to increase our tax revenue by allowing citizens the right to gamble)

Private property rights are essential to individual liberty. Government should be prohibited from seizing private property for economic development. Eminent domain is intended for essential public purposes (funny, the Republican controlled Legislature couldn't seem to pass any real eminent domain reform this year)

We support: The overturning of Roe v. Wade. ... AND The role of parents as the primary decision makers in the medical care of their children. ... (OK, which is it? Oh, I get it, medical decisions involving their children, but not their own bodies, even if there is a good medical reason for it)

I don't know about you, but this bothers me. The far right is making inroads into the GOP (and therefore the controlling part of our government) at astonishing rates. I used to just be concerned with our virtual police state, but now I have the added fear of going back to the dark ages....

What ever happened to tolerance? Is that not in vogue any longer?

"The Decider" signs new penalties for smut into law

2006-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

President Bush (who gave himself the nick-name "The Decider") signed a new bill into law today. That shouldn't shock anyone, since he has yet to veto a single bill in 6 years. This one, however, deals with "smut" on our airwaves, increasing the fines for "smut".

Parents are justifiably concerned with what their kids are exposed to. As a parent myself, I monitor my kids activities when I can. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to be with them, because we all have careers and social lives. As a social liberal, I'm probably a little looser with my kids than a typical socially-conservative family, however that is a choice I make for my own kids. There have been times when there were programs I didn't want them to have access to on satellite (when I had that service) and cable. Both my control box and my TVs have password restricted settings, however, and I took the time to learn how to use them. They work quite well.

Evidentally The Decider is not real interested in learning how to use a V Chip or a control box. What he is obviously interested in, however, is placating his religious rightwing base, and once again, he's remained loyal to that group. I guess we should expect nothing less at this point.

Supreme court upholds no-knock warrants

2006-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

In a 5-4 ruling today, the U.S. supreme court upheld the right of the police to barge into your home without annoncing themselves. At first glance, this seems like a victory for law enforcement and a setback for criminals. I'm sure that no-knock warrants help police to preserve evidence in certain cases, but I do have some serious concerns about this.

There have been numerous reported instances of police barging into the WRONG home. Usually this happens when they've gotten the address wrong. When I was a volunteer firefighter, I remember one such occasion. A fire chief on another department in our county mistakenly kicked in someone's door because he got the wrong address on a fire call. This is dangerous business. What is a person supposed to think when he is a law abiding citizen, asleep in his room, and in the middle of the night hears his door crashing down? I can tell you what my first thought is, and it would probably result in getting someone a very bad case of lead poisoning.

This scenario is not only a terrible thought, but it has happened. This policy is extremely dangerous to both police and citizens, and is almost always used to seize drugs. Are we really willing to gamble with citizens' and police officers' lives in order to enforce our prohibition policy?

Justice Breyer wrote for the dissenting 4, and said, among other things that the decision "erases 90 years of supreme court president".

Sleep tight.

Wingnuts, dog bites, and op-ed pieces

2006-06-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been pretty interesting. The day before yesterday I was out campaigning and was treated to my first dog bite. I was on the sidewalk, and didn't think the dog could reach that far on his teather. By the time I realized he could, he had bitten me already. Thankfully no skin was broken so I didn't have to go through all the medical procedures. The owner was on the porch and didn't seem to mind the fact that his dog (which looked at least half pit bull) had just bitten me. Shortly after that, I got to talking to another man walking his dog and we ended up standing on the sidewalk talking politics for over an hour. He is very active in area politics and was quite knoweldgeable. I really appreciated his insights.

I don't think I'll be going door to door today. I did, however, stop by the Bullet Hole to introduce myself to the guys and give them some flyers for their counter. As a long-time customer, I know them by face, but have never actually talked with them. Needless to say, they are excited to have a pro-gun owners' rights candidate on the ballot.

Tonight is the battle of the wingnuts, as I like to call it. The left wing versus the right wing, on Jay Leno. In the left corner, wearing a dark suit, and tipping the scales heavily to the statist side, is none other than George Carlin. In the right corner, known for her fiery, unapologetic rhetoric, Mrs. AAaaaannnnneeee COOUULLLTEERRRRR... I just had to do that. Ann Coulter of course. Yes, the woman best known for criticizing 9/11 widows and her book which prominently states that anyone who doesn't share her beliefs is godless will be squaring off with a long time comic. Although I'm not on the left or right, I think if I had to take sides I'd put my money on Carlin. It should be interesting.

And now for the most exciting thing of the day: The Kansas City Star published another of my op-ed pieces under the "As I See It' column of the opinion page in the local section. It explains eminent domain abuse, and what we can do to stop it. The link can be found here:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/14810785.htm

Pitch Cover Story - High Above the Law

2006-06-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

The cover story on this week's Pitch magazine is entitled "High Above the Law". It is an extensive piece written about the efforts to legalize medicinal marijuana in Missouri. Unfortunately, after reading the article, one gets the distinct impression that the advocates for this policy are not well organized, and definitely lack the people skills needed to make their point. I got to wondering why this might be.

Solvay Pharmaceuticals is a drug manufacturer that markets a product called marinol (http://www.marinol.com/) It is a synthetic version of marjiuana that is available by perscription to those who benefit from this form of therapy. It is rather expensive of course. The current excuses for having this legal, but not marijuana is that the delivery vehicle is ingestion rather than smoke inhalation, and the fact that it does not contain the other chemicals known to be in the cannabis sativa plant. Ignoring the facts that marijuana can be effectively injested, and that there have not been any conclusive studies done to prove harm with the other chemicals, politicians remain steadfast in their opposition to the weed. What is the real reason for this, you ask? In this writer's personal opinion, it's because the drug company probably is organized, and has some polished speakers to lobby on its behalf.

Our drug policy makes absolutely no sense. Why do we put people in prison for drug posession, where they can readily obtain more drugs, but not the treatment they so desparately need? Do we expect prison guards to treat drug and medical problems? Most offenders are non-violent, but are taking up huge amounts of prison space. Why do we freely admit that prohibition of alcohol (one of the most destructive drugs) was a failure, but refuse to admit that prohibition of drugs (the "war on drugs") has been a failure as well? Why do we allow physicians to perscribe some of the most destructive and addictive substances known to man, but we won't allow a person to grow a weed in his back yard to save his life? Nobody has ever died from a marijuana overdose, yet thousands die annually from perscription drug overdoses.

It's high time we take a serious look at our drug laws. The advocates of a sensible drug policy need to come out of hiding, organize, and form a strategy. The war on drugs is not a war on drugs, it's a war on the American people, and our civil liberties. Where are the voices of reason?

The candidates for the 24th are now in place

2006-06-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of several important dates on the election calendar. The reason today is imporant is that it is the deadline for filing for the August 1st primaries. Since my party (the Libertarian Party) does not have primaries, I bypassed this step and went directly to the ballot (the LP nominates and votes on candidates internally at our state convention). The other two parties must have primaries because they are considered major parties. Since only one candidate from each party filed, we now know who the participants in the November race are.

I will be facing Mr. Ed O'malley (R) (incumbent) and Mr. Andy Sandler (D). I know very little of Mr. Sandler, and I have absolutely no idea what his campaign issues will be. I do know something of Mr. O'Malley since I have been his constituent and have followed his voting record. This presents several challenges to me, but the most significant challenge is recognition. Since it's a 3 way race, there is a possibility that I will have to struggle in this area because I'm from a minor party. That's not a new problem for the Libertarian Party unfortunately.

In the last presidential election, the Libertarian Party had a candidate on the ballot in 48 states, more than any other 3rd party. This is not as easy as it sounds. We work very hard to maintain our ballot access. In some cases, petition drives are required, and in some cases we have to earn a certain percentage of votes in a statewide race. In the case of Kansas, it's the latter. At any rate, not only did the media largely ignore our candidate, but he was arrested trying to get into the national debates. Is this the America you know? A legitimate presidential candidate denied participation in critical discussions? Do you even know his name? I bet not. It's Michael Badnarik, for the record.

At any rate, even with the odds against me, I will press on. In poker circles there is a saying, "if you have a chip and a chair, you're in the game". Well, I recon I've got a printing press and ballot access, so I'm in the game here as well. It should be a very interesting next few months. Regardless of your party affiliation, or your political leanings, please celebrate your patriotism by studying the issues, the candidates, and GO VOTE!

Hail storm moves through Overland Park

2006-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

I know this is a political blog, but I'm taking the day off from politics (at least here). There isn't much of any real substance going on today in the news anyway.

Last night a hail storm moved through our area. We had some golf ball sized pieces of ice in our yard, and the kids really got a kick out of it. I'm glad they had fun, because I was busy trying to think of some way to save my garden!

I've spent more time and effort on my garden this year than any other year. I have (had) two rows of beans that would probably qualify for a magazine picture, a row of corn that grows so fast you can almost watch it, and some good looking okra specimens as well. They've survived previous strong storms (I had to go out and give them a morale bost afterword by straightening them up), but this one really pushed the envelope.

The good news is the corn and okra was not affected. My 60 or so bean plants are a different story. Their large leaves and long stems made them easy targets. Some appear untouched, but at least half are looking quite sickly. Only time will tell whether they make it or not, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Maybe I should petition the city for an increase in sales tax to install a rolling roof in my back yard?

Campaign season is underway

2006-06-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

The door-to-door phase of my campaign is now in full swing. I have the blisters to prove it! So far I've visited over 500 houses in my district, introducing myself and distributing flyers. I haven't ever really gone door to door (well, once when I was a cub scout to sell popcorn) so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I must say that so far, it has been a very positive experience.

People have been very nice, and the vast majority are actually taking the time to read my flyer. I know firsthand how busy a person can get with work, family, errands, cooking dinner, sports practice, etc., so I was worried that I might encounter a few less-than-happy campers on my campaign trail. Not so. A few did appear slightly distraught when they saw me approach with a brief case and a handful of flyers, and mutter something along the lines of, "OK, whatcha sellin?". But as soon as I explained why I was there, their countenance changed considerably.

Among the things I've seen so far that have been noteworthy: An elderly couple who was flabergasted that any candidate still walked door-to-door, a sign on someone's door saying, "Don't knock, don't ring the bell, or we'll call the police. You have been warned", and a man who told me he had just switched to the Libertarian Party (my party of course). I'm sure I'll have many more stories by the end of the campaign.

There are over 10,000 houses in district 24. I have hit 500 this week. It will be difficult (and expensive) to cover all 10,000 houses, but I'm going to try. If I don't run out of time or money, I believe I've got a fair-to-midlin' chance of it. The heat was almost unberable yesterday, but I strapped on my Camelback (a backpack that has a huge water bladder and a drinking tube in it) and forged on.

If you live in district 24, I hope to see you soon.

Your family now owes $500,000.00 in Gov't Debt.

2006-06-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

Don't believe it? Well it's true. The article ran in USA Today on 5/24/06, and can be found here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-24-retiree-taxpayers_x.htm

Yes friends, our runaway freight train of a government has put us all in the poor house. We have virtually guarnateed a future of slavery or economic chaos for our children. Politician after politician has railed on us proponents of smaller government time and time again. How can we advocate eliminating the welfare state when people are out of work? How can we think about cutting or privatizing social security? How can we say no to our seniors' perscription drug costs? These are all very troubling questions. Questions that nobody wants to answer. The subject Social Security is so touchy that it's often referred to as the "third rail of politics". Well I guess I have one question for everyone: How can we sell our kids into slavery?

All of the government entitlement programs sound great, but unfortunately don't work. We had better face that fact soon, or our children will be working overtime just to pay down the interest on the debt. This year, congress voted to raise the federal debt ceiling to $9 trillion in order to avoid a default on our obligations. That alone amounts to $30,000.00 in debt for every living soul in the US. If someone doesn't put the brakes on this runaway train, we will ALL be living in a 3rd world country within the next generation or two.

It's not always fun to face reality. Unfortunately it has to be done. The government can not go on functioning as Santa Clause.

Intelligent Voting and the Kansas School Board

2006-06-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should tackle this issue at least once between now and the August first primaries. As anyone who follows politics knows, the ultra-conservative majority of our Kansas School Board has made us an international laughing stock with several of its recent actions.

First there was the introduction of Intelligent Design (ID) as a viable scientific theory, on a par with evolution. Then there was the changing of the definition of science from "seeking natural explanations..." to "seeking logical explanations...". If that wasn't enough, just to add insult to injury, the board voted to make sex education "opt-in" rather than "opt-out".

ID has a place in our public schools. Unfortunately for conservatives, it is certainly not in science class. Most in the mainstream, including myself, have no problem whatsoever with teaching ID in a philosophy or comparative religion class. It does not qualify for science, however, since it advances the idea of a supernatural being. Proponents say it's just a theory that there was intelligent design in our universe. For some reason the logic train derails at that point, because they don't seem to understand that following this line of thought, there must be an intelligent designer. By definition, this has to be God, or, I guess, just someone else who is capable of creating a universe.

Science does not seek to find logical explanations for things. That's philosophy's job. Science as a discipline is subordinate to philosophy because it is limited only to natural phenomena, whereas philosphy is not. Changing one word in our definition of science does have an enormous impact on what ends up in the classroom.

As for sex-ed, once again, we're paying for Connie Morris' past. In her book, "From the Darkness: One Woman's Rise to Nobility", Morris talks about being sexually abused as a kid, and later her promiscuity and expiramentation with drugs. Of course this was followed by a conversion to Christianity, which is not uncommon. Like most in her position, she went from one extreme to the other, but evidentally her pre-occupation wtih sex still pervades her thoughts. Hence the entire state must now go out of their way to have their kids tought basic biology and disease prevention in sex-ed.

There was a time when religion ruled the world. It was called the dark ages. Let's not go back to that time. Instead, ultra-conservatives like Morris need to be thrown out, and the sooner the better. If you live in a district that has an incumbent extremist, make sure you're registered to vote, and vote AGAINST them in the primary. I am in Sue Gamble's district, and I believe she is one of the few voices of reason on the board.. (oh, and I can't vote in the primaries anyway as a registered Libertarian, small detail).

Get out and vote, and let's restore our acedemic standards to the modern age.

Lawrence KS cell phone ban

2006-06-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

The City of Lawrence is currently debating a proposed ordinance that, if enacted, will be the strictest cell phone ban in the country. The ban applies to everyone while they're driving, and even includes conversations made on cell phones in "hands-free" mode. This means that if you're driving down the road, talking into your speaker phone, you could be pulled over and cited. I have to assume it also means that if you're driving down the road and singing, you could be pulled over, since police have no way to know the difference.

There are already laws on the books against inattentive driving. Evidentally the City of Lawrence has not done a good job of enforcing those laws, so now they want even more laws to compensate. I've never quite understood this thinking, but it seems to permeate all levels of government. So what really is the point of this new law?

During the course of the debate, one official made the following comment:

“This (ban) would send an important message that safety is more important than personal convenience,” Traffic Safety Commissioner Paul Graves said.

Following this logic, if safety was more important than personal convenience, we wouldn't be driving cars in the first place, as they are nothing more than personal convenience, and, statistically speaking, extremely dangerous.

Anti-gay marriage amendment a distraction

2006-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

The conservatives are at it again. Once again, social issues are rearing their ugly heads in our nation's capitol in an effort to posture for mid-term elections. These debates are a useless waste of resources, and are intended only to attempt to shore up the conservative base that the G.O.P. so often panders to.

With the Preident's approval rating at 29%, I suppose he thinks anything is worth a shot. And Anti-gay marriage has been a real crowd pleaser in the past, so why not try again? And while we're at it, let's throw in a ban on flag burning just for good measure.

The GOP sponsors of these bills admit that they have no chance of passing. "Why introduce them, then?", you may ask. Good question. The only answer I can come up with is pandering. Regardless, it's a waste of our time and money.

Personally I don't feel that it's the government's place to dictate the terms of a private, religious relationship between two people. I'm clearly a minority here, and my state of Kansas has a constitutional amendment to prove it. As a candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives, however, I must say that I don't think the average voter in my district is losing sleep over this. It's just not that important to anyone I know. So why don't we move on to the real issues of the day? Namely, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (yes, we have troops there too, remember?), and the impending war with Iran. Then there's the staggering federal debt, (the "elephant in the living room"), immigration.... the list goes on.