Gravel decides to go Libertarian

The reality is I don't think Mike Gravel will do any better as a Libertarian candidate given his numbers as a Democrat but it was interesting to learn that:

WASHINGTON (CNN) – One-time Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Gravel announced Wednesday he is abandoning his political party and will run for the White House as a Libertarian.

Gravel, a former senator whose presidential campaign was never taken seriously by most political observers, made the proclamation in a message posted on his Web site.

“The fact is, the Democratic Party today is no longer the party of FDR,” Gravel said. “It is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism — all of which I find anathema to my views.”

Personally I think Ron Paul would be the candidate that could get a larger following if he would have been the one to make the jump but he's stated on the record that he is not going to make a third party run.

Not just Democrats calling for the end of the war...

While most of the attention gets placed on some of the Democratic groups that are out there calling for an end to the war in Iraq, I think it's important to point out that this is an area where the Libertarian Party has been speaking on for quite some time. The 5th anniversary of the war on Iraq did not go unnoticed:

It is with a heavy heart that I woke up on March 19, 2008, in a country still at war in Iraq, now five years after it first began. It is also with great disappointment that neither Republicans nor Democrats have provided a plan to end what is shaping up to be a "forever war." On this five-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the Libertarian Party renews our call to bring American troops home without undue delay. May the courage and sacrifice of the 3,990 soldiers who have died in Iraq while serving their country never be forgotten.

Government is not the panacea for an ailing economy

Interesting article that I recommend reading from the Libertarian Party website with quotes from Libertarian Party National Chairman William Redpath and Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, Shane Cory. One portion I found especially noteworthy:

"It is almost as if Congress and the President set out to do something half-baked and cheesy in response to this nation's economic problems. They won't give serious solutions the time of day, such as substantially reducing government spending, reducing taxes and reforming the tax code. If the government really wanted to fix the economy, they would start by getting rid of the junky hodge-podge of deductions and credits, lowering tax rates to stimulate entrepreneurial activity and risk taking, and addressing the trillions of dollars of unfunded entitlements in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. If these problems are not substantively addressed soon, foreigners through the world's financial markets may ultimately make the tough decisions for this nation. Let's hope economic sensibility and spine become the order of the day in Washington before then."

More freedom to buy anything...

I admit I have a problem with skate shoes since it seems like every time we go to a local store some child is skating into people and things, especially if they are not very skilled at the ending from the skate shoe into the shoe...Yet it appears there are many parents out there buying them so from an idea standpoint it is making a profit.

It's also been interesting to note the number of schools that make it clear the shoes are banned in their hallways...

Freedom to buy just about anything...

One of the great things about our country is it's ability to sell just about anything that people could possibly imagine. The other day I came across something that I have to be honest, had no idea that anyone actually had on the market, beer pong tables. Which just goes to show that if you build it? Some will buy it...

:-)

A new place to shop locally...

I noticed the other day when we were out and about that there was a new directbuy location in our town. That was really interesting to me considering there have been quite a few retail locations that have not been able to survive. So it was promising to see something new go in that seems to be getting quite a bit of traffic.

Getting behind and then trying to catch up...

One of the downsides to having more than one blog is there are times when real life gets in the way of your blogging and despite your dreams of what you will be able to focus on for each blog, it doesn't happen. It can feel as if you are on a series of treadmills seeing the end as far as the amount of work you have to get to before you can blissfully sit at your computer, but not reaching it. Two months ago I thought I'd have more time...that hasn't happened yet.

:-)

Libertarianism is not "right wing"

Libertarianism is often thought of as “right-wing” doctrine. This, however, is mistaken for at least two reasons. First, on social—rather than economic—issues, libertarianism tends to be “left-wing”. It opposes laws that restrict consensual and private sexual relationships between adults (e.g., gay sex, non-marital sex, and deviant sex), laws that restrict drug use, laws that impose religious views or practices on individuals, and compulsory military service. Second, in addition to the better-known version of libertarianism—right-libertarianism—there is also a version known as “left-libertarianism”. Both endorse full self-ownership, but they differ with respect to the powers agents have to appropriate unappropriated natural resources (land, air, water, etc.). Right-libertarianism holds that typically such resources may be appropriated by the first person who discovers them, mixes her labor with them, or merely claims them—without the consent of others, and with little or no payment to them. Left-libertarianism, by contrast, holds that unappropriated natural resources belong to everyone in some egalitarian manner. It can, for example, require those who claim rights over natural resources to make a payment to others for the value of those rights. This can provide the basis for a kind of egalitarian redistribution.

The best known early statement of (something close to) libertarianism is Locke (1690). The most influential contemporary work is Nozick (1974).

Freedom of being a grandparent...

I made my first major "grandma" purchase last week in buying one of those bouncy chair type things for my granddaughter for her to play with when she is visiting me. The advances technology has made when it comes to toyshit home as well as the increased information we have as far as where these items are manufactured compared to when I was younger or my children were younger. It's to the point now where if the interior material of a toy is made someplace differently than the exterior, the label reflects that. Though I did of course wonder who really checks to verify that this is being correctly listed...

Astragalus not astrological

When I came across the word Astragalus I thought it would be related to astrology in some manner, like someone who spent to much time on horoscopes or perhaps someone who did not believe in horoscopes at all. In searching I discovered that it is an herb native to China, and has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. In the United States, the herb gained popularity in the 1980s.

This goes into the things I always wondered category...

Iran tightens internet before election...

As Iranians head to the polls, the existing government has tightened its grip on the internet and even turned its firewall against politicians close to the current rulers, say researchers who have detected a shift in the kind of sites blocked over the last two weeks. Earlier rumors that the net would be shut down totally have not been proven true, but it's understandable that given the crack down that some believed the Iranian government would take it to that level.

It's not just regular citizens who are being targeted since it's being stated that four political websites belonging to those connected to the ruling conservatives critical of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been blocked during the last two weeks. Even the personal website of Fatemeh Rajabi, wife of Ahmadinejad's spokesman and chief of staff, Gholam Hossein Elham, has been blocked.

Fatemeh Rajabi has a track record of criticising key figures from all political factions within the current Iranian regime, including Ahmadinejad, his predecessor as President Mohammad Khatami and the head of Iran's judiciary Mahmoud Shahroudi.

What affect this will have on the election remains to be seen...

Requiring insurance was supposed to drop rates...

Back in the days before Ohio law required everyone to carry minimum car insurance, one of the reasons the change in law was promoted was to make it cheaper for all of us in Ohio to carry insurance. The belief was that if everyone was covered that the cost would drop. This of course does not appear to have happened, which has continued to create a scenario where some people feel as if they can not afford Car Insurance so Ohioan's still have to have uninsured motorist coverage.

We learned the hard way that even if you have uninsured motorist coverage, if you do not pay for collision damage if your car is destroyed by an uninsured motorist you basically have no coverage. While the state has increased the dollar amount charged for those caught not having insurance have to pay to reinstate their licenses, all this has done is create a scenario where people are driving not only without insurance coverage but on suspended licenses.

The lesson in all of this is, carry insurance and make sure you take advantage of the ability to compare policies online so that you can save as much as you can save. It is much more expensive in the end if you are caught without insurance and a license...

Annoying anonymous blogging already illegal?

There's been some discussion about the move in Kentucky to make anonymous blogging illegal, yet most people don't seem to remember what happened in 2006, US President George W Bush ratified a in January of 2006 that makes it illegal for people in the United States to post anything to a blog that could be deemed “annoying” anonymously.

The law, which was buried in the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act, titled “Preventing Cyberstalking” rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet “without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy.”

Impressions in names...

When I came across the name, Audemars Piguet offshore I thought it was some type of an offshore bank or some type of a financial enterprise. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was a watch company that made high end designer type watches...It's another piece of information added to my memory bank that you never know when it come become important to share.

Ron Paul drops out of Presidential campaign...

First Huckabee this week and now Ron Paul has dropped out of the presidential campaign. In typical Ron Paul style, he did so using the internet:

Rep. Ron Paul has ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, breaking the news in a seven-minute video posted on the campaign Web site Thursday. The Texan, who ran on a libertarian platform and saw an outpouring of financial support via the Internet, tried to soothe anxious supporters by letting them know his "campaign for freedom will continue in this new phase." While his campaign will not formally organize events, he encouraged supporters to continue to work on behalf of a broader movement.

"I don't mind playing a key role in this revolution, but it has to be more than a Ron Paul revolution," he said. "Our job now is to plan for the next phase."

Still in memory mode...

In addition to reliving memories of my early car days, I can't help thinking about the many times our family decided to head for the road with our old travel trailer. Just as cars have really changed so have travel trailers with even the old pop up type we had from years ago now becoming almost a luxury travel item that is much easier to open and with a much more ergonomic design as far as the actual space available.

Vintage muscle cars...

I grew up in the days of the 1969 Roadrunner and the Super Bee that had the huge rear spoilers that when you pushed the gas pedal you could not only feel the engine but could watch the gas gauge go down. Now of course life has changed where you think about horsepower but fuel economy is much more of a focus. However, items like spoilers and NOS are still popular with some of the same crowd that had they lived in our time would have been called "muscle heads".

Promotional products are fun...

The other day in the mail I received some imprinted promotional products as a sample that was imprinted with the name of my local blog. It was a really creative way of marketing how their product looks. Promotional products are a great way to help people remember you when they need your service or your website and there are an amazing amount of different products you can select from.

Primary is over let the shopping begin...

Now that life is going to return to somewhat of a normal pattern (or as normal as things can be in my life) I can return to some of my favorite online past times which is searching for the best buy on the net. That for me is my way that I unwind from politics and while most times I'm doing "window shopping" it's a pleasant past time that occasionally nets me a great deal on something we need.