Plunging in...

When I hear the word "plunger" I think of the tool used often in this house, a toilet or sink plunger, destined to be an often needed item with girls who clog the sink or tub with hair and who forget we don't have a garbage disposal when it comes to cleaning up their after meal adventures. So when I saw the term spring plungers, I thought it was some type of a extended plunging device with a spring. I was partly right, it does have a spring, and does a plunging action but it's designed for tool engineers...

Libertarians and Liberals in harmony...

Conor Friedersdorf takes a look at a recent article written by Tim Carney in the Washington Examiner on the topic of Brink Lindsey. It's a recommended read -- The Longer Libertarian game with the point being made:

Mr. Lindsey's project has never been about the 2010 midterms, or the 2012 presidential election, it's been about gradually reorienting America's ideological coalitions in a way that makes liberals more friendly to libertarian ideas, and libertarians less captive to the worst aspects of conservatism. Libertarian donors ought to fund efforts to oppose President Obama in the short term. They also ought to invest in intellectual projects with longer time horizons that only bear on particular electoral and legislative outcomes indirectly. If they can't distinguish between those projects, or if they actually display thinking as immature and counterproductive as "Obama is the devil" and "maybe he's not the devil" equals "lukewarmness for liberty," they're inadvertently sabotaging their own cause. Were I a wealthy man, I'd help fund Mr. Lindsey if only to avoid keeping all the libertarian eggs in the right's less than reliable ideological basket (the short time horizons apparently extend backward too).

An epidemic of "sunshine patriots"

If you cut to the chase on the statement released by Ron Paul on his website, one part that I think basically says it all on the topic of those opposed to the building of a mosque two blocks from "ground zero":

This is all about hate and Islamaphobia.

We now have an epidemic of “sunshine patriots” on both the right and the left who are all for freedom, as long as there’s no controversy and nobody is offended.

Political demagoguery rules when truth and liberty are ignored.

Warranties and insurance...

While I love my netbook and the laptop that I had before it, the simple fact is they are easier to have stolen and are a bit more likely to experience a mishap than my tower that I use for the larger portion of my work. It's why depending on what you spent for your netbook or laptop that you should consider laptop insurance as a protection. Look at the replacement cost versus the total cost of the insurance and the deductible, also look at the claims policy to determine if it's a cost you can justify compared to what you would have to pay for a replacement.

Christmas shopping in August?

I shook my head when I read about the promotion of christmas apparel deals taking place right now. I realize some do have this whole "Christmas in July" attitude and you can probably get some really good deals on gifts if you shop early. However...I am a last minute type shopper who resists Christmas and Christmas shopping until I absolutely must acknowledge it needs to be done. For those of you who are more fiscally responsible? Happy shopping...

:-)

Hunger strike to demand debate...

Incumbents controlling when and how a debate will take place is a common election complaint. However, most times the opposition does not take to a hunger strike. In California, a Democratic candidate started the hunger strike and was joined by a Libertarian candidate...

Rep. Duncan D. Hunter’s challengers want to debate him so badly they can taste it – probably because they haven’t eaten anything for days.

In an effort to force Mr. Hunter, the Republican incumbent in California’s 52nd district, into a series of eight debates in August, Ray Lutz, the Democratic candidate, began a hunger strike at sundown on Aug. 12. Mike Benoit, the Libertarian candidate, quickly followed suit.

Is it a publicity stunt since Hunter has supposedly agreed to debate in October?

Read more then you decide...

The Tea Party Could Bring Fascism to America

More and more libertarians are speaking out against the Tea Party movement and stating it's not libertarianism that is being promoted by a majority of Tea Party groups. This opinion piece by George Donnelly is a good example. Part of the recommended read:

The Tea Party is not a libertarian movement. It co-opted a libertarian message, but in reality it is a rightist movement. It's pro-war, intolerant, ultra-patriotic, pro-torture, into corporate apologism and ready to scapegoat paperless immigrants. As soon as the GOP recaptures the gun that is government, I expect these people will go back to sleep.

Libertarianism, on the other hand, is a consistently peaceful position. We're against war, we don't care much about those imaginary dotted lines on the map called borders and we recognize that the evils of corporatism are borne of the state. We don't oppose government only when people we dislike are in power. We seek to solve the problems liberals worry about with more peaceful means than state mandates. We're not like those Tea Party folks. And you can see this in the above video where a libertarian is violently removed from a Tea Party event!

Saving trees and money...

There used to be a time when metal buildings were used for barns and other non-home uses, now there has been an increase in the use and the types of styles for metal building construction. People are even making new homes using steel instead of wood, some using all steel, others using steel instead of the framing aspect of construction.

A news story from 2008 that I found was very interesting in using steel for framing a house:

Libertarian Judge James P. Gray featured in marijuana documentary

Here's one for those of you interested in the topic of legalizing pot...via a release sent to Independent Political Report:

I’m an independent filmmaker who produced “The Green Rush,” featuring Judge James P. Gray.
We are trying to help spread the word about Proposition 19 and get the truth about what’s happening here.

Our film shows that there are people who live in the mountains of California and grow you weed.
We also interviewed Bruce Margolin, Donald Abrams M.D. and US District Attorney Thomas O’Brien.

It is available for free on HULU.com and we are hoping for somebody to review, blog, endorse of embed it on their sites.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the film and keep up the great journalistic work you do

The link to the movie - Here. I watched it, it's worth taking a look at.