Marshmallows roasting on an open fire...

I'm surprised no one has done a satire set of lyrics based on the Christmas carol about roasting chestnuts on an open fire, especially with the growing popularity of the outdoor fireplace or fire pit. I decided to take a crack at the first few lines...

Marshmallows roasting on an open fire
Mosquitoes nipping at your nose
Crickets loud enough to be a choir
And men dressed up in speedos

I maybe on to something...

:-)

Deleting a campaign promise doesn't make it go away

During the primary in Kentucky Rand Paul stated he was not going to accept campaign donations from any senator who voted to support the financial bailouts. Now that he's made it past the primary it's being reported that he's take then pledge off of his campaign website, (link) and is soliciting donations from senators who voted for the financial bailout. He's obviously not concerned that voters will care about broken pledges and historically, few do.

The first-time candidate slammed his main primary opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, for taking campaign cash last year at a Washington fundraiser hosted by a number of senators who backed the bailout.
That was then, but now the Paul campaign is welcoming support from lawmakers it once shunned.
"We considered that the primary was a fight over the direction and the soul of the Republican Party," Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton said this week. "By Rand taking that hard stance in the primary, we think that those ideas won."
Now that Paul is the nominee, "it is great to see so many leaders lining up behind" him, Benton said.
Paul's campaign anticipates that most of the Republican senators listed on the invitation will contribute, Benton said.
Paul's Democratic opponent, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, criticized the about-face.
"Rand Paul made a pledge when he needed to win the primary," said Conway spokeswoman Allison Haley. "But now that the bailout senators are offering him money, the pledge goes out the window."

Dropping poundage

We want everything fast these days, which is why many are attracted to quick and easy weight loss solutions. It's important to understand how the extra pounds were created, you didn't just wake up one morning with an extra 20 pounds - One pound of fat is equal to about 3500 calories.
That means that if you eat an extra 350 calories of food a day beyond what your body needs, you would gain an extra pound every 10 days. If you take in more than 350 calories a day beyond what your body needs you'd gain the extra weight even faster.

Best, most effective, preferred...

Marketing and advertising are about images and words, how a product is described is meant to draw your interest and appeal to you. If you read "least effective diet pill" or "completely untested wrinkle cream" you'd probably not be at all interested. However if you read, most effective diet pill or four out of five dentists prefer (fill in name) then you'd be more inclined to give a product a look. It's up to you as a consumer to do your homework and my standard advice before taking any diet or health supplement, check with your health care professional first.

78 year old Julian Heicklen still in jail...

Heicklen is a libertarian and jury rights advocate who was arrested on May 25 for the "crime" of attempting to distribute Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) fliers on public property in front of the US District Courthouse in Manhattan. The formal charges against the 78 year old man are "disorderly conduct" and "resisting arrest."

He is currently being held in the New York City Jail at Riker's Island awaiting a scheduled June 8 hearing though it appears when reading a blog that has been focusing on his case, (link) that there's some concern that the date might be extended. Normally you'd expect someone charged with that level of crime to be out on bail, however he is being held without bail.

When reading another site, jailed activists it's suggested that there was no bond in this case due to a prior failure to appear. I also recommend reading Heicklen's self bio...

What it's not Windex?

Ever since I watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" along with many of my family members,it's hard for us to not suggest Windex as a solution for just about everything. Those who watched the movie will know what I'm talking about, the father, Gus, has using Windex as a solution for acne to swollen toes as well as it being suggested in the movie as one of the best acne treatments when a problematic pimple appears on both the bride and the groom. She opts for more traditional treatment, he reveals he put Windex on his...Not surprisingly, this is not the accepted method of treatment by some.

:-)

Here in Ohio - Swartz withdraws from Congressional race

In this week's Toledo Free Press, it's reported that Libertarian candidate Jeremy Swartz has withdrawn from the ninth congressional race where he would have faced incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Republican primary winner Richard Iott.

Swartz stated he was pulling out of the election due to a personal emergency but did not provide any additional details.

As the Toledo Free Press also reports, it's not clear at this time if the Libertarian Party of Ohio is going to nominate someone to run, or if it will be Joseph Jaffe who ran against Swartz in the primary.

American people think the president is everything to everybody

Interesting quote in the title of the post made by Ron Paul in his defense of President Obama as pointed out by several media sources, including The Hill:

Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican lawmaker from Texas, said that people were expecting too much from the president in his ability to react to the ongoing spill into the Gulf.

"I'm a pretty big critic of the president," Paul said during an appearance on "Imus in the Morning" on the Fox Business Network, "but I just don't see the justification for coming down hard on the president."

"I think it represents the idea that the American people think the president is everything to everybody that he should fix an oil leak," Paul added.

Some lawmakers, including many Republicans, have questioned the administration's responsiveness to the spill, as well as whether the administration has been aggressive enough in pushing BP to end the flow of oil from its damaged deepwater well.

But Paul suggested that there was little the president could do personally to end the spill, arguing that Obama could do more to help out with the spill and the cleanup by clearing out and waiving federal regulations so that governors of the states affected by the spill have more leeway in addressing cleanup efforts.

Looking for receipt printers?

If you own a business that requires you print out receipts for customers, one of the most popular ones out there right now is the epson receipt printer. It's reasonably priced, the cost to operate it is also reasonable and Epson has a great reputation as far as reliability. Another aspect of Epson is customer service, when I've had issues with an Epson product, they've been much more helpful than some of the other printer manufacturers I had in the past.

Weight loss for some, not for me...

It's kind of ironic to sit here and write about weight loss products when since our grill was still warm from our earlier dinner, my husband just grilled me a jumbo hot dog, then topped it with relish and mustard. Yes, hot dogs are not the healthiest food item, especially compared with the boneless chicken breasts and veggies from earlier but? It tasted pretty darn good. I focus on trying to be healthy, and I don't want to be obese but like my decision to not worry about dyeing my hair anymore and accept the silvery gray as...me...I don't worry about dieting anymore. However I know many of you do worry about dieting and whatever makes you happy? Works for me.

Whether and how to woo Tea Party followers

I really hope the decisions made during the Libertarian Party National Convention is to not woo the Tea Party bunch, the whole focus on Rand Paul should demonstrate that those who don't support a major part of what makes a person even Libertarian leaning, are not going to strengthen the goals. Or at least what the goals used to be. However, as this St. Louis today article points out, that's exactly what's going to be discussed and decided:

Whether and how to woo Tea Party followers to their party is one of the big issues at the Libertarian Party national convention this weekend in downtown St. Louis.

Should Libertarians bend their principles for the votes of Tea Party followers, who may agree with them on some financial issues but sharply disagree on social policy; or do they focus on long-held principles that may not hold as much appeal among mainstream voters?

With sadness I put away the red boots...

While I love summer and the warmer weather (as long as it's not too warm) the downside for the summer months is my favorite pair of red suede boots is no longer appropriate or functional for regular wearing. I've managed to keep the same pair in good shape for three winters and falls now, in part because I love them and despite looking each year for a possible replacement, I've yet to find a pair that comes close to them. Here's hoping that next year will be a successful year four...

Rand Paul getting more attention than Convention...

It's kind of disappointing when looking at the current news referencing the Libertarian Party. Far more articles, several hundred, focus on Rand Paul and is he or isn't he really a Libertarian than the National Convention that's taking place in St. Louis.

That's part of the challenge the Libertarian party has always faced, and it's something many groups face. The controversial get more media attention and focus than those trying to create real change and action...

Bob Barr's remarks at the National Libertarian Party Convention

This weekend the Libertarian Party is holding their Natonal Convention in St. Louis. Bob Barr gave the keynote speech, there are a variety of places that had the speech in full, one is the IndependentPoliticalReport.com. References to Atlas were the focus of the speech, one example:

I believe Atlas weeps instead of shrugging, because he still cares; he still hopes; he still sees promise in the America of our founding.

But he also may weep because he knows we in the Libertarian Party have failed to consistently offer to the American people the righteous, vigorous, principled and positive alternative to the stale, two-party system that has become America’s political status quo. Atlas knows that the Libertarian Party has more – much more – to offer the people of this country than the current closed system dominated by the Republican and Democratic Parties, with their cadres of superficially charismatic leaders able to mouth sound bites but little else.

Atlas may weep because we have let him down by allowing ourselves to chase false priorities, and to dissipate the energy of our convictions on esoteric exercises of little or no relevance to the real political world.

If Atlas does so mourn, then let us as Libertarians this year become once again Atlas’ champion.

I had no idea what a irvingia gabonensis was

When I heard the term, "irvingia gabonensis" was, I had no idea what it was, it sounded like some type of a rare disease you would not want to contract. Especially when phrased as irvingia gabonensis side effects, but then I discovered that it's a tree - mainly grown in West and Central African tree and that some also call it the wild mango or bush mango. It's become one of the latest weight loss ingredients so I'm sure it will become much more known in the weeks to come. Just as many of us had never heard of hoodia, or ginko berries until they became "the" product of the moment...

Grilling is relaxing...

Before I came inside and got to work blogging, we had a nice relaxing dinner that made use of our grill instead of me having to heat up the kitchen. There is something much more relaxing about cooking on the grill as opposed to hovering over a stove, sitting back on outdoor chaise lounges sipping a cold beverage while you wait to brush some more barbecue sauce on the chicken and give the vegetable kabobs a few turns. It's also easier clean up...

:-)

An additional piece on Rand Paul...

From Alternet, titled, Libertarians realizing Rand Paul is not one of them though I'd suggest some knew that before hand, it is a recommended read. This one quote pretty much tells you how those who understand what being a Libertarian is, have to say:

Libertarian Party Vice Chairman Joshua Koch cites Paul’s support for a federal abortion ban, along with his opposition to gay marriage and his refusal to call for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, as grounds for running a candidate against him this fall, which he says the party is considering. “We’re not going to let Rand determine what a Libertarian stands for,” Koch, an erstwhile Paul supporter, told The Washington Post. “I’m here to say Rand does not have the Libertarian ideology.”

Keep Rand Paul Off My Philosophies

Highly recommended article for those of you interested in the Rand Paul "phenomenon" and the attempt to once again label what being Libertarian means by candidates and the media. Just one small part of the piece by James Campion:

As a charter member of the order of logical libertarian (I proclaim myself as such in the face of eight years of Compassionate Conservatism and the first two years of Pragmatic Liberalism) I view Paul as at best a poser libertarian. Although he is against foreign wars unless provoked or have direct national security issues, how does he feel about certain anti-Republican cultural and moral issues such as the free will of gays to marry, a woman’s right to her own body functions, for taxpaying citizens to choose the recreational drug of choice without facing prison time, or where does he stand on the usual stream of entitlements everyone wants but whines about paying for?

Paul’s recent rebuttals against the federal government’s braggadocio of “standing on the neck” of British Petroleum for all-but destroying the Gulf Coast sounds an awful lot like a dime-a-dozen conservative-speak that more often than not sees fit to choose the doctrine of free will of business over that of the citizen.

Truth is Rand Paul is as much a libertarian as Christians are christian.

Up in smoke...

I don't know much about cigars, but I have heard certain brands mentioned, one of those is davidoff as one some of the guys I know smoke. There are a few women who I know who also enjoy cigars, where for me I think the problem would be not inhaling. I'm used to inhaling while smoking so the instinct to do so has kept me from trying a cigar. Though a few who do smoke cigars have quit smoking cigarettes and instead enjoy an occasional stogy.

And another arrest...

Reported on Reason:

Libertarian activist George Donnelly participating in, and filming, a Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) action outside a federal courthouse in Allentown, PA, was assaulted, arrested, and had his camera taken by federal agents earlier this week. Full report on the details of the incident from the Libertarian Examiner.

Yesterday, from a new Libertarian Examiner report, Donnelly is now out of jail, though it is unclear from their report whether the charges were dropped.

Libertarian photographer sues Dept. of Homeland Security after arrest for filming courthouse protest

I missed this story...in the New York Daily News:

Antonio Musumeci, a 29-year-old software programmer, videotaped the arrest of a Libertarian activist outside Manhattan Federal Court last year.

His lawsuit says that even though he was standing in a public plaza next to the courthouse, an inspector with the Federal Protective Service told him he was under arrest.

Musumeci was forced to sit on the sidewalk for 20 minutes, he says. His camera memory card was confiscated and he got a ticket for filming on federal property, a violation.

The ticket was later dismissed in Manhattan Federal Court, court papers say. His memory card was never returned.

Musumeci, himself a member of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, later returned to the courthouse to videotape other political protests organized by the group and made sure to stand on the public sidewalk.

Even so, he was again threatened with arrest, according to the lawsuit the New York Civil Liberties Union filed Thursday on his behalf.

Why I'd want an Xbox

I'm not into gaming anymore, my days of playing video games beyond having fun on some of the Facebook games is over but one of the things I really like about the xbox 360 that my youngest daughter and her boyfriend have is it connects to the internet, so they can watch Netflix movies on their television in their room as opposed to how I have to watch it in my room, on the computer. Granted you can buy boxes to hook up to the tv, but realistically the Xbox is more affordable and if I ever had the desire to kill a few zombies to relieve the stress of the day? I could do both...

:-)

Speaking of playboy...

It makes me think about skin, and since most of us don't have our own personal make up artists as well as airbrush artists to make our skin flaws go away (at least in print) we have to worry about things like acne creams, wrinkle creams, moisturizers and other skin care products so that we look our best. Even if we are too old to even be considered for more than the interview section of Playboy...Which is supposedly why everyone buys it anyway.

:-)

I'm a sexual libertarian?

Evidently Libertarianism is really becoming more popular...I'm not a fan of Michael Savage but I found this Newsweek article on him being in Playboy magazine as an interesting read.

Playboy writer David Hochman spent 16 hours interviewing Savage, an experience he said was "incredibly difficult." Savage’s opinions were often incendiary to the point of being like "poison." In this case, however, the contempt was shared. "Even when we were laughing," writes Hochman, "I knew he was thinking, Liberal vermin media."

We’ll offer snaps to Hochman for questioning some of Savage’s more offensive views—like on immigrants ("The racists are the people who come into a country that isn't theirs and take it over"), sex ed ("I don’t want the government teaching my kids how to [bleep]"), gay marriage ("I'm a sexual libertarian"), and even conservative golden boy Glenn Beck ("He’s [bleeping] stupid").

A contrast in cultures...

In many parts of the world people struggle to obtain enough food for their families, even here in our nation there are those who rely on assistance programs to be able to provide two meals a day. Then we have those at the other end of the spectrum who have partaken a bit too much in the food department who focus on the best weight loss pills comparison. Obesity though is not just for the wealthy, those who are poor are also often over-weight because of cultural food sources and from a lack of education/access to healthier foods.

My friend named Zed...

I don't know why but recently I've had to deal with acne again, perhaps menopause is finally arriving. One pimple on my chin won't go away, and it's large enough that today I decided to name it. Zed...The downside is of course next week I film my Rant & Rave for FOX Toledo. Yet despite trying several different acne solutions Zed appears to be determined to stay...

What's funny is people don't want to mention how "angry" the pimple looks until you joke about it. Then they start sharing their tales of pimples past...Which means while it's not fun to have at the moment at least myself and my co-workers can laugh about Zed...

Some of the most popular Libertarian quotes...

Here are some of the most popular quotes out there on Libertarianism....

We have been living amidst one of the great revolutions of human history, and we hardly know it: the penetration of the State into every aspect of human life and society. Some people regard this as good and "progressive," others regard it as tyrannical; but either way, it's a fact, a transformation as great as, say, the Industrial Revolution. Absolutely nothing is now beyond the scope of State power.
Joseph Sobran

The chances of your being harmed by terrorists are mathematically minute. The chance of your being robbed by your own government? That’s easy: 100 per cent.
Joseph Sobran


The most destructive thing governments do is divide people against each other, all in competition over the reins of the state.
Anthony Gregory

The war on "terror" will never be over, it will just change locations. Like the war on drugs, prostitution, pornography, and the many others that will follow, it is a war on humanity. These wars will never be won; the State will just keep creating new boogiemen to frighten us with. The sheep will anxiously anticipate the next fall guy the State offers up as a sacrifice for the war on whatever happens to be next. Be careful, the next pawn could be me or you.
Mike Wasdin

The seeds of today's runaway government were planted when it was decided that government should help those who can't help themselves. From that modest, compassionate beginning to today's out-of-control mega-state, there's a straight, unbroken line. Once the door was open, once it was settled that the government should help some people at the expense of others, there was no stopping it.
Harry Browne

The movement towards younger libertarians...

Interesting article from Campus Progress, Behind the New Student Libertarian Movement that's written in their "field report" segment. Realistically the only way for any political party to grow is to recruit new members, either from other parties or to get those who are new to the political world involved. Youth are typically the most dedicated volunteers during election time. Part of the recommended piece:

But even though he appeared at CPAC, McCobin’s tendency to get pegged as a conservative is one of his pet peeves; he is adamant that libertarians, and SFL in particular, are not right-wingers. “There’s definitely a feeling, there’s a lot of pro-liberty individuals, especially younger individuals, who don’t associate with the cultural right, with the conservative, Christian coalition,” McCobin emphasizes. “That’s just not what we’re about.”

For the first time since the early 1980s, SFL holds the position as the only major national student organization dedicated to libertarianism, or as the SFL calls it, “pro-liberty” ideas. The last time there was a visible libertarian student movement, it was strongly allied with the right, united by the common enemy of communism as well as conservative economics.

Get that stainless steel look...

I fell in love with some of the metal tile designs I looked at on this website. I could spend hours dreaming about which type of tile, a stainless steel look or a copper look I'd love to have in the kitchen that exists in my mind. I wonder what mixing and matching stainless steel look appliances and one of the copper designs would look like, that way giving me both looks...

Or using one of the aluminum tiles that mixes the look of silver and copper...

AZ Libertarian Barry Hess on Immigration Law: a Step toward a “Police State”

Another recommended article on what's taking place in Arizona from - IndependentPoliticalReport. Part of:

All of us now face the inevitable circumstance where, just as in 1940s Germany, supposedly ‘free’ people can be stopped, detained without arrest and ordered by anyone with an official badge to produce their “papers” and ‘prove’ their citizenship, no matter where they are. The very idea runs afoul of the anonymity and the freedom to travel unimpeded in a society that claims to be ‘free’. The Governor has just given her approval to Arizona becoming a police state, claiming the legislation will somehow make ‘us’ safer—by putting all of us in a nice cozy cell.

Left & Libertarians uniting...

L.A. residents travel to Phoenix to protest Arizona’s controversial immigrant law. It has united left-leaning Angelenos with libertarian Arizonans under a tent of pro-civil rights, populist anger.

That's the intro part of an LA Times article I recommend, A journey into fear and racism. Part of the recommended article:

For a lot of Latino people, SB 1070 is a slap in the face, a cheapening of their citizenship. Teresa Muñoz felt such a strong sense of injustice that she brought her 7-year-old, U.S.-born son Edgar to the Phoenix rally. She had him carry a U.S. flag, while she held a sign over his head featuring an arrow and the question "Illegal?"

Believe it or not, a lot of people think they know what an illegal immigrant looks like. They write to me all the time. They see "illegals" everywhere, on their front lawns and in their hospital clinics. A few seem to think every Latino voice in my column belongs to an "illegal," even such unlikely suspects as kids in South-Central mastering Shakespeare.

If they could cross the cultural divide that separates them from their neighbors, they'd see how short-sighted they are. But now their paranoid vision of life has been codified into law in Arizona — and that's scaring their opponents into action.

Adventures in vitamins...

As I ponder on my families personal product habits, vitamins are also a category where no one can agree. I have to take something without iron, David doesn't believe in vitamins, Miguel takes a regular multivitamin, Aubrey only likes chew-able vitamins though she most prefers the gummy ones and when Erin was here she was a fan of chew-ables but would never eat the orange. Meaning you'd have almost a whole bottle full of orange flavored ones that no one would eat. When I cleaned out the medicine cabinet I even found a bottle of prenatal vitamins, which I have no idea how that ended up here. One of the girls must have decided that particular brand met their vitamin needs at the moment...I also found several bottles of expired vitamins from when some member of the household had started a particular brand/formulation then forgot about it...

Adventures in shampoo...

One of the things I find funny is no one in my house will use the same shampoo, unless of course their particular brand is gone and they are forced to use mine. My husband prefers a shampoo/conditioner that is also a body wash for men, David prefers a similar product but a different scent, Aubrey has to have special shampoo for hair that has been colored, and I alternate. Right now I'm using a rosemary/mint shampoo and conditioner since it was on sale. Even when it comes to our dogs I have shampoo for thinning hair for the one dog and regular doggy shampoo for the other.

Strangely enough, everyone does agree on a toothpaste, though the same can not be said for mouthwash...

:-)

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

Temporarily caught up in the freedom concept, that quote caught my attention.

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

"The Yale book of quotations" by Fred R. Shapiro lists this quote as coming from "Harry's game" by Gerald Seymour in 1975 as opposed to some of those who have used the quote later without attribution. "Harry's Game" is described as "A British cabinet minister is gunned down by an IRA assassin, leaving an undercover agent to track down the killer before he himself is killed." To put the quote more in context.

This has become a topic of discussion and even research papers.

Political freedom

A recommended wiki piece on the topic of freedom, this time Political Freedom. I don't think many at times realize what is considered to be civil liberties:

Freedom of assembly
Freedom of association
Freedom of movement
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Freedom of thought
Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, which is related to freedom of privacy
Freedom to bear arms
Suffrage
Scientific freedom
Academic freedom

The free in freedom...

From Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: free·dom
Pronunciation: \ˈfrē-dəm\
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous d : ease, facility e : the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken f : improper familiarity g : boldness of conception or execution h : unrestricted use

Which is interesting to think about with all of the uses of the word "free" in the market place. Fat-free, worry-free, risk-free, acnefree, freehand, freeloader, freestyle, freewheeler, and I could continue.

All using one quality of the word "free" -- yet it can mean so much more...

Reed: Should Libertarians take their crumpets and go home?

Garry Reed is a writer that I've highlighted here before, his recent piece on Tea Parties – should libertarians take their crumpets and go home? is a recommended read.

Reed reports some interesting points, one I found especially noteworthy:

"Going to the Tea Parties, is much akin to punching myself in the face," laments Myers. "It's hard to keep going sometimes. But we must. There are some really good people involved in the Tea Parties who honestly do care about America."
The problem, he notes, is that too many Republicans think they're the good guys while only the Democrats are the bad guys.
But at least one conservative (presumably a Ron Paul supporter since his comment appeared in a Texas Liberty Campaign Meetup email, also gets it:
"Movements like the Tea party won't be very successful and will be subject to being bought off and preempted by bad people until the average sheep quits listening to Sean Hannity and Fox News and starts figuring out what is really going on."

Attorney General Eric Holder at the Constitution Project's awards dinner

Highly recommended blog post over on the American Prospect on the recent speech given by Holder. It makes some thought provoking points, one:

Following a surprisingly good showing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week in which he managed to parry one baseless Republican criticism after another, Attorney General Eric Holder, delivered a speech before a civil libertarian crowd at the Constitution Project's awards dinner. What transpired as Spencer Ackerman writes, was pretty much a political science textbook definition of a Sistah Soulja moment:

Like every person sitting in this room, like the President and those who serve this Administration, and like every Member serving in our Congress, I am determined to win this war. I know we can, and I am certain we will. But victory and security will not come easily. And they won’t come at all if we approach this work by adhering to a rigid ideology or narrow methodology.

The civil libertarian community is basically the only constituency Holder has had at his side since he announced the decision to try the 9/11 defendants in civilian courts. The GOP has continually smeared him as a weakling whose commitment to this sissy "rule of law" stuff prevents him from doing what it takes to Keep Us Safe. With his speech, Holder implicitly compared the people in the audience -- the people who have supported him through his extended media flogging -- to the very "rigid ideologues" whose attacks they have defended him from.

Another recommended blog post on this speech is from FireDogLake.

Small businesses still alive...

Some of those I know who have lost their jobs have turned to home based businesses or small businesses as a way to survive economically. Whether you are looking for a franchise or a merchant account reseller opportunity, the internet can be a great place to start. You can not only find places to get you started, but lots of tips and information to help you be successful. I highly recommend checking out the Small Business Association and see if they have a chapter in your area...

Spring break in Florida...

My youngest daughter is on Spring break this week which makes me yearn for a vacation in Orlando not with my family but by myself. Sound selfish? Probably, but the constant interruption from teenagers at times can surpass the interruptions that used to exist when they were so much smaller. Back then, you could entertain them with a movie or a cartoon. Part of the problem is my own increased work load and my unrealistic expectation that I could complete some of the tasks I had planned for this week.

Yes, I should have known better...

Happiness versus Freedom

Thought provoking piece in the London Times, The End of Government that points out quite a bit of attention has been focused on government providing services that make people happy instead of focusing on freedom. Part of the recommended piece:

When the crisis in the public finances is over, should the Government buy everyone a garden? Or an allotment, at least? There is a close correlation between having a garden and being happy. By asking two Nobel laureates, Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, to think about how to encode well-being in policy, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, has raised this fundamental question: what is the end of government? Precisely, is it a function of the State to promote the happiness of its citizens? The politicians, philosophers and clerics who assembled in Rennes yesterday to discuss the idea certainly think so.

They are not alone. There has been a surge in the economics of happiness in the United States and Britain too ever since, in 1974, Richard Easterlin pointed out that people in advanced capitalist societies were getting richer but no happier. In Britain, Richard Layard and Andrew Oswald have written in a similar vein and the psychologist Oliver James has gone one step farther by claiming that getting rich is liable to make us ill.

The implication for policy is that, once basic needs are met, governments should abandon a narrow focus on economic growth or gross domestic product (GDP). They should, instead, define collective wellbeing and seek policies that promote happiness. The Department for Children, Schools and Families recently introduced wellbeing classes. David Cameron has expressed some interest in GWB (gross wellbeing).

I'm thinking about my doorbell...

Actually I'm not thinking about my doorbell at all, but I am thinking about the video that White Stripes did for their song "Doorbell" -- it's a strange video that really doesn't fit the song. I'm sure there is some type of a subliminal or hidden message behind it if you are a more hard core White Stripes fan. It was recorded in 2005, before they got a bit more airplay for Iggy Thump...

Looking for jobs in all the wrong places...

The job market is tough out there, especially in my area where there are hundreds of applicants for every advertised job. This can make your job search a bit more challenging. It means you have to do more than just the traditional looking at the classifieds to find the right job, you should take advantage of the internet and the vast number of job listing websites and don't forget to check out what your state offers. Ohio as an example has a website of job listings that many times end up on their service before they are anywhere else.

Will pot become legal in Cali?

Kevin Drum thinks it just may happen this time in an article in Mother Jones. Ten months ago he thought it would take at least ten years, now? He thinks it may happen sooner:

The initiative, sponsored by Richard Lee, who owns several marijuana businesses in Oakland, would legalize possession of up to an ounce of cannabis and cultivation of up to 25 square feet on private property for personal consumption. Beyond that, it would permit local authorities to go further: They'd be allowed to legalize commercial cultivation of larger amounts for sale to anyone over the age of 21.

So, is this a good idea? The fear of moderate proponents of legalization has always been the possibility of large corporations, like Philip Morris, getting into the marijuana business and marketing pot to heavy users. "One person smoking eight joints a day is worth more to the industry than 50 people each smoking a joint a week," says Mark Kleiman, a drug policy expert at UCLA. "If the cannabis industry were to expand greatly, it couldn't do so by increasing the number of casual users. It would have to create and maintain more chronic zonkers."

Lee's initiative opens that door. Philip Morris wouldn't be allowed to engage in interstate commerce of marijuana, but if, say, Humboldt County agreed to allow unlimited cultivation of cannabis, they could grow it in their own fields and sell it through licensed outlets in any other county in California that also permitted commercial sales.

The article is a recommended read, there's much more than what's shared above.

If I had a spa, it would not be bare...

If I should ever get to the point where I have a spa, I would invest in a spa cover, because it does extend the time needed between cleaning. We have a small pool in our yard and while it's great for the kids to cool off when it's hot, it takes more time to keep the leaves, bugs and other material out of the pool than seems worth it. The downside of course to covering a small pool is it creates algae and heats up the water, which defeats the purpose of having a pool if it is as warm as bath water. Hence? No cover for the pool, but a spa? You want to have warm anyway, which is another plus of a cover when it is a bit colder, it helps keep the heat in longer.

:-)

Most of us don't eat healthy...

The sad reality is despite the number of food items available to most of us, from natural to organic to good old processed food, from a huge selection of different in season fruits and veggies, most of us do not eat the type of a balanced diet we should. Whether you take a general vitamin supplement or prefer gender based womens vitamins or mens vitamins, you should take vitamins.

In theory it would be better to get the right amount of vitamins you need from your diet, but look at the food pyramid. Do you?

If you want to punish greedsters, scamsters, fraudsters, let them eat dirt.

Interesting transcript and video from the Real News, (link) titled, "A libertarian take on the Tea Party movement. One part of the recommended piece:

JAY: Now, the tea movement gets used—I don't know how to say it now that you told me [inaudible] completely screwed me up. They've become an ally of the insurance industry, because in the name of small government, you attack any kind of health-care reform, indirectly become an ally of Wall Street, because in the name of small government you don't want regulation on Wall Street. So with the bugaboo being big government, the Wall Street, pharma, health care, and other corporate monopolies don't get touched by this movement. Don't they see the contradiction that?

WELCH: I would say: don't you see the contradiction in this? Which is that the bank bailouts, the bailouts of Wall Street, are exactly what's unpopular. That's what has caused a bunch of this. It's not—.

JAY: But why isn't the Ponzi scheme unpopular too?

WELCH: It is unpopular as well.

JAY: Well, how are they going to deal with a Wall Street that wants to sell—.

WELCH: By letting them go bankrupt. If you want to punish these people, let them fail. If you want to publish greedsters, scamsters, fraudsters, let them eat dirt.

JAY: Right, but they won't be eating dirt alone. A lot of these tea activists, tea baggers, are going to be out of work, and they should understand that.

WELCH: They're out of work now. I mean—.

JAY: Well, but when this crashes there'll be millions more.

WELCH: Well, I don't think that's a solved question. I mean, you remember when Barack Obama said we need to pass the stimulus or else, the "or else" was, you know, we might get unemployment above 8 percent. Well, they passed a stimulus, and unemployment went north of 10 percent. I think it's not solved at all.

Products that you wish could do more...

At times it feels as if government is a huge monster with a personality and an existence of it's own. I at times ponder what would happen if there was a diet product for government, or some all natural fat burner that could be sprinkled upon the halls of government that magically created a focus on cutting the fat from this huge creature.

It's critical to the health of our nation that we eventually start focusing on how we can reduce government yet still provide core/key services. As we focus as a nation on how we can become healthier, thinner and more productive, it's hard not to wish for that attitude to also be adopted by elected officials when it comes to their jobs.

My way of dealing with depression...

All of us feel depressed at one time or another, and there are those of us out there suffering to the point where they need to seek professional treatment for depression. However, for the days when I feel depressed and I wonder what the purpose for doing all that I do is, that nothing good is coming my way, I turn to the video below. It has never failed me as far as making me smile and feel much better, though I admit sometimes I've had to watch it more than once to get the full impact...

1851 Center for Constitutional Law & ACORN

1851 Center for Constitutional Law is considered a Libertarian group, they filed a lawsuit against ACORN to get ACORN out of Ohio. While the terms of the lawsuit/settlement has not been made public, it's been reported that ACORN is going to shut down their Ohio operations. ACORN says it is not related to the lawsuit, 1851 is saying it is a result of the settlement.

Associated Press story:

The community organizing group ACORN has agreed to permanently give up its business license in Ohio, under a settlement with a libertarian organization.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law had filed a lawsuit against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN's full name. The suit alleged that ACORN's voter registration drives amounted to organized crime because the group turned in a pattern of fraudulent forms.

Attorney Maurice Thompson with the 1815 Center calls the settlement mostly confidential but says it calls for ACORN to cease operating in Ohio by June 1.

ACORN attorney Alphonse Gerhardstein says the group denies any wrongdoing in Ohio. He says ACORN has already pulled out of the state for reasons unrelated to the lawsuit.

Libertarianism and urban sprawl...

If you missed the drama created by Jon Stossel's show on Fox, I recommend reading A Libertarian view of urban sprawl by Randal O'Toole. He gives you the basic jist of what happened as well as some of the reaction in the blogosphere to the comments made by James Kunstler.

An ounce of prevention...

One of the largest problems we face when it comes to health care is the lack of access to well care health care. For many with the increasing costs of co-pays and deductibles even if you have well care coverage, it can be more than you can afford. This is especially an issue when it comes to the working poor and pregnancy, all too often women wait to make that first appointment and they don't take the extra step of getting prenatal vitamins which are available online and at every pharmacy. If you are not eating right, which many are not no matter their economic status, prenatal vitamins are critical...

It's almost door hanger season!

With the primary approaching in May, soon many residents will find door hangers to mark the visit of a candidate or campaign workers for a candidate. A campaign that has opted for door hangers demonstrates they care enough about their message to want to leave it for you in a less offensive manner than sticking it in your mail box (which is against the law) or leaving it on your porch to blow around and decorate the neighborhood with.

When I'm asked by candidates whether they should opt for print outs, which the smaller ones are called "palm cards" or door hangers, I say both. Palm cards for the voters who are at home when you call, door hangers for the ones who are not. Nothing turns off a prospective voter than coming home and finding a bunch of campaign material in their yard, it's well worth the small extra expense.

CATO is unusual in its consistent libertarianism

Highly recommended article Will the Right Find Libertarianism? that raises some interesting questions and points. One of which is what I find most interesting about some on the right and the whole tea party mantra being still labeled as being Libertarian when that aspect of the influence appears to have been diminished by those who are not the accepted definition of mainstream Libertarianism, "fiscally conservative and socially liberal."

The religious aspect to some of the tea party movement is not remotely aligned with Libertarianism. One part from the recommended piece by Wendy Kaminer:

Libertarians are labile voters, "torn between their aversion to the Republican's social conservatism and the Democrat's fiscal irresponsibility," CATO asserts; they shifted away from George Bush in 2004 and toward John McCain in '08. McCain was an odd choice for libertarians considering his abysmal record on civil liberty. "Straight talk for me but not for thee," might have been his motto (to paraphrase Nat Hentoff); he was no friend of the First Amendment, supporting a constitutional amendment banning flag burning, restrictions on indecency as well as political speech, and declaring America a Christian nation. That libertarians preferred him to Obama suggests that fiscal conservativism (or at least the image of it) was more important to them than social liberalism, or civil liberty. Before assuming the presidency and adopting key Bush-Cheney national security policies, Obama looked like a civil libertarian; indeed his claim to civil libertarianism was a lot stronger than the claims of Bush-era Republicans to fiscal conservatism.

Terms of endearment...

A common mistake people make when they have lost a job is to forget that they may no longer have life insurance coverage since many people rely on the coverage from their employer and have not purchased additional insurance. When money is tight it can be difficult to take on another expense but there are a variety of Wholesale term life insurance policies out there that can give basic coverage without being expensive. If you have already lost your income, the last thing your family would need is the trauma of trying to figure how how to pay for funeral expenses should some type of illness or accident happen. I've seen more and more situations where someone is killed in an accident or dies unexpectedly and the family is forced to try to turn to friends, family and the media to try to get donations to pay for funeral expenses.

I'm not completely plugged in...

While I may spend over 80 hours a week on my various blogs and doing research for the newspaper I work for, I admit I am not completely plugged in. I have resisted getting a BlackBerry or any type of a phone that has internet on it. My phone as an example has an SD card slot where supposedly I can download more music and other things to it. Yet, the idea of attaching my phone to my computer is one I have resisted. It's as if I realize that if I start there, I may decide that I need an iPhone or a BlackBerry or a similar model that connects to the net. Then? I would never be unplugged...Part of the reason only a select number of people have my cell phone number is so that when I need to? I can escape it all...

Mike Huckabee Rips CPAC For Becoming ‘More Libertarian’

This one was funny to me since my husband was such a huge Mike Huckabee fan, Mike Huckabee Rips CPAC For Becoming ‘More Libertarian’.

My husband does not consider himself to be a "real" republican though he's registered as an R, he prefers to call himself a "conservative" -- though the reality is he leans more libertarian than republican and maybe from years of living with me, is a bit more supportive of State and Local social service programs than most. He and I don't agree on many things political but we do agree that unfunded or underfunded government mandates should not exist, that States should have more control over what they want to provide or not provide and our Federal government is far to big and powerful than it was intended. States have very little control anymore, and it is at the state and local level where we as citizens stand a better chance at having an impact without lobbyists and special interest dollars taking away our voices.

Part of the above linked article:

Speaking on Fox News last weekend, Huckabee said that CPAC has become "more libertarian and less Republican over the last few years, one of the reasons why I [did not attend the event] this year."

The former GOP presidential candidate also suggested that the popularity of the Tea Party nation movement and its events all over the country have caused the influence of the CPAC to rapidly decline, and the organization is becoming irrelevant.

"The Tea Party has taken all the oxygen out of the room, where CPAC was historically the event," he told Fox News host Geraldo Rivera.

Even more ironic since the real creators of the tea parties before the republicans joined in was the libertarians...

At least I was prepared...

Earlier this month I had planned to start driving again. I was ready to take my exam since I had let my license lapse and was looking at buying a car. I spent hours searching for possible used car deals and even checked out car insurance costs for some of the vehicles I was looking at.

Unfortunately my dreams became dashed when something came up where the money I had put aside for this ended up needing to be used to repair our primary car. The good thing was at least I had the money saved. The depressing part was once again putting off something I wanted to do for another day. Yet, through my almost 50 years existence on this planet, I know one certain rule, "Life happens" and there is little you can do to avoid it.

Road service for RV's

My in-laws bought a recreational vehicle over a year ago and they have been traveling the country, going from New London, CT to Texas and Mexico several times since they first hit the road. They have however learned that RV repairs and tows can be a challenge depending on where they are located. Until they started their adventures I was not aware there were companies out there like good sam towing that specialized in RV towing.

What is nice is they even provide coverage in Mexico. Services like this to me follow a somewhat Murphy's law concept, if you purchase it, chances are you won't need it and if you don't? You'll probably wish you would have.

Kissick used to be a Republican...he got better

From the Wapokenta Daily News, Libertarian joins U.S. House race :

“I used to call myself a Republican, but not anymore,” (Donald) Kissick said. “Just over the last 10 years, it really opened my eyes that the two-party system isn’t working and it’s time to move the political system forward. We are the only major, industrialized nation in the world that only uses a two-party system and it’s time to change that and move American forward.”
Out-of-control spending and big government are issues Kissick said he would tackle if elected to office. He cited the growing budget deficit as an example of what needs fixed in Washington.
“Our government is this massive albatross where no one knows what the other is doing,” Kissick said. “The bureaucracy is too massive to keep track of what it’s doing.”

We're all libertarians now...

Actually I know we aren't but I found this article titled that, written by W. E. Messamore an interesting one. Part of the recommended piece:

Americans wanted change, and change after eight years of George W. Bush did not mean more government spending or involvement in our lives. It meant less unchecked executive power, less military involvement overseas, less spending, less secrecy, less corruption, less cronyism, and less partisan bickering. To take his victory as a mandate for a more socialist re-ordering of American society may have been a fatal mistake by the fledgling Obama Administration.

Just one year later, a majority of Americans (56%) "think the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens," according to a CNN Poll published this week. Even 37% of Democrats thought so. CNN reports it as "only 37%," but think about it: thirty seven percent of Democrats believe that our federal government poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. That's right, 37% of Democrats sound like radical, right-wing, separatist, tea partiers. (Or conversely, the Tea Party may be more mainstream and less radical than Keith Olbermann lets on.)

I believe people being wary of too much government existed way before the Tea Parties, and even before Keith Olberman, but, the article has some thought provoking moments.

As the snow begins to pile up again....

We are getting hit with another snow storm, which is piling up quite a bit of wet, heavy snow. Apparently once we get through this round, there is another round of snow expected in the beginning of next week. This could make many of us need to head for some type of joint pain relief.

We stretch before we exercise, but many don't stop to think that they might want to do the same thing before they head out to tackle shoveling snow. It is strenuous, you do use muscles that can be injured. So, next time before you grab that shovel? Do a few moments of stretching. Your back and knees may thank you...

Other media on Robert E. Waters

From the Cincinnati Inquirer an additional story about Waters and his petition being thrown out.

He can still run as a write in candidate, which is one way many candidates who have some type of a technical error end up getting up on the ballot.

The X-factor

There are a great many diet products out there, so it's always recommended that you search for information and product reviews since that information can be helpful. I recommend searching for the product name and the word review. As an example searching using the term, xenadrine review is a great way to find reviews on that product. Make sure you compare the ingredients as well as the price. I also always recommend reading the fine print as to any guarantee on a product, shipping and handling is rarely refunded, so how much the handling charge is, is an important fact to know.

Black days...

I remember when those strips came out that you would put on your nose and then peel off, designed to be a blackhead extractor. My teens being teens, treated this like a contest type environment comparing how many each one had.

Thankfully they've outgrown this, though they still at times deal with issues related to blackheads and acne. This doesn't mean they don't use the strips anymore, they do, but they don't celebrate one having more than the other.

:-)

The GOP's "small government" tea party fraud

Interesting piece in this week's Salon by Glenn Greenwald, The GOP's "small government" tea party fraud where he provides links to make his point that the current GOP move towards libertarianism is a ploy:

This is what Republicans always do. When in power, they massively expand the power of the state in every realm. Deficit spending and the national debt skyrocket. The National Security State is bloated beyond description through wars and occupations, while no limits are tolerated on the Surveillance State. Then, when out of power, they suddenly pretend to re-discover their "small government principles." The very same Republicans who spent the 1990s vehemently opposing Bill Clinton's Terrorism-justified attempts to expand government surveillance and executive authority then, once in power, presided over the largest expansion in history of those very same powers. The last eight years of Republican rule was characterized by nothing other than endlessly expanded government power, even as they insisted -- both before they were empowered and again now -- that they are the standard-bearers of government restraint.

Many kinds of diets...

There are many types of diets out there, even some diets for quick weight loss that are designed to jump start your weight loss. While most times you lose water weight, sometimes all people are looking for is to drop just a few pounds. Certain combinations of food and exercise are recommended as opposed to just not eating. Not eating can actually make your body go into starvation mode which can backfire...

Ohio Libertarian candidate does not make ballot...

Libertarian ruled off May ballot for state rep as reported in the Dayton Daily News:

LEBANON — The lone Libertarian candidate seeking the 67th Ohio House District seat was ruled off the May 4 primary election ballot due to a technicality on his petition.

Robert Waters of Lebanon had enough signatures on his petitions, however the Warren County Board of Elections did not certify his petitions on Tuesday, Feb. 23 to be included on the primary election ballot because he did not fill out the date of the election on his forms.

Crypto-libertarians?

There's been quite a bit of discussion recently as to questions such as Will Crypto-Libertarianism Doom the Republican Party? It's being expressed by some that there is a fear that the libertarian wing of the Republican party will emerge like the socialist wing of the Democratic Party.

What exactly is a Crypto-libertarian? One of the earliest references to that term is found in a 1999 Salon article but it gives no definition.

Gary Reed notes the same lack of definition, on Reason to Freedom:

The term crypto-libertarian pops up all over the politicosphere where everybody uses it but nobody bothers to define it.

Merriam-Webster Online defines "crypto" as: Hidden; not openly avowed or declared; a person who adheres or belongs secretly to a party, sect, or other group.

Meanwhile, a simple modern American definition of libertarian is: "maximum freedom, minimum coercion."

Which implies that a "crypto-libertarian" is a "secret freedom advocate."

Life insurance and the internet

Another advantage of the ability to search on the internet involves life insurance, it used to be you'd have to wait several days and at times make an appointment with an agent to be able to set up life insurance. Now it's easy to find and set up no exam life insurance online. You can also find policies that do require a health exam, and while you can't do that yet on the internet, you can compare prices and get the basics of the plan set up from home...

Regional and service specific searches...

The more specific you make your internet search when it comes to your region and what you are specifically looking for, the easier it can be to find it. Let's say as an example you are looking for a dentist that does cosmetic dentistry in the state of New Jersey, entering NJ Cosmetic dentist in your search box will get you there faster than just searching cosmetic dentistry. If you want to be even more region specific put the name of the largest city near by you in the search term...

“Tea Party” means nothing

It's a bit of a stronger take than the earlier post about the way in which the original intent of the Tea Party movement has been basically hijacked. I can't say I disagree with it, since part of my reason for not supporting the whole tea party concept was who was out there in front of it. Hence, I recommend Why “Tea Party” Means Nothing! from United Liberty. Just one small portion:

Here’s the problem: the tea parties were not entirely made up of libertarian uproar about BOTH parties, but instead have become a combination of libertarians, paleo-conservatives, and of course neo-cons. Ever since I saw Sean Hannity have a live show at a tea party and talk up the tea parties, I knew that there was a serious misinterpretation about what the tea party movement is and what the true identity is.

Laptop versus netbook

Since we now have another member in our household, my work laptop has been borrowed on a regular basis (when I'm not at work) so that he can go online for homework and entertainment needs. Even prior to that I've been thinking about the netbook versus laptop purchase scenario for several reasons.

One being for the netbook, I'd like something smaller and lighter since I take the bus to work and it's a little bit of a walk from the bus stop downtown to where I work and an even longer walk at night if I have to take the bus home. My current laptop is not one of the newer lighter models. One being against the netbook is they don't come with a CD drive and I'm not sure how it would hold up for the live blogging that I do from time to time. However, the price of the netbooks continues to drop, as well as laptops, so when I get ready to purchase one or the other? It will be much less expensive than the older laptop was when it was new...That much I know for certain.

I was thinking irons, I was wrong...

To show you how far I am out of the beauty mindset loop, when I saw the words instant wrinkle remover I thought clothing and thought it would be some type of an iron or to be used instead of an iron to get wrinkles out of clothes. They were talking about face wrinkles and wrinkle creams...

Yes, I spend more time on politics then I do beauty and I think sometimes that shows...

:-)

Tea Party as a kind of political equivalent of the 1960's countercultural movement?

First, as one who leans Libertarian, I don't embrace nor support most of what those who call themselves "Tea Party" people do. Though many connected to the Libertarian party started the concept of the Tea Parties, I do agree it's been taken over by others in many areas and has gone beyond the principles they started out with. That's been referenced in previous posts about the Right versus the Libertarian when it comes to the Tea Party topic...So, being born in 1960, I found this comparison by Right Side News, interesting:

Think of the Tea Party as a kind of political equivalent of the 1960's countercultural movement - just post Woodstock. That was when it ceased to be a kind of generational expression and became instead a vehicle that could support all sorts of commercialization. There was lots of money to be made. It could be the Tea Party is approaching that point now - a point of exploitation by the powers-that-be. The Tea Party movement is the first big populist movement of the 21st century, and populist movements, being popular, tend to sprawl across the board, meaning different things to different people. Eventually they are ripe for exploitation.

You know, we could tell this past year that something was happening. We sensed that the Tea Party movement was becoming at least partially co-opted because the high profile names suddenly seemed to change from people we'd never heard of to people we had. And we noted that pro-military establishment commentators like Sean Hannity were styling themselves as Tea Party supporters and saw how mainstream political strategists were suddenly proclaiming their fealty to the movement and we began to wonder if a schism was in the offing.

We wrote we didn't "get it." We didn't see how you could support America's military-industrial complex and be pro-freedom and smaller government at the same time. We wrote about these views several times in order to unpack what was and remain a confusing situation because we think the Tea Party now falls into at least three camps. There are those political organizers and commentators who are manipulating the Tea Party movement in order to reap benefits for the Republican party. Then there is the libertarian group that believes in what they perceive as the foundational profile of the Tea Party movement as an anti-tax, pro-freedom movement. Finally, there are likely millions of Tea Party supporters who have a "big tent" approach to the Tea Party's goal and are perhaps satisfied with its anti-government flavor (as it pertains especially to domestic programs) and "give 'em hell" mentality. Whether "conservative" or not, they may make up the biggest group of all - and are no less sincere or motivated than any others.

They say if you are looking for fun, think Branson

I've never been to Branson, though I have friends and relatives who have gone, as well as having seen some tempting Branson vacation packages. It's on my own personal "bucket list" of places that I'd like to travel to, and after watching a variety of the videos on YouTube about Branson, like the one I'm sharing below, even this non-country music fan thinks there are lots of things she'd like to do there.

:-)

Ponce and the Fountain of Youth...

One of the men who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was, Juan Ponce De Leon. He decided to stay in Hispaniola, Ponce became very popular and was named governor of Puerto Rico then called (Boriquien) in 1508. (My husband's relatives live near Ponce, now.)

Ponce kept hearing stories of a magical water source. People called it the "Fountain of Youth" and said that drinking its water kept you young. He set out to find it...

They were looking for Bimini, instead they found Florida, what was called St. Augustine.

This story shows you how many years man has been looking for the perfect anti aging product and how that quest today is still being done. Only now it's not a fountain of youth, it's a products to make you look young...

More on the Cato study on the number of Libertarians...

It's a highly recommended read, especially if you take the time to read the complete material shared and not just the summary by David Boaz. It's creating a great deal of discussion in the Libertarian online communities out there.

Something they found surprising but I didn't find surprising given my years of political debating online:

Finally, we commissioned Zogby International to ask our three ANES questions to 1,012 actual (reported) voters in the 2006 election… We asked half the sample, “Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal?” We asked the other half of the respondents, “Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian?”

The results surprised us. Fully 59 percent of the respondents said “yes” to the first question. That is, by 59 to 27 percent, poll respondents said they would describe themselves as “fiscally conservative and socially liberal.”

The problem is as the next part shows:

The addition of the word “libertarian” clearly made the question more challenging. What surprised us was how small the drop-off was. A healthy 44 percent of respondents answered “yes” to that question, accepting a self-description as “libertarian.”

Most people don't think of that as the definition of Libertarian, so if you were to ask them outside of that type of a polling they'd have a concept of someone who was pro-pot, pro-gun and anti-government. The media has helped to contribute to the impressions people have been given as to what a Libertarian really is, and even those who call themselves Libertarian don't always agree on the complete platform. Which is not only normal, but the same with all of the political parties out there. One of the reasons I believe a good number of people don't label themselves...

Next level? SEO...

SEO is "Search Engine Optimization" and it is the difference between your site being one of the top ranked on a search engine for particular key words or the last. Whether you are blogging politics or selling a product, you want to be placed as high as possible in search engines. It is a really complicated system to fully understand and there are times when you should consider turning to a professional SEO firm. However, for the basic blogger or starting internet entrepreneur, making use of a seo tool can be a starting point.

I've been blogging six years, I understand the basics, but even I am far from an expert beyond knowing that, tagging and keywords are critical...

Marketing terms...

One of the most common ways to get someone to visit a website is to tell them to click here without even telling them what the site is for. Natural curiosity will create a certain number people doing that. Then it is up to the website creator to keep them though, people decide if they are going to stay on a website within the first few seconds. Which means it's a two part process, getting people to visit, then keeping them there long enough to read the material or buy a product...

Young Libertarians Flaky?

The title of this post by Katherine Mangu-Ward (no relation) Young Libertarians Flaky, Increasingly Republican-Leaning caught my attention...Most of the article is based on a study that in part said:

Libertarians are about 14 percent of the electorate. Libertarian voters swung away from Bush and the GOP in 2004 and 2006, but in 2008 they swung back, voting for McCain by 71 to 27 percent.

Younger libertarians voted 59 percent for Obama versus 36 percent for McCain. But their enthusiasm for his policies may be short-lived. Younger Americans are an optimistic generation, but easily shaken when things go badly. If unemployment continues to remain weak, an economic issue that disproportionately affects young people, this generation of voters could quickly become disillusioned with Obama’s policies.

A view point in support of the Supreme Court ruling...

Colin Bannon shares his thoughts on why Supreme Court Ruling is good news for Libertarian Candidates . He makes some thought provoking points, a few of which:

Yet third parties - the Libertarian Party in particular - have the most reason to celebrate. For years the Libertarian party has been appealing the case to the high court arguing that provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, part of which was overturned in this morning’s ruling, limited free speech, offered unfair protection to incumbents, and financially crippled any outside opposition. Following this decision, which takes effect immediately, Libertarian candidates will finally be able enlist the financial support of small and large businesses across nation.

The effects of this decision are both timely and decisive for the Libertarian Party. As the growing anti-government sentiment extends further and further across the country, Libertarian ideology has begun to win the hearts and minds of many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum. Up until now, the biggest road block for the party has been the inability to come up with the kind of funding of the two major parties. Now that corporations are free to spend their capital on candidates who they support, that road block may very well have been passed.

The best things in life are free...

Yes, the best things in life are free, which typically suggests freedom, liberty, happiness and all of that. This can be something as easy as a free directory submission or something more complex, being free to love the person you want to. Not feeling as if you have to fear that being known. The freedom of taking a walk in a quiet park, with just the sounds of nature. Yes, the best things in life can be free...

The pain of beauty...

At times I wonder about the amount of pain some women go through under the belief that it's required for beauty. Plucking, waxing, bleaching, all to change how you were meant to appear. I can understand the focus on blackhead removal though one "tool" my daughter has for that looks as if it's some type of a mini torture device, but as to the plucking and waxing, I'll never forget the one time my daughter asked me to assist in her under arm hair removal. In theory you place this hot wax on the area you want to remove the hair, press cloth or clothlike strips into the wax then pull. Considering the look on her face just from that process, one wonders why that's felt to be worth it...

Debra Medina does not rule out Texas leaving the union or does she?

As I started reading, Medina adds fire, uncertainty in Texas governor's race in the Dallas news, I came across this, emphasis mine:

AUSTIN, Texas — The Republican race for governor has mostly been a heavyweight showdown, with the senior U.S. senator from Texas trying to knock out the state's longest serving governor.

But Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry aren't the only Republicans in the race. Fiery GOP activist and gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina, who has strong libertarian views and does not rule out seceding from the union, could affect the contest, even if she loses, as experts anticipate.

In doing some further research, that's created some controversy:



That said, she's also being questioned for accepting the support of Larry Kilgore and if you read the comments in the Dallas news article, some believe that makes her "a contemptible, traitorous coward" as well as it being stated on that same link that:

I originally did not intend or re-commenting on this article, but I must do so to correct some very untrue statements made by the previous commentors 'Patrick' and 'MedinasAWingnut' - Debra Medina does NOT and has NEVER endorsed the succession of Texas from the Union.

Listen to any interview of hers - or even just visit her website - and you will find the truth about this.

What she DOES support is Nullification and Interposition - the right of a state's legislature to 'nullify' unconstitutional Federal law and the right of the executive branch (the Governor) to 'interpose' on the enforcement of said Federal laws, respectively.

This is NOT succession! And any so called 'conservatives' who disagree with such Jeffersonian endorsed rights - in my opinion - are hardly conservative.

I hope I've cleared this up. I also hope that people would either stop lying about a candidate's positions, or at the very least, do some research before they spout such ridiculous nonsense. Thank you!

Liberty in Texas,
Anthony J. Reed

The history of the question of nullification versus succession is one that has happened before, during the Civil War...Medina's website makes it clear what she is advocating for, so it's interesting that the media continues to link her with the term succession...

Harry Potter fans will want to visit Disney World in 2010

I admit it, I'm a fan of the books and the movies so it has been with great interest that I've been following the Harry Potter “Theme Park within a Theme Park” planned to open at Disney World in 2010. It's been stated that the opening of this 20 acre part of the park is timed to the release of the last saga of the Harry Potter movies. It's had me even checking out prices at some of the downtown disney hotels as well as possible flight deals...

When you check out what is planned? It looks pretty amazing...

Judge orders GOP, Libertarians to repay state $70K

Recommended article from the Seattle Times on the lawsuit from several years ago where all three parties sued on the basis that Initiative 872 was unconstitutional. At first the three parties won and as a part of that case they were awarded legal fees.

Then, as the points out the Supreme Court ruled that Initiative 872 was constitutional. This meant the earlier settlement/payout was voided. It's being reported that the Democratic Party in Washington already paid back the money they were awarded but that the GOP and the Libertarian Party had not. While I recommend reading the full article, two parts of it:

Initially, the parties prevailed in trial and at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the state was ordered to pay their lawyers' costs: $55,097 to the GOP, $37,673 to the Democrats and $16,301 to the Libertarians.

Although the judge granted the motion, he did not set a deadline. Coughenour noted in a ruling Tuesday that the Democrats had paid back their share but the GOP and Libertarians had not. At the state's request, Coughenour issued a formal judgment against those two parties, which means interest will begin to accrue on the owed amounts until they are paid off.

Libertarians want smaller goverment, Religious right wants larger government that discriminates

The title of this post is the basic summary of this piece I recommend from Washington Monthly shared on Alternet; Tea Party Split Between Libertarian Faction and Religious Right? by Steve Benen. For those of you who lean libertarian (like me) but have not been able to buy into the whole Tea Party concept? You are going to want to read this in full. One part, I found especially thought provoking:

This is not a group of mainstream Americans. Farah's conspiracy-driven website has taken the lead in peddling Birther nonsense; Bachmann is mad as a hatter; Moore is a theocrat who doesn't believe the Bill of Rights applies to the states and was removed from office for ignoring federal court orders he didn't like; and Scarborough is a radical preacher best known for being a Jerry Falwell acolyte, writing a book called Liberalism Kills Kids, and trying to establish his own mini-theocracy in Texas several years ago.

With that in mind, the speakers' list offers some hints about the direction of this "movement." There have been fissures between the libertarian-minded factions and religious-right-style theocrats whose agenda expands well beyond taxes and "socialized medicine."

Indeed, the tension between the factions matters a great deal -- the former wants smaller government in all instances; the latter wants bigger government to prevent abortions and discriminate against minority groups right-wing activists don't like.

Think of your mail carrier when it snows...

We had a rather spirited debate on one of my other blogs related to people not shoveling their sidewalks and how that created unsafe conditions for children walking to school. It also creates problems for our mail carriers, many of whom have walking routes delivering on foot to Residential Mailboxes and in some parts of the city to Commercial Mailboxes.

This conversation also led me to think about the different styles of mail boxes when a friend told me her's was frozen shut. If yours is in a location where water can drip down and then freeze, perhaps considering buying one with a bit more of a protective overhang should be something you consider. If it's frozen shut, it's more of a struggle for mail to not only be received but delivered. Considering the over 2,500 different types Mailboxixchange has, you should be not only able to find a design you love, but also one that works for all seasons...

The LP Texas reports that 193 candidates filed.

Interesting article, 193 Libertarian candidates file in Texas. What's even more interesting is in several of the races no Democratic candidate filed, which means it will be a libertarian facing a republican. From the linked release:

"We are pleased to have so many candidates for office," said Libertarian Party of Texas Chair Patrick Dixon. "We have a record number of contested races this year, so it should be a very exciting convention season. Of course we wanted a Libertarian candidate for every single spot on the ballot, especially certain target races, but we are pleased that we continue to attract more candidates every election."

Unlike Republicans and Democrats, the Libertarian Party of Texas holds county, district, and state conventions to nominate their candidates for public office. County conventions will be held on March 13th. District conventions will be held on March 20th. Libertarians will nominate their candidate for Governor and other statewide officials at the June 12th State Convention in Austin at the Radisson North Hotel. Libertarians accept no tax dollars for their conventions, also unlike Republicans and Democrats. According to state law, no one may vote in the Libertarian conventions if they have already voted in the March 2010 primaries.

"It especially bothers me that there will still be many races in 2010 without a Libertarian candidate in Texas. Some of the candidates that sent in forms at the last minute will not make it on the ballot, as our fax machine was getting clobbered with all the last minute filings. We will continue in the future to encourage our candidates to get their applications in earlier and not wait until the last minute," said Dixon.

The Dutch Masters....

The painting many recognize as one that adorns the box of
Dutch Masters was painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1662. The cigar company began in 1911, and has become one of the most popular cigars sold in the US. The men in the portrait were patrons of Rembrandt, hence the title of the painting, "The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild" -- Some have confused the title of "Dutch Masters" in this painting to the actual art titling of the Dutch Masters, who were those artists from the time period in Dutch history around the 17th century.

Go online to look for cheap seats...

When you are looking for tickets for a sporting event or a concert, at times that event may be listed as "sold out" but it's still possible to get tickets online. From a variety of different BRADLEY CENTER TICKETS to RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM TICKETS or many places in between you can not only order tickets but view seating charts to see which ticket price is not only the price but the seating location you are seeking.

Recently this happened with a friend of mine who was looking for Taylor Swift tickets for his girlfriend. He did not buy them when they first went on sale and then found the local site stated the tickets were sold out. Thankfully, he called me, so I directed him where to search for online tickets and he found the perfect seats to surprise her with, and unless she reads this? She'll have no idea that he thought he waited too long.

:-)

The left thinks they are on the side of the angels and the right thinks God is on their side.

I'm an interesting mix of political philosophies, leaning libertarian when it comes to federal politics towards a more constitutionist standpoint believing less federal government equals better federal government but I am more left when it comes to state issues and social services provided by the state. This division in mindsets is what created this blog as the alter-ego of Liberal Common Sense. That shared, there was a great deal of truth in Neither Left Nor Right on "Before it's News" - that is well worth reading. One part in particular that struck me:

For many progressives it all seems to be about how they feel about themselves and the sense of self-righteousness that their "generosity" affords them. Of course, self-righteousness is hardly the domain of the left. Having lived through the reign of terror of the "religious right" and their devotion to their belief that they are Gods true representatives on earth, well, it was scary stuff. The left thinks they are on the side of the angels and the right thinks God is on their side. Libertarians dont presume that they can divine the intentions of the almighty beyond the fundamental belief that we are all created equal and are endowed by our creator (whatever "creator" means to you) with certain inalienable rights.

Here in Ohio, more than D or R as choices...

A recommended piece from the Columbus Dispatch, Brunner OKs 4 minor parties. It's where we learn:

Candidates from as many as six political parties could be on the ballot for governor or other offices in Ohio this year.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a directive last week continuing ballot access for the Libertarian, Green, Socialist and Constitution parties in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties.

I also think it's important to read the actual directive since it gives you the background information on this story...

That elusive perfect smile...

While we as a society do place more attention on appearance, the seeking of a perfect smile has been one that has existed through the ages. Even before comestic dentistry became so specialized, people have quested for white teeth and a variety of different implants or forms of dentures/plates.

Technology has had a huge impact on dentistry, what was once thought as something only for the rich and famous, dental veneers, have become something that the regular every day person can access and afford as a way to improve their smile. Our smile is something that many obsess about, some people do not smile strictly because of how they feel their teeth look. This can actually impact a person's self esteem more than weight...

With the way the veneers are attached, it makes it even possible for those who have a fear of dentistry to have this done. While not all dental insurance plans cover cosmetic dentistry procedures, some do, so make sure you check what your level of coverage is...

Evidence the health insurance mandate won't work...

If you take a few moments and read Health care overhaul: Critics on left, right unite against mandate, you may discover the same conclusion I have after reading the reasons shared from the left, the right and the libertarian as to why they are against the mandate.

Despite their various reasoning, the mandate without a public option won't work. Why? It's fairly clear as stated in the Chicago Tribune:

Once insurance companies must sell policies to almost all comers, "the incentive is to pay the penalty until you need the insurance -- and then buy it," said Robert Book, a health economist with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "You are likely to have more people go uninsured because now it's less risky to be uninsured."

Critics such as Book warn that if young, healthy people opt out of the individual market in large numbers, it will tilt risk pools toward the sick, causing premiums to increase, which, in turn, will cause more young people to choose to pay the penalty and forgo insurance.

"It's a realistic concern," said Rick Weissenstein, a health care analyst with Concept Capital in Washington, especially because the age-rating restrictions in the bill, which allow insurers to charge older people only two or three times more than younger consumers, likely will drive up prices for the young.

Granted there are those who are playing down this aspect, but that is reality, if it costs more to have health insurance than it would be to face the tax penalty? There are going to be those who opt for the penalty. Many of which would be the younger, healthier set needed to drive the costs down from a risk pool scenario...

Does thinking Spring help?

When it's really cold outside, a snowy and blustery day, does it help to think about Spring? For me at times it does take my mind off the weather conditions outside, especially when I start looking at some of the different types of flowers and vegetables I could plant once winter is on it's way out. Unfortunately I have not had very much luck with Indoor Planters. In part because of the cats though I have tried several times to use a Garden Planter mini type greenhouse system to start my plants.

I've learned by trial and error that it has to be sturdy enough to be able to take a cat deciding to sit on it, one year all of my seedlings were crushed by one of the household felines deciding it looked like a promising place to sleep. I've had much more success with Outdoor Planters despite the occasional nibbling from one of the many wildlife in our neighborhood, at least none of them have decided to sleep on the plants. Not yet anyway...

:-)

Free our inner Yankee

I came across this blog post while surfing for Libertarian news, The Inner Yankee. I recommend heading over and reading the work of Phil Maymin. One part I particularly enjoyed:

In the world of academia, it is a cliché to observe that the more educated the faculty the more likely they are to be socialists, but that might be a combination of effects, including the ivory tower feeling that we can and should control the masses, if only we had the right people in charge.

You probably knew all there really is to know about right and wrong when you were a toddler: Don't take other people's stuff; don't hit. Since then, you've grown a lot smarter. Now, it is okay to take other people's stuff if someone else wants or needs it more; that's called "redistribution." It's okay to hit someone your government considers an enemy; that's part of "spreading democracy."

There's much more, you'll enjoy it, trust me :-)

Rasmussen Pretends Joe Kennedy Does Not Exist

I've blogged about the race of Joe Kennedy, a Libertarian versus Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown. With the way third party candidates are treated all over the country, this headline from Independent Political Reports, Rasmussen Pretends Joe Kennedy Does Not Exist is not a shocker...

Despite Rasmussen's tag line of "if it's in the news it's in our polls" -- This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters in Massachusetts was conducted by Rasmussen Reports January 4, 2010. Which means the additional story related to this poll, is not many were polled, which is also typical. The polling data also does not share the breakdown of political parties, if as an example, the majority of those polled were Republicans or Democrats instead of those who are non-affiliated voters (which the majority of Americans are not either party) it gives you a skewed poll.