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.

Going wireless

My home operates on a system of computers hooked up via cat5 and wireless connections. It's very easy to do using a wireless router -- what I do recommend is you buy a router that will do both, offer wireless and hardlined connections. This way you have the option. My tower as an example has the ability to be wireless but it's much easier to connect it through ethernet. No matter what, make sure you secure your wireless connection, while the neighbors might appreciate the ability to connect, others may have a bit more nefarious ideas in mind.

Is Originalism Libertarian

Mikołaj Barczentewicz pens Is Orginalism Libertarian - It's a recommended read - part of which:

What is originalism?

Originalism is a method of interpreting the Constitution, apart from that there is no simple answer to the question "what is originalism?" The main reason is that there really is a variety of "originalisms." Historically, the first version of originalism was "original intent" originalism and it was based on an assumption that "constitutional interpretation should be guided by the original intentions of the framers." Of course, many questions arise as to what the "intentions" are, whose intentions we should be concerned with and so on. Overwhelming and arguably conclusive criticism rendered original intent originalism dead and buried in the eyes of academics.

However, this critique did not bury originalism for good. In 1986 Antonin Scalia called for changing the label "from the Doctrine of Original Intent to the Doctrine of Original Meaning." This event marks the advent of "New Originalism" or "original public meaning" originalism. New Originalism is not concerned with intentions or expectation of the Framers. Instead, it tries to establish original public meaning of the Constitution (as amended). What does it mean in practice? Usually, it means a tedious research in 18th-century dictionaries, newspapers and legal treatises in search of the meaning that was shared by users of English at the time of ratification.

Beyond Libertarianism

Peter Orvetti has a blog post over at the Moderate Voice, Beyond Libertarianism that struck a few chords with me. We share a similar history as far as not knowing where we "fit in" as far as the political spectrum. I also find his suggestion that a strong political ideological alliance can be based on personality to be one that may merit consideration.

Part of this recommended read:

The more time I spent in the libertarian movement, the more uncomfortable I became about defending positions I did not honestly hold. The first year of the Obama presidency was a breaking point, as the collapse of the financial sector, the rancor over healthcare, and the hateful tactics of the president’s adversaries made me realize I could no longer keep that company.

In point of fact, I have always been less a libertarian than what might be termed a liberal-tarian. I am wary of deficits and excessive spending, and fear the role of ever-larger government agencies that seek to regulate personal behavior. I fear the so-called “Nanny State” that seeks to ban things simply because those things may not be “good for you” — rather than letting personal liberty guide these decisions. But I also see a role for government, even big government, when it comes to the basic well-being of the citizens of a wealthy industrial nation.

Sunpower for lights

Not long ago we were debating what type of low voltage path lights we wanted to use since I wanted more than the traditional light on the porch. We looked at several of the different options and decided to go with solar lighting, at first I wasn't sure how bright it would be and if the lack of wiring would create a theft temptation. This was a valid threat considering someone has stolen our expensive energy saving bug light bulb right from our porch more than once. However a month into the solar lighting being placed, no thefts and it does provide some nice lighting with no electrical wiring or costs.

Jail tips for Lohan

Perhaps while Lindsay Lohan is in jail, since it's clear from the below post she needs to learn a bit more about the law, if the law library at the county lock up is not up to par...She could concentrate on writing a quick weight loss diet book based on her jail days. "Ninety days to a sober and slimmer you" could be a suggested title.

The special treatment the rich and famous get compared to regular citizens is something that should be stopped. If the law is truly the law...

Lindsay Lohan cites Cato

This was amusing - from the Washington Post:

To the surprise of anyone who actually studies crime and punishment, Lindsay Lohan weighed in on the subject Wednesday night via Twitter:

"It is clearly stated in Article 5 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights that ..... 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.' " She then quoted from a 2002 Cato Institute paper by legal scholar Erik Luna decrying unfair sentencing guidelines: "Scores of federal defendants sentenced under a constitutionally perverted ..... system that saps moral judgment through its mechanical rules."

The folks at the D.C.'s libertarian think tank were tickled by the unlikely shoutout, but Cato senior fellow Walter Olsen says the jail-bound actress missed the mark.

"She needs to be more careful in her legal research -- too much time in bars and not enough in law libraries," he told us. The Supreme Court struck down those sentencing guidelines in 2005, and the UN declaration has nothing to do with her case. "Not now or ever has the Geneva Convention protected the right to flip off the judge."

The faux revolution...

It's interesting that Rand Paul is still being marketed as a libertarian, when the reality is he's not. What's also interesting is that some of those who claim to lean libertarian are advocating violent positions that few who truly believe in libertarianism would support. Washington Post example of behavior no one should support:

The Republican wave carries along a group that strikes a faux revolutionary pose. "Our Founding Fathers," says Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, "they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason, and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact, Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that's not where we're going, but you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies."

Angle has managed to embrace the one Founding Father with a disturbing tolerance for the political violence of the French Revolution. "Rather than it should have failed," enthused Jefferson, "I would have seen half the earth desolated." Hardly a conservative model.

But mainstream conservatives have been strangely disoriented by Tea Party excess, unable to distinguish the injudicious from the outrageous. Some rose to Angle's defense or attacked her critics. Just to be clear: A Republican Senate candidate has identified the United States Congress with tyranny and contemplated the recourse to political violence. This is disqualifying for public office. It lacks, of course, the seriousness of genuine sedition. It is the conservative equivalent of the Che Guevara T-shirt -- a fashion, a gesture, a toying with ideas the wearer only dimly comprehends. The rhetoric of "Second Amendment remedies" is a light-weight Lexington, a cut-rate Concord. It is so far from the moral weightiness of the Founders that it mocks their memory.

Folic acid is the focus...

One of the main reasons prenatal vitamins are recommended, especially in advance of becoming pregnant for those who are trying to conceive is folic acid. While many food sources contain folic acid, the March of Dimes has reported that the synthetic form of folic acid is more easily absorbed than the natural form. It's something you should keep in mind when searching for the best prenatal vitamin. Look carefully at the recommended dosage of folic acid and what that particular vitamin product contains.

No wonder why I can't sleep...

After I read this from the National Sleep Foundation:

The bedroom should be visually pleasing and very comfortable. One should use the bedroom only for sleep, sex, and changing clothes, pleasant activities, and if awake in the night should leave the bed and bedroom and spend "unpleasant" times awake in another room. "Waking" activities such as working on the computer, talking with one's partner, talking on the phone and watching TV should take place out of the bedroom.

Not only is our television in the bedroom, but it's where my "office" is so that I don't have to deal with the noise and distractions from the rest of the household. It makes me wonder how many others who turn to the sleeping pill solution are in the same boat, or should I say...bed?

Ron Paul Hints The Re”love”ution May Live Again In 2012

The catchy title alone is worth giving some kudos to Mediaite though at age 76, despite the fact Ron Paul may find it fun to run for president...I think that train has left the station.

“It is probably hard to believe, but I look at it a little bit differently than others,” Paul said in an interview during his recent visit to Iowa. “I don’t expect to be president. I don’t expect to be. That doesn’t mean I won’t run for president, but I am really energized when I think we make inroads … to broaden the outreach on the philosophy I have been talking about for 40 years.” [...]

“I am very serious about thinking about it all the time,” Paul said about his possible presidential aspirations. “My answer is always the same thing: You know I haven’t ruled it out, but I have no plans to do it.”

The rebirth of Friedrich Hayek

Recommended article from across the seas - Friedrich Hayek: Darling of the right is reborn in the USA.

What is especially interesting is we have had these arguments before...

Friedrich August von Hayek was born in Vienna in 1899 to a family steeped in academia, and became a polymath whose learning spanned psychology and the law as well as philosophy and economics.

Working at the London School of Economics in the Thirties and Forties, he became the most persuasive of all the "Austrian school" of economists who advocated for limited government, a classical liberalism that is today more commonly described as libertarian.

They passionately opposed central planning of whatever political hue, from Nazism to Communism, and that included opposing the nationalisations and Keynesian demand management that took hold in social democratic Europe after the Second World War. It was a lonely position for much of the post-war period.

In a vivid way, it mirrors the intellectual clash between Hayek and another dead economist, John Maynard Keynes, who argued for governments to step in with big spending programmes to prevent a recession from spiralling into a depression. It was Keynesian policies, lashings of them in every major country in the world, that pulled the global economy back to growth after the financial crisis.

Keynes declared himself in "deeply moved agreement" with The Road to Serfdom, but he had a sting in the tail of his praise. He declared that the philosophy was of no practical use. A minimalist government, which left people to fend for themselves, was unconscionable, he said, and no matter how seductive it appears on the printed page, no one would support its introduction in the end.

Our right to sue when injured...

How much responsibility legally do companies have when it comes to items or products that are later proven to cause a health risk? That's one of the things I've always wondered about when you start reading about types of diseases and finding a Mesothelioma Lawyer. There was a time when asbestos was not deemed as a health risk, then there of course came the time period when it was known that it does cause that type of cancer. There are of course a variety of variables, when the manufacturer of a product knew the concerns were possible, what steps did they take, what protections were offered. Now you can find a Mesothelioma Attorney who will know more about your legal options.

Despite how long ago problems were known about asbestos, it still is having a large impact on the lives of many others...When reading more about Malignant Mesothelioma you can learn how some have survived the disease longer than doctor's expectations. It does not promise a cure, has provided hope as far as answers for some.

More fun with Rand Paul comments

We are now like the Roman empire, about to fall, according to Rand Paul:

"In the latter days of Rome, the economy was crumbling, the emperor ... would placate the mob with bread and circus -- food and entertainment to placate them since the economy was in shambles and dwindling around them," Paul, said, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. "Now in our country, as our economy is in shambles, they give us Cash for Clunkers and a stimulus check and they tell us to go to the mall and spend your money and everything will be OK ... That's not how you become prosperous as an individual or a country."

At least this time his comments have not created some of the response from his civil right commentary - (link)

Calories in - Calories out not quite that simple...

An over seas study written about in the journal Obesity, by Y. Li and colleagues claims a low-dose multivitamin caused obese volunteers to lose 7 lb of fat mass in 6 months, mostly from their abdominal regions when compared to a placebo. The results also claim that the volunteers saw their LDL reduced by 27% and HDL increased by 40%. They also reported increased resting energy expenditure.

The results have created some controversy as to could nutrients play a larger role in weight loss. Skeptics point to the small volunteer base and the differences in diet from China to the U.S. as being factors that need to be weighed. While this is debated, it is interesting to take a look at some of the information out there on the diet industry at websites like, http://www.weightlosspills.net. The controversy has also increased the discussion of the "calorie in - calorie out" belief system that many believe is too simplistic for those who are considered clinically obese.

The mattress mangle...

Evidently when our house was built, people did not have anything other than twin or full size beds, it is not humanely possible to get a king or even a queen size bed mattress upstairs or into the basement. It is possible depending on the type of queen size mattress to mangle it into what we've called the "taco bend" to get it upstairs, but it's not possible to have a queen sized box spring upstairs. Thankfully the explosion of access to platform beds has made that not a huge issue. We spent the first several months with just our queen size mattress on the floor until we found a reasonably priced platform bed.

Libertarian candidates help Democrats win?

This is actually one of the consistent arguments used against third party candidates, that Libertarian candidates take votes away from Republicans and Green Party candidates take votes away from Democrats. It's the basic focus of this Texas Tribune piece.

I understand the argument, but it's also a scenario where if the best candidate is a Libertarian, Green Party or other third party, or even an independent, it creates the public impression that these candidates should not be considered since they can't win.

They can win, if people vote for them.

Libertarian National release on Gun Ownership Court ruling

Libertarian National Committee Chairman Mark Hinkle issued the following statement via e-mail:

“We are very pleased that the Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment protects individuals from state governments wishing to violate their right to own handguns.

“Libertarians have always firmly supported the individual right of self-defense.

“Now there is some hope that Chicago’s horrible violent crime problem can be reduced by law-abiding citizens who will now be able to deter and resist criminals. More guns = less crime.

“It is disturbing that four justices voted to uphold Chicago’s gun ban. Their position is an attempt to pursue a policy goal from the bench, not to apply the Constitution — and to make matters worse, it is a policy goal that would be very harmful to the people of Chicago, and potentially to everyone in America.

“This ruling follows the District of Columbia v. Heller ruling, which overturned D.C.’s ban on handguns. That case was originally brought by Dick Heller, Libertarian Party member and treasurer of the D.C. Libertarian Party.

“We hope that this ruling will lead to further court decisions that reduce the government’s ability to infringe on gun rights with burdensome restrictions and red tape.

“Republicans and Democrats both deserve blame for violating gun rights. While Republicans often position themselves as Second Amendment defenders, it is worth noting major examples to the contrary:

“Republican 2008 presidential nominee John McCain received an F- rating from Gun Owners of America;

“Republican president George W. Bush supported a program called Project Safe Neighborhoods that sought to toughen and federalize prosecution of gun control laws;

“When he was running for Massachusetts Governor in 2002, Republican Mitt Romney said, ‘We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them; I won’t chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety.’;

“In 1991, former Republican President Ronald Reagan announced his support for the Brady federal gun control bill.”

The Libertarian candidate for New York Governor, Warren Redlich, has commented that the ruling will affect New York gun control laws. On June 28 Redlich wrote, “This landmark ruling will require New York State to take immediate action to amend its gun laws so they do not violate the constitution. It is a striking victory for gun owners and for anyone who believes in the fundamental rights the constitution provides.”

Name that arena

Locally we just went through a scenario where our newly built sports arena was opened for business before the whole naming rights issue had been resolved. Now it's no longer Lucas County Arena but Huntington Center. Which really doesn't sound very arenaish as a name but? That's the only group willing to pay at least a small percentage of what they were originally seeking. In browsing some of the tickets for baseball and other events sold by www.ticketamerica.com a few of the names caught my attention.

Rose Garden Arena sounds like a nice place, you envision lots of roses with a garden type feel. Which may be funny if there were events like the circus or other events with not such a flowery aroma...

American Airlines Center - TX sounds more like a place to pick up your baggage than to watch baseball. Yet it is where acts like Lady Gaga are playing in 2011.

Thankfully Air Canada Centre is in Canada or that would be confusing. A bit closer to my home is the Palace Of Auburn Hills one of the places that our new arena is now competing with. Though, the Palace has some acts that are not coming here.

I do however wonder as a Diet Pepsi fan if the Pepsi Center would be the one entertainment venue that I could count on for sure as having only Pepsi products for sale....

Reverse psychology...

I don't know why, perhaps it's my general nature to rebel that creates a reverse psychological reaction for me when it comes to certain themes/products. If as an example, I see or hear a commercial against smoking or for an anti-smoking product, I have the urge to light up. If I see an ad recommending I buy apidexin or some other diet pill, I reach for a bag of potato chips...Which I just did, so the bag of Ruffles is open though I did at least temporarily pass on the chip dip...

:-)

Rand Paul underground electric fence idea

It's hard to take Rand Paul seriously, and with plans like this one that's getting some media attention, a billion dollar underground electric fence between the U.S. and Mexico is really hard to take seriously. As pointed out by several sources, including this one:

Rand Paul wants to bury a wire on the border and run electricity through it. As soon as somebody crosses the electric fence, choppers will be dispatched to dispatch the offending illegal back to whence they came.
Apparently Paul has a way to detect the difference between iguanas and other wildlife that is currently allowed to cross the borders unimpeded.
“My plans include an underground electric fence, with helicopter stations to respond quickly to breaches of the border,” state the Kentucky candidate for Senate on his website.
“I have not heard that. “Underground? What would happen? How would that work?” said National Republican Senate Committee Chair John Cornyn.

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...