Gazing into the Mirror

I have been spending the past week or two examining whether I have anything to offer. I am still not sure. I hear a lot of "I would support you if you would ____ ". Fill in the blank with whatever you think may fit. It seems that people are eager to get behind candidates who are flashy, polished, and/or are good at public speaking. I am none of those things. I am not even particularly shocking or profane. I am decidedly uncomfortable with interviews. I can't fill large expanses of minutes talking about myself or my views. I don't have anything to say that I haven't said dozens (or hundreds) of times before, and I begin to feel foolish repeating myself. I have an elderly relative who asks me who I am every five minutes (or less) when I am around her. Sometimes it seems the same in this campaign.

I do know the shape of the future that I want to see for my children and their children. I just don't see that this road leads there.

US Department of Misery

The primary function of government seems to be to ensure that no one enjoys themselves, unless of course, the proper licenses are acquired first. There are people like this all around us. They gravitate towards particularly rigid religions or government positions. Call them wet-blankets, party-poopers, buzz kills, cold showers, whatever, they have only one purpose: to try to make certain everyone is as miserable as they are or more so.

Usually these people are powerless. They can gossip about you or look down their noses and sniff at your "childishness". They can get angry because your idea of "fun" is different than theirs and they fear it. Who cares? Let them gnash their teeth in frustration.

The true destructive nature of their fractured personalities comes out when they get into government. Then it is all-out warfare on pleasure. They are usually willing to "allow" you to have fun, if you pay them for the privilege first, and stay within insanely well-defined limits. Have you noticed how many enjoyable things are now "licensed" or require permits? The few pleasures left that are not, are vilified and railed against by these joy vampires. If they can find a way to regulate or prohibit it, they will.

The point of all this is that one of the best ways to thumb your nose (or raise a middle finger salute) to government is to go out and enjoy yourself today. So do it. They will resent you for it.

Sarah Brady Wants to Profit From Massacre

I got yet another email begging for money from Sarah Brady and her "mass murderer fan-club". She wants a dollar for every innocent victim of the Virginia Tech massacre. Nice. Here is a response to her:

The Virginia Tech massacre was a rousing success for a gun free zone. It did exactly what it was designed to do, or did you not notice that no one was able to fight back? They were all disarmed just as you want. They all died like the good little victims you want us all to be. So why are you whining? You got exactly what you have been clamoring for.

People like me want to be able to fight back and to kill the next mass murderer before he completes his "mission". We believe that human life is valuable and worth defending. Cho broke laws against murder 32 times; what makes you believe he would have abandoned his plans if there were more laws against what he did? He targeted a "gun free zone". He knew no one would be armed. That is why he targeted a school that requires its students and faculty to submit; to lie down and die when attacked. What would have happened if even one of the students he encountered had been sensible enough to break the rules and take responsibility for his own safety? If someone (other than a badged "officer") had stopped the rampage, would you want that person arrested? That is the end result of your perverted policies. You would rather see people dead than fighting back. You are disgusting in the extreme.

People like you celebrate mass murder as a means toward the end of disarming us all and making everyone into another dead body for you to dance on while you beg for more blood-money. Congratulations, your ideas have killed again.

If "our leaders" really wanted to end the killing zones, they would remove all legal prohibitions of armed self-defense. They don't, and neither do you and your organization. Shame on you for the blood on your hands. It won't wash off, and we will never forget how you have worked to empower the mass murderers.

Reading "Liberty" or Living It?

Which is more important: reading other people's ideas about liberty or asserting your own liberty? Obviously living a life of liberty is vastly more important than merely reading what other people have to say about the subject. You can read my blog every day, but unless it inspires you to take your own life by the rudder and steer into free waters I have wasted my time writing these words. You can study the words of Thomas Jefferson or any of the old libertarians from history and still live as a slave. I read things everyday that have been written about liberty. Historical observations and current events. I often get ideas that way. Sometimes I am inspired to do something to expand my own freedom. Other times I file the thoughts away until they are needed.

Freedom isn't an armchair (or computer chair) "activity". You must live it for it to exist. It is often said that you "have only those rights you are willing to exercise". So use the ideas that you have absorbed from others, and get up and have a good liberty workout today.

The REAL Jury Duty: the Duty of a Juror

The duty of a juror is to protect his community; both from dangerous criminals and from dangerous laws. The jury is the highest authority in the courtroom; towering above the judge. Judges don't like for the juries to recognize the pecking order, so they try to frighten jurors into complying with their demands. Judges lie and tell jurors to only consider the facts of the case, which is only half- the weaker half, of the jury's historical duty. You hold the power of jury nullification of counterfeit "laws". It is an awesome power and responsibility and one that causes judges (and corrupt government at every level) to tremble in fear. The time to understand the power and authority of the jury is before you get called for jury duty. If you find yourself sitting on a jury, remember: if the law that was violated is counterfeit (attempts to regulate something other than initiated, actual force or fraud) you must find the defendant innocent, even if you don't like the person. Even if you are sure the person is a scum who has committed real crimes in the past and probably will again. That will be dealt with at a later date. Your bigger responsibility at that point is to protect your neighbors from a "law" that has much greater potential for harm that any two-bit thug could ever hope to have. Then you can go on to warn your neighbors of your suspicions about the defendant.

Become acquainted with the Fully Informed Jury Association and go to www.fija.org to read more about the job of a juror.

Email Warnings

Do you get those forwarded emails warning you about the latest crime fad? Like the cellphone cameras taking pictures of your credit card numbers, or notes stuck to your car windows to make you get out so your car can be stolen. So do I. Well, there are other warnings that should be taken to heart. Such as:

Warning! Proven tactic to steal your money.... Criminals from the IRS are posing as legitimate agents of the government and are threatening and intimidating your employer into stealing a large portion of your paycheck to hand over to them! They do this through the use of the "Social Security Number" which they trick innocent victims into applying for.

Or:

New threat-----> Control freaks wearing badges or holding public office are tricking people into applying for permission to defend themselves! They do this by making up fake laws, laws which they have no authority to make, saying that they will arrest you for carrying the best means of defense with you where you are most likely to need it. Once you are helpless they are free to impose any crippling punishment they wish on you or to steal other things from you. Remember: No one ever takes away your means of self defense to help you.

Warnings like these would actually be useful.

Washington County Militia HQ Fire

The headquarters of the Militia of Washington County was damaged by fire Friday. Hollis Wayne Fincher, who was kidnapped by government agents and is currently being held illegally on counterfeit charges of owning "illegal guns" was the militia's lieutenant commander. He is currently awaiting his sentencing. It is too bad that the organization which will be investigating the fire is connected to the organization that probably burned the building. I doubt we will ever know the truth about who or what started the fire.

Cycle of Government

In this mixed up world there is a cycle of destruction tightly connected to government: the Virginia Tech massacre will bring more gun control, which will directly cause more murders; poverty empowers more welfare which causes more poverty; government backs liberty into a corner and chaos erupts bringing with it more government; REAL ID will cause more subtle terrorists which will cause government to clamor for more tracking methods on its subjects. The pace of this cycle has risen to a frenzy in today's world.

I suspect, and hope I am right about this, that liberty can also be a cycle. The more freedom you assert, the more it grows. The less you allow government or its ignorant enablers to control your life, the more responsible you become, and the less you rely on "the system" to give you support and validation.

We all live in the 21st century. A century marked so far by out-of-control government across the globe. There are things we cannot avoid simply because of where and when we exist. Government records used to track us and measure our "legitimacy" may not be avoidable, but they are fallible and sensitive to errors. Encourage and exploit those failings. The electronic eyes of Big Brother watch our every move, but as Big Brother (AKA Big BOTHER) gets more dependent on those eyes, the weaker he becomes in reality. Eyes can be poked out. Magicians routinely trick the eye. You can resist and strike blows against the encroaching tyranny in thousands of ways that don't alert the Beast to your true loyalties. Added to the pin pricks of millions of others we can be as annoying as a swarm of biting gnats.

More government will cause more liberty warriors, which will undoubtedly cause more government. Being a centralized edifice, government will collapse when it grows beyond what its foundation can support. It is only a matter of time; it is heading in that direction with or without our help. For once I say give government whatever help you can.

Bradford Wiles Writes Again

Bradford Wiles, the Virginia Tech student who was asking for a change in policy that would have allowed him and other responsible students and teachers to be armed at school writes again, this time aimed at "Bloody Larry" Hincker, the enabler who cheered the disarmament policy that allowed the massacre to occur on the V.T. campus. "Bloody Larry" had ridiculed Wiles' earlier letter, calling him names for wanting the means of self defense on campus.

Politics-Free America

My article, A Deep Breath of Freedom, seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people. It seems to me that a great many of us know what freedom is, individually, and are striving to have more of it in our lives. That is a good thing.

I have been touched by the personal stories sent to me telling how my story inspired people to go out and simply "be free" for a time, or relating to me a time when the writer felt the freedom that I tried to describe.

There is some graffiti on a wall above a local speed trap that says "Die! Coppers!" ... Wait, wrong one... it says "Freedom is doing anything YOU want". That is true as far as it goes, but it is missing the spirit of true freedom which is doing anything you want as long as you don't violate the rights of anyone else. We can't be free if we are being violated from every direction by everyone else living their own version of half-freedom. That is no different than where we find ourselves in America today; being violated at every turn by government-gone-berserk.

I want to have the freedom to never worry about politics. A politics-free America. As long as I don't run the risk of being bulldozed into a police state, I would not think about it at all. I have no desire to "rule over" anyone. Let's see how enlightened in this area the other presidential candidates are. Ask them.

The Right to Not Bear Arms

Everyone knows by now my unwavering commitment to the absolute right of anyone and everyone to own any type and number of guns they want. There is another side to that coin that I haven't discussed.

There have been places in the past such as Kennesaw, Georgia which have passed laws requiring households to keep firearms for defense. While this would reduce crime (and actually has), it is as evil a counterfeit "law" as any gun ban dreamed up in Washington DC. Government has zero authority to make "laws" concerning guns. Neither for nor against.

While I believe strongly that each and every person is responsible for their own defense and the defense of their family and to some extent, their community, if you do not wish to own, carry, or use a gun or any other defensive tool, that is strictly your business. I will defend your right to be wrong.

If your house is burning down and you refuse to use a fire extinguisher, I may think you are mad, but I will respect your right to sit and watch your home burn. Unless there is someone trapped inside. Then you had better stay out of the way. Your right to allow your home to burn because of your distaste for the tools of fire-defense just ran counter to my responsibility to help an innocent victim.

It is the same with guns. You have an inalienable right to NOT bear arms if that is your wish. Just remember that you have no right to try to disarm any other peaceable human on this or any other planet, not through force or "law". Shirk your responsibility if you must, but stay out of the way of those of us who accept our responsibilities. Don't be proud that your actions (or lack of them) add to the body count in places like malls, schools, and office buildings where criminal empowerment policies attempt to keep the reasonable people helpless and disarmed.

My Article in Strike the Root

The writing project I was working on has been published in Strike the Root: A Deep Breath of Freedom by Kent McManigal. I hope you like it.

Happy Patriots' Day: 4-19

4-19

Today, April 19th, is Patriots' Day. It is the anniversary of strikes against tyranny such as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It is also a day which has seen tyranny strike back, with the Branch Davidian Massacre, and the United States (on this date in 1933) abandoning the gold standard . One tragic event on "4-19" which has never been untangled, and probably never will be, is the Oklahoma City bombing, seen by some as retaliation for the Davidian massacre, by others as domestic terrorism, and still others as a US government Reichstag Fire.

"Patriot" has become a bad word in modern America. It means "someone who loves freedom and is willing to stand up for it, against all enemies, foreign and domestic". Since so many of those "domestic enemies" now hold positions in government, patriots are seen as a danger to their plans. They should reject their treason and become patriots themselves.

Make April 19, 2007 mean something. Be a patriot today.

A Day to Reflect

After the events of the past couple of days I need a break. I need to take a breath and look around calmly. Today I will live free. I will not hide from the authoritarians in government, but I will also not bow to them. I will not worry about the mass-murder fan-club known as The Brady Campaign, nor any of the other groups or mouthpieces who lurk in the shadows, waiting to feed off of events like this. I will ignore them. I will grieve for the victims of Virginia Tech's rules; a policy which allowed a sociopath to kill unopposed. I pledge to myself to always stay prepared to act in defense of myself and my community. I will nurture the mindset, not of a victim, but of a free man. A free human responsible for my own life and safety. A free man who willingly takes on the responsibility to silently look out for those blissfully unaware people around me, not out of some sense of superiority, but from the desire to live in a world where civility remains the norm. That is the thing to remember: civility is the norm. Events like massacres get our attention because they are rare. Heroes rise up in every instance of tragedy, just like Liviu Librescu, a Jewish professor at Virginia Tech who gave his life to save the students in his room. It is a shame he was unarmed at the demand of the school and therefore not able to end the rampage completely, but he did what he could with what he had. That is all we can do. Do what you can with what you have, and make certain you have what it takes. In your mind, in your heart, and in your hand.

Call to Arms: Lessons From Virginia Tech

I will probably get reamed for what I am about to say. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. This is life advice. This is a plea for you, for all of us, to return to being human. Break the "law", please! Carry the means of self defense with you every day, everywhere you go. Be a blessing to society at large and refuse to go along with victim disarmament schemes. Protect the weak in your community by being ready, willing, able, and ARMED. If someone like "Massacre-enabler Larry" belittles and ridicules your desire to take responsibility for your own safety, call his betrayal of human values what it is. Even on private property, what is inside your clothing is not anyone else's business as long as it is not radioactive or contagious. If you don't have the fortitude to ignore inhuman "laws" and policies, go somewhere else. If the cheerleaders for mass murder try to dance in the blood of the latest victims of their policies and call for even more of the same, proclaim far and wide who and what they really are. When the mainstream mass-media start parroting calls for more victim disarmament, don't let them go unchallenged. But mainly: stay armed.

Permission to Murder at Virginia Tech

Here is a letter (from August 31, 2006) I was pointed to from the War on Guns blog that shows that at least one student at Virginia Tech was intelligent enough to recognize the need for self defense. And then here is a rebuttal from Larry Hincker, the associate vice president for university relations at Virginia Tech; the man who sent out the invitation to murder that was accepted yesterday. Well, Larry, will you face the responsibility you share in this massacre or will you wring the blood out of your welcome mat and continue to offer up unarmed victims for the next mass murderer? Will you continue to praise Virginia Tech's "very sound policy preventing" guns on campus? We see the results of that policy very clearly today, don't we?

More Disarmed Victims

As news of the Virginia Tech murders begins circulating let's look back at this article from January 21, 2006: Gun bill gets shot down by panel, particularly these two quotes:

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to
carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General
Assembly.

and:

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was
defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General
Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and
visitors feel safe on our campus."

Yep. I'm sure the dead victims felt good knowing that they died to uphold a disarmament zone for the safety of Virginia's politicians and other murderers.

I Hate it When That Happens....

I hate when I make people mad or annoyed. Especially when I do it by accident, such as when my meaning is not clearly understood in a blog entry. (Or sometimes when it IS clearly understood.) When that happens, I go back and read and re-read my blog to see if I made a mistake or if I seem to be saying something that I didn't mean to say. If so, I will apologize, write a retraction, or try to make it right however I can. If after all the re-reading, I still can't figure out why someone reacted the way they did, it really bothers me.

This happened with my previous blog entry about "Tax Day". Someone whom I really respect wrote and seemed very upset, thinking that I had called anyone who pays taxes a "perverted uncivilized cretin". I still don't believe that is what I said. I think that anyone who imposes, enforces, collects, or lives off of taxes fits that description, but not people who feel they are forced to pay taxes. They are the victims of armed governmental extortion.

I guess I need to clarify. What I was meaning was that in a free world, there would be no coercive taxation. If a government is allowed to exist, its financing would have to be strictly voluntary. Anyone who chose to try to set up and finance a government under those circumstances would be evil, and anyone who voluntarily chose to give money to help fund the effort would be evil as well. Obviously this is not the world we currently live in, but is instead a fanciful, fairytale world.

I believe that true civilized life is only possible in the absence of governmental coercion and oppression. Therefore people who would wish to reimpose government on the rest of humanity would be working towards a less civilized condition and would be "uncivilized" in my estimation. Anyone who feels that they own another person is acting against nature and is therefore "perverted" by definition. Government is the way those who feel that they own the rest of us join together to enforce their views.

As I hope you can see, it is those who make the evil choice to steal and control that I have the disagreement with; not those who are forced to live under the corrupt regimes that exist in most of the world. I would be calling myself a "perverted uncivilized cretin" were that the case.

My Writing Project and Other Stuff

For the past few days I have been working on another writing project which has been taking most of my time. I wasn't ignoring my blog. Well, maybe a little. I am finished with the project now, and if it gets published I will link to it here.

Now that you are here anyway: go vote for me in some polls, please. Thank you!

Presidential Election '08

PoliticsOne poll

I updated the links on the side of my blog with some good websites I think you might enjoy. Check them out.

Tax Day

I know that this year the IRS and its enablers have moved "Tax Day" to the 17th, but today, on April 15th, the historically enshrined day of federally sanctioned armed robbery, theft-by-receiving, extortion, and various immoral acts of governance, I thought I would say a little about it.

Taxation is theft. Taxes are money taken from the unwilling, by threats of force by the cohorts of the ones who are allowed to set the rules, and given to those who wish to control every aspect of our lives and imprison or kill those of us who refuse to play along. The only morally justifiable level of taxation is "zero percent" on everything and every action and in every situation.

If you wish to have a government, and wish to finance its atrocities; make a case for financial support, and go out and collect voluntary contributions from like-minded cretins. Don't threaten those of us who recognize you and your government as an abomination and refuse to contribute. Go off and play your perverted game amongst yourselves and leave civilized, non-coercive people alone. You will be healthier for your wisdom in this matter.

What's the "Big Idea"?

Sometimes blogging is so frustrating. I was on my errand this morning when a brilliant idea for a blog struck me. I was turning it over in my mind when I had to pull to the side to let an ambulance pass. Then I saw that it was headed towards the house of someone I know. I didn't see if that is where it went or not... it might have been next door. Anyway, when I got to the computer, my brilliant idea was gone. Evaporated. I have tried to remember for the last few hours to no avail.

Has "The Big Liberty Idea" vanished in the rush of daily life in this same way? Perhaps the kernel of the idea that would have made us all throw off the chains of oppression was just forming in someone's mind once, and then in a moment of distraction, it was gone.

Take the time to daydream a little everyday. Maybe "The Big Liberty Idea" will come to you. If not, you will still have spent some valuable time inside your own mind. That is a good thing.

What Freedom Means to Me

"Freedom" is not having to think about government, its rules, or its enforcers. It is being able to pursue happiness however you want as long as you do not harm anyone else. Government harms others so the practice of governing is not a "right" and is antithetical to freedom.

Governments are established (it has been said) in order to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No other reason. If government is not doing its job, it should be fired.

Has the government, at any level, enriched your life today? Has it protected your individual liberty in a concrete way today? Has government gotten out of the way and allowed you to pursue happiness? Or has government and its minions endangered your life by filling our land with badged highwaymen hopped up on "authority" and adrenaline, and forced you to be disarmed for freelance criminals to prey on? Has government taken anyone you know prisoner for the simple act of owning or using something in a non-aggressive way that the government does not approve of? Does government forbid you to do the things that bring joy to your heart, and fill your life with meaning, simply because the majority of lawmakers do not understand your interests? If you have experienced government doing any of these things, in direct violation of its charter to exist, then you have first-hand knowledge of why government must be brought back in line with the laws that apply to it, or if it resists, be abolished. The rules were clear. Government is established for A, B, &C, yet government does -A, -B, & -C. That adds up to zero. Zero government, with individual responsibility, is what freedom means to me.

In Defense of Violence

The Zero Aggression Principle states: "No human being has the right, under ANY circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, nor to advocate or delegate its initiation". "Initiate", as in "start it". Even very young children recognize the clear difference. "He started it" is often the cry for justice from their lips. Violence when used in self defense is not the same as violence used to hurt an innocent person. Initiated force (offensive violence or aggression) is wrong; reactive force (defensive violence) is just and good. A moral individual will recognize the difference even while governments refuse to. This is one reason (out of many) the D.A.R.E. program is so evil; in its blanket condemnation of all violence, it does not differentiate initiated force with self defense force. That is because the authoritards only think that they can properly use violence; against us.

The blind rejection of self defensive violence has left our society crippled with crime and government. Evil individuals and governments will never learn to behave themselves if there are no painful or fatal consequences for their crimes. We must reintroduce the predators among us to fear. Violence in the form of self defence must be encouraged and rewarded, and people whom governments demonize for using self defense must be supported by all lovers of liberty.

"Top Ten Reasons Why an Anarchist is Your Best Friend" by Retta Fontana

I have linked to the writings of Retta Fontana once before, but here is another excellent piece on anarchists: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

I was called a "hippy anarchist" on one website. A black powder shooter group I used to hang out with had bumper stickers that said: "I am NOT a hippy! I am a well-groomed MountainMan". Maybe we are hippies; with guns. In any case, I am an anarchist. Read Retta's piece and see why.

Donations? - I Need Your Feedback

I am having an ethical crisis that I need some input on. Some people feel that I should accept donations. I have very strong feelings against this for a couple of reasons. I want this to be the first truly grass-roots campaign. I want my supporters to be my campaign staff. I have asked you, my supporters, to spend your time and/or money however you see fit on this campaign. Some people feel I am handicapping my campaign with this stance.

One of the very first promises I made was to not accept monetary donations. I don't want to break a promise. Not without a compelling reason, and not without the consensus of my supporters that it would be the right thing to do. If you think I am wrong to refuse donations, tell me so, and explain why you think I should accept them. I have thought long and hard about this and can't seem to find an answer on my own.

I have two reasons for not accepting donations. The reporting regulations are one reason. The other reason is that I hear people complaining about how donations corrupt the candidates with influence, so I thought that if I refused donations, I could avoid any appearance of "political favor-ism". I didn't think it would be a divisive issue. I can't really imagine that there are that many people itching to donate money to me anyway.

The only reason I have not yet filed with the FEC is that I don't have a "campaign committee" (and the required bank account) or a treasurer or a "guardian of records". Since I wasn't planning on accepting donations, I wasn't too concerned with the FEC. Now it appears that in order to continue the campaign I will need to file. The FEC seems to have no option for "does not accept donations". That really lets you know what the "game" is all about, doesn't it.

Anyway, I have promised to think about accepting donations if enough people really think it is important for me to do so. Please let me know what you think, either in a comment here or in an email to dullhawk@hotmail.com .

Thank you.

Conservative President 2008 Interview

Conservative President 2008 asked me four questions recently. Here is the interview:

Libertarian McManigal Q&A

Thank You LPHQ Staff

I would like to thank the Libertarian Party HQ staff for publishing the interview with me in the recent issue of LP News. Your recognition of my campaign is very important to me.

I have not yet changed my position on accepting campaign donations for myself, but I would be glad to participate in Liberty Decides '08 to raise funds for the LP and their eventual nominee. I feel it is important to build the LP so that it can be an effective counterbalance to the authoritarian parties which get most of the public's attention. The people of America need to know they have a choice. The LP is fundamentally different enough, not being just another flavor of authoritarianism, that it can serve as a polar opposite to "politics as usual" which disgusts so many people. We should all help in any way we can.

The War on Guns: Guest Editorial: You Can't Repeal the Law of Unintended Consequences

The War on Guns: Guest Editorial: You Can't Repeal the Law of Unintended Consequences

Washington DC's Gun Ban

I apologize for needing to talk about gun "laws" again. The tyrants keep making it necessary.

The rulers of Washington DC, like any hive of villains, think it is a good idea to keep honest people disarmed against their predations. As I have pointed out in the past, only crooked politicians and freelance criminals fear guns in the hands of ordinary people. No one who wishes to disarm you does it for your benefit, but for their own, so that they are empowered to do things to you that you would not permit them to do if you had the means to effectively defend yourself. "Gun control" is the act of predators taking preemptive steps to protect themselves. That is why it is called "victim disarmament".

Now a court, with an uncharacteristic act of self betrayal, has declared that the Washington DC "laws" against gun ownership are unconstitutional (that means "illegal" in case you missed that chapter in the civics book). It makes me wonder why the court did that. Of course the DC villains will appeal the ruling; they must; it is a matter of life and death to them. The court knew they would, too. I believe that they are thinking that in the long run, this ruling will help them get rid of that "pesky Second Amendment" once and for all. I don't know how yet.

Perhaps the Supreme Court will decide to look at the case. If they do, there are a couple of things that could happen. They could say that the right to bear arms is an individual right, but of course the gun ban doesn't violate that in any way since (...insert twisted justification of your choice here...). They could rule that the right to keep and bear arms is a collective right and so only applies to "militias" controlled by the villains themselves. I don't think the Supremes will have the integrity to rule against the villains who want to keep DC helpless. As long as "judges" work for the government and are paid by the government, it is in their self interest to side with the government. (I propose that in cases where the government is involved, judges only get paid when they rule against government interests. But that is another issue.)

The entire concept of "collective rights" is absurd. A right is something that is held within an individual. Like a life. For poetic purposes, sometimes a culture is said to have a life, but to be killed off, it must be killed one individual at a time. A right is the same way. Just as with a life, a right must be individual to have any meaning at all.

Gun Laws Equal Death

Here is a good article from WorldNetDaily, "How gun control trades life for death". The irony to me is that WorldNetDaily conservatives would imprison people who do not bow to the "law". They also worship the Law Enforcement Jackals who would murder us for carrying the means for defending the defenseless. Make no mistake: Victim Disarmament is murder. Under the dishonest euphemism of "gun control" it brings only death and destruction to the innocent. The monsters who propose or enforce these "laws" are guilty of empowering the murderers. Real thinking, feeling, caring humans do not require defenselessness from others nor do they allow themselves to be disarmed. They will strike back at any thug who tries. No honest police officer will ever arrest or harass anyone who is simply violating any gun "law". If they do, they are only a common thug.

"Me Libertarians"

In talking to people about politics, I have noticed a thing I will call "me libertarians" Almost everyone I talk to fits into this group to one extent or another. These are the people who want to be treated as they would be in a libertarian society, yet they want to control others with the authoritarian "iron grip". I may be wrong, but I think this is because they feel that they are personally trustworthy and capable of running their own lives, while everyone else is not.

Where does this idea come from? From government. Who is it that pits the races against one another, and has a stake in keeping our society from becoming "color-blind"? Who attempts to cause strife between men and women using "family law" and favoritism in the divorce courts? Who makes an issue of sexual orientation while most of us don't even notice "who is what"? Who implements policies that favor one group to the detriment of another group? Who makes it OK, and encourages, for smokers, gun owners, and certain religious groups to be treated as third-class citizens? Government.

Americans are better than that. Remember who the real enemy is, and don't be distracted by the red flags government pins on the other guy. Refuse to check the "race" box when you fill out forms. It doesn't matter and would never be asked except by a racist. If someone who you are not sexually attracted to shows an interest in you, you can respond without over-reacting. No matter what gender the person may be. Just because they are interested in you, it doesn't threaten you in any way. Don't cooperate when the government and its mass-media lapdogs try to demonize a segment of the population.

Don't delegate your responsibilities to government or its thugs. Remember that no one, especially not government, has the right to initiate force or fraud against you and don't take it if they do. As Robert A. Heinlein said: "An armed society is a polite society".

Remember, a libertarian is not someone who takes liberties; but is someone who gives liberties. Don't be a "me libertarian". Spread the responsibility and the freedom. Give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. I'll bet he or she will strive to meet your expectations.

"When cops turn into thugs" by J.D. Tuccille

Here is a good blog about a rare case where bad(ge) guys are held accountable for their crimes.

Updates on KentForLiberty.com

If you haven't visited KentForLiberty.com in a while, I invite you to see the changes I have made. My "Political Hierarchy Chart" now has its own page, along with an updated description. I am constantly tweaking the site, sometimes to the detriment of my blog. I have added links to several other things as well.

Interview on Presidential Election '08

Here is a short interview I did for the Presidential Election '08 Blog.

McManigal Quoted in Article about "Survivalist"

In a recent case in California a man was arrested after guns and ammunition (and food and water) were found stored in his burning house. An online request was made for information about "survivalism". I spoke to the reporter in order to balance what I was afraid would be a one-sided response. The "law" enforcement spokescritters had already had their say, casting aspersions on the man who was universally viewed as a good neighbor. Here is the article: Link

Plus, also read this by Vin Suprynowicz.

My Purpose in Blogging

It has been pointed out to me that I am stubborn, and have an attitude that "I am right and you are wrong". I really don't know anyone who doesn't have that attitude. That is human nature. Each of us sees things from our own unique perspective. If I didn't think I was right, I wouldn't write anything down for anyone to read. What would be the point? I would just read what others had written and I would keep my opinions to myself.

The purpose of this blog is not to tell you what to think, but to tell you what I think so you can make an informed decision as to whether to support my candidacy or not. As a libertarian, I would never force my opinions on you; that is what separates libertarians from all other political persuasions. Do you want a candidate who is afraid to tell you what he believes? I have reasons for believing as I do. Whether they are good enough reasons for you to accept is not my call; it is yours. I attempt to lay out my positions, my beliefs, and my reasoning for you to see. If you think I am loony, ignore me. If you think I am mistaken, correct me. If you think I am right, let me know.