LIBERTY POINT

My census form Posted on Thu 18 Mar 2010 12:08 PM EDT

I responded to the 2020 census form. Inspired by this article by Robert Greensdale, I didn’t fill out the form, but sent this letter: Dear Sirs, There are two people residing at 206 Clancy Circle, Cary NC 27511. Pursuant to Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America, that is the [...]

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Thu 18 Mar 2010 10:53 AM EDT

goliberty: I wish Obama spent more time considering all logical approaches rather than building his legacy and trying to prove his is the only answer.

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Wed 17 Mar 2010 04:53 PM EDT

Reforming ballot access restrictions an issue that transcends political differences - http://tinyurl.com/yzomrwf

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Tue 16 Mar 2010 11:14 AM EDT

goliberty: RT @mungowitz Munger on the radio, WPTF 680 am, 2:30 - 4:00 today (Tues). Listen live (then): http://tiny.cc/E6fX8

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Mon 15 Mar 2010 03:24 PM EDT

goliberty: RT @reasonmag: Apply for a Reason internship! Deadline is March 26. Please RT! http://ow.ly/1lanB

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Sun 14 Mar 2010 07:41 PM EDT

goliberty: Have drawn in NC Senate District 16 on my paper precinct map from the Wake Co Board of Elections. 25 precincts total, though some are split

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Sat 13 Mar 2010 10:02 AM EST

goliberty: N.C. Supreme Court will hear historic Libertarian ballot access lawsuit - http://tinyurl.com/ygbhx7v

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Sat 13 Mar 2010 09:13 AM EST

goliberty: Looking fwd to the LP of Wake Co. convention today at 1 PM (Edward McKay Books, Capital Blvd) plus Dr Beitler in forum event today on WRAL!

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Fri 12 Mar 2010 10:13 PM EST

Good show on Movement Radio - LPNC candidates Thomas Hill, Stephanie Watson, Tom Rose - http://tobtr.com/s/906726 #BlogTalkRadio

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Fri 12 Mar 2010 04:25 PM EST

goliberty: @NCCivitas finally figured out what you meant in http://bit.ly/aqOwMn; if that's your criteria, what about Ds and Rs that are unopposed?

LIBERTY POINT

N.C. Supreme Court will hear ballot access lawsuit Posted on Fri 12 Mar 2010 11:42 AM EST

A coalition of civil rights and public policy advocacy groups from across the political spectrum has joined the North Carolina Libertarian and Green parties in their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s election laws. Further reading: N.C. Supreme Court will hear historic Libertarian ballot access lawsuit. Article on appeals brief. Reforming ballot access restrictions an issue [...]

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Thu 11 Mar 2010 10:43 PM EST

goliberty: I'll be on PFP Movement Radio tomorrow a little past 8:45 for about 15 minutes answering questions about the campaign. http://bit.ly/9NkK4F

Stef on PFP Movement Radio Friday 3/12 Posted on Thu 11 Mar 2010 10:20 PM EST

Mike Shanklin invited me to a 15-minute interview on Friday’s episode of the Peace Freedom and Prosperity Movement Radio blogcast. I’ll be on there about 8:50 PM answering questions about the campaign, and I hope I’ll effectively avoid my tendency to ramble. You can find the PFP Movement Radio broadcast online from this link starting at 8 [...]

No Coercion

The State and the Mafia Posted on Wed 10 Mar 2010 12:42 PM EST

I live in Durham County (NC), right next door to Wake County, which is in the midst of a heated debate over its notorious forced busing program that the new school board just declared its intention to end (they’ve been assigning children still trapped in the government school system to schools very far from their [...]

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Wed 10 Mar 2010 08:09 AM EST

goliberty: NC Civitas Makes Disturbing Stance on Marriage: http://bit.ly/cniawm

NC Civitas Makes Disturbing Stance on Marriage Posted on Wed 10 Mar 2010 07:58 AM EST

As part of the John W. Pope Civitas Institute article “20 Change For 2010,” Jessica Custer suggests that because NC is the “only southern state” without a “marriage defense amendment,” and that Civitas polls suggest that “two-thirds” of North Carolinians support such an amendment, that our government should add such an amendment to our own [...]

Twitter / goliberty

Tweet posted on Tue 9 Mar 2010 08:50 PM EST

goliberty: It's difficult for a libertarian to answer what her "top three funding priorities" are... how about funding efforts to reduce funding?

No Coercion

Obama’s strange definition of rationing Posted on Tue 9 Mar 2010 09:50 AM EST

George Mason economist Don Boudreaux writes a brilliant letter (over at Cafe Hayek) to Obama regarding something truly bizarre the Mafioso-in-Chief said about rationing: 8 March 2010 Mr. Barack Obama President, Executive Branch United States Government 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC  20500 Dear Mr. Obama: CBS radio news this morning ran a clip of one of your recent speeches.  In it, [...]

No Coercion

The almost Great Depression of 1921 Posted on Mon 8 Mar 2010 05:44 PM EST

David Friedman discusses the difference between Harding’s reaction to the depression of 1921 and the Hoover-Roosevelt reaction in 1929: A Tale of Two Depressions. While well known among libertarians and Austrian School economists, 1921 depression and the immediate (and wise) reduction in government spending has been essentially wiped from the mainstream textbooks and history lessons. Thanks to [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Who counts the votes in Graham county? Posted on Mon 8 Mar 2010 09:39 AM EST

The Graham County Commissioners and the Graham County Board of Elections are on opposite sites of a legal dispute over who can hire and fire employees of the elections board, a situation which North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections said gives new meaning to the observation by Joseph Stalin “He [...]

No Coercion

The absurdity of a right to health care Posted on Sat 6 Mar 2010 03:07 PM EST

Those who argue that there is a “right” to health care or health insurance coverage are caught in a very serious problem. The implications of such a “right” are abhorrent. If I have a right to health care, what do I do if it will cost my doctor or my insurance company so much to [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Insulting socialists Posted on Fri 5 Mar 2010 10:52 AM EST

LA Progressive.com Quotes Socialist Brian Moore on Obama Label | Independent Political Report. Calling President Obama a socialist is an insult to socialists says the 2008 Socialist Party USA candidate for president. ““The Republicans really don’t believe he’s a socialist,” said Brian P. Moore. “They just know calling him one gives them an edge and [...]

No Coercion

Are stateless societies bound to fail? Posted on Fri 5 Mar 2010 12:21 AM EST

I often hear it said by those who have not yet gotten on board with the idea of a stateless society that such a society would not be able to survive as it would be overrun by something like the Mafia on steroids. They argue that even if there existed a free market in protection [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Another challenge to NC’s ballot access laws Posted on Tue 2 Mar 2010 05:24 PM EST

Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » Another North Carolina Ballot Access Lawsuit Filed. Independent candidate Mark Brody filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County Feb. 11 challenging the state ballot access laws for independent candidates.

LIBERTY POINT

The Road to Dictatorship Posted on Tue 2 Mar 2010 09:43 AM EST

The “PATRIOT” Act, all several hundred pages of it, was passed in the dead of night without being read, without being adequately debated, and with the full official approval of both parties, who unhesitatingly wiped out two-hundred years of constitutional law in a procedure that lasted for less than an hour. via The Road to Dictatorship [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Help the NCFPE candidate survey Posted on Mon 1 Mar 2010 02:44 PM EST

The North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections PAC believes we most all help protect the right of others to vote, just as much as our own if we want to retain that right. They are preparing to survey candidates for NC Senate and House of Representatives on the ballot access issues, particularly on whether [...]

Web Site Updated, First Volunteer Meeting Set Posted on Mon 1 Mar 2010 12:02 AM EST

I have spent time today carefully reworking the Web site content so I could make it live today. Not only are the Donate, Voter Info, and Volunteer pages updated, but I’ve posted my priority issues and stances on the Issues page. The campaign theme is set: “It’s about choice.” I’ve scheduled the first volunteer meeting, mostly [...]

No Coercion

Anarchic Law Posted on Sat 27 Feb 2010 05:09 PM EST

People unfamiliar with market anarchism or libertarian anarchism often seem to mistakenly believe that the stateless (anarchic) society we advocate is one of chaos and lawlessness. Of course, this is incorrect. We recognize that human beings are social creatures who accomplish a great deal through cooperation and that they naturally come up with various voluntary [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Libertarians complete filing Posted on Fri 26 Feb 2010 04:51 PM EST

While the Libertarian Party have not have fielded a large slate of candidates this election cycle, it nonetheless made some significant history. Three Union County Libertarians have teamed-up to run for three seats on the board of commissioners. The candidate triumvirate of Stephen Burr, Brandon Derr and Tom Hohman filed on the last day. Two of the [...]

No Coercion

The Subjective Happiness Rationale for libertarianism Posted on Tue 23 Feb 2010 06:31 PM EST

Here’s one way to explain the rationale for libertarianism. I will call it the Subjective Happiness Rationale, and I’m no doubt borrowing some ideas from Murray Rothbard and possibly others. And I should reiterate that when I say libertarianism, I mean pure anarchist libertarianism (as distinct from the limited-government minarchist libertarianism of people like Ron [...]

LIBERTY POINT

State auditor behind on property taxes Posted on Wed 17 Feb 2010 10:59 AM EST

State auditor is behind on her property taxes – State – NewsObserver.com. State Auditor Beth Woods owes $1,234 in property taxes on her $124,00 town home. Is this a big deal? It certainly is not as big a deal as former N.C. Senate leader Tony RAnd using his influence to allow Blue Cross/Blue Shied to gouge taxpayers [...]

Stephanie Watson to Kick Off N.C. Senate Campaign Wednesday Posted on Tue 16 Feb 2010 07:13 PM EST

The announcement: Stephanie Watson will kick off her campaign for North Carolina Senate at noon on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, when she visits the Wake County Board of Elections to file her notice of candidacy. Watson, a native of Johnston County and graduate of N.C. State, says her motivation to run is her desire to serve [...]

LIBERTY POINT

Democrat can’t get signatures Posted on Tue 16 Feb 2010 05:13 PM EST

Replacing Bayh: 2 GOP candidates officially in, 2 Dems out | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star. Boo hoo! One Democrat could only get two signatures on a petition in order to run for U.S. Senate when she needed 400. This in a state with more than 4 million registered voters. Some counties even have more registered [...]

New Look on the Web Posted on Sat 6 Feb 2010 07:48 AM EST

GoLiberty has a new look! Plus, the blog has been moved here, so be sure to update your bookmarks and news feeds. Look for more additions through the coming weeks as the campaign gears up for 2010!

Libertycharlotte's Blog

TAKE IT BACK IN 2010! Posted on Sun 17 Jan 2010 02:59 PM EST

Are you interested in running for office yourself or helping a great candidate? Join us on February 6th, 2010 at the Quality Inn (2444 Maple Avenue) in Burlington, 9am to 6pm, for a training opportunity for those who wish to learn how to run as a successful candidate or become a more effective local organizer. [...]

No Coercion

Are government troops heroic? Posted on Sun 20 Dec 2009 06:25 PM EST

I recently discovered a facebook group called Soldiers Are Not Heroes. I ran across it a few days ago when a friend joined it, and, glancing at it briefly I figured I probably pretty much agreed with it. But I didn’t bother joining it until I saw people start joining a petition to demand that [...]

No Coercion

Isolationist or noninterventionist? Posted on Thu 17 Dec 2009 05:37 PM EST

I can kind of understand when I run across some goofball on the interwebs who accuses libertarians of being isolationist due to our opposition to meddling in other countries’ affairs, but it’s at least a little surprising and disheartening to see the Pew Research Center and someone whose title is “AP Diplomatic Writer” using the [...]

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Thu 10 Dec 2009 01:15 AM EST

RT @AlamanceMeet Libertarian Senate Candidate Mike Beitler Thurs 12-10 at Starbucks Ex141 Burlington

Libertycharlotte's Blog

10 Reasons Politics Should Be Held Accountable Posted on Sun 6 Dec 2009 01:40 PM EST

I was sitting here the other day and the idea for an article just came to me… What constitutes politics? Are these politicians snapshots of the American experience or are they the offerings of parties bent on further pushing the envelope? Politics have penetrated all manner of news lately. It appears that those who would seek [...]

No Coercion

Complaining, solutions, and agorism Posted on Wed 2 Dec 2009 09:36 AM EST

As a follow up to yesterday’s post, I want to say a few words about the old “complaining vs. solutions” thing. After reading my description of how government exists and acts by means of aggressing against people, a friend of mine said that I was pointing out problems but wasn’t discussing any solutions. I think [...]

colliething

Running form Posted on Mon 30 Nov 2009 01:00 PM EST

I took a quick vid of my running this morning out of curiosity to see what my stride looked like. I had NO IDEA that I was such a heel-striker. I thought I was leaning forward and striking on the midfoot, which is what I am pretty sure I want to do. I couldn't even really see the heelstrike until I looked frame-by-frame, so if you haven't video'd your running, you should try it sometime. I'm thinking of trying barefoot running, at least in part. I've seen barefooters reccomend pool shoes for an inexpensive foot-protector for near-barefooting, so I may pick up some of those today to experiment with.

colliething

Nash and Toad chillaxin' on the bed Posted on Mon 30 Nov 2009 12:53 PM EST

The boyz seem to get along so well. It fascinates me to watch how they communicate (or, occasionally, don't). And I love their crazy post-eating wrestling matches. I'm feeding them a food currently which has two different kinds of kibble - one lighter, softer, and more 'meatlike' (according to the human marketing geniuses anyway...), and one crunchier and darker. It seems that Nash prefers the darker bits, and Toad the softer ones. Last night, after Nash walked away from his left-behind bits for a drink, Toad finished them up before he got back. He was chagrined when I 'refunded' Nash from the uneaten hard kibble in his bowl. Toad lives in a Toad-centric universe :)

I promise this isn't going to turn into a dog-blog!

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Mon 23 Nov 2009 12:41 PM EST

Preliminary notice: Shooting party at the Munger Compound in Chatham Co. January 2! Details to follow! Pass it on!

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Mon 23 Nov 2009 12:40 PM EST

The LPNC just appointed a new Political Director. Thanks for stepping forward, Matt Reeps!

Libertycharlotte's Blog

Dr. Mike Beitler Speaking at the Charlotte End the Fed rally on 11-22-09 Part 1 of 2 Posted on Mon 23 Nov 2009 11:30 AM EST

Libertycharlotte's Blog

Dr. Mike Beitler Speaking at the Charlotte End the Fed rally on 11-22-09 Part 2 of 2 Posted on Mon 23 Nov 2009 11:26 AM EST

Libertycharlotte's Blog

URGENT NOTICE (or Get Crackin’ People) Posted on Fri 20 Nov 2009 09:36 PM EST

Libertarians all over North Carolina should be taking notice. According to Congress and the Obama administration, great successes have been had with the stimulus bill. The reason this is important to the Libertarian Party is because studying the stimulus results allowed us to discover a number of congressional districts that the LP has [...]

Libertycharlotte's Blog

A Tale Of Two Cities (or Geopolitics in The Twilight Zone) Posted on Mon 16 Nov 2009 07:06 AM EST

I often enjoy starting my day with a nutritional and stimulating bowl of irony. Needless to say, I am well fueled for the day ahead! Two items caught my attention that left me shaking my head just a bit. Beijing and Washington, two cities combining for a geopolitical double take. Over the weekend, [...]

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Thu 12 Nov 2009 02:21 AM EST

LPNC is likely to be entitled to 34 delegates to the 2010 national convention. Make plans to go to St. Louis!!

Libertycharlotte's Blog

Video Available on demand, Senate candidate, Dr. Mike Beitler Posted on Wed 11 Nov 2009 04:59 PM EST

“Senate Candidate Dr Mike Beitler Speaks On Liberty Principles At Campbell U. 11/3/2009″ is available at The Liberty Blog’s Livestream Channel. Select the “on demand” video button at the bottom of the video player. Go to: http://www.livestream.com/libertycharlotte

Libertycharlotte's Blog

What Could the Stimulus Have Actually Done? (or I’ve Got Your Bailout Right Here Buddy!) Posted on Wed 11 Nov 2009 09:47 AM EST

A calculator. A simple calculator. Go ahead, pick one up. Bring up the one on your computer. That calculator is your friend. If you can stand to do it, it can reveal the lie in virtually every statement made by your politicians. They can promise this or that, but [...]

Libertycharlotte's Blog

Without Power There Can Be No Corruption Posted on Tue 10 Nov 2009 10:21 AM EST

by Brian Irving Press Secretary North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections Just as predictable as the media’s “gotcha” coverage whenever a politician gets caught cheating or stealing is the inevitable call by political reform groups for more laws to prevent such abuse in the future and for “better” ways of financing campaigns. They ignore warning from our [...]

Libertycharlotte's Blog

Ghosts of Universities Past (or Wanna See the Future? Go Back to College) Posted on Mon 9 Nov 2009 01:55 AM EST

You may have noticed that, among the RSS feeds on the sidepanel here, you will find a feed for F.I.R.E. or The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. They are an organization dedicated to being a watchdog and defender for people’s constitutional rights in educational settings, particularly in our nation’s government subsidized universities. While the [...]

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Fri 6 Nov 2009 12:51 PM EST

@JABcyberia Excellent re: registering LIB. Are you thinking of running for office?

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Thu 5 Nov 2009 08:33 PM EST

Don't forget to register LIB if you're going to run for office in 2010. Deadline Nov 11!

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Tue 3 Nov 2009 01:16 AM EST

Today's election day! Remember Matt Drew for Durham and Travis Wheat for Charlotte!

colliething

Running Posted on Mon 2 Nov 2009 11:28 PM EST

Trying this Blog->Facebook interface thing. The blog's been neglected,
largely because of FB. And I wanted to write a bit about my new
interest in running. I've always been the 'short of breath' type
(except when it comes to arguing:), but now that I have a dog who
needs to be leashed, and thanks to the nudge of a friend or two, I've
decided to get more serious about running.

And here's the amazing part: I'm loving it. I really really really
suck at it, and I'm loving it. Why? Because I'm getting better, I
suppose. And because it's fun (except of course when it's not:)

So after mucking around doing run-walks (or, really, walk-runs) up to
1-2 miles, I felt full of myself and started this beginner "3 Weeks to
a 30-Minute Running Habit" program (twice! - I repeated the first
week):

http://running.about.com/c/ec/10.htm

Which is actually going OK. It's a run-walk thing. I'm up to Day 15
(2/3 through), and today's effort was four reps (20 minutes) of run 4
mins, walk 1 min. A week or two ago I would not have been able to even
slowly jog four mins. Pitiful, eh? Or, in glass-half-full mode, we can
say 'lots of room for improvement!'. This 20 mins today took me about
1.5 miles, which is pitifully slow pace, but it actually felt pretty
comfortable - which is funny, because yesterday's 3-minute runs felt
CRAPPY. Different weather, hills, mood, etc.

For motivation (and fun-I-hope, and a t-shirt, and and yes, to help
people) I signed up for a charity run next Saturday - it's a one-mile
'fun run' before a 5K. I also signed up for a T-giving morning
one-miler. I want to think about a 5K in the next 8-10 weeks. AFTER I
signed up for the run, and started feeling like I was never going to
be able to run more than 1 min without my lungs dissolving, I read
that it takes a good 8-12 weeks to develop good 'wind' (breathing). So
this one-miler is going to be at a slooow pace (especially as the
entire second half-mile is - I kid you not - UPHILL). But that's cool.
As long as I don't get trampled by the 5K runners behind me - who
start a half-hour after - I'll be feeling OK :-)

Funny story: Sunday (yesterday) I decided to leave the dogs home and
run the 1-mile course. I thought I'd add a little speed, and check it
out. Bad idea on the 'adding speed' part, but lesson learned. Good
idea to leave the dogs home, because there was a marathon just winding
down as I got there. I talked to one of the finishing runners (her
first marathon - 5 hours-and-mumble) who was looking for her car, and
she was appropriately perky with her 'yes, you can!' pep talk to me.
I'm very sensitive to being patronized, but I did appreciate it,
actually. But as I was finishing up my mile-and-a-half, I
inadvertently ran through the marathon's finish - and they were REALLY
cleaning up and moving out, tho I did see one straggler after that -
and some woman said "Congratulations!" to me. Hahaha - she probably
was impressed with how fresh I seemed :) Though I didn't, because it
was an off run.

Today I was back out on the nice flat dirt road I favor, with the
dogs, and another runner passed me (twice). We waved from inside our
ipods (audiobook for me, and I wonder how many runners listen to
books? Is that weird?), and I totally felt part of some bigger group.
Then he left me eating dust :)

Durham and Charlotte: Don’t forget to vote tomorrow! Posted on Mon 2 Nov 2009 01:15 PM EST

North Carolinians: if you’re in Durham or Charlotte, don’t forget to vote tomorrow! Here’s the sample ballot from the Durham County Board of Elections: http://www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/elec/2009_Election/Ballots/Election/Durham%20%20Sample%20%28WM%29%201.pdf In Durham’s Ward II race, GoLiberty endorses Matt Drew: http://electmattdrew.org/ Here’s the link to look up your sample ballot in Charlotte: http://www.meckboe.org/AddressSearch.aspx In Charlotte’s city council race, GoLiberty endorses Travis Wheat: http://www.electwheat.com/ If you’re not sure [...]

Twitter / LPNC

Tweet posted on Wed 28 Oct 2009 10:12 PM EDT

Excellent editorial on LPNC lawsuit: http://tinyurl.com/ylsfgul

colliething

Thoreau on taxation Posted on Fri 9 Oct 2009 12:47 PM EDT

He nails it, of course:

Some years ago, the State met me in behalf of the Church, and commanded me to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching my father attended, but never I myself. "Pay," it said, "or be locked up in the jail." I declined to pay. But, unfortunately, another man saw fit to pay it. I did not see why the schoolmaster should be taxed to support the priest, and not the priest the schoolmaster; for I was not the State's schoolmaster, but I supported myself by voluntary subscription. I did not see why the lyceum should not present its tax bill, and have the State to back its demand, as well as the Church. However, as the request of the selectmen, I condescended to make some such statement as this in writing: "Know all men by these presents, that I, Henry Thoreau, do not wish to be regarded as a member of any society which I have not joined." This I gave to the town clerk; and he has it. The State, having thus learned that I did not wish to be regarded as a member of that church, has never made a like demand on me since; though it said that it must adhere to its original presumption that time. If I had known how to name them, I should then have signed off in detail from all the societies which I never signed on to; but I did not know where to find such a complete list.

Update: Matt Drew to Face Incumbent Howard Clement for Durham Council Posted on Fri 9 Oct 2009 12:15 PM EDT

As I wrote in my last post, Matt Drew, a fellow Libertarian, was likely to face a runoff after a tight race for Durham Council, Ward II. It looks like a runoff isn’t necessary: Matt received enough votes to officially put him in second place, and he will face incumbent Howard Clement in the final [...]

Libertarian Matt Drew Likely in Durham Runoff Posted on Wed 7 Oct 2009 10:56 AM EDT

From WRAL: “In Durham, Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden will face Donald Hughes in the Ward 1 election. Councilman Howard Clement easily won his Ward 2 primary, but his opponent next month hasn’t yet been determined, with Matt Drew, Sylvester Williams and Darius Little all within 100 votes of each other, according to unofficial results.” (article link) I’m excited [...]

Vote Locally! Make a real difference! Posted on Tue 6 Oct 2009 09:19 AM EDT

First, let me apologize for letting other parts of my life overwhelm me through September so that I didn’t profile any of the Raleigh mayoral candidates here as I had hoped I could. Like many of you, it is not always a priority for me to take time out and work in the political arena. [...]

Skeptical About What Obama Wants in the Health Care Bill Posted on Wed 9 Sep 2009 10:14 PM EDT

This evening, President Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress to address concerns about the health care bills currently making their way through committees. On the positive side, he showed a lot of strength, outright scolding folks for bickering and making false claims. He likewise expressed appreciation for people showing their passion and wanting [...]

colliething

M. Carling: Stupid or...? Posted on Fri 17 Jul 2009 12:18 PM EDT

I serve on the Libertarian Party's 2010 Platform Committee, which has
been an interesting experience (to say the least!). An email
discussion has started by someone who wrote to a bunch of committee
members and others with a particular concern. I don't care for
protracted mass-CC discussions, because they invariably drag in people
who want no part of the discussion, so I am not replying within the
discussion. But I couldn't resist remarking on this incredibly stupid
comment from one of the committee members, M. Carling. Carling writes:

"The pledge clearly implies that initiation of force is bad only as a
means of achieving political or social goals. In other words, the
pledge implies that initiation of force to achieve personal goals is
acceptable. How very unfortunate."

By 'pledge', he is of course referring to the LP's pledge, found here:

https://www.lp.org/membership

"I certify that I do not advocate the initiation of force to achieve
political or social goals."

Now, logic even **I** can follow reveals this is ridiculous. First,
the LP is a political party - naturally our concern is with 'political
and social' rather than 'personal' goals. We'd no more want to make a
statement on the personal morality of non-aggression than we would on
personal weight-loss goals. Second - and much more fundamentally -
it's very poor logic to say that if you do not specifically rule out
X, you are *promoting* X, or even *implying that X is acceptable*. If
I say during a discussion about men that "I do not like to fight with
men," does that 'imply' that I like to fight with women? Absolutely
not! Ridiculous!

Either Carling is stupid or he sees some value in advancing such a
transparently fallacious (not to say dunderheaded) argument. What it
can be I can't even begin to speculate.

colliething

Dramatic reading of classic libertarian story Posted on Tue 30 Jun 2009 03:57 AM EDT

Several folks are organizing a dramatic reading/recording of this awesome Eric Frank Russell story:

http://www.abelard.org/e-f-russell.php

Participation will be by a mix of 'phone and live (still pondering the details; I'm afraid this will be another one of those tedious 'learning experiences':)

Since I mentioned the idea, several folks have found it interesting and have decided to help, but we can use lots more. This story is *mostly( dialogue, so it'll take little if any adaptation to be an awesome dramatic recording.

Let me know if you're interested! We'll also need sounds editors, etc., so let me know if you want a non-speaking job!

And then we can commence to arguing about how to pronounce "MYOB!" ;-)

--
Susan Hogarth
"Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund." — F. J. Raymond
http://www.colliething.com/

colliething

Anarchist discussion group - meeting time/place Posted on Sun 7 Jun 2009 02:37 PM EDT

If you hate organized oppression, you may be an anarchist! Join us and explore.

A few folks in central NC are starting an anarchist discussion group
to *explicitly* include what might (incorrectly, yet with some
justification) be called 'left anarchists' and 'right anarchists'
(sometimes called anarcho-capitalists or agorists).

The premise of this group is that the differences between these two
groups, while significant, are in fact smaller than between the
political 'left' and 'right' and any form of anarchy. The truth is
that we don't know what wide-scale real freedom from organized
oppression would look like. An unfortunate attitude of mistrust
between those who believe (loosely) that the use of capital is
organized oppression and those who believe (again, loosely) that any
attempt to curtail the accumulation and use of capital represents
organized oppression has kept us apart in a classic divide-and-conquer
mode. The terrible irony is that this isn't even necessarily a
deliberate divide-and-conquer - we have done it ourselves!

Our goal is to listen, and to share, and to not let vocabulary
differences keep us from understanding the underlying concepts of
freedom. If you would like to be a part of that, you are welcome!
Please leave your defensive attitude and you preconceptions behind!

First meeting next Sunday (14th) at 9am at the Caribou Coffee in Cary
at Kildaire Farm and Maynard. Feel free to invite others. Questions
can be directed to Susan Hogarth at hogarth@gmail.com

--
Susan Hogarth
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. – H.L. Mencken
http://www.colliething.com/

colliething

Bread! Posted on Sat 30 May 2009 06:37 AM EDT

I think I finally have this bread thing down. Thinking about selling a few loaves here and there. This particular loaf was made with mostly Montana Gold wheat, with a bit of other wheats mixed in, ground in the Nutrimill, and prepared in the kick-ass Zojirushi bread oven. It rose so much it nearly blew the lid off - I get carried away with the gluten and yearst, I think. Very light, seems to keep well (though it only lasted a day or so, it was so good.)

colliething

Bread! Posted on Sat 30 May 2009 06:36 AM EDT

I think I finally have this bread thing down. Thinking about selling a few loaves here and there. This particular loaf was made with mostly Montana Gold wheat, with a bit of other wheats mixed in, ground in the Nutrimill, and prepared in the kick-ass Zojirushi bread oven. It rose so much it nearly blew the lid off - I get carried away with the gluten and yearst, I think. Very light, seems to keep well (though it only lasted a day or so, it was so good.)

colliething

From Wm. Gibson's "Spook Country" Posted on Sun 26 Apr 2009 12:49 PM EDT

[A] 1992 calendar...decorated with a drastically saturated daytime photograph of the New York skyline, complete with the black towers of the World Trade Center. These were so intensely peculiar-looking, in retrospect, so monolithicly sci-fi blank, unreal, that they now [2006] seemed to Milgrim to have been Photoshopped into every image he encountered them in.