State is the name of the coldest of all cold monsters.

Coldly it lies; and this lie slips from its mouth:
"I, the state, am the people."

-----Lysander Spooner

Liberty and Nothing Less


Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force.
Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

-George Washington

George Washington was the indispensable man in US history. He well understood the natural character of government and led the fight for American Liberty against oppression. Unfortunately today we Americans are still fighting the same fight except it is not against a foreign government but our own.

I leave you with a final thought by syndicated radio talk show host Paul Harvey to ruminate:

They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?

Internet Back Up

It has been over a week since the eye of Hurricane Ike move over my residence in Southeast Texas. My family is fine and our homes have only minor damage. We receive power on Sunday, nearly 9 days later and the Internet has finally come back up. I will be getting back to posting updates within the week.

To all who those who have suffered loss of life during this storm across the country my thoughts are with you. Millions are still without power across the country because of Ike.

Make your Declaration!

Hurricane Ike Set to Hit the Upper Texas Gulf Coast

Hurricane Ike will be moving into the upper Texas coast Friday evening into Saturday morning. This will likely be the worse storm to hit Texas in the past 40 years since Hurricane Carla hit near Matagorda in the early 1960's. If you are in the track of the storm I encourage you to check out Dr. Jeff Master's Tropical meteorology blog at WeatherUnderground.com. Dr. Masters is far more reliable than other sources of information giving daily and sometimes multiple updates daily. Several meteorologists like myself (EagleAg06) and others (atmoaggie, StormW, and a few others) also frequently comment on this forum giving further insight.

If you are in the path of the storm please prepare appropriately. If ordered to evacuate please follow the orders. If you are not in an evacuation zone your best option and those who are in an evacuation zone is to shelter yourself in your home and stay off the roads. More people died in Hurricane Rita from people unnecessary evacuating than those who died in the storm. Prepare appropriately. For information on how to prepare appropriately please visit the National Hurricane Centers Preparedness page.

Please keep those who will be affected including myself in your thoughts this weekend. I will start more regular updates here sometime next week after the storm dies down.

Quote of the Day: Force, Federal Power, and Tyranny

Ron Paul is a Libertarian Conservative House of Representative member in Texas and former Presidential nominee. He has also written a short, clear, and informative book on the ills that we face today as Americans from an overbearing government called The Revolution: A Manifesto. I highly encourage every reader here to take time, takes less that 1 day, and read this informative manifesto and what we can do to help turn the pains Americans are facing around. Today's quote comes from this great man.

I strongly encourage you as well to support Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty.

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All initiation of force is a violation of someone else's rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it's supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals.
-Ron Paul
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Libertarians once called liberals, today known as classical liberals, like those of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Henry David Thoreau believe that people should live according to their own beliefs, ideals, and moral principles as long as they do not limit others to live in the manner that they choose. This would be referred to as a implementation of force or the foundation of modern libertarianism. The federal government from the view of a libertarian has a very restricted and specific purpose and is guided clearly by the US Constitution to the realms of the protection of the maximization of individual Liberty, freedom of personal choice, the administration of justice, national defense and foreign affairs, and the resolution of interstate disputes.

What is Force?

Force by definition of Merriam-Webster Online is "to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means." Force has victims and benefactors and this is the idea that must be understood to understand the concept Ron Paul has emphasized time and time again. Consider the following examples of force: 1) a man robbing a bank, 2) terrorist suicide bomber, 3) stealing another persons identity, or 4) scamming an unknowing or trusting individual. Force is not limited to individuals and can be carried out for the benefit of a group. One thing that must be understood is that force no matter its intentions, beneficial or otherwise, has victims, realized and unforeseen.

Government is Force

Government in the same manner is an initiator of force and the founding fathers recognized this fact clearly understanding the implications of a powerful government by delegating most powers, except those listed above, to the states and to the people in the US Constitution and protected the rights of the individual through the Bill of Rights. Government unlike individuals has broad powers that continually seeks to expand itself, protect those in power, and reduce the power of its citizens. Government in this way is like bacteria that causes illness constantly expanding and trying to find new people to subvert.

In contemporary American politics force is the choice of government. Politicians promise more funds for the some Americans at the expense of others class in a form of robbery that any other citizen would be arrested for, tried, and convicted. In an effort to garner power, politicians are now offering health care for all at the expense of an individuals personal choice regarding those decisions. Government gives nearly $300 million each year to Planned Parenthood to help fund abortions. It was Thomas Jefferson, the principle architect of the Declaration of Independence and one of the premier philosophers of the US Constitution, who stated:
To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. Government even when its intentions are beneficial or at least the politicians leading government intervention believe so creates victims. The founding fathers recognized these contemptuous political tactics and delegated specific and very limited powers to the federal government. Today these principles have been lost by all but a few well understanding individuals.

The greatest benefactor of all government force is not the people the programs and rhetoric are designed to target but the politicians who play forms of social warfare to gain power, political and financial, and government itself. Government propagates itself like the plague spreading its power and devastation to everyone at the expense of Liberty and Freedom. Government has made no person powerful or rich except the politicians that run it. Government is a force to fear not to embrace as history has quite exemplified.

Government is Force, nothing more nothing less, and Force is Tyranny.

George Washington agrees:
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
Make your Declaration and stand for Liberty against Force!

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All initiation of force is a violation of someone else's rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it's supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals.
-Ron Paul

Country Heading in the Wrong Direction

I am sure that you have heard reporters, political pundits, and radio talk show hosts like Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz, Rush, and a number of others who have pointed to recent polling that indicates that 80% (Rasmussen poll) of Americans believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction as well as a majority believing that our best days as a country are behind us. Let me say that for all our faults we are still the greatest country the world has ever seen and I believe we are the greatest hope for individual Liberty and freedom to be spread ar0und the world.

Ongoing right now is the Democratic National Convention that will last until Thursday when Barack Obama is almost sure to deliver another one of his eloquent speeches void of substance but big on cliches . During this time we will also get to hear from Hillary Clinton and others who will most likely cover their quest for governmental controlled decision making in your health care choices. The Democrats won't tell you that it will be the governments decision with who will live and die based upon a checklist of survivability statistics but that is what it will come down to. We will also here the drums of class warfare beating loudly with the need for a fairer tax system that penalizes high achievement and awards laziness and irresponsibility.

Is it any wonder why more than 80% of Americans think we are heading in the wrong direction? We have almost $10 trillion in debt, a government that does not trust those it governs, and constant violations of the US Constitution. The 4th Amendment has been obliterated by the 16th Amendment.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment XVI
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
The government has taken away the right to be secure in "papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches" in order to install on overly burdensome tax code that penalizes high achievement and takes away the Liberty and Freedom that privacy brings and the founders intended. This is far from the only unconstitutional act that the government has passed.

Welfare programs that steal from the rich and give to the poor to garner votes and political power, regulations on the type of light bulbs we can use, a federally controlled education system run by the special interests of the socialist loving teachers union and NEA (National Education Association), strict gun control measures designed to weaken individual Liberty, and a federal reserve system that has brought on economic turmoil numerous times since its inceptions and false manipulation of money that was to be backed by a gold and precious metal standard. Now we have proposals that will bring more economic hardships and job losses to an American public that has been manipulated into believing that governmental intrusion into economic and personal lives is positive by a failing public school system.

Taking a brief look at governmental intrusion into our health care system we notice that governments first regulations forcing people to take company controlled health insurance, HMO's, instead of individual policies resulted in an exponential growth in health care costs. Insurers were forced to provide gradually more coverage over time for non-catestrophic conditions that resulted in an artificial inflation of health care that should and could be paid for cheaply out of pocket resulting in great savings for Americans. Instead now liberals are suggesting a nationalized health care system (where is this allowed by the Consitution?) modeled after Great Britian and Canada's failed system that denies or cancels operations, has month long waiting lines for simple procedures, and denies life to those who have a slim chance of survival. How is this constitutional and do you really want the government to have this power over your personal decisions regarding your own health?

We have entangled ourselves in overseas conflicts that are and were not vital to American security. We have isolated ourselves from the international community through economic sanctions. We have stationed millions of soldiers around the world in lands that are not vital to the security of the United States. Quite simply we have isolated ourselves from the rest of the world and it has brought antagonism and much antipathy towards the United States.

Governmental power has grown trampling on the protections the US Constitution was created for and the founders intended. States rights have been stripped for govermental expediency and political power for the liberal socialist elite. Class warfare rhetoric is constantly spewed to create antipathy against corporations that provide jobs and the wealthy who have the capital to create economic growth to appease the lazy and irresponsible. Unfair and unconsitutional tax schemes have hindered job creation, slowed economic growth, pushed jobs overseas, and overly burdened the American people to the point where we are forced to work for nearly 4 months to just pay the taxes that will go to the federal government (If your luck thats all you will have to work to pay the government becayse some states and cities have income taxes). Civil liberties have been thrown away for the notion of greater security but have put an unreasonable amount of power at the hands of the government to spy on its own citizens without warrents. The government has grown far beyond the scope and size the founders intended.

Is it any reason why over 80% of Americans believe this country is headed in the wrong direction?

Write your representatives
, but if you are like me and are tired of the failure that the two party system has brought us I encourage you to look into the Libertarian Party and their Presidential nominee Bob Barr. The Libertarian Party is a party of small government that believes in the maximization of individual Liberty, low taxes, Constitutional federal power, and a rational foreign policy.

Make your declaration!

Getting Back into the Swing

I have taken a few weeks off from posting on here but I am now getting back into the swing of things and should have posts up more regularly covering contemporary American politics, libertarian philosophy, and a variety of other issues. I should have my next post up by later today or Tuesday.

Remember the Democratic Convention starts today for those of you interested in watch socialists spew rhetoric about the evils of capitalism, the greedy rich, the need for the failure that is socialized health care, the need for higher taxes, and a total disregard and understating of the US constitution and federal government powers.

[UPDATE: My next post will appear on Wednesday 27 August.] Until then feel free to read about some of the many evils of socialized health care that the Left won't tell you in their quest for power and governmental control of your life.

Voters Want to Hear From Barr

Voters in nationwide survey by a clear majority want to hear Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr in the Presidential debates this fall. In a similar margin close to 50% want independent, Ralph Nader in the debates this fall as well. This is not a surprise with the poor choices offered by the two major parties, well known socialist Barack Obama and liberal leaning John McCain.

The people of this country deserve a quality choice this fall but unfair rules set down by the two major parties have made it increasingly difficult to get on the ballot and participate in a fair manner for independent and 3rd party candidates. The Presidential debates this as in past years are organized by a non-profit corporation, the Commission on Presidential debates that has set very high levels to be able to be included in the fall debates and therefore have a chance at being the next President.

Without getting in the debates the chance for Barr and Nader have virtually no chance to have a legitimate or fair chance to be included in the debates in the fall. If at no other time in decades, Liberty deserves a chance on the ballot this fall. The federal government is expanding beyond its constitutional limits, taxes are becoming overly burdensome, debt is expanding at such a rate that the country is swirling towards bankruptcy, and civil liberties are being eroded for expediency.

The voters deserve a fair choice in the voting booth to choose the best person for the job not the better of the worst that the 2 parties have to offer. Why be forced to vote for the "lesser of two evils" when better choices clearly exist? Why have such stringent and unfair practices in a country that is supposed to cherish Liberty and freedom of choice?

This country was founded on the idea of maximization of individual Liberty, freedom of choice, and a republican form of government that is supposed to ensure true representation. Why not include Bob Barr and Ralph Nader in the debates this fall?

To read more on this article view this Zogby news.
Click here to read other instances of 3rd party and independent candidates exclusions at BobBarr2008.com.

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