FUCK

I don't swear often in posts, but this is shitty.

I'm not a big Republican guy, but I'm DEFINITELY not a big Democrat guy. In fact, I hate both parties. But anyway, Arlen Spector (we in New England know him as the guy who put the NFL over the economy, while trying to prove that the Patriots cheated against the Steelers-but of course no one cared) decided to switch from Republican to Democrat, because
"the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party,"
and continued with
"In the course of the last several months ... I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak."

So to me, all I get is, he's willing to silence dissent for another 2 years for the sake of votes? This is why I hate politicians. I mean, what does he side with? Total government control? or actual "Republican" (libertarian) principles? If the second, he's a fool, because the Democrats are definitely not libertarian by any stretch. The first makes most sense. I don't know, I'm definitely against not being true to your principles, but the already dim voice of dissent is being suffocated; why put the plastic bag around its head?

The Democrats are one seat away from potentially ruining the country.
Dissent makes the world go 'round. Atleast in America.

-It's all distorted in Americana
LibertyCatalyst

Why cops piss me off

I can't stand them. Don't get me wrong, some are trying to be honest people and do their job correctly, I have nothing against them and respect them. However, when a cop pulls you over and treats you like a criminal for no reason, then I have a problem.


Take this video, about a seemingly New England thing (all New England cops here, note the Rhode Island Statie uniform, quite hilarious)

Essentially, they're commanding you to wear seat belts for your own good. I was looking for one commercial that they pulled awhile ago, because it showed their true colors. It said "Cops give tickets to save lives, so Click-it, or Ticket!"
Thanks guys, I couldn't have taken care of myself without that vital information.
Seat belt laws are ridiculous. If someone gets into an accident and dies because he didn't have a seat belt on, that's his fault, not the state's for not regulating seat belt wearing.
On top of this, they trample your rights just to get stuff out of you. (see two posts ago, and the case where a school strip searched some girl for pills). It is beyond unreasonable. Another case is this one:

Completely uncalled for. I hope this guy sues the Border Patrol for all they have.
On top of this, people are saying that HE's at fault, that HE deserved what he got. I can't believe this! I would have the video here of a radio interview, but it god pulled. Anyway, the caller said that he got what he deserved, because after 9/11, we should be wary of the threat to our nation, and all this other bullshit. She's fucking insane, and probably one of those who's easily controlled by the police.
You can choose to live in a world where you waive your rights, because you've got nothing to hide, and you don't need them anyway, the government can take care of you - or you can exercise every one of your rights regardless if you need to or not, because it's your right to do so. I prefer the latter. I don't care if I'm carrying absolutely nothing in my car, a cop can't search me without a warrant or my consent; and I'm definitely not giving any cops my consent. Thanks, but no thanks.

Anyway, that lady was insane. If the youtube video reemerges, take a look. Crazy neo cons.

LibertyCatalyst

My thoughts on the Tea Party

I've been watching the news lately, and of course this "Republican agenda" tea party issue is being passed around. I believe this to be half true, but I want to clarify something. I'll get to that later, first I'll summarize.
Opinions on this are generally split three ways

Obama supporters, feeling this is threatening. They will do whatever they can to undermine the plan.

Neo-conservatives and deceived sheep Republicans, looking to reclaim the power they once had by championing the underdog. This is how the Democrats pulled themselves up (though they'd like you to think they did it because everyone loves them), and that's how neo-conservatism will make its return.

Atleast if the true conservatives don't block them. The true conservatives who stand for a federal decrease in government. This starts by lowering and combating taxes.

My problem with this is that the neo-conservatives suddenly are taking up positions against taxation, just to win the vote. These people aren't true libertarian minded conservatives, they are just trying to get back into power.
Of course, I won't rule out that some of them are waking up, but I don't believe all of them stand on these grounds. That dilutes the true factors in this, the most important part.
The income tax is not a necessary evil, it's just evil.
I've stated this on my new-found favorite forum site, Topix. It is both exciting and funny. Some people make valid points, others aren't very bright, but they still seem to type and make fools of themselves, and others partake in shouting matches until they win. It's almost like the real world! Haha, but seriously, it's fun over there, and I recommend you joining as well.

LibertyCatalyst

So I guess being a cop entitles you to be a bully...

These videos are ridiculous. They're proof that there's too much power in the hands of the executive branch of this company. These men walk all over this campaign worker for the Campaign For Liberty. Last time I checked, it's not illegal to carry money.

Check them out:

Penn Says: Trillion

I've been a subscriber to Penn Jillette's youtube account for ahwile now, but this video he posted today was fantastic. Check it out, it's about the stimulus package:

Something big is going to happen

I can feel it. There are quotes from famous philosophers all over my school. The media seems to be turning for and against the President in a strange hurricane-like pattern. Admirably, some members are calling Obama on every mistake he's making. Unfortunately, others are scrambling to sweep that under the rug.

I don't know who hung these flyers up and why, but they bring together great points. Two of my favorite quotes of all time are hanging up:

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin

"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." - Martin Luther King Jr.

These flyers went up fast, almost as if in a response to the MassPIRG flyers that went up a few days ago, urging a vote for MassPIRG to stay on our bills. I voted against MassPIRG. While I do believe that they have the right to exist in our schools, I do not believe that a fee should be attached to our bills to be waived. Money should be raised in a separate fashion.
In case you are unaware, MassPIRG is a lobbyist group that has student participation. Everyone is entitled to do so in some fashion. However, they should only be able to get money from those they've officially asked, instead of saying "We'll take $10, added to your annual bill, UNLESS you say otherwise." This is the scenario I see. For these reasons I voted against MassPIRG. By doing this, they undermine their opposition, which is to assume that opposition does not exist.

If this is the reason these flyers go up, I commend the hanger/hangers.

If they're upset with this country and the direction we travel into, I praise them as well. I hope those quotes never come down (although I'm sure they will, and the reason will be because they weren't stamped; but we all know the truth), they remind us of where we come from, and what we stand for. This nation is not and never will be about bullying others to agree, nor will we be bullied by any false-deity who steps into power. It happened in Germany, it happened in Italy, it happened in Russia and Cuba, and it probably is happening here.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I do not believe these people in power to be intentionally attempting to take us down like some evil comic book villain, I believe they are trying to do what they see right for the country. At the same time, I believe that Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Castro all believed the same. They were looking to make their country better in their own eyes. In all cases, however, their ideas undermined the basic principles of liberty. Therefore, their principles are inherently incorrect steps to ruling a country like ours. Our country, founded on the principles of liberty, cannot exist in a state of true freedom with such strangleholds on our rights as we see today. Governments outlawing smoking by not only absurd taxation, but banning as well, Governments absurdly taxing firearms and banning as well. All for the vision of safety. A false sense of safety, which can only be created by the elimination of freedoms, will leave the individual powerless. Powerless to protect himself. He then must rely on a greater power to protect him, that previously established greater power is his State. We as a nation have the right to submit ourselves to a god of some form (I personally choose to submit myself to no one but myself). However that person, whether or not he chooses to exercise this freedom, now must submit himself to a greater power, a god, known only as the State. And as some religious people know, a god doesn't always answer. Neither does the State. This is an idea I've been thinking about, introduced to me by a book I read in high school called "The Children's Story". Most students blew this off, didn't put much thought into it, however this outlines the realities of how we take our freedoms for granted, both in the book, and ironically, in real life. I recommend reading it, it's a great short story.

Why must we rely on a state? Why cannot we rely on our gods, or ourselves, allow ourselves to be our own keepers, or allow our gods to will ourselves to take care of each other? We as a people are responsible for ourselves. When we put a trust in someone else, in the State, for example, they won't always answer, or maybe they won't answer right away. The average police response time is 8-10 minutes, varying depending on location (obviously). 8 minutes can be too long. That's 8 minutes of you praying that an officer will turn the corner. Your life is in someone else's hands, someone who isn't always the most reliable (see any blunder the country has made in the past 50 years). Those 8 minutes may feel like a lifetime, and in some cases, could be the rest of your life.

Someone once asked me, "Why don't you trust the police when it comes to your safety?"
I responded, "Why do you put so much trust into a government, that you are willing to leave your own life in their hands, ready for them to drop it at any moment? Do you really trust a giant bureaucracy, where you are just a statistic, with your life? I trust myself, and anyone who is close enough to me to allow me to give them my trust."
He had nothing more to say. I don't know or care whether or not he dismissed me as a loony. I don't trust anyone or anything but my own judgment to take care of me, and when I'm on my deathbed and lose my sense of judgment, I then trust my family and closest friends to do what's right for me. To do what I would've done in that situation. Never would I trust anyone else, especially not the government, who cannot even balance a checkbook, let alone play Superman and World Police all at once.

I leave you with this: War to create or spread freedom is a fallacy. This is no war at all, this is a slaughter of innocence and a slaughter of liberty. The only war worth fighting is a war fought by the oppressed to remove the oppressors, in order to provide for liberty. This is a true state of freedom. The rest is just oppression.

If you are a (or the) person responsible for hanging these quotes, and if you do believe we have lost our way, I commend you. Thank you for speaking out.

-- Beneath this Mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, and ideas are bulletproof.

LibertyCatalyst

PS. If you are responsible, contact me, I want to establish a campus liberty organization around here and attempt to ruffle some feathers.