Wax or Tallow

What a let down....

2013-01-28T21:48:00.002-06:00

This last presidential race showed a glimmer of hope when it looked like Ron Paul might actually have a shot. Then, the movement (or at least it's existence inside of the GOP) was steam rolled by the mob mentality fostered by our demo-gouging politicians. While I was had almost entirely given up on the Republican party as a legitimate political option already, the rejection of Ron Paul was the last straw for me. Naturally, like many of my friends in the liberty movement, I ended up voting for Gary Johnson and threw my support behind the libertarian party.

It is incredibly interesting to me that people think Romney would have had a significantly different presidency. If the trends in the 20th century show us anything, one presidents mild abuses of power have translated into the following presidents furthering of such abuses.

Examples....

The Patriot Act under Bush and NDAA under Obama.

TARP and stimulus packages under Bush and Auto Industry bailouts along with more stimulus packages under Obama (stimulus usually meaning that we printed more money and either redistributes the stolen currency value among the citizens or to some private corporations or other group).

And lastly how could you forget the health industry in which Bush signed a $400 billion Medicare Prescription Drug Modernization Act and as if Obama had to show him up, he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

This year has given me ample opportunity to become pessimistic about our societies ability to reason and wake up to many of the alarms and it does diminish my hope for us to be a truly free people. It seems that people are just intent on sleeping through the merger of our growing nanny and police states to one day wake up to fascist government when it is, of corse, too late.

I have to then examine myself and my own learning experiences in the cause of Liberty. It wasn't long ago that I was possibly the most devout "conservative" you might meet in your short stay on earth. If I could see the little erosions through my Teddy Roosevelt (You may exchange Teddy for Franklin if it helps you relate in a Democrat scenario) colored glasses so can the people around me.

Whether more Liberty comes through the election of a Gary Johnson (or maybe the GOP redeems itself with the likes of Rand Paul or Justin Amish) or it comes through our resistance (hopefully peaceful but recognizing that the tree of liberty sometimes must be watered with the blood of both patriots and tyrants) to totalitarianism, I look forward to being a part of that movement spreading liberty.

Raising Money for Ron Paul...

2012-03-08T02:30:00.000-06:00

So the past couple years have stretched the bank account a little thin! I have felt the effects of a highly regulated and fractional reserve banking driven economy. It has emptied out my wallet but not my ambition! I pretty much have very little more money to give to the Ron Paul campaign and starting brainstorming on ways to get some money flowing to him. Google ad sense is one thing I have going but it takes a long time to reach the $100 dollar threshold in profits which is the point that they pay out. If it the campaign is over, I still promise to make a donation to a Ron Paul supported cause.

I have therefore turned my focus to possibly a more productive way to raise money! I recorded another Ron Paul song. There simply aren't enough already of course! Long story short, all profits from song will be going to the Ron Paul campaign and it is your duty to purchase and share it with friends and family. Here is the link...

Download Ballot in the Box (Ron Paul song) by Lee Gillespie

Thank you for your time and enjoy!!!

Can't Wait for the Brokered Convention!

2012-03-07T00:44:00.000-06:00

The thought of a brokered convention usually sets the party base on pins and needles. For me it is a welcome event! All this time, ignorant social conservatives have been amassing to participate in straw polls to fall behind the candidate that they believe can beat the other guy. This action is possibly the most infuriating thing for me to witness in politics. It completely takes issues off the table and effectively reduces the election process to a popularity contest. In this scenario we always end up replacing the incumbent with someone just as bad and often worse. In all honesty, if republicans cared about the actions of a politician instead of what party to which they belonged, they would be in love with Obama! George Bush signed TARP and other ridiculous stimulus programs into law. He enlarged the roll of government in the healthcare industry more than any other president since Johnson. He started two cumbersome, inefficient and blunder-frequent wars. On all of these issues it seems like all Obama did was one up the former president!

The parties are clearly identical and I do not mean to compare democrats and republicans so I'll move on. In all of his cleverness, Ron Paul has been strategically picking up an army of well informed and devoted delegates (an irate and tireless minority) while the other candidates divide the rank and file portion of the GOP. When it is time for the national convention, none of the candidates will have the required amount of votes to obtain the nomination. At this point, those delegates which were at one time bound to cast their vote for the popular vote winner will no longer be required to do so! With all of the Ron Paul infiltration in the delegate process, this could easily put him in first place as we battle for the nomination at the national convention.

I can hardly wait to see that hopeful day when we have an ideologically consistant and honest president in office. One who will not kick the can further down the road in lieu of a fake legacy and comfortable stay at the white house but will tackle imperialism, fractional reserve banking, the growing nanny state/big brother and essentially fight to restore the liberties that the founders of our country fought and died for.

Ron Paul 2012!

Ron Paulian Rhetoric...

2012-02-18T23:59:00.002-06:00

Ron Paul rally at Union Station in Kansas City, MO

I had the opportunity to see Ron Paul at a rally in Kansas City tonight at Union Station. One of the things I have noticed about the crowds of people that support Ron Paul in comparison to those that support other candidates is the rhetoric. Even in chants which in most cases tend to be the epitome of mindless agreement have far more substance than in other campaigns. In the re-election of George W. Bush we heard things like "FOUR MORE YEARS" and with Barack Obama, we were subjected to "O-BA-MA" and "YES WE CAN" which were rooted in nothing but demagoguery and campaign propaganda. At best, phrases such as "yes we can" were at least cleverly thought out to be malleable to whichever point of view the person participating in the chant held.

Take those phrases and contrast them to those such as "END THE FED", "RON PAUL REVOLUTION; GIVE US BACK OUR CONSTITUTION" and "BRING THEM HOME" which are all chants that are substantive and have some actual depth to them and you will see a stark difference. Those chants are also backed with actual knowledge of current events and familiarity with our political system and the Constitution. At other campaigns you might find someone that knows a thing or two about the constitution but beyond rattling off portions of the preamble and a couple amendments, you would be hard-pressed to find people who could explain how the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki and other US citizens was a violation of the Executive powers and how it was a bad moment in our countries history for our civil liberties. I believe it would be equally challenging to receive and explanation of how the Federal Reserve act is a violation of our constitution.

You can take that even further and contrast the kind of literature that people read at these events. You can count on finding a handful of people at any Romney or Gingrich rally that have either read or at least familiar with the latest book of their candidate but by far, the Ron Paul supporters have more often read several Ron Paul books and did not stop at the literature of their candidate. You will find people familiar with the works of F.A. Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Andrew Napolitano, Ayn Rand and the list goes on and on.

In my experience, the knowledge of Ron Paul supporters goes far beyond, media talking points as heard on television and talk radio. It seems that even the group chants heard at a Ron Paul rally cannot be confined to the limits of the herd mentality that it so often accompanies and much transcend that by actually containing a meaningful message! Kudos to Ron Paul supporters for educating yourselves. I can only hope that as the cause of Liberty trends upward in popularity, that people continue this habit of self-education. It can only bring about better things!

Identifying a Crazy Person. (Newt Lasso's the Moon)

2012-02-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

a newt

In my experience, you can tell that someone is crazy once they start coming up with elaborate plans like get rich schemes and unusually lengthy and hard to follow explanations of the mechanics thereof. A con-artist comes to mind. I usually apply the same common scrutiny sense in identifying a loon as I do the politician giving a speech. People can swap some goofy stories about people trying to get their friends to go in on some sure-fire Ponzi scheme but Newt Gingrich takes the cake!

Not too long ago, crazy uncle Newt pitched his grand idea in Florida to colonize the moon! Several things set off the crazy alarm on this the biggest and most notable being the condition of our economy. With high unemployment and soviet style run away spending, why would anyone want to increase by 15% our already bloated debt? How does one claim to be the conservative alternative to a "Massachusetts moderate" and then have great money inflating ideas like that?

Is it fair that we try to put a tin foil hat on Ron Paul who is basically saying that we've tried the Keynesian/big government thing, lets try sound money and more individual Liberty? This man is clearly been channeling the paleo-conservative ghosts of Reagan, Goldwater and Eisenhower. Is that fair when his opponent so vocally defies all reason with ideas of recession-funded moon colonies that would make John Maynard Keynes proud? If you can't see the horrible delusion in that, please sign up for the new moon colony. I'm sure you'll like it.

It's All About the Delegates, Baby!

2012-02-09T00:05:00.001-06:00

Ron Paul has yet to take first place in any primary this year. Contrary to what you might believe about the primary process, none of that may matter! That is because while the other candidates have been marketing themselves with all the right buzzwords, written by only the best political consultants and focus groups designed to draw maximum turn out, Ron Paul has been educating his base about the part of the process that matters. That would be the delegates!

In some cases, Ron Paul has come in 3rd place and still walked away with all of the available delegates! For example, in the precinct of Larimer County, Colorado, Ron Paul placed second with about 30 percent of the vote compared to Santorum with 53%. Ron Paul walked away with all delegates and Santorum might as well have came in last place!

While Ron Paul is being scoffed at as a kooky and fringe candidate, he is orchestrating a brilliant campaign and utilizing a well educated voting base to win the election against all odds. The mainstream Republicans may be laughing now about these primary results but the "Paul-tards" might have the last laugh when it comes time to tally up the delegates!

Don't lose heart at the sight of these primary results. Often times they are non-binding and mean absolutely nothing. Remain vigilant and when you show up to cast a vote for Liberty, be ready to volunteer as a delegate which is what really matters! Let the words of Samuel Adams ring true!

"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen onsetting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."

Don't Run Against Obama...

2012-02-08T00:41:00.002-06:00

It seems to me that people are making a huge mistake when buying into the notion that this election is about getting Barack Obama out of office. Mainly because when we reduce the issues from ideology to men, it does the democratic process a great disservice. People do not seem to think through with whom we would replace him and tend to be happy with whoever can simply defeat him.

Barack Obama signing NDAA into law

In reality, Obama has not been much different from George W. Bush. Both candidates voted for huge stimulus spending, expanded the role of government in healthcare, over-extended the military and signed legislation into law that compromises the liberties afforded us by habeas corpus (e.g. N.D.A.A. and the Patriot Act). There are many more things I am sure they have in common that I could spend all day on but the point is that we apparently have not learned our lesson with George W. Bush. We are poised to elect Mitt Romney who would be just like the two previous presidents (Obama and Bush) if not worse. The ideology between the field of G.O.P. establishment candidates and that of our past 4 presidents is not significantly different.

The ideological impact of replacing our incumbent president with Gingrich, Romney or Santorum would be the equivalent of replacing Communism with Fascism. All of the current contenders with the exception of Ron Paul have "plans" to fix every problem while all along it has been the plans that are the problem. As long as we keep electing men who think they have the answer to the problem, we'll only be making it worse. This idea that we can use the government to fix all of our problems is in reality the root of them! Ron Paul is the only candidate who is running on the idea that we take power away from the government and let people live life the way they see fit! No matter how good a politicians promise sounds it is only a recipe for tyranny when it involves government action in place of individual autonomy as government action naturally does! We need a passive government that will allow us to take care of ourselves. Ron Paul is the only candidate who truly embraces that ideology!

Dr. Ron Paul

When we make an election about voting the incumbent out we lose sight of the issues and create fertile grounds for intellectual dishonesty. We embrace one man who will do the same things that we hated in another and give into a double standard. The hypocrisy has to stop one day and it will. Whether it comes because our system has collapsed and can no longer be sustained or because we have had an awakening of people who are no longer willing to vote for a party or a man but insist on electing an ideology.

Drugs...

2012-01-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

Much fear is conjured up in the hearts of social conservatives at the mention of repealing drug laws. Instantly, they see images of crackheads and heroine addicts roaming every street, panhandling for drug money and stealing the copper pipes from plumbing systems all across this great land. As soon as the ban is lifted, our children, friends, spouses and even our selves will loose all sense of responsible behavior and become heavily addicted to hard drugs.

It is sad how easily we give into the notion that the government must prohibit something for our own safety. This has always been ineffective and in many cases extremely counter productive. One only needs to look at the enormous black market and gang activities that grew from alcohol prohibition and the enormous spike in drug usage as more and more restrictions were made in the past 60 years.

The problem is not that there aren't enough laws but we have been slowly losing our sense of personal accountability and responsibility. We have given up the healthy local community interaction and the charitable and educational responsibilities that go with it for government quick fixes in an effort to find a sort of "silver bullet" legislation that will end our drug consumption problems once and for all.

In removing those local influences of the community, for the ineffective mandates of Federal government, all we have done is give up more of those essential liberties that Ben Franklin warned us about for the temporary safety we were warned against. The only thing we have gained is a new outlet for government control in our lives. It sounds like a noble idea to rid the world of meth addiction through the crafty plans of our Federal government but has only proven to be a pipe dream. No matter how good the intentions of the Nanny State, they have only agitated he problem. Sixty years ago, we had a problem with people smoking marijuana and taking "bennies" and those instances were fairly rare. At that point in our history, we started trying to prohibit our way out of the problem. Look at ourselves today in contrast. Not only does our government want to pass tougher drug laws but they have extended their reach into what we eat for food. There are now movements that want to prohibit your fast food consumption and make sure you are eating a healthy diet. Until we take back these responsibilities at the most local levels, we will not solve the problem.

Ron Paul Could Destroy the Two Party System...

2012-01-30T01:04:00.002-06:00

Ron Paul could destroy the very flawed two party political system. If he were to win the Republican nomination and in turn the presidency, he could then run as a Libertarian or and Independent. An incumbent president running against two other parties with the ideologies of Ron Paul would cause panic in both parties! He strongly appeals to the fiscal conservatives in the Republican party and just as strongly appeals to the Democrats who vote based on civil liberties. This sort of scenario could easily play out splitting the vote 3 ways and if he won re-election it would give credit to alternative parties such as Constitutionalists and Libertarians.

Wouldn't you just love to see establishment politicians bouncing off the walls in panic to posture themselves to garner support from not just one person but two people running against them? I believe that atmosphere would change our current process from that of a popularity contest into more a of a refining procedure. Politicians would more easily be seen as the demogouges they are and the more honest ones would stand out in contrast as would be expected when you have more choices.

I remember being told in political science classes that a two party system is far better than a mult-party system. After taking the time to research I was confronted with the election of Abraham Lincoln. The election of 1860 was one of the most important in our nations history in which Lincoln ran against not one party, not two parties but three parties! A four party race is what unfolded and the we elected Abraham Lincoln who is thought to be one of the greatest presidents in our nations history. If more Abraham Lincolns are what we have to look forward to with multiple parties, I cannot wait. I look forward to expanding our political options and limiting the options of tyranny. I look forward to voting for Ron Paul and hope that he does make a third party run in his re-election campaign.

25 Mile Bike Ride Challenge...

2012-01-27T02:04:00.000-06:00

Ron Paul challenged his opponents for the Republican nomination to a 25 mile bike ride in the Texas heat when asked about his health and age being an issue in running for the presidency.

My guess is that Ron Paul is the only one that could complete a 25 mile bike ride in that Texas heat! The expressions on the his opponents faces were entertaining to watch. Each one snickered as he was the recipient of that question. Probably dwelling on how it's beneficial for them that the viewing audience would be entertained with the idea that Ron Paul is too old to be president. Then came the challenge. Maybe it is the other candidates that are not healthy enough to be Commander and Chief?

Let's redistribute our wealth to Israel...

2012-01-27T01:06:00.000-06:00

Some of the most ludicrous logic I have come across in listening to talk radio conservatives lately is that we cannot vote for Ron Paul because he would stop giving aid to Israel. For some reason all support for private charity and opposition to the Marxist ideology of re-distributive wealth just go flying out the window. What is most astounding about it is that even the most constitutional and paleo-conservative types practice this ignorance.

From a personal level, as a Christian, I see the need to support Israel. The Bible clearly states that those who bless Israel will be blessed. That being said, how does it reflect on us if the only way we support Israel is through the government confiscating our money and paying it on our behalf? That is no more charitable or Christian than a man who steals from you at gun-point so he can give your money to the soup kitchen or put it in the offering plate. It makes neither the person who the money was stolen from or the robber any more moral.

It is quite frustrating to see so many people who can spot the Marxist ideology in every government program except for when it is in the foreign aid to Israel. I think if we really believe in Liberty, we need to stop giving up our individual duties and responsibilities up to the government. When we believe that we need to "stand with Israel" as Glenn Beck would put it, we need to put our money where our mouth is.

Ron Paul IS electable

2012-01-26T22:30:00.000-06:00

The statement that Ron Paul is not electable more than baffles me as of late. I could understand that four years ago when people were still in a stupor, proclaiming the line of propaganda that "the fundamentals of our economy are healthy". After the market crashed and gold shot through the roof the Federal Reserve should have been revealed for the scam it is and Ron Paul the near-prophet he is! These things (and the odd lack of attention from the media towards such a man) forced me to take a second look at the candidate that I once accepted as fringe. I researched his policies from A to Z (In his book, Liberty Defined, he literally defines his position on the issues in alphabetical order) and I quickly became a Paul-tard as the Levin-tards (see what i did there?!) would so eloquently put it.

Ron Paul has accurately predicted the expansion of government in every area. Each predictions have happened in the time-frame he gave for them as well! He pointed out the abuses of the Patriot Act, future legislation such as NDAA, PPACA (that's Obummer-care for you Levin and Limbaugh listeners!), TARP, multiple wars and military adventurism and unstable conditions and the overthrowing of governments as what happened with the Arab Spring. All of this incredible foresight from a man that is so easily written off as un-electable.

On top of that many who call him fringe and kooky, are quick to support candidates like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. What is the problem with that you might ask? Ron Paul is very literally more electable than both! He consistently does better than each candidate in polls comparing them to Barrack Obama. What's more is that if any candidate deserve the title "un-electable" it is these two! They have failed to qualify for the ballots in multiple states while Ron Paul is on the ballot in every state!

Whether you like it or not, Ron Paul IS electable. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are not. Live with it.

First they came for Awlaki...

2011-10-06T01:55:00.000-05:00

I have been contemplating the recent events surrounding the assassination of Anwar Al-Awlaki and its relevance to our 6th amendment rights. While I lack any respect for Awlaki, I do however hold our constitution in high regard. If we are to lift the blindfold of justice for even the most vile people, it makes it that much easier to lift it for those who are less and less reprehensible. This reminded me of the poem "First They Came..." by Martin Niemöller. The poem reads as follows....

First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

The historical context of this poem comes from the atrocities that took place in Nazi Germany. We all know that they largely targeted the Jewish population but the first thing they did was take out the communists. This was the easiest target as the national socialists were always at odds with the communists (which has always been difficult for me to understand because of their natural inclination towards overly-centralized government). Their unpopularity in Germany made them an easy target and from this point the poem's relevance should be clear.

If Awlaki had been tried, I have no doubt that he would have been convicted and sentenced, but since the executive branch of our government decided to bypass this right, nothing more than an accusation stands in the way of the executive branch of our government assuming the role of the judicial branch. Today it was Awlaki who had connections to the Fort Hood shootings and the failed Times square and "underwear bomber" attempts. Tomorrow, the executive branch may direct its new-found might towards a private militia or even those "hateful" and "vitriolic" tea party protesters. All they need is an accusation. There is no need for pesky trials when you have the power of fiat on your side.

New focus.

2011-10-05T02:46:00.000-05:00

Since starting this blog, I have decided that the things I intended to post may not have been interesting enough for me to keep up with. I'm going to stop kidding myself and the main focus will be politics as I see it from my libertarian point of view. There may be an article about something of non-political interest from time to time but I intend to keep the topics political and non-dinner table friendly. Hope to see plenty of challenging and thoughtful comments.