Friday, August 28, 2009

Rose-Croix Contribution To Peace...

"I contribute to Peace when I strive to express the best of myself in my contacts with others.

I contribute to Peace when I use my intelligence and my abilities to serve the Good.

I contribute to Peace when I feel compassion toward all those who suffer.

I contribute to Peace when I look upon all as my brothers and sisters regardless of race, culture, or religion.

I contribute to Peace when I rejoice over the happiness of others and pray for their well-being.

I contribute to Peace when I listen with tolerance to opinions that differ from mine or even oppose them.

I contribute to Peace when I resort to dialogue rather than to force to settle any conflict.

I contribute to Peace when I respect Nature and preserve it for generations to come.

I contribute to Peace when I do not seek to impose my conception of God upon others.

I contribute to Peace when I make Peace the foundation of my ideals and philosophy."

In This Corner!

Kentucky Fight

Get On With It, Already!

Kettle Black...

Check out the link below for a blog post from Doug Bandow concerning the irony of arresting private citizens for counterfeiting. What does the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve do on a daily basis?

When is the Secret Service going to investigate the Fed?

Another example of "Rules for me and rules for Thee"....

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/index.php#24435

Monday, August 17, 2009

A Review Of The Past Month

Excuse me as I play catch up here. I have been pretty busy outside of my political life. I am working on my fraternity website; catching up on my reading and spending time with some of my non-political friends. All politics and no play makes Thomas a dull boy, don't you know!

Last month, I drove (all by my lonesome) out to St. Louis for the Libertarian National Committee meeting. I must confess, my main reason for such a long road trip was the opportunity to see Dr. Ruwart again (sorry Lee Wrights, you come in a distant 2nd, ;^P). She was kind enough to provide me and my good friend Sean Haugh a room to share. Dr. Ruwart is such a thoughtful and giving person! Of course, anybody who knows Dr. Ruwart will tell you the same thing.

It was great seeing so many good friends from all across this great land. Among those were Dr. Jim Lark from Virginia, Rachel Hawkridge from Washington state, Julie Fox from Illinois, Dr. George Phillies from Massachusetts, and St. Louis home boy, Thomas Knapp. It was good to see Wes Benedict again, especially as the new Executive Director of the LP. He is a perfect fit for the job. Hiring Wes was by far the best action taken by the LNC this term.

I also got to spend some time with Jake Porter. Jake is a fine young man. I expect great things from Jake. He is a rising star in the LP. I also met Donny Ferguson, Communications Director of the LP. Donny is also a rising star in the LP. I just wish he would broaden his communications beyond the right side of the political spectrum.

It was great hanging out with fellow North Carolinian, Chris Thrasher of Free & Equal. Chris is another young person with a bright future ahead of him. I especially enjoyed dinner on Saturday night with Chris, Sean Haugh, local LP'er Rob Cunningham and LP Vice-Chair, Michael Jingozian. Michael is fun to hang out with. He is very talented and I hope the LP will utilize his skills in the future.

The meeting itself was pretty much a waste of talent and time. A lot of time was spent in executive session. I hope the delegates at next year's LP convention choose new leadership. It would suit me if they completely picked a new slate. That includes replacing those I tend to agree with most of the time. The LP really needs to clean house.

The week after the St. Louis trip, I worked the LP booth at the Vans Warped Festival in Charlotte. Rick Smith from Mecklenburg County helped me out. Except for the storm that passed through near the end of the event, the weather was as good as could be expected for this time of year. It was plenty hot enough, but thankfully there was cool breeze blowing most of the time.

I have been doing these outreach events for almost ten years now and this event was one of my best experiences. Quite a few angry people came by the booth. They were glad we were there. My favorite moment happened when a young fellow, probably around 17 years old, approached our booth. I welcomed him with my usual line, "Are you familiar with the LP?". He grinned and answered, "I'm a anarcho-capitalist whom happens to support the LP." I was surprised and thrilled at the same time!

There may be hope for us yet!

Monday, August 03, 2009

Resignation As C4L Region 8 Coordinator

I have reluctantly turned in my resignation as Region 8 Coordinator. Campaign For Liberty President John Tate issued a memo concerning C4L coordinators seeking public office.

Since the C4L is an 501 (c)4 organization and prohibited from directly supporting or aiding candidates, it could create legal problems for C4L and individuals such as myself. Frankly, I don't give a damn about legal problems about myself. I am a dedicated enemy of the State. The Leviathan can lay down and rot in Hell as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry for the anti-government rant. I have a hard time following edicts from an illegitimate government that refuses to follow their own laws, and more importantly the Laws of Nature.

Although I am very angry about the situation, I hold no ill will towards the C4L. They have to do what they have to do.

I have been involved in the C4L since day one. I was honored to represent the 8th District at the Rally For The Republic last September. I would like to thank Gary Hardee for giving me the chance to serve as a leader in the C4L. I will continue to support the C4L as a regular member, working in my precinct, turning people on to Liberty, one neighbor at a time.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Monopoly Of Force...

"If the Government extends its powers beyond this "cop-on-the-corner" function, it in itself becomes the greatest tyrant and plunderer of them all. Since the Government has virtual monopoly of force, its potentialities for evil are far greater than that of any other institution. The people must constantly keep their Government small and local, and even then must watch it with great vigilance lest it run amok. That is the great Jeffersonian lesson, and it is one that all Americans must begin to learn again."

Murray Rothbard