There's been a lot of talk about Guantanamo Bay. I find it quite disturbing that so many from the Republican camp believe that our government can do absolutely anything it wants to Gitmo detainees because they are terrorists, especially and most tellingly, without having to PROVE those allegations in a court of any standing. What disturbs me the most is the issue of human rights. Do you believe in human rights as our founding fathers did? The simple, plain truth of the matter is this: IF you ...

In 2004, President Bush signed into law a statute that adds stiffer penalties to people who use stolen identities to commit a crime ( Link ). In the authoring of the bill and its passage, the high cost of identity theft was repeatedly cited. And yet, President Bush continues to push for amnesty for what may be the single largest group of identity thieves: illegal immigrants. While he demands stiff penalties for AMERICANS who steal identities, apparently if you're brown and born south of the b...

(Thanks, Loca, for the inspiration): I'm a Libertarian and I love my country. I'm a Libertarian and I am a Christian. I am part of the Religious evangelical Left, an almost heard of minority I am a Libertarian and I think it's a compliment when you call me a conservative I am a Libertarian and I think the ACLU was a patriotic organization, and sometimes still does some meaningful things but has badly lost its way. I am a Libertarian and I don't think the United States is the world...

As the public continues to grow disenchanted with the "Big two" parties, one would think they would be increasingly drawn to third parties. Yet, despite the HISTORIC numbers posted by Libertarians in the great state of Texas in 2006, third parties aren't electing candidates in numbers that would reflect that disenchantment. This despite the fact that the cost to run a grassroots campaign is actually DROPPING rather than climbing. Responsible members of these third parties would be doing their pa...

OK, OK, hardline Republicans. In the wake of the debate, where many Republicans didn't appreciate Ron Paul's comments about 9/11, the title of this article alone seems farfetched, but hear me out. Historically, the office of Vice President has been the big two parties' way of dealing with "loose cannons". With a short list of viable Veep candidates to balance the ticket, once all the smoke has died down, assuming Ron Paul doesn't win the GOP nomination, choosing him as the Veep candidate woul...

RE: The recently overturned vaccination edict of Texas Governor Rick Perry. Governor Perry unilaterally issued an "executive order" mandating the HPV vaccine to be administered to all girls going into their sixth grade year. The vaccine, for those living in a cave, is supposed to prevent SOME types of HPV that have been shown to cause cervical cancer. Governor Perry recently won a hotly contested re-election bid. One of his biggest contributors? Merck, the manufacturer of this vaccine. ...

Governor Rick Perry announced today that he will not veto the bill put forth by the legislature revoking Perry's executive order that would have mandated all incoming sixth graders receive the HPV vaccine. In a rare case of doing something right, the legislature was reacting to overwhelming public pressure opposing the order. The executive order was cronyism at its finest; vaccine manufacturer Merck had spent a lot of good money on the Perry campaign; money that would have netted them a prett...

Tonight's soundtrack provided by Neil Diamond: Far, we've been traveling farWithout a homeNot without a STARFree, only want to be freeWe huddle close, hang on to a dream I was born in 1970. While it is a distant memory, I do remember America's bicentennial and the patriotism it inspired. The halcyon days of Bruce Jenner, Mary Lou Retton, and Mohammed Ali. The days when Pete Rose was a hero, not a national disgrace, and when Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw were the subject of many schoolyar...

As we begin working towards the 2008 primaries, attention has focused almost exclusively on Barak Obama and Hillary Cklinton, the media darlings of the DNC. While Obama's star might not fade, I believe I can say without exception that Hillary Clinton will not win the Democratic Party's nomination in 2008. The reason why can be found with a close scrutiny of most major news sources: Barak Obama is a member of an untouchable minority, Hillary Clinton is not. Don't believe me? Walk into a com...

I hate living in the future, but sometime's it's a necessity. Since the beginning of the year I have been searching for anyone who endorsed my campaign in 2006, and for Libertarian and independent activists in my district. I'm pleased to report I'm hitting score after score. The legislature's in session right now so activists are a little more out and about than at most times during an "off year". This also means they're invariably a little ticked off that things didn't go their way in the...

In the wake of the demand that we triple federal spending and tax those bastard rich to pay for it, I thought I'd offer you the other side...the primary reason why I believe that EVERY government department, EVERY program, could stand at least a 10% cut. It's also a reason why I've come to loathe the way our bureaucracy so often works. For 5 1/2 years, as you all know, I was the manager of a group home for the developmentally disabled. I'd get to see the budgets "from the inside". Our...

Ok, This was so outrageous, I had to blog on it immediately. Oscar night comment (on Hurricane Katrina): "An event that brought home both the threat AND the impact of global warming" WHAT? global warming caused Hurricane Katrina? So, let me get this straight: there were no Hurricanes (or at least no Cat5's) prior to global warming? It's bad enough that Hollywood has spent the last 7 years gnawing on Al Gore's rectum. I mean, the Oscar win for "An Inconvenient Truth" was the biggest NONs...

I've already established a distrust of our federal government. Now I can add the American Medican Association to the list of organizations that I take issue with, because of their position on vaccination. See, the AMA's not too hot on religious freedom. Witness the resolution posted on their website ( Link ): Since religious/philosophic exemptions from immunizations endanger not only the health of the unvaccinated individual, but also the health of those in his or her group and the comm...

I hate getting into endless arguments about abortion. For one, it's not likely to change any minds, but mostly because my views on abortion cannot be summed up in a simple yes or no answer. Abortion disgusts me. Period. So does war, so does the death penalty, so does poverty. But I also realize we live in an imperfect world, and sometimes we must accept the consequences of that. If there were no murder, no hate, there would be no need for the death penalty. If there were no human conflict, n...

We were sitting in class today. It's late enough in the semester that we've gotten back the "extra" money from our grants, scholarships, and stuff that allows us to eat, and pay transportation and living expenses. So, generally a pretty happy day for all, right? Wrong. One of the people in the class came in with a sour look on his face. He was upset because he was "only" getting $700 cash back. Now, normally, this would have meant a double jet of heavily agitated Dr. Pepper launching from ...