The Broadlighter

Broadlight Lamp Refurbishing

2011-08-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I embarked on my first foray into making lamps. After reading more than halfway through "All About Lamps Construction Repair and Restoration" by Frank W. Coggins, I couldn't resist the urge to see how I could take a wayward fixture and make something different and hopefully more beautiful of it.

I started out going to a thrift store, run by the Vietnam Veterans of America. They had a nice assortment of lamp bases and some detached shades. I found a very nice white lamp base that was $2 below the asking price of similar lamps. The reason? It was missing a harp, the framing piece that stands a lampshade over the bulb and socket. The cord looked a little old and tired. It also had a turn knob for a switch and I was hankering to change that to a pull switch.

I also bought a lampshade, a rather dainty old-fashioned one that I thought might go well with this lamp (I turned out to be wrong - my opinion). The shade sported flat sections with a wavy bottom side lined with a rather lacy strip to fancy it up and give it an old-fashioned look. I thought it might work with this lamp because of the angles of the lamp corners and gold floral patterns on the ceramic.

I went to a couple of hardware stores to get the new parts I needed. The first was a pull-chain socket. Next was a harp, cord wire and an AC plug. Not only was I going to wire up the lamp at the socket, I planned on giving the lamp a brand new cord and wall plug.

The original lamp had what appeared to be the bottom part of a harp assembly. Without a full harp, there was no hope of fitting the shade or any other shade on this lamp. The question, however, was what size. At the hardware store there were four different sizes - 8 inches, 9 inches, 10 inches or a foot. A foot seemed way too big and 8 and 9 inches seemed a little small. It really came down to choosing between 9 and 10 inches and I elected the latter. I thought about buying both and trying both on for size, but that seemed to be a lot of work as I found out later, so I went with the 10 inch harp.

Once at home I took the original lamp apart, unscrewing the assembly at the top. When it came loose, I discovered the big white ceramic piece came loose from the brass bottom. What held it all together was a long pipe through which the cord ran from top to bottom and out of the bottom through a hole in the side. The pipe, sometimes called a 'nipple' in lamp-making jargon was threaded at both ends. A small nut at the top held it in place and once loosened, another nut at the bottom came loose.

The first thing I had to do from there was remove the socket assembly and disengage the wires. Once that was accomplished, I could remove the harp bottom and the old cord. One of the problems I encountered was that bottom brass piece was sealed off with green felt. I had to cut it away so I could retrieve the nut that fastened the nipple at the bottom. I will have to consider replacing the felt at a later time, but for now, it seemed to be in the way of my project.

Next, I threaded the new cord through the bottom piece on up through the nipple, which ran through the main body and the upper assembly. At the very top, I split the two sides of the wire, about three inches from the end. I used a tape measure and a felt marking pen to mark the three inches. Then I marked each strand at 5/8ths inch and used a wiring tool to strip away the rubber wire insulation from the strands, exposing brilliant copper wires.

One of the hard parts for me was twisting the copper wires to bring them together. It seemed that no matter how much or how thorough I twisted those wires, they always seemed to want to come off and fray. following the directions from this video I tied the two wire strands in an underwriters knot, then connected the wires to the socket terminals. I took great care to ensure that the ribbed strand was connected to the silver terminal and the smooth strand connected to the brass terminal. Sometimes it's not so easy to see because the the strands, when pulled apart, creates a ribbed bevel in the smooth strand. You have to examine the strands carefully to notice the additional ribs on the grounding strand. Connecting the copper wires to the terminals posed its own challenges. After they've been twisted to form a solid strand, you have to form a hook-like shape to fit it around the terminal screws and sometimes, the copper strands don't want to stay together. I struggled with that for a little bit and with the help of a very short flat head screw, I was able to tuck the exposed wire into place and screw down the terminals very tight.

The lamp assembly was now finished, but there was one more task - adding the AC plug to the other end of the cord. I went through the same process of splitting the two strands of the cord and stripping the insulation. Then I attached the exposed copper wires to the proper terminals inside the plug unit. This piece was rather easy as one side of the plug housing opened up on a hinge. Then you could just lay down the wires, attach them to the terminals, making sure the ribbed side attached to the silver terminal and the smooth side attaching to the brass terminal. I closed plug assembly and screwed it together.

The lamp was pretty much complete and ready to plug. All I had to do was place the lamp shade on the threads at the top of the harp, plug it in and admire my new creation. However, one small piece was missing - the finial. The finial is a decorative, closed nut that screws onto the top of the harp, thus fastening the lampshade to the harp. The new harp I had bought did not come with a finial. What was I thinking?

Just for proving sake, I borrowed a finial from another lamp and got the completed look. Here is the finished product:

I felt a lot of pride knowing I put this together. Then my critical eye took over, as well as my wife's. We placed the lamp in our bedroom and looked at it in different positions. We also tried different bulbs to check lighting intensities. What we found a little off was that the shade was too small. We felt the shade should cover up the assembly above the ceramic body. However, you can see the sleeves, nuts and socket assembly from many angles. The only thing we'd like to see is the body and the pull chain. Proportionally, the shade and lamp body seemed mismatched as well, although the shapes, of themselves, seemed pleasing. Together, they don't quite work, but this is just a first effort. Revisions will be made and this lamp will definitely look better once we've made some changes.

Article on Gluten Free Dieting

2011-03-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

This article from Yahoo News makes some good points about gluten-free diets. Debbie Johnson's book, "Fun With Gluten-Free/Low-Glycemic Cooking" shows you how to make meals that are not only without gluten, but the heavy glycemic (sugar) element so prevalent in gluten-free diets.

This is Gluten-Free AND Low-Glycemic

2011-03-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

There are lots of cookbooks that show you how to prepare meals that are gluten-free (no wheat) for the gluten intolerant and there are cookbooks for diabetics who need to eat meals that are low in sugar. This eBook, by Debbie Johnson, author of the best-seller, "Think Yourself Thin," combines both. "Fun With Gluten-Free/Low-Glycemic Cooking" was written with the idea in mind that people who have health challenges ought to be able to enjoy delicious, easy to make meals that won't spike their blood sugar or flare up wheat allergies.

Some of these recipes are so simple and good that you don't even have to be diabetic or gluten-intolerant to enjoy them and benefit from them. My personal favorite is the Carob-Mint Brownies on page 96, in Chapter 5, Delectable Desserts. These brownies do not taste like carob, not that that is a bad thing, but Debbie's combining of Carob powder, ground Chicory root, Vanilla extract and Peppermint oil creates a flavor that's identical to Chocolate without it being real Chocolate.

So, if you need some health-filled ideas of what to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner or even snacks for the road, try this eBook, Fun With Gluten-Free / Low-Glycemic Cooking, by Debbie Johson

End the Fed Photos

2008-11-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the photos from End the Fed, Nov. 22, 2008 in San Francisco.

You Can Only Truly Win By Being Right

2008-11-19T22:52:00.000-08:00

At the meeting of a liberty-minded political action group this week week, we were visited by a couple of men who had just won their elected seats in the county. One of them was a seasoned political operative who had been in the county for a number of years and in other places around the country.

He made an interesting statement. Many of us embrace constitutional and libertarian ideas, so in his enlightened wisdom, he said something to the effect of, "Libertarians, I love them, God bless them, but you can't win elections by being right all time." It was an extraordinary statement. On one level, he echoed Ed Griffin's conclusion that we have to come to power before we can implement our ideas. In a practical sense this holds true. Lenin preached this and many others. However, in that statement, also lies the seeds of corruption.

The first job of the politician is to get elected. The second job is to stay elected, somewhere, sometime after that he must get around to carrying out the ideas and wishes of those who voted him into office. The challenges are fierce. The opposition is vicious. The temptation to form questionable alliances, make compromises and backroom deals is very persuasive. The activity of staying in power can become so all-consuming that it seems the issues, voters care about most, never see the light of day. The politician gets caught in the game of the lesser of evils and he becomes evil to his own end.

"Libertarians can't win by being right all the time." Says who? When do we get to the business of the people? How long must it take? How many elections and re-elections do we have to win? How long must the voting public put up with the political games and shenanigans before their business is addressed? Why can't we win because we're right? Or better yet, Can we win by being right?

Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas has won 11 terms to represent his district is an example of winning by being right. What does that say? He's a constitutionalist, a libertarian, a Republican. He fights fair and his ideas are based on logic, an understanding of history, economics and the foundations of this country. He does what he says he's going to do. He votes his conscience and is frequently the lone voice of dissent in Congress. He has more principled integrity than any other member of congress, the senate and the executive and judicial branches combined and he wins elections. Maybe the key to winning elections and getting our voices heard in Washington and Sacramento is by being right. Maybe this is what is needed to turn around our country.

Maybe the key to making genuine changes in our government is to communicate the right message to enough people. What good is winning elections if the right ideas are never implemented?

The GOP in this last election cycle lost the presidency, and a majority of seats in Congress and the Senate by promoting a message of big government, aggressive wars, violating civil liberties and corporate bailouts and budget deficits. It completely abandoned the foundational principles of its own party's roots. It lost the election by being wrong on all of these issues and now efforts are being made to find better ways to communicate, without changing the essential message, without bringing the GOP back to its core principles. Maybe it's time to be right for a change. Maybe voters want to be right about who they elect to represent them.

If we keep electing wrong individuals who have wrong ideas, how can we ever expect anything to go right?

Libertarian Michael Badnarik once said, "If I give you a choice of at 45% chance of lethal injection, a 50% chance at the electric chair and 5% for escape what are you going to vote for? The electric chair because you are likely to win? What are you going to vote for? Escape!
But it's only 5%!
I don't care! It's the right thing to do!"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIOX9IQhL3M&eurl=http://www.campaignforliberty.com/)

My conclusion is being right on the issues and the candidates is the only way to really win in politics. Winning for the sake of winning ensures the voters continue to lose.

Mike Ledeen wins the first ever Rufus T. Firefly Award

2008-11-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Announcing today's and the first ever Rufus T. Firefly Award for notable antics by politicians and other related folks. Today's award goes to Michael Ledeen, notable neo-con, former scholar at American Enterprise Institute and currently at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Thomas DiLorenzo at LewRockwell.com reported on Ledeen's rather "Strangelovian" speech at Hillsdale college regarding the threat from Iran.

The latest issue of Imprimis, published by Hillsdale College, highlights a speech urging war with Iran by neocon Michael Ledeen, who was instrumental in getting the Bush administration to lie us into the war in Iraq. Iran "is a country where lies and deception are a way of life," he says. Ledeen should know.

From The Broadlighter

We at the Broadlighter would like to congratulate Mr. Ledeen for his accomplishments in keeping America safe for Democracy, while our Constitutional Republic gets relegated to the dustbin of history's horse and buggy era.

Obama Euphoria, What It Means

2008-11-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

This article from Llewellyn Rockwell at the Mises Institute spells out the meaning of America's 'breakthrough' election.

"This is why we hear about "breaking barriers" rather than encouraging opportunity, about policies rather than freedom, about power rather than entrepreneurship. For the media writing about all this, it is the only intellectual model they have in mind. The conflict view of society was taught to them in college and is reinforced daily in the press. Also, unless you have some clear filter in mind, it seems like the conflict view is supported by plenty of evidence, given that the rise of the state has actually generated social antagonism where none should exist."

Here's the whole article: Breaking Barriers or Dividing Society?

Rockwell makes the case that human progress results from commerce and not from changes in the political landscape.

"A much better indicator concerning the status of any group – racial, religious, sexual, or otherwise – is commerce, which is the real engine that makes society work. And here we see that there are no such barriers in existence. We need only look at the status of black-owned businesses to see that there are more than one million in the United States, generating revenue of some $89 billion per year, which is more than the GDP of 140 countries around the world, and growing (according to most recent data) at a faster pace than all businesses."

Even though Obama promises the hope of change, what Rockwell describes as a world view based on conflict will retain its status quo in our educational system and news media. It is my hope that Rockwell turns out to be wrong, but I'm afraid he's not.

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

2008-11-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Got this story the other day following the election

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it
would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So,
that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are
all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of
your
daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would
each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's
bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out
the
amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a
dollar, too.

It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got' 'That's
true!!'

shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only
two? The
wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We
didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is
how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they
might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Free Blue Oyster Cult Show in Santa Cruz

2008-07-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

I had been waiting all Summer for this show. My favorite Rock band, the Blue Oyster Cult came to Santa Cruz to perform live at the Boardwalk. I brought my wife, our outdoor chairs, some beach towells and food. We left a little late, still a good 40 minutes before the show, but the traffic backed up at least 2 miles from the venue.

We ended up parking right in front of my late brother's home, a place I visited during my college years and enjoyed listening to the BOC on his turntable. I wished I could have parked closer, but the boardwalk lots were showing "Full" signs. We wended our way across the San Lorenzo River and looked for parking as close as possible near the trestle bridge that links the Seabright neighborhood to the Boardwalk. The first 3 blocks had permit parking signs and we saw people walking toward the Boardwalk from where there were no parking restrictions. We found a spot right in front of my late brother's old place. It was as though he was looking after us.

We schlepped our items down the long streets and across the bridge. That seemed to be the easy part because nothing would have prepared us for the mangy crowd at the Boardwalk. There were people everywhere and so tightly packed in it was difficult to negotiate the chairs and bags we carried. As we got closer to the concert area, marked by a huge stage, about 10 feet above the beach sands, facing the amusement park, we could hear the band playing "Burning for You."

They sounded very crisp. I could tell it was going to be a fine show. Getting to the sand so we could set up our chairs and towels became another challenge. We followed a security officer who was helping a young man and found a wooden aisle running between the towels and masses of people enjoying the show. The wooden walkway also passed directly in front of the band. We needed to be on the right side of the stage because we had a friend and her two nieces coming, one of whom was deaf. The concerts at the Boardwalk always have an sign language interpreter on the right front corner of the stage. So, we passed directly in front of the band. We were about 20 feet from Buck Dharma nad Eric Bloom who were belting out "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll." With no one or nothing but a little sand between me and the band's remaining original members, I almost felt like saying "Hi Eric! Hi Buck!" but they looked a little busy crunching out the riffs for me to bother. They seem so familiar, yet I've never actually been personally acquainted with them.

We found a small area of sand between the towels and blankets for us to set up. As we unloaded our gear, I caught Buck doing his usual lacing and stretching his fingers right before tearing off on his signature solo. I accidentally stepped on a woman's bare feet while settling in. She was there with her husband and kids who seemed to be enjoying the concert. Lots of beach balls went flying and bouncing around the crowd. The children seemed to be very interested in catching and sending the balls on their way.

The rest of the set included "Shooting Shark", a searing "Buck's Boogie" and "Don't Fear the Reaper." It was a very short session, about 45 minutes in all. The band seemed to be enjoying themselves and the crowd. Right before the Reaper, Buck lost a string on his guitar and had to saddle up with another axe. He needed a little time to tune it and I'm not sure it was completely ready, but he played it anyway. Eric Bloom, introduced the song reminding everyone of the Saturday Night Live "Cowbell" routine. He acknowledged all of the fans who brought their own cowbells and invited them to join in.

The session ended with the band promising to reprise a couple of songs in the second set, but it was going to take more than an hour before they'd come out again.

During the break, quite a few people left or moved and made a little more room for us to spread out. Our friends arrived about 10 minutes before the second set began. The band came out with a bang. They launched into "The Red and the Black" whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. The followed it with "Harvester of Eyes" then "Burning For You." The next song was a real treat,this one from their first album - "Before the Kiss, A Redcap." Buck's solos were smoking and the band sounded really tight. Then came a very excellent "Black Blade." Following that, Buck introduced "Harvest Moon" from their "Heaven Forbid" album. Eric Bloom called out the monster that ravaged Tokyo "Godzilla" and during the song's interlude introduced bassist Rudy Sarzo, formerly of Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Ozzy. They played a few riffs from those bands then finished "Godzilla." The nightfall came on during this set and as it got darker, our nostrils filled with the stench of Marijuana. If anyone who was their reads this blog and was doing that, I have a message for you and it's this: I haven't been into Pot for about 30 years now and don't intend to, but please, if you are going to smoke pot, stay away from the skunk weed. That's just awful. Some people were smoking undoubtedly better stuff, but that smell mixed with the skunk weed just sucks. Another thing. It seemed that when the second set started there were bunches of young men and women appearing out of nowhere walking across the towels not seeming to know where they were going. This went on from 10 to 20 minutes and made it very distracting for everyone else. The band finished their set with another "Don't Fear the Reaper" only this time with an even more impassioned guitar solo from Buck Dharma. Band members Eric Bloom, Richie Castellano and Rudy Sarzo made trips to all sides of the stage to energize the crowd and then Buck himself did the same during his second solo. The crowd went nuts. This band knows how to play for its audience.

It still didn't seem like enough. The lady MC announced the end the of the show, but the crowd wasn't buying it. Eric Bloom came out one and said the band had time for one more and then blistered everyone with "Hot Rails To Hell." The crowed was all on its feet and we took that as our cue to pull up the chairs and towel and pack it in.

Wading through the boardwalk crowd seemed even more challenging. It had not thinned at all and everyone seemed to be a few notches up on the inebriation scale. My wife and I made a plan for me to fetch the car while she waited at the entrance to the boardwalk. It seemed that everyone who headed in my direction was drunk or stoned. Even those who brought their bicycles. I passed by a group of cops detaining a man who was sitting on the ground complaining of his treatment. There had also been a medical emergency out on the beach sand during "Godzilla."

After making it past the trestle bridge and walking through the Seabright streets I noted a few revelers arguing and cussing over who was going to get to drive. Above them on an apartment balcony were a couple of young children listening and then talking back to the revelers. Everyone else I saw walking down the streets or getting into cars was staggering and falling over themselves. I finally made it to my car and drove back to pick up my wife at the Boardwalk entrance. A couple of drunks lurched nearby, but they didn't seem to be bothering her.

I was glad to make it home safe and sound. I love the Blue Oyster Cult, but it seemd like paying for tickets and seeing them in a bar as I did a couple of years ago in San Francisco would be a safer and more sensible way to go.

Observances on the band: Buck Dharma just seems to keep doing his thing. He's a great soloist to watch and listen to. He draws you right in and just plays. Eric Bloom seems to be losing his voice. There are certain songs like "Astronomy" and "Going Through the Motions" that really highlight his vocals. They don't play those at the live shows anymore and I can see why. Eric brought up his New York Baseball teams. He announced that the Yankees and his favorite, the Mets both won, but alas no one Northern California would have known any better. He was happy the Philadelphia Phillies lost, but again, this didn't do anything for this largely stoned-out West Coast crowd. I was a little surprised to note that Allen Lanier was missing in the line-up. Turns out, he stopped touring with the band in 2006.

They are a great band to watch and they keep touring. They are one of those 'On Tour Forever' bands, but in their case who knows how long 'Forever' will last.

McPainful Episode at the Texas GOP Conventions

2008-06-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Professional electioneering begets more and more of itself. Alan Stang from News with Views details the sordid proceedings of the Neuces County and Texas state GOP Conventions. I think this paragraph sums it pretty well:

"A word should be said about the convention mentality. It appears to be a species of hypocrisy so intense, so total, that it metastasizes into brainwashing. It is a bizarre combination of politics and show business, a procession of dignitaries with perfect hair and choreography, speaking through mechanically pasted Senator McNasty smiles, thundering that the main problem in the country is the Democrats. For instance, on the dais in Houston, Newtie Gingrich favors wall to wall drilling for oil. Elsewhere, he is an Al Gore carbon “footprint” environmentalist. Asking about the discrepancy means you are disloyal."

Read the whole thing here.

If this sort of thing is happening all over the country, and I've heard of like stories in Missouri, Alaska and Nevada, then perhaps Obama wins this election by a landslide. Either that or McCain wins narrowly, with a little help from the electronic voting machine vendors.

Before They Added the Cowbell

2008-05-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma gets inspiration from his wife Sandy that leads to recording his and the band's biggest hit single "Don't Fear the Reaper." You know, that song Will Ferrell and Christoper Walken immortalized on Saturday Night Live when they added 'more cowbell'?

Watch and enjoy:

The song should be re-titled as "Don't Fear the Reaper, Gotta Have More Cowbell and Don't Lose the Mustache."

Emminent Domain/Rent Control

2008-05-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

I recently visited with friends who live in a city where rent control has been in force for several years. They expressed concern about California's upcoming election where Propositions 98 and 99 are on the ballot. Both are advertised to restrict local governments from exercising emminent domain. However, Prop. 98 has a provision for removing rent control. So the choice on 98 either restricts emminent domain and remove rent control or allow local governments to exercise emminent domain.

Gee, what a choice, huh? If you are a renter, you can vote away your landlord's right to raise your rent, but in doing so, you hand over the privilege of moving you out of your home to the local government.

As a renter, myself, I cannot blame my friends for wanting to keep their rents from going up. However, I abhor government interference in the market. That means rent control and emminent domain. Both actions aggressively coerce property owners to give up their right to do as they wish with their property. The principle of property ownership is a foundation for all human rights. If a property belongs to you, you have the right to do as you wish with it. Taking away that right by force, whether for benevolent or altruistic reasons, such as restricting the rent or forcibly removing the owner from one's property is still a violation of his rights.

To look at the problem from a broader perspective, we have to examine why landlords would want to raise the rents in the first place. If it is to antagonize or inconvenience their tenants, the landlord runs the risk of blowback from them. There are many reasons why an individual landlord would raise rents, but regardless of the reason, voluntarily changing the rental rate subjects that landlord to the exigencies of supply and demand.

I believe the problem goes deeper than the immediate context of renter-landlord relationships. I start with monetary policy and the inherently, inflationary nature of central banking vis-a-vis the Federal Reserve. As new money, created by new debt begins to circulate in the general economy, businesses and individuals find themselves with increasing financial obligations. In addition, the infusion of new money is felt in the marketplace, thus causing a devaluation of the currency. Every dollar becomes worth less than it was before and therefore businesses and people need more dollars to pay for the goods and services they acquire for surviving and hopefully prospering. It becomes a vicious cycle and those lowest on the monetary food chain - in this case, the renters, find themselves having to struggle more to keep up their standard of living.

In an economy based on sound money, prices tend to remain stable and the relative value of the currency holds, allowing people and businesses to plan ahead. There is little need for actions like rent control to protect renters from their landlords. Landlords would have little need to raise rents and if they did, the market would present more viable options for the tenants.

Emminent domain is just plain wrong. It is government theft of private property and no one should tolerate it. If a property is attractive enough for a city to acquire it for any purpose, it should give the owners of that property the choice to either sell or not sell and if the owners decide to sell, the city should pay the full market price for it. The key words here are force and voluntary. No one should be forced out of their property, but encouraged to enter into a market transaction voluntarily. The only time anyone would be forced out of their property is when something in or from that property presents a clear danger to the neighboring properties and the owner in question refuses to respect the rights of the other owners. In this case the local government acts in a defensive manner to protect the rights of those who haven't offended anyone.

In short, I understand why my friends desire maintaining rent control, but as time goes on and inflation puts pressure on the market, it becomes increasingly more difficult for landlords to stay in the business of renting out domiciles. It also hurts the renters who have to pay more for food and energy, so the lifting of controls presents a more onerous problem. Imposing more controls on specific areas of the marketplace superficially fails to address the real problem of inflation, yet provides some relief for a short while. However, if we want to address the real problem, we have to look at monetary policy and start there.

the tenants are free to move out and find a place that's more to their liking or they can organize and collectively bargain with their landlords to keep the rents steady.

Democracy Isn't Cool

2008-05-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

The Founding Fathers of the United States didn't think Democracy was cool. This is why they established a Constitutional Republican government based on principles of liberty.

To support this premise, I'd like to present a few quotes to support that notion.

From Thomas Jefferson:

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."

"The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind."

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it."

From John Adams:

"Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide."

Here's one I've seen attributed to Ben Franklin and John Adams, although it appears to be unverified:

"Democracy has been defined as two wolves and a sheep discussing plans for lunch."

A second line is often added: "Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

If anyone can show me the original attribution, I would be grateful to correct this post.

In my search for quotes about Democracy by the Founding Fathers, I found that not all of them were consistent.

Jefferson also said:

"Information is the currency of democracy."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

On the surface, these statements may seem favorable to the idea of democracy, but not necessarily. The benefits of democracy suggest that the preponderance of public opinion would be listened to, heeded and acted on by politicians in government. However, if the individual is to have his rights respected and dignity acknowledged, the best form of government is one that protects him, even when the majority doesn't wish it so.

I believe that the government was set up by the Fathers to make it exceeding difficult and cumbersome for the government to become efficient and competent at exerting force on individuals. This was not intended so much to make life miserable for our public servants, but for people to exercise their own innate talents and creativity to solve their problems and provide for the benefit of society with as little as government assistance as possible.

Ron Paul Quotes

2008-05-12T18:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some of Ron Paul's supporters favorite quotes from Dr. No, himself coming from RonPaulForums.com :

From: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=137033

About 9/11:
"They don't attack us because we are rich or free, they come here and attack us because we've been over there."

When asked by Fox News anchor Brit Hume if he takes his marching orders from Al Qaeda:
"NO!!!! I take my marching orders from the Constitution....not from any enemy!!!!"

Other quotes from various speaches and interviews:
"The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility and out of self-interest for himself, his family, and the future of his country to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state."

"Freedom is popular!"

"We have embarked on things, never intended by our founding fathers...and they said don't get involved in the internal affairs of other nations, don't become the policemen of the world."

"were being over regulated, over taxed and over-run by bureaucrats, the founders would be ashamed of us for what we're putting up with"

When asked about his electability during a debate on Fox Television:
"Let me see if I get this right—we need to borrow $10 billion dollars from China, and then we give it to Musharraf, who is a military dictator who overthrew an elected government. Then we go to war; we lose all these lives, promoting democracy in Iraq. What is going on here?"

Other quotes:
"And there's a greater burden on you than the average person because you know better. So you have an obligation to spread this message, others don't know any better so they don't have this obligation. You have, you are now responsible because you have the message, you know what is right, you know what has to be done, and you know that it will be dependant on you to do it."

"Let it not be said that we did nothing..."

"It's better to be pissed off than to be pissed on."

"As long as we live beyond our means, we are destined to live beneath our means..."

Ron Paul to Fox News Pundit, Sean Hannity
"You'll come around"

To Mitt Romney:
"Make fun, buddy".

Other quotes:
"The whole notion of the income tax is completely abhorrent to a free society because it presumes that the government owns you and your productivity."

From GOP debate moderated by Tim Russert, NBC:
Tim Russert: Does the president need authorization from congress to go to war with iran?

Mitt Romney: We'll let the lawyers sort that one out

Tim Russert: What about you Congressman paul?

Ron Paul: Ah-Absolutely. All this discussion about talking to attorneys totally baffles me! Why don't we just OPEN UP THE CONSTITUTION *huge applause* AND READ IT. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO TO WAR WITHOUT A DECLARATION OF WAR.

From his latest book "Revolution: A Manifesto", Ron Paul takes aim at the Democrat's platform of Universal health care:
"And speaking of poor treatement; those who favor national health care schemes; should take a good, hard look at our veterans' hospitals. There is your national health care. These institutions are a national disgrace. If this is the care that the government dispenses to those it honors as its most heroic and admirable citizens; why should anyone else expect to be treated any better?"

And this quotable:
"I dont want to run your lives, I dont know how to run your lives, the Constitution doesnt give me the athority to run your lives."

The Revolution: A Manifesto - Page 66
If our government were scrupulously faithful to the Constitution, we would not need to be especially concerned when a person who represents a philosophy different from our own takes political office. Our Constitution delegates relatively few tasks to the federal government, so it should almost be a matter of indifference who is elected. We wouldn't have to worry that a social policy of which we disapproved would be imposed on our neighborhood at the whim of the new president and his court appointees, or that more of our money would be stolen to fund yet another government boondoggle. And we would also be spared the spectacle of countless American individuals and corporations frantically donating to candidates for political office during election years in order to reserve a place on the federal gravy train if their favorite should win."

Grover makes a change

2008-05-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

It got 2nd place in the recent Sketchies contest. It's first place in my book, indubitably....

My Friend Ajay

2008-04-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

He's much older now, but this is my first attempt at putting a photo on my blog

Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

2008-04-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

They get to tax you, fund politically unpopular programs and wars, permit oligarchs to profit from inflation and now they get to charge fun and frolick on your dime.

From Hope Yen, Associated Press:
WASHINGTON - Federal employees charged millions of dollars for Internet dating, tailor-made suits, lingerie, lavish dinners and other questionable expenses to their government credit cards over a 15-month period, congressional auditors say.

A report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, examined spending controls across the federal government following reports of credit-card abuse at departments including Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.

The review of card spending at more than a dozen departments from 2005 to 2006 found that nearly 41 percent of roughly $14 billion in credit-card purchases, whether legitimate or questionable, did not follow procedure — either because they were not properly authorized or they had not been signed for by an independent third party as called for in federal rules to deter fraud.

For purchases over $2,500, nearly half — or 48 percent — were unauthorized or improperly received.

Read the rest of the story here

It's bad enough the government has the privilege of confiscating our personal incomes and charge taxes on fuel and communications. Making the kind of purchases described in the article should be treated as the crime it really represents - theft of the American people's money.

If you rob a bank or your local 7-11 store, you go to jail. Period. End of discussion. A U.S. Dept. of Agriculture employee was sentenced to 21 months in prison for using her privilege to pamper her boyfriend. This is how all of these cases should be dealt with, but unfortunately this isn't the case.

As the government gets bigger, it becomes more difficult to reign in abusive behavior by individuals working for it. Some of the behaviors came from the Department of Homeland Security, a relative newcomer to the Leviathan, we know as the federal government.

Is it any wonder the Founder of this country stressed for small, limited government?

Ron Paul Loves Mises to Pieces

2007-10-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul gives his best speeches before friendly audiences and oftentimes articulates his positions extremely well, IMO. The Mises Institute of Austrian Economics is dedicated to the promotion of free-market economics.

Here is a link to Ron Paul's recent speech before the Mises Institute.

Ron Paul Paul speaks to the Mises Institute

The strength of a nation relies on its currency. Ron Paul speaks about the tie-in between foreign policy, the welfare/warfare state, personal liberty with the national currency. He says the Constitution wasn't perfect, but we were just beginning to see the benefits of a government based on liberty at the end of the 19th Century. People seem to think his ideas are archaic, old-fashioned, but the truth is freedom as national policy is still very young in the context of world history. It's totalitarianism that is old and archaic. Do not be fooled by the rhetoric of those who dismiss Dr. Paul's message of liberty. They are the one's who are becoming increasingly out of touch with what humanity really wants.

Ron Paul On the Environment

2007-10-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul explains his environmental views in this interview:

Paul On the Record

I thought this part was especially insightful:

Q: "But often the cheapest energy sources, which the market would naturally select for, are also the most environmentally harmful. How would you address this?

A: Your question is based on a false premise and a false definition of "market" that is quite understandable under the current legal framework. A true market system would internalize the costs of pollution on the producer. In other words, the "cheapest energy sources," as you call them, are only cheap because currently the costs of the environmental harm you identify are not being included or internalized, as economists would say, into the cheap energy sources.

To the extent property rights are strictly enforced against those who would pollute the land or air of another, the costs of any environmental harm associated with an energy source would be imposed upon the producer of that energy source, and, in so doing, the cheap sources that pollute are not so cheap anymore."

Again, the free-market goes misunderstood and the good doctor clears it all up.

Austrian Economics

2007-10-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

The link here points to a .pdf document that introduces the science of Austrian Economics. In some interviews, presidential contender Ron Paul has expressed preference for the Austrian economic model.

Here's the article: Understanding Austrian Economics

In a nutshell value is what two people agree upon at the moment of trade.

Another thing I found interesting is that no-one invented money. It began as a traded commodity and over time emerged as the medium of choice.

The language is somewhat academic, but not out of reach. It serves as a guide for understanding a model for free markets.

The Gold Standard

2007-10-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine the other day asked me if I thought the Gold Standard would be a proper replacement for the current money system we have in the U.S. I answered him saying that we should revert to Gold and Silver coin – hard assets, but did not get a chance to explain myself further.

I’m not an expert on economics and finance. However, I have been familiarizing myself with economic systems, governments and the like while following the Ron Paul presidential campaign. In this essay I will attempt to explain a monetary system known as the ‘Gold Standard.’

In this essay I will attempt to explain ‘the Gold Standard’ as I understand it. I don’t expect to reflect a perfect or academic understanding, but I believe I have a working knowledge. If I present some erroneous notions, any corrections from better educated readers would be most welcome as they would certainly add to my knowledge.

What is the Gold Standard? The Gold Standard is a monetary system in which value of products and services is measured in terms of gold, usually by weight. In the movie, “Fiat Empire – How the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution,” G. Edward Griffin explained that in Ancient Rome a single gold coin would buy you a nice garment, a belt and some sandals. Today, a single one-ounce gold coin, worth about $750 today, could buy you a nice suit, a belt and some good dress shoes. His point was the value of an ounce of gold hasn’t changed much over the millennia. The price appears to make similar items more expensive, but that is because of inflation.

How did man start trading with gold? The use of gold coin as money goes back at least as far the early Mesopotamian civilizations. Ancient Egypt and Rome also traded in Gold.

Why was Gold used as a monetary standard? The secret of money is that it can be anything two people agree on. To illustrate this, in the movie “Trading Places” brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke, played by Walt Bellamy and Don Ameche, wagered over putting a poor street beggar played by Eddie Murphy into a high level executive position in their commodities trading firm in place of the current man who was very competent and successful, played by Dan Akroyd. The bet was whether the beggar would become a success and that the executive would sink to the lowest depths of despair and depravity. The Duke brothers discreetly agreed on the amount of the wager - $1.

Primitive cultures used things like bird feathers, sea-shells and seeds for trading. In a direct barter situation both parties would trade something of theirs without money. A skin trader would exchange skins for wood from a woodsman. Bartering like this works great when both parties have something the other party needs. Money came into existence to provide a medium currency, something that could be used over and over in trades where one party wants something from another party, but the one party does not have something the other party needs. The skin trader needs wood from the woodsman, but the woodsman has no use for skins. The skin trader offers some form of money, which the woodsman can use to acquire tools for his trade.

Getting back to gold. So why gold? Although gold is known as the heaviest of metals, it is also very soft and malleable. Gold can be easily smelted into liquid form and then molded to take any shape desired. It’s fairly easy to mint coins with gold. Because of its weight and value, it doesn’t take many coins to buy things with it. Remember the suit, belt and shoes analogy? Gold carries its value as a monetary standard because of its weight, beauty and the fact that it takes human energy to mine it and shape it for use in trade. With gold coin, one could take them to a goldsmith who could smelt them and re-shape them into jewelry.

What are the problems with using Gold as money? Carry enough gold around on your person and you may begin to notice some inconveniences. Gold is heavy and the more gold you carry the more conspicuous it becomes, thus making you a target for theft. If one is buying relatively cheap items, let’s say vegetable produce, a single gold coin will probably buy you more vegetables than you can eat before they spoil. Buy a smaller amount with the coin and you will need some other form of currency, like silver coin or paper bills for change. In an economy where gold is exclusive, this becomes highly impractical. The only way to make change with gold is to mint smaller coins or carry gold dust.

Another problem with Gold coin is that its currency can be easily inflated. In ancient Rome, goldsmiths, under the direction of the Roman government mixed their gold with other metals, diluting the gold and creating a much larger number of coins for circulating in the markets. Rome went from its humble republican ways toward empire by inflating gold. Armies needed to be raised and weapons and other supplies were needed for missions of conquest. Additional coins made it possible to keep the empire agenda rolling, but this resulted in another problem – inflation. The inflation led to the downfall of the middle and lower classes of citizens and ultimately for Rome itself.

The point of this is that because Gold is so malleable, gold currency can be easily inflated. The only way to prevent this from happening is for whoever supplies the gold to maintain strict standards. If the supplier is a government, they have to enact policies to ensure the Gold not be diluted in any way. In a free market, competition becomes the strongest deterrent to diluting gold.

Can you trade with something other than gold in a gold standard? Surprisingly, yes. During the years of European exploration goldsmiths figured out a way to keep their customers’ gold safely stored by printing voucher receipts for the gold. This was the beginning of paper money. There’s a section in the video “Money As Debt” that tells of the “The Goldsmith’s Tale,” which shows the progression of how Goldsmithing evolved into modern banking. When Goldsmiths began printing receipts for gold, their customers would take these receipts and trade with them in the markets as though they were the gold itself. Paper was easy and convenient. Goldsmiths also discovered that people were so content to trade this way that they felt no need to visit the goldsmith to claim their gold. Once in a while that would happen, but not enough to deter goldsmiths from exploring another idea. Goldsmiths figured they could just print up the paper and lend it to other customers at interest. The next stage in this development involved printing receipts that vouch for more gold than what actually sat in the goldsmith’s vaults. This was the beginning of fractional reserve banking. It made the Goldsmith very rich as it provided funding for a lot of commercial enterprises. This practice continues in the Federal Reserve system we have in the United States today, although gold no longer serves as the backing for new money.

So the gold standard also includes the printing of paper money. Paper money represents the value of Gold and can be redeemed for its declared weight. The problem here is that when there are too many receipts in circulation and not enough gold, the banker runs the risk of having customers lining up at his bank to ask for their gold back. This is known as a bank run and they’ve crashed many banking systems and rattled public confidence in banking as well.

Would we be better off with a gold standard? Not necessarily. It depends on the way the standard is managed by the suppliers. The U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 8 says:

“…
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
…”

And then section 10:

“No State shall … coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; …

In 1913 Congress abdicated its monetary function by handing it over to the banking cartel that operates the Federal Reserve Bank. At the time the U.S. was on a gold standard and the fledgling Federal Reserve managed the currency under a gold standard. However, passage of the Federal Reserve act gave the bankers a monopoly on printing money, giving it the power to inflate and deflate the currency as they saw fit.

The intent of the Constitutional assignment of coining money to Congress was to give the people their say in monetary policy as expressed through their representatives in Congress. The article’s weakness was that it said nothing about printing paper money and this allowed private banks to print paper money.

The benefit of trading with gold coin is that you are trading the actual commodity. The value is indisputable, you are trading the actual thing that has value, not something that represents value. As long as the Gold is as pure as it was mined from the earth, its value will stand the test of time.

The problem with having the government managing the currency is that even under the best of conditions where the government is truly accountable to the electorate, the processes would likely move very slowly. Needed changes in policy would get bogged down in debate and bureaucracy. This would eventually motivate special interests to either create or strengthen the role of a central bank. The benefit of following the Constitution and its intent is that Congress is directly accountable to the people. If the money is not handled properly, the people could vote the rascals out.

I believe the best option is a free and competitive market. There are other precious metal commodities like silver, platinum and copper that could compete with gold. In a truly free market, suppliers of these commodities would compete with one another and the consumers of these commodities would be able to decide which commodity suits their unique needs and purpose. Competition will also promote honesty and fairness. A gold coin supplier may find his customers going elsewhere if they discover he is diluting his coins with lead and inflating his volume.

The other benefit is that it would limit the influence of politics on the money supply. Problems that occur in the market would be solved by market forces, namely consumers and competitors. Bad behavior would more likely get rewarded by lost business or by criminal or civil court actions.

Is a precious commodity standard more preferable than the current debt system? If so why? In my opinion, it is absolutely more preferable. In the current system, money comes into existence as a result of debt creation. Technically speaking, those Federal Reserve Notes that everyone carries around in their wallet do not belong to them. They are on loan by the Federal Reserve and are payable with interest through our taxes. Since the Federal Reserve Notes represent credit for paying loans, they do not represent the interest on those loans. Where does the money come to pay the interest? The Federal Reserve has to print more money, thus maintaining persistent debt that cannot go away.

By contrast a precious commodity standard indicates outright ownership of the commodity. When you trade with gold or silver coin, you are trading something that has value for something that has equal or more value. The coin can remain in circulation instead of flowing back to the source of its issue. Economically this is the most ethical and humane way to trade. It’s what everyone believes should happen, but under the current system, is not actually happening. With authentic coins, their value does not change and cannot be inflated and cause prices to rise. It gives everyone who earns the right to trade with it, the fairest and most equal opportunity to better his or her own life, while the inflatable currency continually diminishes its spending power and places undue advantage to those closest to its entry into the market.

It is my hope and dream that we return to a precious commodity standard. It is a standard that supports human liberty and prosperity to the greatest number. It favors no one particular interest except those that serve society best. It motivates suppliers to deal more fairly and honestly with the demand side of the economic spectrum. It promotes natural ‘rule of law’ principles where no one controls the actions and behaviors of ethical people. And finally, it is the paradigm where people become the masters of money rather than the other way around..

Fiat Empire

2007-10-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Up until now, this is a the best net film I have seen on the Federal Reserve system.
It explains the system, its history and solutions for improving our economic system in the clearest and most level-headed fashion I've yet seen.

Here's the link: Fiat Empire

The movie takes about an hour, but it is more than worth it. As an American citizen, I feel duty-bound to vote only for representatives at the national level who are committed to ending the Federal Reserve's monopoly on our monetary system and that includes the income tax.

Somalia: Hope Without a State

2007-09-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

East African country Somalia has gone without a central government since 2000 and appears to be doing just fine. I found this article on the Ludwig Von Mises Institute's web site: The Rule of Law without the State By Spencer Heath MacCallum.

The first part of the article talks about how Somalia succeeded in running itself without a central authority. This was accomplished in spite of efforts by the United Nations to establish a democratic form of government. It goes on to share statistics that indicate improving trends in the quality of life for Somalis. For example:

Life expectancy increased from 46 to 48.5 years. This is a poor expectancy as compared with developed countries. But in any measurement of welfare, what is important to observe is not where a population stands at a given time, but what is the trend. Is the trend positive, or is it the reverse?

Infant mortality per 1,000 births fell from 152 to 114.9.

Maternal mortality per 100,000 births fell from 1,600 to 1,100.

Percent of population with access to sanitation rose from 18 to 26.

Percent of population with access to at least one health facility rose from 28 to 54.8.

Percent of population in extreme poverty (i.e., less than $1 per day) fell from 60 to 43.2.

Fatalities due to measles fell from 8,000 to 5,600.

Another even more comprehensive study published last year by Benjamin Powell of the Independent Institute, concludes: "We find that Somalia's living standards have improved generally … not just in absolute terms, but also relative to other African countries since the collapse of the Somali central government."

Could it be that people living in what we in the developed nations call 'anarchy' are better off without a central government? The article explains that the key to Somalia's growing prosperity lies in an understanding of the Rule of Law, which they call 'Xeer." Without anyone telling them what to do, the Somalis reverted to family and clan traditions they practiced long before colonial rule.

Living in a country where the rule of law is continually under attack and subverted by its leaders, I find this to be a refreshing and enviable example of how freedom can work in a practical sense. It would certainly be next to impossible for the United States to emulate Somalia. Still, it sends a message to the elitists, hedgemons, tyrants and Hegelian despots that they are indeed dispensable.

Read the whole thing.

Privatize the Garbage Service, Please!!!

2007-08-14T17:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a video from The Progressive Libertarian.

Brian Doherty explains the differences between traditional conservatism and libertarianism. He said that most libertarians become libertarians by way of some right-wing phase. Libertarians take the long view in Doherty's definition, which may explain why many non-libertarians fail to understand its practicality.

Ed Griffin Explains Individualism Vs. Collectivism

2007-08-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Watch this video interview of G. Edward Griffin, author of "The Creature From Jekyll Island," by jgomzz on YouTube.

Ed Griffin speaks with a clarity that seems rare by comparison to most intellectuals I've heard. I was especially intrigued with his explanation that the idea of groups or collectives is a false one.

I never cease to learn something from him, even about concepts with which I'm well familiar.

When In the Course of Human Events

2007-08-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Watch this video, share it with others:

This is the only Presidential campaign that has ever inspired me. Funny, he's not one of the guys the Fiat Money guys are betting on. Sometimes the high-rollers have to lose and I hope this is one of them.

$$ What They Didn't Teach You In School $$

2007-08-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when your Dad would tell you, 'So you think money is something that grows on trees?"

Now you can answer back, "No, it comes from an I.O.U. and the I.O.U. comes out of thin air."

Watch this video. It takes 47 minutes, but it'll tell you more in that 47 minutes than you would have learned in 20 years.

Money As Debt

It's time for the dumbing down to stop! We live in a society that isn't governed by the rule of law. It's controlled by the rule of money changers.

10 Criticisms of Ron Paul Answered.

2007-08-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

Great job by Escaping Ineffability for listing 10 of the most common criticisms about Ron Paul's candidacy. He answered all 10 with reasoned responses.

Get all 10 here.

Whether it changes any minds or hearts, the responses should serve to present some points of view that have not been considered by liberals and conservatives as real alternative answers to our pressing problems.

AP's Article on Ron Paul

2007-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

It was very nice of AP to give my favorite Presidential candidate some coverage today. Here's the article:

AP Says Ron Paul's a Longshot

I found this comment interesting:

---------------------------------------------------------
"Most of the oxygen is being taken up, especially on the Republican side, by those who look like they might have a prayer of winning in a Democratic year," said University of Texas political scientist Bruce Buchanan.
---------------------------------------------------------

What this guy Bruce Buchanan is saying is that the Democrats are already favored to win in 2008. That would make sense given the current Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq War and the GOP's base in their continuing support of it despite the fact that most Americans want to bring the troops home. However, he insinuates that Ron Paul wouldn't have a 'prayer' of winning this election.

I disagree.

I believe Ron Paul is the ONLY Republican, capable of defeating the Democrats in 2008 should he get the GOP Nomination. The so-called top-tier Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards offer nothing most Americans really want other than ending the Iraq War. They've also indicated a willingness to continue interventions in places like the Sudan, Pakistan and Iran. Ron Paul, by contrast, wants to return to a friendly, non-interventionist foreign policy as envisioned by the founding fathers of the Country. Not only that, Ron Paul wants to remove the prime mechanisms that cause our currency to inflate, our government to grow and our foreign influence to expand disproportionately - the Federal Reserve and the Income tax. This is the real change many Americans have been looking for and once Ron Paul stands up in contrast to anything the Democrats offer, it will be a no-brainer decision for the American voter.

And then there's this part in the article:
--------------------------------------------
But potential supporters may find some of the 10-term congressman's other views more difficult to accept, including calls for a return to the gold standard and a radically smaller government with no Education Department, Energy Department or Internal Revenue Service.

Paul also is just as likely to turn off as many voters as he turns on with positions that straddle both liberal and conservative camps. He opposes the death penalty and votes against military appropriations. He also opposes abortion and gun control. He's known on Capitol Hill as "Dr. No."
--------------------------------------------
This is typical mainstream media oversimplification. I might agree with the writer if all I got my news from was AP or one of the big TV networks. On closer examination Liz Austin Peterson misrepresents Dr. Paul's call for the gold standard. Dr. Paul has stated that he wants to base the monetary currency on hard assets be they gold, silver or other commodities. It also doesn't take into account why Dr. Paul wants to move us away from the current monetary system which is based on debt. Detractors thing the gold standard sounds quaint, yet antiquated and certainly not suited for the rigors of today's economy. I say bullshit. I believe the reason anyone belittles the idea of returning to sound currency is because a) They don't understand it at all or b) It's inconvenient and not pragmatic to those who control the current system.

Is a radically smaller government with no Department of Education, Department of Energy or IRS such a bad thing? One of the misconceptions of Ron Paul's desire to shut down the Department of Education is that it would mean the end of public education or that the federal government doesn't like public education. Public Education in the U.S. is administrated by the state governments. Ending the Department of Education doesn't change that. It just removes of a layer of bureaucracy and policy making from our education systems.

Ending the Department of Energy means removing bureaucracy and regulation from the energy industry at the federal level. State governments can then pick up the slack and deal with these issues locally. In addition, it levels the ground more for smaller, less funded companies and organizations to come up with energy alternatives and make them more affordable.

And finally, ending the IRS. Ron Paul said he would end the income tax. The agency, known as the IRS, began during the Civil War in 1862. It initially carried out the collection of income taxes during the war. The tax was repealed 10 years later. Under a Ron Paul administration the IRS would be severely reduced to performing limited functions and it would certainly not be engaged in enforcing personal income tax collection.

The principle problem with the income tax as, Dr. Paul has stated, is that the presumption is made that the Federal Government owns 100% of a person's income and that person is 'permitted' to keep a portion of it. This contradicts the notion of living in a free society. You work x number of hours for x pay, you should be able to decide what you get to do with that x amount. If you wish to contribute some of that x to the government to help it fund its operations that is your choice. Under the present system that is not the case. The current Income Tax which was enacted under the 16th Amendment of the Constitution in 1913 (the same year the Federal Reserve Act was passed), is used to collect money to pay the government's debt service. In other words, We the People pay the debt service on money borrowed by our government.

Anti-Tobacco Bill Helps Philip Morris

2007-08-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a good example of a 'see, I told you so!" story about corporate-government collusion.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel voted by a tally of 13-8 to approve legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to restrict and regulate tobacco advertising and health hazard labeling.

The legislation was drafted after several years of negotiations with led by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and former Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) with help from health groups and tobacco giant Philip Morris.

"Kennedy said at the meeting that Philip Morris had "nothing to do with our decision" and he supported the clove ban as long as it is WTO compliant.

Philip Morris's competitors are strongly opposed to the overall bill, saying it would lock in Philip Morris's dominant market share. The panel rejected several amendments by Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who represents R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in his home state of North Carolina. Kennedy said that Burr's amendments would undermine the legislation.

After the hearing, Burr said he would not rule out trying to hold up the bill on the Senate floor.

Enzi, the top Republican on the panel, also opposes the legislation and has objected to Philip Morris's involvement.

"If this bill is good for big tobacco, how can it be good for public health?" Enzi asked after the hearing. "The fact is, it can't. This bill is nothing more than a 'Marlboro Protection Act,' written to keep Philip Morris at the top of the tobacco market."

Enzi has introduced his own bill that would aim to greatly shrink the size of the tobacco market over the next 20 years.

A company statement issued by Altria said the company will "continue to lend our full support to this process."

Here's the full story: Anti-tobacco Bill passes Senate Panel

Note for the Michael Moore fans out there - this is not free-market capitalism. In a real free market health groups would make their case to the people directly. The Tobacco companies would probably do the same. The better and hopefully more sensible ideas would win out, but at least the people would decide.

By discussing the matter with the federal government, legislation gets crafted to benefit Philip Morris at the expense of their competitors. This ends up as government sponsorship of Philip Morris and Big Tobacco is still king.

The lesser of two (or more) evils is still evil.

Checking your premises on Universal Health Care

2007-07-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

I recently watched Michael Moore's movie "Sicko."

Most people I know who saw it thought it was a great wake up call. I thought it was quite disengenuous. Michael Moore is learning how to master the art of 'smoke and mirrors' and he does a good job at it, but that doesn't mean he understands anything better than anyone else.

I liked this article about Universal Health Care:

Check Your Premises

Michael Moore likes to pin the blame for the failures of the U.S. Health Care on the free market. Trouble is - there is no free market. The article talks about what health care was like when there was more of a free-market. Not perfect, but a lot better than the universal health care provided in other countries today.

Ed Griffin in the Age of the Sound Byte

2007-07-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

Ed Griffin played warm-up speaker before Ron Paul at the Ron Paul Rally in Mountain View, CA on July 14. Not accustomed to giving 10 minute speeches, he delivered his message in less than 10 minutes. His core message: "Ron Paul is the only candidate who can win for America" took all of 3.2 seconds.

Here's the whole speech:

I always learn something listening to Ed Griffin. He spoke about how voters tend to base their vote on who they believe can win the election, not unlike betting on a football game. If you go about it that, he contends, you may win the bet, but you'll also likely lose your freedoms.

He also talked about Carroll Quigley, professor at Georgetown University, who had Bill Clinton as a student. Very interesting stuff here.

Freedom Is Not Complicated

2007-07-17T00:28:00.001-07:00

Ron Paul paid a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area this last weekend (July 13-14). On Saturday, July 14, the South Bay Ron Paul Meetup group hosted a rally for the Presidential contender in Charleston Park, right next door to Google's corporate campus.

Here are the YouTube videos of his address:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

I loved the backdrop of the stage depicting Howard Chandler Christy's painting "Scene at the Signing of the Constitution." The painting with it's faded yellowish tinge made Ron Paul, wearing a yellow sport shirt and tan slacks, appear as though he stepped out of it to give us his speech - straight from the Constitutional Convention.

Dr. Paul's speech was one of the best I've heard so far on the campaign. His message that 'freedom isn't complicated' drew enthusiastic applause and cheers from 500-600 supporters in attendance.

The wonderful thing about Ron Paul is that he comes across as a real person, with no one handling him. He speaks without notes, spreading both arms wide as though he's passing along the gift of the Founding Father's wisdom to us. His message was about personal liberty, humble, non-interventionist foreign policy, low taxation, sound money and small government. He pointed out that critics and naysayers of this message are quick to brush aside these principles because simplistic they are simplistic, outdated and isolationist. Looking back on history and where we stand in the world, the current policies have done more to isolate the United States from the rest of the world than anything.

I agree with Ron Paul. It isn't that complicated. Give freedom a chance.

The Happiest Nation On Earth

2007-07-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of Vanuatu? It's a small island nation in the South Pacific where people use hogs' tusk as monetary currency. Here's the link from ABC's Newsstory:

Vanuatu, Earth's Happiest Nation

This supports my notion that sound currency enables people to meet their most basic needs.

Finally, A Media Interview Worth Listening To

2007-06-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

In this day and age of shock jock, combative interviewing that serves no purpose but to agitate interviewees and listeners, I found an interview that actually presented meaningful questions, meaningful answers and a spirit of dialog.

Here it is: Ron Paul on CSPAN with Laura Knoy .

Bill Maher found a new hero in Ron Paul. I just found my new hero in Laura Knoy.

Her interview style is relaxed. She doesn't indicate agreement on all points and asks the questions in a respectful manner, giving her subject the opportunity to explain his position without cutting him off or making fun of him. Unlike Pat Gray of KSEV, Houston, who asks questions he already knows the answers to in a ploy to trap his subject, setting them up to ridicule, Knoy extracts well-articulated reasoning from her subject. The listener will come away knowing something more about the interviewee than he did going in.

You can also get the whole interview on www.ronpaulaudio.com . Look for the entry on June 5, 2007.

We need more Laura Knoys and less Pat Grays. Broadcast Journalism majors take note.

Ron Paul Forums

2007-06-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone wishing to discuss and debate Ron Paul's candidacy can go to www.ronpaulforums.com . I had some fun on the slogans thread under Writing Projects.

My favorite was:

Atlas Shrugged: Who's Ron Paul?
Spartacus: I am Ron Paul!
Rebel Comrade of Spartacus: No, I am Ron Paul!

Ron Paul Audio Archive

2007-06-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Randall who commented on "Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 1." He submitted a blog site that has perhaps the most complete archive of audio files of speeches and interviews of Ron Paul.

I highly recommend listening to them. No one is going to tell you about Ron Paul better than the man himself.

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither (Postscript)

2007-06-06T01:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to credit libertyeconomics on Youtube for Ron Paul speech videos.

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 11 (Final)

2007-06-05T17:57:00.001-07:00

Part 11. This is the final video in the series.

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 10

2007-06-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

Part 10:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 9

2007-06-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Part 9:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 8

2007-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Part 8:

Neo-Conservatism Is Nether, Part 7

2007-06-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Part 7:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 6

2007-06-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Part 6:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 5

2007-06-05T17:50:00.002-07:00

Part 5, This is where it really starts to get interesting:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 4

2007-06-05T17:50:00.001-07:00

Part 4:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 3

2007-06-05T17:49:00.001-07:00

Part 3:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 2

2007-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of Dr. Ron Paul's speech to Congress regarding Neo-Conservatism:

Neo-Conservatism Is Neither, Part 1

2007-06-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

This is the first of an 11 part series of blog posts featuring Dr. Ron Paul addressing the U.S. Congress on July 10, 2003. He defines just what Neo-Conservatism is as a political ideology and confirms what I've been thinking. Like the Moral Majority of the late 70's and early 80's, Neo-Conservatism is neither new nor conservative.

This is one of the most statesmanlike addresses I've heard, yet. The amount of detail he gives should alarm anyone who treasures liberty and the concepts of limited government as envisioned by the Founding Fathers of the U.S.

Here's Part 1:

Part 5 is especially revealing. Each part is approximately 5 minutes. If you don't have the time, I suggest skipping to part 5, but watching and listening to all 11 videos will enlighten you tremendously on the subject.

Stop Dreaming and Restore the Republic

2007-06-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

I found this video on YouTube from Aravoth to be very moving. It tells you about Ron Paul, where he stands and his record in Congress - all to the tune of Don McClean's Miss American Pie.

Win or lose, Ron Paul is seeding a revolution for human liberty. He is giving American individuals the courage to speak up and claim their dignity. It reminds of Spartacus and the slave revolt.

I am Ron Paul!!!!

Neocons, Feeling a Little Uneasy These Days?

2007-05-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul articulates the traditional Republican message. Apparently it's been lost on those who feel that the Neocon agenda should supercede the Constitution and the advice of the Founding Fathers to future generations of Americans.

Here's Ron Paul on CNN:

Conventional political wisdom suggests first you must win the party's nomination, then go after the main election. However, there is a storm brewing and the winds are howling "RON PAUL!"

Obama Is Done!!

2007-05-29T12:03:00.001-07:00

Today, Barack Obama announced his plan for Universal Health Care Coverage. I am adamantly opposed to Universal Health Care because it places our health care at the mercy of politics.

Anyone who practices or uses alternative health care should note that this is a major advancement toward removing your livelihood and your choices.

Here's the beginning of the article:

Obama offers universal health care plan
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) on Tuesday offered a sweeping health care plan that would provide every citizen a means for coverage and calls on government, businesses and consumers to share the costs of the program.

Obama said his plan could save the average consumer $2,500 a year and bring health care to all. Campaign aides estimated the cost of the program at $50 billion to $65 billion a year, financed largely by eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy that are scheduled to expire. President Bush wants to make those cuts permanent.

Here's the link to the whole article: Obama Health Plan.

--------------------------------------------

The plan proposes to reduce health insurance premiums for those already insured. It also increases taxes to help cover the costs of the program.

A doctor friend of mine made a suggestion that makes much more sense. His plan would be to reform the health insurance industry so that they would only offer major medical coverage. That means catastrophic care and hospitalization. All of the other costs such as exams, lab testing, therapies and prescriptions should be determined by market forces, ie... make doctors, specialists and drug companies compete for the business and bring their costs into line with what people can afford on their own.

I don't want bureaucrats, who don't know me, have any say over how I attend to my health needs. You shouldn't either. This is another reason why we need Dr. Ron Paul in the White House. Dr. Paul understands, not just the taxation implications of socialized medicine, he understands the assault on our personal freedoms plans like this pose.

Easy way to donate to the Ron Paul campaign

2007-05-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Try this search site: http://www.searchronpaul.com

50 Percent of the proceeds generated from advertisers on this search site will go to the Ron Paul campaign.

Grade School Politics Never Grow Up

2007-05-28T00:48:00.001-07:00

I liked this article from Ben Stein on Yahoo's finance page today. Here's his headline: "Playing Politics At the Pump."

Here's the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/yourlife/34125

Here's the article in full below:

Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007, 12:00AM
Back when I was a student at Parkside Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., in the mid-1950s, there used to be a day each year when the class went to Annapolis, the state capital.

We would sit in the legislators' seats and pretend to be state assemblymen. Then we would sit in the state supreme court justices' seats and pretend to be jurists. We would even sit in the governor's seat (I think his name was McKeldin) and pretend to be governor.

But we weren't really legislators or justices or governors. We were just little fourth or fifth graders sitting in high officials' chairs. We didn't really have any idea of how to govern a state or judge a case or pass a sensible law. We were just kids.

Playing Government

Time passed, as it so cruelly does. I went to work at the White House for presidents Nixon and Ford. I worked with cabinet members and with the president. I occasionally (OK, rarely) sat in on cabinet meetings. I got briefings from high officials.

Here's a small part of what I learned: None of those big names was especially brilliant. None of them had any super-genius insights or strategies. They weren't Thomas Jefferson or James Madison -- they were just ordinary people with the same limitations all people have.

It occurred to me as I worked with those world-famous names that it was Annapolis Day back at Parkside Elementary all over again. We were just big kids in fancy suits sitting in the chairs of famous men and women, pretending we were smart and knew how to solve intractable problems.

But we didn't, and the problems persisted. If any got solved, it was usually just due to the passage of time or luck or circumstance. Or maybe it was the daily adjustment to change of hundreds of millions of Americans that solved the problems. It generally wasn't the hand of government regulation or the non-existent genius of the bureaucrats.

A Rush to Punish

All this comes to mind because I read that something called "the Stupak bill" just passed in Congress. This bill, named for a representative from the great state of Michigan, basically gives us a socialized energy industry. (As of this writing, President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.)

Of course the bill doesn't come right out and say that, because Americans are wary of socialism. But the Stupak bill allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue findings of price gouging against energy companies based on the slenderest of assumptions rather than real evidence, leading to severe punishment for the companies.

This regulation could be triggered by actions that are basic to the free market -- for instance, when an oil company raises prices because there's a shortage of oil due to a revolution in Nigeria that shuts down production in the Niger Delta, or a hurricane that closes refineries in Louisiana.

In the most elemental terms, then, the Stupak bill punishes oil companies when the free market is working as it should, allocating supply by means of the price system.

Suffering the Consequences

When I say punishing the oil companies, I mean that the Stupak bill allows compulsory lowering of fuel prices. That will mean service stations running out of gas, long lines at the pump, and people unable to get to work or school or the hospital.

Who will really be punished when the bill is enacted? Not the top dogs at the energy companies -- they'll continue to be well paid. No, the drivers and homeowners of America who can't get gasoline and heating oil will be the ones to suffer. And ordinary investors who own stock in oil companies are also going to be punished. But everyone will suffer from indulging the fantasy that waving a government magic wand can solve real problems.

The FTC already had the authority to investigate price gougers based on real facts, not just prejudices. The Stupak bill adds nothing to that power. The Justice Department already had the power to investigate price fixing and collusion to violate antitrust laws. Both the FTC and Justice have the authority to go to court to enjoin and punish such acts -- so long as they're genuine.

There Are Always Alternatives

The Stupak bill is just a way for an eager Congressman to grab the spotlight and act as if he's found a better way to run the economy than the free market. He's just a big kid with a fancy chair in the capitol -- but he's dangerous, as little kids with power tend to be.

Mind you, I dislike high gasoline prices, too. I hate that so much of our money goes to petro-states. But socialized energy isn't the way out of trouble -- it's the way into trouble, a la the gas lines and "no gas today" signs of the early '70s. It's frightening how little we human beings learn from our mistakes.

So what's the way out for us? Drive less often. Buy a smaller car. Don't consider burning gasoline via aimless cruising as a legitimate form of amusement. Open the windows and turn off the air conditioner. Walk instead of drive. Stay home and read a book.

But don't socialize Big Oil -- that's a guaranteed disaster.

Ron Paul, The Story So Far

2007-05-24T16:46:00.001-07:00

Llamabread on YouTube.com just poted this summary video of the Ron Paul campaign:

It's about 8 minutpes long, but it gives a very succinct and entertaining re-cap of the campaign.

The more people know about this guy, the more they want his kind of leadership in the White House.

It's time for the NeoCons to step aside and let a real Republican take the reins.

God Bless the Patriot

2007-05-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul is at again. I nearly wept as I read his inspired speech before Congress on May 22nd. Here is the transcript.

Read the whole thing.

We need Ron Paul, now more than ever.

Taking Shots

2007-05-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

The following is the latest YouTube release of Ron Paul's highlights at the last Republican debate on May 3:

He takes on challenges from the debate moderators, Rudy Giuliani and Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes.

In my opinion, Ron Paul distanced himself further from the mainstream of the Republican party. On the other hand he may draw more people who weren't Republicans or Republicans, who've felt alienated from the Party's power base to his side. Will it be enough to win Ron Paul the Party's nomination? I certainly hope so, but we won't know until the primaries next year.

In the exchange with Giuliani, the former NY mayor suggeted that Paul's explanation for the causes of 9/11 attacks were absurd. Giuliani assumes that as a 'survivor of 9/11', he is more of an expert than Ron Paul in understanding the causes for 9/11. This is fallacious at best, since Ron Paul had been serving in Congress before, during and after the 9/11 attacks. Paul had access to CIA reports, served on the House International Relations committee and voted on international policy legislation. Rudy Giuliani was no more than mayor of New York City. Who would be in a better position to understand U.S. foreign policy and the causes for an attack on American soil?

Giuliani's rebuke of Paul drew ovations from the live audience. Then he asked Ron Paul to withdraw his remarks. Paul refused and reiterated his understanding of the causes for the attack! The live audience response may have favored Giuliani, but that says nothing about the national TV audience or the Internet viewers. Different pundits and bloggers are claiming victory for Giuliani, but I don't think so. Like the National ID issue in the first debate, Paul schooled Giuliani again, but I don't think Giuliani gets it.

Paul got taken to task over abortion and the Iraq war by Hannity and Colmes in a post-debate interview, which turned into a Crossfire-style argument where no one was swayed from their position.

Whether you believe he's winning or losing these debate points and challenges, Ron Paul is further defining himself as his own person. That registers in my mind as a win. The other candidates are striving virulently to prove who is the best Republican. Paul is showing he is the best man for the Presidency.

Giuliani Gets Schooled

2007-05-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of Ron Paul explaining our failing Middle East policy. His logic is very strong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcQQ05XtAQ4

I especially liked what he said about being a strong president at the end. I've been waiting to hear this message from a Presidential candidate for a long time.

Ron Paul's Presidential Exploratory Committee Message

2007-05-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

The following YouTube clip is Ron Paul's Presidential Exploratory Committee message.

I love what he's saying. It's the breath of fresh air, I believe, Americans have been looking for. He stands on the principles of the Constitution, yet somehow he will made out to be some kind of kook.

The popularity he is accumulating on the Internet is like an end run that the mainstream media is going to have to deal with. During the Presidential Debates on May 3rd, Chris Matthews seemed to be laughing at him. In the post-debate polls, Ron Paul appeared to be the clear winner as his message resonated with the viewers.

Some still think he's a kook. They will try to dissuade people from supporting him as a weak plea for reason and good sense. I hope to see the day when they find how reality shows how out of touch they really are.

Ron Paul Gaining Internet Momentum

2007-05-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

The following is a press release from the Ron Paul for President campaign. Since the debate, his message of freedom and limited government is finding greater appeal.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 8, 2007

ARLINGTON, VA – Congressman Ron Paul's support has soared since the first Republican presidential debate. Conservative commentator John McLaughlin, host of “The McLaughlin Group," cited Ron Paul as having given "the best performance of the debate." In fact, the Paul campaign's apparent strength has many other pundits scrambling to explain it. Paul campaign officials offer the following examples of the candidate's rising success.

Since the debate on May 3, Ron Paul:

1. Handily won two post-debate polls posted by event sponsor MSNBC.
2. Placed a close third (18%) in a post-debate poll on the conservative Drudge Report.
3. Won an ABCNews.com online debate poll with 84%.
4. Won a C-SPAN online GOP candidate poll with 69%.
5. Became the third most-mentioned person in the blogosphere, beating out Paris Hilton, according to the reputable Technorati.com.
6. Produced a YouTube.com video that was ranked the 8th most popular overall video, and the most-viewed political video.
7. Was featured, by popular demand, on the front of Digg.com.
8. Generated so many bulletin posts on MySpace.com that the site owner News Corp. blocked all additional posts about Dr. Paul.
9. Became a "most searched" term on Google and Yahoo!.
10. Saw a quadrupling of daily visitors to RonPaul2008.com."These figures speak for themselves," said campaign chairman Kent Snyder. "Ron Paul has quickly become a strong contender for the GOP nomination because of his powerful message of freedom and limited government."

-30-

http://www.ronpaul2008.com

Ron Paul at the Debate

2007-05-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Republican Presidential candidate, Ron Paul participated in a debate at the Ronald Reagan Library on May 3, 2007. He was one of 10 contenders including frontrunners Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.

Here's the video clip of Ron Paul's answers to the debate questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peBGJwE9NXo

Ron Paul, in my opinion, is the most trustworthy of all of the Presidential candidates I have seen so far. He is a strict Constitutionalist, who really advocates less government, lower taxes - including inflation and a cessation of meddling in the affairs of other nations. Democrats and liberals should be happy about his stances on the Iraq war. They won't be happy on his stances on abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. However, he is not an activist on these issues and believes they should be worked out by the states and in the marketplace.

For more information about Ron Paul's campaign, go to www.RonPaul2008.com .

Don Juan Lives

2007-05-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last week my wife and I attended a reading by a local Santa Cruz, California, author, Douglas Carlton Abrams. Abrams' book, "The Lost Diary of Don Juan" was just released last week by Atria, the same publisher as Dan Brown's "DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons."

Abrams account is not just another re-telling of the notorious seducer of women, it is a delicious romp through colonial-era Seville when gold flowed into Europe's portway to the New World.

Abrams told his audience at his book signing that the inspiration for the 'Lost Diary' came from a burning question he put forth to the ethers. He asked, 'Is it possible to enjoy a life of supreme passion with only one woman, with whom he is in a committed relationship?' (My paraphrasing). The next day an inner voice began speaking to him compelling him to write down what would later become the 'Lost Diary...' It took him about a month to finish the dictation from his inner muse, but that's not where his work ended. He later travelled to Seville to research the streets, the barrios, churches and palaces that served as the backdrop of his novel. In the meantime, the city fathers of Seville, (Sevilla in Spanish) declared 2007 the be the "Year of Don Juan," the city's most illustrious literary character.

Abrams also led a tour of journalists through Sevilla to help the city celebrate the resurgence of Don Juan.

What did I enjoy most about Abram's work? Abrams takes you on a ride of incredible rhythmic and lyrical beauty. It frames the story within the context of its place and time. It shows the decadence of Spain's golden age, permitted by King Phillip II and at the same time controlled through the Office of the Inquisition. The book tries to be extremely faithful to the history of the times and convinces me of its success. I would need to make a careful study of the history in order to measure it's authenticity and accuracy. However, the portrayal is vibrant and alive with it's portrayal of human behavior that forms a tapestry of lingering impressions of late 16th Century Spain.

The original depictions of Don Juan cast him as a cunning and callous libertine who cared nothing about the hearts he broke. This story, as in some of the more recent ones tell of another side of Don Juan, one who truly appreciates the women, with whom he has affairs and demontrates genuine heroism. He not only seduces but is seduced in his quest to master the arts of carnal pleasures. His higher instincts trigger an awakening that shows him that there is something beyond the mysteries of female desire, - the mysteries of the heart.

If you like to read historical fiction and romance, I highly recommend "The Lost Diary of Don Juan."

For more information, here is the book's official website: http://www.lostdiaryofdonjuan.com/

and the author's blog: The Lost Blog of Don Juan

Ron Paul Running For President

2007-03-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ron Paul is a candidate I can get behind.

He's running for President and Congress and his platform is all about shrinking the federal government. That's my kind of politician.

Here's the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070312/pl_nm/usa_politics_paul_dc

This is good news!

He's Dead, Jim!

2007-03-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

I announce this day as an official day of mourning for all of America.

That's right. The famous comic book hero, Captain America has died from a sniper's bullet as he exited a courthouse in his latest issue.

Read about it here .

I suggest waving the stars and stripes at half-mast for a week.

Global Warming Debate Heating Up

2007-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a series of articles that prove that the debate among scientists about Global Warming is by no means over:

The truth about inconvenient deniers.

Nice acting job, Mr. Gore.

Money As the Root of All Good?

2007-03-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Been reading some interesting stuff about money. The latest came from Witnit.org in a post about the fictional character, Francisco D'Anconia. It's quite eloquent in its idealism.

Another provocative book is "How I Clobbered Every Bureacratic Cash-Confiscatory Agency Known to Man" by Mary Elizabeth Croft.
The above link takes you to page 75 where the section "Root of All Evil?" begins. I highly recommend reading all of Ms. Croft's 96 page pdf book.

Anconia says that money is the root of all good. Croft says money is the root of all evil. Are they in complete disagreement? You be the judge.

More Media Warming to Global Crisis

2007-03-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Witnit.org has some interesting quotes from writer Michael Crichton regarding Global Warming.

Get it here: "How the Media Gets Global Catastrophes Wrong"

Dare to Question Global Warming?

2007-02-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

The political correctness issue du jour is making a splash. Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" documentary won two academy awards, so now we're supposed to pay attention. A close friend of mine forwarded Al Gore's letter imploring everyone to write their congressman to demand that our government do something about it.

Well, I think doing what we can to clean our environment is a good thing. Should we get the government involved? Umm, NO! This is a problem we the people created and I believe that we the people already possess the creative energies needed to counteract harmful emissions in our environment.

However, I am disturbed by the political correctness (read political orthodoxy) permeating Al Gore's message.

I found this article from Debra Saunders at townhall.com quite interesting: Global Warming Fever

Read the whole thing

Abbott and Costello's Who's on First for Windows

2006-09-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO
You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, but too old to really understand computers to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, enjoy, reflect and remember what real comedians were like. Those of you who are too young to remember this hilarious duo should make every attempt to watch their videos, DVD's or search for them on the "oldies" TV channel. It will be worth your time to really laugh. If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who' s on First?" might have gone something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use towrite proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

A few days later:
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START"

The Un-Politics of Libertarianism

2006-08-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

It was nice to know my political view of the world has been put in writing somewhere.

Read all about it at http://www.theadvocates.org/browne-principles.html .

Thanks to Witnit for letting me know about this site.

An interesting journey through the universe

2006-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Victor passed this along.

Here's his message:

"For those of you that ever wondered what our relationship to the physical universe is, then you owe it to yourself to view the web page below.

You may want to slow the rate of zooms by adjusting the slide-bar icon or switching to manual."

Now here's the link:

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/indexhtml

Southern Bapitists officially bar Jesus from serving....

2006-06-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

According to this:

"Also Wednesday, the SBC unofficially barred members who drink alcohol from serving as trustees or members of any SBC entity.
The ban, part of a larger anti-alcohol resolution that was easily approved by delegates, was proposed by Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. While stopping short of officially preventing drinkers from serving, it "urges" that no one be elected or appointed to SBC offices if they are "a user of alcohol."

Jesus, himself, would not be allowed to serve as a trustee or member of any Southern Baptist Convention entity.

Here's the whole article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_on_re_us/southern_baptists

Some Thoughts About Islamic Terror

2005-11-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote this response to someone on a Yahoo Discussion board regarding the bombings in Amman, Jordan. Apparently there are a number of people who believe that the War on Terror is something that was manufactured by corporate and government conspirators to keep common folk in a state of fear.

Here's my response:

If you think this is a corporate, oligarchic conspiracy, that's your business.

That's only a small part of the equation.These dweebs from the Middle East have been brewing this hatred for Western Civ. long before Bush and 9/11. The basis of their ideology goes way back before the beginnings of their own religion. There is very real intellectual capital invested in Islamic Terror. For them not to fight this war would serve to undermine what millions in their world believe about the west and their relationship to it. It's about frames of reference and their place in the world. They feel very threatened by the entreprenuerial freedoms we enjoy in the West.

The truth is, these guys believe very strongly in their cause. They back up their words with action and the perceived benefits they believe coming to them, exist in another world. Money is a means to an end for them, not the end in itself. If they can't do with money, they'll use sticks and stones, anything they can get their hands on to further their aims.

The benefits are not always about money.Now you can laugh at me, but I just told you the truth.

Long Leave of Absence

2005-11-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

I'm back and I'll try to be more regular.

Attention spbloggers: Spblogger comments will be deleted. I am becoming more powerful each day.

Going Camping and Sauerkraut

2005-08-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

I will be camping this weekend along the Northern California Coast. I hope to bring back some pictures of my adventures and post them here.

Also, my experiment making sauerkraut (aka cultured cabbage) has been declared a success. I had my first half cup of the little critter laden kraut and it tasted quite good. Not only that, about an hour afterward, I could feel my stomach and breath freshening up from the introduction of live enzymes and beneficial bacteria. The taste comprised of a combination of sweet, sour and zing. I plan to do more experimenting as I move along on my quest for the perfect kraut.

Cheers!

Notice to Sploggers

2005-08-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

While I do appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit in folks, I am not interested in reading comments from people introducing their wares and services. If you want to comment on my posts, fine. If you want to try to sell me something, your gonna get the same response I gave to the millions of spammers that found my e-mail box - that is nada, zippo, zilch. OK?

For Cindy Sheehan and Company

2005-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have come up with the words to say this to Cindy Sheehan in her days of grief, but it's better coming from someone who lives in the war zone.

The Letter to Cindy Sheehan from Iraq the Model.

Read all of it.

Hey! Let's Celebrate Che!

2005-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Some great stuff about everyone's fave revolutionary:

First the latest Che Icon. No E-Ticket needed to enjoy this ride, but scroll down a little below the ears to get the full effect.

Then the History lesson:

"Che’s lust for power had other ways of expressing itself besides murder. The contradiction between his passion for travel—a protest of sorts against the constraints of the—and his impulse to become himself an enslaving state over others is poignant. In writing about Pedro Valdivia, the conquistador of Chile, Guevara reflected: “He belonged to that special class of men the species produces every so often, in whom a craving for limitless power is so extreme that any suffering to achieve it seems natural.” He might have been describing himself. At every stage of his adult life, his megalomania manifested itself in the predatory urge to take over other people’s lives and property, and to abolish their free will."

From: The Killing Machine: Che Guevara, from Communist Firebrand to Capitalist Brand July 11, 2005Alvaro Vargas LlosaThe New Republic

Read the whole thing.

Much thanks to WitNit for the heads up.

Remember Lefties, TANSTAAFL!

Kudos to Robin, my wife

2005-08-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

She made an excellent chicken soup using an old crockpot we picked up at a yard sale really cheap. It was the best tasting soup I've ever had. Ingredients included organic leg chicken, Shitake mushrooms, garlic, parsley, onion, celery, carrots, water and a little rock salt brine and of course lots of love.

The Aim of the Islamist Movement

2005-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Interesting article by Michael Totten at Tech Central about what the Islamists are shooting for.

Islamists have killed thousands of Westerners over the past couple of years -- thousands in New York City alone. But they have killed far more of their own fellow Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, and too many other places to list. The Terror War, or whatever we ought to call it, is not about us. It's a war waged by totalitarian Islamists against the rest of the world. We aren't targets because of what we do or even because of who we are. We are targets because we are not them. They hate everybody and we're part of "everybody."

Read it all here.

Imaginos Saga

2005-08-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

"I am the one you warned me of."
"I am the one who never, never lied."

From Imaginos, "I Am The One You Warned Me Of" by the Blue Oyster Cult.

On my way home from a meeting this evening I fumbled around the storage compartment that sits between the driver's and front passenger's seats in my car. Near the bottom of the pile of cassettes and wires I found a favorite album of mine. It's titled "Imaginos," the 1988 album produced by the Blue Oyster Cult, my favorite Heavy Metal band. Some would argue that BOC is not metal. Technically speaking they are the original Heavy Metal band. The term "Heavy Metal", as a moniker for a musical genre was coined by Sandy Pearlman, who was manager for the band during its formative years. He used the term "Heavy Metal" in an interview with Creem Magazine to describe Blue Oyster Cult's crashing guitar sound. Sure, the sound was nothing new. Led Zepellin and Black Sabbath had been blasting away a couple of years prior, but the name was first applied in reference to BOC.

Back to the album, Imaginos. During the 80's the band went through some radical changes both in music and personnel. Drummer and founding member Albert Bouchard was kicked out of the band, but prior to that he was commissioned to work on "Imaginos," a mythologized spin on the history of America and the origins of World War I. Bouchard wrote much of the music and probably recorded on some of the songs with such notable musicians like Joe Satriani and Robbie Krieger. Vocals by current BOC members, Donald Roeser (aka Buck Dharma) and Eric Bloom fill the tracks also. What I love about this album is it's musical and lyrical intensity. It tells the story about the central figure, Imaginos, who is also Desdinova, an alien born and raised among humans in New Hampshire. He goes about singing songs "Nobody Knew" and "Stories Left Undone." People note his powers of seeing into the future and he takes some friends with him on a journey to Mexico. Along they way their ship is wrecked in a storm and his friends leave him to drown on "An oyster bed that seems plush as down." He drowns in the tide and his body is collected by the Blue Oyster Cult, a group of aliens. They have the power to restore him and when they do, they offer a deal - die as a human or live and become one of them. He chooses the latter and then discovers that he was always one of them. He realizes his mission and begins it in earnest. I won't say more and there is a lot more to the story . There are other websites that deal with this topic, but the best place to go is to this BOC FAQ site.

You have to go pretty far down the FAQ to get the scoop on Imaginos.

My favorite songs on the Album? Well, that's a toughie.

I love the following songs, all for different reasons:

"I Am The One You Warned Me Of"
"In the Presence of Another World"
"The Siege and Investiture of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria"
"Del Rio's Song"
"Astronomy"
"Blue Oyster Cult"
"The Magna of Illusion"

"Astronomy" and "Blue Oyter Cult" are re-works of songs from their third album, "Secret Treaties." "Astronomy" retained it's name, but "Blue Oyster Cult" is basically a musical and lyrical overhaul of "The Subhuman."

I understand that you cannot find this album in CD or other form as a new record in any store in the U.S. You might find it elsewhere. I happened to find it as a used cassette from a used record store. I've played it so many times in my car, I now hear scraping noises.

If you love metal and BOC, perhaps you can find this gem on eBay or some other outlet. It's worth spending a couple of bucks.

Hey, I thought Conservatives Were Supposed to Hate Gays!

2005-08-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Looks like John Roberts is not such a conservative fuddy-duddy after all. He worked on behalf of Gay Rights activists to help get an anti-gay amendment in Colorado overturned.

Read about it here.

Night Sits

2005-08-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

Stir and churn
The nighttime seconds
ticking away while my mind sweeps
In glorious trays of sweet nothing thought

Across the hall lies comforting sleep
A bed chamber to remember
My heart's longing
for that rejuvenating rest

But the whirl of thought
Urge me to click the keyboard
rhythms, laying bare
The ocean lappings of Soul
immersed.

I Used To Be Liberal, Part I

2005-08-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

What happened? Liberals stood for the little guy. Liberals cared about injustice, feeding the poor, protecting the environment and most important of all, our individual freedoms. They haven't completely stopped doing those things, but my road toward a more libertarian and conservative world view began while living in Orange County and working at one of its most liberal institutions, University of California Irvine.

This is what I learned about Liberalism while working there:

1. You are only as valuable to the cause as your ability to articulate the party line.
2. The objective of student services was to ensure that students graduate from the school as Liberal Democrats.
3. You have a right to free speech as long as you speak the correct speech.
4. If you are a straight, white male, apologies are expected.

These actually came first to me from my boss, who was mumbling this stuff, so as not to be heard by too many people. He was looking forward to retirement a few years down the road, but he couldn't help what he was feeling. If the wrong person had heard his ramblings his position would have been jeapordized. There were others in the division who suspected his sentiments and this led to him becoming the butt of much ill-conceived gossip and mockery

I thought he was crazy. Little did I know how much I would come to agree with him.

I also picked up copies of a local Orange County Magazine. I saw these articles by Hugh Hewitt and learned more of what conservatism was about. At first, I couldn't stand Hewitt. I found his razor sharp incisions into liberal thinking to be quite annoying, like nails on a chalkboard. Part of me was fascinated by how far to the other side this guy would go, but you, know, he wasn't trying to shut anyone up. He was just expressing a view.

To me, being an American means being willing to listen to another's viewpoint, even if it doesn't agree with yours. Liberals have a much harder time with that, which I will illustrate in future blogs.

More later....

New Dawn Lighting

2005-08-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

The world turns and another blogger peaks his head out over the horizon.

I've finally arrived. Been meaning to leap into the blogosphere, but usually settling into the comfort of laptop play calling. Now I'm ready to play laptop quarterback and through some passes into the wind. Maybe you're the receiver who's been waving his or hands for me to toss the ball to you.

I love to write, read and follow what's going on in the world. It is my desire to share the light of my thoughts on things political, cultural, spiritual and personal and hopefully find a meaningful polylogue of ideas and thoughts. My moniker, the Broadlighter, comes from my business, Broadlight Enterprises, Inc. I named it to be a catch-all for any enterprise I might endeavor. The same is with this blogsite. Anything from my mind and heart goes.

I have opinions and will not hold them back. You will know my loves and hates, where I stand and where I fall. Correct me where I fail to speak the truth, but be truthful. I may not be the one who corrects you. I'm well aware the self-correcting nature of the blogosphere.

Glad to be here in the game. Let's kick this thing off!