His offense?

He wore a . . . → Read More: Meet The Fashion Police]]> Earlier today, a Facebook/twitter friend of mine, Pete Eyre, was arrested in New Hampshire, the so called “Free State”, where the State Motto is “Live Free or Die”. Pete came to my attention through his work with the MotorHomeDiaries, and has continued that work with LibertyOnTour, among other projects.

His offense?

He wore a “Don’t Tread On Me” hat in the courtroom.

From what I have been told, this rule was posted NOWHERE, and in fact there is a photo from the same courtroom minutes after Pete had been arrested showing a cop wearing a hat in the exact same courtroom.

Here’s the video:

Please check out CopBlock.org/FreePete and FreePete.org, and spread the awareness of this illegal arrest. They have a Facebook/twitter avatar you can adopt (as I have) and ask that you use the twitter hashtag #FreePete to keep track of the discussion. IF you are so inclined, those two sites also have contact information for the local constabulary and judicial systems, and are asking that you express your polite displeasure at this injustice in the most persistent manner you can.

Let’s get Pete where he belongs – out promoting Liberty in everything he does. Not behind bars in a cage because he dared commit a fashion faux pas.

As an added bonus, check out this video a Republican Liberty Caucus friend sent me:

Nolan’s contributions to the liberty movement in the United States cannot be stated enough. He was a true man of principle that I never got to meet, but read much . . . → Read More: [UPDATED] Libertarian Party Co-Founder Dies]]> My Facebook feed has lit up today with the news that one of the co-founders of the Libertarian Party, David Nolan, has died today.

Nolan’s contributions to the liberty movement in the United States cannot be stated enough. He was a true man of principle that I never got to meet, but read much of his writings and knew many who knew him. In addition to co-founding the Libertarian Party (indeed, the LP’s official history page shows that the Party was founded in his home), he also developed the Nolan Chart, a more accurate reflection of the political spectrum than the traditional left-right paradigm.

What many outside the LP may not know is that one of his final actions in this life ended nearly three weeks ago when he ran against John McCain for a spot in the US Senate from Arizona and got nearly 5% of the vote. He was also on the Libertarian National Committee as an At Large Representative, and was driving home from a LNC meeting in Louisiana this weekend when he had a stroke and died.

I don’t know what kind of man David Nolan was outside of politics, but inside politics he was an inspiration to many and will be deeply missed.

[UPDATE]: Per Brad Ploeger’s FB wall, we now learn of a resolution David Nolan introduced and had passed shortly before his death yesterday:

“WHEREAS the Libertarian Party can grow only by attracting new members and supporters, and

WHEREAS libertarianism is a unique political philosophy, distinct from both contemporary liberalism and contemporary conservatism, and

WHEREAS we need the support of both former liberals and former conservatives who have come to realize that libertarianism and the Libertarian Party offer a better path to achieving a just, humane and prosperous society.

The Libertarian National Committee hereby resolves that our party, its representatives and staff should always state clearly and unequivocally that we welcome individuals from across the political spectrum who now accept the libertarian principles of self-ownership and non-aggression.”

-Passed by Unanimous Vote of the Libertarian National Committee, November 21, 2010.

That issue, if you couldn’t guess from the title, is the Transportation “Security” Administration’s recent decision to begin use of backscatter X-ray machines and enhanced . . . → Read More: I Am The Only Person That Gets To See My Wife Nude]]> I don’t write about National issues that often, for a variety of reasons. Recently, however, one has come up that I decided I wanted to be very frank about.

That issue, if you couldn’t guess from the title, is the Transportation “Security” Administration’s recent decision to begin use of backscatter X-ray machines and enhanced pat down techniques. The first is basically government-sanctioned porn that allows a “security” agent to view beneath clothing to the skin of the person in the machine – and store the images. The second allows a “security” agent to rub a person’s genitals, rather than “lightly” touch them as under older regulations.

Since I first met my wife nearly four years ago, I’ve been trying to get her to fly. There are some places we’d like to go that quite frankly, a flight would be much simpler than driving. I will no longer persue this, and I ask every other man in America to join me with one simple premise:

I am the only person that gets to see my wife nude.

Obviously, this doesn’t apply for doctors or other emergency personnel with a valid reason, or any persons we may choose to allow into our bedroom. (Up front here, that second one isn’t going to happen with us, but I mention it to allow for other couples who may feel differently there.)

I consider it my number one duty as a husband to ensure my wife’s physical safety. Everything else pales in comparison to that one duty. I will NOT allow some stranger who happens to have the sanction of the government I live under to molest her for ANY reason – and I will oppose them using any force necessary. I am not a violent man, and I prefer the path of peace when it is an option. But if violence is necessary to protect my wife, I will be the coldest, most ruthless son of a bitch you have ever seen, if that is what it takes.

It is not the government’s job to ensure my wife’s safety – it is mine. It is the government’s job to prosecute criminals after the crime has been committed – including the crime of sexual assault (and, in the case of minors, child pornography/child molestation/sexual exploitation of a child) that the TSA now allows.

I encourage those who fly to file improper arrest charges, as well as those above, on any TSA agent who uses these techniques and any of their superiors who allow them to. After all, proper law enforcement officers – from your local PD all the way to the Federal Bureau of Investigation – have to have a proper warrant showing probable cause that a crime has been committed signed by a sitting judge in order to do similar invasive searches.

As it currently stands, I can protect my wife from these government-sanctioned molesters and perverts by simply refusing to fly – and so I shall.

Sanford Bishop was supposedly untouchable.  A prominent Georgia Republican once told me that a challenge against Bishop wouldn’t get backing from the national level due to the demographics of the GA-2.  However, a week ago, Mike Keown damn near nuked Bishop due to voter outrage over things like health care . . . → Read More: Second District rumors: The next candidate?]]> Originally posted at TomKnighton.com.

Sanford Bishop was supposedly untouchable.  A prominent Georgia Republican once told me that a challenge against Bishop wouldn’t get backing from the national level due to the demographics of the GA-2.  However, a week ago, Mike Keown damn near nuked Bishop due to voter outrage over things like health care “reform” and TARP I and II.  Things definitely shifted.

However, I don’t think Keown was the right candidate.  He’s a really nice guy and all that, but he had backed some measures in the General Assembly here in Georgia that were…well, let’s just say they were questionable.  My guy was Rick Allen.

Rumor has it that many in the district tea party movement are considering backing Allen should he choose to run again.  A source who was close to the Allen campaign and has ties to the Tea Party movement told me that the Tea Party folks think Keown has blown his political capital for the time being and will need a few years to recharge.  He won’t be ready to go by 2012.

Allen, a small business owner, came on in a late charge to challenge Keown who was the presumptive nominee.  He entered the race late and made an impressive run for the short period of time he was able to campaign.  Just imagine what he could do with all the time Keown had?

Personally, I’m hoping the rumors are true.  Keown wasn’t the candidate we needed in this area, and since my beloved Libertarian Party can’t challenge the seat due to the draconian ballot access laws, so Allen is the next best thing.  Allen understands the issues, and while he had difficulty articulating his position early in his campaign, he got that taken care of by the primary and made an impressive run.

Also, it’ll be interesting to see how much national level support he can get.  After all, money wins elections (for better or for worse) and the national level parties have so much more.  Keown did do one thing, if he did nothing else.  He showed that Bishop is vulnerable.  The turn out was high, and Bishop just barely held onto his seat.  It was close enough that only two counties made the difference.  Even the AP had called it for Keown.  This shows that Bishop is more vulnerable than most people thought.

It should be interesting in 2012.

In a recent poll, CNN found that 68% of Americans oppose the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”. Never mind the fact that it’s not actually on Ground Zero. Never mind that the mosque isn’t exactly new to that community. Let’s ignore all that and make decisions based on . . . → Read More: Property Rights: An American Anachronism]]> The following post originally appeared at TomKnighton.com.

In a recent poll, CNN found that 68% of Americans oppose the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”. Never mind the fact that it’s not actually on Ground Zero. Never mind that the mosque isn’t exactly new to that community. Let’s ignore all that and make decisions based on emotion, regardless of property rights. Make no mistake folks, this is all this is about.

When you buy a piece of property, in theory, it’s yours. You can do with it what you want, right? No one can tell you what to do with that property…in theory. However, that’s true only in theory. Building codes are one thing. They insure that the building won’t fall down on people’s heads, and while there are plenty who argue against even those being justified, that’s not likely to change at any point in the near future.

However, far to many communities have overstepped those bounds. My own home town restricts fences for Pete’s sake. But the mosque in question is different, isn’t it? I mean, some have argued that such mosques are built on sites of conquest and allowing it would be a slap in the face of those killed on 9/11. But is it?

The word “Patriot” gets thrown around a lot in regards to the 9/11 dead. The funny thing is, some were and some most likely weren’t patriotic. However, what’s patriotic about destroying basic property rights because it doesn’t “feel” right. How many people honestly believe that a mosque two freaking blocks away is going to destroy this nation? Honestly?

I’m not going to rail on about how making a stand against this mosque will hurt relations with Muslim groups. Frankly, I could give a damn. Like me, don’t like me, I could give a crap. I’m not going to go on about freedom of religion issues, because frankly I believe that’s a BS argument. Restricting the mosque’s location to the rest of New York City isn’t exactly going to muddle up their free exercise of religion. No, I’m not going to do any of that.

What I am going to do is remind each of you that, when the government threatens to cite you over how tall your grass is, or tells you want direction your garage has to face relative to the street, they’re doing the exact same thing to you that you’re so willing to do to this mosque. They are telling you what you can do with your property regardless of the fact that what you want to do will have zero freaking impact on another living soul. That’s what you’re advocating in regard to this mosque, and you deserve what comes to you later when government decides it wants to manage your property for you.

Don’t like the mosque? Feel free to fight it. But just remember how anachronistic property rights are when it’s your property in the cross hairs for something.

Per this AJC article, here’s the basic story:

As some of you know, in 2004 Massachusetts became one of the first States to full-on legalize gay marriage. Under State law there, there is no legal difference whatsoever . . . → Read More: An Interesting Test of the 10th Amendment]]> Up in Massachusetts, an interesting battle is being waged over the 10th Amendment and so-called “States’ Rights”.

Per this AJC article, here’s the basic story:

As some of you know, in 2004 Massachusetts became one of the first States to full-on legalize gay marriage. Under State law there, there is no legal difference whatsoever between a heterosexual marriage and a homosexual one. Obviously, religious groups in the State are free to adhere to different standards, except where they act as an employer.

The problem comes from the fact that there, as in Georgia, many of the citizens are employees of the Federal government – which, per the Defense of Marriage Act passed in the 90s, does not offer benefits to same sex couples.

Therefore, postal workers and other Federal employees cannot place their same-sex spouses on their benefits package, such as employer-provided insurance.

One such couple sued, and a US District Court Judge whose district apparently only encompasses Massachusetts has ruled in the couples favor that the DOMA “interferes with the right of a state to define marriage”.

That quote, in particular, is what makes this interesting politically regarding the 10th Amendment.

You see, Massachusetts isn’t typically an area you hear about very much in the “States’ Rights Movement”. They were a solid part of the Union the last time things were this heated, and their politics there tend to be decently far out to the left on the disengenuous left/right political spectrum.

Contrast that to the more typical places you hear about “States’ Rights” – Georgia, Alabama, etc – where the politics is much further to the right. Indeed, Georgia passed its own gay marriage ban 76%-24% in 2004. In Georgia, “States’ Rights” proponents also typically are strong proponents of “traditional marriage”. It should be noted that the opposite is NOT true – not all proponents of traditional marriage are also proponents of States’ Rights. Indeed, I would argue that the percentage of those who favor traditional marriage who also are strong proponents of States’ Rights is very miniscule.

But here is the crux:

Will the States’ Rights proponents in Georgia support Massachusetts’ rights, even though they disagree with what they are doing? Or will they instead defend the “leviathan in Washington”?

That said, when I know a person has a background . . . → Read More: One Man’s Take on Oil Spill]]> I normally think of celebrities talking about current issues as I would anyone else – they’re just normal people like you and me expressing an opinion. May or may not be correct, may or may not be actually based on facts, etc etc etc.

That said, when I know a person has a background in a particular field – regardless of whether they are a celebrity or not – I give their opinion a bit more weight than I do some random guy off the street. For example, when a guy tells me he served in the General Assembly for a decade and proceeds to tell me something about the inner workings of the Assembly, I give him a bit more credibility than someone who may or may not know that the General Assembly is the State of Ga’s Legislative branch of government.

Trace Adkins is a country music singer whose music I have been a fan of for quite a while. His biggest “crossover” hit has been “Honkytonkbadonkadonk” – a song you may have been as likely to hear in a dance club in Buckhead as on B100 in Albany. He also worked as a crewdog in the oil industry for a decade before becoming a famous country singer, and 6 of those years he spent working a rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper recently had him on his show, and this is what he had to say:

No, I’m not talking about secession or anything of the sort. I’m talking about a different sort of union, the kind that has managed to all but kill the automotive industry in this nation, and is . . . → Read More: Severing the union]]> What follows originally appeared earlier today at TomKnighton.com.  I hope everyone comes on over and checks it out.

No, I’m not talking about secession or anything of the sort. I’m talking about a different sort of union, the kind that has managed to all but kill the automotive industry in this nation, and is trying to kill any other business out there that they can get their hands on. You know the kind I’m talking about.

Once upon a time, unions were needed. Management sought to exploit workers, and the unions were the vehicle the workers used to change things. They were, and still are, excellent tools for communication between labor and management to work out differences. Instead of sitting down with every employee, management can sit down with the union leaders who represent them instead and work things out.

Unfortunately, unions have gotten ugly. Today, unions are a force for politics and greed that has rarely been seen before. Laws, passed by union backed politicians, effectively lock employers into having union employees despite the disadvantages. In the automotive industry for example, there are workers pulling in six figure incomes while still working production jobs. It’s also difficult for employers to fire workers who aren’t effective. After all, it’s in the union’s best interest to increase wages and protect workers…they’re the ones paying the bills.

However, the result is what has happened to the American car over the last thirty years. Union wages have helped drive up the cost of the car, while union protection has helped drive down quality. Teachers unions have lobbied for increased teachers pay, while they’ve lobbied against any law that would fire ineffective teachers. How is our educational system doing?

With unions now engaged in politics, they’re going to back politicians who think unions are still great. Those politicians are generally Democrats. This effectively puts Democrat legislators into the pockets of the unions (not that they wouldn’t put themselves there anyways) who structure laws to benefit them.

For example, the recent health care bill taxed so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans…unless they were union plans. One bill before Congress right now that will be the subject of further work later is called DISCLOSE. It’s supposed to add transparency to campaign advertising by requiring a pile of stuff on ads…unless they’re union ads. In fact, just look at the restructuring of ownership for GM an Chrysler. The unions got preference over bond holders, something that should never happen.

The unions have carved out a nice little niche in American politics. Unfortunately, they’re also killing this country.

To be competitive throughout the world, we either need lower prices or higher quality. Mercedes (higher quality) versus Kia (lower price), in a manner of speaking. Unfortunately, we really don’t have either. We’re not cranking out world renowned quality, nor are the prices as competitive as they could be. Again, this is due to unions who seek higher and higher wages without understanding that the money won’t last forever. Much of what happened to GM and Chrysler was a direct result of unions demanding more and more, without really understanding that wages must reflect company health.

Washington politicians, however, seem to think that more unionization is better though. They want to make it easier to unionize a company and make every employee be a member of that union, despite the obvious downside of unions.

Frankly, it would serve them right for the company to close it’s doors permanently the minute they unionize. Unfortunately, it won’t happen. Companies are the livelihood of far to many people who weren’t supporting the unions in the first place, including the owners. No, they’ll slog on…at least until the union kills them.

What’s funny is that union shops don’t really pay all that much more than non-union shops. Non-union companies, however, expect people to work for that wage and to do a good job. In unionized companies, it’s not uncommon to see people just standing around while on the clock. Supervisors are often powerless to do anything about it.

Maybe it’s time we just killed the unions and let individual workers decide what’s best for them.

The primary difference, to me, is that Keown is clearly the GOP establishment’s candidate. Keown, after all, is the one that took the trip to DC with Don Cole to have the NRCC . . . → Read More: Mike Keown: Establishment Candidate]]> It has come to my attention in recent weeks just how stark the difference is between Rick Allen and Mike Keown.

The primary difference, to me, is that Keown is clearly the GOP establishment’s candidate. Keown, after all, is the one that took the trip to DC with Don Cole to have the NRCC decide which of the two of them should be the GOP nominee – even AFTER Lee Ferrell had already announced his candidacy, and while Cole was still the 2nd District GOP Chairman, which is a clear violation of GOP rules banning GOP officials from taking sides in a primary battle. Indeed, the “Cole Question” at the Lee County GOP Breakfast in April was specifically designed to embarrass every other candidate besides Keown, and several inside the GOP have privately decried the action – even many who support Keown.

Keown is also vocally supported by Brad Hughes, who became the new 2nd District GOP Chairman when Cole resigned amidst the controversy of being publicly condemned by Ferrell for his violation of GOP rules. In other words, Hughes is ALSO taking sides in a primary battle.

But both Cole and Hughes pale in comparison to (until recently) Grady County GOP Chairman Jason Sellars.

You see, Sellars is particularly despicable in that he is waging a vicious rumor war in public, via the official Facebook Page of the Grady County GOP.

Sellars is trying to use Allen’s business address to somehow suggest Allen doesn’t live inside the 2nd District, and in the process Sellars opens Allen up to potential theft or worse by publicly discussing the location of Allen’s business.

You see, Allen has never hidden the fact that he is President of a medical supply company. I don’t know his full product line, but apparently it includes various prescription drugs which he sells to properly licensed organizations. Sellars is somehow trying to morph his discussion of Rick’s business addresses of into suggesting that Rick Allen is unethical, even though as a pharmaceutical retailer, Allen is under some of the tightest regulation in this nation! And again, he is doing this not on his personal page, which would be bad enough, but on the official page of the Grady County GOP.

I completely understand that Sellars supports Keown. Part of Keown’s State House district is in Grady County, and it is entirely possible that Sellars has been a constituent of Keown’s at that level.

But apparently the GOP establishment has already chosen sides in this battle, with one known exception: the Chairman of the Lee County GOP, who has shown repeatedly that he is committed to working with ALL primary contestants and supporting whoever the primary voters choose.

One last note: Apparently Cole in particular has stated that Keown knows he needs the support of the Libertarians. The problem for him is that outside of a couple of meetings with me in 2009, Keown has made little to no effort to reach out to Libertarians. To my knowledge, he has not asked to speak to the LP-Southwest Georgia (Allen has), nor is Keown currently planning to attend the SWGAPolitics.com Candidate Forum this Saturday (Allen is) – and we are some of the most well-known Libertarians in Southwest Ga.