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Libertarian Saturday
Author: TriSec    Date: 06/21/2008 10:39:51

Good Morning!

Ah, another early morning for your loyal TriSec. Of course you know by now I'm off to donate platelets. Yesterday, there was word out that the Atlanta area was in the middle of a severe blood crisis...so why not think about [literally] giving of your own flesh and blood? It doesn't hurt...much.
Are you concerned that giving blood will hurt? Read John Morton's Giving Blood. John Morton is an author, former Olympic athlete and commentator for Vermont Public Radio. He overcame his fear of needles and donated blood in memory of his wife who died of cancer.

Myth vs. Reality

M: It will probably hurt a lot.
R: The truth is, all you'll feel is a slight pinch for a few seconds. That's it!

M: I'll probably faint if I give blood.
R: Most people feel just fine after donating.

M: You can get AIDS from giving blood.
R: Absolutely not! A sterile needle is used for each donation and then discarded.

M: You should only give blood once a year.
R: Actually blood can be safely donated every eight weeks, or six time a year.

M: Most people get paid for their blood.
R: Wrong again! The Red Cross only provides blood to patients which comes from volunteer donors.

M: I don't know anyone who needs blood right now.
R: There are hospital patients and accident victims who need blood every day of the year.




So...on to the usual shenanigans...

Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party seem to be lining up to take potshots at John McCain; it's actually quite fun to watch.

For starters, the National Libertarian Party wants Mr. McCain to tell us what's wrong with habeus corpus?



The Libertarian Party is questioning comments made by Sen. John McCain following the recent Supreme Court decision that granted the right of habeas corpus to detainees in Guantanamo Bay. "We’d like to ask John McCain what's so wrong with habeas corpus," says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee called the ruling "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."

"The writ of habeas corpus is one of the key pillars of freedom in Western civilization," says Davis. "To have the leading figure of any political party come out so strongly against the basic idea that one should have protections against false imprisonment is both puzzling and frightening. Perhaps Sen. McCain needs a refresher course in civil liberties and the foundations for justice in civilized societies. Justice will prevail, Sen. McCain. There is no need for shortcuts."

The Libertarian Party has frequently criticized the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans for what the Party sees as rampant abuse of civil liberties that frequently defy the Constitution. The Libertarian Party calls for the repeal of legislation like the Patriot Act and the Military Commission Act, which increase the power of the federal government at the expense of civil liberties.

“The Court’s habeas corpus decision was a victory for all Americans more than any particular litigant, since it affirmed the duty of the executive branch to obey the law,” says former Congressman Bob Barr, who is also the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nominee. In fighting terrorism, “we must not sacrifice those liberties which make America the unique nation that it is,” Barr adds.

Barr suggests that he and Sen. McCain approach such leading legal organizations as the ACLU and Federalist Society to jointly host a debate on the role of habeas corpus and other constitutional protections for civil liberties in the fight against terrorism.

“I’m ready to meet Sen. McCain any time and any place,” says Barr.



But wait, there's more! An actual, mainstream media outlet has given Bob Barr some coverage. If you've followed 3rd-party politics for any time at all, you realize how significant that is. Here's the LP candidate in the Washington Post. If we've got to worry about Hillary supporters 'crossing the line', it sounds like the Senator from Arizona is going to experience the same problem...

Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, offered a scathing critique of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) today and predicted he would garner substantial conservative Republican support in a handful of battleground states critical to McCain in his campaign against Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Barr, a one-time conservative Republican House member from Georgia who broke with the Bush administration and many of his former congressional colleagues, blasted McCain for his support of the war in Iraq, his energy policies and his stand on reducing government spending.

"With regard to domestic policy, Sen. McCain really has put forward nothing that would indicate he believes in dramatically shrinking the size and cost of the government," Barr said during an interview on washingtonpost.com's "PostTalk" program. "He does talk a great game about doing away with earmarks, but that really does not get near to the heart of the matter of the massive federal spending, the massive federal debt and the deficits we're running."

Barr is hoping to become the beneficiary of much of the support and some of the campaign funds generated by Libertarian-leaning Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) during his surprisingly vigorous bid this year for the Republican presidential nomination. Barr said "we really do" see an opportunity to match or exceed Paul's performance in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana and West Virginia, where Paul picked up between eight percent and 15 percent of the Republican primary vote.

No Libertarian Party candidate has ever won more than a million votes nationwide in a presidential general election, but Barr believes he could improve on that with strong showings in the West, Southwest, and a handful of southern and Northeastern states.

"We see this (potential) not just in Ron Paul's very significant vote-getting capability in those states and those areas, but also in Sen. (Hillary) Clinton's ability to dramatically take votes against Senator Obama in the Democrat primaries," he said. "These are states with a lot of Second Amendment enthusiasts and blue-collar Democrats who are much more likely to adopt a Bob Barr message of strong support for civil liberties, smaller government and so forth."



And since gay marriage is back in the news this week (let's not forget where it was legal first, hmm?), I'll leave you with Charley Reese this morning. Maybe this cuts right to the heart of my interpretation of libertarianism...If you don't like something, don't do it. But don't tell me not to do it, either...unless I'm going to hurt you by doing so. In any case...

Let's assume there are two lesbians living in Santa Monica, Calif. We don't know them. We've never seen them. For all practical purposes, they don't exist for us.

Now let's assume that they decide to get married, and they tie the knot in California. We still don't know them. We still have never seen them. So far as we know, they still don't even exist. Whether they just live together or get married, neither their existence nor their marital status affects us.

That being the case, what the heck business is it of ours what they do? It is a confounded mystery to me why some people get all excited about homosexuals and lesbians getting married. As I've said before, if you are against gay marriage, then don't marry a gay person. That strikes me as a simple solution to the problem some people seem to have.

You would think to hear some people complain about gay marriage that heterosexual couples would start dropping dead or become impotent as soon as some state approved a gay-marriage law. Whether gays get married or not, it has no effect on the rest of the population. Except for gays, it's meaningless. It's a non-issue.

In the meantime, there are plenty of issues that do affect all of us – the devalued dollar, high energy costs, loss of manufacturing jobs, wars overseas and ballooning debt, both public and private.

As a heterosexual, I personally don't give a hoot one way or the other about gay marriage. If gays wish to provide more business for divorce lawyers, it's no skin off my nose. If they think making the state a third party to their marriage is desirable, it OK with me. It's one of those legal matters I don't have to worry about, and I like those kinds of legal matters a lot.

What irritates me is busybodies who want to stick their nose in other people's business. For God's sake, let us all mind our own business. The world will be a better place if we do.

Most people believe that homophobes are in fact latent homosexuals and what they really hate are their own secret urges. So under no circumstances should any child be driven to despair and suicide because someone disapproves of his or her sexual preference. Whether homosexuality is a matter of nature or nurture, I don't know, and it doesn't matter. It simply is not important enough to cost the life of any child.

Furthermore, if the state recognizes a contract – which is all marriage amounts to, in secular terms – it by no means sanctifies anything. No one accuses the state of sanctifying sales contracts.

The religious aspect of marriage is separate and apart from the state's involvement. In fact, I don't think the state should be involved, but it has involved itself. But whatever is holy and sacred about marriage is a matter of religion, not a state marriage license, which is no different from a plumber's license.

If you wish to worry about marriage, it is better to worry about the all-too-many marriages that fail. It is better to worry about all the single mothers struggling to raise children without a father. It is better to worry about a sleazy culture that disdains the necessity of marriage and treats a relationship as nothing more than a sleepover.

There are a lot of legal and moral issues that need to be addressed in our society, but gay marriage isn't one of them. It's an issue only for a small minority of the population. If they wish to live together in a state-licensed relationship, it's nobody's business but their own.



So....there it is. I've got a couple of other things to do today, so I'll probably be scarce most of the day; I'll check in when I can! :peace:

 

51 comments (Latest Comment: 06/22/2008 06:36:11 by clintster)
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