Libertarian Freedonia

By Michael The Libertarian Those of you who aren't musicians may not want to read today's offering. I'm not saying you can't . I'm saying you may not enjoy this. I started my musical journey, picking out melodies on Grandpa's Brambach baby grand piano, easily found in our living room. She who bore me did me my first musical disservice when she instructed me to play chords, against those melodies, with my left hand. I was told: “Put your index finger on the root note of the chord (the “name” of the chord). Major chords are four up and five down and minor chords are three up and five down.” That was it and it ruined my ability to play the piano correctly (thus far)! I had a transistor radio. I got it so I could listen to my New York Mets' games. Guess who was on that station (660 WNBC NY) before Mets' games? Wolfman Jack! On clear nights, I could pick up a terrific AM radio station out of Cleveland, the birth place of rock 'n' roll. I...

By Michael The Libertarian I mentioned, in a previous post, that I have a few posts "in the can" for days when I just can't seem to find any inspiration to write. That wouldn't really be in keeping with the spirit of my oath to write something every day for thirty days so, while I was tempted to just "trot something out there", I won't be doing that. Over the weekend, in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstain travesty, reports emerged about a male actor that claimed to have been sexually assaulted/molested by one of my favorite actors, Kevin Spacey. To say that I'm a fan(atic) might be a bit of an overstatement since I am not really a fan(atic) of anything, really, but in the common parlance of the day, I was a fan of Mr. Spacey. I was so much a fan that not two weeks ago, I posted a video of him, doing impressions from an episode of " Inside The Actors' Studio " on a friend's feed (or whatever the hell it's ...

By Michael The Libertarian Loyalty – Faithful; to a person, ideal, cause, or duty.         In a world of reduced inter-personal interaction and increased (individual) isolationism, sometimes, it's difficult to see this characteristic in others.         Be that as it may, it should exist in you. Is there anything upon which you've never turned your back? For some it's a deity; others an oath to the military or to law enforcement, but it doesn't have to be that “structured”.         Keeping in mind that “ideal” is not necessarily synonymous with “idea”, there must be something in each of our lives in which we believe so deeply that we shun anything in our lives that runs counter to it.          In the last election cycle, we heard stories of friends, becoming estranged; even families splitting up. Ostensibly, that wa...

By Michael The Libertarian         In my post, yesterday, I mentioned that gift-that-keeps-on-giving, Tom Perez, head of the DNC.         In a lecture in Indiana, he said: "The Electoral College is not a creation of the Constitution. It doesn't have to be there."         I posted Art. II and showed that the Constitution does indeed "create" the Electoral College - and that it does so in great detail.         An acquaintance of mine - seemingly in an attempt at equivalence - mentioned Christine O'Donnell's "flub" about "Separation of Church and state" not being in the Constitution .         I wanted to write about this, today. That phrase actually does NOT appear in the Constitution.         Now, I don't want to get into a discussion about the intent that's been attributed to the First Amendment. I a...

By Michael The Libertarian         I was not able to write, yesterday. I had a couple of pieces "in the can" that I could have "run out", here, but I didn't feel that was in keeping with the spirit of what I promised myself (and, by extension - you, my dear readers).         Today's brain droppings are going to be a little bit of all-ovuh-duh-place (as we say in New York). I have to start out with something sad, but it is a part of what I want to talk about today.         My dog, Puppy, has been a valued part of my life for two-and-a-half years. On Wednesday, I had him out. I stopped to talk with a neighbor. I had been engaged for no more than about thirty seconds.         I turned and saw that he was chewing on something. I bent down and put my hand low, ready to tell him to "Give it", when he lunged at me and bit my hand, snarling as he...

By Michael The Libertarian         If I were to type out a quotation, my friends, by none other than Hillary Rotten Clinton, do you think you could identify exactly what she was talking about? Remember, this is a lady who has made some of the most passive-aggressive statements/apologies I've ever heard.         Her use of private e-mail for sensitive information? "Mistakes were made.". Not: " I made some mistakes". Not even: " People on my staff made some mistakes". No "Mistakes were made" as if they were made through their own volition.         Anyway, here's the quote in question and I will highlight a portion:         "Make no mistake, as the press is finally catching up to the facts, which we desperately tried to present to them during the last months of the campaign," she added. "This is not just an attack on me and my campaign,...

By Michael The Libertarian         I am sick to death of Alinsky tactics being substituted for legitimate political debate, today.         Look, public discourse is eminently important to the health of our republic. We need to be able to hash out our differences and we need to be able to speak, relatively freely, while we're doing that.         Do you know there's a shield law that protects Congress critters from prosecution for anything they say on the floor, regarding another member? What I said in the previous paragraph is exactly why that rule exists.         "What is Michael on about this time?" is what you're probably thinking. Well, listen, dear readers and you shall hear of how we can save this republic's rear.         I strongly think everyone should be forced (Yes, the Libertarian just said " force...

By Michael The Libertarian                   Anyone that knows me knows that I like my life to be ordered and non-chaotic.         That doesn't translate to "rigid", friends. I can be spontaneous. That's not an issue, but I like to have things where I know they're going to be. i.e; I like my soda coaster in (roughly) the same spot, all the time on my computer desk. I like my pretzel snacks for when I'm watching TV, to be where I left them, the last time. I like my CD/DVD collection to be alphabetical and then, chronological.         Because of this, some people have suggested that I'm "compulsive" or "obsessive". Nothing could be further from the truth.         So, this morning, I was separating my red, white & blue M&Ms into three plastic cups and I decided to address this. ...

By Michael The Libertarian          Today is one of those days I dreaded when I made the decision to write, every day, for thirty days. I knew this was going to happen. I detest days like this.         I woke up, engaged in all my morning constitutionals and ablutions and sat down in front of the t.v. to "zone out" yet think about what I was going to write, at the same time.         I realize that we all have strengths and weaknesses in all that we do. I believe that my strength is in social-political commentary. I just had to suppress a little mental laugh and a smile crossed my lips as I thought: "maybe I'm just a little worse at that than I am at everything else?"         I don't want to be a "one-trick-pony". Part of the point in this exercise is to expand my writing. I've never told this story, here (obviously, as this is a new effort), but t...

By Michael The Libertarian         ... that's how it started; at a pool hall. I guess I'll need to explain:         My friend (who's name I'll not mention for obvious reasons) and I have been "treating" clients at an alcohol and drug rehab center to a night of pool to try and show people that fun can be had without a needle in your arm or a "few brewskis" under your belt.         This Friday night tradition has morphed a bit, but we still play damned-near every Friday night for about two years or so.         Last night, my friend was speaking with another person and I heard this person saying: "I hate thieves, liars, and cheaters" and then, proceeded to cheat while playing a game of pool against me. This person, when asked, also tried to go on to explain how there used to be "honor amongst thieves".      ...

By Michael The Libertarian                 I have been a journalist for long enough, now where I feel qualified to examine what is going on in today's climate.         When I began in journalism, I had just gotten a computer online (late 1998 or so) and I found this "news" website that was just starting out. News is in quotation marks, there because the site did have a bit of a slant (depending on from which myopia you suffer) to the right, but they were not way off in FascistLand.         When that website started to gain steam, I asked that I be given some monetary remuneration for my effort. I was denied that benefit and I went off and started my own effort.         I still read that same website to this day (they've changed their name, slightly, but it's them). Their standards have not changed, but today,...