Month: November 2012

On a Federal Level Nothing Changed

The election may be over but self-declared Republicans and the gun rights community are still angry at Tuesday’s results. Ultimately nothing has changed on a federal level. Looking at Google’s federal election results the Democratic Party has retained its control of the Presidency and the Senate while the Republican Party has retained its control over the House. For the gun rights community this should be treated as good news. As I said, the presidential race was a complete loss as far as gun rights were concerned and that energies would have been better spend on congressional races. Without Congress to make and pass gun control laws the presidency doesn’t matter. This is where some gun rights activists will point out that the president gets to nominate Supreme Court justices but history demonstrates that “conservative” justices aren’t reliable defenders of individual rights anyways.

I know ammunition, gun, and gun accessory prices are going to jump sky high for the next few months because of Obama’s victory. This is an irrational response by the gun community because everything is the same today as it was the previous four years as far as the federal government is concerned. If you’re truly worried about the Supreme Court then you should advocate the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) to cease brining more gun rights lawsuits. The Supreme Court only gets to rule on cases that get appealed to its level so if there are no new cases their previous judgements stand. Gun control advocates don’t have enough money or influence at this point to get cases to the Supreme Court so it’s really up to the gun rights community to decide whether or not new Supreme Court cases regarding gun rights are heard. Avoiding any detrimental affects caused by possible Supreme Court nominations is almost entirely in our hands.

Tuesday’s Lesson

Tuesday’s election was the inevitable result of a series of bad moves on behalf of the Republican Party (GOP). Their first mistake was how they nominated Romney. Instead of following the rules and procedures created and voted on at the Republican National Convention (RNC) the GOP decided to pull out all of the stops and actually cheat to ensure Romney’s nomination. Cheating at the RNC wasn’t even necessary since the GOP cheated in several states to ensure Romney had enough delegates to win the nomination. What the GOP’s complete disregard for their own rules did was disenfranchise Ron Paul’s supporters, which effectively turned them against the GOP. Paul’s supporters aren’t a majority within the GOP but they are a large enough voting block that pissing them off was not going to end well.

After giving Romney and his vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan the nomination on a silver platter the GOP failed to control either candidate. Both politicians made performed publicity stunts that ended up making them look bad in the public’s eye. There was also the fact that the Republican base was adamant about repealing Obamacare, which Romney failed to promise. When you fail to promise your voter base what they want they’re not going to be inclined to come out and support you. The GOP lost the presidential race because they nominated a guy that their own base didn’t like. You can’t expect to win an election by nominating a guy your own party members hate.

Problems didn’t stop for the GOP at the presidential race. Many of their endorsed candidates made extremely stupid public statements. Between Todd Akin’s claim that women seldom become pregnant from “legitimate” rape to Jon Hubbad and Loy Mauch’s defense of slavery to Richard Mourdock’s claim that pregnancies resulting from rape are a gift from God to Charles Fuqua’s advocacy of the death penalty for unruly children the Democratic Party had a lot of ammunition to use against the GOP. How did the GOP expect to win any major elections when a notable number of their endorsed candidates were running around the country spouting off things that were extremely offensive to a good number of people?

The GOP’s stupidity didn’t wasn’t restricted to the national level. Here in Minnesota the state GOP was hard at working sowing the seeds of their own defeat. Knowing that most people only show up to the polls for the presidential election and that their presidential candidate wasn’t going to fire up their voting base they took a gamble. Two constitutional amendments were put forward by the GOP controlled legislative body. One amendment would have implemented voter ID requirements in Minnesota while the other one would have made gay marriages more illegal. Both amendments were a ploy to get voters to the voting booths and it backfired. The state Democratic Party was able to use the amendments to fire up their voting base. In addition to the amendments the Log Cabin Republicans, an organization within the GOP that claims to support gay rights, stabbed the gay community in the back. I’m sure that encouraged members of the gay community that were in the Log Cabin Republicans to vote for Democratic candidates. With so many Democratic voters at the polls the state GOP got slaughtered.

I also want to take a moment to address the Senate race. Klobuchar was up for reelection and the GOP fielded Kurt Bills against her. Kurt Bills claimed to be a liberty candidate, a claim that was proven to be false when he switched his presidential endorsement from Ron Paul to Mitt Romney. Not satisfied that switching his endorsement would piss off enough liberty voters within the Republican Party Bills also made a public statement against all third-party voters. Minnesota’s liberty movement is fairly strong so alienating them can be costly, especially when the state is already strongly Democratic to begin with.

Tuesday had a valable lesson for the GOP. Alienating as many people as possible is not a good political strategy. Between a presidential candidate hated by the GOP’s voter base, endorsed candidates running around spouting offensive statements, and taking every opportunity to move against the gay community and their supporters the GOP sealed their fate. They got exactly what was coming to them. Frankly, after the RNC, I was hoping to see a little revenge during the election. I attended the Republican Party party in Bloomington, Minnesota just so I could watch the spirits of hardcore GOP supporters get crushed in real time. It felt good seeing what happened to my friends in the liberty movement happen to the neoconservatives. Vengeance was had by the liberty movement and all they had to do was stand by the sidelines and watch the GOP hang itself. To those of you who actively worked to surpress the liberty movement in the GOP I hope you enjoy the next four years because they are years of your making.

Although I’m Ashamed to Admit it I Voted

But I’m not ashamed of who I voted for:

I took that picture before I filled in “No” for both of the amendments, which were the only other things I voted on.

With how much I criticize voting and democracy some people are likely curious to know why I voted. Although I didn’t want to contribute any votes to candidates I did want to vote against the amendments. Since I couldn’t decide whether or not I wanted to vote I did what any sane person would do in my situation and consulted Thor. It was raining off and on yesterday so I asked the great thunder god to send me a sign: if it was raining when I arrived at my precinct I would take that as a sign from Thor that he didn’t want me to participate in the vote and if the skys were clear I would take that as a sign from Thor that he did want me to participate in the vote. When I arrive the skys were clear so I went in.

Another question some people may have is why I chose to write-in Vermin Supreme instead of cast a vote for Gary Johnson. I did discuss the fact that I liked Gary Johnson when I met him and that I hoped he’d get close to his desired five percent of the popular vote, so why didn’t I give him a vote? Because I didn’t want to participate in any candidate races.

Look I like Gary Johnson and of all the “serious” candidates running I believe he would be the least evil. Still I have no desire to elect a master and writing in Vermin Supreme gave me that option. In Minnesota write-in votes don’t qualify unless a candidate fills out the appropriate paperwork. To my knowledge Vermin Supreme didn’t fill out that paperwork so my vote for him won’t be counted. He’s also a fellow anarchist so I didn’t feel bad giving him a nod (not to mention that he delivered the lulz).

Even though I feel slightly dirty for participating in the election I accomplished my goals. One vote was cast against each of the constitutional amendments and I contributed nothing to any candidate. There’s always a method to my madness. Hopefully we won’t have to deal with constitutional amendments like this during the next election so I can avoid participating without any nagging feeling whatsoever.

Alestorm and Epica Were Great Last Night

Enough of this depressing political drivel, I want to talk about something positive. Last night I attended the Epica concert at Station 4. What’s not to love about a concert that delivers both pirate metal via Alestorm and symphonic metal via Epica? Nothing, that’s what!

I came a bit late, catching who I believe was Insomnium in the middle of their act, which was fortunate because I really enjoyed what I heard and will likely pursue their music in more detail. During Alestorm I had the pleasure of rocking out with a couple in their mid 40’s. The most I can do is hope that I’ll be able to rock out as hard as those two when I’m their age. I also met a random gun guy. He introduced himself to me after noticing my Crossbreed holster (I conceal well enough to prevent non-gunnies from seeing my gun but poor enough that gunnies will notice I’m carrying). We ha a nice discussion about firearms between Alestorm and Epica’s acts. The floor was packed and people were going nuts during the entire show, which was good to see. Overall it was another great concert and reaffirmed my love for metal and the community that has formed around it.

If you ever have a chance to see either Alestorm or Epica in concert go for it. They both put on great shows and know how to entertain audiences.

Why I’m Hoping Gary Johnson Gets Close to Five Percent of Votes

Although I have no interest in the presidential race this year I must say that I do hope Gary Johnson gets his coveted five percent of the vote. His campaign has continued to state that five percent of the vote will end the two-party system. The idea is that receiving five percent of the popular vote would qualify the Libertarian Party for federal campaign funding next election. While this sounds good on paper the plan as one flaw; it assumes that the Federal Election Committee (FEC) will continue to play by the same rule book during the next election. Assuming the state will play by any set of rules has cause disappointment in the liberty movement before.

The state’s willingness to change the rules whenever its power is threatened is the reason I want Gary Johnson to receive close to five percent of the public votes. As soon as Johnson gets close enough to that five percent to worry the current establishment the FEC will move to raise the required percentage of votes from five percent to 10, 15, or even 20 percent. They will continue move the required percentage high enough to ensure no third party ever qualifies for federal campaign funds. I think the liberty movement needs to see this just as they needed to see the Republican Party change its own rules to ensure a candidate like Ron Paul never came close to threatening the establishment’s power base again.

We will not achieve liberty through the political system because the political system is controlled by those who oppose liberty. Every time we get close to a political goal they move the goalposts back. At the same time they try to hand us table scraps to keep us interesting because they know that their power requires the support of popular opinion. On the other hand the more the move the goalposts back the less popular opinion they enjoy. After Ron Paul was shutdown during the Republican National Convention a good number of people in the liberty movement swore off politics and I think seeing the FEC change the percentage of votes required to get federal funding will cause some more liberty advocates to swear off politics. Piece by piece the state will destroy its own power base of popular opinion and when enough people no longer recognize the state as legitimate it will fall. Therefore I look forward to every step taken by the state to squash the liberty movement. They’re sowing the seeds of their own destruction and I can’t wait until they get what’s coming to them.

My Election Predictions

Since today is Master Selection Day I’ve decided to do my best to predict the outcome of today’s election. I predict that Goldman Sachs will win. While it’s impossible to predict the future with certainty I feel secure in making this prediction since Goldman Sachs as been major campaign contributors to both Obama and Romney. Considering this fact it’s not too much of a stretch to predict either candidate will further Goldman Sach’s goals as payment for the company’s generous campaign contributes.

Beyond Goldman Sach’s victory I also predict that the warfare welfare system will remain intact. Once again both candidates have affirmed their support for continuing the wars America is currently embroiled in and starting new wars as the need arrises. Iran is a likely target for invasion during the next presidential term as Obama and Romney have both expressed interest in bombing the men, women, and children living in that country. Both candidates have also expressed interest in entering more wars including sending military support to Syrian rebels.

The Federal Reserve has nothing to worry about. Neither candidate has expressed even minor interest in either auditing or ending the Federal Reserve. Bankers throughout the United States can rest easy knowing that the easily expanded inflationary money supply will continue on regardless of which presidential candidate wins. In fact it’s likely that the Federal Reserve will continue to print more money under the guise of quantitative easing.

Civil liberties will continue to be stripped from the people. Obama and Romney have continued to beat the war on terror drum which has become a euphemism for eliminating civil liberties. Along with direct attacks against civil liberties both presidential candidates have expressed interest in expanding the police state, against under the guise of the war on terror. Prisons should continue to be overcrowded as nonviolent individuals are locked away for simply disobeying the state’s decrees.

In other words things will continue as they have been for four more years. Nothing will change, the economy won’t improve, liberty won’t be expanded, and noninterventionist policies will not become the status quo. It’s all a big game of chess and we the people are the pawns.

Anyways let me end on a high note by wishing you all a very enjoyable Master Selection Day!

Consider Guy Fawkes and Our Current Situation

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I see of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Today is the 5th of November, known as Guy Fawkes Night in Britain. In 1605 a man by the name of Guido Fawkes was captured hauling gunpowder under the House of Lords in a plot to assassinate King James I. Members of the Gunpowder Treason planned to replace the Protestant monarchy with a Catholic monarchy, effectively returning England to a time before the Church of England was separated from the Catholic Church.

There are similarities between that time and today. The beginning of the Gunpowder Treason goes back to 1534 when Henry VIII separated the Church of England from the Catholic Church in order to annul is marriage (the Catholic Church wouldn’t approve Henry’s divorce so they were no longer politically convenient). Part of the separation included the issuance of the Act of Supremacy of 1534, which established the monarch as the head of the Church of England and the monarchy. Before the Act of Supremacy was issued the Pope was in charge of the Catholic Church, and by extension the Church of England, whereas the monarch was the head of the monarchy. With the separation of church and state eliminated the monarchs of England moved to eliminate competition to the religion they now controlled.

In 1559, under the reign of Elizabeth I, a second Act of Supremacy was issued that mandated anybody taking public office in England swear and oath to recognize the monarchy as the supreme head of the Church and state. Failing to swear such an oath would result in charges of treason, which ended with a death sentence. To further ensure all competition to the Church of England was greatly reduced Parliament also issued the Act of Uniformity. The Act of Uniformity made weekly worship at the Church of England compulsory. Failure to attend weekly service would result in the issuance of a fine.

The stage was set for a Catholic rebellion, which is what the Gunpowder Treason of 1605 was about. Conspirators in the plot hoped to restore Papal control over the Church of England by removing the Protestant monarch and replacing him with a Catholic one.

Like Guy Fawkes, we live under a totalitarian state. Groups labeled as subversive are repressed just as Catholics were repressed after the first Act of Supremacy was issued. Things are also notably different because the repression isn’t based on religious beliefs, instead repression is based on statism. People standing against the state are actively targeted by the state. Anybody advocating liberty is prevented from obtaining any real power by the currently established state. Political parties that are unwilling to tow the current establishment party line are actively prevented from participating in presidential debates and from receiving federal campaign funds. People who are not Republicans or Democrats are treated as second class individuals just as Catholics were after the Church of England split from Rome.

The more things change the more they stay the same. History is littered with power hungry individuals suppressing any potential competition. Today, like in the time of Guy Fawkes, we live under a system that attempts to eliminate state competition. We can’t vote our way out of this. Any gain we make through the political system, if any gain is even possible, will be temporary at best. The only way to achieve liberty will be to eliminate the state itself. So long as we grant a monopoly on violence to individuals and groups we will be subjecting ourselves to their whims. This is why I advocate anarchism, it is the only way to break the cycle of power hungry individuals suppressing all competition to their reign. Remember, remember, the 5th of November for it has lessons that are applicable even today.

Tomorrow is Master Selection Day

I want to remind my fellow slaves that tomorrow is Master Selection Day. Our masters are so benevolent that they allow use to choose new masters periodically. There are numerous races to consider from the presidency to congressional representatives to city councils. Whoever a majority of slaves vote for will become the master of his or her particular fiefdom. So don’t forget to vote because not voting could imply that you find the American government illegitimate and your friends will think you hate freedom and democracy!

I should also ask you to support my master of choice. While conditions seems unfavorable at the moment I can ensure you that selecting the other master will leads to even worse conditions for use slaves. Therefore you must vote for my preferred master for the sake of this country.