Star Wars and the Austrian School I: A Brief Overview

EPISODE I: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Star Wars is unquestionably a brilliant saga that touches the hearts of many through its incorporation of timeless literary archetypes and humanist themes.  Adventure, love, loss, spirituality, good vs. evil, and the triumph of the human (and humanoid) spirit…

Yet there are other characteristics standing out that demand attention and respect, such as the saga’s inclusion of patterns of history (great wars and economic or political disasters) and of the interactions and exchanges of societies and individuals.  One could practically point to passages from Mises’ Human Action or Theory and History while watching any given Star Wars episode!

Everyone knows the basic story line that spans seven (now eight) episodes, 2 spinoff movies (The Clone Wars theatrical pilot and Rogue One), and numerous television and novel tie-ins.  A once prosperous and peaceful republic decays over time from corruption and then war.  Victory over secessionists in a great galactic war only serves to undermine the Republic’s ideals of liberty and hastens its demise and overt reorganization into the Galactic Empire.

Following two decades of imperial rule and repression, a guerrilla army dedicated to reestablishing the Republic and maintaining its founding principles of liberty fights a lengthy campaign, pursuing only the help of willing parties, eventually destroying the Empire and restoring republican democracy to the galaxy.  (We just won’t talk about the Holiday Special or the Ewok movies, but everyone SHOULD check out Episode I.I: The Phantom Edit.)

Read more

The Career of Carrie Fisher, Sci-Fi Princess (Part 2: 1985-2016)

"Instant gratification takes too long." Carrie Fisher

Courtesy of Time, Inc. via Fair Use

Continued from Part 1: 1969-1984

Star Wars catapulted the young Carrie Fisher into stardom overnight, which led to wild partying and drug use.  Since her recovery from those days, she always took responsibility for her actions and put forward the message that she had a real problem that required real help, and she was strong enough to eventually get it. As someone who really struggled with a nasty drinking habit, I fully appreciate Fisher’s advocacy for addiction therapy and mental health treatment. Sometimes a person with a dependency issue is just too damn scared to admit an uncontrollable problem and get help. Who better to get that last nudge and encouragement to clean up your act and walk tall again than from the Princess of Alderaan?

Better yet, Carrie Fisher took all that negativity, all those mental health problems, and all the wild times (both good and bad) and used them to create new works which are beautiful and inspiring. Her time off the deep end resulted in an overdose and hospitalization episode in 1985. This traumatic episode led to a slow renaissance in which she emerged as a writer. The 1985 episode and the times before and after inspired Fisher to write a novel, Postcards From the Edge, loosely based on herself. The 1987 novel was a success and also the beginning of Fisher’s rich writing career. She adapted it into a screenplay and Postcards From the Edge became a movie in 1990, directed by Mike Nichols (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Working Girl, Charlie Wilson’s War).

Fisher wrote several more novels loosely based on her own life. (Read more)

The Career of Carrie Fisher, Sci-fi Princess (Part 1: 1969-1984)

Published by OMNI Magazine

"She'll always be royalty to me." -The Force Awakens

Carrie Fisher passed away this morning, and her passing leaves tens of millions of sci-fi and Star Wars fanatics stunned. Already, the obituaries and Facebook tribute artwork are flowing freely as people communicate their sadness at this passing. I’m one of them, though this moment is admittedly more bittersweet than it is sad. In her sixty years, the famous sci-fi princess lived a full and robust life as an actress, a talented writer, and a mother.

She performed on stage, performed for television alongside Lawrence Olivier, and wrote many books and screenplays...  (Read more)

Rogue One: Take Two for Star Wars!

Originally published by OMNI, the science fiction portal for great minds.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story does the original trilogy justice and pushes the boundaries of film-making!

"...imagine one dynamite movie where Scarlett Johansson, Emma Watson, and Emilia Clarke appear beside Lauren Bacall, Olivia De Havilland, and Marilyn Monroe!"

***This article contains major spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, this is your only warning.***

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a movie that gets it right! For the first time in more years than I care to remember, I left the theater genuinely in awe and wonder after a Star Wars movie. Episode 7: The Force Awakens was a fun movie, but it had nowhere near the same emotional impact as Rogue One. The performances are great, the real-world celebrity and Star Wars celebrity cameo character appearances are a huge treat, and the suspense is real. Unlike Episode 3 where everyone knew exactly how the plot would turn out, all anyone knows about Rogue One is that it’s about the mission to steal the Death Star plans, which leads to the destruction of the Death Star in Episode 4.

The acting is spot on, with just the right blend of convincing acting and a touch of original trilogy-style campiness.  (Read the rest at OMNI.)

Insurgency: A STAR WARS Fan Fiction

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

INSURGENCY

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They marched the captive stormtrooper into view of the holocam, clad in full armor except for gloves and forearm plates. His hands were bound together behind his back. His helmet was cracked across the brow and visor, eliminating its ability to send or receive transmissions, especially GPS distress beacons.

Zero walked into view and removed the helmet, betraying the frail humanity beneath the expressionless mask that had become a symbol of fear and repression across the galaxy.

"Name," Zero demanded.

The stormtrooper's fear was visible in his wide eyes. "Zax Shumack." The trooper did his best to retain some composure.

"Serial number."

"IC-9983567."

"Homeworld."

"Imperial Center."

"Excuse me?" Zero barked.

"C-Coruscant," the prisoner stammered.

Zero knew then that some part of the prisoner still clung to hope for his life. Zero almost pitied him, until the memory of his dead wife strengthened his resolve and his hatred for the Empire. "What is your unit?"

The prisoner shut his eyes, knowing that repeating the information already given up during several beatings somehow wouldn't help his case.

Zero raised his voice to a near boom. "What is your unit?!"

"S-Second Brigade, F-F-Five Oh First."

"Ah," Zero half intoned and half breathed, "the infamous Vader's Fist. We can see how mighty Vader's Fist really is," he bragged to the holocam. "Tell us why you came to this world."

"T-To apprehend and eliminate dissidents."

"To kill them, you mean."

"Or arrest them," the trooper shot back.

"And what happens to these lucky suspects who merely get arrested?"

"Th-They get taken in for interrogation by the Ministry of Security, or Imperial Intelligence."

"And then what?" Zero patiently asked, eagerly awaiting valuable ammunition for his anti-Imperial propaganda.

"I don't know."

Zero grabbed the trooper by the hair and kneed the side of his face. The sound of the prisoner's cheekbone cracking was audible enough to be picked up in the recording.  "You don't know?! You mean to tell me that a member of Imperial Special Forces, with access to more Intel than 99% of the galaxy, doesn't know?! Don't play stupid with me, you criffing Imperial jackbooted bastard!"

"They get executed!" the prisoner yelped as he failed to hold back his emotions. Fearful tears began leaking from his eyes and pouring down his face as the Imperial stormtrooper broke down.

"They get executed," Zero reaffirmed, nodding grimly. "What about the civilians that run from your kind? What happens when they resist unconstitutional arrest?"

"We-- We're ordered to open fire on them. Ordered, I'm telling you. We don't have a choice!"

"You don't have a choice?!" Zero's anger was quickly turning into cold annoyance. "You're not a clone. You weren't bred for war like Palpatine's flesh robots. Nobody put a blaster to your head and forced you to enlist in a postwar army. You had a choice, trooper. Unfortunately for you, you picked the wrong side."

Zero released the captive stormtrooper from his grip and stepped out of the holocam's view for a brief moment. He returned into view holding a vibroblade. Zero ignited the blade and a purple glow drowned out the silver of the metal as the blade came to life, its electronic hum echoing the captive stormtrooper's swan song.

"Now," Zero continued, "every Imperial trooper and recruit will see how free men respond to any government thug who shoots down civilians!" Zero grabbed the trooper by the hair and held the vibroblade up to the trooper's throat. The captive begged Zero, 'No no no!' but his fate was sealed. He choked and gurgled as the insurgent leader sawed back and forth, causing the prisoner sharp bolts of anguish until the rapid blood loss made everything go dark.

In less than a minute, Zero was holding in his hand the stormtrooper's severed head. "As you can see, the Emperor's finest troops are not invincible." He threw the head down and watched it roll before he stepped close enough to the holocam to fill the screen with his face. Fire burned in his eyes. "You're next, Palpatine. If the Jedi could be killed, so can you. Don't think you're safe, you monster!"

The holocam went dark with the end of the recording.

Star Wars: Insurgency

A rebel army forms to challenge the Emperor

Vader's Fist will show no mercy

A student of the Force will turn to the Dark Side to defeat the Empire

Do you like what you read? Do you want to read more?  Comment below or email me at politicalzachfoster@gmail.com

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Star Wars is the property of Disney and Lucasfilm.  This story is a fan fiction and has not been approved by Lucasfilm Story Group.  All images used were obtained from Wookieepedia (StarWars.wikia.com)

Libertarian Star Wars images

For a while now I've been a big stickler on libertarian culture. Bridging the gap between libertarian ideas and mainstream culture is a key way to grow the liberty movement.

Doing so was my objective in making these hi-resolution libertarian e-posters featuring stunning Star Wars artwork and quotes from famous libertarians, including Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and Ron Paul.

Just so you know, I did not create these beautiful images. I also do not own or possess the rights to them.  I simply found them on various Google image searches and put text on them.

Despite the libertarian opposition to intellectual property, we still don't want to get sued, so... You may use these libertarian Star Wars e-posters strictly for non-commercial purposes (i.e. no currency exchanged).

Now that that's out of the way, let's share some ideas!

Share these images far and wide!  Re-post!  Re-blog!

May the Force [and God-given liberty] be with you.

Click the images to enlarge

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Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd., The Walt Disney Corporation, and Twentieth Century Fox. The potentially copyrighted images were used for free speech and strictly for non-commercial purposes.

Five Libertarian Ideas #13 - Star Wars, organized crime and POLITICAL CORRUPTION

Star Wars and the Fed

I love the STAR WARS novel "Darth Plagueis". The protagonist is a Sith lord (the same who plans the Clone Wars and rise of the Empire). His day job is intergalactic banking. Hmm, large-scale banking and planning wars... FEDERAL RESERVE!!! –3/26

Organized crime in politics

Leland Yee

California State Senator Leland Yee is in big trouble now. While his helping broker a major arms deal for the Triads is definitely laudable for ambitious creativity alone, Yee is definitely not the first American politician to be caught in bed with organized crime.

He's also not the first California Democratic legislator to be charged with corruption. I think it's safe to say every State Senator and Assembly member in California with a "D" after their name on the ballot ought to be investigated by the Feds. –3/28

Perspectives on the American Revolution

Conservatives: The Founding Fathers were all conservatives and they were of one mind when they wrote the Constitution.

Libertarians: The founding fathers were all libertarians and, even though they screwed up a few times, they were of one perfect mind when they wrote the Constitution.

An-Caps: Constitution? Pssh. I didn't sign that crap, I do what I want! And btw, the unorganized militia at Concord was the greatest fighting force IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE!!!!!!!! –4/2

ObamaCare and voter fraud

Models of health coverage

So the Covered California (ObamaCare) people are sending out voter registration forms with "Democrat" already marked... This reminds me of why I left the Left. They don't actually give a damn about democracy nor choice, only the IDEA of democracy while special interests bamboozle the Left into securing plunder via a Democrat party-state. –4/2

Second Fort Hood shooting

Not that I know anything about the military, but Presidents HW Bush and Clinton did the military no favors by turning installations into virtual gun-free zones.  After two shootings at Fort Hood and other shootings at Washington Navy Yard, Norfolk Naval Station, and the National Guard armory in Kentucky, it's time to re-arm the rank and file troops (who are more trained to safely handle weapons than most Americans). Disarming them has only given domestic terrorists and psychos plenty of targets in pretty camouflage. –4/2

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Leland Yee image by X and used via CC BY 3.0 license.  Health care systems graphic by "Kborer" and in the public domain. Both images obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

So Rand Paul and Hillary Clinton Walk Into a Hearing...

Your typical Foreign Relations Committee hearing when chaired by Rand Paul

So two people who want to be President of the United States walk into a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing; one is a Democrat and the other a Republican.  One plans to be heard while the other plans to do the hearing.  However, it turns out that rather than the Democrat be heard while the Republican does the hearing, the current Senator from Kentucky delivered an exceptional rhetorical falcon punch to the Democrat until-recently-Secretary of State regarding her questionable leadership over the embassy in Benghazi.  Realistically, it was more of a Dragon Ball Z-style mega punch by Senator Paul through the body of ex-Secretary Clinton.

“Had I been president at the time, and I found that you did not read the cables from Benghazi, you did not read the cables from Ambassador Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post.”

Ouch!  The standard operating procedure is to offer one some ice for that burn.  However, ex-Secretary Clinton should be content with procuring some ice either through her health care benefits as a federal employee or she could even settle for ObamaCare as tirelessly campaigned for by her former boss’ administration.

At this moment in time I feel it quite appropriate to make the case that a Paul presidency would take great strides in divorcing the ill-begotten marriage between government dollars and private sector health care which is responsible for driving the prices of health insurance and health care sky high.  Dr. Paul was even instrumental in establishing eye clinics in Kentucky that catered to patients without medical insurance.  Furthermore, Dr. Paul subscribes to Austrian economic theory, a school of economics whose leading thinkers have been providing ideas for privatizing health care completely and in a way that makes care and insurance easily affordable.  (See Mises.org and search “health care” because I’m too lazy to explain myself when others have already done it so well for me.)

Returning to the wrestling-style smack down of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, it’s beyond redundant to state that Senator Paul thought Secretary Clinton handled the Libya situation poorly.  Defenders of Secretary Clinton may criticize Senator Paul for being overly critical or even for being partisan.  However, there is nothing partisan about Senator Paul’s views on foreign policy, including Libya.  Let’s flash back to the filibuster speech he delivered on the Senate floor on September 21, 2012.

“We gave money [to] dictators, from Saddam Hussein—who was once our ally receiving billions of dollars—to the Mujahedeen who were radical jihadists, but at the time we didn’t mind if you were a radical jihadist if you were our radical jihadist, because they were opposing the Soviet Union.  But the Mujahedeen eventually became the Taliban who are now our enemies.

“According to [scholars] Corey and Ryan, the world’s worst dictators have received $105 billion under the guise of official developmental assistance.  Instead of helping the poor, the assistance is aiding the ability of the dictators to remain in power.  In fact, it keeps them in power long enough that it enflames the populace that we end up having to... [go back] because of war.

“Why is there such a widespread anti-Americanism?  Because we propped up and gave money to so many despots, to so many dictators…  Why are we seeing people burning the American flag?  Why are we seeing such great unrest in 30 different countries?  Because our foreign aid and our military aid has propped up dictators who become over decades despotic, autocratic, who torture their people, prevent freedom from occurring, and then there’s a backlash [against us].

The particular context of this speech was cutting foreign aid to Pakistan, Egypt, and Libya.  Like his father, retired Congressman Ron Paul, Senator Paul is ideologically opposed to foreign aid just as the founding fathers were.  His use of these three unstable countries as a gateway to cutting foreign aid is particularly clever, in my opinion at least.  The reasons he gave for cutting foreign aid to these countries essentially boils down to the following: the government of Pakistan has only made half-assed efforts to a half-assed approach in fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan, extremism and civil strife are rampant in Egypt, extremists in post-war Libya killed American diplomats without ever being held to account for it, and American intervention in foreign affairs—especially in middle eastern countries torn by civil war and civil strife—only breeds hatred and ill will against America and Americans (hence the angry mob murdering the diplomats in Libya).

Had Senator Paul (or his father) been President, not a dime of American government money would have gone to the extremists infiltrating these governments, there would have been no Americans killed in Libya because there would have been no American presence there, and there would have been no incident over which to relieve Secretary Clinton.  The sad irony is that leftists are going to dislike Senator Paul even more now that “he was mean” to Hillary Clinton, even though Paul’s view that America shouldn’t police the world or tell other countries what to do is sharply in contrast to Clinton’s view yet very much in line with the left’s views of a humble foreign policy.  Oh well, the left’s hypocrisy doesn’t make Rand any less cool.

The best part for me in witnessing all of this is knowing that Senator Rand Paul will run for President in 2016.  This is especially sweet because Hillary wants to run as well—it’s no secret she’s wanted to be President for a long time—and the combined embarrassment from the leadership failure in the “Benghazigate” scandal with Senator Paul’s grilling only serves to shatter Clinton’s dreams of being POTUS while solidifying Paul’s foundation.  Because I’m currently killing downtime on a military base in the middle of nowhere, I will now entertain myself by applying Senator Paul’s awesome burn to the following film scenarios:

Star Wars: Had I been king of Alderaan and found out you ignored the beacon signals about the Death Star, I would have relieved you of your post.

The Lord of the Rings: Had I been Lord Elrond and found out you ignored the mystical signs that the Nazgul were hunting Frodo, I would have relieved you of your post.

Star Wars again: Had I been a general and found out you ignored the message signals informing us that the Empire was going to attack the rebel base on Hoth, I would have relieved you of your post.

Harry Potter: Had I been head of the Order of the Phoenix and found out you, as headmistress of Hogwarts, ignored the owl letters regarding death eaters onto the castle grounds, I would have relieved you of your post.

Star Wars yet again: Had I been Admiral Ackbar and found out it was a trap, I would have relieved you of your post.

Full Metal Jacket: had I found out you were not under sniper fire in Vietnam nor in Bosnia/Kosovo, I would have relieved you of your post.

Star Trek the Next Generation: Had I been head of the galactic federation and found out you ignored that giant Borg cube that flew by the Enterprise, kidnapped Captain Picard and turned him into a cyborg, I would have relieved you of your post as Number One.

The Sandlot: Had I been your father and found out you lost the Babe Ruth autograph ball in the Beast’s yard, I would have relieved you of your post.

Star Wars in real life: Had I been Steven Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola and found out you were going to make prequels to the Star Wars Trilogy, I would have relieved you of your post.

Perhaps the only thing sweeter than seeing Senator Paul destroying Democrats would be witnessing him spearheading the effort to purge the neocons from Republican Party leadership.  Honestly, with friends like the “conservatives” who went out of their way to bring down Ron Paul’s candidacy, who needs enemies?

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USMC photo 090214-M-4150N-112 is in the public domain. Rand Paul photo by Gage Skidmore and used via CC BY-SA 2.0 license.  Both images obtained from Wikimedia Commons.  If FUNimation wouldn't be inclined to sue my pants off for using Dragon Ball Z fight stills, I would have used them in a heartbeat.

The Liberty Movement in Cinema

When I talk about the liberty movement in movies or television, I don’t refer to Ron Paul Flix or Rand Paul Flix (though those are both great venues and all Paul supporters should check them out on YouTube as soon as possible).  I’m talking about well-known and loved Hollywood movies where the conservative/libertarian viewer can draw clear parallels between the content of the film and a particular episode from his own time as an activist.  Once the viewer knows what themes, archetypes, and patterns in character and plot development to look for, there will be liberty movement parallels leaping at him from the screen.

I won’t include The Patriot in this rant, nor will I include Atlas Shrugged, Margin Call, The Social Network, or any of the other movies favorably reviewed by Jeffrey Tucker, Mark Thornton, and other Austrian economists.  Why?  Those movies show the glories of voluntary association and individual liberty while exposing the blatant evils of large, oppressive government, intellectual property, Keynesian economics, etc.  Basically, those movies all preach to the conservative/libertarian choir.

Since I’m feeling bitter and cynical, I want to have a good dark-humored laugh and make light of the more trying episodes in our movement’s recent history.  I want to be able to laugh at our failures.  Trust me, I’m not just some nihilist—nihilists rarely apply themselves—I just think it’s healthy for us in the liberty movement to be able to laugh at ourselves once in a while, otherwise we’ll go crazy from all the setbacks and disappointments.  Hence the popularity of the Ron Paul Problems blog.  Here’s a look at five movies with scenes that serve as perfect metaphors for epic fails in our recent history:

1.   Henry V.  Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of England’s King Henry the Fifth (according to William Shakespeare) is nothing short of excellent.  The film and story truly are epic (and enjoyable, despite the imperialistic overtones).  The best scene of the entire film takes place just after the Battle of Agincourt, where the English have defeated the French but at a painful cost.  Even the king’s own squire was killed.  The victors sing the religious chant “Non Nobis Domine” as they wade through mud, blood, and thousands of corpses to collect their own dead.  This scene reminds me of the day after the 2012 California Primary Election where Ron Paul and a great many liberty candidates were annihilated by neocons, yet we still managed to score a few victories for liberty candidates who would survive to see the general election.

2.    One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  This movie is a classic for reasons I need not explain.  I’ll only mention that it’s a great underdog story.  Several of the men in the asylum remind me of my comrades in our movement.  Like them, people think we’re crazy but we’re only playing their game because it serves our purposes.  Unfortunately, the little rebellion in the mental hospital was crushed by the vindictive nurse.  At least the chief escaped!  Most of our candidates may have been evaporated in the 2012 election cycle, but some of them will live to fight another day.

Col. Claus von Stauffenberg

3.     Valkyrie.  The Germans who conspired to take out Hitler were by no means men of Ludwig von Mises’ caliber.  Many of them were dedicated socialists and more like rats on a sinking ship who saw how thinly stretched the Third Reich’s forces were.  Still, I have the highest admiration for Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who was truly different from most of his co-conspirators in that he was never a member of the Nazi Party nor a supporter of Hitler.  Everyone knows the July 20^th plot to assassinate Hitler failed and Stauffenberg and company were executed.  This small group of dedicated reformers who dared hijack the state, the Nazi Party, and the German armed forces to enact instant change for the survival of their country remind me of the vastly outnumbered Ron Paul delegates at the 2012 Republican National Convention.  What advice would I have given the Paul delegates as they were being de-credentialed and swept aside at the RNC?  Stauffenberg’s words to General Olbricht: “Look them in the eyes.  That way they’ll remember you.”

4.   Richard III.  Shakespeare has led us to believe that England’s notorious king Richard the Third was a cruel and wicked despot whose overthrow meant the liberation of his people from tyranny.  Roy Morris Jr.’s editorial in the December 2012 issue of Military Heritage turns that historical theory upside down since Richard had a legitimate claim to the throne and the victorious Henry Tudor (Henry VII) was technically the usurper who strong-armed his way to the throne in a bloody coup.  Since Queen Elizabeth was a Tudor, Shakespeare probably had to kiss ass in order to obtain the Queen’s political favor by demonizing Richard III while making Henry VII look way more awesome than even Ron Paul.  Unfortunately, Morris’ probably-true account doesn’t make good drama and Shakespeare’s douchebag king does.  Ian McKellen does the role justice in the 1995 film paralleling the York regime with the Third Reich.  When the despot finally commits suicide at Bosworth Field (with musical accompaniment by Al Jolson) the viewer is left incredibly frustrated.  Sure, it’s great and dandy that the despot is dead, but everyone knows Henry should have dealt the death blow!  Picture the 2012 General Election: We’re all happy Romney got the crippling defeat he deserved, especially after the millions he spent to sabotage Ron Paul, but it still sucks that Paul wasn’t the victor in this election (and that we still have another four years of Obama waiting for us).

5.     The Empire Strikes Back.  If anyone’s actually thinking of correcting me for not writing the Star Wars Episode V prefix, go punch yourself and bathe in cold water now.  What happens in the Empire Strikes Back?  Just to name a few: the Rebel Alliance get their asses handed to them in the Battle of Hoth, the Alliance only narrowly survives after a fighting retreat, Luke Skywalker quits his Jedi training early (and loses his arm in close combat), and Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite and hauled away by Boba Fett.  The gleeful days following the destruction of the first Death Star are long gone, the Empire has regained the initiative, and the Rebel Alliance is losing the war.  Welcome to the liberty movement today!  Ron Paul didn’t get the nomination, he’s now retired from Congress, a great many liberty candidates didn’t get elected in 2012, Justin Amash and other fiscal conservatives have been kicked off of key committees, and freaking Jim DeMint left the Senate to go write fairy tales at the Heritage Foundation.  What the hell, man!  But not all is lost.  Rand Paul and Mike Lee are still the liberty movement’s Dynamic Duo of the Senate; Amash, Bentivolio, Massey, and other pillars of conservative/libertarian thought are still raising hell in the House, and Judge Napolitano still hasn’t shut up.

Furthermore, the final scene of The Empire Strikes Back where Luke holds Leia is bittersweet but with a shade of optimism.  Sure, it seems like the good guys are up shit creek without a paddle, but the fact stands that Luke and Leia will live to fight another day.  The fact that members of the liberty movement are reading this and agreeing with some of it means that we will live to fight another day in the political process.  Rand may even run for President in 2016!  Together, you and I will push forward for liberty and Constitutional government for as long as fifteen or twenty years if we have to.  (Because I’m also missing my right arm, I get to be Luke Skywalker. No discussions.)  The statists may have won this round but the fight ain’t over.  I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t intend to go quietly.

For liberty!

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Film festival photo by "Borislavkf" and used via CC BY-SA 3.0 license.  No copyrights were given or implied for the Stauffenberg photo.  Both images were obtained from Wikimedia Commons.  YouTube videos are not the property of Zach Foster but are used according to the Standard YouTube License.  Intellectual Property can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.  If it weren't I'd have used photo stills from Star Wars.  Oh well.  Add that to the list of things to bellyache about.