Feb 14 is FREEDOM DAY!

I originally wrote this in 2011.  It's just as true today as it was back then.  I wish I'd followed my own advice rather than rush into things with a woman I almost married, but in the end I dodged a nasty bullet.  Today I'm more than happy with my own company.  For the first time, I feel like an accomplished man and am at peace with the direction in which I'm headed in life.  I wish all the same for you.

Today I want to take this opportunity to reach out to my readers on a personal level about something which people of ALL political affiliations can agree with.

I have rededicated February 14 as Freedom Day for myself and others like me, including many of my readers.  I’ve had the misfortune of sharing in other people’s sorrow as many people of all age groups who find themselves in the “singles” category refer to Valentine’s Day as “Single’s Awareness Day.”  This is the day where they get an even more bitter (than usual) reminder that they are alone, romantically speaking. 

But honestly folks, why should it be Single’s Awareness Day?  So many people all over the world suffer from self-inflicted pain because they buy into the faulty philosophy that if they don’t find a romantic partner by the end of the week, or that if they (God forbid!) come out of a relationship, the world will end.  God will rain fire on Gomorrah and they didn’t even get a piece before the apocalypse! No fair!  Ridiculous as it seems, people make this their personal cross and bear it for others to see.

Rarely do people consider this: what is so terrible about being single?  This should be an opportunity for people to have the PRIVILEGE of taking a deep breath, stepping back from the world of relationships and focusing on bettering themselves.  Personally, I’m in a point in my life where I finally truly like who I am and where I’m going in life; it’ll be a long time before my dreams are fully realized, but I know that right now I’m alright.  I have the freedom to not be weighed down by the bonds of commitment to anyone other than myself, and I’m free to make my own decisions. Why is this a bad thing? Why can’t people take a step back, see the big picture, and appreciate what they’ve done (or what they want to do now that they’re not tied down either)?  This is an opportunity for people to do what they want, not what others expect of them.

Sure, it’s not so easy celebrating Freedom Day when there are flowers and red balloons everywhere, but Valentine’s Day is for couples.  Don’t be envious; let people enjoy their day and you enjoy yours.  This is the time when people should surround themselves with good friends, or at least spend the day going out and treating themselves to what they like.  There is no need to fixate on conforming to the near-hollow social standard of commitment.  It will come eventually. Everyone has their day for romance.  Spending the days watching the clock and wondering when it will happen only makes people miserable.

Furthermore, look around and see the couples that are MISERABLE: abusive relationships, shattered marriages, broken homes.  Even in politics, how many sex scandals have there been in the last year or two just on Capitol Hill?  What Democrats and Republicans have in common is more than a few sleazy members of Congress who are having affairs, making their spouses miserable.

February 14 is the day when those not celebrating Valentine’s Day can celebrate their personal freedom.  Congratulations to all those who are celebrating Valentine’s Day. I’m truly happy for you.  May everyone not celebrating Valentine’s Day have a most wonderful Freedom Day.

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Dysfunctional Valentine Hearts image courtesy of the Shoe Box Blog. Dictators collage courtesy of We Know Memes.

[VIDEO] Rise of the Mexican Self-Defense Militias

Friday, January 31 I was lucky enough to be a guest on the "Last Voice For Liberty/ Friday Night Live" Super Show with Dennis Ford and my other liberty movement friends.  I talked about the civil war in Mexico (a.k.a. the Mexican drug war) and what my country has to do with it.  I talked for an HOUR and we barely scratched the surface of vital information!

You can listen to the full segment here (I'm in the second hour) or enjoy the following excerpt with images, about the citizens militias popping up all over Mexico!  Now THESE people know the true meaning of DON'T TREAD ON ME!

--ZF

Images used in the video courtesy of the Community Police (citizen militias) of Michoacan and Guerrero.

Five Libertarian Ideas #7 - A new Pledge of Allegiance??? Romney vs Rand

A new Pledge of Allegiance?

I like my version of the pledge better: I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the preservation of the rights and liberties guaranteed therein. –1/23

Minimal state verses totalitarian state

My friends in the liberty movement know I'm not an anarchist, but they know I agree with many #libertarian anarchist ideas because they're first and foremost libertarian ideas. However, many anarchists have told me that the "minimal state" is just as dangerous as the totalitarian state. I have to disagree there for one (of several) reason(s): I can go out in public and talk about what a fool President Obama is, whereas if I insulted Kim Jong Un's name in North Korea, I'd be up against a firing squad faster than I can say "I'm a sovereign individual." –1/25

2014 State of the Union

Folks, he flat out said he's doing what he wants without consulting Congress. I'm neither surprised nor horrified. I was kind of expecting it anyway. Most second-term Presidents do whatever the hell they want anyway. I'm just gonna keep doing what I want, which is libertarian/conservative activism. Constitution, liberty, star-spangled patriot black-and-yellow awesomeness. Ron Paul! –1/28

Bonus thought: I'm amused that the center of attention at the State of the Union was NOT the President, but Duck Commander. –1/29

Romney vs Rand? Romney supporters joining the Paul camp

This week I've had online exchanges with modern conservatives (supporting Romney in 2012) who are frustrated enough with Republican leadership. For the FIRST time, THEY SUPPORT THE PAULS. It's happening!!!! I know it's all going according to Ron and Rand's plans, but after so many setbacks for the movement, it's freaking awesome to have one's faith rewarded. –1/29

What ‘conservatism’ means

The theory behind conservatism is to CONSERVE, ultimately preserving a laissez-faire way of life so our children can grow up without dependence on a monolithic state. This brand of conservatism was all but extinct, but Ron Paul has managed to light brush fires in people's minds that are giving old-school conservatism and new-school libertarianism a fighting chance in this country. –2/2

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Porcupine Gadsden flag by "Kowulz" and used via CC BY-SA 3.0 license.  Ron and Rand photo by Gage Skidmore and used via CC BY-SA 2.0 license.  Both images obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Five Libertarian Ideas #6 - Ron Paul coin, Rand Paul on Snowden, Mark Levin on Nullification, etc.

Prohibition and crime levels

Between 2000 and 2005, drug crimes in Mexico went UP while violent crime overall went DOWN. Then in 2006, the nightmare began and the narcos became insurgents. We see how on-the-books prohibition "caused" drug crime to "rise" while other crime went down. We then see how government-enforced prohibition turned a regional gang war into a nationwide civil war. –1/04

Ron Paul coins vs. the Fed

So there's a gold Ron Paul coin. Let's just say it actually becomes a hot commodity, demand goes up, and the supply goes down. How long before the Fed stockpiles those gold coins and then lends against them on the fractional reserve? Oh, the sweet irony... –1/05

Rand Paul on Edward Snowden

RAND PAUL is NOT saying that Snowden oughta be in jail for whistleblowing on the NSA, but rather for providing US secrets to OTHER GOVERNMENTS. Whistleblowing on your own government is libertarian. Selling out and working for other governments is not libertarian, it's just a DIFFERENT shade of statism. So chill out, Haters-o'-Rand. –1/06

Mark Levin [WRONG] on Nullification

My friend, 10^th Amendment Center’s Nick Hankoff, challenged Mark Levin's idea of NULLIFICATION (and was subsequently berated for it). It seems like Levin's idea of nullification is limited to seceding from the Union and protecting slavery, rather than its actual purpose: to be a constitutional republic's safeguard for the minority against tyranny of the majority. –1/08

The Iraq War Interpreters

Some of the brave unsung heroes of the Iraq War are the Iraqi interpreters who risked life and limb believing that what they were doing was for the good of their country. In 2003 they were trying to liberate their country from a dictator. From 2004 onwards, they were helping pacify an insurgency of religious fanatics and plain psychopaths.

Many or most of them are in the US and can never go home for fear of their lives. Many believe that the war ultimately wasn't worth it. Nonetheless, they are a proud people with an aversion to being ruled, be it by dictators, religious zealots, or foreigners. We should reach out to these new-generation Americans, as they're more libertarian than even they realize. –1/22

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Edward Snowden GIF graphic by Laura Poitras/Praxis Films and used via CC BY 3.0 license. Iraqi interpreter image by Pete Rimar and in the public domain.  Both images were obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

FIVE LIBERTARIAN IDEAS #5 - Mexican self-defense militias, Disney movies, radical Islam, etc.

Weed clinic vs. drug cartel

Before medical marijuana was legalized in Arizona, underground medical clinics had little choice but to buy the drug in bulk from the Sinaloa cartel. When the drug was legalized for medicinal use, requiring clinics to grow their own supply, many clinic operators were assaulted and some murdered. This means that legalization of the drug in the U.S. is a threat to the cartels' finances and their authority. Let's peacefully neuter these terrorist organizations! –12/24

Christmas, Christianity, Free Will

Free will is a cornerstone of being human. Freedom of choice is a cornerstone of libertarianism. Christmas is one of my two favorite holidays. Today we observe the birth of One who came into the world to give us a choice: whether we would move forward or be left behind. Regardless of one's beliefs, we all have a choice, and I utilized my freedom to make MY choice. Merry Christmas! –12/25

Mexico’s self-defense militias

Murray Rothbard describes the militiamen at Concord as fighting a guerrilla war of national liberation. In Mexico's current civil war, towns are rising up to fight their oppressors. They've defied gun control, declared their communities autonomous, and replaced the corrupt militarized police with local militias. No group of people better represents libertarian national defense and self-defense than these patriots. –12/26

Grimm’s vs. Disney

I wish America grew up on Grimm's fairy tales instead of Disney. Our society has UNREALISTIC expectations of living happily ever after and everything being magical. Women want to be treated like princesses. Instead, I think men ought to treat women like queens... A queen ranks above a common man, but like queens, women must be poised, strong, and capable of being leaders. –12/27

Islam, terrorism, drug prohibition

Muslims are not a threat to our national security--RADICAL Islam is. The difference between Muslims and Al Qaeda is the same difference between Christians and the Ku Klux Klan. But the BIGGEST threat to our national security is paramilitary drug cartels in Mexico forging alliances with American street and prison gangs. The reason they have so much power is the same reason American gangsters grew powerful in the 1920s: GOVERNMENT PROHIBITION. –12/28

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UPOEG photo courtesy of enca dot com.