Five Libertarian Ideas #19 - Ron Swanson, Troops for Ron Paul

Technology and the free market

Last night I was reading a kickass novel on my tablet via the Kindle app. Now I'm out and about reading the same book on my phone, and the Kindle app on my phone brought me to where I left off on the tablet. Incredible!

Better yet, I got the tablet for FREE as a special promo for buying ANY Android phone. Now I'm having a blast with two new devices that allow me to run a side business, do homework, and be entertained on-the-go. This is a beautiful example of the wealth and abundance created by the free market.

Today is a wonderful day to be libertarian. -5/14

Ron Swanson libertarian or Kim Jong Un communist?

SFL asked if I was a Ron Swanson libertarian or a Kim Jong-un communist. Frankly, I was sorely tempted to go with the commies. They may have their collective head up their collective ass, but they know what pageantry is! We libertarians are on point about a whole lot of things, but the Reds have style! (Thus endeth the jest.) -5/15

Troops for Ron Paul

I was walking around on post today, wearing my Youth for Paul T-shirt, when a soldier passing me says "Hell yeah, bro, Ron Paul!" Made…. my... day!  Though many in the liberty movement arrogantly scorn these "servants of the state," those who have to cash with blood the checks written by civilian leaders are among the MOST receptive to a humble libertarian foreign policy. -5/19

Civil war in Ukraine

Civil war is already upon Ukraine. With the army having failed, Ukrainian patriots have assembled pro-Kiev militias and clashed with separatists in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. Ukraine is a prime example of the new kind of non-state warfare. Wars between governments are a thing of the past. Wars between private groups are the new wave. Mexico is another prime example of this. -5/21

Enter the Ukrainian National Guard

According to Simon Ostrovsky (formerly detained and beaten by Russian separatists), the entire First Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard are volunteers who were peaceful protestors at Euro Maidan in Kiev. They stood up to a corrupt regime because it oppressed and repressed peaceful dissent. Now they're in combat in Eastern Ukraine because they oppose the Kremlin invading via Spetsnaz and installing breakaway puppet states like the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. They're an all-volunteer force.

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Smart phone photo by the UK Ministry of Defense, via Open Government License 1.0; Ukraine image by Mstyslav Chernov, via CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Civil War in Mexico (the Mexican drug war)

High school aged kids from Juarez would take part in--and be victim of--massacres that shocked the world.

Mexican Marines operating against paramilitary Los Zetas

Hello, fellow libertarians and aspiring libertarians!

Many of you expressed interest on Facebook and Twitter in my undergrad thesis on the Mexican drug war, which I argue is a multisided civil war and a modern war.  The paper is complete, was submitted two months ago, I presented it at three conferences, and I'm graduating in two weeks.  Hoorah!

I recently polished and expanded the paper (in order for it to be above the quality of Finals Season, i.e., great rush, much caffeine, little sleep). Once I was happy with it, I submitted it for publication and I sure hope they accept it!

In the meantime, I uploaded my unpublished paper as a working paper on Academia.edu.  If you're interested in a 50+ page academic paper on people killing each other in creative ways, then you'll enjoy it. The title is "CIVIL WAR IN MEXICO: Re-Examining Armed Conflict and Criminal Insurgency." You can download the PDF or read it online on my Academia profile.

P.S. I cited Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard as academic sources.  Winning!!!

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Photo by Borderland Bear Reporter Buggs via CC BY-SA 2.5 license. Image obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Five Libertarian Ideas #18 - Nazis in Ukraine and UFOs in Afghanistan

Russia on Nazis in Ukraine

The Russian army secretly invaded Ukraine and annexed whole chunks in order to "protect Russian speakers." Russian militias and mobs are dragging people out of their homes, severely beating them, and arresting them on the sole basis of disagreeing with "the revolution." It's funny how the Russians call Ukrainians "Nazis" and "fascists" yet themselves are doing exactly what the Nazis did in the 1930s. -5/6

Russian Soviet socialism… again

In the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic," the Russian separatists are shutting down entire banks to punish specific Ukrainian government officials who have holdings at those banks. What the separatists will undoubtedly cause is a bank run and fleeing business capital, both of which will cause economic depression in the area... just like the Soviet days. -5/6

Gay and straight Eagle Scouts

[Regarding the new twin Eagle Scouts, one gay and one straight:] I'm an Eagle Scout and it's none of my damn business what orientation a fellow scout is (nor your business either), as long as he keeps his hands to himself. End of story.  -5/7

UFO in Afghanistan conspiracy

Conspiratarians, don't get excited about the UFO in Afghanistan video that's going viral. It's definitely a drone in the video, and drones that can hover while shooting have been around at the latest since 2009. Sorry to burst your bubble but our intergalactic neighbors aren't interesting in picking sides in a tiny civil war. -5/9

Navy SEALs and libertarian foreign policy

The more I read Richard Marcinko's Rogue Warrior series (he founded SEAL Team Six), the more I realize it is, and has been for years, quite possible to deal with terrorism in a manner that neither violates the nonaggression principle nor requires the US government to start multiple wars and occupations abroad. -5/12

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Crimean militia photo by Voice of America and in the public domain. Rogue Warrior cover art is the property of Pocket Books, used via  tommytoy dot typepad dot com according to Fair Use Law.

Sky Sailing [poem]

Smooth sailing on days like this one
When the rains beckon me

To climb

I climb aboard and climb so high as

Swift high winds kiss my neck

And cheek

I ride this gallant mare through the sun,

Silver cloud gliding o'er

Sand dunes

The burning wasteland far below me,

Such a golden city,

Hidden

Away from the world, from prying eyes

By they who built it long

Ago

I descend from my silver steed to

Put my boot on the rock,

Painted

Bright crimson by the warriors who built

These pyramids of gold,

Altars

Ladders of wood ascending into

The mountainous caverns,

Hiding

The treasure I seek that lays concealed

In gold stone pyramids,

Waiting.

I can almost see her lying in wait,

Beckoning me ever

Louder

I see her in my mind's eye, the key!

Jewels of turquoise quartz

Illuminated by smooth skin

Of fine bronze and alabaster,

Hair in long braids covering

Her breasts as she waits

To be discovered,
Discovered

For in discovering her she holds

The key to happiness

Lifelong

My frantic footsteps bring me closer,

Closer to her, to the

Chamber

The door opens, El Dorado at last!

I sought her so long, but

Alas!

I see only a mirror...

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Arizona desert Native American photo by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is in the public domain. Pyramid of the Moon photo by Diego Delso and used via CC BY SA 3.0 license. Both images were obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Libertarian relaxation videos [ASMR]

Need some relaxation? You should get into ASMR, which is a growing trend of videos made with special sounds to trigger a sleepy, relaxed state. Below are two new Libertarian ASMR videos yo help you relax, and also teach libertarian ideas in a calm, friendly manner. Enjoy!

Five Libertarian Ideas #17 - Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts, Activism, Cold War

Air Force and Coast Guard Auxiliaries

I've seen conspiratarian blog posts making the Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary out to look like the Waffen-SS. That couldn't be further from the truth!

Both CAP and CGA are consistent with the non-aggression principle. Though they wear military uniforms and carry out missions on behalf of the military, both organizations are privately funded, relying mostly on member dues and charitable gifts.

Furthermore, they engage not in armed campaigns but in search and rescue operations, disaster relief, local community service, and education. Both organizations are the most benevolent manifestation of the organized militia. -4/27

Boy Scouts of America

Almost time to continue teaching Citizenship in the Community merit badge tonight. The Boy Scouts in my troop will get OUR worldview on civil rights and the true role of government. It's not just about activism; education is just as important. If the fight for liberty takes 20 years, we'll need new, young voters already on our side. -4/30

War in Ukraine

38 people are dead in an arson fire in a trade union building in Odessa in south-central Ukraine. The fire is believed to have been caused by Right Sector radicals but so far that's only speculation. It looks to me as if a greater emergency is being manufactured, and the Russians will use this to justify a full-scale invasion. -5/2

The embargo on Cuba

Wealthy joy riders in Havana; modern cars are rare in Cuba

The embargo on Cuba is damning proof of the futility of sanctions, since Fidel Castro still lives a life of wealth at the expense of the common people. I want to end Communism in Cuba by ending the embargo. I WANT Cuba to be flooded with American capitalism. I want the average Cuban who lives on $15 a month to be overwhelmed by drunk FSU students with fistfuls of money to spend, and realize in one day that Castro bamboozled Cuba for 55 years. -5/4

Liberty Letdowns and Pickups

It's been a privilege being a part of the liberty movement. Some people have chosen to be my brothers and sisters while others in the movement chose to remove me from their lives. They let me down, but the staggering amount of patriots who surround me with warm acceptance is always medicine for the soul. -5/6 

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Civil Air Patrol logo courtesy of CAP and in the public domain. Havana photo by "russavia", used via CC BY 2.0 license and obtained from Wikimedia Commons.