No Air Castle

Today's Indy Star featured an article on the looming formation of a Regional Transit Authority and a light rail boondoggle for Central Indiana.

Republican suburban Mayor Jim Brainard wants the region to subsidize a rail line from downtown Indy to Carmel, on Indy's north side. Cost? $500 MILLION. Time table? Ready to roll by 2011. So much for fiscal responsibility. The Democrats love public transportation and are unlikely to oppose this massive waste. Who to turn to? The Libertarian Party.

Critics of mass transit question building such a heavily subsidized service, especially because most systems do not have enough capacity to make a significant dent in automobile traffic. And studies show that more is spent per mass transit user than for highway and street improvements.

"Transportation is a private concern, whether it's moving people or moving freight," said Mike Kole, the Hamilton County chairman for the Libertarian Party of Indiana.

Kole says some mass transportation systems, such as New York's subway, are effective. But he questions whether Indianapolis, a smaller city where residents live in less dense neighborhoods, could really benefit from a rail system.

"How many in the region could you honestly serve?" he said. "And yet you would expect them all to pay for it."

But Brainard still backs building mass transit in the Indianapolis area and the north suburbs.

"All transportation is expensive," he said. "So the question is really, what type of transportation is better for the region? To be competitive, I think trains would be ideal."

Has anyone ever moved to a city because of the trains? People move for jobs, for neighborhoods, for lower taxes or crime, for better schools or other quality of life, but for trains? Carmel is the wealthiest city in the state, so how is the region somehow not competitive? Wow.

This is an issue which will allow us to illustrate the folly of robbing Peter to pay Paul to those who normally have no time for us. Here we have the wealthiest city and county in the state seeking half a billion dollars in subisidies to provide transportation for their citizens at the expense of everyone else. The people in Shelby County will understand how they are getting rooked. So will the people of Marion, Johnson, and Madison Counties. Likewise, the inner city residents of Haughville.

Now, let them hear us!

LP National Convention Report 2

Another thing high on my Convention wish list was that some of the national LP's platform planks would get kicked out. Alas, the platform was supported in much greater numbers than at the 2002 Convention.

Again, my fight is against the Kook Factor. We have platform planks, such as those on the LaGrange Points in space, and as-of-yet undiscovered resources, that rightfully cause the LP to be the subject of well-earned scorn. My fellow Libertarians, do not wonder why we're deemed irrelevant and dismissed out of hand by so many who give us a fair look. Too many of our party are more eager to build air castles in support of esoteric issues of interest to about 37 American geeks rather than provide concrete solutions to the real issues of the day that affect millions.

The quick analysis is that the Conventions held in presidential years tend to attract newer members, purists, and kooks, whereas the off-year Conventions have a greater percentage of County Chairs and serious candidates for offices such as County Commissioner and Township Trustee. The normal faction of the LP shows up for all of the Conventions, but was greatly outnumbered this year. The normal faction of the LP will have to try again in 2006 to remove the albatross that is the national platform from around our necks.

LP National Convention Report 1

I had gone on at some length in favor of Gary Nolan for President with previous posts, so it should be no surprise that I was fairly disappointed that Michael Badnarik instead won the nomination of the Libertarian Party. Nolan was a strong finisher, dropping off the ballot with only five fewer votes than Badnarik on the second round of voting.

My disappointment is two-fold:

1. I am a County Chair, and as such, I want a Presidential candidate who will focus on boosting top affiliates at the state and county level. Nolan did this in the months leading up to the Convention. Badnarik only did a marginal job. Nolan promised to boost Indiana and Hamilton County. Thus far, no word from Badnarik, though I will make overtures.

2. The kook factor. Badnarik carries some baggage that is sure to have him labeled a kook in many quarters. Nolan was free of this. You cannot expect that with today's lightning quick communication, that one's kook notions can be kept from view for long. Check out this string on blogcritics. Fellow Hoosier Libertarian Al Barger is a regular contributor at blogcritics, and his report on Badnarik's victory was quickly followed by kook sightings.

Americans are so completely sold on the two-party system that they are automatically on the lookout for reasons not to like a third-party candidate. Of course, I believe this is misguided, but it is the reality, and reality must be dealt with, not a preferred ideal. Our candidates cannot give voters reasons to dismiss us out of hand. We must always be compelling. More importantly, we must be exceedingly normal. A Republican or Democrat can be forgiven as a rapist and elected before a Libertarian can promote gold or militias or even the Constitution and be supported by the average American. Until we learn this, we will suffer the kind of abuse the blogcritics readers heaped on.

On Home Ownership

I’m not a first-time homeowner, but man, there is nothing quite as satisfying! When Ame and I moved to Indy less than two years ago, the plan was to rent for the short term to discover which neighborhood would be right for us, save the money for the down payment, and to buy the house. We did it!

I enjoy pruning bushes when they are my bushes. I spent an hour pruning, and I really had a great time. I know that sounds weird, but my fellow homeowners know what I’m talking about. I hope that if you currently rent, you will soon thrill to washing your windows, cutting your grass, and scrubbing a toilet you own. It’s nothing remotely like fun to clean someone else’s toilet.

We are in Fishers, Indiana, which is on the southeast side of Hamilton County, or the northeast side of Indianapolis. It’s a great place to be, and has all of the things that are important to us: a friendly, well-to-do community with families; walking proximity to loads of amenities including the YMCA, walking trails, a park, interesting restaurants and shops, and the Post Office even.

I haven’t enjoyed being in my living space since I left my double in Parma, Ohio. Being there had been my greatest thrill until now, even though it wasn’t the first home I owned. That was in a run-down neighborhood in Cleveland. I was proud of my achievement of homeownership there, but had a hard time having any thought beyond, “I can’t wait until I can afford to get beyond this”.

Even that beat paying rent, though. I highly recommend home ownership.

To Atlanta!

This will be my second time being a delegate to a national convention of the Libertarian Party, and my first as a delegate from Indiana, and first time voting for a presidential candidate. Here's my wish list for outcomes:

1. Gary Nolan secures the nomination for president. Nolan has done the campaign work of a real candidate. He's articulate. He's reasonable. He will help build the party. He's careful not to give reasons to people for writing us off as kooks, cranks, or builders of air castles.

2. Michael Badnarik is nominated for VP and wins. Badnarik is an incredible Constitutional scholar and instructor. This alone does not make for a perfect presidential candidate, sadly, as the American people don't have the attention span for it in a presidential candidate. But as the VP candidate, Badnarik would have the ability to speak to those Americans more inclined for a ponderous, time-consuming discourse, and teach them why the Constitution works, and why the LP is the only party that supports the Constitution. Nolan and Badnarik would be a first-rate team.

3. Some of the platform planks get kicked out. I dream big and hope that the whole platform goes down, but then, I'm a realist about these things. There are a number of planks that nearly went down in 2002: abortion and immigration come immediately to mind. To some libertarians, this is sacrilege. To me, the platform is a sacred cow. It doesn't do a very good job of supporting our candidates. In fact, it often works against us. The crazy thing is, we've called ourselves the 'party of principle' so people actually believe it to be true. When they read our platform and see that we are for the legalization of drugs, they approach our candidates and say, "I can't believe you are in favor of crack"! Nothing like standing at the polling place with a group of voters each with an attention span four seconds long trying to explain that, 'you own yourself', 'you have the right to do what you like with your life so long as you do not intitiate force or fraud against another person', and then make the distinction between advocacy for legalization and advocacy for use... just to give one example.

Many voters will vote for Republicans despite that party's general opposition to reproductive choice. Many will similarly vote for Democrats despite that party's general support of higher taxes. When it comes to the Libertarian Party, many voters won't vote for us because we have led them to believe that in order to do so, you have to believe in our entire platform. What are we, frickin' stupid? I want every vote from every voter who believes that we are even 1% better than a Democrat or Republican.

The purists are holding us back. Get rid of the platform and go with a mission statement or statement of principles. We don't need a cumbersome document. Look at the Bill Of Rights. It's simple! I find it entirely ironic that we tell people we will make their lives easier by stripping away layers of government, and yet, we have been stubbornly resistant to do that with our bloated platform, clinging to arcane gobledeegook for a personal warm fuzzy over achieving the goal of electing people and moving policy in our direction. Can you trust a group that tells you they are for streamlined government *and* has a plank on as-of-yet undiscovered resources? I think not.

4. I find a good reason to vote for one of the candidates for Chair of the LNC. I haven't found one yet. Hancock scares the crap out of any reasonable person. Phillies tempts me with talk about being a real political party, then scares me by using kook words like 'slavery' that chase away average people. I have not heard anybody say anything about Dixon that is more positive than 'well, he's not the other guys'. I've never voted NOTA before, but I am strongly leaning that way right now. Unless one of these guys shows me something in the debate, I'll have no choice but to vote NOTA.

Should be fun!

Nolan For President

To me, the LP's presidential race has been pretty clear. Gary Nolan has been ahead of the pack in all of the ways that matter most to me: He is big on secondary objectives such as building the party and supporting the local candidates that are capable of winning and states that are taking their affiliates forward. He is doing the actual campaign work, making appearances almost every day, usually with several stops each day. Nolan sounds Presidential. This last is very important in a way I'll describe below.

I've met Michael Badnarik once. He came to Indiana's state convention. I did not see his presentation to the convention as I was busy tending bar in our hospitality suite. When Badnarik came up to the suite, he simply walked in and ordered an N/A beer. He didn't introduce himself to me and he didn't work the room. Heck, serious candidates for school board will do that. It bothers me that he only made one trip to Indiana (to my knowledge) in 2004 even though his mother lives in the state. That alone would warrant more visits.

I've not met Aaron Russo at all. He did not bother to visit Indiana in 2004. In fact, his website calendar lists only four events for May. Four events in the month of the National Convention? Are we to believe that if Russo wins the nomination that he will flip on the campaigning switch and start doing the Nolanesque 50-plus events per month?

Let us hope the question remains rhetorical and Russo is not nominated. One of the four events for Russo was a phone-in to WXNT, 1430-am here in Indianapolis. This is a fine station, with a great local morning program, the Neal Boortz show, and another local talker/agitator, Greg Browning. The station is very Libertarian-friendly, so I was hopeful Russo would take advantage and have a good showing, helping to further build the libertarian bridge here in Indy.

Wrong. Russo spent his 15 minutes locking horns with Jim Burrows over the war. Burrows is a Republican and supports the war. Russo opposses the war, as anyone familiar with libertarian politics might suspect. Disagreements are automatic on the Morning Line, though, as Burrows is opposite Trapper John, a left-leaning independent. Any candidate with any polish would have found a way to agree to disagree and then jump to an area of agreement. Not Russo. He got into a shouting match with Burrows, leaving the hosts both fairly bewildered. Burrows remarked upon the great distinction between Russo and Nolan being composure and civility. (Nolan has been on the show twice, invited back because he is thoughtful and reasonable, especially in disagreement. The hosts like him and gave Nolan 45 minutes the last time around.)

I couldn't have agreed more. It's one thing to be passionate and assertive, but another to rave like a lunatic. Russo did not sound Presidential. He sounded like a drunk at last call. He has to be reminded, which is just pathetic, that he is running for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. If Russo can so quickly lose his composure on a morning talk program, are we to believe that if he were President that we would flip on the leader-with-nerves-of-steel switch?

We hoist the bar pretty high here in Indiana. It is not enough for the Presidential candidate to merely be that. He has to be prepared to help build our party. Unfortunately, Russo set the LP back with his performance. I was glad that I was able to get on the air after Russo's act to remind listeners that Gary Nolan is running, and that good sense willing, he will be our nominee.

I shudder to think that Russo could even have a chance in this contest. Nolan is far and away the best choice, with Badnarik a strong second due to his impeccable work with the Constitution.

I'm a delegate to the convention, and I am voting Nolan.

Noblesville Meet-Up

I've been somewhat frustrated by the slow growth in attendance at the Hamilton County LP's regular business meetings, so I have been thinking that more informal meet-ups might be the way to encourage greatere participation.

To that end, the first weekly meet-up is planned for 6:00pm Wednesday for an after work affair at the Barley Island Brewery in downtown Noblesville, on the south side of SR 32, right across from the Judicial Center. A good number of libertarians have confirmed their attendence, so come join us! Non-libertarian or curious folks are invited too!

Hamilton County Meeting

The Libertarian Party of Hamilton County will host its regular business meeting Saturday, May 15, at 11:00am, at the Delaware Township Hall, located at 9090 E.131st Street in Fishers IN.

LPIN gubernatorial candidate Kenn Gividen will be present to meet with our local members and candidates, as will newly-appointed District Representative Chris Ward. In the business of the meeting, the identification of potential candidates for the November elections will be the top priority.

The meeting is open to members and to the public. Come on down and see what we're about!

Apology Forthcoming?

If causing insult to prisoners is worthy of an apology from the leader of a nation, what is due in the case of the beheading of a civilian contractor trying to fix things? Can we expect that an apology will be forthcoming from Osama bin Laden? Or elsewhere in the Arab world?

I expect it. No, I demand it. Civilized people who oppose barbaric savagery demand it. Arab leaders who wish to be taken seriously must issue an apology to demonstrate some shred of common humanity. If America's prestige has been damaged in the community of nations by the prison scandal, the Arab world surely has been wounded moreso by this atrocity.

I will also expect the left to roundly denounce this crime. It was correct for the left to lead the charge in calling for an apology from our President for the transgressions of our prison guards. It is now time for the left's leaders- Kerry, Kennedy, Daschle, and Mrs. Clinton- to lead in the vocifierous denunciations of this vile act and mindset. Murder is worse than humiliation, so I need louder denunciations for this murder than they had for the humiliations. I need to see from them that they have humanity as their top interest, above their interest in political power.

When the World Trade Center towers were struck, there were those Americans who were calling for the flatting on the Middle East with nuclear weapons. Obviously, that would have been a disproportionate response and an atrocity, to avenge the 3,000 or so lives lost here with hundreds of thousands there. To respond to humiliation with a choreographed murder is such a gross over-reaction as to beg for a downward spiral of vengeance. I am grateful to know in advance that the United States is too civilized to give these subhumans what they deserve.

In the meantime, I will be impatiently expecting a stream of apologies. These would go a long way towards showing me and the rest of the civilized world that mindless revenge isn't a way of life, that vile barbarism is an exception rather the rule, and that the left in this country does not condone it.

A Return to the Draft?

Unlike many of my fellow Libertarians, I do not have a soft spot for those complaints of those currently serving in the military regarding being shipped overseas. It does not impress me if the complaint is over the nature of the opponent or the duration of the stay. After all, every soldier is a volunteer. This duty was chosen. Maybe the soldier did not read the fine print or failed tor eally get that enlisting does not simply mean putting on a uniform, getting a free education and some nifty travel opportunities. Caveat emptor, my friend. Caveat emptor.

I recall the history of the draft, and the Vietnam era especially comes to mind. I recall the burning of draft cards in demonstrations. I remember the indignant huffing over involuntary conscription. I agree with the objections to involuntary, forced service. It's slavery, simply put.

There was also an economic component to the protests- the idea that the poor would serve while the well-off and well-connected would go to college or find some other means of avoiding the draft. This seemed very plausible. Indeed, this argument has been put forth over and over with regards to George Bush and his Guard service.

What does it mean today when we see that Charlie Rangel, a Democrat and long-time advocate for the poor, now advocates for the draft?

Walter Williams discusses the draft in economic terms and establishes why having the draft leads to the greater chance that there will be more wars. What on earth is Rangel thinking?

Lit Drop

I am always picking up the literature from the other parties in an attempt to find good ideas to steal. This was a bum election in that regard. I didn't find anything original or good.

What did get my interest was a 'sample ballot' distributed by the Democrats. It listed the various offices, such as Governor. There is only one Democratic candidate for governor- the incumbent, Joe Kernan. So far, so good.

Scan higher, though, to the presidential candidates. That's candidates, plural. Alas. This 'sample ballot' shows only one name for president- John F. Kerry.

Hmmm. What happened to John Edwards, Howard Dean, Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich and Lyndon LaRouche? Sure, they all fizzled in their bids, but still- all five are candidates for president along with Kerry The Annointed. Funny enough, the 'sample' has six lines and six ovals, but just one name.

It's a subtle way the Marion County Democratic Party 'endorses' their candidates. They don't actually come out and endorse Kerry. They make it seem as though the others don't even exist.

The same thing was done for US Rep District 7, where 4-term incumbent Julia Carson faces a Democrat the Party cares not to name. Ditto the race for Surveyor, where Mary Catherine Barton runs against another Democrat who possibly failed to pay the slating fee, hence, was not named. No word on whether Barton is actually a surveyor or not.

The general election is when the Dems trot out the real goods. I was very impressed with last year's 'how to vote straight Democratic ticket' literature. You can bet that I will see to it that there is similar 'how to vote straight Libertarian ticket' circulated to our members and supporters.

Low Expectations

These primary elections seem to invigorate next to no one, Democrats especially. I know Ame is miffed about it. Kerry was selected by a handful of states, not elected (couldn't resist), and Governor Kernan is an incumbent, so the status quo remains. Boring!

The Republican primary could excite some folks, since the Indiana governor's race is an actual contest. Sure, Mitch Daniels is the Bush Administration's boy, but that just stands to make him your typical modern liberal Republican, while Eric Miller is running on an actual conservative agenda.

I went to the polling place, and they all know that I am a Libertarian, so I signed the book and shrugged my shoulders. Fortunately, any voter can cast a ballot for any school board candidates, since these are non-partisan races. Huzzah! I received my paper ballot and looked at it and found exactly one candidate. I called out, "One candidate? What is this, the Soviet Union?" and got big laughs from the few people present.

Voting one hour after the poll opened, I cast the fourth ballot of the day. Yup. That's disinterest.

Letters to the Editor V

The Indy Star printed one of mine today, urging Libertarians and independents to crash the primary party and have an effect on things.

In case there is any confusion, you should know that any registered voter, even if you are not a Democrat or Republican, has the right to participate in the primary election. In past years, I would often just show up, sign the book, and go home. I find it more satisfying now to identify a David Orentlicher as a socialist and to vote in the Democratic primary against him, tallying for his opponent. If enough of us do this, his primary numbers drop, his confidence sags, and he looks at how he has to re-tool his message away from socialism and back towards some modicum of common sense.

Another strategy for Libertarians is to vote in a Republican primary for candidate who appear that they would be vulnerable in November to our message of less taxes and smaller government.

In sum, there is no reason not to vote. You can exercise you conscience even if your first choices aren't available until November.

Nolan Coverage Online

Our Hamilton County event featuring LP Presidential hopeful Gary Nolan is available on WFYI's website. link

The item was originally run on WFYI's "Indiana Week in Review" program. To watch it use the link above. The item appears around the 20 minute mark. This will only be on until WFYI archives this Friday's show, which is generally soon after they run it. If you have an interest, check it out quickly!

Viva Las Vegas!

A four-day trip to Vegas really hits the spot. I love the thrill of seeing the city lights, the showgirls, and folks tossing black chips on the blackjack table. I always eat like a king there, too. We even took in the Blue Man Group at the Luxor and a typical Vegas variety show at Tropicana.

Four days is plenty, though. I used to daydream occasionally about going to Vegas to try my hand as a pro. I was very taken by my perception of Vegas as an amazing city, viscerally and intellectually. The city as adult playground is obvious, but intellectually, Vegas is very satisfying as an object lesson in cause and effect. People plop down sums of money they shouldn't, usually with predictable results. Some folks bet the house, and lose. Nobody feels particularly sorry for the schmuck who takes $1,000 and turns it into $75,000 within an hour, only to give it all back in the next hour- which is as it should be. Everybody seems more keenly aware in Vegas that there are risks in life, and sometimes there are winners, and just as often, there are losers, and better than that, everybody there is pretty okay with the proposition. If only the attitude was more pervasive throughout the country!

Of course, I'm not a hedonist or even much of a sensualist, so Vegas wears on me after about four days. Moreover, Vegas is not honestly a genuine freedom haven. There are plenty of the same prohibitions in effect there as there are here in Indiana, and even if the prohibitions weren't in place, I would actually indulge in no more than I do now. I like to play blackjack, and the occasional video poker, and not much else. The idea of the Chicken Ranch is thoroughly repulsive to me, and I am amazed that it even survives.

So, this little trip will probably tide me over for a few years. I like knowing that there is a place like Vegas, and at the same time, I like knowing that there is only one place like it.

Nolan Visit Report

This report is a bit late, as I've been in Vegas since Wednesday. Anyhow...

LP presidential hopeful Gary Nolan came to Hamilton County for a dinner visit in Fishers last Monday. 27 people came out, including many LP members from the corners of the state.

Nolan's speech was well-received, and he made a crack about having his mail forwarded to Indiana because of his frequent visits. This was his sixth trip to Indiana thus far in the campaign, more than other LP hopefuls Russo and Badnarik, plus Kerry and Bush combined.

Nolan was largely preaching to the choir as the audience was mainly LP members and/or people who have attended his events elsewhere in recent weeks. The Q&A was fairly flat since everybody was on board. This is when it hit me that we hadn't gotten any real pre-event press, and that those who attended where there because I had reached them directly.

Fortunately, the event itself got excellent press: RTV-6 sent a camera, and aired a report on their 11:00 evening news. They teased the report during CSI Miami prior to the news, using pictures of Nolan in the teasers. The Noblesville Daily Times sent a reporter and photographer, and had two front page stories: one about the Nolan campaign, and the other about the activity of the Hamilton County party.

A 6" x 7" photo of Gary was placed above the fold, as was this headline, "Presidential Hopeful Visits County, Candidate Gary P. Nolan spreads Libertarian message". The Hamilton Co. article had the headline, "Group chips away at Republican Stronghold, Party sees GOP losing touch with conservative values". There was a front-page picture of Nolan with me. Nolan also did a call-in on 1070 WIBC, and then sat in on 1430 WXNT for about 40 minutes in an on-location breakfast event. I also got two segments on air.

This press is probably worth $5,000-$10,000 to the Hamilton Co LP. You can't buy the front page, and the coverage was super positive. I had at least 10 people stop me and comment on it all in the four hours I was available at work on Tuesday, and I was not terribly easy to track down.

Plusses and minuses on the press coverage: Major plus that the curious were reached via the TV, newspaper, and two radio stations, and in goodly numbers. Fairly large minus that we couldn't generate much pre-event excitement outside of our membership. It would have been great to have gotten the curious to the event, where we controlled the gathering of information such as sign-in sheets which give us contact info, and membership recruitment and financial support opportunities. We have to hope that somehow those interested as a result of the press coverage can figure out how to reach us and get involved. Fortunately, we have these new media relationships to work with, and hopefully they will help us word of meetings and other future events out.

Another major plus is that this push works very well with our strategy to establish the LP as the #2 party in Hamilton County. The Democrats were scarcely mentioned in any of the coverage, which is perfectly correct. When Libertarians tangle with the GOP (instead of the Dems) in Hamilton County, we tangle with the powers-that-be, which is the best way to become most relevant. I have not seen such positive coverage of Dems in Hamilton County ever.

Come to Dinner with a Presidential Hopeful

How often do you get the chance to do that? Go to Sahm's Restaurant Monday night (116th & Allisonville Rd in Fishers... scroll down to a previous post, click on the address, and you'll get a mapquest map!) and you might even sit at the same table as the candidate!

Gary Nolan is seeking the Libertarian nomination at the party's National Convention Memorial Day Weekend. He is the odds-on favorite, having been the winner in each of the Libertarian primaries, carried out in states such as California and Wisconsin. Nolan is the only one who is doing real campaigning. This is his sixth trip to Indiana, which is more than Bush and Kerry combined!

Doors open at 5:30, dinner is at 6:00, Nolan speaks at 7:00, with Q&A to follow. Dinner cost is $21, cash at the door. Still time to RSVP by emailing me at mikekole@msn.com, and here's the perk: I am in charge of the seating. The first RSVP I get that mentions my blog gets to sit at the table with Nolan.

Note to walk-ups: Best bet is to RSVP, since the seating is limited, and the only ones guaranteed a seat at any table are the ones who have RSVP'd. Space is limited, and we probably will have a standing room situation.

Maybe Europe is Just a Target

The grand theory behind the bombing of Spanish trains is that the terrorism is in response to Spain's previous backing of the United States.

Ah. Previous. The March 11 bombings at Madrid's Atocha Station and on the trains that run out of it caused a change in elections towards electing a Socialist prime minister who vowed to pull Spainsh troops out of Iraq, pronto. This is what the terrorists wanted, right? Mission accomplished! So why this new planting of a bomb? Spain cannot possibly be in line for punishment for reacting as the terrorists wanted, could it?

No. Yet, once again, a bomb has been planted on the Madrid-Savilla line I rode twice just two months ago. The high-speed AVE trains had to be halted in their tracks as a bag on dynamite was detected on the tracks. But Spain is the world's friend now. Why is this happening?

Maybe the terrorism really has had nothing to do with the previous backing of the US. Maybe Islamic hatred of the West is sufficient. Spain is definitely a part of Western culture, with some 70% of Spanish citizens smoking American Marlboros, and even more talking on cell phones. Spanish nightlife is significantly more decadent than American partying, with Spanish youth drunk in the streets en mass on weekend nights.

Maybe there are enough lasting reminders of an earlier, more glorious Islamic presence to stir the kind of blind seething that spurs a desire for revenge. We toured the Alhambra in Grenada in January. It is a marvel to behold, and an amazing monument to the former Islamic power and wealth in Spain. See some of my pictures at the Alhambra.

The legend has it that as the last sheik left the Alhambra, he turned for one last glance and heaved a sigh. His mother, so the legend goes, scolded her defeated son thusly, 'may you cry like a woman for that which you failed to defend as a man'. The Wall Street Journal recently had an article about the Alhambra and Islamic terrorism against Spain. Unfortunately, I am not a WSJ susbcriber, so I cannot provide you with a link.

There are likely a million reasons for Islamic terrorists to have Europe as targets. French zeal for a homogenized monoculture- banning the burka at French schools- has created the most notable one recently. When revenge and jealousy is such a prevailing motive for planning a population's daily life, much of the world ought to take notice and consider whether or not their country is a potential target. We are beginning to see that being allied with the United States is not the greatest determining factor.

Gary Nolan to Visit Fishers

Libertarian presidential hopeful Gary Nolan will be the first from any party to make a specific Hamilton County or Fishers IN visit when his campaign stops Monday, April 12.

Nolan will appear at Sahm's Restaurant for a fundraising dinner and will speak after the meal. Sahm's is located at 11590 Allisonville Road (southwest corner of Allisonville & 116th Street), and is easily accessible from I-69/SR 37. Seating for this event begins at 5:30pm. Dinner is at 6:00pm. Nolan to speak at 7:00pm. Cost for the dinner is $21, paid in cash only.

RSVPs are greatly appreciated as space is limited. We will probably have a standing room only situation. Contact Mike Kole to RSVP at mikekole@msn.com. The public is welcome! You don't have to be a Libertarian to attend.

Nolan's visit is exciting stuff for many reasons. Any time a presidential candidate comes to town, I am interested in seeing him, if at all feasible. I would eagerly see George Bush or John Kerry, or even Ralph Nader, if the opportunity presented itself. I would especially love to be able to introduce myself on a face-to-face basis, and to ask a question of the candidate. The last time Bush was here, he was at the Murat for a $2,000-per-plate event. That was a tad out of my price range. Kerry hasn't even been here that I am aware of, and Nader isn't even on the ballot in Indiana yet, making an appearance unlikely. With Nolan, all in attendance will get to ask a question of him after dinner in the Q&A, and he always sticks around to talk and have a picture taken with you. I like that kind of personability and accessability.

But this is my candidate. I'll be voting for Nolan at the LP's National Convention in May, and I'm rather certain that Nolan will win the nomination, so I'll vote for him again in November.

I like that he is paying so much attention to Indiana. This will be at least his fifth visit, which I know from having attended three previous events. The other LP hopefuls- Michael Badnarik and Aaron Russo- haven't even visited the state yet.

I like that Nolan is meeting the voters from a variety of places that do not usually host presidential candidates, such as LaPorte and Hagerstown, and now Fishers. Sure, Indianapolis is the state capitol and the home of the greatest population bases, but I like a presidential candidate who reaches out to the less obvious cities and towns. There is no good reason for an active, campaigning candidate to ignore them, especially the more well-heeled candidates from the other parties who could if they felt it was important enough to do so.

I especially like that Nolan is so normal and reasonable. Too often our national candidates are so dogmatic, so out-of-touch, that they do more to alienate the curious than to win them over. Nolan shows how libertarian policies would improve people's lives. People want to know what a politician can give them, and this has always confounded LP candidates. Nolan gets that our policies will give people their money, their time, heck- their lives, back. From what little I've been able to review from Badnarik and Russo, it appears that they take the old, failed "this is what I'll take away" approach via the same old "you're wrong, you're stupid, vote for me" approach that wins very few converts and repels many that would join us.

See you Monday, April 12!

Golly, But This Is a Surprise

Now, I know you will hardly be able to believe this, but this happened at a Head Start program. A four-year-old boy produced a very interesting item for show and tell: a monster bag full of crack cocaine. Indy Star article.

Here's a great quote from a cop:

"It's rare for kids to go to school with crack cocaine . . . ," Tuchek said. "In my 18 years on the force, that is the second-most amount of drugs I've seen one person carry."

Rare? It should be more than rare. It should never happen. Funny enough, these stories pop up with relative frequency.

I know what you're thinking. "Mike, tell me this could not have possibly happened at a Head Start program center". I know that you want to consider very much that these things happen at private schools, at schools of religious instruction, or (especially?) where parents are homeschooling their children.

Alas. These things always happen at the public schools, or at a Head Start. They never happen anywhere else. The public schools and the Head Starts are warehouses for children. Parents who give a toss keep their children out of these places if they can at all help it. Parents with any decency feel shame at sending their children to such places, and work hard to rectify the situation. Observe this reaction from on parent and the mentality:

"This is a real good school, so something like this is very unusual," said David Lewis, 36. "I'm thinking the child just picked up the wrong backpack and the parents didn't notice."

Are you kidding me? Is this to say that the school-book backpack is kept next to the crack cocaine backpack, so it would have been okay if only the kid weren't such a fool and left the crack bag where it belonged and grabbed the correct bag?!? Wow. And it's only an unusual occurrence. Wow.

This is quite an endictment of the Head Start program and its' participants. Some heads should roll.

Sending the Right Message

I can't get the events in Spain out of my head right now. I can't help but think that terrorists will have come away from the events surrounding the Madrid Atocha train station having learned a valuable lesson:

We can influence elections with a well-placed, well-timed act of violence.

Gracias, Espana. You really helped make the world a more dangerous place.

Atocha Trains Security Hole

I was thinking back to being on the train, and in the Madrid Atocha Station. I asked myself, 'how did the terrorists get all of those backpacks on to the trains'? That was the easiest thing of all. While there were plenty of security personnel visibly walking through the station, none were on the platforms and none on the trains.

When we choose to fly, we generally surrender our bags to be checked, or we carry them on and stow them under the seat or put them in the compartment overhead. One thing you can not do is get on the plane and then get off for a little while. Once you are on board, you stay on board.

This is not the case with train travel in Spain. When you get to the train 30 minutes early, you walk on, drop your bags in the baggage rack, and go out to the platform for a stroll, or even back into the station for a cup of coffee or a magazine. Nobody sits in the train for a half-hour, dutifully waiting for departure. We do it on planes and don't think otherwise.

So many students ride the trains that a bulky backpack placed in the rack would raise no suspicion whatsoever. Anybody could have walked into a train and dropped a bag full of explosives at any time, and nobody would have been the wiser- just as happened. Funny enough, most people feel safe enough that their bags won't be stolen or rifled through, that they didn't mind leaving them in the racks. Ame & I stayed near the cars out of a theft concern, but we were the only ones. The Spaniards were off for a stroll or a cell phone chat, oblivious to the baggage situation.

So, I will bet that if you look at the blown-up trains and observe the location of the explosions, you will find that each spot is the luggage rack. The luggage racks are at the back of each car, near the door, but towards the center side rather than towards the very back of the car. The pictures I have seen so far all verify this.

Now I am thinking of Amtrak. I haven't taken an Amtrak train in ages, so I don't know what the protocols are for boarding and for bags. A good step towards improved security would be the presense of bomb-sniffing dogs on the platforms, and a once-on, stay on policy. Sure, this does nothing to dissuade the committed suicide bomber, but it would go a long way towards preventing an American Atocha.

From Atocha to Socialism

Amazing how the timing of the terrorist bombings of trains in Madrid changed an election. Fascinating, too, to see how sentiments differed in the two countries- the US and Spain- that have had the most severe attacks, Israel notwithstanding.

Prior to the bombings, Spaniards were set to elect Mariano Majoy, the hand-picked successor to Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and both members of the Popular Party. That party is referred to as 'conservative', although Spain's estimation of a conservative would have made Karl Marx grin. In a sweeping turn of events, Socialist José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been elected Prime Minister, and his party has claimed a near majority of Parliamentary seats in this kingdom. By the way, Spain's estimation of a socialist would also have made Karl Marx grin.

But it is interesting to me how the things are perceived. The US embraced George W. Bush in the wake of 9-11-2001 in a way he was not after his election. Spain's Popular Party was repudiated just days after their 3-11, and largely because Spain was one of the US' strongest supporters under Aznar. The Spanish people in essense, blame the United States, with the Popular Party guilty by association.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Socialism? Be pissed at the United States if you must, but why doom yourselves to worse than the 25% unemployment your country already has? I first had admiration for the Spanish, who took to the streets to express their anger at the terrorists. I now have real dismay.

Having taken the trains into Atocha just six weeks ago, the memories are fresh. As an American, I was treated exceptionally well by the Spanish people I encountered. I can't help but wonder if this will be so the next time I visit. I believe my son is safe in Rota. I talked to him today, and learned that he found out about the attacks 48 hours after I did, so it clearly hasn't reached that remote outpost, which is good. Still, I want him in a friendly environment, and have good evidence that Spain could be less kind to Americans, and is certainly less warm to good sense.

Remembering Atocha Train Station

It was only six weeks ago that Ame and I arrived at Puerto de la Atocha in Madrid, hopping off a high-speed AVE train from Sevilla, onto the platform that so many people now are seeing in the worst way on the news.

My memories of Atocha are pleasant ones. The platform was bustling, but very clean and open. The daytime feel of the platform was rerefreshing, with ample sunlight shining in brightly. The station's interior was lush with tall palm trees dominating the main floor. View my photos of Atocha Station, from January 22, 2004 and February 1.

When I first heard the news, my first concern was for my son Alex, who lives in Rota. Thankfully, Rota is several hundred miles from Madrid, and he is safe.

My second reaction was a strong sense of admiration for the Spanish people. Seeing them spontaneously flood the streets in solidarity against the terrorists and their cowardly acts was an excellent statement of defiance and strength- one I wish the American people had undertaken in response to the 2001 attacks against American landmarks. Good show, Spain!

The Guiding Light

Recently, a clown tried to create a little dissention within a Libertarian organization I am active in by linking one of my colleagues to one of his colleagues. Guilt by association is a common phrase, but unfortunately also commonly irrational. Only the actor of the wrongdoing is guilty of the wrongdoing. However, in the case of the colleague's colleague, no wrongdoing was committed, only a legal action that many libertarians find outside of their principles. If my colleague is a smoker, he is acting legally, but in my opinion, stupidly. Am I responsible for his smoking if I do not force him to quit? Am I contrary to my conscience if I continue to associate with him and he chooses to continue smoking?

I think not. However, the clown is a member of the purity police, hence, shrilly put off. Oh well, I say. I tried to explain that the 99% agreement on principles I may have with someone outweighs the 1% disagreement I have. No witch hunts. No self-righteousness. We can build one hell of a bridge on that 99%.

One MAJOR reason the LP is not more of a force is that so many libertarians are purity police. I have observed research that shows that about 14% of Americans identify with the prinicples that make one a libertarian, and yet, LP candidates routinely attract only 1-2% tops in elections. David Boaz made it plain, way back in 1981:

"So let me ask this: Which is the greater betrayal of the noble cause of freedom in our time-- to attempt to present a reasonable, radical, libertarian program that appeals to people and occasionally to err on the side of caution; or to self-righteously throw libertarian principles in people's faces, thus ensuring that we will remain pure and unfree?"

Another beacon cutting through so much fog is Morton Blackwell, founder of the Leadership Institute, who proclaims,

"You owe it to your philosophy to study how to win."

My own way of looking at it is this: If libertarianism is to be an all or nothing proposition, libertarians will get NOTHING.

Letters To The Editor, 3

The GOP has continued its stalling tactics in the Indiana legislature. I think this is a great thing, as I have stated before, not for their reasons, but for mine. No bills being passed = less intrusive government at all levels.

However, I know that the public does not think as I do. They think that if the legislators are paid to vote on measures, then they should show up and vote on measures.

Fair enough. I can adapt. After all, if Libertarians were there in the place of the Republicans, there would not be a boycott. There would be votes against larger, more intrusive government. My letter in today's Star:

Apparently, Republicans believe that gay marriage is the most important issue in the state of Indiana today, and that grinding the process to a halt is the most important strategy. Libertarians disagree completely.

If Libertarians were in the Statehouse, there would not be a boycott but rather votes in favor of smaller government and small business. The Libertarian Party never loses sight of the priorities of Hoosiers. There is a place for the debate over the role of the state in marriage, but it is secondary to strengthening the state's economy.

Michael R. Kole
Indianapolis

Note to self: Next time, remember to let the Star know that you are the Secretary of the LPIN.

The timing of my letter was perfect, as it sat next to another letter from a man angered with both Republicans and Democrats over this freeze:

The picture of the Indiana legislators laughing on the front page of the Feb. 26 Star makes my blood boil. These men appear to be having a great time playing politics, joking and putting on stunts to impress each other.

Meanwhile, the residents of our state are seeing no progress on critical issues. How about creating a climate that attracts and keeps businesses in our state? How about an updated tax system that properly funds our infrastructure and schools without bankrupting long-time homeowners? How about full-day kindergarten to give our kids a competitive education? How about a Bureau of Motor Vehicles that efficiently serves our citizens instead of appearing on "America's Most Wanted"? How about reducing the absurdly high number of bureaucrats so we can get our state budget on track?

It appears it's easier to grandstand on the gay marriage issue while everything else continues to deteriorate.

This fall, when it comes to the state elections, I'm not voting Republican. I'm not voting Democrat. I'm voting against the incumbents. They had their chance and they squandered it. Laugh at that!

Doug Knowles
Zionsville

I'll have to reach out to Mr. Knowles with a letter inviting him to join the LP!

What To Do With The GOP?

Indiana House Republicans have chosen a bit of grandstanding over the work of legislating. Should I be tearing them up or praising them? From the Indy Star:

"Wednesday was the long-announced deadline for House lawmakers to amend Senate bills, setting the stage for final negotiations next week between the two chambers.

Instead, 60 bills failed to advance because the stalemate denied Democrats, who control the flow of legislation, the 67-member quorum needed to do business for much of the day."

My first instinct is to praise the Republicans, as I have earlier. After all, I have strong doubts that any of the 60+ bills before the house are the kind that will bring about smaller government. I have strong suspicions that these bills will bring bigger government, more intrusive government, and more expensive government, so anything anyone can do to jam a 70-lb. monkey wrench into the gears is something of a hero to me.

However, the GOP boycott has now extended into a second day, making it for me a glorious 1.5 bill-free days. The public, however, is going to begin to see this as inactivity. The public wants to know that the legislature is 'getting things done', and is increasingly aware that nothing is getting done.

It's probably time for an info campaign to let people know that getting nothing done is a comparative good thing. Still, pretty soon, the GOP is going to start to look bad. Today is the deadline for getting these bills passed.

Democracy at Work

The issue of gay marriage reveals why democratic approaches to policy are so inferior to principled ones. In this case both the left and right can be left out.

I have explained previously how the churches, who should be in control of the institution, are left without the final say on the matter, to the dismay of the right. The state has ultimate control of who marries, or doesn't.

The left has the hardest time accepting the possibility that democracy can work against the cause of civil rights, but has the most stark examples of just that happening. Gay marriage is merely the latest. It is clear that if the issue were to be put to the vote, the American people would ban gay marriage, post haste. From Armstrong Williams:

"A recent Zogby poll indicated that 70 percent of Massachusetts's citizens do not favor the decision allowing homosexual couples to marry. And it's not just Massachusetts. Recent polls by "The New York Times" and CBS News and one by "USA Today" and CNN, all found that more than 60 percent of Americans oppose the legalization of homosexual unions."

and

"Just one thing - there is also a long tradition in this country of using moral codes to prohibit conduct deemed immoral by the majority of the citizens, as evidenced by restrictions against prostitution, bestiality, pedophilia, etc. As Justice Scalia tersely noted in his dissent, Texas's anti-sodomy laws is "well within the range of traditional democratic action, and its hand should not be stayed through the invention of a brand-new 'constitutional right' by a court that is impatient of democratic change." In other words, the matter of homosexual rights should not simply be dictated by the whims of appointed judges."

Nor, however, should the matter be dictated by the whim of mob rule, which is the straight-talk definition of 'rule by the majority'. It shouldn't even be dictated by the long tradition of excluding homosexuals.

I wonder, for instance, how Mr. Williams would feel if a referendum were on the ballot which excluded blacks from the right to marry whites. Williams, a black man, might be inclined to cry foul, citing the civil rights of blacks to choose their spouse. Alas, there had been a long tradition in this country of using moral codes to prohibit conduct deemed immoral by the majority of the citizens- in this case, miscegenation. There was a long tradition of Jim Crow. Was it the long tradition that justified it? Was it that the majority supported it?

No, the moral principle of equal treatment before the law is far more compelling than a long, and wrong, tradition. For libertarians, the saw goes, 'democracy is often little more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner'. Democracy should never be used as a tool of oppression, which is what it can easily become.

My Kind of Business!

There seems to be a lot of hand-wringing going on over the issue of gay marriage. I'm really enjoying the spectacle. Here, the people who really want to pry into other people's personal choices are putting themselves on parade. More importantly, the role of the state in marriage is being discussed, and I say it's high time.

When I married last June, Ame and I got to experience the distasteful process of filling out an application for permission from the state to wed. Permission! From the state! It's some kind of America we have today. We have to get permission to have a garage sale, permission to work on the roof over the house we own, permission to renovate the house we own, and permission to marry the love of our life. Curiously, nobody needs a permit to reproduce, a much more grave proposition. I think that's all in reverse, but I'll take my holdings where I can find them.

The state has no business being in the business of marriage. That's something that should have remained the domain of the churches. Making marriage a civil process is one self-inflicted wound my secular brethren have made, and the proof lies in the fact that many churches throughout the 50 states would be willing to marry any pair that presents itself, while only a few states will do so.

But the business of grandstanding in favor of socialized marriage hit a high point here in Indiana yesterday. Some legislators are so eager to affirm that marriage is the state's business, especially where homosexuals are concerned, that they did my bidding. GOP legislators boycotted proceedings in the statehouse yesterday afternoon! From the Indy Star:

Republican lawmakers pushing for debate on their proposal to ban gay marriage boycotted the Indiana House on Monday, bringing the legislature to a standstill as it entered a pivotal week in the 2004 session.

House Democrats refused to go along with Republicans' demands to vote on a "blast motion" to force debate of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. It's not clear how long the partisan stalemate will continue.

The House has today off and will try to conduct business again Wednesday if Republicans return to the chamber.

The national debate over gay marriage has entered the Indiana General Assembly during the final two weeks of the legislative session -- stalling action on at least 83 bills dealing with issues ranging from child welfare to indoor fireworks.

Brilliant! No laws were passed yesterday afternoon, which means, no new hidden taxes were decreed; no for-my-own-good laws were enacted; Peter was not robbed to pay Paul. It was the kind of day-and-a-half in the legislature that I might have planned, stalling 83 bills in one fell swoop. This is good government!

Nader Is In

A co-worker asked me if Ralph Nader's entry into the Presidential race was disappointing to me. I replied, "not as disappointing as it is to the Democrats". He laughed, but it was all true.

I really did hope that Nader would stay out of the running. My opinion of the the three main Libertarian hopefuls is that they are all mediocre at best, and potentially harmful at worst. I think that whichever one emerges will get the usual 1% now that Nader is in. That candidate might have gotten 2% nationwide without Nader, and upwards of 4-5% in a few states. Forget that now.

I have enjoyed the Democratic panic over Nader's entry. It is amusing while perplexing. After all, if Bush was selected and not elected, Nader didn't matter then, and he doesn't matter now. Can't have that both ways.

Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, who personally urged Nader not to run, called Nader's decision "unfortunate." From the USA Today story:

"You know, he's had a whole distinguished career, fighting for working families, and I would hate to see part of his legacy being that he got us eight years of George Bush," McAuliffe said Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation.

Crap, McAuliffe. Crap! I do accept one of Nader's justifications for running- he's the real socialist, and not willing to sugar-coat it:

"I'd go after Bush even more vigorously as we are in the next few months in ways that the Democrats can't possibly do because they're too cautious and too unimaginative".

Will v. McCain-Feingold, II

OK, this time George Will took on the badly misnamed 'campaign finance reform' law with intent. If only this sort of rhetoric was being issued prior to the President signing the legislation.

Supposedly, the principal purpose of McCain-Feingold was to ban large "soft money'' contributions to the parties, ostensibly for "party-building'' purposes. The delusional assumption of many McCain-Feingold enthusiasts was that when such contributions were banned, the people who had been eager to exert political influence by such contributions would say "Oh, well'' and spend their money instead on high-definition televisions. Or something.

Actually, McCain-Feingold was moral grandstanding by many liberals who had no intention of abiding by its spirit -- or its letter, for that matter -- any more than they had abided by already existing campaign finance law. To compensate for Republican advantages in raising strictly limited hard dollars, Democrats quickly formed a slew of committees technically disconnected from the party but allowed to receive unlimited soft dollars.

Of course, conservatives will have to do the same things... as will libertarians, socialists, or anybody else who wants to get a message out.

Will again failed to mention the biggest beneficiaries of McCain-Feingold: incumbents of any party. Sitting legislators are news by virtue of being legislators. Any time they want something for free that would cost anyone else a lot of money- publicity- they can generate it via a press conference.

Am I being paranoid to suggest that when the drooling saps who complain endlessly for a 'level playing field' catch on to this, that the likely casualty is press coverage of politicians? This is treacherous ground!

Just The Facts?

Could help but notice the contradictions between the headline and the facts in the Democratic primaries news.

Headline in today's Indy Star: Democratic Race Down to Kerry, Edwards

This Star headline led me to believe that Dean, Kucinich, and Rev. Sharpton all made concession speeches. The lede in the AP story reinforced the headline:

The Democratic presidential campaign is spreading out to 10 crucial "Super Tuesday" states, and it's down to a two-man race between front-runner John Kerry and a plucky challenger, John Edwards.

I thought it was ultimately a bit surprising. It wouldn't be surprising to me if Dean dropped out now. He's said that he's out and he's in until the end, so anything goes for him. But it surprised me that Kucinich would be dropping out. He's such an idealist that I can see him taking that 1% to the bitter end.

Turns out, I'm right. At least, I'm not wrong. Nobody dropped out of the race yesterday. The headline did not convey the news. It conveyed an analysis. The lede did the same thing. In news items, THE NEWS is supposed to be REPORTED. Instead, the Star and the AP opined. Reading to the bottom of the story, to paragraph 17, gives you the news:

The Democratic race once had 10 candidates, but the field is now down to five, including Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton, who haven't won a single contest.

Nice work, AP & Star. I'm sure the Dean, Kucinich, and Sharpton campaings will be thrilled with your "reporting" efforts.

No Child Left Un-Warehoused

Indiana's Governor Joe Kernan favors an all-day kindergarten, citing the need to begin the education of the state's children as early as possible.

This is an interesting take. It suggests that children are not educated anywhere but in a public school house. Tut tut, Mr. Kernan. I recall my own kindergarten experience, bored out of my tiny mind as the teacher taught kids the ABC's. I was bored because my parents had taught me to READ at age four. A half-day with the children of parents who share Kernan's take was torment a-plenty. A full day of it would have driven me to Bedlam.

Why this proposal? Is there a shortage of public education that has caused the poulace to rise up and call for this 'solution'? I have not heard such complaints from parents, and yet, a solution. Sheri Conover Sharlow's article is excellent in assailing this typical, expensive, one-size-fits-all approach to a problem that doesn't exist.

What I want for my son is recess, so he can run around and blow off some of that great store of energy he has, prior to returning to study. He's 12, though. What I want for the children I am going to have is actually no kindergarten at all. I want my child to have lots of time to daydream, to play, to stare at the sky in wonder. I will teach my child to read and write long before the formal classes will be scheduled, just like my parents did with me. I will see to it that the socialization occurs. All parents should do this, not the state. Why have children if you aren't cabable of handling these things on your own?

The Correct Way to Look at McCain-Feingold

Although he didn't mean to, George Will today showed us how to properly look at the results of McCain-Feingold. Will was intent on taking John Kerry to task on a number of Kerry's double standards, which he did, including the one on campaing money:

Praising McCain-Feingold restrictions on political contributions, you said: ``This bill reduces the power of the checkbook and I will therefore support it." In December you saved your sagging campaign by writing it a $6.4 million check. Why is your checkbook's unfettered freedom wholesome? You deny that restricting campaign contributions restricts speech. How much of the $6.4 million did you spend on speech -- broadcast messages?

It isn't more wholesome, and Kerry isn't the only one with enough money to self-fund, or spouse-fund, a campaign. It must be understood that the real plan behind McCain-Feingold was not to level the playing field, but to eliminate new voices from entering the stadium, and to keep the game in the hands it is currently in.

Running Notes

It has been rather an uphill battle to get back into the training for the 500 mini-marathon in Indy.

The trip to Spain was not so much a factor as the return and the weather here. Back in Spain, I was running every other day on the beaches of Rota, and walking a great deal in the towns. The jet lag and a 2 inch thick sheet of ice covering central Indiana left me with little opportunity to capitalize on my Spanish gains.

No matter. I ran the 5k training run last Saturday, despite an eight day run-free period. I learned a lot from the experience.

This was the first 'race' I had ever run in. I allowed myself to be caught up in the excitement of that, and kept a pretty swift pace for the first half mile. At that point, I recognized what I was doing, and backed off considerably. I finished the first mile in 8:25, with my legs becoming very tight already. The second mile was a grind against the increasing tightness, and I reached the two-mile mark at 18:35. The tightness began giving way to cramps in the shins of both legs and the right calf, so at about the 2.25 mile mark I brought it down to a brisk walk. I realized that in the winding down of my run, I was not extending in my stride, and walking felt very different than my overexerted job. I walked to about the 2.75 mile mark, and with the finish line in sight, I resumed the run. My finish time was 32:23, which was a pace of 10:27. Results.

I think that if I really had kept a pace of 10:27, I would not have experienced the cramping and tightening that I had. At the finish, my lungs felt really great, which was a pleasant surprise. This was easily the longest run I have achieved in about 20 years, so there is some satisfaction there.

Finally, the ice has largely melted from the streets, so I can run more regularly. One run per week is not going to cut it. There are only 82 days until the mini, and the next training run- a 10k- is just 20 days away!

Shame on NASCAR?

The articles on NASCAR's predominantly white performers and fans has given rise to questions about the sport's commitment to diversity. ESPN's is only the latest.

Here comes the reality check: there isn't a sport I can think of that isn't dominated by one group or another. Does hockey have a diversity problem? Sure- dominated by whites. Golf is also dominated by whites, even if the most dominating golfer is not white. Basketball also has a diversity problem, if you are honest enough to state the obvious- it is dominated by blacks. Ditto football. Major League Baseball may be the most diverse pro league I can think of, and yet, it does not reflect the population in the country in which the games are played.

Know what? I couldn't care less. I am a fan of pro sports because I enjoy watching the world's best athletes compete, and it doesn't reduce the fun for me if there isn't a white guy on the basketball court, or there isn't a black guy on the ice. I am tired of the social engineering, whether from the Rainbow Coalition or from Rush Limbaugh. Play the games, and enjoy the games- as played by humans.

Guess Who?

Read the following rhetoric, and see if you can place the source without cheating:

"A lot of people think that just because the U.S. Congress passed it...and the President signed it...and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it...that means they can freeze you out...sever your tongue...and choke your voice to silence.

And you?ll just have to get used to it.

If they can steal that much freedom today, think what they?ll embezzle from your children and grandchildren...who will never get it back.

No, we will not be silenced.

We?re going to use every means to restore the 1st Amendment."

You're guessing moveon.org, perhaps? Nope. The ACLU? No. John Kerry? Howard Dean? Dennis Kucinich? This will knock your socks off:

The National Rifle Association!

The NRA has generally been on my shite list for failing to support LP candidates. They endorse and support Republicans who tend not to be consistent friends of the Second Amendment, let alone the rest of the Bill of Rights, whereas Libertarians would be. I'll put this gripe aside for the time being, for here is Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA, preparing battle plans in defense of the First Amendment. The article.

More from LaPierre:

"Thanks to a hand-wringing band of whiny politicians who?ve entered into a smelly insider deal called the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. I call it an incumbent protection scheme.

You know it as McCain-Feingold, a bald-faced insult to the constitutional freedoms of common Americans."

The NRA is now expanding the number of Bill of Rights Amendments it defends. Where has the ACLU been on this huge assault on the First Amendment? Beats Me. Their most relevant article is dated 2001. For years it has disappointed me how the ACLU selectively defends Amendments, generally ignoring the Second, passing others by here and there as suits the left-leaning politics of its leadership. When the ACLU soft-pedals the fight for the First Amendment, abandon ye all hope in that organization.

The top five "Hot Topics" on the ACLU main page today? 1. USA PATRIOT Act; 2. Defending Abortion; 3. Airport Spying; 4. Gay Equality; 5. March for Women's Lives.

Sorry- I have free speech for all way ahead of these five.

Gibraltar

If ever in southern Spain, northern Morocco, or sailing the Mediterranean, I highly recommend a trip to Gibraltar.

It was rather bewildering to find this very British outpost after having been emersed in Spanish culture for over a week, but in a delightful way. After all, I did have a 12-year-old with me, and he finds it easier to explore another new culture when the primary language is English. The Royal Post, a pint of Bass, and fish and chips joints are easy to find.

The military history is everywhere, from the 10-pound notes with images of cannons pointing downwards, to a hike up the Rock itself, where remnants and ruins from various sieges can be found. The area is sufficiently small that you can tour the place in one or two days and come away with an excellent sense of the place.

I found an instant affinity for the Gibraltarians, thanks to a few hours spent with a cabbie who took us up the Rock and to the Barbary Apes. He couldn't contain his passionate devotion to the Crown and his distaste for the Spanish Government, who, in his estimation, was trying to slowly starve the 30,000 or so inhabitants of the peninsula away from England, to be assimilated into Spain.

The guidebooks told us that the dictator Franco sealed the border in 1968, leaving Gibraltarians unable to leave by car until 1984, when the border was re-opened. The cabbie told us plenty more, but Ame and I found our own example of Spain's passive-aggressive behavior: try to find Gibraltar by relying on the road signs, and you never will. There is not a single sign pointing the way to Gibraltar from any main roadway. If you do not know the names of the nearby towns and have the certainty of mind that you should turn towards them, you simply won't find Gibraltar. We passed the story on to the cabbie, and he gave us the smile-and-shrug that says, "see what I mean"? Item of interest.

It takes two minutes to be waved into Gibraltar. It takes 15 minutes to get back into Spain. American passport holders seem to get waived through quickly enough, but everybody else gets 100 questions. There were signs at the exit lines declaring this discrepancy in times in and out to be just another example of Spain's un-neighborly behavior. I couldn't agree more. Ame and I both wished, as we sat in the car, that we had purchased one of those Keep Gibraltar British t-shirts.

It is Gibraltar's tricentennial this year. Queen Elizabeth II was apparently invited to the celebrations but she declined, not wishing to insult the Spanish... at the cost of insulting her subjects! Knowing this, I guess I would rather have a Self-Determination for Gibraltar t-shirt.

Quick Observations of Spain

If you have your eyes gleefully open for the things that make another part of the world different than your own, you can't help but find a few glaring ones. I found such in Spain, and like to generalize them thusly:

1. Land density in Spain is an all or nothing proposition. Towns are so densely built that I like to refer to any Spanish town as The Land of 98% Impervious Surfaces. There is virtually NO green space in any Spanish town. If a tree is to be planted, an 8" diameter cut is made in the pavement. If it isn't a town, the area is rural and agricultural. Despite the enormously available space, the dwelling will rarely give the occupants more than 1,000 square feet.
2. Every Spaniard over the age of 12 has ready access to tobacco and is not discouraged from using it in public.
3. Every Spaniard over the age of 14 has ready access to spray paint and is not discouraged from using it to spout anarchist slogans in public places- even those that are beautiful and ancient.
4. Every Spaniard over the age of 16 has ready access to alcohol and is not discouraged from using it in public very late at night.
5. Every Spanish household has a washing maching. However, no Spanish household has a clothes dryer. Every Spanish household hangs its laundry outside. The combination of prolific strings of underwear and shirts along with the effusive distribution of spray paint creates an unfortunately dismal visage that conjures Bowery tenements circa 1890.

Andalucia is a beautiful region in Spain, with wondrous rolling hills topped with orange and olive trees, spectaular mountains, and soothing ocean views. The towns of Andalucia have some beautiful architecture, including ancient castles and even the amazing, breathtaking Alhambra. It would be more beautiful if their people treated the place with more respect. How sad that today's Spanish people have such little regard for this beauty and mar it with so much unnecesary ugliness. If you think that Americans can learn a thing or two from Europeans in terms of land use or the respect we give to our public places, you've obviously never been to Spain.

Back!

The trip to Spain and Gibraltar was excellent, as we spent a great deal of time with Alex!

I made several observations throughout the trip, which I will share in the near future.

Off To See Alex!

No blog activity until February, as Ame and I are off to Spain to visit Alex. We have no real itinerary besides the actual travel and celebrating his 12th birthday.

Go Colts!

I'm really looking forward to this afternoon's big game- Colts @ New England Patriots; winner goes to the Super Bowl. I have had a couple of experiences in my life where my hometown team had the chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but the Browns helped send John Elway there every time, and to the Hall of Fame, as he built his mystique around The Drive back in the '86 season. Denver beat the Browns again in the championship game after the '87 season, and again in '89. I've had this experience three times in my life, so I'm hoping that the change of scenery, and a remarkably potent offense, will bring the thrill of victory to my hometown.

I have reservations for the aftermath, though. No, I am not expecting that if the Colts win the good people of Indianapolis will celebrate by overturning parked cars, setting fires, and looting stores. I am concerned that they will celebrate by building the team a new dome. There are about 1000 good reasons not to build a stadium on the backs of the citizens. The Cato Institute's comprehensive studies are a must-read for Mayors, City-County Council reps, and news media alike. Cato Item #1, with streaming video. Cato Policy Analysis #339. Cato short article. Cato short article. Cato scholarly article.

I cannot stand socialized football. It pains me enough that there is redistribution of wealth in so many other areas of society. But football?

Cities do not belong in the business of being the landlord. They have enough to do addressing public safety and vital infrastructure. These should be priorities, but aren't. The police do a job I wouldn't do, and yet they have been working without a contract for over a year. The sewers gush raw filth into the ironically named White River every time a quarter-inch of rain falls because the system cannot handle the capacity. THESE THINGS ARE PRIORITIES! Mayor Peterson, however, has not addressed these things, and continues to hint that the Colts are still high on his priority list.

But, in the afterglow of a victory that helps assure us that we are big league, the people may be led by the Mayor to a big taxpayer dollar giveaway.

I am hoping that Mr. Irsay, the owner of the Colts, throws down the gauntlet and says, 'gimme gimme gimme or I go!'

Either way, I say, "Go Colts!"

Hamilton County Sign Issues II

Ham Co is said to be the most Republican county in Indiana. If you were to assume that would mean "business friendly" or "pro-property rights" you would have assumed incorrectly. The Hamilton COunty Sign Police are making their presense felt with local small business owners with resulting bewilderment and anger, mainly because these good people had made the same assumptions.

Alas. Read a few lines of reporter Michelle Evans' account of the People v. the Cicero Sign Police. (I'd give you a link, but the Noblesville Daily Times makes you subscribe even to view their stories online.)

When Cicero resident Michelle Wiatt made the plunge to start her own travel agency this past November, she didn't know she would need a lawyer to decipher the community's 30-page sign ordinance.

"I just think that the rules are too strict and too hard to understand; I think they need to be updated," she said. "We're just trying to stay in business and support the community and we have to worry about whether our sign is two inches too big."

She's not alone. More than 50 business owners and a hanful of residents attended a Cicero Town Council special meeting Tuesday night to voice concerns about the ordinance.

In sleepy Cicero, that's almost like a Boston Tea Party. The important things to remember are:

1. The ordinance was drafted by Republicans.
2. The ordinance is enforced by Republicans.
3. The Libertarian Party is defending property rights and is the advocate for small business owners.
4. Democrats would make it worse.

Wide World of Sports III

The cries of "censorship!" will shortly be raised. What in the wide world of sports?

Two ads that were intended to be placed on the Super Bowl broadcast have been rejected by CBS. One is PETA's. The other is moveon.org's. Article.

CBS explained thusly,

"We do not accept advertising on one side or the other of controversial public issues, partly because we don't think the debate ought to be controlled by people with deep pockets," said Martin Franks, CBS executive vice president.

CBS also covers these issues in a balanced way with its news department, Franks said.

Although it is amusing to make it a money issue, which is what the left likes to make matters of political speech, if I were Mr. Franks, I would have explained it in a different way. I would have reminded these would-be advertisers that they are asking to use a resource that they do not own. CBS owns the resource that is their signal, therefore, they decide what goes across it. This assertion of property rights needs no further explanation.

But the jilted advertizers do whine.

Although MoveOn.org founder Wes Boyd said he had no evidence the ad was rejected because it was anti-Bush, "I worry that it's about ideology," he said.

Worry not. America is a free country when its citizens and institutions can refuse to do something they do not want to do, which means, the ad should be rejected if CBS does not like the ideology.

But MoveOn blathers onward,

"It seems to be there's a capricious approach as to what ads are taken and which are not," Boyd said.

That's because it should be capricious. CBS owns the signal. They should be free to pick and choose as suits them.

Here's a way that perhaps Mr. Boyd could begin to understand. Let's all go to his house (assuming he owns it). Let's each hold a picket sign. One will be pro-Bush. One will be anti-Howard Dean. One will be anti-Bush. One will be pro-MoveOn. Who do you think will be asked to get the hell off his lawn, and which will be invited in for a cup of fair trade coffee?

Your guess will be correct, in every way. Or, perhaps we can approach Mr. Boyd with anti-MoveOn.org pop-up ads to be placed on MoveOn.org. Will he "deny us our right to free speech"? Will he take a capricious approach as to what ads are taken and which are not? Will it be based on ideology?

But, of course.

A Brief Political Reflection

I once was a leftist. Long before I was born, Churchill addressed why with an excellent quote:

"To be young and not liberal is to not have a heart. To be older and not conservative is to not have a brain."

Now, most Republicans fail to see me as a conservative, unless we are talking about economics, in which case I make the average Republican seem downright socialist. But, when I was a young man, I was a leftist because I believed that the poor got a raw deal. I believed the left's old saws:

1. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
2. The poor stay poor because the system (the man, the GOP, etc.) keeps them poor.

I also believed this one, that is shared by some on the right, such as the Buchananites:

3. As manufacturing jobs are "shipped overseas", our standard of living is plummetting.

Walter Williams has summed up in one nice column what required of me about 15 months of independent observation and thinking:

1. The rich frequently lose ground, while the poor often gain it; sometimes it is easier for the poor to advance than it is for the rich to prevent dropping back.
2. The poor who stay poor do so because they haven't done what is necessary to get out of poverty. (Living in an impoverished neighborhood for five years proved this notion thoroughly.)
3. Manufacturing jobs are on the decline, but the standard of living is skyrocketing.

Quoth Williams:

According to the 1995 Annual Report of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, only 5 percent of those in the bottom 20 percent category of income earners in 1975 were still there in 1991. What happened to them? A majority made it to the top 60 percent of the income distribution -- middle class or better -- over that 16-year span. Almost 29 percent of them rose to the top 20 percent.

So, if you are on the left, and these are the facts, what to do? This was my dilemma, after all, so many years ago. Do you ignore the facts and plow onward, hoping the emotion and the tone of the rhetoric will resonate with those who are currently poor? This is what the left seems eager to do. Being a fan of honest discourse, I turned from the left, and continue to find distaste in their approach.

I couldn't ignore the facts. Cognitive dissonance leaves me with sleepless nights. I will add my own conclusion, which Williams unfortunately did not draw: Although the standard of living did skyrocket, it still was relatively shackled by the levels of taxation all Americans, rich and poor alike, are burdened with.

I'd like to see a speculative column by Williams that would project the numbers if taxation and government spending were cut by just 5% over a five year period. That would be illuminating.

It would also be illuminating to see the left sport the courage and integrity necessary to declare that they are aware that the programs and spending they cherish have an enormous cost to our economy, but that they accept it and are willing to pay it. I certainly wouldn't vote in support of such schemes, but I would nod in approval of the honesty and suspect we could begin to look one another in the eye.

Curious Bedfellows

I love it when common expectations or conventional wisdom is thwarted by an unexpected pairing, especially when it occurs in the political arena, leaving both Left and Right scratching their heads.

The ACLU and Rush Limbaugh? How marvelous!

"For many people, it may seem odd that the ACLU has come to the defense of Rush Limbaugh," ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon said in a released statement.

"But we have always said that the ACLU's real client is the Bill of Rights, and we will continue to safeguard the values of equality, fairness and privacy for everyone, regardless of race, economic status or political point of view," Simon said.

If only that were entirely true and the ACLU backed all ten Amendments of the Bill of Rights. Still, this will confound some, and more importantly, delight me.

What's Your Rhetoric Worth?

Probably not much.

After work today, I stopped into a little shop in Westfield hoping to catch the owners present. I was in luck, so I introduced myself and asked if they wouldn't mind discussing their hassles with the town's planning commission regarding placing signs on their commercial property.

They definitely wanted to talk about this. It seems the planning commission has dictated what an acceptable sign is, and it wasn't the one they had near the street. Understand that the point of a sign is to catch the eye of the passerby in the hopes of luring would-be customers. This purpose is lost on the planning commission, who believes the purpose is to create objects that are nearly invisible, so as not to be 'clutter'. This is not a saftey issue, where, say, the sign blocked visibility on the roadway. This is an aesthetic issue.

I offered the services of the Libertarian Party. I was met with skepticism. The man expressed concerns over differences between his views and the party's. I explained that I expect that, just as there are Republicans who support abortion and Democrats who support war in Iraq. Then he expressed a bigger concern- that the LP might not be able to be effective for him.

This is the real deal issue. If the party cannot be effective, it doesn't matter how great the rhetoric is, nor how much agreement there is. At the end of the day, he agrees with our stand on property rights: that the property belongs to the owner, and should be used as the owner sees fit. And although nobody else- no Republican or Democrat- had come to offer their support, he was skeptical of a representative of the one party that offered support.

The task for the Libertarian Party in Hamilton County is to get the planning commissions to listen to property owners in Westfield (and Cicero), and to remember that the property owners own the land, and that the commissioners are public servants, working to serve the citizenry, not to forward their aesthetic agendas.

This issue interests me greatly, as (rhetoric, please!) planning commissions are beginning to run amok throughout Hamilton County, which is commonly known as the most Republican county in the state. Republicans are ostensibly pro-business, but you'd never know it to learn of the pronouncements of their planning commissions. I was told that the Italian restaurant near this business was told that the colors of their signs were not permissible. What colors were used? Red, white, and green- just like in virtually every Italian restaurant worldwide.

It is important to get the attention of planning commissions, since they aren't just focusing on signs. They zero in on any property usage, dictating by whim as suits their tastes. This means homeowners in addition to commercial entities. Every fence, deck, swimming pool, and shrub is being scrutinized. Fees are charged, and the citizens made to beg for permission to use their own land as they see fit. In America?

Well, that last bit is rhetoric. You probably agree with it. It means nothing if we can't move policy in our direction.

Wisconsin Libertarians

Should I make that singular instead of plural? When work training took me to Madison, I decided to phone ahead so that I could meet up with other state-level party officials for dinner and to swap info.

I met up with Rolf Lindgren, who just left his position as State Vice Chair so that he could more fully pursue being a pain in the governor's backside, with his recall effort.

I would never dream of doing such a thing, but Rolf says he's getting tons more media attention for his stunt than he might for a traditional campaign. Then again, Ed Thompson is getting huge milage out of his traditional campaign for governor, where he polled better than 10%. The day I arrived in Madison, the local paper, the Madison Capital Times, had an article on what Ed Thompson thinks about Russ Feingold. I'd really like to have the LPIN at the stage where entire articles are devoted to what one of our guys thinks about one of the other guys.

But, Wisconsin is a different state with different rules. For instance, Thompson was elected mayor in his home town, but did not run that race with the party label. It seems most races are non-partisan in Wisconsin, unlike Indiana. I imagine that makes it easier to run for local races, being free of the albatross that is the national party, but it can't help in building local party name support.

It was fun listening to Rolf give me a narrated tour of his political landscape. I strongly recommend that other libertarians similarly network when out on business trips.

Running Into Pain

Getting into running for the first time in 20 years, my biggest fear was for my knees. My biggest surprise was not experiencing any pain in the knees as I noticed quick improvement.

Then I went to Madison, WI. There, I reached the 1.5 mile mark, but did it on a treadmill. I had never run on a treadmill belfore, and somehow it didn't feel right, but I didn't think anything of it. Ever since, I feel pain in both knees with every step I take.

I thought that it might just be one of those adjustment things, that I should run through tht pain, so I have run twice more since. Pain's still there. I'm opting for rest temporarily, but I'm hoping that I am able to start again so that I can run with Alex in Spain about two weeks from now.

A Brief History of the Celebrity Trashing of Marriage

MSN featured a Top Ten list for shortest-lived celebrity marriage. Note that each of these involves straight people... with the possible exception of the Earnest Borgnine-Ethel Merman union. The very thought jars the mind more severly than even the Tanya Harding wedding night video did.

Miracle Mile

I achieved a mile today! I left the stop-watch behind for another day. I just wanted to accomplish this distance. This week will be about daily one-mile runs, so I'll trot out the watch on Friday.

The Threat to the Institution of Marriage

It's gay people, right? That's what I constantly hear, but what I hear is nonsense. The gay people I know are in committed relationships, some even married. None of the gay marriages I know have ended in divorce.

Celebrities are The Threat. Britney Spears personifies the cheapening of the sanctity of marriage with her ONE-DAY union. That's right, ONE DAY.

Show me even one gay couple that has done this, and I will begin to accept that they are a threat to institution. I'll bet dollars to your dimes that you can't find an example, and yet you barely need 10 seconds to name a celebrity that has been in a marriage (or three) that lasted less than a year.