Violence is everywhere.  We see it in the news daily, it’s in our TV shows, our movies, our video games and sometimes a part of our lives.  Recently we’ve read multiple news stories about police violence against unarmed individuals.  In some of these stories the innocence of the alleged victim is dubious.  In others, video seems to prove beyond doubt that the police used unnecessary lethal force. As Issac Newton’s Third Law observed in physics, so we are seeing in society; an equal and opposite reaction to ever increasing levels of police violence and brutality.  Most recently, two members of the NYPD were shot to death while they sat in a patrol car.  Anti-police sentiments and protests are on the rise everywhere.  Some of the outcry is the result of perceived racism.  Some stems from a recognition that the police – once known as “peace officers”, have become something quite different. This isn’t Mayberry.  Today your average hometown police squad has a cache of automatic weapons, body armor, tear gas, grenade launchers, armored military vehicles and perhaps even a weaponized drone. I have yet to meet someone who expressed a feeling of comfort, safety or peace upon seeing one of […]

Tuesday night, June 10th, 2014 residents of Virginia’s 7th district made history by voting out Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the GOP primary election. Cantor, a career politician and neo-conservative was ousted in favor of newcomer David Brat, a local university economics professor.  Brat is being hailed as a “tea party” candidate, and while his views seem to align well with those generally held by tea party affiliates he actually received no backing from the major tea party organizations, due to the evidently misled belief that Cantor was untouchable. Brat’s win truly is a history making event, and one that sends a shock wave through the GOP establishment.  Late night’s victory marks the first time in US history that a House Majority Leader has been unseated in a primary election.  The implications of this win are far reaching.  Cantor has been a vocal supporter of amnesty measures for so-called illegal immigrants – an issue that has been coming to a head recently with immigrant children currently flooding over the US-Mexico border as an unforeseen ramification of President Obama’s recent declaration that children would not be deported. Mr. Brat was able to use this to his full advantage to […]

It’s funny how life works.  The daily interactions and experiences we have seem trivial at the time but can have profound ramification on our futures.  Here I sit, trying to strategize how best to proceed with the writing of this post, the future of this site, my reading list, my son’s education, financial planning, dinner tonight… It’s an unceasing string of seemingly random thoughts that are all interconnected, at least for me.  Everything fits into a web and has varying degrees of influence on the other nodes of the web.  It was this web that brought me to the political opinions I hold now, which in turn changed my views, or at the least enlightened my views on many other topics.  My political journey so far is what I’d like to talk about in this post. I was brought up in a conservative, Republican household.  I don’t recall the issue-specific positions my parents took on most things.  It was the typical Republican platform, patriotic, lower taxes, anti-gay marriage, pro-life…  While I took on many of those view as a child and teenager something about them – something I can’t pinpoint – didn’t agree with me.  I missed the age cutoff […]

I was recently to a physician, and as is standard these days there was a stack of paperwork that needed to be completed.  Patient information forms, medical history, office financial policy, HIPPA, and consent forms.  What caught my attention was the consent form.  Why is it necessary?  If I scheduled an appointment, is it not obvious that I would like to be examined?  While it is logical to come to such a conclusion, consent must be specifically given.  Consent is an important concept with far reaching implications. From whence does this idea of consent come?  It comes directly from the principle of ownership.  Consent is the engine through which you allow others to utilize, institute change, or exert influence over your person, your property, or other items that are under your control.  Why is consent necessary?  It is the difference between a beneficial transaction, and an act of aggression.  It is choice.  When you enter into a contract you are consenting to its terms.  When you accept a job offer you are consenting to work for an agreed number of hours at an agreed wage and to abide by company policies and procedures.  Every beneficial interaction between individuals requires, at some level, consent. […]

The United States – often recognized as a beacon of freedom to the world, though perhaps more so in the past than in the present.  The original colonists came here seeking a fresh start, a land of unrivaled opportunity, and a reprieve from the oppression of the British Crown.  Immigrants in more recent times come for similar reasons.  They come to escape oppression, to pursue new opportunity, to endeavor to better themselves and their families by taking advantage of the freedoms we here take for granted.  The ultimate reason is the freedom to determine one’s own destiny.  At one time, this was the single most appealing feature of the land of Lady Liberty to others around the world.  Slowly, the United States is slipping from its previous grandeur.  As the citizens sit back and allow themselves to be lulled into oblivion by mind-melting television shows and the latest in fashion, football or celebrity gossip the freedom and liberty that we take for granted is being stripped away.  Like an onion, each layer is slowly removed and eventually, it will be gone entirely.  With each layer compromised come the stinging tears of those who witness the degradation.  We are not yet past […]

When I wrote about the Occupy Wall Street movement a few weeks ago I had not really intended on it becoming a recurring topic, but as events transpire I find myself compelled to speak out further.  The movement has continued to gain momentum and has spread all over the country, and to various locations around the world.  More people are getting involved, and more media attention is being cast in their direction.  Some of the attention has been on the movement itself, and some on the actions of the NYPD and other police departments in response to it. At this point, we should regard the Occupy movement as a potential danger.  It is very volatile.  I do not suggest that we should be concerned that it will escalate to a point of violence, though that is not out of the question, it seems unlikely at this point it time.  The danger stems from the fact that the protestors are so very disjointed.  There is no leader, and there is no clear mission or set of demands.  The protestors might as well be there for the simple fact that they have nothing better to do.  Clearly they share in their frustration […]

This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks against the United States that leveled the World Trade Center in New York City, punched a hole in the side of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and left the burning remains of a commercial airliner in a field near Pittsburgh, PA.  The official death toll from that day was 2,975 including the hijackers of the 4 planes.  Those of use who remember the day will never forget it.  We will never forget where we were, or what we were doing when we heard the news.  We will forever have burned into our mind’s eye the image if the Twin Towers falling.  We will never forget. On Sunday, we should all take some time to reflect on the lives lost on that day 10 years previous, and on the lives lost since that day as a result.  Prayers and kind wishes go out to those who lost friends and loved ones in the attacks, and in the wars that followed.  When we heard the news, the foremost question was ‘why?’  Why would a group of people plan and execute such a horrific act against the United States?  We were told by our […]

One of the most important tasks that I would like to see this site accomplish is the dissemination of knowledge.  Throughout history there have been numerous contributors to the cause of liberty.  Some of those fine individuals saw fit to frame their thoughts, arguments, and wisdom in written form for the betterment of posterity.  I find that utilizing these powerful texts is a wonderful way to advance thought and expand the mind’s plain of consideration.  As I have the opportunity to complete each of the many books on my reading list it is my intention to provide you with my impressions of each manuscript.  Perhaps doing so will prompt you to discover the book for yourself, or encourage discussion of books we have had the mutual pleasure (as I hope the case will be) of reading.  To kick things off, I will begin with the latest book I’ve been able to check off of my list. Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by Ron Paul   In Congressman and Dr. Ron Paul’s latest book he tackles alphabetically 50 of the issues that he believes are the most important to the cause of liberty.  Each of the 50 […]

By now everyone has heard that the United States is going to hit our current borrowing limit on August 2nd according to a US Treasury estimate.  The President has stated repeatedly that the limit must be raised or the US will default on its debt and trigger an unprecedented financial crisis that will have widespread and far-felt ramifications.  Congress is currently wrestling over how to address this most serious issue, though how much of it is genuine dissent and how much is put on to create a good show for the public is debatable. The President would like us to all think that the problem here is that the debt ceiling is not high enough.  That is not the problem.  The problem is that the debt ceiling is even an issue.  The problem is that the federal government is borrowing at such a rate that the federal debt is increasing by $40,000 per second!  That comes out to $3.456 BILLION a day.  And the President wants more. The choice here is a simple one.  We either continue down the path of reckless spending that will ultimately lead to the utter destruction of the dollar and the complete financial collapse of […]

Two hundred and thirty-five years ago today, fifty-six men pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors to start what would be the most free and prosperous nation on Earth.  Declaring their independence from the grip of King George and the British Empire they risked everything to breathe life into a country founded upon the principles of freedom, liberty, and prosperity for all who possessed the desire to take the forces of destiny into their own hands and mold a future of their own choosing without interference by an overbearing, and oppressive government.  This was a concept never before seen on this planet. They built this country from the ground up. They designed a government for the people, controlled by the people. They protected the people from the government by writing one of the most pivotal documents in the history of the world – The US Constitution. They had it right. We have let our nation fall because of our apathy, and our laziness. The people must be vigilant, and we have not been. We have allowed our federal government to seize power that it was never intended to have. We have grievously misplaced our trust in what the government and […]