Its a party party!

July 26 (that's tomorrow as this is written) the Salt Lake Libertarian Party will have a get together at Mo's Grill at 354 South West Temple in Salt Lake City, from 7 PM to 9PM. A chance to meet fellow Libertarians and enjoy good food and company. Drop by if you can. The more the merrier, and bring completed (or partially completed) petitions. We are getting close, but we need several hundred more signatures.

Let them talk!

As a champion of free speech, I am glad to hear that Senator Reid has told the Republicans who oppose his efforts to mandate a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, that they can talk all night if they want. Tonight the Senate will be in session all night to let them have their say. And those of us who think the Iraq war was a terrible mistake, and who want to end that mistake now, will gather outside the Federal building in Salt Lake City tonight to have our say as well.

Come on down to 125 S. State St. in Salt Lake at 5:00 PM, for an hour or so, and let the Senators know where you stand. And for those who don't live in Utah, check www.moveon.org for other places to gather. In Utah, it will a fun chance to gather with fellow "nutcakes" and enjoy the beautiful weather (a bit cooler today, thank goodness).

See you there. And, yes, I will bring petitions to sign to put the Libertarian Party back on the Utah ballot.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Well, I don't share much with our nation's President, but we do have the same birthday today, July 6 (I am two years younger). May he live a long and useful life as a private citizen; but I am happy to note that someone with whom I do not share a birthday will be in the White House in less than two years. Whew!

In honor of "our" birthday, just a reminder of a couple of recent news items. The President says that there is danger in allowing people in from Canada without proper papers, so he decreed that we must all have passports to travel back from there. But nobody told the passport service, or prepared them to process the additional millions of applications that this would bring. so, the government recently announced that "we didnt' know so many people would comply with the law" (duh!), and they postponed implimentation because the system has broken down under the load.

The President says he has "no quarrel" with the jury verdict which convicted one of his minions of obstructing justice; but the 3 year sentence is two severe, so he has eliminated it. Well, Mr. President, when did you notice that our Federal sentencing statutes are unfair, oppressive, and overly severe? Just last week? Some of us have known that for years; and yet your justice department regularly asks for the most severe punishments they can get. And we taxpayers pay the huge cost of imprisoning the largest percentage of our population in the western world.

So, Mr. President, have a happy birthday, and make some plans to do something useful in a couple of years!

War on drugs (again)

Today I went to lunch at a fast food place. A cute young lady sat down at the next table, pulled out her cell phone, and made a couple of calls which sure sounded like a drug deal to me. I wondered if she knew I could hear her; and whether she even considered that I could easily be a police officer. I pondered warning her against such activity, but did nothing, as she shortly was joined by friends, and the circumstances were just not right.

I imgine the young lady really doesn't even understand that what she did might get her a felony conviction. Probably never occurred to her. Most young people don't really understand the "war on drugs" and the determination of the government to turn a whole generation into criminals. Sadder still, she is probably totally uninvolved in the political process. She likely is not registered to vote; and it also has never occurred to her that she should be out working for change, if she does not like the current rules. She probably has never heard of the ACLU, the MPP or the Libertarian Party. (Haven't either? Look them up!)

We are struggling to get enough signatures to get our party back on the ballot in Utah for next year's election. And the party's natural consitutency -- those who do not like the current rules made by the "major parties" -- react with blank stares to the suggestion that they should be involved in making changes to the system. Please consider passing this on to someone you know who fits this discription, and ask them to think about protecting their own right to be free.

On a brighter note, I received an e-mail this past week from a former dancer and client, who I have not heard from in several years. She told me that she admires what I do, and that she is STILL an ACLU member! Yay! Once in a while, some good news.

Have a great day, and get a friend to sign our Libertarian Party Petition, available on my site under "organizing petition".