tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89978792012-01-20T21:27:51.730-08:00Libertarian Commentary -- Where Your Nose BeginsStuart Whitmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256327564932380769noreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-9548640684928603292011-11-12T15:39:00.000-08:002011-11-12T15:39:41.623-08:00

I feel sad for the US today. At one time, at least the story is told here, our country was a shining example of "freedom" to the world. But now, the word "liberty" (which means the same thing, forms the root of the term "libertarian," and is used prominently in our Declaration of Independence) is treated as a "bad" or "uncaring" thing. Instead of us having the freedom to give, or not give, to the

Stuart Whitmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256327564932380769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-59314625653831181522011-11-06T14:54:00.000-08:002011-11-06T14:54:32.928-08:00

When I said previously that Libertarians should support Ron Paul's campaign for US President in 2012, I guess I should have been directing my comments to a different audience: Congressman Paul's own party members, i.e., Republicans. Their ongoing dismissal of him, which dovetails nicely with liberals' dismissal of him, highlights what seems to me a basic fact: The so-called Republicans of today

Stuart Whitmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256327564932380769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-90370774560963110942011-09-04T18:06:00.000-07:002011-09-04T18:06:12.157-07:00

Here's a quick political exercise for you:  To find the person who has the perfect political ideals, that one person whose views match yours to the utmost degree, go look in the mirror.  Come back here when you're done. Got that out of the way?  Good.  Now that you know where to find the perfect candidate for any given office, we can talk about other options, the less-than-perfect candidates.

Stuart Whitmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256327564932380769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-73526228596605989002011-07-02T00:35:00.000-07:002011-07-02T00:48:15.671-07:00

I should clarify up front that Lesson One: Revolution! is not strictly a libertarian novel. It does present some libertarian viewpoints, but the main character is, as he repeatedly tells people, "not a Libertarian." No, he's more like a libertarian (or maybe a so-called Tea Party activist) gone awry — somebody who doesn't trust his fellow citizens to comprehend the desire/need to make use of

Stuart Whitmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00256327564932380769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-55514686511976033442011-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:002011-04-22T15:10:11.140-07:00

Liberty advocate, author, Congressman, and 2008 Presidential candidate Ron Paul has a new book out: Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom. It is described as "a comprehensive guide to... fifty of the most important issues of our times, from Abortion to Zionism. Accessible, easy to digest, and fearless in its discussion of controversial topics, [it] sheds new light on a word

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-47314870484809637792011-02-01T22:46:00.000-08:002011-02-10T02:05:17.380-08:00

It's a standard refrain from government and its various agencies at various levels: Give us more tax funds or we'll face disaster! Of course this message glosses over all kinds of important details, like how current funds are being used, alternative sources of revenue, and the actual necessity of "disaster." On the latter point, though, it's also "the norm" for government agencies to enhance

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-35934633927260339602010-11-17T11:14:00.000-08:002010-11-17T11:14:46.829-08:00

Will the TSA's excessive "security" measures (which are about obedience, and not about security — because they are not effective security measures, and there are better, more effective security measures that could be taken) finally wake people up to how overbearing our federal government has become? Nah, probably not -- it's easier to keep accepting the federal handouts and dismissing references

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-36895826519745932432010-11-11T15:38:00.000-08:002010-11-11T15:38:57.026-08:00

Thankfully, the 2010 elections are (mostly) over, and we have a brief reprieve from political ads. If anyone is actually a fan of such nonsense, of course, they don't have to look too far into the future to see the next onslaught coming our way. Now that we've had a little shake-up in our government, it's time to get back down to business. As usual. And I mean that snidely, in case that

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-34893377266668627272010-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:002010-10-27T16:43:44.828-07:00

In Washington State, the ballot next Tuesday will include Initiative 1098. In a nutshell, I-1098 seeks to give Washington something it's never had: That is, an income tax, but only for "wealthier" residents. Now before you think, "well, other states have an income tax," you should know that Washington has some solid taxes already, in the form of sales tax, property taxes on real estate and

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-53357520628638208892010-10-20T18:22:00.000-07:002010-10-21T12:08:57.883-07:00

Oh, those Tea Party members... Wait a second. What "Tea Party" members? If you don't know what the Tea Party is, let me clue you in, with just five words: There is no Tea Party. Pretty easy to understand, but many people apparently don't bother to think about it. They see behavior that, on the surface, they agree or disagree with from people who use the Tea Party label, and — with typical

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-44884061076726426152010-08-30T00:02:00.000-07:002010-08-30T00:02:18.900-07:00

Speaking of books with "Revolution" in the title, I just finished reading The Revolution: A Manifesto, by Congressman and former Presidential candidate Ron Paul. Wow. This short book packs a huge amount of information and vital concepts into a small package. Not one for lazy thinkers, but definitely important reading. I consider myself "reasonably well-versed" in the Constitution and in

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-73064822959143289352010-08-06T12:29:00.000-07:002010-08-06T12:29:25.717-07:00

This week was an important one for me personally, as a lifelong dream of having a book published became a reality. This is relevant to this blog, because the novel presents a lot of libertarian and limited-government ideas. At the moment, the book is available through Amazon.com, but in a couple of months you should be able to order it through any major book store near you. If you'd like to

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-59702041789204662892010-05-25T17:54:00.000-07:002010-05-25T17:54:03.252-07:00

There are two important changes regarding this blog and the accompanying podcast. Please take note: First, the URL for the blog has changed. If you reached the blog via a bookmark or link to its old address, libertyblessings.blogspot.com, please update your bookmark or link to use the new address: libertyblessings.just-stuart.com. If you don't own the page where the link used the old address,

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-80569240219494502262009-07-22T21:15:00.000-07:002009-07-22T21:17:50.449-07:00

In the past I've talked a lot about specific issues from a Libertarian perspective, but I think I should also address a more basic question: What is a Libertarian? Because the Libertarian Party is still relatively tiny, I don't get the same reaction that a Democrat or Republican would when I tell people what political party I prefer. Instead of immediately understanding what I'm talking about, I

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-90540915006534340042008-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:002008-10-17T18:47:48.245-07:00

I'm sorry. I know this is a hard time for you, really. You have a presidential candidate who is not much of a conservative, and a vice presidential candidate who -- despite being conservative and despite being a draw for those who would like to see a woman in the White House -- probably is doing more harm than good to the campaign. It doesn't help that President Bush, despite being ostensibly

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-53978437070184180302008-08-01T02:30:00.001-07:002008-08-01T02:30:10.379-07:00

This is just a quick update to let you know that a) I'm not dead, b) my blog is not dead, and c) the podcast that goes with the blog is not dead. I do intend to continue publishing content on my blog, and also, of course, the podcast that goes with the blog. My personal life and work have been very busy, leaving me little time for politics. However, this is an election year, and I would like

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-9063344776278178322007-10-29T11:40:00.000-07:002007-10-29T11:39:49.358-07:00

The US Constitution was a good document to start with. The first ten amendments, which we call the Bill of Rights, took it from "good" to "excellent." Although the Constitution as a whole, including all amendments, forms the legal basis for all law in the US, the Bill of Rights in particular deserves and receives a vast amount of ongoing attention. After all, how many people debate Article II,

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-40203950912943829132007-05-14T17:30:00.000-07:002007-05-14T17:20:16.156-07:00

Before I get to the main point of this blog entry, I will ask that you forward it to Libertarians you know. Not every Libertarian, just those running for office... I have a new rule. My old rule? It was easy: If there were Libertarians on the ballot, vote for them. The concept was that they probably wouldn't win, so their particular positions didn't matter, and what mattered was showing

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-3525223053672110492006-11-03T13:45:00.000-08:002006-12-27T16:31:13.275-08:00

This is just a short blog entry to let you know about a new vidcast I created to present libertarian ideals to US citizens. It is called WOLF: Whitmore, On a Libertarian Future. I invite you to subscribe to the vidcast via RSS, or bookmark the vidcast Web page. You will find links to the vidcast on the left side of my blog.

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1157787565642688992006-09-09T00:30:00.000-07:002006-09-09T00:41:51.163-07:00

"Every country has the government it deserves." (Joseph de Maistre) It's almost enough to make me give up my libertarian ideals and buy whole-heartedly into authoritarianism. I'm really losing faith that people are intelligent and clear-thinking enough to make important decisions. Consider the Harris Poll released in July which demonstrated that about half of the US public actually believes that

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1150514054602134172006-06-15T23:59:00.000-07:002006-06-16T20:14:14.616-07:00

A local news source recently mentioned a large number of new laws scheduled to go into effect in Washington State. According to that source, "observers were struck by the sheer volume of legislation in 2006" and House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, who apparently advised her colleagues to limit the number of bills, said of this activity, "I think that sometimes if it's too quick, we maybe don't

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1142128301952721182006-03-11T17:55:00.000-08:002006-03-11T22:10:03.396-08:00

I'm not sure how US politicians, of all people, can keep a straight face when questioning the human rights ethics of others. These are, after all, the same politicians who comprise the federal government that thinks it's OK to violate the human rights codified in the Bill of Rights by imprisoning "suspected terrorists" in Guantanamo. Maybe that's why they bluster and demonstrate such anger when

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1129191757999974292005-10-13T01:30:00.000-07:002005-10-13T01:22:38.010-07:00

I've heard it many times before, and have seen Libertarians remind each other about it from time to time: You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Or as many of our parents told us when we were children, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." While this doesn't always work in the political realm unless you're willing to accept leadership from whatever scum rises

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1120186175536024102005-06-30T19:55:00.000-07:002007-12-07T15:58:23.042-08:00

Considering how frequently President Bush tried, in his recent speech, to use the emotional response of US citizens regarding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a way to "justify" his war on Iraq, I think this makes one of two things very clear: Either he is completely out of touch with reality and cannot tell the difference between Iraq and al-Qaida and between Saddam Hussein and Osama

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1118093244794948792005-06-06T14:30:00.000-07:002005-06-06T14:27:24.800-07:00

Although he might still appeal to the state Supreme Court, Dino Rossi appears to have lost his bid to invalidate the 2004 election for Washington State Governor. He initially was considered the winner, but lost on a recount, to a near miss of just 129 votes out of nearly 3 million cast, the closest such race in the history of the entire nation. Just 129 votes. Hmm. Such a small number! So

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1115691351020652422005-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:002005-05-09T19:25:59.783-07:00

How would you like to keep up to date on the Blessings of Liberty blog even when you can't find time to read it? Would it help if you could listen to it instead, such as during your commute to work, or while you're out jogging? If you have a portable audio player that can play either MP3 or Ogg Vorbis sound files, you can sign up for my new podcast! What you hear via the Blessings of Liberty

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1115111366832275362005-05-03T01:58:00.000-07:002005-05-03T02:11:51.700-07:00

One way to read my blog entry about basing the right to keep and bear arms strictly on the actual reason for the Second Amendment would be that I am advocating a violent overthrow of the US government. Well, that's not the case, and I would think that most people would realize that wasn't my intent, but it is one possible interpretation of that entry. So, to clarify: I am not advocating a

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1113092670980918142005-04-09T17:07:00.000-07:002005-04-09T18:22:09.193-07:00

I may offend more than a few fellow Libertarians by saying this, but I wish the NRA would just shut up. Actually, it's not just the NRA, it's anyone who uses self-defense, or hunting, or target shooting, or collecting weapons, as a topic for discussion when it comes to the right guaranteed to US citizens by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, to keep and bear arms. It doesn't take

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1112749550202140342005-04-05T17:55:00.000-07:002005-04-05T18:05:50.203-07:00

Happy Spring! Now hand over your hard-earned money to the Feds! Just kidding, I really want you to hand over your hard-earned money to me, for some Happy Taxpayer attire. Make sure you express your true feelings, that you Love Taxes, in this season of stress. In the spirit of tax season, libertarian ideals, and capitalism, I've added some fun shirts to the Blessings of Liberty store.Order one

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1112220150038770732005-03-30T13:37:00.000-08:002005-03-30T14:02:30.043-08:00

The AP is reporting on an AP-Ipsos poll that found that two-thirds of Americans "say no nation should have nuclear weapons, including the U.S." Approximately half of the poll respondents worry "frequently or occasionally" about a terrorist attack using nuclear weapons, and a majority believe that nuclear weapons will be used by terrorists or by one nation against another within the next five

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1110575513892299862005-03-11T12:55:00.000-08:002007-12-07T15:57:17.154-08:00

Come here, little one, and enjoy a cookie... The following is a screenshot of something that made me grin. I was using my browser of choice (Opera 7.5) to visit the IRS site to download some forms -- it's that time of year, of course, to pay extra attention to the tax man. Opera warns me when an HTTP cookie is not appropriately requested, so that I can use cookies for all the good they provide

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1110188517826368552005-03-07T01:39:00.000-08:002005-03-07T01:41:57.826-08:00

By random chance I noticed today the following quote, which I thought was worth sharing: If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom, and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.-- W. Somerset Maughan What do you value? What values do you see in your neighbors and your nation? Food for thought.

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1109980176273914212005-03-04T15:27:00.000-08:002005-03-04T15:49:36.276-08:00

Here's a quote I just ran across, from a well-respected member of the media: "...[C]onservatives [branded] as unpatriotic those who opposed the war. Patriotism simply cannot be defined. Many of those against the war protested with the most dedicated patriotism -- in the total conviction that the war was not a just one and was besmirching the image of a nation they loved." Sounds like he's

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1109668806513226672005-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:002005-03-01T01:20:06.516-08:00

...no new tale to tell. * When you're living under Big Brother, the devil you know is the same as the devil you don't. I'm so "glad" to read an AP news piece about how Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will carry on the disgraceful flame of What-Bill-of-Rights? John Ashcroft. Of course there are elements thrown in that nobody would argue with, like fighting human trafficking, but that's just a

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1107850018960032922005-02-08T00:45:00.000-08:002005-02-08T00:47:42.060-08:00

At the end of 1992, things were different. I wasn't a card-carrying Libertarian, for example. Republicans saw their power slipping away as Clinton was voted into the Oval Office. US forces had recently invaded Somalia, and September 11 was just another day of the year. But one thing that hasn't changed since 1992 (and indeed has not changed since the 1970s) is that I like to write. I was

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1105564687082743982005-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:002005-01-12T13:18:07.083-08:00

For a limited time, you can get Blessings of Liberty intimate apparel just in time for Valentine's Day! Is this a joke? No, not really -- as with the rest of this blog, it's all about politics! I created an online shop, courtesy of CafePress.com, which I will use to feature products that fit into the Libertarian theme of this blog. Visit the store today! (You can also get your own store if

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1105049477762815012005-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:002005-01-06T14:15:52.640-08:00

For being a "fairly rich" nation, the United States has very poor education for the bulk of its children. Before saying more, I'll point out that I could devote an entire blog (or more!) just to the topic of public education, but a few recent conversations with family members helped me decide that this should be the topic for an entry here. So, what were those conversations? Conversation 1: A

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1104574213800517342005-01-01T02:06:00.000-08:002005-01-01T02:10:13.800-08:00

This blog has been mighty quiet lately, even though a lot has been going on in the news that would be worthy of some Libertarian commentary. Unfortunately, much of my December was focused on moving and selling a house, none of which went at all smoothly. But without delving into off-topic personal whining, I can say that I'm now getting settled in the new place and I'm back online (somewhat),

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1102451782722450402004-12-07T11:37:00.000-08:002011-09-30T12:10:42.176-07:00

I'll explore later the connection between the "political correctness" movement and liberty, but for now I wanted to post a quick link to a button you can wear during the Christmas season to make a statement against political correctness. Be sure to check the other products in that online store, since there is more to it than just that button. It's probably not too late to order that and receive

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1101868511085851302004-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:002004-11-30T18:40:56.106-08:00

I don't expect too many (or any!) people will really care, but I did a few fix-ups in my blog. Mostly it was correcting for the fact that I was previously just writing the title of each entry into the body of the entry instead of properly using the Title field. So I migrated all the titles and did a bit of tweaking to the template to make it look a little more like how it did before, although

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1101709490231537072004-11-28T22:07:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:50:51.376-08:00

One of the key concepts of libertarianism is the notion of self-government -- in a nutshell, being left to decide how you want to run your affairs without government imposing on you, as long as you're not hurting anybody. It's an interesting point of discussion -- can people be left to their own devices? Is self-government sufficient? This evening, I practiced a little self-government. There

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1101531491745603182004-11-26T20:46:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:49:37.346-08:00

After recently joining BlogExplosion (BE) and surfing through various members' blogs, both out of curiosity and for gaining readers for this blog, I noticed two things: First, that many people mention BE in their BE-linked blogs. (I guess it's my turn for that now!) Second, more than a few people complain about how many political blogs they run across through the BE system. Gosh, I'm really

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1101321724243241912004-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:48:13.980-08:00

Apparently there was a little wisdom shown in Congress (quick, update the history books!), the copyright legislation passed by the Senate removed the ridiculous parts that would have made avoiding commercials a crime. The law does retain some copyright protections that would be worthwhile if no existing laws didn't already apply, but, to take a line from the NRA, perhaps we should focus on

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1101149422401263132004-11-22T10:29:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:46:57.873-08:00

Gee, I feel like I should make it extra clear that this blog is not about sex. It's about liberty, in a social and political sense. So when you see a couple posts in a row that deal with sex, don't blame me, blame the government. I couldn't make up events like this... As mentioned in a Wired article, there was recently a panel meeting for the Senate Commerce Committee's Science, Technology

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1100643835290533422004-11-16T14:01:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:46:15.196-08:00

Libertarians are often (and rightly) seen as being pro-business. Small business owners, in particular, should pay attention to what the Libertarian Party has to say about the influence of government on business operations. Larger corporations might not like the Libertarian message quite as much, because... well, here's an example: The entertainment industry, with huge corporations like the

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1100062014464939682004-11-09T20:37:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:45:27.930-08:00

Today I enjoyed a sigh of relief. John Ashcroft said, "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." Whew! I am relieved. But no, not by what he said -- I think that's bunk (to put it as politely as I can). No, I'm relieved about how he said it, specifically, in his letter of resignation from the Bush cabinet. Yee-haw! True patriots throughout

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997879.post-1099525992386218622004-11-03T15:50:00.000-08:002004-11-30T17:43:29.303-08:00

The title of this blog is from the Constitution of the United States of America, which begins (emphasis added): "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this

Stuartnoreply@blogger.com0