Happy Birthday President Lincoln!

by right witch | 12:22 am, February 16, 2010

In celebration of President Lincoln’s birthday, esteemed author, Dr. Thomas Krannawitter visited Colorado University to engage and delight both students and community leaders with a discussion on his most recent book, Vindicating Lincoln.
CU Regent, Tom Lucero introduced Dr. Krannawitter and discussed the importance of the Center for Western Civilization at the University of Colorado. He [...]

Progress Now: The New Reactionaries?

by T.L. James | 2:02 pm, February 7, 2010

Found another typically-overwrought missive from ProgressNow Colorado’s Bobby Clark in my email this morning, decrying comments made by former CD-6 Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo at last week’s Tea Party convention.
Last week, at the national extreme-right “Tea Party” Convention, former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo said that “people who could not even spell the word [...]

Your Neighbor’s Contract You Can’t Refuse

by AnCap | 11:24 am, December 16, 2009

Imagine you are good friends with your next door neighbor. Now also imagine that he is an ex-Marine, super-duper black belt in 12 different forms of martial arts, and he is a technology wiz who has all the latest gadgets and knows how to use them. Your neighbor uses his techie abilities and latest gadgets [...]

Inconsistency Exploited

by AnCap | 8:23 am, December 11, 2009

I feel bad for minarchists / delusional limited government lovers / constitutionalists / whatever you want to call them. Because when you don’t apply first principles fully and to their logical conclusions, you are forced to bite many bullets — bullets that an intelligent leftist can easily exploit.
Let me give you a simple example. You’ll [...]

Principles Are Still Universal: a Reply to Ari

by AnCap | 6:11 pm, October 29, 2009

First off, I’d like to thank Ari for his thoughtful response to my original post – “Principles are Universal, not Convenient.” These types of discussions help move important debates forward.
But Ari ended up going far beyond the point I was trying to make. I realize I’m not the best, most clear writer out there, [...]

Principles are Universal, not Convenient

by AnCap | 11:31 am, October 28, 2009

Last night I attended a DMYR general meeting. Brett Moore, the night’s MC, asked me to attend so that I could plug my awesome website Complete Colorado. (if you pay attention to the Drudge Report check us out, we are the state based Colorado Drudge, but only better). Needless to say, my presence at [...]

One Child, One Vote: “Strong Families” or Vote Farms?

by T.L. James | 11:12 am, October 16, 2009

Via a (barely-literate) Facebook comment this morning, I discovered 1Child1Vote (aka onechildonevote.org). The organization’s focus is, as the title suggests, “one child, one vote” – voting rights for all U.S. citizens, regardless of age.
And they do mean “regardless of age” quite literally.
The very moment a child is born on United States soil, he or she [...]

Save Our Constitution Rally

by T.L. James | 12:49 am, September 20, 2009

The Council for Wise Public Policy held a rally today on the Capitol steps in Denver:
The rally is a nonpartisan chance for Colorado Americans to gather together behind our two founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and stand up for our First Amendment and Second Amendment rights, as well as against out-of-control spending [...]

“How American Health Care Killed My Father”

by CapitalistBitch | 11:57 am, August 28, 2009

Writing for The Atlantic, Dave Goldhill uncovers the source of the flaws inherent in our current health care system.
After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for years has delivered poor service and irregular quality at astonishingly high cost. It is a [...]

“Healthcare Is a Right, Not a Privilege”: A Bit Unclear on the Concept

by T.L. James | 9:53 am, August 9, 2009

I guess Ari’s example is rubbing off on me – I saw this young woman’s sign, and I just had to interview her.

Sadly, this was typical of the level of understanding of first principles I heard all afternoon from the collectivists promoting Obamacare. There was much discussion about “social justice” [sic] and emotion-based “arguments” from [...]

Leadership Program of the Rockies Accepting Applications

by wesley | 7:06 am, August 6, 2009

Good question. What will tomorrow bring if you don’t act today? As a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR), I’m encouraging any of you activists out there, looking for new tools to use in the fight for liberty, to apply for the 2010 class.
You might be asking, “What [...]

Why are Students becoming Philosophy Majors?

by The Constitutional Reporter | 2:40 pm, July 25, 2009

Why are Students becoming Philosophy Majors? – Philosophical Ponderings
by Kirk Barbera, staff writer for The Constitutional Reporter

I was given an article from the New York Times that referred to a large growth in the number of students becoming philosophy majors. I was then asked the question why young ‘practical’ minded people are getting more interested in philosophy.

It is possible that young college students are becoming more enamored with philosophy simply because they are not satisfied with the abhorrent answers they normally get in the ‘real world.’ Some of these answers come from parents, teachers, bosses and even friends. The idea that everything is nothing may not bode well with some younger people who understand – on some level at least – that their life is something. They hear things like they are just a mass of protoplasm with no meaning. Young people are very impressionable, however, and I believe they do realize that their life is important to them: their future means something, and they wish to understand what is going on around them.

They see the giants of their world crumbling around them. They see the power of the presidency taken over by a man they helped put in to office, and do nothing but more of the same. They see pirates (yes PIRATES) hindering our trade as if we have returned to more primitive times. They understand that the majority of the country is against a war that is killing their friends, brothers, sisters, cousins; and yet their government heeds not their words. They remember hearing in history class and social studies that the government was set up as a system ‘of the people by the people and for the people,’ that there was supposed to be some semblance of morality, of reason, logic and so on. They see the rule of law being deteriorated around them, by such acts as imposing ‘empathy’ upon the judgments of judges. They see the erosion of property rights and wonder what is the ‘principle’ that backs property rights. They see the businessmen around them being punished, and wonder why. They don’t understand why capitalism could have failed; they question, and hope philosophy will lead them towards the road of discovery. They wish to seek the best within themselves; they do not wish to allow the people of the world to condemn them for attempting greatness.

They possibly question things like socialized medicine. Why, they may ask, is it my duty to help others?

Some young men and women wish to bring back what they remember reading in their history books. ‘Where are the great men who built this country?’ They ask.
There are some who wish to have something to look forward to. They do not wish to be infringed upon, they have a sinking guilt in the bottom of their stomachs at seeing Neanderthals gyrating their bodies to the beat of a primitive drum claiming that ‘we must leave nature alone!’ spitting their fury at anyone who attempts the evil of living their life to the best of their ability.

And then there are those who wish to use philosophy to destroy the men and women I just described. They wish to use their greatest weapon against them, reason. They will twist reason to suit whatever needs they wish. And these young impressionable people can seek one defense; philosophy. If they do not understand the basics that philosophy teaches, such as, where we are, how we know it and what we should do once we know it, they will inevitably succumb to the gross ideology that is overtaking their world.

It is unfortunate that most of the people who are joining philosophy en masse are individuals who wish to destroy the best within others. They do not wish to be held to the responsibility of their own greatness, and seek to destroy what others wish to achieve. They use filthy language to impose guilt upon the aforementioned young people of the mind by saying ‘they are greedy, they are selfish, and they have no empathy.’

These young people who wish to understand why they see people condemning the great men and women of industrial power and still they don’t go to their defense because they feel guilty; they are the ones who need to be taught; not Plato, or Nietzsche, or Kant but Aristotle. They are the ones who should understand that values are something achievable, that we live in a world of concretes and they can either abide and prosper, or evade and perish.

It is also unfortunate that these young people may never have the courage to question; they may not have the ability to admire, nor to take pride in their own actions. They can, if they discover the proper philosophy. They must learn not that reason can be some ’sublime’ fantasy, but it is their reality. They all have the ability to change; as long as we are human we have volition.

It is volition which eventually led mankind to throw off the shackles of, God, King, and now we must throw off the shackles of ’society.’

I can only hope that it will be the people of the mind who will give sanction to the best within themselves. We already seem to be going down a road quite opposite to this idea, and it is each of us who are paying the price.

to read more from Kirk Barbera, please visit his blog at: www.cedrac-standup.blogspot.com

Will You Fight?

by CapitalistBitch | 1:37 pm, July 21, 2009

There’s a lot of folks out there right now who are awfully unhappy with the state of things. The entire Tea Party phenomenon, if taken in its historical context, indicates a populace issuing a warning against their government. A populace on the brink of revolution. Props to Jason Talley for tweeting this.
Violent revolution.
Now, I used [...]

The Republicans who cried “principle”?

by Seng Center | 6:30 pm, June 4, 2009

Normal
0
<wunctuationKerning/>

false
false
false

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

A handful of Republican
governors—including Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Mark Sanford of South
Carolina—have been doing what they can to take a courageous stand against the
stimulus package passed in February.
Time has gone by, but as the funding is now being dispersed and more
legislation is being considered, that we bear in mind the valiant efforts of
these leaders given the stakes.

Pressed with the threat of
amending welfare laws in their states for years to come and violating the principles
of good governance that made this nation great, these governors are refusing to
accept funding for new unemployment benefits, much to the chagrin of their
Democratic counterparts.

“This to me is not
about philosophical theory, [but] about real people who through no fault of
their own, are laid off because of a recession,” argued Michigan Governor
Jennifer Granhold in February.

Apparently Republican
stances, based largely on core beliefs but transcending into the realm of good
governance, are inappropriate in a time of “crisis.”

But this isn’t just about
philosophical theory, though that is certainly a component. It is also about the people—“real people.”
Consider: Three years from now, when federal funding dries up and the
states are stuck with these laws, how are higher taxes to make up the
difference going to help the people?
When Dick and Jane decide to stay on welfare for five years instead of
two, how is that helping to get them moving and making better lives for
themselves, their family and their community?

The answer is, it’s
not. Principles may be driving these
stands, but underlying that is justified concern for the future. These governors are doing what leaders should
be doing: looking toward the impact of their present decisions on the future,
not just the effect of those decisions on the now.

Of course, while America’s
greatest national interest has been at stake—its security—the Democrats had no
problem crying “principle,” putting “philosophical theory” over effective
interrogation procedures. But when their
own political interests in appearing to be strong, firm leaders are being
threatened, and their own agendas to expand government in unprecedented ways are
on the line, they have no problem throwing principle out the window.

Terrorism is a different
issue; most of the actions that were taken on the part of U.S. interrogators
were not, in actuality, torture. And contrary
to popular misconception, waterboarding has only been used three times—and in
each of those three times it worked, and innumerable lives were saved. Early on some cases were questionable, such
as Abu Graihb and early Guantanamo Bay practices, but by and large principle did guide the nation’s interrogation
policy.

On warrantless
wiretapping, the government was not wiretapping every phone in America without
a warrant, converse to ACLU misinformation.
Rather, if Abdul’s conversations are being monitored in Pakistan and he
calls Ahmed in the United States, is the government supposed to put down the
phone and say, “Oops, American citizen?”
Of course not, and that’s what the policy ensured. Yet the Democrats made a big fuss about how
this violated the “rights of the citizen.” They cried “principle,” yet none were actually
violated.

But now the tide has
turned and the Democrats are the one whose policies are being challenged. Their reckless willingness to throw up their
hands and truly abandon our ideals is troublesome at best. If we can just casually say, whenever a new
crisis arises, that principle is irrelevant, what will we have left? Can we pick and choose when to let core beliefs
be our guide and when to ignore them?

Far too many leaders have
given the same argument—we’re in a crisis, so let’s set aside our core beliefs. Such is the true test of leadership. Will our leaders stand by those convictions
in troubled times, or will they set them aside because of the perceived ease in
doing so?

If we refuse to allow our
conscience of principle to be our guide in crisis, instead only permitting its
surface in pleasant times, our ideals are rendered meaningless.

“The spirit of resistance
to government,” Jefferson once said, “is so valuable on certain occasions that
I wish it to be always kept alive.”

One can only hope that
more governors, and other politicians at every level, will have the courage to
stand up and resist the temptation to cede more power and authority to
government. The future of this country
may depend on it.

Comments are more than welcome! E-mail Jimmy at Jimmy@SengCenter.com or post on the site! As always, please be respectful in your remarks.

Bitter Medicine

by Eileen | 1:08 pm, May 30, 2009

We’ve just gotten back the ArapaHOPE event – a rally for socialized medicine. Our very own Steve T. headed down to the West Steps to record the day in image and interview – which made him the only one who understood why he was there.
The sparse crowd was a aging, poorly dressed echo of James [...]

On Citizens and Subjects

by TJ Wihera | 2:33 pm, May 29, 2009

A Thursday story in the Washington Post notes that Virgina is banning people from smiling in their driver’s license photo.

Unfortunately, the story makes a serious error when it notes that “The [DMV] would like to develop a facial recognition system that could compare customers‘ photographs over time to prevent fraud and identity theft.” [Emphasis added.] [...]

Hugh Hewitt to Speak at Leadership Program of the Rockies Graduation

by wesley | 12:07 pm, May 28, 2009

If you’re interested in Liberty, Freedom, and Prosperity, then you’re not alone. The Leadership Program of the Rockies teaches these principles to a dedicated group of emerging leaders each year.
The 2009 Class is approaching their graduation, so Hugh Hewitt is coming to Colorado to salute them and discuss our Nation’s timeless principles that [...]

Penn Jillette is a Libertarian Nut

by wesley | 5:13 pm, May 20, 2009

That crazy magician Jillette penned a neat little piece on Glenn Beck’s site that discusses morality and the Government’s use of force. It’s good stuff. It makes sense. Check out Penn’s reasoning for Why I’m a Libertarian Nut Instead of Just a Nut:

I don’t speak for all Libertarians any more than Sean Penn speaks for all [...]

A Column, Written on a Sunday, Whilst Barefoot.

by Eileen | 11:35 am, May 3, 2009

One of the perks of being the Washington Bureau Chief is that I have an army of research minions who send me carefully selected links. It’s like they do all they work while I wear outrageous hats and drink with random Beltway dwellers and then I just add commentary. Actually, it’s exactly like that. And [...]

It’s the Ominous Parallels: Why Citizens are Rediscovering “Atlas Shrugged” In the Age of Obama

by T.L. James | 12:41 pm, April 18, 2009

Bruce Webster at And Still I Persist has an instructive post on why Atlas Shrugged is finding new audiences and enthusiastic new fans in our bold new era of Hope and Change™. The post consists of a summary of the major themes and overall plot of the book, augmented with references and links to recent economic [...]

Consumer Reports Review

by spark4freedom | 6:42 am, March 20, 2009

Alas, just when my left-meter was pegged earlier this week from all the “good” news, I received an email from Jim Guest, the publisher of Consumer Reports. He seemed to think that I should help him achieve socialized medicine so there would be a Popsicle in every child’s hand and a unicorn in every American’s [...]

Attack of the First Amendment

by Eileen | 1:53 am, March 17, 2009

One thing I love about being a student is the endless lectures and events readily available to me. This doesn’t mean I go to all of them – but to each their own. I truly do treasure being in the midst of a world where knowledge is loved for its own sake. This [...]

On Fascism . . .the other “F” word.

by CapitalistBitch | 6:28 pm, March 2, 2009

You’ve more than likely seen “fascist” thrown around a LOT–and I’ll bet you dollars to donuts when you’ve seen it the meaning has been a tad inconsistent.
After performing many a google search for contextual references to “fascist” and “fascism”, I found George Orwell made offering up the word’s internet flame-fest definition easy:
The word Fascism has [...]

Gadsden Society Rallies for Liberty in Denver

by T.L. James | 11:14 pm, March 1, 2009

What? Another rally in support of liberty, small government, and capitalism?
Why yes – it seems to be a trend…

How the Republicans Blew It, Part the Second

by CapitalistBitch | 1:15 pm, February 24, 2009

With a hat-tip to Mike over at Cold Fury:
Blue Carp commented on P.J. O’Rourke’s piece on how the republicans blew it a while back.
Over at The Other McCain RSM gives us more words of wisdom in response to Rick Moran’s flawed effort to avoid any arguments “taking advantage of tax-payer rage.”
You should read it. [...]

Now Who Will Stand. . . and Keep the Bridge With Me?

by CapitalistBitch | 3:20 pm, February 20, 2009

Let’s face it. We’ve got The Progressives out-classed. They repeat the same bold faced lies over and over and over and we ignore them because we don’t want to dignify the statement with a response. We have a distaste for mud-slinging.
Therein lies the problem. VodkaPundit was absolutely right:
“Indulge me for a moment, please, because as [...]

Yet More Lefty Hypocrisy

by randomridge | 8:28 am, February 18, 2009

I personally don’t condone the use of the swastika in such frivolous contexts as protest signs – it trivializes the symbol of a truly monstrous evil. I’ve condemned this before, most recently in my photoessays of the pro-Hamas counterprotests last month.
But that said, it’s hard not to laugh at the outrage from the nutroots over [...]

In Which the Washington Bureau Chief Rejoices in Her Childlessness

by Eileen | 5:05 am, February 15, 2009

Over at the tremendously amusing Daily Beast, there’s an article detailing the woes of status symbols parents (by which I mean the rug rats serve as validation and tools for scoring points) as they await acceptance letters…for preschool.
Along with the mother who still ruminates on the train wreck that will her child’s life because the [...]

If You Can’t Stand to Hear Your God Criticized, Go Stick Your Head in the Ground

by Eileen | 12:42 am, February 15, 2009

President Obama, so I hear, deserves a chance. We should give him time. Odd, because his chorus of supporters were often the same people decrying President Bush’s pleas for ‘time’ to realize the benefits of his policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and anti-terrorism efforts. Come to think of it, they were also the people apt to [...]

DMYR in the News

by T.L. James | 11:29 am, February 8, 2009

If you had been at the DMYR happy hour on Friday like members Melinda and Michael, you might just have made it into the news:
Republicans said Obama has done an excellent job so far of using the Web to garner support and now they are trying to do the same.
“Obama definitely did that extremely successfully and [...]

keep looking »