The Liberty Legation

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

True Independence

Charlie Earl

A constant theme of my writing is the desirability of personal freedom versus government- or collective-mandated subjugation. I’ve often stated that I firmly believe the thirst for personal liberty was implanted into our DNA by Almighty God. He knows, as should we that simple obedience is not enough – fear or the threat of force can secure obedience. Our God wants us to willingly and purposely obey. Our compliance to His will has more value and more legitimacy when we do it voluntarily. Hence individual liberty is a vital component of Biblical theology and Christian-centered political theory. Personal liberty is the cornerstone of each and an absolute starting point for the development of systematic analyses.

Contrary to an ever-growing belief system freedom from fear or want are not critical components of a systematic philosophy of liberty. The use of state power or force to wrest assets from one individual in order to satisfy the “wants” of another is the antithesis of liberty. It is coercion. True liberty can only be exhibited by forgoing the use of force to achieve one’s goals. The pre-emptive use of force necessarily denies the object the opportunity for expressing her/his/their liberty. When one nation conquers another, the sudden loss of liberty for fallen country is obvious and dramatic. When our liberty is taken or surrendered incrementally, we may fail to express our alarm. The ancient Chinese torturer, Ling chi, favored the method called “death by a thousand cuts.” Each sword prick would not lead to immediate death, but the cumulative effect would lead to a mortal end. So it is with our submitting to the governments’ increasing and unending rules, regulations, laws and assaults on our freedom to choose for our own best interests. Every tiny erosion of our liberty ultimately leads to our enslavement. It doesn’t matter whether or not our freedom is taken from us or if we voluntarily surrender it, the end result is a violation of God’s cosmic principles. Freedom to choose liberty is just as difficult to embrace as is freedom to follow the will of God. Both designs are uplifting, but our carnal, venal natures lead us to take the lower road.

Courage and commitment are required if we seek to staunch our loss of freedom. Cowardice and confusion are the telltale signs of those who are willing to surrender. Courage: the quality of being brave; valor. Courage involves the willingness to withstand public opinion when the common desire is for compromise or appeasement. The courageous ones in the Wilderness did not create the Golden Calf. Undoubtedly there were many Israelites who were uneasy with the clamoring for an idol while Moses was on the Mount, but they flinched and succumbed and the Hebrew Nation defied the will of God. They forfeited their freedom for the fast, the easy, and the short-cut. Consequently they spent many more years circuitously wandering the Sinai lusting for the Promised Land. Nearly 3500 years ago an entire people suffered the consequences of their disobedience and cowardice, and here we are today observing the same type of behavior….plus similar attitudes. Compromising for the idol at hand rather than laboring for the liberty that attends the Truth is a recipe for being trapped in the wilderness and forfeiting the promise of freedom.

Liberty must be cherished, nurtured and advanced at every opportunity, or it will shrivel from neglect. When one forgoes liberty for a short time to take the expedient route, one soon discovers the chosen path does not intersect with freedom’s road. One must climb, scramble and dig cross country toward the original direction and pathway. The effort is infinitely more difficult and less achievable than if one had never strayed. My father used to caution me to “do it right the first time.” The same wisdom holds true for freedom.

Charlie Earl

Monday, October 15, 2012

Economic Independence

Charlie Earl

There seems to be a tipping point when economic conditions become difficult that determines whether the people are restless and disgruntled or whether they become passive and resigned to their fates. When that critical position is reached, many people cease their struggling and concentrate on coping with the burden. In a sense I suspect that we may be nearing that point. Although I detect a lot of anger and dismay among many of the voters I know, I do not perceive a burning passion surrounding many of them. It’s almost as if they are preparing themselves for disappointment.

The two major-party candidates are polar opposites in their approaches to the private sector/public sector rhetoric. Governor Romney pledges to unshackle the regulatory bindings that are restraining economic growth, and President Obama promises to pursue the socialist pipe dream of fairness. I believe, in this regard, that both of them are sincere, thus suggesting stark differences in their methods for governing. It seems, therefore, that if Romney were to emerge victorious, his policies would result in a burst of economic activity that could quell the ambivalence and malaise that appears to surround many of our productive sectors. That is a good thing. Economic freedom and opportunity are vital components for liberty. On the other hand…

Just like the prisoner that escapes from confinement there may be an immediate sense of freedom until the sheriff’s posse hunts him down and drags his sorry butt back to reality. President Obama has radically expanded federal and administration power through Executive Orders and the extra-constitutional appointment of multiple “czars.” Historically, the federal government’s reach and power continues to grow under both of the old parties. The Democrats ratchet it radically larger and the Republicans tweak and expand the government monster. Each party has a different approach for expanding their power, but the bottom lines are eerily similar. The GOP pays homage to private-sector business and economic activity while advancing the elements of crony capitalism and restrictive personal liberties. The Democrats kneel at the altar of the “disadvantaged” while advancing the elements of crony capitalism and restrictive personal liberties.

Neither of the parties honors, follows or obeys the Constitution of the United States of America. Indeed….their respective approaches to unconstitutional governance have insured that as time goes on, inherent class and economic differences among us will be expanded and lead to more divisiveness in our nation. I fear that our battles on the economic front will distract us from the real battle: growing government’s continued usurpation of individual liberty. Both parties embrace the growth of government and the use of government power to force compliance with their world views. The capacity for government’s abuse of power grows daily, and neither party is inclined to reverse the trend.

While I personally yearn for an economic turnaround, I fear that robust economic activity will mask the continual growth of government power because our eyes will be diverted toward opportunity and away from government abuse. We may be so relieved to have an open business and employment environment that we will not see the growing shadow of an increasingly oppressive government. The promise of prosperity may become a fatal distraction.

Charlie Earl

Friday, October 12, 2012

Independents Should Vote for Gary Johnson

Charlie Earl

You think of yourselves as iconoclastic free-thinkers….unmoved by conventional political arguments. Their bombast and baloney repels you as you sit above it all weighing each decision carefully. Your self- image does not match the view that the two old parties (the duopoly) has of you. They often characterize you as representing one of four basic types. According to the duopolists’ meme, many of you simply are “indecisive.” You are not the ones to call in an emergency. Another portion of you could be described as “loners.” You do not fit in with any creed, any principle or any group. A third category of independent is the “contrarian (my favorite).” You seemingly enjoy swimming against the tide of public opinion. Finally, many independents are viewed as “uninformed” by the duopoly power structure. Rephrased….they think you’re stupid and clueless (otherwise known as the swing voter).

Personally…I think you are wise in a sneaky sort of way. Independents are not deluded by tons of unwanted mail that urges the “base” to vote… early and often. I know that I haven’t been a registered Republican for more than 7 years yet I get daily mailings from the Romney campaign and semi-weekly ones from the Mandel machine. So… you have already realized an enormous benefit from your fence-straddling position. It is, however, less than a month until the final voting day for the 2012 election, and I urge you to seriously consider Gary Johnson, Libertarian, for a number of reasons.

Numero uno (bi-lingual communication): Gary Johnson is the ideal standard bearer for the indecisive person. Many who have difficulty making choices do so because they fear making the wrong decision. A free-wheeling libertarian involvement will not force you into bad commitments like most statist governing does. Shoot…under Libertarian leadership you don’t have to choose at all…ever. Government won’t bother you.

Second: A Libertarian administration would be nirvana for recluses and loners. No Nanny State or Big Brother will hover around annoying the crap out of you. You will not be shamed because you do not support some meglomaniac’s schemes and dreams. You can enjoy your own ideals in solitude.

The third group, the contrarians, should vote for Johnson just because he isn’t one of those other guys. He’s not a guilty member of the ruling duopoly. He’s not “the next in line” to represent a political dynasty. He is not a member of the Harvard-Yale-Georgetown incestuous cabal that pulls the levers of government. He is anti-candidate for people whose voices have been muted. They say he can’t win, and that makes him perfect contrarian candidate.

Because Governor Johnson’s name will be on 48 statewide ballots (Michigan and Oklahoma are still in play), he is a superb choice for the uninformed independent voter. Well…for at least one-third of them as they go through the “eenie, meenie, minee, mo” process of selecting the grand poobah of the free world. The fact that he appears on a minimum of 96% of the ballots in the nation suggests that he has nearly as good a chance of capturing a significant portion of the clueless vote as do the other two major-party/ruling-elite candidates. So…clearly the out-of-touch individual now has more real choices and can assert her/her preference….whatever the reason.

The ultimate independent voter is really a closet Libertarian….but is too uninformed to realize it. Where else could an indecisive, contrarian loner be happier? Gary Johnson is the obvious choice for those who are not constrained by the shackles of partisanship and mass media hype. He’s also a damned good choice for those who prefer thinking about the good of the nation rather than merely postponing or hastening our inevitable collapse.

Charlie Earl

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Democrats Should Vote for Gary Johnson

Charlie Earl

On Monday I poked a stick into the hive of Republican complacency and received a buzzing frenzy of feedback. Because I am an equal-opportunity offender, I now direct my pleas to the one or two sensible democrats who are aghast at what their party and their president have done to our country. I’ve met many of you during the past few years, and a number of you are dedicated union members who are disgusted with your unions’ promotions of the global socialist agenda. You work hard, you hunt, you fish, you attend little league games and you love your communities, your state and your country. You grieve (though more silently) with the rest us about what our nation has become. You recognize that the United States of America has morphed into a shooting star of liberty and opportunity….once glittering and bright….but falling fast.

Those of you whose ties to the Democratic Party run deep and back for generations must be feeling the anguish and the pain of a nation gone sour directed by a party gone rogue. Your party no longer represents the essence of American values. It has become a caricature of its former self….spreading platitudes, socialist propaganda and undermining the social fabric, liberty and self-reliance of America. It has become a negative force on the political landscape. In place of rugged individualism and personal freedom, your party has chosen to advance collective “goods” and societal destruction. People and agendas matter….YOU as a person, an individual, do not. Your party has become so obsessed with the “greater good,” that everyone suffers. Your party appears to have embraced “the lowest common denominator” as its standard for achievement.

If you are earning your own way and doing whatever it takes to protect your family, you cannot be pleased with your party’s insistence that you do more so that freeloaders can get a pass. Charity is good, and so is equity of opportunity and choices, but enslaving some to carry the load for others is neither charitable nor equitable. You may have noticed that your leaders who lead the charge….whether union officials or party bigwigs…. live in luxury while demanding that the rest of us “sacrifice” more so that they can buy votes with your hard-earned wages.

Perhaps you are becoming increasingly uneasy with your party’s insistence that the routine murder of innocent babies be treated cavalierly. You may be a pro-life Democrat, but you would feel much better if the tragedy of abortion were treated more seriously and less joyfully. As a long-time democrat, you are probably somewhat uneasy with your party and its leaders’ cozy relationships with so many huge corporate interests. Perhaps you are becoming weary of the “do as I say, not as I do” positions of so many who hold influence within the party structure.

Ms./Mr. Democrat, your discontent and easiness has become palpable, but you believe in citizenship and civic responsibility. A lifetime of observing Republican hypocrisy makes it almost impossible for you to “jump the fence,” but staying within a party that no longer values you is difficult. Consider voting for a principled philosophy that cherishes individual liberty above partisan gains. Vote for Gary Johnson…the Libertarian candidate for President. In fact…if the hysterical ones are to be believed, every vote cast by a Democrat for Johnson….steals one from Romney. You can enjoy a double whammy by voting for liberty and screwing the Republicans. What a deal!!!

Bottom line: A vote for personal liberty and opportunity is always a good thing. Think about it.

Charlie Earl