Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Libertarian Gubernatorial Debate, Southern Methodist University, February 16th 2010

I have about 5,000 good things to say about the Libertarian Gubernatorial Debate that was held at SMU last night. 
Any of the four Libertarian candidates for Texas governor, Jeff Daiell, Ed Tidwell, Steve Nicholls, or Katherine Youngblood Glass, would be a superior alternative to the gang leaders being offered by The Crips and The Bloods.  I'll try to post some opinions about each candidate later tonight. 

Here's what impressed me most, though.  Check out the SMU Libertarian website.  The Southern Methodist University Libertarians have divided up their organization into a variety of interest groups: NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws), GLBTA (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-, Transexual, and I have know idea what the "A" stands for, and I'm not going to speculate here), Tea Baggers (note the SMU mustang's tail on the logo), and Gun Rights.  They listed some other new goups in their intro to the debate, things like Austrian Economics.  This way they have a subdivision for kids who might be passionate about fighting Victim Disarmament Laws, but who might be lukewarm about economic issues.  Good idea. 

I sat behind some of their officers, and couldn't help overhear one particular conversation.  They were sitting in a pack, of course, and one of the leaders stood up and said "Hey, guys, look around this auditorium at all these people.  These are our potential group members.  Leaders don't sit and chat with each other at an event like this.  Let's get out there and mingle."  They got out there and mingled. 

Well said, sir.  We can be a traveling evangelist, or church preachers.  We need evangelists.     

8 or 9 kids were there from Allen, Texas.  They have a Libertarian Facebook group, and were at the debate simply because they're into it.  After the debate I walked with them back toward the parking garage and was pleasantly surprised at how well they caught the distinctive hot button characteristics of each candidate. 
BTW, more than one kid said told me that his/her parents were a bit cynical about their involvement with the Libertarians. 
Hang in there guys.  The Republicrats and Demoblicans are running up a huge bar tab on your credit cards, and I apologize for my generation and the one that came before me.  If you're really lucky, somebody will attack Pearl Harbor again and we can bomb some of our competitors back into the Stone Age and take all their property.  (Kinda joking, but I see no other way out.) 
Guess who the Allen High School Libertarians thought won the debate? 
Jeff Daiell. 
Jeff Daiell has read, researched, campaigned, and fought for the Libertarian Party for ages.  Jeff isn't in the best health and therefore is kind of frail looking, and he's got hair made for radio.   
And one of the Allen High School Libertarians said "Jeff Daiell rocked." 

Our children (my own little Aggie among them) are figuring this stuff out.  They know they're the ones who will have diminished lives if present trends continue. 
I was impressed with all four of our candidates for governor. 
I was blown away by the audience. 

Here's The Who, from 1965.  The Kids Are Alright. 



I feel better about my country than I did yesterday. Thank you, Texas gubernatorial candidates for putting yourselves out there for us.  Thank you SMU Libertarians and Dallas County Libertarians for hosting, Thank you Paul Peterson for moderating, and thanks to the Allen High School Libertarians for improving my outlook.

7 comments:

TarrantLibertyGuy said...

Agreed. These kids are alright!

Anonymous said...

Please. . . .
NOT tea baggers.
That's a derisive insulting peversion sexual term used by liberals (et al) against conservatives when they can't see any other way to win their point in an arguement.
Use TEA Partiers instead.
Thank you.

Orther then that, well written, and gives hope for the future (that is, if the future doesn't arrive too early).

B Woodman
III-per

ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ said...

Allen,
I note that you have adopted the "progressive" term for the grass roots movement fed up with the business as usual collectivist bullshit of our current rulers. Those folks share most of our libertarian (small l) individualist values and I for one believe it is counter productive to insult the greater majority of them with a sodomite epithet.

The Whited Sepulchre said...

Hey guys, chill out. I used the same verbiage that the SMU group used, after briefly considering, and declining, to sanitize it.

The word kind of reminds me of the origin of the word "redneck". A Mississippi politician, according to state lore, was the first to use the term. He called his opponents' supporters rednecks. There was a brief period of outrage, followed by a trend of the other candidate's followers showing up at events wearing red neckties.

I thing that's what's going to happen with the Tea Party label. (And I'm still going to give anyone from the other side hell if they say "teabaggers".)

Jeff Daiell said...

I am glad to see that I can still "rock"! I hope your readers will visit www.JeffDaiell.com to find out more about my campaign.

For Texas and Liberty,

Jeff Daiell

Jeff Daiell said...

One more comment - my health is actually excellent. I look "frail" compared to my heavier days; I've slowly and carefully lost some 120 pounds over the last few years.

Jeff Daiell
www.JeffDaiell.com

That Damn Libertarian said...

You've got a lot of teabag to besmirch Mr. Daiell's hair, WS. I was at the debate and if any candidate had hair difficulties, it was my friend Ed Tidwell.

JD has been a guest in my home and several times we've dined at the same table. I think he would admit to being historically offset from the typical inexperienced youth claiming membership at LPTarrantCounty, but his wisdom, tolerance, and vital knowledge more than offset any illusory perceptions.

Texas isn't hiring someone to load the truck or even drive it. We're hiring a navigator with a plan and as the YouTube videos of the debate plainly show, Jeff Daiell has that plan.