The Gerrymanders where the west begins

Fort Worth, Texas is known as the place "where the west begins".   This post is about the Fort Worth Gerrymanders - the name I'm going to give a pro sports team if I'm ever rich enough to buy one. 

Gerrymandering is the dark art of fashioning voter districts to give one party or candidate an edge over another.  The term goes back to 1812, when Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry shaped some districts into the shape of something looking like a salamander.  A rival looked at the new map, agreed, and then quipped (for the ages) "It looks more like a Gerrymander". 

Here's a contemporary cartoon. 

In the USA, we have a census every 10 years.  Political districts are then re-drawn by whichever party is in power.  This is why American politicians make such a big deal of controlling Congress in the cycle after a census. 

Congress (and state legislatures) draw maps for new districts.  The party out of power always takes the issue to court, and is usually able to prove that a minority group doesn't have a proper set-aside district. 

(I once read on some typically nasty British website that the USA has two racial groups - "Black" and "Not Black".  I hate that idea, but I cannot argue with it.  To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever fought a court battle to give Asians, Scandinavians, French, Germans, etc., proper representation in government.) 

The courts then mess with it, and we wind up with districts that make Ellbridge's Gerrymander look as simple as Colorado. 

I'm Chairman of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party.  Please enjoy these maps of the Tarrant districts where I'm trying to recruit candidates for the 2014 elections.  In some races, the candidate must live in the district at the time of the election (or for some time earlier).  In others, he must commit to moving there if he wins.  All in all, candidates face a tough battle if they haven't lived in the (ahem) district for quite some time. 

Texas has its own House Of Representatives and its own Senate.  Here are the TX House districts that fall within Tarrant county.  All of these districts sensibly end at the county lines.  All of the money is in 97 and 96.  The military-industrial complex is in 99.  I think 93 is some kind of Hispanic carve-out.  To the best of my knowledge, 98 has a lot of cows.  92 is suburban sprawl.  90 is black.  95 is dark black. 
Please note 90 and 95.  What possible combination of tribalism, racism and paternalism could possibly motivate a court to draw districts like those?   

Here are the Tarrant county Texas Senate districts.  (There are 150 members of the House, but only 31 in the Senate.  Therefore, most of the Senate districts cross county lines.)

Enjoy the cartographic majesty of District 9.  It looks like there's one place in the northeast where the district is less than a block wide.  Bear in mind, this is the same county as shown above!

Here's the map for the U.S. Congressional Districts, the guys who get to go to D.C. and bring home the really big bucks.  On this map, I've shown some of the surrounding counties (Wise, Denton, Dallas, Parker and Johnson) since Congressional districts are much, much larger. 
Whoever drew District 33 sees the world through racist glasses.  He or she might love racial minorities, but no color-blind judge would've ever drawn that godawful mess on a map. 

My little tribe of liberty-lovers is doing well with candidate recruiting. 
Just wanted to post these maps so people in other countries could see the bizarre mess we're up against. 
What's sad about this process is that Black Americans often get their own "safe"district/ghetto, so there is one area, however strangely defined, where someone cares about them and their votes. 
But if these race-based districts were carved up and blended in with the rest?  There would be dozens of areas where politicians had to care about them and their votes. 
Good job, racists. 
 

Matthew Solodow for Congress !! Texas 12th Congressional District

My friend Matthew Solodow is running as a Libertarian for Congress in U.S. District 12.  His opponents are Democrat Dave Robinson and Republican Kay Granger. 

It looks like Kay Granger, (if you go here), loves herself some Patriot Act.  She has also supported more than 50 million dollars in earmarks for the Trinity River Vision project, a porkfest headed by her son, J.D. Granger.  Here's the Washington Post article on "Public Projects, Private Interests".....

 Over the past decade, Granger has helped obtain $51.9 million in earmarks toward a project to make over downtown Fort Worth and reroute the Trinity River. Until 2010, Granger co-owned a condominium building with her son about a half-mile south of the project. Her son is director of the group in charge of the project.

Hit the link for more info on "Lake Granger".  Fascinating stuff in there about Personalized Pork. 

Granger also supports the Federal Marriage Amendment, a bizarre piece of legislation that claims to protect marriage by restricting gay and lesbian participation, but doesn't go so far as outlawing divorce. 

Matt's Democrat opponent, Dave Robinson, has a reputation as a decent guy.  But he supports the Buffett rule, which Republicans claim would support our deficit spending for 11 hours but that Democrats claim would say would support our deficit spending for up to 18 hours. 
He also supports ObamaCare, opposes the privatization of Social Security, dislikes teacher testing, and claims that there's Republican obstruction in Congress.  (I don't know if Dave is aware of how many Democrat senators voted for Obama's last two budgets....) 

Now, back to business. 

Here are Matt's positions on the big issues:

No more bailouts

Republicans and Democrats keep interfering in our economy, making taxpayers pay when big businesses make bad decisions. That just encourages them to act irresponsibly. The government should stop picking winners and losers. No more bailouts.

End foreign wars

Republicans used to say they opposed nation-building, yet they have led nation-building efforts in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats promised to end the wars abroad, but they have only prolonged them. We need to end our policies of foreign interventionism now, stop the drone attacks, and bring our troops home. 

End the war on drugs

The war on drugs has been expensive and destructive. The government has thrown people in prison who never hurt anyone, and has also created huge violent black markets. Drug abuse can be a serious health issue, but it should not be a crime. It's time to end the war on drugs.

Shut down federal departments

We need to shut down federal departments such as Education, Commerce and Homeland Security.  Republicans have often promised to reduce these departments, but have not followed through on these promises.  Over the last twelve years, Republicans have frequently voted for massive increases in these departments. Let's shut them down instead. 

No more farm subsidies

Politicians from agricultural states use farm subsidies to buy votes. Farmers don't need subsidies, and most of the benefits go to huge agribusinesses. Let's reduce the burden on taxpayers by ending farm subsidies.

End the TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wastes our money groping us at airports. The TSA is just wasteful security theater that violates our rights. Let's end it.

Get government out of job creation

Government jobs programs destroy more jobs than they create. By redirecting money away from the productive and efficient private sector, they harm our economy and cause a net loss of jobs. Let's end these programs.

Cut entitlements

We've promised people far too much. They are not going to get what they've been led to expect. Let's be honest and stop making false promises. We need to cut entitlement spending now.

Stop mortgaging our future

Government debt has placed an unfair burden on our children and grandchildren. Republicans and Democrats often complain about the debt, but they're the ones who keep causing it. We need to cut federal spending by more than 40% right away, to stop increasing this burden.

Cut taxes ("Fair" Tax instead)

If you've read this far, you've seen many ways to cut federal spending. Once all those items expressed above are cut, we'll be able to make huge cuts in federal taxes. A "fair" tax will simplify our tax code, thus eliminating the current loopholes benefiting the politically-connected and empower people to choose how they will be taxed based on their purchases, not their income.  We might even be able to get rid of the IRS.

Here's a map of Texas U.S. District 12.  If you live in Western Tarrant, Parker, or Wise County, and like what you've read here, I hope you'll consider voting for Matthew Solodow !!

The Tarrant County Libertarian Party has a new chair.

Big Daddy John Spivey has been the Tarrant County Libertarian Party chair for 6 years. 
He has done one heck of a job. 
Now he's stepping down.  He'll still be on the county executive committee, and the state executive committee, but he hopes to spend more time on some of his other passions. 

Thank you, John, for 6 years of great work !

After John's resignation today, the County Executive Committee got down to the business of Spivey's replacement.  They decided on....me. 

This is going to be a fun, fun year.
 
I can't remember a better year of opportunity for the Libertarian Party.  Obama has given us a 3-year primer on the non-effectiveness of Statism, the Republicans seem determined to nominate Mewt, and there are going to be a lot of voters looking for an alternative to whatever those two groups put out there.  We've got some great candidates on our ballot for statewide and local positions this year, but could always use more.   (see my previous post.  And hurry !!)   

I'll probably be writing a lot more about local issues, and posting fewer pictures of Obama picking his nose.  It's time to get serious about this thing. 

We're going to need a lot of help.  If you'd like to get involved, you can go here to join the Tarrant County Libertarians on Facebook.  Here's our Tarrant Libertarian Meetup page.   And here's the official Tarrant County Libertarian Party website. 

So what's the Libertarian Party about?  Here's something from our state website:

It's very simple: Let people live their own lives as they want and get the government out of our business. The Libertarian Party of Texas bases its philosophy on these core principles:


CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. You, as stated by our nation's Founding Fathers, have the inalienable right to live, be free and prosper to your fullest potential without hindrance from any person or entity. You have the freedom to pursue your happiness as long as you respect others' rights to pursue theirs.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for your personal choices, able to take care of yourself and capable to do for others as you expect them to do unto you. Conversely, others are free to live their lives as they see fit and are responsible for their choices. We believe in tolerance toward others and respect for self-sovereignty.

LIMITED GOVERNMENT. Your government's principal function is to protect your freedom, your unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and Property, all crucial rights for building a free and prosperous society. Government should be of the necessary size and scope, as outlined in the United States Constitution, to efficiently support its constitutional duties and effectively maintain the rule of law. The Libertarian vision of government is of a government strictly confined to its constitutional role, a government that respects civil liberties, recognizes that the individual is more important than the State, exercises fiscal restraint and understands that each generation must pay its own debts, believes in free markets and practices a non-interventionist foreign policy of "peace toward all, entangling alliances with none."

The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest-growing political party in Texas and in the United States. It is also the only political party to advocate truly limited government, especially as established in the U.S. Constitution by our Founders.

That's what we're about, and I hope you can help out. 
Hope everyone has a good weekend.  I've got to go buy a new Spivey suit. 

TRIP. Tonight. Rahr Brewery. 6:30.

I'm playing guitar and singing with Mike Coyne and Big Daddy John Spivey at the Rahr Brewery in Fort Worth tonight at 6:30. 
It's a fund-raiser for TRIP, the Trinity River Improvement Partnership.  You also get to see a documentary called Up A Creek, detailing the history of the Trinity River and the dangers of the current Trinity River development plan.  TRIP was set up as an alternative to the billion-dollar Trinity River Vision boondoggle set up by and for JD and his mama, Kay Granger.  I'm sure that I'll be posting more about this group as I learn more about it.  Hell, the Granger outfit has already doubled the size of the original budget.  (It's now up to something like 900 million.) 

I'm going to be doing some Buffet tunes, some Jerry Jeff Walker, and a few originals.  Spivey will be singing an original composition called "Mama Tried".  (Guess who that one is about !!) 

Here's the lyrics to one of the songs I'll be doing.  There was an old guy named James Cook who worked on my father's farm, and about three times a year he'd tell me about a little dog that helped his family get through the Great Depression.  I wrote this in honor of Mr. Cook, and his dog, and to get in a slam at Franklin Roosevelt. 
It's called "The Dog That Knew". 

"Back in the Great Depression, I made fifty cents a day,
Just digging ditches, picking cotton, or whatever else would pay.
Had a house full of kids, and couldn't keep 'em fed,
Every night we'd go to sleep, afraid we'd wake up dead. 

Well, one day here's this little dog like I have not seen since,
As if God had crossed a beagle with some kind of barbed wire fence,
And that little dog did something that I've never seen before,
He went and caught a rabbit, and then laid it at my door. 

Well, Daisy took that rabbit and she threw it in a pot,
Then we sat down at the table, thanked the Lord for what we got,
We thanked the Lord for sunshine and them children in the yard,
And we thanked God for little dogs that knew that times were hard.

Had that dog for seven years and Lord, he fed us well. 
That dog could bring a rabbit back straight from the gates of hell,
You see those rabbits ran like lightning up and down that river bank,
Sometimes they ran through gulleys that could scare a Sherman tank. 

And Mr. Roosevelt he said "It's only fear itself",
Well I bet Mr. Roosevelt had groceries on his shelf. 
They said it was a brand New Deal, that's all that some folks had. 
We had us a little dog that knew that times were bad. 

Well, Daisy took that rabbit and she threw it in a pot,

Then we sat down at the table, thanked the Lord for what we got,
We thanked the Lord for sunshine and them children in the yard,
And we thanked God for little dogs that knew that times were hard.

It's been forty years, I guess, since I first heard it said,
About that old man's dog and how it kept his family fed -
You see, my back yard's full of dachshunds, those useless weiner dogs;
Never caught a rabbit, and Lord they eat like hogs. 

Sometimes I'll take 'em huntin', and Lordy what a sight,
There's a man whose little dogs are scared that rabbits bite.
So if y'all see me looking like I don't eat enough,
It's because my little dogs don't know that times are tough. 

So y'all bring me a rabbit, and I'll throw it in a pot,
I'll sit down at the table, and thank the Lord for what I've got.
I'll thank the Lord for sunshine and those dachshunds in the yard,
But I'll wish I had some little dogs that knew that times are hard. 

Hope to see some of you tonight !!!

The Alan Ross Gay/Lesbian Pride Parade, Dallas Texas, September 20, 2009

Since I didn't think our transvestite could walk the entire parade route, I agreed to walk beside the Alamo, which was a good thing, because two different people handed me Jello Shots while I was handing out flyers and freebies, and I couldn't hear myself think because our DJ's on top of the Alamo had AC/DC techno-mixes cranked up to ELEVEN, and most of the crowd was screaming and clapping and shouting, and it was sometimes hard to stay in line behind the gay choir and the bicyclists with Aids.

And then it got weird.


Yes, the Tarrant and Dallas County Libertarian Parties had a float in the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade, a Gayand Lesbian Pride event.


Why do we do it? Well, look at this kid's "Legalize Gay" T-Shirt. He's different from most of us, and we have a government (with a president) that doesn't think he should have the same rights as everyone else. Therefore we show up.
Go here if you're still not on board with the concept.

One of the first things I saw when I got to the staging area.... I have no idea who these people were, or what they were advocating, but these men were dressed as women dressed as animals on a jungle float. Friendly people, these men dressed as women dressed as animals. They were my first sign that I was no longer in Merigold, Mississippi.


Here's our DJ platform at the front of our Alamo float, with Tim and Sue posing in front of our "Best Political Commentary" trophy from a few years ago.

Richard Forsythe (sp?) pulled the float with his pickup. Like most Libertarians, Richard's vehicle is merely a platform for the bumperstickers. Here's my favorite:

Here's our Alamo, the subject of another post from a week ago. The banner on the end says "Remember The Rainbow Lounge". A couple of months ago, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission raided The Rainbow Lounge, a gay nightclub, apparently just for the hell of it. People were injured. Nobody could really explain the purpose of the raid. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Agents got fired.

Here are our DJ's, who did a great job considering their equipment was mounted 10 feet above a moving ranch trailer.

These lovely ladies are Divine and Linda. During the regular work week, Divine's name is John. Divine/John added some street cred to the top of our float.

These ladies are Spokesmodels for a fashion line called Oscar Somethingoranother. I don't remember.

These ladies are Spokesmodels for Harley-Davidson.

This is the top of the Turtle Creek Chorale float. The lady on top is riding in a large green shoe. Someone told me that they auctioned off the chance to ride in the shoe during the parade.

Here's the rest of their float:

Here's Channel 33's float, which featured on-air personality Rebecca Miller, a bunch of guys dancing in Speedos, and the song "It's Raining Men". It featured that song for about 3 hours. Rebecca Miller smiled, under those circumstances, for 3 hours. Amazing.

Here's some more (a lot more, if you look carefully) of the jungle float.

And then we got rolling. Every float's sound system was cranked to the max, people were applauding and cheering, and neighborhood kids were going nuts trying to collect all the freebies.

Go to TheBallOfLight.com It's an art project for The Burning Man Festival.

I don't know why we didn't think of this. Large people on an I-beam SeeSaw.

More crowd. I think the parade route was about a mile long.

The parade ended here, where about 100 businesses had booths and giveaway stations set up.

This lady saw me taking pictures, and she insisted on being included. This is provided as a public service.

Here's Robert E. Lee, at the end of the parade route. Yes, this is what The Boys In Gray were fighting for.

This thing was FUN. It took it a while to get rolling, but the wait was worth it. There were probably 15,000 - 20,000 spectators and participants, and I didn't see a single altercation. Dallas PD did a great job. The organizers did a great job. Much thanks to Spivey, Richard, John F., and others who built the float.

And now, a word from Big Daddy

John Spivey is the Big Daddy of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party and the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup Group. I don't know anyone who has been working harder to advance the Freedom-Lover agenda. He's a frequent commenter on these pages, under the name "Tarrant Liberty Guy".

John doesn't have a website, but when I asked him to Guest Post (while I'm on vacation) about what libertarians need to do differently, he sent in this gem, prefaced with a shot across the bow of the ideologically creaky vessel manned by yesterday's guest blogger, Dr. Ralph:

Being asked to guest type for The Whited Sepulchre is somewhat intimidating as I typically enjoy reading his original witty takes on current events and then making outlandishly long and snarky commentary not unlike the closeted communist, Dr. Ralph. But I digress... I believe I was asked to give my $.02 on the future of the Libertarian Party or libertarianism in general. So here's my take:

As Chair of a County Libertarian Party, I've seen tremendous gains in our local libertarian scene. We've gone from 6 members meeting every two years to affirm a handful of pre-nominated and non-contested candidates to a group whose grassroots ranks are numbering in the triple digits, alliances with philosophically aligned 'major' political party campaigns and supporting candidates who, doggone it, looks like they have a very legitimate chance to win an election to a high office in the county's largest city (population 700,000-ish)! Libertarian straight ticket voters increased by a greater margin than the overall increase in total voters in this Obama-fueled electionapalooza. Straight ticket Democrats increased, but not as much as the overall total. Even with the total turnout increasing by over 60% in our county, straigh ticket GOP voters, DECREASED by about 4%. Seems like the GOP's message of warfare state, daddy-state smack downs of civil liberties and personal freedoms, exclusivity and intolerance is wearing thin. Even in this formerly deeply red county.

However, truth be told, in saying that, it's like saying that our regular savage beatings by two large giants are slightly less savage and by slightly smaller giants. Until we do a few things, we're still going to get smacked, but, as you may have read, David gets his eventually. First, since the LP caters to no special interest group, we're not going to get much in the way of mega-corporate/union 'sponsorship'. No biggie, since Ron Paul showed that you can raise $35 million, one person at a time. The trick is getting those donors over to our side. Tough to do when the LP Presidential candidate, Bob Barr, basically bitch slapped the good Doctor during election time. However, I believe with time, that wound will heal and those Republicans will leave the GOP and find their proper home with us. They bring money, volunteerism and best of all - infectious and rabid enthusiasm!

Also, we're going to have to work to improve our image. Taking the "Apple vs. PC" advertisement as an example, we're definitely the 'PC' guy. We HAVE to get 'cool'. Generally speaking, that means getting celebrities to flog our message. Penn and Teller are OK, John Stossel is better, but what we really need is a Leo DiCaprio or two to bang our drum like they do for Rev. Al Gore. Cultural relevancy.

It will take time. Hopefully not as much time as Cato Insitute studies report that New Deal programs prolonged The Great Depression (eight extra years). But eventually, our message of sound monetary policy, sane fiscal policies, peace and personal freedom will find its place in the mainstream of American politics. It may take some failures of nationalized industries first. Ayn Rand may have not been too far off the mark. I hope we can get going before Atlas goes into full shrug.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that we must take a bottom up approach. We're just going to have to win some local races first folks. That means locally, you'll need to support our candidates with your time and money - and of course, votes! My toast for the new year and for libertarian victory nationally? Bottom(s) up!

John, thanks for contributing, and for all you do. Bottom(s) up, right back atcha.

Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame

Here's some Bailout/Giveaway linkage from my friend John Spivey, who runs the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup Group:

Who to blame? I only have so many fingers! And one is needed for my eternal salute to Congress...
I thought that I'd check out the Ludwig Von Mises Institute, since they're usually so right on target - and of course, they didn't disappoint.

Below is a link to their page "The Bailout Reader" which has many prescient articles written some months to several years ago which foretell the future in Nostradomus-like fashion!http://www.mises.org/story/3128

This is a GREAT collection of articles that John is recommending. Most of them were written in the last 10 years, and predict financial meltdown, panic in Congress, and just about all the stuff you see going on now. They were widely ridiculed at the time, of course.

I particularly like this (about the time Pelosi and Franks were gushing over the shrewd financial brilliance and management capabilities of FNMA's Chief Rains) - http://mises.org/story/1463

Compare to this Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs

It glosses over the culpability of the GOP, but it's funny that the ones pushing the hardest for the bailout now are the ones pushing the hardest to build up the character of FNMA execs in 2004!!
Of course, the GOP is as guilty as the Dems...
Well, maybe it's 49% - 51%... but still...

And at some point, you've got to ask yourself.... Why do voters continue to elect convicted arsonists to supervise the Fire Department?

If it weren't so sad, it'd be funny.

Enjoy?

John

The New & Improved Tarrant County Libertarian Party Website

Back in March, I lamented the lack of activity on the Tarrant County Libertarian Party website.

John Spivey, the leader of the Tarrant County LP meetup group, emailed me. I started going to meetings, got involved, got to meet Bob Barr, and have made a lot of great friends.

Now they've given the website an extreme makeover. Save this link. Check it every week, unless you have a sentimental attachment to bloated bureaucracy and your share of the 9.5 trillion dollar national debt.

We're having another meetup at 1:00 p.m. September 6th at Grapevine's "Love And War In Texas". (L&W in TX is one of the best alt-country music venues in the DFW area, BTW.) Please join us if you can.

John and Company have done an outstanding job with the new Tarrant County Libertarian Party website. (Pay no attention to their page of Favorite Blogs....)

And By Their Bumperstickers, Ye Shall Know Them

I went to the Tarrant County Libertarian meetup in Grapevine yesterday.
First things first....
The meetup was held at Tolbert's Restaurant. I didn't realize going in that this place was the brainchild of Texas Chili-Cookoff legend Frank X. Tolbert. They had the best chili I've ever eaten. End of story.

They also have some great live entertainment scheduled during the next few weeks, including 3 Fools on Stools, A Hard Nights Day (Beatles Tribute) and plenty of others. I'll be returning to Tolbert's.

The other thing that always impresses me about the Libertarian meetups is that the people who attend are readers, not watchers or listeners. One gets the impression that the attendees generally develop their political opinions from books and newspapers, not Larry King, Lou Dobbs, or Rush Limbaugh. I love talking to these folks.

John Spivey, the Tarrant County Chairman, had some good info for us on the TCCC/Trinity River Vision boondoggle. I'm afraid that if I start diving into that mess it'll take over my life. The $$$'s that John was throwing around were terrifying. As wise investments go, this one is starting to make Alaska's Bridge To Nowhere look like Microsoft in the 80's.

Wednesday night, I'm probably going to go to a Meet And Greet in Dallas for Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr. I want to test the validity of his Damascus Road Experience, and in the unlikely event he's read any of the mad ravings on this site, it might be awkward.

Bumperstickers from Libertarian Girl and Buddy Stone.

More On The Tarrant County Libertarians

I made it to the Tarrant County Libertarians meetup last Saturday afternoon.

The tables were full of laid-back people throwing around names like Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, and Thomas Sowell, in addition to discussing getting their candidates elected in November.

I instantly geeked out. These people were speaking my language. Compared to the usual Democrat and Republican bilge in the newspaper and on TV, this was heaven. It was poetry. Imagine finding a King James Bible after spending twenty years all alone with nothing but a copy of Good News for Modern Man.

They knew all about Angelina Jolie's interest in making a movie of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". And they were pumped about it !

These are my people.

Then my dang cell phone started ringing. Every truckload that I'd brokered for pickup that afternoon was either late, missing, or lost. I had drivers in Dallas who couldn't find Texas. Future phone records will show that I made or received 20 phone calls in 40 minutes. Libertarians are a very tolerant bunch, but I was stretching their patience, constantly getting up from the table, leaving the coffee bar, coming back to the table, and trying to catch up on the agenda.

The offending freight companies know who they are, and they WILL atone....

Here's a plug for one of the guys I met there.... Stephen M. Smith is running for Texas State Representative, District 98. He's a very smart, extremely committed person. Look here for his priorities. And I thought I favored limited government....

According to his web page, which I hope you'll check out, Smith also works in shipping and logistics. mostly with shipments going to, from, and within Latin America. His cell phone was silent throughout the entire meeting.

If he's that effective with Latin America, just imagine what he could do with Austin.

Our next meetup will be held at Fort Worth's Rahr Brewery, May 17, 1:00 p.m.

They also put out the word about a new blog for the Libertarian Party of Texas: Lone Star Liberty.

If you don't think these guys are for real, look at what George Will had to say in the latest issue of Newsweek. There just might be a Libertarian surge.

Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup

About a month ago, I lamented the lack of activity on the Tarrant County Libertarian Party website.
They weren't dead, they were just napping, and sent me an email about having a meetup this Saturday afternoon.

April 19, 2008, 3:00 PM
Seekers Coffee House
1700 Precinct Line Road, Hurst, TX
Hurst, TX 76054
817-706-2947

The Tarrant County Libertarian Party Website

Tarrant County Libertarian Party - Welcome to the Tarrant County Libertarian Party!

I recently visited the Tarrant County Libertarian Party website, just to see if I could get involved.
Not a lot happening over there.
Events listed? None.
Blogs? None.
Rallies? Meetups? Strategy sessions? None.
News? A June 2004 posting called "Welcome to The Tarrant County Libertarian Party".
I prefer to believe this is because we Libertarians are too busy leaving everyone alone.

Here's their FAQ section, for those of you who can't be bothered to click links. It's a good summary of basic beliefs. All italics are mine:

Frequently Asked Questions About the Libertarian Party

In order to provide a better understanding of the Libertarian Party, we've provided this list of some of the most frequently asked questions about the party. Here's one I'd like to ask....Where the heck are you people?

What is a Libertarian?

Libertarians believe that you have the right to live your life as you wish, without the government interfering -- as long as you don’t violate the rights of others. Politically, this means Libertarians favor rolling back the size and cost of government, and eliminating laws that stifle the economy and control people’s personal choices.

Are Libertarians liberal or conservative?

Libertarians are neither. Everyone who does surveys, PLEASE get this in your heads....There ARE other choices. Unlike liberals or conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians agree with conservatives about freedom in economic matters, so we're in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable -- rather than government -- welfare. This is one of the many reasons I strongly favor the Social Ministries programs we have at Broadway Baptist Church. See previous posts. But Libertarians also agree with liberals on personal tolerance, so we're in favor of people’s right to choose their own personal habits and lifestyles.

In a sense, Libertarians “borrow” from both sides to come up with a logical and consistent whole -- but without the exceptions and broken promises of Republican and Democratic politicians. That's why we call ourselves the Party of Principle. And you can see how many of us there are by looking at the website.

Where do Libertarians stand on the subject of eminent domain?

Libertarians would close the exceptions and loopholes in the state prohibition against the use of eminent domain for private economic development. Take that, Jerry Jones. Under no circumstances should government have the power to force the transfer of land from private entity to another against the will of the owner. This is where the Kincaid's Hamburger's mess gives me a headache. The land and the building belong to the people in Oregon. See previous post....Additionally, we believe that property owners displaced through eminent domain should be compensated 125% of the fair value of their property to compensate for their moving expenses and inconvenience.

What about gun control??

Libertarians advocate the legalization of "open carry" firearms, including handguns, without a license. This includes recognition of the right of gun owners to bear arms while driving. I can't quite go that far. I know too many gun owners. We need some form of control because of parolees, probationers, the mentally ill, etc. But it would be nice to be packing heat in church, wouldn't it?

What is the position of toll roads?

Libertarians oppose the Trans Texas Corridor Act, a costly boondoggle intended to benefit land developers through the abuse of eminent domain and the power of highway monopoly. Further, we support legislation that would forbid tolls on any highway right of way which was obtained with tax dollars or through the use of eminent domain or condemnation. Libertarians uphold the right of private enterprise to construct and operate private toll roads, provided that those private toll roads were not established by coercive government power. Well said. The Trans Texas Corridor will be a great thing for the state, and the nation, in my opinion. But you gotta pay people for their land. The 125% figure would do nicely.

I'm really concerned about government spending. What is the Libertarian view on that?

Libertarians support balancing the budgets at all levels of government within the state without increasing net taxation. We support a moratorium on bond issues and all other forms of borrowing money, giving top priority to the repayment of government debts. Once government debt and wasteful spending are eliminated, the savings must be returned to the people of Texas in lower taxes. It'll never happen, but it sounds good. Unfortunately, we're going to keep Spending Like Spitzer^tm

What would Libertarians do differently to improve public education?

Libertarians seek to abolish the Federal Department of Education and repeal all unconstitutional federal mandates on state-run public education. For those who think this is extreme, look at the union-backed proposals to eliminate Home-schooling in California....Libertarians seek to challenge in the courts the federal government’s authority to regulate in any way the operation of state-run public schools.Libertarians would establish a true competitive market in education by repealing all restrictions on transfer from one public school to another or between public and private schools. See Milton Friedman on School voucher programs. Further, we would repeal all laws which interfere with the right of parents to home school their children. To achieve this, we would repeal all compulsory attendance laws. The public school system, originally established as the school of last resort, should not enjoy a monopoly on the education of Texas children. Yeah, anytime you see the word Monopoly without the words "Parker Brothers", we libertarians believe that someone is getting ripped off.

What is the Party's position on gambling?

Libertarians would legalize casino and other types of gambling. Libertarians recognize that fraud in gambling is just the same as any other form of fraud. Libertarians therefore seek to ensure that those who operate crooked games, including public officials, are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But God help me and my poor family if they ever make Blackjack legal in Fort Worth....

Do Libertarians take a position on judicial reform?

Libertarians support judicial reform allowing juries not only to judge the case, but the validity of the law itself. All juries should likewise be informed of their rights to interpret the law and vote their conscience before deliberations in criminal and civil cases. I haven't run into that one before. I can just see a group of us Fort Worth/Funkytown Eastsiders going into deliberations and rewriting the fundamentals of 500 years of British Common Law.

How about police powers and no knock warrants?

Libertarians support legislation or judicial rules that forbid the execution of “no-knock” warrants unless there is probable cause that they are necessary to avoid death or serious injury to an innocent person. We require that all warrants be presented to the subject for examination, with an original signature and a copy of the affidavit attached, and that the subject have an opportunity to contact the court that issued the warrant to verify its validity. Yep. I'm with them on this one.

Ok, now for the big question - given all the media coverage and recent debate, what is the Libertarian Party's stance on immigration and the border?

This one gets a little wordy. Libertarians are essentially pro-immigrant. Go ahead and skip to the bottom, unless you're killing a lunch break....Immigration is among the most contentious issues facing America today, and the specters of terrorism and war have only added fuel to an already fiery debate.By any reasonable measure, properly regulated immigration is not just beneficial to the American economy but indispensable to the goal of a nation of freedom and opportunity. This nation was built on immigration. Allowing peaceful people to enter our country appropriately is not just an option. It’s a benchmark by which we measure whether or not we’re living up to the American ideal. Coupled with a benign foreign policy, it is what makes America the beacon of Liberty in what was once and would be again an otherwise dark world for most people.Peaceful immigrants should be allowed to enter the US at conveniently located Customs and Immigration stations, subject only to brief vetting to ensure that they are not terrorists or criminals, and reasonable consideration of the nation’s ability to assimilate them.Coupled with reasonable immigration for the peaceful, we must maintain a vigorous national defense against our enemies.Terrorists and criminals who attempt to enter the US via a Customs and Immigration station should be denied entry and, where applicable, arrested and detained or extradited.Terrorists and criminals who attempt to enter the US via other points along its 95,000 miles of border and coastline should be treated as what they are: invaders against whom we must respond. As long as our defense forces restrain themselves to reasonable rules of engagement, doing this will much better guarantee our security with little risk of dire consequences to occasional innocent refugees.The privilege of entering the United States is not the right to invade the United States in contest with its legitimate interest in securing itself against those who would do it harm. It doesn’t matter whether the invasion is in the form of an organized military unit or a privately-executed mass movement assisted by a foreign government.We should not have to worry about foreign nationals moving in just so they can eat out our substance on the dole. Still, the possibility of “safety net” abuse is not a good excuse for excluding immigrants. The so-called safety net is not a solution for the plight of poor immigrants. It is, for immigrants as much as for native-born citizens, an insidious enticement to laziness. Real immigrants don’t want welfare, and private charities could handle their occasional start-up needs.
Like the great Kinky Friedman said on the radio last week, we have to ask ourselves "Who would Jesus deport?" Especially since so many illegals are named Jesus?

"They're God's children too" - John McCain

They didn't say anything on this site about our totally wasteful War on Drugs, and they don't specifically mention Subsidies, Tariffs, Import Quotas, NAFTA, minimum wage legislation, The Federal Reserve, the gold standard, licensing requirements, of any of the other Hobbyhorses that I like to ride.

But after all, it is their site. I wouldn't want to bother them.