www.the1A.org -- Amazing Libertarian theme show on NPR daily, 10am to Noon M-F

NPR (WBOI 89.1 FM ) has a new radio show: "The 1 A" http://the1a.org/, that has taken my breath away with its Libertarian themes (without saying the "L" word).
It is new, just began Jan 2, to take the place of the retiring Diane Rehm (who usually sent me tuning into Glenn Beck on WOWO). "1 A" stands for 1st Amendment, and their first show was all about the 1st Amendment's meaning and how it is a prohibition on Congress not on private property. Its host, Joshua Johnson, interviews people with opposing opinions -- a feature usually scarce on NPR.
Today's guests dazzled me with their clear logic and facts in explaining  what Libertarians have been saying since forever, that US government intervention in troubled countries usually makes it worse by destroying their economy and structure of government and leaving them in turmoil and open for another invasion, though US voters rarely notice, but those countries do, and the resentment against the US builds for generations.  And they explained that a LOT better than I just did.  I was so thrilled that I went on WBOI's website and gave a donation with a comment praising the new show.
If you go to The 1A's website http://the1a.org/ and click SHOWS you can play past shows. Today's show is Is the Era of American Humanitarian Intervention Over? 
Coming up Jan 5 is "Order in the Classroom: From Hall Monitors to Handcuffs".
I believe we need to let WBOI know that we love this show by donating with a comment or at least emailing them. Right now, their liberal staff is probably in shock as they hear this "government is over-reaching its power message"  and searching for a replacement show.  Please listen to past shows or the live show and let WBOI (www.wboi.org) know what you think.

25 years ago today

Twenty-five years ago today, Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned his position as President of the Soviet Union.* The Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin for the last time. Russia's experiment with communism had ended after only 74 years.

Today there are young adults all over the world who don't remember the Cold War. Among them are those who think that socialism can still work, if only everyone participates. These aren't just ironic hipsters who say this, but sincere fools who learn about history from the darker, dumber corners of the internet. They use computers that the Soviets could have never invented to access websites that they would have never allowed, and yet come to the conclusion that the economic system that has endured for centuries is somehow inferior to the system that lasted for mere decades.

Kids, if you are reading this, you should understand that communism cannot work on a national scale. If you and 20 of your best friends want to set up your own commune, you go right ahead. But no group of people is competent enough to manage the economy of an entire nation. This country does not hold the free market to be sacred or perfect. We simply use it because it allows us more choices and flexibility in how we live our lives. We don't have to stand in line for bread, we don't have to wear the same clothes as everybody else, and we can even pay money ironic merchandise featuring dead pinkos who would be horrified at the idea of being featured on a consumer product.

* The office of President of the Soviet Union was created in 1990. The official title of the Soviet head of state had varied greatly throughout its brief history.

Libertarian Holiday-Christmas Party
was Wed. Dec. 21
Technical problems -- which turned out to be Firefox preventing an outdated Adobe Flash to function, and didn't notify me for hours.
We did go live around 9:30 to 10:30pm.
We instead recorded much of the meeting and will post it at this link by Friday, Dec. 23:
http://www.ecstatic-theatrics.com/LPIN/Video.html
Starting at 7pm, Wed., Dec. 21, 2016.
Call in your comments or sing carols to 260 484 594six,
or come on by: 1423 Louisedale Dr., Fort Wayne, IN 46808

Sorry, Jesus and Starchild will not be at the party,but if they were, they'd be in the spirit.
Kids are welcome.  The home has 2 small dogs.
Food and drink provided but feel free to bring something to share.
We'll play games like Political Charades [now that is redundant] and plan our projects for 2017!

Bring Family and Friends to
The New Year's Day 
"Free Brunch 'Cuz There Ain't No Free Lunch"
 hosted by the Libertarian Party of Allen County, 
11am to 1pm, Jan. 1, 
at the home of LPAC Vice Chair Jeannette Jaquish and husband Tom, 
1423 Louisedale Dr., Ft. Wayne, 46808.
A hot cooked 2nd Breakfast will be served with friendly conversation and overly optimistic plans for the New Year.   
Children welcome. Home has 2 small dogs. Call ahead or just show up.  260 484-5946

Libertarian Christmas Party, Allen County

7 to 10pm, Wed., Dec. 21, 2016

1423 Louisedale Dr., 

at the home of Tom and Jeannette Jaquish, off Sherman or Wells -- go west.
260 484-5946
Bring anything to eat or drink to share. Bring guests.
Kids welcome. Two small dogs in home.
We will play Political Charades and "What Could Go Wrong" Political Improv, listen to political parody Christmas Carols, and make a Wish List of Libertarian events, offices to run for, and projects for 2017. This is a good time to bring new people as we analyze the past and begin new projects.

Libertarian Meeting - Allen County -- All welcome!
7pm, Wed., Nov. 23, 2016
1423 Louisedale Dr., 46808, home of Tom & Jeannette Jaquish, 260 484-5946.
Grub provided; feel free to bring more.
Kids welcome. House has 2 small dogs.
We'll hash out what worked, what didn't, and what we learned from the 2016 Election Campaigns.
We'll talk about 2017 events we want to outreach at, and what issues to focus on. And what skills and equipment our group has and how to make the most of our abilities. And when we do this, it's fun!

The Black Swan President

After the 3rd presidential debate, Fivethirtyeight.com gave Donald Trump an 11.9% chance at winning. This is 11.9 more percentage points than I ever gave him. Trump had no experience in politics, the military, or in civil service. He said things that any one of us would get fired for saying. All he had was name recognition and an ego to match. Don't write off Charlie Sheen for President just yet.

1) Don't write off Libertarians. If Trump can win just by spouting nonsense, then a intelligent candidate running on a well-thought out platform can also win.

2) Progressives, before you ever mention single payer in a serious policy discussion again, try to imagine Mike Pence in charge of your health care. This is why we support smaller government: because we have no clue which incompetent, corrupt clowns are going to be in charge in four, eight, or 20 years. America has survived worse leaders than Trump because their power was limited. It's great to want to help people who lack access to basic needs. But be very wary about asking the government to help. There are other institutions better suited to solve these issues.

3) America has survived and thrived under mediocre and terrible presidents. This is why we have checks and balances. And this is why we have to start getting ready for the midterms.

Libertarian Election Night Party!

Everyone is invited to:

The Election Night Party 

for the Libertarian Party of Allen County.

7pm, Nov. 8, 

at the home of Tom and Jeannette Jaquish, 1423 Louisedale Dr.   

Everyone is welcome to enjoy food, games and conversation.  Food provided but feel free to bring booze, beverages or more food.

The house has dogs.  Kids are welcome.

260 484-5946 or 260 750-9013

---

At our October meeting we practiced our public speaking with a mock 3-camera TV talk show.

Robert Enders interviews Marty Bender, Brian Stoner, with Kristi Avery pretends to operate a camera and Mike Tront runs the switcher with help from Laika.  Jeannette Jaquish set up the equipment and Tom Jaquish observes.   

We plan to shoot more news-gathering and issues investigation and humorous videos in the future, for outreach and to undo the fear of public speaking to make us better candidates.

Trump doesn't want to be President

First of all, I hate writing about Trump. I think he is obnoxious just to get attention, and even the smallest amount of publicity would only serve to encourage him.

Donald Trump has said so many shocking things over the past month that at first I didn't think the 2005 Billy Bush Bus video was any more of a big deal than any of the other nonsense that he says. I finally got around to watching the video.

I have heard people say worse things than that, but none of those people ever plan on running for President. The people that I know who do want to serve in elected office some day try to manage their tone. This particular video was more than Trump saying the word "pussy". He was bragging about being able to grope women without any consequences. We can't prove that he was boasting about something he actually did. But for him to say things that imply he is a sexual predator who hides behind fame and wealth like Bill Cosby suggests that in 2005, a political career was the furthest thing from Trump's mind.

If I was advising Trump on his campaign, I would advised him to admit to the video early on back in 2015 and get it out of the way. Just say the whole thing was an incredibly bad joke and try to move on. If it cost him the primary, it would have saved him the trouble of a failed general election campaign. But voters have notoriously short memories, and this video could have been forgotten by now. I will never get involved in the campaign of a candidate who is as toxic as Trump.

Here is the thing that every political operative knows: if there is pictures, audio, or video of a presidential candidate, you have to assume that the opposition will find it. If they find it, they will leak it at a time that serves their purposes. I don't think it's a coincidence that the story about this 2005 video suddenly broke in early October. Just enough time to get the word out, and stay fresh in the minds of voters.

Trump knew this video was out there, and failed to mention it to his GOP handlers. If Karl Rove were advising Trump and Trump actually followed Rove's advice, this video might have washed right off. In the context of a competent, competitive, political campaign, Trump's actions up to this point make no sense. I have to wonder if Trump's real goal is to destroy the GOP or get Hillary elected. If that's the case, it says something that the GOP was tricked into letting him get this far down that path.

Six possible explanations for Trump's behavior

We expect politicians to lie. They also mix in just enough of the truth to make their lies more credible. But sometimes a politician′s actual intent, beliefs, and motivations are tough to pin down. Most politicians try to win over as many voters as possible, while everything out of Trump′s mouth seems calculated to excite a small number of people while upsetting everyone else. Trump′s strategy is completely contrary to everything we know about politics. Here are six theories on why he is going down this route.

The Strawman. Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part as a Gary Johnson supporter. But a lot of things that Trump says seem geared towards making people upset with him and distract from Hillary Clinton′s scandals. He’ll go through the motions by giving speeches and raising money, just so that the plan has plausible deniability. But if he starts leading in the polls, expect him to do something extraordinarily stupid later this month.

The Attention Whore. Running for President is a great way to sell books and get hits for your website. Maybe this is all part of a lucrative marketing strategy. Or maybe Trump loves being in front of the camera and the sound of his own voice.

The Figurehead. Trump has zero experience in government. Most aspiring future Presidents serve in the military or run for state and local offices before taking a shot at becoming the most powerful person in the world. Apparently, Trump is going to let Pence and other members of his administration do all the work and make all the decisions. The trouble with this is that I don’t think Trump even makes a good figurehead. Good figureheads manage their message better. Trump is like that friend of yours who will talk trash to the other thugs in the bar. And yes, America can kick the ass of every other guy in the bar, but when we go out to the parking lot we found our tires have been slashed and several of our allies have unfriended us. Trump has a 1st Amendment right to run his mouth all the time, but I don′t want his words to represent the country as a whole.

The Drunken Master. Trump may be trying to get Hillary Clinton and other progressives to believe that he is an idiot. He says all the wrong things on purpose so that he isn’t taken seriously. Liberal voters are less likely to turn out if they think victory is guaranteed. So look for Trump to start listening to his advisors and managing his message in late September.

It′s all for the lulz. Basically this is the plot of the movie ″Man of the People″. Wouldn′t it be funny to run for President and say whatever pops into your head when you are on camera and have half of the country eat it all up? I would have liked to do that if I ever got to be old, obnoxious, and rich. I′m just jealous that Trump got to do it first.

He′s telling like it is. Of all the possibilities, this one is the scariest. I hope that Trump is smarter than he lets on to be. I hope he is lying about wasting billions on a wall that won′t stop illegal immigration, ending key trade deals that keep the economy afloat, and using torture on people who have not even been convicted of a crime. If this really who Trump is and he really gets elected, we are in for a long four years.

The Aleppo Challenge

I'll be blunt. Syrians were a lot better off before Americans knew where Aleppo was. They were a lot better off before our President decided that their President must go. They were a lot better off before our government started providing weapons and funding to groups that behead Syrians.

Our country's recent history has involved Presidents surrounding themselves with Very Smart People like Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and She Who Shall Not Be Named who study the facts and come to the conclusion that launching missiles, dropping bombs, and sending troops to troubled regions will somehow make America safer and improve the lives of people living in the region that is being bombed. One of the reasons why I'm voting for Gary Johnson this year is because I'm hoping that Very Smart People won't start another Very Stupid War.

So I propose the Aleppo Challenge. Most of us have Very Smart Friends who post on Facebook and Twitter that Gary Johnson is not qualified to be President because he asked the wrong question during an interview. Make a screen shot of these posts, and save them in a folder. When your Very Smart Friend's favorite candidate goes on to start another Very Stupid War, post that old screenshot in their timeline and congratulate them for being too smart for peace.

TV Party - Gary Johnson & Bill Weld on CNN Wed., Aug. 3.

Join the Libertarians to watch Presdential and Vice Pres. candidates Gary Johnson and Bill Weld interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN.  
Wed., Aug. 3
1423 Louisedale Dr., Ft. Wayne, IN 46808 - home of Tom and Jeannette Jaquish.260 484-5946.
8pm -  Pizza and fruit salad, coffee, juice, soda.
9pm -  CNN Town Hall with Johnson & Weld. Feel free to bring TV snacks and BYOB. 

You may confirm if you like at /www.facebook.com/AllenCountyLibertarians
 
 http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/01/cnn-to-host-second-town-hall-with-gary-j

4th Wednesday LP meetings

Monthly Libertarian meetings are the 4th Wednesdays of the month at 7pm,
until further notice.  Locations may change.
Next LP meeting is Aug. 24, 7pm at the home of Vice Chair Jeannette Jaquish, 1423 Louisedale Dr., Fort Wayne, IN 46808, 260 484-5946 or 750-9013.

Join us to PRACTICE the 2nd Amendment Squirt Gun G'Zombie Challenge, this Sunday, July 31, 3-5pm at the Big Tent pavillion on the far west side of Franke Park.  (Another practice same time August 20)  We will test different trekkers vs g'zombie strategies and make the game as suspenseful and fun as possible. Afterwards we test the grill, cooking burgers, vegi-burgers, hot dogs, and eat potato chips, fruit salad and cold sodas.  Wear outdoor clothing.  We need more volunteers for the Sept. 3 actual event.  Show up, or call Jeannette at 260 750-9013.

You are invited to the 2nd Amendment Squirt Gun G-Zombie Challenge!

"Stop playing!  It's time for your Standardized Test!!!"

Travel the winding trails squirting dead brained Govt-Zombies spouting atrophied-brain nonsense!
Then compete in or watch:

The LOUD FOR LIBERTY Historical Speech Contest!

Any age may deliver a Liberty themed speech, song, quote, line from a movie, poem, or interpretive dance mime, or tell a story, from 1 sentence to 5 minutes.
Sponsors provide money and merchandise awards.

 Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016 

Franke Park, 1140 Sherman Dr., Ft. Wayne, IN 46808

at the west side Teepee Pavillion, north of the Day Camp buildings.

 SCHEDULE for these FREE EVENTS
3 to 5pm - G-Zombie Challenge
5:00 - BBQ Picnic & Games - Meet the Libertarians and their Candidates
5:30 - Check in for:
6:00 - Loud for Liberty Historical Speech Contest

Volunteers needed, especially G-Zombies!
Sponsor an Award of money or merchandise.

Contact Jeannette Jaquish, LPIN Vice Chair

260 484-5946 or 260 750-9013 or jeannettejaquish@yahoo.com

More info at:  http://www.ecstatic-theatrics.com/LPIN/GZombie.html

Business Meeting - Wednesday, July 27, 7pm

Libertarian Party of Allen County Business Meeting
Wednesday, July 27, 2016, 7pm
at the home of Robert Enders, LPAC Chairman
582 Courtney Dr., New Haven, IN 46774
------
This is a business and planning meeting.
- We need a new Secretary now, and a Treasurer by mid-August
- We are planning events
- We are working with candidates to help their campaigns
- Everyone is welcome
- There will be refreshments. Feel free to bring snacks and drinks to share.

Please call Jeannette Jaquish at 260 484-5946 if you have questions.

More info at https://www.facebook.com/AllenCountyLibertarians/
and
Info about the Sept. 3 "2nd Amendment Squirt Gun G-Zombie Challenge" at
www.facebook.com/livefreeplayfree

Robert's House on MapQuest:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/582+Courtney+Dr,+New+Haven,+IN+46774/@41.064503,-85.0397927,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8815fbc592d7a9c5:0x70754663ae8c02d4!8m2!3d41.064499!4d-85.037604

Dallas

The murder of five police officers in Dallas was an act of terrorism. It was an act of violence intended to send a political message. As far as I can tell as of this writing, Dallas police responded properly to this act of terrorism.

The murder of innocent black people by police officers are acts of tyranny. These are acts of violence where the perpetrators use their positions of authority to escape repercussions. I propose that shooting by local police departments be investigated on the state level.

Terrorism and tyranny are two sides of the same coin. One often leads to the other, creating a vicious cycle that can spin out of control for years. Terrorism and tyranny are both equally wrong and must be universally condemned.

TV Party Tonight! (June 22) See Gary Johnson on CNN!

Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, the Libertarian President and Vice President candidates are featured on CNN's Libertarian Town Hall tonight, Wednesday, July 22, at 9pm ET.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/gary-johnson-bill-weld-cnn-town-hall-libertarian/index.html
All are invited to join us in a TV party at 8pm for free dinner, then watch the show at 9pm.
Location: Jeannette Jaquish's house, 1423 Louisedale Dr., Fort Wayne, IN 46808.  260 484-5946.

Memorial Day

If you are alive to read this, Memorial Day isn't meant to honor you in particular. This is the day meant to honor those who died while serving the military. These men and women never got their discharge papers. They will never collect VA benefits. They will never see the movie that Kathryn Bigelow, Oliver Stone, or Steven Spielberg made about their war. And they won't read this blog post.

Each year, Memorial Day honors more and more people. Let's hope for a time when the number of people honored on the last Monday in May no longer rises.

Public bathrooms

Expelling bodily wastes shouldn't have to be a cultural or political act. I feel like I shouldn't have to talk about this subject on this blog, but here goes some of my thoughts on the matter.
1) Using the proper bathroom shouldn't be a matter of law, but a matter of common courtesy. Most of us are uncomfortable using the bathroom in front of strangers of the opposite sex. We use the bathroom that is most comfortable to us, and we try to avoid making other people uncomfortable. Bathroom have stalls so we don't have to see each other's genitals. If a person who looks like a man but has a vagina uses the men's room, I shouldn't feel uncomfortable because I shouldn't be aware at all of his vagina. He wouldn't share this info with me unless we were good friends.

I understand that there are safety concerns. People seem to be worried that sexual predators would proclaim their gender to that of their preferred victim, march right into the public bathroom, and assault somebody. But a man who claims to be a woman would stand out like a sore thumb. What makes predators so dangerous is that they do their best to blend in. Few people had any idea that Bill Cosby, Jared Fogle, or Dennis Hastert were monsters until we heard about it on the news.

We don't need state laws that tell us what bathroom to use. Will these laws be enforced by bouncers carding everyone who has to pee? Or can we just agree that if someone reasonably looks male or female, then we don't need them to prove it?

Ultimately, who pees where should be decided by building management and not the state or the federal government. Sometimes one bathroom is packed full or out of order, so people end up using the bathroom that they normally wouldn't use. Management should have the discretion to allow this. On the other hand, if a man decides to make an ass of himself by proclaiming his "femininity" and following women into the bathroom, management should have the option of having him removed.

Even with schools, it's best to leave restroom policy to the school boards. Schools have a vested interest in keeping adolescents with penises from impregnating adolescents with vaginas on school property, so boys and girls have been historically kept separate. If a school decides that a transgirl does not post a threat to the other girls, and the other girls are comfortable with this, then I'm not going to lose sleep over the matter.

Trump will be the GOP nominee. Now what?

I actually feel bad for the Republican Party right now. I wish that every political party would nominate their very best candidate for President. The race should be competitive so that whoever wins works hard to keep the job.

Trump doesn't seem to care if he wins. He wants to run his mouth. He says things that sound great to the GOP base but make everybody else mad. Name recognition and wealth were enough to carry him through the primaries. But it's way more fun to run for President than actually be President. Do you know all the pressure you feel in a job interview? Trump feels none of that, because this is a game to him. No matter what happens, this will all work out for him. A billionaire who wants to be President is absurd as a millionaire who wants to work at Wal-Mart.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have high unfavorability ratings. In past years people have talked about "wasted votes" and what not. But this year, the only reason NOT to vote Libertarian is if you actually DON'T want a Libertarian in the White House and you actually would prefer Hillary or Donald to Gary Johnson.

Arena proponents should be honest about why they want an arena.

You want a new arena. It's okay, just say it. It's okay to want things. It's okay to want a bigger house or a nicer car. It's okay to want a newer computer or a bigger TV. It's okay to want a boat even though you don't live near the water or a flood plain.

Or maybe you expect to benefit directly financially. It's fine to admit that or even brag about it.

But can you really credibly say with a straight face that the entertainment industry is the best use of your tax dollars? There are so many things that are more important but are less exciting: roads, sewers, fire departments, etc. If you want an arena so badly that it influences the way that you vote, fine. But to insist that you support a project because of its economic impact is disingenuous. All civic projects have both economic benefits and consequences. People are hired to build the project and people are taxed to pay for it. Traffic patterns change, Commute times are increased for some and reduced for others. Retailers can gain or lose business because of these traffic patterns.

I'm especially suspicious of businesses that support new downtown construction projects after moving all their operations to the outskirts. It's like slapping a Greenpeace bumper sticker on your own Hummer.

Annual Convention Details Finalized

It is that time once again when the Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana will be hosting its Annual Convention at Richards Restaurants, on Washington Center Road at Interstate 69, between Lima Road (Exit 311) and Coldwater Roads (Exit 312) on April Fools Day 2016 from 6-9 pm.

Prices for Dinner average $10 per person maximum

There will be a brief Business Meeting which will then transition into our Nominating Convention where we will begin to discern candidates to run for office on the November General Election Ballot. Our goal is to provide VOTERS with a better option, a more sound choice. This year in Allen County there are 17 Positions available for Voters to change the way Government operates in Cities and Towns across the Hoosier State:

COUNTY OFFICES:

County Treasurer, County Coroner, County Surveyor

County Commissioner - District 1, County Council at Large

STATE OFFICES

State Senate: Districts 14, 15, 16

State Representative: Districts 50, 52, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85

Nominations will be accepted at this time during the Convention.

Are you tired of the way County Government spends your tax dollars? Are you frustrated with the General Assembly passing political pork instead of passing on a positive future for all of Indiana This is the year that you can make that difference by running under the Libertarian banner and finally offering Voters something better than the lesser of two evils. Send a PM to LPAC Chair Robert Enders for more details and to throw your hat into our ring come November's General Election.

Please RSVP via LPAC's FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE Thank you.

You must become a member of the local Party (which is free) at a minimum to vote and may do so during the Convention. You are encouraged to join the State or National Party for $25 annually and forms will also be available for your convenience. Per the most recent revision in our ByLaws there will be no Officers elected at this meeting slated unless an immeadate circumstance arises.

The Apple of My Eye

First of all, let's concede that the FBI has every right to look into Syad Farook's iPhone. Farook is a notorious dead terrorist and he may have spoken to terrorists who are still alive and unknown. The iPhone in question is the property of San Bernardino County, who has eagerly consented to the search of the phone. Not even innocent people have a reasonable expectation of privacy when using a phone issued by their employer.

Apple has their own reasons for refusing the FBI's request. If this iPhone can be cracked into, then all iPhones can be cracked. This makes the iPhone a less desirable product.

But are lives really at stake here? Farook intentionally destroyed his own personal cell phone. A competent terrorist would have NOT used his government-issue phone to contact other terrorists. This is probably why he didn't bother to destroy the iPhone.

It would seem that governments on all levels have a new dilemma when it comes to encryption. On the one hand, they need the ability to monitor their own employees. On the other hand, they need to keep sensitive information out of the wrong hands. But most people already know better than to use hardware that the IT department can monitor when they are up to no good. So we should be grateful that this iPhone is difficult to spy on, for now.

Should women be required to register for the draft?

No. Nobody should have to register for the draft.

First of all, even if you still feel that the draft might be necessary, why should the government bother with Selective Service? If you go to public school, the government already has your address and vital data before you even turn 18. If you've never been to public school, you either come from a rich family and they will find a way to keep you stateside or you're Amish and you have contentious objector status. And there are many other ways in this day and age for the government to track you down, unless you are a fugitive or living off the grid. If you are a fugitive, the military wouldn't want you. If you are successfully living off the grid then they should make you a better offer than simply threatening to charge you with draft evasion.

Second of all, would the draft even matter in a age of drones and nuclear weapons? Only suicidal terrorists want to attack the US. Yet foreign terrorists only manage to kill fewer Americans than domestic street gangs. And has anyone bothered to check if these street gang members are registered with Selective Service? Technically, even felons have to register.

Which brings us to another point about the draft: it creates perverse incentives. If healthy people are required to fight, that makes a lot of people want to be unhealthy. Of course the military tests for drugs, so people will tell you to smoke so much dope that your piss turns olive drab. The military has weight limits for recruits, so many young people might put off that diet until their 26th birthday.

Was the draft ever necessary? During the war of 1812, when British troops were setting fire to the White House, America didn't bother with a draft. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and 9/11, recruiting centers were so packed that many men were told to come back later. When America is under attack, American are eager to fight. It's when our government wants to get involved in other countries' squabbles that the military finds itself short of volunteers.

My take on the FBI's video of the shooting of LaVoy Finicum

This is what I see when I watch this low quality footage. Other people might see different things. Feel free to comment.

1:09: Suspect vehicle (white Dodge pickup with crew cab and camper) stops in the middle of the road. Police have guns drawn

8:10: Suspect vehicle takes off again and flees at high speed. This is a felony.

9:15: Suspect vehicle encounters the police vehicles blocking the road. The suspect vehicle veers to the left. An officer lunges toward the suspect vehicle which is still moving. I don′t know why he would do this. It is dangerous and you can′t stop a truck with your body.

9:20 The driver of the Dodge pickup gets out. He has his hands up as if he wants to surrender. He is staggering though the deep snow. Then he puts his arms down. It looks like he′s flailing as if he lost his balance. Or maybe he is reaching for his gun. But his arms are clearly down, so the police shoot and kill the driver.

Normally, if you are armed and you need to surrender to someone else who is armed, you keep your hands up to show that you cannot fire at them. You keep your arms up until they tell you to put them down. The police knew he was armed. If they believed he was reaching for a weapon, then they were justified in shooting him. This doesn′t look like a murder from the video.

My take on the Oregon protests

This story starts in 2001, when Dwight Hammond and Steven Hammond set fires on federal land that burned 127 acres. They were convicted of arson, and a judge gave Dwight a three month sentence and Steven a one year sentence. The defendants claim that this was to control an invasive species, the prosecutors claim that it was to cover up illegal poaching.

Even if the Hammonds were telling the truth, I can't really condone setting fires on federal land as a form of pest control. In my opinion, arson is worse than bank robbery. Most bank robbers just slide a note over the counter, the tellers follow their training, and the FDIC reimburses the bank for any cash that isn't recovered. Arsonists are more reckless and destructive, causing more property damage and risk to human life than bank robbers. But the mandatory minimum sentence for arson is 5 years, while the minimum sentence for bank robbery is 10 years.

The Hammonds received less than minimum sentences and served their time. But an appeals court ruled that they should have received longer sentences, and that they should go back to prison. While I would agree that they should have received 5 year sentences in the first place, I also feel that if you are charged, convicted, and serve the original sentence, the government should leave you alone unless you commit another crime.  I think that the law should err on the side of the defendant throughout the entire process. But that isn't what the law requires. The law requires that the Hammonds go back to prison.

People do have a right to protest prison sentences if they feel that the sentences are unfair. But they don't have a right to take over a government building. I would much prefer that this standoff end with no bloodshed. But if these protesters use lethal force to resist arrest, then the moral responsibility for what happens next falls on them.

The War on Terror is over (If you want it)

With all of America's wars, there will always be sore losers who think the wrong side won. Seventy years after World War 2, there are still people who wear swastikas. One and a half centuries after the Civil War, there are still people who support Southern independence. Cecil Rhodes wanted to undo the American Revolution by having the US rejoin the British Empire. We can't win every heart and mind. We can't kill everybody who doesn't like us. Victory involves setting an objective and accomplishing that objective. Usually that objective involves getting someone important on the other side to sign a piece of paper,

I propose that there just isn't anybody important in ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or any other group. There will always be someone who says that they are loyal to one of those group. Just because some lunatic shoots some people and says he's part of a bunch of other lunatics isn't sufficient cause to send troops and bombs halfway around the world. Attacking ISIS because of the San Bernadino shooters would be like burning Atlanta to the ground again because some racist punk murdered some people in a black church.

Keep pseudoephedrine over-the-counter

It might seem trivial to compare the inconvenience of a doctor's appointment to the tragedy of meth addiction. But a law that requires a prescription for pseudoephedrine is going to have health consequences for innocent Hoosiers while doing very little or nothing to stop people from using meth.

Even with health insurance, very few people are actually going to go to a doctor to get cold meds. First of all, all Hoosiers live within 70 miles of the state line. So going to another state will be less of a hassle than going to a doctor. Some Hoosiers might stock up on cold meds as well. And some people will choose the worst possible option: going to work or school without controlling the symptoms and placing coworkers and classmates at risk of catching a cold.

If your sole objective is to stop meth, it would make for sense to lobby the federal government to reclassify pseudoephedrine as a Schedule II drug like Adderal or oxycotin. A state law in this case is a pathetic half-measure. On the other, if not even Congress can be persuaded to outlaw a drug, then that should be an indicator of how silly the whole idea is.

Trump proposes banning Muslims from entering the US

Trump is running a campaign that seems like it's more designed to embarrass the GOP than actually win an election. Most of the time he sounds more like Stephen Colbert than a serious statesman.

On the off chance that he is serious about spending 4 to 8 years in a job more difficult and dangerous than any job he has ever had, let's look at his proposal to bar Muslims from entering the US. Would this policy actually prevent a terrorist attack?

Let's start by asking how do you tell if someone if Muslim? In most cases, it is hard to tell just by looking. Islam is not a race or a skin color. There are black Muslims in Kenya and Somalia, there are Asian Muslims in Indonesia and the Phillipines, and there are Muslims with blonde hair and blue eyes in Bosnia.

The best way to know is to simply ask. Most Muslims are pretty open about their beliefs, just as most Christians and Jews are. And I would imagine most of them would begrudgingly comply with an order to stay out of the US. But Muslims who would obey US law aren't the ones you should be worried about. An actual terrorist who wanted to get into this country would likely lie about what his religion is.

So any law barring Muslims from entering this country will do nothing to keep us safer. The only reason anyone supports this idea is because they just don't like Muslims.

Celebrate Liberty Christmas Party Potluck

This Saturday the twelfth of December from 630 - 10 pm we will be having our Celebrate Liberty Christmas Party Potluck at the home of Tom and Jeannette Jaquish, 1423 Louisedale Dr., Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

Bring an open mind and food or drink to share. Bring booze if you want it. Feel free to invite family and friends -- the more the merrier! We will have toys and entertainment for children. The house has two small dogs.

PLEASE RSVP ON OUR EVENT PAGE HERE POSTING DETAILS OF HEAD COUNT (DISH, #ADULTS & CHILDREN).

Questions? Call 260-484-5946 or email jeannettejaquish@yahoo.com.

Gun control and the no-fly list

President Obama is asking Congress to pass a bill that keeps people on the No Fly list from owning guns. Politicians frequently find the need to say or do anything to make it appear to their supporters that they are taking action. But I don't think Obama actually wants this law, and he wouldn't ask for this law if he actually expected Congress to pass it.

 This is how the No Fly List is supposed to work. There are roughly 47,000 names on a secret list, and the only way to find out if you are on the list is to buy a ticket and try to board a plane. The government does not want people to know if they are on the No Fly List.

I can understand the reason for this secrecy, even if I don't agree with it. If the government thinks that someone is a sleeper agent, they don't want that person to know about their suspicions. Maybe they can't locate this person to arrest them, or maybe they want to see who he's talking to before they actually collar him. My own thought is that if the government has probably cause to think that someone plans to kill a bunch of people, they should arrest him if possible or at least let the public know that person poses a threat.

 But as long as the list is secret, terrorists have a strong interest in knowing if they are on the list. So if a terror group is planning a major operation and wants to know which of their assets in the US can actually board a plane, the group's leader could simply order his followers to try and buy guns. Whoever successfully buys a gun is not on the No Fly List, and whoever can't buy a gun would resort to Plan B. If the terror-watch list was available as a publicly searchable database, then terror suspects would have difficulty buying anything that required them to show ID. But if the government wants to keep people from knowing that they are being investigated, then even terror suspects should be allowed to buy guns, as absurd as that sounds.

A less absurd solution would be to issue arrest warrants for people with known terrorist ties. After all, if a person is too dangerous to be allowed to fly, they are too dangerous to be allowed to drive, board a train, visit a museum, or buy chewing gum.

Some interesting things to note about France and Muslims,

1. Prior to 1940, France tried to seal off its border with Germany with the Maginot Line, a series of heavily armed forts and bunkers. It was much more formidable than any fence or wall proposed by 21st century US politicians, and it still didn't work.
2. From 1940 to 1944, there were a series of mass shootings that took place in France.
3. Neither the Roosevelt Administration nor the Truman Administration took any steps to seal our borders to keep out Catholic or Lutheran immigrants who fled in the aftermath of these shootings.
4. During this same time period, the Grand Mosque in Paris was allowed by the Nazis and the Vichy regime to remain open.
5. This mosque provided fake Muslim documents to Jews so that they could hide from the Nazis. This action put the mosque at great risk but saved the lives of over 100 Jews.

Syria

I'm not going to pretend to be a foreign policy expert, but the people who do pretend to be experts are getting us into quite a mess in Syria. It is a bad idea to get involved in a civil war, even when one faction is led by a hated tyrant. Consider our own past experiences. US involvement in the Russian Civil War led to Soviet mistrust and resentment that lasted through the interwar period, World War II, and the Cold War. And now we are butting heads with Russia once again. So here is what I would do if I were President Obama: pull out and let Putin stick his hand in the meat grinder. Consider that the term "moderate rebel" is a oxrymoron, and any innocent people who might be worth helping are fleeing the country anyway. And while we are on the subject, all those military-age men flooding into Europe? I was a military-age man once, and I never got any where near the recruiting center. My guess is that the majority of these guys are like me in that they really, really, don't want to be in the military and don't want to be in combat. These guys are more draft-dodgers than terrorists. If we want to reduce ISIS and Assad's ability to carry out future attacks, then this is the type of behavior that we should encourage.

NEXT BUSINESS MEETINGS

NEXT BUSINESS MEETING
This is technically the July meeting that had to be rescheduled twice, this delay will work to our advantage as Labor Day is the traditional start to campaign season, and this meeting right before will give us plenty of time to plan out and ramp up as needed consistently.
 
Wednesday 26th of August 2015
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Little Turtle Branch Library
Sherman Blvd. south of West State Blvd.

Please, RSVP via our EVENT PAGE, thank you.

Monday 28th of September 2015
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Pontiac Branch Library
Crieghton Ave. at Hanna St.

Please, RSVP via our EVENT PAGE, thank you.

Confederate flags and other useless symbols

Some symbols are useful, because they convey a clear message. Stop signs present a clear message, and I know what to do when I see one. I don't need to ask the fellow who put up the sign what he means by that.

Some symbols provide a more vague message. Che Guevara was a Communist guerrilla who hated black people and wanted to outlaw rock music. His face appears on t-shirts which are worn by people who don't seem to know this. I would imagine Che would be mortified that his face is used to make a quick buck, as if I would care what he things. The t-shirts are marketed as a symbol of rebellion. What the wearers of the shirts are rebelling against isn't always clear.

The same goes for Guy Fawkes masks. Guy Fawkes Day is a holiday in the UK that commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliment and establish a Catholic theocracy. Even his fellow Catholics opposed his plan, and he was caught and hanged. Today, Guy Fawkes masks licensed by Warner Brothers are popular among radicals with both feet firmly planted in the air. I'm going to guess that Guy Fawkes and Anonymous have opposing views on separation of church and state. But again, Guy Fawkes is a symbol of rebellion.

When someone displays a Confederate flag, they might be trying to say that they are from the South, that they support states' rights (even though the CSA Constitution required states to allow slavery), or that their ancestors fought for the CSA, (hopefully their ancestors have accomplished other things in the past 150 years). Or they might be displaying that flag just to upset other people.

It is a waste of resources for state and local governments to display a defunct symbol. And it is a waste of energy for me to get upset when that's the reaction that people seek when they display such a symbol.

The Dennis Hastert Scandal: Why Individual Privacy Is Vital To National Security

There are folks who argue that it is worth it to give up privacy for the sake of national security. These people will then insist that they have nothing to hide. But privacy is actually vital for the security of a democracy.

First of all, let's just admit that we all have secrets. I'm not married, so one of my secrets is that either I have had premarital sex or I'm a virgin in my thirties. Dennis Hastert had a secret as well. He spent a lot of money and may have broken the law trying to keep that secret under wraps. It's normal and understandable for elected officials to want to hide their past, even though the methods used aren't always legal or ethical. The kind of people who get elected to office often lead very interesting lives, then turn around and pretend that their lives are as bland as possible in order to cause the least offense to voters. Still, politicians should have the same right of privacy regarding their personal lives as any other citizen.

If the 9/11 attacks were carried out in a different manner, Dennis Hastert might very well have become President. And his blackmailer could have had influence over public policy. The personal secrets of powerful men can be used to control them, and by extension the rest of the country. So consider that there are thousands of private citizens who may get elected to Congress or the White House in the next 20 to 50 years. I don't know who will be President in 2032, but the NSA is likely gathering data on him or her right now. And that data could fall into the wrong hands. Whatever your opinion of Edward Snowden is, he is still yet another example of how the US government is very bad at protecting vital information. So one way to ensure a safer future is to not try to gather people's personal data into one big honeypot.

Tabitha Dyck to represent the People of Fort Wayne #PlugTheHolesInExcessSpending

EDITORIAL NOTE: During our Annual Convention the Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana nominated and certified Mrs. Tabitha Dyck to be slated as our representative on the Municipal Elections ballot in November unanimously.

MEET OUR CANDIDATE

Mrs. Tabitha Dyck
Fort Wayne City Council At Large
#PlugTheHolesInExcessSpending

A graduate of Bishop Dwenger High School, Tabitha Dyck, is a current Nursing student, with the eventual goal of achieving her Master's Degree. She is a United States Naval Veteran who completed her service as a Naval Corpsman in an Expeditionary Medical Unit, and earned several Leadership positions during her career. In the the years following High School before joining the Navy, she worked various jobs while touring the Country. Some of these jobs were Server, Entertainment Promotions, Camp Ground Facilitator, and Cook.

In 2005, Tabitha made the decision to return to Fort Wayne and plant her roots in order to "flourish along our three rivers". She made this decision due to her family being here. There is also a low cost of living, and it is a comfortable, practical, City to settle down in. After her term with the Navy, she was reunited with the love of her life, Sam. They are both passionate about Urban Gardening and have proven its aide to sustainability in the past. Tabitha would like to share her experiences and learn more about others ideas regarding these topics.

Tabitha decided to run for Fort Wayne City Council At Large because she hopes to prevent excess spending in City finances. She wants to assist the local Community with Self Sustainability in a healthy and practical manner. She also wishes, most of all, to speak for those who feel they have no voice. You may contact Tabitha Dyck for more information or to schedule an interview by calling 260-415-5040 or leaving a message on her Campaign's Facebook Page.




NOTE FROM THE OFFICERS: We are openly seeking qualified candidates for the November ballot. If you are interested in running for Elected Office in any of the 40 Positions available in Fort Wayne, New Haven, Grabill, Woodburn, Leo-Cedarville, or Monroeville, please contact LPAC's Chair, Robert Enders, privately to schedule a sit down interview. Please also follow LPAC on FACEBOOK to keep up with current notices and information as well.

Downtown Arena?

The city paid consultants $39,000 to study the feasibility of a downtown arena. I could have told them that it wasn't feasible for free. Maybe if I charged more, city officials might listen.

 A downtown arena was proposed in 2000. The proposal died a deserved, horrible death when officials admitted that the Coliseum would be demolished if the Komets moved downtown. Regular readers of this blog already know my stance on local government subsidizing the entertainment industry. But broader public support is going to depend on several key questions.

1. Will the Komets move to the new arena?
2. If they do move, will Memorial Coliseum share the same fate as Memorial Field? My guess is that they will conduct a study to find alternate uses for the historic building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. And it will stay open for a few years and operate at a huge loss to the county, and then it will get bulldozed anyway. So if you are emotionally attached to the Coliseum, you should be very concerned about the city building a competing sports venue.
3. If the Komets won't be moving, what is the point? Is some other minor league team with an idiotic name moving in? Or are there going to be concerts in this arena, just like at the Grand Wayne Center, the Embassy Theater, and the Coliseum? Is this city so jam-packed with concerts that they need another place to hold them all?

WOAH: Collective Bargaining Controversy breaks out right before Primary Selection Process last night

In less than an hour the pandering will commence, the last minute debates will engage, somebody will piss in someone Else's Wheaties, and tomorrow we might find out whom picked who to run in November's Municipal Elections.

Meanwhile, you all got stuck footing the bill for what should be decided in a private Party Convention, rather than being discussed on the edge of our roadways and the bottom of our airwaves. The vetting of candidates for Elected Office really does belong in a Convention setting, where the members have control not the Puppets tied to someone else's strings, especially since only 13% of the electorate historically show up to vote today. Our Convention was last month and only cost $20 dollars for food and tip, membership fees were optional.

Best of luck to my friends whom are currently in contests as Republicans and Democrats both. Just to let you know Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana's Candidates will see whomever wins today in November.

Fort Wayne's Collective Bargaining Controversy

While this interview last night on WOWO's Pat Miller with Jeremy Bush, the head of the Fire Fighters Union, may be considered last minute politicking or electioneering; it also needs to be reviewed because it validates the arguments made by Vote Gina Burgess regarding active collusion by both current members of City Council and the Mayors office. Here is a separate link to Gina's previous commentary and exposure of the issues.

Union president's secret recording questions mayor's commitment to collective bargaining
By Corinne Rose - 21Alive | April 28, 2015

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) -- A local union leader claims Mayor Tom Henry supported ending collective bargaining behind closed doors, while supporting the unions in public.

The president of the fort wayne firefighters union was supposed to share with us a recording he made last summer of a conversation about the mayor

Jeremy Bush taped that conversation with Republican 3rd District City Councilman Tom Didier without Didier's knowledge.

Didier tells 21Alive he had a meeting with Mayor Henry and Republican Councilman At-Large Marty Bender where the topic of collective bargaining came up.

Didier then told union president Bush that Mayor Henry asked him and Councilman Bender if they supported eliminating collective bargaining for six of the city's unions, why not eliminate it for all nine, including the police and fire departments?

However, Didier, Bender and Mayor Henry all say that comment is being taken out of context -- that the mayor was trying to lobby the republican councilmen to keep collective bargaining for the unions.

“What I was actually doing was expressing some frustration with the city council and I did say that ‘If you're going to take away six unions, why don't you take away all nine unions?’ And that's the statement that was taken out of context,” Mayor Henry says.

“The mayor was always very, very pro-union and tried to do the best he could to try and get us to sway our opinions of it but was not successful in that,” Bender says.

Mayor Henry has consistently supported collective bargaining, saying it gives city employees a voice.
He even used his first veto in office after city council approved eliminating collective bargaining for the unions not covering public safety.

Union president Bush stands by what Didier says on the recording, which he would not share with us by the time of our newscast, but says he would on Wednesday.

Bush also says that either Didier lied to him, or that Didier, Bender and Mayor Henry are all lying now.
If Bush has had this recording since last summer, why is he wanting to share it now?

With the municipal primary election in exactly one week, the timing does seem to be a bit suspect.

 I am sharing all of this specifically for the information and validation of the historical record.

What if there was no video of the Walter Scott shooting?

A lot of people would still know that Walter Scott was shot in the back even without the video. As any paramedic or coroner can tell you, entrance wounds tend to be smaller than exit wounds. Depending on state laws and circumstances, HIPAA rules may prevent this kind of information from being released to family members. I propose that in the event of a homicide, all immediate family members should have access to any medical records related to the killing. Granted, grieving family members don't want to read the gory details, but they should have the right to turn that info over to an attorney or anyone else who they want to investigate the matter. If someone gets fatally shot, the family should have a right to know what angle the shots came from.

Ballot Proxy Wars and the Primary Selection Process: The best way to get a mule to move isnt by dangling carrots but smacking them with a 2 x 4 across the head!

"Stop Beatin Them Mules"
JOSIAH "SI" KLEGG By John McElroy
Book Two:
THRU THE STONE RIVER CAMPAIGN
published 1910
source cite

As most Libertarians understand, the Primary Selection Process is the other two parties way of capturing a larger audience of voters - whom dont want to pay to play in politics - but also dont have much to any idea that they as Taxpayers, are also footing the bill for what should be private Political Party business, when it comes to slating and vetting candidates for elected office in each County and State in November, similar to what we here at the Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana will be doing on Monday evening at Golden Corral on Lima Road in Fort Wayne at 6 PM, and later two weeks down the road at the State Convention as well. This jockeying for position and posture in a starting gate piled so high, it almost becomes impossible to manage when the candidates start chewing on each others feed bags, to try and find something good to use against each other, finally came to a butting head this last week.

Gina Burgess, whom has been spotlighted here before in a more positive light and has been an encouragement to the Party previously, filed a questionably huge complaint against 27 fellow Municipal Elections candidates with the Allen County Election Board for fraudulent filing of particular CFA documents (PDF 8 Pages). After I made the initial accusation of her actions being that of a Ballot Proxy War she responded and posted the above linked WANE News Channel 15 story as well as two personal Facebook post explaining her actions and commenting on the fallout the day after.

drawn by John Cox
written by Allen Forkum
circa 2003

IMHO what makes this a ballot proxy war - and not just a concerned candidate with standing filing in support of another candidate already disenfranchised by the ACEB - is that said candidate is holding the ACEB by the balls and all the other candidates by the throat by stipulating recension of said 40+ complaints if original disenfranchisement is resolved prior to the day of common selection by Primary Voters, that technically qualifies as blackmail even intimidation, even though there were already stipulated conflicts of interest by the Judge whom recused himself on grounds and pushed the hearing date back a week.

""... But, Burgess said the Allen County Election Board mishandled complaints filed within that deadline by Democratic mayoral candidate David Roach. The board held a hearing on February 18 in which it did take one candidate off the ballot and dismissed the rest of the complaints. Roach is now appealing in court. On Facebook, Burgess wrote to the board, “if you are willing to engage and settle the matter of Roach v ACEB before the primary” then she would drop her complaints against the 27 candidates.

“I’m willing to withdraw them even though they are valid because I believe the Election Board will be more vigilant in the future, but this other case needs to stop being in legal limbo and needs to move on,” Burgess said.

Downs was at the hearing for Roach’s complaints and said he thinks the board did take them seriously.

“[Roach] did himself some damage by saying he looked for evidence and couldn’t find any, but you should keep looking. I can make that same claim about anybody, and that’s not a credible reason to investigate,” Downs said. .....""

Does the ACEB need overhauled? Yes a long time ago.

But filing as a threat to warrant an untimely outcome in a separate case and also questionable due process is my concern and should be every other Citizens as well. Gina, you should have either a. not dangled the carrot of recension or b. waited til after the Primary and filed direct charges of perjury. Sometimes you just got start smacking a mule across the head to get it to budge they dont like eating their vegetables either. In other words, the proper action would have been a Writ of Mandamus against the ACEB; instead you put the ACEB against everyone else on a respective hunch in some cases and in others still questionable concerns.

Hoosier Pride!

There has always been some bias against Hoosiers. Many Hoosiers claim to be born that way, but conservatives and liberals insist that it is a lifestyle choice. In fact, there are “recovering Hoosiers” in 49 states. The federal government requires Hoosiers to carry ID cards that identify ourselves as such when we try to board a plane. But you don’t see Muslims having to carry Muslim ID cards or Christians having to carry Christian ID cards. It’s like we are being singled out.

There are many stereotypes about Hoosiers. Outsiders think we all wear plaid or Ed Hardy shirts. They think we all work on farms, or at least use that as a cover story when we try to buy anhydrous ammonia and a suitcase full of pseudoephedrine. They think of Hoosiers as people who put Confederate flags on their Ford pickup trucks even though Indiana is a northern state and everyone knows that General Lee and Jeff Davis were diehard Chevy owners.

There are many subcultures within Hoosier subculture. There are folks up in Noble County who “warsh” their dishes. There is Harrison County where people talk like Dukes of Hazzard characters. And there is Lake County, a foul abomination that should be given back to the British. I happen to be a “metro-Hoosier”. I can usually pass for a non-Hoosier while on the East Coast unless I slip up and try to order a pop at a restaurant.

Hoosiers are very spiritually diverse. We worship deities like Jesus, Yahweh, and He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Yet many of us have concerns about RFRA. Specifically, many of us are concerned that Bill Belichick might claim that his Sith religious beliefs are protected when he chokes people to death from 10 feet away in Lucas Oil Stadium. (The NFL needs to start testing for midichloridians. And there is good in you yet, Tom Brady. I can feel it.)

This may be Indiana, but it’s still America. And I hope that everyone else will accept us for who we are. At least we deserve more tolerance than what George Takei has for theTwilight Series. And when I think of rednecks and homophobes, I think of Kid Rock and Eminem. And those guys are from Michigan. So there.