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Terry’s Tidbits

December 19, 2005

Terry Gray

Strider1@insightbb.com

Libertarian News

          Several Libertarians met on Friday at the Louisville Board of Elections and registered to vote and run for office as Libertarians – not independents.  We still do not have equal ballot access, but now the Libertarian party is officially recognized by the state. 

          If you are an independent or a disenchanted Democrat or Republican and would like to become part of a fast growing, freedom loving political party, please register as a Libertarian. 

          We expect great things from our Kentucky Libertarian Party.  The coming few years should see real inroads into turning our country from a ego-maniacal two party system bent on ruling our citizens, to a 3 party system giving freedom loving Americans  real choices and  real voices.

Growing Hypocrisy

          Scott Company, maker of Miracle Grow, has decided to take the Nazi road with its employees.  Scott plans to fire workers who smoke – even at home.  They want to healthy up their employees --  and what a great way to do it.  Maybe next they’ll want to stop their employees from drinking, or even fire someone for not wearing his seatbelt while driving to Wal-Mart, or for eating bacon. 

          Four years ago, at least 5 of Scott’s employees died of a rare form of cancer associated with Tremolite, an asbestos.  They inhaled the Tremolite while working with Vermiculite at Scott.  Since that time, dozens of employees have had to go on workers’ compensation for illness associated with asbestos.  And if that isn’t enough, the EPA has a thick file on Scott.  There are alarming levels of pesticides and herbicides leaking from Scott’s landfills into a creek that is a tributary to the Scioto River, a source of drinking water for the residents of Columbus, Ohio.

          I have no problem with Scott, a private company in free-enterprise America, hiring and firing as they see fit.  That is one of the benefits of owning a company, or should be.  What I do have a problem with is that I see this as an attempt to put a bandage on their real problems by blaming tobacco for their woes.  Tobacco and smoking have been blamed for everything from solar flares to ingrown toenails.  Blaming tobacco is socially acceptable and politically correct, and advocates of anti-smoking regulation will crawl out from under their rocks and applaud Scott for doing the right thing – once again covering up the true culprits in the poisoning of America.

          Will anti-smoking advocates still buy and use Scott products containing asbestos?  Likely, yes.  Anti-smoking zealots seem to hover around the idea that if they can just stay away from evil tobacco smoke they will live forever.  I hope not.

Our Constitution

          Discrimination – the scourge of today.  All around me I heard people lament that our constitution forbids discrimination.  All around me I see discrimination, brought on by those screaming to do away with discrimination.  Forgive them; they know not where there brains are.

          The Constitution of the United States of America does not call for freedom from discrimination between free Americans.  It calls for freedom from discrimination by the government against its people and then only in a few situations.

          While our government and our courts legislate to protect Joe from discrimination in the workplace, those owning the workplace are discriminated against by the laws that attempt to save Joe from discrimination.  Egad!  At that point Joe is on the crap list of the folks who were forced to give up their rights to save Joe’s.

          This whole ideology is one perpetrated by those who would like the authority to tell everyone what to do.  It is supported by our government simply because it allows the government to meddle in our lives, empowering them to make decisions for us.

          If you’ll read your Bill of Rights, you’ll find that those rules are meant to protect us from government, not from each other.  So many people stand up and say, “It is my right to…”  It very well may be their right to…but their right extends only as far as the next person’s rights.  These “rights screamers” don’t know their Bill of Rights, nor do they understand the purpose of those rights.  They invariably scream for the government to stop Willie from smoking because it violates their right to clean air.  This example can be applied to most things.  In most cases, a person’s rights are violated because he refuses to take responsibility for removing himself from situations that allow the violation.  In essence, his God given rights may be violated, but, in the end, he put himself in a place to let it happen.  He has a choice, also a God given right, yet he chooses to reach into someone else’s rights basket, as opposed to securing his own rights by taking self-responsibility.  Now stop it.

Iraqi Comfort

          President Bush made a couple of comments in his recent series of meanderings that bother me.  The odd part about those statements is that he quoted Lieberman when he made them.

          He said that Lieberman said that Iraqis are now shopping without fear.  Great.  So while they are shopping without fear, our troops are losing their lives.  Bush said that Lieberman said that there are a lot of new satellite dishes on Iraqi homes.  Fantastic.  So while Iraqis are shopping without fear and watching satellite television, our troops are losing their lives.

          Bush says that these things indicate progress.  I want to know who is defining progress.  And please Bush, quit using the term democracy in place of freedom.  Democracy is not a freedom loving form of government.  Democratic tyranny would be more appropriate.

          Secretary of War Ronald Dumbsfeld, when he was asked a question recently, said that he wouldn’t speak about this of which he knew nothing.  Then he blankly fell silent.

Aaron Hardin

          I have something to say to Aaron Hardin’s father.  Mr. Hardin said that his son should be given another chance after murdering his brother because Aaron was depressed and the state didn’t provide the medicine he needed to make him better.

          Mr. Hardin, first of all, the taxpayers of Kentucky didn’t make your son depressed.  We are not responsible for his illness or his cure.  Secondly, look around your house and tell me how many comfort “things” you own.  When you start crying that the state owes your son the treatment he needs to fix his depression, I want you to put a dollar value on all the things that you own that you don’t have to have in order to live.

          You could have eaten beans and rice and sold everything that wasn’t a necessity and gotten treatment for your son.  You could have worked two jobs and taken the responsibility for your son - you brought him into this world.  Aaron killed his brother over a video game, yet another item that you didn’t need in order to live.  Aaron’s brother didn’t need that game to live either.  You, not the state, wasted both of your sons.

Merry Christmas

          A buddy of mine was getting ready to send out Christmas cards for his company.  He had several books with various cards in them and was trying to decide which to buy.  Every card he liked said “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”.  He was a little irritated by this but he blew his stack when he saw one that said “Feliz Navidad”. 

          My friend asked me a question that I couldn’t answer.  Why is it okay to say “Happy Christmas” in Spanish but not in English?   MERRY CHRISTMAS. 

Free New Year’s Eve Party

          Attention Mayor Jerry and local news people:  Nothing is free. 

So that kids can go out on New Year’s Eve, an historically adult holiday, Jerry is touting the New Year’s Eve family friendly gala as free.  He and the local news slayers are saying that because $20,000 was allocated in the budget for this party, then it is free.  Next year it will probably be $30,000 and free then, too.

          Look, dummies, taxpayers paid for this party – IT IS NOT FREE.

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