A conservative, a libertarian, and two beers
Posted in Liberty's Friend by R Lee Wrights on March 31st, 2008 by Jessica Peck Corry
Last night in a crowded bar in Denver, an unlikely thing happened. A leading conservative sat down with a libertarian Republican to begin building a bridge toward a united future.
The duo, Jim Pfaff and Sean Duffy, represented opposite ends of the debate on one of 2006’s most contentious ballot issues - the ill-fated Referendum I that sought to strengthen legal rights and protections for same-sex partners. Duffy was the public relations guru behind the campaign, representing lead backer and libertarian Democratic millionaire Tim Gill. Pfaff, president and CEO of the Colorado Family Institute, served as the effort’s lead opponent.
Duffy calls himself a “pro-life, pro-gay” Republican, jokingly claiming that he’s been kicked out of the Republican Party multiple times only to come back for more abuse. You may remember him as the right-hand man of former Gov. Bill Owens, a conservative Republican. “At the end of the day, as Republicans, we should all just want the government to leave us alone,” he told me.
And Pfaff, while frequently identified by his ties to Focus On The Family’s Dr. James Dobson and his commitment to “life” issues, says he wants to work with Duffy and other libertarian Republicans to begin rebuilding the Republican Party in the West after years of Democratic gains. In the last few years alone, five traditionally Republican Western states have elected Democratic governors. Pfaff is passionately eager to work through differences because he says he wouldn’t want to live in a pro-life socialist America. Socialism, he says, ultimately leads to a loss of all freedoms.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today is calling for an independent investigation of an in-flight discharge of a pistol carried by an armed U.S. Airways pilot to prevent any whitewashing, cover-up or scapegoating in the incident.
Tragedy struck here in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this week when one Joann Zansky was cheated out of $5400.00. The trouble began when Ms. Zansky complained to her psychic that she was overcome with bad feelings. The psychic prescribed three magic wands at a price of $1800.00 each. These wands were guaranteed to remove bad feelings. Two weeks after purchasing the wands, Ms. Zansky found that the bad feelings not only remained, but also began to think she may have been swindled. She promptly contacted the Bethlehem police department and spoke to Lt. Robert Righi who thinks this may possibly be an act of consumer fraud. I definitely think the police should be involved in this case. I think they should arrest Ms. Zansky for stupidity.
“Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions.”
Move over, Miss Manners, politicians want to start correcting people’s rude behavior - at least when it comes to talking on a cell phone.
Mark Lerner is on the road nearly every moment he can find the money. His time is spent in appointments with legislators, sitting down with them to discuss the Real ID. When Mark starts talking they are polite, but not particularly interested. They think they know what the Real ID is about. But when Mark is finished they are worried and asking questions. Mark is the whistle-blower who brought the fraud by biometrics companies to the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission only to be ignored for nearly two years before he went public. The silence from the SEC continues today. Mark is no longer silent. He is desperate to stop the Real ID because its implementation will hand over the most personal information and the biometrics of all Americans to the use of corporations and governments globally.
A number of politicians have recently said publicly that if government doesn’t tackle this issue or other, the American people will “lose faith” in the system. A number of times it has been used to refer to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome’s decision to allow gay marriages. The law, whether it is right or wrong, must be enforced. If not, the people will loose “faith” in the system.
Libertarian Presidential candidate George Phillies today urged simple steps to reduce the cost of medical insurance. “There are no magic cures,” Phillies said. “I am proposing Libertarian improvements in our medical care system. These are changes Americans will actually accept and implement now. Once Americans see these changes work, they will be more ready to trust more radical Libertarian proposals.
From time-to-time I like to write about psychological theories and the relevance that these theories have to the Liberty movement. It is very important for those of us within the movement to take these theories into account when talking to new recruits or planning strategy. In this essay I would like to discuss Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Basically, Maslow said that human needs are prioritized, and lower priority needs must be satisfied before moving to a higher need. He also thought that everyone had one need that was predominant at any given time.
If you rely on traditional media outlets or government spokesmen to get the news, the chances are good that you’re confused. From the government and conservative media, we hear what a success the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are; from the liberal and libertarian media, we hear of ongoing opposition to our very presence in these countries. From conservative sources, we hear that basic scientific principles such as evolution are in serious question; from the traditionally more liberal academic community, we hear precisely the opposite.
