So on with the “Merry Christmas’” and caroling and the cookies and milk for Santa!

BTW that fundy cult you were raised in sounds a lot like the one I was raised in.

And that’s why they’re ripe for reform. They currently have their nose so far up the ass of the religious right they can’t remove it without losing face. But if they have the courage to do so, if they have the balls to return to the solid principles of the original Republican party, and if they can adopt a small L libertarian approach to government, they can be bigger than ever. If not, they’re just going to languish.

Somehow someway there needs to be a way to remove these barriers that have been put up to block 3rd party candidates.

That’s never going to happen. The only people who can remove those barriers are the same ones who put them up, and they have no incentive to make it a more fair fight.

Can the same be said of cocaine, marijuana, speed, acid, meth, etc?

Yes. Millions of people live full, productive lives and occasionally dabble in illegal drugs. I’d much rather deal with someone on pot or acid than a belligerent drunk. As the great philosopher Bill Hicks said, ” I have never seen two people on pot get in a fight because it is fucking IMPOSSIBLE.” Same with someone on acid. Coke heads and speed freaks are merely annoying, unless they combine it with booze. The amount of damage they cause “society” is minuscule compared to the damage done by the War on Some Drugs. And it would be even less if they were legal, because most of the trouble comes from their illegality.

Nothing causes more social problems than the drug alcohol. Nothing even comes close. But when was the last time you heard of a wino killing someone to take their wallet? They don’t have to, because it’s cheap. When was the last time you heard of screaming police breaking down someone’s door and shooting innocent people because they got an anonymous tip that someone had a bottle of Jack Daniels in there? It doesn’t happen, because it’s legal.

As for people who do go out whacked enough to be a danger, that happens now, with it being illegal. Why would it happen any more if it were legal? Most people would be happy to get quietly high at home, and for the few who don’t, we have legal remedies to deal with them.

I suspect you may have bought into the idea that if drugs were legal a huge percentage of the population would instantly become druggies. But if heroin were to suddenly be available over the counter, in clean needles pre-filled with the unadulterated drug, available for just a few bucks, would you buy it, and use it? How about cocaine? Would you?

Me neither. Neither would most people. The people who would are already getting the stuff illegally. They will continue to get it illegally, putting themselves, and innocent bystanders like you and me, in far greater danger than if they could just get their fix without hassle or enormous expense. We might have to ignore a few more panhandlers, but I’d rather have that then a SWAT team mistakenly breaking down my door, or your door, shooting our dogs (they always shoot the dogs) and possibly killing one of us.

The drug war is destroying our freedom, jamming our prisons, getting innocent people killed, and after fifty years the government is still losing. How much longer are we going to be this insane about it?

I know I don’t have the full solution, just some ideas. I think rehab, rather than jail could help reduce the demand.

I have to take issue with your statement that drugs are harmful to individuals. I believe this is a gross understatement. Drugs are harmful to society. People don’t do drugs in the privacy of their home and then wait for the high to wear off before going out into the general population.

Alcohol is a drug that can be safely used in moderation by most people. Some people have a problem with it and put others in danger in the process, but most don’t.

Can the same be said of cocaine, marijuana, speed, acid, meth, etc? I don’t think so. Then, those people put the rest of us in danger when they are in their drug altered state.

Their content is usually entertaining (though, ultimately, not very useful). But I wasn’t addressing their content, just their (lack of) design sense.

Tabz, do you actuality like their design? Especially for this issue?

Well we had a Republican during the last round of elections that fit the bill almost perfectly and the media made him into a joke. Funny how they refer to him now that most of his predictions come true. I swear I see more of Ron Paul now than I did during the election. If given the chance he could have achieved similar cult status like Obama has. Too bad the media, the real problem here, has too much influence in the election process.

I have agree with your 3 points but I don’t see the Republican party moving in the “right” direction due to specifically the religious right. The religious right has moved the Republican party in a direction similar to the way the Far Left has moved the democratic party but their message seems to appeal more to the common uneducated American.

I think the real priority is to figure out a way to re-educate and educate people to see the truth behind the democrat/socialist party. How do you convince people that the path of least resistance is not the best way to flow in this circumstance and that freedom is a constant uphill battle that needs to have constant attention.

Ultimately there is now a large hole in the republican party that needs to be filled but I am afraid that the religious right has more power and money to fill that up before anybody else can. I guess this is why I cling to the Libertarian Party even though I know it is a lost cause.

To your 2nd point though I think this is a fight that should be fought and needs to be addressed. Somehow someway there needs to be a way to remove these barriers that have been put up to block 3rd party candidates.

Yes, drug use can be damaging to individuals. But the War on Some Drugs is far more damaging to our entire society. It has been used to nullify the fourth amendment, resulted in innocents being murdered (often by the police), made corruption endemic, and in the whole process, done nothing to reduce the supply of drugs. It can’t, because the laws of economics are as immutable as the laws of physics, and they say there will always be a supply.

I am not for legalizing drugs because they are inherently harmful and dangerous. I don’t believe in the term “recreational drug use”. How you got the false impression that I don’t want to prosecute drug dealers.

However, it’s not inconsistent to disagree with the way we are running the “war on drugs”. I think there needs to be more emphasis on rehab not jail time for users. There should be more targeting of the manufacturing and distribution of the drugs.

If it really is a “war on drugs” why isn’t it being handled like the “war on terror”? Take the fight to the countries that produce the drugs. Reduce the supply of drugs.

Three reasons.

1) The Libertarian Party is a joke. They’ve been around for 30+ years and have accomplished approximately nothing. Big L Libertarianism is often impractical. When it isn’t, it’s an impossible sell to general public. Small L libertarianism, which is eschewed by the Big Ls, is both practical and something the general public can get behind.

2) The existing parties have made it virtually impossible for any third party to get any traction. Taking over an existing party has a chance for success. Creating a viable third party doesn’t.

3) The mass media, who loves the status quo (the laws and restrictions protect them from much competition) refuse to pay serious attention to third parties. A takeover of an existing party, though, would generate lots of media attention.

Your points at the end are right on. The abortion issue is done with. Sorry but if a woman wants to kill her unborn, I am glad that child does not have to come into this world and be raised by someone who never wanted them. That is not a REP vs DEM issue.

The Over-60 crowd of old-style, self-hating gays who will help root out the commies!

They’re called the Log Cabin Republicans, although they’re not all over 60. This strikes me as both moronic and oxymoronic. It’s like Atheists For Christ or The Black Klansmen.