Not So Famous…

For those of you who have never been to a highland games, essentially it’s an excuse to have a giant party with Whisky (the ‘e’ does not exist in Scotch Whisky), beer, Scottish-like food, and a chance to wear the kilt.

Oh, I know…there are some weird events that happen and are peculiar to Scottish culture, like the caber-toss, highland dancing, etc.  These events are always interesting, to be sure, but having immersed myself in the Scottish culture as I have, even travelling to Scotland with my wife for 3 weeks, I feel I can safely say that it’s a party.  Another name for a Scottish Highland Games is the Gathering of the Clans, and perhaps this shows even more the focus of these great events.

With some exceptions, to be sure, the Scottish people are a social people. The Scots would see themselves as normal, but it’s all relative.  Let’s remember that the Scots fought a technologically and politically superior country for many years to preserve the Clan system. The word “clan”, itself, means “children” in Scottish Gaelic. While clans were ostensibly related, the protection of the clan chief extended over septs or related families, who were not really related by blood, but rather ties of marriage, treaties and agreements. Gatherings to the Scottish people, who were often separated from family by mountain ranges, glens, and lochs, were what made life worth living. Friends were family, and family was everything.

These events in the US are sort of niche events.  People get together to talk about their love of all things Scottish, wear the kilt, speak in bad Scottsh accents (and some good), and enjoy Celtic music. It’s a party celebrating Scottish culture, and I’m going to be near Santa Cruz this weekend indulging myself in good food, good beer, and wearing a kilt!

A band from Newfoundland called Great Big Sea wrote a song about the parties of the Celtic-influenced people.  Tell me this doesn’t sound like a blast!  It’s getting me in the mood for this weekend!!!

Well come gather all around me
There is something you should know
There is no place quite like this place
If we get it on the go

So, pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door
There’s thirty people in the kitchen
And there’s always room for more

Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let’s lock the world outside
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
She’s goin’ up tonight!

Well there’ll be music all around you
You should see the way it feels
So come on off we go now
Heel and toe now
To the jigs and reels

‘Cause somebody’s got a fiddle
And someone else brought a guitar
And we got Bobby on the squeezebox
Grab a chair and raise a jar!

Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let’s lock the world outside
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
She’s goin’ up tonight

Well there’ll be smilin’, there’ll be laughin’
Well that’s good enough for me
There’ll be dancing all around you
This is where you want to be

So, pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door
There’s thirty people in the kitchen
And there’s always room, yes there’s always room…

Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let’s lock the world outside
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
She’s goin’ up tonight!” – “Goin’ Up” by Great Big Sea

Maddox grunted as the padded sword collided with his ribcage.  He slid to his knees, sweat pouring off his face. His opponent spoke with scorn.

“You fight like a fool in motley, Maddox.  Did Captain Jael take your manhood as well as your sword hand?”  Maddox mumbled as he pushed himself up from the ground.

“Daggar…the Awesome.  He’s gonna pay if it’s the….”

“Quit your mumbling, you fool.  Daggar did not take your hand.  Daggar did not unman you! The Ravagers strike like the wind.  They take what they need, and they’re gone before anyone notices they’ve been plundered! You were caught gloating over your success in that Inn.  It is a mistake for a new recruit…not a proven man of The Ravagers!”

“But I…” Maddox’s opponent drew his dagger and flipped it up, catching Maddox under the chin and cutting him before he could even think to move his clumsy, new sword arm up to block the swipe.

“…You make excuses for yourself, fool. Were you caught?  Yes.  Should you have been?  No.  You’ll think twice next time.  Were you unaware that the Whistling Pig was mere feet from the garrison? Then it’s your fault for being unaware of your surroundings! Did you not know how much time had elapsed from the time the tavern cleared out?  Then it’s your fault for being ignorant of the passage of time! Take your revenge on Daggar, if you like.  Revenge is the bread and butter of The Ravagers, fool! But if I hear you blame Daggar one more time for the loss of your sword hand, I’ll take the other bloody one! Now lift your sword and prepare to defend yourself!”

“Yes Dondarron!”  Maddox threw himself into his re-training with his entire being. It truly was an honor to be re-trained by Dondarron Ravager, himself. Dondarron was but a teen when he founded The Ravagers in Arz and began to strike fear into the hearts of the people of the Eder Soult. He was still in his prime these days, and took it upon himself to train new recruits to the evil organization. However, there were always more recruits than Dondarron could handle. Thus, training with Dondarron Ravager was something akin to officer training; a fast track to promotion in The Ravagers. However, Maddox had come to expect such treatment from Dondarron.

While Maddox appeared to agree with Dondarron Ravager for the moment, he knew it really was Daggar who had caused this all to happen to him. He hadn’t started the bar fight.  He had only defended himself. He just couldn’t understand why Kamaer Jael had sided with that fool, Daggar. There was a moment in that courtroom, while Daggar was speaking, where Maddox had actually been inclined to agree with him! There had to be some sort of magic at work. Daggar only confirmed this when, as he walked out of the courtroom with Maddox’s map, he dropped a wink.  It was as if he were saying that he, Daggar the Awesome,  orchestrated all of this to cause Maddox to lose his hand. Dondarron Ravager brought him back to the present by abruptly halting his attack.

“Maddox, my son, if you’re not going to pay attention to the training, I’m not going to waste my time.  I know you’re in pain.” Maddox moved to object, but Ravager forestalled him. “…Oh, I know.  It’s not physical pain. You’re well past that, my leeches tell me. And don’t think Jael won’t pay for denying you even a cleric of Benyar to clean your stump. No, lad, the pain you feel is the pain of a lost loved one. We rogues love our swords…we love our ability to take life.  Well, son, I’m here to give you that skill again. However, know this: I did not rescue you from that shopkeeper in Arz simply to have you unmanned when you suffer the fate so common to our brethren.” This man who had taken the place of Maddox’s father was a different person when he was not training his students, especially toward Maddox. This shift in demeanor and warmth was not uncommon.

“I have spoken with my contacts in the Arz Shadow Guild, and they have confirmed that a halfling thief matching the description of he who stole that map from you in Farzy showed up in Arz this week for training. They did a bit of searching and found Daggar at a nearby Kobar, studying to become a better fighter.  Now…” Maddox forgot himself in his rage.

“Sir!  You must instruct them to…” Dondarron Ravager was having none of Maddox’s insolence, however, and shoved him, causing him to try to catch himself with his stump and subsequently falling to his knees in pain. He put a hand on Maddox’s shoulder, and looked at him fiercely with his black eyes.

“Maddox, I ‘must’ do nothing of the sort.  My contacts in the Shadow Guild are of an informative sort.  I help support their guild, but they will take no actions on my behalf. What’s more, you are currently no match for even the mage that traveled with them at one time.  Now, it appears the cleric of Thor and the mage have parted company, but Daggar and the thief have been making noises that they are looking for buyers for magical items as well as hirelings: a map-monkey and a MICHARU. Wherever they’ve been, it looks like they’ll be going back.  You, however, will not leave this facility until you are ready, and I will be the judge of that.  So rest now, but be prepared to start your training in earnest again tomorrow. Good night.”

“Good night, sir.” Maddox was thought of as a son by Dondarron Ravager, but it was hard for him to see Ravager as anything other than a beloved commander. His own father had beat him both senseless and senselessly. Maddox refused to have a father. But he would continue his re-training on the morrow, and he would make fast progress…

…because he knew exactly where Daggar the Jackass, and the thief would be in a couple weeks, and he intended to meet them there.

This post is WAY late. I meant to have something typed up the day after the concert, and I had every intention of doing so.  However, the concert was the 12th of September, and here it is, 9/23/08, and I’m still thinking about what I’m going to write. So here it is.  I’m sure some of the details will be fuzzy…it happened over a week ago.

The Food, Buffalo Bill’s Brewing Company:

Buffalo Bill’s is well-known for their fruit/beer infusions. I know many of my readers are not fans of fruit beers, and in some cases, I agree.  At one time I was quite fond of Pyramid’s Apricot Ale, but the last few times I have had that beer, I’ve noticed that the Apricot is huge in the nose, but not so much in the taste.  In addition, the actual beer flavor is weak in this ale, probably to avoid trampling the fruit flavor.  (For what it’s worth, I recently noticed that Pyramid has changed the name from Apricot Ale to Apricot Weizen.  It’s probably a wise move given that Weizen (wheat) most accurately describes the beer.  While wheat beers are technically ales, the flavor profiles of these beers are so different from ales, they really ought to be separately classified.)

The reason fruit and beer are so hard to mix is understandable, to be honest. Fruit extract or pulp, when boiled, loses a great deal of its flavor and aroma.  The delicate flavors that we associate with fruit do not make it through the brewing process unscathed.  In addition, fruit pulp added post-boil introduces a HUGE potential for bacterial infection.  It’s a scary thought to add something after the boil that has not been properly sanitized.  So, successful fruit beers are all the more impressive when they’ve managed to make a good BEER flavor meld with a good FRUIT flavor.  There are some beers that have done it.  Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is one.  However, most of the others come from the Buffalo Bill’s Brewery.

Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Ale is really a stellar combination of fruit aroma, flavor, and beer.  I would never choose it above a regular decent ale, but it’s a good mashup.  Their Pumpkin Ale I was not all that impressed with, but I bet I give it a whirl again this Thanksgiving.  However, their Blueberry Stout is one of the most wonderful beers I’ve ever had the immense pleasure of tasting! It occurs to me that I’ve rambled about beers enough, but you ought to know that Buffalo Bill’s is one of the best brewerys I’ve ever visited, and that’s saying a great deal.

Gabe and I always get the Bill’s Burger with Bleu Cheese and Avocado when we’re at Bill’s. Seriously great burger.  The Ciabatta roll on which it’s served only adds to the beefy, rich goodness that is this burger. And with the Blue Cheese??  Man, if you’ve not had bleu cheese on a burger, you’re really missing out.  I don’t like plain bleu cheese.  The flavor profile is way too strong for me.  But the velvety and tangy mouthfeel it adds when on a burger is really something, and Bill’s does it to perfection.  Get one….now.

This trip, however, we had something interesting.  I’m a fan of the poppers.  I get them almost everywhere that has them.  They’re not USUALLY too terribly spicy, and I love that cheese.  So when I saw that Bill’s had some good poppers, I decided to order us a platter.  Man…………….I almost died from the awesomeness.  I don’t know what Bill’s breads their poppers with, but it’s some sort of dough.  Bill’s menu says “flakey, golden-brown crust”.  It’s definitely flakey, resembling Phyllo dough, pie crust or puff pastry. They’ve had an egg-wash brushed on it, and they’ve been baked, and my gosh….It was a taste sensation that could sweep the nation!

Finally, because I can’t NOT say anything about this, I had a couple different beers. I almost always open the evening with their Johnny MIdnite’s Oatmeal Stout.  An excellent example of the stout style, having one of these babies is like seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time.

I had a Tazmanian Devil, which is considered a Strong Ale, and it sure seemed that way! Malty goodness abounds here.

I had a Ricochet Red, which was your traditional copper ale.  Nicely malted and hopped, this one has the best of both worlds.  Less alcohol, to be sure, than the Tazmanian Devil above.

Finally, I closed the evening with an Alimony Ale, which is known as “Irreconcilably different.”  Also known as the bitterest beer in America.  I’ll leave the final comments here to Gabe.

It was a great meal, and we had a lot of fun.

The Drive, a.k.a. WHY I HATE THE BAY AREA!!!!:

Yeah, so we got lost.  Who cares?  John betrayed us again, and took FOREVER to find the satellites.  (John is John Cleese, and he’s the celebrity voice of my GPS Navigator.)  So we had a hard time finding the freeway, and even once John FOUND the dang freeway, the exits were so close together that we ended up missing a turn while in S.F. and had to double back.  I hate driving in the Bay Area.

The Music, Sonata Arctica and Nightwish:

Sonata Arctica is a pretty darn good epic metal band.  Their keyboardist plays a pretty cool guitar-style keyboard, and they sounded good.  I don’t know their songs, though, so I couldn’t tell you what they played.  If you get a chance to listen to them, I think they’re worth it, even though they’re not fronted by a female.  :)

Nightwish rocked the hizzouse, as usual. One thing I remember about this show is the individual personalities that come out in their shows.  Each member of Nightwish is practically a show in and unto themselves! I could watch a single member for an entire show, and then go back and watch the show again to see another member the whole time. They somehow manage to fuse their sounds and individualities together to form one of the raddest bands of all time. My favorite to watch is Emppu.  Whether he’s flashing the horns to Anette DURING one of his solos, (  \m/  ), nodding to an audience member indicating the radness of his sound, or tugging on Marco’s rockin’ goatee to the rhythm of the chunky guitar riffs, Emppu is a lot of fun to watch.  Imagine if Lucius Malfoy were to form a rockin’ band….minus the evil inclinations, of course.

Another thing I noticed was Anette’s calming influence on the guys.  Sometimes, when she wasn’t going to be singing for a little while, she’d go offstage.  Normally, it’s not my favorite thing, as I think the frontman/lady is an important part of the visual appeal of the show.  However, when Anette walks offstage, it’s like she’s giving the guys free reign to just thrash their heads off. When she walks onstage and starts singing, though, it’s like a balm of tranquility (to a certain extent) has washed over the guys.  Like they tend toward absolute chaos, and she keeps them from toppling into the gaping maw of anarchy. It’s a great aspect to the show.  She’s so cute and feminine, and she seems to really love the other guys, who seem more raw and untamed.  At one point, Tuomas came out from behind his keyboards and gave her a big hug, she hugged Marco, and I think she might have even hugged Emppu.  From what I heard of the guys’ lack of interactions with Tarja, I think this is a welcome aspect to their shows, and really helps us to see how much they love making music together!

They played a bunch of songs, and I’m sure I’d have missed a bunch of them, so I got them off of the journal of someone else who was there.  :)

Bye Bye Beautiful
Dark Chest of Wonders
The Siren
Dead to the World
Amaranth
Come Cover Me
The Islander
The Poet and the Pendulum
Whoever Brings the Night
Wishmaster
Sahara

Then they went offstage, like they were done.  Of course, we all chanted our lungs out, and they came back.  :)

Higher Than Hope
7 Days to the Wolves
I Wish I Had an Angel

It really was a ROCKIN’ concert.  They are one of my top 5 bands, easily, and if you EVER get the chance to see them, it’s worth whatever drive or hardship you need to overcome to make it.  :)

edit: For an excellent play-by-play of the show, check out this blog entry.  She also took pics and video!  :)  http://www.lastfm.pl/user/jukkakhan/journal/2008/09/14/25xbct_concert_journal:_nightwish_-_san_francisco_-_september_12th,_2008

“How could he know
This new dawn’s light
Would change his life forever?

Set sail to sea,
But pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure

Was he the one causing pain
With his careless dreaming?
Been afraid
Always afraid
Of the things he’s feeling

He could just be gone
He would just sail on
He’ll just sail on

How can I be lost,
If I’ve got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold.
How come it’s got so cold?

How can I be lost?
In remembrance I relive.
And how can I blame you,
When it’s me I can’t forgive?

These days drift on
Inside a fog
It’s thick and suffocating.

His sinking life
Outside it’s hell
Inside, intoxication

He’s run aground
Like his life.
Water much too shallow.

Slipping fast.
Down with his ship.
Fading in the shadows.

Now a castaway.
They’ve all gone away.
They’ve gone away.

How can I be lost
If I’ve got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold.
How come it’s got so cold?

How can I be lost?
In remembrance I relive.
And how can I blame you
When it’s me I can’t forgive?

Forgive me
Forgive me not
Forgive me
Forgive me not
Forgive me
Forgive me not
Forgive me
Forgive me
Why can’t I forgive me?

Set sail to sea,
But pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure.

How could he know
This new dawn’s light
Would change his life forever?

How can I be lost,
If I’ve got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold
How come it’s got so cold?

How can I be lost?
In remembrance I relive.
So how can I blame you
When it’s me I can’t forgive?”- Unforgiven III, Metallica

I’m sure some of you have noticed the banners and signs on my blog.  If I had the cash right now, I’d have the same signs in my lawn, though we’re often parked in front of that space.  Since this is my largest forum, I’d like to say here, I am voting for Bob Barr for President in 2008.

I am not voting Barr because my vote is wasted in California anyway.  (Obama will take California’s electoral votes, I have no doubt.)  I am voting for Barr because Barr would make the best President of the United States of America.  I am voting for Barr because of a quote I saw by John Quincy Adams:

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” – John Quincy Adams.

Oh, you’ve never heard of Bob Barr?  It’s not surprising, really.  The Republican and Democrat parties are VERY keen on ensuring that the only candidates you ever hear about are their candidates.  It’s easier for Obama if he only has to campaign against McCain.  It’s much easier for McCain if he only has to pay for political attack ads against Obama.  (Of course, if each of them are campaigning against the other, who is campaigning for them??)  It is easier if the Demicans and Republicrats have to fight a war only on one front.  Thus, regardless of the fact that it is the PEOPLE who decide who becomes the President, the Democrats and Republicans have ensured that you feel you only have 2 “choices”.

Allow me to ask you this: Are you sick of being in Iraq?  Are you sick of beggaring our own people to prosecute a war that was NOT authorized by Congress.  (And I speak the truth…this war was not authorized by Congress.  They may have authorized troop surges, but they did NOT declare war.  And the President cannot declare war, regardless of what the Congress seems like it wants to delegate to him.)  Are you sick of our young men and women dying, while we continue to make enemies of the other countries in the region and around the world?  Are you sick of a “war” that has lasted for 7 years and has no real end in sight?  Oh, I know Bush is now reducing the troop levels.  Why?  What enormous victory have we won?  What has suddenly changed?  Did the “leaders” over there all of a sudden announce that they’re keen on Democracy, and that they now LOVE the US?  Why is he reducing troop movements NOW?  Could he be trying to recover some lost approval ratings?  Could it be that he wants to be remembered not only as the man who started the failed “War on Terror”, but also the man who helped end it?  Do we need these troops back so we can send them immediately to Georgia???  WHY?  Oh, I’m supposed to believe that all of a sudden, things are peachily, rosily, perfect over there now?  That all of a sudden, there’s peace in the Middle East?  With all due respect to my Commander-in-Chief, bullcrap.

Or, could it be that McCain is simply going to re-ramp the troop levels?  Invade Iran?  THAT will make lots of allies over there, sure.  That won’t strengthen their resolve to see us dead or anything, no….  Could it be that Bush knows that ultimately, this pulling of the troops back home is irrelevant, because McCain will just send them right back, or else to South Ossettia?  How about leaving the Middle East to their conflict, and instead, open the channels of true diplomacy?  Not isolationism, but non-interventionism!  Send ambassadors over there.  With peace, not guns. Go ahead….tell me it won’t work.  Tell me that non-interventionism caused the terrorists to attack us.  I’ll remind you that we were meddling in their affairs over there WELL before 9/11/2001!  Why do they want to see us dead?

And why do we have permanent troops with bases in WELL OVER 100 countries????  Why do we still have troops in GERMANY??  Did WWII never end, or am I missing something? Why are we meddling in every other nation’s affairs with our troops?  How is this NOT empire-building, people?  What business do we have telling Israel, Russia, or anyone else how to run their country?

And why the HECK are my taxes so high????  Why the heck do I have taxes, anyway?  To fund more failed social programs that private organizations could do better?  To fund our bases in more than 100 countries?  How many overinflated politicians’ salaries am I paying?  How much more spending do I have to do on the War on Drugs which has not lowered the drug usage in this country one iota???  In these anti-alcohol ads, anti-cigarette ads, which are jokes?  The best anti-smoking ad I’ve ever seen?  It was an ad where they were selling soda that had TONS more carbonation than the competition.  The soda, when opened, actually exploded soda into your face.  HILARIOUS!  Oh, and somewhere in there, they didn’t want you to smoke, either, yeah.  Whatever!  END THIS STUPID WAR ON DRUGS that has only forced drugs into a black market with hyperinflated prices that gain Colombian drug lords more and more money!  Tell a kid not to drink your soda, and what do you think he will do the moment you go out of the room?  Yeah.  I no longer want to pay for this crap!

And what have Republicans or Democrats done about our problems with illegal immigration, American empire building, high taxes, and helping the poor in the last….oh….MANY DECADES they’ve been in office?  Nothing.  Not a thing!

THAT is why I will no longer vote for the “lesser of two evils”.  You still end up being led by evil!  This is why I am doing what I can to let you all know that there are more than two choices.  YOU are not independent of a candidate’s chances.  You CREATE a candidate’s chances!  Sick of the two party system?  Me too.  I have an idea.  Let’s remember that our government derives its power to govern THROUGH US!  Let’s grow a pair and vote for the best candidate.  ALL OF YOU!  If you don’t agree with McCain on some policies, research Barr….Baldwin….SOMEONE ELSE!  If you find that you agree with them, then vote for them!

Let’s MAKE A SPLASH, people!  Let’s DO SOMETHING about our rage!  Republicans want to ignore the enumeration of powers as set forth in the Constitution?  Fine….let’s get them out of office.  Let’s create a world in which no candidate gets anywhere NEAR a simple majority of the votes.  And when we don’t win this year, as we likely won’t, let’s continue to campaign for the next 4 years and show them that we can continue to get the word out.  We can continue to awaken the sleepers who seem content to create a dictatorship using either the Republican party’s philosophy of big government and spending or the Democrat Party’s idea of the SAME THING!

Today, Ron Paul held a press conference where he encouraged the nation to look beyond the false choices of Democrat or Republican.  He stood beside Nader, Baldwin, and McKinney and encouraged all of us to vote for someone who represents our VALUES.  So you’re registered as a Democrat?  Are you fed up with Obama’s position shifting, and ignorance as to the divide he would create when he dissed Hillary Clinton?  Do something about it!  Vote for someone you believe in!  Vote Libertarian!  Let’s get government out of our lives…let’s let them know that we can no longer be forced to live a certain way by more and more laws!!!  Let’s vote for Liberty!!!!!!!

All I ask, people, is that you vote for a candidate with whom you agree!  Don’t make a false choice because you think you have to vote for a candidate who “stands a chance of winning”.  You’re CREATING that candidate’s chances!  You are ENSURING that no 3rd party has a chance of winning.  If you’re going to vote blindly for Obama or McCain simply because he’s better than the other guy, just don’t vote.  Let those of us who WANT a good candidate to win make the decision.

Because your “decision” is closer to apathy than not voting.

I am voting for Bob Barr because of what he stands for.  He is against illegal immigration, and wants to do something about it.  Heck, he can’t do LESS than the Republicans have!  He is against the Federal Reserve, which is creating inflation and these dangerous bubbles we keep hearing about.  The free market is not prone to bubbles or the bursting thereof. He is for privatizing health care.  The insurance situation in this country drives up prices and makes it impossible for someone to go to the doctor without it! Let’s flip the bird to the insurance companies and keep prices regulated by the free market and not ridiculous “cost sharing” plans who balk at paying up when their clients need it.  Barr is AGAINST the government spying on us using the Patriot Act.  Did you know the President has granted amnesty to telecommunications companies who provided YOUR information (their customers’ information) to the government without a warrant???  They denied us our due process, and when the lawsuits started coming, the government pardoned them!  That is unpardonable!!!  I have had my civil liberties violated PLENTY, THANK YOU! (Obama voted FOR the Patriot Act on 3/2/06, people!)

Whether you like Barr or Baldwin, or whomever, please vote your conscience, not because someone tells you that you only have 2 choices.  I am voting for Barr in 2008.

Edit: Yes, I know that Barr snubbed Ron Paul’s press conference today.  I liked Ron Paul, and would have totally voted for him.  However, I think today’s press conference was a waste of time.

At today’s “announcement”, Dr. Paul essentially said “Vote third party! YAY!”  Dr. Paul, I already was voting third party. I ask you, however, why would you “endorse” a couple of socialists who hate the Constitution alongside Barr and Baldwin??  Oh, you weren’t endorsing them?  How can you say that, when the entire point of your press conference today was to say “Vote for one of these 4 people”?? Indeed, you went further than that.  You said “Look at how much we agree!” and released the 4 points of liberty or whatever you call it.

I support Barr’s decision to distance himself from communist-endorsed candidates, and am quite disappointed that you would actually present Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney as a valid option for your freedom-loving supporters! I liked Ron Paul, but never said he could do no wrong.  If he were running for President, I would vote for him in a heartbeat. But he’s not. I don’t need to support Ron Paul, because Ron Paul is not running for any office for which I can vote.

Sadly, there is a HUGE Cult of Personality surrounding Ron Paul about as bad as that surrounding Barack Obama. Whatever Dr. Paul decides to do is ok with them.  I’ve seen them say this plenty of times.  I can’t support that.  Because I can’t guarantee that what Ron Paul chooses to do will always be right.

Regardless, this is a sad, sad day.  Rather than unite, this event has only served to cause people to focus on something they see as fractitious.  I’m proudly voting for Bob Barr because he is an advocate for liberty, and does not intend to create some form of anthropo-centric theocracy.

Today, while I was mowing the lawn (and NOT watching the Wisconsin game, sadly) I was approached by a very nice couple wanting to know how we would be voting on Proposition 8, which is the proposition on the California Ballot to define marriage between a man and a woman.  I told them that I didn’t think the State had any business defining it in any way.  They were very cordial, and we parted ways.  I returned to the horrid chore of mowing the lawn.  But I was thinking…

The Republicans have always been for less government and less government control.  However, when it comes to their own personal religious or moral beliefs, they think they have the right to essentially create a state-sponsored set of religious guidelines that all must follow.

What part of “less government control” do the Republicans have a problem understanding? The issue of whether gays should marry is not one the government should have any say in. What do you think, Christians, you’re going to save people by making homosexual marriage illegal?  They’re still going to sleep with one another.  They’re still going to go to hell because of their rejection of the ordained order of things. You’re not going to legislate them to salvation.  How about you try this:

MAKE SURE YOUR CHURCHES ARE PREACHING THE WORD OF THE LORD!!!!!! You need to focus on getting the Word of God into people’s hearts, and when people are saved, the LORD will convict them of their sin.  They will hate homosexuality because the Lord has declared His hatred of it in His Word.  Trying to legislate it is getting to be ridiculous.

I thought the Republican party stood for freedom at one time.  Less intrusive government.  Less government altogether.

Looks like the Republican party has its own double standard with which to contend. They want less government until it comes to something they personally believe in. The difference between them and the Democrats?  None, when it comes to more government.  Just the area of your life which they want the government to control.

Sarah Palin aside, I’ve heard people say that they will never vote for Obama, and don’t really like the idea of voting for McCain. I can certainly appreciate this sentiment.  Both Obama and McCain are for larger government and more power for themselves.  One could argue that this describes every politician, but we’d have to agree to disagree on that one, since I don’t think any of us can say that we know every politician, personally.

Ultimately, however, I would like to remind everyone that there are more choices than just the two that the major parties in this country give us.  You’re not really making a choice between the Democrat and Republican offerings.  You are making the choice between several candidates running for President.

Yes…I’ve heard the “arguments” against voting for a 3rd party candidate, and ultimately, they have no merit.  Let’s look at some of them:

1. “We have a 2 party system, whether you like it or not.  End of story.” – Well, my friend, you’ve just stated the obvious.  Congratulations on that…really.  No one can state the obvious as well as you can. Rhetoric aside, have you considered just how asinine that is?  60 years ago, you could have said “negroes just can’t integrate with white society, whether you like it or not. end of story.” 90 years ago, you could have said “women just can’t vote, whether you like it or not, end of story.” And 140 years ago, you could have said “negroes just can’t vote, whether you like it or not. End of story.” Do you get my point?

Yes…right now we have a 2 party system.  But we ought to consider whether the two false choices we’re given every year are the way things SHOULD be.  If not, how can we change it?  That brings me to the next argument.

2. “You have to vote for the lesser of two evils.” – Well, I don’t really have to refute this.  It’s simple.  Since you have more than 2 choices, you DON’T have to vote for the lesser of two evils.  What’s more, in this election, I’m not certain I could peg which would be the lesser of two evils given the choices of the two main parties.  But the answer to this argument is similar to how I answer the next point.

3. “A 3rd Party candidate won’t win, so you’re throwing away your vote if you vote for them.” – This is a self-perpetuating problem, here.  If you always convince yourself that you’re throwing away your vote, how can we ever enact real change?  If you continue to vote for the lesser of two evils, you’re perpetuating the problem, here.  How can we ever have a valid 3rd choice if people are convinced that they can only vote for the candidate who has a chance of winning?  What’s more, how can ANY candidate have a chance of winning if no one is going to vote for him.  CREATE the chances for your candidate of choice, people!!!  The chances of a candidate are not independent of the people voting for him or her!  You are a factor in a given candidate’s chances.

Don’t be a part of the problem.  Not satisfied with the “choices” given us?  Do something about it.  Don’t bend to their will.  They rule by your consent!

I’m voting for Bob Barr.  He was a rank-and-file Republican at one time, and voted for some crap I don’t like.  However, since then, he’s left the Republican party.  Now, because of YOUR weenie voting, that has virtually guaranteed that he’ll never hold office again.  it was not a politically expedient move if his goal were to gain more power for himself.  That’s dedication to liberty.  He has recanted of his former positions, and is willing to stake his entire political career on it.  For those who don’t know, Bob Barr is the Libertarian candidate, and he stands for freedom….real freedom.  Research his positions. Figure out your own mind, people.  Don’t let the Democrats and Republicans tell you for whom you’re going to vote!

You have more than 2 choices.  Exercise your power.  Vote for liberty, and for a return to governance by the Consitution. Vote against abuse of power by the government.  Vote for the Constitution’s limiting powers on said government.  Let’s return to the intent of the Founders, as evidenced by our governing document, the Constitution of the United States of America.

Don’t be a part of the problem…be a part of the solution.  Vote for the candidate that you feel would be the best candidate, and sleep at night knowing that you did your civic duty for your country.

Basically, we had a tie.  In all truthfulness, Russian Imperial Stout won, if I just look at the votes without an eye to a certain jackass who voted at least twice.  However, this moron’s tampering with the votes invalidates the entire thing, though.  So it looks like it’s up to me as to what we will be brewing.  And it won’t be a Russian Imperial Stout.  Sorry to whoever voted for that.  Gabe messed it up for you all, as usual.

Keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested in what we end up brewing.  I’ll probably end up brewing what *I* voted for, but I’ve not decided yet.