Europe has always been iffy about the EU, reluctantly joining the "European Community" in 1973. The Community eventually signed the Single European Act in the mid 80's, which created “an area without frontiers in which the free movement of goods and persons, services and capital is ensured.” This was fine. It was at this time where the establishment was comparable to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Economic freedom is cool, and we should promote that. But then... The monster grew. In the early 1990's, the Maastricht Treaty was signed, creating the European Union (EU) and pushing the euro in all of the nations. One nation denied the euro, and you guessed it: Great Britain.
What's so wrong about the EU? It's a centralized bureaucratic establishment. It's inefficient and corrupt. Why would someone advocate for an authoritarian regime that imposes itself upon your nation? Why would someone speak for a large, money gobbling organization that limits personal freedom? This "Union" went from peaceful trade agreements and economic cooperation, to imposing regulations on pillows, corrupting the system so much that it costs the EU somewhere between 800-990 billion pounds to fix. How could anyone justify that? The EU is trying to become a sovereign state. "No it isn't," you might say, "It's just a political and economic union of European countries." Really? International law defines a sovereign state as "having a permanent population, defined territory, one government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states." The European population, the Schengen Area, the EU Commission and the European Court of Justice, and the fact that the EU makes agreements with other states can be used to classify the EU as a sovereign state. Not to mention that they have single currency, a central bank, an anthem, and a flag. Certain members of the EU have even considered "strengthening the Union," making it more resilient to economic shocks, by proposing a Hamilton-like strategy of the central government creating a Treasury. Other members, like former Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean Claude Juncker, have called for the creation of an EU Army. Heck, some members have even drafted plans for a European superstate, which would basically be a United States of Europe. These members believe that more centralization and more federal power is the way to go if you want to be efficient, which is the complete opposite. If you go on Twitter, you can see clusters of people claiming that the Brexit movement is based on racism, xenophobia, nationalism, etc. You can see young Brits saying we should ban anyone over the age of 80 from voting. The hashtag #NotMyVote became really popular. I love to see democracy in work, don't you? The accusations of racism and such are based on the fact that some Brexit proponents choose to focus on the fact that Britain will have more control over their borders, therefore will stop the constant migration, especially from Muslim countries. Anyone simply accusing the movement of racism and xenophobia is obviously too ignorant and too naive, calling Leavers names because they can't formulate a decent argument. This isn't about race. It's about culture, assimilation, crime, and sovereignty. If Britain wants an unlimited flow of immigrants or restricted access, it should be able to decide. I am personally proud of Britain for declaring its independence. Brexit won with 1,269,501 more votes. If you are still unsure about this event, you can check out my YouTube playlist on the situation. After the votes were counted and it was made official, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, the worth of various currencies fell, and nunerous other nations called for their own referendums. One can only hope that this authoritarian behemoth is dissolved once and for all, and is replaced by an economic connection that both produces success economically and protects sovereignty.
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As some of you might know, Georgia congressman John Lewis organized an attempt to push gun control. The House Democrats sat-in for over 12 hours. #NoBillNoBreak started trending on both Twitter and Facebook, and many liberals and Democrats said they were proud of the actions of them. Videos of the event started being spread, and livestreams flourished on Periscope.
I, personally, find the guns bills circulating through Congress abysmal and misinformed. Democrats always criticize Republicans for their actions after 9/11, going to war in the Middle East. They call it reactionary and driven by blind emotions. Now the Democrats are doing the same exact thing, using the Orlando shooting as the ploy. Both major parties are using tragedies to push their agendas. One of the things the Democrats want is to ban people on terrorist watch lists from buying guns. The problem with this is that there is no due process involved, meaning that innocent people can easily be on one of these lists, and they will be banned from getting guns. I don't like the idea of innocent people not being able to fulfill their rights. This entire incident has sparked numerous conversations about gun rights. One of them: Do gun rights exist? Are they privileges? John Locke said we have three unalienable rights: Life, Liberty, and Estate (property). Thomas Jefferson took this Enlightenment idea and changed "Estate" to "Pursuit of Happiness," to encompass and guarantee more freedoms. I believe owning guns fit into each of these rights perfectly. Life: Everyone has the right to live. Someone shouldn't kill you, for that will infringe on your rights. I believe that this right also says you should be able to defend your life, if faced with conflict. Guns are just one way to defend your life, for they are a tool. Liberty: Liberty is defined as "the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely" by Webster dictionary. Whether you pump your body full of drugs, eat your heart out at a fast food restaurant, or spend your hard earned money on guns, you have the liberty to do so. As long as you don't use your liberty to infringe on somebody else's rights, you can still have your liberty. Property/Pursuit of Happiness: You have the right to own whatever you want, and no one can take that away from you. If you want to own a gun, you should have the right to do so. Do what makes you happy. Live and let live. These Democrats are imposing on our natural rights, and we need to tell them. Marc Allen Feldman, 56 year old Ohioan physician and former Libertarian Party candidate for President, was found dead in the Brook Park motel. While we didn't know each other personally, we have exchanged correspondence online a few times. I watched his performances in the debates and found him interesting and compelling.
For those that didn't know him, Dr. Feldman had the personality of that funny uncle you had. He was known for his abstract performances on the stage, and his wise points online. He has rapped the message of liberty, he has exclaimed descriptions of all the libertarians running for President, he has inspired numerous of people to convert to the side of freedom. Dr. Feldman's slogan was "Empower Yourself," and he continued to preach his message even after he only placed in 5th. He sill always be remembered for his energy and his passion and will always be #ThatLibertarian. Last night, CNN held an actual Libertarian Town Hall. Is that surprising? Isn't CNN biased towards Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton? The answer to both questions: Yes. Why did they hold this town hall then, if it would endanger their favorite corporate shill? This is purely speculation, but it is a reasonable strategy to get Libertarians out there to steal the votes from Republican candidate Donald Trump. Notice how they distance themselves from the Green Party and Jill Stein? Another factor would be the Libertarian growth in the polls, and with the increase of media exposure, they are expected to grow even more. I guess you can say... Now, how did the candidates do? Well, I believe Johnson needs to be more confident in himself. He seems skirmish and nervous. Weak deliveries and stutters mostly spewed from his mouth. Bill Weld, on the other hand, seems cool and collective. He actually dissed Trump. I am not a fan of his "bond" with Hillary Clinton though, made me very uncomfortable. My full reaction to the Town Hall can be found here, with my comrades Spencer Shipley (of Libertarian Wing Media) and Jacob McCartney. Elijah Manley, 17, is running for President of the United States. I know what some of you are thinking. "Don't you have to be older to become President?" According to Article II Section I of the Constitution, "No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States." Elijah says that he can run for and win Presidency, he just can't be inaugurated.
As a student enrolled in the Columbia County school system, I am very concerned with inner workings of schools and the path our education system is currently on. With the superintendent race approaching us, I asked the public to give some questions they would ask the candidates. I, then, sent the questions to the three men running for the position: LC Bradley, Lex Carswell and incumbent Terry Huddleston. Below are the questions I asked the candidates, follow by their responses and websites.
1. Can you tell us exactly what a superintendent does and what are your goals and/or plans of being superintendent? 2. How much experience do you have working in the school system? 3. What is your philosophy of education and its purpose in society? 4. How will you assess the District's current levels of performance; program effectiveness and teacher effectiveness? 5. What are your views on standardized testing and Common Core? 6. What do you think about student input when it comes to board decisions? 7. How will you encourage parent involvement in their children's education and attendance at board meetings? 8. Can you tell us your views on the budget? How much do and/or should we spend, and where should we distribute it? 9. Are there any specific areas where you would like to see improvement, like graduation rates, participation in extracurricular activities, etc? 10. What are you going to bring sub par schools, ones that receive Cs and below, up to a passing level? 11. Do you support school choice? LC Bradley Responses: LC Bradley's Responses Website: LC Bradley's Website Lex Carswell Responses: Lex Carswell's Candidate Questions Website: Lex Carswell's Website Terry Huddleston Responses: Terry Huddleston's Response to Election Questions Website: Terry Huddleston's Website I would like to thank all the candidates for taking their time to answer these questions, and wish them all luck on the campaign trail. Orlando is usually known as the happiest place on Earth, holding attractions such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios within its borders. But today, after a man by the name of Omar Mateen opened fire inside a gay nightclub, the city has become the topic of severe sadness and mourning.
50 people lost their lives in this situation, 53 were left injured. It has officially become the worst mass shooting in United States history. Witnesses from the Pulse Nightclub say that Omar was carrying an AR-15, a handgun, and a "suspicious device." Omar supposedly called the police himself, pledging allegiance to ISIS. He had already been on the FBI's radar, says some officials, due to two previous cases. However, authorities say that they have not been able to find any connection between Omar and the terrorist organization. ISIS went to Twitter to celebrate the shooting, applauding the gunman's actions. This happened three days after ISIS claimed they were going to attack Florida. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Twitter and other social media sites have exploded with debates on what we should do in the future. #GunControlNow started trending, and Donald Trump, Republican nominee for President, said, "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!" Trump has stated that he wants a temporary ban on immigrants from Muslim countries, to prevent terrorists from getting in. It should be noted that Omar most likely bought the guns legally, and that he had no criminal record until after he had already bought the firearm. Personally, I am irritated at the media's coverage of the event. If you look up articles on the situation and read the headlines, you will constantly see "Orlando Shooting; Worse in US History." Do they not notice that murderers and psychopaths look at that number and see it as a high score that they need to beat? Do they not notice that not only are they urging people to click on the article, but they are urging murderers to pull a Herostratus? As I said, the guns used to commit this act were most likely bought legally. Million and millions of people own the same gun that Omar used. People are urging the United States government to ban these weapons, and either confiscate them from their owners or impose a buy-back program. I know this is a cliché, but I must invoke the second amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It's pretty clear what this means. "But all the murders being committed with these weapons!" "The founding fathers didn't know that guns could get this advanced!" The founding fathers weren't idiots; they knew that technology would advance passed what they had at the time. They had more than muskets, by the way. They had advanced firearms, such as the Puckle gun. President James Madison, in the American Letter of Marque, 1812, gave permission to use cannons and other weapons, saying it was in their second amendment right to do so. This entire gun control situation is very similar to the violent video game debate. Sure, violent people are lured to such things as big guns and violent video games, but guns and video games ARE NOT the problem. In countries where they have super strict gun control and lack of freedom, you know what violent people end up doing? Spoiler alert: They still end up being violent. Guns aren't the only tool used to be violent. Mass stabbings happen all over the world. There is another factor in this shooting: Muslims. Donald Trump is probably the most well-know critic of Islam nowadays, with Milo Yiannopoulos and Steven Crowder promoting similar critiques and policies on Twitter. Milo is a well-known homosexual journalist, and a strong Trump supporter. It makes sense that he wants to, as he tweeted earlier today, "Deport them all." Steven Crowder, known for his podcast "Louder with Crowder," tried to ignite a #IslamControlNow movement on Twitter, and has been experiencing the backlash all day. I agree that the Quran and Islam are violent and evil things to follow if you completely listen to them 100% of the time. Then again, every religious text has some certain parts that are controversial (Deuteronomy 22:28-29, 1 Corinthians 11:6, etc). The First Amendment allows anyone to follow any religion they want to, to be as racist and as homosexual as they may be. As a society, we should condemn ideologies that have violent or discriminatory results. We did this with Communism during the Cold War. We spat in the face of the Soviet Union and contained Communism in its respected regions. While Communism was violent when in the hands of large governments, Islamic extremism can spread quickly among individuals, especially with those that feel meaningless and hopeless, hence the large amount of people they are recruiting online. Sadly, this is a consequence of our globalization and our freedom. Then again, globalization and freedom also has it's benefits. We also bomb Muslim countries everyday, trying to strangle the creature we know as Islamic extremism physically. Alas, this beast is a hydra, growing more and more prevalent the more he try to cut it off. I suggest hefty background checks for immigrants, sanctions on violent nations, the non-aggression principle, and stop being allies with nations like Saudi Arabia. Will these help? I believe they will, in the future. Today, let's do what we can do to help the families and friends of the ones that died in this tragedy. Let's openly condemn Omar, but try not to remember his name. Do not hold his deed up so high, for he would want you to do so. And let's unite as a single nation to support those in need. |
Christopher CaldwellJust some thoughts on current events and such. Archives
January 2017
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