R. Lee Wrights Resolutions 2012

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." (Benjamin Franklin)

by R. Lee Wrights

BURNET, Texas (Dec. 31) - Harry Browne was one of the most gifted writers the libertarian movement has ever know. He had a special ability to communicate libertarian ideas and ideals in a clear, direct and concise way so that anyone could understand what libertarianism is all about. One of the finest examples of this is his essay A Libertarian's New Year's Resolutions. That's why I always re-read and reflect on it at this time of year, and urge all libertarians to do the same.

What Harry wrote in 1998 is even more relevant today, and especially relevant to me as I seek the 2012 Libertarian presidential nomination. That's why last year I was inspired by Harry's thoughts and words to write my own version, as a tribute to him. Here again are the Wrights' Resolutions which I offer as the standard by which I will conduct may campaign and live my life in 2012:

First and foremost, I resolve to remain focused on the paramount issue facing the Libertarian Party and our nation – to stop all war. No matter what other issues are raised, I intend to keep returning to the central point that unless we stop all war, whether foreign or domestic, individuals can never truly be free.

I resolve to remain committed to ensuring that whoever is the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in 2012 is committed to proclaiming a loud, clear and unequivocal call to stop all war; and that they be equally dedicated to carrying a solid, uncompromised, unfiltered, unequivocal, and unapologetic libertarian message to all 50 states.

I resolve to cleanse myself of hate, resentment, and bitterness, and focus on using the tools of peace, love, mercy and forgiveness against the weapons of war, hate, vengeance, and cruelty.

I resolve to keep from being drawn into arguments or debates on inconsequential issues, and to always remember that my purpose is to increase people's appetite for liberty – not to prove that they're wrong.

I resolve to always acknowledge my good fortune in having been born an American, to refrain from dwelling on America's defects and past mistakes, and to focus instead on how we together can realize America's potential and promise.

I resolve not to adopt the political campaign tactics of Republicans and Democrats, who use coercion, character assassination, evasions, fear, and intimidation in their unbridled quest for power. Rather, I resolve to remain civil in my political discourse and treat all people I encounter with the dignity and respect that is their due as human beings.

Lastly, I resolve never to cease working to ensure that the Libertarian Party and our presidential candidate in 2012 is committed to proclaiming loudly, clearly and unequivocally – stop all war.

R. Lee Wrights, 53, a libertarian writer and political activist, is seeking the presidential nomination because he believes the Libertarian message in 2012 must be a loud, clear and unequivocal call to stop all war. To that end he has pledged that 10 percent of all donations to his campaign will be spent for ballot access so that the stop all war message can be heard in all 50 states. Wrights is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., he now lives and works in Texas.

Lee Wrights for President
Contact: Brian Irving, press secretary
press@wrights2012.com
919.538.4548

LewRockwell.com - Weekend Edition, December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2012

Weekend Edition, December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2012

Ron Paul Is Our Moses Leading us out of slavery, if we want it so. Article by Gary North. Do Shoppers Kill 3rd World Kids? Karen De Coster on the latest Facebook baloney. The Paul-Haters Are Doomed Ron will prevail, and the frothing neocons will lose, says Justin Raimondo. The War on Drugs Is the War for Pain Bill Anderson on maniacal prosecutors and the loss of a humanitarian warrior. Vote Ron Paul and Let My People Go Rafi Farber writes from Israel. It's Finally a Horse Race Bill Sardi on the presidential election. Jesse Ventura Endorses Ron Paul As the only antiwar candidate. Article by Kurt Nimmo. Iowa's Choice It's Ron Paul or US bankruptcy, perpetual war, and more dead soldiers. Article by Mike Scheuer. Social Unrest, Civil War, Systemic Collapse Jim Rogers on 2012 and beyond. The Greatest Little Book You've Ever Read It's the key to Ron Paul's thought, says George Smith. Is the US Losing Control of the World? Let's hope so. Article by Pat Buchanan. The Weight Dropped Off Effortlessly Going primal and gluten-free made me feel alive.

BTP Chair on RT America

I was interviewed by RT America on December 29, 2011. The video is finally below. Please share and consider helping get the BTP on the ballot in your State.
You can contact Tiffany Briscoe's campaign at http://tiffanybriscoe2012.weebly.com/index.html

Uploaded by RTAmericaon Dec 30, 2011

Across America many citizens are still looking for nationwide change. The two party presidential system is seen as a failure to some and many feel the people need more options when it comes to presidential candidates. Critics believe if people vote on a third party candidate their vote is essentially wasted. Darryl W. Perry, chair for the Boston Tea party, tells us why it's time for new political parties to emerge and how Americans could make this happen.
Follow Liz on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LizWahl

_{Reposted from YouTube.com}

LewRockwell.com - December 30, 2011

Friday, December 30, 2011

How the Warmongers Stole the American Right And how Ron Paul is taking it back. Article by Ryan McMaken. Opt-Out – Withdraw Your Consent Decline to fly or vote (except for Ron) or buy certain things, says Eric Peters. When You've Been Knocked Down 9 unusual ways to get up off the floor, from James Altucher. Well, Was It Worth It? Laurence Vance on the criminal war against Iraq. I Hereby Secede One man's response to American fascism. Article by Roger Young. Better Dying Through Chemistry Is the US knocking off hated foreign leaders with bio-weapons? Article by Robert Wenzel. How Many Could You Stomach? Lisa Bedford on meals from the 1st Great Depression. Stop SOPA Now The end of free speech on the internet is the dream of every tyrannical government on earth, including ours. Tweeting Certain Harmless Words Could mean US government spies will read your Twitter account. The Basics of Long-Term Food Storage Tess Pennington on how to pack dry goods and more. 40 Hard Questions And you won't get the truth from the corporatist media or their pal, the State. Want To Slim Your Waist? Eat more coconut oil, says Joseph Mercola.

LewRockwell.com - December 29, 2011

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Imagine There's No Rockwell (.com) It's easy if you try. Article by Brian Wilson. Our Greatest Earthly Enemy Murray Rothbard on the State. Time To Take Out the Meat Axe There really is no choice, says Andrew Napolitano. Bring on the US Default Otherwise, it's permanent deficits and unemployment, says Gary North. Ron Paul's Support Is Far More Widespread Than You Think John Keller on the media's disinformation op. The Fall of Currencies and Empires Mac Slavo compares the Roman denarius to the dollar. Bernanke Is a Domestic Terrorist According to US Justice Department logic, says Simon Black. Craft the Life You Want The man's guide to creating a blueprint for your future. Article by Brett McKay. Rise Up Against Martial Law There's a national effort to recall every Congress creep who voted for infinite detention. Article by Bob Adelman. With as Little as 20 Minutes of Walking a Day Literally any illness can be helped. David Brownstein, MD, explains. Devil Deals, Devil Government Bill Bonner on a sickening reason for the infinite detainment act. Stop the War on Salt Mark Sisson sets the record straight on the demonized element and blood pressure.

LewRockwell.com - December 28, 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The War Propaganda Party Only Ron Paul refuses to join. Article by Butler Shaffer. War Revisionism Lew Rockwell talks to John Denson about WWI and II. Is Ron Paul Out of Date? Don’t make Walter Block laugh. The Many Benefits of 9/11 For the regime. Article by John Brennan. Welcome to the Police State Ron Paul on repealing the Bill of Rights. Government Panics Over Price Inflation, Hinders Gold Buying In China. Article by Bob Wenzel. Our Obligation to the Future of Mankind We must oppose the State and its wars, and support the free market, says Paul Rosenberg. Throw the Fascists Out Montanans organize to recall senators who voted for the infinite detainment bill. Article by Mac Slavo. It Seeks To Dominate Others by Force Bill Bonner on the real nature of government. 20 Classic Films Your children must see. Does This Finger Prove Big Foot Exists? Actor Jimmy Stewart spirited it out of Nepal, and now it is to be DNA tested. Vaccine Exemptions Under Attack in All 50 States Joseph Mercola on how to use your 1st amendment right to opt-out.

LewRockwell.com - December 27, 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Like Their Drones, Federal Employees Will Crash And all the lies in the world won't stop it, says Gary North. Did This Man Prevent a World War? Eric Margolis on Gorbachev. Your Wealth Is Being Embezzled Bill Sardi on the crooks. Is It Once Every 3,000 or 10,000? Eric Peters clears ups oil-change confusion. Ron Paul Is a 'Stooge for Hitler'? Walter Block on the latest neocon atrocity. The Tide of Anti-Christian Bigotry Can it be stopped or even slowed? Article by Pat Buchanan. Can the Republican Nomination Be Hijacked? New rules could lead to a brokered convention where the Establishment gets its choice. 9,300 Unannounced Viper Checkpoints Expect more assaults on your freedom, says Paul Joseph Watson. Fibonacci Arcs Morris Hubbartt on what gold and silver are saying. How To Avoid Living in a Police State Simon Black on freedom. Top 10 Most Searched-For Words For 2011, 2010, and more. Article by Rob Waugh. New Year's Health Resolutions? Good to make, but hard to follow without a plan, says Margaret Durst.

Shire Sharing: Success! 24 Backpacks Delivered to Homeless Folks

EXCELLENT job, guys!!! We succeeded!

Yesterday, Christmas day, we met a group of homeless people at Veteran’s Park and handed them the backpacks. Chris Emerson, the director at the Homeless Services Center, contacted people ahead of time and asked them to meet us there. We received thank-yous, handshakes, hugs, and many words of appreciation. After they opened their backpacks, many people gave positive feedback about the contents. In particular they were glad to have received the bus passes and the hand warmers. One man told me, “Other groups do this, and they never give us hand warmers!”

We talked to a lingering group of people for a while about their situations. They described the homeless shelter as being “like a prison”. They said they are not allowed to touch anyone, not even to comfort a friend. There is a strict curfew, and they are booted out the door at 5 am every day. I’m sure the privately-funded shelter does everything it can to accommodate these folks while trying to maintain peace and health, and I don’t fault them for their rules and conditions. However the people we spoke to seemed desperate to get out of the shelter and into a more normal living situation. One couple said that they are trying to find friends to crash with as soon as next week, because they can’t deal with shelter life any longer.

We asked people what led them to homelessness. One man said his wife threw him out and he’s without a job. A woman told me that she became addicted to prescription painkillers and has dealt with a series of other problems, has lost her children to DCYF, and simply can’t find a job. These were apparently normal folks like you and I, who fell on really, really tough times. I was honestly surprised to find this out. Having rarely interacted with the homeless my entire life, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was warned that many homeless people are in their situation due to severe, untreatable issues. My impression after this experience is that these people –while perhaps emotionally distressed (and within reason, being homeless), and not without a persistent personal issue of some sort — are your every-day kinda guy. A lady named Nikki that I spoke with for a while seemed intelligent and well-rounded and I’m surprised she’s had a hard time finding work, although I don’t know what her background is. She said she used to make over $40,000 a year before her life started to fall apart.

I asked the group of people who stayed to talk to us – “What needs to change in the world for you to improve your situation?” They all said, in unison – “Jobs!” They told us about how hard it’s been to find a job and what sort of roadblocks they’ve encountered. Apparently, on job applications, when one woman filled in her home address as the shelter address, the potential employer recognized it and she was rejected for the job.

I asked these people how they get money. A couple told us that they never have any money. Their food, clothes, and so forth are all donated. I asked if they’d ever tried begging. A lady said she didn’t want to try because she didn’t want to get in trouble. She did mention that she’s dealt drugs in the past, but avoids it because she has her own substance abuse issues. Possibly the most shocking thing I heard was when one woman told me she owns no underwear. Not a single pair. Today we’re going to the store to buy her a package of underwear and we’ll be bringing it to the shelter.


We tried to talk to them about liberty. Activist and volunteer Matt H. commented afterward that it seemed these people had never considered the possibility that there are solutions beyond government assistance. It’s not that they “want to live off the government dole” – it’s that no other options have ever been presented to them. When talking about the failing welfare programs, many people commented something to the effect of, “If the government would just _____ then we’d be OK!” Ironically, these people later told us that the best help they receive is from private charities and churches, and not from the government.

While we were standing there talking to these folks, someone came along and asked us for spare change. I gave him a few quarters and dimes, and then I told him about 1964 and older coins.  Our volunteers chimed in about where he can go to sell any change he collects that contains real silver, and told him how much a quarter or dime is worth these days. This is valuable information for anyone that has a lot of change!

We did have an opportunity in our conversation to talk about self-employment and, essentially, agorism. They told us a story about a friend who had a hot dog stand nearby and was put out of business because he could not pay the city fees. They agreed with our assertion that the government caused that person to lose a job, and even if the person could have afforded the fees, the hot dogs would have been more expensive for the customer as a result. We threw around some pie-in-the-sky ideas about how homeless people could engage in street vending if there weren’t any licensing laws or regulations, and subsequently go from homelessness to a normal life, just by being self-employed. A person may not have the right skills or background to earn himself a job, but anyone can run his own business! My conclusion after this experience is that it’s possible to stop the majority of Manchester homelessness simply by allowing these people to be self-employed. Nothing cold be more empowering for them, but the government stands in the way of this at every turn.

I can only describe this experience as intense. I didn’t know what to expect at all. In regard to most of the people I met, if I had met them in any other situation, I would never have suspected they were homeless. A few did appear, in my personal experience, to have significant emotional or mental problems that might possibly keep them from ever becoming employed, but I think this amounts to a very small percentage of the people we met today. Right now I’m fantasizing about how we can get these people self-employed without getting them in trouble. What do you think we can do to help?

Pictures and video coming soon! Please donate to our Chip In page and help us make the next delivery to another 24 homeless Manchies. Thanks for all you do, guys! This effort was incredibly successful!

_{Reposted from ShireSharing.org}

LewRockwell.com - December 26, 2011

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Trouble With George Washington Murray Rothbard on how the 1st president crushed the spirit of liberty. Neocons Hate Ron Paul Here's why they want to destroy him. Article by Jeremy Hammond. Mainstream Medicine Almost Killed My Wife James Altucher on how alternative care saved her, and him, too. Quotes of the Day The Ron Paul edition, from Jim Quinn. Just How Gullible Are Americans? Take a look at the proposed cellphone ban, for example. Article by Walter Williams. The Coming Bailouts of Europe They will be the anti-bailouts of you, says Ron Paul. We Need Gun Control For the sake of liberty. Article by Gary Barnett. The 2012 Outlook of Jim Rogers He weighs in on US government actions, the 2012 election and much more. Interview With a Terrorist That is, a man who believes in monetary freedom. Your Own Personal Shangri-la How to discover it. $1000 Gold? The biggest risk in the gold market could be your own mind, says Stewart Thomson. It's Not How Much You Make, It's How Much You Keep Bill Rounds on how independent contractors make more for everyone.

2011 Year in Review

It's time to once again look back at a year gone by.

The year began with the 112th Congress taking office and some members of Congress attempting to appease the “T.E.A. Party” crowd by reading the Constitution to begin the session. However, the Congress continued to violate the document they swore to uphold by passing, among other legislation, an extension to the USA PATRIOT Act, an extension to FISA and a provision that allows American citizens to be detained indefinitely without trial.

In what became known as the Arab Spring, mass protests broke out in North Africa and the Middle East, with the protesters successfully ousting Tunisian President Ben Ali, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh & Libyan “leader” Muammar Gaddafi; however, the American military played a role in Yemen & Libya. The Arab Spring has also seen uprisings in Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Syria and several other countries.

Most of the summer was spent debating whether or not and by how much the federal debt ceiling should be raised. And as I predicted, “Instead of saying, 'No, we will not raise the debt ceiling.' Members of Congress will come to a compromise that will increase the debt ceiling, further inflate the currency and continue to enslave tax-payers with a perpetual debt that will never be paid off.” The compromise involved raising the “debt ceiling” while supposedly cutting $2 trillion of federal spending over the next decade, while actually increasing federal spending by $1.8 trillion over the same time frame.

While Congress was debating how much further to go into debt, peaceful people were being arrested for dancing in public, selling lemonade without a permit and refusing to pay extortion fees to use their own property. Not long after the deal to raise the debt ceiling, a group of people decided to “Occupy Wall Street”. This “occupation” soon spread to solidarity protests across the country. I originally thought the protests would fizzle out around Thanksgiving, however the occupy protests do not seem to be going away.

However, 2011 was not all bad. Courts and juries, at both the State and federal level, upheld the right of individuals to film public officials while on duty. The 1st Circuit Court ruled that filming public officials while on duty is a “basic and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment.”

The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal in Malaysia found George W. Bush & Tony Blair guilty of War Crimes with plans to hold a separate hearing next year on charges of torture linked to the Iraq war against Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and four others.

During 2011, Free Patriot Press published its sixth and seventh books; Don't Be Tread On by Kevin Kobe and Duopoly: How the Republicrats Control the Electoral Process by Darryl W. Perry. Books published by Free Patriot Press during 2010 won awards from both LAVA and Freedom Book Club.

The Boston Tea Party – the political party formed in 2006 with a one sentence platform, “The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose” – nominated as Tiffany Briscoe and Kimberly Johnson as their 2012 Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and will attempt ballot access in approximately 15 States.

Much like years past, 2011 has seen it's share of ups and downs, natural and unnatural disasters, more freedoms were taken away than gained & governments at all levels expanded their authority. Here's to a more freedom in 2012 & beyond!