Sweet Tea

"Yawl want some sweeeeeetea.................?"

Hello from the capital of the "New South" , Atlanta, Georgia (aka "Hot-lanta") where I am attending the annual Heritage Resource Bank (www.heritage.org) conference for the free market think tank community. The other partners of this conference include the Atlas Foundation (www.atlasusa) and the State Policy Network (www.spn.org) which work in conjunction to foster and expand the global network of free market think tanks which work to develop and implement public policy reforms that will not only generate greater economic wealth but will also expand individual liberty.

I love attending this conference which typically has over 700 attendees primarily from the USA but also from numerous foreign countries. For example the attendees at my dinner table tonight were from -- Portugal, Dominican Republic, and Peru -- I had never met this people before but the mutual interest we shared -- limited government -- allowed us to have a great dinner conversation coupled with numerous networking ideas to better connect the freedom "movement."

Yes I complain about the size of government in nearly every post I make on this blog but I have to stop to count my blessings since some of the think tanks that the Atlas Foundation works with actually risk imprisonment for simply speaking out about the reforms their nations need. Clearly, life is pretty good in the USA for agitators like me compared to the challenges some of these think tank leaders face back home -- I won't lose sight of my own reality but will work every day to reduce government intrusion.

Personally my "batteries" are re-charged after talking to friends and new contacts over the last few days so I am ready to go home to continue the good fight.

Enjoy your tea before the FDA regulates it,

Todd

Ross Perot

Granted Ross Perot sounded like a crazy man when he ran for President of the USA but you have to admit he is a damn good business man. Not only is he rich but he is about to get richer this week since he Perot Foundation is the owner of one copy of the only seventeen (17) copies of the Magna Carta that are known to exist today.

The Perot foundation purchased their copy in 1984 for US$1.5 million and are set to sell it via Sotheby's auctions on December 18th so an expected $20 to $30 million. Not a bad return on your investment Mr. Perot.

The Magna Carta is not only a rare document but it is also a vital document - especially to constitutional nerds like me - because most historians cite it as the first time in recorded history humans placed legal limitations on monarchs/dictators. This document was written in 1215 but it did enter into English law until 1297 during the rule of King Edward I. Clear evidence that royalty should not be trusted since it took a full 82 years for the Magna Carta to have the force of law!!!

The full text of the Magna Carta is worth watching if readers have some free time -- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/magnacarta.html -- which we all should should have today since this document paved the way for the respect of human rights and freedoms.

Thanks King John,

Todd

Iran -- Part 2

In my earlier posting here entitled "Iran" I commented on the President of Iran's recent speeches at Columbia University and the United Nations in which he declared, "Iran does not have homosexuals.................." This comment was greeted with shock and ridicule by the audience at the speech and media coverage.

So the question remains -- were there never homosexuals in Iran or did the government/religious police do something with them? Perhaps the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan provides us with a possible explanation. As noted in a recent Men's Health magazine article regarding the growing popularity of weight lifting/body building in Afghanistan the Taliban used what was called "Kabul's Pool (not "Rule") of Law" in the article I read. The program was simple -- the Taliban utilized an empty Olympic swimming pool built by the Soviets in the mid 1980's for their form of justice. Quoting Men's Health now --

" Homosexuals and political dissidents were pushed from the top (diving) platform and judged innocent if they lived. Today the pool serves as a soccer field for Afghan youth."

Progress is being made if we are willing to look for it.

Todd

Land of 10,000 Tickets

On August 1st the State of Minnesota will legalize the time-honored market system for tickets known as - scalping. Now of course ticket scalping has occurred in Minnesota regardless of our freedom-hating anti-scalping law which first became law in 1914.

As a result of this expansion of personal freedom the legalization of scalping in Minnesota has convinced a company called, Ticket King, ( http://www.ticketkingonline.com/) to cross the border by relocating from Hudson, Wisconsin TO new locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

The essential lesson here for politicians is very simple -- allow people to enjoy their freedoms in a legal framework that protects private property and economic growth (jobs) will be created -- versus creating "job re-training programs" and "economic development grant/loan programs" that oftentimes result in a loss of taxpayer funds.

So welcome to Minnesota Ticket King!! Sadly it took 16 years (it was founded in 1991) for you to become a corporate citizen. One bit of advice though in an effort to expand freedom -- why don't you add another tab to your website along with the "Sports", "Concerts", etc. tabs entitled, "Scalping Laws" . This tab could have a map of the USA depicting the legal status of "scalping" across the country thereby educating your web visitors/customers to help ignite a grassroots lobbying campaign.

Freedom creates jobs not government programs,

Todd

25th of December

In recognition of the USA's Independence Day holiday I had the entire staff here at Space Beagle take the day off to spend time with their families and, hopefully, reflect on what the Founding Fathers did on the 4th of July in 1776. Their bold declaration that our rights come from the Creator and not the King gave the rest of us a chance to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

As my wife and I greeted friends and family throughout the day nearly everyone would say, "Happy 4th of July" but I would counter or open with my own greeting of "Happy Independence Day.........." which seemed to make most people pause to reflect on the holiday for a moment. I struggled a bit to stress my thought that simply reducing perhaps one of the most significant moments in human history to a mere position on the calendar -- as the "4th day in the month of July" -- completely undermined the purpose of the holiday. But my wife saved the day by articulating for me (that is why most men get married anyway isn't it??) that we say "Merry Christmas" to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ (my paraphrasing here) instead of saying, "Merry 25th of December!!" which is exactly the point I was trying to stress throughout the day.

May the Spirit of '76 be with you,

Todd

Mississippi River

"It is strange how little has been written about the Upper Mississippi. The river below St. Louis has been described time and again, and it is the least interesting part..........Along the Upper Mississippi every hour brings something new. There are crowds of odd islands, bluffs, prairies, hills, woods, and villages -- everything one could desire to amuse the children. Few people ever think of going there, however............We ignore the finest part of the Mississippi."

Mark Twain

1866 Chicago Tribune interview

"You can't go down the Mississippi in a homemade raft. It's illegal"

Fire Official in St. Paul, Minnesota

April 16, 2007 Pioneer Press Interview

Taken together these two quotes -- separated by 141 years -- show the state of the world we live in today which is primarily one with much less freedom than the one Mr. Twain wrote about via his Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer characters.

The "fire official" quoted by the Pioneer Press was commenting on a news story this week that happened on the Upper Mississippi below the Robert Street Bridge in downtown St. Paul. A man carrying several bags of clothing, supplies, and a cooler was traveling down the Mississippi River on his homemade raft but was "intercepted" , not arrested, by police and sheriff's officials.

The fire official continued by noting that the man's homemade raft was a "danger to himself and other watercraft." Perhaps that was the case since the man was intercepted at dusk -- we have to assume from the details provided in this short article that the raft did not have proper lighting, reflectors, or a horn so I can see the potential danger posed to other watercraft. However, as a fan of the sense of adventure and exploration that Mr. Twain's books captured for all of us I must note this article provides a sobering glance at our modern, safety-first society.

Enjoy the ride,

Todd