Federalist #10 And Marriage "Equality"

A couple of weeks ago, a senator from the great state of Kentucky posed a lot of questions, both rhetorical and of a serious matter, regarding the use of the ever growing net of unmanned aircraft in the skies over the U.S. He wanted an answer to a question and in not receiving one to his satisfaction, he proceeded to go on public chastising of republican and democratic statists that lobby for a limitless and unprecedented amount of power through the loss of due process and individual rights to a jury trial of their peers. His actions set ablaze an internet firestorm on social media sites like Twitter where #IStandWithRand was a top trending hash tag along with #Constitution. I intently watched and listened to the event on CSPAN and their streaming video services. It was indeed what I believe was a great day for liberty as a whole and not beholding to one political party or other.

With that said, this entry into my little corner of the "blogosphere" isn't about Rand Paul's 13 hour filibuster of the senate during John Brennan's confirmation. This is about his impact into the realm of many neo-conservatives view on security and maybe future endeavors into more libertarian ways of thinking. After all, everyone has to have the wake up call that comes every great once in a while to pound holes into your logic like an episode of the X-Files where an alien abductee has holes drilled into his teeth by extra terrestrial life forms aboard an unidentified flying object. While I love the X-Files and am sometimes confused with a member of the staff from The Lone Gunman, there is the possibility that Rand Paul has a chance to bring a lot of light onto the otherwise dark side of the republican party; the "strong libertarian streek" that president Ronald Reagan spoke of.

When I first heard that the supreme court was going to be hearing the case for marriage equality, I decided to sit back and watch the possible train wreck amongst these now self labeled "libertarian conservatives" and to my chagrin I was meet with the absolute self destruction amongst these types of whom haven't fully researched and accepted the core of the libertarian doctrine. I have scanned the usual social media sites and comments regarding the topic and it is a killing field of neo-conservative brain matter splattered about cyber-space. The usual suspects have come out in droves in support of their factions in the proper sense of what Hamilton explained in Federalist papers #9. (Oh snap! Did I just go there in insinuating that Alexander Hamilton was pro gay marriage?) Actually, I'm much more interested in what Madison wrote in addressing the destructive role of factions and the eventual breaking apart of a republic.

James Madison defined a faction as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community". What does Madison's writings of the affects of factions and their uniting causes have to do with marriage equality? My interest lie in under pinnings on how to deter the negative affects of a faction since in his belief are two ways to deal with those destructive affects and therein hides the assertion against the "greater good" scenario. The first of those under pinnings are the destruction of liberty and he believed that in proceeding with that method would work but would be impossible since after all Americans did fight a revolution for liberty. The other option, creating a society homogeneous in opinions and interests, is impracticable.

       (Libertarian bacon says no permission slips at all!)

In not so many a word I can some it up for those newly introduced libertarian conservatives whether through Rand Paul's filibuster or even those that have been circling the water hole and waiting to dive in. People are not property and therefor you cannot impede on their happiness nor use the government as a tool against them if they are not negatively affecting you from exercising your own god given rights. From this libertarian's stand point, if two people wish to enter into a civil union or contract whose business should it be as long as those contract rights are still upheld? In a long winded way of saying it, nobodies.

Finally, I am not one of those libertarians that will scoldingly look down on those that have not had their awakening moment and in fact I am of the welcoming sorts towards the growing populous of liberty minded people. However, without that awakening of the mind out of the trappings of division that is set onto our country by those whose will is the gain of power over others, we are doomed to squabbling over scraps from the table of governments. Arguing over marriage equality is simply put another distraction in the scope of a free society where our rights are god given and no man has the power to impede on the rights of another and most importantly we cannot as a society think to legislate our own ideas of morality or we then enter onto the thin ice in which that same government force can be used against us if we find ourselves on the opposite end of someone else's morals.

Sunshine Patriots and Libertarian Hipsters

The day after. That would usually pose thoughts of a great time spent out on the town rousing with friends named Jack and Jim hitting every live music venue with band mates in my younger and more rough-housing days. However, in this instance, it's a pretty solemn and slightly angered tone that I'm harkening back to today when I saw patriotism and liberty fail the test put forth by a despotic few.

January 16, 2013 marks a very important day in the liberty movement in my eyes. Yesterday I saw what a lot of people knew was going to happen come to fruition. We saw sweeping executive action against not the 2nd amendment, but the meaning and interpretation of the 2nd amendment; the right to defend oneself with a firearm against those that would pose a threat to the lives of us or our family. Some may say that a larger than 10 round magazine isn't needed to defend one's life. Well, the easiest answer to digest for those people is that you will not believe in that 11th round's purpose until you have fired that 10th round and hear the loudest sound ever heard; "click".

You see, when in a gun fight there are no rules despite what some tactical ninjas may say. If a person who wishes to do you harm has the means and the opportunity they will do whatever they have to do to get to whatever goal they have in mind for you and your family. If that means they will kick in your front door at 3:00 am because they didn't bother to look up how to pick a lock on YouTube they will kick that door in because the end will always justify the means in that person's mind that wishes to do you harm. If you slam up and out of your bed, grab your Glock limited to 10 rounds, chamber a round if needed, turn on your super duper tactical 4,000,000 lumen light, and start to head down that hallway to investigate, you may be met with one person picking up your flatscreen off of the table or you may be met with multiple people armed with "illegal" guns that hold more than 10 rounds because they bought them off the black market or stole them from the guy down the street; remember that the end will justify the means to a criminal. Those assailants may just simply want to rob your house or they may have something more medieval in mind and you aren't met with a single dolt trying to gank your T.V. but instead are slapped fully awake by the crack and flash of gunfire in your direction from multiple sources. In that moment, the means that you can deploy are essential to help keep the "end" (your family) safe from harm.

To the point, this musing isn't about what to do in a home invasion situation. There are far more qualified and experienced individuals to learn those tactics from. This blog is about those Americans that didn't think that those god given rights to defend yourself and your family would be challenged. This blog is about those sunshine patriots that instead of preserving liberty on all fronts picked and chose the liberties that they were most comfortable with loosing and voted to make it so. Now, on the eve of the most massive threat of gun control those people, those sunshine patriots are squirming big time! Yes, I am speaking to those who chose to support the mainstream media's pick in Mitt Romney as their choice for president. While we will never know what a Romney presidency would have revealed in leu of the tragedy at Sandy Hook on gun control we are left thinking not of what he would have done but those liberties passed up and pissed away before the 2012 elections that led to this point. Simply put, a President Johnson or a President Paul, would have undoubtably stayed firm in their conviction to liberty. There would not have been a knee jerk reaction in legislative action or executive orders. There would not have been a run on guns of all sorts and ammo. There would not have been price gouging for normal capacity (30 round mags are indeed normal capacity, not high capacity, for the AR-15 and M4 variant rifles) magazines in the market.

Embracing liberty for all, not just yourself is a keystone of freedom and standing up for everyone's god given rights is essential whether you were using yours or not. The American people have sold their freedoms down the river of statism long ago before all of this talk about gun control. Where were you newly born "patriots" when the Patriot Act was signed? Where were you gun nuts when the congress was passing the NDAA in the middle of the night? Where were the "staunch" conservatives when the 4th amendment was obliterated by the TSA? I will tell you where you folks were, on the fence enjoying the chains that were encircling you softly and caressing you with the notion of security.

The facts are that those crazy lunatics that supported candidates like Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Justin Amash, Ted Cruz, etc. were correct all along. Those people saw the sewings of a tyranny and they were dismissed as unamerican or not supporting the troops or whatever garbage the republican party and fox news drummed up against them. Still, the grand old party invented a glistening smile, a flannel shirt coupled with "mom jeans", and a finely speckled salt and pepper hair cut, and called it Mitt Romney. To those associated with the Ron Paul movement he was quickly dismantled for his stance on the federal reserve, continued war, and limp wrist 2nd amendment support being from a state that has magazine capacity laws.

So, here is to all of you libertarian hipsters. You guys and gals saw it coming and cried at the top your lungs that a nation and party that stands for only some of the principals that it espouses will be doomed to fail in an election year that saw a total voter turnout of roughly 120 million votes cast compared to a population of over 300 million. To those libertarian hipsters that recognized the disenfranchisement of millions of Americans due to the orgy of morally and politically corrupt policies of their political parties and tried like hell to put out the message that liberty is the most gravitating force in the history of man and that to ignore or pick and choose which liberties you wish to use, "Thank you libertarian hipsters!"

Welcome Back!

Greetings all, it has been some time since I last blogged here. Mostly because of a completely hectic schedule and because I have taken back my time away from social media and I see blogging as a much healthier and productive output of my thoughts and brain drippings.

So, here is to a productive year of blogging!

Patriotic Metal? Review of Megadeth: Th1rt3en

Greetings all and thanks for reading! This week I'm going to be writing about a blend of two of my favorite things that I write about here on the blog: Heavy metal and patriotism! It's a very rare glimpse of a very rare breed inside of the music community/industry that not just a solo musician but a band itself lends  their weight to the modern cause of liberty writing such song titles as "New World Order" and "We The People". Megadeth's Th1rt3en is the band's so aptly named thirteenth record to date and before I delve into my own opinion's on it's political content and sweeping over tones of the awakened masses to such subjects as the federal reserve, the corrupted political climate, and the war on drugs let me say that this album from a non political point of view ROCKS!!

As a musician of fifteen plus years, eight or more spent in the heavy metal genre, I can say with almost a shadow of a doubt that the music industry lends itself to the more liberal and progressive side of politics. It's usually the Ted Nugent types a long side some awakened hip hop acts that will insert what I believe to be patriotic messages and ideals into their music. Whether those messages be about political corruption, the bunk monetary policies of the federal government, or even simply supporting our warriors who wear the uniforms of the U.S. military. The liberal left of America is most notable for it's what Ludwig von Mises called "useful idiots" but let there be no doubt that the term can most definitely be applied in these times to the gamut of political propagandists in, especially in music. Just because Toby Keith wants to 'sing' about placing thickly souled footwear on the inside of the rectums of people who mess with 'Merica doesn't make his music patriotic. It's a de visionary tactic used by people that von Mises so correctly called these types of useful idiots. I can personally set aside my political views and listen to music for it's musical content with out judging the individuals who wrote it's world or political views. I can still put on the 1983 album "War" by U2 and not have the musical experience be ruined by Bono's support of eugenics, gun control, and other such communistic views. Does it possibly taint the taste in my mouth if I thought for a second about buying an extremely over priced ticket to see them live? Absolutely and I'm pretty sure it would taste of twice recycled urine. But you see what I'm getting at and fortunately for  me Megadeth's newest offering tastes of awesome dipped in awesome sauce!

For fans of the older Megadeth sound that to some of us began to wain in the last ten years (I'm still the only person I know first hand who bought "Endgame") and to new fans just coming to the fold it does not disappoint! The record is filled with sixteenth note patterns on the pounding double bass drums, a solid and in the pocket low end, and a scorching set of lead guitar riffs that shows a set of chops that Mustaine hasn't put on display in years with thanks of course to Chris Broderick. I was very pleased to see Dave Ellefson's name back on a record after ten years and given that he was a representative of Peavey to my last band's endorsement I very stoked to hear that rumble that he patented back in the Rust in Peace days! As for now "We The People" and "Black Swan" are the two tracks that are most listened to in my iTunes but I cannot say that I am lulled into even a marginal state of boredom with any of the offerings on the album! I find myself listening very intently to the not only the lyrical content but to the magnificently written chord modulations during solo sections, the change in time signatures, and most notably the excellent guitar riffs that were laid to sonic excellence on this record! Overall this record is one of the best metal records that I've listened to in years!

"Public Enemy No.1" - Megadeth

The Full Metal Patriot is Born!

Hello and thank you for reading the first post here on TFMP! First, I will explain my reasons and functions for starting this here interweb diary. Simply put, I'm a pretty opinionated, passionate, and studious type of person. I'm constantly learning in all things that I'm passionate about and constantly learning to further loath the things that I don't!

Being that this little piece of the web is called The Full Metal Patriot it is all about liberty, heavy metal, design/photography, and of course firearms because I love all of those things. I believe that all of those things can be boiled and condensed down to one thing. Pure forms of expression that require depth of knowledge, skill, an eye or ear for something just a little off the beaten path, and most importantly an enormous amount of passion for those things. A person does not listen to heavy metal unless they love heavy metal, nor will a person pick up a camera unless they have a will to create something interesting (camera phone pictures of yourself pretending to drive just to post on social networks need not apply.)

I'd love to go on describing my passions in depth but hey, this the first post and I'm sure you will learn more about those things here and I will learn a few things as well!

Nick