What first opened your eyes to liberty?

This question seems fairly common but I always find it interesting. What's stated below and the retarded teaching towards standardized testing instead of learning was when I woke up to it all.

I don't remember when it happened, but I do know the one thing that shook me when I was young into realizing that something was terribly wrong with society and perceptions was when I found out “everybody” paid for public schooling. I thought “WHAT THE FUCK!”

You pay based on a percentage of a percentage of the assessed value of property owned in a given locality? So you don’t pay on how much schooling you want or need for your kids? You don't even pay based on how many kids you have? You don’t have kids? Well you still pay!! You’re retired and you still pay! You don’t comparison shop like for every other major purchase in life but you instead lobby (beg) for the curriculum?

Facist Checkpoints in your neighborhood?

On the way home from tennis tonight 930pm ish. I saw cones and multiple police cars blocking 1 out of 2 lanes for about 50-75 yards in front of Woodbridge highschool heading east on Old Bridge Road. Why the need to stop every car in look inside? I didn't ask as westbound lanes weren't impeded. 

A murder must be on the loose right? Or they're checking state inspection stickers and trying to make money possibly. State Police were doing this on 495 going towards tysons corner taking advantage of the stand still traffic to walk in between cars looking to get as many as possible. They will stop at nothing to steal other peoples money. I think these checkpoints will get more common and frequent as long as people allow them. 

The good thing about this checkpoint is it has given me motivation to work harder to save money to move to New Hampshire at an earlier date than planned. 

Almost Arrested- Threatened to leave public property - Updated Reflection

It has been a little over a year since I experienced the "threat of force" of the state and the fear in people that it thrives on. It's the so called "gun in the room" that many people fail to see when they support many government programs. I wanted to reflect on some of points my fellow friend in liberty and meetup coordinator made in an email after the event.

"- NOVA is owned by the state and not the county meaning the NOVA cops are state police. They actually have power to tell the county cops what to do on campus."

I understand why he said this because county cops came and told him they couldn't do anything about it. It's not that they couldn't do anything but that they didn't want to. That's a problem with bigger government in all respects as the state will bow to the feds and the county to the state. I do disagree when he says they actually have the power because they don't, its just no one stands up to them. It's like saying the feds have the power to tell California dispensers to shutdown and/or power to steal from them. It's wrong.

He made some good points about video cameras as they have saved jail time for people time and time again at the very least. Also made a good point about how they make excuses for their actions and lie instead of tell the truth. The truth is they don't want you being there because talking about politics is taboo and we might actually make these students question their preconceived notions about life in fucking general.

"I asked one of the officers about why other people are allowed to speak, sit, stand, and walk on the public sidewalk; but somehow we are not "permitted" to do the same. The only answer he could give me was that we were impeding the students from going to class."

This reminds me of this video, where people are exercising their freedom to assemble but are told they're harassing people. Having experienced this first hand with Chad I know that these occurrences aren't few and far between.

Freedom of Speech, whats that?

If you haven't heard about it here's a quick summary. Three undergraduate students at MIT were going to talk about the vulnerabilities in the area's metro system at the DEFCON/Blackhat hackers conference. They had a presentation ("Anatomy of a Subway Hack") and were scheduled to speak. The Metro "authority" found out and filed an injunction to stifle the presentation. The injunction was granted but didn't take effect until after they had distributed the information via cd. So they didn't give the presentation under threat of violence. Everyone knows open security is the best security. That's why companies hire people to try to break in and why encryption algorithms are published in the public realm. Bruce Schiener repeats the importance of this a lot in his blog and newsletter.
The latest is available via the eff.org website. To read/view the presentation click here.

It Moves From DC Now

You better have a good reason to be walking down the street! I love this quote the best
"some infringement on constitutional rights is OK."

This seems to be worse than the DC checkpoints as they just stopped people in cars where this applies to people on foot too. Both Helena and where the DC checkpoints took place are poor areas. From city-data.com

Estimated median household income in 2005: $19,400 (it was $18,662 in 2000)

Helena
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$19,400
Arkansas:
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$34,999

Man Loses House Over Parking Ticket

So what happens when you ignore those parking tickets you got downtown? You might lose your driver's license or car right? Try losing a house. All he did was didn't have plates on his car that was parked in his driveway at his place of residence. That's right he got ticketed in his own driveway. Isn't that a bitch. I'm not going to go into all the excuses the article says about why he didn't pay. It doesn't matter. What matters is this situation is obviously wrong. That's why it's in the paper of course. Its also why the mayor is grandstanding.

What about all the other tickets that are just as wrong but instead of trying to steal a $250,000 home its just a car or being nickle and dimed year after year. Imagine all the people who just pay the $50 dollar fine for not having a sticker on your car in your own driveway that you're not even driving! I'm trying to think of a way to own a car and not have to pay taxes in someway on it even if you're not using it. Wait do I rent it then? Is anyone else a little confused? Maybe my car is a piece of art and I just want to have it sit in my huge front lawn. I can't do that without getting tags, insurance, inspection, approval from you town zoning board etc. Just for a car. You either pay or you're made to pay by force.

Whats the worst that could happen if you parked in a private lot? The sign is most always simple and easy to understand. Park here without showing a pass and you will be towed. Then you know you fucked up and you just go pay to have your car released and if you don't pay you ain't getting your car. Simple. You don't have spend forever worrying about the m-thu 10-4pm except weekends and some holidays and if you don't have x sticker park in between the arrows pointing the wrong way etc. Sure its fine if you've been there many times but try going some where you've never been shopping and you'll see what i mean. Another reason for private roads. That guy isn't even incentivized and his imagination is at work.

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