Remember the Shabbat and Keep It Holy

Sleeping Girl, Domenico Fetti, c. 1615.

For the first time in my life, I started working a 9 to 5 (…well an 8 to 4) a couple months ago. It is trade labor and very tiring at the end of the day. Most days, if I make the mistake of lying down, its over. This past Thursday I made sure to go to my computer instead, and while I did waste time on Facebook, I got a good amount of my to do list done for a change.

On Friday, the synagogue I go to had services and a BBQ in the late afternoon. I just started going again now that they have dropped their Nuremberg 2.0 mandates. There were no services on Saturday and somehow I woke up at 430am after going to sleep around 11pm. It was hours before I went to take a much needed shower, and then I lay in bed a lot longer. I felt really guilty about this as its one of my days off and I need to get things done around the house. Is it ok to just lay down and rest?

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COMING SOON: A new logo and merchandise!

The wait is finally almost over.
 
For years, I have used someone elses design and while I am against intellectual property, I have always felt bad about that and wanted a new logo for the organization and merchandise. While the virus hysteria has me in a more productive mode, I have commissioned two artists to help design new logos. This will have a desert hedgehog (קיפוד) as the basis, like the American porcupine logo. I will take that design and make many different things with it depending on use.
 
Shirts and stickers are planned, and I will expand from there. These should be ready by end of June or mid July. PorcFest is coming up (post soon about that) end of June, so after that. I will have everything printed and stored “in house” to keep costs down for now. Shirts will be $10-20 depending on what I can get. Stickers I dont know yet. All profits will go to the organization minus a small commission to me for the time and labor.
Stay tuned!
PS: More big news coming soon, but I cant say yet.

Surviving a Week Without News

rsz_110712_fb_napAbout a month ago, I took a trip with my sister to Chicago and New Orleans by train. It was a fun trip, and we learned a lot about each other by being packed into a box effectively for nearly a day thrice, and then the cheap airbnbs we stayed in. Away from our lives and our mother. Since my laptop died November 2015, I have been reliant on a smartphone mainly for internet access, and starting a few months after that, a desktop computer. That means no more laptop on the road. You can do almost anything on a modern smartphone that you can on a computer; its just more difficult. Because of this, and not wanting to get bogged down reading the dozens of articles from Drudge and elsewhere that I usually do, rather than enjoy my trip, I simply gave up. I read a few things here and there, but mostly focused on the trip and my journal.

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Without government, who would destroy the life of Casey Anthony?

caylee

Caylee Anthony

Remember Casey Anthony? The young woman in Florida who was accused of killing her 2 year old daughter with chloroform and duct tape, but was acquitted. The defense claimed that Caylee drowned in the pool, and someone else disposed of her in the forest. Anthony has been in the news again recently because the judge presiding her case said he believed she killed her daughter by accident, having tried to calm or quiet Caylee down, but went too far. Its not really clear how chloroform became an acceptable way to calm down children, if that theory is true. Casey was acquitted, the jury did not feel there was enough evidence to convict her of murder, but that has not stopped the nation from convicting her.

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Liberty Forum 2016

12122883_1019357481419550_5411513814444281322_nThis past weekend was the 9th annual Liberty Forum held by the Free State Project in Manchester, NH. Its a bit similar to the Porcupine Freedom Festival in that its a gathering of freestaters, liberty friends, and prospective movers. However, its quite a bit more formal, being hosted at a hotel ballroom instead of a campground. There were two day and four day passes offered. I opted for the two day pass, and that was a good idea. The four day pass offers a bit more programming, meals, and some special events, but I cant say it would be worth it unless you really want to support FSP or have the money to blow.

The highlight of the conference was the Edward Snowden live skype interview. Snowden has done a few of these since securing his exile in Russia, including at last years International Students for Liberty Conference. Unfortunately, I mixed up the timing and didnt get to see him here. However, there was a recording, and controversial “unauthorized” recording.

The main talks ranged from bitcoin, to life in New Hampshire, to the current state of liberty, hope for the future, and much more. There were many detailed panels, such as a few about buying real estate in New Hampshire. There were also a number of specialized luncheons to showcase various organizations or businesses up here.  There was even a child care area for parents to leave their littles.

The exhibition hall was my favorite because thats where organizations and businesses set up shop and show their support. Every region of the state had some representation, as did several local businesses. Its a great way to get information and meet people before considering a move. I had hoped to have Jewish Libertarians there, but could not get stuff together in time to make it worth the cost. Perhaps next year.

Personally, the conference did not do much for me. I have gone to the International Students for Liberty Conference for the past three years (Ill be going again this year), and even there I get bored. I mostly go to see people and the exhibitors. It was certainly worth going here for the first time, but I dont think Ill be going back again. I may, however, consider and exhibitor spot for Jewish Libertarians. However, dont let my experience dissuade you. If youve never been to a libertarian conference and want to meet the New Hampshire folk, then come on up next year! From your perspective, it will be worth it.

Forgive me for the lack of pictures. I completely blanked on taking them. Maybe I was having too good a time after all!

The Libertarian Case for President Trump

trump-cover-finalLet me start by dodging the NAP-violating rotten tomatoes. I have, as of a few days ago, officially joined the Trump campaign. It was probably somewhat inevitable. I had grown to like him and boost him on my own page in the waning days of Scott Walkers campaign. However, I wanted to see how polls panned out after Walker left and the second debate settled in. It soon became clear that Trump was not going to be sunk. And now, three to four months into his lead, there really isnt any case for any other candidate at this point. He clearly is not a one month wonder; he IS the front runner. Who can pose a challenge to him? Jeb Bush was the frontrunner, but hes sunk into obscurity. No one else has their stuff together, as much as Carly Fiorina boosters claim otherwise.

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CPR in Ancient Israel

I was reading about the theme of the number seven in the Tanakh, and of the passages mentioned is I Kings 2:34, where a child wakes from the dead and sneezes seven times. Knowing that there is no concrete concept of resurrection in the Tanakh, I wondered what the real context was and looked at it. The story begins at I Kings 4:8, but I am cutting to the main point here:

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Libertarians should buy local

Screen shot 2015-10-09 at 00.00.39I know half of libertarians will agree and probably already try to buy local; this is common in New Hampshire, where I reside. The other half will cite CATO, Skeptical Libertarian, and assorted memes, claiming that its actually better for costs and the environment to ship strawberries from California. In a sense, both views are correct. In fact, I am not really going to oppose buying from “abroad”, provided it is local to that place. This will make more sense in a few paragraphs.

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The News Media are responsible for constant mass shootings

800px-SIG_Pro_by_Augustas_DidzgalvisEvery time there is a mass shooting in America, all the usual suspects come out and point fingers. The socialists blame guns, the conservatives blame violent media, and everyone blames mental health. Guns are not the problem. Shootings always happen in places where guns arent readily accessible or are thought to be so. Violent media exists in every country and is worse in many countries that do not even have mass stabbings, let alone shootings. There are depressed, suicidal, and mentally ill people all over the world, and yet these attacks mainly happen here. And no, it isnt because other countries have better health systems. They dont. We probably have the best mental health response in the world. So what is the real reason for these attacks? And why do they often happen at schools.

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