FREE WHITEWATER

Libertarians, Liberty, Politics

Can Libertarians Be Christian? Must Libertarians Be Socially Liberal?

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One hears all sorts of questions like this, about whether libertarianism requires a certain religious view, or a certain social outlook. One can certainly be a Christian and libertarian, and libertarians run the range from socially liberal to socially conservative.

Although libertarianism is more influential in America than ever (so much so that many groups use the term ‘libertarian’), it’s still new and unfamiliar to many other people.

There are religious and non-religious libertarians; there are left and right libertarians, too.

Libertarianism is a political position, advocating the proper, limited role of government to maximize liberty. Keeping government in check doesn’t decide other, higher questions of faith, family, or opportunity: keeping government in check allows people to decide those other questions free from political coercion.

Libertarianism and Christianity:

In the first video, the Christian chair of the LP of Tennessee emphasizes the compatibility of Christianity and libertarianism, but he makes clear that Christ never declared himself of one politics or another. He also reminds viewers that the LP offers a home for non-Christians in a common commitment to assure limited and responsible government.

Libertarianism and Social Conservatism:

The second video is from Token Libertarian Girl, and her name is a play (I think) on the idea that there aren’t as many libertarian women as there are men. She describes her channel as an offering of “economics and politics from my libertarian perspective. I like capitalism, liberty and peace. Make money. Not war.” It’s a fine set of views, attractively presented.

In relationships, libertarian men often find themselves dating either conservative or progressive women, depending on whether their own libertarianism tends to the left or right. Why there are apparently more libertarian men than women is a different matter.

In any event, there’s no sound social or religious reason for either conservatives or liberals to be scared away from libertarianism.

For more on this topic, see Libertarianism for those on the Left and Right.

Music

Ben Sommer’s I Married a Prostitute

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Here’s today’s link to a just-released song from Super Brain:

I Married a Prostitute is the album’s second single, available online as an mp3 with accompanying lyrics. (Ben Sommer: electric bass, electric guitar, voice; George Arsenault: drums). Original September premiere from Blogs ‘n Roses.

Enjoy.

Visit Ben’s official website at BenSommer.com, and sample Saint Martha and Henry Kissinger here at FREE WHITEWATER.

This week, I’ll link each day to tracks from Ben’s new album, Super Brain. Websites from across America have been debuting individual tracks from Super Brain. From America’s Dairyland, FREE WHITEWATER will premiere nationally one of the new album’s tracks this coming weekend.

 

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.20.11

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Good morning.

It’s partly cloudy skies and a high temperature of seventy-four for Whitewater today.

In the city, the Urban Forestry commission will meet at 4:15 p.m. today.

NASA looks back, to the the heady days of the Apollo program (clear goal, short time to achieve it), and compiles images of past lunar landing sites:

more >>

Music

This Week: Great Music from Ben Sommer

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I’ve posted songs from, and reviewed (highly recommended) Ben Sommer’s first album, america’d. If you’re unfamiliar with Ben’s work, there’s no better time to become acquainted than now.

Ben’s a “prog rock composer, performer, writer, and pent-up curmudgeon.” His music combines political and social commentary from an edgy, libertarian angle.

Visit Ben’s official website at BenSommer.com, and sample Saint Martha and Henry Kissinger here at FREE WHITEWATER.

This week, I’ll link each day to tracks from Ben’s new album, Super Brain. Websites from across America have been debuting individual tracks from Super Brain. From America’s Dairyland, FREE WHITEWATER will premiere nationally one of the new album’s tracks this coming weekend.

Here’s today’s link to a just-released song from Super Brain:

Young Turks is the album’s lead single, available online as an mp3 with accompanying lyrics. (Ben Sommer: electric bass, electric guitar, voice; George Arsenault: drums). Original September premiere from Captain’s Dead.

Enjoy.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.19.11

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Good morning.

It’s a rainy morning ahead for Whitewater, with expected clearing later, and a high temperature of seventy-four.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that today marks the formal end of the Black Hawk War:

1832 – Sauk and Fox cede Iowa Lands

On this date Sauk and Fox Indians signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. The treaty demanded that the Sauk cede some six million acres of land that ran the length of the eastern boundary of modern-day Iowa. The Sauk and Fox were given until June 1, 1833 to leave the area and never return to the surrendered lands. Some sources place the date as September 21.[Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William F. Stark, p. 160-161]

I’ve posted before about origami, but Wired recently published a story from Olivia Solon about another form of art using paper: Design duo recreate classic 1980s devices using paper. Solon writes that

Designers Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann have painstakingly recreated a range of retro devices including a Game Boy, Polaroid camera and a Walkman out of meticulously-sliced paper. The French duo behind design studio Zim and Zou have launched their nostalgia-inducing collection under the title Back to Basics. It took around a year to make all of the pieces, with each pattern based on accurate measurements taken from the real objects.

They’ve a video of their method, and a gallery of ’80s devices reproduced in paper.

Back to Basics – Behind the scene from Zim and Zou on Vimeo.

Public Meetings

Alzheimer’s Action Day

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The Alzheimer’s Association issued a press release on upcoming local events that I am happy to post –

ALZHEIMER’S ACTION DAY – SEPTEMBER 21
Wear Purple and Attend an Event in Your CommunityTo commemorate Alzheimer’s Action Day, Wednesday, September 21, the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin is inviting residents within its 11 county service area to attend a variety of free educational programs and activities.

In Jefferson, Dodge and Walworth Counties, the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin is joining forces with Fort Memorial Hospital to build awareness of brain health.

Join us for FREE educational presentations and ice cream sundaes with brain healthy toppings. Challenge your memory with brain games, and get some tips for a brain healthy lifestyle!

1:00 – 2:00 pm “Know the 10 Signs – Early Detection Matters” – a free presentation by Bonnie Beam-Stratz, Community Outreach Coordinator, Alzheimer’s Association in the Auditorium at Fort Memorial Hospital.

2:00 – 3:00 pm Join us for an Ice Cream Social in the Steel Away Cafe at Fort Memorial Hospital

3:30 – 5:30 pm “Maximize Your Memory” – a free presentation by Bonnie Beam-Stratz, Community Outreach Coordinator, Alzheimer’s Association in the Auditorium at Fort Memorial Hospital

 

Location:
Fort Memorial Hospital
611 Sherman Ave, East
Fort Atkinson

For more information: call Bonnie Beam-Stratz at 920-728-4088 or email Bonnie.Beam@alz.org.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month. Join us on Alzheimer’s Action Day, September 21, as we acknowledge the fact that 5.4 million individuals in this country are living with Alzheimer’s disease. It is the 6th leading cause of death and yet it is the nation’s largest underfunded public health threat.

To show their support on Alzheimer’s Action Day, Jefferson, Dodge and Walworth County residents are urged to wear purple, the official color of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. For more information about Alzheimer’s disease and local services visit www.alz.org/sewi or call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.

Click to learn more about world Alzheimer’s month.

Twitter

Recent Tweets, 9.11 – 9.17

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Why so high? Poll: 12% happy with Congress (Jennifer De Pinto/CBS News) bit.ly/p79C8K

Who answers this way? Gov. Walker says ‘it’s hard to tell’ if he should be worried about FBI raid on top aide’s home bit.ly/osSv1O

Walker says he knows nothing about what prompted raid on former aide’s home bit.ly/oqhqW3

History May Point Toward More Conservative G.O.P. Nominee – NYTimes.com bit.ly/reaz7N

‘Back to business’ doesn’t mean more joblessness: Wisconsin’s unemployment rate rises again bit.ly/nYBPwd

Not bad for a place maligned as separate from ‘real’ Wisconsin: Madison ranked as best educated city in U.S. reut.rs/oIEzgQ

Understatement of the Day™: The Brewers aren’t playing like division leaders bit.ly/quOxEf

Libertarianism for those on the Left and Right « FREE WHITEWATER bit.ly/ofsmS8

Tips for Politicians When Encountering Protesters « FREE WHITEWATER bit.ly/psjZ39

National shame: Poverty rate in America rises to 15.1%bit.ly/rphPvC

Time, place, manner: Paul Krugman’s Inappropriate 9/11 Post | Mother Jones bit.ly/qERBM4

Citizen Dave: Madison ‘just can’t be anti-growth and a progressive community at the same time’ bit.ly/oQAJqD

Not a defense, but an admission Assembly Speaker: light September calendar “is normal for the legislature” bit.ly/qfrVvy

Simply nutty: Rickert really thinks anti-unionism can be cured with a few pro-union ads? bit.ly/qJmogV

Cars, Free Markets, Government Spending

Ford Slams GM, Chrysler Over Government Bailouts

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It’s not a real press conference, but it’s a real, unscripted message: a buyer says he bought a Ford because he didn’t want a car from a company that took a taxpayer-funded bailout.

The commercial doesn’t address the merits of any given Ford, GM, or Chrysler car: it impugns the two latter automakers generally. It’s a powerful line of attack: the ad may compel Ford’s domestic competitors to waste time defending their overall strength rather than talking up their cars’ particular features.

Animals

Friday Poll and Comment Forum: Dolphins in Captivity?

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There’s a story in Wired about whether dolphins should be kept in captivity. In the confines of an aquarium tank, two dolphins crashed into each other, and one was killed:

The dolphin, a 4-year-old named Nea, died on the afternoon of Sept. 5 at the [Chicago] Brookfield Zoo.

According to a zoo press release, trainers heard ‘a loud pop’ from the pool, apparently the sound of two dolphins colliding. Nobody reported seeing the collision, but it’s thought to have happened in the air as the animals jumped. Nea died minutes later from a fractured skull.

Zoo officials described it as a ‘freak incident,’ ascribing it to typical roughhousing gone awry. But crowding dolphins into small, unnatural environments makes accidents more likely, said Wild Dolphin Project biologist Denise Herzing.

What do you think: should dolphins be kept in captivity?

(When I’m saying should, I’m referring to private decisions for or against a course of action; government need not regulate these activities, although it now does regulate them in countless ways. Private parties are capable of making these decisions wholly part from regulations.)

I’d say yes, as long as they’re treated well, and given activities suitable to their considerable intelligence. Although accidents may happen in captivity, untreated injury or illness is sure to happen in the wild, too. (The National Geographic video embedded above marks dolphin infant mortality at 50%, but I don’t know how that compares to aquarium-born dolphins.)

With dolphins, of course, there’s the question of how sharp they may be, and if one could show that dolphins suffered emotionally from captivity as humans do, I would reconsider my own support for captivity except for limited research purposes (that is, no captivity in water shows, etc.). That showing has not been made, persuasively – dolphins in most aquariums seem happy and active.

I’ve a poll and forum for comments below. The post will remain open until Sunday morning. Comments will be moderated against profanity and trolls; otherwise, have at it.