The Liberated Centrist

Observing Rick Perry unfold as a candidate this primary season has been painful at some points, funny at others and his latest move further solidifies this primary-watcher's opinion that he is completely bust. So I am prepared to make a prediction: this strategy, spear-headed by his new "Strong" TV ad, will not deliver him the nomination, or anything higher than third in any of the 4 early primary states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Take a look at his new ad which is running on cable in New Hampshire today: Hoping to grab the "War-on-Christmas" voters, Perry denounces "gays serving openly in the military" and the public school prayer ban. I thought that maybe he would only run it in the early states whose GOP electorate leans more socially-conservative, like Iowa and South Carolina, but I saw it run on cable in New Hampshire! This is a complete waste of money and a sure-fire sign that the Perry 2012 campaign is delirious. Inte...

Within the past 50 years, we have made sure to never forget our education system in terms of funding. Per pupil spending on elementary and secondary education in America has doubled from 1970, yet test scores have remained stagnant. Figures published yearly by the United Nations reveal that the United States spends more on education as a percentage of its gross national product than do most of the countries whose students outperform U.S. students on standardized tests including Japan, South Korea and Spain. How did this happen? Why are we continually getting less for our educational buck? Are we adequately preparing our youth to participate in a globalizing, ever-changing economy? The public school system-one that I have experienced-has become bloated, inefficient and fraught with misguided measurements and priorities. No Child Left Behind, the federal program that ties grants for schools to nationally standardized test scores...

When Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson entered this year's GOP primary contest, he felt like he would receive a seat at the debate table when it came time to debate. He was a relatively unknown figure on a national level, with his only foray into the national scene was when he endorsed the legalization of marijuana as a sitting governor; he is still the highest-level public official to support it. He has since  reassessed his Presidential campaign amid rumors he may seek a 3rd Party bid for the run instead. Gary Johnson made a name for himself in New Mexico where he vetoed over 750 bills with hundreds of other line-item vetoes and subsequently saved taxpayers billions, all in a state who's citizens and state legislature are largely Democrat (about a 2-to-1 margin). He made his term about questioning the intentions of other-wise de facto government programs based on cost-benefit analyses and instead focused on providing the best service of government at t...

The last 5 years of an ever-volatile drug war have scarred the people of Mexico and changed the diplomatic and economic relationships between the US and its southern neighbor. In December 2006, the new President Felipe Calderon wasted no time executing his security policy. He deployed 50,000 federal troops to combat the cartels and dismantle their networks shortly after taking office. Seven-thousand into the southern state of Michocan , Calderon's home state where drug-related murders had reached 500 the year earlier. The total of violent deaths in association with organized crime over the past 5 years varies depending on source, but most agree that it has topped 40,000 in recent months. It  rose 60% in 2010  and although Calderon has claimed success on large drug seizures and capturing drug lords, that grim number still looms bringing some to question the effectiveness of his plan. How have Mexicans reacted to the ubiquitous drug war, and how wi...

On Thursday (11/10/11), dozens of socially-conscious students and community members gathered on the campus of the University of New Hampshire to express their frustrations and solutions to the current state of affairs in America. Two not-wholly different groups gathered on Thompson Hall lawn that day: one organized in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, and one rallied around capitalism and free markets as a counter-protest, organized by Young Americans for Liberty at UNH and UNH College Republicans . They stood a fair distance apart, but over the 2 hour protest a practical dialogue arose among the attendees about the causes and solutions to the ills that weaken America in support of an elite few over the many. Towards the end of the "stack," or speakers list, I submitted my name for a chance to address the assembly. Instead of devoting my time for comments on the future structure, organization or name for this group as most were discussing, I chose to spark an existential...

Saturday I had the opportunity to address the 2011 Live Free Or Die Rally in Jaffrey, NH. A friend of mine, frequent speaker for UNH NORML, and all around awesome guy John Dvorak had a spot at the rally but wasn't able to make it so he gave me his time. John is from Boston and runs the website hempology.org . He is a great wealth of information on local hemp history and the emerging hemp market. I spoke for about 12 minutes and tried to cover a bunch of topics but tie them all together with liberty. The First Amendment guarantees free expression, I argue free expression is free ingestion:

At a town hall in Maryland on Friday, President Obama answered a question on drug policy from a doctoral student studying--wait for it--political rhetoric:  “ Much sacrifice is being asked of our generation. When are our economic perspectives going to be addressed? For example, when is the war on drugs in society going to be abandoned and be replaced by a more sophisticated and cost effective program of rehabilitation such as the one in Portugal?” The President's answer echoed his administration's continued position on the drug problem. He spoke about violence in Mexico attributed to drug gangs and our underachieving rehabilitation system, but emphasized that the focal point of the strategy is on reducing American demand for drugs. At the end of his response, he cut to the chase: “ Just to make sure that I’m actually answering your question, am I willing to pursue a decriminalization strategy as an approach? No. But I am willing to make sure that we’re putting more resource...

Recent news cycles have channeled the latest polls from New Hampshire (thanks to  New Hampshire Primary 2012 blog ) to refer to Michelle Bachmann's latest rise in the GOP field after she announced her candidacy during the June 13th debate at St. Anselm's Institute of Politics in Manchester, NH. The latest poll conducted by Suffolk University and 7 News found her with 11%, behind Mitt Romney with 36% and above Ron Paul with 8%. This poll included people not yet in the race like Rudy Giuliani (5%), Sarah Palin (4%), Rick Perry (2%) and George Pataki (1%) while excluding announced candidates like Gary Johnson who recently opened a campaign office in downtown Manchester. In CNN and WMUR's NH Primary Poll conducted by the UNH Survey Center published May 23rd had Michelle Bachmann with 4% behind Romney, Ron Paul, Giuliani and lead balloon candidateNewt Gingrich. Bachmann certainly has seen a surge in the last few weeks, but will it keep? Many GOP voters are reacting to t...

Last Tuesday, June 21st Former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman kicked-off his formal bid to the presidency first in Liberty State Park in New Jersey and then in Exeter, New Hampshire at the Town Hall. It was quite the production. Outside the hall, a crew from the Manchester Red Arrow Diner were grilling burgers and hot dogs for attendees. They were stocked with plenty of t-shirts, buttons and pins for volunteers (including some friends of mine from UNH College Republicans) to hand out during the day. The crowd must have been at least 300 around 1:30pm, about a half hour before Huntsman would arrive. The announcement attracted a hoard of local and national media outlets as well. Inside Exeter Town Hall: They even had a live band prime the crowd while Huntsman was still in the air and rocked the hall when he finally appeared. His full speech: After the speech was over, he came down and walked around the floor of the Town Hall, I took the opportunity to question him on states...

Farming is an important facet of our economy. We support farmers because they produce our food and with the rise of globalization, are threatened with cheaper, foreign food sources that are being shipped into the country. The "eat local" movement lives in this debate. Local food sources keep us fed and keeps our farmers in profit with a special emphasis on sustainability, something I believe is paramount when it comes to food. The worst thing for farmer John down the road is that the U.S. government believes it can do the job better than he can. Through subsidies, quotas and payouts, our government has manipulated the food industry and caused unnecessary harm to those it is intending to help, both farmers and consumers. From 1999 to 2005, the USDA paid over $1 billion in farm payments in the names of 172,000 deceased individuals. Forty percent went to those who had been dead for three or more years and 19 percent to those dead for seven or more years. The trend continues toda...

Yesterday morning, Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico announced his bid for the GOP Presidential nod in 2012 in front of the state capitol in Concord, New Hampshire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBlA7yEiiZs&feature=player_embedded Johnson will still be the honorary chairman of the Our America Initiative but supporters can now shift their donations to his new campaign website:  http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/ I gave $20 to the campaign this morning because I believe Governor Johnson understands the true, limited role of government in society with the resumé to back it up. He can win the Republican nomination with his principled, frugal and efficient approach to governing. He can win in November because his tolerant social views allow him substantial crossover appeal (he won in 2-1 Democratic New Mexico, twice!). His executive experience in government and the private sector will help him succeed as President. Visit msnbc.com for breakin...

Printed in the Friday, April 15th issue of The New Hampshire It is my belief that the drug policy of UNH disproportionately punishes drug users over alcohol users, regardless of the responsibility of the user. Whereas an alcohol violation may result in an arrest, the consequences for an internal possession arrest are much less severe than an arrest for possession of controlled drugs. Although my qualms with our drug laws are mostly the fault of the state and federal governments, their existence affords the UNH police wide latitude in detaining and oppressing students who use cannabis responsibly. This reality has created stark conflict between the interests of students and the interests of the administration and its enforcement arm – UNH police. UNH has the highest ratio of drug arrests to student population for any university in New England. What's more appalling is that the UNH administration encourages the actions of UNH PD and supports the zero-tolerance attitude that con...

Last Thursday, Congressman Ron Paul visited the campus of the University of New Hampshire to speak on events and issues pertinent to his favorite subject, liberty. Over 600 voters attended, a great majority of whom were UNH students . Paul's philosophy of governing favors limited government intervention into not only the personal lives of Americans but also their economic decision-making. Dr. Paul made good use of his time, hitting on issues like the Federal Reserve , recent US intervention in Libya and the future of freedom. In this clip, Dr. Paul speaks on the First Amendment and its purpose to protect controversial behavior from government force. From drug prohibition to raw milk, Paul destroys conventional wisdom of government intervention in personal behavior. Consistency in the principle of liberty is essential for our representatives in government to understand. We must press our political system to embrace the ideals that will keep our nation's citizenry free ...

Last Saturday, the 19 th , US and coalition forces attacked several military targets in Libya in order to weaken the forces of Dictator Muammar Qaddafi's government. What was first a discussion of an UN-imposed “no-fly zone” over the country has become a multi-phase military operation. The Pentagon reported that over 100 missiles were fired from offshore US and British ships at Libyan air bases on Saturday. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes explained at a press conference on the 21st explained that these actions are an attempt “to degrade the regime's capability to resist the no-fly zone” that US officials are looking to implement following the UN resolution authorizing intervention in Libya. All this for a resolution that does not even authorize regime change, so what’s the point? John Stewart of The Daily Show offers a hilarious, yet depressing take on the "not-war." This Monday, 10 days after the start of military action,...

On Saturday, US and coalition forces attacked several supposed military targets in Libya in order to weaken the forces of dictator Muammar Qaddafi's government. What was first a discussion of a UN-imposed “no-fly zone” over the country has become a multi-phase military operation. The Pentagon reported that over 100 missiles were fired from offshore US and British ships at Libyan air bases on Saturday. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes at a press conference Monday explained that these actions are an attempt “to degrade the regime's capability to resist the no-fly zone” that US officials are looking to implement following the UN resolution authorizing intervention in Libya. While the nation debates this action, we cannot be blindsided by the hollow arguments we heard during the march to war with Iraq 8 years ago. It angers me that my government would engage in an act of war in response to another sovereign nation's internal affairs wit...

(thanks  to  http://hemptopian.com/18thCenturyHemp.html )

Printed in the Friday, March 4th issue of The New Hampshire With the New Hampshire primary less than a year away, prospective Republican candidates for the presidency will begin to make their rounds to our state in hopes that they can pull out a win in the Granite State and prepare for a momentous primary season for their campaigns. As the first in the nation primary, New Hampshire holds a unique responsibility to take the first look at the field of primary candidates. This election cycle, we'll only see Republican candidates since it seems more than likely that President Obama will pursue a second term in the White House. As one of the most conservative states in New England, not to mention the entire union, New Hampshire's Republican primary voters have the opportunity to make their stamp on the entire field of candidates. We must make sure we give the New Hampshire. bump to a candidate with principle, vision and the resume to back it up. Above all else, this candidate sho...

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Good Morning ladies and gentlemen of the committee. For the record my name is Nick Murray and I am a third-year political science student at UNH. I serve an active role in NORML and Young Americans for Liberty on campus, two political advocacy student organizations. I testify today as a student and a graduate of the D.A.R.E. drug education program.  As a student, I've seen how punitive punishments for cannabis can damage a student's future, especially at UNH . The arguments against passing a medical marijuana law are usually founded on society’s desire to protect young people from exposure to cannabis. In the real world, these laws have never stopped people from smoking this controversial plant, even with an astonishing 880,000 marijuana arrests now being made per year in the United States . Despite decades of prohibition, marijuana use today is viewed by young people as being more normal than ever, and the majority of young people have accurately ...

 Printed in the Friday, February 18th issue of The New Hampshire This legislative session, freedom-friendly lawmakers have chosen to pursue the passage of a bill to protect medical cannabis patients from arrest and prosecution for medicating with their preferred method. Currently, HB 442 has eight co-sponsors in the General Court: four Democrats and four Republicans with one co-sponsor in the Senate. Prospects for the bill are less than spectacular. Given the latest shift in the state legislature from last November's election, don't expect drug law reform to be on the minds of a class of legislators elected to balance the budget and turn the state away from the perils of impending bankruptcy that so many face today. Recently, I spoke with State Senator Jim Forsythe, a liberty-minded Republican who is the sole sponsor of HB 442 in the Senate. During our conversation, he expressed to me his skepticism that the bill could make it through the current Senate w...

Printed in The New Hampshire, "From the Right" February 4th, 2011 Last Thursday, President Barack Obama took questions submitted online in video and text format in the spirit of his State of the Union address two days earlier. The President has conducted these in previous years, but this year's town hall was a bit different. The most popular video this year was one from retired deputy sheriff MacKenzie Allen, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). He took his time to ask the president whether there should come a time for us to discuss the possibility of legalization, regulation and control of all drugs in hopes of an alternative to the current system of zero-tolerance prohibition. Where the President would've laughed this question off to the anxious-to-please audience in D.C. in years past, this year he chose to air and answer Mr. Allen's question. In his answer, President Obama called the policy change an "entirely legitimate topic for deba...