The Artful Dilettante is a native of Pittsburgh, PA, and a graduate of Penn State University. He is a lover of liberty and a lifelong and passionate student of the same. He is voracious reader of books on the Enlightenment and the American colonial and revolutionary periods. He is a student of libertarian and Objectivist philosophies. He collects revolutionary war and period currency, books, and newspapers. He is married and the father of one teenage son. He is kind, witty, generous to a fault, and unjustifiably proud of himself. He is the life of the party and an unparalleled raconteur.
In the first major lawsuit to block Donald Trump from Colorado’s 2024 presidential ballot, a state judge issued a protective order prohibiting threats and intimidation in the case, according to AP.
Imagine if this had been the state of affairs at any other time in American history. Pick your favorite past American president. Lincoln. Jefferson. Reagan. It doesn’t matter — FDR or Wilson, if you prefer. Imagine if a state or federal judge had been permitted to rule, “This candidate is too threatening and intimidating. Therefore, he cannot speak.” Or — worse — his speech is subject to approval by the government.
It’s inconceivably unAmerican. Imagine if this had been the policy at the time of the American Revolution. Oh, that’s right: It was. That’s one of the major reasons for the Declaration of Independence and the years-long war to overthrow British tyranny.
Who is going to overthrow today’s tyranny, and how? That’s the only remaining question. One thing is certain. So long as the vast majority of us remain sheep and stand by passively and helplessly, complying with it all, saying things like, “Well, Donald Trump had mean tweets, so he deserves what he gets”… then the rest (including our Bill of Rights) will soon be history. Assuming it isn’t already.
Remember, that’s YOUR freedom of speech, YOUR inalienable rights, YOUR liberty and your children’s liberty that’s being erased here. Once the government has the authority to decide which presidential candidates you may or may not hear, then it’s over. Once the government has the authority to subjectively determine what is or is not “threatening” or “intimidating” speech and then act on that whim by political motives alone … it’s over.
It’s no surprise the governor of New Mexcio thought she could use an executive order simply to suspend the Second Amendment. Where are the millions ready to topple this monstrous government we have created?
Larry David has accused Elon Musk of being a child-killer — for not being woke enough.
I was a huge fan of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. I thought he was merely a Democrat, and I really didn’t care. Now I realize he’s a raging, raving Commiefascist. He doesn’t want anyone to enjoy freedom under the economic system that permtted him to become hugely rich and successful. He supports the vicious statism that ultimately starves children; yet calls anyone who challenges even a little of his ignorant idiocy a child killer. He is a totalitarian of the same sort who supported the rise of Hitler.
The sight of him now makes me ill, and I will no longer watch his show. I know he doesn’t care that probably millions agree. He’s rich — thanks to the Constitution and economic freedom he hopes to eradicate. And he gets to feel morally superior, surrounded by the totalitarian twits in Hollywood.
America’s 20th President, Republican James A Garfield, was assassinated in Elberon, New Jersey, at the age of 49, on September 19, in 1861. This was only six and a half months after his inauguration.
I name him an Indigenous Man Of The Anglosphere (IMOTA) for his powerful use of English.
Here are a few examples:
“All free governments are managed by the combined wisdom and folly of the people.”
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”
“Things don’t turn up in this world until somebody turns them up.”
“Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.”
By popular education, I think Garfield meant the people, not remote, stupid governments.
This libertarianism is at the heart of America’s soul.
A 12-year-old Colorado boy became a victim of “woke” education when he was taken out of class and told he could not return unless he removed a Gadsden flag, or “Don’t Tread on Me,” patch from his backpack. The school backed down after a video went viral in which a school official told the boy and his mother that the problem with the patch is that the Gadsden flag’s origin is related to slavery and the slave trade. The school was criticized by individuals from across the political spectrum for seeming ignorance of the role the Gadsden flag played in the American Revolution. Among the critics was Colorado Governor Jared Polis, one of the few remaining Democrats willing to defend free speech from the woke mob.
This incident reminded me of a 2009 Department of Homeland Security “fusion center” report warning that individuals with Gadsden flag bumper stickers, or bumper stickers supporting my presidential campaign or the Libertarian or Constitution parties, were potentially dangerous extremists. After I and many other Americans objected, the offending report was withdrawn. But, the fact that it was issued in the first place, just like the fact the Colorado student was ever removed from class for his Gadsden flag patch, shows how the authoritarians view the “Don’t Tread on Me” symbol.
The reason the woke authoritarians hate the Gadsden flag has nothing to do with racism or extremism. It is because the flag represents a rejection of authoritarianism and an embrace of liberty. Benjamin Franklin originally used the rattlesnake to symbolize the rebellious American colonies. He chose the snake because the rattlesnake “never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders.” In other words, rattlesnakes follow the nonaggression principle that forbids the use of offensive force against another’s person or property, but allows the use of force to defend against any violations of one’s rights — including those committed by government officials.
In contrast, authoritarianism is rooted in the notion that politicians, bureaucrats, and their favored special interests have the right to tread on everyone.
The smearing of the Gadsden flag as racist is just the latest example of how the woke left is using its power in American education and cultural institutions to discredit the symbols and ideals of limited government and free markets. The woke left views schools as a place to indoctrinate children into Cultural Marxism rather than a place where children can gain a good education.
The rise of woke education is leading many parents to consider homeschooling. Parents looking to provide their children a quality home-based education that promotes real learning that does not push a political agenda, but does instruct in the history and philosophy of liberty, should look into my homeschooling curriculum. My curriculum provides students with a well-rounded education that includes rigorous programs in history, mathematics, and the physical and natural sciences. The curriculum also provides instruction in personal finance. Students can develop superior communication skills via intensive writing and public speaking courses. Another feature of my curriculum is that it provides students the opportunity to create and run their own businesses.
The government and history sections of the curriculum emphasize free-market economics, libertarian political theory, and the history of liberty. I encourage all parents looking at alternatives to government schools — alternatives that provide children with a well-rounded education that introduces them to the history and ideas of liberty without sacrificing education for indoctrination — to go to RonPaulCurriculum.com for more information about my homeschooling program.
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Dr. Ron Paul is an American physician, author, and former politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 14th congressional district, which includes Galveston, from 1997 to 2013 as well as the 22nd congressional district for special term between 1976 and 1977, when he lost reelection in 1978, and for 3 later terms, from 1979 to 1985. On three occasions, he sought the presidency of the United States: as the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988 and as a candidate in the Republican primaries in 2008 and 2012. Paul is best known for his libertarian views and is a critic of American foreign, domestic, and monetary policies, including the military–industrial complex, the War on Drugs, and the Federal Reserve. Paul has been married to Carol Wells since 1957. They have five children, 18 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Ron Paul produces a weekly column known as Ron Paul’s Texas Straight Talk and is the author of several books.
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The Sons of Liberty is a politically neutral organization. We believe that the Judeo-Christian ethic has provided the principles upon which this nation was founded. It is our belief that these principles provide not only the foundation and framework for American government and society, but are also essential to the maintenance of a fair and just society. All content is based on a Christian, Biblical world-view.
THE ARTFUL DILETTANTE 