Posted 8:20 AM by Badnarik for President |

What IS independence, anyway?

From: Newsletter@badnarik.org
Date: 2003/11/29 Sat AM 10:58:33 EST
To: newsletter@badnarik.org
Subject: [052] What IS independence, anyway?

Fellow Fire Lighters,

A few weeks ago, one of several surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence was on display in Austin, Texas. I was very pleased to see so many people waiting in line to view this important document. After viewing the Dunlap broadside, visitors were asked to express their independence on electronic voting machines being introduced across the country. I was horrified to see people being trained to cast their votes into the wind, using technology that does not retain a permanent record of their responses. Even worse, the questions we voted on were phrased in a way that assumes government control over how you live your life. Given the general lack of outrage among the visitors, I realized that people do not understand what it means to be independent.

Independence means having the wisdom and self-confidence to make decisions for yourself. It does NOT mean eliminating contact with all other persons. I agree that "no man is an island". Fortunately the concept of independence doesn't require isolation. Every adolescent experiences the desire to control their own life. The trauma experienced during this stage of our lives is caused when our parents override our autonomy and make some decisions for us. Teenagers long to be independent, but that does NOT mean they want to eliminate any future contact with their parents - in spite of the fears expressed by many mothers. Given this strong biological need to think for ourselves, why do adult Americans allow the government to make so many decisions about how they live their lives?

Stupidity! That is the only logical conclusion that I can draw. The most glaring example of this stupidity is broadcast on most Tuesday evenings during the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The segment, known as "Jay Walking", shows people responding incorrectly to painfully simple questions. One person thinks that Abraham Lincoln was the first American president, while another thinks the Civil War was fought during the 1940's. Others are unable to identify photos of George W. Bush, the Washington Monument, or the Eiffel Tower. While I will concede that not EVERYONE is that clueless, I am concerned that ANYONE walking the streets can be this stupid. Are you sure you want people who subscribe to The National Enquirer, or who think that heavy weight wrestling is real, voting for President of the United States? People like this are terrified at the thought of being responsible for themselves. Is it any wonder these people feel more secure when the government makes their decisions for them?

Of course, you do not consider yourself to be a member of this pitiful subset of the population. You consider yourself smart enough to be responsible for your own decisions. I would like you to DEMONSTRATE that to be true. I would like everyone on this list to visit http://www.startup-enterprises.com/doi2003.html to read - and understand - this revised Declaration of Independence. It states that our federal government is a corporation created for the purpose of protecting our rights. It states that we have given the government limited powers that have been blatantly abused over the years. It states that you have un-a-lien-able rights that cannot be infringed. In short it says that you have the right to make your own decisions about how you will live your life. Eventually you will be able to add your electronic signature to the list. Start thinking about it now. Very soon I will ask you to dedicate "your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor" to the cause of Liberty.

That is also why I am supporting the Free State Project. ( http://FreeStateProject.org ) We are looking for 20,000 people in the United States who are tired of letting the federal government make decisions about how we live our lives. Like adolescents seeking their independence, we are "running away from home" to set up our own apartments, and to change the state government so that it respects our right to live life as we choose. Yes, it is a major commitment that will alter your life. Yes, it will require a significant effort on your part. It requires you to "grow up" and live your life as an adult. The alternative is to blissfully allow the federal government to encroach on your liberty until you are given a curfew like any under-aged child. I am not willing to live like that. I hope you will join me in this historic adventure.

Keeping with this week's theme, I'd like to invite my readers to visit http://www.ernesthancock.com Ernest Hancock has a weekday radio program called "Declare Your Independence" that is broadcast to over 95% of the people in Arizona. I was a guest on his program earlier this year. I'm sure that program is archived somewhere if you care to listen to it.

For those of you who are keeping track, there are only 26 days left until Christmas! Less than a month before Chris Kringle circles the world on his annual rounds. I have it on good authority that anyone who votes for me in the Cass County poll, and sends a campaign contribution to my treasurer, has a guaranteed spot on Santa's list of nice girls and boys. There are 725 people on this mailing list, and only 570 votes have been cast this month. This is numerical evidence that some of you haven't expressed a preference, yet. Please do so now at http://cass.molp.org/polls.htm

Lighting the fires of Liberty, one heart at a time!
http://www.badnarik.org

Michael Badnarik

To join my Wildfire Brigade, please visit http://wildfire.rockhoward.com or call (512) 296-4476

send contributions OR DINNER RESERVATIONS to:
Badnarik for President
P.O. Box 841
Buda, Texas 78610

Donations for Rick Stanley's legal Defense may be sent to:
Pam Stanley
6280 E. 39th Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80207

To correspond with Rick, the Adams County jail address is:
Adams County Detention Facility
03-11884
Box 5001
Brighton, Colorado 80601

Newsletter mailing list
Newsletter@badnarik.org
http://mail.badnarik.org/mailman/listinfo/newsletter_badnarik.org

Posted 8:59 AM by Badnarik for President |

Happy Thanksgiving

From: Newsletter@badnarik.org
Date: 2003/11/27 Thu AM 09:54:34 EST
To: newsletter@badnarik.org
Subject: [051] Happy Thanksgiving

Fellow Fire Lighters,

This is just a quick note to wish everyone a very happy holiday. I hope you are with family and loved ones today, and that the table is filled with all of your favorite family traditions. My favorite is sweet potatoes smothered in butter and cinnamon. Today is also a time to reflect on all the things that we are thankful for.

I am thankful for my parents, John and Elaine, who taught me to be strong, intelligent, honorable, and self-reliant.

I am thankful for my brothers, Chuck and Steve, who were also my best friends and co-conspirators growing up.

I am thankful for my girlfriend, Lynne, who patiently tolerates my obsession with politics in the defense of liberty.

I am thankful for my best friend, Alan, who can read my mind and helps me to do an occasional "reality check".

I am thankful for Alan's wife, Lisa, who trusts me enough to allow me to babysit their one-year old, Samuel.

I am thankful for Samuel, who will soon be learning the Bill of Rights, and everything else I can teach him.

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to help restore our cherished Constitutional republic.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people that I have met so far along the campaign trail.

I am thankful for all of my supporters who vote for me in the Cass County poll, motivating me to try even harder.

The television is already on, in anticipation of the Macy's Parade in New York. I will celebrate the day by keeping both cell phones turned off. May your day be filled with enjoyment, and may the coming year be filled with many things to be thankful for NEXT year. For example, it is not too early to make your reservations in Atlanta, Georgia for the national convention. Next year you'll be thankful that you didn't miss such an exciting and historic event.

Lighting the fires of Liberty, one heart at a time!
http://www.badnarik.org
Michael Badnarik

To join my Wildfire Brigade, please visit http://wildfire.rockhoward.com or call (512) 296-4476

If you haven't already done so, please visit http://cass.molp.org/polls.htm to cast your vote for me.

send contributions OR DINNER RESERVATIONS to:
Badnarik for President
P.O. Box 841
Buda, Texas 78610

Newsletter mailing list
Newsletter@badnarik.org
http://mail.badnarik.org/mailman/listinfo/newsletter_badnarik.org

Posted 10:37 AM by Badnarik for President |
Fellow Fire Lighters

From: Newsletter@badnarik.org
Date: 2003/11/16 Sun PM 12:38:24 EST
To: newsletter@badnarik.org
Subject: [049] Remembering John F. Kennedy

Fellow Fire Lighters,

Dallas, Texas, November 22nd, 1963. The President of the United States is assassinated as his motorcade drives past the school book repository building, and the moment is irrevocably etched in history. Next Saturday America will remember the loss of a leader.

What strikes me as odd is the realization that many of my readers were born after that tragic morning. They do not share the emotional trauma of those of us who lived through it. The dawn of my political awareness was during the televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy in 1960. I was six years old and, having finished my homework, I wanted to watch TV. My father was laying on the couch watching two men talk about things I didn't understand. I begged my Dad to change the channel, but he insisted that there wasn't anything else to watch. He allowed me to try all five channels. (That's all we had in the "old days".) I remember being stunned to find the same program on every channel. I had never experienced that phenomenon before, and marveled to think it was possible. My father explained that one of these men would soon be chosen to be the leader of our country. I watched the debate with a deeper understanding and a renewed interest. After a few minutes I announced that I liked Kennedy.

Three years later I was in fourth grade, waiting for my teacher to return after lunch. She entered the room crying and told us what had happened. As children we didn't comprehend the gravity of the situation, but we knew it must be serious because school was cancelled the rest of the week. I was one of millions who watched Jack Ruby shoot Oswald as he was being transferred to another location. These images remain with all of us who are old enough to have witnessed them.

JFK was more than a President, he was an icon. An American hero. His wife Jackie looked like a queen, and we adored them as if they were royalty. I have a book memorializing those years that makes reference to Camelot. A beautiful dream to be sure, but it was not reality. Kennedy is reported to have had more sexual dalliances than Bill Clinton, but those allegations are still considered heresy by some. He wasn't an altar boy*, but he was the most loved president we've had this century. So why was he killed, and why is there so much controversy about how it happened?

I am not a forensic scientist, but I understand the concept of cause and effect. Logic is the only reliable barometer of truth. Living in Texas I've had several opportunities to visit Daley Plaza to examine the scene for myself. The conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin conflicts with the facts as I know them. Standing near the window where Oswald presumably waited, there are two choices of target area. The first is the short street where the motorcade is coming toward you, slowing down as it approaches the corner to turn. From a hunter's perspective, this is would be a clean, easy shot. The second choice would be as the limousine travels from left to right away from you, accelerating as it heads toward the freeway. This is not an impossible shot, but it is several times more difficult than the other option.

The President was hit by two bullets, with a possible third shot being reported. The official story is that Oswald fired all three shots from an old bolt-action rifle is less than six seconds. I have fired bolt-action rifles, and I will not believe that a person can fire that quickly, and that accurately, until I see it being done. That is the kind of shooting I expect to see in a James Bond film, where the good guy never misses. Lee Harvey Oswald does not fit the James Bond mold.

In my quest for the truth I have purchased several video tapes that review the available evidence. The most famous, of course, is the short film taken by Abraham Zapruder showing the actual moment of impact. This film has been digitally enhanced to improve the quality of the image. Digitally enhanced or not, the sequence shows Kennedy slumping forward after the first shot, and then violently thrown backwards by the second. That footage is so horrifying and compelling, I cannot comprehend how anyone can assert that he was killed from behind and keep a straight face. When a cue ball strike the eight ball from the right, it always ricochets to the left. A snow drift always slides down off the the roof, it never jumps up from the ground. Unless I am misinterpreting the laws of physics, Kennedy was killed by a shot from the front.

The most common claim is that the shooter was behind the wooden fence on top of the grassy knoll. I've stood behind that fence looking at the yellow X in the street that marks the exact location of the fatal shot. If the shot had been fired from there, it would have struck the President in the right side of his head, and it probably would have killed Jackie, too. There is another suggested location from the corner of the concrete bridge, where a large storm drain could provide a hiding place. I personally stood in that drain looking over the concrete rail toward the X in the street. The motorcade would be coming toward you, making this a very easy shot. A single bullet fired from this location would result in exactly the reaction shown in the Zappruder film. A chill ran through my body as I imagined it happening again. I do not claim to know WHY he was killed, but I do know where the assassin was standing when it happened. I don't know why so many people want me to believe otherwise. I will not be intimidated by accusations that I am a "conspiracy theorist", or pacified by assurances that the government would never lie to us. Politicians are notorious for distorting the truth. That is why they are so fond of keeping secrets. Keep that in mind as you watch the documentaries scheduled for this week.

As a writer, I've painted myself into a corner. There is no way to transition smoothly from Kennedy's assassination to plans for my campaign. My apologies.

Dallas has a connection, though. Doug Daniels has scheduled a fund raising dinner for me on Wednesday, December 10th, from 7PM to 10PM. There will be a $50/plate dinner at the Holiday Inn Select in Richardson, Texas, not far from Dallas. Reservations can be made using the PayPal link on my website. Please include "DFD" (for Dallas Fundraising Dinner) as part of your occupation, or in the comment section if there is one. You can also send a check to the Buda P.O. Box listed below. You can make arrangements to pay at the door, but only after confirming that with Doug Daniels at 817-706-8436, or by eMailing drd6000@yahoo.com. You must also contact Doug to let him know your choice of entree. You can pick between Stuffed Chicken or Filet Mignon. Reservations must be made BEFORE DECEMBER 4th! Please help me raise the money I will need to campaign aggressively next spring. (Forward this part of the message to all your friends in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.)

Caroline Koenig is organizing a similar fundraising dinner at Crumpets in San Antonio on Tuesday, December 16th, also from 7PM to 10PM. Your menu choices are Beef Bourgoinne and a Salmon something-or-other. (I don't recall the details.) Please include "SAFD" (for San Antonio Fundraising Dinner) if you choose to pay using PayPal. Please confirm your reservations with Caroline BEFORE DECEMBER 9th at 830-216-2634 or by eMail at carolinek@the-i.net. We need at least 25 people for this event to break even, so please urge your friends near the Alamo to join us for the evening.

Dates and locations have not been confirmed for Houston or Austin, but we would be glad to accept reservations for those events if you are eager to get your name on the list. Houston supporters should contact Sherri Hightower at 713-686-3191 or sherrihightower@myway.com. Austin supporters should contact Steve Adams at 512-554-1761 or at steveadams@jump.net.

Anyone who wants to join me as I purchase ammunition for Ammo Day this Wednesday should call me at 512-799-8200. We are hoping to convince Jerry Patterson and Susanna Gratia-Hupp to join me so we can turn this into a regular media event.

I have already frittered away too much time on today's newsletter, so I'm going to finish for now. Once again I want to thank everyone who is voting for me in the Cass County poll. I have been holding a sixty vote lead this month that has been VERY encouraging! Thank you very much. Let's make sure we hold that lead through the end of the month!

Lighting the fires of Liberty, one heart at a time!
http://www.badnarik.org

Michael Badnarik

* I don't know if Kennedy was actually an altar boy or not. I am simply using the term to dramatize the idea that he was not free of human failings.

To join my Wildfire Brigade, please visit http://wildfire.rockhoward.com or call (512) 296-4476

If you haven't already done so, please visit http://cass.molp.org/polls.htm to cast your vote for me.

send contributions OR DINNER RESERVATIONS to:
Badnarik for President
P.O. Box 841
Buda, Texas 78610

Donations for Rick Stanley's legal Defense may be sent to:
Pam Stanley
6280 E. 39th Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80207

To correspond with Rick, the Adams County jail address is:
Adams County Detention Facility
03-11884
Box 5001
Brighton, Colorado 80601
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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