mailin

No. Jen Arianna Frances

I'm glad to see you'd want to learn more. You can find more info on: www.lp.org, the libertarian party website. They advocate giving things back to the states and its individual citizens, as fought to create by the founding fathers. Many of the questions you have have been addressed there. Jen Arianna Frances

Yep! Novel concept huh? There are many aspects of our lives that government has no business being in - yet people let their emotions get the better of them and pass referrenda (such as this one) without all the knowledge needed. I'm glad, in a way, that I live in New England... our news media covers much of this stuff alot and typically have lots of different political parties. Hell, in MA the libertarian candidate (Carla Howell) beat out the republican in numbers of votes against Ted Kennedy for senate 4 years ago. It pays to be open minded. Yet, I see some people aren't, and thats fine - its the peoples right to vote, but the governements job to know when the people are shooting themselves in the foot. Jen Arianna Frances

It's not what the founding fathers envisioned, but we have to adapt and change with the times... IMO, they are a bad idea... but, at least with the republicans and democrats, there's only a dimes worth of difference anyway Jen Arianna Frances

OK let's get a few things straight. First of all, there is no such thing as a "constitutional right". That term is a misnomer. The "Bill of Rights" does not give us, as Citizens of the United States, anything. It says what Congress may not do. For example, the second ammendment does not say that we can keep and bear arms. It says to congress, "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Same thing with the first amendment. It starts off with "Congress shall make no law regarding..." Now that that's established, let's move on to marriage and what establishes the difference between a "right" and a "privilege". A right is something I can do without asking, something "given by the creator". Rights are not given to you by a government nor can a government take them away. A privilege, on the other hand, is something that a higher authority, like the government, allows me to do. Driving comes to mind. Marriage falls under a person's inalienable right to associate with who they chose in any manner they choose. Marriage is not an issue for the government. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, and I agree, that the only legitimate function of a government is "to protect the right of its Citizens." Therefore, in my view, unless the government is somehow protecting the right of free association, then it has no business getting involved in marriage in the first place, be it between a man and a woman or a woman and a donkey. This means that local governments have no business requiring a license to get married. That's "govermentizing" marriage. I'm surprised nobody has ever questioned the constitutionality of such things. It sounds to me like you're assuming that marriage is somehow a privilege. I disagree. Marriage falls under your inalienable right to freedom of association and therefore, unless the government is protecting that right, then they have no business telling anyone, for any reason, who they may or may not be "married" to. Class dismissed, Jen Arianna Frances

Not a surprise, republican electees are usually very good news for business. Jen Arianna Frances

Jen Arianna Frances

I don't disagree with you completely - as I personally believe that its best to strive for a family made up of a man and a woman - but.... What are we teaching our children? That it's ok to deny a 'basic' right to certain individuals that is allowed to others? IMO, that is wrong. Governement has no business in the 'marriage' department and its a sad day because the american people have voted to give them power where they are not meant to have it. Jen Arianna Frances

Your analogy is not comparative to the US Government - you're leaving out Congress, which IMO has much more power than who sits in the Oval Office. Thusly the American people hold much more clout than the crew of your ship. Jen Arianna Frances

I can't say I'm surprised, based on all the press that was received for it... but I am sad that people voted to take away rights from fellow citizens, and even more sad that they are allowing government more leeway into a place they don't belong - the partnership between two people. Jen Arianna Frances

But thats the point! I don't want Kerry, and I can't stand Bush (even though I'm technically a registered republican so I can vote in the primarys) - why would I vote for either of them? I don't want either of them! Instead, I vote libertarian and vote for what I believe! If more people did that than we could very well influence the current dominant party platforms. Think of it - millions of people vote libertarian because they believe in their stand on the war on drugs - more and more press is generated because of it. The current administration sees that and the senators/reps hear about it. Before you know it there's a bill in congress to legalize drugs. Sure, we didn't get a libertarian in the white house, but we got one ideal to wear it needed to be - in front of the american people. Jen Arianna Frances

Ok - good news! I know my vote isn't going to be the end all/be all for anyone I voted for, but I want to be sure its included in the tally of those that voted libertarian for the presidential candidate. Jen Arianna Frances

Ugh! That sucks! Do you know why? Jen Arianna Frances

Somewhere between my registering to vote when I moved to this state in May of 2001 and now I was taken off the voter registration list. I'm sure it has to do with my name change after I got married in 2003. So I was surprised when I got to the polls this evening that I was not on the list, and was about to get angry that I couldn't vote - when the lady pulled an envelope from a bag and said "You can vote on a provisional ballot as long as you are eligibe to vote". Hmm.... ok! I was happy... until my husband turns to me and says "Not to burst your bubble but they don't always count provisional ballots". I was given a receipt for my ballot and a number to call and make sure my ballot was counted and I'll call the voter registration office tomorrow morning to make sure that I get on the registered list for next time. But... is that true? I didn't even know they had provisional ballots, so I was happy I could still vote but worried that now it may not be counted. Anyone know how they work? Jen Arianna Frances

You could always turn on closed captioning and put the TV on mute Jen Arianna Frances

It very well could influence who sits in the oval office. If the libertarian platform was adopted, even in small part by either the democratic party or republican party (most likely the latter) - then this country is better off IMO. It has to start at the bottom, local and state level, in order to get to the top, but we're working on that. There was only one office up for grabs in my local election that included a party other than D or R, but thats one more than last time. If people adopt the 'I-can-only-vote-Democrat-or-Republican-to-make-my-vote-heard' than we are very much headed in a direction other than one our founding fathers had for us. Jen Arianna Frances

Thats the train of thought that has this country in the trouble its in now. I heard from so many people - "I voted for Kerry" - "Why?" - "He's not Bush" and vice versa. If people stopped voted 'against' what they didn't like and 'for' what they did - you'd be surprised at the amount of change. We need a wake up call and I would have thought the last 4 years would have done that for America - but I guess not. Arianna Frances

OMG - thats so perfect for the christmas party I'm going to next month!!!! Its all the volunteers of the cat rescue I work with. haha - perfect! Thanks! Jen Arianna Frances

hehe - I think you were the one I was talking to about running through the sod fields right? Ya, it was a tough night - and an even tougher next day! Jen Arianna Frances

Hahaha! I'm sure Darius and Kelly can atest to if this is a good idea or not I don't eat anything on this diet so I'll get drunk just sniffing ta-kill-ya! But I have a tendancy to pass out and sleep on the floor, so if its your plan to get the bed to yourself, than getting me to drink would probably be a good idea! Jen ...how did we hijack this? ... Arianna Frances

Ditto Jen Arianna Frances

LMAO! I think your more excited about that fact than I am Mar Can't wait to see you and show off my skinny jeans! But, yep its pretty cool dixieskydiver: It comes on faster than you think it does, so don't be too hard on yourself. I'll never forget 8th grade - I put on 40 lbs. in the course of 9 months It always amazes me how easily it goes on, and how incredibly difficult it is to come off. Good luck!!!! Jen Arianna Frances

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=98460 Homeland Security Agents Visit Toy Store ST. HELENS, Ore. - So far as she knows, Pufferbelly Toys owner Stephanie Cox hasn't been passing any state secrets to sinister foreign governments, or violating obscure clauses in the Patriot Act. So she was taken aback by a mysterious phone call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to her small store in this quiet Columbia River town just north of Portland. "I was shaking in my shoes," Cox said of the September phone call. "My first thought was the government can shut your business down on a whim, in my opinion. If I'm closed even for a day that would cause undue stress." When the two agents arrived at the store, the lead agent asked Cox whether she carried a toy called the Magic Cube, which he said was an illegal copy of the Rubik's Cube, one of the most popular toys of all time. He told her to remove the Magic Cube from her shelves, and he watched to make sure she complied. After the agents left, Cox called the manufacturer of the Magic Cube, the Toysmith Group, which is based in Auburn, Wash. A representative told her that Rubik's Cube patent had expired, and the Magic Cube did not infringe on the rival toy's trademark. Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents went to Pufferbelly based on a trademark infringement complaint filed in the agency's intellectual property rights center in Washington, D.C. "One of the things that our agency's responsible for doing is protecting the integrity of the economy and our nation's financial systems and obviously trademark infringement does have significant economic implications," she said. Six weeks after her brush with Homeland Security, Cox told The Oregonian she is still bewildered by the experience. "Aren't there any terrorists out there?" she said. Arianna Frances

Oh, he's just adorable Andrea! I'll be keeping him and your family in my good thoughts - he'll come through just fine

phew! I'm glad you got it all worked out! One of the kids in my database design class got caught with a copy of the midterm that was on the internet. They quickly kicked him out of the class and now it looks like he might get tossed and have to repeat all his classes next semester You learn more when you do it yourself anyway - good on you guys for knowing that. Jen Arianna Frances