by committing to attend Congressman Paul’s press conference only to declare minutes before hand that “it just isn’t worth it.” This is according to Don Rasmussen, Events Coordinator of the Campaign for Liberty.

Bob Barr has been slamming Dr. Paul publicly since he won the formerly-libertarian party nomination, but this seems to have offended more Ron Paul supporters than anything he has done so far.

For those who don’t know, Barr spent much of his life jailing people on behalf of the federal government for possessing substances that the state hadn’t approved of, before recently “seeing the light”. Even since his supposed revelation, he has praised the troop surge, argued for intervention in Iran and South America, advocated a national sales tax, and voted for the PATRIOT Act twice. This just scratches the surface, of course.

With that said, it’s probably for the best that he didn’t show up today.

I was a little shocked by how emotional I felt watching this. Fox spends the first minute playing up the rumor that Ron Paul might take Bob Barr’s place, which would completely shake up the 2008 presidential elections. How exciting! Hope for America returns! A possibility to promote a completely anti-war, anti-tax, pro-market, pro-freedom candidate! A chance to encourage people to read Ron’s new book, and explain the ideas of libertarianism.

Alas, this excitement was promptly broken and replaced with disappointment as soon as Ron Paul began responding.

If only.

This may be old news to some, but my friend in BC informed me tonight that the police in various parts of Canada have begun issuing blood tests to drivers suspected of being high. Such blood tests also reveal past drug use, of course, not just impairment while driving. If you refuse to surrender your bodily fluids to the state, you’ll pay a $1,000 fine.

This is already taking place in Quebec and British Columbia, but since it’s federal law, I’m sure it will gradually spread nation-wide.
Source article here.

Many of those who aren’t pro-war gathered in Minneapolis, MN this week to celebrate the ideas of freedom and liberty. Check it out:

It was a blast to attend.

Pete Seeger – What Did You Learn In School?

Tom Paxton – George W. Told The Nation

(You’ll need to view this post on ChrisBrunner.com in order to see the video.)

Click here if you can’t see the video.

Click here if you can't see the video.

Here are my top five reasons why libertarians should support Bob Barr:

1. He voted for the PATRIOT Act.
2. He spent much of his life putting people in jail for possessing products that the state arbitrarily decided to outlaw.
3. He thinks guns should be forced on business owners.
4. He keeps an open (albeit misguided) mind when it comes to supporting war.
5. He endorsed a man for VP who doesn’t want to bring the troops home.

Well, okay, so maybe these aren’t the best reasons to support someone in his run for presidency. But never mind that the LP has gutted its platform, purged the radicals, and nominated two conservative Republicans. So they gave up on education and principles. What’s more important is that we rally behind the LP’s candidate in order to accomplish its new goal: hurting McCain.

You can bet McCain is shaking in his boots over that fraction of a percentage he’ll be losing to Barr.

I can’t wait to vote.

For more on Bob Barr, see this article.

If you haven’t seen this video, you must give it a watch. Well worth it.

Need a good laugh? Watch Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, explain why taxation in the United States is voluntary.