Oak Bay is a body of water near where I live in Jefferson County, WA. It’s a great spot for clams, beach walks and low tide days. Port Hadlock is nearby.

I am a liberty-oriented person. I believe in freedom in a general sense- certainly beyond my own personal choices.

I am interested in living in a free, honest and peaceful society.

I am not comfortable making choices for others.

 

Did 20 years in the Marines & noticed- somewhere after 911- many patriotic Americans seem to have embraced the idea that “The Troops” are fighting to protect our rights and freedoms- as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.

I am fascinated by this concept.

 

When word came of the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, government credibility was lost.

We have security cameras in our mini marts and casinos, but none in place to prevent international incidents inside our military prisons, or to counter the idea that people at the top had no clue what was going on.

 

I am no longer recommending the US Armed Forces to young people.

I would have- maybe 10 years ago.

What’s changed in the past 10 years?

 

I am interested in alternative media, investigative journalism and stories that appear to be underreported.

Honest management of public information is essential.

 

JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society-

 

The “War on Terror” has had a big impact in Western Washington.

Suspicionless checkpoints & ID checks away from border crossings and ports of entry, gunboat escorts on Puget Sound, a new 50 agent US Border Patrol station at Port Angeles, sensitive Dept. of Homeland Security documents released to the public at a garage sale- all are topics of interest.

‘Uptick’ in heroin use seen on North Olympic Peninsula

Heroin continues to make it past the drones-

 

In 2010 & 2011- as an unpaid volunteer- I was able to collect more than 1000 signatures in the Port Townsend area for marijuana legalization.

In the case of the initiatives I volunteered for- legalization meant ending all penalties for adults (18 & up) at the state level.

 

Politics is something I no longer take seriously.

American culture is big on a lot of talk about freedom- several government holidays are dedicated to this theme.

We are told that ongoing military operations in distant lands serve the purpose of protecting our freedom.

After playing make-believe during federal holidays, it’s back to reality and living in a world of authoritarian mandates on personal behaviors that harm no one.

Possession laws, paraphernalia laws, open container laws, sales restrictions linked to location, hours, day of the week, holidays, prohibition laws for adults age 18-20, suspicionless roadblocks and checkpoints away from border crossings, etc.

Pay to camp here overnight- but don’t get caught drinking a beer during your stay-

The people who run both major parties & the conventions that nominate presidential candidates agree on the Drug War.

Ditto for the TV networks that host presidential debates & ask scripted questions of candidates.

Both major parties are OK with decades of ongoing, undeclared wars overseas.

 

Law enforcement resources should be used to go after individuals who are harming others- not for policing arbitrary pre-crime scenarios.

 

Americans were never meant to agree on matters of a personal nature. This is why we have so many different churches here.

 

Public Places- Paid for with Public Money

At Joe’s Bar & Grill, Joe should decide if smoking is OK. Ditto for the use of plastic bags, drug testing, menu contents, choice of lightbulbs, minimum wage, etc.

Not trying to do away with minimum wage, smoking bans or any of the rest. Business owners should be free to opt in or out.

McDonalds banned indoor smoking in Washington State before they were forced to- imagine that.

Government controls should apply to government facilities.

I am not interested in controlling peaceful & voluntary adult behavior.

 

Recommendation for a free society-

Stay away from one size fits all mandates.

Let business people make business decisions.

Let customers support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.

 

We should get away from dividing people up into groups- then assigning a separate value to each group.

 

I enjoy our local Farmers Markets.

I enjoy taking photos of local scenes, here on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

At the lower left of each page are links to Categories/topics I am interested in.

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