Hello everyone,

I just registered to this website today.  I was registered as a Libertarian from 2002-2007.  I registered as a Republican in 2007 in order to vote for Ron Paul in Republican Presidential Primary.

I am a US Army soldier currently stationed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  My unit is headquartered in Bamberg, Germany.  My "home of record" is in Middletown, Pennsylvania where I lived most of my life.

The Ron Paul campaign has demonstrated the political power of the internet.  I'm interested in finding ways to promote the LPPA to more people through the internet.  I would also like to utilize social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook as well.  I'm also interested in reforming the GOP platform to a libertarian platform from within through internet activism.  If anybody has any ideas, advice, or suggestions on how to best accomplish that, then that would be greatly appreciated.  Thank You!

Just joining the board.  Like what i saw.  Looking forward to conversing with fellow freedom fighters.

Liberty for all.

welcome.  you are not alone, for sure.   the libertarian movement is on and real.  check out this opportunity below.   also, it would be great to start a campus LP organization.  many of us would help.  are you a member of the LPPA?    we are trying to get the LP National Convention to Philly in 2012 and you will never feel so at home.

http://www.lppa.org/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,60/topic,33360.0/

Hello and thanks for serving Orwell! I myself am in the Marines, currently stationed in the Anbar Province of Iraq. Not sure of how busy you are over there in Afghanistan, but if you've got it take the time to do some reading on everything you can find about liberty, economics, history. We must become informed, in order to incite change. Look into Adam Smith, Thomas Sowell, F.A. Hayek, Milton Friedman...they're all great.

PS. Nice handle. '84 kicks arse. Just picked up Atlas Shrugged myself, can't wait to dig in.

Hmm. You can even find some interesting things in Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu:

When taxes are too high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.

Act for the people's benefit.
Trust them; leave them alone.

Of course I haven't determined everything in that book to be to my way of thinking, but there are some great passages.

If you have a printer there I will save you some money:

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html

I suppose I should properly introduce myself, since I've posted a few times already.

I'm from Hollidaysburg, Blair County and have been a registered republican (still am, though not for long) since I could vote.  I've been a supporter of the Republican Liberty Caucus, and had worked on campaigns when I was younger.  (unpaid)  Why I'm here is pretty simple.  The GOP has completely left me.  I've been aware of the shift since 2002.  Pre-2002, the GOP threw me a bone once in a while and paid me lip-service with their "small govt, lower taxes" talk, but I've disagreed with the social policies nearly across the board.  Back then, the economics, while far from ideal for me, were enough to hold me as I cast ballots against the openly socialist tendencies of Democrats.  Voting for more state socialism, in order to prevent significantly more state socialism, so to speak.

Personally, I place much higher importance on economic policy than I do social policy; as I hold the opinion that without the taxes, spending and gigantic size... the government would have great difficulty implementing bad social policy, regardless of its intent.   So I view government social engineering as a symptom of the underlying economic disease.  Not saying that's correct, that's just my approach to it currently.

I know there are many more like me in the GOP right now, I know many personally and will eventually be bringing them with me (I suspect).  They've always been there and are just casting ballots for the lesser of two evils.  This bailout fiasco, imo, is a unique once in a lifetime opportunity for laissez faire minded people to stand up, stop drinking "state socialist-lite" and support those people (libertarians) who have always supported us.  The time is now, if ever there was a time, imo.

I've been told for years (in the GOP) that "we need the neo-cons" and "we need the evangelical social wing" in order to win and make a difference.  If neo-conservatives and the pseudo-theocrats are my allies...  who needs enemies?*

*In no way am I trying to put down people of faith, which includes myself, just those who allow their faith to justify their attempts to control others.