Mandatory Labeling: Authoritarianism?

What is it to be an Authoritarian?

“Fading Label,” by Steve Linster.

Am I a closet authoritarian? I don’t think so. But what if I suffer from Capill syndrome? Well, I don’t. No way! Give me liberty, or give me death!!

But isn’t there a little bit of authoritarian in every libertarian? It used to be that libertarians had a fetish for public libraries. “I think libraries are great,” declares Jeff Landauer, author of The Scourge of Public Libraries. None but a cad could possibly argue against the existence of public libraries, isn’t that so?

The little bit of authoritarian in me has a fetish for mandatory labelling. I like to know what I’m eating. And smoking. So I took some small solace in Section 58(2)(a) in Part 3 of the recently enacted Psychoactive Substances Act.

 

Restrictions and requirements relating to labeling of approved products

(1) A label for an approved product must not be designed in a manner or way, or using a medium or form, so as to particularly appeal, or to be likely to particularly appeal, to minors.

(2) A label for an approved product must include the following information in a prominent position on the label:

(a) a list of the active ingredients of the product and the appropriate quantity of each active ingredient; and
(b) the appropriate health warning relating to the product; and
(c) the contact details of the importer, manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of the product; and
(d) the telephone number of the National Poisons Centre information service or any other telephone service prescribed in the regulations; and
(e) any other information prescribed by the regulations.

(3) A person must not sell an approved product with a label that does not comply with subsection (1) or (2).

(4) A person who contravenes subsection (1), (2), or (3) commits an offence and is liable on conviction,—

(a) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $5,000:
(b) in the case of a body corporate, to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

 

It’s only been a couple of weeks and already fake cannabis products are back on the market. The government has been quick to grant applications for interim approvals of psychoactive products. And why wouldn’t they at $10,000 per product?

 

Control of psychoactive products granted interim approval

(5) Part (3) applies, with any necessary modifications, to a psychoactive product granted interim approval as if it were an approved product.

 

So now do I get to indulge my fetish?

Well, let’s see what we have here … some Red Kryptonite by Lightyears Ahead Ltd. And the new label says:

“Ingredients: SGT-7 (25mg per gram),
Damiana herb and flavouring.
National Poisons Centre: 0800 764 766
Lightyears PO Box 303183
North Harbour, Auckland.
Phone: 09 4419916″

 

Does Mandatory Labeling Even Work?

Seems legit. Only problem is… no one knows what SGT-7 is. Even Google’s never heard of it.

I think Lightyears Ahead Ltd. is taking the piss. Perhaps they’re prepared to risk a fine not exceeding the licence fee they already paid. What do you think?

But it gets worse. Another new label says:

“Ingredients: This product is made with a blend of herbs and a single synthetic cannabinoid. The cannabinoid is not enhanced, adulterated or contaminated with any other substance.”

Seems legit. Oh, presbyopia! I can’t name the active ingredient. And I won’t name the product or the retailer. But they know who they are.

 

Comment Thread on the Original Post

Mark I Rasskazov: Demanding labeling isn’t authoritarian. It follows naturally from the principles of contracts. If you buy something, then there is an implied contract. If there is something in the product that is not obvious (e.g., an apple has apple in it) and is not disclosed, then that is fraud. It is very libertarian to prosecute fraud.

Richard Goode: “Demanding labeling isn’t authoritarian.” It is when it’s the government doing the demanding. “If there is something in the product that is not obvious,” there’s obviously something in the product.

Mark I Rasskazov: Lol! Something in the product. One of the government’s main roles is to adjudicate contractual disputes. I think mandatory labeling is perfectly valid from a libertarian point of view. That having been said, I think that the only thing that should be mandated are the ingredients, and additives, as well as whether an ingredient has been genetically modified or processed (and in what way was it processed). In other words, the consumer has a right to know what they are agreeing to buy. If you bought a house with foundation problems and the seller didn’t tell you, that would be fraud. Why is it different for consumer products?

 

Syndicated from Eternal Vigilance.

Mandatory Labeling: Authoritarianism?

Alloy, of Greenville, TX Releases Neo-Rock Debut

Meet Alloy, the Greenville Neo-Rockers

“Black and White,” album cover art by Alloy.

I had the pleasure of getting to see Alloy perform live in Dallas, TX opening for Black Stone Cherry. There were two other bands who played before they came out, and Black Stone Cherry brought the house down, as expected, but in terms of live performance (of the relatively unknown opening bands), Alloy really stood out to me. I spoke with Dave Meyer (their rhythm guitarist) after their set, and he was kind enough to give me a copy of their CD, Black and White, and so now I am reviewing it. The first thing that leaps out at you when you watch them perform is: “They have two drummers?! What is that?!” But they don’t disappoint, so I don’t question their methods. So without further ado, I give you: Black and White.

 

Assessment

I give the album, Black and White by Alloy an 8.5 out of 10. I enjoyed it, I enjoyed hearing them perform it live, and it definitely plays to my personal musical preferences, however, I had to deduct some for the fact that calling this an album is a little misleading; with only five tracks, it’s really more of a demo (albeit a very professionally produced demo). There is a lot to like in this effort, although there some areas that could be even better (and given what I can gather from the attitudes of the band members I did get to interact with, I think they definitely will be better).

 

Bottom Line Up Front

This band calls what they do “rock.” Sure, you can call it that. But their heavy blues driven instrumentals with the strained, distorted vocals really sound to me to be more in the vein of nu-metal, a la Shinedown, Staind, Soil, etc., which, to me, is a plus (I like those bands a lot). So, I call what they do “neo-rock,” as it represents a departure from the Nickelback, Collective Soul, Daughtry concept that the term “rock” evokes to me.

 

Criticisms

Black and White, as I mentioned earlier, is a spruced up demo; not an album. The tracks on it are good, but there are only five of them. Also, while they’ve mastered a very appealing melodic metal kind of sound, they would do well to seek to expand their palate at this point. I always push rock bands that I like to be a little heavier; probably because I’m a closeted metal head, but that having been said, perhaps throw in a couple of fast songs with some screams? Also, I know that every band has a certain creative process, but maybe come up with a song or two that are based around a riff that the rhythm guitarist, or one of the drummers brings in? Just some thoughts.

 

Highlights

Where to begin? Great guitar solos. Competent drummers. The lead vocal not only cuts a good recording, but also draws in the crowd when singing live. A great, edgy, bluesy sound. the lyrics are outstanding: ”How can you fully understand the answer, if you never bothered to ask the question?” “If you aren’t a seeker of truth, then you are truly lost.“ ”You can only lead by example, or your not really leading at all.” Really great stuff. Their best song, to my mind, is definitely Switch, which, incidentally, is also their heaviest song. Of their songs, it is the most rhythmically adventurous, and their mastering engineer took the time to bring out very cool effects for the track. Another great thing about the song is the ongoing experiment with audio-texture throughout. They let the body of the sound shift constantly, in order to fully explore the initial musical idea (the rhythmic, polyphonic riff brought in by the rhythm guitar).

 

Conclusion – Black and White by Alloy Assessed

This album, though short, was well worth a listen, and this is a great band to hear live. This is an excellent band that has the potential to be a great one if they’re willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone a little bit. If you are a fan of hard rock or nu-metal, then, chances are, Alloy will be right up your alley.

Alloy, of Greenville, TX Releases Neo-Rock Debut

Awesome Veggie-Cheesy Crusty Pizza

Incredibly, Awesomely Good for You

The Awesome Veggie Cheezy Crusty Pizza.

This awesome, tasty, flour free pizza is low carb, gluten-free, high(er) fiber, high in vitamin C, vitamin A and Calcium.

I like it better than traditional flour-based crust.  I’ll never go back to bread crust.

 

Crust

• 1 large head of cauliflower


• 3 eggs


• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese


• 3/4 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese (or substitute whatever cheese you like)


• 1 tablespoon of oregano


• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (save 1 tablespoon for oiling the pan and the crust)


• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or chicken bullion)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Quarter and steam the cauliflower just until tender (about 10 minutes).  Remove from steamer, place between a couple of towels and smash as much of the moisture out as you can.  Place cauliflower and all remaining ingredients in a food processor, pulse a few seconds until coarse but mixed. Oil a 13 x 18 baking pan (with sides, no cookie sheets, or the oil will ooze out and make big, black, stinky smoke clouds in the kitchen) with 1/2 T olive oil, mash the mixture into the pan, oil the top of the “crust” with an additional 1/2 T olive oil.  Bake until crispy on the edges (about 20 minutes).

 

Sauce

• 12 oz of (2 cans) tomato paste 


• 12 oz of (1 can) diced tomatoes


• 2 tablespoons of italian spice blend (spices of your choice; I recommend oregano)


• 1 tablespoon of black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or according to taste)


• 1 cup of diced, roasted chicken


• 2 tablespoons of diced, pickled garlic

Mix all that together and spread on baked “crust.”

 

Toppings

(Calories per slice are in parenthesis next to the topping in case you want to omit that)

• 30 pepperoni slices (26 calories)


• 4 slices of bacon, cooked, crumbled (22 calories)


• Jalapeno slices (if you’re counting calories this closely, maybe you should loosen up just a little)


• 4 oz (1 can) of black olives (3 calories)


• Fresh mushrooms (seriously, lighten up)


• 1 onion, chopped and browned 


• 1 cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (45 calories)


• 1 cup of Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (33 calories)

 

Throw all that stuff on there, bake until browned and bubbly (about 15 minutes).

Nommy.  Really.  Even better the next day.

 

Nutritional info per slice (10 slices per pizza)

• Calories: 283


• Fat: 19.4 g


• Carbs: 6.9 g (2 g fiber, 3.2 g sugars)


• Protein: 19.3 g


• Vitamin A: 17% rdv


• Vitamin C: 32.1% rdv


• Calcium: 27.5% rdv


• Iron: 7.1% rdv


• Sodium: 794 mg


• Potassium: 153 mg

Awesome Veggie-Cheesy Crusty Pizza

Home Page for Transegoism.Us Launched

Screen capture of the Transegoism.Us home page.

The official Home Page of the Transegoist Philosophy has officially launched! Visit the page to see the latest feeds from the TRANSEGOIST DAILY JOURNAL, the official Transegoist YouTube channel, and Mark I Rasskazov’s Twitter feed.

You can also chat with the Transegoism.Us staff in live time, right from their home page!

Additional features of the website include:

• Links to the TDJ’s most popular social networking pages (Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube).


• A quick and convenient contact form, should you wish to submit a confidential inquiry about the Transegoist Philosophy, or Transegoism.Us organization.


• A description of the philosophy itself.


• A store front (page pending).


• Links to all organizations currently associated with Transegoism.Us, including, the Freedom Intelligence Network (FIN), LibertySearch.Us, Asterisk (online band), Emergent Publishing, the TRANSEGOIST DAILY JOURNAL, and TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY.

 

Some of the webpages have yet to be set up, but rest assured, they are in the works.

The Freedom Intelligence Network, is to be a large scale news conglomerating site, with StartPage search integration, and a news tips shoutbox for users.

LibertySearch.Us is a search engine powered by StartPage.com and IxQuik.com, with some popular feeds, such as InfoWars.com and the Drudge Report.

Asterisk is a band associated with the Transegoism.Us organization (the sole member is PJ Cornell).

Emergent Publishing is to the publishing wing of the Transegoism.Us organization.

The TRANSEGOIST DAILY JOURNAL is the online publication you are currently reading.

TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY is the monthly magazine published by the Transegoism.Us organization.

Our goal in publishing this website was to provide a place that clearly communicated the transegoist ideal to someone who just wants to know what the philosophy is all about. While this website is dedicated to exploring the finer points of the philosophy through various kinds of literature and articles, the Transegoism.Us Home Page is dedicated to communicating the basics of the philosophy in a presentable manner.

Home Page for Transegoism.Us Launched

A Basic Overview of Transegoism

A General Overview of the Principles of Transegoism

“C.E.’s Another Heaven,” by Gale Titus.

Although this explanation of the tenets of Transegoism is quite basic, there is an even shorter, more basic explanation that can be found here. Transegoism can also be explained in one sentence: it is the idea that the universe is a conscious being, and that when individuals are allowed to interact with one another without external coercive forces, a superorganism emerges, which is resonant with this universal consciousness.

 

Transegoism: Introduction

Transegoism is the philosophy of the unfolding sequence orbiting the bright glory of the Divine eternity. It is the acceptance of both the beauty of logical reasoning, and the development of higher skills of physical, subconscious, and spiritual perception; it is the pursuit of reasoned faith. It is the understanding that when we, as individuals, are allowed to live free of external restraint upon our individual freedoms, and accept that, in the end, we must personally accept responsibility for our lives and choices, and that we must develop relationships with those whom we have chosen to build our lives with, what emerges, naturally, from within society, is a superorganism which is constantly evolving, and is intimately in touch with the creator. It is a belief system that is a further development of the political philosophy of classical liberalism; we acknowledge that the individual owns himself and his actions, and that all of his rights follow from this basic principle, and the Transegoist strives to establish a government which limits itself to the protection of this single principle – that eventually we, as a society, may reach the point at which this principle has become so engrained, and the adjudication of it has become so established, that we may do away with all tools of external force, altogether (including government). Finally, the Transegoist is someone who takes joy in appreciating experiences meant to be experienced for their own sake, which inform his understanding of the truth, and resonate with his sense of life.

 

Metaphysics

Transegoists’ metaphysical beliefs are subject to the level of scientific understanding available at a given point in time. However, by de-conflicting current scientific understanding with some basic logical axioms, the Transegoist is able to construct for himself a Metaphysical model, and use it to project the likely fundamental attributes of existence.

The current Transegoist model of Metaphysics is deistic/theistic monism. That is, there is a God, and there is one, physically consistent universe, which subsumes both the physical and spiritual; which are two aspects of a single existence. However, because God is assumed to be all-powerful and all-knowing, in order to de-conflict the idea of God’s existence with that of a monistic universe, we must accept some form of panentheism; the idea that God and the Universe are identical. We believe that the God-consciousness experiences the space-time sequence holistically, as opposed to linearly, via the properties of light, and the hyper-dilation of time, and that, while no particular object within the Universe can be thought of as God, the Universe, taken as a whole, is God Himself. We further hold that God is connected to all consciousness via the entanglement principle, and conscious beings manifest the God consciousness vertically and collectively, through prayer, and laterally and individually, through relationships.

 

Epistemology

The foundational principle of the Transegoist Epistemology is that the experience of the objective, and the spiritual exploration of the subjective is de-conflicted through the application of logical principles, and, in this way, the individual acquires knowledge and understanding.

This is a process which is greatly enhanced by a healthy social, familial, religious and academic environment. There are many examples of this synergistic social process, which include (but are not limited to):

- Reading books, and de-conflicting the accounts and arguments of their authors.

- Interacting with other individuals whose souls resonate with one’s own.

- Enjoying the privilege of being raised in a family that values the truth.

- The pursuit of a relationship with the Universal Personality.

- The religious fellowship of the lovers of truth and of spiritual purity and strength.

 

Aesthetics

The result of an individual’s earnest pursuit of the truth and his integration with resonant souls results in a steady growth of spiritual and psychological maturity, both of the individual and of the emergent superorganism.

The Transegoist Aesthetic maintains as its basic premise that art is: that which is meant to be experienced for its own sake. As such, art, as we know it, falls into five basic categories (based on the five senses):

1. The visual arts (painting, sculpture, etc.).

2. The auditory arts (music).

3. The olfactory arts (food, drink, aroma products, etc.).

4. The tactile arts (fashion).

5. Literature (art which uses words which are experienced by the mind’s eye).

 

Each of these categories can be combined with one another in various ways (e.g., dancing is a combination of the visual and auditory arts, fashion is a combination of the visual and tactile arts, and opera is a combination of the musical and literary arts), and they each also have several (potentially countless) subcategories (e.g., painting, sculpture, and architecture are all subcategories of the visual arts, whereas, classical, rock, and jazz are all subcategories of the auditory arts). Further, Transegoism holds that what causes art to be valued as an experience, is the extent to which it resonates with the sense of life of the one experiencing it, and that great art expands one’s grasp of truth.

 

Ethics

The Transegoist Ethic holds as its core values, five fundamental principles:

1. The proper basis for individual interactions is enlightened self-interest.

2. The individual’s understanding of his true interests is informed by his uncompromising search for truth,

and scrupulous self-honesty.

3. Because he must have a sense of justice to be able to remain in good standing with the Universal

Personality, and not lose his essential spiritual connection to the divine, he finds that he must eschew

every sort of hypocrisy, and must treat others as he would want to be treated; he respects the persons and

properties of others.

4. Because the individual is not complete without healthy social integration, his interests dictate that he

choose his associates with great care, and, over time, fully integrate himself into his chosen circle, which

ultimately becomes his spiritual family; in some cases, to the point that he is willing to risk everything he is

for their sake.

5. Finally, an individual who has reached a certain point of spiritual power finds that he must take an

aggressive, public stance against evil and injustice, because failure to do so causes his soul to be filled with

grief, and so he commits his body, soul and spirit entirely to promote righteousness and truth, and will

fight for these things, even with his dying breath.

 

Politics

The Transegoist model of Politics requires a government which is consistent with individual rights. “Individual rights,” according to this model, are held to be: those rights which follow from the basic principle that every individual is the owner of himself and his actions. That is to say, every individual owns his own person, and that which he achieves through the exercise of his person. This single principle is sacrosanct, and because this is the case, and because government operates exclusively on the basis of force, the only possible government which could be considered legitimate is one which dedicates itself exclusively to the prosecution of those who initiate violence (understood to mean – violations of an individual’s person or property), or commit fraud (including violations of contractual obligations), as well as protect its designated territory from foreign invaders. This government must not engage in any actions outside of this strictly defined mandate. The ideologies in the current state of social awareness that fit this political model best are Libertarianism and Laissez Faire Capitalism.

The end goal of the Transegoist political model is to develop a society in which the ideas of individual sovereignty and responsibility have become so ingrained within the culture, and its systems of adjudication so established, that government can be abandoned altogether, evolving into a social system beyond the need for force; Anarcho-Capitalism.

A Basic Overview of Transegoism

Awareness Act Founder Persecuted by Feds

Interview With the Founder of Awareness Act

On 28 June 2013, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Moore, founder of Awareness Act again, and this time, we had a lot of news to cover, including the fact that he has been persecuted extra-judiciously by the government, that Awareness Act is now hosting other sites, that the website is going to open for individual sponsors, and much, much more.

 

Who is Mike Moore, and What is Awareness Act?

An ad for Awareness Act.

For those of you who do not know who Mike Moore is, or what Awareness Act is, Awareness Act is the revolutionary new social media site, for people who are looking for more than just pictures of peoples’ dinner, and for people who are privacy conscious. I use this site myself, and I learn new things every day, and the users on the site, who hail from every corner of the globe, always post alternative and main-stream news stories from all over the web, which keep me constantly apprised of what’s going on all over the world. It is an outstanding social media website, and I recommend it for everyone. Every day, people are abandoning Facebook, which is complicit with the various government spy agencies, and joining Awareness Act.

Mike Moore is the founder of Awareness Act.

Because Mr. Moore has not been accused of anything, one is left to speculate that perhaps the burgeoning success of Awareness Act may be the reason the Federal Government feels threatened by this friendly, unassuming young man.

 

The Federal Government’s Criminal Abuse of Power

According to Mr. Moore, he has been extrajudiciously blocked from being able to perform certain basic financial interactions. He has not been formally accused of anything. He has not been presented with any warrants. He has not been subpeonaed. He has not been addressed as a person of interest in any investigation. He has not even been notified. When he tried to conduct business, he was simply told by representatives from his bank “You may or may not be the subject of an ongoing Federal investigation. We can neither confirm nor deny this. However, we cannot transfer funds to your account at this time.”

This is color of law. He is being denied due process. The federal government is unilaterally acting against Mike Moore outside of the rule of law, and his financial institutions of choice are complicit. One wonders: if one’s financial institutions are not to be trusted with one’s money, then why would one entrust money to their care? Sure, you can draw interest, but that interest is less than the rate of inflation; why wouldn’t one simply buy and sell metals, instead?

 

Short Soapbox Tangent on Metals

Sure, owning metals provides for slightly less liquidity than having money in the bank, but they hold their value — above and beyond the rate of inflation, and can certainly be sold for cash with ease. Even better, if you withdraw large sums of cash from your account — the government knows. And if you hold more than $10,000 in cash, the government has the power to confiscate it — no questions asked; which they will be able to do, since all money in circulation is embedded with RFID chips. If you want to hide cash, you have to stow it in a lead lined safe, or bury it several feet under the ground. Compared to that, gold and silver are much easier to conceal.

 

Awareness Act Won’t be Stopped

In spite of this rank criminal abuse of power against Mike Moore by the Federal government, he and his team are moving forward with the Awareness Act project. There is an Awareness Act iPhone and Android application in the works, as well as a very exciting and innovative idea they are calling… “Project Hydra.” For more details on that, and other exciting new developments, I refer the reader to the video of the interview below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkm-ctKN5NI

Awareness Act Founder Persecuted by Feds

Homos Orate -- Man Who Prays

The Science of Homo-Sapien

“Candle Lighting,” by Petr Kratochvil.

Science gave our species the name, homo sapiens: Man who knows or man who is wise.

We are the only surviving species of our genus, homo.

 

Struck Blind

Last March I had an experience reminiscent of Saint Paul being knocked off his horse.

Only instead of seeing God, I saw my life.

I was so mortified, so horrified by that insight that I went blind, lost my memory and had a nervous breakdown.

When the event happened I thought I was having a heart attack or stroke so I had my father and sister take me to the local emergency hospital.

After finding me in relative good physical health (a non-emergency) the doctor treated me for high blood pressure and then released me.

My vision has since returned and my memory loss was restricted to details like names and dates.  

I couldn’t remember the names of our pets or relatives or friends of the family or songs or pop culture figures, political and historical figures.

 

Epiphany

I had one other insight.

I became aware that man possesses a never ending pulse, or well spring.

What comes out of that well spring is man’s primordial yearning for his Creator.

Everything we do whether good or evil, constructive, destructive or self-destructive, effective or ineffective, nurturing or murdering, compassionate or cruel, giving or greedy, healing or diseased…

…is powered by that never ending pulse, that yearning for the Creator.

It is the dynamo that drives us unceasingly. And if we don’t order our lives to it we go mad.

And just as the Big Bang which powered the creation of the Universe left an omnipresent voice called the cosmic background radiation, the pulse that powers our life also has an unceasing, everpresent voice.

We are homo orate (or-AH-tay), man who prays.

Homos Orate -- Man Who Prays

Independence Day Release of our Monthly Magazine

What we did this Independence Day

On July 4th, 2013 (yesterday), Transegoism.Us released the very first issue of the TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY magazine. This is a physical magazine. It has a colored jacket, with a black and white interior.

 

Featured in this Issue

This issue of TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY is shorter than what will become the standard, because we had to spend a lot of time working out the details of how we were going to publish it, and didn’t have as much time to arrange content as we would have liked. This issue contains 28 pages of news, philosophy, history, reviews, and recipes. Future issues will be 40 pages long. Some of the headlines of this issue include:

• An interview with Mike Moore, the founder of Awareness Act.


• An article about the egoistic ethical principles of Jesus Christ.


• An article explaining some of the differences between statism and capitalism.


• A recipe for home made salsa.


• And much more.

 

How to get a Copy of the Independence Day Issue of TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY

To get your copy of the TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY magazine shipped to you, you can reach us by either:

• Emailing us at Magazine@Transegoism.us,


• Calling us at (888)405-7340, or


• Mailing us at: TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY, P.O. Box 112, Powderly, TX 75473.

Buying an individual copy of the TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY magazine costs $2.50, or you can subscribe for $20.00 per year (and save $10.00 per year, overall). If you are ordering over email or over the phone, please be prepared to pay via a PayPal link. If you are ordering over mail, please send a check made out to PJ Cornell.

 

Future Developments

We do not yet have any way to order the TRANSEGOIST MONTHLY magazine online, but that is in the works. We are planning on making online puchases of the magazine available on a subdomain of the site, and we will make an announcement when it is ready.

 

Ad Space

We will be looking for local and national advertisers. For a limited time only, we are offering ad space at a reduced price.

• We are offering 125 X 125 pixel ads for $5 per issue.


• We are offering half page ads for $25 per issue.


• We are offering full page ads (black and white) for $50.


• We are offering full page ads (in full color) for $100.


• We are willing to lock in the ads for up to 6 months for advertisers who are willing to pay upfront.

Independence Day Release of our Monthly Magazine

Too Young to be a Hippie

The Would-be Hippie

“Nuclear Sign,” by George Hodan.

My eldest sister and brother went to the Democratic Convention, but I was too young. By the time I reached 16 (the age designated by our folks to be “old enough” to have an opinion and fight for it) in the mid 70′s, the issue was anti-nukes. The old legislation was coming up, and our Congress was planning on spending lots of money on more nuclear weapons development.

 

Hippie Activism Goes Viral; Stone-Age Style

I signed up of course. Spent weeks on the phone, getting petitions signed, and talking about the planned marches. About a week before the march, I heard that Europe had gotten the word about the U.S. anti-nuke march and was planning marches also! It was very exciting and gratifying after all the time and effort my colleagues and I had put into it!

 

The Day of the March

I was there early. It was quite a crowd! More than we ever expected showed up at our local march! As an organizer, I was busy meeting and greeting and helping folks, making sure the petition was signed, all day! Didn’t even get to spend time with any of my friends who came, although several pitched in and helped us as aides!

 

The Aftermath

I got home around midnight, exhausted. To my surprise, mom and dad were waiting up. Dad was all excited, “This may work!” he exclaimed. “It was on the news tonight, they even had hundreds of thousands marching in Russia! Everywhere in the world, people were telling their governments that nuclear weapons are just too destructive for consideration and wasteful spending!” Now, since this was still in the middle of the “cold war”, and there was no internet to spread the word…this was pretty amazing. Congress had to take the nuclear weapon development proposals off the table. Not that they didn’t sneak them in elsewhere, in much smaller amounts; and the world leaders started talking to each other and made agreements on nuclear weapons removal.

 

The Lesson, Here

Because the people got together, and stood up for something they knew was just wrong, they were able to compel their governments give up their quests for world power, and consider their people instead. I felt, at that moment, that the humanity of the world was one big family, trying to look out for each other, caring about each other and the earth, despite what corrupt officials have mapped out for them. And what keeps me going now, is that I know, perhaps buried deep down somewhere, the ties between us all, still exist.

Too Young to be a Hippie