Checksum Arcanius

My desktop computer puts out an incredible amount of heat. It has been on all day due to my working on the TRC scouting page, and my room is a bonafide sauna. Good thing there’s the cool night air to let in before slipping into bed.

Unable to get their agenda pushed through the legislature (who finally got something right in this state), the anti-smoking lobby has decided to take a shot at the trusty ol’ Washington State Initiative process.

I am a non-smoker, and I pretty much detest the smell. However, I do not agree with the idea of banning smoking from all indoor public places. There are plenty of smoke-free venues available today, and I can choose to go to them if I want that environment. And I strongly believe we should allow the same choice to smokers. I have never been forced, save when I was little and forced by my parents, to eat in a smoky resturant, or attend a smoky event. Why do we need to legislate to take away choice when we already have the choices we want to make? Why can’t we allow that same choice to others, even if they choose differently than us?

Given my track-record at what I want versus what I get, this one seems destined to pass. Why is it that people find it so neccesary to take away other people’s liberty? Be it thourgh despotism, republicanism, or the tyranny of the majority as in this case, it seems that people just won’t live and let live.

The TRC scouting application for 2005 has arrived. Its got almost no security, so please be nice. Comments are welcome, but don’t expect me to do anything about them. I can give out the source code though, so if you are feeling creative have at.

Go take a look!

You can now say that you read the blog of the secretary of the Libertarian Party of King County.

Yeah.

Now, the story…

About a week ago, I got an email from the Libertarian Party of King County (LPKC) inviting me to a “Liberty Forum” at the Azteca resturant in Bellevue. Well, I like Mexican food, and I like liberty, so I thought, sounds like a good deal to me!.

I made it to the resturant (after driving maddeningly around in circles due to the circuitous nature of Bellevue’s roads in the vicinity of Azteca), and on the way to the back room, I ran into the Jimmas, but that is another story. After chatting with them, I went back into the room, where the experience truly began. In attendance was Ruth Bennett, recent gubernatorial candidate who won something on the order of 50 times the votes that divided the other two candidates, J Mills, a senatorial candidate, who later spoke at length about the contested governor’s election, King 5’s mistreatment of the Libertarian Party, and several other topics. But back to the story.

The first order of business was election of new officers. Two students from the University of Washington became chair and vice-chair of the LPKC, but then when the call went out for nominations for the Secretary, the room was silent. Well, I had actually played with the idea of running for an office before arriving, but there was a small problem – I was not a member of the Libertarian Party, officially. I informed the group of my willingness to fill the position, and of the caveat.

“Well, we can fix that,” burst out Ruth. So, with a move to nominate me, a second, and no objections, a vote was taken, and I was unanimously elected to the post of Secretary of the Libertarian Party of King County.

My duties consist of taking minutes at about four executive meetings over the next year and a few other miscellaneous tasks that I’ll have to get rebriefed on, because frankly, I forgot what they were. So as you can tell, I’m already doing a great job…

More seriously, however, could this be the start of my political career?

With some help from my wonderful mother, the latest TRC video is basically complete. And it’s a doozie. Four songs perfectly blended with action, suspense, drama, plot, and excitment all curled in to about seven minutes of video. The first screening will be at the International School in Bellevue, but after that it will likely find its way on to the TRC website. Stay tuned!