The Humble Libertarian original

Late last night, in the uninhibited and ecstatic throes of inebriation, a vision came to me that was so compelling I had to write it down in dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror so I wouldn't forget it by morning. That is what you see pictured above: a written reminder that I had a brain child last night-- Afghanuggies, an afghan with sleeves like a Snuggie. I'd buy that. I'd buy one for myself and I'd buy one for my dad. I also bet hipsters would love it. I don't know why, but I just feel like they would. This morning my roommate suggested a follow-up product after the success of Afghanuggies: Quiltuggies, a patchwork quilt like something grandma would make-- except it has sleeves. After Afghanuggies go mainstream, the hipsters will need another product that hasn't caught on yet, something new to like before it becomes fashionable. Quiltuggies could be that product. Why am I sharing this? Because I believe that every single one of you reading this right n...

As someone who holds a business degree with a major in entrepreneurship, I absolutely loved this piece at Mises.org and I count myself incredibly lucky that my entrepreneurship professors, especially the chair of the department (who writes an excellent blog ), never filled our heads with the post-modern, relativistic, politically correct, absolutely and obviously false nonsense that all you have to do is try in order to succeed. In fact, stacks and stacks of financial projections we labored over for our various business ideas showed us just how easy it is to fail and just how important it is to fail on paper so you don't fail in real life. Success is about deliberate action that creates the necessary results to achieve a clear goal. Just trying isn't enough. Reality doesn't know or respect your best intentions or most fervent wishes. You've got to think, and then you've got to sweat. Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

From Peter Schiff's Gold Scams blog : On eBay beware of a silver bullion item with a vague description and a good price. That seller is hoping you skip the fine print and miss the fact that it is not the .999 you are looking for. There are listings of supposed .999 silver accompanied by the words “100 Mills”. This isn’t pure silver. It is a copper bar or round that is plated in silver.The seller may tag the item as “1 Troy Oz. 100 Mills .999 Silver”. Be careful out there. Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Here's what conservative columnist Jack Hunter recently had to say about The Primal Blueprint , a book advocating the "paleo diet" or "caveman diet" (a diet of mostly meats and vegetables): In its philosophy, the Primal Blueprint is essentially a conservative diet. Author and Primal Blueprint creator Mark Sisson says, "Forget everything you thought you knew about diet, exercise, and health. It's time to go back to the beginning." He believes that the "experts" at the Food and Drug Administration, with their food pyramid and nutritional advice about what constitutes a well-balanced meal, are full of it. According to Sisson, "The Primal Blueprint is validated by the magnificent 2-million-year scientific study that is human evolution. Our genes prefer natural hunter-gatherer foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, fowl, and eggs." What we should avoid are grains and sugars, writes Sisson. "Processed ca...

A friend of mine in the liberty movement recommended I take a look at Peter Schiff's special report on buying gold and silver without getting ripped off, especially as more scammers are taking advantage of people who are smart enough to buy some inflation-proof gold and silver. I read through it today and for anyone who is interested in buying a little gold or silver, but has absolutely no idea where to begin and feels a little bewildered by all the options out there: this is a great little report to help you get started. Obviously it's also an advertisement for Schiff's coin and bullion selling company EuroPacificMetals , but the information in it is definitely valuable and worth reading if you're a total noob thinking about buying some gold or silver. You can read the report here . Schiff also has a Facebook page here . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Hello faithful readers! Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be leaving the country again next week and plan on taking a one week media fast to get my head clear and prepare for some big projects to come! Contingent upon my productivity this weekend, the level of content next week should remain pretty normal, but moderation of comments that are caught by the spam filter will be sporadic, infrequent, or non-existent... probably non-existent until the following week. I know, I know: I won't be here for the 10 year anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Exactly. I'll enjoy the sights around me and be glad that I'm not back in America glued to my laptop and television listening to the incoherent ramblings of 9-11 Truthers, whose arguments are rivaled in their vapidity only by the pretended patriotism of warfare statist agitators who would bleed this great nation dry of its wealth and its most able young people to satisfy their own thirst for blood, glory, a...

Here's a great little card by Students for a Sensible Drug Policy to keep in your wallet, which succinctly lists your rights and polite things for you to say to a police officer when stopped in order to assert your rights. Check it out . Hat tip: reddit . Wes Messamore , Editor in Chief, T H L Articles | Author's Page

Why am I a libertarian? Because I believe liberty is a necessary condition for human flourishing, or as the U.S. Declaration of Independence puts it: happiness. But the pursuit of happiness-- your own human flourishing-- cannot be postponed for some indefinite time when a truly free society has been created. It would be pointless if our lives were consumed 100% by the pursuit of liberty with happiness as an after thought. We must pursue our own happiness here and now despite the imperfect conditions for it (and with a grateful nod to those who have come before us and made it arguably the society with the closest-to-perfect conditions that has ever existed). The added bonus you get is that as a better, happier version of yourself, you will be more capable of pursuing a political program of liberty and in a better position to enjoy its fruits, having already improved yourself. Yes-- that is what I'm driving at here and I'll cut straight to the point-- I am embarking on a jour...

The information in the following video could help you save someone's life someday. It's called continuous chest compression and it's different from CPR. When performing it, you DON'T 1) Check for pulse, 2) Clear the airway, or 3) perform mouth-to-mouth. Continuous chest compression is much easier to learn and remember than traditional CPR, actually has a higher likelihood of saving someone's life if you see them collapse from cardiac arrest, and can be performed without a certification or special training. A good patriot and vigilant citizen is alert, knowledgeable, and ready to help others in emergencies. The more we take care of each other, the less claim government will have on us! Check out the video below for more information. A tip of my hat to Laura at Red State Eclectic for this excellent find ! Disclaimer ( i.e. the legal crap that I hatve to include because twisted lawyers have screwed our country up so badly): The editor of The Humble Libertarian an...

According to my blogging hero, Darren Rowse , "the secret" to successful blogging is consistently creating value for your readers. If you give them something valuable then they will keep returning to your blog and sharing it with others. So I began to wonder how political blogs create value for their readers...

One of the great things about political (or really any) blogging is that the constant effort to create quality content and meet daily deadlines for publishing it teaches you a lot about yourself and your own level of self-discipline. You start to consciously think about time management as you try to fit blogging into your busy schedule. You become goal-oriented and start thinking about the future more. You try to whip yourself into shape, meet your deadlines, achieve your goals, and become a better blogger. You may even try to start waking up earlier to read the day's important headlines and get in some good blogging before the rest of your day begins. The great thing about blogging is that it teaches you to crave discipline. In that respect I've already grown leaps and bounds directly because of my experience as an aspiring political blogger of note. But I want to learn even more self-discipline, so I've gathered some materials and done some research related to the s...

In case you're not an Amazon junkie... I just wanted to let you know that they have some fantastic deals for the rest of this month on products related to fitness, diet, and organization in order to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions to get fit, eat right, and stay on top of work. If you use the banner above to visit their New Year's sale page, and you make any purchases there, it will generate a commission to support THL's mission of fighting for limited government, individual liberty, and rule of law.