My Gadsen Flag
As much as horrifies my liberal friends I really love my Gadsden flag.
You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to own my own Don’t Tread on Me Flag but was too embarrassed to spend the $8 to buy it.
I’m a life long liberal Democrat who loves guns and burning things that government is involved in too much in our private lives. I’ve always kind of liked the Tea Party message of defending the second amendment, individual empowerment and less government interference with the lives of private citizens.Government shouldn’t regulate individuals like it does large corporations. You might say my views are closer to Malcom X and Huey Newton then Donald Trump or Paul Ryan but I couldn’t find an inexpensive Black Panther flag that I liked. Moreover, nobody knows what the meaning of the Black Panthers is anymore. The Panthers flag just isn’t that nice color wise, especially next to my Blue Marble Earth Flag or now my Rainbow Flag. I thought about getting a Molon Labe flag but I didn’t like the colors or the military undertones. I’m not a war monger but I believe in citizen empowerment and the right of self-defense and self-reliance.
I’ve long flirted with the Tea Party because I love the Man (lol!) and his aerial highway patrols as much as the next person, but I also think that Obamacare has helped a lot of people even if I think that the subsidies should have been a lot more generous for middle class families. Why can’t government help people get healthcare and an affordable college education without spying on our emails or beating up on the farmers just trying to do their jobs? Animal rights and environmental extremists have gotten much too much control in our society today. People who are ill informed and act only emotion, have no role in our governing. I’m more concerned with air pollution from coal power plants and large landfills then marginal farmers in the mountains grazing cattle and rednecks burning trash and riding quads in the woods. Not every acre of land should be declared wilderness. We can have public lands with great backcountry camping and trails, hunting and fishing but we can also have logging and mineral production to help pay for upkeep of the land.
I believe we can have a government that works for the people and promote the common good without treading on people’s rights.
4 Comments
After reading some of your views I felt inclined to let you know I really respect you putting them out there for all to view. Today’s day in age it takes some real intestinal fortitude to do that. I realize these were published a few years ago now, but the respect doesn’t change. I also really appreciate the legitimate information you have posted, in particular with Allegheny NF. My wife and I recently turned my pickup into a camping rig, complete with a rooftop tent and are beyond excited to experience more together. I thank you for that. What struck me so much is you really seem like the kind of guy who we could bump into each other camping, have some beers and solve the worlds problems all the while disagreeing on certain things and agreeing on others but still be good friends. It seems so rare anymore to find that and it was truly refreshing to read your ideas and sincerely feel that. God speed, keep exploring! And maybe we’ll bump into each other sometime, first rounds on me!
Sincerely,
Zack Frey
After reading some of your views I felt inclined to let you know I really respect you putting them out there for all to view. Today’s day in age it takes some real intestinal fortitude to do that. I realize these were published a few years ago now, but the respect doesn’t change. I also really appreciate the legitimate information you have posted, in particular with Allegheny NF. My wife and I recently turned my pickup into a camping rig, complete with a rooftop tent and are beyond excited to experience more together. I thank you for that. What struck me so much is you really seem like the kind of guy who we could bump into each other camping, have some beers and solve the worlds problems all the while disagreeing on certain things and agreeing on others but still be good friends. It seems so rare anymore to find that and it was truly refreshing to read your ideas and sincerely feel that. God speed, keep exploring! And maybe we’ll bump into each other sometime, first rounds on me!
You may eventually find the obvious pattern of a totalitarian partnership between business and government where they give themselves a free pass to create mayhem and destruction to get more powerful at the expense of individuals, their chief enemy. And whether you consider yourself a responsible steward of your land or not, you will find yourself constantly oppressed with asinine rules to keep you busy trying to comply. Any successful and genuine revolution will be a peaceful one, with only one demand: to be left alone to live one’s own life and think one’s own thoughts.
Although you and I are separated somewhat on the political spectrum we would probably get along. I came across your page researching how to get data off of the Discover GIS Data NY page. I admire your accomplishment mastering all the free / open source GIS tools and associated scripting / programming languages. Having spent 35 years working on computer programming I always found it difficult to come home and spend more time on my home computer developing those skills. Now retired I’ve established a hobby machine shop to serve as a creative outlet instead. If you could offer some insight into how to get Hillshade map data out of Discover GIS Data NY and into Google Earth Pro I’d greatly appreciate it.