Liberty-Watch.com

Can a computer operating system save the world. If so Linux is the OS that tyrants will fear. What started out as clunky and weird has evolved into state of the art and user friendly.

Liberty-Watch.com is now powered by Ubuntu 9.10 – the Karmic Koala – released in October 2009 and supported until April 2011. This is the best Linux distribution that I have ever experienced!

There is no longer any reason to rely on Microsoft for anything! I am declaring Ubuntu the official operating system of this recession. In case you didn’t know, Ubuntu is free – and so is a slew of programs that would cost thousands of dollars on a Windows platform.

Consider Abiword, a word processing program comparable to Microsoft Word. MS Word cost over $200, Abiword is free. Want more? OpenOffice.org is a full-featured office productivity suite that provides a near drop-in replacement for Microsoft Office.

Ubuntu comes with all the applications you need: a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging and much more. Plus the Ubuntu Software Center puts thousands of other quality open source programs at your fingertips.

Anyone on a budget would be a fool to buy a Windows box. Linux computer systems save you money, as well as eliminate a link to the corporate world. It feels good to be working with a strong engine again.

Here comes the long cold end of winter stretch. The captain had an entertaining rant about this time of year.

“February and March are the worst months,” he would say. “By the end of January the novelty of winter has worn off – and we still have two more months to go!”

I wish I could recall more of that rant. I guess I expected to hear it again and again for years to come.

For those unfamiliar with Liberty-Watch, it’s a vessel once manned by Mike Zigler. He launched this ship in April of 2005.

For three years his ship sailed full steam ahead, delivering the ingredients for freedom, peace and prosperity. Then a lack of funds left Liberty-Watch with a skeleton crew.

Liberty-Watch began its fifth year dead in the water and sinking. Some presumed it hit rock bottom – At the captains request I dug into my bag of nickels to make repairs.

That summer the captain left the ship to search for treasure. I stayed on-board to fill holes and provide general maintenance.

By October 2009 I had brought Liberty-Watch back up to speed, and was waiting for the captain’s return with new ideas and hopefully a chest full of booty. Sadly, he died that same month. I miss him.

I’ve taken command of his once mighty ship and will steer it in a direction suitable to my lost comrade.

Update: I’ve signed my name to the Campaign for Liberty crew-member list. They’ve enlisted me as Local Coordinator for Nevada Precinct 5354.

Talking points I’ve chosen to discuss with my neighbors include:

- There should be no income tax, national sales tax, or any other such scheme on the federal level. The US income tax implies that government owns you and graciously allows you to keep whatever percentage of the fruits of your labor it chooses. This is incompatible with the principles of a free society.

- A strong national defense doesn’t mean policing the world, launching preemptive war, or having troops stationed on every continent. Those things weaken our national defense by spreading our resources too thin and bankrupting our government at home.

- Government should respect our right to privacy, rather than invading it on phony pretenses. Instead of trying to correct our bad habits at the point of a gun, it should defer to families and the normal channels of civil society to instruct people on moral conduct.

Nevada Precinct 5354

My local area is precinct 5354, which includes the turf southeast of Maryland Parkway and Vegas Valley Drive.

I’m looking forward to sailing side-by-side with Campaign for Liberty.

The sea is calm, the skies have been clear
This ship moves slow as I’m learning to steer
The engine will sputter, but it gets the job done
What use to be many, now is just one

I’ve been thinking about Liberty-Watch’s first engine. I was with the captain when he bought it.

“Spare no expense!” he exclaimed.

Which made the purchase easy – we bought the best on the market.

Mike in the "Engine Room"

He used the same philosophy when buying the captain’s chair. (Memories of sitting in that chair bring consolation, for the loss of my friend and captian.)

The guy who paid the bill that day went on to command a better established ship, which I recently visited. It’s a huge vessel with an impressive crew. Their ports of call draw large crowds, eager to learn from the best.

That ship pays tribute to celebrated Austrian economist, philosopher and author Ludwig von Mises. Its purpose is to advance the scholarship of liberty in the tradition of the Austrian School.

The ship’s crew is a hardy bunch, bold enough to encourage wayward thinkers to plunder their ideas. That said, I went ahead and grabbed a few things while I was there to hang on the walls here at Liberty-Watch.

Not sure what became of that engine and chair, but assume they are in good hands. Doesn’t take much to run this ship in its current state, and the costs for upkeep are minimal.

For now I’ll do my best to make do.

If this ship doesn’t pick up steam by the time I’m gone –  just flush it down. The eulogy can read: Came to poop, only farted.

On the poop deck of a once mighty ship

This ship was launched in Las Vegas, NV on April 1st, 2005 to a good deal of fanfare. In fact, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman declared April 1st “Liberty Watch Day,” in honor of the ships name.

The launch party invitations read, “Dismiss objectivity.” This ship was built to deliver libertarian legitimacy to the masses. That party, by the way, was a lavish event.

At full steam ahead we spread the news of liberators, like Ron Paul and Bob Beers. We shared the views of wise Austrian economists, like Lew Rockwell and Doug French. We exposed the dastardly deeds of evil doers, like Jon Ralston and Rory Reid.

For three years Liberty Watch sailed with strength – thanks to a determined captain and a burly buccaneer who was good at finding treasure and divvying up the booty.

Then the engines began to sputter and stall. Holes and leaks appeared in the hull. And that good natured burly buccaneer, he didn’t come around much anymore.

As the ship was taking in water, other crewmembers began jumping overboard. By the end of our fourth year Liberty Watch was beginning to look like a ghost ship.

Then came the fateful day in May when a major repair was needed to keep Liberty Watch afloat and nobody would shell out for it. I took care of that repair. Things went from bad to worse, and soon the only hands left on deck were mine and the captain’s. I was given command of the ship as my captain went ashore with a plan to find enough treasure to restore the ship to its original luster.

Now he’s gone

I kept this ship afloat, and by October 2009 had repaired the damage and filled the holes – all on my own nickel. I did it for two reasons: My captain encouraged me, and I believed in him. He died that same month.

Not completely sure what to do, but have set a course. There will be adventures reminiscent of days gone by. And I’ll venture into uncharted water from time to time, just as the captain use to.

Farewell my brother in arms, may your memory give me the strength to keep this ship above water and moving forward. It’s time to hoist the sails and raise the flag.

My friend Mike Zigler died last week. Mike’s friend Jarret Keene wrote about it here. Another of Mike’s friends, Doug French, posted about the loss of A Young Champion of Liberty. It is amazing how many lives Zigler touched, he was constantly introducing himself to people, handing out his business card, and putting smiles on the faces of complete strangers. He brought a rare personality to Las Vegas.

I’m going to miss Mike. He was a great friend and brilliant guy to work with. I first met him when I was Chairman of the UNLV Rebel Yell Advisory Board. We were picking a new editor-in-chief, and Zigler was the only applicant. So the meeting was just a formality… I think Zigler may have even put his feet up on the boardroom table.

Shortly after that Zigler hired me, something he became very good at. He was always ready to help someone find a job. In a recent conversation he mentioned he was interviewing for a top position at the Mandalay Bay Human Recourses Department – that would’ve been a perfect job for him!

I was always amazed how quickly he would excel in just about everything he did. In high school he was the top player on the football team. At UNLV he worked his way up to editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. He quickly earned the News Editor title at CityLife. And was rapidly climbing the corporate ladder at MGM.

As busy as he was, he always had time for friends, in good times and bad. His annual “orphans” Thanksgiving dinner gave friends away from family a place to hang out during the holidays. Of course I’ll never forget my visit to his hometown, Indianapolis, he was in Las Vegas but got his High School sweetheart to take me out. That was a great time!

He took me to my first UNLV football game, and we had a blast while getting blasted! He was a great drinking buddy too. Sadly, I understand, alcohol got the best of him. I drank a few beers on Monday after hearing the news, last night it was tequila and beer. Tonight I’m sober and wanted to jot down some words to post at the website he created.

Liberty-Watch.com was Mike’s baby, till the money dried up. Shortly after that he gave me carte blanche to make voluntary updates, which is why Buckethead appeared at the site. Mike recently joked about all the Buckethead I’ve put up.

What a terrible loss for so many people.

Mike kept black and white pictures of people close to him on the walls of his home, I always felt honored to have my picture right next to his dad.

Located Northeast of Sahara and 15th, this precinct is mostly single family homes with a business block on Sahara between 15th and San Jose.