Every time I use Mapquest to negotiate Pennsylvania I end up on short stretches of local highways that are invariably undergoing some type of construction. This last trip to Pittsburgh was no exception. The LNC met this last weekend in Pittsburgh. Despite interruptions in order to facilitate print and radio interviews for Chairman Redpath and former Congressman Bob Barr, the committee was able to pick bylaws, credentials and platform committees. While I was only able to attend the Saturday functions, which included formal photos of LNC members and a group photo, it's always good to see people give up a weekend in order to promote Liberty.
Whatever criticisms one may have of Mr. Barr's former position or positions in life, he is amiable and generous in real life. He seems to have embraced his counterparts on the LNC and took the time to autograph his book, The Meaning of Is, for me. I even got the impression that had I wanted a free copy he would have provided it. As we strolled to lunch we had a brief discussion about former Congressman John Sweeney and the troubles he had last Fall. The committee decided that Mr. Barr would be the keynote speaker at the 2008 convention in Denver next May. As Secretary Sullentrup summarized, ' I can't think of a better person to speak about the reasons why people should leave the Democratic and Republican parties'. Hopefully the rabid, hardcore libertarians in the ranks can appreciate the value of a high end speaker with no expectation of honorarium requirements for his stance on Freedom.
The other highlight of the brief trip was a meet up with former LP candidate for president, Kent McManigal. Kent conjured many reactions to his former candidacy and I took the opportunity to stop through his neck of the woods just outside Scranton and do an interview on camera with him. Kent is a cool guy to hang with as some have suggested. I'll go into further detail about the meeting after I fiddle around with the tape. The wind was a little high that day and I'm hoping it doesn't mess things up.
I managed to find a local LP'er who directed me to I-279 & I-79 which directly connected me to I-80 for the bulk of the PA jaunt back East. The idea that the state should direct me to buckle my seatbelt has always bothered me. It was one of the first issues I associated with as a lad back in 1984 when papa Cuomo introduced the idea to the world. I've been fighting state intervention into personal lives ever since. Just before Steve Gordon left LPHQ he almost got me on Fox News in NYC with Douglas Kennedy to discuss one of the last hold outs (New Hampshire) in the seatbelt requirement, it's too bad it takes me more than two hours to get there. It took me almost eight hours get out of PA and I was still miffed that the good state of Pennsylvania would waste taxpayer dollars on what they considered a clever control tool. One could presume that if they could drive a million miles around the planet, there would be someplace that didn't force safety on you . . .
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