Showing posts with label Gary Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gary Johnson. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

September 11th - A day Americans will always remember

It was before I had decided to go to college.  I was sitting in my work truck on a construction site; I was a heavy equipment operator on a dirt excavation crew at the time.  The 1980-81 Chevrolet truck had one of those old knob radios, but it worked.  The morning was cool.  There was a breeze.

The radio announced that the first tower had been hit.  First impression: I thought some pilot and co-pilot may have had a few too many the night before playing each others' wingmen at some hot European nightclub.  Then - however - those old dusty speakers revealed to me that the second tower had been hit.  This was something new... something I had never been personally familiar with - a major attack carried out on American soil.

The rest of that day and the weeks and months that followed came as a blur of towers falling on television, people covered in ash and dust, war rhetoric, national pride, unification, ..., on-and-on-and-on.  It seemed as if someone had hit the fast forward button.

Looking back now, someone did hit the fast forward button - the federal government.  A new era of war was ushered in by the multitudes of demagogues, liars, and exaggerators that were chosen to push the government's foolhardy agenda to reshape the politics of the Middle East to their liking.  Their motto: "Never let a disaster go to waste."  America was immediately bombarded by a mainstream media barrage of war propaganda.

They got us pissed off.  They directed our anger towards some brown people halfway across the globe.  They took away Our freedoms here at home by rushing through legislation such as the (anti-)Patriot Act.  They started dropping bombs on a nation that wasn't even involved in the original attack which has lead to the deaths of over 1,000,000 Iraqis.  They bent us over.  They lubed us up.  They proceeded to have their way with us.  And... most of us took it like a champ.

Let's not let this happen to Us again.  Let's not be fooled by the demagogues.  Let's not go haphazardly into more interventionist wars.  Let's not sacrifice any more of Our freedoms in the name of security.  Let's stand together - once again - in a United effort... but this time, not against a foreign threat... but against the tyranny that the two-party system has imposed on Us since that fateful September day.

Now that we have been engaged in the longest war in United States history, don't you think it's time for real change?

I ask you to refuse to vote for either of the Status Quo candidates on November 6th - Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.  Instead, please find a third party candidate that YOU agree with and send a clear message to the Powers That Be to - "Kiss my ass!"

Don't fall for the same old songs and dances - again.  America can't handle another four years of irresponsible government. Vote third party for all those that have died - and continue to die - in the name of the "War on Terrorism."  Stop the tyranny - now.

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Please check to see if the following 3rd party candidates are on your state's ballot.  Click the links below to research each party and their presidential nominee:

Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee - Gary Johnson (Former New Mexico Governor - ballot access)

Constitution Party Presidential Nominee - Virgil Goode (Former Congressman, VA - ballot access)

Green Party Presidential Nominee - Jill Stein (Physician - ballot access)



Monday, September 10, 2012

@GovGaryJohnson Twitter Bombs - Schedule your tweets BEFORE the bomb!

If people are interested in participating in future Gary Johnson Twitter Bombs, it is encouraged that they schedule their tweets ahead of time using a free application such as TweetDeck.  Scheduling your tweets ahead of time provides several benefits:



  1. You do not have to physically be at your computer or on your smartphone during the Twitter Bomb.
  2. You do not have to come up with original tweets using the new hashtag "on the fly."
  3. You can more easily create a theme with your tweets.  For instance, you may want to present the Gary Johnson Ads in a creative way by including his YouTube videos in your tweets.
  4. You get to just sit back and enjoy the Twitter Bomb without rush to actually do anything.
  5. You can avoid reaching your tweet limit early in the Twitter Bomb. 
  6. Short-term distractions do not take away from your participation.
  7. Most importantly, scheduling tweets ahead of time insures the hashtag will trend for the longest possible time.
Note: When scheduling ahead of time, spacing tweets to occur every other minute (30 tweets per hour) will help you to avoid problems with tweet limits while still allowing you the freedom to retweet your favorite tweets.

Please participate in achieving your freedom.  Join the Twitter Bombs. Visit GaryJohnson2012.com. Follow @GovGaryJohnson on Twitter.  Like Gary Johnson's Facebook page.  Vote for Gary Johnson in November.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

#RonPaulFans4GaryJohnson trended nationally on Twitter - Sunday 9/9/12




The Gary Johnson Twitter Army - a group started on Facebook by David Cox of Virginia - has successfully trended unique Gary Johnson hashtags on Twitter the last several weekends.  This Sunday - September 9th, 2012 - the hashtag employed was #RonPaulFans4GaryJohnson.  At one point during the Twitter Bomb, it was the second most popular hashtag being used across the United States:






Other hashtags have included:  #GoGaryJohnson; #Unite4GaryJohnson; #LetGaryJohnsonDebate; and #GaryJohnsonSays.  The twitter bombs have attracted several well known participants such as Penn Jillette, Drew Carey, and Constitutional advocate Judge Andrew Napolitano:


If people are interested in participating in future Gary Johnson Twitter Bombs, it is encouraged that they schedule their tweets ahead of time using a free application such as TweetDeck.  Scheduling your tweets ahead of time provides several benefits:

  1. You do not have to physically be at your computer or on your smartphone during the Twitter Bomb.
  2. You do not have to come up with original tweets using the new hashtag "on the fly."
  3. You can more easily create a theme with your tweets.  For instance, you may want to present the Gary Johnson Ads in a creative way by including his YouTube videos in your tweets.
  4. You get to just sit back and enjoy the Twitter Bomb without rush to actually do anything.
  5. You can avoid reaching your tweet limit early in the Twitter Bomb. 
  6. Short-term distractions do not take away from your participation.
  7. Most importantly, scheduling tweets ahead of time insures the hashtag will trend for the longest possible time.
Note: When scheduling ahead of time, spacing tweets to occur every other minute (30 tweets per hour) will help you to avoid problems with tweet limits while still allowing you the freedom to retweet your favorite tweets.

Please participate in achieving your freedom.  Join the Twitter Bombs. Visit GaryJohnson2012.com. Follow @GovGaryJohnson on Twitter.  Like Gary Johnson's Facebook page.  Vote for Gary Johnson in November.  America is in need of a Handyman:





Lew Rockwell is right - Accountability is important

Within any large group of individuals - for instance, the Liberty Movement - leaders will naturally emerge.  In the initial introductory stages, many people aren't familiar with these leaders and are much more likely to criticize them for their shortcomings.  This is analogous to the hazing that often occurs when a "new guy" starts a job where a cohesive unit of employees exist; he tends to get a hard time until the crew warms up.  However, as a group of people become content with a new person, the willingness to hold that person accountable through constructive criticism fades.  This lack of accountability within a group can often lead it astray if gone unchecked - especially if it is the leaders that are not being held accountable.

Consider what Lew Rockwell recently had to say regarding Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson at his website in a post titled - Don't Criticize Gary Johnson?:


"Don't criticize Gary Johnson I have been told by several individuals today. He is not perfect, they all say, but he is the best choice we have for president and deserves our support. I would love to see Gary Johnson elected president instead of either Obama or Romney, but I know, my critics know, and I hope Gary Johnson knows that he has a zero chance of being elected president. As to whether the LP should even run a candidate for president, that is another topic for another day. I will continue to criticize everyone who deviates from a pure libertarian standard..."


Lew Rockwell is correct in his intended sentiment that constructive criticism is fair and is necessary.  When leaders are blindly followed, hero worship likely ensues, and dilution of ideals tends to follow accordingly.

The tragic thing is that in today's "fast paced" society where attention spans are often short, people tend to register criticism as a blanket denouncement of the individual in question without further inquiry into the pros and cons of the entire situation.  Like many of my elders have advised me over the years - "Haste makes waste."  This willingness of so many people to quickly label another individual based upon a single, narrow criticism results in pause on the part of at least a portion of potential detractors.

I for one have always been willing to stand up for what I believe in and refuse to surrender my right to honestly let others know when I disagree with them; I will continue to speak the truth to the best of my abilities regardless of the potential popularity of that truth.

That said - in order to avoid the pitfalls of short attention spans that are inherent in public communications - I also try to qualify my criticism if it is not intended to be a blanket denouncement.  For instance, I may say - "While I agree with so-and-so on X and Y, I feel that so-and-so has stepped out of bounds with respect to Z."  Of course, this is my personal style, and other individuals can choose to communicate as they wish.

However, I urge all readers to - Never blindly follow anyone.  Make it a goal to know the shortcomings of those around you that can have an effect on things that you consider to be important.  By being aware of those faults, you can help to make other people better through constructive criticism and can potentially leverage your abilities to make up for the shortcomings of affected leaders when circumstances deem it important.   

I hope that you will stand up for what you believe in regardless of others' clout and aspire to conduct yourself in a rational and  non-emotional way when doing so.  Accountability is paramount to the long-term success of any group.




Thursday, September 6, 2012

How does federal debt affect freedom?

I thought it would be a fun exercise to display how government debt affects Our freedom.  As a measure of freedom, I will use the United States incarceration rate - which is the highest in the world - and compare it to the gross federal debt for the period of 1940-1999.  I think you will find that the results are telling.

Consider the following graphs.  The first shows the incarceration rate as a function of time (red curve), and the second is a plot of gross federal debt as it has grown over time (black curve).  Notice the similarity in the curves.  Both indicate when the U.S. was taken off the gold standard by Nixon.


They look very similar.  Don't they?  Given the striking resemblance of the two, one may have a feeling a correlation exists.  Well, what would a curve look like that plotted the incarceration rate as a function of the gross federal debt?  See below.


Damn near a straight line!  The R2 value is used as a measure to determine the degree of correlation between two sets of data (for those not familiar with statistics). The closer R2 gets to one, the stronger the likelihood a relationship exists between the two sets.  ~0.99 is about as close to one as it gets!

This data would lend support to the hypothesis that - "As the federal government gets deeper and deeper in debt, society becomes less and less free" - just as an Austrian would predict.

How about we get that budget balanced?


Doug Wead: What now for the Liberty Movement in 2012? 2016?

From DougWead.wordpress.com:

Post Paul: What now?

Don’t assume that Ron Paul is going to ride off into the sunset, with his cowgirl, Carol, at his side.  He made it clear during his light hearted exchange with Jay Leno that he isn’t finished with us.  And I, for one, am not finished with him either.

If Romney wins, Senator Rand Paul’s trajectory would be on hold and in 2016, Ron Paul, the father, would be the best primary challenger to a Republican establishment president, owned by the FED and the few.

[...]

Here’s a toast to Ron Paul, 2016.

But what do we do now?  And more urgent, how should we vote in the 2012 presidential election?

 1. Vote to re-elect Barack Obama?

[...]

 2. Vote for Mitt Romney?

[...]

 3. Write in Ron Paul’s name?

[...]

4. Vote for Virgil Goode?

[...]

5. Vote for Gary Johnson?

[...]

 Bottom line?  I haven’t decided yet but I would like to hear your opinions, without profanity please.  Or join the discussion at: http://www.facebook.com/DougWeadOfficial

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Read everything Doug had to say here.



All the Gary Johnson Ads to date

Ask Any Country That's Tried Government Healthcare:




End the IRS:




End the War on Drugs:




Elect one of our own. One time:




Live Free:




You ARE libertarian:




Job Boom:




We the People ARE libertarian:




Gary Johnson will protect Internet Freedom:




Ron Paul r3VOLutionary:



America Needs A Handyman:

 

VIDEO: DNC takes one out of the RNC playbook and railroads delegates

Many of you are aware of the railroad job that the RNC committed against the state delegations in Tampa at the Mitt Romney scripted coronation.  A user named PlanetEarthAwakens01, recently uploaded this video to YouTube, and apparently, the Democrats were jealous of the level of treachery the Republicans got away with and had to one-up them.  I thought it would be appropriate for me to share the video.  This needs to go viral.

Without further ado, here it is:


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What should the Liberty Movement do for POTUS 2012?

My intentions here are only to encourage rational consideration of the available options left for Paulites in the general election and to attempt to spark a healthy discussion with no name-calling or other actions stemming from anger, disappointment, spite, etc. I hope you will set the emotional nature of the current times aside and genuinely consider what I have to say.

Option 1 - Vote for Obama:

Pros:
  •  Delivering the election to Obama is a method of punishing Romney
  • Romney may be considered unelectable in 2016 given that Obama is much weaker than he was in 2008 and Romney may likely do worse than McCain did

Cons:
  • Our troops remain in Afghanistan until 2014 (at least - whatever happened to the recent 2024 extension? Is 2014 election year fodder?)
  • We may end up engaged in more needless militarism in Iran, Syria, etc, putting tens of thousands of American lives at stake
  • Indefinite detention clauses in the current NDAA will remain
  • The UN Small Arms Treaty will likely be signed
  • Draconian censorship laws will likely be levied against internet freedom
  • Whistle blowers will continue to be treated like sub-human criminals
  • The government will continue to grow at an alarming pace
  • We will likely get stimulated again with the current economic outlook
  • The War on Drugs will continue even in states that have put in place legalization/decriminalization laws
  • The healthcare mandate will endure
  • There will be no audit of the Fed
  • Foreign aid will remain untouched or maybe even increased
  • The Welfare State will likely continue to expand

Option 2 - Vote for Romney:

Pros:
  •  Slight possibility that Romney would listen to Austrian solutions in another economic crisis (I doubt it though)
Cons:
  • Romney will be rewarded for his underhanded tactics used to attain the nomination
  • Our troops remain in Afghanistan until 2014 - at least
  • We may end up engaged in more needless militarism in Iran, Syria, etc putting tens of thousands of American lives at stake
  • Indefinite detention clauses in the current NDAA will remain
  • Draconian censorship laws will likely be levied against internet freedom
  • Whistle blowers will continue to be treated like sub-human criminals
  • The government will continue to grow at an alarming pace
  • We will likely get stimulated again with the current economic outlook
  • The War on Drugs will continue even in states that have put in place legalization/decriminalization laws (likely at a more aggressive pace than Obama. Romney equated drug use to murder in a speech aired on HLN earlier in the year)
  • The healthcare mandate will endure
  • There will be no audit of the Fed (I don't trust Romney's sincerity)
  • Foreign aid will remain untouched or maybe even increased
  • The Welfare State will likely continue to expand (Medicare promises)
Option 3 - Write-in Ron Paul:

Pros:
  • You get to vote for one of your heroes
Cons:
  • No one outside of your personal contacts will know you did so
  • A write-in campaign has no chance at successfully electing Dr. Paul

Option 4 - Vote for Johnson:

Pros whether he wins or loses:
  • The votes will be counted (to some varying degree depending on the state - I doubt there would be 100% vote flipping) which would send a clear message to the GOP that the Liberty Movement won't just fall in line based on political rhetoric and/or coercion
  • 5% of the vote puts the LP in major party status for 2016 which would likely help to solve problems with gaining participation in the debates
  • Johnson will not be the last LP POTUS nominee. Others after him may be more universally acceptable to the Liberty Movement, and major party status would give those potential candidates much firmer footing
  • It will piss off both the Democrats and the Republicans (Johnson affects the duopoly candidates differently depending on the state in question)
Pros for the outside chance he wins:
  • Afghanistan will immediately be drawn down
  • Avoid war with Iran, Syria, etc, potentially saving tens of thousands American lives
  • A budget with $1.4 trillion in cuts - enough to balance year one (more than the $1T proposed by Paul) - will be submitted to Congress which would likely lead to real cuts (not just baseline cuts)
  • In the event of a financial crisis, no economic intervention will be employed thereby creating an environment for real recovery
  • If Audit the Fed hits his desk, it will get signed
  • The Drug War will end
  • If the legislation passes, the 16th Amendment will be repealed, the IRS abolished, and a consumption tax implemented which would eliminate all federal payroll withholding (saving entrepreneurs a fortune), eliminate taxes on all used goods (clothes, cars, etc), and distribute the federal tax burden over everyone that interacts with our economy (illegal aliens, tourists, other visitors) not just the employed citizens. Texas and Florida - two of the biggest economies in the world - employ consumption taxes, and as a former Texas resident, it was nice to have no state withholding.
  • Religious influences will no longer be employed to provide collectivist, government benefits to straight couples while punishing the gay and lesbian community. Separation of Church and State should not have exceptions, and the only argument that exists is based in religion.
  • Although Johnson is pro-choice up to independent viability of the fetus, he takes the same policy approach as Ron Paul in saying it should be left to the states, thereby negating the importance of his personal opinions on the issue
Cons:
  • If the legislation passes, some are concerned that the Fair Tax would create a new entitlement system due to the prebate that would be distributed to all US citizens. However, I would argue that collectivism is avoided because all citizens will receive it, and the prebate only represents the amount of tax that would be paid based on poverty poverty level income (~$2000/yr) which is not nearly enough to survive on and provides a logical solution to the regressive nature of other consumption taxes
  • Johnson said he may be willing to militarily intervene for humanitarian reasons in other countries; however, he said he would only do so with approval from Congress (giving respect to the process provided by the Constitution)
----------------------------------------------
Did I leave anything out? Please discuss.

One last note: To illustrate the unreliability of emotion based decision making, please consider the following questions -

What percentage of people in prison (barring victimless crimes) are there because they acted out of emotion? I would venture to say greater than 90%.

What percentage of people in prison (barring victimless crimes) are there because they made rational decisions? Very few.

Did your parents ever tell you to "think before you act?" If so, why did they tell you that? Was it because making emotional decisions out of anger or other emotions can often get you into trouble?

Is the purpose of the Liberty Movement to gain liberty? If not, what is the goal? Given the above information, what is the most productive choice for Liberty with respect to the 2012 race for POTUS on a rational basis, neglecting emotion?

The factors stated above are what led me to where I stand now.

Thanks ahead of time for your genuine consideration and responses.

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Inconsistent Logic of Matt Larson Regarding Ron Paul and Gary Johnson

Many passionate Ron Paul supporters are guided by their emotions for the good doctor. A good example is the unqualified disdain for Libertarian POTUS Candidate - Gary Johnson.

One of the greatest influences in Ron Paul's life seems to have been Ayn Rand - creator of Objectivism. Objectivism professes that logic and reason are Man's only reliable guide to interact with objective reality.

It troubles me that some Paulites choose solely to listen to Ron Paul without exploring the foundation of his thought processes. Where will these type of folks get their opinions when something new arises, and Ron Paul is no longer there to steer them? The formulation of such opinions can only be reliable through the use of reason and logic.

Emotions and faith are NOT reliable guides to reality.

I hope widespread self-education begins soon within the Liberty Movement. Our long-term success depends on it.

A video released on 9/2/12 by Matt Larson provides a good example of the inconsistent logic that I often witness with respect to fighters for liberty.

Here is a video that I prepared to clearly demonstrate this point:


Friday, August 31, 2012

Open Letter to Republicans and Ron Paul Supporters: The GOP Must be Punished for Their Actions at the RNC






Hello Republicans and Fellow Ron Paul Supporters:

I would like to begin by reciting the definition of a republic.  A republic is – a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.

Our republic – The Republic of the United States of America – was designed with intentions to limit the centralization of power.  The central government was to have limited powers which were outlined in the Constitution.  The remainder of governing power was to be left with the People and the States.  The 10th Amendment reads:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People.

It is clear by these sentiments from Our Bill of Rights that American Republicanism – in the spirit of Our founders – must stand for minimal central rule and maximum sovereignty of the States and the People.

Given this description of republicanism and the actions taken by the Establishment GOP at the Republican National Convention, a striking question emerges – How in the hell can a party that has such a healthy appetite for usurping the power of the States and the People call itself the Republican Party?

From this point forward – until the adopted rules are overturned – the series of state conventions that have served in the past to elect the delegates to represent the States at the Republican National Convention will be for show only.  The delegate selection processes will just be beauty contests.  Men that are not even necessarily from the state in question will have the power to strike any delegate and handpick the replacement.  Further, states like Iowa that traditionally have not had bound delegations will now be forced to comply with binding rules imposed on them by a select few party dictators.

I hope that those people who have not ventured to listen to what Ron Paul and others like him have had to say will now pay heed to the power hunger that is present atop the Establishment ranks.  Those people will stop at no ends to maintain and grow their oligarchical rule over the party. 

These power mongers have not even tried to hide their actions.  At the Republican National Convention, Speaker of the House John Boehner displayed his willingness to be a traitor to the spirit of Our Republic.  Speaker Boehner called for a voice vote on the adoption of the rules in question.  When the vote was conducted, the difference between the volume of the ayes and nays was not discernible enough to declare either victory or defeat with respect to the resolution.  Point of order was called, and a roll call vote should have followed.  However, the teleprompter displaying the intended result of the vote before the vote’s completion made it clear that this was a railroad job from the beginning.

Here is video of the teleprompter taken by a delegate -



Joseph Stalin would likely be proud of the actions taken by the GOP elitists.  An unconfirmed quote of Stalin says:

“Those who cast the votes decide nothing.  Those who count the votes decide everything.”

In the case of Speaker Boehner, no count was even needed – only the dictation of one man.  John Boehner and others that have participated in similar actions are likely the most openly blatant traitors in the history of Our nation.  They are un-American vultures feeding on the open wounds of Our bleeding republic.

Is this the America you thought you grew up in?  Is this the party you plan to support?  Do you endorse the actions taken by these cockroaches?

I don’t.

The Republicans cannot be rewarded for their destructive actions.  They have placed centralized rule in higher regard than republicanism.  They no longer deserve to be a party.

As Americans, we must ensure that Mitt Romney never wins the presidency of Our nation.  We must do everything we can to expose him and his past actions.  We must derail the candidacy of any mainstream Republican that does not stand for liberty.  We must actively work against the tyranny.  We must punish the Republican Party.

It saddens me to say it, but rewarding the Republican Party by electing Romney will be worse for America than another four years of Obama.  Voting for Romney is an endorsement of totalitarian rule.  Voting for Romney sends a clear message to the Establishment that the Liberty Movement can be stepped on and it will take it like a good little group of sheeple.

Personally, I’ll be voting for the Libertarian Candidate for president – Gary Johnson.  You can do as you wish, but I beg of you don’t vote for Romney.  Please don’t push America further down the road of tyranny.

It’s time to teach the Republican Party about blowback.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Derrel Walters


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Gary Johnson's New Ad: I will protect internet freedom

Presidential Candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson's newest ad touches an issue that is critical in today's society.  The D's and the R's are the same on the issue.  Remember:  The people had to shut down SOPA - We did that.  What does Johnson's new ad have to say about Our internet freedom?  We know where the others stand.

The video starts...

A camera begins to move toward the front of a room that is filled with motionless, identical, seemingly dazed human beings that are staring at a collection of screens that seem to be showing a diverse amount of programming.  One screen shows an animal grazing while another displays a solar eclipse.  Each one seems to be unique.

The camera reaches the front of the room.  As it nears the multitude of broadcasts, the panels begin to melt together into one stream.  It turns out that although they appeared to be different, all were - in reality - selling the same message - state sponsored propaganda.  A Hitleresque talking head appears to deliver the message to the robotic crowd of non-individuals.  They have been conformed.

As the camera pans away from the front of the room towards the back - an obedient series of claps and stomps begins rhythmically emerging from the crowd - showing blind support for a governing power that has drawn the shades on individualism through widespread propaganda tactics.  This is the future if the internet is corrupted as mainstream television has been.  A society that is unable to access more than one point of view becomes enslaved to the controllers.

Flash to a field of green...

A blue sky adorns the horizon as a person's hand gently brushes the tops of what appears to be blades of wheat grass.  Gary Johnson's voice speaks and says - "Be Libertarian with me for one election.  Live Free."

End of video.

Do you enjoy your internet freedom?  Can you trust Romney or Obama to preserve them?  After all, both supported the NDAA.

Here's the video:





Gary Johnson Twitter Sundays - Join the Army

Every Sunday for the remainder of the election cycle, the Unauthorized Gary Johnson Twitter Army will conduct Twitter Bombs using unique hash tags to promote the presidential candidacy of the former two-term New Mexico Governor.  If you are a supporter of Gary Johnson, I urge you to participate.

I have prepared the following video as an introduction to the Army for those who would like to participate -




The last Twitter Bomb - which used the hash tag #LetGaryJohnsonDebate - attracted several prominent people including -




Please join us on future Sundays!  You will be in great company!

Find out the details of the next Gary Johnson Twitter Bomb at - Facebook.com/GaryJohnsonTwitterArmy