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shallowseeker · 1 year ago

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///

Rowena insists that there are absolutely no traces of magic.

Nevertheless, she tries lots of simple spells and and potions.

In the end, she recommends Alexa’s “Goodnight Classical music list,” hot tea mixed with local honey, and a long, "luxurious" bubble bath with a side helping of Epsom salts.

(But she promises to keep researching in case the insomnia doesn’t abate.)

///

Jack is starting to get very worried. He’d read that just twenty-four hours without sleep is comparable to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1%, which is above the legal limit for driving. And he’d also read that humans might die without sleep.

Jack is ashamed. His lack of control is just another failure in a long list of failures.

He'd thought that he was mostly human now, and that his grace was supposed to be recuperating--lying dormant. (He knows he's not completely human, because supernatural creatures still clock him as "angel," and he still doesn't need much sleep.)

So, had he accidentally tapped into his soul? (Cas would be furious if so.)

Either way, it's more evidence that he's got poor control--that even when he's weak, he's still a liability to their hunting team.

He has to fix this on his own. He has to.

So, he starts researching his own potions. He’s no Rowena, but the internet has a lot to say about sleep, Benadryl, and Melatonin.

///

By day four without sleep, Dean seems on the verge of tears.

///

He seems very offended when Cas offers to run him a "luxurious" bubble bath.

///

An hour later, Cas runs one anyway.

He seems to box Dean in as he bullies him down the hallway and into the room with the clawfoot tub.

///

Jack is investigating the magnolia, chamomile, lavender, and passion flower-flavored teas for his sleep potion when Cas reappears in the kitchen.

He peers suspiciously at the teabags in Jack’s hands.

“You were eavesdropping when Rowena was here last night, weren’t you,” he says with a raised eyebrow. "Which means you know about Dean's problem."

Jack actually hadn’t been, but he feigns guilt. “Uh, Yeah. Do you really think the tea'll help him?"

Cas seems to buy it. “Rowena says it might," he sighs. "But here. Let's make it anyway."

Instead of putting a saucepan on the stove, Cas opts for tap water in a ceramic mug and heats the whole thing with one steady palm. Jack stares at his hand wistfully, missing that kind of angelic power control.

“So...which tea?” Jack whispers, trying not to fidget.

“She suggested chamomile and valerian root.”

Jack hands over the chamomile bag in his hands and doubles back to the shelf to search for valerian root. When he finds it, he hands it over too and watches as Cas dips it into the steamy water. Next, he watches Cas squeeze a generous helping of honey into the brew.

“Why don’t you take this to him?” Cas suggests. “I’ll be there after I check in with Sam.”

Without giving him time to respond, Cas shoves the mug forward and stalks off towards the library. Jack hmmphs and resigns himself to facing Dean.

But first...he takes advantage of this perfect opportunity.

A tiny voice at the back of his brain urges caution--urges him to check in with Cas first--or to run the potion by Sam. It urges him to come clean about the little insomnia curse he'd accidentally set on Dean.

He squashes the doubt.

After all, if the potion works like it's supposed to, everything will go back to normal. And Jack had carefully read over the ingredients several times and checked with the Internet to make sure it'd be okay.

So, he takes a deep breath and adds dissolved Benadryl and ZZZQuill to the tea. He stirs it in with a teaspoon, tastes it to make sure it hasn't mucked up the flavor too much, adds a bit more honey, and heads down the hallway.

///

The door to the “spa room” is wide open, so Jack lets himself in without announcing.

Dean is reclining in the tub, eyes completely shut and nearly obscured by a cartoonish pile of soap bubbles. He’s got a blue towel-turban on his head. If you ask Jack, it seems like a stupid thing to wear in the bathtub. (And Jack doesn’t know why someone with hair as short as Dean’s would even need a head-towel in the first place.)

Dean looks like he might’ve fallen asleep, which could be a very good thing so long as he doesn't slump over and drown in the soapy water.

There’s a small stool pulled up near the head of the tub, so Jack decides to perch on it and wait him out. Even a few minutes of micro-sleep would be be good for Dean, right?

Alas, he's awake.

He seems to know that Jack's here, too, because his hand shoots out over the edge of the edge of the tub and makes a claw-like, grabby motion.

Jack tests the temperature of the ceramic mug to make sure it’s not too hot before setting it in Dean’s open palm. With an exaggerated noise of displeasure, Dean clasps it and brings it up to his mouth. Jack holds his breath, hoping Dean can't taste the secret medicine he'd added.

“S’ok for flowery shit,” he murmurs, so softly a regular person might struggle to hear it. Then, Dean suddenly furrows his brow, twists his mouth and juts his lower lip out. “Hot, though.”

(Jack gets the sense he’s complaining just to complain.)

"Hot," he repeats, more petulantly this time.

Jack frowns and doesn’t say anything back.

After a few seconds, Dean sighs and leans his neck way back like he’s stretching it. He looks kind of silly, to be honest, like he's Littlefoot reaching for a Tree Star. Keeping his eyes closed, Dean extends the mug out and sort-of demands, “Put an ice cube in it?”

Jack blinks. Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, but Dean’s acting weird.

He even sounds kind of weird.

Annoyed, Jack blurts, “Why don’t you just wait a few minutes? It’ll cool off on its own.”

Dean’s red-rimmed eyes shoot open, like he’s been electrocuted, and the water sloshes as he rockets upright. He retracts his neck and tucks it in, like he’s a sea turtle, and he sputters. “K-kid?!”

Jack frowns at him in confusion.

Dean sniffs, recovering quickly. “Cas said he was makin’ me tea.”

As if summoned, Cas appears at the doorway. “And Cas did make you tea,” he sasses, striding in. He nods at Jack. “Thank you for bringing it, Jack.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack says pointedly, eyes pinning on Dean.

If Cas weren’t in the room right now, Jack might be tempted to tell Dean to stop being a big baby. (But well, Cas is in the room, and it’s kind of Jack's fault Dean’s stuck with insomnia to begin with. So, he opts not to say anything else.)

Dean coughs and mumbles something that sounds like, “Whatever. Thanks, kiddo.”

Cas strides further into the room, but before Jack can vacate the stool, Cas opts to sit, perfectly balanced, on the edge of the bathtub.

Dean gets a little redder, and then he licks his lips before making a series of small splashes with his opposite hand. To Jack, it looks like he’s renewing the soap-bubble pile.

“Nothing new from Rowena,” Cas reports, clipped and business-like. “She suggests trying to sleep the old-fashioned way. And Sam bought you a 'Sega Starry Cove.' He says it will ‘relax’ you.”

Dean squints. “The fuck is—?”

Jack’s had that in his Amazon cart for ages. “It’s a star projector,” he explains happily. "It makes your ceiling look like the night sky."

It’s expensive, though, which is why Jack never bought it, not even in secret. (Maybe after all this blows over, and if Dean doesn’t like it, Jack can convince him to give it to him instead.)

“Okay, so it's like a juiced-up baby mobile. What’s next, a friggin' crib?”

Straight-faced, Cas fires back, “Actually, I thought we could try Baby Einstein Box Orchestra next.”

Dean rolls his eyes so hard that he almost loses his towel turban, and Cas winks at Jack. Jack is having trouble following their conversation. He knows who Albert Einstein is, but he doesn’t know what he has to do with babies or orchestras.

“What’s Baby Einstein?”

Cas grins. “Before you were born, I read dozens of parenting books.”

(Which doesn’t actually explain anything.)

“Music, kiddo,” Dean huffs. “Lame-ass lullaby music.”

“Oh,” Jack says. “Sounds nice. I mean, anything could help you sleep, couldn't it?”

Dean scoffs. “I’ve tried everything. Short of knocking myself out, anyway, but then...Cas tried that for me.”

Guilt feels like it’s working a hole through Jack's stomach, and he struggles to meet Dean’s eyes.

“Maybe you could try a ThunderShirt or--or a weighted blanket?” he whispers.

Dean misreads his nervousness. “Hey,” he says, softening in a way that makes the guilt squirm even harder in Jack’s gut. “I’ll be okay. I always am, you know?"

Jack swivels his eyes to Cas and finds the same warm reassurance reflected there.

If there were ever a time to come clean, that time is now.

Jack…tries.

“Uh,” he says. But that’s all that comes out. “Let me know if I can help,” he putters out lamely.

(He knows he should tell them the truth.)

If the sleep potion doesn't work tonight, he thinks, then I'll tell them.

Dean clears his throat and cracks a smile. “You can help me with the star laser shit later. K, kid? That'd help me out a ton."

Jack nods.

Satisfied, Dean takes a huge sip of his tea. Then, he makes a theatrical expression of disgust. His mug shoots forward, just as it had earlier, but this time extended towards Cas.

“It got gross n’ lukewarm,” he complains.

Cas looks surprised.

“Is it?”

He takes an experimental sip for himself and shoots Dean a disbelieving stare.

Dean goes pink again.

“Actually, I kinda want iced tea.”

Cas heaves a dramatic sigh and gets to his feet.

“Very well.”

Dean watches him go with an impish smile. (Jack thinks that it’s the same kind of look he gets on his face when he wins a game of Wordle.)

Jack stays to make sure Dean doesn't accidentally fall asleep and drown. Content to sit until Cas returns, he pulls out his phone and continues researching Melatonin. He even asks Google if ThunderShirts work on humans. (According to Google, sometimes humans find the compression soothing; other times, it triggers claustrophobia.)

“What’re ya playin there? Minecraft or somethin?”

Jack freezes, “Uh. No.” He thinks fast and picks a lie that will hopefully bore Dean to tears: “I’m, uh, reading about wind shear and meteorological soundings.”

Dean pulls a predictably faux-horrified face.

“Seriously? That’s gotta be Sam’s doing. Yeesh.”

(Actually, Sam doesn’t like meteorology that much, not outside of demonic omens.)

It works.

Dean doesn't ask any more questions, and he actually seems content to hang out in companionable silence after that.

///

When Cas comes back with iced tea and Dean’s fresh-from-the-dryer gray dead-guy robe, Dean drops his disgruntled act and shines with naked relief.

It makes Jack notice the sunken circles around his eyes. (Hoepfully, the potion will help him with that.)

Cas hands off the iced tea to Dean and makes to take up his perch on the edge of the tub again.

Jack hops up. “Uh, wait, Cas. You can have your seat back now. I'm done 'being the Lifeguard.'"

Dean scowls at the metaphor, but Cas's eyes crinkle in amusement. He nods and retakes his stool.

Jack hovers nearby for a few minutes, wondering what he could possibly do to help. He peers down at where Dean's hands encircle his mug. His fingerpads are super water-logged and wrinkley.

"You're getting really pruney. You should probably get out soon."

"Hey," Dean shoots back, “You're the--prune."

Jack ignores him and crosses the room to grab two fresh towels. He drags over one of the lightweight surgical tables closer to the tub and plops the towels down on the surface.

"Thank you," Cas murmurs, setting the gray robe next to the towels.

"Neither of you should rush me," Dean huffs. "After all, Rowena said I need to relax."

"If I recall correctly, just two hours ago, you refused to entertain the possibility of relaxation, much less a 'girly-ass bubble bath.'"

Dean shoots Cas a cheeky smile and gulps down his tea.

(Cas inspects Dean's throat as he drinks, so Jack looks, too, but he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.)

Dean finishes with a little "ah!" and hands the empty mug over to Cas. "Well, two hours ago was before I had you two as my royal handmaidens."

Cas sets the empty mug next to the towels.

"If two hours of light pampering makes you this spoiled, I imagine you'd make a rather nightmarish princess."

Jack can't help it. He laughs.

Dean shoots him a glare, and Jack stifles it quickly.

(He'd read that sleep deprivation could make people really cranky, after all.)

“Maybe Sam and I could go get everyone some stuff from Jiffy Burger?”

Cas turns to him in surprise. “That’s very thoughtful, Jack." He beams at him proudly, and the guilt stabs Jack in the gut again.

Dean, likewise, seems to sag with relief. “Yeah, that--that'd be awesome.”

Jack grins and fires off a text to Sam before heading towards the doorway.

Dinner, Jack can do.

In the meantime, the potion can be taking effect, and Dean will hopefully be asleep by evening.

Jack pauses at the threshold. One last time, he contemplates coming clean about the whole fiasco.

"Kid? You okay?"

Jack balks. What would Sam say in this situation?

"I'm fine. Just--"

What would Sam say in this situation?

Jack does his very best Sam: "Just wondering if you need a special order, Your Majesty."

Dean snorts.

"Just the usual, pageboy. And shut the door behind ya."

///

After Jack closes the door, he walks down the hall a little ways, only to stop when he hears Dean and Cas start talking in low, urgent tones. Something about it feels alarming, and he finds himself immediately straining his ears to hear them.

The exhaustion is easier to hear in Dean’s voice now: “You sure you can’t check—”

“I said no.” Cas’s voice is sharp.

“I trust you—”

“Even if you trust me, Dean. I don’t trust me. I don’t have the control I used to have.”

“But Cas, what if?”

What if what, Jack wonders.

The sentence hangs, and they go silent a long time.

Jack's phone pings. (It's from Sam, a messages that urges: "Yeah. Let's hurry and go before the dinner rush.")

But just before Jack gets out of range, he picks up Dean’s voice, “What if something's up with my soul?”

///

Of all the things Dean Winchester has done over the course of their unusual, turbulent lives, Jack Kline has no idea why this Thing in particular is the Thing that annoys him most.

It happens on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and occasionally on weekends, if case-hunting goes belly-up.

And Jack knows.

He knows that they’re different from one another in this aspect. He knows that Dean cannot fight this one human Thing.

It’s still annoying, though.

///

So, Jack combats the problem.

///

He tries everything, from being extra chatty to turning the TV volume up annoyingly loud. He even pretends to lose his grip on a giant textbook (held suspiciously at waist level) so that it lands like thunder on the bunker floor.

#dean/cas + bathing #dean/cas + curses #jack + nephilim powers #jack & dean #jack & dean & cas #lebanon jiffy burger #tfw + the smith center #dean + sleep deprivation

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dotthings · 6 years ago

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On rewatch of SPN 14.15, some thoughts on the episode’s metaphors for depression and what it means for Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack.

There’s Dean, who we know has been through an incredibly traumatic experience recently. The ep acknowledges it with his sense of exhaustion, but the ep isn’t about him dealing with it. Dean in this ep is a whole study in Not Dealing With It in fact, but not in an aggressively burying way. This simply takes time and Dean is processing. They just went 3 hunts in a row and Dean needs a break and time to process. What’s a big deal here and yet might get overlooked is that Dean rolls with his need for rest. Instead of just pushing through and soldiering on, he says that’s it, he’s going to sleep ‘til the cows come home. The Dean humor in this ep--his awkwardness in trying to communicate with Jack, Dean’s fear of snakes--wasn’t just there for lulz. Dean’s not comfortable and he’s not supposed to be. He’s not actively falling to pieces, he’s processing, he’s exhausted mentally and physically, Dean recognized he needed a break and so did Cas (who is definitely the emotional rescue squad MVP in this ep, as I pointed out, herding everyone to try and keep them from breaking).

While Sam is the one pushing aggressively on through his trauma and PTSD over his bunker team being slaughtered and he blows right past Dean’s pointing out his own exhaustion and maybe they both need to rest. Cas tries to talk to Sam and again, Sam blows past and refuses.

That imagery Donatello uses--“bright and shiny and spinny but in the center a very large black hole” and “inside, empty”--is a pretty blatant metaphor for depression. There’s even the word “empty” to make us think of The Empty and Cas’s defying it in S13 with his will to live, to keep going, and in 14.15 he’s urging Sam to not to give up, to keep fighting. Jack says “maybe I don’t know what nothing feels like.” This is all really new to Jack. Jack’s arc isn’t really about depression, but Jack’s arc is another metaphor for one, that aspect of not feeling quite like yourself, of feeling detached or hollow.

Jack says “I need time and space to figure this out” and at the end of the ep Sam tells Dean “I need time”--hello Sam and Jack parallels. With Sam suffering from PTSD and Jack’s arc serving as a depression metaphor. Both need time. With Dean in a processing mode, taking the time just to be exhausted and let things sink in.

Then there’s the town itself, full of shiny, happy people who are falsely happy. “Bright and shiny and spinny but in the center a very large black hole” like what Donatello says about soullessness. Charming Acres is a town without a soul. Again, a metaphor for depression. The town is bunch of falsely happy people, and this a mask for pain, the psychic mayor’s attempt to rid the world of all pain. “Justin Smith” questioning why he should fight it, that frantic “we’re all happy” to Cas, may be Sam’s awareness that if he fights through the brainwashing, the pain will come back. But Cas’s speech works and Sam breaks through because being yourself and not giving up and being present for the people who love you is worth the pain.

“I hate this place right now...” “I can’t keep running. This is our home. Dean, I just need some time.” Sam doesn’t actually hate the bunker and it is his home. One reason he is reeling so hard (as I pointed out in my main episode reaction post) is that his sense of home was violated. It’s like a home invasion. Something traumatic happening in the home. It is going to take time and I’m curious where this is going to lead for Sam. I like that Dean just offers Sam a supportive shoulder squeeze and doesn’t freak out and doesn’t push...he accepts. He’s patient. He knows what trauma is like because he’s just been through it himself and he’s not okay either. Meanwhile the reason Cas could reach Sam was their shared experiences and feeling like a failure but Cas realizes not to define himself by that and gets Sam past that too, so Cas’s defiance of his own depression--via the metaphor of The Empty--is something he passes on to Sam.

To seal the deal, the snake becomes an object in the metaphor too. Jack assigns sadness to the snake. Soulless Jack parallels the false happiness concept of Charming Acres as he decides that to make the snake happy, he should kill it so its soul can join the gorgon’s in Heaven (wouldn’t the gorgon be in The Empty though?). Which parallels Jack and the mayor too, both trying to fix sadness in the worst possibly ways.

S14 had Michael asking people what they want and S14 has been heavily about TFW 2.0 figuring out who they are, what they want, seeking some kind of peace with themselves and their lives. Happiness is a desirable end goal, but it has to be earned and it has to be real and there is no quick fix to getting to self-acceptance and happiness. A place like Charming Acres isn’t the answer. It’s something fought for inch by inch.

#Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Castiel #Jack Kline #meta #spn #supernatural #supernatural spoilers

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beinglibertarian · 6 years ago

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A Side By Side Comparison of Nicholas Sarwark & Joshua Smith

Coming off the most successful Libertarian Party presidential campaign since 1980, interparty conflict and controversy have been the name of the game over the last two years. The success of the Johnson/Weld ticket has placed Libertarians in a unique situation full of potential for membership growth and increasing the spread of the idea of liberty.

Because of the divide of opinions on how the LP can progress, the Libertarian National Committee positions have been hotly contested between those who believe something needs to drastically change within in the party and those who believe the current leadership have been excellent.

The 2016 presidential election left many criticizing the nomination of Bill Weld as Vice President, as Weld’s Republican record included many controversial decisions any libertarian would find appalling, and this culminated into a bigger issue after Weld appeared to have endorsed Hillary Clinton only days before the election was to take place.

Others felt that Weld was a positive force for the party due to his ability to fundraise and the name recognition he brought with him, which they felt played a significant role to the most successful presidential campaign in the party’s history.

The issue of the Weld nomination went on to create a large divide between the more pragmatic Libertarians focusing on electoral success, and those who wanted bolder, highly principled messaging.

In the extended aftermath, there are many Libertarians who feel that the Party leadership is preventing progress and withholding a brighter future for the Libertarian party, which has led to a Libertarian National Committee Chairman race as fiery and contentious as the 2016 election itself.

Frontrunners Nicholas Sarwark, incumbent Chair and candidate for Mayor of Phoenix, AZ, and Joshua Smith, Washington Libertarian and Think Liberty cofounder, have been at the center of the conspiracy and drama that has plagued this race.

This article seeks to compare the two candidates and document the many controversies that each has endured throughout the race.

Nicholas Sarwark

Background

Nicholas Sarwark is the Vice President of his family-owned used car dealership and was a public defender in Colorado. The incumbent also has experience in computer consulting and sales. He is married and has four children.

In 1999, he joined the Libertarian party where over the years he served as the Vice Chairman of the Colorado Libertarian Party and later the Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Maryland. During his term in Maryland “he played a key role in recruiting the state’s 42 Libertarian candidates for 2014, as well as supporting the passage of Colorado’s historic marijuana legalization initiative in 2012.”

Sarwark was elected as Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee in 2014 defeating the previous incumbent in the first ballot by 6% and 13% in the second ballot. He was reelected in 2016 with 64.7% of the vote.

The Chairman is currently also running for Mayor of Phoenix.

Platform

Due to having to perform the duties of Chair, Sarwark has not been campaigning heavily until this month.

From his website he states:

“Since my re-election in 2016 at the national convention in Orlando, the Libertarian Party has achieved historic success. Our Presidential ticket tripled previous records, our party has ballot access in more states after a Presidential election than ever before, and we’re getting ballot access back in places like Ohio. We’ve added staff to improve development, media relations, and candidate recruitment and support, in addition to the affiliate support efforts started during my first term as Chair. More elected officials from the old parties are defecting to the Libertarian Party than we’ve seen in over a decade. It would be my honor if you would re-elect me to continue growing our party at the national convention in New Orleans.”

For the future Sarwark intends to have “Over 1,000 candidates across the country, more than we’ve had in over 15 years” as well as “50 state + DC ballot access in back-to-back Presidential elections for the first time since the mid-1990s, Providing tools and support to state affiliates to empower them to organize and move public policy in a Libertarian direction at the state and local level,” and “Developing issue campaigns and other efforts to prospect to people who are not Libertarian yet.”

On his Facebook page he released a video on making the Libertarian Party more welcoming.

He has also explained the importance of a candidate’s relations to donors stating “If you are a candidate, you have a duty to your donors and supporters to use their resources wisely.

If you hide things from them, they will feel betrayed when the truth comes out.

Manage expectations, have a plan to deal with negativity and attacks, and be honest.

Good stewardship is more important than good ideas, nice clothes, or a great speaking voice.”

Controversies

Many have accused Sarwark of potentially alienating prominent libertarians and certain groups interested in becoming party members.

The first instance of this was when the Chair claimed in February 2017 that Milo Yiannopolous was going to “publicly name undocumented students in hopes that they would be reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and be deported from this country,” at his speech in Berkeley continuing to state that “He reportedly intended to use his platform to out others to hurt them in an attempt to get attention. This is despicable behavior. It helps explain why others made the choice to use violence to try to stop or disrupt his speech.”

Sarwark’s casual big-tent statements have caused some members to accuse of him of supporting Antifa and espousing left-leaning sympathies, including Libertarian Heathen founder and Regional 4 representative of the LP Florida Ryan Ramsey who claimed “Any question as to whether Mr. Sarwark was a lover of liberty, or a Cultural Marxist attempting to hold back the advance of the Libertarian Party, were (sic) answered when he made national news repeating lies about Milo Yiannopoulos, subject of the violence in Berkley, when he insinuated bloodshed to stop free speech was ‘understandable.’”

Counter to these allegations, Sarwark had included in his statement that violence intended to halt speech was “despicable” and that the real travesty was that we have a country that removes citizens “because they were born on the wrong side of an imaginary line.”

Part of this controversy also derives from his making a comment on Twitter “TFW all you learned from Murray Rothbard was his worst political strategy ever,” towards Mises Institute contributor Tom Woods in August 2017, and after many slews between the two, he ultimately stated this:

In February 2018, a text conversation between LP convention chairman Daniel Hayes and LP Mises Caucus leader Michael Heise stating that Ron Paul would not be considered for a speaker at the convention. Heise had offered to pay for Paul’s speaking fee, though it was revealed by libertarian social media outlet Dankertarians that the funds had yet to be obtained and that negotiations for the potential speech were still in progress. The Mises Caucus leader had hoped that by selling their cause that the former US Congressman would waive his fee.

The notable spat between Sarwark and Tom Woods led to criticism that the Libertarian Party leadership no longer represented the Liberty Movement. Ron Paul himself chimed in, asking rhetorically if this meant the Libertarian Party would be refunding him a gold coin he had previously donated that had paid his way into lifetime membership in the Party. Nicholas Sarwark stated on Twitter that the former LP presidential candidate would be more than welcome to speak if he were to attend the convention.

The concern surrounding the question of whether Ron Paul would be allowed to speak at the 2018 Convention was primarily twisted from the underlying outrage that Paul had simply not been invited.

The internal controversies surrounding Sarwark later peaked the interest of unaffiliated, and previously uninterested, groups. The Free Thought Project released an article in March suggesting that Nicholas Sarwark could potentially be an informant to the “Shadow CIA” intelligence group Stratfor due to his named being found on Wikileaks’ “Global Intelligence Files.”

Sarwark explained that he had received a gift membership to Stratfor’s publication, which matched Stratfor’s statement in 2011 when they were hacked by Wikileaks.

Joshua Smith

Background

Joshua Smith has been an active member of the Liberty Movement since 2008, contributing to Dankertarians and later cofounding the libertarian publication Think Liberty whose stated goal is to “[promote] individualism, peace, and freedom.”

Smith currently serves the Libertarian Party of Washington as their Region 5 Representative and has been rigorously working to set up new county affiliates.

After the 9/11 attacks, Joshua Smith joined the Navy where he saw “a lot of wasteful spending and loss of lives.” After hearing Ron Paul speak sometime after 2005, he realized that libertarian views matched what he was thinking during this period and decided to campaign for Paul’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

He briefly joined the Libertarian Party in 2010, but discontinued donating to do his own activism. In 2016, he moved to Washington and became a member of the party again, where he became region rep at his first state convention.

Platform

Smith announced his platform originally in September 2017:

“Enable local leaders: County and state chairs should have all the resources necessary to grow the party effectively. Infrastructure should be arranged in a way that allows us to put these leaders through educational systems to gain the tools they need to properly lead and grow their local affiliates and state parties in a principled fashion. Those in leadership should be passing on educational information about how to create successful digital and social marketing campaigns, and hold successful events. We must offer more support to state and local candidates. We have more Libertarian candidates running nationwide than ever before, and there have been several that could have been more successful with a little more promotion from the LNC.

Clean up the party: We need to reaffirm our principles as a party and let all who refuse to accept them know that in this time of growth, they have no place at the table. This is short and sweet, and while it shouldn’t be something we have to debate, we have come to a point where it needs to be yelled from the rooftops. Violent collectivists wishing to twist our platforms to fit their agendas are not welcome

Focus on retention and amplification of donations and memberships: When I became a member of the Libertarian Party, it took me five months to get my card, and it took me weeks to finally find the person I needed to speak with to become involved with my local affiliate. This will be a thing of the past. Every new member will receive an onboarding kit full of materials for education on outreach, including brochures they can give to others who are interested in learning more about our ideas. We need to be inspiring and enabling new members of the party with the contacts, and tools they need to move forward in their fight for liberty. We can’t expect new members to be enthusiastic about spreading the ideals of liberty if we don’t act as though we’re happy to have them.

Effective and efficient marketing: We need marketing campaigns and outreach that 1. Members of the party don’t quit the party over and 2. Help build the party. What National does right should be getting passed on to state and county entities as well. We will grow and improve together through our sharing of methods and strategies. If there is a county affiliate struggling with outreach, there should be information and channels of support quickly available for these individuals to help them solve the problems they face.”

Controversies

Smith has been under much scrutiny for associating with individuals (Party members and otherwise) who have been accused of having nationalist and alt-right views. His early endorsement by the LP Mises Caucus signaled to some that he has ties to paleolibertarian and nationalist sects of the Liberty Movement, many of which are typically deemed problematic.

During an online debate between the Chair candidate and the Libertarian Anti-fascist committee, Smith was allegedly calling associates in the American Guard, a group labeled as white nationalists by the Anti-Defamation League (and which identifies as a group of nationalists that promote freedom of association, discipline, and law as methods to secure freedom, according to their website) to vouch for his character.

“The exchange which took place on our page the other day directly disproves these denials, and shows that Joshua is more than just ‘associated’ with these people but in fact that he has them in close orbit. Mr Smith was able to trigger an infestation of prominent organizers with just a single tag, who promptly showed up to vouch for him and be vouched for in return,” stated the Libertarian Anti-fascist Committee in their post.

Smith has addressed this controversy claiming that he does not support white nationalism or the alt-right, and citing a speech he gave after the Charlottesville riots. He has also denied any admiration of the eccentric far-right activist Augustus Invictus when he visited the LP of Florida.

Sexual harassment allegations also emerged in April in which Smith was accused of participating in inappropriate commentary towards Tinisha Paschal, Montana Libertarian and spouse to Joe Paschal (who was running for Vice Chairman at the time). Smith claimed that the accusations were false and that Alicia Dearn had used the story to defame him.

“I am well aware that sexual harassment is a problem within the Libertarian Party, and it is my goal to be a part of the solution. As any member of the Think Liberty Community can tell you, I have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to this topic. I am also aware that our party has a problem with members making false accusations against other members in an effort to sway public opinion when they can’t win on principle. I can assure you that, as Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, you will never see me use rumor, innuendo, or outright lies and deceit to advance myself or harm others, for that is not the appropriate way to handle ANY situation — not by me or by anyone seeking leadership in the Libertarian Party,” responded Smith.

Controversy hasn’t slowed down since this, as leaked court documents appear to show Smith owing tens of thousands of dollars in child support. The impropriety is magnified by the alleged character assassination of his ex, which was published by the Trigger Report (and later taken down). Most recently, Chairman candidate and Dankertarians founder Matt Kuehnel shared an e-mail where Smith was threatening to sue the him for $80,000 for alleged blackmail

Conclusion

Though it may seem discouraging that the Libertarian Party is having an identity crisis between being the pragmatic types and those who believe the way to move forward is through promoting more radical candidates, the fact that so many have become involved in a race for the LNC’s Chariman should bring hope for an active body of Libertarians for 2020.

Nicholas Sarwark and Joshua Smith have encouraged more and more people to become involved in the inner workings of the Libertarian machine. A plethora of ideas can bring much conflict, but it also allows for collaboration and the creation of new and better ones for the future.

Regardless of who wins the Chairman position, the Party can be assured that many have been reinvigorated to become involved, and that the races of 2020 will be both bolder and brighter.

The post A Side By Side Comparison of Nicholas Sarwark & Joshua Smith appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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luxrestate60518 · 8 years ago

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HUFFPOST HILL - Better Angels Of Our Nature Totally Cuck House GOP

Joe Biden reminded everyone why he might be the closest thing humanity has to a walking, talking “tfw” joke. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are moving two blocks from the Obamas’ future home, though nobody is discussing their proximity to a nearby Islamic center for some reason. And a bunch of Hillary Clinton staffers have been recruited to run rapid response at the DNC, because what the opposition really needs are more black-and-white videos of Jonah Hill in a heather gray sweater solemnly telling us how much we need the individual mandate. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017:

GOP IN GISARRAY - The real loser in all of this is Rep. Blake Farenthold, who will now have that picture of himself dressed in duckling PJs re-broadcast to the world (see below!). Matt Fuller and Paige Lavender: “After a torrent of bad headlines, countless phone calls to member offices, and two tweets from President-elect Donald Trump, House Republicans dropped their plans to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics Tuesday, just minutes before the House was set to gavel in for the 115th Congress and adopt their rules package for the next two years. The amendment ― authored by Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) ― would have placed the independent congressional ethics office under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee, changed the OCE’s name and barred the office from releasing reports to the public. In effect, it would have neutered Congress’ most aggressive watchdog. The decision to strip the Goodlatte amendment came just before noon on Tuesday as Republicans planned to begin the 115th Congress. Earlier in the day, responding to numerous news reports about Republicans gutting the OCE, Trump asked in a tweet whether Republicans really had to make the ‘weakening’ of the ethics office their first order of business, though he also didn’t necessarily come out against the idea of eventually overhauling the OCE.” [HuffPost]

Read HuffPost’s Ryan Grim on what made this whole snafu truly important: It proved that Congress will still react to public outrage.

We just want to see Sandy Levin in Snapchat Spectacles: “Several Democrats took pictures on the House floor as the chamber held a quorum call to kick off the 115th Congress — a violation of House rules that Republicans want to start punishing with a fine of up to $2,500…. Taking photos or recording video on the House floor has been a longstanding violation of House rules, but the fine is something new Republicans are proposing this year as a delayed reaction to Democrats’ June sit-in on the House floor protesting gun violence. During the sit-in, Democrats used their cell phones to record video of their speeches and chants and took photos of themselves and their colleagues after Republicans turned off the CSPAN cameras that provide live access to the floor.” [Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson]

Watch this video of our HuffPost DC colleagues reading mean tweets.

HERE’S SOME SWEET, SWEET CUD FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES DEMOCRATS TO CHEW ON - Ben Carson’s confirmation hearing before Senate Banking is quickly becoming our second-most anticipated confirmation hearing. David Dayen: “OneWest Bank, which Donald Trump’s treasury secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin ran from 2009 to 2015, repeatedly broke California’s foreclosure laws during that period, according to a previously undisclosed 2013 memo from top prosecutors in the state attorney general’s office. The memo obtained by The Intercept alleges that OneWest rushed delinquent homeowners out of their homes by violating notice and waiting period statutes, illegally backdated key documents, and effectively gamed foreclosure auctions. In the memo, the leaders of the state attorney general’s Consumer Law Section said they had ‘uncovered evidence suggestive of widespread misconduct’ in a yearlong investigation. In a detailed 22-page request, they identified over a thousand legal violations in the small subsection of OneWest loans they were able to examine, and they recommended that Attorney General Kamala Harris file a civil enforcement action against the Pasadena-based bank. They even wrote up a sample legal complaint, seeking injunctive relief and millions of dollars in penalties.” [The Intercept]

BLACK PEOPLE WORRIED ABOUT JEFF SESSIONS FOR SOME REASON - But some of his best friends are ― oh, they aren’t? Lilly Workneh: “The NAACP is staging a sit-in protest at the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in Mobile, Alabama to speak out against his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump for attorney general. Several leaders of the civil rights organization have thus far participated in the protest, which kicked off Tuesday morning, including NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, and Alabama state NAACP President Benard Simelton. Brooks posted a tweet Tuesday morning declaring that he will continue to occupy the office until the protest results in either Sessions’ withdrawal or their arrest.” [HuffPost]

Like HuffPost Hill? Then order Eliot’s new book, The Beltway Bible: A Totally Serious A-Z Guide To Our No-Good, Corrupt, Incompetent, Terrible, Depressing, and Sometimes Hilarious Government

Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It’s free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill

THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU ‘DANGEROUS DONALD’ SOMEHOW GIVEN JOB - Listen closely to the wind and you can hear the anguished typing of a million Bernie Bros. Philip Rucker: “The Democratic National Committee is building a ‘war room’ to battle President-elect Donald Trump, pressure the new Republican administration on a variety of policy matters and train a spotlight on Russia’s alleged cyberattacks to influence the 2016 election…. The DNC’s new communications and research operation, to be staffed by former aides to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, will be one of several efforts from across the Democratic firmament to take on Trump, including the office of Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Center for American Progress and American Bridge.” [WaPo]

TRUMP DUBAI HOTEL OPENING TO PROVIDE FRESH CONFLICT OF INTEREST - It’s been a whole five minutes since the last ethical challenge. Jon Gambrell: “The Trump International Golf Club in Dubai — the sheikhdom in the United Arab Emirates home to a futuristic skyline crowned by the world’s tallest building — is due to open in February and be managed by Trump Organization employees. It is set inside Akoya, a massive housing development of 2,600 villas and 7,000 apartments developed by Dubai-based luxury real estate DAMAC Properties. Another Trump-managed golf course is planned for another even larger DAMAC project under development further down the road. Billionaire Hussain Sajwani, who founded DAMAC Properties in 2002, met Trump some 10 years ago and the two men hit it off over their real estate experiences, said Niall McLoughlin, a senior vice president for communications and marketing at the firm…. Sajwani and his family also attended a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, with the incoming president describing them from on stage as ‘the most beautiful people from Dubai.’” [AP]

‘JOEY NO SOCKS’ - Such good swamp-draining news today. Chris Sommerfeldt: “President-elect Donald Trump rang in the new year together with Joseph ‘Joey No Socks’ Cinque — a convicted felon with ties to notorious Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, a recently released video has revealed. Cinque can be seen in a video obtained by the Palm Beach Daily News, cheering loudly as a tuxedo-clad Trump runs through a number of campaign promises before the hundreds of guests attending the New Year’s Eve bash the President-elect threw at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday. ‘The taxes are coming down, regulations are coming off, we’re going to get rid of Obamacare,’ Trump can be heard saying as an exuberant Cinque stands next to him, pumping his fists into the air.” [Daily News]

‘WHAT ABOUT CHICAGO?’ TROLLING NOW FEDERAL POLICY - “President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that if Mayor Rahm Emanuel can’t turn the tide on Chicago’s soaring murder rate, Washington may need to step in. Trump, who frequently cited Chicago’s violence during the presidential campaign, tweeted about The Windy City a day after the Chicago Police Department released year-end crime stats showing homicide numbers that dwarfed those of New York and Los Angeles combined. “Chicago murder rate is record setting - 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!” Trump tweeted.” [Fox News]

MEGYN KELLY HEADING TO NBC NEWS - We suppose it would be too much to ask for Shep Smith to get Kelly’s spot…. Michael Calderone: “Fox News host Megyn Kelly is leaving the cable news network for NBC News, the network announced Tuesday. Kelly will take on multiple roles at NBC. She’ll host a one-hour daytime talk show airing Monday through Friday and a Sunday evening news magazine show, and will contribute on breaking news stories and NBC’s coverage of major political and special events. ‘Megyn is an exceptional journalist and news anchor, who has had an extraordinary career,’ Andrew Lack, chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, said in a release. ‘She’s demonstrated tremendous skill and poise, and we’re lucky to have her.’ The departure is a major blow to Fox News, where Kelly hosted a top-rated 9 p.m. show and was considered a key part of the network’s future. In a Facebook post, Kelly said she was ‘incredibly enriched for the experiences’ she had in a dozen years at Fox News.” [HuffPost]

Can you even begin to imagine this neighborhood listserv: “[M]ultiple real-estate sources say [Ivanka] Trump and husband Jared Kushner will move into 2449 Tracy Pl. NW, in Kalorama. That will put the couple less than two blocks from the Obamas, who will reportedly move here post-White House.” [Washingtonian’s Marisa Kashino]

THINGS STAY THE SAME - Once again, Heath Shuler was denied his place in history. John Bresnahan and Kyle Cheney: “House Republicans overwhelmingly reelected Paul Ryan on Tuesday to another term as speaker of the House. Only one — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) — voted against him…. On the other side of the aisle, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi saw four defections in her own caucus: Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) voted for fellow Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan, and Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) voted for Cooper. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-New York) also voted for Tim Ryan, and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) voted for Rep. John Lewis.” [Politico]

*Insert Illuminati joke here* “Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month, aides to both Clintons told CNN on Tuesday. Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush will also attend, the 43rd president’s office said in a statement Tuesday.” [CNN’S Dan Merica and Theodore Schleifer]

THE GOP’S OBAMACARE CLOWN SHOW HAS BEGUN - Congress officially took the first procedural step Tuesday to unravel the health law, and Republicans still have no clue what the final step will be. Noam Levey: “Congressional Republicans, despite pledging to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act, are struggling with what parts of the law to roll back and how to lock up the votes they will need, particularly in the Senate, to push their ambitious plans. Settling these questions may delay any major repeal vote for months. Just as importantly, a protracted debate could force President-elect Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers to preserve parts of the healthcare law they once swore to eliminate. And this all must be resolved before they even turn to the question of how to replace the law.” [LA Times]

TRUMP CAMP PROMISES PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME - He totally won’t back out again, you guys. Callum Borchers: “Donald Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Monday that the president-elect will probably hold a news conference Jan. 11. ‘I know that’s the current plan,’ Conway said, sounding less than certain. Let’s not forget that a September event originally billed as a news conference turned out to be an infomercial for Trump’s new D.C. hotel — capped by a brief concession that President Obama was, in fact, born in the United States. And last month’s long-planned news conference was scrapped just days beforehand. So plans can change. Assuming Trump does follow through next week, his news conference drought will end at 168 days — a staggeringly long stretch for a man who once constantly held court with reporters and seemed to view the interactions as a kind of sport.” [WaPo]

CONGRESS LOVES JESUS MORE THAN AMERICA DOES - Science says so. Eliza Collins: “Lawmakers in Congress are overwhelmingly Christian, more even than the America they represent. Nine out of 10 members the new House and Senate (91%) sworn in Tuesday describe themselves as members of the Christian faith, according to a survey released by Pew Research Center Tuesday. The number of Christians in Congress is higher than the number of Americans who identify as Christian. That number has been declining in recent decades. Between the early 1970s and 90s the number hovered around 90% but by early 2000 it had dropped to around 80%. According to a spokeswoman from Pew, that number continues to decrease.” [USA Today]

BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR - Here is a dog being shamed about its snoring.

BREAKING RICHARD NIXON NEWS - Peter Baker: “Richard M. Nixon told an aide that they should find a way to secretly ‘monkey wrench’ peace talks in Vietnam in the waning days of the 1968 campaign for fear that progress toward ending the war would hurt his chances for the presidency, according to newly discovered notes. In a telephone conversation with H. R. Haldeman, who would go on to become White House chief of staff, Nixon gave instructions that a friendly intermediary should keep ‘working on’ South Vietnamese leaders to persuade them not to agree to a deal before the election, according to the notes, taken by Mr. Haldeman.” [NYT]

COMFORT FOOD

- Auctioneers set over rap beats.

- Tsunamis are terrifying.

- The worst (best?) moments of the English-to-Mandarin-to-English translation of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”

TWITTERAMA

@mattyglesias: Web traffic is back! Vacation and family togetherness are fine, but clicks are what matters most.

@MEPFuller: Hey but remember when House Republicans were all Let’s-make-sure-the-public-has-a-chance-to-read-and-weigh-in-on-congressional-action?

lol

@jonlovett: Maybe a moratorium

A moratorium

On videos of celebrities with serious faces

Serious faces

Not saying forever

But

But just for now

For now

Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson ([email protected])

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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realestate63141 · 8 years ago

Text

HUFFPOST HILL - Better Angels Of Our Nature Totally Cuck House GOP

Read HuffPost’s Ryan Grim on what made this whole snafu truly important: It proved that Congress will still react to public outrage.

Watch this video of our HuffPost DC colleagues reading mean tweets.

Like HuffPost Hill? Then order Eliot’s new book, The Beltway Bible: A Totally Serious A-Z Guide To Our No-Good, Corrupt, Incompetent, Terrible, Depressing, and Sometimes Hilarious Government

BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR - Here is a dog being shamed about its snoring.

COMFORT FOOD

- Auctioneers set over rap beats.

- Tsunamis are terrifying.

- The worst (best?) moments of the English-to-Mandarin-to-English translation of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”

TWITTERAMA

@mattyglesias: Web traffic is back! Vacation and family togetherness are fine, but clicks are what matters most.

@MEPFuller: Hey but remember when House Republicans were all Let’s-make-sure-the-public-has-a-chance-to-read-and-weigh-in-on-congressional-action?

lol

@jonlovett: Maybe a moratorium

A moratorium

On videos of celebrities with serious faces

Serious faces

Not saying forever

But

But just for now

For now

Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson ([email protected])

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2i7BZVA

#DIYS

0 notes