People often ask me how I discovered the ideas of liberty. Like many others, I was taught about government in school using state approved curriculum; which never mentions the ideas of liberty, self ownership, and personal responsibility. In addition, I was raised in a extremely liberal area, which gave me a socially acceptable set of morals that included support of government social/welfare programs. This was not because I disliked the idea of private charity and personal compassion; but rather, I believed it to be the only method of mass charity (the ability to fund care for many people at once). It was my experience in trying to use these social programs which led me to discover the ineffective, wasteful, and harmful effects they create. They didn’t help people. They gave those suffering the bare minimum for survival, but wasted so much time, and came with so many requirements, that those the government “helped” would never be able to move forward. They would become dependent on the system for survival, which skews this “help” to be thought of as a “right”… because obviously everyone feels they have a right to life.
Feb
06
Compassion & Liberty
Jan
24
Response to The Nation Magazine
Some whom have followed me for a while may remember my run in with the TSA at the Ft. Lauderdale, FL airport back in November of 2010. Long story short, I opted out of going through the full body scanner, and was pulled aside for an “enhanced patdown”. Because I was uncomfortable with the idea of a government employee (and total stranger to me) touching me in such an intimate way, with no suspicion of criminal activity, I asked a few questions regarding the process. As a result of asking questions, rather than blindly following their orders, I was detained, lectured, taunted, handcuffed, had my ticket ripped up, and eventually I was escorted out of the airport by nearly a dozen police and homeland security agents.
My story was one of the first in a frenzy of TSA resistance featured in the media. During this media blitz, editors of The Nation Magazine decided to publish an article by Mark Ames and Yasha Levine, titled TSAstroturf: The Washington Lobbyists and Koch-Funded Libertarians Behind the TSA Scandal. The general idea they try to convey is that myself, John Tyner (the “don’t touch my junk guy”), and everyone else involved in any kind of publicly discussed TSA resistance were, in fact, hired participants in a right-wing domestic terrorism conspiracy. After a written admonishment from Salon contributor, Glenn Greenwald, a second article came out (just as bad as the first). I posted a response to this article when it first came out at the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund‘s blog; however, the post has since been deleted.
Jan
03
Liberty Flair
As some of you may know, I own and operate the online shop, LibertyFlair.com. Liberty Flair are 1 inch pin-back buttons with liberty oriented graphics, phrases, or ads on them. They are a cheap, simple, and effective way to promote liberty, and support liberty-oriented businesses, organizations, and causes. Over the past few weeks I have been rebuilding the shop, and today I am happy to announce that not only is Liberty Flair back online, we now offer a new product, POSTERS! The first printing will be of my “Risk” of Terrorism infographic on a beautiful 11″ x 17″ poster. Get yours today, only $10!!!
Nov
18
My Fans IN Government…
After just a few short months online, I’ve managed to get visits from all kinds of government employees. It’s good to know that tax payer money is funding the study of my blog 
Click to Enlarge
Oct
22
Lemonade Liberator’s Updates & Thank You’s
Since my last update, we have had some additional media coverage from Reason, The DC Caller, and Judge Napolitano!
This Monday the Lemonade Liberators will be in court for a ‘status hearing’.
Oct
07
Lemonade Fugitives (detailed)
On October 4th, my fellow “Lemonistas” and I were scheduled to appear in a Washington DC court, and enter our plea for our criminal charges over an “illegal” lemonade stand. The first charge of “vending without a permit” was to be addressed in courtroom #115 at 8:30am. We entered the courtroom, and were instructed to sit on the right side of the room, along with the dozens of others facing charges. A man stood up front and began reading off names, instructing us to move to the left side of the room when our name was called. Once he finished moving almost half of us to the left, he announced that “the government has decided not to prosecute your cases.” We were handed some paper work [see images 1 & 2], then told we could leave.
Oct
07
Lemonade Fugitives
Last night I called Free Talk Live to share an overview of what happened to Kathryn, Will, and myself when we went to court this week for the “crime” of selling lemonade. I will be posting a more detailed blog about the events later, along with many other updates; however, for now here is the audio (combined with pictures and video) from our discussion on Free Talk Live:
Sep
22
New Infographic on the “Risk” of Terrorism
The fail-safe excuse any government official will give to you as a justification for their horrific treatment of peaceful people is “terrorism”. The cowards in government can stand behind that word, which works as some kind of ‘accountability shield’. They strip you of your rights, your dignity, your clothes (TSA body scanners), and even your life… but it’s okay… because when it comes to “terrorism”, better safe than sorry, right? Well, here are a few facts about your actual risk of death by terrorism, that I put in an easy to read infograph.
Turns out you’re more likely to be killed by the people you pay to protect you from terrorists.
8 times more likely.
You can download a high resolution version of this infograph here.
Sep
18
Lemonade Media Roundup
After a series of natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc…) that resulted in extended, widespread power outages, I am finally back online!
So here is a round up of some of the media coverage the Lemonade Liberation has generated:
Robert and I on “Fox and Friends”
My fellow Lemonistas and I on “Adam vs. The Man”
The Atlantic Wire
The Battle Against Lemonade Stand Crackdowns – By Alexander Abad-Santos
Associated Content
Lemonade Freedom Day Results in Arrests on Capitol Hill – By Mark Whittington
Fox News
Three Arrested on Capitol Grounds for Illegal Lemonade Stand
The Daily Caller
Capitol Police arrest Lemonade Freedom Day protesters – By C.J. Ciaramella
PressTV
Capitol police arrest Lemonade Freedom Day protesters
The Atlantic Wire
The Battle Against Lemonade Stand Crackdowns
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Teach kids to jump through those bureaucratic hoops - By Esther J. Cepeda, WASHINGTON POST
OC Weekly
VIDEO: Three Arrested for Selling Lemonade on ‘Lemonade Freedom Day’ – By Michelle Woo
The Christian Post
3 Arrested for Selling Lemonade on Lawn of U.S. Capitol – By Jeff Schapiro
Sunshine State News
Lemonade Liberty: A Lesson in Freedom – By Jeff Kottkamp
Selling Lemonade in America: A Criminal Offense – By Kathryn Dill
and Alex Jones gave his opinion on the lemonade stand crackdowns on his show:
I’m sure there are many more articles and videos out there, these are just a few that have been shared with me. I thank everyone who has taken time to bring attention to the cause of Lemonade Freedom!
Meg McLain Info
Hover over image for more information, photos, & links.
Quick Links
