This month marks two years that Liberty on Tap has been in existence. I am very happy to see that! I would like to share with you my thoughts on Liberty on Tap while attempting to avoid too much sentimentality.
After the Ron Paul campaign ended there were many of us who felt scattered. The local campaign brought together a beautiful mix of people from all walks of life. Headquarters was maintained by all those volunteers, working leaderless, yet like a well oiled machine. They brought others in to speak and share information, knowledge, and experience with the rest of us and anyone else who was willing to step inside a Ron Paul campaign. We had parties, book clubs, and we were fiercely loyal to each other and “the cause”, which appeared to be about voting in Ron Paul but it really was more than that.
After the scattering, many people dropped from the scene, some people formed other groups that eventually dissolved and some were sort of in limbo, like I was. The Ron Paul campaign was my first ever taste of political activism and the politics end of it was bitter. Many stayed in the party to build it with more liberty minded folks. I was not interested in anymore party politics. And I felt a little lost, unsure of where I should go from there, or if it even mattered. Maybe I should just get back to what I was doing and forget it about it all. There was a problem though – too much had changed in that short period of time. I couldn’t just go back. With all the new information I had received (and was still taking in) during the campaign, there was no way I could. My world had changed. I had met a whole bunch of people who were not mainstream and with whom I felt a connection. I held on to that party attachment for awhile because I didn’t want to lose the camaraderie. There were people doing things I wanted to do like living self sufficiently. There were people who knew things I that I wanted to know. There were people who could share their experience with me and so many from whom I could learn so much.
I held on for awhile but I just couldn’t participate in politics any longer. In fact, I did not want to participate in the system at all any longer. So what becomes of someone like me? Well, I just made this about me but in reality there were many others who were having a similar experience.
Joanna, Josh, TC and Samantha gave birth to Liberty on Tap. Liberty on Tap provides a venue for others to get up and talk, to share with others their passion, concerns, and solutions. This is a safe place to have your voice heard. I attended the very first gathering at McNellies and was excited for what Liberty on Tap could mean for me because I felt like I needed that connection still. As my ideology was evolving, Liberty on Tap provided me space to grow. As I walked out of (and closed) the door to party involvement, Liberty on Tap’s door opened and welcomed me in.
Last year I was asked to join the team and I did not hesitate to accept! It has provided me an outlet to discuss issues that are important to me but more importantly it allows me to explore and expand on those ideas. I have networked with some amazing people! Liberty on Tap brings in a diverse group that spans the political and apolitical spectrum. Many are activists and some are just trying to live as freely as possible. Guess what? We are all OK with that! We are there to share, to network, to learn, to socialize and discover real solutions. It matters not if you are an activist, a GOPer, or religious…you don’t have to don a label to get into this party! And that’s what makes Liberty on Tap beautiful. It is so open and diverse it really is difficult sometimes to explain what we are because we are always evolving.
Generally though we love to talk, discuss, and debate because we learn this way. We expand our horizons, we connect with other people, we work on solutions. I think the common denominator is that we all want to live freer lives. The love of Freedom is our connection. Liberty on Tap is a place for everyone; for people wandering in the forest looking to forge a new path when they decide to leave politics behind, a place for those still working politics, a place for people who are just doing their own thing and living the dream, and it’s a place for everyone in between.
If you have been wary of political groups, then Liberty on Tap is for you. If you are looking to meet people who are politically active, then Liberty on Tap is for you. If you want to connect with others who are finding ways to opt out of the system and marginalize the state, then Liberty on Tap is for you. If you like down to earth, genuine, accepting people, then Liberty on Tap is for you. If you want to stretch or flex your intellectual muscles, then Liberty on Tap is for you. Do you want to learn more about terms like the non-aggression/zero aggression principle and voluntaryism? Then join us. Do you like chickens, goats, growing stuff, making stuff, stateless education, and learning new things that do not fit on the 3×5 card of allowable opinion? Then you definitely want to join us! Together, let’s make year three amazing! And bring the kiddos!
Thank you, Liberty on Tap, for all you have done to promote liberty and peace through education, community, and socializing!
Cheers!
Liberty on Tap 