On April 12, I participated in the Run for Their Health 5K in Schenley Park. Formerly called the Run With HAART, this race is hosted by Pitt medical school students and benefits Kenyan children with HIV/AIDS.
As in Just a Short Run Half Marathon, I wasn’t was well-trained or properly prepared for this race. I finished in a slow 27:25 (8:51 pace). Pictures can be found here.
This afternoon I participated in a small protest of the income tax. We met at the Hilton downtown and walked to the Federal building. Alone the way we chanted, “Income tax is theft! End the IRS!” I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who took pamphlets from us. I’m sure most ended up in the garbage, but I’m hopeful that some of them were actually read. I’m hoping we changed at least one person’s mind today.
The most fulfilling part of the event was meeting and conversing with more Ron Paul Meetup members. There’s quite a variety of opinions in the group, which makes for lively debates. 🙂 The worst part occurred after we moved from the Federal building to the Omni William Penn hotel, where John McCain was having a fundraiser. Most of us stayed across the street from the hotel, but a few picketed right in front of the entrance. I wasn’t comfortable doing that, but I didn’t have a big problem with others being there. What I did and do object to is picking a fight, which I believe one of the group was trying to do. He was hoping one of the hotel staff would bump into him, and when one did he made a scene. Thankfully, a cooler-headed protester diffused the situation with polite banter.
Pictures can be found here.
My wife and I went to the Spring Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory this weekend. I took a bunch of pictures that turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.
I went to the Ron Paul rally at the University of Pittsburgh last Thursday. The speech was mostly boilerplate Ron Paul Revolution material (abolish the Fed, no socialized health care, end the Iraq war, restore civil liberties, etc). The best part, for me, was the opportunity to shake the hand with, get the autograph of, and be photographed with the man who turned my frustration and exasperation with the federal government into activism.
Another plus was an opportunity to experiment with camera settings in a low-light situation. Those pictures can be viewed here.
Coverage of the IUP rally can be found here and here. Coverage of the Pitt rally can be found here. Amateur video of the Pitt rally can be found here.
The Pitt News, like most college newspapers, is know more for articles written by liberals and libertines than libertarians. Nevertheless, in the last few months I’ve noticed several editorials that present or at least hint at libertarian ideals. Here’s a sampling. Give me your impressions in the comments.