Life, Liberty and…II’s ATF Party!

Published on Sunday, June 01, 2008
ARTICLES

Ever wonder what hyper sensitive liberals do during their down time? After a hard day of telling others how to live their lives, working to outlaw transfat, banning smoking after sex, and pushing for hate speech codes before burning George Bush in effigy, just what does a command-and-control junkie do to relax?

Well, they can't sit down and throw back a bag of Oreos while watching late-night Cinemax. They can't inhale a Cuban stogie. Hell, they can't even sip on a fine bottle of single malt knowing if they had their way none of these things would be legal.

No wonder nannyists are so uptight!

I have come to a simple but indisputable conclusion - leftists cannot stand to see other people having fun. I think on some level they understand that fun is a byproduct of freedom and personal responsibility. And they just don't have the tolerance to let others do things they wouldn't. Odd considering how the left trumpets tolerance and diversity.

But ah, to be an adult - a free adult. At the Independence Institute not only do we feel liberty must be preserved, we feel it must be celebrated! We do that with what has been called the "most politically incorrect event of the year," our annual Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Party. We call it our "Nanny-Free Zone."

Independence's ATF party brings together politicians, reporters, activists, political junkies and adults of all stripes who enjoy the perks of adulthood and who don't mind annoying the nannyists of the world at the same time. The event is held at the swank Kiowa Creek Sporting Club east of Denver, where partygoers enjoy shooting clay targets on a professional shotgun course.

After the smoke settles everyone gathers for a fine barbeque lunch and washes it down with some good stiff drinks of their choice. And what better way to finish the day than by smoking a fine cigar while listening to the wisdom of leading free-market thinkers, folks like Steve Moore, Christopher Hitchens, Grover Norquist and syndicated columnist Jay Ambrose.

The benefits of alcohol shouldn't be underestimated. After enough booze not only to I start to look attractive, but after a few belts last year's speaker Steve Moore said, "The Independence Institute is the best state think tank in America. It has the best parties. And it is the greatest defender of liberties in the state of Colorado." By the way, Steve claims to write for The Wall Street Journal, but after watching the way he shoots many at the party wondered if he didn't work for The New York Times.

Not only is the ATF party a great way to call out liberals to put their "tolerance" where their mouths are, it is also a great way to earn press that befuddles the left. Our shindig has been covered by most major news outlets in Colorado, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal and C-Span. Denver's alterative weekly paper did a two-page spread on it entitled, "Since when did conservatives learn to have fun?" ATF is also a fine way to introduce lawmakers to firearms and the politics of responsibility.

But mostly it is just a great, liberty-loving time. Shoot it! Slam it! Smoke it! What better way to celebrate being a free-thinking adult! Enjoy days like this before leftists - in all political parties - make being a responsible adult just too dangerous to be legal.

This year's party will be held June 28. Why won't you be there? Your mommy won't let you?!