Joe Moutard

I am relatively new to the philosophy of liberty, but I really found a desire to improve myself and the world around me after I found out my wife and I would become parents.  I was a lifelong strong conservative, deeply mired in a belief in statism and nationalism.  I'd had enough sense to reject the notion of magical deities in my youth, but still knew that I had internal inconsistencies in ym way of thinking and felt that something was not right.  I had taken a liking to the early Tea Party ideals and watched as it was revealed to be...what it is.  We had since given birth to our daughter Paige early in 2010 and the concept of peaceful parenting really resonated with me.  Having attended both private and public schools, I definitely knew that I did not want my daughter attending a public school.  The love I have for my child drove me to keep digging further.  It was early in the run up to the 2012 presidential elections that I really started looking into libertarian philospohy and ideals.  Reading Bastiat's "The Law" was a major eye-opener for me.  Then for some time, I was a Ron Paul, and later a Gary Johnson supporter, but by then it didn't take long for me to realize that the entire political process was completely immoral and could never be used to effectively resolve the issues confronting society.  And now I find myself very committed to universal application of the N.A.P., self-ownership, and atheism.  A thirst for knowledge in philosophy, history, parenting, and psychology has been ignited in me in ways I never knew possible.  There certainly have been and continue to be some of those awkward silences at the holiday dinner table, but now I've seen the farm and can never go back.