It's not a "theory" when you watch it happen every day

Over the years, my opinion of conspiracy theorists has evolved.

There's a joke that says conspiracy theorists are just early.
Another says conspiracy theorists are running out of conspiracies because they have all been proved true.

Maybe not quite, but it's not nearly as joke-like as it used to be.

I definitely don't think of conspiracy theorists the same way I used to.

No, they can't all be right. Many of their theories are mutually exclusive; if one is true, another can't be. Some seem crazy to me, but who am I? 

I can't know everything that's going on. No matter how evil a conspiracy might sound, I know if government employees can do it, and if they believe it benefits them, they will do it. No matter how many people it hurts.

They aren't good people, even if they are "nice".

You already know they'll conspire against you, your life, liberty, and property. They show you every single day. 

When many of them join together to commit an act and protect each other in the process, that is, by definition, a conspiracy.

Taxation is a conspiracy to commit theft and get away with it.
Anti-gun rules are a conspiracy to punish you for exercising your right to self-defense and the proper tools with which to carry it out.
Govschooling is a conspiracy to dumb down the population and pretend they are being educated.
Driver licensing is a conspiracy to violate your right to travel and turn it into a privilege they can suspend at will. If you can't travel without their permission, you're a prisoner.

So, would government murder a president, lie to start a war, release a pandemic, sell you and me out for the benefit of another government, or have a secret space program? You know they would if they could. The only questions- could they do it, and would it benefit them?

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Government is its own opposite

Suppressors aren't firearms. Until they are. Whichever way government finds convenient to make this safety equipment harder to have, that's how they'll play it.

Taxes are voluntary. Until you choose to not pay. Then, "You can't have people not paying taxes! How would you fund government?"

Politicians represent the people. Until the people want something politicians don't want. Then they'll do things that destroy your life, "for your own good because we know what's best for you".

Government is whatever government wants. Reality or your wishes don't matter. It's whatever gives it the most power over your life, liberty, and property. Even if it has to be mutually exclusive things simultaneously.

Government is supposedly there to protect your life, liberty, and property, but the reality is that government is the only real threat to those things that you'll encounter on any average day. And even if you occasionally encounter a freelance threat, government is just as likely to protect the criminal from you as you from the criminal. Government is what it pretends to prevent.

Government tells whichever story fits its purpose at the moment. Gullible people believe and parrot the stories.

Government is chaos and nihilism. Government is a scam; a fraud. Government is crime.

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People are not their politics... I hope

I think most people take a political side without conscious thought. Once they are there, they are stuck because politics makes people stupid.

I know people who are genuinely better people than their politics would indicate. But, since politics makes them stupid, they are incapable of critical thinking about what they are supporting. Again, they are stuck.

They've supported a side, and they don't want to (or can't) admit they were wrong. They can't change sides. They certainly can't think outside the government box.

Some of them are shocked when a politician from "their team" acts like a member of "the other party", but all I see is a politician acting like a politician. I'm not shocked by that any more than I am shocked to see a moth acting like a moth. When Trump acts like a Democrat, it's because he's always been a Democrat, and Democrats are statists just like Republicans are, not because he is acting against his nature. 

People don't act against their nature- they show you what their nature is by how they act.

I want to tell these people that their favorite politician has more in common with the politician they hate most than with themselves. But they wouldn't hear it if I told them. Politics makes them deaf to spoken reason and illiterate to written words.

It's not necessarily because they are bad people. They've been brainwashed. They've been tricked. Politics has made them stupid. They are trapped in that death spiral, and there is no escape unless they pull themselves out of it.

All I can do is be there to grab their hand if they realize the position they are in and reach out for help. Otherwise, you can't rescue those who don't admit they're in trouble.

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AmmoSquared February referral deal

AmmoSquared is running a special for February.

If you click on my link https://ammo2.me/dullhawk to join, and spend at least $20 in the first 30 days, we both get $35 added to our ammo accounts. The regular referral deal is $25, so this is better.

I've done this before and gotten extra ammo, so I think it's a good deal. If you're interested in collecting ammo this way, you could even share your referral link after you join and get even more! Who doesn't like more ammo? (Besides Those People, I mean...)

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Economics or something

I've been watching (politically hypnotized) people distancing themselves from Bitcoin, calling it "Pedocoin" and stuff like that.

You know what I think in that case? "Just wait until they find out about the US dollar!"

Thanks. But I'll hold onto my Bitcoin.

I saw someone else saying, "Gold is collapsing, silver is collapsing, Bitcoin is collapsing, the US dollar is collapsing, the stock market is collapsing, so where should we put our money?" 

What money would that be? Some money that is none of the above?

Don't "put" your money anywhere. 

Hold your precious metals. Hold your Bitcoin. Use your US dollars to get more of the real money of your choice... and beans, rice, and ammo as long as you still can. That's what US dollars are best for. Don't hold on to dollars unless you're OK with seeing that final 2¢ (what's left of a 1913 Dollar) evaporate.

A collapsing precious metal is still safer than a dollar. 

I suspect a collapsing Bitcoin is also safer than a collapsing US dollar. 

You don't have to outrun the bear; you only have to outrun enough of the other people.

I'd rather risk being dragged down by a sinking boat's vortex than be trapped in its lower decks with no way out.

Don't let economically ignorant Keynesian "economists" worry you. This is all probably a result of their influence anyway. Why listen to those who caused the problem when they give you advice on what to do about the problem? Especially when their advice is "Panic!"

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In which I defend a politician. Sort of.

I’m not exactly a fan of Thomas Massie. He is probably among the best of a bad collection, but he’s still lending his name and effort to an illegitimate institution, helping them do illegitimate things like try to govern others.

However, it’s interesting to me that the Republicans have gone so wrong and embraced evil so completely that he has to go against them. His own team. And this makes some of them so angry that they try to smear his name.

Which only makes him look better.

If your “side” is so nasty that you force someone from your side to take the other side, on any issue, maybe you should look in a mirror instead of getting angry at the person with better principles and judgment.

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Rights are identical for everyone

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 4, 2026)

There's nothing like a political showdown to help you discover who is on your side, who isn't, and who's been a phony ally all along.

All the people, organizations, companies, and politicians who say "I'm a Second Amendment absolutist, but..." are lying. The Second Amendment doesn't come with any "unless", "except", or "but"...read the rest...

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You can laugh at the bad guys

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 31, 2025)

Happy New Year!

I can't help it. I feel a bit optimistic for 2026. No one spiked my eggnog, either.

Maybe it's because I had a really nice Christmas, with lots of family and food, and only one relatively minor dog bite. I was neither the bitten nor the owner of the biter, so this is a plus.

It feels as though a page is turning; my past troubles are behind me, to be replaced by exciting new troubles.

Maybe it's because the supporters of tyrants of various kinds have become so ridiculous it's just funny. Still dangerous, but more like fans of killer clowns than serious people. The masks are slipping a little more every day, and it's good for the rest of us to see the truth.

Partly, it might even be that it seems some things have hit rock bottom and don't have anywhere but up to go. Please don't shatter this illusion!

If the coming year sees the economy rally, great! I'm ready to celebrate.

If, though, it sees the economy tank, I have those bases covered as well. At least, as well as I can in my current situation. I hope you can say the same. It's not "paranoia" to prepare; it's your responsibility whether you want to or not.

Further, I'm not going to base my mental health on what political criminals say or do. I expect nothing but more of the same from them.

It's liberating when you realize how little effect they have on you. Their opinions (which they'll insist are laws) are little more than hot air, even with their hired guns roaming the streets to enforce them against you. People have always had to avoid the highwaymen and other criminal gangs, official and freelance. To expect this to change while so many still fall for the myth that government is necessary or good is to expect the Sun to stay up later if you order people to mis-set their clocks in the Spring and pretend the time has changed.

Be of good cheer in the New Year, and remain so when the year is no longer new. The best way to defy the bad guys is to enjoy life in spite of all they intend for you. As an acquaintance of mine says, "The Ultimate Answer to Kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh!" Poke them in their evil eye with your smile.

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Statists have no principles; only weapons

Statists only care about liberty if they can use some facet of it to "own" the "other team".

This is because they are- all of them- hypocrites.

The anti-gun governor of Colorado was trying to argue the Second Amendment against those who believe marijuana use should disqualify someone from owning and carrying a weapon. He's right, of course.
Yet, he has signed into "law" a host of anti-gun rules that violate this same part of the Constitution even worse.

And you'll constantly see "conservatives" invoking the Constitution* while saying it doesn't matter that some of the policies and "laws" they seem to love the most directly violate the Constitution and what it allows government to do. (That's where they go after they try to twist the Constitution for their purposes and fail.)

It's as predictable as the phases of the Moon.

Neither side talks about actual liberty much- talking about the Constitution is as close as they usually get. Statists can't think outside the government box, and it shows.

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*The Constitution is illegitimate anyway. Its only use in our time is to point out how hypocritical Constitutional Statists are. That's probably always been the case, as Lysander Spooner observed..

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Statanism- The Definition

Statanism- A dogmatic, virulent form of statism which has become even more of a religion of domination and aggression than is typical of the backward ideology.

Not simply the belief in governing others as a legitimate human endeavor, but enthusiasm at the prospect of that state hurting or killing (sacrificing to the god of the State) those whom the Statanist doesn't like for their political or personal views. A political lust for blood.

To be Statanic is to take on the qualities and beliefs of Statanism. 

Don't act Statanic, but embrace liberty.

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Live and let live- or do the other thing like a typical Statanist

If someone is a part of a culture and agrees to live as that culture lives, I don't have a big problem with it. Even if I personally think their culture is disgusting and violates the rights of those who take part in it. If that's what they want and agree to, and choose to stay in it, that's their business.

My problem comes when they try to impose the rules of their culture on those who aren't part of that culture. People who never agreed to live by those rules, or those who once did but changed their minds.

I don't care if it's Islam, communism, or some other form of Statism. Or Statanism. 

The obvious problem is that all those kinds of cultures feel threatened by anyone living outside their culture. This is a sign that the culture isn't healthy- it can't survive those inside the culture seeing people living happily outside it. Any other way must be absorbed or destroyed before the illusion shatters.

This is how you know they are the bad guys.

I, on the other hand, am perfectly willing to "live and let live".

In America, this means I am not going to stop you if you want to recite socialist pledges, "tax" each other, follow an unethical religion, or let police rule you. 

I simply require that you keep it to yourself- to those who want to live that way- and leave everyone else out of your cult. If someone attacks you, then defend yourself and your culture. If your "defense" crosses the line into aggression, then enjoy the consequences you've bought.

But my existence is no threat to you. I'm not going to violate you, and I expect you to not violate me. Let's see who the real antisocial threat is.

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The "movie" I'm watching

Scott Adams came up with (or at least popularized) the concept of "two movies on one screen", where two people can watch the same event- even the same video of the event- and clearly "see" opposite things happening. January 6th was a great example. The ICE shootings also illustrate this. 

It's clear that the movie you see depends on the biases you hold before the event happens. How could it be otherwise?

I make no secret that I am biased in favor of liberty. Always. Every time. I am biased against anyone or anything that is counter to liberty. Government finds liberty to be a mortal threat to itself and its power. Which it is. I can't be biased for liberty and not be biased against government. It simply isn't possible. It's like arguing for the existence of a 5-sided triangle.

I avoid watching videos of violent confrontations, unless it's a robber getting neutralized by his intended victim (that's comedy gold to me), so I don't normally see the videos where this "two movies on one screen" phenomenon plays out the most often. I did not watch the videos of the ICE killings, and I have no plans to do so. It wouldn't change my opinion, and it would make me feel bad, no matter how I interpret what I'm seeing.

Of course, it's not limited to video. You can experience the same thing simply by hearing various people describe what happened- from their perspective. You're not hearing about the event; you're learning which movie they're seeing.

Often, I can "see" it both ways, even if I think one interpretation is more likely to be true. But not always. Sometimes I think "Are you insane?" when I hear the version someone seems to truly believe happened.

But... if you are in a place where you have a right to be ("public" spaces are one of those places), doing something you have a right to be doing (protesting against infinite government power, being armed, and defending someone from an aggressor are among those things), then anyone using force against you is the bad guy. The aggressor's justifications are irrelevant. 

I don't need to see a video of every tiny detail from every possible angle to recognize this fact. I don't have to agree with every aspect of someone's opinions to stand up for their natural human rights. Sometimes a person can be wrong about everything else and still be right when it matters. I don't have to like someone to take their side against armed criminal gangs. Not even if the armed criminal gangs claim some "authority" to be doing what they're doing, so they can pretend they aren't the criminals. 

Even if government is doing something you want done- even if you think government is doing something essential- government is ALWAYS the wrong tool for the job. Supporting government is the anti-liberty position every time.

And that's the movie I am watching.

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Carrying cookies?

Someone was arguing with me that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect your right to carry a gun while committing a crime.

That’s a weird misunderstanding, but let’s think about that.

You have a right to carry a bag of cookies. You still have a right to carry that bag of cookies while you rob a bank. The cookies are not the issue. The issue is that you have no right to rob a bank, with or without cookies. Nor to violate any individual’s rights in any way. The bag of cookies is completely irrelevant in every way.

Whether you might use the cookies to help you commit the crime or not. It’s the robbery that’s the problem, not the bag of cookies.

Now, if someone imagines that guns are different than cookies in this scenario, the problem is within them.

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Bigger government is enemy of liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 28, 2026)

There is no "right vs. left"; no "conservative vs. liberal"; no "Republican vs. Democrat". These labels are deliberate distractions- tools used by the true culprit to keep people confused, angry, and divided.

The real conflict has always been simpler and more fundamental: the State against you and your liberty...read the rest...

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Peace on Earth? Government says no

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 24, 2025)

Merry Christmas!

This is the traditional "Peace on earth; Good will to men" season. It's hard to keep this spirit alive even in the best situations. It's nearly impossible with government around.

Government doesn't thrive on peace, but on conflict. War is the health of the state, after all. Where there isn't conflict, government creates it. Where there is already conflict, government fans the flames and uses it against you and your liberty.

This is true both overseas and within America's increasingly militarized borders.

You can't show good will to others while governing them.

Case in point: drug abuse is stupid, but prohibition is evil. Prohibition accomplishes little beyond giving government more power. If you lie and call a drug a "Weapon of Mass Destruction", you're making an excuse to escalate the failed War on Some Drugs.

Government loves this. It gives them justifications for committing acts of war against people all around the planet. Including against Americans. Escalating the War on Some Drugs isn't peaceful or a show of good will. You'll never have a meaningful impact on drug abuse this way; the abusers will only find something new, and probably even more dangerous. Prohibition is a failure.

If you really wanted to defeat the drug cartels, you'd pull the rug out from under them by ending drug prohibition entirely. This would destroy the artificially inflated profit motive and take the trade out of criminal hands. If you're unwilling to do this, you are demonstrating that you prefer causing unnecessary crime.

Similarly, if you wanted to defeat the political terrorists, you'd stop recruiting more of them by invading and occupying their home territories and killing their friends and family. You could take away their motivation by ending official support for their enemies. Trade with all nations; alliances with none.

With all enemies, foreign and domestic, government could remove most of their power if it stopped disarming Americans for their convenience. But of course, government and the bad guys are on the same side, and always were. Any disputes between them are merely gang fights between factions, not fights between good guys and bad guys.

"Peace on earth and good will to men" is not what government wants or promotes. That's up to you. So, what will it be? Will you embrace peace and good will, or will you keep supporting the institution which fears this more than any other outcome? It's your choice.

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A good blaster at my side

How about a change of pace? Instead of thinking about Statanic political cultists today, I’ll review a ridiculous gun that I own and love.

This is the Canto Arms Blastech DL-15 (Nocturne 22). An AR-15-derived Han Solo blaster in .22 LR.

I discovered the company a few years ago after seeing someone else's "Han Solo blaster" build on YouTube. I caught the name of the company where he bought some of his parts. I looked them up immediately and liked what I saw- they had whole guns, not just parts! The prices were out of my reach, but then (actually, several months later) I had a thought.

This is the only firearm I've ever bought directly with Bitcoin; after I wrote to the company to ask if they accepted Bitcoin yet. They didn't, so I told them that I was ready to purchase the minute they did. Within a week or so, they emailed and said they now accepted Bitcoin. So I bought one, and the accessories I wanted, as soon as I saw their email.

I've never regretted it.

I really enjoy shooting this blaster. It's very accurate, and the scope is dead-on. It takes a little practice getting used to shooting with an offset scope, but I've adjusted well.

The only potential drawback is its weight. It weighs around 3.5 pounds and can get a little heavy after a few magazines. (It inspired me to spend time holding a 5 lb weight at arms' length while watching TV at night.) 

The magazines hold 10 rounds. I wish they were flush-fitting- I'll keep watching for any flush-fitting (10-round or higher capacity) .22 LR magazines to be offered. Or invented for sale. I also have a 25-round magazine for the range.

My only other wish is that someone made 75% scale AR lowers that they could have used for the platform, as this would reduce the weight and make the size more movie-correct and handleable. But those aren't deal-breakers at all. Using what's available is very sci-fi/fantasy.

The blaster has been completely reliable. The only problem I ever had was a few misfires when shooting some antique (rough brown) .22 LR that had been passed down to me from my grandfathers. Or maybe great-grandfathers. I don't blame the blaster for that. (I still have some of that ammo left.)

I "weathered" it with some sandpaper (I wouldn't normally do such a thing, but... Star Wars!) and some "steel" paint on the magazines. I also swapped out the flat trigger guard for a "curved" one. I may swap that out again for one a little less curved, as I think I went overboard- we'll see.

Whenever I take it to the range, if anyone else is there shooting, they always comment that they love it. Usually, they want a closer look at it and ask questions about it. A couple of years ago, I took it to the range as a birthday treat for myself. Alone, but that just made it more relaxing. That was a great day.

So, of course, I made a holster for it. (It attaches to my belt's D-rings)

I also made some magazine holsters to clip on my belt:

Canto has other Star Wars-inspired firearms. There are also other companies making their own versions of AR-based DL-44s, but none I like as much as the ones from Canto Arms. Some companies have gone overboard on the "weathering", in my opinion. That's clearly subjective.

Would I ever use this for a defensive firearm? Not unless it was an emergency and I had no other choice. It's .22 LR. But I love having it and shooting it, and that's what matters.

No, Canto Arms didn't pay me for this review, or know anything about it. Probably don't remember who I am, unless the Bitcoin thing made an impression. But they seemed like nice people to deal with, and I like their products.

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How about some bonus photos?

I have trouble doing photography in this house. Here’s how it usually goes:

Life with cats.
That's Bug getting involved with the photo shoot. He's also the one most likely to interrupt my indoor range sessions with the Barra Schofield and the SixNeedler. Maybe he likes guns, too.

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It's not supposed to be a race to the bottom

Someone replied to me yesterday, saying, "Nobody loves big government more than the left".

Well, that is an obvious lie.

The Right has discovered (or exposed) just how much they love big government, and it's at least as much as the Left loves it. As long as big government is being used against people they hate or fear- just like the Left likes big government to be used.

The past few days have shown exactly how deeply the Right loves Big Government. And how they hate the Second Amendment and the rest of the Constitution when it doesn't go their way. How they hate your right to own and to carry weapons without government permission. How much they love murderous cops, as long as they disagree with the one who is murdered. How far they'll stretch to excuse cops. How they hate the fundamental human right to fight tyranny, wherever it occurs.

They are lying to cover for The State- just like the Left does.

When you have "libertarians" sticking up for rights violators and their liberty violations, you know it's bad.

When you have the NRA and other "gun rights" advocates and organizations blaming someone for being armed, and sticking up for the thugs who are the ONLY credible threat to gun owners, it tells you where their priorities lie.

They are ignoring and misinterpreting the Constitution to justify their agenda- just like the Left does.

Statism is statism. Every time I decide one variety of statist is a little worse than the others, the others see it as a competition and try to out-evil their opponents.

If you hate foreigners and your political opponents more than you value liberty, you never cared about liberty at all. You were a phony, cosplaying a liberty lover. Crouch down, lick that tyrant's hand, and pretend he loves you as much as you love him.

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Sometimes your fans make you even more unpalatable

Every time there's another shooting committed by a government employee and the statists start in with their "Just comply and you won't be shot", "Well, he was carrying a GUN!", and "You can always fight them in court later", I hate the armed government employees just a little bit more than I did before.

I have zero respect, and bottomless contempt, for armed government employees. They can't really do anything to make their position worse.

But, seeing the apologists, and recognizing how they'd be justifying (or cheering) the SS troops in the streets doing the same sort of things, colors my perceptions of the armed government employees even darker.

I keep being disappointed.

I expected too much of people poisoned by politics.
My mistake.

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Cool weather

There's currently a lot of drama about the weather here (and eastward from here). 

Half the time, they completely miss the forecast for our area, and we get none of the precipitation they are forecasting. We have a weird atmospheric (Geomagnetic? Magic?) dome or something over us that usually blocks precipitation that is heading right for us. It will stop falling just west of town, then start again east of town, or the radar will show the leading edge of the cloud split like a giant amoeba, half going north of us and half going south, and then joining together again once it is past us. It's definitely strange to watch.

Maybe by the time this posts, I'll know how it went; whether it was much ado about nothing, or if they got it right this time.

The temperature now is colder than normal, but not colder than it usually gets at some point during the winter. Temperatures have been fairly mild so far this winter. I've lived in places where it got much colder than this on a regular basis. I can handle it just fine. For that matter, snow doesn't bother me at all. Freezing rain is a different matter.

The sad thing about being a prepper is that I didn't get to participate in the mad dash for supplies before this winter storm. I missed all the fun. I live prepared, so it's just a matter of checking to make sure things are in order. And checking on my parents. And the porch cats.

Oh, sure, someone in the family decided to buy some last-minute things, but none of them were necessary. She was already at the store because that's where she works, so it was just a matter of seeing what was left and standing in line.

I also rescued a kitten off the porch just in time. Just before it got cold and the freezing mist started. She's lucky, whether she knows it or not. 

I'll let you know if the storm gets us and I see woolly mammoths marching stoically into the wind and snow.

Update: Overnight, nothing but a light dusting of snow.

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Obligations and responsibilities of a government "job"

Holding a government "job" comes with extra obligations and responsibilities beyond those an honest person has.

If you work for government, you are obligated to never hide your face while on the clock, even if it puts you at risk.

If you work for government in America, you are obligated to obey the Constitution to the letter- not the Supreme Courtjesters' "interpretation" of what the Constitution might mean if government has its way, but what it really says. Even if this means disobeying a direct order under threat of death, losing your "job"/pension, or being imprisoned.

If you work for government, it is your responsibility to die before you violate anyone's life, liberty, or property in the slightest way, or in defense of anyone's life, liberty, or property. Your life is forfeit if there's any rights violation going on in your vicinity, if that's what it takes to stop it. Whether you are the violator or not.

If you are unwilling or unable to fulfill these obligations and responsibilities, you are unfit for a government "job". So, obviously, this proves that no one is suited for a government "job".

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Cop guns

I own 3 guns that I know previously belonged to cops. 

That means I've done something to get guns out of the wrong hands; guns that may have even been used in the commission of crimes.
I've probably done more good than all the anti-gun "laws" put together.

You're welcome.

(OK, I realize they just bought more guns to replace the ones they sold- and we know freelance bad guys would never do the same, and once they no longer have a particular gun, they are forever gunless. Right? Right?)

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Love liberty, not big government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 21, 2026)

I'm saddened to discover how few people value liberty more than they hate other people and love big government. It wasn't a surprise, but I still hate to see it.

One faction hates gun owners and wants armed government employees to take their guns and kill them if they resist.

Another faction hates people who dwell somewhere without government permission, and wants armed government employees to kidnap, cage, and evict them. They are happy to see government agents kill these people and their supporters if either of them resist...read the rest...

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Authoritarian government dooms society

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 17, 2025)

Many people have recently discovered that government is authoritarian. What a shock! Most only complain about it when it affects something they personally care about. When it crushes something they dislike, they either ignore it or call for even more authoritarianism.

The dictionary says "authoritarian" means demanding blind obedience to authority instead of respecting individual freedom, considering individual freedom subordinate to the power of the state, or exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of others. It’s a perfect description of ordinary, everyday government.

Here, “authority” doesn’t mean expertise or competence; it's referring to political power. Power which only exists as long as people imagine it does. Using the same word for both real expertise and political domination muddies thinking. Sometimes the confusion is deliberate. It’s straight out of Orwell.

Both the political Right and Left are authoritarian.

When concerned parents speak out at a government school-board meeting, and government labels them “domestic threats,” roughly half the country cries “authoritarianism!” while the other half cheers.

When government blows up a drug boat, the sides instantly reverse; now the other half is outraged, and this half applauds. Both actions are authoritarian. Both are wrong.

People act as though the only options are authoritarianism or decadence. This completely ignores the healthy balance between these extremes: responsibility. Meaning, both decadence and authoritarianism are equally irresponsible.

Trying to fix a problem with government is guaranteed to fail. You don't fix a problem by creating a bigger one. Pretending otherwise is just as irresponsible as doing nothing at all.

Crime will never be solved by allowing government to react with additional authoritarian rights violations. Regardless of who commits the crimes, government is the wrong tool. Everything government does creates new victims and new crimes.

The only chance at a real, lasting solution that respects all life, liberty, and property is to get government out of the way. How likely is government to go along? Not likely at all. Government exists to grab power and use it. This power is authoritarianism, even when you happen to like the outcome. Those who respect liberty will never respect those who work against it. If you believe this won't matter, you don't know history.

In the short run, authoritarianism works great for the authoritarians. In the long run, it always backfires. Authoritarians are gambling that this time will be different, but if not, society is doomed.

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Understanding the other side

I think I am able to see both (or more) sides of any topic. I could make a good, convincing argument for either side. Including the side I think is wrong.

I don't normally do it in public because I don't want to be taken out of context and have people think I'm arguing for something I'm not. Yes, it happens anyway, but there's no reason to make it easier.

I don't actually enjoy being able to see all sides so easily. It's uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Just because I can see all sides doesn't mean I haven't decided one side is more correct than the others- obviously, in the majority of cases, I have.

This doesn't stop me from considering any new arguments that are presented- it's just that new arguments I haven't already considered, mulled, pondered, (dozens of times) and then rejected because they didn't hold up, are nearly non-existent.

But, internally, I can sympathize with those on the opposite side from me because I understand where they are coming from. 

I can completely understand why the anti-immigrant people feel the way they do, while recognizing how and why they are wrong.

The same goes for the anti-gun people.

I don't avoid talking to them. That doesn't mean they'll listen to anything I say, because they are apparently incapable of seeing, much less considering, the opposite side. 

This is disappointing to me. I feel as though I made an effort they are unwilling to make- to understand the other side. Plus, there's truth in the saying "give them an inch, and they'll take a mile".

I expect more of them, even if it's an unreasonable expectation. That's why, if I engage with them at all, I come down harder than I might otherwise.

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Don't let stupid people discourage you

I was told that because America isn't a perfect libertarian paradise today, this means "libertarians do nothing to defend freedom here." (Liberty would be the better word, but whatever.)

I'm constantly amazed that people "think" this way, and yet don't forget to breathe.

"Because the human body keeps getting dirty, soap must be useless."

"Because cancer still kills people, no one is doing anything to heal people."

"Because crime still happens, self-defense is pointless."

I don't think there's anyone, advocating for anything, who could clear that guy's bar.

You can be doing all the right things, but because most people still believe in The Most Dangerous Superstition- and because politics makes people stupid- it won't have an immediate effect. It doesn't mean you're on the wrong path. Don't let stupid people discourage you.

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Statism- A total failure

I will never listen to statists, or take them even slightly seriously, until they can get their own collectivist house in order. All their criticisms fall flat and are total failures.

They are the ones who say they have the answers, and anyone who thinks differently is childish. They are the ones who believe a collective has a "right" to run your life, and is smart enough to do so. They are the ones making the claim that a government is necessary to protect your rights.

They've had thousands of years to prove it, but they haven't ever been able to.

Libertarians. Voluntaryists, abolitionists, and anarchists make no such claims. 

We don't claim the world will be perfect without government- because we know bad people will always exist. 

We just recognize that giving those bad people (and anyone who seeks to govern others is bad) power and imaginary "authority" doesn't ever work out well. The power attracts the worst people, the "authority" lets them get away with their crimes, and if a decent person gets pulled in, they turn bad by association and because of how the system is set up to function.

Statism and political governments are total failures. They always have been and always will be, and until statists can get it right at least once, they can keep their ignorant mouths shut.

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Making deals with devils

I can't believe there are still people who don't realize this, but...

You can not make a deal with a government. Well, not and expect that government to keep their end of the deal. Governments don't do that.

They aren't individuals.

They feel entitled to run your life and to lie to you to that end.

They care about their own interests only, and respecting your life, liberty, or property is not in any government's interests. They will break any deal if they find it convenient to do so.

Trying to make a deal with government is foolish. It doesn't matter who you are, or which government you are trying to negotiate with. It's not going to work out in your favor. There's only one way to deal with such gangs.

There's a reason buckskinners call this stuff "treaty paper":

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Government is...

Government is a security blanket for the incompetent, the lazy, the fear-filled, the incapable, the weak, and the delusional.

Government is an excuse- a jobs program- for those who like to commit evil.

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Self-defense

Is it self-defense or is it not?

If you are where you have a right to be...

And you are doing what you have a right to be doing...

Then you can ethically use self-defense against anyone who uses (or credibly threatens to use) force against you. They are initiating force. They are archating.

If you are not where you have a right to be, OR you are doing something you have no right to be doing, then anyone you are violating has the right to use self-defense against you. No matter what your excuse is or who you are. No matter how popular your actions may be.

If I go into my neighbor's house- their undisputed private property- and I threaten to beat them up for smoking Cannabis (even though the regional governments all say it's "illegal" for them to do so), they have the right to shoot me. That would be self-defense on their part.

I can't threaten them with harm, then shoot them and claim "self-defense" if they try to run. Not even if they shove me out of the way. Not even if they intentionally hit me with their car, or shoot me, in an attempt to get away from my aggression. I'm the one in the wrong here, whatever the outcome. 

Legislation doesn't confer rights. Legislation can't change wrong into right; it can't negate a human right. Government policies do not determine rights. Government "jobs" or badges don't grant "extra rights".They can't. Rights don't work that way.

I would hope this clears things up. I suspect that depends on how poisoned by politics the recipient's brain is.

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More laws equivalent of more crime

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 14, 2026)

Trying to solve crime with authoritarian government, more laws, and stricter enforcement is like trying to keep someone healthy by stuffing them in a coffin and burying them alive. Yet, this is the first move politicians make when they see a problem.

Turning to government and its laws is a sign your society has failed, and the unfortunate fact is that this only causes more crime in the long run. As the Chinese philosopher Laozi pointed out over two thousand years ago, "The more numerous the laws, the more thieves and robbers there will be"...read the rest...

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We need to quarantine rabid government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 10, 2025)

It has always bothered me how much of the news is concerned with what government is doing. In a way, I understand. When there's a rabid dog at your door, you need to know about it. Unfortunately, talking about it doesn't solve the problem. The rabid dog is still there, threatening us.

F. William "Bill" Schmidt, a man of impressive accomplishments whom I only learned about after his recent death at the age of 92, wrote: "Why is Government always the principal subject of public discussion? Because the existence of Government violates the Natural Rights of everyone; and everyone is struggling to understand this malevolent institution which inevitably creates conflicts and chaos."

He was right.

I don't want to keep hearing about what the rabid dog called "Government" is doing, but as long as it continues to threaten everyone's life, liberty, and property, and as long as society isn't allowed to do anything useful to address it, I suppose I need to keep up with its actions. I need to stay alert to the conflicts and chaos it is creating in society so I can avoid them whenever possible and brace myself for those I can't avoid.

I still don't enjoy hearing what the political criminals are plotting.

I'll never understand why so many people feel loyalty to this rabid dog, or believe it is necessary for their well-being. I don't get why people are willing to spend their lives feeding their neighbors to this diseased beast, and pretending it's for our own good. Nothing is more antisocial than this.

If you were in a personal relationship with someone who made you live under the same rules government imposes on you, you'd be a victim of domestic abuse. If a romantic partner spied on you, tracked all your movements, made you ask for permission to leave the house, controlled what you left with and brought back, didn't allow people to visit you without permission, made you show every nickel you have and where you got it before stealing a percentage of it from you, you'd be justified in fighting back. Even if the abuser said fighting back was against the rules. Such a partner would be no better than the rabid dog.

Yet, government does this and worse, and people casually chat about it as though it's okay and normal. Watching what government does is pointless unless you're prepared to quarantine and neutralize this rabid dog.

(Here's the link to Bill Schmidt's essay quoted above.)

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SixNeedler holster

 

Here’s the holster I made for my SixNeedler.

Here's the back of it, if that's of any interest:

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Yeah, it's apparently too much to ask

I just want everyone to leave everyone else alone, and for everyone to be free to defend themselves from those who won’t.

By "leave everyone else alone", I don't mean to abandon them; I mean to not rob, kidnap, attack, coerce, or otherwise molest them. I mean, don't archate!
I would add, "Is this too much to ask?", but actions speak louder than words.

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