Civilization or The State?

If you believe it's necessary to violate individual rights to "maintain civilization", you don't understand civilization. 

Whatever this thing is you're maintaining isn't civilized or worth maintaining.

Maybe you're confusing The State for civilization. Many statists do. 

If so, I can understand why you'd believe as you do. It is necessary to violate individual rights to maintain a State. They are coercive by nature and financed by theft- quite uncivilized behaviors.

Many statists are perfectly willing to sacrifice individuals, liberty, civilization, and society to The State. It's where their true loyalty lies. "Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State."

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Debating is more fun- but statists don't know how

I've heard that it's useless to debate politics. I'm coming to agree.

I'm glad I don't debate politics...anymore. (At least, not often or intentionally.)

Now, I mostly troll and ridicule stupid people, who are often made that way because of politics. They make it easy. Almost too easy. 

I'll also ridicule people who are pushing evil and framing it as "necessary" or even "good". Especially politicians and their worshipers.

If I think someone is simply mistaken and might be open to a better point of view, I'll offer it. 

If they come back with a better argument, then I'll admit it. It happens. Rarely, I'll come across someone actually willing to debate and discuss. That's enjoyable to me. I always learn something.

If, though, they take my attention as an invitation to fight, then I'll ridicule them and walk away. People are what they are, and they won't change if they are determined to stay the same.

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Don't trade liberty for dystopian world

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 25, 2026)

It feels like the world, and America specifically, is becoming an authoritarian dystopia. More rules, harsher punishment, more surveillance; all leading to less liberty.

What disturbs me the most is how many people seem to think this is fine. Or actively demand it because they fear or hate other people or what other people might do. Government is always willing to violate your rights and will oblige when asked to do so...read the rest...

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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.

They don't realize how similar they are; both want to hand illegitimate power over you and me to government. Power which will never be relinquished and will be turned against them as soon as the political winds change and a different regime, with different ideas on governing, is in power. They've seen it happen. They are living through it. Still, they pretend it won't happen next time.

Or maybe they believe their opposition will never be in power again, in which case, they live in a fantasy.

Some of these angry people want majority opinion to rule us all. They like to pretend rights are based on popular opinion.

Others lean on constitutionality when it helps their side and ignore it when it would be inconvenient for their intentions. They make excuses, pretend the Constitution allows the legislation they want, and that rights depend on what the Constitution says.

Both sides ignore basic human rights they don't like. Both sides want legislation to be written or enforced to impose their wishes on everyone else.

Even the side which invokes the Constitution doesn't care what it has to say if it goes against what they want. They'll abuse and misinterpret the Constitution to make their case. To me, it looks like lying.

They act as though the Constitution is Mary Poppins' magic satchel; they can reach in and pull out whatever they want whenever they want it.

As anti-slavery activist and freelance post office entrepreneur Lysander Spooner pointed out in 1870, either the Constitution created this mess, or it was powerless to prevent it; either way, it is unfit to exist.

Pointing out hypocrisy may be the only utility the Constitution still has, having been thoroughly ignored almost from the beginning whenever it clearly limited any power the federal government, or a faction of its supporters, wanted it to exercise anyway. Some things never change.

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Trezor and Ledger phishing scam

If you have cryptocurrency and use a Trezor or Ledger wallet, be aware of a Trezor and Ledger phishing scam. 

I got a physical letter in the mail, warning about an upcoming "Authentication Check" that I'd need to scan a QR code to install by February 25, 2026. The letter looks entirely authentic- letterhead on the letter and envelope, and everything. It even has Trezor security tape affixed by the QR code.

It looked very official, but my suspicious nature caused me to do some internet sleuthing, and everything I found says this is a scam that is going around, targeting Trezor and Ledger users. I shredded the letter- although I realize I should have probably taken a picture first to share with you. Oops. I'll post one I found online.

Anyway, be careful. Dishonest creeps are always out to rob you, whether it's internal revenue or freelance scammers. Someone wants what you have, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get it!

PS: Obviously, don't scan the QR code!

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The Difference is clear

There’s a fundamental difference between people who believe in government and those who don’t.

The other evening, my dad ended up on the floor in my parents' kitchen. My mom tried to help him up for about an hour, then she called me, and I rushed over to help. Others showed up, as well.

I was the only male there, and none of the females present were strong enough to be of much help in lifting a terribly obese, 85-year-old man (who was basically dead-weight) into a chair.

After about 30 minutes and many innovative attempts, someone went for help*. She went to the police chief's house and brought him over. Together, we got my dad lifted into a chair in no time.

Sometimes cops can be useful, but there were plenty of people closer who could have been asked for help, including a guy next door who would have been happy to lend a hand. It would never occur to me to go to the police- not even an individual cop- to ask for help. Not unless there were no other options. I don't want them involved in anything. It's rarely worth the risk.

That's the difference between people who believe in government and those who don't.

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*Calling the EMTs here is a hit-or-miss thing. If no one in this town responds within a few minutes (which is common), then the EMTs from the town across the railroad tracks, in the next state, will respond. But their response time depends on the trains at the crossing and whether one is stopped, blocking the road. We have hundreds of trains per day through here, so you've got at least a 50% chance of being delayed by a few minutes (or longer) anytime you try to cross the tracks. Trains don't move for emergency vehicles, either.

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Is government the way to solve problems caused by government?

Government is a poor solution for the problems government "thinking" creates; a solution for the problems statism causes.

People don't like being responsible for protecting themselves from crime, so they establish a criminal network and say its job is to protect them from crime. It soon treats the people as criminals and says it needs more power and money so it can protect them better. That's stupid and never worked.

People don't like poverty, so they created a global theft ring that robs them into poverty and is supposed to run a safety net to help them survive poverty- not solve poverty, but perpetuate poverty and make it survivable. Wierd and ineffective. Charity is better and ethical.

People are scared that their territory will get invaded, conquered, and absorbed by warlords, so they set up a system of their own warlords to rob, murder, and rule them as a defense. Then, when their warlords get bored and adventurous, they go around the planet making enemies all over the world; enemies who decide the best defense is to invade, conquer, rob, and enslave the people who lived under the offending warlords. Stupid and self-defeating. Yet, they call this "national defense" as if repeating it makes it true.

People don't want to pay for "big projects", so they allow thieves to steal their money and pool what's left over (after the thieves skim their share off the top) to pay for the big projects the thieves feel like funding. Not necessarily what the people would have chosen to pay for. At inflated prices and with extra bureaucracy and waste. With the stolen money. Economically foolish and doomed to failure.

But, I'm expected to pretend that this is all somehow good, necessary, and the way it has always been and must forever remain. That's beyond insane!

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Quite unlike libertarianism

“Statism may be a mess, but unlike libertarianism, it’s real and stable.” ~ A wise statist's opinion as expressed to me.

Statism: 

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Individual flaws

It often seems to me that the political Right demonstrates a lack of ethics while the political Left personifies mental illness.

That's just a generalization, of course, based on my own personal interactions over the years. There are exceptions, and in some individuals, these characteristic traits swap places. Especially online.

Honestly, I don't think one problem is inherently better than the other. Both are dangerous in different ways. Both are tiresome. Both inspire me to speak up and point it out, which is never appreciated. 

Oh well.

My own shortcoming is that I lack empathy for people who want to govern others and otherwise violate their rights. I try, but if I do manage it, it's not going to last long.

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The Terminator meets 1984 meets Idiocracy meets Star Wars meets...

So far, I believe all the videos of robot soldiers are AI-generated fakes.

Eventually, they won't be.

You and I need to be coming up with ideas for disabling military robot soldiers. And drones. And those who deploy them.
At least to buy time until government collapses of its own top-heavy, evil incompetence, and can no longer find anyone willing to work for it.

We should probably not discuss those ideas online, because the internet has become one of those robot soldiers. You can generate digital chaff, though. It would be funny to see them design defenses against things no one was planning to do.

I have ideas, and I'll bet you do, too. Low-tech ideas, high-tech ideas, and no-tech ideas. Have back-up plans for your back-up plans, too.

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AmmoSquared February referral deal- Reminder repost

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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This is the level of stupidity we're up against

Another exhibit in the "Politics makes people stupid" collection. They are an eternal fount.

Later, I had a guy from Australia, who claimed to be a legal expert with a high IQ, lecturing me and others about how the Constitution only gave us the right to have some weapons, but not semi-autos (and others he didn't like), because those aren't "arms", and that the Supreme Court had ruled this way in both Heller and Bruen.

He was way out of his league and didn't realize it until it was too late to save his dignity. He ran away to a chorus of laughter and ridicule. I didn't pile on that time.

Sometimes I feel a little sorry for these people. Not a lot, but a little.

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We have to trust liberty completely

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 18, 2026)

Few people understand liberty. Even fewer trust it to work.

As Voltairine de Cleyre wrote in 1908, "[T]he sin our fathers sinned was that they did not trust liberty wholly". 

They thought America could have liberty along with a central government- a state. It didn't work. Now we are stuck with a growing police state, and the tatters of our remaining liberty are being criminalized at an astonishing rate. This won't end well...read the rest...

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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".

If you prefer Western thought to Eastern wisdom, Roman historian Tacitus is said to have observed, “The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government.”

Whoever said it, it's true. It has always been true, and it remains so today. Only, can we finally admit it's not "corruption", but government working exactly as designed?

Once you realize government is made up of thieves and robbers, you'll see reality.

If more things are made illegal, the "crime rate" will inevitably go up, even if the amount of actual crime- individual rights violations- stays the same or goes down. All recent laws, and the majority of older ones, are aimed at making things which aren't real crimes, and have no individual victim, illegal; treating them the same as actual crimes.

Even when laws are directed at acts which violate life, liberty, or property, they are often focused on the wrong things. Like focusing on "gun culture" because political criminals and ignorant activists hate tools, instead of looking at crime culture and its behavior. Or punishing acts which violate no one, but which make politicians, their hired guns, and tyranny's cheerleaders uncomfortable. Like crossing unowned land, buying or selling products or services, or keeping your property hidden from thieves.

If the penalty for doing something which is only illegal, but not ethically wrong, is the same as (or worse than) the penalty for doing something which does have an individual victim, you brainwash some people into believing there's no real difference. They might as well do their worst.

This introduces rot into the foundation of your society, weakening it from the ground up. When it crumbles, those who cheered this behavior will wonder what happened and look for someone else to blame. Well, it's happening, and it's accelerating. I know where the fault lies, and now, so do you.

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Act on your rights; exercise your liberty

The "system" will always be opposed to you acting on your rights and exercising your liberty like the sovereign individual you are.

Do it anyway.

When you act on your natural human rights, those who want to pretend you only have privileges (they might even still call them rights as they treat them like privileges) can feel their power slipping away. They'll get angry.

Do it anyway.

When you exercise your liberty, those who want to keep you under their control feel disrespected. Some of them may try to kill you for this. Stay alert to their authoritarian and murderous evil. But...

Do it anyway. 

If you look to government to validate your rights or your liberty, you're barking up the wrong flagpole. You may have a very long wait, and by seeking government's approval, you're agreeing with their assertion that you have no rights, and liberty isn't real.

They're wrong. They are the bad guys. They don't want you to have rights or liberty. They don't want you to act as though you own yourself.

Do it anyway.

Because that's the reality.

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"Our government"

One of the most dangerous phrases you'll ever encounter is "our government".

That dishonest phrase is used to justify government on some deep level, when it is beyond justification. There's no excuse for it.

It is like a mating call between statists. Even if they seem to be on the right track on many other issues, they'll inevitably mess it up by saying "our government". It always crops up eventually if you talk to them long enough.

It might be your government, but it is not mine. I govern myself just fine without their "help". I neither need nor want to be governed by anyone else. No one has the right to do so, anyway. 

Even if I choose to comply with some stupid and evil government edict, this is still an example of me governing myself; me controlling my own actions. You are physically incapable of governing another without them choosing to comply. It's still their choice- they are still governing themselves.

To say "our government" is to claim I share some of the blame. I don't. I will not accept blame I didn't earn. I stand for the one thing government can not abide; the thing most damaging to the cult of the State: Liberty. It's sufficient.

If you give me any real ownership in political government, that's the end of the institution.

I would disband the whole thing. I would cancel all the theft- the taxes, fees, licenses, permits, asset forfeiture, "eminent domain", money printing- all of it.
I would close down every government agency, bureau, department, and office. Every last one. If any entrepreneur wants to fill a similar niche, without the compulsory nature of the government substitute, that's fine.
I would destroy every government record that couldn't be returned to the rightful owner to do with as they see fit. I have no desire to impose political criminals or their opinions on others. So, maybe it is your government, but it can't be "ours" because I have nothing to do with it.

So, unless someone wants to look ignorant, they should stop parroting this ridiculous phrase.

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Small furry victories

Some of you know I've been working to help the feral cats in my neighborhood for years. Some of you- one person in particular- have also been regularly helping me buy food for them.

One of the biggest challenges has been the cat I call MommyCat, who has had one or two litters every year for the 6+ years she's been around. That's a lot of doomed kittens*. 

An online friend and supporter not only stepped up to sponsor her vet visit to be spayed, but gave me the encouragement and nudge I needed to finally bite the bullet and do the work to make it happen.

It wasn't an easy task!

It took days of constant vigilance and work, traps (borrowed and improvised), and revising my "clever" scheme more than once- and that was after finding a vet who would work with the inconvenience of a spay visit that couldn't be scheduled in advance.

MommyCat is wily and smarter than me about cat things.

But it is done! Successfully!

Thursday morning, I finally caught MommyCat (in an improvised trap) and rushed her to the vet, on the way (sort of) to a doctor's appointment for my daughter in the Big City an hour and a half northeast of here.

I was even able to swing by on my way home from the aforementioned City and pick her up so she didn't have to spend the night at the vet.

I didn't see her at all Friday, but Saturday morning- a little later than her usual breakfast time- she showed up with her partner (a big black male I call Watcher), expecting food. She looks fine and doesn't seem angry at me for betraying her (minimal) trust. The picture at the top of the post is her waiting for food on Saturday morning.

This is such a huge burden lifted off my shoulders that it's hard to describe the relief I feel. It was hard for me to watch kittens sicken and die a few times every year.
If anyone else starts becoming a problem mom, I now have my foot in the door with this vet, and I think it will be easier to arrange for more spaying.

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*I did save one kitten four years ago, when I encouraged my son to adopt him- he's the only survivor. That's his picture below- his name is Mikan.
I also took in a kitten that showed up a few weeks ago, but I suspect she's the offspring of another cat who's been around a few years, but who hasn't been known for bringing kittens to the porch.

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People can't be trusted to run other people's lives

The best argument against democracy, a republic, or any kind of political government running the lives of the people, is ... people.

If people aren't smart enough to run their own lives, how can anyone be smart enough to run the lives of everyone else?

They can't be. It's a bad idea; so bad, I consider it stupid.

I believe part of this evil Ruler attitude is because if you screw up your own life, it hurts. If you screw up the lives of everyone else, and you are a monster, what's it to you? It's fine, as long as you still have the power, position, and money that goes along with running other people's lives. And ruining other people's lives.

It seems bizarre to me when other people act shocked that the Rulers behave evilly. What do they expect?

It's much better to let people rule themselves and limit the damage they do in this way.

Just remember- there's no such thing as a "right" to govern others. Doing what you have no right to do is committing a crime. Governing others is a crime against humanity, and it needs to be treated as such.

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Policing and the downhill spiral into pure evil

Years ago, I noticed that the most anti-cop people I knew were all former cops.

What I don't know is whether they stopped being cops because of how evil cops are, or if they quit first, then realized what they'd been a part of.

One guy was a retired deputy. He told me he hated what cops had become. He was the first to tell me to do the right thing regardless of what the "law" says- but be careful. 

I don't know whether he ever realized cops were always evil, even before he noticed, or if he really believed they had undergone some sort of change over the years. 

Sheriff Andy Taylor was always a myth.

I never really talked to him about his years as a cop and the counterfeit "laws" he had enforced. He was a decent character, and I didn't feel like bringing it up. His last name, ironically, was "Pigg".

I've known and talked to other cops and former cops over the years, so when some copsucker pulls out the "Have you ever sat down with a cop...?", my answer is, "Yes, I have. Many." The decent ones were ex-cops, the crooked ones were current cops, and the very worst of the bunch was a cop-in-training. It's a downhill trajectory, and I don't expect it to get better as the police state grows more controlling and evil- and as the most worthless and evil individuals out there are drawn to policing as a career.

So, maybe they really have gotten worse over the years, and the former deputy was right.

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Politics turns people into monsters

People become horrible when they make politics central to their lives.

If you look at all the things going on in the world, politics is to blame for most of the worst of it. Most of it would fizzle out on its own if not for those among us who have gone politics crazy and become horrible people in the process. You could make the argument that they become monsters.

So, not only does politics make people stupid, it seems uniquely able to turn people horrible. It makes them stupid, drives them insane, and then at the crossroads of crazy and stupid, you have them advocating for things they'd know are evil- if they could stop and think clearly (without politics twisting their minds) for even a minute.

Instead, they'll attack anyone asking for accountability from their favorite political criminal.
They'll switch sides on an issue the moment one of their "influencers" tells them to.
They'll demand more slavery and theft because they want something or are scared of something else.
They'll stake out a position that is opposite to their stated morals and go against every ethical standard, just because their team believes it would be good for them. Or because they believe it will hurt the other team. Often, hurting "them" appears to be more important than helping "us". They've become Statanic.

This is why I take offense when anyone characterizes me as someone who writes about politics. I warn people about politics. I encourage them to reject politics. I'm not trying to talk people into agitating for a political "change" that would result in more of the same. I wish they would stop being political and be ethical instead.

No one has ever become a better person because they embraced the political means. Never.
But it is nearly guaranteed to make someone worse, unless they are already irredeemable.

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Association must be voluntary, by mutual consent

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 11, 2026)

If you believe the best solution to any problem, real or imagined, is to give government more control, you're off base.

The government-created issue of "immigration" illustrates this perfectly...read the rest...

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'Gun culture' misleading propaganda

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 7, 2026)

Recently, a 15-year-old was shot and killed by another teen. Afterward, a local official blamed the tragedy on "gun culture". I haven't decided if he said this out of ignorance or dishonesty. Either way, he's wrong, and his use of "gun culture" is as misleading as the propaganda phrase "gun violence".

I am part of gun culture. We don't point "unloaded" guns at each other. We don't shoot at houses from the street. We don't rob people at gunpoint... or at all. We teach our kids how to handle firearms and other tools safely.

This official didn't dare blame the problem on "crime culture". Why not? Why is the truth so hard to face? Politically addled authoritarians prefer to blame guns and the people who aren't the problem, rather than to confront the real issues. Once you see it, you realize it's everywhere, and they do it every chance they get. This isn't helpful, and it shows which side they are truly on. It isn't your side.

But what about the guns? Crime culture uses guns, too, but this doesn't make them part of gun culture. Crime culture uses cars in their pursuit of evil far more often than they use firearms, but I wouldn't be so ignorant or dishonest as to call a vehicular tragedy that happens during a crime a consequence of "car culture".

Criminals also use phones, money, and certain dog breeds. I'm not stupid enough to blame those things for crime instead of placing it with the people responsible. But then, I'm not brain-damaged by politics, either.

Crime culture sees every tool as a weapon. Guns, knives, cars, baseball bats, wrenches, bare hands- it's all the same to them.

Crime culture can seem exciting to young people who are floundering without guidance. They are attracted, even if subconsciously, to the tools and behaviors of crime culture. This doesn't end well.

By blaming "gun culture", this official is providing cover for the actual bad guys out there.

The next time he's wondering why it seems like public sentiment is against him and his gang, he should look in the mirror. If you position yourself against the good guys, don't be surprised when the good guys no longer have your back. You did this to yourself. Complaining about it and trying to shift the blame won't work. It's on you to stop being a major part of the problem. Admitting it is the first step.

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Don't get bitten by the political snake

A long time ago, possibly somewhere far, far away, I pointed out that government is like a snake swallowing its prey (you and me) whole. 

Watching as current events illustrate this point more clearly every day, this feels like a good time to revisit that.

Government is the snake. The different sides (Left/Right, Republican/Democrat, conservative/progressive) serve as the snake's jaws. They only differ in detailed appearance, not in their results. They work together against you by working in apparent opposition to each other. They actually work as a team, and the "opposition" is a well-choreographed maneuver that ends in the snake getting a meal. 

It works because one jaw advances a little bit, then this jaw rests as its backward-curving teeth hold you in place while the other jaw moves farther over you. Each half of the lower jaw moves somewhat independently, like the factions of a political side, making the process even more efficient. The only direction anything can go is down the snake's throat- any and all movement brings the same result. This continues until the prey is nothing but a lump in the middle of the snake, being digested. 

Together, the snake's jaws swallow the rat, and together, the political teams help government engulf you and your rights. Drawing you deeper into the political trap.

People cheering for "their side" in this political drama are really cheering for the snake and your death. No matter how they frame it, it ends up the same. Don't let the snake get ahold of you.

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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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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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