Good rule of thumb: Mind your business

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 29, 2026)

People who believe they have a right to not see or hear something they don't like are one of the biggest roadblocks to liberty. They imagine they have a right to not be offended. This nonexistent right is more important to them than letting others use their own property as they wish.

Offense is subjective. What offends you doesn't offend others. Something about you offends someone. It sets a dangerous precedent to attack others based on what offends you.

Being offended is a personal character problem, not a condition which creates a right to control someone else. The obligation is on each of us to respect the right of others to do what they want as long as they aren't harming anyone.

If you're offended by the sight of someone's tattoos, piercings, opposite-sex cosplay, or by the words they use, you need to mind your own business unless they violate your life, liberty, or property in some way.

Some people are offended if you don't have a uniformly short, green monoculture called a "lawn" surrounding your house. I prefer seeing a healthy, diverse system of native grasses and other plants which don't require a dangerous waste of water to sustain.

If you're offended by someone's private property, remember it isn't yours to control. As long as it isn't breeding swarms of rats, flies, or other vermin to cause you actual harm, you have no claim against the owner. If it is causing you harm, you are owed restitution, but not control of their property. No one loses their rights because of how you feel about what they are doing.

Those who lust for the power to control others don't like this fact. They want to do what they want while preventing or punishing others for doing what they want. When this hypocrisy is pointed out, they'll lie about how this "offensive" view or "offensive" speech actually violates them in some way. It doesn't.

This applies doubly if you represent government interests and believe it gives you the right to control others and their property or their speech.

Remember, government doesn't legitimately own anything or have any rights. Everything it possesses is either stolen from the rightful owners or purchased with stolen or counterfeited money. If you want to be bothered by something, be bothered by that. Don't use this illegitimate gang as a tool to violate others. That's uncivilized and should offend everyone.

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Is it necessary?

The recent water crisis we've gone through locally made me realize something about myself. Often, before I do something, I ask myself if it's necessary.

Every time I turned on a faucet for the past few weeks, that question crossed my mind. Along with, just how much water do I need for this? Right now?

It made me realize I do that to myself all the time, with other issues.

Is it necessary to spend this dollar?
Is it necessary to go? Is it necessary to drive there?
Is it necessary to do this?
Is this argument necessary?

If it is necessary, I do it with open eyes and (usually) a clear conscience.

Often, I realize something I was about to do isn't necessary, and I don't do it. 

If it's not necessary, that doesn't mean I won't do it. Some unnecessary things are important enough- to me- to do anyway, but it's good to do them with that understanding; not mindlessly on autopilot.

I also know there are things I see as unnecessary that others feel are very necessary. Government, for example. Too bad they can't have their "necessity", but keep it off my property and out of my life. Because liberty is necessary for me, and their government fetish prevents it.

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Being mainstream would be easier

Sometimes I wish I could fall in line with the mainstream of society. But then, we’d both be comfortably wrong.

I know... this isn't the first (or even the 100th) time I've thought this.

Everyone who advocates that others be governed has some issue they'd be willing to see the State kill you over to prevent you from doing what you have a right to do. Just because they don't like it.

This includes "libertarians" who have some issue they'll defend the State's position on. And there are a lot of them. I suspect some are lying because they don't want statists to think badly of them, or they have seen how libertarians who stood up to the authoritarian narrative were treated in the past. I get it. 

They'd be better off keeping their mouths shut than defending the State's position, but they don't.

A current example is public spyware. I can't get over the supposed libertarians who are defending Flock cameras, using the excuse that you don't have the right to not be photographed by a random stranger in public. That's not even close to the same thing.

If a random stranger took photos of you in public places, then used the information gained in those photos to track you down to rob, kidnap, cage, or murder you, you have the right to use deadly force against that stranger. (The State might dispute this, but the State is often wrong.)

You have the same right if that stranger works for government and uses Flock spyware, but you aren't "allowed" to defend yourself in this case. No matter how blatant the violation or how immediate the threat. Why do these people pretend they can't see the difference?

If the "law" allows you to be photographed and tracked so that your life, liberty, and property can be violated, the "law" is wrong. If the "law" forbids you from defending yourself from someone doing this, the "law" is wrong.

I'll stand up to those who say otherwise, and I'll question their motivations and their ethics.

But, I admit life would be simpler if I just went along with the mainstream and begged for safety instead of demanding liberty. Instead of sticking up for uncomfortable rights and inconvenient liberty.

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More theft equals "the best life's"?

Statists get really upset when it is pointed out that taxation is theft. European statists- or statists who have a fetish for spending the stolen money according to the European model- most of all.

I had one educate me with this brilliant observation:

"Go to Europe dummy, they pay more in taxes and live the best life’s. Your taxes are stolen to,build a basketball arena instead of giving you a healthcare program. Stop electing a**hats that squander your taxes -problem solved"

There is so much wrong there; it's hard to address it all. I responded:

"Yeah, I see how your "healthcare" programs work. No thanks. I can spend MY OWN MONEY better than anyone else can spend it for me."

Maybe he's the one who should go to Europe, since he likes their taxation so much.

I also could have pointed out that paying taxes is the problem, not necessarily what the stolen money is used for. My objection isn't that the money is stolen then squandered, but that it is stolen at all in the first place. 

I could have pointed out that "the best life's" is subjective. Higher taxation isn't going to improve my life in ways that matter to me. In fact, taxation lowers the quality of my life considerably.

I could have pointed out that I don't support anyone being "elected" to rule, but statists impose these people on me regardless of my wishes. Electing different political criminals isn't going to fix things, or magically change taxation into something other than theft.

His "solution" solves nothing. But people like him are so hypnotized by statism that they can't even imagine an alternative. And, he's rude.

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Technology- good and bad.

I am not a Luddite or anti-technology. I like new technology- when it improves my life.

Spying on me, tracking me, and controlling me is not an improvement to my life.

Nasty little cowards who are afraid of the world and want Big Brother to keep them safe feel otherwise. Unfortunately, a lot of new technology is tailor-made for them. They beg for it, and someone is creepy enough to give it to them. Or, more accurately, someone will create it and sell it to The State, which is evil enough to use it against all of us on behalf of those people. For "safety".

Because of this, I can relate to people who are anti-technology. I'm trying not to join them, but I understand where they are coming from. They are better people than those making and deploying technology to spy, track, and control the rest of us.

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An intelligent refutation of libertarianism?

I've never read an intelligent refutation of libertarianism/anarchy. And I've encountered a lot of attempts to do so! Thousands of them.

Instead, I've seen intelligent people grasp at straw men, misunderstand the topic, deflect, project, and flat-out lie. 

As soon as I read "The problem with libertarianism is that,  just like socialism, it...:" I know I'm in for some weapons-grade enriched Retardium.

Personally, in all these tactics, I only see their irrational fear. Regardless, they invariably believe they've done what they set out to do. 

Unfortunately for them, that's not the case.

It's obvious they care more about hating liberty and loving government than about getting it right. Why? Because politics. 

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Don't cave to fear of (freedom from) government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 26, 2026)

I used to wonder how people could still support the existence of government. It has failed its most basic supposed mandate for over 6000 years. It has never protected the rights of the people it ruled, or made their lives better than they would have been without it. It does have a skilled and dishonest public relations team working to convince its victims otherwise, though...read the rest...

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Don't participate in violating liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 22, 2026)

Liberty is a big jewel with many facets. All its facets are important, but you can pick favorites. I do. Even then, don't try to dull the shine of the facets which don't affect you as much. To someone, those are the important ones.

No one can focus on every important liberty issue. Pick a few that matter most to you, or the one most under attack at this moment. If the threat shifts, adapt.

Some people try to pass off cut glass or shiny plastic as jewels. Don't be fooled. If it obligates you to provide something for someone else, or requires someone else's life, liberty, or property to be violated, you have no right to it. Not to feel safe, to get something you need, or for your convenience. That's not liberty.

It's important to defend liberty, but more important to not violate it. Don't be the problem someone else has to overcome. Don't participate in violating anyone's life, liberty, or property, even if the current laws say you should.

If a job requires you to violate someone's rights, don't accept the job, even if you need the money. If you took a job, believing it would serve liberty and protect people's rights, but you discover it does the opposite, quit. Or at least refuse to participate in the violations. This is your primary human responsibility, even if you don't like the consequences. It's your responsibility to respect others' liberty just as it is their responsibility to respect yours.

You're responsible for defending liberty from all threats and violations, even those you personally approve of.

The biggest threat to liberty is, and has always been, government and its supporters. No other threat comes close. Even the freelance criminals you fear the most are a minor inconvenience by comparison.

No government job secures liberty; all government jobs violate natural human rights. Some are worse than others. The ones which provide a service the market would fill if government didn't are the most benign. Those no one would voluntarily fund if taxation hadn't been normalized are the ones which need to be abolished immediately. All the others fall somewhere in between, but they all need to be phased out.

Whichever facet of liberty you choose to polish and shine your light on, government is its biggest threat. If you don't spend most of your effort defending it from government, you're wasting your time.

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How I spent my weekend

My old throwing knife has seen better days, and I decided to get a spare as a replacement before it breaks. If I were better at throwing- and sticking- the knife, it wouldn't have such a hard life.

More than 30 years ago, when I decided to add knife throwing to my Rendezvous skills, I didn't like any of the (Rendezvous-acceptable) commercial throwing knives out there. Most didn't even resemble knives.

But I found one advertised as a "throwing bowie" in the Atlanta Cutlery catalog. It was also cheap! (I think it was $20 at the time.) So I ordered it.

Back then, I was considerably worse at throwing a knife than I am now, and the brass guard broke off almost immediately. That was fine and expected. I also hated the weird hook at the butt end of the grip. It only got in the way, so I ground it off. The wood grip shattered before too long. The knife went through a few different wooden replacement grips until I replaced them with leather (secured with peened nails and washers) a few months ago. I had rawhide protecting the front of the handle scales most of that time, but it became a bigger problem than help, so it got removed a couple of months ago.

The leather handle was installed around the time I started practicing throwing my tomahawk and knife daily again. (I had taken a decade and a half break from regular throwing, just because. That was a mistake!) This handle is already showing heavy wear, but has been surprisingly resilient. As I had hoped.

Other problems soon started showing up, though.

A bad throw is hard on the knife, and some days I'm having to bend the blade back straight every few throws. That's not going to be good for the longevity of the blade, so I started thinking about a replacement before this one snaps in half and takes me out of practice for weeks. I was pleased to see Atlanta Cutlery still offers the same knife for a comparable price, and a few weeks ago, I bit the bullet and ordered one. (A huge "Thank you!" to my subscribers for allowing me to do this!)

The shape of the blade is a little different than my original one, but that's not an issue. It's probably due to differences in the particular Pakistani knife maker rather than a design change.

This past weekend, I had some time to relax, and I used that opportunity to go ahead and shape the knife into the throwing knife I want. 

I've learned a few things about a throwing knife as I want mine to be over decades of experience. 

First, I once again got rid of the horrible hooked beak at the butt of the grip, and smoothed the wood where I removed it.
Then, I removed most of the brass guard (before it has a chance to snap off), leaving just enough to protect the anterior of the wooden handle scales. I'm hoping that works to make the wood grips last longer, but if not, it's educational. I ground and filed the guard so that it doesn't stick above the top or bottom of the blade, hoping that keeps it from snagging on the target and breaking if (OK, when) I miss.

If it doesn't work as I hope, I still have this new blade and I can put new leather handle scales on it anytime. I've learned some things about that, too.

I then took it out and gave it 6 test throws. It worked great and didn't get any damage- helped by the fact that I didn't miss the target (I did, however, stick it too weakly once, and it fell out). Now I'll keep it as a spare for when Old Bendy finally gives up the ghost. I feel a lot better having a spare, and I'm no longer worried that ACC will discontinue this model just when I need a new one.

That's partially how I misspent my weekend. It was fun.

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Blind squirrels finding nuts

Everyone is right about something. Everyone! Even evil politicians.

That doesn't necessarily make them a good person, just like someone being wrong about something doesn't make them a bad person.

Whoever it is, keep the good and throw out the bad.

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But have they tried tar and feathers?

Looked at objectively, every single migrant problem is a government problem. 

Government either imported (trafficked) the migrants or coddles their criminal behavior while forbidding the victims from using self-defense (and the proper tools designed for that purpose).

I see videos from Europe, and what I see is governments causing, or at least failing to prevent, the attacks. And punishing those who actually do something about the problem- like trying to defend themselves and others.

Then, people who don't see to the root of the problem blame the criminal migrants instead of the political criminals who essentially gave them permission to do what they do.

Tar and feather the politicians, and the problem would quickly solve itself.

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Verify; Don't trust

When this town's government declared a water emergency (because of their screw-up) and imposed water restrictions, I cut back on my water usage. They demanded 20%, but I was able to cut my use by 40% (my parents cut theirs by 50%).

Water is essential, and I was willing to help, even knowing that the Tragedy of the Commons meant that many people wouldn't cut back. I was not one of those calling for them to be "fined" or otherwise punished.

But, being who I am, I don't trust government. Amounts ("85,000 gallons", "4 feet", etc.) were posted without context. That always tells me someone is trying to deceive. So I took it upon myself to check the water levels myself.

There are 4 water tanks in town, 3 of which have gauges that are easy to see and read. The fourth, a water sphere tower, has no way to be read by the public. Someone suggested a laser thermometer gun, but the ones with the necessary precision to read something at the distance involved would be too expensive, so I'll have to ignore that one.

What I discovered was that the tanks weren't as empty as we were being led to believe.

I wanted to document this, so I have been photographing the water gauges every day and posting the photos online. The funny thing is that as soon as my first photos were online, the story changed a little, and it was admitted that the tanks were "almost full". (That was fast!)

I wish I had been watching in the months leading up to the crisis to see what the "normal" water levels are. I suspect we are close.

But none of that is useful for the agenda to buy the land that the city commissioners want to buy, from a crony- a deal that was roundly condemned as a bad deal two years ago when it was proposed and a petition was circulated against it. The government still wants this deal (no other) and is still pushing this as the only possible solution. They are still trying to scare people into accepting this plan.

But...

The worst restrictions have been lifted. Lawn watering is being discouraged and limited to one day per week per address. It will be interesting to see the effect of this, seeing how much water my parents used on the one day in the last billing cycle when they watered their backyard.

If it makes a big difference, I will be there to see it myself so that the rulers can't gaslight the population with more fearmongering. Combined with my open condemnation of the local Flock spyware, I'm probably putting myself in danger.

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Cops are the worst criminals

Support for police is support for crime. Real crime. Every police officer is a criminal. Anyone supporting police is supporting criminals.

People who constantly parrot cop talking points (squawking points?) and threaten to report people for defending liberty or breaking a counterfeit "law" are at least as bad as the cops. Maybe worse.

Those who support cops may do so because they imagine that at least the cops are "tough guys" fighting on their side against freelance criminals. 

They aren't. 

These cop supporters are simply supporting gang warfare between competing gangs. Gangs often fight each other because they want power over the territory and its residents, and they don't want to share this power with other gangs. This power struggle doesn't make the residents safer- especially when they get caught in the crossfire (which is common). It's just to decide who gets to rob and molest the residents; there's no option for being left to live in peace as long as you imagine you have to choose between the criminal gangs.

And remember that much of the crime that empowers freelance gangs (and other criminals) is directly created by rights-violating legislation made up by political criminals and enforced by the police. 

Cop supporters are the people who would have been reporting Jews in the attic and capturing runaway slaves. They are the ones currently defending Flock spyware and crying for more "safety" because they are scared of life. Or, because they hate others more than they value liberty. Either one is equally terrible.

I'm not sure how long America can survive these people. Or, if it is already dead at their hands.

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"Legal" is rigged

“Legal” is always rigged to favor the state. This is why I have no respect for “legal”.

Playing the word game of "legal vs lawful" doesn't seem to get anywhere either. Not as long as the bad guys- the Statists- own and run the courts you are forced to use. They see no difference unless it serves their purpose.

"Sovereign citizens" [sic] are obsessed with "legal", and it doesn't really get them anywhere, except put in a cage.

I see all sorts of people saying, "Use this one weird legal trick or say these words and ..." government will leave you alone or something. I've never seen it work. Not unless the cops you've encountered aren't that committed to hauling you in or shooting you- today.

Maybe, just maybe, if you're a lawyer, you can make it work. I've seen little to no evidence of this. Not in any way that makes a substantive difference.

Depending on the Constitution or various legislative maneuvers to protect your liberty is a fool's pursuit. I understand why people try it. I don't understand why they don't give it up once it's obvious it's not going to work for them.

No, it's up to you to live your liberty and defend it from all violators. Just keep in mind, it won't be legal. You'll be an outlaw.

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Actions more important than words

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 19, 2026)

To discover who someone is, you have to pay attention to what they do, not what they say. Words are cheap, and lies come easy.

This goes triple for government...read the rest...

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Takes time to build liberty cathedral

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 15, 2026)

There are times you’ll begin, or join already-in-progress, a project and discover it’s bigger, more difficult, and is going to take longer than you expected. Often, much longer. Sometimes you’ll realize it won’t be completed in your lifetime- if ever.

And it's still worth it.

Your part is to be a vital link in a long chain of people down through the years, working toward something you’ll never see the benefit of. Think of all those nameless laborers who helped build awe-inspiring Medieval cathedrals.

Such is the case with spreading liberty.

It turns out, spreading a love for liberty is a bigger job than I'd thought. A lot harder, too. As many before me had also discovered.

When I understood what liberty was and it clicked within me, I was sure it would click with anyone who wasn't brain-damaged, a criminal, or a politician. All it would take is exposing them to the knowledge and the self-evident concepts.

I may have been wrong.

Unlike many, I had no inborn bias toward being kept safe, being provided for, or needing decisions to be made for me. I had no compulsion to feel like I am part of a cruel gang which crushes anyone who stands in its way. I'm different.

Many people are too afraid to consider liberty. Too many are dependent on the state. Most believe the lies they were told in government schools-- and by people brainwashed by those government schools. It's not surprising that a group motivated by power would lie to protect the power it has gained. To sell itself as essential and good.

Some people fear that without Big Brother watching everyone all the time, others will be irresponsible, without realizing that responsibility is, along with freedom, half of liberty. Responsibility means defending yourself and your property from those who refuse to be responsible, while not being the one anyone else needs to worry about. It's liberating.

For whatever reason, liberty isn't a short-term project. It can't be advanced by violating its principles for transient success. You either get in for the long haul, play a small part and then step aside, watch from the sidelines, or you become a roadblock to liberty, helping governments turn humanity into cattle to be herded, corralled, branded, and sold for slaughter.

It turns out, being a nameless laborer working to build a love of liberty isn't as bad as the alternative.

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A lesson in government's "economics"

A while back, my dad said that I should tell my daughter to be thankful for how much money she's making at her job, because his first job was driving a tractor around a field for 11 hours per day, for 50¢ per hour.

This was in the early to mid-1950s.

Once I pointed out how much the silver in two quarters would be worth today, he changed his tune a little. That would be equal to about $23.40 per hour. Much more than my daughter is earning.

If you're only adjusting for inflation- like if the guy gave him FRNs instead of hard money- that's only about $6.23 per hour. Not as good. In that case, my daughter is coming out ahead.

Anyone should still be grateful for their job, whatever it pays. No one is obligated to hire you. It is nice, though, if you make enough money to make the job worth the effort. It's sad how much of that pay gets stolen by the state, just because the state exists and feels entitled to your property.

Government sure likes to steal our money, one way or the other.

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Yes, you do have a right to privacy from government's spying

The scaredy-trolls who support Flock spyware (and similar spyware from other companies) like to claim that there is no right to privacy in the Constitution.

Perhaps they forgot the Ninth Amendment.

Whether that’s the case or not, they are making two big errors.

Their first mistake: Unless the Constitution explicitly allows government to do a thing, it is prohibited for government to do that thing. They get this backwards, pretending that government is allowed to do anything not explicitly prohibited and that only those things specifically listed are your rights. This is where the Ninth Amendment comes in. They ignore that one.

The second huge mistake they make is that even if the Constitution explicitly allows government to do something which violates life, liberty, or property, it’s still wrong for government to do that, and the Constitution is wrong for allowing it. That is a counterfeit “law”; a rule with no ethical foundation whatsoever.

If the Supreme Court takes government's side, it is wrong. 

If someone insists that you obey such a rule until it gets changed, just like you should turn in runaway slaves until it's no longer "the law" to do so, you know they are on the wrong side. They are the bad guy here.

This is how you can tell such a person is a government supremacist, and probably a Statanist. 

You have the right to privacy because that right doesn't violate anyone else's right to life, liberty, or privacy in any way. That's the bottom line, not the opinions of political criminals who want to spy on you to find (or invent) a "crime" to use against you.

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Bitcoin magic

Whenever I check the price of Bitcoin, it's down for the day (or week or month). But somehow, over time, it's not losing ground. 

It must be magic.

I'm sure I always manage to check at "bad" times. But, it seems rather odd that I never coincidentally check when the price is up.

I'm still sold on Bitcoin. Perhaps I'm foolish. However, I'm willing to wait out the bad times. (And really, how "bad" is it when Bitcoin keeps hovering above $60,000?)

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Letter to the Editor- Water

I'm sorry for another local-interest post. There's a lot of bad stuff going on in this town right now. Posted below is my letter to the editor of the State Line Tribune- Farwell, Texas/Texico, New Mexico, Thursday August 13, 2026:

It appears all my efforts to cut back on water usage are for nothing. There's been no improvement in the water situation at all. At least, that's the message I got from the latest dispatch (8-11-2026) from the City of Farwell.

They warned us our water usage was being watched- digitally, daily- so they know where the excessive water usage is happening. Why scold the rest of us?

It appears the answer is, as it is so often, politics.

The town government wants more land- or the water rights- for more water wells, and it looks like they're going to hold the residents hostage until they get what they want. To punish us for not being able to afford letting them do what they want.

If they're going to spend the money regardless, why not use the money they would otherwise spend on more water rights and wells into the rapidly dwindling Ogallala Aquifer, to instead drill deeper into the Dockum Aquifer and build a desalination facility so that water is usable? It's not a perfect solution, and might even cost more, but it's better than doing more of the same thing and expecting different results.

Unless the Ogallala is healthier than we've been told.

I probably can't afford that approach either, but at least it seems a better use of the money. A longer-term bandaid for a problem that won't be solved without more, and more dependable, rainfall over a large region over a long span of time.

If that doesn't happen, this area will not continue to be livable without a technological breakthrough. Will Farwell still be here in 2126? That probably depends mainly on the water supply.

Kent McManigal

Farwell

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The Ancestral Enemy's eyes are also in Farwell, Texas

The domestic enemies who rule this little town have crossed a line. The politicians and all the legislation enforcers have declared war on the residents.

This is a line that makes me incredibly angry with everyone involved.

These new Flock spy cameras have been installed right at the state line. It's possible one of the reasons is to catch people who visit the weed store in New Mexico, then molest them if they cross into Texas.

Or, maybe it's more general than that; just basic authoritarian surveillance and rights violations. Watching people crossing a "border" that is otherwise uncontrolled (for now).

This business, Tireworks Tire Pros, is one I've used for years. Really nice people. They are also the only local FFL. I can't in good conscience patronize them anymore if they are willing to sell me out to those who want to track us all. Don't partner with the enemy and expect me to ignore it. Or forgive you without an apology and a simultaneous change in behavior.

I want these cameras gone. I don't want them replaced with something from another brand. If anything, place them to watch police stations and officers' and politicians' homes. But they can not be allowed to watch the rest of us.

These cameras are clear evidence that government is your mortal enemy. The Ancestral Enemy. It needs to die. Even if it "only" rules a tiny town on the Texas/New Mexico state line in the middle of nowhere.

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A set of rights violations masquerading as Law

If someone wants to live under Sharia "Law", I say let them. But don't apply those rules to anyone who doesn't explicitly agree to them. Their rules don't apply to other groups.

The same applies to any other set of "laws".

Counterfeit "law" from any source doesn't apply to anyone unless they agree to it. Since all counterfeit "law" is based on religious ideas rather than ethics, it's all actually a sort of Sharia anyway. It only applies to the believers.

But they'll say we can't live without rules. They'd be right.

Real Law- natural law- applies to everyone. Don't murder, kidnap, steal, attack, defraud, govern, or otherwise aspire to violate life, liberty, or property; don't archate. Not even if your religious "law" says you're allowed or obligated to do so. If you do any of these things anyway, you owe restitution. Pay it.

Counterfeit "law" violates natural law, so it is all null and void before it even begins.

But its cult will rob, cage, and murder you for breaking it, and the brainwashed masses will cheer and say you should have complied. That's how you know this isn't real law, but a set of rights violations on a pedestal.

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Problem? Government the worst solution

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 12, 2026)

Relying on government for anything essential seems foolish. It certainly never works out well.

Most of the western parts of America, including our local area, suffer water shortages created by government policies. The solutions government imposes won't solve the problem, either, but will only cause more problems.

New York City may soon learn what happens when you let government run grocery stores. I can see where it's headed. Can't politicians?..read the rest...

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LPR (Flock) cameras are watching you

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 8, 2026)

One of the most important fights in our lifetime, a fight for the future of America, is shaping up right over our heads. It's the fight against license plate reader cameras and the related spyware that is already being used against you and your liberty.

This may even be more important and urgent than defending the natural human right to own and to carry weapons without government interference. These data collectors will be used to violate your right to bear arms and all your other rights as well. If this is to be stopped, it must be stopped now. Before long, it will be too entrenched to stop. Public attention is fleeting. Outrage fades. Political criminals will say, "But we've done this for years, and no one cared before."

Maybe you imagine this is only an issue in big cities you rarely, if ever, visit. If so, I have an unpleasant surprise for you.

If you check out the interactive map available at deflock.org, you'll see that they document 22 of these Fourth Amendment violations right here in Clovis, New Mexico. A flock of them, watching you, every time you pass one. Scooping up your data. Without a warrant. That's unacceptable,

Constitutionally, it's a criminal act.

Any politicians, including police department officials, who are using your confiscated money to steal your privacy are your enemies and a serious threat to your rights.

They claim it's "for safety", but you may have noticed how few real crimes are solved this way. Even if they were, it's not worth it. Not even close.

Instead, the spyware is being used to collect data to use against you. If not today, then next week or next year.

This is not for your benefit.

It would be better for you, your safety, and your liberty, if every one of these cameras-- and whatever comes next-- were removed from public spaces and placed inside government offices and chambers for all to see and record what goes on there. Watch the watchers, not the people. You have a natural human right to privacy; government officials have none.

Groups are organizing across the country to fight these unconstitutional spies. Find one and support its efforts. You might not realize how important this is, but your grandchildren and future generations will. Will you fight for them or betray them? You're making the decision now, whether you realize it or not. Choose wisely.

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Don't perform for government

It's apparently easier to blame other "races", ethnicities, etc., than to blame the people actually, visibly archating at this moment.

Especially when you hate other people more than you value liberty. And when you desperately want to justify some sort of archation/government.

Watching this play out has always bothered me, but as the heat gets turned up, I see it happening more. And with greater intensity. It's going to get innocent people killed.

People are getting mad at the wrong people. 

It's like two ants of different species trapped in a jar and shaken by the nasty kid, attacking each other instead of the real enemy. The one who put you in the jar and shook you is the enemy, not the other victim in the same jar. 

Don't entertain the Ancestral Enemy. Don't perform for it. That's what government wants you to do. 

And most people oblige.

I really think it's because it's easier than being consistent, ethical, and rational.

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Politics is a drug

I'm usually nicer to statists than other statists are.

That doesn't make sense to me.

I don't hold back or coddle them when they come at me with their delusional statism, but I'm not going to blame a drunk for the things he says while drunk. Even though there are consequences. 

And politics is a drug. People under the influence aren't rational. They can't be. And the impairment doesn't wear off with time. It has to be treated with an antidote; taken voluntarily or not at all.

I can know someone is a statist, but until they force me to defend myself from them, I can be nice. I can smile at the crazy thoughts they express without confronting them. They might even misinterpret my smile as agreement. It happens.

Statists already hate other statists just because they prefer a different flavor of slavery, and they never stop going at each other's throats because of it. There's always a tension there, which seems odd to me, since I see them as all on the same team. They are like twins who get drunk and start fighting over their shared misunderstanding of a dream someone once told them about.

I'm there to remind them that they have more in common than not.

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Water troubles, exacerbated by government screw ups

When government screws up, the people pay the price. Often, literally.

My little town- population just over 1400 or so- is in a water emergency. Because its government screwed up.

Now, we residents are ordered to reduce our water usage by at least 20% and stop ALL outdoor use of water, or else.

The "else" includes warnings, increasing tiers of "fines", and having your water shut off until the crisis is over. Will it ever be over when they've been saying for years that the wells are running dry because the aquifer is being drained? Maybe once the water towers are full again they'll remove the penalties. I can hope.

I'm not too worried about water in the short term. I have as much water stored as I can fit in the nooks and crannies of my house, and I have several cases of bottled water for drinking. And several filled canteens.

The bigger issue is making sure my parents are set- and discovering they'd dumped the two 6-gallon cans of water I'd filled for them. They still have an 8-gallon jug, though. I've also helped them arrange to refill the other two at my sister's house in the bigger town across the state line that isn't currently having an immediate water emergency. But, seriously...

Less than two weeks ago, I was chewed out for all the stored water in out-of-the-way spots around the house that weren't as out of the way as someone would have liked. Funny how quickly that tune changed with one notice from the local Rulers. This has been a recurring theme in my life. "Why are you doing this? It's inconvenient and stupid!" to "Yes, we were prepared, so we're OK."

If I only had to watch out for myself, things would be so much smoother.

Anyway...

If it would rain, I would also catch rainwater to use, but that's historically the root of the problem in the region.

I'm doing my best to cut back, even while understanding that "the tragedy of the commons" means many residents won't. I'm using stored water to keep the birdbath filled- I'm sneaking out after dark to fill it. I'm also, at the same time, using stored water to try to keep my struggling sunchokes going. And I'm giving water to the stray cats on my porch. I'm abiding by the rules, but since my Jedi powers aren't strong, there's no point in attracting imperial attention and having to answer questions about where the water came from.

Of course, a couple of years ago, the town added electronic spyware to our water meters, supposedly to make it easier to bill us. Now they are saying they are digitally monitoring our water usage on a daily basis, to see who is complying and who isn't. I warned locals that this would happen. No one cared. You know how it goes.

Anyway, I'll bet I've cut my water usage (through the meter) by much more than 20%. Coincidentally, I fixed my dripping faucet last weekend, just in time, apparently. Later, I'll increase my usage when I'm storing up water again. It's just what I do.

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Government's supporters are all socialists

Government is socialism; if you support the existence of government, you are a socialist.

I posted this observation on X a few days ago and upset someone with whom I normally agree. I guess he wants to believe government can be legitimate more than he values liberty.

Anyway, here's how it is:

Socialism is, according to dictionary.com, "a theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, capital, land, etc., by the community as a whole, usually through a centralized government." (Although socialists get a little slippery whenever they don't like a specific definition. They don't like being pinned down.)

Statists claim government has the "right" to tax and regulate businesses. The power to tax and/or regulate is the power to control and destroy. The right to destroy or control something is a hallmark of ownership. The "right" to tax and regulate is an expression of government's claim to ownership (even if generally hidden from view). Government heavily taxes and regulates businesses. Government- ALL government- thus seizes the means of production- while pretending this isn't what it's doing.

On X, I was told I was using the wrong definition of socialism, so I asked how he defines it, and he never responded. As I pointed out above, no matter how you define it, someone will complain.

Government is socialism. All governments are socialist.

Statists- those who believe governing others is a legitimate human endeavor- are therefore socialists.

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Why is life so expensive?

Maybe the reason a family can’t make it on one income- besides the monumental counterfeiting operation known as the “Federal Reserve” and the crushing level of theft called “taxation”- is that now everyone “needs” internet service, streaming services, cell phones, computers, multiple cars, TVs, bigger houses, bottled water, interesting food, and a lot of other things previous generations didn't even have as an option.

Just maybe that has something to do with it.

I’m not saying those things are wrong, (except the Federal Reserve and taxes) just that previous generations didn’t have those things siphoning off their money.

Without the Federal Reserve and taxes, I doubt those "luxuries" would even be a problem.

Government is the "luxury" we can't afford.

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A mind poisoned by politics

Look into the background of any "nice, quiet" person who later chooses to become an evil loser, and you'll probably find a mind poisoned by politics. 

Either straight-up politics, or politics posing as another religion.

There may be other factors, as well, but even those may be influenced by politics.

Sometimes you can see this is the case by the targets they choose. Other times, it's not obvious until you find a manifesto or social media postings exposing their political leanings and delusions.

Once you believe it's sometimes OK to violate life, liberty, and property "for a cause", it's a short hop to feeling justified in killing people who might disagree with you on the specifics.

Politics is nothing but justifying the violation of rights. If you are opposed to having some rights violated and you believe the solution is to violate other rights, you're not really disagreeing with your opponent. You're negotiating. You're still being political.

If you reject ALL excuses to violate rights and defend everyone's life, liberty, and property, you're not being political. You're saying "no" to politics. 

Politics is a cult. A death cult. It leads inevitably to violating human rights.
Standing against politics is ethics in action.

Don't tread on ANYONE!

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Maintaining liberty your responsibility

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 5, 2026)

Every system people create takes effort to keep working. Someone must keep fixing the problems which otherwise pile up until the system fails. None are "set it and forget it". This is true for all systems of government: democracies, constitutional republics, monarchies, and communist dictatorships.

It even applies in the absence of a system of government, as detractors of anarchy like to point out while they carefully ignore how the same applies to the system they prefer...read the rest...

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Politics is Mr. Hyde without Dr. Jekyll

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 1, 2026)

Politics- and specifically political opinions- can turn people into monsters. It's almost guaranteed. No one is ever a better person because of their political opinions or because they're involved in politics.

In his story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was writing a morality tale about the good and evil within each individual and the dangers of drug abuse, but it could apply just as well to politics. Politics is a powerful drug, and it brings the evil within each individual to the surface.

Someone may be a decent person, but add some political opinions and they can turn into beasts who want people robbed, caged, or killed because they don't have a compatible political opinion.

The more I see it happen, the less I want politics near me. I wish I could inoculate people against politics. Political addicts are hard to reach and harder to help.

Politics comes down to fighting over how best to govern other people. Since no one has a right to govern even one other person, this is a fight over how to do something no one has a right to do; an imaginary right that can't be created. It's like arguing over the best way to run your slave market. The best way is not to be involved in slavery at all; to be an abolitionist.

Well, I'm an abolitionist.

You have the right to run your life as you see fit, as long as you don't violate anyone else's life, liberty, or property. You have the right to defend yourself from anyone who tries to violate you. Anything else invariably ends up violating someone's rights.

You can't change the nature of a rights violation by framing it as a political opinion. You can't make armed extortion ethical by calling it a tax. You can't excuse censorship in the name of safety without making it political. Politics can make someone accept unethical acts as if they are necessary or desirable.

You have the right to live your liberty to the fullest. The other half of liberty, alongside freedom, is your responsibility to not violate anyone's rights. No political opinion can change this. Nor does your fear of what they might do unless you violate them first.

Don't let politics turn you into something you wouldn't want to become. The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem.

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Racist anti-gun bigots grasping at straws

After Saturday's shooting in Idaho, I saw a couple of racist anti-gun bigots taunting "white" people, asking what they would say now that this shooter was a "white" guy with a "white" name.

Yeah, they were weird comments. There are a lot of evil losers, and many of them are, and have been, "white". So?

I don't personally care who the evil loser is or what he looks like; I'm going to call him out as an evil loser. 

Skin color is one of the most irrelevant superficial traits there is. You don't choose that the way you might choose a religion or a political ideology. It's an accident of birth and has zero bearing on WHO YOU ARE. Anyone of any "race" can choose to be a positive force or a negative one; a good person or an archator. No one is locked into a particular path because of their skin color, their ethnicity, or where they were born.

An evil loser isn't one of "my people" even if he looks exactly like me. We have nothing of importance in common.

Racism is stupid and evil, and so is anti-gun bigotry. Racists and anti-gun bigots are left grasping at straws, while better people look at them like they are freaks.

Imagine being so useless that you care more about the "race" of a murderer than about his actions. Getting giddy at the thought that this one doesn't look like your relative isn't a win.

Imagine wanting regular people to be helpless when confronted by evil, or imagining they should be forced to wait for the Blue Line Mafia to finally arrive to draw chalk lines and "save them". All because you hate guns more than you care about people- of any "race".

The racist anti-gun bigots should be ashamed, and probably would be if they were smarter.

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