Liberty, like muscle, needs exercise

(My Clovis News Journal column for March 4, 2016)

This past weekend I went to Palo Duro Canyon to recharge. I wandered through the brush, over the hills, along the creek, exploring whatever caught my eye. It's something I don't do nearly as often as I need to.

The next day I could tell I had been using muscles I don't normally use.

Sometimes discomfort can be a sign you are doing something you don't do enough. Your liberty muscles need to be flexed, too. Otherwise they'll atrophy, it will get harder to live your liberty, and the day will come when you believe it's not worth the effort.

We know how to get out and walk, hike, and climb, but how does a person get their liberty exercise?

It's not hard, but you have been brainwashed to avoid it.

To begin with, don't comply with counterfeit rules.
Don't automatically believe "legal" means right and "illegal" means wrong- that is less true with each passing day.

Don't look to others to tell you what to do or not do. Work it out for yourself and accept the consequences of a wrong choice.

Politicians are the worst; attracted to positions they believe entitle them to control you. Don't listen to them; don't support them; ignore them when possible. Accept that no one can truly represent another person, and no person can ever represent thousands or millions. You don't need to be represented anyway. You know better.

Don't keep the habit of obeying people who claim to possess the magical quality they call "authority"- they are invariably bullies without a lick of sense. Most wouldn't know the right thing if they stepped in it, unless they thought someone would notice and praise them.

Don't respect the contemptible; don't honor the dishonorable. Respect and honor are to be earned, not given away cheaply. Often those demanding your respect and honor are monsters who believe they deserve to be put on a pedestal regardless of what they do. Let the pedestal topple without your support.

Don't bully others for making choices you'd rather they not make-- as long as they aren't violating an innocent person. Respect the private property of others. Keep your word, but don't feel obligated to keep an agreement the other party has already broken.
Do the right thing, even when it's not the popular choice.

It will take practice, but you can do it. With practice self-determination will come more easily. Before long, it will come as naturally as bending knee before the State once did.

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Complying under threat

That I sometimes comply with the demands of bullies doesn't make the bullies or their demands legitimate- it means I know when I'm outgunned.

But that situation is always fluid. If you act like a bully, you are a bully, and if are a bully, you can never, ever sleep.

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