Disasterama

Why are socialism and other horrible, destructive ideas so popular?

Much of the national news media, social media elites, and "entertainment" figures seem to want socialism and other manmade disasters because of the drama they create. Lots of people love drama. It's not boring. It can make them feel important.

A nice day with good weather and no major attacks by evil losers? Boring. Who will listen to your belittling sermon about what they should give up if there's nothing to be worked up and scared about?

Hypertornadoes and a volcanic eruption causing "civil unrest" with riots, looting, and killing? "Tune in to the Breaking News to find out what you need to know! Brought to you without interruption by our sponsors and FEMA."

Archation-- both freelance and State-- create drama. If you won't freak out on your own, they'll hand you a State which will prod and poke you until you snap. It's good for business.

Politics is the failure of society and socialism is the Sharknado of politics.

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Be the weed

We've had an unusual amount of rain this summer. Where I had sand dunes starting to form a few years ago, I now have a lush growth of various weeds*. And some grass, but mostly weeds.

One weed in particular, amaranth, is driving me crazy. Yes, I know its leaves and seeds are edible and nutritious, but just like I wouldn't want every square inch of my yard covered with pumpkins or parsley I'm overwhelmed with amaranth to the point of near-hatred.

Two kinds (maybe more) grow here. One is soft and doesn't hurt when I try to pull it up, the other kind is spiny and leaves my hands stinging for a while if I grab it by accident.

I won't spray it, because I just don't do that, and it would kill off the stuff I want growing there. So I keep fighting it physically.

It has been a daily battle this summer. I mow it, and the next day it looks like I did nothing. I use the trimmer to cut it off at ground level and it takes several days for it to recover, but it does recover. Then, instead of growing tall, as it does where no one bothers it, it spreads along the ground, going every direction out from its stalk. You'd think this kind of abuse would stop it from going to seed, but you'd be wrong. No matter how tiny the plants are, when they are ready to seed, they seed. I've never seen anything so resilient.

And I want to be like that.

Be the weed. If they keep chopping you down, keep coming back. If you can't grow as tall as you'd like, go to seed right at ground level. Just don't let them win.

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*"Weed"-- a plant growing where it isn't welcome. Don't be that. Just be resilient and anti-fragile like a weed.

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Mollie the racist tweeter

Maybe Mollie would have been better off to not judge people by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Maybe we all would.

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Hero of the Proglodytes

I am not "pro-Trump".
I am not "anti-Trump".
I'm not impressed by anyone's stance on Donald Trump.

I'm completely opposed to the office of "president" existing, just as I am opposed to every other political office. I don't want anyone holding those offices and using them to molest anyone or their liberty. I don't think decent people hold political office. If a decent person finds himself in a political office, they won't stay decent for long. And I'm talking nanoseconds or less. I also believe that holding a government "job", even of the most benign variety, causes ethical (and perhaps, moral) damage to the employee in that "job". I would never wish that on anyone I like.

For these reasons, I get indigestion hearing people going on and on about Trump, either for or against. He simply doesn't matter to me one way or the other. No "president" would.

And this brings me to today's aggravation:
The ONLY reason the dead dirtbag anti-liberty bigot John McCain is being treated like he was some kind of hero is because he was vocally anti-Trump. That's it. If he hadn't come out of that particular closet none of the national mass media proglodytes would have spent the past couple of days praising his corpse's "legacy". In fact, they would probably have taken the position that his being dead is a good thing. But because he was anti-Trump while being "Republican" he is praised. No, his status as a former troop isn't the reason, nor is the fact that he was a POW. Those are used as justifications, of course, but they aren't the real reason. His greatest value was in being anti-Trump. Well, la-dee-dah. Anyone can do that.

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Evil plus evil equals doubly evil

From here. Tip the artist if you can.

"Democratic socialism" isn't better than other kinds of socialism because it's democratic; it's worse because it's democratic.

Democracy is horrible. It is mob rule made "socially acceptable".

Socialism is horrible. It is the attempt to make a society stand on a foundation of envy, theft, parasitism, and entitlement.

Who could possibly imagine that combining these two nasty concepts could make something good?

Politics isn't like chemistry where you can combine two deadly poisons like chlorine and sodium to make something beneficial and necessary like table salt.
Politics is already the path of failure and evil, and when you mix those two political toxins it makes something even more deadly.

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Good to treat enemies as humans

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 25, 2018)

The political left, and much of the political right, keeps putting me in an uncomfortable position where I almost feel the need to defend President Trump. Almost.

It's not a position I enjoy.

I see no legitimacy in the office of president, nor in any other political office for that matter. I don't care about Donald Trump one way or the other; he's irrelevant to my day-to-day life. But the way the political left overreacts to everything he does goes beyond criticism into delusional territory. Pointing this out is seen as "defending" him. It's really not.

How could any sane person object to the people in charge of a couple of governments deciding to shake hands and put off threatening to annihilate each other's subjects and territories for a while?

Personally, I think it's a good thing he treats the U.S. government's enemies like fellow human beings. The other option is to encourage them to go to war. I can't see that as a good idea.

I'm glad Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un aren't behaving like some politicians and pundits seem to want them to behave. It's as if those other people are itching for a war. They probably are.

While I'm glad neither of them seems to want to start a nuclear war right now, I'm horrified the situation has been allowed to get to the point where such a thing is even possible.

I also prefer Trump and Vladimir Putin acting friendly instead of being at each other's throats. I see no benefit in the two governments wanting to fight each other. None at all. People I care about might get caught in the middle.

Sure, maybe Russian government hackers exposed the DNC's corruption, but which is worse-- the exposure or the corruption? And the U.S. government is always interfering in foreign elections so the possibility someone may have done the same thing to the U.S. doesn't upset me. You'd have to believe elections are a legitimate process for choosing a ruler to get worked up about it. I don't.

When Trump uses "alternative facts" people lose their minds, but when he tells the truth about the U.S. "intelligence" apparatus' complete lack of credibility, they don't like that either, and lose their own credibility through their hysterical reactions.

There is plenty to criticize about President Trump, but until his dedicated enemies of the Loyal Opposition stop screaming over figments of their imaginations and things which don't matter I can't take them seriously.

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When Failure is your solution

It gets me how often people notice (or imagine) a problem, and start hollering for government to fix it. It's that pathetic "there oughta be a law!" syndrome.

And it's as wrong as it is possible for anything to be.

Government is never a solution. It is a cover-up. A band-aid. It might hide the problem, but it can't fix it. It can't solve anything. It makes problems worse every time it is tried. It shifts problems, creates new problems, and makes problems where none existed before. Government is the way of The Failure.

If you can't think of a way to solve a problem without resorting to theft and aggression you aren't thinking enough. Maybe you aren't thinking at all. But don't give up. You don't have to be a Failure. Keep thinking. Keep searching. Either the answer is out there among the various voluntary options, or it's a problem without a solution in the real world. They probably do exist. But don't pretend government is a solution-- you're lying to yourself if that's what you believe.

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I want more, more, MORE!!

Here's another dark confession: I am practically obsessed with kerosene lanterns, flashlights, bags and packs, carry knives, solar chargers, and batteries. Probably a few other items, too. And I'm not even sure why since I can do without most of those things just fine (especially the higher-tech things), although maybe being able to do without makes me appreciate them even more. I know that's the case with fire-starting.

I have a hard time passing up any of those type things when I see them at a thrift store or yard sale. I mean, I do pass them up, I just don't enjoy doing so.

I can't afford to buy more of things I probably have "enough" of, and with at least one kerosene lamp in every room of the house (and maybe one power outage of any duration in 8+ years) even I can admit I probably don't need another kerosene lantern. In fact, it's been years since I bought one. I'm sure I'm in a similar position with the other things I mentioned, as well.

I never really feel like I have enough of any of those items, but I probably have everything I need, even in case of TEOTWAWKI, since I know not to rely on "stuff". (You can never have enough skills!!)

So I can still understand how people get obsessed with certain things (or non-things).

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How's the view down there?

While ostriches don't actually bury their heads in the sand, most people do. At least figuratively.

It's much more socially acceptable to bury your head in the sand than to speak up and say "No, this isn't right. Good people don't support this!"

How do I know? Because I live it.

No, I don't go around handing out unsolicited advice. Usually. But there are lots of things I won't condone when it seems everyone else is on board with it. Refusing to support these activities or people doesn't do much for one's social standing.

At least almost no one ever asks me to praise kinderprison staff, "the troops", or law enforcers anymore. Almost no one ever tries to convince me of the usefulness of a "law" these days, or why more are needed. And that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

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Proglodytes and conservatrolls

That's what I see all around me when I look at how people interact with each other. Of course, the simpler name for proglodytes and conservatrolls would be "statists", but that just leaves them staring at you with no comprehension in their dull eyes. Most don't understand that word any better than they'd understand the more fun descriptive terms.

Depending on where you live, the local government kinderprisons are either brainwashing kids to be proglodytes or perhaps, in rare cases, they are brainwashing them to be conservatrolls. Either way they are being turned into statists who will usually deny that they are statists ("I'm NOT like Mussolini!" as one complained to me once). The option of helping kids figure out how to think for themselves, and be responsible people who respect the rights of others isn't on the agenda. It's not useful to the State. That's up to you whether you accept your responsibility or not.

But it's not only the State turning up the statism.

Much that is created for broadcast and mass viewing is created by proglodytes, advancing the false narrative that their way is kind, compassionate, generous, and caring... while the others guys are just so mean and greedy.

And if you work at it a little bit you can find the message created and advanced by conservatrolls, which says their opposition is so gullible and dumb that they'd blame you for not caring how your murderer feels after sawing off your head... and then your survivors should be punished for your crime of making the murderer feel he had no choice but to murder you. And you can listen to conservatrolls claiming to love the Constitution while demanding unconstitutional "immigration control". And supporting police-- which may be their worst failing.

None of them, on either "side", want you allowed to run your own life, to keep your own property to use as you see fit, or to live in liberty. They want you controlled and enslaved so they'll feel safer.

So each side squeezes your liberty just a little bit more, twisting and breaking you "for your own good", or for the sake of a "culture" which isn't worth saving and which has no room for people like you who understand and value liberty.

I see both proglodytes and conservatrolls as monsters. I don't care which parts of the State they resist because they still embrace some of it. Embracing any statism is harmful to humanity. It's not compatible with human flourishing. Statism is backward, brutal and barbaric no matter what you call it or how you dress it up.

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"Not all cops..."

Some police are racists. Some police aren't.

Some police like to bully. Maybe some don't.

Some police rape. Some police don't.

Some police are looking for opportunities to shoot people. Some police aren't.

For any individual belief, some police hold it, and some don't.
For any individual action, some police take part and some don't.

Anything you can say about police will be true for some, but not true for others... except for one thing: all police are bad guys because of the things they do-- things inseparable from being a police officer and enforcing "laws. Just as you can't say "not all rapists are bad guys", it makes zero sense to say "there are some good cops".

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The ZAP is my promise

Whether you adhere to the Special Principle of Libertarianism (the Zero Aggression Principle/Non-aggression Principle) or the General Principle of Libertarianism (the Zero Archation Principle) you personally accept that this reminds you that you have no right to either initiate force or to archate, depending on your favored version.

Now I can't speak for you, but if I have no right to do something, I take that to mean I shouldn't do that thing. Maybe you see it differently.

And whether you do or not is up to you, and changes nothing on my end.

When I say I'm a libertarian and that this means I live by the ZAP, I mean that this is a promise from me to you. I accept that I have no right to archate, and I will always aim to live up to that. If I fail, I accept that you have the right to defend yourself and your property.

It's also a warning of sorts. If you choose to archate, there is no law (or legislation) which can void my right to self-defense, defense of others, or defense of private property. None. If I believe you have the upper hand, I might choose to not employ defensive measures, but it's not guaranteed. Take the risk if it means that much to you.

Accept my promise or ignore it. It remains the same either way.

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No virtue in upholding bad laws

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 18, 2018)

It's more important to do the right thing than to obey laws, and it's wrong to obey laws which violate life, liberty, or property. Even if you agree with them or believe they are necessary. When the laws are wrong it's your responsibility to break them rather than wait until the law is changed.

All laws are ultimately enforced by the threat of death, so supporting any law is admitting you would be willing to kill people over an opinion.

Using laws to solve problems is like using a sawed-off shotgun to take out a bad guy in the middle of a crowd; firing at him from too far away. Sure, if your aim is true you may get him, but how many innocents will be harmed along with him? Even one is too many.

Legitimate defense against an individual bad guy is more like a derringer pressed into his ribs.

Laws always have innocent victims; people you didn't mean to harm, but did. A dishonest name for such victims is "collateral damage", and a common justification is that they must have done something to deserve it.

"I was just doing my job" or "following orders" didn't cut it at Nuremberg after World War II. Today's excuse-- "I have no choice. I don't make the laws; I just enforce them"-- is no better.

So what if the law orders you to separate children from their parents, or demands you enforce anti-gun laws, prohibition and checkpoints, seat belt laws, or runaway slave laws? You have the responsibility to ignore a bad law and refuse to harm people, even if it means you'll have to walk away from a steady paycheck.

The responsibility for all your actions lies with you. You get to choose what you do, even in the face of someone giving you orders. You are not a puppet.

It's probably a mistake to allow yourself to be in a position where you'll be given orders in the first place, particularly if any of those orders demand you do the wrong thing. There's no virtue in upholding wrong laws, and they constitute most of today's laws. Why take a job you know will require you to do wrong? It's not honorable.

Yes, each of us has a choice, even if the choice came before agreeing to do a particular job. If a job would require me to do things I know are wrong I wouldn't take the job. Why would anyone?

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Above the law

It's not that I believe I'm "above the law"; that the "law" doesn't apply to me.
It's that I recognize everyone is above the "law"; that the "law" doesn't apply to anyone -- other than those who pass, enforce, or explicitly agree to be subject to the "law".

The only people legitimately subject to "arrest" for using drugs, smuggling, prostitution, migration, or any other mala prohibita "law" are the people who support those "laws", the lawgivers who made them up, and the cops who enforce them. No one else is subject to them. Everyone else is above those "laws".

"Law" or no "law" everyone has the right to defend themselves from archation, so don't make the mistake of believing this means that since murderers don't agree to "laws" against murder they get a free pass. The "law" isn't what makes murder wrong, nor is it what creates the right to fight back.

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When people disappoint

If someone I know and like supports politicians, child molesters, cops, Nazis, etc., I don't want to know. I expect such from people I don't like, so they can't really disappoint me. But people I like, I expect to be better than that. I don't want to be disappointed in them.

Unfortunately, that's not how real life works most of the time.

Most people have been so brainwashed that they see the bad guys as good guys, and when one of these bad guys is exposed, they see it as a "bad apple" instead of an accurate representation of the type.

I don't often point this out or say "I told you so"-- but I sure do think it often. And then I go on with my life, with a slightly lower opinion of someone's intelligence and ethics.

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Your right to yell 'FIRE!' in a theater

In almost any rant calculated to justify any government violation of a natural human right (especially those specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights; in particular the right to own and to carry weapons) someone will invariably bring up the belief that rights can be limited because “you can’t yell ‘FIRE!’ in a crowded theater”. This belief is based on one Supreme Courtjester's tired old lie, used to justify another lie.

Yes, you actually can yell ‘FIRE!’ in a crowded theater, especially if it's on fire.

The actual historical statement asserts you have no right to falsely yell “FIRE!”, but almost everyone misses that distinction, either through ignorance or by design. And it is still wrong anyway.

It is your absolute human right to say (or write) whatever you want to say. It may not be wise, and in a free society you will be held accountable for any harm you cause by doing so. You have the responsibility to NOT say something untrue which can cause trouble, but no one has the right to silence you.

Most people suffer from a tragic misunderstanding of where rights come from. I’ll give you a hint: they don’t come from government or any of its documents. The Bill of Rights doesn’t create any rights at all. In fact, it doesn’t even apply to you or me at all unless we work for government. And for those to whom it does apply, its entire purpose is to stop them from violating the rights of individuals.

That's right: the Bill of Rights is simply a “government shall not…” list and a warning that government has no "right" (governments can't have rights) to violate natural rights. It makes doing so a crime. Government is thus prohibited from enacting “laws” that violate natural rights by the very document which foolishly created it and "allows" it to exist.

Since the First Amendment places ALL speech beyond government regulation or control (among the various things it prohibits government from doing), it makes no exception for things that can be destructive or stupid.

So, say what you want to say, after you've weighed the consequences and decided whether they are worth it, then face the consequences like a self-owning human being should.

(an update of an old post)

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The enemies of the people? Yes.

National press and media are complaining today, in a bunch of coordinated editorials, about being thought of (or rather exposed) as the enemies of the people.

Is it a truthful accusation?

Well, here are just a few examples of times they have been the enemies of the people:

• When they helped Bush 2 promote the "weapons of mass destruction" lie and got a lot of people killed.

• When they did everything they could to push Hilary Clinton on the v*ters.

• Every time they use the words "gun violence", "common sense gun laws", "reasonable restrictions", "assault rifle", or any of the other terms which make anti-gun bigotry seem mainstream.

• When they promote the words of government extremists (Paul Krugman comes immediately to mind) as if they are reasonable people who have something of value to contribute to "public discourse".

• When they encourage support or pay raises for government employees.

• Any and every time they push a "tax" increase, for any reason.

• Every time they breathlessly promote socialized health care or "Universal Basic Income".

And there are so many more.

These are times they did things harmful to life, liberty, and property.

So, yeah. The national press (and similar media) are the enemies of the people. Enemies of individual rights and liberty. Their whining just shows how out of touch they truly are.

But they could change.

If they would start reporting the news, without a political slant, they could stop being the enemy of the people.

If they could leave their wish to enslave us all at home, instead of bringing it to work and putting it in the pages of their papers, they could stop being the enemy of the people.

If they would stop trying so hard to create death and destruction to give their news "color", they could stop being the enemy of the people.

Report what happened, don't analyze it, and leave the editorializing on the opinion page. And STOP being the enemies of the people, and maybe people will stop thinking of you that way.

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Free speech in action

The above comment was posted on the newspaper's FB page in response to my most recent column. The comment was deleted, the commenter banned by the paper, and a screenshot (without the redactions) was forwarded to me.

I say the guy had the right to say what he said, and the newspaper had the right to delete the comment. The actions of neither seem out of line.

I would have been angry had FB chosen to intervene and remove the comment (of which they were not a party) since they supposedly invite the public to use the platform, but no individual has to leave anything that bothers them on their own page or a page they are responsible for. Had he waited to leave the comment on my post on my FB page, I would have left it. I do appreciate the paper's efforts at defending my honor, though. I realize they were also trying to protect their advertisers.

The comment didn't upset me. It was just too far off-base.

Just how far afield is the commenter? Well, I'm not "known", I don't worship (or believe in) anything supernatural, I don't rape or otherwise initiate force, I respect the rights of children just like I do anyone else, I don't have a basement (but I do have a cellar), and if I did have a basement I wouldn't invite a crowd of people into it to watch me do something I consider evil. And if someone did witness me doing such a thing they would have the right-- and the responsibility-- to shoot me in order to stop me.

If a comment were negative and too close for comfort it would probably be a different story. (Occasionally I've had people accuse me of being an anarchist! That just gets a "Yeah. So?" instead of the outrage or denial they had hoped for.)

Personally, I think the commenter was either trying to be funny or was trying to make a point. I was slightly amused by the comment. And, I can see a point to be made with such a comment. More than one, actually.

Yes, speech can offend people (as it did the newspaper) and it can cause harm. Perhaps he was trying to illustrate this point. No one ever said speech doesn't have consequences, nor that you get a free ride just by claiming "free speech". You are responsible for the consequences of what you say or write, whether your words are true or false. If you don't like that, you have the option to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Maybe he was testing my commitment to freedom of speech, even when it targets me. If so, bravo.

Anyway, it was just a little feedback to add to my information stack.

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The creepy Obsession

I am against pedophiles. Especially pedophiles who act on it.

I am also against obsessive pedophile hunters and obsessive pedophile punishers.

They like to think of themselves as knights on a Holy Crusade. I see them as the spiritual descendants of Torquemada.

I've come to believe that most people who claim to be hunting or fighting pedophiles are simply hungry for someone it's socially OK to obsessively hate; someone they can safely post revenge porn about. It's their version of Nazi hunting. Most even misdefine "pedophile" and "child" so they'll have more targets available.

It's a witchhunt; one libertarians seem particularly prone to joining. Perhaps they hunger to behave like the statists they see around them-- with revenge and force-- so they've found a target that's socially acceptable to those who reject the initiation of force.

It's somewhat understandable; libertarians are all about defending people, especially those who aren't able to defend themselves. Children are vulnerable. People who prey on them are evil. But there's such a thing as jumping off the deep end and being drowned by your obsession. Yes, even in cases like this. In their zeal, libertarian pedophile obsessives become indistinguishable from the statists. This is wrong even when the cause is right.

And you're not "allowed" to question these self-anointed pedohunters in the slightest.

This makes me suspicious of their actual motives. I'm reminded of the loudly anti-homosexual televangelists. I'd be willing to bet some are more similar to those guys than they'd ever admit. No, not all of them, and probably not even most of them, but some.

Surely I'm not the only person who wonders about this, or who sees their obsession as a bit creepy. But even if I am the only one, I'm OK with that.

I realize that pointing this out will make them claim I'm defending pedophiles-- I'm not. If that's what they get from this they are hallucinating and imagining they can read my mind. They may even claim I am one-- I'm not. But it's their go-to reaction. I've seen it before, more than once.

All because someone dared question their untouchable obsession. To them that's unforgivable.

And this illustrates what I see as wrong with their crusade. It's not reasonable or rational. It's rabid and emotional, and anything is OK as soon as they accuse their target. In their minds, accusation equals guilt. No real proof is needed to convict and execute once the accusation has been leveled. The accusation settles it. "For the CHILDREN!"

I'm not saying there aren't sexual predators out there, because there are, and I know some of them target children. This is wrong. It is archation. No one molests kids by accident. If you do, you intended to. If you don't intend to, you don't do it. (You could still be falsely accused, though.)

When I encounter one of these obsessives, I just quietly back away. I don't support pedophiles, but I don't support their creepy doppelgängers, either. I'll probably regret ever saying anything, but it's been weighing on my mind and needed to be said.

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Not everything is acceptable

I have been told I'm judgmental. Probably so.

And I've never met anyone who wasn't (but I'm not judging). It's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what you're judging about someone.

I don't judge people for what they wear, the color of their skin, their favorite food, the length of their hair (as long as they aren't sporting a thug rug), their sex lives, their hobbies, or whatever, but I'm convinced it's OK to judge people for archating. In fact, it's probably essential.

If you won't judge those who are molesting others, it seems to me you have no principles at all. Where do you draw the line? Will you stand for anything?

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Gun safety essential to gun rights

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 11, 2018)

Gun rights, like all natural human rights, are a foundation of a functional society. And every right comes with an equally important responsibility. You must handle and use your gun so that you don't harm anyone who doesn't deserve to be harmed.

Gun safety is more than important; it is essential.

Contrary to what some people insist, gun accidents do happen. Once a tiny sliver of wood flaked off the inside of a black powder gun I was using and lodged in a bad spot. As soon as I pulled the hammer back and released it, the gun fired even though nothing was touching the trigger. Because I was following the rules of safe gun handling, the only casualty was my nerves.

However, most so-called gun "accidents" aren't accidents at all, but are negligence; someone not observing the rules of safe gun handling.

Colonel Jeff Cooper standardized and popularized the rules of gun safety, which I'll paraphrase as follows:
Rule 1: All guns are always loaded, even when you're sure they aren't.
Rule 2: Never let the gun point toward anything you're not willing to destroy.
Rule 3: Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until the gun is aimed where you want the bullet to go.
Rule 4: Be sure of your target and what lies behind your target. Don't shoot on a hunch, and don't forget to look beyond the target.

It's also not a good idea to handle a gun when your mind is dulled.

People who hate or fear guns won't change their minds just because you are a safe and responsible gun owner. Those who are undecided about guns can be pushed off the fence onto the anti-gun side by the publicity surrounding tragedies. Don't be the one who gives them a push.

I prefer a universally armed society. Any rules which seek to keep guns out of the "wrong hands" will inevitably do more to keep them out of the right hands, because those "wrong hands" won't follow the rules anyway.

This doesn't mean I trust everyone to be armed. I don't. But I don't trust those who would decide who gets to be armed, and who doesn't, either. I'd rather there be armed bad guys than government employees rationing natural human rights. After all, the good guys vastly outnumber the bad guys, otherwise society would be impossible.

Be responsible. A negligent shot is precious ammunition for the anti-gun activists. Don't give them this coveted gift.

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Nicer than the alternatives

Is it rude to shun someone? To exercise your right of association?

I shun cops and would probably shun politicians if I ever had the opportunity. Especially state-level politicians. I would probably be flexible on more local levels, depending on how enthusiastic a dirtbag they happen to be. I'm willing to chalk up some bad behavior (archation) on their part to ignorance and brainwashing.

But it seems people around me believe it's rude of me to shun cops.

I don't think I'm rude to them-- I simply ignore their existence in "social" situations. Isn't that better than puking at the sight of them? Or making faces? Isn't shunning more polite than flipping them off or shooting them?

It seems so to me. But I could be convinced otherwise.

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"Think of the CHILDREN!!"

Or the old, disabled, or ill! Those who might be considered, by some, as "unwhole" in some way.

I appreciate when people stand up for the "unwhole"; I'm less than impressed when someone imagines that being "unwhole" bestows or creates extra rights. I'm downright angry when someone insists my (or others') rights don't matter because they might somehow offend the "unwhole".

Certain people bring up the "unwhole" in discussions to try to find a reason to justify archation, such as "taxation" or "laws".

Recently one such winner objected to my dismissal of laws as either unnecessary or harmful because he didn't understand how the "unwhole" could defend themselves without "laws". I wonder how the "unwhole" can defend themselves from "laws".

I understand the desire to protect the "unwhole"; I don't like the tendency to throw everyone else (and their rights) under the bus on behalf of the "unwhole" due to their imagined extra rights.

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Prep fluffing

I should probably be ashamed, but I'm feeling bothered because I haven't had a chance in a long time to actually need to use any of my preps. And I know that's a stupid "problem" to admit to having.

I guess I could sneak out and shut off the electricity and water, but knowing I did that would take the fun out of it.

Lately, I've been feeling really antsy about preps. Feeling I need to do more.

More water, in particular. There are zero surface sources of water around here, so emergency water must be stored -- although I do have filters, too. And I don't have nearly enough water stored (as if "enough" stored water would be possible).

But it's not just water. I've been fussing over all my preps as if I'm getting ready for something that's coming. And, no, I don't believe I'm psychic or anything, so I don't believe anything is imminent.

So I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and doing more of it, too. Reminding myself that even if TS never HTF, preps are still a smart thing to do, and smooth over all sorts on non-emergencies in the meantime.

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Giving me what I want

Imagine someone created a government agency with no other function but to hand out (for example) free AR-15s to anyone, just for the asking. I would really love to have an AR-15, but I can't afford one.

So, would I support the existence of this "wonderful" government agency?

Nope. I couldn't support a government agency; even one formed specifically to give me exactly what I want. Even if there were no strings attached, and no hidden agenda or unintended consequences to the recipients.

How can anyone? It's something I just can't wrap my head around.

Even if I believed a "border patrol" or "ICE" were necessary, I would oppose them because they are a government agency. They operate with stolen money-- money taken, at least in part, from people who don't want their "service" and don't want to fund them. That makes their existence unethical regardless of any other consideration. (And there are a lot of other considerations making them bad guys.)

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I may not agree with what you say...

... but I'll fight for your right to say it. Because I'm not a loser or a coward.

I've never paid the slightest attention to Alex Jones or INFOWARS. I can't even say if the criticisms I've heard of him are accurate or if they are overblown. And, I don't care the tiniest bit.

I am still opposed to having him silenced-- or even to businesses doing what they have a right to do and kicking him off their platforms.

Yes, I have often said it's not always good or smart to do everything you have a right to do. This is one of those times.

The way this was put into action is a clear case of a real-world conspiracy. Not a "conspiracy theory", but a factual conspiracy. It makes me stand alongside someone I otherwise ignore.

Yet, I can also see how government policies and "laws" empower people to feel safe doing things of this sort, and give them a ready excuse.

With the State's thuggish kidnapping and persecution of Silk Road's supposed creator, Ross Ulbricht, and their recent threat to molest sites such as Craigslist and Backpage which allowed "sex ads", those who let Alex Jones use their sites could claim that they were forced to kick him off for their own safety.

If the State is allowed to kidnap, rob, and otherwise molest someone for running a website that has ads for things political bullies are opinionated against, why wouldn't they do the same to those who allow Alex Jones to use their sites?

I'm not saying it's an ethical justification for kicking him off, just that in this era of government supremacy, it's a reasonable one. Even if the site hosts don't actually believe it.

If your argument against someone's opinions is so weak you feel you have to silence them rather than lay out the facts which prove them wrong, then you are a loser and a coward. I'm looking at YOU, Facebook, YouTube, Apple, Google, and all the others who colluded against freedom of speech. Don't expect my support when your bootlicking fails to keep the wolves at bay and your number comes up.

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YOU get to decide if I get paid.

You and your "laws"

If you claim to honor the Constitution, and you want a law enforced that's not allowed by the Constitution (which is therefore not a real law even by your questionable standards) you are mixed up.

If the "law" you want people to be forced at gunpoint to obey is not explicitly allowed by the Constitution, or is prohibited by it, then it can't be a law. Not in America under the current government (regardless of how the humans working in that government feel about it).

That means if you are demanding people be forced to obey these "laws" you are the one promoting lawlessness. Not them.

And not the wholesome kind of lawlessness, either, but the toxic kind. The "forced at gunpoint" part is what gives it away.

If the "law" you want people to be forced at gunpoint to obey violates human rights or liberty in any way, even if specifically permitted by the Constitution, it is a counterfeit "law", and enforcing it is wrong. Even if you agree with it. Even if you like it. Even if you believe it is necessary. Even if you imagine ruin unless it is enforced.

If you have a double-standard, where you oppose counterfeit "laws" which go against what you want, but will happily impose counterfeit "laws" on others which violate them in the same way, you are not on the side of liberty. Or rights, ethics, or principles.

I have no respect for "laws" or for people who want to impose "laws" on others. It's a disgusting thing to see.

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In the wrong hands...

Could "Virtual Reality" be used to make people believe they are fighting in a game when they are actually killing people they wouldn't otherwise want to kill? Maybe even for tricking military employees into murdering friends and family?

I believe it could.

I'm not saying it's that hard to talk people into becoming murder machines now, just that I think this could make things worse-- getting those who wouldn't otherwise be tools of the murderous State to kill wantonly.

That's not an excuse to ban VR, but another good reason to keep it out of government hands. Just like government should never have been allowed to have drones. Or nukes. Or guns. Or pencils. Or oxygen.

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YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Put independence back in the day

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 4, 2018)

What does Independence Day mean to you? To me, Independence Day has morphed into the most tragic of holidays. Its original meaning has been completely lost; turned on its head. The way it is most commonly celebrated now is like celebrating Christmas with hatred and theft. It has become a shadow of what it should be. Of what it may have been once upon a time.

Instead of being a celebration of American independence, it has been turned into a worship service for the U.S. government-- a government orders of magnitude more thieving and tyrannical than the government which was sent packing after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

How can this make sense to anyone?

I realize most people don't actually celebrate Independence Day. They enjoy the 4th of July, instead. They wave flags, have picnics and backyard cook-outs and go on vacation. They attend government-sponsored fireworks displays which are choreographed to the sounds of government hymns and other songs of propaganda, all calculated to distract from the real sights and sounds-- and spirit-- of independence. It is all done "legally" with safety, and independence has no place in it.

What does independence mean?

It means being above dependence. It means being responsible for yourself, not being a burden to others, and having the ability and the means to help others when they stumble. It means being prepared in case of emergency or natural disaster. It means governing yourself, as an individual, and leaving others alone to do the same.

Independence is not the same as freedom; freedom often includes irresponsibility and shortsightedness. Independence is liberty-- the freedom to do everything you have a right to do; everything which doesn't violate anyone else's equal and identical rights. It has nothing to do with legality, but everything to do with doing the right thing.

Independence isn't selfishness.  It doesn't mean supporting the political oppression of those you fear or dislike. It doesn't mean "there oughta be a law". It has nothing to do with violating the life, liberty, or property of others for "the common good" or "national interests". It doesn't mean military aggression exported all across the globe. It certainly doesn't involve depending on government to save you or protect you from anything or anyone.

I invite you to think about independence and how you could live more independently in the year to come, and from now on. Make Independence Day mean something real again. Put some independence back into it.

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I know you are, but what am I?

Yes, you are. Responsible, that is. Whether you like it or not. And so am I.

I'm struck by this fact whenever I see something chiding people to "Be responsible".

Maybe a better way it could be phrased is "accept that you are responsible", or "act like you realize you are responsible".

You are responsible. You can try to run from it, you can try to deny it, you can try to explain it away, but you are responsible for everything you do. Accept it and move forward.

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That time I robbed Billy the Kid

That .45 Long Colt cartridge pictured above is what I "taxed" from him.

Well, maybe I only borrowed it. If he comes and asks for it back I'll happily hand it over. With interest-- I'll toss in a second cartridge of his choice.

I wonder if he appreciates the gifts left for him by admirers. I'm kinda thinking no.

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This blog is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Don't be mental

Politics is a mental problem. By that I mean it doesn't exist outside the minds of those who believe in it, and it causes problems in the real world.

I think of politics as an attempt to live among people you don't like by forcing your will on them, using the "political method", where someone wins at the expense of someone else, instead of by using the "economic method", where everyone comes out ahead.

The political method is mental; the economic method is mindful.

Politics is done with "laws". There are only two kinds of "laws", the unnecessary and the harmful, and by using politics you are admitting you are willing to kill (usually by proxy) anyone who violates either type of "law". Because all "laws" are ultimately enforced with death.

If that's not evidence of a mental problem, I don't know what would be.

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YOU get to decide if I get paid.

False advertising

I saw a car sporting a bumper sticker that said "My son fights for our freedom".

But I'll bet if I asked I'd find out he doesn't really fight cops and politicians at all.
Probably actually works for them, instead; doing the opposite of what the sticker claims.
And does it in exchange for stolen money, to boot.

False advertising at its worst! Some would say there oughta be a law, or something!

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This blog is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Just for fun- Quora

I answer questions on Quora, just for fun. I only answer the stuff that tickles my fancy (do I have a "fancy"? Sounds kinky...) and I don't really take it too seriously.

If you'd like to check out the answers I've written, here's my profile. At least until they ban me. 😇

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This blog is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.