Cops-- Worse than useless and only wanted by the irresponsible

Police are worse than useless in a society of responsible people. Only the grossly irresponsible see a need for police, since they've been convinced they can't handle situations themselves. 

Of course, the argument could be made that we live in a failed society populated with grossly irresponsible people. I wouldn't disagree too hard. The acceptance of cops among us makes the point.

Cops encourage this lack of thinking-- it secures their theft-funded "jobs". It's why they are enthusiastic to molest people who've dealt with bad guys themselves. "Job" security for a "job" that has no business existing.

Even if there were no police, only private security, I probably wouldn't hire them anyway. I have never seen a use for them. They only make bad situations worse by their presence. Investigators are a completely different situation. Give me a Sherlock Holmes, not a Lestrade-- and let me hire one for myself if I need one.

You can hire as many as you want and can afford-- just don't expect your neighbors to foot the bill for something they have no desire for and decide they can't afford.

However, there would be one huge improvement if society made the switch to private security-- I doubt that private "cops" would lurk around looking to cause trouble like real, government-employed cops do today.

If your job has to be funded coercively-- through taxation-- it's not an ethical job. Ethical people (who've realized the situation) don't accept such jobs.

I do my best to avoid places where cops are loitering, watching everyone and looking to start something. I found myself in such a place over the weekend, and I didn't stay long. I have no desire to be around loitering gangs of Blue Line Mafia thugs.

Almost worse than the cops are the people who fawn over them. What are they lacking that they feel the need to lick the boots? Sick, sick people.

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Bad guys shouldn't ruin our fun

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 25, 2023)

It frustrates me that we so often allow the worst people among us to dictate how we live our lives. We arrange society according to their whims and behavior. I'm not only speaking of traditional politicians but of freelance bad guys like those who caused the Draggin’ Main “Saturday Night Cruise” event to shut down early.

Recently, a shooting incident between motorcycle gang criminals in Red River, New Mexico caused officials there to end their Memorial Day weekend Motorcycle Rally early as well. They later announced the incident has put a permanent end to the event.

It's time to stop letting bad guys steal our fun, whoever they are and however they interfere. Shutting down events because people who won't control themselves cause problems lets them "win". It doesn't stop them from doing the things they do. They are who they are and they don't change to suit you. Catering to their lack of civility only interferes with everyone else's plans and enjoyment.

Enough!

You are allowing them to rule you as surely as if they were holding an elected office.

I'm still convinced good people vastly outnumber bad people. Stop letting a disgusting-- and frankly, worthless-- minority direct society and establish which rules the rest of us will be subjected to.

I get it, though. Officials are probably scared. Scared of what might happen once you've been reminded that bad things happen randomly and arbitrarily. They're afraid to not be seen taking decisive action of some sort-- even it it's utterly useless. Canceling events won't prevent bad things from happening. It's always too late to shut the barn door by the time something has happened. It's pointless anyway.

Neither is this a justification for not scheduling events at all.

If you are an official, don't end the whole event for everyone. Don't surrender to your knee-jerk reaction to shut things down at the first sign of trouble. Those who are scared are free to leave. Give those who aren't frightened away the option of going on with it. Yes, it's "at your own risk", but that's true for everything about life. Some of us only pretend otherwise until we are reminded.

Each of us is always, one hundred percent of the time, completely responsible for our own safety. Nothing can change this apparently uncomfortable truth. It's an inescapable part of being human. Embrace it and move forward with life.

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The cheap substitute for Liberty

I prefer authentic Liberty over Stars and Stripes© Brand artificially-flavored, reduced-calorie Freedom™.

I always have and I always will.

If you don't understand the difference you may be confused by that statement. 

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"Wait 'til Mom and Dad hear about this!"

I know Twitter wasn't watching everything I posted, waiting for an excuse to ban me. That means some Twitter user had to report me to Twitter so they'd notice and ban me. What kind of person does that?

Can you imagine being so weak and useless that you'd run to tattle on someone for something you read online?

I'll bet you can't. Neither can I.

I have never reported anyone for something they wrote. Not once. I've never been tempted to-- not even as a joke over some politician's online threats to use government violence against innocent people. I can't even imagine being that pathetic.

But there must be a lot of those useless people out there.

Moving on.

I have joined Gab and Truth Social. No promises on how active I will be, or if they'll fall by the wayside like so many other social media groups I'm an inactive member of.

That will depend on how easy they are to use, how much engagement I get and give, and whether they can grab my interest.

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Bland people spreading blandness

Some people are just bland; gray, formless, and without flavor. That's fine. Not everyone needs to be a colorful character.

But, there's a certain percentage of these bland people who spend a lot of time and effort trying to drive others to blandness. They'll belittle, shame, and use "reasons" why someone is ridiculous for not being as bland as they are. 

Oh, they'll never use the word "bland", of course.

There are others, who aren't so bland, who seem threatened by anyone else who isn't bland. I guess they fear they won't stand out if others feel free to have some color. So they discourage it.

They'll discourage you from thinking outside the box they approve of. They'll insist you do things the way they've decided are the right way-- usually "right" without reasons they can explain. They'll use pragmatism, "society", and outcomes as justification. They'll call anyone who doesn't agree with them an NPC (even if that would equally describe themselves) or say you are thinking badly.

Go ahead and listen to their arguments, but don't be bullied into accepting them without thought.

There are some benefits to blandness. "The Gray Man" is a smart tactic. But scolding others for not being bland is a weak person's approach.

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My unforgivable Twitter Crime revealed

The above tweet, which got me "permanently suspended" (banned from Twitter forever), was in response to the video of climate protesters blocking an ambulance from taking a baby to the hospital.

Others in that same thread were saying the protesters needed to be dragged from the street and have other violence perpetrated on them. The guy I responded to said they needed therapy, not violence directed against them.

I don't disagree that they need therapy-- once you've taken care of the immediate threat they pose.

Apparently, that is an unforgivable crime on Twitter. There must have been dozens of perma-bans resulting from that thread, if the twits were consistent.

My case was "reviewed" and I was told in clear terms I am banned forever, and any new accounts I try to make will be immediately suspended as well. I am just too toxic for Twitter. My views on this blog have dropped to 2/3 of what they normally were before the ban. Maybe you could share my posts and help make up the difference if you think it matters.

I stand by what I said. It was true, ethical, and I'm NOT going to lie to stay safe. 

It's a terrible world if the twits don't understand the difference between violence (ethically neutral) and aggression (ethically wrong) and will punish you for the former. Defense of life, liberty, and property is going to be discouraged by those with power in any way possible. To what end?

Yes, Twitter, I do think you got it wrong. Or worse. I would be ashamed to be you, siding with the protesters in this case, and against people actually trying to help others. You've picked your side and shown us exactly where you stand. It doesn't look good.

It makes me wonder, how long until I'm banned from blogging here and at my backup? Banned from PayPal and other sites I rely on for money to survive-- including my bank? Just because I hold opinions my "masters" don't like-- and express them in public.

I kinda hate this sick "society" right now.

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He's telling you what he'd do to you

If someone indicates they don't consider theft to be wrong, wouldn’t it be smart to think they’ll probably steal from you at the first opportunity?

A guy who called himself a "post scarcity anarchist" seemed to be arguing in favor of chaos and nihilism-- property destruction, beating people, and riots, specifically. He defended the actions because "anarchy is lawless".

Obviously, I believe he is accepting the state's misdefinition of "anarchy" as chaos and is confusing legislation for law. As well as hiding his personal nihilism behind the word "anarchist".

As an aside, I've seen an awful lot of self-described "anarchists" lately advocating in favor of taxation and "policy" (backed by enforcement) and other things that require a coercive government. And democracy. So the problem isn't uniquely his.

But when someone doesn't reject theft, or even encourages it, I'm going to assume they are willing to steal. If they are willing to steal, where will they draw the line? What are they not willing to steal? My money, my car, and my house seem to be on the table. Will he stop before stealing my life? Can I be sure about that?

When someone tells you who they are, believe them. Even if the words they use to describe themselves and their philosophy are not the words you'd use. Regardless of the definitions, take them at their word when they let you know what they are willing to do to you.

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Twitter X-ed me again

My Twitter account has been suspended without explanation right at the dawn of Twitter becoming "X".

Supposedly I violated the Twitter/X rules again, but this time they didn't tell me which tweet offended their sensibilities. Or, the way it was stated it may just be the totality of everything I do there.

I think it's possible it was a glitch stemming from their branding switch, since I can't think of anything I've done recently-- and it happened overnight so it couldn't have been today's blog post.

It's also possible one of the anti-gun bigots, pro-slavery/tax people, or one of the communists I've been interacting with got offended and reported me. But I never said anything threatening to them. We may never know.

I appealed and asked which rule I violated. They may or may not answer. Maybe I should have included "...so I'll know whether to go ahead and move to Threads". They'd probably know I'm not serious about that, though.

I get a lot of blogging inspiration from Twitter. Otherwise, I'd just let it go. 

The volatile nature of the platform means I can't make friends there, since the people I like get banned, suspended, and vanish too frequently to form attachments. There are several people who disappeared like this just as I was getting to know them, and right in the middle of conversations. That limits how useful I find the platform, and how much I like it, in a major way. That may be hurting Twitter's business model more than they realize.

Here’s the message I got: 

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If I were an FFL...

This isn't advice or a suggestion, because that would be wrong of me; just a thought experiment about what I would do in certain situations. The criminals of the fedgov would say doing this would be "illegal".

But if you have nothing to lose, who gives a wooden Biden?

If I were an FFL (a holder of a Federal Firearms License) and I was terminally ill or wanted to purposely end my earthly existence, I would burn every 4473 (as well as all other ATF/FBI forms) in my possession-- physical or digital.

I would do the same if I knew the bATFe was about to commit a raid on me and I was probably going to be arrested anyway. If I were going to be completely ruined, I might as well be doubly ruined. 

This is the problem with making up draconian punishments for non-crimes-- you lower the mental bar for going ahead and doing actual useful non-crimes that they also criminalize. And destroying incriminating records the state can use against people is useful. And good and right.

Just like if the punishments for having a semi-auto firearm are the same as for having a full-auto, some people are going to go ahead and get a full-auto. And why not? There's really no downside. I pointed out this reality decades ago, and now we see this exact thing happening in Chicago, etc. with "Glock switches" and such.

We all know the fedgov illegally keeps a registry, but there's no reason to leave those records lying around if there's nothing left to lose. Force them to show they've got the illegal registry. Let them incriminate themselves for a change. It probably won't make a difference, but it's good ammunition to have in reserve.

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Trump prosecution petty, vindictive

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 18, 2023)

I'm no fan of former president Donald Trump. I'm also no fan of those who keep trying to prosecute him. It's a stale rerun no one cares about; no one other than those who keep trying to sell it as something new. It's past time to move on.

They won't. Is it an obsession or a vendetta? It appears to be both.

His main crime, of course, is keeping their Anointed One-- Hillary Clinton-- out of the White House. Even if they deny it, I'll always believe this is why they can't get over Trump.

They were so positive she would win, completely unaware of how unpopular she has always been with the regular people of the country, that they had to explain her defeat in a way that didn't look like her fault. So, they made up the Russian collusion hoax followed by other hoaxes; whatever they could get enough people to believe. It worked.

The never-ending chain of indictments is simply another tactic they're using to hurt him if they can. They've made up other justifications, but I'm not buying them.

The least believable justification for their vendetta is a desire to seek justice. The pursuit of Trump isn't about justice. If it were about justice Joe Biden would be on the docket, too.

All politicians, especially all who end up as president, do things I consider crimes. Joe Biden credibly appears to be the head of an actual crime family. If those who keep trying to "get" Trump really cared about crimes committed by politicians, or about justice, they wouldn't be so biased in their focus. Of course, his pursuers are also criminals in my eyes, so maybe it's in their self-interest to keep the public distracted with Trump Indictment Theater.

While Trump's defeat of Clinton was the trigger, setting all this prosecution (and persecution) in motion, the fuel keeping the clown show going is their obvious desperation to make sure Trump can't become president again. To make it so he can't even run for office if possible.

They'd prefer to have the voters accept the criminal they choose, rather than the one they've spent so much effort trying to take off the field.

I suppose they believe if they keep hammering away at Trump, they'll eventually succeed in getting him convicted of something. Maybe. Mostly what they've managed to accomplish is making themselves look petty, vindictive, and pathetically political.

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Living in enemy territory

You are living in enemy territory. Behind enemy lines. Whether you're in California, Texas, or Cuba. Even if this wasn't always the case, it is now. I know it's an uncomfortable thing to face, especially if you want to be a friendly, open person.

Your liberty is illegal, unpopular, and seen as a threat to those who seek to appease the enemies who occupy your territory. Same with your life and property if you decide to defend them from those who'd take or destroy them. Some of the people around you are happy to work with your enemies to help them destroy you.

If you are really lucky, you have family and friends who'll be on your side. To help you keep the enemies at bay. If not, enemy territory is going to feel more claustrophobic and lonely than you'd like.

What are you going to do about it? You probably shouldn't tell me over the internet.

It's a problem.

I don't have a solution. 

You can pretend this isn't true; that I am being hyperbolic. I suspect this is how most people cope with the situation.

You can try to go along to get along. Maybe they'll eat you last. 

You can join the enemy as a mole or monkeywrencher, either buying time from the inside or working to foil their plans. But at risk of losing yourself in the process.

You can speak the truth and make them mad-- taking your chances. 

You can be silent and as invisible as possible while carving out your own little hovel of liberty in the midst of those who want to destroy you. Until you are discovered.

Any approach is going to have upsides and downsides-- and you don't have to stick to only one method.

If you don't at least recognize that you live in enemy territory... I don't know what to say to you.

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Taxation is unambiguously unethical

Taxation is archation. Taxation is theft, extortion, and slavery. My "need" or "want" doesn't make it right to tax you. Nothing can make taxation ethical; if your morality justifies taxation, your morals are worthless.

I can't believe the people who try to justify taxation.

One guy told me that taxation to pay for insulin is OK because people will die! without it. I asked if he would voluntarily pay for other people's insulin, without being taxed. He deflected. I asked again. He responded "I do pay voluntarily, but I am only one person, and pharmaceutical companies rip people off. When there are matters of life and death, I want my government to fix it."

Ouch! "my government"! The statist's most ignorant phrase! Anyway...

I told him, "Government empowers the pharmaceutical monopoly. By supporting government you are killing people who need life-saving medicines." Not to mention government is the worst mass murderer in the entire history of the planet, and he imagines it will save lives because it is so compassionate.

I should have asked how many strangers' insulin he's currently buying for them directly. I bet I know the precise number without him telling me.

I and another person tried to explain to him that (imagining you are) buying something with taxes is inefficient (at best). Most of the tax money only goes to support the bureaucracy and infrastructure of the state (and pay the interest on Congress' debt). Only a vanishingly tiny portion ever goes toward anything useful, like insulin. He doesn't care and isn't going to listen, because he loves "his" government and he loves stealing YOUR money for things he wants.

People who support taxation and government are quick to ridicule freedom (and ignore liberty)-- he characterized it as loving "muh freedumbs". They are horrible people. But, by advocating in favor of taxation-- theft, extortion, slavery: archation-- they are telling you exactly who and what they are.

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I'm not kidding

There are times when my frustration with my species nearly overwhelms me.

When people who believe they are well-educated, and who mistake that for intelligence, call for medicines to be free. They dig in when you point out they are advocating slavery-- then they get busy building straw man after straw man, imagining they've won the debate. Ignorant clowns.

When these same people (it's nearly always the same people) believe that banning guns would actually make society safer. And that government would never use this imbalance of power against them or their family and friends.

When others believe they can be fans of the Constitution while demanding the government unconstitutionally "secure the borders". Or keep fighting a War on Politically Incorrect Drugs. Or keep up a standing military and militarized police.

And when, no matter what legislative crimes these political buffoons commit-- such as making up anti-gun rules-- they aren't held accountable. Their crimes are allowed to stand as "law", until, or unless, someone strikes them down. In which case, they'll just change the wording and do it again and not even get a slap on the wrist. Liberty delayed is liberty denied. Those who deny liberty are evil.

You might think I'm joking when I say "Politics makes people stupid". I'm not. I'm dead serious. And it's going to have terrible consequences.

Are you preparing to survive and thrive under those consequences? If not, why not?

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Astrology/Government

The parallels between astrology and government are undeniable.

The only differences are a consequence of more being employed by one than the other.

Neither is a physical thing. In each case, the real-world effects come, not from the thing being real, but from those who believe in it acting on their belief.

One has star charts the other has constitutions. 

These documents lead to horoscopes and legislation. Question either in front of a True Believer and see how they'll react.

Some percentage of the population fervently believes in astrology and/or in government.

Yet, both are mere superstitions.

Where they differ is that astrologers can't force you to follow their recommendations nor to pay them and fund their infrastructure and studies against your will. Government can and does. Again, this is simply because of the disparity in the number of those employed by each.

If astrology employed as many people as government, before long you'd probably have horoscope enforcers patrolling to make sure the commoners were following their horoscope and "fining" those who weren't. Kidnapping and killing those who resist.

And, since astrology is "obviously" essential to society, you'd be forced to chip in to pay astrologers, fund their "studies", and pay for the building of lavish quarters where their "business" would be conducted.

Government is equally ridiculous and illegitimate.

At present, in spite of the ridiculousness of astrology, it is vastly superior to government simply because it is voluntary.

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Am I "forcing" anti-gunners to live surrounded by guns?

As a followup to yesterday's observation that anti-gunners are the bullies, what about the frequent claim by anti-gun bigots that the pro-liberty people are bullies for "forcing us to live surrounded by gun violence [sic]"?

Sweetie, it's not the pro-liberty/pro-gun people doing that to you, that's reality. 

Guns were invented. Legislation can't reverse that historical fact. Bad guys who are willing to break the Law to commit murder, theft, rape, etc. with or without a gun aren't going to be stopped by your "law" banning them from having a gun. Accept it or don't.

The question isn't whether there will be a lot of guns around you, it's what the balance will be. Do you want a society where only the bad guys (freelance and government-employed) have guns and are free to commit violence unchecked? Or can you realize the situation will be less violent when the bad guys understand that good guys have the ability (and the will) to meet force with force? 

Yes, that means more guns "on the streets". That's not a problem if you are able to think logically and rationally. If you are trapped by your bigotry, you will irrationally see it as a problem. 

The only thing that makes a sword, knife, or hammer attack usually less deadly than a mass shooting is the existence of guns in other people's hands. Magically eliminate all guns and that lid comes off. Ban the other tools used by evil losers and as long as evil losers exist-- and they always will-- they will find ways to kill large numbers of people if it's what they want to do, and when they can work unopposed.

So, no. I am not "forcing" you to live surrounded by guns, nor am I to blame in any way for what evil losers do. You will not shame me into being enslaved so you can feel better (until reality crushes your bubble like a carbon-fiber submersible).

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Anti-gunners ARE bullies

Over and over again I see anti-gun bigots using the tactics of bullies to try to disarm others. All anti-gun bigots are bullies, whether they work for government, the media, or are just shills like Hoggwimp.

If you attempt to shame someone over something which isn't wrong or shameful to get them to do your bidding, you are a bully.

If you lie to try to get someone to go along with what you want to do to them, you are a bully.

If the shaming and lying don't work to get people to hand in their guns to government, what do anti-gun bigots do next? They legislate or bureaucrate. (Is "bureaucrate" a verb to describe acts such as the BATFEces gang's backdoor efforts to make up deadly illegitimate non-legislative bureaucratic rules? If not, it is... now.)

The use of legislation or non-legislative bureaucratic rules (as opposed to voiding illegitimate legislation) when you can't get your way otherwise is a bully's tactic. Especially when the legislation is based in lies, as is ALL "gun control".

Anti-gun bigots love to try to paint gun owners as "bullies", but gun owners aren't the ones using the bully's means to impose their will. Fighting back against a bully isn't bullying and is never wrong. Stopping someone from violating you isn't you "forcing your will" on them, no matter how many times they try to frame it that way.

I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. I wouldn't force an anti-gunner (or anyone else) to own or carry any sort of weapon, thinking most anti-gun bigots aren't responsible enough.

The anti-gunners who want you to not have guns are the ones doing this sort of manipulative bully maneuver. They have much in common with the freelance archators who use guns against the innocent; they are both evil losers, They have more in common with each other than either side has with the liberty-respecting gun owner.

Bullies are generally cowardly. They want you to be at a disadvantage so they can dominate you without you being able to effectively fight back. So they'll use whatever tactics they can find-- lying, shaming, legislating, whatever-- to try to make it so they have the advantage over you.

No compromise. Don't budge a single Planck Length. Push back all the violations they've gotten away with so far. The time of the bullies is finished.

I have always despised bullies. This is part of the reason I WILL NOT back down in the face of anti-gun bigots who don't like for you to have the means to fight back against their type.

Related: Am I "forcing" anti-gunners to live surrounded by guns?

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Government makes a nice scam

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 11, 2023)

I need more money. I think it's time I raise my debt ceiling. The creditors get no vote.

I'll still be broke but as long as I can spend someone else's money I won't notice. I'm accustomed to a certain standard of living and it would be unreasonable to expect me to be more responsible with my spending. After all, people make demands of me and I can't just say no. There might be unpleasant consequences! So every year or so I'll increase the amount of debt I allow myself to be in and everything will be fine forever.

I won't even pretend I'm going to repay this debt. I'll offer your grandchildren as the ones on the hook to pay it back-- unless they can keep following my example. Or they can default and see what happens next.

My creditors can take the money from these future citizens who never agreed to co-sign for me. It's a technicality I can ignore. The creditors can call this debt collection, seized from people who didn't guarantee the debt,  "taxation" if they like. It sounds so much nicer than "extortion".

Maybe while I'm on a roll I'll fabricate a few trillion new dollars, too. I can pay the interest on the debt with this new money and maybe no one will notice my sleight of hand. If I'm lucky, or exceptionally crooked, I can keep kicking this can down the road until it's no longer my problem.

Of course, no one can actually get away with this level of irresponsibility unless they call themselves "government". Even government won't be able to get away with it forever-- even if the humans running the train over the cliff believe they can.

Government is a nice scam if you can get away with it.

If we were accustomed to living in liberty without being governed and someone came up with the idea to impose a government on us, we'd never fall for it. The only reason we do is because we grew up imagining it is the natural order of things and believing liberty is something scary or dangerous. Or we are fooled into believing we are as free as it is possible to be. It isn't and we aren't.

Politics nearly always either bores me or makes me angry. When it comes to government's financial shenanigans it makes me laugh. I can't believe the people let them get away with this scam.

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Be yourself, but the GOOD version of yourself

I'm really good at letting people be themselves. With one exception: If "being themselves" includes controlling others— bullying— I'm not good at letting them do that without fighting back. Nor should anyone be.

If "yourself" wants to manifest by robbing, governing, censoring, attacking, enslaving, disarming, or otherwise controlling others— being a bully— that's not something I'll accept. I'll stand up for myself and I'll stand up for your other victims. People have the right to be who they are, but there is no right to use "who you are" as an excuse to archate.

You be you, but don't impose yourself and your will on others. Let others be themselves. Don't try to stop me from being me and I'll give you the same room in which to live your unique life.

I might still laugh at some people if I find them ridiculous-- just like some people laugh at me, and have done so all my life. It doesn't hurt me. We can all laugh at each others' silliness together-- and could even bond over it if you don't let your ego get in the way. 

I've had good friendships start with someone laughing at me, and then getting to know me. Whatever works. Right?

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It's just a joke!

Maybe I don't understand people.

I made a (bad?) joke on Twitter:
What do statist vampires apply for? . . . A Congealed Carry Permit.

Someone with a black flag as his profile pic seems to have tried to turn it into a serious comment. Serious? About vampires?

Anyway, I tried to play along a bit but mentioned that this was a joke.

His response: If you post another joke I will block you.

Me: "Knock knock"

Then I left him alone, even ignoring the non-sequitur he posted in response. 

I realize some people don't have a sense of humor. I've known some of them in person. I don't try to joke around with such people. Why would a person without a sense of humor seek out a joke? And comment on it? Unless he was joking...

It's all very confusing. Humans are confusing.

At least I'm not lost or angry (but I am armed).

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Bad intentions, conspiracies, statists, governance, and gaslighting

Some people just don't want to admit that there are people out there with bad intentions-- at least within the political realm and especially in the government they support. 

If you get them to concede on that point with overwhelming evidence, they still want you to imagine that people who have bad intentions are incapable of planning ahead to get what they want. They may claim these people never have actual meetings to conspire with others, so there is no overarching plan. They ignore the probability that these people naturally understand the role they are playing without having to discuss it with others like them.

What looks like an intentional push towards evil is just coincidence-- just a consequence of how things are set up to run.

Maybe it's a comforting delusion. Maybe it's a lie. Maybe admitting these things would make it harder to continue to believe the fiction that government is necessary and good. Maybe they need to believe it.

I am not one of those people.

I believe evil people are every bit as capable of thinking and planning as I am. If I automatically know what part I can play in the drive toward liberty, I give them the same credit to know the part they can play in the push for slavery and authoritarianism. I don't need to attend a strategy meeting to know what I can do that's good for promoting liberty, and they don't need to strategize with others to know what they can do to increase government power and control. It's built into their "jobs".

Secret meetings are not necessary,

And yet, every session of Congress, every meeting between presidents and prime ministers, every meeting between diplomats is exactly the kind of meeting that involves plotting to enslave the world. There's nothing else they ever meet about! It's not a secret conspiracy-- it is right out in the open for everyone to watch and for government supremacists to blatantly deny. 

"Gaslighting" is a popular claim these days, but it's been going on as long as governments have existed. And government supremacists are the primary villains doing it. 

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Quality

Most of the time, I'd rather repair than replace.

Most of the time, I'd rather buy an antique steel, wood, brass, and glass version than the latest plastic and aluminum thing.

Most of the time, I'd rather make it myself than buy it.

Most of the time. Not always in every case.

I don't find any fault in those who feel differently. It's a matter of taste. Plus, sometimes they give me their castoffs. I've gotten some really great stuff that others tossed when they replaced something that didn't work (for them) anymore with something new. When I was able to fix the old stuff it often outlasted the new thing they bought as a replacement.

I've shown some of those old things on this blog over the years. It's not that I have anything against new stuff. If I can afford it, and it serves a purpose no antique can serve, then I'm happy with the new thing.

I like my modern polymer-framed guns just as much as my old steel and wood guns. I like my cell phone as much as I'd like an old crank wall phone-- although the crank phone wouldn't actually work for me anymore (the house isn't even wired for a landline). 

But the older stuff just has something no newer product has. It is often of higher quality. I like the patina of used stuff. I like the history-- both when I know it and when I'm only speculating. I like the feel of "antiques", even when I buy them at a yard sale or junk shop. They feel solid and substantial.

I also like the fact that very often, with the old used stuff, with repairing rather than replacing, and with making it myself, no "tax" goes to government. That has a quality all its own.

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The most dangerous statists

One of the most dangerous things about statists is that (some) of them are able to come across as completely rational and reasonable while advocating something totally insane and absurd-- political government.

The whackadoodles out there aren't very dangerous. they are too easy to identify as nutcases to do much harm. But those rare sensible-looking statists are a real threat to the future of the species.

I used to comment on a blog where it was usually just me and this statist debating over whatever the blog author had written. He was always very calm and paternalistic in his responses to me. He would explain why government was inevitable and essential, and why we "had" to have things like "laws", prohibition, police, taxation, etc. Why "libertarianism" was childish and Utopian, "just like communism".

He was a Right-statist. He was smart and was a good communicator. He didn't seem to have bad intentions. But he was wrong.

To an uninformed observer, his arguments would have looked like they made sense.

To anyone who could see beneath the surface, his claims were extreme and anti-human. As is all statism.

He would never directly address my counterpoints, as though they were beneath him and unworthy of his attention. He'd either erect a strawman or change the subject just enough that it might not be obvious to others. He was really good at doing it in a way that even I sometimes missed what he had done.

He was really dangerous.

That was years ago. The blog we debated on doesn't exist anymore. I don't know what happened to the author, and I don't know if that commenter moved on to other blogs. If he did, he's probably still doing a lot of harm.

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The market vs government

There's a local businessman I've always respected and gotten along well with. I regularly patronize his establishment.

However, I recently discovered he is also on the "city" council, and in that position he acts just as you'd expect a politician to act.

Some people I know got together and went to a council meeting a couple of weeks ago to beg government to not violate them so hard in one specific way (they are in the right). And he was a total prick to them.

In business, he seems to be honest and respectful. His customers have to be satisfied or they'll go elsewhere.

In his government position, he can be a rude, dismissive jerk because his victims are trapped... until or unless they can shrug off the statist beliefs that hold them prisoner to archators. I do what I can to try to help people discard those archaic and harmful beliefs, but you can't help those who don't want to be helped.

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Legislation does more harm than good

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for June 4, 2023)

I oppose allowing tornadoes to terrorize people and destroy property. Think of the children! Any politician who doesn't support common sense weather regulation has blood on his hands.

Politicians must pass a law saying tornadoes are not permitted within city limits, but only in rural areas without structures, crops, or livestock and strictly between the hours of 11 AM and 5 PM. That should fix it, or at least be a good first step toward banning them entirely.

Then, when people continue to suffer loss from the weather, expand the regulations to cover hail, blizzards, floods, heatwaves, and any other dangerous weather. If it saves one life, it's worth it,

At least, this seems to be how politically minded people, including politicians and bureaucrats, imagine reality works. It doesn't.

Bad people who want to harm others pay as little attention to rules as the weather does.

Since the weather won't listen to rules, the rules would have to be aimed at the rest of us. Forbidding people from having a roof or windows which could be damaged in hail storms would make as much sense as telling the population which defensive tools they are allowed to have. Neither makes any sense unless you are brainwashed by politics.

Which most people seem to be, to some extent.

The reality is, rules end up hurting the innocent more than they inconvenience troublemakers. Since rules often target behaviors which aren't actually wrong but only prohibited, they are entirely harmful.

Maybe you'd claim these rules might not stop anything, but they give society a way to punish the wrong-doers after the fact, to discourage others from following the same path. If this is your excuse, several thousand years of evidence say this doesn't work. The weather can't care and every bad guy believes he'll be the exception who'll never be caught. The results in both instances are identical.

Rather than making up pointless and harmful legislation targeting the innocent victims and potential victims of bad weather, the smart thing to do is to let people build storm shelters and weather-proof buildings, and buy insurance. In other words, don't prevent people from taking responsibility for their own life and property. Respect their liberty to do so.

Anything else will end up doing more harm than good, creating excuses for even more ridiculous legislation in the face of failure. This cycle of failure is called "politics".

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How will liberty survive when it is criminalized?

Fairly often I get to thinking about how (and whether) liberty will survive the next era. It will obviously be "illegal" and the statists will be thrilled to hand you over to the bad guys for a pat on the head (and maybe some rations or social credit).

There's a lot of fiction out there about living in an underground economy. There might be lessons to be found in it. Even the prematurely canceled, forever mourned Firefly was about living on the fringes of an evil empire while keeping as much freedom as possible. I believe the methods in the stories were adapted from real-world examples, so maybe there are things you can learn and copy.

To some extent, many of us are already busy on this project.

It isn't easy. It can be rough, but it can also be fun. Some of the people (current and past) I respect the most are living on the fringe and doing fine. Such a life isn't for everyone, and some will be willing to give up liberty (perhaps grudgingly) to be allowed to live in the state's version of society.

In a post 16 years ago, I wondered if liberty lovers were going to end up being like the Amish. I still wonder about that, but in slightly different ways now. I suspect we may end up being more like moles and gophers. Hiding out of view of the State, in places it has no interest in watching. Doing things it doesn't see as a threat.

If it takes being an outlaw to hold onto some liberty, I'm completely fine with that. I despise the State and have no respect for those who work to keep it going. I want to be separate from them; it's not a hardship.

I hope there are still some liberty lovers around when the state topples under its own top-heaviness. A collapse is inevitable, but it would be good if there were someone to help the survivors learn a better way of living than that they are familiar with. To learn what liberty means and why it matters.

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I don't bite, but...

I might hurt people in other ways.

Cocaine in the White House isn't a real crime, but having and staffing the White House is. It's funded through theft.

Hunter Biden did nothing wrong by lying on his 4473 to buy a gun. Government commits a crime every time it forces someone to fill one out. Or, even give their name when buying a gun (or anything else).

Independence Day is a day to celebrate shooting armed government employees and overthrowing the governments that don't want their hired gunmen shot, not a day to watch government light fireworks and sing songs about "The USA". (I didn't suggest you celebrate by shooting armed government employees... that's your call.)

"Gender" is almost never the correct word. I started noticing "gender" replacing "sex" on paperwork a couple of decades ago. I wasn't sure why at the time, but now it looks like it may have been on purpose. As with the words "literally" and "anarchy", I suppose we are slaves to "common usage" rules, but I won't use those words incorrectly.

Gov-schooling isn't about education, but indoctrination (and babysitting). Yes, some education is going to slip through because you almost can't stop kids from learning. Gov-schools can pare it down to a minimum to keep the population ignorant and compliant. Cracks are starting to show, though, even in the university scam. Is it too little, too late?

Dogs that jump at the fence and bark aggressively when people walk past on the street are not good dogs. I understand having a dog that alerts you to someone on your property. I even understand that most dogs aren't going to understand where their property ends (like borderists). But responsible dog owners should work to train their dogs to not bark endlessly and aggressively all day at every passing person. The sound of dogs barking should be an alarm, not a constant nuisance. How can anyone even stand to listen to that all day long? I don't support sending government goons after these people, just pointing out their lack of responsibility.

The weather is too hot, the region is too flat and too domesticated, and I'm too broke and too tired from too much work at two houses.

Thank you for tuning in to The Curmudgeon Report. Good day.

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Call of the Wild

I shouldn't watch videos about remote towns. I always end up feeling homesick for places I've never been to when I do.

Not that I'd actually want to live in such a town; I'd prefer to live a few miles out of town even in that case. But, even "in town", if the town is like Jarbidge, NV, would probably be fine most of the time. 

I've known of several "towns" that would suit me. I was even offered a chance to live in a ghost town in Colorado on a friend's vast expanse of property once, not that the only remaining building was even slightly fixable. And it was really bad timing, or I would have considered it more seriously. Passing up that Chance was probably a big mistake,

It's not that I don't like people-- I do-- but I also like wilderness and solitude. Sometimes remote places call to me almost more than I can resist. Like now.

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Happy INDEPENDENCE Day

For some reason, I forgot to include the link to my newspaper column when I posted it here on Sunday. Oh, dummy me! Here it is: link Sorry about that!

Anyway...

I keep seeing people trying to make the holiday into a day to celebrate (worship) the government. government's armed squads, or even the Constitution. That's just wrong!

As someone else pointed out, the Constitution didn't come along until 1789, and then it basically spat upon the Declaration of Independence.

The statists ruined a perfectly good holiday, just like they ruin everything else they touch. They are more to blame than government itself!

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Who am I supposed to see as the enemy this week?

It's so inconvenient not paying attention to the mainstream "news". I can't remember who I'm supposed to hate right now!

Who is the enemy?

Is it Russia or Ukraine? Putin, Zelenskyy, or that rogue bald Russian mercenary? They all seem sketchy to me.

Is it the Supreme Courtjesters, Congress, or the President? Why not all of them?

Which "race", sexuality, or ethnic group? Which religion?

Am I supposed to be hating Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or George Soros? (Well, obviously Soros!)

It's all just so confusing.

Wait... I think I should probably hate the mainstream "news" and the archators of every sort they keep promoting and shoving in my face for me to fawn over. They are the real enemies. 

That keeps things easier since it is based on what someone is doing, not who they are or where they were born.

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