Here goes...

This is it. The next 24 hours are going to be monumentally unpleasant and stressful for me. As this posts, I am taking my first gag-inducing dose of intestinal drano. The "fun" begins.

The doctor has changed plans somewhat-- he's not scheduling a surgery for tomorrow "just in case", anymore. I'm going to ask why he changed his mind (if I remember to ask), since this means I'll have to go through all this again if surgery is necessary-- and that doesn't make me happy at all.

This is also likely to be a financial disaster, even with insurance. Due to deductibles and whatnot. And who knows what insurance-related nightmares I'll have to wade through before they even go through with the procedure. The thought makes me sick, especially with recent experiences in that regard.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

-

A confluence of factors means I'm in a severe financial crunch, 

so if you would, please consider subscribing or donating.

"Rights aren't real"

In any conversation about rights, someone will always pop in with "Rights aren't real".

And they're correct.

When you say someone "has a right" what you're really saying is that others have no right to do something to that person.

There is no right to murder, to rape, to kidnap, to tax/steal, to trespass, to ban or regulate anything, or to govern others. However you wish to express this is fine.

Saying "You have a right to..." is just shorthand for saying "no one has the right to" do something to you. Some people get twitchy over shorthand. It doesn't make it incorrect.

You have the right to free speech (and "reee speech") because no one has any right to shut you up. No one has the right to archate in any way, for any reason. The imagined right to do so-- as an individual or a corporation/government-- is not real. It doesn't depend on the target having any rights whatsoever.

As long as those who say "Rights aren't real" understand this, they are correct. 

If they imagine rights aren't real because someone somehow "has a right" (that can't exist) to do something to other people, then they are being hilariously inconsistent and wrong. 

-

Consider subscribing or donating.

I couldn't do this without your support.