Letter to the Editor- Water

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kent McManigal

Farwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A set of rights violations masquerading as Law

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Problem? Government the worst solution

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

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

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

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

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LPR (Flock) cameras are watching you

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

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

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

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

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

Constitutionally, it's a criminal act.

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

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

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

This is not for your benefit.

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

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

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Don't perform for government

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

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

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

People are getting mad at the wrong people. 

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

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

And most people oblige.

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

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Politics is a drug

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

That doesn't make sense to me.

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

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

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

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

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

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Water troubles, exacerbated by government screw ups

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anyway...

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

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

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

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

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Government's supporters are all socialists

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

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

Anyway, here's how it is:

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

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

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

Government is socialism. All governments are socialist.

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

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Why is life so expensive?

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

Just maybe that has something to do with it.

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

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

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

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A mind poisoned by politics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don't tread on ANYONE!

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Maintaining liberty your responsibility

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

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

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

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Politics is Mr. Hyde without Dr. Jekyll

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, I'm an abolitionist.

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

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

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

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

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Racist anti-gun bigots grasping at straws

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Good guy with a gun

Good guys carry guns and don't wear badges. And sometimes, they wear hats!

That the evil loser took time out of his murder spree to shoot Tesla vehicles tells you everything you need to know about his motivation. Yeah, it was at least partly political (Politics makes people stupid and, usually, at least a bit evil).

When I did a "search" for the incident, I had to go halfway down the page before it even mentioned or showed the hero. 

When I specified I wanted news about the hero, it kept pairing photos of him in his shooting stance with the words "Idaho shooter causes multiple fatalities". Not clarifying that this man wasn't the shooter, but the hero who saved lives with his gun.

It feels intentional.

Because it is.

I've noticed the anti-gun bigots are really mad over this incident- not at the evil loser, but at the good guy and his gun. They are clearly signaling that they are also evil losers. And they v*te.

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The untrue "truths" of statists

The Left, Right, and most of NOTA reject reality in favor of ideology.

I can see it. I'm sure you can see it, too.

Those who are deep into it- hypnotized by it- can't see it. Reality is an inconvenience to their ideologies, so it will be ignored as though it doesn't exist.

New "truths" will replace reality in their minds. Untrue "truths" that make them more comfortable, but don't equip them to live in the real world very well, even as they try to make the real world operate as though their dishonest "truths" are reality.

They'll hate you for rejecting their "truths". But that's fine with me.

It's still a lie that anyone has the right to govern another, that taxation isn't theft, that cops are the good guys, that spyware makes you safe, that only government should have guns, and that democracy is a good thing.

It's almost amazing to watch them twist and turn, trying to force reality to bend to their wishes.

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Possible, but apparently difficult

Did you realize it’s possible to oppose Donald Trump and the "Right" without jumping down the Well of Leftism?

It is!

Just watch:

I oppose Trump's wars, his obsession with "America's greatest ally", his tariffs and associated lies, his "law enforcement" fetish, his continuation of generational anti-gun bigotry (while pretending he's different), his border crackdown, and his strange religious hypocrisy. I oppose theocracy of any sort, governments of any variety, and cultures that normalize treating people as property or rightsless children. I oppose spyware watching people to see if they can be caught committing a "crime". I oppose pretending government has "rights", can own property, or make up policies. I oppose all this and other things too numerous to list.

And I can say all this without rainbow-colored hair, a single facial greebly, making abortion a rite of passage to be checked off the bucket list, or "gender" pronouns in my bio.

More importantly, I can say it without supporting Palestine (or any other State or quasi-state), and without coddling the behavior of government-imported third-worlders who prefer crime to fair trade and mutual consent.

I can say it without believing that people who have shown they have no intention to stop archating should be given chance after chance to change (or be kept safe from their next intended victim's weapon, in a cage, at my expense!). 

I can say it without advocating socialism/communism; without having a democracy fetish and believing that v*ting is a right. Without hating rich people or successful businesses. Without pretending that taxation is anything other than aggressive extortion at gunpoint. Without supporting Democrat politicians who are just as bad as the Republicans, but in slightly different ways.

"Right" and "Left" are two sides of the same cow pie, but far less useful. You don't need to climb a lightning rod or jump down a well to signal you're on a "side". You just need to respect liberty and defend it from all archators, liars, and censors.

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Make their heads explode- figuratively, of course

I'm an anarchist. I don't believe anyone has the right to rule others. My behavior is my responsibility. I can't pawn it off on someone else.

I'm conservative. I believe there are some things worth conserving, such as liberty, some aspects of some cultures, and good ethical principles. There are good things about the past that I believe should be preserved.

I'm liberal. I believe in respecting the liberty of others. I believe in the goodness of overflowing generosity and kindness.

I'm a progressive. I believe progress can be good, as long as it doesn't sacrifice the rights of the individual. There is potential in the future that should be explored.

I'm an individual. I believe society is nothing without the individuals who comprise it. The individual is the smallest minority; the only one that counts.

I'm a sentinel. I believe in the right to address aggressors quickly, harshly, and with finality. On a one-to-one basis, at the scene of the attack without getting government involved.

I am an outlaw. I have zero respect for counterfeit "laws" or any rules that violate the natural rights of humans.

I'm a collectivist. I believe cooperation is good and useful because there are things no individual can do alone. If you're forced to participate, it isn't cooperation, but slavery.

You may have noticed I'm using those words differently than the way the toxic factions associated with those words generally use them. So be it. Do as you will, but don't be toxic.

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Both are tools

Statists- especially anti-gun bigots- like to compare government and guns. They'll point out that both are tools. Everything depends on how they are used.

I agree.

You have a right to form a government.
You have a right to own and to carry weapons, including firearms.

You have no right to impose your government on others against their will.
Just like you have no right to start shooting randomly into a crowd of people.

You have a responsibility to govern yourself, but no right to govern others. You have no right to force your government on others, even if they refuse to take that responsibility upon themselves. (In that case, you have the right to defend yourself from them.)
You have a responsibility to stay armed so you can defend yourself and others, but you have no right to start shooting random people just because you have a right to "keep and bear arms". You also have no right to force others to own and carry weapons- even though it is their responsibility to do so.

V*ting, as an expression of your right to form a government, is the same sort of behavior as shooting random people as an expression of your right to own and to carry weapons. It's archation in both cases.

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Good rule of thumb: Mind your business

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

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

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