I'm not breaking the rules...

I'm playing a different game.

Every day, I anticipate the Wordle hint on Thomas Knapp's blog. Not so much to play Wordle as intended, but to see if I can guess the word in one try based on his hint- and maybe by using the first letter. I usually can.

Getting hints and the first letter isn't technically playing Wordle, but it is the game I'm playing. For me, it's more fun than the game they designed.

I've realized that I do this in a lot of other areas as well. That doesn't always work out well, but it's what I tend to do. Especially when I find the "game" uninspiring, dumb, or rigged against me. 

The "game" as established isn't for me, so I play it my own way. Other people can play it however they want. 

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That time I failed to stop a crime

...And, felt awful about it for years!

I really believe I've written this story before, but I can't find it, so here goes.

One year, just before Christmas, I went to the mall with my first wife. We were walking through the parking garage when I heard someone yelling, "Stop him!"

There was a guy running directly toward us, holding a shopping bag or two. I think it was a snatch-and-run.

I tensed. My wife grabbed my arm and said, "Don't you dare!" I was so shocked and taken aback that I lost my concentration, and the guy ran past us and climbed over the fence bordering the parking garage.

That gnawed at me for years afterward. 

If no one does anything, bad guys keep getting away with it. I think I could have tripped him, at least. This was just a couple of years before I started carrying defensive tools, but I still believe I could have done something. In the long run, it might have even saved the thief's life.

Maybe it was better for me, personally, that I didn't intervene. But it tore me up for a long time. I had such guilt haunting me when I'd be trying to go to sleep.

That was the time I failed to stop a crime, and I swore I'd never be in that position again. I know it's a promise to myself I may not be able to keep, but I'll do my best.

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That time I stopped a crime

Many years ago, on my day off (which tells me it was probably a Thursday), I was home alone, in the bedroom at the back of my very small house, when I heard the front door open and close. 

My wife-at-the-time was at work, and it must have looked as though no one was home. I glanced out the window, but my wife hadn't come home early.

I picked up the only gun I owned- a lever-action .22 rifle, which was loaded- and went towards the sound.

Standing in the middle of my living room was a kid of around 12 years old. He was startled by my sudden appearance (I'm a stealthy walker) and by the fact that I was holding a rifle at low ready.

I asked what he was doing in my house. 

He stammered something about looking for me. I said, "Here I am. What do you want?"

He couldn't think fast enough and came up with some obvious nonsense, and I told him to get OUT of my house. He did.

Later, I found out that there had been several burglaries around our rural neighborhood. I have no doubt that had I not been home, we would have come home to a burglarized house. Of course, if I hadn't been home, the front door would have been locked, and I'm not sure the kid was breaking in or just opportunistically checking for unlocked doors. Either way, the burglaries stopped. Or moved.

And that's the story of how I once stopped a crime in progress.

Somewhere, I believe I've written about the time I failed to stop a crime, and have felt bad about it ever since. Not my finest hour. I can't find any such blog post, so I'll write it for tomorrow. Link here.

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Not looking for a fight, but finding one anyway

On X, an account posted a tragic story about a woman in Australia who died after being repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted by her husband's friends. Truly horrible, and it makes me sick!

An account that shared the link said, "men don't care". 

When I said I care, she (I'm going to assume the account owner is female) doubled down. I wasn't trying to start a fight, but she had other intentions, it seems.

So, I shared this true, painful story from my past (that I didn't really want to tell) as anecdotal evidence to the contrary of the claims made:

I once found out an acquaintance (and her children) was being physically abused by her husband, who was (until then) a friend of mine. I lived 700 miles away*, but I made one phone call** and got her out of that situation. She never spoke to me again, because she'd told me in confidence and sworn me to secrecy. That's not the kind of secret I will keep. If he had killed her, I would NEVER have forgiven myself. It was worth losing her trust/friendship to save her life.

That's when she started pivoting in strange ways, resulting in lots of personal insults, weird assumptions, profanity, denials, and story changes, but if you want to see all of that, go to the link. (I recommend following the link for an eye-opening experience, but "language warning". And I saved it all in a long screenshot, in case she gets embarrassed later.)

Yes, MEN care. When we know of a situation like that, we don't ignore it or try to excuse the creep doing it. It's sad that she is around so many weak, worthless "men". I guess it's what she attracts or is attracted to- if she's interested in men at all.

I think she was just trying to make a point about "that divisive trial", but failing. Hard.

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*I just realized that wasn't true- I lived over 1000 miles away.
** To her parents, not the cops.

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The anger trap

What's the "proper" response to current statist conditions? Sadness? Or anger?

I responded to a video of a racist socialist who was happily exposing their plot by posting my "socialism" meme. 

One of those kind and tolerant people with a "***.bsky.social" X account (to distinguish itself from run-of-the-mill "fascist" X users) replied:

"Don’t worry, when our time comes we’ll be taking a lot more from you than just your 'stuff'."

Here's one of these people saying out loud that they plan to "take" something more than just our property when they can get away with it. What else, besides "stuff", is there to take? Well, there's also life and liberty. 

They seem to imagine they are on the right side of history, while admitting they will act like previous generations of fascists/socialists as soon as they get the chance. It sounds like a credible threat; one that justifies any level of self-defense.

It makes me a bit angry to know so many people mindlessly align with this view.

Then you have the people who are supposedly on our side who say some version of "resistance is futile".

"You can’t eradicate human nature. Most people want to be led."
"We’re never let out of it. We’re always caught up in the tides of tyranny because we’re so outnumbered."

Does he think I'm supposed to give up and wither away because I'm outnumbered? Roll over and take whatever they dish out? That kind of defeatism makes me angry, too.

Not all of us want to be "led". Not all of us are so weak and useless that we want to be governed. As long as there are a few of us who rise above this, there's hope. They are NOT going to change my mind. It doesn't matter how outnumbered I am. I know they are wrong. They are the bad guys. 

Statism, and the threat it poses to human flourishing, angers me. It's not in my nature to quietly take it, even if I know it's not usually smart- or feasible- to fight it one-on-one. Because there's never only one of them. Statists are pack animals, acting on herd instinct without sapience.

It all makes me so mad. 

I don't lash out in anger, though. That's the anger trap. It's not the time to act rashly. Rather, let it inspire you to plan and plot. Look for your opportunities. So far, all the bad guys who stood above the general level of mundane statist evil have been brought down. Maybe this, at least, can continue until the time is ripe for the end of the religion of Statism altogether.

I see that trap. Even seeing it, I flirt with falling into it sometimes. Just imagine how dangerous it would be for someone who doesn't see the trap at all.

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You know what's best for you

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 9, 2026)

I don’t know.

What don't I know? I don't know exactly how you should live or every detail of your situation. I don't know how to solve every possible random problem in the world. I don't know what complications might arise. I don't know solutions I can’t see or haven’t thought of. All the variables; the consequences of any potential solution. I don't know how, or if, society should be run...read the rest...

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Is sadness a consequence of awareness?

It makes me sad to be aware of all the liberty we are missing out on- all our rights that are being violated- just because so many people don't want to be responsible for themselves, but want someone else to tell them how to live. 

To protect them from their own incompetence. 

Because of someone's fear.

I don't want to be sad.

But being unaware of the situation wouldn't change the reality. Pretending it doesn't matter won't make things better. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away. 

Ignorance isn't really bliss; you'll just be surprised when the police state catches you in its gears.  I know- I've seen it happen to people who denied the situation because the denial was comfortable... until it wasn't.

Yeah, it makes me sad to see how many people are content with government stealing liberty and violating rights. But there's no going back.

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That divisive trial

I'm torn.

Yes, I believe that woman murdered her children. 

I'm also aware that government lies to get the verdict it wants. My belief that she did it, based on hearing that she confessed and that there's plenty of evidence, is only that: a belief. I wasn't there, so I can't know for certain- and I never will.

I still believe she did it, for what that's worth.

Yes, I believe she is/was insane. Insane, but guilty. I don't believe insanity or hormonal issues absolve a person of responsibility for their archation. 

If that were the case, a lot of convicted and admitted rapists should get a new trial since testosterone is sometimes called the violence hormone.

I'm in favor of jury nullification. I think it applies when you believe the person did what they are accused of, but "laws" prohibiting the action are illegitimately prohibiting something every individual has a natural right to do. I don't believe that fits in this case because no one has a right to kill their defenseless offspring.

I also believe a government court is the least credible place to seek justice. They are designed to punish, not to provide justice. Those children will never receive justice by caging ot killing the woman who killed them. Justice is out of reach; it's not an option here.

I wouldn't mind too much if every jury trial resulted in a mistrial to demonstrate the absurdity of the ritual. Of course, if government can't get the outcome it seeks through a jury trial, I expect they'll dispense with that in the small percentage of cases that still go that route. They'll skip right to the punishment phase. Maybe a jury trial complicates this.

As always, I'm against imprisonment, partly because it is funded by theft, thus leaving the victim victimized twice. Also, because it is Crime University. Third, because it is too easy to use for political purposes. Plus, it doesn't provide restitution, but punishment.

I would much rather leave bad guys out among the general population, who are completely aware of what they did. Don't attack them to punish them, but watch them (not with government spyware, though, since that isn't public), and if they try to violate anyone else, they (like the others who do the same) would likely be Darwinized from a free society. That's usually the best outcome, even if some think it's harsh. Otherwise, as long as they never archate again, leave them alone. 

As always, there's a possibility that I'm completely wrong in my views on this case and everything else.

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There's only one word...

This is my 20-year blogiversary! That’s 7,305 days, and 8,101 blog posts.

I feel this should be significant in some way, but in what way? I don't know.

The world- and America, specifically- is so much more authoritarian now than when I started writing here. Hopefully, that's a coincidence, or inertia; a correlation and not causation.

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Services can be provided sans government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 2, 2026)

I don't want or need to be governed, but I still want a few of the things people claim government does or provides. 

The difference is, I want these things provided voluntarily, without taxation or other forms of coercion. If something isn't essential enough for people to chip in and fund, it needs to go away. Forever, or until enough people decide to pay for it without being forced...read the rest...

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Is it necessary?

The recent water crisis we've gone through locally made me realize something about myself. Often, before I do something, I ask myself if it's necessary.

Every time I turned on a faucet for the past few weeks, that question crossed my mind. Along with, just how much water do I need for this? Right now?

It made me realize I do that to myself all the time, with other issues.

Is it necessary to spend this dollar?
Is it necessary to go? Is it necessary to drive there?
Is it necessary to do this?
Is this argument necessary?

If it is necessary, I do it with open eyes and (usually) a clear conscience.

Often, I realize something I was about to do isn't necessary, and I don't do it. 

If it's not necessary, that doesn't mean I won't do it. Some unnecessary things are important enough- to me- to do anyway, but it's good to do them with that understanding; not mindlessly on autopilot.

I also know there are things I see as unnecessary that others feel are very necessary. Government, for example. Too bad they can't have their "necessity", but keep it off my property and out of my life. Because liberty is necessary for me, and their government fetish prevents it.

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Being mainstream would be easier

Sometimes I wish I could fall in line with the mainstream of society. But then, we’d both be comfortably wrong.

I know... this isn't the first (or even the 100th) time I've thought this.

Everyone who advocates that others be governed has some issue they'd be willing to see the State kill you over to prevent you from doing what you have a right to do. Just because they don't like it.

This includes "libertarians" who have some issue they'll defend the State's position on. And there are a lot of them. I suspect some are lying because they don't want statists to think badly of them, or they have seen how libertarians who stood up to the authoritarian narrative were treated in the past. I get it. 

They'd be better off keeping their mouths shut than defending the State's position, but they don't.

A current example is public spyware. I can't get over the supposed libertarians who are defending Flock cameras, using the excuse that you don't have the right to not be photographed by a random stranger in public. That's not even close to the same thing.

If a random stranger took photos of you in public places, then used the information gained in those photos to track you down to rob, kidnap, cage, or murder you, you have the right to use deadly force against that stranger. (The State might dispute this, but the State is often wrong.)

You have the same right if that stranger works for government and uses Flock spyware, but you aren't "allowed" to defend yourself in this case. No matter how blatant the violation or how immediate the threat. Why do these people pretend they can't see the difference?

If the "law" allows you to be photographed and tracked so that your life, liberty, and property can be violated, the "law" is wrong. If the "law" forbids you from defending yourself from someone doing this, the "law" is wrong.

I'll stand up to those who say otherwise, and I'll question their motivations and their ethics.

But, I admit life would be simpler if I just went along with the mainstream and begged for safety instead of demanding liberty. Instead of sticking up for uncomfortable rights and inconvenient liberty.

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Technology- good and bad.

I am not a Luddite or anti-technology. I like new technology- when it improves my life.

Spying on me, tracking me, and controlling me is not an improvement to my life.

Nasty little cowards who are afraid of the world and want Big Brother to keep them safe feel otherwise. Unfortunately, a lot of new technology is tailor-made for them. They beg for it, and someone is creepy enough to give it to them. Or, more accurately, someone will create it and sell it to The State, which is evil enough to use it against all of us on behalf of those people. For "safety".

Because of this, I can relate to people who are anti-technology. I'm trying not to join them, but I understand where they are coming from. They are better people than those making and deploying technology to spy, track, and control the rest of us.

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Don't participate in violating liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 22, 2026)

Liberty is a big jewel with many facets. All its facets are important, but you can pick favorites. I do. Even then, don't try to dull the shine of the facets which don't affect you as much. To someone, those are the important ones.

No one can focus on every important liberty issue. Pick a few that matter most to you, or the one most under attack at this moment. If the threat shifts, adapt.

Some people try to pass off cut glass or shiny plastic as jewels. Don't be fooled. If it obligates you to provide something for someone else, or requires someone else's life, liberty, or property to be violated, you have no right to it. Not to feel safe, to get something you need, or for your convenience. That's not liberty.

It's important to defend liberty, but more important to not violate it. Don't be the problem someone else has to overcome. Don't participate in violating anyone's life, liberty, or property, even if the current laws say you should.

If a job requires you to violate someone's rights, don't accept the job, even if you need the money. If you took a job, believing it would serve liberty and protect people's rights, but you discover it does the opposite, quit. Or at least refuse to participate in the violations. This is your primary human responsibility, even if you don't like the consequences. It's your responsibility to respect others' liberty just as it is their responsibility to respect yours.

You're responsible for defending liberty from all threats and violations, even those you personally approve of.

The biggest threat to liberty is, and has always been, government and its supporters. No other threat comes close. Even the freelance criminals you fear the most are a minor inconvenience by comparison.

No government job secures liberty; all government jobs violate natural human rights. Some are worse than others. The ones which provide a service the market would fill if government didn't are the most benign. Those no one would voluntarily fund if taxation hadn't been normalized are the ones which need to be abolished immediately. All the others fall somewhere in between, but they all need to be phased out.

Whichever facet of liberty you choose to polish and shine your light on, government is its biggest threat. If you don't spend most of your effort defending it from government, you're wasting your time.

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How I spent my weekend

My old throwing knife has seen better days, and I decided to get a spare as a replacement before it breaks. If I were better at throwing- and sticking- the knife, it wouldn't have such a hard life.

More than 30 years ago, when I decided to add knife throwing to my Rendezvous skills, I didn't like any of the (Rendezvous-acceptable) commercial throwing knives out there. Most didn't even resemble knives.

But I found one advertised as a "throwing bowie" in the Atlanta Cutlery catalog. It was also cheap! (I think it was $20 at the time.) So I ordered it.

Back then, I was considerably worse at throwing a knife than I am now, and the brass guard broke off almost immediately. That was fine and expected. I also hated the weird hook at the butt end of the grip. It only got in the way, so I ground it off. The wood grip shattered before too long. The knife went through a few different wooden replacement grips until I replaced them with leather (secured with peened nails and washers) a few months ago. I had rawhide protecting the front of the handle scales most of that time, but it became a bigger problem than help, so it got removed a couple of months ago.

The leather handle was installed around the time I started practicing throwing my tomahawk and knife daily again. (I had taken a decade and a half break from regular throwing, just because. That was a mistake!) This handle is already showing heavy wear, but has been surprisingly resilient. As I had hoped.

Other problems soon started showing up, though.

A bad throw is hard on the knife, and some days I'm having to bend the blade back straight every few throws. That's not going to be good for the longevity of the blade, so I started thinking about a replacement before this one snaps in half and takes me out of practice for weeks. I was pleased to see Atlanta Cutlery still offers the same knife for a comparable price, and a few weeks ago, I bit the bullet and ordered one. (A huge "Thank you!" to my subscribers for allowing me to do this!)

The shape of the blade is a little different than my original one, but that's not an issue. It's probably due to differences in the particular Pakistani knife maker rather than a design change.

This past weekend, I had some time to relax, and I used that opportunity to go ahead and shape the knife into the throwing knife I want. 

I've learned a few things about a throwing knife as I want mine to be over decades of experience. 

First, I once again got rid of the horrible hooked beak at the butt of the grip, and smoothed the wood where I removed it.
Then, I removed most of the brass guard (before it has a chance to snap off), leaving just enough to protect the anterior of the wooden handle scales. I'm hoping that works to make the wood grips last longer, but if not, it's educational. I ground and filed the guard so that it doesn't stick above the top or bottom of the blade, hoping that keeps it from snagging on the target and breaking if (OK, when) I miss.

If it doesn't work as I hope, I still have this new blade and I can put new leather handle scales on it anytime. I've learned some things about that, too.

I then took it out and gave it 6 test throws. It worked great and didn't get any damage- helped by the fact that I didn't miss the target (I did, however, stick it too weakly once, and it fell out). Now I'll keep it as a spare for when Old Bendy finally gives up the ghost. I feel a lot better having a spare, and I'm no longer worried that ACC will discontinue this model just when I need a new one.

That's partially how I misspent my weekend. It was fun.

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Verify; Don't trust

When this town's government declared a water emergency (because of their screw-up) and imposed water restrictions, I cut back on my water usage. They demanded 20%, but I was able to cut my use by 40% (my parents cut theirs by 50%).

Water is essential, and I was willing to help, even knowing that the Tragedy of the Commons meant that many people wouldn't cut back. I was not one of those calling for them to be "fined" or otherwise punished.

But, being who I am, I don't trust government. Amounts ("85,000 gallons", "4 feet", etc.) were posted without context. That always tells me someone is trying to deceive. So I took it upon myself to check the water levels myself.

There are 4 water tanks in town, 3 of which have gauges that are easy to see and read. The fourth, a water sphere tower, has no way to be read by the public. Someone suggested a laser thermometer gun, but the ones with the necessary precision to read something at the distance involved would be too expensive, so I'll have to ignore that one.

What I discovered was that the tanks weren't as empty as we were being led to believe.

I wanted to document this, so I have been photographing the water gauges every day and posting the photos online. The funny thing is that as soon as my first photos were online, the story changed a little, and it was admitted that the tanks were "almost full". (That was fast!)

I wish I had been watching in the months leading up to the crisis to see what the "normal" water levels are. I suspect we are close.

But none of that is useful for the agenda to buy the land that the city commissioners want to buy, from a crony- a deal that was roundly condemned as a bad deal two years ago when it was proposed and a petition was circulated against it. The government still wants this deal (no other) and is still pushing this as the only possible solution. They are still trying to scare people into accepting this plan.

But...

The worst restrictions have been lifted. Lawn watering is being discouraged and limited to one day per week per address. It will be interesting to see the effect of this, seeing how much water my parents used on the one day in the last billing cycle when they watered their backyard.

If it makes a big difference, I will be there to see it myself so that the rulers can't gaslight the population with more fearmongering. Combined with my open condemnation of the local Flock spyware, I'm probably putting myself in danger.

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A lesson in government's "economics"

A while back, my dad said that I should tell my daughter to be thankful for how much money she's making at her job, because his first job was driving a tractor around a field for 11 hours per day, for 50¢ per hour.

This was in the early to mid-1950s.

Once I pointed out how much the silver in two quarters would be worth today, he changed his tune a little. That would be equal to about $23.40 per hour. Much more than my daughter is earning.

If you're only adjusting for inflation- like if the guy gave him FRNs instead of hard money- that's only about $6.23 per hour. Not as good. In that case, my daughter is coming out ahead.

Anyone should still be grateful for their job, whatever it pays. No one is obligated to hire you. It is nice, though, if you make enough money to make the job worth the effort. It's sad how much of that pay gets stolen by the state, just because the state exists and feels entitled to your property.

Government sure likes to steal our money, one way or the other.

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Bitcoin magic

Whenever I check the price of Bitcoin, it's down for the day (or week or month). But somehow, over time, it's not losing ground. 

It must be magic.

I'm sure I always manage to check at "bad" times. But, it seems rather odd that I never coincidentally check when the price is up.

I'm still sold on Bitcoin. Perhaps I'm foolish. However, I'm willing to wait out the bad times. (And really, how "bad" is it when Bitcoin keeps hovering above $60,000?)

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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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