'Do no harm'

'Do no harm'

In a recent comment, "Mike" suggested that the operating principle for life, rather than being the Zero Aggression Principle (with my addendum of the "Principle of Zero Initiated Deceit") might be simplified to "Do no harm".

"Do no harm". If "do" is interpreted to include actions in self-defense, which it might be, then I am not on-board. After all, if someone attacks you, I defend your absolute human right to do harm to your attacker to make him stop. We'll assume for a moment that "Do no Harm" is understood in this way- "Do" as in "cause an action"; "initiate". Initiate no harm. If "Mike" disagrees, I hope he will speak up.

What about "harm"? Harm may still happen that you are not able to prevent, but that is not your fault. If you are able to prevent harm, yet you refuse to act, I might question your integrity and courage, but I would not blame you for the harm as long as you didn't "do"it. I shouldn't second-guess your choices in this case. I can't be inside your head and have access to all the information and values you possess. Weigh your decisions and learn from your experiences and perhaps next time you will be ready, willing, and able to reach out and prevent harm to some innocent person in your sphere.

My other concern about expressing our principles as "Do no harm" is how many people consider it "doing harm" to mind your own business and not meddle in the affairs of others. After all, you have to remember how many people foolishly feel that it is "doing harm" to not force others, at gunpoint ultimately, to provide and pay for health care for people who are not providing it for themselves for one reason or another. Or look at all the people who say that private, non-coercive "drug" use is "harming society" in some way.

Still, "do no harm" is a suggestion I have made before on my blog, especially where government is concerned. In the case of "the state" I would much rather "suffer" harm from something that happens due to "extralegal" freedom than to suffer harm from something that some short-sighted imbecile wrote into law.

I say again: It is better for bad things to happen due to a lack of action than to cause bad things to happen due to your actions. In other words, it is less wrong to watch a mugging occur without helping the victim than it is to be doing the mugging. It is sad when a person is harmed because harm wasn't prevented, but it is positively evil when something bad happens to an innocent person because the harm was enabled or made inevitable by the passage of a "law". When you pass "laws" to "help" people you are becoming the mugger.

Bad things, harm, will always happen. That is the stark reality. No amount of law pollution will ever be able to change that. No saturation of cameras watching our every more; no RFIDs in our skin; no stronger "law" could ever prevent all harm from ever occurring to us.

Use the term "Do no harm", but be prepared to respond to those whose ideas of "do" and "harm" are based upon irrational emotionalism rather than truth.


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The best course

The best course

Contrary to my youngest sister's childhood opinion, I don't know everything. But I do know certain things quite well. One thing I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that it is possible- not only possible, but imperative- to live a life of maximum freedom for yourself, protecting your life and your freedom as if it were your purpose for existing, while respecting the same in others. This means living by the Zero Aggression Principle and not initiating deception. Happiness is more important than freedom, but only with freedom can you truly "pursue happiness".

Even if freedom were not a successful "strategy", you would do well living that way. If the statists are right, and "might makes right", and theft, kidnapping and murder are OK as long as you have the winning vote, then society is doomed anyway. In such a case I would rather go out doing what I know is right instead of becoming an evil person just to get a little temporary benefit for myself.

I don't have all the answers. I am still learning from others, and learning from myself. I absorb all I can and I digest it until I use what I need and discard the rest. Then, the knowledge I have made a part of me, I rearrange into myself. Freedom is never finalized. Areas where I am not certain can be altered or changed by good arguments. Areas where I am certain need to be challenged and re-evaluated. Explaining myself and my views to others is the best way to untangle it in my own mind, and to find any weaknesses. I may not change my mind, but ideas that can't stand up to scrutiny are not worth much anyway.

My approach

My approach

I was recently asked about "my approach" to freedom and life. It isn't that complicated. My main goal is to increase my own personal freedom. Secondary to that is to increase freedom in society, which obviously includes everyone I deal with regularly. Living by the ZAP and by not initiating deceit is how I attempt to achieve this goal. I know from experience that it works in real life, with real people. Whether they wish to cooperate or not. Whether they live by the same principles or not.

This is "my approach". It may not be the best way for everyone, but it works for me. When I have energy left over from living my own life I may decide to spend some of that spare energy on political projects; at least the ones that don't make me feel like I have abandoned my principles. Or I may choose to add value to my own life in some other way.

Is that "selfish"? I don't think so. One must remove the mote from one's own eye before he goes around blindly poking in the eyes of others. You can't toss someone a life jacket if you are deeper underwater than they are. A person must understand and even feel what it is he is working toward in order to avoid losing his way. You can't point the way to camp when you are lost.

This column helps me get my own thoughts in order. If others get some benefit, then that makes me happier. If there is something you would like to hear my opinion on, feel free to ask a question or suggest something. Believe it or not, though, there are a few things I have discovered that I simply have no opinion on. That doesn't mean it isn't important; just that it is outside my sphere of concern.

What freedom is up against

What freedom is up against

I hesitated and almost didn't post the column that I wrote yesterday. It was a little more personal than most. I finally decided the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

The main reason is that I feel it is necessary to answer those who try to criticize the ideas I present here. If readers do not see the criticisms, they are missing half of the story. You have to see where critics get the facts wrong if you wish to defend your principles effectively.

The other reason is to show what free people are up against. We simply wish to be left alone as long as we are harming no one else. If we cause harm, we understand that there are consequences that we may not like.

That isn't good enough for those who oppose freedom. We could coexist with them in peace if they would let us. Even if they don't want to cooperate, we would leave them to their own path until they attempted to use coercion or deception. Yet this is unthinkable to them.

They will misrepresent what we believe. They will make "mistakes" in quoting us or in interpreting what we are saying. They will call us names if they think it will work. When it doesn't, they will either attack us or, much more likely, send hired thugs to do their dirty work.
The enemies of freedom want to force us to go along with them. They would kill us for simply not wanting to be a part of their "system" of coercion and deception.

In other words, any conflict would be of their choosing. This ethical failing on their part shows that they are wrong, and that they probably know it on an instinctual level. It is why they are so desperate to hide the truth any way they can.

Who achieves what?

Who achieves what?

I got a comment on an earlier post that I thought I'd share, since it probably won't be seen otherwise. I shouldn't give the commenter the honor of calling attention to his comments, but they illustrate the poor reasoning skills of some people so clearly.

This person, calling himself "john jones", says

Your approach, to avoid politics and live in a paranoid fantasy, is no solution
at all. I'm sorry to read that you have kids, and that you are doing your best
to warp their minds. I feel sorry for them and for you. Your approach will
achieve nothing. You remind me of the character Dale from King of the Hill, but
in real life that is not funny. It is just sad. So, so sad.

First of all, I didn't say it is wrong to engage in politics, just that it has a poor track record for increasing freedom in any meaningful way. Can a person be aware of history and not recognize this fact? I also said that if "political action" is your desire, go for it. My point was that it is wrong-headed to criticize people who have seen that politics isn't "the way" to get where they want to go. The reliance on politics has all the signs of being a religion to some people. Not everyone- some people.

Second, I am not "paranoid". I don't buy most conspiracy theories, including the ones that claim that there could never be a governmental conspiracy. Once again, history has exposed the lie of this delusional argument. Exposed governmental evil is never called a "conspiracy" once it is widely known. That way statists can continue to claim that there have not been any government conspiracies. Totally dishonest.

I also do not think anyone is "out to get me". I am not that important or influential. There are much bigger fish to fry. However, the distrust of those who think it is their duty to steal from you and kill you if you refuse to cooperate is not "paranoia". It is reality and common sense. The results of ignoring this fact can be seen everywhere. That also shows it is not a "fantasy". Refusal to accept the demonstrable facts, however, is a fantasy. It may make you popular with certain parasitical folk, but is it worth it?

Then he claims that my "approach" is "no solution at all". Seriously? To be "no solution" my "approach" sure has solved a lot of problems. Not just for myself, but for others who really make the commitment to live up to it. Maybe his idea of a "solution" involves a lot of repeated failure so that he can continue exercising his approach and keep failing.

People like this "john jones" who have no foundation for rational debate can always be relied upon to bring children into their attacks. They like innocent collateral damage. It is the way of manipulators to try to use your family against you. Sorry. It won't work.

I guess teaching your children self-responsibility and self-reliance is attempting to "warp their minds" to people like "him". So be it. To do less is unthinkable abuse. I know too much about the workings of government indoctrination camps known as "public schools" to trust them with my kids' education and safety. I feel sorry for the off-spring of "john jones". He must be raising compliant sheep who will be willingly led to the slaughter. Maybe they will even facilitate their own demise to impress their masters. I'm sure he will be so proud.

He then claims my approach will achieve "nothing". Been there; done that. My approach has already achieved more than I could have hoped when I began this journey. I wonder what the approach of "john jones" has achieved so far?

Finally his desperate attempts to discredit me reach the realm of absurdity. Someone can believe I am like a cartoon character if that is what they want to do. If "Dale" agrees with me anywhere, then he would be smarter than I give him credit for. Obviously "john jones" has not actually read enough to get to know my views very well. He responds with a knee-jerk attack when something threatens to make him think. And that is what is not funny, and, instead, is so very sad.

Nothing illustrates the approaching "Idiocracy" better than "john jones" and his comment. I would guess that he is a bitter person who is tired of losing from trying the same failed tactics over and over again, so he attacks others. That is purely speculation, however. I invite him to write more to confirm my suspicions. I probably won't respond again, but at least other people can learn from the example.

Freedom odds and ends

Freedom odds and ends

Here is a collection of random bits and pieces I have written or collected that don't fit anywhere else:

"Overpopulation": The problem isn't that there are too many humans on earth, the problem is that we are still in our cradle. That is crazy. It is time to force NASA and the governments of the world to step aside so that we can start crawling out of the nursery of Earth and out into our real long-term home. It is inevitable and it is essential that we do so. Soon.

Fear of anarchy in a post-governmental world: Anarchy will reign supreme (as it does in almost every area of our personal lives), and it will crowd out "chaos", since they are mutually exclusive conditions (regardless of common misconceptions). Governments are "slow chaos" that people don't seem to recognize as chaos. Anarchy is order, and can be bewilderingly fast and scary to those conditioned to accept the slow chaos of government.

Black Flag on property rights:

Property rights derive from Scarcity. If I stand "here", no one else can, since
only one 'thing' can occupy 'this' space at any one point in time. Property
rights exist to establish who has 'the exclusive use' of that space. It is a way
civilized society can organize and sustain itself. The only other way to obtain
exclusive use is to fight for it - and initiation of violence is an incredibly
de-stabilizing force on civilized society to to the point of collapse. Where
ever exclusivity is required to use a 'thing', Property rights must be invoked.
From that light, one can see where property rights are properly exercised and
where they are not.

Black markets: You don't FIND the black market; you MAKE the black market.

Some "pro-gun" politicians: If they are too stupid or evil to understand that there exists a basic human right to own and to carry whatever type of weapon we see fit, wherever we go, in any way we wish, without asking permission of anyone, ever, then they are not "pro-gun" at all, but are just debating how severely to violate your rights.

Freedom: Freedom isn't free, nor can it be purchased from or by government.


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Chaos- the definition

The societal/"legal" condition where actions cease to have predictable consequences. Evil is rewarded, and honor is punished. Nothing makes sense. This is the chaos that results when "laws" make a thing both mandatory and prohibited at the same time. Rather than being due to physical laws, it is dependent upon people committing evil acts. In other words it is the result of government.

(This is separate from the mostly benign but sometimes annoying scientific "chaos" where Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle combines with a lack of "all the facts" and "unseen initial conditions" leading to unpredictable outcomes.)

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Accepting your responsibility

Accepting your responsibility

Accept responsibility that is yours, but don't try to claim responsibility that is not yours.

An example that crops up constantly is "taxation". If your money is stolen at gunpoint to pay for the state, against your will, it is not your fault. If you happily "pay your taxes", then it IS your fault when the state uses that money for evil purposes.

In my previous column I spoke of "fraud". Some seem to place the blame more on the gullible victim, others blame the deceptive liar. It could be the fault of either, or even some combination. However, don't think you can go through life cheating people and then remaining blameless and pure, since "they shouldn't have been so gullible". Few people will buy that excuse.

Everyone is vulnerable to falling for a scam. No matter how smart you think you are, there is always someone smarter. At least when it comes to lying. Their deception has been refined from years of experience. They know exactly how to fool you and gain your trust. Their every waking move has been geared to figuring out how to trap people like you, while you have been simply going about your life. It is not your fault that you haven't been obsessively concerning yourself with avoiding fraud. However, if you are also trying to get something for nothing you will be more gullible and bear more blame than if you are simply trying to conduct honest business with a liar. Obviously, if you know a person is a liar, it is smarter to refuse to deal with them in any way, ever. In fascist America, you don't always have that choice.

I have personally suffered from fraud. In my case I was not seeking "something for nothing"; the price was actually very high. I got nothing in return. And, yes, it resulted in part from a desire to benefit from something that seemed too good to be true. I should have known better, and yet every time my inner alarms went off, someone or something allayed my fears enough to get me in deeper. I hope I have learned my lesson, but I also hope this doesn't mean I will never trust anyone in important matters again. It is a delicate balance, and one that is not easily maintained by an individual every moment of their life. You will stumble sometimes, and you will be pushed at other times. Recognize which has happened before you assign the blame.

Fraud- the definition

When I talk about "fraud" I am referring to the use of lies or other forms of deception in order to facilitate an interaction when the truth would have caused one party to refuse to participate. It may not "initiate force", but it is still wrong. It is something I know I should not do to other people, and if I do I deserve to have the same done to me.

Fraud- however it is classified, it is still wrong

Fraud- however it is classified, it is still wrong

As I discussed in an earlier column, the Zero Aggression Principle doesn't cover everything that would be wrong for me to do. There is another "code" that hasn't really been put into words as far as I know, and I have no intention of trying to do so now.

This "other code" that goes along with the ZAP still follows "do unto others...", maybe it should be called the "Zero Initiated Deception Principle". I don't know what you'd call it. I can still see fraud as "initiation of economic force/coercion" pretty easily, even though I'll back off and let L. Neil Smith have the last word on the ZAP.

However you want to describe it though, I understand that fraud is not nice. It is one of those things which I realize that I should not do to other people because I don't want it done to me, and that by doing it I open myself up to justified retribution.

Now, I also think it is fine and noble to lie to someone who has initiated lies, or is credibly threatening coercion. Would I lie to protect "Jews in the attic"? Absolutely. And if that didn't work, I'd kill to protect them. Is it wrong to lie to a liar or an attacker? I don't think so. Is it wrong to cause harm to an innocent person? Obviously it is. However you slice it, fraud is an economic lie and it causes harm to innocent people.

If someone paints a passable copy of the Mona Lisa, and signs it with da Vinci's name, and then offers it for sale- caveat emptor. Da Vinci is dead and probably isn't too worried about his "Intellectual Property".

If you only want the Mona Lisa because you like the way it looks, then a copy is fine. That is why prints sell. If you buy the original Mona Lisa you are attempting to buy more than just its physical appearance, You are wanting to buy its history and its ..... aura. That may be a stupid desire, but it's your choice.

For the seller to set the price based upon the pretense that a copy is the original is to sell something that isn't really a part of the package. You are not getting everything you are paying for. In the case of the copy there is no "history" going along with the painting. Leonardo's hands did not touch the actual, physical item you hold, and if that is part of why you want it, you have been cheated. I state again: caveat emptor, but to fall for a fraud isn't wrong any more than being the victim of a mugging would be. I know that to cheat people is wrong, even if they are gullible.

Now, what kind of "action" would be justified? Restitution. And if the defrauder refuses, then shunning and public airing of the fraud would be appropriate. I wouldn't be comfortable with saying that a person who defrauds you is fair game for you to shoot in self-defense. Although, depending on the circumstances, I might not judge against him if I were the arbitrator.

The road to freedom is not paved with politics

The road to freedom is not paved with politics

Freedom is not to be found in "politics". If you enjoy politics, then by all means play the game, but don't make the mistake of thinking that those who don't share your interests are "not doing anything" for freedom. The case may be that they are doing more by simply living free than all the activists combined will ever achieve. After all, "politics" doesn't have a very good track record of promoting freedom in any meaningful way.

You can be completely non-political while staying informed and increasing your own freedom. By your example, you can inspire others to increase their own freedom and give them an idea of how it can be done.

My own advice is to ignore the state and its ridiculous "laws" as much as possible; only paying attention to the tyranny in order to avoid becoming a statistic of state brutality. If you are a sociable sort, find like-minded people with whom you can share ideas. You could even join a secret society of free individuals. Do what makes you happy as long as it doesn't involve initiating force or deception.

What is probably the most powerful thing you can do for the future of freedom? Give your children a taste for freedom. It will stay with them for a lifetime. I was recently reading a friend's blog and she pointed out that letting your children experience freedom makes them remember it and want it. Looking back over my own childhood, I see how true that is.

As a child I wandered far from the watchful eyes of my parents. Taking chances. Exploring. It gave me a taste for freedom that will never fade. Even with, or possibly because of, the very real risks involved, there is probably no greater gift you can give your children. It teaches resourcefulness and responsibility. After all, if you get treed by a pack of angry feral dogs where no one can rescue you, you had better figure out a solution. More than anything else, my own childhood freedom probably had more influence on my current hunger for freedom than any other experience or teaching. I have tried to pass that along to my own children. I'm still trying. This is the road that will eventually lead to widespread freedom.

The truth hurts, but denial solves nothing

The truth hurts, but denial solves nothing

The truth may hurt and it may go against your cherished beliefs, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the truth. When you are faced with facts that you don't like, it doesn't help to attempt to reinterpret them to make yourself feel better.

As an example, "laws" are passed in vast numbers in order to avoid "anarchy", but the result is chaos. It is a slow chaos, to be sure, but it is still chaos- where logic goes out the window due to the capricious nature of the state. It is inevitable and easily observed if only people will look.

Gun control advocates would do well to look at the facts. Each and every new restriction on gun ownership or possession increases violent crime. They can try to cook the numbers to hide that fact, and they do, but they are only fooling the gullible.

Or, in my own case: The market will compensate a person according to the value they provide* to others. When I look at my own financial condition I am left with a disappointing conclusion. But facts don't lie.

When faced with a truth that is painful, you can accept it and try to adapt, or you can ignore the truth and continue down the same path.


*Don't fail to notice the large segment of the population who is compensated without regards to any real value. These are the bureaucrats, burglars, police, extortionists, judges, con men, and the president, who live off the proceeds of theft and skew the perceptions of what is "valuable".

Governmental inertia and stupidity illustrated

Governmental inertia and stupidity illustrated

A dozen years ago, more or less, I was attending a mountainman rendezvous in Colorado. The weather had been dry for the past couple of months and the Forest Service (more honestly referred to as the "Forest Circus") had declared a fire ban. This makes the primitive living a lot harder and less comfortable, but I have no desire to start a wildfire. In obviously dangerous conditions I will do without the comfort and utility of a fire.

The reality, however, was that just before the rendezvous began, the rains came. And wouldn't stop. I have never seen such a waterlogged landscape in my life, except in documentaries about the bottom of the ocean. We set up the tipi in the rain. Even with flat ground, water was standing everywhere, a couple inches deep. There was quite possibly nothing dry within a hundred miles.

And yet, illustrating the boundless stupidity and meddlesome nature of government, the enforcers of the aforementioned "Forest Circus" made certain to drop in on the camp daily to remind participants that the fire ban was still in effect. A wildfire could not have been started with gasoline, but "Rules are Rules".

Needless to say, there was a lot of outlawry going on when the enforcers were not around. They finally gave us permission to have fires for a couple hours a day in order to dry out some of our gear. There had been "jokes" circulating through camp about a possible lynching soon, and this "privilege" managed to quell the talk.

Government is counterproductive and obsolete. It endangers life and limb. I wonder if the lesson was lost on any of the mountainmen in attendance. If I had been in doubt, it certainly would have driven the point home to me.

Holding back progress in the name of the state

Holding back progress in the name of the state

Progress in many areas has stalled; it has run into the wall of the state. Progress has been thwarted by the progress-hating "progressives" as much as by the progress-suspicious "conservatives".

For example: transportation. Instead of our average speed of travel getting faster, as it always has, the state has erected "speed limits" and barriers to new technology. Of course it has done so in the name of "safety".

Human modes of travel have also constantly allowed us to bring more and more "stuff" along for the ride. This has been a huge boon for individual freedom. Until, once again, the state has decided to short-circuit this natural progression.

People were originally walkers and runners. I'm sure the early authoritarian mental-defectives were constantly saying to their peers "Walk; don't run". From being able to bring along only what they could carry in their own two hands, they quickly discovered the advantage of pouches and baskets. Then humans began to ride animals who could run faster and carry more stuff than they could by themselves. Later, humans built vehicles so they could use more animals and carry even more stuff and still maintain their speed. Progress in the area of speed stalled until humanity could get past the natural speed limit imposed by the physiology of the animals themselves. Finally, when mechanical vehicles were invented our average speed began increasing again. With each year it went up, along with the amount of stuff we could carry.

Until this all began to scare the control freaks. Then they started passing "laws" so that they could have their enforcers waylay travelers for no reason other than going faster than the authoritarians would like. Now they are attempting to limit the size and power of our vehicles as well; reducing again the amount of things we can carry. Progress in speed and carrying capacity are reserved for agents of the state. "Laws" even attempt to control what we can travel with. Pharmaceuticals and weaponry being the two main targets, although animals, currency, and anything else that strikes fear into the minions of the state can be targeted as well.

How long will humans put up with these artificial constraints on progress? I don't know, although I would guess that pressure will build until something breaks. Since the state is the force attempting to hold back the flood, the state is what will be crushed by its own short-sighted meddling. Good riddance to an obsolete relic that should have been buried long ago.

"Department of Corrections" is a lie

'Department of Corrections' is a lie

Yesterday I was out picking up litter and one of the items I picked up was a discarded letter which had been mailed from the Arizona Department of Corrections. "Corrections"? What a tragic joke! Just imagine if government departments were expected to be truthful when choosing names. "Corrections" would not be a part of the name in that case since nothing could be farther from the truth.

Very few who support the concept of imprisonment actual want "correction"; they want 'punishment". "Punishment" does not mean the same thing as "correction" no matter what abusive parents may claim as they prepare the belt. Euphemisms only hide the evil. The fact that most of those so punished do not deserve it only adds to the travesty.

Who do they think they are fooling with the word "corrections" in the name? Does anyone actually believe that anything, particularly the inmates' behavior, is being "corrected"? Or is it more likely that their behavior is being corrupted and made worse by exposure to more experienced and more "hardened" thugs (on both sides of the bars). Rather than "Department of Corrections", it is the "Department of Corruption"- in every sense of the word at every possible level.

The absolutely disgusting practice of putting non-violent innocent "drug users", "tax evaders", or other victims of "mala prohibitum" edicts in prison beside the violent initiators of force and thieves often turns people who previously had no aggressive proclivities into a new army of people who now have a "criminal record" and nothing to lose.

Obviously not everyone who was wrongly kidnapped by the "justice system" and tossed into the "correction" facilities will become an aggressor or a thief. Many people of strong principles are able to get out of "criminal university" without being corrupted. How many people really have principles strong enough to resist, though?

The corruption doesn't end there. The administrators and guards too often succumb to temptation and use their power in ways illustrated by the Milgram experiment. They also use their position to enrich themselves by providing services and goods in the prison's black market. Being inside a corrupt system corrupts a substantial percentage of those who come in contact with it.

Government seeks to expand the corruption, along with the inherent profit and power, but it is time to put an end to it. Once and for all.


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'Public schooling' equals abuse in today's authoritarian environment

'Public schooling' equals abuse in today's authoritarian environment

"Zero tolerance" demonstrates zero intelligence. A school would do better to accept the Zero Aggression Principle as the standard of behavior and punish the initiation of force rather than punishing the possession of tools or medications. Intent is at the heart of the matter.

I do not want my kids to go out in the world without a pocketknife no matter what "the rules" may be. Pocketknives save lives and are the most basic of tools. I also don't want my kids to do without basic modern medications because someone is afraid the medications may be misused. If I trust my kids enough to send the medication with them it is none of your business. If you are that fearful, stay home and hide under your bed. And if you are that controlling, get psychological help.

Public school administrators have become a horrible lot of life-force draining zombies without brains. They expect no one else to have any brains either. School districts then add insult to injury by stealing your money to finance these monsters and their programs.

This gets to the main issue: I don't know how anyone could consent to allow their children to be kidnapped and sent off to government indoctrination camps for the majority of their childhood and adolescence. This practice is crushing creativity and individuality while building willing supporters of the state and its corrupt ways.

This should cause outrage at the "villagers with torches and pitchforks" level. That it doesn't means that good people don't really understand what is going on. The fact that good people don't understand what is going on shows how effective the indoctrination really is. Separate school and state- in your own life at least. Your kids' education is MUCH too important to leave to the government.

Attack of the Conscience

Today I was at a store checking out when the woman at the register asked "What do you do?" It's a fair question since I doubt I look like someone anyone would hire.

So, I answered that I write. Then I immediately felt guilty, and felt as though I had lied to her.

I do write. I even get paid (a tiny bit) to write. So why did i feel like a liar?

Aggression is always wrong, but not all wrongs are aggression

Aggression is always wrong, but not all wrongs are aggression

Initiating force is always wrong, but not every wrong involves initiating force. This brings up a mistake I made recently in a note I sent to L. Neil Smith. He, quite correctly, set me right. Being an opinion I have held for a long time, it is perhaps surprising I let it go so easily.

My mistake involved trying to put all wrongs under the umbrella of "initiating force" instead of realizing that "initiation of force" is just one aspect of things that are wrong to do. You also have things such as fraud.

I was making the incorrect connection that fraud is "economic initiation of force". L. Neil pointed out to me that Marxists have made the claim to him that not handing over the necessities of life to the poor is the same thing. The obvious flaw in this line of thought is that the Marxist's demands place an obligation on someone else and therefore can't be force initiation. You have no right to something that has to be provided by others.

He also mentioned that some people claim that advertising forces mentally weak people to change their money-spending habits. Brainwashing, maybe- force, no. Advertising is as likely to make me NOT want a product as it is to make me want it.

I don't fall for those claims, obviously, so it made me re-evaluate my other view. L. Neil explains that in order to keep things clear and less confusing, we need to keep initiation of physical force separate from other things that may be just as wrong, but which involve no physical attack.

Theft obviously can involve initiation of force, but it doesn't always. Theft is the act of having part of the product of your life taken from you by 1) physical force, 2) threat of physical force, or 3) deceit. Therefore the act of theft is only a violation of the ZAP in cases 1 & 2, but not in 3. Breaking and entering, or a "con", wouldn't violate the ZAP; mugging would. A mugging, or taxation for that matter, depends on force or the threat of force. A burglary, where no contact between the thief and the victim occurs, doesn't involve any physical force against another human being. It is still wrong, which makes me wonder: how much force could be used to resist such an act? Is a booby-trap then an initiation of force?

Fraud, such as a "con" or "fractional reserve banking", relies on lying. I have never considered lying to be an initiation of force by itself, although it is usually wrong.

This makes me think there should be a corollary to the ZAP that asserts that no human being has the right, under any circumstances, to steal from another person, using force or deceit. Government certainly doesn't get a "pass" on this rule, either.

'You don't mind breaking the law?'

[Sherlock Holmes, speaking to Dr. Watson]
"By the way, Doctor, I shall want your cooperation."
"I shall be delighted."
"You don't mind breaking the law?"
"Not in the least."
"Nor running a chance of arrest?"
"Not in a good cause."
"Oh, the cause is excellent!"
"Then I am your man."
A Scandal in Bohemia by A. Conan Doyle

I'll admit it: I don't mind breaking the law. Not in the least. I suspect there was a time when "the law" was recognized as an intrusion into "normal" people's lives. It neither adds anything to your life, nor makes things more difficult for the dishonest and aggressive individuals who were its purported targets. It only feeds statism. But, in the beginning the state (by whatever name) was incapable of watching everyone all the time, so "the law" was more of a hypothetical threat rather than a real one. Unless you were very unlucky or very open in your defiance.

Then there came the days of malignant state worship- the 20th century. Governments all over the world grew exponentially and clashed with one another, resulting in hundreds of millions of deaths among the bystanders. People all over the world cheered on their chosen group of governmental thugs with religious intensity and ignorance. Banners flew, anthems rang, and more people died at the altar of the state.

While that era is fading, we in America (and elsewhere) are still dealing with the residual badge-licking, "law abiding citizens" and their freedom-crushing complicity. Their time is running out. They are sealing their own fate with unintended consequences.

One fact that is pushing society closer to the tipping point is that "the law" is reaching the point of absurdity; good people are regularly finding themselves at odds with "laws" with no intention of doing so. When it is impossible for a normal person to go about their day without breaking "laws", it is not a sign that the normal people are "bad"; it is a sign that the state has become a force for evil.

I am an outlaw. I will never be ashamed of breaking the "law", nor will I ever be proud of doing anything wrong.


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Obama's national service corps

Obama's national service corps

Ask not what "your country" can do for you, because that is looking to benefit from theft. Ask neither what you can do for "your country" because that is helping to support an illegitimate system. Instead, practice Random Acts of Anarchy and help the individuals you run across who need to be helped, or fix problems you recognize that need to be fixed. And do it without asking governmental permission or (perish the thought) for government subsidies.

Forced "service", to individuals or to "the country", is slavery. Anyone who advocates forced "service" is advocating evil. They can dress it up in red, white, and blue and call it "patriotism", or they can wrap it in warm-fuzzies and say it is for the "common good", but slavery and collectivism under any guise is the same horror. Stalin would be proud of the propagandists of "both types" spreading his values in America today.

Obama's national service scheme is no different from requiring (or pressuring) people to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Both are reprehensible socialist propaganda to be rejected by free people. Don't give in to the peer pressure, and resist those who would enslave you.