Control is in government’s nature

Control is in government’s nature

(My Clovis News Journal column for January 2, 2015)

“If men are good, you don’t need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you don’t dare have one.”
— Robert LeFevre, libertarian businessman

One common argument for government is that people are evil, greedy, and cruel, so government is necessary to protect people from each other.

This seems to ignore the fact government is made up of those same people. How giving some of those evil, greedy, and cruel people authority over the rest is supposed to solve the problem has always mystified me, and asking how this is imagined to work goes unanswered. It's a justification devoid of reason.

Human qualities run the gamut. Humans are selfish and selfless. We are greedy and generous. We fight and we cooperate. We are cruel and we are loving. We like having leaders and we often fall for Rulers.

History shows the negatives tend to be much more additive than are the positives. It is easier to commit evil if you can spread the blame to a group, rather than doing it on your own.

I'm not saying groups can't do good things- they often do- but true evil on a monumental scale usually takes a political "movement". Leaders convince followers to do all sorts of things they'd never dare doing on their own. This can either mean reaching for greatness which otherwise would never have been accomplished, or it can mean participating in genocide or democide. Charismatic leaders can convince people to reject their own principles for "patriotism" and for "the common good". Since humans do have some negative qualities, the worst thing you can do is give them justifications for putting those qualities into practice.

Some of the negatives aren't really negative. Selfishness often causes people to do nice things, because it makes them feel good. There's nothing wrong with that. Greed inspires people to give customers what they want in order to gain more in the long run. At least it's how it works in the free market where truly harmful behavior has consequences.

It seems funny that those who distrust human nature the most are under the impression that giving those flawed humans power and authority over others, and shielding them from the consequences of their actions by allowing them to hide within a group, will make them turn from their negative nature and bring out the best in them. The very nature of political power selects for people who have a desire to control the lives of others- in other words, the very sort of person who should never be permitted to hold power.

Keep doing the same thing, expecting different results. I'm sure it will happen this time.

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Giving your attention to Washington state's most worthless parasites

About the liberty activists planning to go break some anti-gun "laws" in the state of Washington:

Go for it if that's what makes you happy, but think about this... by acting as though the "laws" have any legitimacy- especially enough legitimacy to motivate you to go into the hive- you just prop them up.

A better way to live- as I see it- is to simply ignore the fools who dream up "laws". Don't go protest, because that makes them think their opinions have weight. They only have weight if you give them weight. By protesting you make the law polluters feel important. You are giving them some of your life and energy. You are revolving around them and wasting time you could be spending on other things.

I know there are a lot of people who feel the need to do "political" things. I understand that desire to a point. I also hope your activism gets the result you want, and that no innocent people get hurt or killed.

But, seriously, do those clowns matter so much to you, personally, that you'll arrange your life around them? Why?

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"Former libertarian"?

Saying "former libertarian" is like saying "authentic replica". A "real counterfeit". A "genuine fake".

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Prepping- just do it.

It amazes me how people can ridicule those who prepare- coming up with justifications for not doing so themselves. It's always that someone else can help them, or that the store is just a block or two away, or "that will never happen".

Well, "that" can always happen, and does to someone every day.

Then when their lack of preps comes back to bite them, they still refuse to see how much better it would have been for them to have been ready. "Oh well, I survived and it's too late to worry about it now."

And they still never do anything about it to be ready for next time.

Next time may be worse.

I gain nothing by convincing you to prepare. I make no money from it. I probably don't even know you in person and might not notice if you were no longer there. I doubt you are close enough that I would feel guilty if I didn't share my preps with you- cutting into my own preparations- in case of disaster, and I wouldn't be at risk of you coming to take my preps if you were "that sort" of person, simply because of geography. But I try to get people to prepare because I care.

I can only tell you how important it is, and how many times my preps have helped me, even in the absence of any major disaster. Your decision at that point is yours alone. But, please, just do it. Do something. Today. Even if you don't have everything ready, anything you do is better than nothing.

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Cosmos and "Climate Change"

(Previously posted to Patreon and my subscribers)

Last night I watched the "Climate Change" episode of Cosmos.

It was heavy on ideology, and all the science in the show was presented to prop up that ideology- and there were holes. There always are. 

I have enjoyed the series, and I even enjoyed this episode. It was interesting and informative- and I think I am able to tell which is science and which is ideology. 

They probably could have kept the show more credible by leaving out the bit with Dr. Mole People, Dr. Frank Baxter- an English professor, not a scientist, by the way- warning his audience decades ago of human-induced climate change.

I still don't *know* if any change in the climate is due to human activity- and neither do the scientists who are so concerned. Show me a time in earth's history when climate wasn't changing, and I'll know you are cherry picking data to prove something that you and I both know isn't true. Even if the climate is changing, and it is due to fossil fuel use, we don't know it will be harmful on the whole. Yes, some species might have to migrate; some will die off. But some which would have otherwise gone extinct will probably survive due to any change. As we all find out through life- trying to avert one problem usually creates other problems. It's not something you can foresee or prevent, you just have to be ready for unintended consequences.

Much is made of the fact that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is reaching levels not seen in 3 million years. So? Life was doing pretty well 3 million years ago. For a show which keeps presenting the long view, 3 million years is awfully narrow.

Don't get me wrong: I am all for solar power and wind power. But, there are downsides- environmental downsides- to both of these which will be used as an excuse to demonize them once enough people and industries are dependent on them. I am reminded of the campaign to promote fructose as a healthier alternative to sucrose/sugar- until fructose became ubiquitous, when the tide shifted and fructose syrup became Satan's ooze. It's all about demonizing things that taste sweet.

Solar cell production has toxic byproducts, and wind generators kill migrating birds- and that's just for starters.

There are probably even better solutions out there, but they will all have consequences, and none will make everyone happy.

Anthropogenic Global Climate Change (AGCC) pushers will become something else at that time. I don't think they will ever be against technology for themselves, but the rest of us need to accept that we harm Mother Earth too much when we have it. Just let them be the High Priests of Technology and dole out crumbs to the rest of us as they see fit. Just the way anti-gun bigots would like to do with guns.

The truth is that there are people out there who simply can't tolerate seeing people happy and comfortable, and they'll use any excuse to try to prevent it. And this is one example of how this mental problem manifests itself. Maybe it's because they feel bad because not everyone has access to the same things. The solution is to help those who want access, not to cut off access to those who already have it.

In the episode Tyson speaks of the risks of not changing how we live, but ignores the risks of changing. If AGCC is real, it still might not even kill as many people as immediately ditching fossil fuels would.

There are an awful lot of "ifs" in this campaign.

And, even if true, handing control to the various governments is the worst possible reaction. But it is what the AGCC promoters always advocate.

"Climate Change" has become a religion, and "Climate Change Denial" has become a competing religion. Like all religions, silly things are said and promoted and facts get pushed aside.

I don't advocate pooping in your own nest. I believe people should be responsible and clean up after themselves and not mess things up unnecessarily. But trying to force (by "law" and taxation) people back to pre-industrial lives is not the solution.

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Check out the WLGCLAJ

Hey, here's something that looks like it's worth a look! The William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism.

And, the first post dovetails nicely with what I've been trying to say.

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Your flawed system may defeat your goal of gun liberty

Those who have conniptions about "illegal immigrants" ganging up with American anti-gun bigots to vote away my liberty are, again, missing a big part of the picture.

Just as their behavior is creating new "Democrats" (as if "Republicans" respect liberty any better), they are driving them to be anti-gun.

If you were to move into an area where people are gnashing their teeth about your presence, and you were given the (illegitimate) opportunity to vote to take those people's guns away from them, you'd need to have a very solid foundation in absolute human rights to pass up that chance.

I could do it- as my lack of support for "borders", anti-gun "laws", and assorted State actions that might "benefit" me in some way should demonstrate. But most people, especially coming from a place where government and freelance aggressors were constantly shooting the "legally" disarmed innocent, need some better experiences to learn from.

Hating them, telling them they must go through an illegal "legal" process to live where they want, and then acting like a threat to them, isn't going to accomplish what you claim to be your goal. You have adopted a really bad system to get where you claim to want to be, and the result will be inevitable if you don't change tactics.

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Shocked!

I'm shocked when I discover an otherwise intelligent person is "conservative" or "liberal".

That's like discovering an astronomer who believes in horoscopes.

Or a neurosurgeon who believes headaches can be relieved by letting the evil spirits out of the sufferer's skull by drilling holes in it.

Or a biologist who believes flies spontaneously spring from rotting meat.

Or an astronaut who believes the Earth is flat.

It simply makes no sense whatsoever.

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I'm such a slacker

I guess I should sent the State Line Tribune another Liberty Lines soon. Shame on me for slacking.

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If you're right, what do you care what I think?

Recently I have upset a lot of people ("conservatives") with my opinions on the mass murderer, serial killer Chris Kyle, and "capital punishment".

That is understandable.

I'm still right on both counts.

However, what does it matter? It's "just" my opinion.

Chris Kyle is dead, the movie beatifying his worthless murdering hide is a huge success, and my opinion won't likely talk even one person out of selling their soul to the State, especially if they hunger to murder large numbers of people without "legal" consequence. Those on that path aren't going to be reading my opinion anyway. I wouldn't use The State or its "laws" to stop them even if I could.

And, on the topic of "capital punishment", statists are going to do what they are going to do. I am powerless to stop even one "execution". Sure, if I saw a person in the public square, kneeling to be beheaded, and I were able to take a shot- just like a military sniper- to kill the executioner as he raised the sword, I would do it. Before you compare me to a military sniper, let me remind you this act would be my responsibility; my "fault", individually. Not "just following orders" or "just doing my job". I couldn't justify my actions by the gang I belong to. This would be killing to save a life by stopping a government action, against a person not currently initiating force nor property rights violations, in progress. Not just a potential act, but an imminent one. I would not shoot the same guy if he were simply walking through the square with a sword or firearm, nor if he were going after an obvious armed trespasser (obvious by the gang colors the trespasser wore), there to cause him or others harm. But, unless public executions become a thing in America, I wont be in any position to stop one. I don't trespass uninvited.

So, basically, all the anger over my opinions is silly. People are getting upset over what I think of them, or of people and practices they like. If I'm wrong, what do you care what I think of you? Not enough people read this blog for it to have much impact in how others think of you or those things you support.

If you believe you are right, keep doing or supporting those things and don't worry your conscience. If deep down you suspect I might be right, do some thinking for yourself.

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Slavery can be red tape or chains

Slavery can be red tape or chains

(My Clovis News Journal column for December 26, 2014)

Most people think of slavery as an evil from the past, at least in America and other "first world" places. Yet it's still all around us, only in slightly modified form. Libertarians are the modern day abolitionists seeking to change this.

Is slavery OK if you believe the slave would die without being owned and controlled? After all, the slave master feeds, clothes, and houses his human property so they will continue to live and be useful to him. A dead slave is of no use to anyone. And, perhaps, giving a slave his freedom and allowing him to live in Rightful Liberty would result in some tragedies.

That seems a poor justification for slavery.

Liberty is worth the risk every single time.

Does it change anything if the slave doesn't realize he is a slave?

Of course not. I would prefer to point out his condition and encourage him to change it, and offer my help.

Just as I don't want my loved ones to be slaves, even if their master feeds, shelters, and clothes them, I don't want to see things I love- such as parks, zoos, libraries, roads, and education- enslaved by being part of government.

Not only does that mean I don't want them dependent upon money taken from its rightful owner through the act of "taxation", but I don't want them controlled by a bureaucracy which tries to exempt them all from market forces. This only entrenches the status quo and makes real innovation less likely. I want them to be free to be the best they can possibly be, without any red tape whatsoever. Finding a better way to do anything requires the freedom to experiment, risk being wrong, and not be constrained by regulations or any sort of bureaucracy.

It's odd to me how many times I see people comment that if I don't want government providing something I must hate it and not want it to exist at all. Nothing could be further from the truth. I want the things I love to flourish and spread in every conceivable arrangement.

The year 2014 is wrapping up fast. In many ways it was a good year, but I'd love to see 2015 be even better. My fellow abolitionists and I would love to think 2014 would be the last gasp for slavery of any kind, anywhere in the world. But, as Harriet Tubman is reputed to have said: "I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves."

Happy New Year, and throw off your chains!

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Living in FoxNewsIstan

OK, honestly, I can't say if they were influenced by any "news" channel.

I overheard some people discussing the mass murderer movie. Salivating to go see it; grieving that it is always "sold out". Propaganda has never been so profitable. The State risks none of the stolen money it controls, lets corporations do it instead, and both reap the rewards.

A nice gig if you can get it, I suppose.

Anyway, they were talking in reverent tones about the movie, unaware of its inaccuracies. And refusing to see the despicable events it portrays as bad in any way. Because, "Muslims!", and "America!"

Then, the talk shifted to an older movie from a few years before "9/11", where the hero spoke of not negotiating with terrorists. They commented that if (Islamic) terrorism had been "nipped in the bud" back then, "we" wouldn't still be dealing with it now.

Ignoring the reality that the terrorists were created, in large part, by the US government or its policies. No, "we" don't negotiate with terrorists- "we" create them, so "we" will have an excuse for never-ending war and tyranny at "home".

But, they were simply parroting the "conservative" mantra, and around here, it is gospel. And, in a very real way, it makes me feel sick.

Recently, I have been upsetting a lot of "conservatives". Not sure why; they should know by now I am not one of "them". I am the opposite of "conservative" and "liberal". Where they adhere to a respect for Rightful Liberty, I am right there beside them. When they veer off course into the swamp of statism, I don't follow them to oblivion. It's just my way. I just wish they would be consistent and choose a side: Liberty or State. But, not my circus; not my monkeys.

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Disappointment

I am feeling a lot of disappointment.

I am disappointed when someone who knows better does wrong. I put no one on a pedestal, so any individual's actions don't pull the rug out from under me. But I am still disappointed.

That disappointment is magnified exponentially when the response from people who also know better is to start chanting for revenge, punishment, and other evils which form the very foundation of The State and are antithetical to justice. Like a pack of dogs when one falls, they lose their minds and pile on, to tear the fallen dog to shreds, not really caring who else gets hurt in the free for all.

This is the greater tragedy, with the most far-reaching and long lasting repercussions and damage to the most individuals. In the long run, it is much more harmful than the evil actions of one person toward one other person. It shows how bad individuals can behave when herd behavior takes control.

What is the difference between a liberty lover and a statist if they act the same way- even to the point of calling for the exact same response- to a horrible situation?

This kind of "thinking" is why The State still hangs on. It is, as is said, "why we can't have nice things".

It makes me feel alienated. It takes the wind out of my sails. If supposed liberty lovers don't "get it", how can I expect anyone else to?

This disappointment drives home the fact that I can never really "belong". I am me. Alone.

I have said where I stand and what I believe in over 8 years of blog posts- and you can witness through those posts as I have pared away inconsistencies and relinquished the clinging bits of statism I have shed over the years. I have explained how I will behave toward others, however they behave toward me. I am not associated with others beyond where our beliefs, and how we act on those beliefs, are parallel- where we diverge, we diverge.

It makes me just want to post cat pictures.

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Patronizing, anti-gun, gun lovers

From time to time I'll see someone posting online about a cool replica gun they have built. That is fine as far as it goes.

I can appreciate their works of art. I have a nice non-functional replica, myself, although I didn't build it. I also have a lot of toy guns, and cheap sci-fi toys based on Star Trek and Star Wars guns. So, I see nothing wrong with appreciating fake guns, too.

Occasionally, though, I misunderstand and mistake their pictured replica for a real gun, and make a comment based on that misunderstanding. Some will laugh it off and inform me that their gun is a non-functional replica, and we can go from there discussing the nice points of their fake gun.

But, what I don't like is when someone takes that opportunity to get patronizing, telling me that "real guns are too dangerous", and going on a diatribe based upon their beloved anti-gun beliefs. Yeah, that can really irritate me.

Maybe real guns are too dangerous for them. In that case, they are probably too stupid to own fake guns, too. After all, acting stupid with a fake gun can get you just as dead as misusing a real gun.

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"Capital punishment" is murder. Here's why

The reason a State death penalty is murder seems to be lost on some people.

Killing someone who is currently attacking or violating private property is not murder. It is self defense. If self defense fails and the victim is murdered, it is still OK- or wonderful, even- if the attacker is killed at the time and place of the attack by a bystander since the assumption that everyone around is still in mortal danger would be reasonable. If no one happened to be there to kill the attacker at the scene, killing him is then off the table, ethically.

Killing that same person later- when they are no longer an imminent threat- is a revenge murder. I realize a large majority of people think revenge is sometimes OK... but it isn't.

For one thing, if you weren't there, you don't really know what happened. Making a mistake and demanding restitution from someone who turns out to have been innocent is bad enough, but making a mistake that results in death is unforgivable.

Having a government employee do the killing on the victim's (or "society's") behalf changes nothing- unless you believe the propaganda about the State- meaning the individual humans comprising it- being somehow exempt from the ethical rules all humans are subject to.

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Can anything be "made right" with a wrong?

I am not a "believer" in The State. Period.

No matter what someone has done, or to whom, The State is never a good "solution" (if it can be considered a "solution" at all) and I don't support any response which involves the State or any of its tentacles.

I don't believe in imprisonment. No justice can ever come by this path.

I don't believe in revenge or punishment. Once again, these are anti-justice. I also understand that most people are enthusiastic fans of both, so this puts me at odds with seemingly everyone.

I am a big fan of death at the hands of the intended victim or a rescuer at the scene of the attack- but anything later is revenge or an attempt to "punish". I can understand the desire for punishment, and have even been guilty of committing it myself in the past, but it is still wrong.

Some things can never be "made right"- but with the knowledge of that fact seems to come a desire to toss everything aside and become a salivating revenge junkie, a crazed punishment pusher, or a situational statist.

And, that's all I have to say on that matter.

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C. S. Lewis, liberty, and the evils of statism

Some of you might enjoy this talk by David J. Theroux to the C. S. Lewis Society of California. I listened to the whole thing and I enjoyed it.

 

Stop aiding your enemies with your inconsistency

I've been observing some meltdowns going on online. Meltdowns driving a wedge into the liberty community. In other words, doing the anti-liberty bigots' work for them. That's sad.

The funny thing is, it's always over compromise with evil- with inconsistency. Some people get their knickers in a bunch when others do it, while doing the exact same thing themselves and not recognizing it.

You look silly throwing a fit over some Second Amendment Rights compromiser who helps write anti-gun "laws" if you also support anti-liberty military mass murderers.

Yeah, it's the same sort of thing. It's support of State over Rightful Liberty in both cases.

Consistency is important. You can be consistently wrong- it is unlikely but possible. But, it is impossible to be inconsistent, yet right. You may be right about some things (by supporting Rightful Liberty) and wrong about others (by rejecting Rightful Liberty for some people in some instances and/or by supporting a particular enemy of liberty you want to support for whatever reason), but the areas where you are wrong damage your credibility where you are right.

I try to remain consistent. If I notice inconsistency in myself (or have it pointed out to me) I know it means I am wrong somewhere. I have worked hard to eliminate those inconsistencies, always toward a deeper respect for Liberty, even when it makes people hate me. I'd rather be right than popular- well, I suppose it would be nice to be both, but that's just not going to happen. Besides, if you are right, it means the people who like you are the good people, and not just those who "like" you for your popularity.

These petty (or not so petty) in-fights could be avoided if people would take consistency seriously and just stop trying to appease the anti-liberty bigots who will never be their friends anyway: those who give lip service to liberty as long as it suits their purposes- advancing their own liberty- and quickly forget it as soon as the State and its "laws" can be used against someone they hate.

When in doubt- and even when sure- always default toward Rightful Liberty. If you choose something over Liberty, own it.

Added: Someone, on the Facebook "share" of this post, commented "Good advice for you, Kent!", to which I replied "Please be specific about any inconsistencies I exhibit so that I can fix them." I'm still waiting for a response. Maybe I misunderstood what she was attempting to communicate.

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The War on Driving

Isn't it convenient that the primary mode of transportation has been declared by the State to be so uniquely dangerous that they must exercise extraordinary control over it with all sorts of "laws", and swarms of enforcers to impose those "laws" on travelers, even as those enforcers constitute a real "public" hazard by doing so.

They say in order to be safe enough to drive you must have all sorts of permits and licenses for you and your vehicle. They have asserted for themselves the "authority" to regulate what is in your blood or what you are doing. They claim to be authorized to take away your right to drive on a whim if you don't do what they demand.

Yes, there is a War on Driving, declared by the State and supported in some form by every sort of person- with truly few exceptions.

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This is your brain on propaganda

Today was "online insane", all over that ridiculous sniper propaganda movie. It is turning brains to toxic sludge faster than any zombie virus ever dreamed of.

And, I don't get it.

I realize there is a very large contingent who desperately want to give cops and "troops" a pass they are not willing to give other State tools. Why? I don't know.

Fine.

I see it as blatant inconsistency, but you do whatever makes you happy and accept the consequences. I think truth is better, and that inconsistency shows you are wrong about something, but if you are comfortable with it...

Go ahead and go further. Insist that "taxation" can't be theft because government employees are committing it as part of their job.

This is basically what I am running up against.

It is no different when you claim that a soldier in war- on the invading side- is not a murderer because it's his job, and killing "the enemy" is what he is supposed to do. Mafia hitmen also have a job to do which includes killing people their boss tells them to kill, but I guess it is only "not murder" if you work for the biggest mafia..

Never mind that defending your neighbors from aggressive invaders is the right thing to do in every case, no matter where you live.

Never mind that owning and carrying weapons ("keep and bear arms") is a universal human right, and targeting individuals doing so in their own land is wrong- especially when you are the trespasser.

But, go right ahead and call me names.

If you excuse the state in one thing, you are excusing it in everything.

Added- others agree with me: American Sniper, and the Murderers Hall of Infamy and AMERICAN SNIPER by Jacob G. Hornberger

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