"Heroes" vs heroes

Living off of theft, bullying people with coercion and threats, and otherwise violating people is a more successful life strategy than respecting people's rights and leaving their life, liberty, and property alone. 

Worse still, those who live the first way are even praised, respected, and seen as the good guys. 

How is that even possible?

It's still only ethical to choose the second path.

Those of you who have chosen the second path, in spite of the sacrifices it requires, are heroes.

Thank you!

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Defund politicians until they end shutdowns

As long as any politician supports shutting down businesses, he/she/it shouldn't get paid. Shut them all down, too.

Obviously, I'm in favor of cutting off every politician's paycheck for any reason or for no reason at all, permanently and without exception. Most people aren't in favor of that.

But, at a minimum, as long as those parasites are going to force other people to do without their income, the politicians' checks should be stopped and all that money returned directly to their victims, and all forms of "taxation" should be canceled at least for the duration. That's the real stimulus that should be implemented.

I would also shut down the "Federal Reserve" to prevent it from making up more "money" to keep government going, handing the victims of government any money that's already in government accounts (and personal bank accounts of the politicians).

Once they relinquish their hold, the "back pay" shouldn't be given to them as a reward for doing the right thing, though. Just like the money their victims lost, it is gone from their hands forever.

The longer the shutdowns last, the more money the politicians lose. It's only right.

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You can experience minarchy NOW

I saw a minarchist praising this congressvermin over his tweet. He said, "I love this guy". There is so much wrong with that tweet, even acknowledging that he is kinda-sorta promoting gun rights a little bit, within government-supremacist parameters. Or is he actually promoting mob rule?

I replied to the minarchist (whom I had previously mistaken for a libertarian) "There shouldn't be FFLs nor v*ting on rights or for politicians."

That set off a storm because I hadn't realized I was going to be interacting with a minarchist.

I was lectured that I should not criticize the "most minarchist" congressvermin, I should embrace "incremental steps" because most people aren't ready for Ancapistan (a condition I've never advocated), etc. You know, all the normal stuff.

I try to not alienate minarchists-- I was once one myself. And many minarchists consider themselves libertarians. But, still...

You can basically have all the benefits of minarchy today, without having to wait the rest of your lifetime for it to replace the State which currently exists, by simply ignoring the State now. That's not enough for me, but I'll take what I can get now. I'm not going to beg for a state that "allows" what I can basically already get away with.

I can't support people who violate life, liberty, or property on a regular basis, but from what I see this must be a little harder for most people. A lot of people seem to really like certain archators and seek out exceptions for them. No exceptions exist.

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"Liberty is..."

Just wanted to say I am very proud of this design I just made and added to TeeSpring:

Liberty is...

Libertarians criticizing libertarians

I've seen a lot of online libertarians criticized for things that have nothing to do with being libertarian.

It's not hard to be libertarian.
All you have to do is recognize you have no right to violate anyone's life, liberty, or property. This is what the ZAP puts into words.

Then it's up to you to keep the promise.

As long as someone makes the effort, whatever else they do is none of my business.

Some people are going to make different choices than those I would make. Often some of these choices are just for fun or are tied to attempts to make extra money. 

You might think they are showing libertarians in a bad light, or being frivolous, or even immoral by your standards. You are free to think that, but as long as their actions don't violate anyone you have no right to stop them. You can criticize all you want, but remember you may drive someone away from liberty just as easily with your criticisms as the behaviors you criticize can.

Plus, as has been said, a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having. Life needs joy. No one can survive emotionally being serious all the time. I'll defend people just trying to have fun or make honest money, as long as they aren't violating anyone. Even if their choices differ from mine.

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Gridlock best election outcome

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 28, 2020)

What do you expect to happen after Donald Trump's election victory? I expect outrage, shock, and denial from the national mainstream media and others who pretended Joe Biden was a credible candidate.

I expect more accusations of Russian interference in the election as an excuse to consider the result illegitimate. Until "None of the above-- leave the office vacant" is on the ballot, no election looks legitimate to me.

I expect violence from those who will use the election as justification for violence no matter how things turn out. Just as certain people riot and destroy their own city after a major sports victory, the chaos lovers aren't going to be cheated out of their riot whatever happens. They'll just change their excuse to fit the outcome.

I expect more impeachment attempts from sore losers.

I expect liberty to be incrementally outlawed even more, although more slowly than the opposing team would have done had they gained the power to do so.

I expect-- I hope-- gridlock will protect the remaining shreds of liberty. The worst possible result is for bipartisanship to break out in Washington DC.

I believe the founders of the United States built gridlock into the system on purpose. The last thing they wanted was for the federal government to do things to Americans. If this weren't the case, they could have simply placed all political power into one office. Instead, they divided it to keep government from having that much power. For various reasons, it didn't work.

For one thing, they never intended for the Supreme Court to do what it does: interpreting and having the "final word" on the Constitution. They stole that power for themselves, in what should be seen as a coup, all the way back in 1803. They've been a serious danger to American liberty ever since.

It's good when Congress is gridlocked, but still able to block everything the president does. It would be good if the Supreme Court never got to consider a case, or was evenly divided and couldn't make a decision-- it's a shame there are an odd number of Supreme Courtjesters. It's good if the president doesn't take Congress or the Supreme Court too seriously.

Gridlock is why Donald Trump may be the best outcome for a less than optimal situation. Unless voters choose the smarter path and vote for Libertarian candidate, Jo Jorgensen, instead. I wish I expected that to happen.

(I missed this prediction, so here's the follow-up: link)

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Kent vs Bad Dogs

The dog that made friends over treats, "Snacky"

I'm not a dog person. I don't automatically like every dog I meet; they have to win me over. And many have done so over the years. But some of them don't even try.

I walk around town for a half-hour or more every day, unless the weather is bad enough that I use the Gazelle machine (but I find that even more boring than walking in town). 

No matter the path I take, I encounter aggressive dogs who don't stay in their yard. Most are either some chihuahua mix or a pit bull (or pit bull mix). I hate the dogs that come after me.

Long ago I started carrying dog treats; to either make friends or at least to buy me time. There was one dog who quickly learned I wasn't someone to attack, but that I offered treats to friends. Until he disappeared a few weeks ago he was always watching for me to pass.

I also carry a big stick in case treats don't work. I have had to use it a couple of times.

There is a yard I sometimes pass where two pit bulls live. One of them was a puppy this summer. I was nice to the puppy every time I went by, trying to avoid future trouble. The grown dog usually stayed inside the fence (the gate is often open) and glared or barked. As the puppy has grown it has gotten more aggressive. I have tried offering treats but neither of them was smart enough to ever notice the treats. (I have a very low opinion of pit bull intelligence based on every pit bull I've ever met.)

A couple of months ago the two of them charged my daughter and me as we walked by and I whacked the puppy on the head with my stick. He yelped and ran back to the yard. For weeks afterward, he would bark from his yard but didn't come after us. Sometimes he would actually run back inside the fence before starting to bark. 

Then a few weeks ago he decided to go for it again-- it's always when the grown dog is with him. That time I held my stick out to hold them off, and a passing motorist charged his pickup at the dogs and they ran home. The motorist had some unkind things to say about dog owners who let their aggressive dogs roam, and I agreed.

Yesterday, they came at me again-- it was as though they were waiting to ambush me. It's a good thing I'm alert! I held them off with the stick and told them "No! Go home!" They turned and ran but as soon as I tried to walk they came at me again so I went at them swinging. A motorist who was sitting at the stop sign put his car in reverse and distracted the dogs by driving backwards at them as soon as he saw the situation. I was glad my daughter wasn't with me this time.

The people who own the dogs are sometimes in the yard. I wave at them. I suspect they don't speak English but they wave back. I don't want to dislike them, but they aren't making that easy.

Once they had a dead rabbit hanging by a rope in the yard, high enough the puppy could barely nip at its feet if he jumped high enough. I wondered if this was some sort of training, but I don't know.

I've tried other routes, but as I say there are other dogs who do the same sort of thing. A huge bulldog came at me one day and almost got me even while his owner yelled at him. And I almost kicked a tiny terror back into his yard a couple of times. I've made a crazy winding route around town trying to avoid the aggressive dogs and have realized it simply isn't possible. I'm going to walk my preferred route and the bad dogs along the way are just going to have to learn to leave me alone.

I don't want to get into trouble for shooting a dog-- I don't have a license to kill like the Blue Line Gang does. If I get arrested for shooting a dog, you'll know why.

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A politics-free holiday

Amazing! No one brought up politics in any confrontational way over Thanksgiving.

My family is made up of Right-Statists, Left-Statists, virtual world dwellers, and me. The Right-Statists and Left-Statists never mentioned politics to each other in my presence. Neither side tried to get me to take a side because they didn't talk politics.

The biggest surprise is that for the first time in years, I didn't hear the Left-Statists insert snide comments about Trump into every conversation, even those which had nothing whatsoever to do with him. That's a miracle. And a welcome change.

Maybe it is better to just give the loudest complainers what they want.

From now on, instead of the election automatically going to whoever cheats the hardest, it will go to whoever makes the biggest threats of what they'll do if they don't get what they want.

The LP is still out of luck in this new paradigm as long as they embrace non-aggression. You can't threaten the courts into giving you the office if you won't hold society hostage (whether or not you manufacture v*tes). But the other parties still have an almost even chance (I still believe the Left-Statists have a bit of an advantage).

Politics may have fundamentally changed this year. I wonder where that will lead.

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Happy Th... well, you know.

 

"Listen to the science"

This is what we are told, and I agree.

But, those who say this usually believe "the science" is defined as that which agrees with their Left-Statist government-supremacist opinions. When there are two scientific trains of thought (as there often are), they only want you to listen to the one they agree with. Ignore the other.

And sometimes "the science" isn't even the right factor to consider.

Do masks work? Do lockdowns work? I don't know and I don't really care. It's entirely the wrong question. The right question would be "Who has the right to order you to do either of these things?" The answer is "No one".

I recently went with the family to Mexican food restaurant. No one was requested to wear masks to walk through the door. (Some people did anyway.) No one was scolding anyone for not wearing a mask. People were friendly and relaxed. It was almost just like a normal pre-panicdemic evening out.

The next day I went to PlastiCrap world. They were only letting 75 shoppers at a time in the store. It was cold, breezy, and misty and I waited in line for over half an hour to be allowed into the store. In this line, I was the only person-- outdoors, standing at least 6 feet apart-- who wasn't wearing a mask the whole time. I did pull up my bandana to enter the store (without being asked).

Why such stark differences? Because the restaurant was in Texas and the store was in New Mexico. Texas politicians aren't going insane about this cold virus, while New Mexico politicians seem to be competing to see how insane they can be. 

Pretending that the virus is an actual risk, I am willing to put up with some added risk for a little more liberty. I don't demand you do the same, but stay out of my way.

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Dishonest disagreements

I'm not afraid of people with opinions that are contrary to mine. I don't mind hearing them out. I don't mind too much when they aggressively tell me I'm wrong.

I notice when they "go strawman" on me.
I notice when they are dishonest.
I notice their inconsistencies even if they don't.

I do find it amusing to watch a government-supremacist paint himself into a corner with inconsistencies and double-standards, and then slowly realize what he's done to himself. You can see it dawning on him in real time as he suddenly starts trying to change the subject, starts leaning heavily on projection, and tries to make it about you and perhaps even blocks you.

But, no matter how strongly someone disagrees, and no matter what arguments they try to make, "taxation" is still theft and there can never be such a thing as a "good cop".

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Costs are worth living in liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 21, 2020)

The continuing hysteria over Covid-19 reminds me of the website warning of the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO). The website correctly points out that DHMO is found in all our food, sometimes as an additive; we've all been exposed. It's found in many dangerous compounds and in cancerous tumors. It kills thousands yearly.

This is all completely true. In fact, Nazis used DHMO in their concentration camps and the Soviets used it in their gulags.

Petitions calling for a ban on this dangerous substance have circulated, and thousands of people have signed.

Dihydrogen Monoxide is a way to describe water. If you want a good laugh, visit the website at DHMO.org.

In the same way, Covid-19 seems to be everywhere. It may be spreading like wildfire through the population as testing seems to confirm. Under some circumstances, it can kill!

Yet, so can any respiratory infection. So can water. So can economic shutdowns.

To remain hysterical over a common, although new, virus doesn't make sense anymore. It goes against science and reason. It's purely political.

Those who continue to take the governor's fearmongering seriously are no different than those eager to sign a petition to ban Dihydrogen Monoxide. Good intentions or not, their ignorance could end up harming individuals and being dangerous to society.

Few emotions are as motivating as fear, but fear is not reasonable in this case.

Political power relies on keeping people scared and wanting to be rescued by a parental government. Few politicians are strong enough to resist this opportunity to increase their power. This weakness should permanently disqualify anyone from holding elected office.

It's long past time to acknowledge there is a virus and to get on with life, anyway. It's past time to end the shutdowns and ignore the will of politicians who refuse to loosen their grip. It's time to stop cowering and to start acting like the Americans we can be-- like the resilient humans we are. Our species didn't get this far by being weak and scared. Responsible people accept that life isn't safe, but we live it anyway, facing the dangers like sensible adults rather than like scared children. Or like panicking pets.

Sure, there will be costs. Only the ignorant expect otherwise. Living in liberty is worth it. The alternative is worse than you're being told. Politicians and politicized medical experts are manipulating your emotions to keep you afraid. Politicians have had their time. Time's up.

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Someone is causing strife. Is it me?

I seem to be the cause of great distress among my family. I'm stubborn and pig-headed.

A niece of mine is expecting a baby in early December. Her doctor told her to make sure anyone she brings the baby into contact with over the holidays has been vaccinated with both a flu shot and a "Tdap" shot. I suspect if the Covid-19 vaccine were available, that would have been included.

I politely told my parents I wouldn't do that, and I wouldn't force my daughter to get those shots, either. (I did give my daughter the choice; she declined.) I would just stay home while my niece and the baby were there. No hard feelings on my part. Ground rules were laid out and I made my choice. Simple solution, right?

Apparently not.

I'm now the bad guy. I'm told I'm making a big deal out of this. How am I making a big deal? I informed them of my decision and as far as I was concerned that was the end of it. But others aren't willing to let it go.

Notice, I didn't say I didn't want her to come for Christmas and bring the baby. I didn't criticize anyone else for agreeing to the conditions. All I said was that I wasn't willing to do that. nor was I willing to force my daughter to do it.

They actually said if the roles were reversed I would want everyone to get the vaccinations. Do they know me at all? Maybe I'm too quiet around them and need to start speaking my mind a little more. I try to not be "that guy" who harps on one subject and tries to turn every conversation toward that. But... maybe I need to speak up a little more.

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Election nonsense

 

Recounts are a distraction and a lie.

It doesn't matter how many times I recount the money under my mattress if I keep counting the counterfeit bills along with the "official" bills with each new count, I'll get the same false accounting every time.

Moving on...

The picture above the post shows a major problem even if you imagine an election can be legitimate.

I don't want my life to be run by people in big cities. Even if I lived in one of those big cities, I wouldn't want my government-supremacist neighbors to gang up and run my life. Even though I live far from any of those big cities, I don't want my neighbors to gang up and run my life.

Otherwise, I'd say let the big cities have the Biden/Harris dictatorship they so clearly crave (assuming the election fraud still represents the basic leanings of the cities), and let the rest of the country continue under a Trump dictatorship. Just split it up already!

No side supporting the other side. No side obligated to obey the rules the other side wants to impose on themselves. Neither side responsible for paying Congress' debts.

Imagining that the country has to stay together is delusional. It's past time for a divorce... but how, since there are no easy lines to split it along? You'd have to excise the big cities from the matrix in which they sit. Yes, it could be done-- and probably easily these days with the internet-- but it doesn't make a good map, and most people would probably reject it on that basis.

It could all be done away with if people would just grow up. Drop the politics.

I have a difficult time imagining what would cause a person to believe they need a president-- I know I don't need one. I've never seen anyone and thought to myself "Now, that person needs a president!"

I was saying before the election that there has never been a legitimate election and this wouldn't magically be the first. I did think they'd try a lot harder to make it look legitimate-ish, though. They aren't even trying anymore. I guess that means they don't believe they have to. The people will just accept whatever they tell us to accept. They are probably right. Which is why democracy-- even if you say it's a republic and pretend that makes a real difference-- is illegitimate mob rule.

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Mask mandates and shutdowns are not science

I just can't believe that people who claim to be "listening to the science" or "trusting science" are still supporting shutdowns and mask mandates. That's the opposite of trusting or doing science. It shows a lack of understanding of what science is and how it works.

Sure, some people who really do use science are then advising shutdowns and masks based on what their observations are telling them. Observations which are never the complete picture, and which are always biased. Science is always provisional, waiting to be changed by better information. There is no "the science"; it's part of the scientific method. 

If someone says "the science is settled", they aren't talking about actual science, but about rigid groupthink-- a religious belief based, at best, on partial information.

People who trust science-- as a method and not as a religion-- understand this limitation. It's why they don't demand political action based on their observations. They might give you advice they believe to be important, but they won't suggest using the violence of the state against you if you don't take that advice.

Real science is a method of finding information. It looks at both the pros and cons-- and every action will have both. It doesn't dictate or mandate. It gives information-- provisional information-- and then people decide for themselves how to act based on that. It doesn't involve politics.

"The science" doesn't ignore the social costs. It weighs them against the benefits.

Science understands that new data can change the conclusions.

Dr. Fauci isn't doing science. He's doing politics. He can be safely ignored-- and despised-- by people who understand science.

And no matter what science says, it doesn't give anyone the right to violate your liberty for the good of society. Nothing can do that.

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TeeSpring links

Here are all my TeeSpring store designs separated for ease of finding the one you want.

Dull'Hawk Flag (Time's Up Flag)

Dull'Hawk (Time's Up) Flag, rainbow version

Anarchy is balance (also with white lettering)

Anarchy: No rulers, No bombs.

AR-15 doesn't mean "Assault Rifle 15"

Democracy is mob rule

Green Nude Eel

Hoist the Black Flag (and begin slitting throats)

I AM wearing a mask

I survived! (Covid)

Liberty is...

Liberty is not subject to a vote (Yes, I spelled out the bad word!)

Liberty Strikes Back Flag

Line on a map

No guns

Politics makes people stupid

Second Amendment

Socialism

Take me to your leader

Taxation is theft

You were warned

"You were warned" flag

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Contrarian tendencies

I don't intend to be a contrarian. But when society goes insane, I can't help it. I have never been able to "go along to get along"-- I've been scolded for this my whole life.

I understand the "why" behind face masks. I'm not even against wearing them (I'm agnostic). But I'm completely against having bullies order me to wear one "or else".

It's the same with everything else. 

You tell me I'm not allowed to do X or Y, when X or Y don't violate any other human in any way? Guess what I'm probably going to do if I have the slightest desire to do it. You guessed it.

I have to be careful to not do things I don't want to do just because some bully told me I'm not allowed to do it. Sometimes I almost can't stop myself. Contrarian tendencies.

Political bullies bring that out in me.

I don't have a lot of patience with stupidity, and I've seen very few things that cause as much stupidity as politics. (As soon as I can come up with a design, I'm adding "Politics makes people stupid" to my TeeSpring shop.)

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New original designs from KentForLiberty

I've launched my TeeSpring shop. 

You'll find some new original designs there, plus an old familiar with a new caption.

Bookmark it and keep checking back.

I hope the designs aren't too scary for them-- order quick, just in case.

Added: I have added a link to all my products up at the top of my blog page (unless you are using a mobile device).

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"Wolf! Help! Wolf!"

Government "cried wolf" over this pandemic. In fact, it keeps doing so. Gotta keep the people riled up and panicked. 

But the effect has largely worn off-- the only ones still falling for it are the super-gullible government-supremacists who will always believe "authorities". Of course, there are still way too many of those people among us.

But, even people on the fence are falling off, and more of those are falling toward the "knock it off!" side. At least around here.

I don't even know what the Texas politicians are doing these days.

But, on the New Mexico side of this area, the petty tyrant has declared a new round of lockdowns. She apparently just loves power!

I hope it backfires. Crying "wolf" yet again is going to show even more people that you're a liar who can't be trusted. This is the effect "crying wolf" has, and is the point of the children's tale. I guess she didn't pay attention.

I don't see an end to this if they can keep getting away with it. Fewer will believe them each time, though. Another overreaction, and just about no one with any sense will listen the next time. Hopefully, there won't be a time when there really is a wolf and we ignore the real warning. But it's a price each of us must decide whether we are willing to pay.

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Every four years, the same old thing

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 14, 2020)

Do you ever feel like you're stuck in an infinite Presidential time loop? Every four years I watch it repeat, but no one else seems to notice.

Like the movie Groundhog Day, where the protagonist relives the same exact day with only his own behavior and choices changing, I see the repeating patterns in every presidential election.

Opposition party loyalists with a special dislike of the current president-- whoever it may be-- are certain the president will declare himself dictator to stay in power. Doesn't this fearmongering ever get old? Doesn't anyone notice this is always the claim yet it never happens?

Most politicians want to keep the system's appearance of legitimacy intact above all else. Staying in office beyond their term might cause the rest of you to immediately stop believing the system is legitimate. Politicians need the illusion of legitimacy and can't afford to let this happen.

Then there are the recycled claims of this being "The most important election of our lifetime."

Sure it is. And I have oceanfront property in Arizona I'd sell cheap. I'm not saying there won't be bad consequences due to the election-- there will be-- but it has never been the case that "Every vote counts", and this won't be the first time. "Every vote" has never been counted in any election.

Maybe it's worse than a simple time loop.

As long as you are forced to choose between government-supremacist candidates who have been selected by the major parties you can be sure nothing will change for the better. The parties have made certain of this; it's how they retain power. As has been pointed out, if voting could change anything, it would be illegal.

You may believe elections are "Democrat vs Republican" (or even Libertarian) but they are actually The State vs you. Elections are set up to make certain The State wins and you lose no matter who is elected to office.

I am not a Trump fan, but I certainly don't see him as unusually dangerous, nor do I prefer Biden or Harris. They are all cut from the same cloth. It takes a particular type of person to gain national political prominence, and it's not a type you should trust with power over your life.

Again, it's just the same old thing, time after time. There's one thing I'm glad will never change, though: my liberty will never be subject to a vote.

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