The Trump failures stack up

The only thing I care about, politically, is guns.

Well, that's not completely true, but it's close enough. As L. Neil Smith wrote: 

The issue of guns is "an X-ray machine. It's a Vulcan mind-meld. It's the ultimate test to which any politician-- or political philosophy-- can be put. If a politician isn't perfectly comfortable with the idea of his average constituent, any man, woman, or responsible child, walking into a hardware store and paying cash -- for any rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, anything -- without producing ID or signing a scrap of paper, he isn't your friend no matter what he tells you."

That is The Truth.

Trump hasn't yet taken office and is already failing the test. He's nominating anti-gun bigots to his administration. I'm neither shocked nor disappointed. Business as usual.

A patriotic blogger thought Trump's anti-gun Attorney General nominee, Pam Bondi, was a great choice. I commented that everyone who seemed to know about her called her a disaster on the Second Amendment. He replied, in part: 

...It is fair to say that she has defended State laws that do impose some restrictions on gun ownership. However, I think most of us agree that some restrictions are applicable...

Then "most" of you are wrong, just like when "most" people believed slavery was natural and necessary. No restrictions on purchasing, owning, or carrying firearms are "applicable". None of them are legal, ethical, or right.

If someone respects the right to own and to carry weapons, then other rights are probably safe from them. If that right is violated ("restricted"), then all rights are in danger. Even if you believe "some restrictions are applicable".

No one violates your right to own and to carry weapons for your benefit. They do so in order to do things to you that you would not tolerate if you were able to effectively refuse. It's as true for Trump as it would have been for Harris. Authoritarians do what authoritarians do.

Trump could partially reduce the damage by putting Brandon Hererra in charge of the ATF, to dismantle it and destroy its records. I'm not holding my breath. He seems to like the statist quo.

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"Deny my existence"

Recently I've seen a lot of posts proclaiming that this or that person (or group) "denies my existence". It has never been true in any example given or any situation described.

No one denies anyone's existence. If anyone did deny someone's existence, they would crash into and run over the person they deny exists, since that which doesn't exist would be invisible. You can't see what doesn't exist, and if you do see something that doesn't exist, that's called "hallucinating".

This is a weird new lie told to manipulate.

It's usually said by people who believe they are the opposite sex (which they have the right to do) and who want everyone to play along (which they have no right to force others to do), but I can use a different example to illustrate the absurdity.

I don't deny that government employees exist. I recognize they are not what they claim to be: they are the bad guys, not the good guys. My recognition of reality doesn't mean they don't exist. They obviously do. I'm not denying their existence. I don't fall for their dishonest narrative. They can believe whatever they want to believe; their belief doesn't change reality. Not even if they use threats and aggression to get others to play along.

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World dying from cancer of states

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 20, 2024)

I don't support Israel. I don't support Palestine. I don't support Ukraine, Russia, or any other state. I support individuals who live in places claimed by those states, as long as they aren't violating the life, liberty, or property of others.

States-- political governments-- are a threat to every life on the planet. If life on Earth is wiped out, and it isn’t due to an asteroid or a gamma-ray burst, it will be because of states doing what states do. It is preventable. Few have any interest in preventing it.

Most people want to cheer for a team. They call for unity but crave division and conflict. They like the drama which comes from national and international politics. They believe one side is good and the other is bad. They are wrong. All states are bad. They are grounded in the belief that a right to govern others exists. States survive on the superstition that doing wrong isn’t wrong if it's done by people claiming the imaginary authority of a government.

Some people claim states are a necessary evil. Evil is never necessary; it’s a choice. The wrong choice.

When people invade, attack, destroy, kidnap, or murder because the state tells them to, they are the bad guys. Even if someone else, acting on behalf of an opposing state, did the same to them last year. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. States drive people insane, causing them to do insanely evil things, expecting this will make the world better. It never does; it never will. Politics makes people stupid and encourages them to do evil.

In the moment, in any conflict between individuals acting on behalf of governments, someone is more wrong. It's the one doing the invading, attacking, destroying, kidnapping, and murdering. Sixty seconds from now, it could be the other side which is more wrong.

A one-world government is not the answer. It would only be a bigger, all-encompassing state. It would be just as evil, just as deadly, and even more tyrannical. Someone reading this just had the rug pulled out from under them. They thought opposing the existence of states meant I was supporting global government. They couldn't be more wrong.

Tragically, the rest of us are forced to live in a world with such stupid, pointless evil. A world dying from the cancer of states.

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Spend or save? Save or spend?

As so often happens when Bitcoin has a rally, I'm torn between spending it now while it's high, or using it as my "retirement account" and counting on it to just keep going up over the long term.

Of course, it may have dropped precipitously since I wrote the above paragraph, so this may be moot. You never know.

Those of you who have/use Bitcoin, what do you do?

When I first started dabbling in Bitcoin, I generally spent about half of what I had when it had gone up a lot. I thought that if it became worthless tomorrow, I was still ahead. I don't regret doing that, since I couldn't have known the future. Although I occasionally think of what might have been... Now, I'm much more sparing when spending it.

I would be a little sad if it went to zero now and I hadn't taken advantage of it before that happened. I would still be far ahead, though.

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Hard fact

You are not safer because the US government maintains an illegal (unconstitutional) standing military.

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Types of legislation I oppose

There are three types of legislation; all are bad.

One type prohibits something.

Another encourages something harmful; something few would be inclined to do without the “law” encouraging them to do it.

The third type of legislation mandates something that would be helpful if pursued on its own but ruins it with the threat of death.

I’m opposed to all legislation, no matter which type you’re talking about. 

Even if you can think of another type I missed, I oppose it, too. My opposition is automatic.

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The magical Glass Chicken

When I was a kid we had a glass chicken on a glass nest bowl. For some reason, I thought it was magic.

I thought the chicken could "lay" coins at night. I don't remember what the deal was with that, but long after the coins stopped appearing, I still revered that chicken and felt a sort of magic surrounding it.

Just like statists feel about the state.

They think government just "lays" money. They don't realize that any money you find there had to be put there by someone else. Just like my parents put the coins under the chicken.

Government doesn't produce any money (or anything else) on its own. Everything that seems to come from it was put there by someone else; by a thief who stole someone's property to make it magically appear to come from the state.

I grew out of my belief in the magical glass chicken. Most people have yet to grow out of their belief in the state. They are living in a fantasy.

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Re-limited government

The Constitution was a mistake.

It was a mistake that still could have worked out sort of OK, had the people been able to force the government-- against its wishes and self-interest-- to obey the Constitution to the letter.

They weren't able or willing to do that back in the early 1800s when that had a possibility of working. It's far too late for that now.

At this point, it would be unthinkably radical to make the feral government get back within the limits of what it is allowed to do on even just a few of its worst offenses. The only thing that might happen is to scale back the massive abuses a tiny, useless amount. 

Don't count on even that.

And yet, those who believe they can get government back under control tell those of us who point out that political government must be abolished entirely, that our preference is impossible. They are in denial about their own preference's likelihood, but it's so much easier to point fingers and ignore reality.

I guarantee you there's a better chance of the US feral government disbanding than of anyone getting it back under control and within the limits of the Constitution. I'd love to be proven wrong, but that's simply the reality.

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If those are "civilized societies", no thank you!

I feel terrible when I see Australians and British people posting about the horrid tyranny they are now being subjected to. 

Then I remember them scolding me for not giving up my guns the way "civilized societies" such as theirs have done. 

Most of my sympathy instantly evaporates.

I want to feel sympathy, but they allowed this to happen. They demanded it in many cases. And many of them are demanding I allow it to happen to me!

No. 

I still feel sympathy for those who are smart enough to know this was a bad idea, and who want to change things but are vastly outgunned now. The ones who say "Never give up your guns!" I wish I could help them. 

About all I can do is to continue pointing out the truth: Disarmed people are slaves. Government is your Ancestral Enemy and doesn't care if you die. It just wants you to be quiet and obedient and keep allowing it to steal your property and violate your rights.

No one ever wants you disarmed for your benefit.

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FEMA getting in way of helpers

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 13, 2024)

The situation with Hurricane Helene was terrible, but thanks to government— specifically FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration— it ended up being much worse than anyone could have expected. As I write this, Hurricane Milton, which looks potentially even more dangerous, has set its sights on central Florida. Will FEMA bungle or sabotage the response to this one, too?

I accept it as a given that government doesn't help, but at a minimum, it shouldn't get in the way or make things worse.

Even this is too much to ask.

FEMA blocking private rescuers from helping the victims was wrong. I'd call it evil. This decision probably killed people. Yes, I understand the agents of FEMA don't want to let people risk their lives, but this is what people choose to do. People heroically risk their lives for others all the time. No one should be stopping them. Government has no say in the matter. It's also not for them to decide whether the offered help is the correct kind or going to the right places or people. If government can't help, it must stand aside and let the people handle it.

To threaten these awe-inspiring volunteers with arrest— whether they were arrested or not— is the last straw.

Many people who still believe government is legitimate call for it to have a monopoly on violence— for government to be the only entity legally allowed to use force. This is both ridiculous and dangerous. However, the apparent "monopoly of assistance" claimed by FEMA after Hurricane Helene is just as bad. It's unforgivable.

Will the federal government now make and enforce new legislation forbidding private assistance after a disaster? Don’t put it past them. The private response embarrassed them and exposed their incompetence. They don't like this. They may want to make sure they have more tools to use in the next disaster— not tools to help, but tools to hurt. Tools to use against the American people, like the grossly misnamed “PATRIOT ACT”.

I would abolish FEMA for this. Of course, there would be no government agencies left if I had my way. They are unneeded. Everything government does shows this to be more true with each passing day.

No matter how much you detest government, you don't hate it enough. This will change if you keep paying attention... unless you have a blind spot that prevents you from accepting reality.

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Post-election hilarity

Soon, I'll probably be spending more time online poking holes in the statist delusions of "conservatives" and laughing at them, but as of now, I'm having so much fun laughing at the hysterical "left".

They are flouncing off to other countries. OK. Have fun.

They are flouncing off of X. (And making a point to call it Twitter to hurt Musk's feelings. I'd be surprised if it bothers him any.)

They are having meltdowns over Trump's cabinet picks. The picks are all horrible statists (who else would be in a position to get appointed to a government post?), but I love watching the meltdowns. And the mischaracterizations ("RFK jr. is an anti-vaxxer!").

They can't accept that it doesn't make someone "far-right" to notice how crazy the "left" has become. They've moved so far to the left (if the Earth were flat, they would have fallen off the western edge years ago) that the middle is now "far-right" to them. And being shoved away to make enemies of them. They have zero self-awareness; they are oblivious. They are bewildered, and they are angry (at what they've done to themselves). But they continue to blame everyone else. It's kinda what statists do.

They are shaving their heads and trying to be ugly so "conservative" men won't be interested in them. Were they interested in them before?

They are also "threatening" to not have sex with any men for 4 years. Again, I ask whether this will affect anyone they intend to hurt.

They are bragging about the number of abortions they have had, and promising to have lots more. Just to punish men.

Then, most pathetically of all, when I point out any of their craziness they think they can get my goat by telling me things about Trump I already know and don't support. Swing, and a miss. Not a Trump supporter, but Harris? Seriously? LOL!

I find it comedic, but I probably have a warped sense of humor.

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Highly skeptical- slightly hopeful

I'm skeptical of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Government inefficiency is where liberty survives.

I also know it will have no actual power to do anything beyond making recommendations.

But, if it somehow decides "efficiency" means "less money spent on government", if the recommendations are embraced, if this means government agencies are gutted or eliminated, and if the savings result in less taxation and more liberty, then it will have been a benefit. 

That's a lot of "if". I'm skeptical but I would love to be wrong. There's no way it can disappoint me since I have no expectations.

At least Musk and Ramaswamy are not being paid. That's a start. No one should be paid for working for government.

If invited, I would take an unpaid position as head of the ATF or IRS (working remotely, because I'm not going to the District of Criminals) to make them more "efficient". It would take me an afternoon at most. If not me, then Brandon Herrera would be a good pick to head the ATF. I think he'd do that mostly right.

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Would this be Black/Gold pilled?

I'm an anarchist. I don't need government to force me to respect your rights with its "laws". 

I don't need government to define "rights", either. Government invariably gets definitions wrong.

The only thing I need for government to do is to keep its filthy paws off my life. And that's the one thing it is utterly incapable of and unwilling to do.

So... 

I don't want government to be more efficient. I want it to fail and implode because of its own poor design. 

I don't want "better" people in government. I want people to be fundamentally better enough that they know working for government in any capacity is always the wrong thing to do.

The arguments about how rough the transition would be don't move me anymore. Statists have had plenty of chances and warning. They keep choosing this-- many don't realize it's a choice and they never will. It's going to hurt less if it happens today than if the collapse holds off another ten years. The sooner, the better.

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Are YOU willing?

A couple of days ago I posted that I'm not in favor of making anything illegal. I'm sure someone out there thought "but what about...?"

Are there things I think should be addressed? Of course. Archation of any sort shouldn't be allowed to stand. But how far are you willing to go in any case that isn't immediate self-defense? And do you think I should be forced to go just as far, or stop where you would stop?

If you aren't willing, personally, to kill someone for doing something you don't like them doing (and ALL "laws" are enforced with death), then why would you be willing to send others to kill someone, on your behalf, for the same offense?

If you are willing to hire a death squad, why should I be robbed to pay someone to kill people for you when I'm not willing? And are you willing to kill me for refusing to help you pay for your death squad?

Here's a personal example: I oppose abortions of convenience. I wouldn't be willing to kill a woman for seeking or going through with an abortion, nor a doctor to stop him from performing an abortion. So I oppose "laws" banning abortion. 

I would be willing to shun someone for doing something I consider wrong, whether it's collecting "taxes", kidnapping drug users, or killing someone's pet squirrel. Statists are willing to kill the victims of all those crimes.

Don't be like the statists.

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Government of the what?

The reality of government is so different from the lie Lincoln told.

In reality, what exists is Government of the evil, by the idiots, for the cowards.

And that's the best form of government, according to many. Sounds like a superstition to me.

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Don't make that illegal

I am not in favor of acts being made illegal. None of them, without exception. This doesn't mean I'm in favor of criminals running roughshod over individuals. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What I am in favor of is no one getting in the way of people using force-- defensive violence-- to stop violators from violating them or others. 

That means getting rid of "laws", not adding to them. Abolish any rules that make defense a "crime". Getting rid of legislation is always the way to do the right thing. Adding legislation is always wrong; it's never helpful.

If you are violating someone's life, liberty, or property they have the natural human right to stop you. Whatever it takes. No matter if you think you have the "right" (or "authority") to do what you are doing. If they have to end your life to stop you, that's on you. 

Don't like it, don't violate people. Simple enough?

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Look to neighbors, not government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 6, 2024)

My sympathy goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath. It's easy for those of us who live far from the ocean, or any water whatsoever, to feel smug for living where hurricanes don't reach. If this is how you feel, remember it's a false sense of security.

Every area has its own problems and potential disasters. Tornadoes, wildfires, blizzards, riots, or earthquakes... and sometimes a smorgasbord of all the above. Figure out your region's most likely disaster and prepare for it. And the others as well. Even preparing for the trouble a hurricane can cause in an area like this, where hurricanes are as likely as elephant stampedes, will carry over to other problems you may experience. So many precautions are the same no matter the emergency.

The worst mistake is to fail to prepare because you believe government will ride in like a hero to kiss your scrapes and bruises and make your boo-boos all better. If they show up at all, they may make things worse.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency-- the one agency you might believe would have, as their top priority, helping people recover from disasters-- has said equity is their "Goal 1". Not disaster response, rescue, or recovery, but the antisocial communist ideology of equity. That's disgusting and an utter failure on their part.

Even before FEMA got infected with this mind virus, they were less helpful than locals could be. Neighbors helping neighbors is the foundation of society. Don't try to replace society with government. It won't work.

Government was never going to save you. You’ve always been on your own. If you’ve been planning on government help, make other plans. Government is your enemy, not your savior. Grow up and accept your responsibility.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't accept help from government, or anyone else, should it be offered. Go ahead. Don't be counting on it, though. Don't wait for help which isn't coming.

Instead, help your neighbors when they need it, even in minor troubles. Ask for help when you need it. Build community. We have each other, and relying on government erodes community. Government needs us, we don't need it. If we think we don't need to lift a finger because that's government's job, we are missing a great opportunity and empowering something harmful.

There's a better way, and now you know what it is. But you already knew, didn't you?

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Do you want to be protected from liberty?

All of the politicians promising to protect "their" state from whatever they imagine Trump will do would be impressive... if they weren't embracing the wrong things in most cases. "Protecting" the population really just means they want to keep violating them in the traditional ways they've been getting away with up until now.

They say they'll protect their population from anyone trying to "take their freedom" while they've been doing nothing other than violating the freedom-- and the liberty-- of those in the state since the day they took office.

"Hypocrite" isn't a strong enough word to describe these political criminals.

It seems some of them are scared that they'll finally be forced to obey the Second Amendment. They see the end of their anti-gun schemes. 

There's really no risk that will happen. Trump isn't going to force anyone to obey the Second Amendment- he may try to stop them from breaking the law in specific ways, but no powerful politician (or Supreme Courtjester) has ever figured out what the Bill of Rights was for or what it does. Trump has never been a friend of gun owners- he just isn't as bad as Harris probably would have been. That's a very low bar, though.

"Protecting" your population from liberty is what slave owners do. It's not good, kind, or "progressive". It's evil. 

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Onward

What a thrilling selection.

Now I can spend the next four or more years criticizing the stupid, evil, authoritarian things the Republicans do. Some of which will be the same stupid, evil, authoritarian things the Democrats do, while some will be exciting new evils.

It would be nice if this weren’t necessary, but that’s not the world we inhabit. Yet.

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The nicest thing to do for those doing wrong

The nicest-- most useful-- thing you can do about someone who is doing bad things is to make them feel bad about what they're doing. They need to stop, and no one is helped if they aren't called out and made to feel bad about it.

If someone removes that option, the only remaining step will be much more painful.

This is a reality censors won't admit, but it is reality.

My X account got locked over the comment I shared above. I deleted it, but I wasn't wrong to say it. 

That harpy needs to have her feelings hurt or she won't learn that what she did is evil and not acceptable. It needs to be said over and over until she stops being evil. Her next victims might not be as nice. And I wouldn't shed a tear.

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