Health crises work themselves out

Health crises work themselves out

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 10, 2014.)

Sometimes it takes me a while to realize when people are seriously concerned over something like the current Ebola scare.

I've seen enough of these well-publicized health crises fizzle to know they generally work themselves out before much happens. As an American you are nine times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by terrorists, and you are much more likely to die of something boring, like heart disease, than Ebola. It's just not as dramatic and newsworthy.

We see how government is handling the Ebola scare- either as well as can be expected, or on par with the average preschooler, depending on who you believe. Everyone has their own ideas of what government should be doing, but how could a free society deal with such a terrible disease in the absence of The State?

Since a free society would have no borders of the kind you have become accustomed to, but private property lines instead, there would be no such issue as "immigration". People would either be trespassing or not, and property owners, not government, would be making that determination. So immigration is irrelevant for this discussion.

Airlines (and other transportation providers) would be free to set any rules they see fit for passengers, including cutting off service to places with dangerous epidemics or even requiring on-site medical tests before allowing anyone to board. Failure to take sufficient precautions could scare people away from using their service, could cause liability problems and restitution owed, and might drive them out of business.

At home, a free society wouldn't be confiscating money through "taxation", but experience shows people will chip in when they know it's in their interest to do so. Since it would be in just about everyone's best interest to treat and cure epidemic diseases, charitable hospitals and research facilities would probably be common, well-funded, and would cover the medical bills of those unable to afford even the vastly less expensive and more advanced medical care which will have been freed from the burden of government rationing and regulation.

A sick person who chooses to expose people to his communicable disease, actively infecting others, is just as guilty of aggression as someone shooting into a crowd. This could mean forcible quarantine if he didn't voluntarily cooperate and permit treatment. As a last resort, a contagious person could even be subject to self defensive violence of a more direct nature.

No one can predict exactly how a free society would approach such a problem without violating any innocent individual, but judging by history, and by what is happening now, government's supporters have no better answers.
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Thank you for your service

To the girl who I watched sweeping the floor of the fast food place, smiling even as she did a job I knew she probably didn't love, Thank you for your service.

To the guy at the register of the store where I ran in to buy a couple of things, Thank you for your service.

To the person who delivered my daughter's favorite chips to the convenience store, Thank you for your service.

To the person who recently helped me at the tire store, Thank you for your service.

To Jillian at Amagi Metals, Thank you for your service.

To those who keep civilization running in spite of the best efforts of government, Thank you for your service.

You make my life immeasurably better, and I am completely serious when I say Thank you for your service. No one else's "service" even comes close. Especially not those whose "service" only helps the bad guys gain and retain power. That's a "service" I would prefer to do without.

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Choices and consequences

If you choose the life of a test pilot, you greatly increase your odds of dying in a crash. Sure, you could be minding your own business and have a test flight crash on top of you, but it's unlikely.

 If you immerse yourself in the company of aggressors, you greatly increase the odds of being a victim of aggression- even if you are completely innocent.

 It turns out that the girl murdered on the trail here yesterday made that particular bad choice.

Her fiance is in jail for murdering another guy back in 2013, and was already a career thug when he got arrested for that death. Even if he is innocent of everything he has been accused of, it would still be unwise to stay close to him if you value your own safety or the safety of your kids. He was obviously immersed in the local aggressor culture, which she then became a part of by willingly choosing to associate with him. Why would anyone willingly choose to make themselves a part of that company?

 No, I am not saying "she deserved it". She didn't. But choices have consequences, even if they aren't "fair". If you surround yourself with people who employ aggression or who hang around with people who do, don't be too surprised when some of it spills over onto you or your loved ones. You can love someone and still understand that, for your sake and the sake of your kids, you have got to drop them like a radioactive diseased skunk.

In a perfect world you would only face consequences for the actions you take. As long as you weren't the aggressor, no harm would come to you. You could love, live with, and hang around with Hitler, a gangbanger, or a cop, and no matter what they were involved in, nothing would rub off on you. We all know the world is not perfect, and you can't just do whatever you want and expect no negative consequences will come of it. It's not fair; it's reality. Go into it with your eyes wide open, and think about whether it is really worth it.

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"Sovereign citizens"

Besides some of the consistency problems the "sovereign citizen" folk have in other areas, such as philosophically, the very name they call themselves is completely self-contradictory. "Sovereign"? "Citizen"? Pick one or the other- you can't be both.

"Sovereign" individuals own their own life and the products of that life. It doesn't mean they are immune to being robbed by thieves, but anyone can be robbed. You are sovereign; act like it.

"Citizens" are owned by a State. They are said, by definition, to "owe allegiance" to that State. That's the opposite of self ownership.

They are basically claiming to be "self-owning property"- a "self-owning slave". That term would make just as much sense. Which is none.

I understand the sentiment- or at least some of it. They want to express their independence, while celebrating what they think of as "their country" or "patriotic heritage". But, really, there must be a more sensible way to express that sentiment. Or, just drop all the contradictions and come to the free side. We have... well, everything worth having.

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Dangerous cops, and those who don't grovel before them

Anytime a cop is suspected (or actually caught) threatening or murdering an innocent person, the incident has to be interminably "investigated" by the cop's own gang, while the cop remains free to repeat his behavior. Even if he is placed on "administrative leave" he is still walking among us; probably emboldened by the lack of consequences.

Anytime a non-cop (you know: a person) is accused, often without a shred of evidence, of "threatening" a cop by not bowing down and grovelling sufficiently, the person is "arrested", and locked up, as a "public danger".

It's as if we are supposed to think "we" are better off with even a psychopathically aggressive cop among us than "we" would be if he were not on the streets... and that "we" can't afford to have people among us who don't immediately roll over for any demand that psychopathically aggressive cops may squeal at them.

Sorry, but I can't twist my mind sufficiently for that to make any sense to me.

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Don't be a jerk

I may not be powerful, but even so, some things are still within my power.

It is within my power to make just about anyone I run into miserable. Maybe even ruin their day. Maybe by not paying attention and running them off the road. Maybe by ignoring them in the grocery store if they say something to me. Maybe by a snarky comment online.

I try very hard not to do this to anyone- without a good reason. I know I often fail.

If I'm going to make someone miserable, I want there to at least be a real, good reason- like they are a person who simply refuses to stop initiating force or violating the property of others. In that case, my actions which make them miserable (if they actually do) aren't really coming from me, they are a reaction I take to protect myself and others.

But as long as I don't "catch you in the act", and I honestly believe you mean well, and may eventually come around and reject being a thug, I'll do my best to not make your day worse for having encountered me. Yes, even enforcers.

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Wouldn't see the truth if he stepped right in a big steaming heap of it

I just got this email a while back:

Dear Mr. Obama:

I’m planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me.

We’re planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and we’ll need your help to make a few arrangements.

We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws.

I’m sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would you mind telling your buddy, the President of Mexico , that I’m on my way over?

Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking Government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.

3. Please print all Mexican Government forms in English.

4. I want my grandkids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.

5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history.

6. I want my grandkids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.

7. Please plan to feed my grandkids at school for both breakfast and lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver’s license so I can get easy access to government services.

9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but I don’t plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won’t make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my housetop, put U.S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.

13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.

14. I want to receive free food stamps.

15. Naturally, I’ll expect free rent subsidies.

16. I’ll need income tax credits so that although I don’t pay Mexican taxes, I’ll receive money from the government.

17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Government pays $4,500.00 to help me buy a new car.

18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I’ll get a monthly income in retirement.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all of his people who walk over to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that the President of Mexico won’t mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.

Do you see how stupid this looks when you put it in writing???

Yes, it surely does look stupid, but not for the reason the original author may have thought. Obviously he wouldn't see the truth, no matter how plainly it presented itself.

Being an obvious State worshiper (as long as it's a flavor he likes) he'd never see how all those complaints go away when you eliminate the fundamental problem: The State.

No government ("public") kinderprisons; no welfare; no government "licenses", bureaucraps, or paperwork; no "taxation". If these things- or the way they are administered- are really upsetting you, eliminate the fundamental problem.

Yeah, the solution really is that simple, yet getting people to demand it- and expect- it is the hardest job there is.

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More "good cops"- or at least normal ones

Another reason to oppose "laws" forbidding "texting and driving".

Those "laws" are used as a pretext to demand access to your cell phone, and cops have been caught stealing and sharing nude selfies from women's phones.

Sure, you could say you shouldn't take "those kind of pictures", but it's your body and your phone. And besides, where's the fun in that?

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Time to stop hiding, take control

Time to stop hiding, take control

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 3, 2014)

Most people are more libertarian they they'll admit.

After all, they buy things from the store rather than steal. They ask instead of demand. They try to avoid resorting to violence as long as they are given any choice. And most people are in favor of self defense when faced with someone who refuses to live by the same rules.

For that matter, most people actually live in a condition of anarchy in their daily lives. No one tells them who they are allowed to fall in love with, what they will eat, where they must shop, whether they are allowed to use the bathroom, where they can work, or what to think or believe. Regardless of what you have been told, that is anarchy: living without being ruled by someone else. It isn't the same as "chaos", which isn't necessarily the horror you've been let to believe, either.

Anarchy, what some call "voluntaryism", is liberty. It means doing whatever doesn't violate anyone else's equal and identical rights. It means recognizing that since humans are flawed, the worst possible thing anyone could do is to put some of these flawed people in charge of everyone else. Such a system attracts those who want power over others, but fear facing the consequences of wielding it without belonging to a large and powerful gang.

It shouldn't surprise you to realize you've been indoctrinated against anarchy by government schools and other institutions which depend on you fearing liberty. People who want to have power to control you need you to believe their control is better than the alternative of you controlling, and being responsible for, your own life. If they can keep you fearful, you'll allow them to do things to you which you'd never otherwise permit.

They also depend on pitting you against your neighbors. If they can get you to beg someone else to control your neighbor, through limiting his choices of what to do with his own body or his own property, they gain power. And never forget they are encouraging your neighbor to seek protection from you, too. It's a sad and silly circle I refuse to be a part of.

Since you do just fine without being ruled in almost all of your daily life, what makes you believe you need to be ruled in any of it? Almost no one believes they need to be ruled; it's those "others" who need to be controlled. What makes you fear others and feel so inadequate when facing them that you want to hide behind someone else's skirt? It's time to stop hiding and take the wheel. You'll be glad you did.

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Government employees pay zero "taxes"

It was suggested I blog about the fact that no "government" employee ever pays "taxes".

I thought I had written about that before- and I had.

Perpetual motion and "taxation"

Recently I again ran into the erroneous belief that government employees pay "taxes". This is a myth that just keeps on walking around, undead and looking for brains to munch. 

The fact of the matter: Government employees pay no taxes. Ever. Zero. Period. 

The pretense that they do is the financial equivalent of a perpetual motion device that keeps the economically ignorant among us (more) content with the status quo. 

All government employee pay comes from government-confiscated "taxes", and all the "taxes" they pay go "back" to government. (The money never actually left the government's bloody hands in the first place.) Plus some money is always lost in the shuffle between parties. The lost money is equivalent to the waste heat in a mechanical system. 

Put another way: If I paid you $100 dollars, but then demanded you pay a "tax" of 20% back to me, did I just give you $100 or did I give you only $80? Contrast it with this scenario: If I paid you $100 but you immediately paid a third party $20, I have actually, in fact, paid you $100 even if you passed some of it along to someone else. There is a difference.

It's an important fact to understand, so I hope you don't mind my posting it again.

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Religion vs Rightful Liberty

My political/social opinions on religion pretty much begin and end with whether that religion- put into practice- violates Rightful Liberty.

All religions may have good points and bad points- I'm not familiar with all religions, or everything any of them teach in every instance. I suppose if there were no positives, no one would have ever began following it. I could be wrong.

The ancient texts may advocate horrendous things that the modern followers mostly ignore. In that case, the religion is worse than it's modern followers.

Or, the ancient texts may show a path of rightful liberty and neighborliness the modern followers ignore in order to push an agenda they prefer. In that case the modern followers are worse than their religion.

Both circumstances can even happen simultaneously in the same religion, depending on what part is being focused on.

Or, a religion can be vile, and it's modern followers may follow the vile precepts to the letter while adding their own abominations to it. I think we can all see this happening quite a bit today.

In all my readings of the Bible, I never remember even one instance of Jesus saying "There ought to be a law."

Nor "Vote ye, therefore, for the lesser of two evils so that the laws of the world can be changed in order to bring Heaven on Earth."

Didn't happen, and goes against everything else he is quoted as saying.

If, as a Christian, you try to enshrine your religion as "law", you spit on your religion and on Rightful Liberty.

If, as a Muslim, you try to enforce your religion as "law", you may be following the rules of your religion, but you are still trampling Rightful Liberty- which trumps any religion. Sorry.

In both cases, I will defy you.

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Vanishing statists

Months ago I had someone "friend" me on Facebook. A "conservative" statist, I would guess, from the things I read on his page.

He added me and then warned me that libertarians and anarchists always ended up running away and "unfriending" him when they couldn't counter his arguments or get past his logic.

I accepted the challenge without comment.

After he responded to one or two things I wrote in the first week or so, he has slipped off into the sunset of silence. He's still on my "friend list", but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in any comments. I wonder what happened to his self-assurance?

Then again, I tend to wonder if the guy is a sort of troll, making "conservative" statists look ridiculous by the things he promotes. It's possible.

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"I would shoot somebody!"

Very often, when the subject of guns comes up with someone I am just meeting, they will make the comment that they "could never carry a gun", because they would "get mad and shoot someone".

That's disturbing to know.

If someone doesn't trust themselves with a gun, how can I trust them? At all?

Could part of their problem be that they don't demand responsibility of themselves, but feel it's OK to go through life like a spoiled child who could strike out anytime they get offended? Maybe a gun would force them to grow up; to take control of their impulses.

I do know it had that effect on me.

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Good job, PA State Police!

Your overwrought, expensive, and childish vendetta has done something I have been trying to do for years: shown some diehard statists that the only ones you truly "protect and serve" are your own gang members. 

I call that a "win"!

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Happy Halloween!

For your Halloween reading pleasure (?), here are two of my creepy stories from the past:

Melissa's Ghost (With help from Claire Wolfe)

The Werewolf

The Ghoul of Oasis

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After these messages...

If anyone has been considering making a donation to me, this would be a nice time. It's been a while since I asked. Clickable donation buttons to the right.

Or, you can help me out in other ways.

Thanks!

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Which package would you subscribe to?

When you sign up for cable TV service, or a satellite dish TV service, you can choose between a few "packages" they offer. You pay a set price for a lot of channels you don't want in order to get the few you do want.

That's exactly like "taxes" and The State.

You may be under the belief that you want government to tax everyone so you can have roads and "safetyness". But you can't choose to only pay for those items; you must also pay for the salaries of congressvermin, and for welfare (but I repeat myself). You pay for blatant violations of your right to own and to carry weapons to be committed against you, and for government kinderprisons. You are forced to pay for a lot of crap you don't want- and which you may even despise- to get the few things you do want.

How does this make sense to anyone?

If each of us were allowed to pay for only those things we want, I wouldn't waste my breath speaking out against "taxation"... but then it wouldn't BE "taxation", since it would be completely voluntary.

And, even if I want to pay for a particular service, I want options. I may want to buy the service from someone else who gives me more of what I want and less of what I don't. I can choose to opt out altogether. In the case of TV, that means I don't get to watch their offerings, but that's a "price" I willingly pay if I don't think the money spent is worth what I get in return.

Which illustrates a huge difference between The State and TV subscriptions: the consensual nature of the cable and satellite TV providers' services.

I haven't had TV in years (I do have Netflix streaming), and no cable company has shown up at my door to force me to choose a package they, or their satellite competitors, offer. Try refusing to pay your subscription fees for The State and see if they are as consensual as TV providers.

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Selling reminder

Just a reminder- I still have some things for sale on eBay, and also I'm still selling patches.

"Believing in" Liberty

As much as we don't like to face it, our beliefs come first and our reasons we use to justify our beliefs follow. The smarter a person is, the better they are at finding justifications for what they already believe.

Long ago, I was a statist. Sure, I didn't trust or want much government standing in my way, but I "knew" government of some sort was necessary. And, even though I really didn't spend much time thinking about it, I could have found lots of ways to justify my beliefs- and would have even argued that the reasons I found were why I believed the way I did, rather than the other way around.

But, those subconscious reasons kept coming up against hard facts and cold reality.

At some point I did start actually thinking about it- oops.

Finally my beliefs began to change. A process that is still ongoing. (Funny, though, it has always moved in the same direction all my life- toward fewer and fewer exceptions justifying external control of others and toward a deeper respect for Rightful Liberty.)

Now I believe liberty is the only reasonable way to approach life. And I am very good at finding reasons I would say cause me to hold that belief.

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Many confused about libertarians

Many confused about libertarians

(My Clovis News Journal column for September 26, 2014.)

Very often, in the national media, I see items which show just how confused most people are over what is "libertarian" and what isn't. Liberals confuse libertarians for conservatives; especially of the "Tea Party" variety. Conservatives confuse libertarians for liberals. No one seems to understand why those are both wrong.

It even happens locally. Recently, during some admittedly heated discussion over a local event which attracted negative international attention, someone took issue with what I consider a case of "calling a spade a spade". He thought my behavior was not very libertarian, which he mischaracterized as "do no harm".

Now libertarians are confused for doctors, too? Although only libertarianism can really heal any sick society, "do no harm" isn't a part of libertarianism.

Perhaps he was confused by our adherence to the Zero Aggression Principle, which shows our recognition of having no right to initiate force, in person or by proxy, against any other human being.

Anything less only provides refuge for the bad guys.

Libertarians fully support doing harm, through the use of physical force, to those who are caught in the act of violating any person or property. It's called "self defense" and can cause real damage to the aggressor. Personally, I am against using physical force against someone who is only caught after the fact, seeing this as vengeance rather than self defense. Vengeance is the opposite of justice, which is why government "justice systems" are so fond of it- when wielded through "official channels", at least.

Libertarians also support exposing people caught committing aggression or theft to social pressure to change their ways through shunning and ostracism. This means advertising their wrongdoing publicly, so others know and can decide whether or not to associate and do business with them. This can be seen as "calling names" by supporters of the aggressor or thief, who would rather the incident be swept under the rug and ignored.

If publicity can be considered "doing harm", so be it. Thieves and aggressors choose their path, and their complaints about what happens as a consequence don't break my heart.

On the other hand, self defense and public exposure of anti-social behavior isn't really the causing of "harm"; but the repairing of harm. Sure, from the perspective of the bad guy and his supporters, this might be harmful, but from the perspective of the rest of the individuals in society, it is what is needed to make up for harm done, and to prevent future harm by alerting everyone around to the probable danger of dealing with someone who has shown a willingness to violate person and property in the past. It's justice.

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Everywhere, yet nowhere

The state is pervasive. Everyone seems to be wrapped up in its tentacles in some way.

Either they have a government job or their job depends on government contracts, their kid is enslaved by the military, they depend on welfare, or they feel loyal to the local government kinderprison.

And the sick people like it that way.

This entanglement makes it harder for them to face the harsh reality.

And, yet, The State only exists in the minds of those addicted to obsessing over it- either loving it or hating it.

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Pride in shameful things

I just had a horrifying realization!

Some people- maybe most people- have some sort of psychological need to feel proud of "their" government!

Why would anyone be that pathetic?

Do they also need to feel proud of the other robbers and molesters who surround them?

Yeah, I know: Stockholm Syndrome and all that. But still... it's just bizarre!

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Old, made up, "news" is good news to Prohibitionists

A couple of weeks ago, the local weekly paper, in the column written by the owner/publisher, was gleefully reporting the newest anti-marijuana study by Professor Wayne Hall. The paper's owner has long had a bee in his bonnet about marijuana, believing it to be a good thing to prohibit, and apparently, cage and kill people over. This "news" was exactly the sort he loves to find and pass along.

The thing is, this professor's "findings" are exactly the same sort of things the prohibitionists have been saying for decades.

And, the professor doesn't seem to understand that correlation is not causation, which means he isn't doing science, but only propping up propaganda.

His assertion "it could double the risk of severe psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia" seems to ignore the fact that people with psychiatric disorders are more likely to self-medicate, with whatever they can find, to relieve their discomfort. Even I can figure this out.

According to Hall, "those who try to stop taking the drug can often suffer anxiety, lower appetite, depression and insomnia, and less than half of people who stop taking it can stay off it for six months". And, he says "The important point I am trying to make is that people can get into difficulties with cannabis use, particularly if they get into daily use over a long period."

OK. Anything you get into a habit of doing on a daily basis can get in the way of life, and can be extremely hard to stop doing.

And, there was more bad "science" of the same kind all through his findings. Almost everything he "discovered" as a researcher working as an advisor to a Big Government group (the World Health Organization of the United Nations) is what prohibitionists want to be discovered.

And, guess what: even if everything he claims were absolutely true, it STILL wouldn't invent a right to tell other people what they are allowed to eat, drink, smoke, or otherwise consume. It's totally irrelevant. That "right" doesn't exist, can't exist, and can't be invented. It doesn't matter if it's Nanny Bloomypants trying to forbid you from enjoying salt or a super-sized soft drink, or some dogwhistle trying to kill you so you can't inject heroin. No one has that right, so no one can delegate that nonexistent right. To attempt to do so is evil.

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Good post by K on living your Rightful Liberty

Sometimes, someone else's blog post will speak to me in such a way that I just keep returning to it and reading it again and again. This is one such post: Rightful Liberty: Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock

I can't even tell you for certain why it struck such a chord in me. Maybe because it's sort of how I live. Anyway, after reading it for the fifth time or so, I decided I needed to share it.

Enjoy!

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"Revisionist history"

One accusation that has always bewildered me is when someone gets upset and cries "Revisionist history!"

It's as if new information- if it chips away at the official story- is automatically bad.

That's the height of stupidity.

It's like refusing to accept the news that you were adopted. Or that you were born, the product of sex, if you had always been told the stork brought you.

History isn't the same as what really happened. Sometimes it's similar, but it is filtered by those relating the tales, and is often more what they want you to know than how it really went. And, there is a ridiculous focus on States and politicians and other nasty characters, while mostly ignoring the main important things of what normal people did in their normal boring lives. "Boring"- that's the problem.

Disasters, death, and disease are exciting, and nothing can bring those things about like States and bad guys acting on "behalf" of States, so they get the attention, while being extreme cases rather than normal. I mean, how many times has a president actually come into your life and affected you, personally? Me, never. Yet presidents are considered history, while the people who actually affected me (and you and everyone else, except for a tiny sample of people in the world), for good or bad, are ignored.

And, since those bad guys and people who think like them are the ones who relate the tales of the past to the new generation, they don't like it when new information leaks out showing they have cherry picked- or lied about- things that happened in the past.

Especially when it disrupts the narrative they want to push on you.

So, they need you to think that the new information is somehow revising history- by which I guess they mean "changing" the past- rather than what it is actually doing: wiping away lies and misconceptions that protect some people's "legacy" at the expense of others.

And, often, at the expense of the present and future. After all, if you don't understand where you came from, it is often hard to see where you are going.

History- the story of what happened in the past- will never (without a scope that peers through time without disrupting anything) be known with 100% accuracy, but new information will keep coming to light, and shouldn't be tossed aside simply because it doesn't fit with what you wish to believe. History will always need to keep being revised unless you love ignorance.

Of course, I have noticed the same people get upset and think that because the process of science discovers new things that sometimes modify what was previously believed to be the facts, science is unreliable and based upon whims because it doesn't remain chiseled in stone, like religion does.

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Flint and steel kits for sale

Sven from Hunchback Ironworks has forged some nice fire strikers as a collaborative venture for the two of us, which I have put into "strike-a-light" kits to sell.

I'm going to offer them here, to give regular readers the first shot, before I list them on Dullhawk.com.

All kits come in a tin. The tins can be burned or sanded to remove the paint, for a more primitive look, if you care about that. All, that is, except for kit #5- for reasons which will be apparent.

The kits all include a small piece of flint, some char cloth to catch the spark and make a coal, and a little juniper bark tinder to make the coal become a flame. The rest is up to you.

As of now, I have 5 kits to sell. (UPDATE: I now have only kit #5 available)

• Kit #5

Kit #5 is another special kit. The striker was too large to fit inside an Altoids tin, so it got an International Coffee tin. This one comes with a plastic lid. I made cardboard partitions to keep things inside #5 organized, and to keep the char cloth a little safer- it's fragile stuff. This kit also comes with a few extra pieces of char cloth. Kit #5 costs $25.00

• Kit #1 (Sold)

This is a special kit. The striker has been polished and etched. It says "LIBERTY" on one side, and "STRIKES BACK" on the other. Kit #1 costs $25.00

• Kit #2 (sold)

Kit #2 costs $20.00

• Kit #3 (sold)

Kit #3 costs $20.00

• Kit #4 (sold)

Kit #4 costs $20.00

As a freebie, and to help those who buy the kits, here is a video I made explaining how to make more char cloth when you use up the bit that comes in the kit, and also some hints on preparing tinder.

All kits are offered on a first come, first served, basis (email me, don't rely on commenting here to get the message to me). If this goes over well, there will be more next month. And, of course, you can also contact Hunchback Ironworks directly if there's something else you need forged. Tell Sven I sent you!

And, get your preps in order.

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See the gun aimed at you

Just think about it: all speed limit signs might as well come with a gun attached. 

They are a threat to rob you- just looking for justification by making up an arbitrary rule you'll probably break. And, make no mistake, it is an armed robbery. You will be murdered if you resist long enough. I'd like to add stickers to those vile signs to make them more honest.

Kinderprison

Yeah, that's a new word I may have just invented (or more likely, applied in a new way).

To me, a kinderprison is any school- government or "private"- based on the Prussian system of behavior modification destruction for the purpose of enforcing conformity and obedience- with a possible accidental amount of actual, useful education occurring despite the best efforts of the control freaks in charge.

Abolish the kinderprisons!

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Trying to talk to statists

I've noticed a very consistent pattern when trying to discuss things with rabid statists. This imaginary discussion illustrates what I'm talking about.

Statist: "What's the 2nd letter of the alphabet?
Libertarian: "B"
Statist: "Well, then, what letter comes after 'A'?"
Libertarian: "B"
Statist: "OK, but what letter comes before 'C'?"
Libertarian: "B"
Statist: "Why do you keep going in circles?"
Libertarian: "Sigh..."

Yep. That's how it goes when discussing liberty or rights with a statist. They rephrase their objections, and then complain when they get the same answers over and over.

Liberty is the answer, regardless of how badly they don't want it to be.

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Government stops real solutions

Government stops real solutions

(My Clovis News Journal column for September 19, 2014.)

It is said "No man is an island". This seems undeniable, yet libertarians are frequently accused of believing individuals are islands. As if we see humans as isolated and alone, unable to join with others to fix problems which are beyond one person's ability, unless they form that most persistent of Utopian ideas: a government.

People coming together in a completely voluntary and consensual manner, to accomplish something they are in unanimous agreement on, is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

What we do oppose is anyone being forced to join projects they would rather not, and being forced to pay for things they either don't want, or believe they are getting a bad deal on.

Government is currently the main barrier preventing individuals from working together and finding voluntary solutions which don't violate any individuals. Its employees say they must approve, license, regulate, or coordinate every big project, and most small ones as well. Which means, in essence, "no private solutions allowed". Everything must be shoved through the meat grinder of bureaucracy and coercion before being implemented- which destroys any chance of a rational solution being put into action.

Let's say a group of individuals- perhaps ranchers, dairy owners, farmers, and any other concerned people- came together to take on some hypothetical area's ongoing water problems.

The only limitations are that no one may violate the private property of another- which means, in part, no one can be forced to pay for it against their will through taxation- and no force can be used against those who opt out of the plan. It doesn't mean those who opt out can still get the full benefits of any solution without chipping in, though.

Would I trust those individuals to find the best chance at a real, lasting solution for this crisis? If government were not allowed to interfere in any way whatsoever- yes, I would.

Could a solution actually be found? I don't know for certain.

What I do know with certainty is that government solutions to this problem have never worked. They can't. Most are analogous to having the water shut off to your house, so you decide to use the water in your water heater and toilet tanks while pretending it's a permanent solution. And buying, with your neighbor's bank account, a solid gold dipper to serve it with.

Some problems have no real solution, no matter how you treat others. But, if you commit to respecting the rights and property of all concerned, at least you haven't added to the pain. or done the wrong thing for supposedly noble reasons.

It's the mature and ethical way to approach problems.

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The foundation of civilization

Guess what, every bad guy you have ever met or heard of has some "libertarian" leanings or qualities. Every single one. And that doesn't negate libertarianism in any way.

Everyone has some libertarian positions.

Society would collapse if that weren't true. No one would be able to work together to accomplish anything, because the first disagreement would bring out the baseball bats, brass knuckles, and guns to force everyone else to do it "my way". Any price that was "too high" would result in theft- every time- unless the seller held the buyer at gun point as long as he was shopping.

Every civilized action is libertarian by nature.

Statism is only supportable as a minority, limited condition practiced in very limited ways, and not by too many people too much of the time in too many situations. It turns on itself otherwise.

It's utterly bizarre that some people get this truth exactly backwards.

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Hooked on being abused

It seems like so many people support the State because they enjoy doing things they believe they can only do through The State.

I'm not just talking about cops and military who want that "job" so they can use aggression without consequence- I'm talking about people with otherwise harmless hobbies and interests, who fall into a government-funded niche they don't want to give up.

The researcher who believes her job can only be supported by "tax" money.

The librarian who believes only government can fund libraries.

The "ham radio" enthusiast who loves getting the permits that validate and authorize his hobby.

The machine gun owner who chills at the thought that anyone else might have a gun like his without having to jump through the hoops he is proud to have gotten entangled in.

I am odd in that if government thugs have violated me in some way, I am not in favor of everyone else being violated in the same way, and if I love a job or hobby, I invariably want to see it freed of State control, so that it can thrive.

Why is that so hard?

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Rigged games

I recently had some more self-awareness sneak up on me.

I realized I have a very low tolerance for rigged games. No only the political game, but in every area of life.

Once I figure out it's rigged I stop playing. I won't do what's expected. I may ignore the game altogether, or if prevented from doing that, I may refuse to abide by the rules invented by the players, and imposed on me, the one who doesn't want to play at all.

And, those who rigged the game, or insist everyone keep playing anyway, don't like it when their plot fails to trap someone. Good. Upsetting them seems a low price to pay for more liberty.

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The predictability of statism

Statists of all sorts get very upset by the truth and reality. Those who support cops are probably the worst.

They don't wanna hear it. They'll deny. They'll dream up objections, look for exceptions. They'll look for the hard cases that nothing can fix.

As if any of that props up their superstition.

Then, when all this doesn't convince you to embrace their ways, they'll call you names, say you have to be pragmatic, tell you to "move to Somalia", or threaten aggression.

Because, since they can't handle the truth, that's all they've got on their side.

It's predictable, and sad, really.

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The Religion of Aggression

Statism is the real "religion of violence"- and not just violence, but aggression. It's what the believers always fall back on when their tactics don't make you yield to their wishes.

ISIS is aggressive mostly because it is following the path of being a State. Without trying to be a State the aggression would be much less dangerous, and easier to counter.

Israel is aggressive because it is a State.

The US is aggressive because it is a State.

All States are aggressive by the very nature of being States.

Yes, there are non-State aggressors out there. But the worst ones often try to gain the appearance of legitimacy by joining (or becoming) a State of some kind.

But States are only dangerous because of their Believers.

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Cops- the price of legitimacy

I've said it before, but it bears repeating:

IF police are to have any legitimacy whatsoever, and that's a mighty big "if", they must be reminded that they have no "authority" that you or I don't have.

They were supposed to be nothing more than the butler who does what you or I didn't feel like doing right now. Just like you have the authority to haul your own trash to the dump, but you hire someone else to do it because you don't want to be bothered. And if trash collectors start acting like they can order you around, use aggression against you if you decide you can no longer afford or risk their "services", they'll become uppity, dangerous goons just like cops have become, and I'll fire them, too. If I am forced to keep paying them, I am being robbed.

That's right- cops are lowly servants, not masters.

They say "jump"; we ask "Why?" If they can't give a reasonable answer, we walk away after firing them.

We say "jump"; they ask nothing until after they jump. Their immediate, grovelling obedience comes as a price of the "job". If they don't like it, they can go get an honest job.

That's the price of legitimacy. If they refuse to pay it they can continue to be nothing more than the thieving, aggressive bad guys more and more people are recognizing them to be.

I have no "need" for servants who have become uppity and abusive and murderous. I take back responsibility for my own life (as if I ever handed it over to such pathetic people).

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Keep good rules; chuck the rest

Keep good rules; chuck the rest

(My Clovis News Journal column for September 12, 2014.)

Contrary to what many seem to believe, libertarians are not against rules. In fact, they are defined by adherence to one rule in particular: the Zero Aggression Principle. It simply states: "No human being has the right, under ANY circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, nor to advocate or delegate its initiation." This basically means "Don't start violence by throwing the first punch, or by sending someone else to throw the first punch."

Live by that rule and you are a libertarian whether you know it or not; don't live by it and you aren't libertarian no matter what you say.

Natural Law aligns flawlessly with the Zero Aggression Principle, including the necessity of respecting the property rights of others.

Other rules are helpful for self preservation.

Following the dosage rules for medication is smart. Rules for proper food preparation or keeping your water safe to drink are necessary. Following rules for safe gun handling helps you survive. Some people don't obey good rules and suffer the consequences.

Still other rules have evolved concerning customary behavior. Pausing at intersections and driving on the right side of the road (where this is the custom) are examples of this. These would be smart things to do regardless of laws dictating them, simply because everyone has come to expect this, and refusing to cooperate will needlessly endanger your life and the lives of innocent people. Of course, these rules vary from place to place, so don't fall into the trap of believing they are universal like Natural Law. Even when these rules find their way into laws, some people will refuse to follow these rules and will cause harm.

The legitimate rules, which are sometimes reflected in invented, statutory law, are the ones which would survive and be followed by most people without being enforced, or even written down. If you don't follow them, you'll probably suffer.

Most libertarians are fine with these rules, and are simply against arbitrary, unnecessary, or harmful rules.

Bad rules would soon die out without armed enforcement keeping them propped up. Rules like coming to a complete stop at stop signs, when no one really believes it is essential to driving safely; or having a license plate or a drivers license. Or arbitrary speed limits. Speed limits are silly, since even the law tosses them aside on a whim; thus "driving too fast for conditions", even when well below the "speed limit".

Other arbitrary, unnecessary or harmful rules would include those regulating the owning and carrying of weapons, rather than the aggressive use of those weapons. Or rules imposing taxation. Or compulsory school attendance.

Keep the good rules; scrap the rest.

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Comments on The Crimes of Officer Brent Aguilar- UPDATED

I rarely do this, but you really should go back and read the comments posted on The Crimes of Clovis' Officer Brent Aguilar, and the pass given by copsuckers.

It shows just how hard statists will try to justify their superstitious beliefs. I'll admit, the guy is good at it.

Funny, though, how many things I bring up that he conveniently ignores- skipping right over that to try another direction.

And, am I mistaken, or did the sorry little butt nugget just threaten me?

I think you'll enjoy reading through the comments, and keep checking back. He may not be done.

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UPDATED- He's still at it and digging himself even deeper, and getting more desperate.

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Can't fight reason? Just nuke 'em.

I just finished reading an excellent book, The Market for Liberty, which came highly recommended by one of the commenters here- I'll probably have more to say about it soon.

But, in reading how the authors say a free society would spread, because the States around the world couldn't compete with it, makes me wonder something inconvenient which the authors seem to have ignored.

Would governments join together in an attempt to attack and destroy a free society which was embarrassing them and attracting "their people" and businesses? Rather than trying to compete, and locking down their "borders" and outlawing emigration, would they simply nuke the free area to "solve" the problem?

I'm afraid I believe they just might do it, since there is no other way they could compete.

That doesn't mean they would necessarily be successful, since a free society would probably be filled to the brim with people who were obsessive about defense and weaponry- which no one would be able to criminalize.

And, in such a scenario, "winning" doesn't mean the aggressors were right and that statism is moral or ethical. It just means they were stronger or lucky. Just like any murderer who manages to kill his victim.

But, it's something I have seen in my own life: when statists can't win with reason, they resort quickly to force, which they always believe they have a right to initiate against anyone who doesn't agree with them. It's why they, while ridiculous, are dangerous and need to be watched.

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Statists telling me what I want...

From where comes the assumption that if someone harms me, I want the guilty person kidnapped and placed in a cage- that I must finance whether I can afford it or not?

Not only am I expected to want to pay for the cage, the guards, my violator's food and electricity, the upkeep of the cage, his medical bills, and all the bureaucracy to keep him caged "legally", but I am also supposed to want to pay for the cops who "caught" him.

Screw that!

I want justice, not punishment. And justice doesn't come from The State.

Punishing others benefits me in no way, even when you punish the real guilty person, but actually harms me when the punishment is financed by me and others against our will. Heaping violation on top of violation to punish some violators is not a healthy "system".

Yet, I am told all the time that "no victim wants their violator to 'go free'".

Once again, I am "no one".

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Statism- the self-contradictory superstition

Statism is nothing but a web of contradictory beliefs. It's not internally consistent in any way. You can see an illustration of that anytime you witness a debate between a statist and a non-statist.

People are flawed, so they must be controlled by people. 

"Laws" are good and necessary, even though I disagree with some of them. 

Crime exists, so The State is necessary to stop crime- even though The State has been around for thousands of years and crime still exists.

It's not wrong (theft/"taxation", kidnapping/"arrest") if government does it. 

And on and on it goes.

Sometimes the stupid hurts.

But, I try very hard to have patience with statists. Because I care and I believe their lives will be better if they stop being so stupidly inconsistent and self-contradictory. Some days, though, I think "Are you even listening to yourself?!?"

Without those inherent contradictions, statism simply ceases to be. It evaporates to be replaced by something else. It is replaced by anarchism, voluntaryism, or whatever you wish to call it. It's like a breath of fresh air to those who finally allow themselves to breathe.

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Understanding; not accepting

I sometimes understand those who initiate force- or want to- while recognizing they have no right to do so.

I am only human and have had the same perverse desires crop up myself.

I admit I was wrong when I wanted to initiate force- why is it so hard for some people to accept the same?

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Voluntary segregation

I wonder....

Would it be "better" (however you might define that term) if humans segregated themselves by "intelligence"?

Maybe they already do, to some extent, but I'm thinking of people migrating, voluntarily, to asteroids or space colonies that are set up to make people of a particular IQ range "happy".

I do think there are distractions and hobbies and pastimes and careers that people of certain levels of intelligence are more likely to participate in and enjoy, and others they tend to avoid.

At first the idea sounds attractive, especially when I'm aggravated at certain people.

Then I wonder if it would be boring to never be around people substantially dumber or smarter than yourself. Would people seem more irritating without more variety?

Just another reason I am skeptical of Utopia.

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Five things to know about liberty

Five things to know about liberty

(My Clovis News Journal column for September 5, 2014.)

I see regular articles on the topic of "Five things to know about..." a person, object, or job which some readers might be curious about. Apparently nothing is as poorly understood as liberty- with is strange to admit in a country which was supposedly founded to give regular people the best shot at achieving liberty. Perhaps it is time for a "Five things to know about liberty".

Defending rights:
Just because you admit someone has a right to do something, it doesn't necessarily mean you approve of what they do or wish to join them. It simply means you realize when they aren't violating any other person or private property you have no right to prevent them from doing what they are doing, and therefore can't pass this authority you don't possess to anyone on your behalf. You have a right to drink protein shakes, and I'll defend your right to do so, but I'll not be joining you.

Defending scoundrels:
Defending the rights of everyone doesn't mean you agree with or like them. Unless you can stand up for the rights of your worst enemy, you are hypocritical expecting others to defend your rights. H. L. Mencken put it well: "The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."

Consistency counts:
Being consistent means you will upset some people who believe you should make exceptions for their favorite rights violations and violators. This is the biggest stumbling block for most people. They easily see why the other guy is wrong, but when they do the exact same thing for "their side" they see nothing wrong with it. Of course, being consistent doesn't mean you are right- a person can be consistently wrong- but being inconsistent is an obvious clue something is wrong with your thinking or behavior.

Anything can be better:
Supporting liberty and opposing those who violate it doesn't mean you "hate America" or should "move to Somalia". It means you know things can always be better than they are, while appreciating the good you already have. Or still have, as the case may be.

No forcing it:
If someone doesn't hunger for liberty and doesn't want to understand it, nothing you or I can say will change that. In such a case you simply need to live liberty and leave them on their own- and hope they never force you to defend yourself from them. Maybe your example will create curiosity. If not, you'll still have a better life.

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An imaginary distinction

I just don't get the distinction.

If a guy is trying to rob you, using potentially deadly force, is it wrong to kill him in self defense if you know he's a pastor?

What if he's a cop?

What does his job matter?

Here's a hint: it doesn't.

Violators deserve to die at the hands of their intended victims at the scene of the attack. That doesn't mean the victim is "required" to kill the attacker, but only an evil person would fault him for doing so.

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Double standards are not worth the cost

If you "hog tie" government employees (particularly cops) by demanding they obey the rules everyone else is expected to obey, the statist complaint is that they can't get anything done.

Too bad.

If you "must" steal or initiate force to do your job, I don't want your "help". I want you to go away- and die if you won't go away voluntarily. Nothing you could ever do in your "official capacity" is worth tolerating your violations. I'm not afraid of those things you want me to ask for your "protection" from. I need nothing from you but to be left to live in Rightful Liberty.

You can't seem to do that- so you declare me your enemy for not going along with your raping and pillaging.

Fine.

I'd hate to have bad guys love me.

If you can't accomplish anything by respecting the Rightful Liberty of everyone else, then I relish your failure.

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If a cop saves a life...

What if there's a medical emergency? Maybe you don't call 911, but someone else does. Anymore, it's not only the needed medical professionals who arrive- the "Law" shows up, too, for some incomprehensible reason.

Maybe the cop even gets there first. Maybe the cop saves your life.

If a cop happens to show up and saves your life, good. But what does it matter what job your rescuer holds? Wouldn't you be just as grateful if you were rescued by a pimp or an artist? Would you forever worship all artists if one showed up and saved you?

So, why do some people act as though cops are special (no, not in "that" way) because they have the radios that make them aware of crisis situations as they happen?

If I happen upon an emergency scene I may or may not be of help, but I'm also highly unlikely to shoot the person in need due to them being unable to comply with arbitrary orders I bark at them.

Don't fall into the trap of worshiping cops just because some of them happen to show up at the scene of a crisis, and sometimes do the right thing at that moment. Even the cop training can't totally extinguish the ability to do the right thing sometimes.

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Related: If a thug lends a hand

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Liberty, but...

 I "love" all the liberty-lovers who are liberty-lovers until they beg the State to save them.

Maybe from "drunk drivers", "illegal immigrants", pedophiles, or just general "chaos".

Either liberty is good and it works, or it isn't and it doesn't. Make up your mind.

I know what experience has shown me.

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New Link: The Zelman Partisans

Notice the new link over there on the list of blogs and sites: The Zelman Partisans.

It has risen from the ashes of JPFO; may it succeed wildly.

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Cops- a crutch you don't need

I see the "need" for any externally imposed "government" as a crutch, and the "need" for police is one of the most pathetic examples.

But, let's say you really, honestly "believe" you "need" cops. Fine. But, I don't, so don't impose them on me and then complain when I don't appreciate it.

When I look at people who "need" cops, I see perfectly capable people who look silly using an ill-designed crutch that wasn't even "necessary" to begin with. And, the vanishingly few people who might have a legitimate need for a protector, I see as having to make do with something unsuited to their real needs.

Now, the existence of cops doesn't really affect my behavior- unless one is looking at me. I don't go out of my way to avoid them. Yet. I don't make an effort to be rude to them. It isn't the individual that's the problem, it's the "job". Of course, some of those individuals enjoy the "job" way too much, and use it as a way to be nasty goons without consequence, but those individuals would probably be nasty people no matter what their "job" was. Some of those cop-people would be perfectly fine individuals if they'd burn the uniform, walk away, and get an honest job.

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Justice for Shaneen Allen!

Read about it here: Justice for Shaneen Allen!

Now, a small quibble. This wasn't justice.

She's being sent to a "rehabilitative" program? There is nothing to "rehabilitate". She wasn't the one in the wrong. It's like letting a rape victim go to "rehabilitation"- so she can see the error of her ways- because she was raped.

The "arresting" cop needs rehabilitation. The prosecutors need rehabilitation. The evil idiots who wrote and passed the rule she ran afoul of need rehabilitation. Shaneen is the only one involved in this whole mess who doesn't need to be rehabilitated.

I'm glad she isn't being caged. I'm glad she wasn't executed. But this isn't justice. Not even close.

What it is is an illustration of what a bad idea "laws" are- especially when they violate Natural Law. It is an illustration that anything short of being ground up and eaten by The State can be seen as a "win" by those who believe- completely without justification- that The State can be somehow legitimate.

I wish Shaneen had gotten justice. All those guilty of molesting her should be forced to pay her for all the wasted time, energy, inconvenience, "mental anguish", and "legal" trouble their molestation caused. Out of their own pockets, of course, even if it means they and their families have nothing to live in but a cardboard box for the rest of their miserable lives. And, obviously, those guilty vermin should never hold any "public" job ever again- and preferably should die hungry and alone, being shunned to death for their evil acts.

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State-provided security ridiculous

State-provided security ridiculous

(My Clovis News Journal column for August 29, 2014.)

People claim government must provide security- by which they usually mean police and military- because security is much too important to leave to the market to provide (which they confuse with leaving it to chance), or to do without.

Yet, nothing is more important than air. Being so vital, shouldn't we let government inspect, bottle, and ration air to make certain we all get our safe and clean fair share? We'd pay higher taxes for that, right? When someone breaks the rules the government can just cut off their air supply (no, not their easy-listening '70s music, their oxygen; not the Oxygen television network, the life-sustaining atmospheric gas). That would end crime and silence malcontents quickly!

Trees, oceanic algae, and chemists would have to be regulated to prevent unauthorized oxygen production. And something would have to be done to secure the borders to prevent immigrating air from infiltrating American lungs. Not breathing at all would be better than breathing foreign air!

Yeah, it sounds silly. Pretending security must be provided by the State is just as ridiculous.

Guess what- security, like air, is all around you. It is within you and me, and between us. If only we don't pretend it has to be provided by others.

Like it or not, you are the militia, and defending your home and family- and by extension your surroundings- is best done by you. That's real security. Plus, by accepting your militia responsibility you can protect your liberty from the most dangerous of enemies: the "domestic" ones.

When the Second Amendment- the law making the passage and enforcement of "gun control" a serious crime- was being debated, Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts said, "What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty.... Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins."

One path leads to security, the other, to tyranny.

So, here we are. They were allowed to get away with it. The militia failed in its duty to prevent the government from establishing its own standing military, the people generally approve and ignore the tragedy, anti-gun "laws" result in much death and suffering, and liberty is dying at an accelerating pace. And still, people clamor for more security to be bottled and distributed. We would do well to remember Gerry's quote and its implications. Or recognize the reality that security shouldn't be handled by those who fear liberty the most. Any security they promise is smoke and mirrors.

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"Animal rights"?

Somewhere I have written it before, but I can't find it right now, so I'll write it here.

I love animals, hate people who abuse them, and I don't "believe in" "animal rights".

How's that?

If "rights" are imaginary, then that's that. End of discussion.

If "rights" are a real thing, then I don't see them as transferable between species. A mouse has no right to not be tortured, killed, and eaten by a cat. A deer has no right to not be shot and eaten by a human. A dog has no right to not be kicked by its owner.

A human also has no right to not be mauled and eaten by a bear.

Any of the victims have the right to fight back however they can, killing their attacker if possible. It's just the way it works.

Any victim of another member of its own species always has the right to fight back, too. Are you listening, enforcers and freelance thugs?

Pretending otherwise will get you in all sorts of trouble, and may surprise you.

I have no right to use force to stop another human from doing anything to an animal which doesn't belong to me (or to some third party who doesn't consent to him using it that way).

I do have the right to shun and publicize what I see as disgusting behavior on the part of the abuser. I have done so in the past and will continue to do so.

Humans have the choice to cause pain and terror, or to not do so. I respect those who choose not to, and I'll avoid those I know who enjoy (or just don't care about) causing suffering. I don't trust animal abusers to stop there, but suspect it would only be a short hop to expanding their activities to human victims. Even if they don't, I think anyone who callously causes suffering isn't someone I want to be around. Not my kind of people.

You also have no ethical obligation to not eat other animals. All life is paid for by death. Don't let anyone try to make you feel bad for what you eat.  I do think the way you (or your proxy) treat your food as you kill it shows whether you are a decent person or not. You also have the right to be vegetarian or "vegan" (isn't that also the word for someone/something from Vega?) if that's what you want, but it doesn't make you superior or more moral in the slightest way.

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Bitcoin question

How can I regain access to my Bitcoin?

Long story- the computer I have been using since I began this blog 8 years ago finally totally died. It had been limping along for years, so I wasn't caught by surprise. I sold something I really didn't want to sell and bought a new one. I had saved the DAT file from the Bitcoin wallet fairly often before the computer died, and have it on a stick, but now I have no idea to translate that into moving the Bitcoin to the new computer. I also don't remember which "brand" of wallet I was using.

Any ideas?

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How to become a good ATF agent

Have you ever heard someone make the claim that the ATF/BATFE/BATFEces are really just trying to stop "crime"? Well, I have.

Let's think about that.

First of all, they are financed and paid with stolen "tax" money. Not a good start if you want to be "good guys".

Then, not only is their agency not "constitutional" since nothing in the Constitution gives government any "authority" (not even false authority) to meddle with weapons, alcohol, or tobacco (or any other consumables or products), which means it is illegal, it is completely anti-constitutional. The "F" and "E" parts of the name being specifically forbidden to them by the Second Amendment (which I realize is routinely ignored anyway, but just use this to point out the criminal nature of the gang).

So, here's the claim that a criminal gang, financed by theft, and operating outside the statutory law written to prevent them from existing, and in total violation of Natural Law, can somehow be the "good guys", and that they are needed to prevent innocent people from being harmed.

It's so ridiculous, it's painful.

Well, there is one way they can become "good" ATF agents...

The Crimes of Clovis' Officer Brent Aguilar, and the pass given by copsuckers

Statist copsuckers just can't consider that cops are bad. Even when the evidence is right there in front of them- admitted to in the "official" police version of events.

One, when I stated that the cop was the bad guy- the one who was the aggressor, said to me:

Your statement suggests you were there, please recount your version of the events. To do otherwise would put you in the same category as some of the "advocates" who incite foolishness for recognition and profit while having no actual knowledge about anything.

Yet, this statist insists that since I wasn't there I can't know who the bad guy was- who had committed the crime- even though the cops willingly list the crimes committed by Officer Brent Aguilar and can't show a single one (other than the imaginary"crime" of "contempt of cop") committed by Brent Aguilar's victim (whom they quickly "arrested" on "unrelated" charges).

Don't believe me? Let's go through the police version of events. The car was stopped. A passenger in the back seat (Corona) asked why they were being stopped (not a crime or any reason to suspect a crime). Aguilar demanded that passenger's ID (not within his authority and therefore a crime to do so). The passenger refused (not a crime to refuse to obey an illegal order). Aguilar placed the passenger under arrest (not a real arrest, but a kidnapping, since no crime had been committed by Corona. Adding to the crimes Aguilar and the police admit he committed). Then Aguilar added another crime to the crimes he was committing by physically attacking Corona to the point he broke a cheekbone, and to cover this crime, made up the charge of "resisting arrest".

If you copsuckers dispute these events take it up with the police department. The only difference is that you and the police don't consider these things wrong if committed by cops "in the line of duty", which is an unsupportable double standard I do not subscribe to. You can support cops all you want, but they are too dangerous to allow to exist.

The only way to excuse what Officer Brent Aguilar did is to make up an imaginary double standard where a crime can't be a crime if the aggressor wears a magical talisman called a badge. And that's what copsuckers are best at. No double standards.

It's as though we can't pass judgement on a rapist until we know what his victim might have done to "deserve it", even though the rapist admits the rape occurred (but calls it "arresting sex", instead, and says she refused to identify herself, so he had to do it, and she was then guilty of "resisting sex"). We can have video of the rape happening. We can have eyewitness testimony. We can see the physical wounds. But, if we are members of the Brutal Rapist Fan Club, we must reserve judgement until some justification can be manufactured.

If you needed any evidence that copsuckers will contort themselves inside out in support of their badged gods, there you have it.

ADDED: Surprise! This isn't the first time Brent Aguilar has been a brutal thug: "Aguilar used excessive force in taking Melanie Ryan of Clovis to the ground on her concrete porch"

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"Bad words"

I try really hard to keep certain words out of my posts. Part of the reason is that I honestly don't use them in real life (even if working on a car can make me think them), and part of the reason is if someone is going to be offended by this blog, I'd rather they were offended by the concepts and ideas I present rather than the pettiness of finding fault in the words I use to express myself.

But, I don't believe in "bad words".

I even tell my daughter there are no "bad words", even though I explain there are words that will upset her grandparents if uttered in their presence. And I have been amused at the casual way she asks if a certain word is a "bad word" or not. I guess she gets that from someone else.

But, there are words that are like a screwdriver being hammered into my ear.

Words like "patriotism", "vote", "service" (when applied to a government tool of any variety), "citizen", etc. No, they aren't "bad" words, and could even be used in good ways, but since the main way I hear them is in propping up the police state, they hurt my ears.

But I don't whine and insist people stop using those words around me- and even if I wince, no one probably notices.

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Cop supporters are dropping the ball

Why do I get so worked up over cops?

Because I don't "need" cops (neither do you, but that's for another time) and if you're going to impose them on me, you'd better hold them to a very high standard. Much higher than anyone who doesn't live on stolen money ("taxes") and doesn't go around meddling in people's private business. To try to let them get away with anything just shows how corrupt and stupid your "system" is.

If you really like and support cops you should come down HARD on those who violate anyone in any way (you know, the "bad apples"). Otherwise you are simply part of the problem- and working hard to make it worse to the point it will explode.

Cops: If you want me to give you the benefit of the doubt, Stop living on stolen money, Stop enforcing made-up rules, Stop imposing yourself in purely consensual interactions, Stop molesting travelers for "speed", "licensing", and paperwork violations, Stop beating non-violent people, Stop demanding ID and other information which is none of your business, and Stop standing by while those "bad apples" you claim are "giving you a bad name" do any of these things. You have a choice: you can keep doing what you're doing and keep being a bad guy... or you can walk away from the "job" right now and join the ranks of the productive people you have been feeding off of all this time. It can be an instant turn around from bad guy to good guy- as long as you leave the aggression and theft behind you (doing those things freelance is no big improvement; just a minor one).

Until these things happen I will oppose the very existence of "police". They should never be allowed to roam the streets preying on people. I'd rather take my chances with the "criminals" they pretend to protect me from. There are no "good" cops.

Abolish the police!

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