Extremists should keep politics to selves

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 7, 2020)

Of all the political ideas I'm puzzled by-- which is all of them-- the ideas of White Supremacy and White Nationalism are among the most bizarre.

To imagine you're better than others because of your race rather than for your achievements is foolish. For that matter, anyone who feels they are owed something beyond the respect for life, liberty, and property every human is entitled to is mistaken.

To use government and its legislation to force your superiority on others is to admit you're inferior.

I'm in favor of you creating your own nation somewhere, though-- with whatever values you hold dear. If you want to surround yourself with other insecure people to shield yourself from those who would point out your weaknesses, it's your right.

You're still obligated to establish your nation without violating anyone's life, liberty, or property. If anyone already lives where you want to create your nation, you have no right to kick them out. Either buy their property at a consensual price or allow them to stay. You must respect their rights. If this is a deal-breaker, you can find empty land on the Moon and set up your superior nation there.

Why anyone would want to pollute other worlds with politics is beyond me, but this is already a subject of serious discussion by serious people.

Few things are as toxic as politics. It's antisocial to use government to force others to live as you want them to live.

It's always important to know who conspires to use politics against you, and how they plan to do so if they get the chance. Your awareness allows you to stay ready to defend yourself from politics of any sort, extremist or mainstream, race-based or something else.

I'm sure White Supremacists and White Nationalists exist, although I've never met anyone who claims to be one. There are other kinds of nationalists and supremacists out there, too.

Of all the supremacists you might face, the ones most often encountered are the government-supremacists. These extremists believe government interests trump individual rights. Many of them mix in other kinds of supremacism or nationalism too, but as with all extremists, it's the political aspect rather than the petty details which makes them dangerous.

If these extremist groups would keep their politics to themselves, so as to not violate others, I wouldn't care what they believe.

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Out of the frying pan...

I hope this recent presidential selection would show people that the whole process-- the whole system-- is a fraud. That it has come down to which side is better at cheating.

But, no. This hope of mine will be in vain.

People will still imagine that v*ting matters, when it only matters who gets to count and tally those v*tes in political selections.

For the next period of time-- months, years, decades-- the side that screamed at the sky over Trump will smugly threaten to re-educate and compile "lists" of Trump supporters. And, I suspect, anyone who wasn't sufficiently anti-Trump or pro-Left-Statist.

Trump supporters will criticize the new president/s, but will continue to act as though the system is legitimate, even if it doesn't work exactly as advertised. This means they are as much to blame as their opponents. It's time for them to join the "watch it burn" side.

Until Harris takes over, it appears America will be saddled with the first-ever media selected zombie president (if the old guy makes it to inauguration day). After Harris takes the reins an evil legislation enforcer who lies to keep people caged will be the supreme vermin (not to be confused with Vermin Supreme). With a cop as president, how could anything other than a police state be in store?

Who said 2020 couldn't get more interesting? What else could be waiting in the wings, and does anyone believe 2021 will be less interesting?

(I apologize for any remaining formatting issues-- I'm still fighting with a semi-crippled blog interface.)

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Blog fixed! (I hope)

I was able to use my phone to solve the problem with posting on this blog! Or at least fix it temporarily. We'll see how long it lasts.

I will now go back and update the previous trainwrecks.

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When cheating is the point

 

When I was about 10 years old, my best friend and I liked to play cards with each other. But the entire point of our game was to cheat. It didn’t even matter that the other person saw you doing it.

We would deal from the bottom of the deck, stick cards up our sleeves, drop a card on the floor and have it “magically” change into something better. We would score wrong, claim we had different cards than we did after we tossed them back into the deck, whatever we thought of.

We had a great time and would laugh ourselves silly.

I didn’t realize at the time we were inventing modern electoral politics.

I should be getting royalty payments or something from the DemoCRAPublicans.

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Blogging update

 (Note: Issue fixed-- maybe.)

I don’t know what’s going on with my main blog site over at Blogger. It isn’t letting me write anything. Well, anything other than a post title.

I haven’t gotten any warnings, so I don’t think it’s Google punishing wrong-think.

I’ve tried and tried to post something, but nothing is working. I sent a question to “the community”, but past experiences don’t make me hopeful for a helpful answer.

I’m still completely frustrated and discouraged over my financial situation, but that’s not the main reason I hadn’t posted.

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Thinking...

I'm going to have to re-evaluate some things.

In one swoop I just lost well over half my income. It's no one's fault; it's just the economy. I was already not making ends meet-- this has been a discouraging trend that began before 2020.

Maybe writing just isn't valuable. Maybe it's just my writing.

Not invested in the outcome

I don't care for or about Donald Trump. Yet, I do hope he wins re-election. But the only real reason is that I so strongly dislike the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" I've been seeing in his opposition since he began his campaign of 2016. It never made me join his side, but it certainly made me dislike the "other side" more than I otherwise would have.

I'm quite sure it did drive some people to Trump's side who wouldn't have supported him without the "encouragement". If they wanted people on their side, that wasn't the way to attract support.

Honestly, I don't want the rioters and those who scream at the sky over dead Supreme Courtjesters to get what they want. And it's simply because I find their behavior so reprehensible and childish. If you give in to the tantrums of toddlers, you get more tantrums. And over time, worse tantrums with bigger stakes. I'd rather nip that in the bud.

Donald Trump is not uniquely horrible. He's horrible, yes, but not uniquely so. Biden (Harris) isn't better in any real way-- to prefer him (her) simply because he (she) isn't Trump isn't my style. And again, I don't want to give the screaming toddlers what they want.

Even if some of Trump's supporters are screaming toddlers, too, they aren't as obnoxious about it. At least not in my personal experience.

I'm not going to be upset if Trump loses, though. I'm just not that invested in the outcome.

I think America is doomed either way. Past doomed, really. I think its fate was sealed when the Constitution was written. It's been a downhill slide at variable speed since then. This isn't going to end well, I just don't know when it will end.

Maybe one candidate would accelerate the destruction a bit. I don't know which one that would be, and I don't really care much at this point. Since I think the collapse will be more painful the longer it is delayed, I think it might be better for it to happen sooner rather than later. That might mean Biden would be the preferable "winner" after all. 

Either way, I don't need a president, and neither do you. Don't let yourself get too wrapped up in the middle school drama of elections.

Whatever happens, the immortal words of Robert A. Heinlein keep ringing in my ears: “I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

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Tolerance, approval different things

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 30, 2020)

Few people understand the difference between tolerating a behavior and endorsing or approving of it.

There are things I don't approve of but don't have the right to stop others from doing. I may tolerate these behaviors for my own peace of mind while doing what I can to protect myself; including self-defense when necessary.

Even if I try to stop others from doing things I believe are harmful, my effect on the world is vanishingly tiny. It's probably wasted effort.

I have no right to control what you do as long as you aren't violating anyone's life, liberty, or property. My right to control what you do when you are threatening to violate me-- or someone else-- is limited to taking defensive actions. I can also cooperate with others for mutual defense.

Cooperation is useful, as long as you don't become an aggressive gang. A gang is more likely to violate rights than to defend them. It's too easy to pretend your collective power-- might through superior numbers-- makes right. This is mob rule, and is the foundation of democracy. Speaking of democracy...

I tolerate the act of voting, but I don't support it. It's similar to drug abuse in more ways than one.

Both can make a person feel unrealistically important, yet the high quickly wears off and the consequences stack up.

Drug abuse and voting could be seen as similar victimless acts if they were judged on their actual effects rather than by what you've been taught to believe about them.

In the real world, a drug abuser doesn't always stay on the couch but may get behind the wheel.

Just as a drug abuser can hurt an innocent person in an accident, a voter can accidentally harm the innocent by voting in an election. In the real world, a voter will vote for a politician who will use legislation and taxes to damage liberty a little more and take away more of your property. A politician is like the drug abuser's car-- the vehicle becomes a weapon.

I tolerate voting for the same reason I tolerate drug abuse. I know I have no right to stop it, but I must stay alert for anyone whose mind is under the influence of the drug of politics. Maybe I can help them when they sober up and nurse them through their withdrawal pains. Perhaps, through tolerance, I can even help them find strategies to avoid the pushers the next time.

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Big, ugly, and still not the boss of Halloween

"Did they cancel Trick-or-Treating this year?"

What kind of question is that? Government doesn't own Halloween. It gets no say in how it is celebrated. 

Sure, political monsters in some decaying grave yard-like places imagine they have a say, and they might torment you for ignoring their opinions. But they are not the boss of Halloween. They never were.

Remind them of that fact. That'll scare the poop out of those zombies for the whole year!

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Just in case...

Back in the late 1980s, there was a prediction of a major earthquake on the New Madrid fault. I was in the danger zone at that time. I didn't really believe it would happen. I prepared anyway. That was the first time I ever really did anything that could be called "prepping".

Even though I didn't believe the earthquake would happen, I knew it was always possible. I even knew a family in the area whose house was actually splitting due to a minor fault running under it (even splitting the street and curb in front of their house as well). I figured it couldn't hurt me to be ready even if nothing happened. So I did what I could think of, which mostly involved storing water and having a wrench handy to shut off the gas to the house. I've grown a bit since then.

Nothing happened. I wasn't disappointed.

I did the same when "Y2K" was approaching. Again, I didn't believe anything would come of it, but I couldn't see any way it would hurt me to be ready. That time I did more to prepare because by that time I knew more what I was doing.

Again, nothing happened. That time I admit I was a little disappointed.

It's the same situation with the upcoming election. I don't believe anything major will happen, no matter how the election goes. I'm ready anyway. I'll have to wait and see if I feel disappointed afterward.

No matter what happens, I know it is my responsibility to do whatever I can-- within reason-- to prepare. 

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An abnormal life

Sometimes I'm struck with the realization of just how strange my life is compared to the lives people have lived throughout most of human history and prehistory.

Take the whole of the timespan humans have lived on Earth, make it into a giant calendar surrounding you, close your eyes, spin around and toss a dart and then look at how the humans on that day were living. It's not going to be anything like the life we live now.

Probably they wouldn't even ride horses yet-- they might hunt them, though. They probably wouldn't use wheels. They'd live and die over whether they could make fire, find water, and avoid being eaten. Just picture what you'd be looking at right now if you suddenly saw from the perspective of that day, with everything from other times erased from view.

This may be why I sometimes feel so incredibly out of place. I'm not complaining. I like modernity, but I do have a primal craving for some of the old stuff, too. Almost all the time.

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Worries and non-worries

I worry about my kids.

I worry about my finances.

I worry about my health in non-specific ways.

You know what I don't worry about? Covid-19.
And that refusal to worry upsets too many people. 

I like to prep. I don't prep because I worry, I don't worry because I prep. I think everyone should prep at least a little. I don't freak out on other people who don't worry about not being prepared. It is what it is, even though their lack of preps could impact my life.

I don't understand those who are angry that I don't worry about coronaviruses. Why would anyone want others to worry? What good does that do anyone?

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Misplaced blame

People are throwing around all these accusations-- "How has Covid affected your life, your mental health, your job, your society?"-- assuming the blame lies with the virus when it doesn't. Covid-19 did none of that. 

In fact, if government hadn't been overhyping the virus you probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. Even if someone you know is said to have died of it.

Because, if they died, how would you have known to blame the virus if you hadn't been told that's what killed them? You wouldn't have. You would have assigned some other-- possibly more correct-- cause of death. You would have said they died of old age, or pneumonia, or something like that. 

Businesses are going under, people's finances are suffering (I know mine are), and their mental health is hurting, but they are pointing the finger at the wrong culprit. 

Don't blame Covid-19 for the hardships when it's the government response to the virus which is causing almost all the problems. 

Then, somehow those same people imagine government can be their salvation from the pandemic. Well, maybe it could be if it stopped responding in any way and got out of the way to allow society to come back. How likely do you think that is?

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The grossest leeches of all

Is your town, city, or county infested with parasites? Specifically leeches? 

Don't let the lack of standing water fool you into thinking you're safe from leeches. 

There is one deadly kind of leech that doesn't require bodies of water: the po-leech. 

Most of them even appear to be human. Don't be fooled!

They latch onto society. They'll suck the lifeblood right out of you if you let them close enough. There doesn't even have to be physical contact for you to be harmed by their parasitism. Avoid them for your own good.

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Consider stocking up for election

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 23, 2020)

Stocking up on food and supplies before the worst part of the forced shutdowns could turn out to have been good practice for what may be coming after the presidential election.

Especially considering the new vacancy on the Supreme Court. This development is just another piece in the colorful puzzle called 2020, and will probably make uncivil unrest more likely than before. This vacancy shouldn't come as a great shock to anyone. The shoe has been waiting to drop for years. People have had plenty of time to get used to the idea. Why didn't they?

Whatever the reasons, this latest turn of events doesn't bode well for social harmony.

If the more aggressive factions among us are upset over the outcome of the election and express their unhappiness in their favorite ways, the supply chain may be disrupted again. Possibly even more than it was before. Are you ready for empty store shelves again?

You're probably in better shape to ride out any new shortages thanks to the pandemic. Now, also focus on the possibility of social turmoil if the riotous crowd doesn't get the election result it wants.

Those who loot and burn businesses belonging to people who might have been on their side otherwise haven't shown much capacity for considering the costs of their actions. I don't imagine they'll suddenly get smarter. They'll starve themselves, and you, to show you just how angry they are if they don't get their way.

I don't expect violence to break out locally, but as you probably notice if you've seen our hazy skies recently, things which happen far away can affect us. Be ready just in case.

Stock up on the things you wished you had bought before the last shortages. Don't forget water. Make sure you have enough to ride out at least the time between the election and the inauguration. More would be better. Encourage your friends to do the same.

I'm not saying it will happen; just that it's a possibility and I can see how the election along with the Supreme Court vacancy could trigger it.

Maybe nothing big will happen and in a few months we can all laugh about how wrong and paranoid I was. We can hope. Don't bet your life on it, though; I'm not going to. I would rather take the risk of being a laughingstock than to see you caught off-guard by rough circumstances. Consider it my sacrifice for your sake. You're welcome.

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Ready or not, the pre-scheduled unrest is approaching

Are you stocked up and ready for post-election "sports"? 

I think I'm OK, although if I get any unexpected donations I have a few last-minute things I'll stock up on.

Most likely, nothing big will happen right after the election. The losers on both sides will have a whine-off. One side will imagine they won. And the State will grow more powerful and ever more intrusive.

But, there is a chance that unrest will disrupt things for a while.

This is one time there's an actual date on the calendar that we can prep for. A date we know because the enemies of society have announced their intentions and you'd be wise to listen.

A clear date to prepare for doesn't often happen and I'm not planning to fail by failing to plan. It's like ignoring a tornado warning-- sure, you'll probably be fine, but won't you feel like an idiot if it actually hits and you ignored your chance to do something to prepare?

Ready or not, here it comes. Please at least consider being ready. It can't hurt and it might just help.

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"Stop writing!"

Whenever a reader of my newspaper column strongly disagrees with me and emails to let me know, they don't give reasons. They just tell me I should stop writing until I agree with them.

Seriously, that's what they do almost every time without exception. Sometimes they also disparage my looks, my upbringing, and tell me to "go back where I came from" (which I did and why they are subjected to me). But, almost every time they include the barb that I need to stop writing until I change my opinion to agree with them. Without them giving me any reasons why I should agree with them.

An unhappy reader of this week's column ended her email with these words: "You need to stop writing until you face reality."* What "reality" is she referring to? I suppose that shutdowns are necessary and doctors say so. 

It's the same story time after time. Critic after critic. No reasons, just "stop writing". My words are so dangerous they can't be allowed out into the world. Or something.

Which makes me think they know they have no ground to stand on.

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*Full text: "Inconsiderate
You tell people to go ahead and get out in the same paper that the doctors are asking us to stay in as much as possible. You are incredibly inconsiderate. You go ahead and get out and when you get sick, we’ll just say 'Sure there was a cost' but he knew and was happy to risk it.
You need to stop writing until you face reality."

But, she's right about one thing. I know there is a cost and I'm happy to risk it. Even if I get sick and die.

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You have no right to...

Rights are more about what you have no right to do than about what you do have a right to do.

You have a right to govern yourself. You can't have a right to govern anyone but yourself. Such a right can't exist any more than any other right to enslave.

You have the right to join with others to form a government, even one based on politics. You have no right to impose that government on anyone else outside your group which explicitly consented. Implied "consent" isn't real-- it is a euphemism for aggressive molestation.

You have a right to have police. You have no right to impose those police on others who haven't been violating your life, liberty, or property directly, nor to force anyone else to help you fund them. No one owes your police anything-- not respect, obedience, or deference. If your police violate anyone in any way, you are as guilty as they are because you hired the gangsters and they work for you.

On the above issues there's a very narrow scope that is libertarian-- only the first sentence of each paragraph-- where you have the right to do those things... up to a point. But once you cross that point into the following sentences you are archating. You have no right to archate. No matter how you spin it.

If these things are difficult for you to understand or uncomfortable to face, the problem is yours. No one is obligated to explain it to you or to coddle your feelings.

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"Not a real libertarian"

Do you follow the ZAP (or whatever you prefer to call it) to the best of your ability? Or do you equivocate and make excuses for archation you support?

If you do the first, you are a "real libertarian". If you're the second, no, you're not a libertarian.

It's not really a difficult thing to figure out. Some people try to make it harder than it is.

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Dangerous statism

I don't agree in principle with "conservatives" (Right-Statists) or "liberals"/"progressives" (Left-Statists) because I oppose statism in any form. Looking to govern anyone but yourself is going beyond what you have a right to do.

But I do think Left-Statists may be the more dangerous of the two.

Left-Statists want to dictate the very words you can use. Not words of "obscenity" or actual hate-- which shouldn't be banned either-- but words which might speak a truth that upsets them. This is truly totalitarian and nasty. Left-Statists have even perverted the words "liberal" and "progress", applying them to the opposite of what they mean, to fit their dishonest agenda.

Neither side is a fan of science, evidence, and reason when those things go against what they want to be true. They just vary on the specific areas they want to be shielded from scientific inquiry.

Left-Statists want to dictate what you can put into your body just as much as the Right-Statists do, but based on different criteria. While the Right-Statists want to ban things that might make you feel nice but (in some cases) harm you if abused, the Left-Statists want to dictate what you ingest based on what they imagine current nutritional science says. Yes, potential harm is still the excuse and it is still no one's business either way.

Right-Statists generally want you able to defend yourself, they just don't want you to defend yourself from America's largest and most aggressive gang. Which is a really bizarre exception to make. Left-Statists don't want you to be able to defend yourself at all if it means using tools they are scared of.

Right-Statists don't usually riot and destroy property and kill "noncombatants", while Left-Statists seem more than willing to encourage each other to do so, and to actually sometimes do so. If you aren't rioting with them, they assume you are their enemy. Not a smart strategy.

I'm not on the side which wants to dictate anything. I dislike statism but I'm not stupid enough to propose banning it. You can't fix the world by becoming that which you believe is wrong.

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Covid test results too late to be of any use

The above documents were received 9 days after a household member was sent (by their employer) to be tested for Covid-19. The positive results were phoned to this individual, by "the state", 6 days after the test. I think the results were a little late to be of any practical use.

Especially since the person in question hadn't been having any symptoms other than a "fever" of less than a degree. They might be infected, but they aren't sick.

This individual had been tested 3 times previously. Two of those tests were done in Texas and the results took similarly long to come back-- although the others were a day or two quicker, even taking the weekend into account. Those times the slow results weren't an issue because the tests were all negative. The test which was done in New Mexico was of the speedy "10-minute results" variety, also negative.

Once again, I have been marinating in coronavirus. Surely I have built up some immunity by now! So far I don't think I've gotten sick. I'm still self-quarantining over this latest contamination for the most part. A couple of friends were also exposed largely because "if the test had been positive they'd have called already". Oops! Never assume The State is timely or competent, or that medicine will be done correctly once politicized.

I'll let you know if I seem to come down with The 'Rona, although I'm not going to submit to testing as long as I'm conscious.

Which reminds me, the state's "contact tracing" office (department? has called me twice so far. I didn't answer because I didn't recognize the number. The second time they called they left a message. They want to speak to me. They'll probably continue to be disappointed. I know I've been exposed (again). I'm doing what I can to not expose anyone else. I don't think there's anything useful they can contribute to the conversation.

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Stay consistent with your beliefs

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 16, 2020)

I wish people were more consistent.

Many people in this country say they are for smaller, or "limited", government. Most change their minds as soon as they think of something they want government to give them or do for them. If it takes bigger, more powerful, and intrusive government to get what they want, they're happy to sacrifice you on this altar. Big government is suddenly their friend.

They are against reckless government spending until they're hoping to get a check. Maybe it's a stimulus check, a subsidy, or a Ponzi scheme like Social Security. Maybe it's even a government contract.

People love liberty until there's something they don't like; suddenly they want to restrict someone else's liberty a little bit more. The "other side" is willing to do the same to them, so it goes back and forth until everyone is enslaved.

Something similar is happening now with limits on speech being imposed from every direction-- all endorsed and empowered by, if not coming directly from, government. Legislation banning limits on speech by non-government institutions is not the answer either. Simply keeping government out of the issue instead of propping it up would see it soon fizzle and fail.

Some voters claim to want a small-government candidate but believe their choice is limited to the two "mainstream" candidates who are both advocates for massive government. They believe voting for the candidate who actually agrees with them and is on their side is "wasting their vote". This was an effective trick to play on the people.

I understand all of it, even if I don't agree, and even though I believe every vote hurts.

To preach small government as long as it's convenient, but to abandon this in favor of big government as soon as you want it to do something new-- or to keep doing something old-- isn't consistent.

I'd rather people be consistent, even if someone is consistently against me. This way I know what to expect from them. Consistency doesn't mean someone is right-- it's as possible to be consistently wrong as it is to be consistently right-- but inconsistency always means they are wrong somewhere.

Everyone falls into this trap. Even libertarians. The difference is, do you know you've done it, or do you try to justify it to make your conscience comfortable again?

If you really support liberty and smaller government please act on this principle consistently, even when an attractive lure is dangled in front of you.

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Statists fear liberty

Why are statists so desperate to have you believe liberty can't work?

They'll say you can't have liberty or you'll be invaded and defeated by warlords or other countries (as if there's a difference).
They'll say you can't have liberty or you'll be robbed, raped, enslaved, or murdered.

Of course, they don't frame their position as arguing against liberty unless they are a Left-Statist, but they all are.

You can show them their fears are unfounded or overblown, but they don't relent. They are so opposed to liberty that they can't even imagine how it could work. They spend all their energy finding ways to scare themselves-- and you-- away from it, instead.

They'll often say things about the necessity to accept "incremental moves toward liberty" while advocating you v*te for politicians who would move society away from liberty.

They'll propose their "compromise" between freedom and tyranny by saying you "need" police and a theft-funded military to keep from being overrun by (other) bad guys. But liberty? Unthinkable!

Honestly, they make me sick. Cowardice isn't attractive.

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Non-profit or theft-funded?

I don't see "non-profit" as a noble thing. Especially since, in most cases, it means it is supported by money stolen by government. I wouldn't want that on my résumé.

I would much rather someone provide a product or service and be rewarded with profit for doing so. 

An ethical non-profit would only be supported by charity, since charity is purely voluntary. Someone sees the value being provided and chooses to chip in to help keep it going. A voluntary trade still occurs. If it can't attract enough support to keep it going, it goes away. This is as it should be.

If something can't make it without being funded by theft it needs to die. No matter how important someone imagines it to be. That doesn't only apply to institutes and social programs. That goes for roads, libraries, schools, police, the military, museums, etc. No exceptions.

Even though it doesn't claim the title, all of government is a coercive non-profit organization-- no profit, but great, dishonest financial gain for the players. 

If government can be financed by either attracting voluntary customers who carry the entire costs of maintaining it-- earning it a "profit"-- or by attracting voluntary charity, then you can keep your government. Otherwise, let it die a well-deserved death. I neither want nor need it and I certainly can't afford to keep funding something as unwanted as that obsolete "non-profit", theft-funded institution.

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My daily carry knives

Someone recently asked about "the knife" I carry on a daily basis. Actually, I carry 5, at a minimum, at all times.

I've written about some of them in my EDC posts, but here are all the knives in one place.

This is what I am carrying today, but I enjoy switching them up a little sometimes. 

Going from left to right, top to bottom, the bone-handled primitive folding knife is just a cheap Pakistani knife that I carried in my mountainman gear long ago. It's not the best steel, but unlike some other Pakistani knives I have seen, it does a decent job of holding an edge. It has been on my belt for a couple of months this time.

I usually carry this Buck 501 instead, but this is some of that switching it up I like to do. Sometimes I carry a Buck 110 as my main folder, but I find it a little too large to be as versatile as the smaller folding knives. But I do enjoy carrying it, so it may be next in the rotation.

The big fixed blade is the Kershaw Deer Hunter my dad gave me for my 12th or 13th birthday. It has been my main carry knife anytime I am in "modern" clothes. So, I didn't carry it as much when I lived in Colorado, usually carrying my Green River knife and my handmade Bowie, instead. But for the past decade, it hasn't left my side.

The Kershaw and the folding knife are the two which get the vast majority of use.

But there are the others.

I have two hobo tools, both with their own knife blade. The one with the bone handle is unmarked, so I don't know who made it, and the stainless one is a Coleman (I carry it as a loaner-- the blade doesn't hold a good edge). The unmarked one is razor-sharp and holds a good edge, but I save it for food cutting.

The SOG key knife stays on my key ring. It's cute and sharp and I only use it occasionally.

I also have a Buck 397 that rides in a sheath on my "Indiana Jones" shoulder bag strap. (No, the bag isn't an actual MkVII gas mask bag, but it serves the purpose when I need to carry stuff.) It was sharpened to "razor+" sharpness by one of my readers. I include it because I do carry that bag pretty regularly, especially when I walk to the post office (since we don't have home delivery in town).

I also carry other knives based on my mood. And I'm always in the mood to carry knives. If I had the money for more knives I always have a list of knives I'd like to get. "Too many knives" makes no sense to me.

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Presenting a new service

I have started a subscription-only preparedness blog on locals.com. It is called Casually Serious Prepping.

For a limited time, you can gain free access using coupon code PANICDEMIC (from October 15, 2020, until October 29, 2020... if I did that right).

Please spread the link around to anyone who might benefit. 

I hope to see you there.

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"Lawlessness" is impossible

There is no such thing as "lawlessness". Law exists whether you follow it or not. Only someone who confuses legislation for law would call the lack of legislation enforcement or the lack of following legislation "lawlessness".

Those things can be a symptom of a general disregard for Law, especially if it results in widespread violations of life, liberty, and property. However, enforcement of legislation also results in widespread violations of life, liberty, and property. Just institutionalized rather than freelance.

Yet, legislation enforcement is often-- maybe normally-- against the Law. Legislation enforcers are ignoring the Law in favor of legislation; counterfeit "law". By enforcing legislation they are breaking the Law. They are criminals in the purest sense.

There is no difference between a burglar stealing your TV and a cop "confiscating" someone's Cannabis or guns from their home, except that legislation forbids the victim to shoot the cop, but not (generally) the freelance burglar. 

By contrast, the Law-- real Law-- recognizes the absolute human right to defend your property from anyone who tries to violate it. Legislation is against the Law.

You don't need legislation or legislation enforcers to enforce the Law. It's YOUR responsibility, even if you don't want it. You can't legitimately abdicate this responsibility. To decry the abolition of police as advocating "lawlessness" demonstrates gross ignorance and a lack of respect for the Law.

The Law is simply: Don't archate. Or, more completely: "You have no right to archate, and if you do, your victims have the right to defend themselves, others, and property from you".

You don't need legislation or legislation enforcement officers to have the right to defend against archators. You can hire your own if you wish, but you have no right to impose them on others or force others to fund them. Doing so is against the Law; it is an attempt to spread "lawlessness" to society. It is antisocial.

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Welcome to the party, Pal

It seems as though the trend over time is for the "experts" to come to agree-- step by step-- with my initial thoughts on the coronavirus, one of which was that "it looks to me as though the panic is a much bigger problem than the virus". (I include government overreactions which caused the vast majority of the panic.)

It's a strange thing to watch happen. No, I'll never get credit for being correct all along because I'm an invisible nobody. I still find it oddly satisfying to see.

Am I happy that non-credible government-supremacists are following the evidence to lead them to where I've always been? Not exactly. Having people of that small caliber agreeing with me isn't a ringing endorsement.

I'm not going to change my mind just because they finally agree with me, though. I staked out this spot first, they are the latecomers. It's just amazing that they ever got here at all.

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I have no tolerance for bureaucracy

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 9, 2020)

This week I was reminded how intensely I dislike bureaucracy. People who impose bureaucracy on the rest of us are as useful to society as plague-spreading fleas. You might believe bureaucracy has a place and is beneficial, but you'd be mistaking government for society; its opposite.

I have no tolerance for bureaucracy or authoritarianism. My preference doesn't threaten anyone; yet those who thrive on bureaucracy and authoritarianism can't leave the rest of us alone. We must be assimilated and forced to comply with their petty demands.

Everyone has a different temperament. Leave room for everyone who doesn't harm others.

Those who value and understand liberty respect individual differences, but this doesn't work for people who lust for control through bureaucracy. If someone doesn't go along, it threatens their entire house of cards.

When bureaucrats are empowered by an authoritarian system I find myself wishing misfortune on them.

I have met people who love bureaucracy; as if they get a thrill from dotting i's and crossing t's. Fine, but keep it to yourself. It's not alright to impose this on the rest of us. Forcing bureaucracy on people who don't want it is as antisocial as holding someone down and forcing them to drink your minnow smoothie.

Unwanted bureaucracy steals your time as surely as taxation steals your money. Bureaucracy and taxation usually go together.

Still, my temperament is such that I'll stay out of your way and let you engage in all the bureaucracy you want, even if it involves using authoritarian power against others who want to play your game by the rules your club has agreed to. Just keep it inside your club and don't try to force it on the rest of us or on the whole society.

I have no responsibility to cooperate with being numbered, categorized, or tracked. I feel no sympathy for those who try to force this on me.

No one needs to accept the numbers assigned to them, nor to remember or share those numbers-- as if they are valid-- with anyone else. No one has an obligation to pay for the freedom to exercise their natural human rights. No one is responsible for incriminating themselves by filling out forms to government specifications, to satisfy any record-keeping agenda. No one has done wrong if they refuse to answer questions which are no one's concern. If you imagine otherwise, you're part of the bureaucracy and a part of the problem.

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Don't get complacent

I feel like a SHTF event is imminent. Notice I don't say I think it is, rather it's just a feeling. Possibly triggered by the upcoming election.

I don't have a crystal ball. I'm almost definitely wrong.

If you can see it coming, it's not going to happen. That's almost a guarantee.

Just like the Coronapocalypse came at us out of nowhere, triggered by unexpected government overreactions to a fairly normal virus, a more serious event will also be a surprise. Consider the Coronapanic a practice run. It should have shown you the holes in your preps if you were paying attention.

I lucked out with the panicdemic because I was ready. Well, maybe it wasn't completely luck; I've prepped for years "just in case", and it finally paid off. I was pretty sure I wouldn't see it coming when it finally happened, and I didn't. But it didn't matter because I stay ready all the time-- and I have done so since well before the Y2K fizzle. I intend to be just as ready, if not more ready, the next time something comes along.

Now, even though governments are still desperate to fan the flames of concern with regard to Covid-19, most people (excepting raging government-supremacists) are over it.

It would be easy to breathe a sigh of relief now and let the prepping slide. It's hard to keep up with it all the time. Other things seem more pressing during the calm after the storm. I can't let myself fall into that trap, even if it means I am at odds with those around me. After the storm is also-- in every instance-- before another storm. This isn't going to be the exception.

I feel an internal pressure to keep up the preps. I'm going to listen to it even if I look silly for doing so.

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I'm considering starting a subscription-only prepping/survival blog. That or a subscription-only beginner homeschooling blog. Either one would be from the perspective of someone who is NOT an expert and doesn't really know what they are doing, but is learning as they go. If it happens, I'll announce it here. Or, if you have a better suggestion, let me know.

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If you could chip in...

If anyone would like the opportunity to chip in, this would be an excellent time. I'm in need of money for some necessities. Paypal.me/Dullhawk

I realize blogging shouldn't be a job, but you do what you can with what's available. All my other income sources have dried up and blown away-- one-by-one. My situation doesn't lend itself to a job outside the home for family reasons.

I've wondered if there's another topic I could start a different blog to cover that:

1. I could write about and have enough interest in to keep it going and 
2. that would be more popular and earn more support than the topic of liberty does.

So far I've come up empty.

If you can't, or don't want to help, I'm OK with that. You certainly aren't obligated to do so. If you can, want to, and do, you have my gratitude.

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Writing to promote liberty is my job.
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Amazing Stories and Fantastical Tales

Sometimes it's good to just listen to people's stories without interrupting, even when you know the stories are nonsense.

My 2nd wife used to tell of a ghost that lived in her house when she was a kid. It was an interesting story even though I didn't believe it. I learned quickly that her family was very prone to believe anything as long as it fit with their magical worldview.

Other people tell me stories about beneficial things political government can do. These stories are no more true-- in the sense of being objective reality-- than ghost stories, but they can still be informative if you want to know which particular superstitions a person is living under.

Interrupt and you'll never hear the whole tale. Listen and you might be entertained by some fantastical tales of magical realms. Just don't bet your life on them being true.

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How not to solve problems

My nature is such that I simply can't see government as a solution to anything. This puts me at odds with most of the rest of my species.

Yes, I think "social media" has become a horror. This doesn't mean I want government to regulate it; it means I think people who don't like it (or are too dumb to know not to take it at face value) should probably stop using it.

The same is true of so many other things I don't like. 

Litter/pollution, scammers, sexual predators, abortion, animal cruelty, Hillary Clinton, poverty, drug abuse, pandemics, crime, and all manner of awful things.

I may hate them, but that doesn't mean I want government to step in. Look how often that has the opposite effect anyway; making the original problem worse-- or at least not solving it-- while also creating a host of new problems that never would have existed otherwise (anti-gun legislation being a perfect example).

And even if government intervention doesn't make this specific problem worse this particular time, it only means you got lucky for once. You may have dodged a bullet this time; it doesn't mean you'll be so lucky next time. Leave government out of the loop if you know what's good for you and for society. Plus, it's the only ethical option.

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Cops called on a family member!

Today a family member had a run-in with cops due to an elderly dementia sufferer's confusion. Fortunately no one was killed this time.

She was leaving PlastiCrap World, unlocked the passenger door, placed her purse and other items in the passenger side, then went around to the driver's side to discover (a sign of Condition White) an elderly woman trying to unlock the door with a key that didn't fit.

She asked what the woman was doing and she said she was trying to get in her truck. Family Member said "This is my truck" and the old woman started saying she had stolen it. And she called 911.

Now, if you want to make me hate you, call the cops on me. I see that as a threat to murder me and I don't appreciate it one little bit. Family Member didn't see it quite that harshly.

Cops showed up quickly and treated Family Member like a criminal as she tried to explain. The old woman was also upset, saying "See what she's done to my truck?" in response to the decals all over the vehicle.

The cops asked Family Member for ID, which was in her purse in the seat, which they didn't want to let her get because they still thought she might be a car thief.

Eventually, as it became more clear the old woman was seriously confused, they let FM get her purse and the registration to show it was hers and had been for almost a year.

The old woman said, "Well, I have a white truck." The cops took her away to get help.

Now, were these good cops? Haha, no. They were nice cops (after a rocky start) and they did something somewhat useful. And no one was murdered at their hands. I guess that's all you can expect from such a situation.

Although, personally, if it had been me, as soon as I realized what was going on, I would have just hopped in the passenger side, scooted behind the wheel and drove away. Maybe Family Member handled it more compassionately than I would have.

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Like a law of nature, government is entropy

Government is social entropy; a sign that something is breaking. Just like physical entropy, unless you actively work to reverse it in your area, it increases.

If you don't work to maintain your car, it breaks down a lot sooner than you'd expect. Entropy increases.

If you don't work to keep your house in shape, it soon becomes unlivable and may collapse and kill you. Entropy increases.

And, when you allow the cracks in your society to go unrepaired, you end up with political government. Entropy increases.

Government is a sign that you've failed to maintain society.

I've been told for years that government is inevitable; if you abolish it, it will just come back. Yep. Just like other forms of entropy. Keeping it away-- keeping things in working order-- takes work. I expect nothing else. To expect otherwise is to deny the nature of the world.

Knowing you'll only get hungry again isn't a good reason to not eat.
Realizing you'll just get stinky again isn't justification for not bathing.
Endless attempts by damaged people to establish another political government is no excuse to ignore the sparks of statism that need to be stomped out wherever you see them smoldering. It's the responsible thing to do.

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Trouble sure way to get excitement

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 2, 2020)

If you go looking for trouble, you'll probably find it. If you've seen any national news recently you've watched it happen.

Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse intentionally went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a place he knew was experiencing trouble, just to participate. He found trouble. So did the people who went there to riot and chose to attack the wrong person.

Some people believe Rittenhouse ended up committing murders. Others-- such as myself-- believe it is clear he acted in self-defense. No one doubts everyone involved found trouble.

It doesn't matter whether I would personally like those on either side; I doubt I would. Nor does it matter what their motivations were for going to the riots. Whether the rioters showed up to express frustration over police brutality, or as an excuse to riot and loot, the results were the same. Whether Rittenhouse went to protect private property from rioters, or went looking to "hunt rioters"; only he knows for sure.

If you want excitement, looking for trouble is a sure way to get it. Often more than you wanted.

It's not even necessarily wrong to look for trouble if you aren't violating any innocent person's life, liberty, or property and as long as you're ready to deal with the consequences. Many people actually make a paying career out of doing so. Just know there will be consequences and they may spin out of your control. Know what you're getting in to.

So many times, I've seen people go looking for trouble, then act surprised-- and complain and blame others-- when they face consequences they didn't want. I can even relate a little.

I used to hear people talk about someone "buying trouble"-- doing things to cause themselves unnecessary problems later. This is how I see voting for the lesser of two (or more) evils; buying trouble. Whether you "win" or lose, you still participated and agreed to whatever trouble results. Why complain when it's what you were looking for?

Others see the refusal to play the rigged political game the same way since whether you play politics or not, politics will be used against you. Personally, I'd rather face trouble due to refusing to violate others politically than from trying to use politics against them. You may see it differently.

Either way, as long as you are prepared to deal with the consequences and aren't harming anyone, go ahead and look for trouble if the thrill makes you happy.

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Bureaucracy vs innovation

In spite of all the valid criticisms of Elon Musk, I am fascinated to watch the progress SpaceX is making on its Starship program.

And the progress is happening fast enough that I can actually watch it happen without getting bored. 

It's not like NASA's government bureaucracy, moving at a speed that only a glacier would be jealous of. From week to week, usually day to day, real progress is being made at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas facility. 

When there's an inevitable "RUD" (rapid unscheduled disassembly-- an explosion), as there have been a few of, it doesn't stall the program for a year and a half while committees write up reports about what they think may have happened. The problem is analyzed while the program continues to progress. 

Admittedly, none of SpaceX's RUDs have killed astronauts yet (it will happen eventually) but NASA-- along with its favored "contractors" (boing!)-- looks downright incompetent by comparison.

And I enjoy that.

Imagine the progress SpaceX could make if freed from government millstones entirely. Just imagine how much progress could be made in every area if government were shoved aside like the worthless parasite it is.

That's a future I'm hungry to see. 

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An educational bonanza

My daughter is finally free of government school!

I've written about the trials and tribulations of this long battle multiple times over the years. Perseverance seems to have finally paid off-- with help from the Coronavirus.

When the coronavirus panic shut down her school last March, I thought this was a good time to homeschool. Her mother had other ideas and wanted her to go ahead and finish out the school year on the school's online classes.

She did, but the school had no clue what they were doing. I understand this. They weren't ready for online schooling and it had a lot of bugs. But she made it through, and her mental health improved greatly away from that toxic environment and the bullies.

This year when school started her mom once again wanted her back in the local school's online classes. We did that for a while, but they didn't fix the bugs from last year and created new, exciting disasters to ruin any chance of actual education occurring.

So, her mom relented a little. 

We allowed our daughter to choose between actual homeschooling and another online government school that one of her friends was trying out. She chose that school. I wasn't thrilled but I am committed to letting her choose certain things for herself.

The preparations for her to enter that school were a nightmare. So much bureaucracy and so many headaches. I had so much work to do that I had very little time to write and no time to think of things to write about. But finally, she was in.

The first week was disastrous. She didn't turn in most of her work, and got most things wrong when she did do them at all. A big part of the problem was the user interface, which was incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't the one who designed it.

So the next week, I sat with her all day every day and helped her through the lessons. I checked to make sure she dotted all the "i"s and crossed all the "t"s. I've never worked so hard in my life. Both of us were completely worn out by the time the work was finished-- when we were able to finish it. I've never seen such a bad user interface in my life. Even talking to the teachers on the phone left me confused and dazed.

This went on for 3 weeks with very little improvement.

This past Tuesday we started the day in good shape, but after 9.5 hours of hard work, we ended the day far behind-- four lessons, or 6 hours, behind. That was the last straw. We were both done.

So she is now being homeschooled for real. I've found resources online to help, and may (if I can find a way to afford the monthly fee) subscribe to what seems like a really good online homeschooling site that offers a lot of guidance without the mandatory mess.

So far, the first few days of independent study have gone pretty well. Her attitude is much improved compared to being exhausted and frustrated with bad experiences. I've found that the discussions we have on some of the subject matter seems to do the most good at getting her to actually remember and think about it. I'm optimistic.

She asked me "Does this mean you're going to teach me that government is evil?" I said, "No. It means I'll not hide the evil they do and you can make up your own mind." A discussion about the Spanish missions in Texas turned into a discussion of the Holocaust which led to a mention of the US government's Japanese internment camps. She has also wondered why we are still forced to pay "property tax" when she isn't in the school it supposedly finances. Perhaps it's a good start.

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Writing to promote liberty is my job.
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