Let Jan. 6 events be wakeup call

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 13, 2021)

Are you prepared enough? No, you aren't. Neither am I. It's a trick question. There is no such thing as being prepared enough. Recent events in Washington DC-- the "District of Criminals"-- should have motivated you to be ready for whatever happens next. Politics is a virus more dangerous than Covid-19 ever was.

I don't agree with or support any of the sides in the January 6th Expedition to Congress. All sides seem to be in a cult-- they only fight over which Dear Leader deserves their loyalty.

Anyone who considers the U.S. Capitol "sacred" or "hallowed" has backward values. Even if it were once true, Congressvermin desecrated it long before our grandparents were born. No one else can defile it worse than they do on a daily basis.

One side of the false political spectrum has been justifying violent riots all year. They seem surprised that the other side may have finally gotten the message. I say "may have" because I'm skeptical of the official story. I expect some rioters were "agent provocateurs" and activists from another political side. I'm not a trusting person where known liars are concerned.

At least this protest targeted the actual source of the problem rather than innocent business owners. That's an improvement. Plus, I admit I enjoyed the photographs of congresspeople cowering in fear. When people fear the government, there is tyranny; when government fears the people, there is liberty. Until the fearful legislators retaliate, anyway.

Would I join such a protest or participate in a riot? No.

I don't care enough about what government does to join a protest or a riot. All sides are off-base; none understand liberty. They simply advocate government-supremacism from opposing angles. They are not my people.

I live by author Robert A. Heinlein's immortal words: "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.”

Let this, like the Great Toilet Paper Apocalypse of 2020, be a wake-up call. The supply chain is more fragile than you know. Disruptions can come from many directions, maybe from multiple directions at the same time. Disease, politics, and nature can all affect your food, household supplies, and security.

Get ready. It's about to get interesting.

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Joss could have learned from his better characters

I don't know if the allegations against Joss Whedon are true, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

I've loved Firefly since before I was able to watch it, but I was always somewhat less impressed by Whedon as a person.

For all his great characters, dialog, and guns he has expressed the views of a "Left-statist" with anti-gun bigotry. I've never seen an anti-gun bigot who was truly a great person. There's a reason someone doesn't want others able to defend themselves from violators, and I don't buy the canned excuses they use.

He may be completely innocent, and if so, I hope the truth comes out. I hope the truth comes out either way. I'm not going to stop being a Browncoat no matter what happens with Joss. Many of the characters he created may well be better people than he is. (But that's probably the case with all fiction writers.)

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Be well-rounded

I do my best to not be one-dimensional. That's because being around one-dimensional people bores me and makes me look for an escape. I don't want to have that effect on anyone.

I want to be more well-rounded than that. I'll talk to anyone about almost anything, and I don't try to shift the conversation back to something I like talking about.

Not usually...

Now, if someone is singing the praises of the Blue Line Gang I will probably say I don't support aggressive criminal gangs, but if I can simply not respond at all to a throw-away comment praising them, I may take that path. I certainly won't encourage them to stay on that topic and may try to nudge them back to something less crazy that they'll like talking about. This works with some of my family members and has worked with people around town who want to tell me what's on their mind.

Unless someone specifically asks, I won't usually talk about liberty. I wouldn't want to be around someone who can't talk about anything but liberty, either.

I hope you get a little more variety than that even from this blog which focuses on liberty. And in person, I can discuss an even wider variety of topics, and if I don't know anything about it at all (which happens), I'll let someone educate me. I've learned a lot about things I never knew anything about this way. More knowledge is a good thing, and has served me well on occasion.

Sometimes, I feel I'm cheating the other person; getting something without giving them anything in return, but then I remember that sometimes, all a person wants is to be heard.  I can do that.

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Avoid this Idiot Trap

If you believe "anyone who does anything illegal needs to be punished", you're a moron, at least on that particular topic. 

"Illegal" doesn't mean "wrong". Not even close. It never did, but the chasm between the two is getting deeper and wider. 

Legislation is not related to ethics.

Do you even know how many things are ridiculously "illegal"? Too many to keep track of. That you do something "illegal" doesn't usually mean you're a bad person; it means there are too many arbitrary "laws" being imposed by a criminal gang-- usually so there is justification to punish you.

Punishment is revenge. It has nothing to do with justice. Punishment isn't "needed"-- restitution is needed... if there's an individual victim.

Only a government-supremacist idiot would say that anyone who does anything illegal needs to be punished. Don't fall into that idiot trap.

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What America needs most

You know what America needs? More insurrection. 

You know what didn't happen in Washington, District of Cowards on January 6, 2021? An insurrection. And that's a shame.

At least some insurrection would be healthy.

From Dictionary.com:

insurrection--
    noun
an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government.

Yes, emotional people showed up at the capitol. They didn't revolt. They didn't rebel. They didn't resist. At least not in any meaningful way. They just wanted to preserve the statist status quo. And then they left when told to do so, without accomplishing anything. 

This was a protest by government-supremacists who passionately supported the established political government, protesting against what they saw as a fraudulent attempt to change the political figurehead*.

There's no such thing as "civil authority" since that's just another manifestation of the superstitious belief in political "authority".

For the Criminal Cowards of congress to yammer on and on about an "insurrection" is for them to lie-- probably intentionally and knowingly. For their nasty little co-conspirators in the national mainstream media to keep using that incorrect word for what happened is an attempt to mislead people in a poorly veiled attempt to legitimize a pointless impeachment.

I'm not falling for the lies.

Impeach me, next. What does it matter? I think (and have said so before) that impeachment should be automatic upon every new president taking office. Start it before sundown on the first day, every time without exception.

Why am I stirred up over this?

I had the misfortune of going into a store where the proprietor was watching Impeachment Theater. It was the first I'd seen of it and it was even more stupid than I had imagined. The melodrama! I got out of there as fast as I could, but I had already been subjected to too much.

Now, maybe some of those congressvermin were scared for their lives. Good. It's about time they felt a hint of what their victims feel every time they threaten us with more legislation. When they get together it is a mortal threat against you and me. What they experienced was nothing by comparison. I have exactly zero sympathy and think they deserve more of the same on a weekly basis.

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*I never supported Trump, but I hate Biden much more, for specific reasons.  And Harris will probably even be worse when she takes over for the old zombie.

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Share what you think is important

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 10, 2021)

When something is important to you, you want to share it. If other people don’t understand it, you want to explain it to them.

You usually want others to like and understand it as much as you do, whether it’s a skill, a hobby, a religion, knowledge, or an idea.

It’s why — besides the remote possibility of making money — people write books and make movies.

It’s why I write these weekly columns and blog daily.

It’s also why I try to help people around me when they ask for my help.

I’ve answered their questions on primitive survival skills, gold and silver and Bitcoin, guns, pets, and liberty. If I don’t know an answer, or don’t have an opinion, I say so.

It’s a good idea to make sure to keep your own limitations in mind. There’s no point in trying to explain or demonstrate more than you actually know.

You also need to wait until your help is wanted, rather than forcing it on anyone. Force isn’t helpful, even if your intentions are good. This is true with physical intervention, but also with your ideas.

No matter how enthusiastic you are, it does no good to chase people down to share your excitement with them. They’ll resist.

Instead, let them come to you. When you put anything on the internet, for example, it’s there (somewhere) as long as the internet exists. This may turn out to be forever.

This could be a bad thing if you’ve made some unfortunate TikTok videos, but it does mean your shared knowledge will be there for anyone to find when they are ready.

This includes email exchanges or other online discussions.

I’ve had a few people write to me years after we had an exchange to tell me they thought I was crazy at the time, but eventually came to agree with me. Sometimes it was someone who had read a debate without participating. There are probably a few who go the opposite direction, too.

Your views may also change over time. If not, it could be a sign you have an ideology instead of a working mind.

Go ahead: share the things you know best; the things you think are important. Share them with willing individuals, when they are open to receiving what you’re sharing. It will probably make your life and the lives of others better, and if it doesn’t, maybe you need to re-examine your interests.

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Primitive guy hates consensual interactions

Is that you, Crow-magnum Man?

I recently saw some guy on Twitter who called himself "anti-civilization" and a "primitivist" who was responding to another person, telling him he hates "your government and your society".

Fair enough, but while I agree about their government, I pointed out that society-- the opposite of political government-- is a case of spontaneous organization, just like the market. 

So he said he hates the market, too. Not that I was surprised. So edgy. Don't try to trade with the guy or you might trigger him! I wonder how good his primitive survival skills actually are, as a "primitivist", or if he's all talk without any understanding of what primitive living, without any form of consensual trade, involves.

It's not surprising that he couldn't differentiate between voluntary actions and coercive actions. Between "win/win" and "win/lose". For some reason, most people can't these days.

Hating random things is popular. If you're that hungry to hate things, you might as well hate air while you're at it. 

As you probably know, there are "primitive" things I really enjoy. The market and society are pretty ancient; you could even say they are primitive.

There are also things about society I don't like; things I don't like about how the market works. So?

There are things I don't like about gravity, weather, and other facets of reality. But not liking things that happen spontaneously and don't involve anyone's rights being violated is just pointless. Maybe even a little dumb.

You can dislike those things if you want. It doesn't matter to me. You aren't being violated by them and no one is obligated to coddle your feelings about them. And you have no right to prevent others from participating in anything that's not violating someone's equal and identical rights.

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I get a lot of inspiration from Twitter. Whether I like it or not. Seeing the dumb things people say-- such as the above example-- makes me think and gives me things to write about. Even if I don't respond directly to them when I think it would be a waste of time.

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The Cult of Covid

It appears that Covid-19 has actually spawned a cult. I'll be nice and not adopt the obvious label "Covidiots" for its members. 

I'll go with "Branch Covidians", instead. It's funnier and it's completely accurate. 

Covidianism appears to be a branch of Statism, but maybe it's distinct and there's only some incidental overlap in the middle. Maybe, but probably not. The correlation seems too high to be coincidental.

Branch Covidians have their own religious canon-- handed down from the politicized Experts, put into action by the political Rulers, and preached by the priests of the Mainstream Media. It has sacred garments (face masks) and rituals (anti-social distancing). Sacrifices are required; both human sacrifice (people killed by shutdowns) and "covenants of flesh" (vaccinations), and tithes (economic ruin through shutdowns and stimulus money). And most of it is divorced from reality-- including science-- in a big way.

In spite of the craziness, the Branch Covidians have gone mainstream-- pushing their religion from the media and government buildings-- and it's bizarre.

My eyes hurt from rolling so much at what Branch Covidians believe and worry about. I can't be one of them. It appears I'm an atheist concerning that religion, too.

As with any religion, I have no problem with anyone practicing it until they start imagining that the rules they make up and apply to themselves as believers in that religion apply to the non-believers as well. Then I'm going to resist.

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Earth isn't flat and government isn't good

  (My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 6, 2021)

Have you ever run into someone who believes the Earth is flat? I was shocked to discover such people exist. Many of them also believe the moon is a hologram, gravity doesn't exist, and space isn't real. It's a bewildering experience listening to them try to make their case while fending off evidence to the contrary.

To them, everything is faked. They believe it empowers government somehow to lie about the shape of the Earth. They've never been able to explain to me how this works, and I still see no connection.

Imagine how it would feel to be completely surrounded by people who believe this and base their day-to-day decisions on this belief.

What if they tried to force you to act as though you believed this is true, too? Could you really change your beliefs in response to their threats? Would you pretend to agree so they'd stop harassing you? I hope you wouldn't change your mind because of the social pressure they'd use on you.

Would you get tired of people telling you the Earth is flat and refusing to listen to any evidence which pokes holes in their belief? Can you imagine being in that situation?

It's the same feeling I get listening to people claiming political government is inevitable, necessary, or even desirable. They may as well be singing the praises of cancer and recommending we all get a fatal case of it.

The arguments they use in favor of their position all come down to some variation of government breaking your leg, handing you a crutch stolen from some other victim, then demanding to be thanked for "helping" you. This kind of help I can do without.

Yet, I understand them better than they probably imagine since I used to believe this, too. That's right, back when I was much younger, I was a bit of a government-supremacist just like most other people still are. Only now I see why the arguments I once leaned on are as flimsy as "Flat Earth Theory".

People who still believe the Earth is flat-- I mean, that government isn't cancer-- don't care to consider the opposing evidence, but I will.

If someone could show me proof, or even convincing evidence I'm wrong, I would consider it. All proof and evidence I've ever been shown is easily refuted. The Earth is not flat and government isn't beneficial.

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Not my problem, why should I care?

There's a common worldview that can be illustrated as: "It doesn't matter to me so it shouldn't matter to anyone else."

I see this take pretty often.

Maybe that new legislation doesn't affect you. For this reason, you might not care.

I care if legislation affects you negatively even if it doesn't affect me at all.

If the legislation is good for me but violates your rights, then I'm still against it. Of course, I'm always against legislation, so that's not surprising.

But it also happens when people observe that someone else's hobby or interest is destroyed or hindered in some way. Such as, I kind of hate "sports", but it still bothers me that some women's sports participation is impacted when men, cosplaying as women, are allowed to play against women in supposedly "women-only" events. 

Personally, I wouldn't care if all sports of that sort went away; I only care at all because others care. If sex isn't going to be recognized as a real thing anymore (even though it still is real), then just eliminate sports sex categories and let people of similar ability compete with each other. I'm still not going to watch, but I care somewhat.

I have fallen into this way of looking at things before, though. 

When ground-based astronomers and astronomy hobbyists complained about the early, brightly reflective, Starlink satellites making bright streaks across their photos, I callously pointed out that ground-based astronomy is obsolete. I also mentioned that you can track when and where the satellites will pass, and so you don't have to complain about your astronomical photos being ruined. 

Saying ground-based astronomy was obsolete made some people go crazy at me, but an astronomy professor told me the same thing decades ago, so it's not just my opinion. But, I-- even being an enthusiast for astronomy-- wasn't affected by the issue, so I didn't feel that anyone else should care, either. But maybe I should, just to be consistent

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Scott Adams: King of the Straw Men

Scott Adams is adept at setting up straw men to take down.

For example--

When people observe that the pandemic (if real in the way it is being presented by politicians and their lackeys) is being used to condition people to be compliant, he misrepresents this by saying they are arguing that there was a meeting between politicians from all over the world where they hatched the plot to create the pandemic and use it to train compliance into the populations. 

He changed the argument being made, regardless of whether the original argument was reasonable or not.

He's arguing against something that exists only in his own mind, because he probably can't argue convincingly against the actual observation which has been made. (Although, I'm not saying there's no one who believes this happened; there probably is.) This is a textbook example of the straw man argument.

He does this with guns, with trans"gender" issues, with copsucking, with the Constitution, and with any topic where he can promote government-supremacism. He simply takes whichever position increases government power. He doesn't do so by honestly addressing the criticisms, but by constructing flimsy straw men he can tear apart-- without acknowledging the actual argument against his side. Is he doing this just to prop up his own fragile belief system? It sure looks that way.

I still listen to him because when he's right, he's right. But when he's wrong it's because he's taking the government-supremacist side, almost without exception.

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A little bit of good doesn't justify evil

Over and over again I am stunned to see the lengths people will go to so they can keep believing in political government.

No matter what it does, no matter the actual results, they defend its existence in the face of 5000+ years of evidence. Even if they admit government sometimes commits great evil-- more than any other group has ever managed to commit-- they won't face the flawed premise it is built upon: that wrong isn't wrong if enough people sanction it.

They seem to imagine that any potential good justifies the very real evil.

I don't accept that, even as I'm able to recognize the "good" that can be sometimes accomplished (though never justified) by committing evil.

I accept that sometimes government does the right thing-- even government's gang of thugs occasionally does something worthwhile. Sometimes government gets good results. Where I part ways with the government-supremacists is that I recognize that good results or even sometimes "doing the right thing" doesn't excuse the institutionalized theft and/or coercion required to get there.

Doing wrong and having it turn out well anyway never excuses doing the wrong thing.

Was any medical knowledge gained by the Tuskegee Syphilis "study"? Probably, but that doesn't justify it. It was still evil.

Might mask mandates and forced shutdowns slow the spread of a virus? It doesn't matter because it's still wrong to do those things. Even if you are really scared of the virus.

Might draconian "border security" and "immigration" control prevent some problems? Probably, but that doesn't make it right-- get rid of the root cause of the potential problems (v*ting, welfare, and anti-defense legislation) instead of thrashing at the leaves.

It's entirely possible you could find some innocent individual who is still alive because of some specific anti-gun legislation. Even if there weren't a trade-off with lives lost as a result of such counterfeit rules, it's still wrong to violate the natural human right to own and to carry weapons.

Yet because people keep asking the wrong questions (because they either don't like the right ones or don't even know what to ask) they keep getting the wrong "answers". And this allows them to keep believing that somehow, some way, political government is something other than a cancer.

Responsible people who have worthwhile principles have to accept that they have no right to violate others just because they have (or believe they have) a good goal in mind.

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Privileges-- loaned-out rights

I've heard some people argue there are no such things as rights; only privileges. But if rights don't exist, neither can privileges.

A right is something you can do just because no one else has the right to prevent you from doing it. Something you can do because you were born human. (Which is everything that doesn't violate the equal and identical rights of anyone else.)

A privilege is when someone else lets you use their right in some limited way. Basically, they let you appear to "violate" their right-- with their permission-- for a set time, often in exchange for something they want, like money or information.

If they didn't have a right, they couldn't loan it to you.

Since rights can only be individual, not collective, and government can therefore have no rights, government can't even grant privileges. And they certainly don't have the "right" to ration or otherwise violate the rights of human beings in any way.

Even every argument against rights only destroys the justification for political government even harder.

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President* Biden

The most suspicious point in favor of there having been election funnybusiness (a safe euphemism?) on a large enough scale to change the outcome is how desperate those on the "winning" side are to sweep the idea under the rug. To make it an off-limits topic. To ban the topic from the conversation in any way they can get away with.

It looks to me as though they already know and are afraid others will figure it out.

And do what, exactly? 

At this point, the most that would happen is for Biden's presidency to come with an asterisk in future fringe history books. He still has the power to do all the damage he can think of while he occupies the office-- just like those who came before him, whether any of them were legitimately [sic] elected or not.

Of course, I don't believe in or advocate mob rule. There has never been a legitimate election and there never will be. So I'm not the kind of person they need to keep in the dark. It's all those they want to keep playing the rigged game. Those people have got to keep believing, because if they were to become like me, the whole tower of Dunder Mifflin complaint forms would collapse in a jumbled heap.

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Up to you to make 2021 better

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

Was the year 2020 not to your liking? Do you want 2021 to be better? Then make it better. It's mostly up to you.

There will be things beyond your control, but you can choose how you feel about them and how you react to them.

You can be stampeded over a cliff by those who gain power from your fear and compliance, or you can be responsible for yourself.

You can act on the science promoted by political hysterics, or on the science which shows there's no need to panic and zero reasons to give up liberty. The calmer path has never backfired on me.

I'm more than ready to take back the liberty which was trampled and stolen over the past year. "No" is a powerful word; one which should be used more often. It won't make you popular, because standing firm isn't popular with those who'd prefer you go along and not make a fuss, no matter what's being done to you.

You don't have to make a scene over every ridiculous demand. Pick your battles. If you don't have a clear line in the sand-- a line you won't be pushed across-- you need to find where yours is. Then stick to it no matter the cost.

As many have pointed out, if you won't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

It'll be hard if you're on your own. If others see you making a stand, maybe they'll be inspired to join you. If not, it's still better to do the right thing alone than to go with the crowd doing the wrong thing. Or allowing the wrong thing to be done to you and others.

I'm on your side as long as you aren't violating the life, liberty, or property of any other human being. So, I'm probably not on your side if you're using politics-- government and legislation.

If your great-grandkids were to ask you what you did when liberty was on the line back in 2021, wouldn't you rather be able to answer with your head held high, saying you refused to help politicians and politicized "experts" destroy America, or would you rather admit you didn't speak out but went along because it was safer? I'd be ashamed to have to give this answer. I can do better.

If 2020 wasn't the best year, look in the mirror to see who's responsible for making 2021 better.

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When statists get stepped on by the State

"Some government regulation is necessary, but this time it has gone too far."

This is what a statist who has been harmed by the state says.

How often do you see this statement, or something similar? Pretty much every day, right?

No, government regulation-- by legislation or by edict-- is not "necessary". Let the market regulate, instead. If regulation is actually necessary, it will happen organically without coercion.

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End the FAA

Here, Elon. Print out and fill in your permit.

I don't like any agency of the feral government, but right now I especially hate the FAA (almost as much as I hate the ATF, IRS, DEA, etc.). 

I enjoy following the SpaceX Starship development down in south Texas. I'm excited to watch the next test flight. After several weather delays, it was scheduled to launch Thursday. Then the FAA decided to interfere.

The low-down slimy FAA pulled their flight permit (or whatever it is called) at the last minute; the morning of the planned test flight. And refuses to issue another one until their demands are met.

How does the FAA imagine they have "authority" to be issuing or withholding permits to anyone for anything? Wow, I hate that kind of arrogance.

They've demanded more info from SpaceX on the flight. As if they couldn't have asked earlier, before the flight was scheduled. (The individual bureaucrat responsible needs to be sued as an individual for the entire cost of the preparations that were wasted.) 

Obviously, the FAA is staffed with useless bureaucratic piles of crap throwing their weight around. They have no legitimate "authority" over anyone. But they'll murder you to keep up the pretense if that's what it takes.

The FAA went from being a useless bureaucratic annoyance to a threat to the future of the human race. An enemy of every human being.

If anyone can take them down, it's Elon Musk*. I doubt it will come to that, but if it does I don't think it will go the way they imagine. I can think of several things he could do-- but I'll let him come up with his own ideas which would undoubtedly be even better.

At a minimum, SpaceX needs to drop the fawning "and thank you to the FAA for..." that they recite at the end of each launch broadcast. Why thank your mortal enemy?

Abolish the harmful FAA. Use its ruins as a toxic waste dump-- oh, wait, it's already worse than that! No free country would put up with such a monstrosity.

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*I understand the valid criticisms leveled against Musk's cronyism, and I agree with it all.

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The same question, phrased differently

Consistency scares people. Some people claim that consistency means you're stuck in a rut. If you believe one answer fits every problem, you aren't being rational. You could be a cultist. I agree with that to some extent.

But these same people also keep asking questions that are really the same question phrased differently, so in that situation, one answer does apply. It has to.

Isn't "taxation" necessary? No.
Should government regulate guns? No.
Should government be able to mandate masks and shutdowns? No.
Isn't it OK for cops to shoot people who refuse to cooperate? No.

Isn't security more important than liberty? No.

Aren't business licenses necessary? No.
Should government make up rules to help some people at the expense of others? No.
Should government bail out banks/corporations/Wall Street? No.

Should Bitcoin be regulated? No.
Doesn't government have the right to control the border? No.

Drugs have to be regulated, right? No.

But don't you agree government has to license drivers? No.

I could go on and on.

But those aren't really different questions. All of those "different" questions come down to "Do I (or does government, on my behalf) have the right to archate?", so the answer is always going to be the same. It's always going to be "No" as long as you keep asking the same question.

Those questions are dressed up to look different to people who aren't too bright. Or who have been brainwashed into government-supremacism.

You could rephrase the above questions so the answers would always be "yes"; "Is taxation theft?" for example. But the direction remains the same. No one has the right to archate, and saying "it's the law" can't change that fact.

Yet some government-supremacists would make the claim that I'm not "credible" unless I make exceptions where I say it's OK to archate; to rape, murder, kidnap, etc. as long as I call it something else and it is being done by government employees. They'll claim that unless you make these exceptions, you're not part of the adult conversation. Who thinks this makes sense?

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Dogecoin

I would like to get in on Dogecoin, since... why not? So, if anyone is interested in donating some as an alternative to donating dollars or Bitcoin:

D6Wiw75gJbe9hzLEG7PeY22VRdVn2qfjPZ

I just set up this wallet and haven't tested it yet, so if you send some, let me know so I can check to make sure it came through.

Thanks.

UPDATE: I figured out that I could trade a little Bitcoin for some Dogecoin directly through my wallet, so I'm set if Dogecoin goes "to the moon" now. You can still donate if you want, though.

Bullies and government-supremacists

Who are these people whose opinions I don't care about even a little? Bullies. Statists/Government-supremacists. Anyone who wants to use aggression against others: Archators. Those who refuse to recognize that the "right" to archate can not exist.

I run into them everywhere; I'm sure you do, too. Most don't even realize they are the bad guys. Some see themselves as heroes, when nothing could be further from the truth. 

I recognize that ignoring their toxic opinions, or even daring to refute them, can cause them to attack me, either individually or through the violence of the state. But I can't stand to see them attacking someone who isn't going along with their cultish agenda. Sometimes I step in, even though I'd rather ignore them, knowing I will only attract their wrath, just because I can't let their attack go unanswered. 

Otherwise, I'll do what I can to avoid this or defend myself if avoidance fails, but I still don't care about their ignorant and wrongheaded opinions.

Why would anyone? 

They are petulant toddlers with illegitimate power. Let them throw their tantrums and try to stay out of their reach. But don't concern yourself with what they think of you. They are just not credible, rational, or sensible. 

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Care what some people think; not what everyone "thinks"

Part of exercising your liberty comes down to not caring what everyone else thinks. Hopefully, you are able to do this in a way that doesn't come off as rude to observers, but sometimes it's not possible.

You should care what some people think. It's probably not healthy to not care what anyone thinks. You'd be a psychopath or something if that were the case. But most people "out there" aren't really worth coddling.

These people will try to bully you into doing or saying what they want. It's going to probably seem rude to them when you refuse. But how would it feel to you if you caved in? How would it look to others who see you comply with something you (and they) know isn't right? Which is worse?

I usually try to find a way to refuse to go along that isn't confrontational. Often I simply ignore them-- they aren't worth the effort. Sometimes you're not left that option. Sometimes to refuse is to be confrontational. In that case, it helps if you don't get too wrapped up in the opinions of those who are trying to bully you.

If I cared too much about what others think-- when they do not have my best interests at heart-- my liberty would be destroyed. One person at a time, they'll destroy everyone's liberty. Don't let them. Stop them at your liberty, and stop them if you see them targeting someone else. Refusing to be bullied is not the same as imposing your will on them.

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Time's Up flags-- my review

I was apprehensive about the new flags. Specifically, I was concerned about the quality. So I ordered one for myself. It (finally) arrived today.

I'm pleasantly surprised. 

No, they aren't as high quality as the original batch-- but they also cost half as much as those did, almost 15 years ago, so I didn't expect them to be. 

They are better than I had anticipated and I think they are worth the price. If I didn't think they were, I would tell you. I'm much more enthusiastic about them now than I was before seeing one in person.

If you bought a flag, feel free to send me your own review (good, bad, indifferent) and let me know whether or not I can post it.

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Yes, V*ter, you were lied to and used. Did you learn anything?

I'm kinda liking how so many who supported Bad'un are now realizing that he was never on their side. Don't they understand how politics works? (They may now.) Did they really imagine it was to benefit them?

This is a lesson I learned when I was still in my early 20s. Maybe most of those who seem surprised by recent developments are around that same age. Other than the slow learners...

They are feeling used, and the smarter ones realize they were lied to. 

"His campaign promises aren't already Law? It can't be!" 

"There were unintended consequences to the promises he has carried through on? Why didn't he tell us this was the case?"

"I'm getting the feeling we were used." Yeah, you were.

How many of them will still believe in the same old process next time? Most of them. Hope springs eternal and gullibility is almost bottomless.

But it can be amusing to watch it happen to them. I just wish you and I could stay out of the crossfire.

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Is vaccine really worth celebrating?

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 23, 2020-- This is one of those headlines that makes me go "Huh?", but such is life.)

As soon as a Covid-19 vaccine was announced, the debate began over who should get it first. To me, the answer was obvious: Give it to the politicians first. They want to be called "leaders"; let them lead for once.

This win/win solution should make everyone happy.

People who love government are generally going to be the people most likely to trust the vaccine. They probably believe politicians are valuable. They'd believe using the vaccine on the politicians first would be safe and would protect them.

Those who aren't as fond of government and politicians are probably not going to trust the vaccine as much. They'd probably be glad to see politicians used as lab rats.

If the vaccine is safe, the politicians survive and others can then try it. If it turns out the vaccine was a bit rushed, and not as safe as initially advertised, no real harm done. You can always recruit more politicians later-- if you must.

If this past year taught us anything, it taught us to not trust experts when politics is involved. If you are not skeptical about this first-ever vaccine for any kind of coronavirus, which was rushed through the process, then you haven't been paying attention to the history of pharmaceuticals. I want to see what happens over time to those who took it before I decide if I'm going to. Especially if it becomes mandatory.

I'm not anti-vaccine, but I'm anti-"mandatory" every time.

I'm not interested in seeing famous people getting vaccinated on television. How do I know that's really the vaccine and not glucose? Who makes decisions based on what famous people do? Most of them didn't get famous for being smart or making good decisions. If you follow the examples of famous people you're probably in serious danger. If they are famous for being politicians, it's even worse.

I suppose the cat's out of the bag now, though. It's too late to let politicians go first.

Now we are being told the vaccine may only be effective for a couple of months, and having been vaccinated doesn't mean you can dispense with the face mask and the anti-social "social distancing", nor will it mean the end of the shutdowns. So what's the point? Will this vaccine raise the survival rate from 99.6% up to 99.7%? I'm unconvinced.

Whatever happens, I wish you a very merry healthy Christmas!

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The truth can change

There are things which are true that you (and I) don't want to be true.

The pragmatist just says "Oh, well. That's how it is", but smart people see it as an opportunity to change what is true. Change it for the better.

It was once true that humans were denied the experience of powered flight. That's not true anymore (although the nasty TSA tries as hard as they can to make it true again).

It is true that I currently have a piece of metal (accidentally) superglued to my right index finger, making it harder to type. I'm hoping this truth will change in the next few days.

Maybe it's true that humans always impose political governments on themselves and others. If so, work to change that truth into something healthier.

Truth shouldn't be a prison. If there's a truth you don't like, do what you can to make a new truth. Make the old truth a lie going into the future.

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Flag news (shipping rate increase imminent)

Just a heads up that I was informed by the flag manufacturer that the USPS is increasing their shipping rates on Monday (January 25, 2021) so the shipping cost per flag will go up an additional 60 cents. Not a big deal, but if you want to avoid the price increase, order before then.

I guess the USPS is doing such a great job they decided to give themselves a raise.

It seems that my profit margin will also decrease by a dollar, but I'll see how that goes. I already know I'm not going to get rich off of this. Maybe it won't be a big deal.

Recycled criminals

It seems to me that each new administration's government is largely composed of nasty government criminals recycled from previous administrations, plus some new blood to train to be nasty government criminals for future administrations to pick from for recycling.

I admit I may be cynical about the whole nasty circus.

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Covid wrap-up

Even the bushes are scared of The Corona

Now that it's the era of Bad'un-- you know, the "Bungle Backward Badly" guy-- the coronavirus is either effectively gone (since it has served its purpose) or it's such a big deal we'll all be ordered to wear masks all the time for 100 days (or much longer) and there'll be lockdowns for everyone. Depending on which of the random nonsensical paths is taken.

Here's my current thinking on the subject of Covid-19.

Yes, the virus probably exists. I have no way to know for sure since I don't have the equipment to see/isolate it; I'm forced to take someone else's word about it. I still think it's somewhat more likely that it is a real virus-- at least of some sort-- than that the virus doesn't even exist.

So there probably is a pandemic... in the same way that there's a pandemic of E. coli. It's probably widespread, but not a real problem except in a small percentage of cases. How much concern and tyranny is appropriate for something that is everywhere but not usually a big deal? I choose none.

I trust the science, but I do not trust politicized science interpreters. Nor do I trust their numbers even a little bit. When you count every death where the virus was present as a death caused by the virus, the numbers are going to look scarier than they really are. But it's good propaganda. Scared people are compliant people.

Instead of people questioning whether they should be scared or whether government should be controlling them, they debate how scared "we" should be and how much government should be controlling us. They ask if mask mandates and lockdowns and economic shutdowns "work" instead of realizing that no one has the right or the imaginary "authority" to be imposing them.

I still believe the government response to Covid harmed vastly more people than the virus did. Emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, and more. Without even factoring in the economic harm.

I just can't cooperate with such people. If truth is illegal, I'll still be an outlaw.

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Variety bag special offer

I have a variety bag for one lucky reader.

I mentioned that I was sent a replacement item from Wazoo Survival Gear-- after the USPS fumbled the delivery-- but then eventually received the original order. Well, I paid for it and now I'm selling the extra. 

It is a Wazoo bushcraft necklace.

The grab bag includes the necklace plus 2 Time's Up patches and 2 original-style Time's Up stickers (for indoor use only, and not available elsewhere anymore). 

$30.00 (Paypal or Bitcoin) for all-- free shipping to the "lower 48" (elsewhere, we'll work it out).

Just contact me-- first one to tell me they want it gets it.

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Don't forget to buy a Time's Up flag while they are available!

Gun stuff

This was a bad year to be broke. It makes me almost wish I had been on the "stimulus" list because if I had, I know what I'd be spending the magic money on. As it is, I've been stretching and contorting my budget in uncomfortable ways.

What I've been doing is trying to get some gun-related stuff. While I still can-- while it is still available and "legal". 

I made one Big Purchase (with Bitcoin!), which will be seen later-- maybe in a month or so (but you'll have to be paying attention because I won't be specifically talking about it).

But mostly I've been trying to get extra standard-capacity magazines, in preparation for a 10-round limit. I still have an old Ruger magazine from the Cigar Willie years; crippled by an oversized "floor plate" to hold only 10 rounds. It's an abomination.

I did get one 10-round magazine, though. To return a rifle to its original configuration. This magazine was at a really cool western junk (and guns) store I like to browse, and I got it for $5. Awesome! There was another magazine in their parts bin, but I can't tell for sure if it fits my Ruger-- it looks like it might. I might ask the price anyway next time I go to town.

Now there's just one thing I really lack. I would like to get more ammo, but I haven't been able to. It's not readily available, and really expensive when I do find it. I feel I need more 9mm-- especially a box or two of self-defense rounds. And more .45 ACP.

I'm always wanting more .32-40 and .45 Long Colt "cowboy loads", too, but those aren't as critical. Another couple of cans of FFg black powder wouldn't be bad, either.

Is there anything of this nature you are stocking up on? You don't have to answer that rhetorical question; it is only asked to give you something to think about.

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Don't forget to buy a Time's Up flag (so I can afford ammo) while they are available!

Speaking up-- or not

There are times, places, and situations where speaking up is fine. And safe.

Then there are times, places, and situations where your gut is going to tell you this isn't the time, place, or situation to do so. That was the case when I was at the gun counter the other day.

I think you should listen to your gut (unless your head overrules it).

Your gut might be wrong. Maybe you should have spoken up but you missed the chance, or maybe you shouldn't have when you did.

I would rather live in a society where people feel free to say what they think, even if others don't like it. Including "hate speech" [sic]. I've never encountered a good argument for restricting speech of any kind.

But there is a cost. Both for staying silent and for speaking out. I've paid (and still pay) the price for both at various times. I'm not going to heap criticism on someone for taking either path when I would have made the opposite choice. My criticism is on anyone advocating (or committing) archation.

Most of the time, in most situations, I don't hesitate to speak up when my comment is relevant. But, there are times I choose not to for whatever reason. Sometimes the reason is simply that I don't feel like getting into a debate right now. Even in that case, I still might speak up in support of someone being criticized for a reasonable opinion.

How do you handle such situations?

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Don't forget to buy a Time's Up flag while they are available!