Being better

I've made some people extremely angry in the past by saying I was trying to help them be better. That was a mistake! I probably could have phrased it better, but it might have made no difference anyway.

I can't remember all the specific topics, but I know spelling and grammar figured in a couple of times that are burned into my memory. I was told, "I don't want to be better! I don't need to be fixed!"

I've run into this same issue even when I've just tried to demonstrate an easier or better way to do something I've seen someone struggling with. They'd rather keep struggling than learn something new.

This is an attitude I can't wrap my head around. I always want to be better. I love learning new ways to do things-- even if I eventually go back to doing it the way I did before. I've even let people try to fix me. (It's not their fault I'm difficult to fix.)

I have seen the same attitude in people who have a problem that could be solved, but they don't want to solve it. They'd rather pretend it's not a problem because they get their identity from it. It has given them a culture.

This is why you'll never be able to help most statists. They love their defect and will stand firm in denying it is a defect. They get an identity from it-- its "pole quilts" and other symbols, its rituals and documents, its beliefs and camaraderie. It has given them a culture and they aren't letting go. Not even when you offer a healthier culture in its place.

Part of it is probably that they don't want to admit they've been wrong; that they've wasted years of life going down a terrible path. I can't really blame them, but I wish they'd take the hand I offer. You can't help people who don't want to be helped.

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It's all in the accessories

Apparently, my glasses make me look really intelligent-- like that guy... what was his name?... a long time ago... he invented gravity or something.

That's from an actual conversation I recently had with someone. Well, she was doing most of the talking. I just sat there in a hospital gown being medically assessed, poked, and prodded before being violated. But looking intelligent, I guess.

It was one of the oddest compliments I've ever received. Or, that my glasses have received.

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Drug abuse is a risky choice

Dilbert's Scott Adams has been extreme on the topic of Fentanyl ever since his stepson died of an overdose a few years ago. I understand the pain, but I can't condone using that pain as an excuse to advocate wrong.

He claims it is terrorism and mass-murder-- an act of war-- to provide Fentanyl to Americans.

He wants the US government to invade China and kill the manufacturers, invade Mexico and kill the cartel leaders, and use drones to kill anyone crossing "the border" to bring it into the country.

An important piece of this emotional puzzle is that he also claims addicts bear little (or no) responsibility for their addictions once they are addicted. "Once they are addicted..."

I think drug abuse deaths are tragic. I care. I also hold the addicts 100% responsible for their own death. It's suicide, not murder. They know the risks involved in abusing substances-- they don't care enough to stop. They knew when they first chose to try something they knew could be addictive and knew might contain ingredients they didn't necessarily want. You've got to take that first step on the road to addiction yourself. They made a choice. It turned out to be a bad choice and there are consequences. Welcome to reality. It's the same reality we all face all our lives.

If I knew of people who insisted on dashing across railroad tracks without looking, I would wish they'd stop, but I wouldn't imprison them to force them to stop. I wouldn't arrest the train engineers or the workers who built the tracks. People have to be free to do stupid things that can kill them. If someone chooses to use an addictive drug, then they get addicted and can no longer stop and they die of an overdose, it is on them.

To commit a larger wrong-- to involve government to impose your will on others-- in an attempt to solve a problem, is not a good way to do anything. It's not going to work anyway, since humans have always sought out mind-altering substances and experiences, and they always will. Risk, government opinions, and whatever else will always be irrelevant to their behavior and the choices they make.

The smart move is to know it's going to happen and take measures to protect yourself. Some drugs should be avoided, some drug sources shouldn't be trusted, and some behaviors can (and probably will) kill you. And some addicts will be a danger to you.

As I and others have pointed out for decades: drug abuse is stupid, but prohibition is evil. Don't be stupid or evil, but if you feel you have to pick one, pick stupid.

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Government waging war against you

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 17, 2022)

Have you realized yet that the U.S. federal government is waging a one-sided war against you?

The IRS plans to hire around 87,000 new armed IRS employees-- the exact number is disputed; what they are being hired to do is not. The job posting, before they edited it, said new hires must be willing to use deadly force-- against you. Think about it: they will only be hired if willing to use deadly force against their bosses. They are being hired to "Sheriff of Nottingham" you into destitution. A government which is on your side wouldn't do this.

Then there's the FBI raid on Donald Trump's home. I'm not a Trump supporter, but this politically biased enforcement is not a good sign. The FBI and the DOJ are more politicized than ever-- and they have never been exactly non-political. Now they are being used to target the current regime's political enemies. Probably as a way to keep Trump from running for the presidency again, although this may backfire on them.

If the FBI can raid Trump's house, there's no one safe from their overreach. If you make the wrong enemies, be ready for that early-morning flash-bang.

The legislation mill is also reaching new levels of dishonesty. You can almost guarantee any new bill will do the exact opposite of whatever they name it.

The "Inflation Reduction Act" will not reduce inflation, but will make it worse. An honest name would be the "Inflation Expansion Act".

All the various "safer community" or "safe our children" acts invariably make communities and children much less safe by empowering criminals and disarming good people.

The "PATRIOT ACT" was probably the most dishonest example in history. It was, and is, the most anti-American legislative tyranny ever foisted on us. No patriot would have supported this rejection of everything America stood for.

If a bill can't be named honestly, it needs to be scrapped. No matter how "essential" its supporters claim it is. Either give it an honest name or put it in the shredder.

I wonder if the federal government is trying to incite rebellion so it has an excuse to crack down even harder on the population. Open rebellion would give justification for nationwide martial law and all the Soviet-style governing which goes with it.

I won't be baited. I've never trusted them. I can't be shocked or disappointed by anything they do.

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Back when I was a single-issue v*ter

If I were to fall back into the vice of v*ting, I would probably be a single-issue v*ter again.

Back when I was naive and gullible I v*ted based only on the issue of the fundamental human right to own and to carry weapons. I believe the freedom to exercise other rights depends on that one not being violated. 

I agree with L. Neil Smith that this issue, like no other, is an X-Ray into the "soul" of a politician. 

The problem I noticed was that the politicians who said the right things did the wrong things as soon as they got into office. That's when I realized the "pro-gun politician" is as elusive as Sasquatch (and twice as smelly).

Usually, the "pro-gun politician" also supported things I opposed (police, borders, prohibition, marriage legislation, etc.) and I had just held my nose and accepted that this was the price of getting what I wanted on the issue of guns. Then I lost anyway.

The choice is between an anti-gun bigot who's open about it and an anti-gun bigot who lies about it and would impose other anti-liberty legislation if he gets the power he wants. This applies even to those politicians you think it doesn't apply to.

All my v*tes were a waste of time and effort. They gave false hope (when the politician I v*ted for won). It did nothing useful. I won't be fooled again.

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Don't sacrifice essential truth to politeness

So much of being "polite" these days is just participating in lies. Which is something I find hard to do-- which is why I am sometimes not as polite as I could (should?) be.

I want to be polite. But not enough to participate in harmful lies.

I saw someone who seems to be an influential (at least, online) libertarian scolding someone that "libertarians are not for open borders because the Constitution gives the feds the authority [sic] to defend the coasts" and called the person they were scolding a commie for disagreeing. This had something to do with the Texas (or Florida?) government vs Martha's Vineyard residents concerning (apparently) unwanted people, I think. (I was still groggy from the anesthesia, so I might have been confused and probably shouldn't have been on my phone.)

If I were polite, I wouldn't have said anything, but would have let the lies sit there unchallenged. Yes, there are borderist libertarians and there are constitutionalist libertarians and there are political statist "libertarians", but to pretend that these encompass the opinions of all libertarians is dishonest.

That is just one example out of many I could list. 

Beyond the self-professed libertarians the situation is even worse. A lot worse. 

The list of lies you are expected to just go along with-- or be considered a horrible person (and risk being canceled)-- is staggering. But I've never been good at staying quiet when someone is deceiving people. Even when they might have "good" reasons.

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Is it pointless to promote liberty?

It's probably not going to convince many statists to abandon their beliefs if you and I keep promoting liberty. They are just too deeply brainwashed. They are scared of liberty and prefer their chains of "freedom".

But, it's the right thing to do anyway. It's not pointless.

You've got to cover your bases. I want to be able to say, with complete sincerity and honesty, "You were warned what would happen. You can't say you didn't know."

Writing about liberty offers them the opportunity to change their ways. If they choose not to, that's on them. At that point, they aren't your responsibility to rescue from their own choices.

It's sad, but you can't save those who refuse to be saved. You have to spend your effort to save those you are responsible for-- yourself, your family, and your true friends. Why would you be responsible to save those who proclaimed you the enemy for telling the truth?

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Enemy of the state

Being called an enemy of the state is a compliment if you understand the nature of the state. It's like being called an enemy of slavery, or an enemy of mass-murder. The alternative isn't anything to crow about.

I'm happy to be an enemy of evil.

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Tired and miserable

I'm overwhelmed, tired, and stressed. And miserable.

For the past 2 weeks I have been taking care of 2 additional households and their cats while the people are on vacation. That's 2 trips per day to the next town over. It has really worn me down. Today should be the last day for that, if things go according to plan.

I have a cat that seems to be nearing the end. He's not old, maybe only around five years, but has always had health problems. He's the one who I think probably got Covid a while back-- I pulled him through that, but he hasn't been the same since and has lost a lot of weight. He's fading, but I'm still trying.

On top of that, I'm completely stressed because I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Friday. That's bad enough without the financial and insurance aspects of it. The clinic was telling me I have to pay $300 the day of the procedure-- now they've increased that to $400. The insurance has said repeatedly-- every time I call about this problem-- they cover colonoscopies 100%. Something doesn't add up.

So checking with the clinic again they say the problem is that the insurance will only cover one colonoscopy every ten years. Everything I've heard says a colonoscopy is recommended every five years for people of my age if there's no problem, but I grow polyps like crazy, which is why I need one every 3 years. The first time I had one, they removed 3 pre-cancerous polyps, and the last time (almost 4 years ago) they removed six. So, yes, I do think I need this, even as much as I hate it.

Called the insurance again, and now they say they only pay 70% of the cost of a colonoscopy... which directly contradicts what I've been told by them multiple times.

They are making me hate them all. 

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Cannabis not an excuse to kidnap

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 10, 2022)

An American basketball player was recently arrested and imprisoned in Russia for possession of Cannabis. Some people are outraged over this; others claim she deserved to be arrested because she broke Russian law. A "law" without any ethical basis; a fake law which goes against Natural Law, as does most legislation.

The Russian government imprisoning an American for marijuana possession isn't more wrong than the US government encouraging local governments in America to do the same. Wrong is wrong.

The basketball player may get more attention, but the millions of prohibition victims in America are a larger problem. Even if you support prohibition and punishment, prohibition is hurting you.

Possession or use of a plant can never be a real crime. Cannabis is the most obvious example, but this remains true for Peyote, Opium poppies, coca leaf extract, and everything else. Drug abuse is stupid, but prohibition is evil.

You still have the right to defend yourself from those under the influence of a drug or in any otherwise altered mental state.

Those under the influence of "authority" are much more dangerous than any common drug abuser, though. They hallucinate the imaginary right to run your life, and to destroy you "for your own good" if you disagree. They tell each other it's OK to rob, kidnap, and kill people who aren't suffering under the same hallucination-- and they do so regularly. Of course, they give their crimes other names to hide the true nature behind a veil of "legality". A "fine" is still armed robbery and an "arrest" is still a kidnapping. No mere chemical comes close to the destructive power of imagined political authority.

Where does the Russian government get the "right" to kidnap people over a plant? From the same source the US government gets the identical "right": from imagination. Many people in society might even want them to do it, but since no individual has the right to kidnap, rob, or cage a neighbor over a plant, no one-- and no majority-- can transfer such an imaginary right to a government on their behalf.

Authoritarian behavior erodes belief in all the real laws that protect life, liberty, and property. If government pretends there's no difference, the people will see no difference. Once they realize it's not really wrong to ignore one type of law, it's easy for them to ingore the legitimate laws as well. This isn't good for anyone.

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Fadin' in, fadin' out...

I've recently had the opportunity to do something I haven't done in a very long time: listen to broadcast radio.

Probably the last time I really listened to the radio much was when the station I had listened to all the time changed formats. That was around 25 years ago. For some reason, they decided they had to play the same thing the other stations in the area played instead of being the one station that played something unique. So they went from being the one country station to being the third or fourth "alternative rock" station. Ugh.

Anyway...

My pickup hasn't had a working radio as long as I've owned it, so that eliminates most of what would have been listening time. But recently I've been taking care of multiple households' feline residents while their human servants are on vacation, and have the use of the car of the farthest household to use for the trips, and I have left the radio alone. I've kind of enjoyed it, but I have noticed that about half of the advertisements are for government.

There are ads for various gov-school related things and events, "public service" announcements telling listeners to make sure their kids get the Covid shot because the CDC says it's safe and necessary (recorded months ago, I'm sure), government job listings, reminders that the Blue Line Gang is looking for "impaired" drivers, and others.

I didn't remember this being the case when I last listened, but I'm open to the probability that I just don't remember. I wonder if government is a primary advertiser in order to prop up the industry, or if they honestly just find radio ads that helpful.

Anyway, I've found it difficult to stifle the scoffs I feel building in response to the obvious nonsense I hear. It's been interesting, though.

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I hope this doesn't destroy the Universe!

Apparently, sometime in the future, I travel back in time to this week, in London, England... I'm not quite sure why. 

I offer the above photograph-- taken at a restaurant in the Tower of London on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, by my mother-- as proof. Obviously, that's "older me". I wonder where my hat is.

Maybe my presence there (and lack of a hat) has something to do with current events (which would be old history by the time I travel back). Perhaps I am there to change the timeline to prevent TEOTWAWKI somehow. I like to think so. You're welcome.

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I wasn't going to mention that several family members are currently in Europe, but they seem to be constantly violating OpSec on social media, so I guess anything I say is not going to make things worse.

My youngest sister and her wife gave my parents this trip for Christmas last December. They spent a few days in Scotland, then arrived in London on Tuesday. Earlier yesterday they toured Buckingham Palace, then went to a restaurant to eat. 

They were there when the staff announced to the diners that the queen had died. This was at 6:30PM local time, just after it was announced by the "royal family". I got a text from my mother telling me the news 2 minutes later. (I've never been so promptly aware of something of that nature.) 

My sister and her wife then took a taxi back to the palace. They got there pretty early, but said the crowd was already big and growing fast. It soon got "crazy" huge. Roads all around the palace were being shut down and it started to rain, so they decided to leave while they still could.

So, they all got to the UK when it was ruled by a queen, and will leave it ruled by a king. And the Prime Minister changed while they were there, too. Maybe they should all go to Washington DC next-- maybe some changes would be triggered by their presence there, as well. I know what change I'd like to see.

I'm no fan of monarchy, but historical events do interest me somewhat.

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Legislation of mass destruction (that's all of it)

It is just as barbaric to use legislation against someone as it is to shoot them. Shooting them is more honest.

In fact, legislation is much worse because it is impossible to aim "laws" accurately enough to avoid hitting bystanders. It's like using a bomb to get one guy at a picnic or spraying a crowd with a full-auto rifle because there might be some people among them who are terrible people. 

If you use legislation against someone, you are no better than the worst of them.

This is why "gun control" is evil... even if your aim is to target only bad guys, you can't.

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Trump's documents and the Feral Baby Incinerators

Do I care whether Trump had "classified" or "Top Secret" documents at his house? Nope. Not even a little.

There is just nothing there for me to care about.

I don't need a president-- I don't need to be governed. I don't support current or former presidents.

Neither do I support any criminal government agency such as the FBI conducting raids to protect government secrets, not even when the target is a current or former president (or any other political criminal).

I'm more in agreement with L. Neil Smith on that topic when he said: "...government secrets must be forbidden by law, and ... any government employee who is convicted of lying to any member of the public for any reason must be hanged by the neck—in public and on prime time network television—until he or she is dead." (from here)
He made similar statements about government secrets multiple times.

Government secrets are protected by government lies, so the two are inseparable and are both completely inexcusable and intolerable.

Now, obviously, I don't support any "laws" or an institutionalized death penalty, but I agree with the sentiment that nothing is worse than government keeping a secret. Government (if legitimate in any way) is your servant, not your master. The servant can not be allowed to keep job secrets from the boss. Doing so is at least a firing offense-- I don't care what the secret is, or how many people would justify it. Just, No.

If you're worried that people might die if a secret gets released, those people shouldn't have gotten involved in political games in the first place. Doing so isn't ethical or honorable, it's evil, and sometimes evil behavior has painful consequences. Too bad.

No government secrets, ever, for any reason. Release them ALL immediately.

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Staying aware of the predators among us

There's nothing I'd love more than being able to safely ignore politicians-- and politics in general. I hate them both.

But... I understand the value of situational awareness. You've got to know when some predator is stalking you or waiting in the shadows to jump out and attack you. And that's precisely what politicians-- predators wielding the weapon of politics-- are doing. If you don't pay some attention to their movements you'll be caught off-guard. They'll get the drop on you.

When they are saying they are going to come after you, isn't it good to know ahead of time? Isn't this part of your situational awareness?

That this is necessary kind of makes me angry.

I get it-- it's just part of the environment. Politics is like weather. Except that no one decides to create a tornado to send after you; individuals do decide to use politics to destroy you. It's not necessary for them to do so. Society doesn't depend on it. They choose to do it to you. Nothing, and no one, is more evil. No part of it is good and it isn't done for "the right reasons". Even if, on occasion, it temporarily benefits you in some way. In the long run, the cost will always be too high.

Even though it costs some to stay alert to the predators, I think it would cost me more to be too complacent. This fact makes me dislike them even more. I want them out of my life entirely, but it isn't safe to ignore them.

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Needs should be met by the people

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for August 3, 2022)

People see me say I don't want government doing something and often jump to the conclusion I don't want that thing done at all. Sometimes they are right, as in the case of legislation enforcement. More often they are wrong, as in the case of environmental protection, security, or justice.

Government is more likely to make a mess of it.

I love the natural environment, which is why I oppose letting government control it or set rules concerning it. I've seen what happens when government is put in charge of protecting the environment. So have you. The most obvious example being the devastating wildfires which result from a century or so of wildfire "prevention".

I've also seen state-controlled forests which looked beautiful from the car, but were a barren clearcut once you pulled over and ventured away from the road. Sure, private property owners also clear-cut, but this shows letting government "protect" something isn't better.

How about security? It would be terrible for America to be attacked or invaded. I believe an effective militia-- which, by the way, is all the people, not something government runs-- is the only real defense. Government's idea of "national security" is to wander the globe antagonizing other governments with its military to the point they start financing attacks on American soil. By making enemies of the people under those governments, you make them willing to die for a chance to strike back. You don't make America safer by invading, occupying, and destroying people's homes. That's how you recruit young people to join the fight against you; against the people in America you claim to be protecting. Great for military contractors, terrible for Americans.

It may even be worse to let government control justice. It has gotten so bad most people mistake punishment for justice. Those are not only not the same, but are closer to opposites. Government's courts don't deal in justice, despite the name they give themselves. It is a rare accident if any justice comes out of a court. The market could do better.

If something is needed or wanted, there is a way to get it without stealing from-- taxing-- the population; a way to provide it voluntarily, without government. Government only needs to step in to force us to accept things we don't want badly enough to pay for them. I believe all those things should be allowed to go away.

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I guess more people disagree

I would say, going by the total likes and shares on both posts, this didn't go the way the anti-gun bigot political criminal hoped.

Of course, then someone chimed in to reply to GhostGuns.com (and LP National, for some reason), saying "This is a stupid idea. Why have any laws ar [sic] all. Let's just get rid of them all and have anarchy. It [sic] that what your goal is? Gun laws keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders. Like all laws the dems take our freedom but we need some gun laws to keep us safe"

Their response was like government-supremacist anti-gun bigot bingo. Lies, lies, and more lies, seasoned with a bit of gov-school ignorance. "Liberty: it's a stupid idea" could be the universal DemoCRAPublican campaign slogan.

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The High Chancellor has dropped the veil

When reality mirrors fiction

High Chancellor Biden has jumped the shark. He nuked the fridge. He has shown his hand in a way he won't be able to take back.

High Chancellor Biden just went full fascist on national broadcast-- never go full fascist. (No wonder he hates semi-fascists; they are too lukewarm for his tastes). Yes, all political government is fascist. It's just how it is. But there are degrees, and he just stepped it up. 

When I first saw the photos I thought they were Photoshopped. No one could be stupid enough to... Oh. They're real... (I realize they are cropped, but it doesn't make it dishonest-- they showed what they intended to show.)

Was it a messaging error, or did he mean to cross that line-- to set things into motion? Is it real, or is he cosplaying? I guess we'll find out.

Or is he being martyred; sacrificed by those who pull the strings but find him inconvenient now? It would solve a few of the Deep State's problems with one stone.

Yes, the political xombies who idolize him (or his handlers' agenda, anyway) will do their best to sweep this under the rug, but the visuals are too strong. The message, too clear.

Not only did he copy fictional tyrants, but he seemed to be channeling some real, historical monsters, too. I mean, look at his posture and demeanor in the pictures of the event. 

Don't look at this as a problem. Don't let it frighten you. It's an opportunity and a warning. It's great he told us exactly who he is and where he stands. Maybe this will be fun. It's sure to be interesting.

He has clearly declared it time for V to show up. If only...

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Milestones

I'm late. I've started doing something I should have started years ago. But I have my (bad) reasons why I didn't until now.

My daughter is now 15 and I've started teaching her how to drive. I have given her the chance in the past, but I never really pushed the issue because she wasn't interested. Now she is interested and I discover I'm hesitant, and it's causing me secret pain to see her reach this milestone.

I'm pushing through anyway.

As most of you probably know, my older daughter was killed in a car wreck 7 years ago this coming November. So I haven't been terribly excited to see my youngest start driving. (I even get stressed out when I know my son is driving somewhere.) 

It's something I've been told I need to "deal with"... as if I can just switch it off. I try. I'm never going to just "get over it" like some think I should. This is bringing it up again, fresh and painful.

I do think driving is an important skill; one that enhances liberty. It is a right, regardless of what government would have you believe. I just wasn't ready for her to start wanting this yet. I'd probably never really be ready, though, and I have no right to hold her back because of my issues.

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...and throw away the key

Found here

The all-American political sport seems to be suggesting that your political enemies, especially their rulers/"leaders", be thrown in prison.

I've applauded and promoted the joke myself.

"Joke"!?

I don't believe in imprisonment. No exceptions.

I can still enjoy calls to imprison political criminals anyway-- especially the ones I personally dislike the most. Just because it enrages the government-supremacists who support them.

I'm not going to joke about the average DemoCRAPublican being tossed in prison (If I've ever suggested such a thing, I repudiate it now) because I think they are what they are out of ignorance and because others have been lying to them their whole lives. They are victims, but often victims with Stockholm Syndrome who advocate victimizing others. Yes, they still owe restitution even if they don't mean to harm others, but punishment or imprisonment isn't that.

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Doing bad things "for the right reasons"

If any part of your "job" includes governing other people, you are not doing it "for the right reasons".

George Washington didn't become president "for the right reasons" any more than any modern president becomes president "for the right reasons". He was an evil tyrant just like his modern counterparts-- remember how he dealt with the Whiskey Rebellion.

You can't do bad things "for the right reasons", and ruling or taxing others is something no one has a right to do.

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Pressing the "Do Not Press" button

I've discovered that many-- if not most-- people have one issue or topic that if you don't exactly match their views on that topic, you have crossed a line-- you're dead to them. You're blocked, hated, and shunned.

I'm not talking about anything like saying you believe it's OK to rape and murder children. Nothing of that magnitude where right and wrong are obvious to any who aren't trying to cover for something. Just things that seem to be differences of opinion where reasonable people could take either side.

I'm constantly crossing those lines. It's not intentional; it's a consequence of saying what I honestly think.

To me, that kind of standard seems odd. There's no topic or issue that will make me reject everything else a person says or does over disagreement on it. Opinions differ and people are even free to be wrong on a few issues. If they are right on everything else what value is there in rejecting the whole enchilada? Does every single topic or issue have to be potential poison?

Example: I hate cops. I don't hate or block people who don't hate cops-- not even people who believe there can be "good cops". I wouldn't block a cop I was connected with on social media, unless it was to protect myself (which I doubt would work if they were out to get me).

As I say, it just seems to be a very strange standard to have one issue that everyone in your circle is absolutely required to agree on 100% or else. Or am I missing out on something by not having such an issue?

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Hoping future has more liberty wins

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 27, 2022)

It feels like the future is being pulled in two directions at once. Things are getting better, while things also feel like they are getting worse. Both are probably true.

I'm not so naive as to believe this is something new. Looking back at history I see how every era of the past had opposing forces pulling in different directions, fighting to shape the future. Two steps forward and one step back, as one or the other got the upper hand for a time.

I do believe the long-term trend-- with notable exceptions-- has been toward a better future. And to me, better always means greater liberty.

We may be the generation to see humans walk on Mars. Maybe even to begin emigrating off this planet. If, that is, the control freaks among us don't succeed in forcing us to live medieval lives of serfdom to advance their agenda.

Both futures seem equally possible today, depending on whose vision wins. Depending on who has the power to prevail.

In the governmental realm, liberty has been shielded from some tyrannical government overreach, while at the same time being violated by these same governments. Sometimes even over the same issues.

Just after the Supreme Court admitted the Second Amendment mostly means what it says, some backward states began desperately trying to find ways to avoid respecting the natural human right of their residents to own and to carry weapons. This should embarrass them after "Constitutional carry" of firearms proved its value against an evil loser in an Indiana mall recently.

Yet, at the same time, Congress debates a new ban on "assault weapons"-- a made-up political term for something which doesn't exist outside their imaginations. A ban they already know is unconstitutional and unethical, and which will harm more people than it would help until it inevitably gets thrown out. Opposing forces pulling toward a better future and a worse one.

This isn't the only demonstration of this effect. Marijuana legalization seems assured nationwide at this point. Taking away government's power to punish people for having or consuming a plant is better for liberty. On the other hand, if you can be punished by government for refusing to use wrong pronouns when speaking, you are not free.

I hope the better future wins. I'm not a fan of tyranny and slavery, no matter how "safe" the political criminals say this will make us.

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Which evil should you support?

Which is dumber: supporting the police or supporting the military?
Is supporting a political criminal (a redundant term which means "politician") even worse than either of those?

I can't answer that for sure. 

Some days I have different opinions on the matter, depending on what I see happening at the moment. This probably means it's too close to call, 

Supporting any of them is supporting the evil act of politically governing others, so it's probably best not to support any of them.

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The Fringe

In the entertainment media, anyone who is anti-government is portrayed as "fringe"-- except in a few (extremely popular) franchises, anyway (even then, they may still be fringe, but on the right side).

That seems strange to me... until I remember that the media is a necessary tool to prop up the failed idea of political government. 

Without the propaganda being hammered into our heads from every direction, not many people would continue to believe that something they know is wrong can be "right" if you have government do it. So the idea that doing wrong is still wrong no matter who you have do it for you must be portrayed as "fringe" to scare the population into rejecting the idea automatically.

It seems to work fairly well, if you ignore the cracks in the plan.

That's not to say that there aren't some crazies or evil ideas on other parts of the fringe-- it's a big category and covers a lot of ideas.

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Look at that face...
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How I was wrong about Covid

I didn't expect this "novel coronavirus" to mutate so quickly, therefore when I told people not to worry, they would only get it once, I was wrong.

Yes, you will only get each new variant once (probably), but this Matryoshka Doll of the virus world (if it's real, etc.) just keeps releasing new version after new version for the population to get-- each seemingly weaker than the predecessors, but still annoying to the people who catch them. The last time I got it, though, I wouldn't have even noticed if someone else hadn't had it first, so "annoying" is in the eye of the beholder.

As soon as I heard the first reports of this new coronavirus spreading around the world I looked into what, exactly, a "coronavirus" was, and what I found caused me to instantly shrug it off as no real threat to me. I've wondered whether the online information has since been altered to make the topic scarier, but I've not cared enough to check.

Personally, I'm glad I never got the shots. I'm not scared of the shots, nor am I scared of the virus. I don't like needles, but they don't scare me. They just hurt and I avoid pain unless the payoff is-- in my mind-- worth it. In this case, it wasn't. Not even close. 

If I had gotten the shots and had a bad reaction I would have felt dumber than if I had a bad reaction from the virus after refusing the shots. And if I had the shots and got the virus anyway and then had a bad reaction from either one, I would have felt totally stupid. 

But you do you-- it doesn't bother me if your choice is different than mine. Maybe you enjoy needles-- maybe you get really sick when you catch a cold (I know those who do)-- maybe your job threatened you. Whatever. It's your business what you do-- I don't feel violated either way, even if you shed spike proteins or something. I'm past caring.

But it is interesting to me how many still care. Deeply. I see people on both sides still trying to insist that their way was the right way, and the opposite way was wrong (and based in fear). To me, it looks like people arguing over whether a blade of grass under a tree on the other side of the valley, viewed through binoculars, is bluish-green or greenish blue-- even after a gopher ate it and it's gone.

I was wrong about my biggest statement about the virus... and it probably made no difference then, makes no difference now, and will not make a difference in the future. That's about as inconsequential as anything can get. Probably even more inconsequential than worrying about which political criminal wins political office next election, and whether "your v*te" would make a difference.

The "official" response to the virus was much worse than anything about the virus, and that's one thing I wasn't wrong about. It's a safe prediction in any situation. We are still suffering the consequences and probably will be for decades to come. Thanks, Authoritarian Idiots.

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Government shouldn't control your doctor

I believe that in Europe, government has gotten too involved in medicine/health care. 

I believe the same is also the case in America.

Anything gets worse when mixed with politics or when government gets involved (and this includes government-mandated or manipulated "insurance"). The medical profession is not immune to the effect. 

This is a shame because health care could have been so much better (and less expensive) by now, and you and I will pay the price of government meddling in it. Probably with (at least a part of) our lives.

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Rigging elections because Trump is unusually dangerous

I was listening to Scott Adams' podcast recently and he was talking about the Sam Harris admission-- that he approved of the media hiding (and lying about) the Hunter Biden laptop because of his belief that Trump was so dangerous that it was "self-defense" to do anything to keep him from being re-elected. Agree or not, this is advocating for rigging the election.

I've seen this belief expressed many times over the years. That Trump was/is unusually "dangerous".

But, in all the cries of how "dangerous" Trump was/is-- far above and beyond anyone else who might hold the office-- the one thing glaringly lacking is a clear explanation of exactly how he is unusually dangerous. I'm just supposed to take them at their word that he is.

Is it really Trump or is it his rabid followers who are dangerous? Are they really more dangerous than the rabid followers of any other political criminal? I mean, there are still rabid Biden followers out there who pretend he's not an obvious dementia patient.

I think it's the political office that is extraordinarily dangerous, not the specific puppet occupying the office. No one should be allowed to have the kind of power that the presidency, a congressional seat, or a federal judgeship (Supreme or otherwise) gives a person. Politics is bad; there is no way to make it OK.

Trump did plenty of things I hate. Bump stock bans, borderism/nationalism, etc. Plus giving government supremacists on his side an excuse to continue to "believe in" Statism and pretend it isn't pure evil. But I see nothing particularly unusual about anything he did. It was just more of the same, other than the outsized hysterical response from the Professional Adversaries of the "other side".

I am unconvinced, but open to being shown why I'm wrong.

On that same podcast, Adams asked his audience if they would break the rules to rig an election, if it meant saving the world from an existential threat. A great many said "no". Rule fetishists are weird critters. Imagine being so dedicated to rules that you'd let everyone die to avoid breaking bad rules.

I don't believe elections are, or can ever be, legitimate. I would break a "rule" to rig an election to advance liberty so fast it would make you swoon. The problem is, how could I know for sure whatever I do wouldn't have the opposite effect? It's why elections can't be legitimate.

Trump was horrible; Biden is no better (but his mental condition makes him funny). I wouldn't rig an election in favor of either of them.

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Don't you want to be represented?

I saw someone lecturing another person about why they shouldn't be libertarian. Why it's a loser's strategy. 

They said it's because by being a principled libertarian you'll never be properly represented in government.

What?

I guess they are under hypnosis or something because that makes no sense whatsoever. Imagine twisting your mind enough that you can hallucinate that someone is adequately representing you.

No one can ever really represent a single other person, and to imagine that one person can represent millions of others-- who have mutually exclusive, opposing values-- is totally nuts. 

I don't consent to be governed by anyone else. No one can represent me, no matter how much I give up my principles or compromise with monsters. If anyone uses the political means against anyone else-- even against my enemy-- they can't be representing me. Quite the opposite.

You aren't being represented even if you believe you are. So you might as well stay principled.

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Libertarians aren't on right or left

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 20, 2022)

No one really understands anyone else, so it's no surprise that non-libertarians don't understand libertarians.

When I first started writing on the topic of libertarianism, I ran across a blog post written by a self-proclaimed "progressive" who explained why all libertarians were racists and should be hated and mocked. I commented, pointing out a host of reasons this wasn't true. He seemed to imagine everyone he didn't like could be clumped under the term "libertarian". Most of the beliefs he attributed to libertarians were not libertarian beliefs at all. I told him so and provided evidence. He replied with the nastiest name-calling he could manage. Then he blocked me from responding and later his entire blog was taken down.

Other times people who identified themselves as "conservatives" made assumptions about things I would support because they imagined libertarians were something they aren't. Sometimes they thought I'd support harsher enforcement of some law, or a "fair tax". Why I would support something I don't believe is legitimate, and which is not compatible with libertarianism, is beyond me.

The best definition of libertarianism I've run across is "someone who rejects the use of force against anyone who isn't currently violating the life, liberty, or property of another".

Cue the disagreements among libertarians over what counts as "force" or a violation. It keeps things interesting.

Some libertarians are fans of the U.S. Constitution. Others only use it to show how off-course the U.S. government has gone in the years since it was ratified.

Many libertarians believe a fetus is a human being with rights, while many others believe a fetus could eventually become a human being with rights, but a woman is a human being with rights now, which includes the right to end her pregnancy.

Some libertarians believe you can have a limited government-- a "night watchman state"-- while others think a little cancer is still too much.

Libertarians can be slightly "statist", believing that governing others can be a legitimate human endeavor-- as long as it is done gently, or they can be anarchists; not believing political government is ever justified. Or anything in between.

What libertarians are not is politically Right or Left. Even if our personal views could be categorized by those labels, we can't condone the use of force-- including legislation-- to impose our personal views on people who aren't harming anyone. It's a matter of principle.

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Religion in schools

I see on the "news" that some recent Texas legislation allows government schools in the state to put up signs saying "In God we trust" if a private group donates the sign to the school district.

Even though I'm not a believer, this bothers me much less than the active promotion of the religion of Statism that occurs in those institutions-- paid for with money stolen from the population rather than voluntarily donated for the purpose.

Government schools have always promoted religion. Sometimes more than one. 

When my daughter was in the local school they pushed Statism and Christianity equally hard. Never mind that these two religions are adversarial (even though some will fight hard to claim that this isn't true). The teachers pushed Christianity and encouraged the students to pressure any kid who was hesitant-- to the point of bullying. 

So, really, this legislation is more of the same rather than anything particularly new.

Abolish government schools and let everyone teach whatever is important to them. Paid for voluntarily. Attended without compulsion. 

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Random thoughts

• I don't like "Second Amendment rights". The phrase, I mean. It's misleading. The right to own and to carry weapons doesn't come from the Second Amendment, but pre-exists it. The right will still exist even if the Second Amendment is abolished or ignored. 

• I really hope Joe Biden-- or his rigid corpse-- runs for president again. It would be hilarious. It's not as if any other candidate would actually be good for liberty, so you might as well go with the funniest one.
  
  
• Just because you support someone doesn't mean they are on your side. It may mean they have you fooled and are working against you while you fawn over them.

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Close the "sensitive place" loophole

People are still celebrating the recent Bruen Decision by the Supreme Courtjesters. It has its good points, but Justice Thomas left a Trojan horse in it. One thing he should have never let stand: he pretended there are "sensitive places" where government must be allowed to continue to (illegally) prohibit firearms.

He was wrong.

Regardless of what the Supreme Court says, there's no such thing as a "sensitive place" where it's OK for government to prohibit firearms. None. 

And "government property" [sic] is the one place where any sort of gun prohibition is specifically prohibited by the Second Amendment. To whom does the Constitution apply? Government. Not to you or me. The Bill of Rights tells government which things it is not allowed to do. Making up anti-gun rules being specifically laid out as a prohibited action.

Look how the evil anti-gun bigots around the country-- particularly the political criminals of New York and California-- are misusing that imaginary "sensitive place" loophole now. They are essentially declaring their entire states to be "sensitive places" where guns can't be carried (except by their own armed gangsters, of course). 

Close the "sensitive place" loophole. Don't leave the authoritarian monsters any place to hide.

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The useful thief?

If I'm a thief who mugs everyone in town at gunpoint and who breaks into homes to steal money and weapons, but once in a while I use the stolen money and weapons to rescue a hostage, am I a good guy or a bad guy?

Does it change anything if I call myself "the military" or "the police"?

Is there no way to do the good without doing the bad?
I believe there is; government supremacists believe there isn't.

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