If the candidate I didn’t v*te for won, I hated the things they did with their power.
If the candidate I v*ted for won, I hated what they did when they inevitably stabbed me in the back.
Either way, I always lost. Liberty always lost. It always made me feel bad, like I’d been scammed— because I had been.
Is this really what they want to do?
Are they so desperate to “win” by any means they don’t care if everyone sees what they are doing?
I guess they don’t care too much about “our democracy” after all.
Welcome to the party, Pal.
Politics makes people stupid.
People have been making intellectual arguments in favor of all types of slavery for as long as they felt the need to justify it.
The reason they have felt the need to justify it is the deep-seated (perhaps subconscious) awareness that it's wrong. Appreciate their confession.
I've also had a hard time focusing on writing.
Which brings me to a favor I'd like to ask: Are there any topics or issues you'd like me to address? If so, either put them in a comment or email me and I'll see what I can do. Otherwise, I may just make fun of anti-gun bigots some more.
I'm skeptical of politicians whom anyone labels as "libertarian" because I've seen how rarely it pans out.
The media, which always lies, calls Argentina's new president "libertarian", or "far-right libertarian". Which is it?... because it can't be both. Not as a politician, anyway.
Politics is about how you interact with the outside world when you have power. You are either libertarian or you're not. You could have inner thoughts that were "far-right" or socialist, and as long as all your actions respected everyone's equal and identical rights you'd be libertarian. Despite your inner thoughts and preferences.
I have preferences that are "conservative" and others that are "liberal", but only where those labels align with respecting basic rights. I'm not going to send government after (or otherwise attack) you just because I don't like something you do. As long as you aren't violating anyone else, whether I like what you do or not isn't of any consequence.
But if, as a politician, you implement policies that don't respect human rights, then you might just be "far-right" or socialist or something else, but it's something other than libertarian. Actions speak louder than labels.
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*Libertines seek pure freedom. Libertarians are founded on liberty.
There may be some overlap, but not as much as some want you to believe.
If I were a libertine, I would either be much happier or much less happy, depending on how insurmountable the obstacles were.
Why do so few people understand this today? I think the answer is as simple as this: their minds have been poisoned by politics. We're going to have to survive in spite of them.
Newsom is more reptilian, though.
Between the ongoing vision problems and the kidney stone I haven’t been at the computer and haven’t written anything. I haven’t had the energy.
My surgery is scheduled for December 20, unless I pass the stone before then. The urologist thinks it’s possible but unlikely, especially due to the stricture in my urethra. TMI, I know.
The pain hasn’t been too bad. A heating pad and pain pills have managed it pretty well. And I’ve been napping a lot. I’m drained.
So that’s where I am.
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Suddenly, at 2:30 yesterday afternoon, the kidney stone I’ve known about since February 2015 decided to start moving. I just had time to tell my daughter what was happening before I collapsed in pain, unable to make any further intelligible sounds.
My parents came over and scraped me off the floor and took me to the hospital 30 miles away- I felt every bump on the road.
They kept me overnight for pain management and I have an appointment with the urologist tomorrow to have the kidney stone removed since it’s too large to pass. I’m dreading that due to my urethra problem.
The pain medication prescription disaster (there are less polite phrases that come to mind) last night makes me hate government even more intensely. I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud to my doctor…but I was medicated. She was angry about it too.
I’m still here and if I have any posts scheduled they’ll show up as usual until I’m off the pain meds.
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And anyone imagines this is a good system?
You can wish that the truth would be otherwise: that wise, well-meaning, and informed people v*te for wise, well-meaning, and intelligent people to administer the power of a legitimate institution to guide society in the right direction and protect the rights of the individual. Yeah, that has never been the reality in the history of political government.
Wise, well-meaning, informed, and intelligent people are vastly outnumbered, and political office attracts the worst of the worst, and selects for the worst among them. Plus, the system is rigged from top to bottom.
If every congressvermin were replaced with a clone of George Santos it would be a vast improvement over the current situation.
You can wish the truth weren't true all day long for the rest of your life. Wishes don't change reality.
Political government is a disaster and always has been. Even when people close their eyes to the truth and say there isn't any good alternative. Doing nothing is better than continuing to do the wrong thing. Scrap it all.
I can counter by using the honest phrase “assault prose” for their evil, arbitrary rights-violating legislation.
If you're getting paid, you're getting thanks.
If you expect additional thanks on top of being paid, maybe you're asking for too much.
Even worthless "jobs" like those the pathetic BATFEces thugs do, are paid. Even though their "job" is a negative for society. I'd rather they be charged than paid. But political crooks thank them for harming society by paying them. Yet, I've heard (from a relative of one) of them whining that they aren't appreciated enough. They have no clue.
Maybe if you do hard volunteer work, and no one cares that you are making the world a better place, you might argue that you have a thankless job. (But is it a job in that case?) Otherwise, appreciate whatever form the thanks takes. Don't be greedy.
Police (and other gang) culture, cultures that are overtly political, and any culture that calls for the destruction of "others" are all based on archation. They are not a net positive for the world.
You get what you dish out. It's often called self-defense.
If you are part of one of those archation-based cultures and anyone encourages others to fight back against your initiated violence or property violations you really can't complain. Or, I guess you can, but I won't take your complaints seriously because you're asking for it with what you dispense or support. My sympathy is going to be greatly limited by what you do.
A robber who gets killed in the act of mugging someone has reaped what he was sowing. Good.
Gang-bangers who get shot when they've spent years putting others in peril with their acts of aggression aren't going to get a tear from my eye.
I don't care about a cop killed "in the line of duty" when that "duty" involves violating the rights of people on a daily basis. Live by archation; die by archation.
The same goes for politicians who've spent decades imposing legislation designed to crush liberty. Good riddance to smelly garbage!
If you're a member of a cultural group known for killing anyone who isn't a member of your in group, don't be too surprised when I'm not enthusiastic in my condemnation of anyone who decides to strike back. Even if I don't support the way they strike back. You chose sides and you chose poorly. You chose a culture of archation over cooperation and mutual respect, so how can you demand cooperation and respect?
I don't support archation culture, and I am not sympathetic when its bloody chickens come home to roost.
It's not a "Left vs Right" thing, since I see a pretty clear example on each side: people trying to present as "transgender" (or "non-binary") and human fetuses.
It's not a case of how people should feel about either issue; it's a harsh reality of human psychology. You might as well be fighting against gravity. Addressing this inherent reality might be necessary to get more universal support for either cause.
Or you can get mad at the messenger, but that's not going to change the truth.
This isn't the time of year I take advantage of the great sale prices on AR magazines (for example) because I'm focused on getting gifts for other people. People who are getting the deal offers I need to see so I can get better prices on gifts for them.
Of course, if the advertisers figure out a way to do that, they will be (at least) a hundred times more intrusive.
And, I suppose some people probably are buying stuff for themselves now. So maybe this works well enough,
After Christmas or after my birthday-- times when I may have gotten some money to spend-- would be the best time for me to get special price offers. Not before Christmas, and certainly not right after Thanksgiving!
It has become clear to me that if it's political, it's a lie, and that if it's a lie, it's probably being used politically in some way.
No realm is immune: science, religion, justice, etc. And, of course, ALL of politics from top to bottom. All are being filled with lies to serve political agendas. Many are told "for your own good"-- at least that's the justifying lie.
I hate it.
The more political things you hear or read, the more lies you'll consume.
If it's political it's probably pointless to ask if it's a lie. Better, accept it's a lie and figure out why it's being told. Who is it targeting, and why? What's the truth?
It's not that one side is guilty and other sides are innocent-- even though it does appear that the side with the most power is generally the worst side. The side with the most power tells the biggest lies and tries to force everyone to pretend they aren't lies. That's probably just a result of having power. Which is why political power is illegitimate.
It's one thing to be told lies constantly. That's ordinary politics. It's a whole new level of evil to try to force people to repeat the lies as if they are true, and punish them when they won't buy in. Of course, for the same reason, inconvenient truth must be punished.
That's a line I won't tolerate, won't cross and won't forgive. I'm tired of it and it makes me angry. And it's the apparent main goal of the political liars all around us.
It's not even like they are necessarily supporting traditional vices, but their support of certain things and groups who act in certain ways-- and the way they signal that support-- is a vice.
Not disavowing climate activists who destroy property and threaten life and liberty is vice signaling. As is going along with the pronoun clowns and pulling your ads from X because some political thugs-- who embody the opposite of what they claim-- told you to. Pushing ESG, DEI, CRT, and all the other racist, sexist, and antisocial programs is vice signaling. So is support for the Palestinian government.
But so is unwavering support for the military and police and what gets mistaken for "patriotism" these days. As well as support for the Israeli government.
Be glad when someone vice signals. They are telling you who they are and what sort of sickness they are willing to embrace.
They could be right or wrong.
Just like if something that is a natural human right isn't "protected" [sic] by the Constitution. It's still a right, just the same.
This is why it's dangerous to focus too much on documents and what government is, or is not, willing to acknowledge as a right.
If government gets it right, go with that. If they get it wrong, ignore their opinion.
"When in the course of human events" > "We the People", every time.
What I suspect might be a better question is, could you make do with whatever you find yourself left with?
Using firearms as the convenient example, if you didn’t have a choice, but found yourself in a bad situation with only one of those you already own, could you make it work? Even if it weren’t the one you’d have chosen for the present situation.
If not, maybe you need to work on that.
That might mean trading off some that wouldn't work and getting some that would. Or it might involve honing your skills with everything you have available-- who knows which will be at your disposal in an emergency?
When TSHTF we often don’t get to choose what’s in our hand, pocket, or otherwise with us. I’ve been there and you probably have too. Can you use what you’ve got or will your world come tumbling down while you pine for what you wish you had instead?
The retina is healing like it should. I'm still on an eye drop, but only twice a day for the next three weeks. All restrictions are lifted and I got rid of the medical alert wristband.
The gas bubble had disappeared from my eye Wednesday afternoon, between 4:30 and 4:45-- which was a HUGE relief and improvement to my vision. I still can't see clearly out of my left eye, but it is much better than it was, and the surgeon said it will continue to improve until it gets to the point that the cataract (which will be accelerated by the surgery) becomes the limiting factor.
I am supposed to go back to see this surgeon in March, just so he can take one last look at things. Then he told me he'll help me find a good cataract surgeon, in my insurance network-- when I'm ready to have that taken care of.
I'll be glad when I can see the laptop screen with both eyes again, but until then I can make do.
This is why I made the statement that got me banned for life from TwiXXer. They can punish me, but they can't make me believe I'm wrong. Because I'm not.
If you are blocking the road and I don't see a safe way past you, you may as well be holding a gun to my head and to the heads of everyone else in my vehicle. I will take this perceived threat seriously.
It doesn't matter if you are protesting climate change, protesting a murder by cop, or just demanding "equity". It could even be a protest against some new anti-gun legislation. Even if I would otherwise be on your side, when you trap me you're going to get a response you're not going to like. And I'll see you as the threat that needs to be dealt with. With as little force as necessary, but that's up to me to determine once you make the threat. I will do my best to escape.
I wouldn't block traffic unless it was necessary to defend life, liberty, or property and I was ready to back it up with deadly force. So that's what I'm going to assume of anyone blocking me in.
I do what I can to avoid places where this sort of nonsense is likely. I don't look for trouble. Funny how trouble doesn't always avoid people who don't seek it, though.
a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage:the progress of a student toward a degree.
developmental activity in science, technology, etc., especially with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
Political "progress", as embraced by "progressives", is usually movement to a lower stage; a backward movement toward a backward goal. Less than the alternative path.
Censorship to spare people from having to hear the truth-- or even lies-- is not a worthwhile goal, nor is it a higher stage.
The same goes for anti-defense rules. Barbaric and backward, not progress.
More slavery-- less liberty-- isn't a move in the right direction, no matter what your excuse might be.
I'd say that any new legislation always results in the opposite of progress.
To me, it is only progress if it moves closer to respecting the equal and identical natural rights and liberty of ALL humans. It involves removing government influence from all facets of life, not imposing more of it.
But, of course, to avoid thinking actual thoughts using words ("word-thinking"), you can call it what you want when someone wants more authoritarian control (backed with government violence) over your fellow humans.
