Worthless pseudo-certification

Government is the last entity I’d ever want certifying anything or anyone. 

If you’ve ever watched one of government’s "firearms experts" trying to disassemble a simple pistol, you can explain to me why you believe these clowns should be certifying firearms, firearms accessories, or procedures.
Or illegally making up any rules they’ll (also illegally) apply to firearms or firearms businesses.

Some of these supposed experts even think a shoelace is a machine gun- for punishment purposes, at least. They are clowns.

I’m no firearms expert, but I know firearms well enough to see government experts’ utter incompetence. 

The Gell-Mann Amnesia effect would be my only excuse to avoid the recognition that this incompetence is systemic across government. Because it is.

Since I don’t suffer from that particular cognitive blindness, I know government shouldn’t be certifying anyone or anything at all.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

We have to trust liberty completely

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 18, 2026)

Few people understand liberty. Even fewer trust it to work.

As Voltairine de Cleyre wrote in 1908, "[T]he sin our fathers sinned was that they did not trust liberty wholly".

They thought America could have liberty along with a central government- a state. It didn't work. Now we are stuck with a growing police state, and the tatters of our remaining liberty are being criminalized at an astonishing rate. This won't end well.

Liberty is indivisible- it can't be broken into pieces and remain liberty. You can't respect it selectively (for some people, in some areas, some of the time) and call it "liberty". True liberty requires consistent respect for everyone's rights, everywhere, all the time.

Critics of liberty often pick apart one small aspect they dislike, arguing either that this single piece "won't work" in isolation or that removing it disproves all of liberty. They then act as if they've won the debate, but they're missing the point entirely.

All elements of liberty are deeply interconnected, like parts of an ecosystem. You can't remove one part while keeping everything else unchanged, and claim you've shown a flaw with liberty. Government's very existence cripples liberty.

A common pro-government argument claims you can't have "open borders" and a welfare state. I agree. Easy fix! End all government welfare. This isn't the answer they want, though. They don't dislike welfare; just migrants.

This is how it looks any time people attempt to argue against a free society, like saying that without legislation enforcement, criminals would run rampant. Yes, they would... if you ignore self-defense, consequences, and social pressure (things legislation attempts to thwart).

It's a dishonest argument.

It’s like taking a malfunctioning rocket engine, removing critical parts you don't like the look of instead of addressing the bad piece, then pretending you won because the engine still doesn't work. Of course it won’t. It’s a system. A rocket engine's fuel pump won't lift a rocket into orbit by itself, nor can an engine designed to require a fuel pump function without one.

This government-supremacist argument doesn't work and looks dumb. Unless you're the one making the argument to others who do the same thing, and you're patting each other on the back for being clever.

Government is the enemy of liberty. Claiming this as proof liberty is unworkable is like noticing scammers exist, and this proves money is useless. Trust liberty completely; distrust all who fear it.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

It's a big, flashing clue

When reality doesn't conform to your beliefs, you have some choices to make. 

You can change your beliefs.
You can keep your beliefs while suffering the discomfort of others not agreeing with you.
You can use threats and aggression to force others to adopt your flawed beliefs (or act as though they did).

Statism always seems to choose the path of coercion. The path of trying to make reality irrelevant by forcing people to ignore it- or else.

This is how you know they are wrong.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

They'll have to work it out

Republicans are as out of touch with reality as Democrats are, only in slightly different ways.

Part of the evidence for this is that they'll call you a Democrat any time you disagree with them for being irrational.

Just like the Democrats call you a Republican any time you disagree with them for being irrational.

I feel a little bad that reality just doesn't support their beliefs, but that's not my fault, nor is it my responsibility to coddle them in their distress.

My responsibility is to not archate, and not demand that others do so on my behalf. Other than that, they'll have to work it out on their own- and calling me names won't help them get there.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Hoping I’m not psychic

I don’t have (or believe in) precognitive dreams. Even if they are real, I hope this isn’t my first one.

Saturday morning (around 3:30am), I dreamed of a rocket explosion. In my dream, I was watching the launch of a rocket with a center core and 2 side boosters. Just as the engines fired, there was an explosion at the bottom of the center core, just above the nozzle/s, and the whole thing blew apart, mostly destroying the launch mount as well.

I’m not sure if the rocket in my dream was a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, NASA’s SLS, or another rocket. When I woke up, I felt like it was SLS, which is scheduled to launch soon, but that wasn't part of the dream.

Either way, I hope this doesn’t come true- I don’t like rockets being lost, and I certainly don’t want a manned rocket exploding with people on board. Not even government employees.

I figured I'd document this, making a record that would show precognition if it came to pass (which I think makes it less likely to happen, since the Universe seems averse to precognition being demonstrable).

Update: It wasn’t the Artemis II  launch, and I’m glad of that!

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Counterfeit "law" will be the downfall of the State

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: If the state keeps cracking down on liberty, making more and more normal activities "illegal", then it will be more and more a badge of honor to be an outlaw.

The more things they turn into "crimes", the less respect the "normies" will have for their "laws". Some might even end up having contempt for "the law" like I do.

Not contempt for real Law, but for legislation and arbitrary government rules; counterfeit "laws". 

Government supremacists get very upset over me pointing out counterfeit "laws"- they demand to know how I can arbitrarily decide which laws are real and which ones aren't. 

But it's not arbitrary at all. 

If they weren't so concerned with defending a criminal organization and its evil rules, they could see it for themselves. Counterfeit "law" is having consequences, and those will only get more obvious. I don't expect the State's addiction to counterfeit "law" to be cured. I expect it to get worse. I expect more and more people to gradually start seeing it for what it is. I expect less and less respect for "the law" over time.

Statists (and Statanists) have only themselves to blame, but they'll never face reality. They'll try to put the blame everywhere but on themselves. It will be their downfall. It can't happen soon enough.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Hooray for Afroman!

I hope I'm not alone in being satisfied by the outcome of the frivolous lawsuit against Afroman, filed by the armed goons he embarrassed.

He is a hero for free speech and against cops doing what cops feel entitled to do.

If there was to be a lawsuit, this was how it had to turn out if justice is to prevail. The loser cops had to also lose in court, not just in life.

He'd better watch his back, though, because that gang doesn't like being mocked, even though they deserve it so much. If he is the victim of a drive-by shooting anytime in the next few years, I will assume the Blue Line Mafia is 100% responsible. No matter who they find to blame as their scapegoat.

Stay safe, Afroman!

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Idiots hate your liberty

I've had something go wrong, and it has sent me spiraling into depression. I'll get over it.

But, I haven't felt like doing anything. Or writing anything.

I did make the mistake of going on X- the cat videos are nice- but I see things posted by people who really ought to know better that make me feel even worse.

I just can't believe the lengths people will go to when trying to justify government. People who really should know better, and who I think would be ashamed if they had enough self-awareness to realize what they're saying.

I even had someone (who should know better) respond to something I wrote a couple of days ago, saying if you don't like being governed, you can revoke your citizenship any time. A different spin on the "Love it or leave it" nonsense.

They said no one may have the right to govern, but "we the people" gave them the "authority" to govern in 1788. Funny, but I wasn't there, and I did no such thing.

We really are going to have to get used to being outlaws if we are to hang on to any shred of liberty. Those who should be on our side are all too happy to sacrifice us and our liberty to The State, just so they can keep the parts of government they like. Idiots.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Association must be voluntary, by mutual consent

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 11, 2026)

If you believe the best solution to any problem, real or imagined, is to give government more control, you're off base.

The government-created issue of "immigration" illustrates this perfectly.

Liberty trumps every other concern. Government solutions to "immigration" never enhance liberty but are a direct threat to it. Even if government is doing something you want it to do, and even if you believe the trade-off is worth the cost. Nothing is worth eroding liberty.

The New Mexico government recently barred state and local government-run facilities from contracting with ICE to provide detention centers. Good, bad, misguided, or pointless? This doesn't mean others won't choose to help ICE carry out its rights violations, but New Mexico governments won't be allowed to do so. It's still government doing government stuff.

Government has no business being involved.

As with most things, I expect some localities to ignore the legislation, hoping they'll get support from the federal government.

I'm opposed to concentration camps, whatever you might call them. I'm also opposed to barring people from living where they can make mutually consensual, voluntary agreements with the property owners.

Alternatively, I'm opposed to government participating in human trafficking; importing people from other countries and spending tax money to install them in communities.

Typically, you have people on one side who want government to ignore the Constitution and "control immigration" pitted against people on the other side who want government to import every basket case from every third-world country, and then support them for the rest of their lives on tax money stolen from the productive residents.

I want government out of the game altogether. Live where you want; make it on your own.

If you only want to hire people who were born in America- or in New Mexico- that's your right. Modern legislation might disagree, but if so, it's wrong. Again.

It's the same if you wish to discriminate on any basis for employment, housing, services, or whatever. Forced association is a violation of everyone's rights. If you don't want to be around me, why would I want government to force us together? That wouldn't be good for either of us. All association must be voluntary and by mutual consent. I wouldn't want to eat a cake baked by someone forced to "Bake the cake", to borrow a phrase from another case of forced association.

Government fouls everything it touches, including human interactions. It's never the solution.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

Simple, painless solutions

If you won’t wear a hat, I don’t want to listen to you complain about the sun in your eyes.

It's funny how often that translates into other areas of life, too.

A solution that is simple, costs almost nothing, doesn't take time or effort, doesn't hurt, is safe, and doesn't disrupt your life in any way- but people won't do it just because they don't want to. They don't like the solution. Complaining is more satisfying.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Being useful or being used

It's interesting to me how many times I find it necessary to remind people that not allowing myself to be controlled is not the same as me controlling the person who wants to control me.

Refusing to be used by you doesn't violate your rights. You have no right to use others.

If you have a mutual understanding that you'll do some specific thing for someone, that's not what I'm talking about when I say "being used". That's just being helpful or useful, voluntarily of your own free will. Consent is the key.

As much as I hate mowing and yard work, I do it for my parents to be helpful. I don't resent it or feel like I am being used. They've done things for me, too.

Being used can create resentment and devalue you. It's akin to slavery. Being useful can make you feel good, even if it's not particularly enjoyable in and of itself.

Government employees don't get this distinction (almost by definition), but many freelancers also don't get it. Governing others is just another way of using others; of controlling them in ways no one has a right to do. It's not exclusive to bureaucrats and other political criminals. 

Refusing to be controlled, in this case, can be a valid form of self-defense. The control freaks won't like it.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

DST compromise

The past week, I have slept more hours, but have been more tired. It's always the same after "Daylight Saving [sic] Time" is imposed.

Just to prove how reasonable I am, I'll occasionally offer a compromise on something I feel strongly about.

Here's my compromise with supporters of DST (Government Wrong Time):

Stop changing the clocks for DST, but affirm and declare that any business that wishes to open and close an hour early, can- without penalty- so its employees can have an extra hour of daylight after work.

Who could possibly object?

It’s exactly the same as "observing" DST, without the lie of changing the clocks.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

The fate of government

You know things are upside down when government does what it wants, and the people have to beg government for permission to exercise their basic human rights. Government acts as though it possesses rights, and people don't.

It's getting worse.

Government counts on it always moving in this direction. That's a dangerous bet to make.

Government, you treat your superiors as the enemy, and they are likely to eventually get the message. And when they do, you're done. You're outnumbered. You may put a lot of stock in your fighter jets, bombs, and tanks, but people operate those tools. People give the orders. People you treat as the enemy as long as you aren't directly pulling their strings. People who have friends and family that you treat as your enemy. People who still depend on society made up of other people.

You can't win this war, even though it looks like you are winning the battles. To govern others is to fail.  To govern others while treating them as your enemy is to beg them to destroy you. Either directly, or by walking away and ignoring your tantrums. You only govern as long as people comply. It's time the people stopped complying; stopped obeying. You've earned this. It's your inevitable fate.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Fighting to stay wrong

I saw a post where a woman was praising a good guy with a gun for stopping a recent attempted mass shooting.

An anti-gun bigot piped up, demanding she give him "a couple more" examples of this thing he claimed was incredibly rare- a good guy with a gun stopping a mass shooting. 

The original poster asked if he would publicly apologize if she gave him 2 examples.

He came back and said that 2 examples out of "500 mass shooting incidents per year" would be meaningless and would only show how rarely a good guy with a gun stops a mass shooting.
Hey, he was the one who specifically mentioned "a couple"; it's too bad if he suddenly got scared when he realized she could give him that, and more. As others pointed out.

In other words, he admitted he wasn't really interested in facts. He had his agenda, and he was sticking to the script, no matter what.

Other people tore his dishonesty and bad stats apart in the comments, but all he did was buckle down and deny, deflect, and try to move the goalposts (which he also denied doing).

I've watched the same thing happen so many times. They make a demand for evidence, but then change their demand as soon as they realize what they've stepped into. And usually, it's "No, that doesn't count!, It's not a source I trust because it doesn't affirm my beliefs!"

You're not going to argue something out of a position they weren't argued in to. You can't fight an illogical delusion with logic. 

It's funny to watch them fight so hard to stay wrong.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

He did that. He is still doing that.

I hate high gas prices because I can't afford them. I found the Biden "I did that!" gas pump stickers hilarious when Biden's governing incompetence caused gas prices to rise. 

Now, it's Trump's turn to accept the blame (as if politicians will ever do that) for his horrible government policies that have made my local gas prices go up a full dollar- from 2.59 to 3.59- in less than a week.

I was wondering if anyone was making Trump "I did that!" stickers, and yes. Someone is. I was able to find them listed in several places. I'm sad that I haven't seen any on gas pumps. Yet. That's probably due to the local political demographics.

I'm not going to buy any, just like I didn't buy any of the Biden stickers, but I'm glad someone is making them. Recognizing that politicians make our lives worse is the least we can do.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips, please. 

If not, that’s OK.

Rights are identical for everyone

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 4, 2026)

There's nothing like a political showdown to help you discover who is on your side, who isn't, and who's been a phony ally all along.

All the people, organizations, companies, and politicians who say "I'm a Second Amendment absolutist, but..." are lying. The Second Amendment doesn't come with any "unless", "except", or "but".

Is the political Left on my side? Absolutely not. They want me to hate myself, they want to steal my money and give it away, and they want to vote away any rights they don't approve of. Just like the political Right wants to violate my right to associate with whoever I choose, to criminalize standing up against kidnappers as long as the kidnappers are said to have "authority" to kidnap, and they want to legislate away any rights they don't approve of.

H.L. Mencken wrote: “The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.”

When President Trump said, “You can’t have guns. You can’t walk in with a gun. You can’t do that", he was wrong. No government rule or politician can overturn the Constitution or alter human rights, not even if the Supreme Court agrees.

Trump said those words because he was trying to gloss over a murder committed by a member of his gang. This will only work on those preprogrammed to believe it.

Trying to find loopholes so you can violate natural human rights, or violating human rights without such a loophole, is criminal. Violating rights is what criminals do; it's the definition of "criminal". Criminals excuse and justify each other.

Defending people from those who try to violate their rights can't be a real crime. Criminalizing defense and the proper tools with which to carry it out? That's the crime.

The Second Amendment isn't about who is allowed to carry what, when, or where; it's about prohibiting government from having any role in the conversation.

If you won't stand up for the rights of those you dislike, you don't really believe in rights at all. At best, you believe in privileges- things you can do as long as some government official agrees and gives you temporary permission to do it.

If this is you, at least admit it.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

An unfortunate rite of passage

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, 3 local teenage boys were in a high-speed wreck. A head-on collision with a semi, and a subsequent fire. Two are dead; one is in bad shape, facing possible brain damage, more surgeries, and months of painful recovery (he was thrown clear at the moment of impact). 

The deceased are being identified by forensics- you can probably guess why.

They were coming home from a party, and alcohol was involved.

The crash took place on the birthday of one of the dead teen's younger sisters. She'll never have another birthday without this dark cloud hanging over it.

My daughter knows two of them, including the one who survived. This is a small town- she'd known the dead one since kindergarten. She's pretty upset over the tragedy. I've been doing a lot of listening over the past couple of days. It's rough.

It seems like everyone I know has at least one story of someone they knew being killed in a crash in high school. It's almost like a rite of passage. A terrible one.

It happened when I was in high school. It happened to someone in my daughter's mom's class while she was in high school. Just about everyone has a similar experience.

When I remember the things I did at that age that could have killed me, I'm reminded of how lucky I was. And I wasn't a particularly wild kid or a partier. I just wasn't as smart as I could have been about taking unnecessary risks.

It's just part of being a teenager. Honestly, it's a little amazing that any of us survive to adulthood. Still, you really hate to see it happen. I hurt the most for the parents and other immediate family members.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

Whichever way the wind blows

I've noticed how some people tend to dip in and out of libertarianism. 

They'll be committed statists until things don't go their way in the government realm. Then they'll become libertarian until a politician or a policy gives them hope. That's when they'll hop back out of it and embrace statism again.

Or, someone will be a libertarian until they want a politician to control something they have no right to control, then they'll be a statist until that issue blows over.

This goes back and forth over and over again. It's what happens when someone tries on fashion instead of having principles.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

Socialist- delusional fascists eaten alive with envy

Socialists may just be the most delusional faction of authoritarian fascists.

They always believe only the undeserving rich (apparently everyone with more money than they have) will be forced to give up their money and property. Envy is their entire ideology.

They say they are only calling for "fairness" and "sharing". Sharing means giving someone YOUR property, not the property you've stolen from others.

They say they're only "giving everyone food and healthcare". By forcing others to pay for it.

They believe they are the opposite of fascists. While they act completely fascistic.

One told me to read Marx's "Capital", and when I admitted that I had, I was called a liar, since I said it was nonsense and Marx was wrong. I was told I am too stupid to understand it. I'll admit, I don't remember much of it anymore, because it was too ridiculous and obviously wrong to bother to commit to memory.

I guess I'm just not envious enough to be a socialist. I don't want to steal your stuff or have a gang steal it from you on my behalf. Seems like this is getting to be a rare quality these days.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

Recognize your enemy

Screw Trump.
Screw Israel.
Screw Iran.
Screw all governments, states, and politicians.
Screw statism.
Screw archation.

All of these things are making my life- and yours- less safe and more expensive. 

Gas prices here have increased from $2.59 to $3.19- 60¢, over 23%- in the past week. Largely because political criminals decided they wanted their cannon fodder to fight each other at our expense.

I can't afford these clowns. I'm betting you can't either.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

"Libertarian nationalism"

I keep running into people- well, one person, mostly- promoting the ideology of "libertarian nationalism". Something about that sounds a bit "off".

Just to make sure what was being advocated, I looked up the definition of "nationalism" on Dictionary.com. The most relevant definition was this one:

nationalism
(Cultural)

The strong belief that the interests of a particular nation-state are of primary importance. Also, the belief that a people who share a common language, history, and culture should constitute an independent nation, free of foreign domination.

Interests of "a nation-state"? That's just statism.

There were other definitions, but they all lead to the same place.

I don't buy the idea of non-state statism. I have a hard time imagining how anyone could. Well, there's one way I can imagine it.

I get it, though. Some people crave belonging to what they see as a strong collective. A nation-state can provide comfort to them. They just believe it's possible to have a coercive collective that respects individual rights. I am under no such delusion.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

A cascading disaster

Government is completely out of control.

This is primarily the fault of those who believe government can be limited. They are even more to blame than those who want government to run- and pry into- every aspect of your life.

"Limited government" people are not on the side of liberty; they are not on your side. They are on the side of keeping a little of the cancerous tumor around because they can't imagine life without it.

Expect government to keep growing out of control, at an ever-increasing rate, until it collapses. 

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

Bigger government is enemy of liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 28, 2026)

There is no "right vs. left"; no "conservative vs. liberal"; no "Republican vs. Democrat". These labels are deliberate distractions- tools used by the true culprit to keep people confused, angry, and divided.

The real conflict has always been simpler and more fundamental: the State against you and your liberty.

Anyone who helps expand the State, either by giving it more wealth, providing an excuse to gain more power, or cheering its growth, is an enemy of individual liberty and human rights.

Here's the reality: Storming churches during worship services to score political points is anything but noble. It violates individuals and plays into the hands of those who want more government power.

Plotting to annex Greenland as a step towards building a global empire is not about protecting America- it’s about concentrating government power.

Neither path serves you as an individual; both serve the State. Yet, this is the false choice we are given. "If you aren't with us, you're against us."

I'm against anyone who tosses liberty aside for any reason.

I'm pro-America. America is not the US federal government, just as you are not the tapeworm in your gut.

If you are in favor of government power, and especially more power over more people or more places, you're not on the right team.

It's the impulse to fight for a Bigger Government to use against everything they hate or anything they fear. It doesn't matter how they justify it, or which side they believe they're on. They are wrong.

The people wearing masks to hide their identity while working for the state, the people disrupting church services as protest theater, the people blocking cars of those who are only trying to go about their business, the people enforcing rules that directly violate life, liberty, or property- such as mandating a "kill switch" on your car- and anyone supporting any of these actions, are not the good guys.

Breaking the law in order to enforce laws is ridiculous and hypocritical.

Saying you're standing up for someone's rights while violating someone else's rights is absurd.

"It's for your safety" is the nastiest lie there is.

Evil succeeds when people stop caring about doing what is right.

I understand why people do these things. I can empathize with them. But understanding and empathy don't equal approval. They are still wrong.

In the choice between more government control and individual liberty, there's no compromise possible.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

The odds were in my favor

I know it's normal for a principled liberty lover to be called a "Democrat" and "MAGA" on the same day, but I recently got called a Leftist and a "sovereign citizen" (by different government supremacists) because of my stance on one topic.

It was because I don't believe governments have any "authority" to require driver's licenses or that cops have the "right" to demand to see them. (People are still free to disagree with me and be wrong...)

I'm pretty sure this double-whammy means I win the Libertarian Hunger Games.

-

Thank you for reading.
If you have the financial means to donate or subscribe, that would be nice. 

If not, that’s OK.

Does society need to be pushed out of its capitalist mindset?

I saw a video where a guy was talking about the need for post-apocalyptic fiction. He was explaining that it is needed to help push people out of their "capitalist" mindset.

Hmmm. 

I’m thinking he didn’t think this through very well. For one thing, he’s probably confusing corporatism for capitalism- a common error that people with a penchant for socialism make.

Post-apocalypse, you should be even freer to sell your merchandise or take jobs in exchange for pay than you are now. Because we don't have capitalism, but corporatism. Government prevents capitalism.

You’re either doing capitalism, or you’re someone’s slave. You either assert that you own your labor or you're accepting someone else's (imaginary) higher claim to it. TEOTWAWKI won't change that. 

Capitalism is more natural for normal humans than any form of socialism or slavery- although the bad guys have worked very hard, for millennia, to change that.  They've put a lot of effort into building systems to destroy capitalism and replace it with something lesser. A system where they end up being the warlords. They've also spent a lot of time trying to convince people that corporatism is capitalism, and the flaws with corporatism are strikes against capitalism. That's a lie.

Still, slaves always know something isn't right, and they'll yearn to be free- until they are free, in which case some of them will want to be slaves again. As it seems video guy wants.

He's welcome to it. I prefer liberty.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

The real WAR is for your brain

War is the ultimate political act. Politics makes people stupid. War makes people ultra-stupid.

You can tell how brainwashed a person is by how easily they fall for the justification for war- the propaganda.
How they argue over the details, while ignoring what matters.
By which political criminals they rally behind and which ones they condemn. It's a sideshow of politicized freaks.

Statists lust for war.
Statanists lust to hurt those who don’t.

It's OK. Just remember Unfortunate Truth #1 and keep your head above the rising waters of stupidity that threaten to swallow those who are political.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Trying to complicate simplicity

Liberty.

Libertarianism, aggression, responsibility, Law, counterfeit "laws", ethics, credible threats, evil, etc.

It's not difficult, and if you try to make it difficult... or create straw men... so you can continue to advocate statism, it just makes you look weak and stupid.

The only way you'll not understand, especially once it's explained to you, is if you make an effort to not understand. Many do.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Civilization or The State?

If you believe it's necessary to violate individual rights to "maintain civilization", you don't understand civilization. 

Whatever this thing is you're maintaining isn't civilized or worth maintaining.

Maybe you're confusing The State for civilization. Many statists do. 

If so, I can understand why you'd believe as you do. It is necessary to violate individual rights to maintain a State. They are coercive by nature and financed by theft- quite uncivilized behaviors.

Many statists are perfectly willing to sacrifice individuals, liberty, civilization, and society to The State. It's where their true loyalty lies. "Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State."

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Debating is more fun- but statists don't know how

I've heard that it's useless to debate politics. I'm coming to agree.

I'm glad I don't debate politics...anymore. (At least, not often or intentionally.)

Now, I mostly troll and ridicule stupid people, who are often made that way because of politics. They make it easy. Almost too easy. 

I'll also ridicule people who are pushing evil and framing it as "necessary" or even "good". Especially politicians and their worshipers.

If I think someone is simply mistaken and might be open to a better point of view, I'll offer it. 

If they come back with a better argument, then I'll admit it. It happens. Rarely, I'll come across someone actually willing to debate and discuss. That's enjoyable to me. I always learn something.

If, though, they take my attention as an invitation to fight, then I'll ridicule them and walk away. People are what they are, and they won't change if they are determined to stay the same.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Love liberty, not big government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 21, 2026)

I'm saddened to discover how few people value liberty more than they hate other people and love big government. It wasn't a surprise, but I still hate to see it.

One faction hates gun owners and wants armed government employees to take their guns and kill them if they resist.

Another faction hates people who dwell somewhere without government permission and wants armed government employees to kidnap, cage, and evict them. They are happy to see government agents kill these people and their supporters if either of them resist.

They don't realize how similar they are; both want to hand illegitimate power over you and me to government. Power which will never be relinquished and will be turned against them as soon as the political winds change and a different regime, with different ideas on governing, is in power. They've seen it happen. They are living through it. Still, they pretend it won't happen next time.

Or maybe they believe their opposition will never be in power again, in which case, they live in a fantasy.

Some of these angry people want majority opinion to rule us all. They like to pretend rights are based on popular opinion.

Others lean on constitutionality when it helps their side and ignore it when it would be inconvenient for their intentions. They make excuses, pretend the Constitution allows the legislation they want, and that rights depend on what the Constitution says.

Both sides ignore basic human rights they don't like. Both sides want legislation to be written or enforced to impose their wishes on everyone else.

Even the side which invokes the Constitution doesn't care what it has to say if it goes against what they want. They'll abuse and misinterpret the Constitution to make their case. To me, it looks like lying.

They act as though the Constitution is Mary Poppins' magic satchel; they can reach in and pull out whatever they want whenever they want it.

As anti-slavery activist and freelance post office entrepreneur Lysander Spooner pointed out in 1870, either the Constitution created this mess, or it was powerless to prevent it; either way, it is unfit to exist.

Pointing out hypocrisy may be the only utility the Constitution still has, having been thoroughly ignored almost from the beginning whenever it clearly limited any power the federal government, or a faction of its supporters, wanted it to exercise anyway. Some things never change.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

Trezor and Ledger phishing scam

If you have cryptocurrency and use a Trezor or Ledger wallet, be aware of a Trezor and Ledger phishing scam. 

I got a physical letter in the mail, warning about an upcoming "Authentication Check" that I'd need to scan a QR code to install by February 25, 2026. (Update: I got another on July 3, 2026, and have attached the photos above.) The letter looks entirely authentic- letterhead on the letter and envelope, and everything. It even has Trezor security tape affixed by the QR code.

It looked very official, but my suspicious nature caused me to do some internet sleuthing, and everything I found says this is a scam that is going around, targeting Trezor and Ledger users. I shredded the letter- although I realize I should have probably taken a picture first to share with you. Oops. I'll post one I found online.

Anyway, be careful. Dishonest creeps are always out to rob you, whether it's internal revenue or freelance scammers. Someone wants what you have, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get it!

PS: Obviously, don't scan the QR code!

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

The Difference is clear

There’s a fundamental difference between people who believe in government and those who don’t.

The other evening, my dad ended up on the floor in my parents' kitchen. My mom tried to help him up for about an hour, then she called me, and I rushed over to help. Others showed up, as well.

I was the only male there, and none of the females present were strong enough to be of much help in lifting a terribly obese, 85-year-old man (who was basically dead-weight) into a chair.

After about 30 minutes and many innovative attempts, someone went for help*. She went to the police chief's house and brought him over. Together, we got my dad lifted into a chair in no time.

Sometimes cops can be useful, but there were plenty of people closer who could have been asked for help, including a guy next door who would have been happy to lend a hand. It would never occur to me to go to the police- not even an individual cop- to ask for help. Not unless there were no other options. I don't want them involved in anything. It's rarely worth the risk.

That's the difference between people who believe in government and those who don't.

-

*Calling the EMTs here is a hit-or-miss thing. If no one in this town responds within a few minutes (which is common), then the EMTs from the town across the railroad tracks, in the next state, will respond. But their response time depends on the trains at the crossing and whether one is stopped, blocking the road. We have hundreds of trains per day through here, so you've got at least a 50% chance of being delayed by a few minutes (or longer) anytime you try to cross the tracks. Trains don't move for emergency vehicles, either.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Is government the way to solve problems caused by government?

Government is a poor solution for the problems government "thinking" creates; a solution for the problems statism causes.

People don't like being responsible for protecting themselves from crime, so they establish a criminal network and say its job is to protect them from crime. It soon treats the people as criminals and says it needs more power and money so it can protect them better. That's stupid and never worked.

People don't like poverty, so they created a global theft ring that robs them into poverty and is supposed to run a safety net to help them survive poverty- not solve poverty, but perpetuate poverty and make it survivable. Wierd and ineffective. Charity is better and ethical.

People are scared that their territory will get invaded, conquered, and absorbed by warlords, so they set up a system of their own warlords to rob, murder, and rule them as a defense. Then, when their warlords get bored and adventurous, they go around the planet making enemies all over the world; enemies who decide the best defense is to invade, conquer, rob, and enslave the people who lived under the offending warlords. Stupid and self-defeating. Yet, they call this "national defense" as if repeating it makes it true.

People don't want to pay for "big projects", so they allow thieves to steal their money and pool what's left over (after the thieves skim their share off the top) to pay for the big projects the thieves feel like funding. Not necessarily what the people would have chosen to pay for. At inflated prices and with extra bureaucracy and waste. With the stolen money. Economically foolish and doomed to failure.

But, I'm expected to pretend that this is all somehow good, necessary, and the way it has always been and must forever remain. That's beyond insane!

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Quite unlike libertarianism

“Statism may be a mess, but unlike libertarianism, it’s real and stable.” ~ A wise statist's opinion as expressed to me.

Statism: 

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

Individual flaws

It often seems to me that the political Right demonstrates a lack of ethics while the political Left personifies mental illness.

That's just a generalization, of course, based on my own personal interactions over the years. There are exceptions, and in some individuals, these characteristic traits swap places. Especially online.

Honestly, I don't think one problem is inherently better than the other. Both are dangerous in different ways. Both are tiresome. Both inspire me to speak up and point it out, which is never appreciated. 

Oh well.

My own shortcoming is that I lack empathy for people who want to govern others and otherwise violate their rights. I try, but if I do manage it, it's not going to last long.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.

The Terminator meets 1984 meets Idiocracy meets Star Wars meets...

So far, I believe all the videos of robot soldiers are AI-generated fakes.

Eventually, they won't be.

You and I need to be coming up with ideas for disabling military robot soldiers. And drones. And those who deploy them.
At least to buy time until government collapses of its own top-heavy, evil incompetence, and can no longer find anyone willing to work for it.

We should probably not discuss those ideas online, because the internet has become one of those robot soldiers. You can generate digital chaff, though. It would be funny to see them design defenses against things no one was planning to do.

I have ideas, and I'll bet you do, too. Low-tech ideas, high-tech ideas, and no-tech ideas. Have back-up plans for your back-up plans, too.

-

Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.