Different kinds of problems

Do you know what's crazy?

I am not even annoyed by the pandemic*, but I am at my wit's end over a dead refrigerator. One situation I can handle and even enjoy, the other has turned my house into a wreck and made me miserable.

Does that seem right?

It doesn't to me, either.

But, for me, it's easier to prepare for TSHTF than to prepare for an extra expense.

-

*I'm highly annoyed-- angry, even-- over the panic and the tyrannical "response" to the virus by government parasites. But I wouldn't even notice the pandemic if not for governmedia "informing" me about it. I'll have more to say about that soon.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Panic not a good survival strategy

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 26, 2020)

Here comes Coronavirus; the threat of the month. How scared are you? How scared should I be? I'm not scared or even worried.

When Coronavirus hit the news I did some research on it at some reputable, non-sensationalist medical websites and decided it wasn't anything to hyperventilate over. In fact, they classified it not as influenza, but as a cold virus. A virus everyone will come down with at some point during our lives. This variety may be worse than the usual strains, but I'm not going to freak out.

I've been around long enough to see scare after scare come to nothing.

The Y2K thing fizzled, Ebola dropped from the news, and Hillary wasn't elected president. Life on planet Earth goes on pretty much the way it has-- but with more robots, rockets, and batteries.

There are still looming shadows on the horizon: human-caused climate disaster, failure of the power grid, a robot apocalypse, and more. These are all things people can panic over. Then they can make foolish decisions because of the panic. Foolish decisions such as saying "There ought to be a law". Decisions which will have worse consequences for more people than the original threat-- a threat which may be real or may be a figment of the imagination.

Someday a real pandemic or widespread disaster will happen... and be worse than we were warned it would be. Won't I look silly, then? But so far, not allowing myself to be panicked has worked out really well.

Do you really want to spend your life bouncing from one threat of disaster to the next, or are you willing to learn from the past?

Sure, there are occasional school shootings, impaired drivers, disease, and other human tragedies. That's life. But the track record of global doom and gloom scenarios should inspire optimism if you're paying attention.

It can be fun and exciting to prepare for the worst-case scenario. I do it, too-- in ways more fun than frightening. Panic is not a good survival strategy, even if something bad is going to happen. A panicked person doesn't think straight or behave rationally. They are more likely to make fatal mistakes. Don't let anyone cause you to panic... unless panicking is what you want to do.

In that case, I won't try to stop you, but please don't allow your panic to affect my life, liberty, or property, or that of my friends and family.

-
Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

My plea

I'm just going to lay this out there: I need more monthly subscribers.

I also need some donations. Very much!

I think I provide a perspective you can't get anywhere else. I know this is a rough time for everyone's finances, but I hope I provide insight and opinions you consider worth supporting, even if you don't always agree with me. If so, would you be willing to help?

I've mentioned that the household income has dropped recently. And, yesterday the refrigerator died.

I did everything I could to get it running again-- watching lots of YouTube videos and reading lots of appliance repair sites, and nothing I was able to do worked. I either need to get it professionally repaired or buy a replacement. And the appliance repair folks are shockingly unwilling to come work on anything at this time. Which meant they were more willing than usual to give advice and suggestions.

Usually, I would see if my parents could squeeze my refrigerated (and frozen) items into their refrigerators, but with the current pandemic, and with them trying to self-quarantine due to their ages, I am not comfortable asking them for space. So, in a matter of hours, even with coolers and ice, I'm going to lose a refrigerator/freezer full of food.

I know everyone has their own problems and that times are hard right now. I don't want the "regulars" to chip in-- you've already done enough; more than I have any right to expect. But if you're a reader and have thought about subscribing or donating and just haven't gotten around to it, please take this opportunity to get around to it. And, share this with anyone you think might be willing and able to help. Please!

And, thank you.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Coronapanic and hospital capacity

Supposedly, hospital capacity is being strained by the coronavirus... in a way yearly flus don't do. I suspect if it is happening, it's due more to the coronapanic than to the virus itself.

I'll repeat that:
If hospital capacity is really being stained by coronavirus patients, it's not necessarily due to the virus. It may be mainly due to the panic caused by the media and government ("governmedia"?). The reason-- if it's true-- that this virus is putting more people in the hospital than the regular annual viruses may be largely due to its publicity and the panic this creates.

If you make people afraid of a cough or a sniffle, you're going to have more of them get tested. The more tests that are done, the more cases will be found. Then, some number of those people will end up in a hospital rather than riding it out at home like they would have done under normal circumstances. Plus, making them scared isn't going to help their health even a little.

I'm still seeing "smart people" confusing numbers of deaths with the mortality rate. It's an important distinction, but one which gets glossed over and ignored. And, unless you can find out the total number of people who contracted the virus you can NEVER know the mortality rate. Never. And you'll never know how many people caught this virus because many of them (most of them?) never went to a doctor for it.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

"Papers, please" is now reality

Even more than it has been, I mean.

And how much do you want to bet the "please" is a lie?

Local employers are now giving employees "travel papers" so they can prove to cops who might stop them for being out on the road that they are traveling "legitimately". I personally know that Walmart, Family Dollar, a cattle feed producer, and other businesses have issued such papers. Probably everyone whose business is deemed "essential" enough to be allowed to stay in business is doing the same.

So far, only the New Mexico parasites have clamped down on the right to travel, but the Texas employers around here are also issuing the papers because many people cross the state line, in both directions, for work.

How long until some Blue Line Gang scum murders someone for being on the road without permission?

Some statists seem shocked by this Nazi-ish turn of events. Yet it's their fault! Totally! Their ongoing support of the state, for their whole lives in most cases, has led directly and inevitably to this.

Who are these political thugs to decide which jobs are essential? They wouldn't recognize something essential if they stepped in it.

Every job is essential to those who perform it, and to those who rely on it.

The ONLY "jobs" which are non-essential are government "jobs"-- because they aren't actual jobs. Some of those "jobs" are even worse than non-essential; they are actively harmful. Keep these people off the roads if you have to keep anyone off.

Police officers, specifically-- your "job" is not essential by any stretch of the imagination. It is harmful and parasitical. You are a drain on society. The same goes for every bureaucrat, politician, and whatnot. YOU are the vermin who need to be out of a "job", now and forever. Let the productive people work while you rot in a hole in the ground.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

As government becomes more and more evil...

All political government is unethical. All of it, without a single exception. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.

Democracy is particularly disgusting because it fools otherwise sensible, ethical people into believing government can be good and that there's a "right way" to govern other people. It fools them into believing the lie "the government is the people".

Representative [sic] republicanism is no better, since it always goes through a stage of democracy as it rots from the inside out.

Once you accept the lies that government can be good or can be done right or that "the government is you and me", you've crossed the line to statism. Welcome to government-supremacism.

If you've been supporting government in the decades leading up to the current situation, the evil now being committed by government is partly your fault. If this has snapped you out of it, then that's wonderful! Welcome to the good side. Now be ready to fight for your liberty, since it looks as though the fight may be forced on us. Soon.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

I'm a horrible person

I hate to admit it-- it probably means I'm a horrible person-- but I'm having fun. I'm enjoying the coronapocalypse. Just a little.

Yes, I feel a bit guilty for enjoying this as much as I am. I also know the enjoyment will fade the longer this goes on.

I feel bad for people who are really hurting and suffering. I feel awful for those who have lost loved ones. I have empathy for those who are scared. But this is the sort of thing I thrive on-- at least for a while. It's what I've prepared for... for decades.

Plus, I've been doing all I can for many years to tell people to prepare for this sort of thing. If they refused to listen...

I consider this a practice run for a real breakdown. I'm taking notes so I'll be even more prepared next time. Yeah, I know every event will be different, but I still plan on learning from this one.

I'm doing what I can to keep my family members safe and healthy. Nothing is guaranteed, obviously. But that's the case every day. I've had the rug pulled out from under me before.

My parents, who didn't take the virus at all seriously at first-- have gone into full-blown quarantine lock-down mode. I drop supplies and their mail for them in their garage and they go get it after I've left. I'm wondering if they are decontaminating it. As long as the electricity flows they aren't going to be running out of food for a very long time, having multiple freezers and refrigerators. And quite the pantry, as well. I enjoy doing what I can to help them. My mom is sewing masks for the family and my dad is watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies that he has recorded, I suspect they are both kind of enjoying this, too.

I'm fine on food and supplies for a long time-- even if I couldn't buy anything new. But I can, even though the food aisles have gone eerily empty. People might not be able to buy what they wanted, but there is something available. My yard-- and every other yard in town-- is chock full of edible "weeds". No one will starve unless they choose to.

I'm taking long daily walks around town (as long a walk as I can take in this town-- I zig-zag a lot) in the sun and fresh air.

Money has gotten tighter-- your donations and subscriptions have become even more important than in the past (I also know some of you are probably losing income, too). I will get through this one way or another. Except in the unlikely event that the virus gets me-- which I highly doubt it can.

I feel as though I am in my element-- which is rare. I might as well have fun while I can.

Are any of you as awful as I am? Feel free to judge me.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

The good kind of "crime"

If you have a meth lab, I offer a suggestion: switch to making hydroxychloroquine. You'll get rich.

Yeah, it's probably just as "illegal", but it's more helpful. If you're going to violate prohibition anyway, why not be an outlaw hero?

(And if you think I'm joking, I'm not.)

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Costs of government action on coronavirus

Some whiny statists are complaining that not everyone is embracing the measures being imposed by government to "deal with" the coronapocalypse. It is claimed that they are endangering lives by "downplaying" the risk.

No, they are not endangering society, nor will they be the cause of millions (or even dozens) of extra deaths. People who are "downplaying" coronavirus are serving an important purpose. Besides disarming the panic-bomb, I mean.

What they are doing is acting as a drag chute to slow down runaway government overreach.

This is essential.

Those who object to the "downplayers" aren't adequately (or even minimally) considering the costs of government intervention. You've seen this happen in other topics as well, such as with AGCC/"climate change".

Government-supremacists are pushing the narrative that not taking the actions government promotes will cause deaths, but are ignoring the deaths which will result from doing the wrong thing, or even too much of the "right thing". They are not considering the costs and benefits of both courses.

Maybe doing nothing about COVID 19 would kill more people. Of course, you have the option of doing everything you ought to do without government mandating anything. Doing something doesn't require anything being done by government. That is a bad assumption to make. But, I will concede that ignoring the problem would probably result in some unnecessary deaths.

However...

Damaging the economy-- as government is actively doing-- will also kill people. For certain. It may, in the long run, kill more people than the coronavirus would have even if no one had done anything about it-- but we don't know. We won't know. There is no way to know because you can't rewind history and change what was done.

Yes, some people caution against comparing how many deaths are resulting now and comparing that to the total deaths in previous plagues after they were over. That makes sense. However, you can compare death rates in the midst of the event-- which is something government-supremacists don't seem to like for anyone to do. It gets in the way of the narrative they prefer.

This is why we need brakes on the speeding car of statism. Those who "downplay" the danger are those brakes. They complete the costs vs. benefits big picture for the situation. Without them you only get one side, advocating only one path. Objecting to the balance they provide is not productive or smart.

(I added a "coronavirus" tag to the blog so you can follow what I've said about this from the beginning, if you care.)

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

In the interest of clarity

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Gun rights decent political X-ray

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 19, 2020)

Whether or not you vote or otherwise pay attention to politicians, do you wish you had a way to see inside their minds to know what they think of you?

Libertarian science fiction and nonfiction author L. Neil Smith has pointed out that you can know what a politician thinks of you and your rights by examining his or her opinions on gun rights. Smith says it's as good as an X-ray into politicians' minds.

It works whether the politician is a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, or something else.

Don't make the common mistake and assume the "R" by a politician's name on the ballot means they are a supporter of your rights and liberty-- most aren't.

Smith observes that any politician who is uncomfortable with the idea of you or anyone else walking into a store, plopping down the cash and walking out with any gun you want without showing a scrap of identification or signing even one form, is not pro-gun rights.

If a politician doesn't recognize your right to own and to carry, openly or concealed, any type of firearm you wish-- handgun, rifle, single-shot, "high-capacity", or fully automatic-- everywhere you go without asking permission, this politician is not a supporter of your gun rights and probably isn't a fan of your other rights, either.

Politicians may talk a good game about supporting rights, yet cling to the belief that rights can come with government-approved limits, licenses, and legislation.

They are wrong.

A right doesn't come with any such requirements, and anyone claiming they do is not respecting your rights. They're probably hoping you'll be fooled into confusing rights for privileges as people often do.

Any politician who doesn't fully respect your gun rights is likely to also believe you need permission or a license to marry, to drive a car, to open a business, to travel the world, or to consume certain plants. Such a politician will probably believe you owe a portion of your property to government. They may quibble over how much you owe, but they won't doubt you owe something.

I understand the argument for voting in self-defense. I don't believe it works, and I think there are better ways to defend yourself from politicians and their opinions. It's still good to know which politicians are worse than the others. Using their stance on gun rights is a convenient and accurate shortcut to find your sworn enemies. I suggest you use it.

-
Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

Fake economics in action

What do all those political folk who are promoting the idea to send everyone $1000 (or more) have in common? They are experts in fake economics.

Yes, I would love some money, but they can only "give" it to me now by stealing it from future me. And future you.

I don't know what my future financial situation will be like. I might be even worse off when that piper needs to be paid than I am now. I might be even less able to afford it then-- and this coronavirus "stimulus", with its devaluing effect on the currency, might even be the reason.

Fake economists, with their fancy degrees and such, are a stupid lot.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Interesting times

From Pinterest

It's been... interesting.

I'm not particularly concerned about the virus, but the way some people are behaving because of the situation worries me a little.

Of course, politicians are always a problem-- and I include freelance thugs and thieves in that category.

I've been doing more than usual to help my parents and make sure they don't have to go to stores. I've been trying to watch to see if anyone else needs anything-- but that's harder because I don't really have a social circle here.

My household income has dropped, as has my parents' income. Fortunately, I really haven't had to spend much, other than on the bills that come every month no matter what I'm doing. I don't really know my parents' financial situation because that's their business, not mine. Other than constantly ransoming their house from the state, I think their expenses aren't too bad. I keep checking with them to see what they need, but I'm trying to avoid going over there unnecessarily. No point in possibly exposing them to anything.

Outside my little sphere, I've seen and heard other interesting things, especially from YouTubers I informally follow. It's a crazy world out there. Makes me glad I have "defensive resources".

I'm probably in the minority since I am glad to see people defying (or ignoring) government orders. A slightly higher risk of more sick people is a small price to pay for pushing aside government's veil of legitimacy even a little. That people are willing to do so warms my heart.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Dr. State-nstein wants to experiment on your rights

I'm a fan of experimentation. To a point.

Not all experimentation is ethical-- especially when you're talking about human experimentation. You can't ethically "just try something" to see if it works if it would violate natural human rights. No matter how good an idea you imagine it to be.

Scott Adams is guilty of this form of loserthink whenever he promotes some anti-gun scheme, saying to let states try different types of "gun control" [sic] to see what "works". He says not supporting such an idea means you aren't "part of the conversation". Ha.

Yes, the states were supposed to be something like laboratories of liberty (of LIBERTY, not of tyranny); to see what sort of things might work better than others. But, there was never supposed to be any flirting with tyranny. That means no anti-gun legislation at all, ever. And no government-controlled medicine, prohibitions, curfews, etc.

If your experiment to see what "works" violates the natural rights of anyone you have no right to perform it, and if you do anyway, you are a monster.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.

Public Service Announcement

Government is NEVER a credible source.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.
♡2020 by Author/Artist. Copying is an act of love. Please copy.

Take it seriously, but don't panic

I will admit, I was caught off-guard by this coronavirus event. Not by the virus, but by the level of panic that is going along with it. Panic that is unnecessary and counterproductive. Panic which seems to be spread by certain folks in the media and encouraged by certain political folks.

It's not that I don't take this situation seriously. It's possible to take something seriously without panicking over it. Really, it is! Some people seem to forget this.

I'm taking the pan[ic]demic seriously. I've reduced my human interactions-- not that I was a social butterfly before. I am washing my hands more, especially if I go away from home, and I have actually used hand sanitizer some-- that's new.

I'm glad I have been a prepper most of my life-- taking prepping seriously. And I'm glad I'm not prone to panic.

How can you tell panic from "taking it seriously"?

Maybe the person who failed to prepare and is now desperate to buy treaty paper or bottled water isn't panicking but is only taking the situation seriously... however, if this person is getting into a fight over products in the aisle of the store, they are most likely panicking. They are making things worse, not better.

I'm not going to panic about the disease or about the panic, but I do take both seriously. I take the panic more seriously than I take the disease, seeing it as the far bigger danger.

I hope I've contributed to keeping those around me calm; being a voice of reason (as I see it) in a storm of hyperbole. I think my daughter is taking it in stride pretty well. And it seems my son and his girlfriend are being sensible during this situation, and I hope I've been a good influence there, too.

Of course, I also know people who are neither panicking nor taking it seriously. I hope their choice doesn't lead to trouble for them.

All in all, this situation really hasn't changed my life much, other than the financial blow due to the household (and almost every member of my extended family) losing work. Lots of unpaid "vacation" time and extended time off work. Less money, again. I'm kind of used to that by now-- seeing as how this is the direction it keeps going-- but it's not pleasant at any time. Yet I will be OK.  Mostly because I don't panic and I took the risks seriously enough to prepare long before this virus cropped up. I intend to be ready for the Next Big Thing, too, whatever it may be.

I sincerely hope things are going well in your area.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.
♡2020 by Author/Artist. Copying is an act of love. Please copy.

"Good" way to do wrong?

There is no "right" or "good" system of political government.

If there were it would mean there is a "right" or "good" way to rob, kidnap, murder, or otherwise molest people... and there's not. It's just not within the range of possibilities.

Trying to govern other people is always wrong. It is exactly as wrong as refusing to govern yourself.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.
♡2020 by Author/Artist. Copying is an act of love. Please copy.

Thinking the best of people

I usually think the best of people. As long as I'm able to.

I don't think the best of cops, rapists, thieves, and other politicians. They leave me no choice because of the choices they continue to make; the actions they continue to commit. And sometimes they even demand praise for committing them. That's not what good people do.

I still want to think the best of everyone.

If those who choose to live by archation would change their ways, I'd be able to change my opinion of them. Because, at the root, it's not the people; it's the acts.

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.
♡2020 by Author/Artist. Copying is an act of love. Please copy.

No one policy good for everyone

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 12, 2020)

Did you enjoy our recent winter storm? I did, but I know a lot of people didn't. Most people are not fans of cold and snow. I don't like temperatures over 85 degrees Fahrenheit, especially if there's any trace of humidity, while other people love hot weather.

Variety is the spice of life and I'm willing to deal with things I don't like, without much complaint, so others can enjoy the things they like.

Since no one can control the weather, anyway, it's a healthy approach.

Natural weather patterns give the Earth variety. Everyone gets what they like, occasionally, within reason. You might not get snow days in the Amazon or picnic weather on the beaches of Antarctica, but you can still get nice surprises.

Sometimes, though, this variety means there are tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, and blizzards. You might believe this justifies a weather control bureaucracy to program the weather, but I don't think it does.

If there were someone sitting in a government office somewhere controlling the weather, do you think they would serve up weather I like, or weather someone else likes? Maybe we'd all get whatever is dictated by policy. Would some people's weather preferences be ignored because they aren't popular?

I'm glad no one can control the weather.

Social control is similar to weather control. It's going to result in less variety-- not as much natural diversity. Even if you could control such things as the weather or society, should you? Whose preferences would be given priority and whose would be banned with reasonable-sounding justifications?

Complex systems with lots of randomness can't be controlled. Any time someone tries to control a fluid, complex system such as the weather, society, an economy, or health care, there will inevitably be unintended consequences which make things worse.

Just as no one type of weather is best for everywhere at all times, there is no government policy-- beyond respecting individual liberty-- which is best for every individual at every moment.

No matter how unqualified to run your own life you may feel, no one else is more qualified than you. No one knows all the details better than you. If anyone believes they can control your life better than you can, they are not living in reality. What they imagine to be good for you might destroy you. Yet they'll never suffer any consequences for what they've done to you-- all the suffering would be yours, alone. I can't support any such plan.

-
Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

Pets and other critters

I've always been an "animal person" but I've never been a "dog person". I was never a "cat person" either... not until having lived with two cat-crazy daughters over a period of almost 30 years. They converted me. No one has been able to convert me to dogs-- and many have tried.

I've even raised several orphaned puppies-- one from an hour or so after birth-- until they were weaned and I could find homes for them. They were attached to me, but it was never as mutual as it should have been. Most of them were already spoken for when I took them in, so it wasn't an issue.

I was always more a fan of the wild animals-- in the wild and as pets. Cats and dogs got in the way of that, usually seeing my wild friends as snacks.

Another part of my problem is that dogs have always seemed too needy. I prefer the independence of cats-- who are usually as independent as the wild pets I've had. Although I've had some rather needy wild pets, too. I also have a couple of pretty needy cats now.

I haven't had many wild pets in the past 20 years. My situation was often in flux, and then I started getting cats for my daughters and avoiding things that could have a problem around the cats.

But, no matter what kind of animals I like, or don't, I hate that anyone imagines they have the right to use government to prevent people from having the animals they want. And the list of "prohibited" animals has grown to include almost everything I've had over the years. I've even had animals become prohibited days before I planned to buy one.

Yes, if you have a pet that causes harm to someone or their property, you are liable. You owe restitution-- and if someone shoots your pet in defense, too bad. Whether the "law" agrees or not.

I've had a lot of problems with people's dogs over the years, but not with any of the breeds government-supremacists like to ban. It's always been stuff like Labradors, German Shepherds, mutts, and breeds like that. I take that back-- I once had a problem with a pitbull who decided to try to kill some of my pheasants and chickens. But not once did the thought "Someone should ban those" cross my mind. It's just not part of my nature, no matter what my personal opinion might be. I want people to be able to have those things, and participate in those activities, that make them happy. Even if I don't get it. Don't you wish everyone could do that?

-

Writing to promote liberty is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.
I hope I add something you find valuable enough to support.
♡2020 by Author/Artist. Copying is an act of love. Please copy.