Happy Groundhog Day!

I hope everyone enjoys their tasty groundhog dinners. Don't eat too much, you know how sleepy it will make you, plus you can only loosen your pants so much.

Poster-Children For the Death Penalty

I saw this on The War on Guns and a couple of other blogs. If these monsters don't deserve the death penalty, then no one does.

Bias, Justification, and Politics

I promised some mitigating thoughts on yesterday's blog post. I am in the process of reading an "advance reader's edition" of The Mind of the Market by Michael Shermer. In the book he is speaking of "bias" and how it colors our perceptions.

The ideas that follow all flow from this book, which I recommend highly even before finishing, and my interpretation thereof. Since some of the interpretations are mine, don't blame Michael Shermer if you don't like the implications.


With political beliefs, we are likely to think that we reached ours because of thinking it through carefully, while we think others have reached their ideology because they are deluded, or greedy, or stupid. In other words, "My bias is due to my enlightenment; yours is due to your lack of enlightenment".

It turns out that "expert opinions" are usually no better than "non-expert opinions", yet the experts are less likely to admit they were wrong than the others. Irrational judgements are then made in order to justify costly mistakes. This is because we overvalue "sunk costs" and the status quo. When making decisions about a course of action, we tend to choose the status quo because we are accustomed to it. So with regards to our personal politics, the majority will continue to support statism (the status quo) instead of liberty (the radical change). Instead of "staying the course" we should base our decisions only on the recognition of the future costs and benefits, and not dwell on past costs. Yet when our strategy is a losing one, we tend to raise the stakes higher and risk losing even more. He points out that a belief, when confronted with a disproof, can actually become even stronger in order to alleviate the pain of being wrong, especially if sacrifices have been made based upon that belief.

Then there is the problem of "confirmation bias". This is when we seek and find evidence to confirm our beliefs and discount evidence that contradicts our beliefs. Confronted with both types of evidence, we will accept the validity of the evidence that confirms out notions and be very skeptical of the contradictory evidence. Or the contradictory evidence may be reinterpreted in a favorable light. We make up our minds first and then pick through the evidence and to confirm our views. "Self justification" is a basic need that causes us to screen out evidence that contradicts our positions so that we can continue to feel good about our decisions.

What it all comes down to is that our emotional minds have more to do with our views than do our logical minds. Therefore I may be a libertarian/anarchist simply because I am emotionally predisposed to be that way. In that case I should just shut up and let the world spin down the drain of statism. Plus, freedom is a lot more work than socialism, and I am terribly lazy and getting extremely tired of swimming upstream.

Libertarians Are Right, Just Accept It

Before anyone flips out over my inflammatory headline, let me explain. I have read and been told by several people throughout the years that people dislike libertarians for one main reason: because libertarians see their philosophy as the only "right" one; that we are unable to think that other views may be just as valid. Do we think our position is the "revealed truth"? Yes, we do.

Try as I might, I can not see any view that condones aggression against innocent people as a morally acceptable one. The same goes for any political position that depends on taking money away from its rightful owners to give to others. We acknowledge that the rules must apply equally to everyone, or they are not good. There can be no "elite" class of rulers that make the rules, yet who are allowed (or expected) to flout them. The people who promote the other philosophies call these depraved acts by other names, trying to reframe the debate. Yet, if you look clearly, you can see what they are really advocating.


If they are offended by this obvious "revelation", then maybe they need to examine their beliefs more closely.


Now.... before you leave angry comments, stayed tuned for tomorrow's post which may punch holes in, or completely deflate, this whole idea.... The "but".



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The State of the Union- 2008

The "state of the union" depends on what your idea of "the union" is. If you mean "America", times have been better. If you mean the government-imposed mutual suicide pact that is "The USA", then the train is still running full speed- not noticing that the bridge is out and the gulch is deep.

The authoritarians are still "in charge". The economy is still getting worse, heading for the inevitable result of a fiat currency. The never-ending war on an emotion, "terror", is still being fought, is dividing America, and is still resulting in too many deaths. The mainstream media is still trying to promote support for its chosen candidates of imaginary "change" (based on race and gender and more openly socialist ideology), and ignoring any candidate who would bring about real change. The country is being deliberately divided along racial, gender, religious, and other lines by the government and its enablers. Terroristic wars with ninja-suited thugs are being waged by "law enforcement" against gun owners and people who use unapproved chemicals, regardless of the obvious damage it does to the people of the country and the spirit of freedom America was founded upon. More money is stolen- and euphemistically called "taxes", "fees", "fines", and "licenses" -to feed the beast each year. Your money is being stolen and used to enslave you. "Big Brother" of fiction would be proud of the new schemes being pushed on us, like REAL ID, by the ever-paranoid rulers.

Yet, there is an undercurrent in the world. An undercurrent fed by a real desire for liberty. It drives support for Ron Paul; the man who is the only mainstream candidate who even has an inkling of what liberty is. It brings people together to build friendships that can help them stand against the statist tsunami that threatens to drown human civilization. It drives people to search for people who will have the courage to speak the words they hunger to hear. Against all odds, the love of liberty is refusing to die. We are building a competing "union" based on a love of liberty and respect for the self-determination of individuals.


The state of that union is hopeful.



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A Quote About "Rights"

I have no clue if this quote is original or not, considering its source, but here it is before I forget.

I just awakened from a dream where a grizzled old character was telling me "Rights are the first gift you are given when you are born, and the last thing you surrender when you die." What you do with them in between is up to you.

I will go back to sleep now.

"Libertarian" vs. "Anarchist"

There is no doubt I am an anarchist, but am I a "libertarian"? I always thought so. From what I have always been told, a "libertarian" is one who opposes aggression and fraud, nothing more, nothing less. Now I have recently been told that a strict adherence to the Constitution is also a core value of libertarianism. The thing is no one ever mentioned that part to me until now. If that really is that important, shouldn't someone have mentioned it? Even looking at the Libertarian Party website I find no mention of it, and they are the ones who are trying to be a part of "the system". They do mention the "libertarian foundation" of America, but it is a bit of a stretch to interpret that specifically as a reference to the Constitution.


From a link on Check Your Premises I found a book on libertarianism from the early 1980s which contains this statement: "Libertarianism elaborates an entire philosophy from one simple premise: initiatory violence or its threat (coercion) is wrong (immoral, evil, bad, supremely impractical, etc) and is forbidden; nothing else is." Nothing about the Constitution in there either.

I know the internet is not the sum total of human knowledge, but it is a good Cliff's Note of reality. The fact is, in an internet search of a great many libertarian sites, I only ran across one that even mentioned the Constitution as something that libertarians believe in (and now I can't even find it again). If it were that important, someone is seriously dropping the ball.


I ask this rhetorically. I'm not looking for a debate over what makes a "real" libertarian, since that has been done to death. It really doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I know what I believe, and that doesn't change because of a label. I am happy being an anarchist if no one else wants me.








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Tolerable Socialism?!

I have found a socialist world, fictional though it is, that I could live in comfortably. I just finished reading For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs by Robert A. Heinlein. It is his last, and first, novel. If that seems confusing, you should get the book and read the introduction by Spider Robinson.


In Heinlein's fictional world, the government pays everyone a living allowance (of its fiat money), just for being born. Beyond that it pretty much leaves you completely alone, unless you commit some terrible act, such as being jealous (the only crime covered in the book). Even then the punishment is restricted to correcting, through education, the mistaken concepts that lead to such violations.


I never thought I would find any socialist world acceptable, and I seriously doubt that any government could keep its nose out of everyone's business like this fictional one does, being driven by accumulation of power and control as they all are. This makes for an interesting read and thought experiment anyway.

I Don't Hate the Military

Just to be clear, I do not hate the military. I hate the way the government uses the military. I would gladly support the military repelling an invading force here, where it threatens our homes and families. This is simply not the current situation. American tax money should not be spent to occupy, or even free, other countries. At least not until the budget is balanced or until the government can support itself without taxation.

If someone wishes to go ahead and fight in a foreign country for whatever cause or reason, they should do so. Just not on behalf of American taxpayers or the US government. Become a mercenary. As long as you are fighting for what is right, there is nothing wrong with that career choice in my eyes.

The X-L-I Report Blog

There is a new weekly blog about gun rights called The X-L-I Report. Check it out.

I Just Want More Freedom!

All the arguments over "this or that issue" really irritate me. They all miss the point. The point being: I want more freedom; for myself, for my children and for YOU. That is really all that matters. Things that get in the way of that are bad, things that increase the liberty are good. Some of us don't agree on which things move toward freedom and which things move away from it. Some things don't do either one. Consider your positions and actions in light of this. I will continue to fight, one way or another, those things I see as anti-freedom. I really have no choice. Liberty Fever is in my blood! That may alienate some people, which is sad. I will occasionally make mistakes. When I do, and I realize it, I will reverse course as fast as I can to try to undo any damage I have done. I ask that you do the same, if individual liberty is also important to you. If it is not, then please just go watch TV now.

Getting Along

This blog is about politics. That means it is likely to lead to arguments. I understand why some people believe so strongly in opposite positions. Most of the time, regardless of what the "politically correct" may tell us, one side is right and the other is wrong. That is just the nature of reality. I don't care if anyone calls me names, but I ask that you only attack the positions of the other commenters; not them personally.

I have certain ideas about right and wrong, and about how one should relate to others, and about rights and responsibilities, and ... well, probably just about everything. Other people may not agree with me on everything. That is alright with me.

For most of my life I was a "libertarian in a vacuum" or an anarchist in an alternate universe. Or so it seemed. I knew no one else who thought of things in a way similar to me. I didn't even know OF anyone else who did. I had to get along with statists of every stripe. Maybe it is why I still can, as long as they don't throw the state at me.


I could not live off of Social Security or other forms of welfare, and personally feel it is wrong to do so. Other people do not think the same way. I don't go around asking my acquantances about their personal finances. It is none of my business and I really don't want to know. That doesn't mean I wouldn't put an end to welfare if I had the chance.


I think it is better to avoid working for any government entity in any capacity. Yet I know people who do and I don't lecture them about it. It would only alienate them and change nothing. Probably the only exception to that rule would be "a shunning" if anyone I knew worked for the BATFE. My tolerance can only go so far.

??

Who is the bigger threat to your freedom? Some guy wearing rags hiding with his AK-47 in a burned out building in Iraq, or the US federal government raking in as much of your money as it can get away with while it passes laws restricting your actions from its nicely appointed offices in our own "back yard"?

Which of these should a warrior who swore to uphold the Constitution be risking life and limb to defeat?



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Militaristic Brainwashing

I've been following, and participating in, a discussion in the comments on The War on Guns. The one commenter is completely obsessed with the military. Yet she is a libertarian. I admit I can't even begin to comprehend the thinking that makes one acknowledge that big government is a bad thing, yet support the biggest violations of rights and the most egregious initiations of force that can be imagined. This libertarian is willing to completely betray liberty in defense of war, because keeping troops in Iraq until they can be brought home, one at a time in the distant future I suppose, is "absolutely crucial" to her. How is supporting the military, the US government's agenda, in this way increasing liberty anywhere? I am baffled and disgusted. I decided to bow out before I said something rude. Maybe I am a simplistic "war protester"....I don't know. You read it and see what you think.

Ordinary Objects in Extraordinary Numbers

Not that this relates to anything, but I have always had an affinity for ordinary objects in extraordinary numbers. One BB isn't too interesting, but a barrel full of them is really fun to play with. A jar of jelly beans is common, but a swimming pool full of them, now that is something to see (and swim around in). A box of .22 LR cartridges is useful, but a 5 gallon bucket filled to the brim with them just cries out to have your fingers run through them.

I am not sure why this has always had this effect on me, but I wonder if this is why I also desire a really free society. A few liberties can be found just about anywhere , even under the worst totalitarian police state, but total freedom, limited only by the rights of others, makes me giddy with excitement.





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Assessing the Situation

In Anthem, the protagonist, the self-named Prometheus, says:

"But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I wonder, for it is hard for me to conceive how men who knew the word "I", could give it up and not know what they lost. But such has been the story, for I have lived in the City of the damned, and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them.

Perhaps in those days, there were a few among men, a few of clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw coming and could not stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and in warning. But men paid no heed to their warning. And they, these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, for they knew."

"That word" spoken of above is "I". Ayn Rand, through Prometheus, is speaking of those who are fooled into believing that society owns their life; that "we" is the most noble concept, rather than "I". Replace the concept of "I" with the concept of absolute individual rights (not a stretch) and you are looking in a mirror. This tragedy is happening all around us today. Prometheus is speaking to, or of, those of us today who see out-of-control government at every level stealing liberty and taking power as those around us make excuses for giving up our liberty. Unless more individuals decide that liberty is more important than not making a scene, some future Prometheus will have to rediscover the concepts of "I" and "liberty" all over again. Will he pity us or revile our choices?

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Arm Yourself

From End the War on Freedom I found this article: Arm Yourself by Charley Reese. I particularly like this part: "Of course, if you are as fit as Chuck Norris and have the martial-arts skills of Jet Li, then maybe you can survive without a pistol, although bringing a black belt to a gunfight is not going to do you much good."

Political "Change"

I hear political analysts and voters (especially very young socialist voters) emphasizing that a vote for their particular candidate is a vote for change. The tragic and pathetic thing is that they are focusing on superficial racial or gender "differences" instead of looking beneath the skin to see the collectivist inside the hide. Electing an authoritarian to replace an authoritarian is not voting for change at all. It is shortsighted and ignorant. It is an admission that you are OK with everything that Bush the Second has done and with everything that Clinton the First did before that. Pretending that the race or gender of a candidate equals change is exactly the kind of faulty thinking that the state has been encouraging for the past few generations. It looks like it worked. Now the voters are so completely racist and sexist that they can't see past those traits. That is very bad for America and the world of liberty.

Still Selling Things

I've put more of my paintings on eBay for sale, and will be listing more things (whatever I can find) in the next few days. Please keep checking.

Thanks!


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"Public Resource"

When I was the "pet store guy" I had many brushes with the state bureaucracy. One such brush was with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Their minion dropped off a brochure about "Exotic Pets and Prohibited Wildlife" for me to hand out to the subjects. Reading through it I was so disgusted that I posted a copy in my store with the most moronic sentence highlighted. It said "As a public resource, wildlife belongs to the state of Colorado, to all citizens." (7th paragraph)


In other words, "the state", "public", and "citizen" are interchangeable to them. The word "public" can be a very nasty word, excusing all kinds of collectivist abominations. Same with the word "citizen", which seems to be just a way to describe someone who is fully absorbed into and complicit with the collective. You must look a ways down the list of definitions of each of those words to find something that isn't collectivist. With that way of thinking, "public" and "citizen" would mean the same thing as "state".

When did the state purchase the wildlife? Did I sign over ownership to that part of my food reserves to the state? Or when was a treaty signed by the wildlife agreeing to belong to the state? Probably at the same time I signed the agreement handing myself over to the state.