ABQ "Violent" according to officer
"We tend to be somewhat of a violent town." says Albuquerque's Chief Public Safety [sic] Officer. Yet he doesn't realize (or won't publicly acknowledge, anyway) that he and his gang are largely to blame.
So in an effort to "understand" where all this violence comes from, the city will spend your stolen money on an analysis from a "think tank".
Don't analyze it; SOLVE IT!
Stop denying people the liberty to defend themselves and their property with the best tools available.
End the evil and stupid War on (some) Drugs that empowers gangs and other aggressors, both with and without badges.
Those two simple acts would render Albuquerque's violence a bad memory. Problem solved.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Liberty: How can we get there from here?
Liberty: How can we get there from here?
I'm tired, for the moment, of pointing out the failures of statism. They are so obvious it seems silly to keep pointing them out. But, apparently many people refuse to see them, so it remains necessary.
The question that I hope is on your mind at this point would be "How can I help form a society that respects liberty? You know, real liberty; the freedom for each of us to exercise his or her individual rights."
You can only do that one person at a time, by your individual behavior. That's the only way anything, a free society or a tyranny, comes about. However, there are some general trends you can support to help the process along.
If you've been paying attention you will know that a big part of the solution is to acknowledge that the police and "public schools" must end. That one change would go a long ways toward freeing civilization from the grip of tyranny. There is a reason I have focused so much recently on the failures caused directly by "police" and "public schools"- the Albuquerque news is full of these failures on a daily basis. I can't pass up on illustrations that are handed to me so abundantly. Unless you bury your head in the sand you can't ignore the obvious. Just do as I do and take a look at the Albuquerque news (or your local equivalent) and you will see it ... unless you are determined not to. Breaking the hold of these two organs of The State would at least allow people to start thinking for themselves and start acting in self-responsible ways.
Another part of the answer is to stop looking to government for anything. No handouts; no "justice"; no "protection". If you need it, you can't get it from The State, and if only The State can provide it, you don't need it. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can grow up. Stop believing that government can print "money" backed by nothing but empty promises. If you are forced to accept it and pay "taxes" on it, it isn't money.
I highly recommend "attending" The On Line Freedom Academy to help break free of the delusions that have been carefully cultivated, whether successfully or not, in your mind. It will help you more than you might suspect.
I'm tired, for the moment, of pointing out the failures of statism. They are so obvious it seems silly to keep pointing them out. But, apparently many people refuse to see them, so it remains necessary.
The question that I hope is on your mind at this point would be "How can I help form a society that respects liberty? You know, real liberty; the freedom for each of us to exercise his or her individual rights."
You can only do that one person at a time, by your individual behavior. That's the only way anything, a free society or a tyranny, comes about. However, there are some general trends you can support to help the process along.
If you've been paying attention you will know that a big part of the solution is to acknowledge that the police and "public schools" must end. That one change would go a long ways toward freeing civilization from the grip of tyranny. There is a reason I have focused so much recently on the failures caused directly by "police" and "public schools"- the Albuquerque news is full of these failures on a daily basis. I can't pass up on illustrations that are handed to me so abundantly. Unless you bury your head in the sand you can't ignore the obvious. Just do as I do and take a look at the Albuquerque news (or your local equivalent) and you will see it ... unless you are determined not to. Breaking the hold of these two organs of The State would at least allow people to start thinking for themselves and start acting in self-responsible ways.
Another part of the answer is to stop looking to government for anything. No handouts; no "justice"; no "protection". If you need it, you can't get it from The State, and if only The State can provide it, you don't need it. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can grow up. Stop believing that government can print "money" backed by nothing but empty promises. If you are forced to accept it and pay "taxes" on it, it isn't money.
I highly recommend "attending" The On Line Freedom Academy to help break free of the delusions that have been carefully cultivated, whether successfully or not, in your mind. It will help you more than you might suspect.
Monday, September 20, 2010
ABQ Cops, once again, show their true colors
ABQ Cops, once again, show their true colors
The reptilian brain of The State, in a gross display of ignorance and aggression, demands a "permit" from a man who was not only not harming anyone, but actually doing good. Then they kidnap him and threaten those around him who witnessed their unjustified attack. Fortunately he was recording the encounter with these gang members.
Michael Herrick was "arrested" by Albuquerque Police for giving food to the homeless without a "permit". What a dreadful act of aggression and terrorism! Right? Still think cops are the good guys?
Then, because he did not immediately bow down and obey their illegal orders, they "arrested" him on the bogus charge of "refusing to obey an officer" as well. Guess what, no one has an obligation to obey counterfeit orders that violate the law, as this order did. The LEOs may still kill you for your lack of obedience, so your actions, and their consequences, are your responsibility. However, by their actions, the cops show themselves to be the bad guys; the thugs with badges.
On top of all this punishment, the bad(ge) guys added the made-up charge of "inciting a riot". Funny, I never heard any news reports of this "riot" occurring. Maybe they imagined it.
The vermin in blue are your servants. Not your masters. Out-of-control servants should be fired. And, since the position leads invariably to this sort of abuse, replaced with nothing. How will they learn their place if we keep acting as though they have authority that they did not earn? If they want our respect, they had better start earning it. Now! This isn't the way for them to do that.
The reptilian brain of The State, in a gross display of ignorance and aggression, demands a "permit" from a man who was not only not harming anyone, but actually doing good. Then they kidnap him and threaten those around him who witnessed their unjustified attack. Fortunately he was recording the encounter with these gang members.
Michael Herrick was "arrested" by Albuquerque Police for giving food to the homeless without a "permit". What a dreadful act of aggression and terrorism! Right? Still think cops are the good guys?
Then, because he did not immediately bow down and obey their illegal orders, they "arrested" him on the bogus charge of "refusing to obey an officer" as well. Guess what, no one has an obligation to obey counterfeit orders that violate the law, as this order did. The LEOs may still kill you for your lack of obedience, so your actions, and their consequences, are your responsibility. However, by their actions, the cops show themselves to be the bad guys; the thugs with badges.
On top of all this punishment, the bad(ge) guys added the made-up charge of "inciting a riot". Funny, I never heard any news reports of this "riot" occurring. Maybe they imagined it.
The vermin in blue are your servants. Not your masters. Out-of-control servants should be fired. And, since the position leads invariably to this sort of abuse, replaced with nothing. How will they learn their place if we keep acting as though they have authority that they did not earn? If they want our respect, they had better start earning it. Now! This isn't the way for them to do that.
Organs of tyranny- schools and cops
Organs of tyranny- schools and cops
Why am I so hard on "public schools" and "law enforcement"? It isn't that the Albuquerque Public Schools or the Albuquerque Police Department are worse than their counterparts elsewhere. They are just fulfilling their only true purpose: upholding and continuing the coercive, externally imposed, and completely unhealthy-to-civilization, State. By doing what comes naturally, these coercive organizations give me endless fodder for pointing out that The State doesn't work. Those who believe it can are hopelessly Utopian. There are better ways of doing everything- ways that respect the liberty of the individual.
It has been said that "public schools" are the reproductive organs of The State. Without government-controlled "education" it would be difficult to keep each new generation of people fooled into believing that theft, murder, and kidnapping are OK as long as they are called "taxation", "war", and "arrest". Fooled into believing that there is such a thing as "the common good", and that to achieve it you must give up your individual sovereignty and let others assume control of your life and your body. That property rights only exist for governments. And that without a government ruling our lives we would be doing the things that government does anyway- raping, killing, stealing- without consequence. Only by getting inside a mind while it is still young and malleable can such self-contradictory beliefs be seeded with much success.
If the "pubic schools" are the reproductive organs of The State, then "law enforcement" is the reptilian brain. It is the primitive aggressive reactionary part. The non-thinking bestial mind. And it is always over-stimulated with an excess of testosterone and adrenaline. It sees the normal people as "the enemy". Guilt to be determined later. Without this "organ" the cruel and twisted desires of the Rulers would go nowhere. It takes a cop to impose a tyranny.
There are better ways of living. Education is natural and doesn't need to be imposed and enforced. Civility will happen naturally absent an army of "Only Ones" creating chaos from "laws". All it takes is an understanding of rights and a natural application of consequences for violating those rights. Problem? Solved!
Why am I so hard on "public schools" and "law enforcement"? It isn't that the Albuquerque Public Schools or the Albuquerque Police Department are worse than their counterparts elsewhere. They are just fulfilling their only true purpose: upholding and continuing the coercive, externally imposed, and completely unhealthy-to-civilization, State. By doing what comes naturally, these coercive organizations give me endless fodder for pointing out that The State doesn't work. Those who believe it can are hopelessly Utopian. There are better ways of doing everything- ways that respect the liberty of the individual.
It has been said that "public schools" are the reproductive organs of The State. Without government-controlled "education" it would be difficult to keep each new generation of people fooled into believing that theft, murder, and kidnapping are OK as long as they are called "taxation", "war", and "arrest". Fooled into believing that there is such a thing as "the common good", and that to achieve it you must give up your individual sovereignty and let others assume control of your life and your body. That property rights only exist for governments. And that without a government ruling our lives we would be doing the things that government does anyway- raping, killing, stealing- without consequence. Only by getting inside a mind while it is still young and malleable can such self-contradictory beliefs be seeded with much success.
If the "pubic schools" are the reproductive organs of The State, then "law enforcement" is the reptilian brain. It is the primitive aggressive reactionary part. The non-thinking bestial mind. And it is always over-stimulated with an excess of testosterone and adrenaline. It sees the normal people as "the enemy". Guilt to be determined later. Without this "organ" the cruel and twisted desires of the Rulers would go nowhere. It takes a cop to impose a tyranny.
There are better ways of living. Education is natural and doesn't need to be imposed and enforced. Civility will happen naturally absent an army of "Only Ones" creating chaos from "laws". All it takes is an understanding of rights and a natural application of consequences for violating those rights. Problem? Solved!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
ABQ Protestors: 'Keep sending us the stolen loot!'
ABQ Protestors: 'Keep sending us the stolen loot!'
Want a perfect demonstration of what happens when people discover they can live off the fruits of political theft (without the risk of personally facing their victims)? They act as though getting your money is a "right". A real right can never impose an obligation on anyone else. You have the absolute human right to own and to carry any kind of gun you want, but no one is obligated to give you that gun. You must build it yourself or trade for/buy it. The same goes for "health care" and a retirement allowance.
A group of protestors in Albuquerque were demanding, for the benefit of some pandering politicians who were in town, that "Federal Programs" not be cut. That's fine if they are offering their own money to keep those programs running rather than demanding that other people be stolen from. But that's not what they are advocating. And the candidates from Socialist Party B ("B" only because they are the ones supposedly out of power right now, not because they are any less committed to socialism than those in Socialist Part A) fall right into step by promising to protect the theft racket. How could the protestors have had any doubt?
It is stupid to bother wasting your time demanding that the politicians not cut federal welfare programs such as "Social Security", Medicare, or Medicaid. Those programs are what bribes "the majority" into leaving behind self-responsibility and embracing collectivism, to the continuing benefit of The State. As long as people are allowed to vote for thieves who will continue to promise to steal from their neighbors, those programs will never be in real jeopardy. Some people must just feel a need to be seen holding signs and shouting near politicians.
Want a perfect demonstration of what happens when people discover they can live off the fruits of political theft (without the risk of personally facing their victims)? They act as though getting your money is a "right". A real right can never impose an obligation on anyone else. You have the absolute human right to own and to carry any kind of gun you want, but no one is obligated to give you that gun. You must build it yourself or trade for/buy it. The same goes for "health care" and a retirement allowance.
A group of protestors in Albuquerque were demanding, for the benefit of some pandering politicians who were in town, that "Federal Programs" not be cut. That's fine if they are offering their own money to keep those programs running rather than demanding that other people be stolen from. But that's not what they are advocating. And the candidates from Socialist Party B ("B" only because they are the ones supposedly out of power right now, not because they are any less committed to socialism than those in Socialist Part A) fall right into step by promising to protect the theft racket. How could the protestors have had any doubt?
It is stupid to bother wasting your time demanding that the politicians not cut federal welfare programs such as "Social Security", Medicare, or Medicaid. Those programs are what bribes "the majority" into leaving behind self-responsibility and embracing collectivism, to the continuing benefit of The State. As long as people are allowed to vote for thieves who will continue to promise to steal from their neighbors, those programs will never be in real jeopardy. Some people must just feel a need to be seen holding signs and shouting near politicians.
Sheriff's Association throws tantrum over judge's decision
Sheriff's Association throws tantrum over judge's decision
The Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association is squealing like a sty full of stuck pigs over the judge's decision to let the man accused of shooting his deputized kidnapper out of jail for a day to attend his brother's funeral. I'm not surprised. However, if we "lesser citizens" were acting the same way we'd be said to be "whining".
Not a single one of the "crimes" mentioned in the BCDSA's release (out of "nine felonies" the Grand Jury saw fit to indict him on) should be "crimes". Not a single one. Of all the man's previous offenses (resisting arrest, eluding police, domestic violence, and battery on a police officer), only one- domestic violence- is a real offense. And, in today's world it is also one of the least credible. Yes, it does happen a lot, but even more it is made up to punish a significant other- often at the encouragement of the "authorities". I have no idea if the prisoner actually did it or not, but even if he did, let his victim seek restitution and end it there. There is no need to get The State involved. All the rest of his "offenses" are the exercise of the basic right to not be kidnapped and attacked by thugs of whatever type, no matter what silly hat they wear.
In the most pathetic attempt at emotional manipulation, the prisoner's tattoo is used as justification for keeping him a prisoner. Yet LEOs often have tattoos that are just as bad and denigrating to the people they are supposed to be serving. You know, "the public"- their masters. I have seen them myself (admittedly only when the cops were off-duty). I'd say the man's tattoo is a reasonable reaction to what "The Law" has put him through.
I'll be surprised if the judge stands firm in his decision instead of caving to the vociferous whining of Albuquerque's "Only Ones".
Update: Surprise, surprise.
The Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association is squealing like a sty full of stuck pigs over the judge's decision to let the man accused of shooting his deputized kidnapper out of jail for a day to attend his brother's funeral. I'm not surprised. However, if we "lesser citizens" were acting the same way we'd be said to be "whining".
Not a single one of the "crimes" mentioned in the BCDSA's release (out of "nine felonies" the Grand Jury saw fit to indict him on) should be "crimes". Not a single one. Of all the man's previous offenses (resisting arrest, eluding police, domestic violence, and battery on a police officer), only one- domestic violence- is a real offense. And, in today's world it is also one of the least credible. Yes, it does happen a lot, but even more it is made up to punish a significant other- often at the encouragement of the "authorities". I have no idea if the prisoner actually did it or not, but even if he did, let his victim seek restitution and end it there. There is no need to get The State involved. All the rest of his "offenses" are the exercise of the basic right to not be kidnapped and attacked by thugs of whatever type, no matter what silly hat they wear.
In the most pathetic attempt at emotional manipulation, the prisoner's tattoo is used as justification for keeping him a prisoner. Yet LEOs often have tattoos that are just as bad and denigrating to the people they are supposed to be serving. You know, "the public"- their masters. I have seen them myself (admittedly only when the cops were off-duty). I'd say the man's tattoo is a reasonable reaction to what "The Law" has put him through.
I'll be surprised if the judge stands firm in his decision instead of caving to the vociferous whining of Albuquerque's "Only Ones".
Update: Surprise, surprise.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
'Public schools' teach that theft, collectivism are A-OK
'Public schools' teach that theft, collectivism are A-OK
Students who were not breaking the rules have had their personal property stolen by the principal of Albuquerque's Van Buren Middle School. Another student was breaking the "no skateboarding" rule, so the principal, in a textbook example of collectivist non-thinking, "confiscated" everyone's skateboards. Because you can control what I do, right? This is a lesson socialists in government love to teach. It forms the basis for "gun control" and other forms of bigotry as well.
The dad of one of the victims foolishly went to report the theft to the police. He wasted his time unless he learned a lesson. The police, who are just as corrupt and dependent on collectivism and theft as the "public schools", refuse to act on this particular theft since the thief, the principal (unnamed in the news story's glaring "omission", but Ms. Cardinal Rieger, according to an internet search), "intends" to return the stolen property in a week. So, I suppose bank holdups are OK with The Law as long as the thieves return the money when they say they will- perhaps after their investments have paid off.
Sending your kids off to be subject to the whims of such people as this principal without principles is abuse. Government is destroying education and replacing it with "schooling" in statism. Separate school and state!
Students who were not breaking the rules have had their personal property stolen by the principal of Albuquerque's Van Buren Middle School. Another student was breaking the "no skateboarding" rule, so the principal, in a textbook example of collectivist non-thinking, "confiscated" everyone's skateboards. Because you can control what I do, right? This is a lesson socialists in government love to teach. It forms the basis for "gun control" and other forms of bigotry as well.
The dad of one of the victims foolishly went to report the theft to the police. He wasted his time unless he learned a lesson. The police, who are just as corrupt and dependent on collectivism and theft as the "public schools", refuse to act on this particular theft since the thief, the principal (unnamed in the news story's glaring "omission", but Ms. Cardinal Rieger, according to an internet search), "intends" to return the stolen property in a week. So, I suppose bank holdups are OK with The Law as long as the thieves return the money when they say they will- perhaps after their investments have paid off.
Sending your kids off to be subject to the whims of such people as this principal without principles is abuse. Government is destroying education and replacing it with "schooling" in statism. Separate school and state!
Examiner.com's "profanity filter"
Every comment I have tried to post on Examiner articles today has triggered the Examier "profanity filter".
If you are trying to comment on my articles and find yourself being "profane" without knowing how, just post your comments on the appropriate article link here on my blog. The article will catch up to it in about a week.
Examiner.com seems to be run or programmed by idiots.
PS: When you visit my Examiner column, please "subscribe" using the subscribe button. It will help maximize my pay, supposedly.
If you are trying to comment on my articles and find yourself being "profane" without knowing how, just post your comments on the appropriate article link here on my blog. The article will catch up to it in about a week.
Examiner.com seems to be run or programmed by idiots.
PS: When you visit my Examiner column, please "subscribe" using the subscribe button. It will help maximize my pay, supposedly.
'Concerned citizen' destroys woman's life for a pat on the head
'Concerned citizen' destroys woman's life for a pat on the head
"Concerned citizens" are enablers of authoritarianism. Nothing good ever comes from their meddling. They are spies for The State. They are like a virus that harms those they encounter; damaging civilization by their very presence. None of the worst tyrannies in history would have never gotten off the drawing board without complicit people like these useful idiots.
As proof, just look at the news of the teacher in Albuquerque who was arrested after a "concerned citizen" told police the teacher was growing marijuana. So what? It's a plant. I see no claim she was holding down students and forcing it down their throats. Yet The State wants her to force collectivism into young minds, and apparently this "concerned citizen" was OK with that. Which is worse in the long run? Certainly not the marijuana, that is for sure.
Trying to justify herself, where no justification is needed, the teacher claimed the marijuana was needed for health reasons. The "authorities" fired back that "they can't find any record that [she] has a medical marijuana license." Having a license or not is no indicator of whether a person needs to have marijuana for medical reasons. This is smoke and mirrors on the part of The State. An attempt to change the debate into something it was not.
Now the Albuquerque Public Schools are overreacting in several ways, acting like this is some sort of disaster caused by the teacher rather than by the stupid and evil War on (some) Drugs. They are providing councilors (using your money) in case any traumatized students "want to talk". Yeah, let the councilors explain to upset kids why a woman who is not even suspected of harming anyone has been kidnapped by a gang of thugs, and is now being persecuted by the kidnappers and will likely have her life destroyed. Not by the consequences of the drugs, but by the prohibition industry. That's an explanation we'd all like to hear.
Want to solve this "problem" and make sure nothing like this ever happens again? End the Drug War and get government OUT of the business of "schooling".
* * Just in case you missed the link above, visit http://www.schoolandstate.org/home.htm to see rational alternatives to the government indoctrination centers called "public schools". And buy my book "Problem? Solved!" for more liberty-respecting solutions.
"Concerned citizens" are enablers of authoritarianism. Nothing good ever comes from their meddling. They are spies for The State. They are like a virus that harms those they encounter; damaging civilization by their very presence. None of the worst tyrannies in history would have never gotten off the drawing board without complicit people like these useful idiots.
As proof, just look at the news of the teacher in Albuquerque who was arrested after a "concerned citizen" told police the teacher was growing marijuana. So what? It's a plant. I see no claim she was holding down students and forcing it down their throats. Yet The State wants her to force collectivism into young minds, and apparently this "concerned citizen" was OK with that. Which is worse in the long run? Certainly not the marijuana, that is for sure.
Trying to justify herself, where no justification is needed, the teacher claimed the marijuana was needed for health reasons. The "authorities" fired back that "they can't find any record that [she] has a medical marijuana license." Having a license or not is no indicator of whether a person needs to have marijuana for medical reasons. This is smoke and mirrors on the part of The State. An attempt to change the debate into something it was not.
Now the Albuquerque Public Schools are overreacting in several ways, acting like this is some sort of disaster caused by the teacher rather than by the stupid and evil War on (some) Drugs. They are providing councilors (using your money) in case any traumatized students "want to talk". Yeah, let the councilors explain to upset kids why a woman who is not even suspected of harming anyone has been kidnapped by a gang of thugs, and is now being persecuted by the kidnappers and will likely have her life destroyed. Not by the consequences of the drugs, but by the prohibition industry. That's an explanation we'd all like to hear.
Want to solve this "problem" and make sure nothing like this ever happens again? End the Drug War and get government OUT of the business of "schooling".
* * Just in case you missed the link above, visit http://www.schoolandstate.org/home.htm to see rational alternatives to the government indoctrination centers called "public schools". And buy my book "Problem? Solved!" for more liberty-respecting solutions.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Is the 'criminal' more honorable than the 'authorities'?
Is the 'criminal' more honorable than the 'authorities'?
The Albuquerque man arrested last month for shooting a sheriff's deputy is being given a day out of jail to attend his brother's funeral. Without a lot more facts I can't say whether this temporary release is a good thing or a bad thing.
I admit, there is a lot I don't know about the history behind this case, and the "authorities" will never tell the truth openly. This man was "arrested" for shooting the deputy, but the deputy he shot was involved in a SWAT raid on him at the time- for a victimless "crime" he was suspected of committing. This was obviously a self defense shooting. The deputy's gang was attempting to use force in order to effect a kidnapping of a person who was not actually initiating force, theft, or fraud at the time of the shooting. There is nothing magical about a badge that makes a person immune from consequences of coercion, no matter what The State may claim.
The State claims the man is a "suspected drug dealer", but that is not wrong in and of itself. It is an exercise in the free market. Is the man really a "danger to our community" or only to people who are attacking him? Of course those whose "jobs" involve coercion and threats to the rights and liberties of the normal individuals are whining mightily about the release. As always "officer safety" comes first in their "minds", long before any such trivial (to them) thing as the absolute right to be left alone to live your life as you see fit until you initiate force, fraud, or theft.
Should he voluntarily return to captivity after the funeral? That is a call only he can make, since any agreement he made with his kidnappers is null and void on grounds that it isn't truly consensual.
The Albuquerque man arrested last month for shooting a sheriff's deputy is being given a day out of jail to attend his brother's funeral. Without a lot more facts I can't say whether this temporary release is a good thing or a bad thing.
I admit, there is a lot I don't know about the history behind this case, and the "authorities" will never tell the truth openly. This man was "arrested" for shooting the deputy, but the deputy he shot was involved in a SWAT raid on him at the time- for a victimless "crime" he was suspected of committing. This was obviously a self defense shooting. The deputy's gang was attempting to use force in order to effect a kidnapping of a person who was not actually initiating force, theft, or fraud at the time of the shooting. There is nothing magical about a badge that makes a person immune from consequences of coercion, no matter what The State may claim.
The State claims the man is a "suspected drug dealer", but that is not wrong in and of itself. It is an exercise in the free market. Is the man really a "danger to our community" or only to people who are attacking him? Of course those whose "jobs" involve coercion and threats to the rights and liberties of the normal individuals are whining mightily about the release. As always "officer safety" comes first in their "minds", long before any such trivial (to them) thing as the absolute right to be left alone to live your life as you see fit until you initiate force, fraud, or theft.
Should he voluntarily return to captivity after the funeral? That is a call only he can make, since any agreement he made with his kidnappers is null and void on grounds that it isn't truly consensual.
What happens when you don't pay your 'protection money'?
What happens when you don't pay your 'protection money'?
An Albuquerque-area couple has allowed themselves to be abused and stolen from by a gang of thieves as retribution for the uppity act of attempting to keep their own property rather than handing it over to the thieves who demanded it. They "pleaded guilty to tax evasion". I'm sure when staring down the gun barrels of The State it seemed like the only option open to them, but it is a real shame to give in to bad guys, no matter what silly hat they wear.
There is nothing wrong with "tax evasion" unless it is also wrong to hide money in your shoe so the mugger in the alley won't take it. They may have done so, but they are by no means "guilty" since there is no guilt associated with a right and proper course of action when faced with coercion.
The "judge" also made sure to threaten the couple to continue to pay their protection money "or else". How can anyone think the tax racket is anything other than mob-style theft?
An Albuquerque-area couple has allowed themselves to be abused and stolen from by a gang of thieves as retribution for the uppity act of attempting to keep their own property rather than handing it over to the thieves who demanded it. They "pleaded guilty to tax evasion". I'm sure when staring down the gun barrels of The State it seemed like the only option open to them, but it is a real shame to give in to bad guys, no matter what silly hat they wear.
There is nothing wrong with "tax evasion" unless it is also wrong to hide money in your shoe so the mugger in the alley won't take it. They may have done so, but they are by no means "guilty" since there is no guilt associated with a right and proper course of action when faced with coercion.
The "judge" also made sure to threaten the couple to continue to pay their protection money "or else". How can anyone think the tax racket is anything other than mob-style theft?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Don't talk to cops, not even now
Don't talk to cops, not even now
What happens if your neighbors are found dead in their home, and LEOs want to interview everyone in the neighborhood? It's a scenario playing out in Albuquerque now.
If you refuse to speak to cops you will look guilty and suspicious. If you decide this is a good time to visit out-of-town relatives- same thing.
It is a really bad idea to speak to cops under any circumstances, but refusing to speak will throw up a red flag, and I'd bet refusing to speak without your lawyer present will put you on a list for future scrutiny and harassment. However, it is a possibility that is worth the risk.
Your immediate cooperation can't bring the dead back to life. It is doubtful it would even prevent a future attack, because preventing attacks is not the goal of the enforcers or their handlers. The proof is all around you. The best preventative solution, individual self defense, is "discouraged" by The Law, and practitioners are singled out for punishment more severe than many aggressors face.
Prevention is probably the best solution, but not everything can be prevented. Watch out for your neighbors (while minding your own business) and be aware of what is going on around you. And Don't Talk to Cops.
**In case you missed the link above, here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
What happens if your neighbors are found dead in their home, and LEOs want to interview everyone in the neighborhood? It's a scenario playing out in Albuquerque now.
If you refuse to speak to cops you will look guilty and suspicious. If you decide this is a good time to visit out-of-town relatives- same thing.
It is a really bad idea to speak to cops under any circumstances, but refusing to speak will throw up a red flag, and I'd bet refusing to speak without your lawyer present will put you on a list for future scrutiny and harassment. However, it is a possibility that is worth the risk.
Your immediate cooperation can't bring the dead back to life. It is doubtful it would even prevent a future attack, because preventing attacks is not the goal of the enforcers or their handlers. The proof is all around you. The best preventative solution, individual self defense, is "discouraged" by The Law, and practitioners are singled out for punishment more severe than many aggressors face.
Prevention is probably the best solution, but not everything can be prevented. Watch out for your neighbors (while minding your own business) and be aware of what is going on around you. And Don't Talk to Cops.
**In case you missed the link above, here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
Child porn conviction exposes flaws in the system
Child porn conviction exposes flaws in the system
An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail, and a lifetime of continual punishment, for having child porn. There is no indication he was the predator who was responsible for actually producing the images (if they actually depict real children rather than cartoon characters The Law interprets as "children"). Just that he had them and attempted to forward them.
Child pornography offends me deeply and is absolutely disgusting. However, this man was previously convicted on charges of an "attempt to commit criminal sexual penetration and criminal sexual contact of a minor". Yet, there is no indication that he made such an attempt during his possession of the child porn. (If he did then the investigators who were watching him for the past year+ are guilty of allowing him to do harm on their watch.) The reality is that study after study, in countries around the globe, show that such images provide an outlet and make a person less likely to actually prey on innocent people (despite punishment industry claims to the contrary).
The fact that he wasn't already registered as a sex offender after his previous convictions shows, once again, that the system doesn't work.
Perhaps he really is a bad guy; I certainly wouldn't trust my children around him. Yet mere possession of anything can never be a real crime. The person who made the photos and videos of children is the real aggressor here. Not some guy way on down the line. Whether there are "consumers" for such will never impact whether the images are made or not, since I highly doubt that's even a major part of the motivation for making them.
It is your job as a parent to know where your kids are, and who is with them. "Laws" will never replace you and you can never shirk your responsibility and expect others to do it for you. This makes me think of the parents who let their kids spend the night with a certain plastic surgery-addicted, and openly odd, celebrity, and were then "shocked" that questionable things may have happened during the sleepovers.
For a deeper look at, and libertarian solutions to, this and many other issues, get my book "Problem? Solved!".
(Examiner has given their writers an opportunity to make more money for the next few weeks by writing more articles, so I'm going to be grasping for topics. Excuse me if quality suffers as I strive for quantity.)
Letting the fox design the henhouse
Letting the fox design the henhouse
To allow politicians, bureaucrats, and enforcement thugs (whether in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Washington DC) to control the ownership and features of guns makes as much sense as allowing mosquitoes to control the deployment and voltage of bug zappers. Or to allow flies to have control over possession, use, and design of fly swatters. Or to allow rats to control the formulation and use of rat poison. They will always attempt to make the potentially helpful things as useless against attackers, and as dangerous to the user, as possible.
Safety features like suppressors ("silencers") and barrel shrouds are misunderstood, feared, and hated, and therefore either regulated or misrepresented to an ignorant public. Of course those who hate guns (and by extension, gun owners) would prefer that we go deaf from shooting and burn ourselves on hot barrels. Accept it or not, they'd also prefer you shot yourself, despite their condescending lies to the contrary. Notice how gleefully they dance in the blood (while trying to look pensive and sincere) and position for a microphone as soon as any gun-related tragedy, whether an accident or an attack, occurs.
Guns are designed as tools to protect you from those who would do you harm. If you are a good person then those who would do you harm are the bad guys. It doesn't matter if they claim to have "authority" or are just freelance thugs. Of course they want to be protected from your righteous self-defense. That is why they advocate "laws" regulating or licensing your guns. They want to be able to harm you without facing the justifiable consequences of their actions. There are no exceptions to this fact.
To allow politicians, bureaucrats, and enforcement thugs (whether in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Washington DC) to control the ownership and features of guns makes as much sense as allowing mosquitoes to control the deployment and voltage of bug zappers. Or to allow flies to have control over possession, use, and design of fly swatters. Or to allow rats to control the formulation and use of rat poison. They will always attempt to make the potentially helpful things as useless against attackers, and as dangerous to the user, as possible.
Safety features like suppressors ("silencers") and barrel shrouds are misunderstood, feared, and hated, and therefore either regulated or misrepresented to an ignorant public. Of course those who hate guns (and by extension, gun owners) would prefer that we go deaf from shooting and burn ourselves on hot barrels. Accept it or not, they'd also prefer you shot yourself, despite their condescending lies to the contrary. Notice how gleefully they dance in the blood (while trying to look pensive and sincere) and position for a microphone as soon as any gun-related tragedy, whether an accident or an attack, occurs.
Guns are designed as tools to protect you from those who would do you harm. If you are a good person then those who would do you harm are the bad guys. It doesn't matter if they claim to have "authority" or are just freelance thugs. Of course they want to be protected from your righteous self-defense. That is why they advocate "laws" regulating or licensing your guns. They want to be able to harm you without facing the justifiable consequences of their actions. There are no exceptions to this fact.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Helping the suicidal- cop style
Helping the suicidal- cop style
A 19 year-old "disturbed" man, who had apparently cut his wrists in a suicide attempt, was shot by a LEO in Albuquerque Tuesday morning. (Way to help an injured person there, Officer Kelly.)
So, maybe it really was a self-defense shooting. The man is said to have had a knife, after all, and we all know the foolishness of bringing a knife to a gun fight (or into a situation that could become a gun fight). In today's police state, any encounter with a cop is a potentially deadly encounter and can get out of control quickly. Cops are wound tight, possess an "us vs. them" mindset from the time they decide they want a badge, and anyone they approach is immediately and with good cause stricken with "fight or flight", either of which is a green light for a cop to shoot you without a second thought.
I'm guessing that bus stations have security cameras that could show whether the shot man actually "charged" the cops, as he is "said to have" done. Those tapes should be made public immediately. Then let us each judge the appropriateness of the shooting for ourselves rather than relying on empty assurances from the APD's spokescritter..
A 19 year-old "disturbed" man, who had apparently cut his wrists in a suicide attempt, was shot by a LEO in Albuquerque Tuesday morning. (Way to help an injured person there, Officer Kelly.)
So, maybe it really was a self-defense shooting. The man is said to have had a knife, after all, and we all know the foolishness of bringing a knife to a gun fight (or into a situation that could become a gun fight). In today's police state, any encounter with a cop is a potentially deadly encounter and can get out of control quickly. Cops are wound tight, possess an "us vs. them" mindset from the time they decide they want a badge, and anyone they approach is immediately and with good cause stricken with "fight or flight", either of which is a green light for a cop to shoot you without a second thought.
I'm guessing that bus stations have security cameras that could show whether the shot man actually "charged" the cops, as he is "said to have" done. Those tapes should be made public immediately. Then let us each judge the appropriateness of the shooting for ourselves rather than relying on empty assurances from the APD's spokescritter..
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A problem with authority
A problem with authority
'Authority' has had its meaning perverted. I have had people tell me that I have "a problem with authority". Nothing could be farther from the truth. I only have a problem with, a disgust for, counterfeit "authority". An empty "authority" that must rely on coercion to be maintained. When I run into real authority I defer to it. When I encounter false authority, I may not be spitting on the outside, but inside... I am spitting in its face.
True authority is the same as expertise. For years I tried to make fire with the bow drill. I followed directions in books. I spent hours, weeks, and months practicing. I made a lot of smoke and dust and blisters and bruises, but never one single fire. I could start fire easily with flint and steel, so it wasn't that I was helpless without matches and gasoline (like my dad is).
Then one day at a mountainman rendezvous, I heard that a man was giving a demonstration of starting a fire with the bow drill. I went and watched and listened as this man, this authority, started a couple of fires and helped a couple volunteers with their technique as well. When I left his presence I knew how it was done and I knew I could do it. I didn't even have to make the attempt to know. But, I soon did attempt the task anyway. I had a fire going in just a few minutes- from scratch to finish; sticks and cord to crackling flames. I was satisfied at my success, but not surprised.
This man was an authority and he had authority. He didn't need to force anyone to behave as though he were an authority. There was no coercion and no implied threat. You knew he had authority by his actions and his expertise and his results. If he told you that you were doing it wrong, you would be wise to listen, yet he would have let you try your own way if you refused to follow his suggestions. Your success or failure was no threat to his authority. I have now started hundreds (or thousands) of fires in this way, and taught the skill to others, all thanks to one true authority.
Cops, politicians, bureaucrats, and other so-called "authorities" can't compete in the real world, without the governments they cultivate and inhabit in Albuquerque and beyond, so they use threats and aggression to enforce their false "authority" on their victims. It shows them to be pathetic losers who try to claim that which is not theirs to claim.
Read more about Maturity and Authority.
.
'Authority' has had its meaning perverted. I have had people tell me that I have "a problem with authority". Nothing could be farther from the truth. I only have a problem with, a disgust for, counterfeit "authority". An empty "authority" that must rely on coercion to be maintained. When I run into real authority I defer to it. When I encounter false authority, I may not be spitting on the outside, but inside... I am spitting in its face.
True authority is the same as expertise. For years I tried to make fire with the bow drill. I followed directions in books. I spent hours, weeks, and months practicing. I made a lot of smoke and dust and blisters and bruises, but never one single fire. I could start fire easily with flint and steel, so it wasn't that I was helpless without matches and gasoline (like my dad is).
Then one day at a mountainman rendezvous, I heard that a man was giving a demonstration of starting a fire with the bow drill. I went and watched and listened as this man, this authority, started a couple of fires and helped a couple volunteers with their technique as well. When I left his presence I knew how it was done and I knew I could do it. I didn't even have to make the attempt to know. But, I soon did attempt the task anyway. I had a fire going in just a few minutes- from scratch to finish; sticks and cord to crackling flames. I was satisfied at my success, but not surprised.
This man was an authority and he had authority. He didn't need to force anyone to behave as though he were an authority. There was no coercion and no implied threat. You knew he had authority by his actions and his expertise and his results. If he told you that you were doing it wrong, you would be wise to listen, yet he would have let you try your own way if you refused to follow his suggestions. Your success or failure was no threat to his authority. I have now started hundreds (or thousands) of fires in this way, and taught the skill to others, all thanks to one true authority.
Cops, politicians, bureaucrats, and other so-called "authorities" can't compete in the real world, without the governments they cultivate and inhabit in Albuquerque and beyond, so they use threats and aggression to enforce their false "authority" on their victims. It shows them to be pathetic losers who try to claim that which is not theirs to claim.
Read more about Maturity and Authority.
.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wise up, people
Wise up, people
LEOs responded to a "domestic violence" call in rural Tome (south of Albuquerque) and ended up getting inside the house (foolishly "invited"?) and then decided they "smelled marijuana growing", got a "search warrant" rubber-stamped by a complicit judge (or more likely pulled a pre-stamped one from the stack they had handy), and they then found a cannabis growing operation in the house.
If you choose to do anything the government forbids, you would be wise to not do anything wrong. In other words, if you are non-coercively growing plants that can get you kidnapped or killed by "the law", don't initiate force against your significant other. In many cases it would even be foolish to fight back if attacked. Many "significant others" have no scruples at all and will call LEOs on you as an act of revenge for some imagined slight, especially if they can attack you and then get you to fight back. I'm not saying this is necessarily what happened in this instance, just keep it in mind.
Don't attract attention, and try to avoid doing anything that might get dishonorable people to report you to The State for upsetting them. Yes, it is stupid that you must live this way, but it is the reality of the police state we live in. Accept it.
And never, ever, imagine that calling the cops is going to end in anything other than disaster for you personally, no matter what someone else has done to you.
LEOs responded to a "domestic violence" call in rural Tome (south of Albuquerque) and ended up getting inside the house (foolishly "invited"?) and then decided they "smelled marijuana growing", got a "search warrant" rubber-stamped by a complicit judge (or more likely pulled a pre-stamped one from the stack they had handy), and they then found a cannabis growing operation in the house.
If you choose to do anything the government forbids, you would be wise to not do anything wrong. In other words, if you are non-coercively growing plants that can get you kidnapped or killed by "the law", don't initiate force against your significant other. In many cases it would even be foolish to fight back if attacked. Many "significant others" have no scruples at all and will call LEOs on you as an act of revenge for some imagined slight, especially if they can attack you and then get you to fight back. I'm not saying this is necessarily what happened in this instance, just keep it in mind.
Don't attract attention, and try to avoid doing anything that might get dishonorable people to report you to The State for upsetting them. Yes, it is stupid that you must live this way, but it is the reality of the police state we live in. Accept it.
And never, ever, imagine that calling the cops is going to end in anything other than disaster for you personally, no matter what someone else has done to you.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Money matters
I want about $1500 for something totally trivial.
At least it is only a fraction of what I needed for my coins. It still seems completely unrealistically out of reach. Since I basically have no income I would need to sell some items to raise the cash. That's when reality punches me in the face. I own nothing that is worth anything other than the few things I won't part with.
In my fantasies I dream of selling enough of my books to pay for stuff I want or need, but that ain't happening. Or, if I could get several thousand page views on my Examiner columns every day for a while, that might work. (Unless Examiner decided to change the rules if my page views got too high.) That seems as unlikely as selling hundreds of my books in the next few weeks.
So, what else could I sell...
Let's see, I have my dog tag stamping machine that cost me around $900 new. And I rarely use it anymore since I am out of the pet business. I could sell that, plus all the blank tags and stuff, but I'm not sure how much that would get. Plus, since it weighs between 40 and 50 pounds (not counting accessories), shipping would be a pain.
I could probably afford to part with some of my beloved hats, but that would kinda hurt and I doubt it would raise much money. Not everyone loves hats like I do.
I already auctioned off most of my original artwork a few years ago, and I haven't done any more recently.
I have odds and ends like an old mountain bike, lots of kerosene lanterns, and "junque". I doubt if it would add up to anything even if I sold it all.
Maybe I could offer services instead.
I doubt prostitution would be very profitable for me. A shame, that. Plus, girls would never pay for what they can all get for free anytime the notion crosses their mind.
I could give lessons in primitive survival techniques if someone has land that would work for the purpose.
I excel at sharpening knives by hand (no power grinders or anything so fast and damaging). I never charged enough to make it worth the effort, though.
My sharpest skills aren't very marketable. I'm good at sitting around and thinking/daydreaming. Oh, and I can wander aimlessly around wild places for days.
My best bet is to talk myself out of wanting what I want.
At least it is only a fraction of what I needed for my coins. It still seems completely unrealistically out of reach. Since I basically have no income I would need to sell some items to raise the cash. That's when reality punches me in the face. I own nothing that is worth anything other than the few things I won't part with.
In my fantasies I dream of selling enough of my books to pay for stuff I want or need, but that ain't happening. Or, if I could get several thousand page views on my Examiner columns every day for a while, that might work. (Unless Examiner decided to change the rules if my page views got too high.) That seems as unlikely as selling hundreds of my books in the next few weeks.
So, what else could I sell...
Let's see, I have my dog tag stamping machine that cost me around $900 new. And I rarely use it anymore since I am out of the pet business. I could sell that, plus all the blank tags and stuff, but I'm not sure how much that would get. Plus, since it weighs between 40 and 50 pounds (not counting accessories), shipping would be a pain.
I could probably afford to part with some of my beloved hats, but that would kinda hurt and I doubt it would raise much money. Not everyone loves hats like I do.
I already auctioned off most of my original artwork a few years ago, and I haven't done any more recently.
I have odds and ends like an old mountain bike, lots of kerosene lanterns, and "junque". I doubt if it would add up to anything even if I sold it all.
Maybe I could offer services instead.
I doubt prostitution would be very profitable for me. A shame, that. Plus, girls would never pay for what they can all get for free anytime the notion crosses their mind.
I could give lessons in primitive survival techniques if someone has land that would work for the purpose.
I excel at sharpening knives by hand (no power grinders or anything so fast and damaging). I never charged enough to make it worth the effort, though.
My sharpest skills aren't very marketable. I'm good at sitting around and thinking/daydreaming. Oh, and I can wander aimlessly around wild places for days.
My best bet is to talk myself out of wanting what I want.
ABQ cop fired, may face charges in shooting
ABQ cop fired, may face charges in shooting
In a follow-up to a previous column, the Albuquerque LEO who shot a burglary suspect late last year, and who had the unfortunate experience of the bullet wounds apparently not agreeing with the official story, has been fired. My previous thoughts are on record here.
This is one of those extremely rare, and getting even more so, cases where a LEO is found to have not followed departmental guidelines and actually suffers some consequences after a shooting. I admit I thought this never happened anymore. I am pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It happens so rarely. (I'm joking! Give me a break!)
Now, the question remains, if you or I shot someone, would it take almost a year to decide whether it was a justifiable shooting, and if not, to press charges? Would we simply be fired from our job?
In a follow-up to a previous column, the Albuquerque LEO who shot a burglary suspect late last year, and who had the unfortunate experience of the bullet wounds apparently not agreeing with the official story, has been fired. My previous thoughts are on record here.
This is one of those extremely rare, and getting even more so, cases where a LEO is found to have not followed departmental guidelines and actually suffers some consequences after a shooting. I admit I thought this never happened anymore. I am pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It happens so rarely. (I'm joking! Give me a break!)
Now, the question remains, if you or I shot someone, would it take almost a year to decide whether it was a justifiable shooting, and if not, to press charges? Would we simply be fired from our job?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)