Self improvement

I want to be better than "just me"... But I don't know in what way.

How's that for a confusing situation?

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Inflation

Added:

Michael Bloomberg needs to face the music

The recent kidnapping of a Tennessee woman by Mikey Bloomberg's own New York gangsters, when she rather foolishly tried to obey New York City's idiotic anti-gun "laws", makes me think turnabout is fair play.

Since we all, even Mikey Poopie Bloomers and his associates, commit an average of 3 federal felonies a day, I think next time Poopie Bloomers or any member of his family or any NYC employee sets foot in a less-tyrannical jurisdiction they should also be kidnapped by the local LEOs.

After all, they do something that is clearly illegal- they ban guns and harm gun owners. That's enough justification to tell them to either stay home and stop violating us, or face the consequences.

I'm sick of these ethics-free diseased vermin. We are expected to worship their made up "laws" while they thumb their noses at universally-binding Natural Law as if it doesn't matter. Well, Time's Up!

Now, do any sheriffs or cops out there have the gonads to do the right thing? Or will the anti-liberty thugs get off easy due to their power and influence? I think we all know the answer to that one.

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Michael Shermer's latest column

MORE GOD, LESS CRIME OR MORE GUNS, LESS CRIME?

A very good article. And, yes, it concerns John Lott's famous studies, as well as the assertions of a religious guy.

I can't bring myself to wade through all the comments, because I don't feel like reading the goofy opinions of the anti-gun extremists. If you can stomach it, I'm sure there are some good comments mixed in there, too. (I saw that Mr. Lott himself had posted a comment just above mine.)

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Ron Paul and other "not quite Libertopias"

There are a lot of things that don't exactly pass muster with me, as far as true liberty goes, but which I still provisionally support anyway. For one reason or another.

The main reason is usually that I think they'd be "interesting" and upset a lot of statists. I think they'd each qualify as "monkeywrenching". I think there would even be fun involved.

1) In this list I would include a Ron Paul presidency. And, as a part of that, auditing and abolishing the Fed.

2) A rigidly enforced Constitution, where (back to the reality of the document) anything that is not specifically authorized by name or minute description for the government to do, is prohibited- and I'd whimsically add "under penalty of death", to be carried out immediately upon any government employee who advocates or endorses- or somehow attempts to enforce- the most measly unconstitutional idea. Including, particularly, Supreme Courtjesters who quibble over things that no sensible person has any doubt over the clear Constitutional meaning of. ("...shall not be infringed" being among them.) Remember that the Supreme Courtjesters are not the Constitutional "last word" on the Constitution; they usurped that power illegally.

2a) Full re-legalization of all "drugs". "Where, Mr. or Ms. Drug Warrior, does the Constitution spell out- exactly and specifically in clear unambiguous wording- that the government can prohibit people from harming themselves with self-administered chemical compounds? You can't find it? Up against the wall!" (OK, I admit, I am even against a death penalty in these cases, except as carried out by the intended victim at the time and place of the attack. But it's fun to imagine- especially after reading about so many horrible crimes against the innocent carried out by these psychotic prohibitionists!)

3) Secession of any of the formerly united States. Especially, by reason of residency, Texas. Yeah, there are a lot of things in this movement I dislike; things that are decidedly anti-liberty in nature. But I'd still prefer an end to the rapidly-growing cancer that the US government has become- we can deal with mopping up the smaller infections later.

No, none of these things is the Holy Grail. That remains Libertopia, in one form or another. But each of these things would be fun to watch in its own way.

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Seeking local discussion on liberty

Seeking local discussion on liberty

(My Clovis News Journal Column for December 2, 2011)

While liberty is a full-time passion of mine, writing about it is merely a part-time urge. A pretty strong urge that will not be ignored, but one which can be delayed when necessary. Life is usually pretty full of other things which tend to get in the way of things I plan to write about; especially those topics which require more time than simply sorting through the files in my head.

For one thing, I keep intending to talk to some of the other local libertarians I know of, just to see if their experiences "living liberty" relate in any way to mine, but it seems that busy-ness keeps getting in the way. I'm planning to remedy that soon.

And, in pursuit of that goal I would like a chance to get to know more local libertarians, and libertarian-inclined people. Or the "liberty curious", as an imaginary libertarian personal ad might say.

I know more are out there than I have noticed, since as I have mentioned before, libertarians don't usually attract much attention because we are so unremarkable. Maybe you are one.

Perhaps this column has piqued your interest in the past year and you'd like to discuss liberty with other interested people in an informal setting. Maybe you are even suspicious of liberty, but won't be offended if your best arguments don't change my mind. In that case I'd be glad to let you take your best shot. I have been told I am contagious in my libertarianism, however, so you might be taking a risk.

I'm not interested in getting together to fight or argue, but friendly debate is always welcome. One thing I'm probably not very interested in discussing is politics. Well, make that two things, because I'm not interested in talking about sports either. Besides, there are plenty of places to talk about those more mundane topics. Just about anything else, taboo, deep, or just plain odd, is on the table.

So, as long as you are willing, I'd be glad to get together somewhere to get to know you and hear your thoughts on freedom and liberty, and what they mean in your own day-to-day life.

If enough people are interested we could even schedule regular chats at some local venue after the holidays are over.

Don't be shy. I am not scary... to most people. And neither is liberty. My contact information is below.

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Run for the hills! It's 2012!

Yeah, I know... Nothing extraordinary will happen. Not the Mayan "End of the Calendar/World". Not the Zombie Apocalypse. Not anything else (in spite of the best efforts of puppeticians and bureaucrats). Chances are exactly the same for civilization-ending disaster in the coming 12 months as any other random 12 months. Some bad things will happen, but none will be "It".

Still, I plan to use this time to work on my preparations. Just like I did in 1999. Every dozen years or so it's probably good to pretend that TEOTWAWKI is here, just to keep your prep muscles in shape. And, it's fun.

Do you have adequate weaponry and "food" for that weaponry? Is your training with your weaponry "good enough"? Do you have a good knife? Or two?

Do you have alternate forms of money? FRNs are going to eventually stabilize at their intrinsic worthlessness. Are you ready?

Do you have food, medicines, and other "necessary" supplies stored up? Or are you actively building your supplies right now?

Do you have the skills you need in case Murphy's Law makes all your "hoard" useless? Can you build a fire? Can you locate or collect water and make it safe to drink? Can you find or make shelter? Can you do those things if you have nothing but the clothes on your back- or less? Do you have the attitude that will make such a scenario into an adventure instead of a disaster?

Do you have a network of people you can count on? Do you know where the probable "good guys" are, and where the potential zombies live? Are you remembering to keep your yap-hole shut about your preps?

I don't believe for one instant that anything unusually disastrous will occur this year. But I'm going to have fun preparing for it anyway. And my "preps" have, over and over again, made slight, very localized "situations" much more bearable for me and my family in the past. You never know what may happen tomorrow. Be ready for it. Think of it as the ultimate role playing game.

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Free speech and threats

Am I the only person who thinks freedom of speech includes threats and falsely yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater?

Over and over again I hear and/or read people talking about freedom of speech, but then they go and turn it into a privilege rather than a right by putting silly limits on it.

Recently, on Facebook, someone posted a comment to a link to one of my blogs and said something that could have been construed as a threat of violence. It was just confusing enough that I'm really not sure if that's the way it was meant or not.

Then, almost immediately after I saw that comment I watched a video about how Firefly fans "saved" freedom of speech at a university campus, but even the defenders of free speech fell for the myth that threats are not covered.

I don't buy it.

Now, if you act on a threat, or it seems credible that you might, your target is justified in acting to stop you. If you don't like that consequence maybe you should keep your threats to yourself.

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Hastings bookstore- authors beware!

Recently I praised a company, Buck Knives, for their excellent customer service. Today, I will scold another company, Hastings, for a lack of customer service.

As you know (I hope) I have written some books. I placed 5 copies of each title in the local Hastings store. Here is the email I sent to their headquarters back on November 17, 2011- after several months of getting nowhere with the local management:

To Whom it May Concern,

This is in reference to the Hastings store in Clovis, New Mexico.

I have some books I authored on consignment at that store. I am having a lot of problems that have not been solved or adequately addressed.

The "book manager" position keeps changing, and with the change comes different rules. The "book manager" is also very hard to catch at work. For months I was not able to connect with her and my messages were never answered with a call.

About a month ago I was finally able to catch her (the current book manager at the store). She seemed genuinely interested in helping me, but the records for consignment books and sales were in shambles. The contracts for some of my titles were completely missing; with no record of my books ever being in the store. I was able to find the books on the "local authors" shelf, but two titles (out of 5) were missing. Of those which were missing, I was told that one title had been mailed back to me. I never received them, nor did anyone contact me about this. I would have gladly come to the store and retrieved them. I never got any answer as to what had happened to the other missing title, even though I was told that they would find out and call me.

I was asked to fill out new agreements for the books for which there was no longer any record of them being in the store. Which I did. At this time I was also told I must come in and check on sales every 30 days, which is not a problem as long as someone is there who can help me.

I did get paid for 3 books which records showed had been sold since I was last paid.

Today (Nov. 17, 2011) I went back in to check on sales. Once again the book manager was not there. And no one else really knew what was going on.

Now I can find none of my books in the store, and records indicate none of them are in stock, nor did they sell. It was mentioned that the books may have been destroyed in the latest inventory. I paid for those books out of my own pocket, and had anyone called me at the phone number which was on every consignment agreement, I would have come in and picked them up.

Needless to say, I am very unhappy with the situation.

I appreciate Hastings' willingness to sell the books of local authors on consignment. Many other chains simply refuse to do so. However, I can't afford to simply donate my books to Hastings.

Is there anything that you can do about this problem?

Sincerely,

Kent McManigal
Farwell, Texas

Here is the reply I got:

We apologize for your experience at this location. Please know that the information that you have provided has been forwarded onto the correct individuals so that the necessary actions are taken.

You are a valued customer in our stores, and we hope that you will continue to give Hastings the opportunity to provide your home entertainment needs in the future.

If you need anything further please don't hesitate to contact us. Otherwise, no response is needed.

After much more of a runaround, the final answer I got from the local store can be summarized as "tough luck". They won't pay for the books that went missing. They won't accept responsibility for the disappearance.

So, customer beware.

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We outnumber the bad guys even more than we thought!

I could be wrong, but groups such as The Innocence Project and the group I recently read about (in Discover magazine) that is scientifically demonstrating that "arson investigation" is a load of hooey show that there are fewer bad people out there than most people have been led to believe, but that the ones there are might be worse than we thought- responsible for more of the trouble.

Which means that if we each take responsibility to be armed at all times, and stop bad guys who are caught in the act, we can have a larger impact of society than we previously thought.

That's very good news!

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I'm selling on eBay. Again.-UPDATED reminder

Still selling- Did you not get enough reading material for Christmas? I can solve that.

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Added 12-8-2011: Thanks for the response so far! I'm still waiting for someone to mention the hidden message contained in many listings. No prize for finding it, but maybe the sense of accomplishment will be worth it.

I have added even more books, plus one gem I hesitated to list for sale. I keep thinking about whether I should list some non-book items. Also, there is another seller whose sales go into the same pot, so check out other books there: link

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Last night I got a big box of books. There are a LOT of "The Cat Who...." books in the box, and some SF, and some Danielle Steel and well, just keep watching. I'm guessing there are 60 or 70 books.

(Added: I have quite a few Robert A. Heinlein and Andre Norton books in the box. I haven't listed them since I'm trying to decide what to read, but let me know if you are looking for a particular title.)

I will be selling them on eBay, adding a few each day for a while. They might make good Christmas/Solstice/Kwanzaa/Hannukah/Festivus/Zagmuk gifts for people you're not too terribly fond of.

So, please, go see what I have for sale. I am dullhawk1840. I try to make the listings entertaining.

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Kidnapper- the "protector"

Speaking, as I was yesterday, of learning lessons from silly sources:

I really enjoyed the movie "Tangled". Of all the Disney cartoon chicks, I like Rapunzel the best. Wow. Anyway... where was I?

The Wicked Kidnapper/"Mother" is The State. She gets Rapunzel to promise, from a`position of enforced ignorance, to never leave her. She gets her to pledge allegiance.

It was all based upon a lie.

When we find out we were lied to, we need to realize our promise is not binding. No matter what we may have said, or what promises we may have made, we were acting on a false premise. We were not the liars, even when we apparently break our word. The deal, if we ever made a deal, is off.

And yes, the Wicked Kidnapper is the bad guy, not the victim. She/it uses us while pretending to be our protector. We are being fed upon. The State, our Wicked Kidnapper, needs us; we do not need it. "She" hopes her lies, and her attempts to shield us from exposure to the truth, will keep us fearful and loyal. She hopes our guilt at wanting out of a false deal will keep us compliant. She will be sad to learn the truth in the moments before she turns to dust.

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Libertarians not anti-government

Libertarians not anti-government

(My Clovis News Journal column for November 25, 2011.)

Recently in this column, which as of this week I have now been writing for a year (party hats and balloons all around!), I have been addressing the misconceptions I have heard repeated about libertarians.

I think it's important to understand your libertarian neighbors, rare though we may seem at first glance to be, so you'll know who you are dealing with and what to expect. I'm happy to provide this service.

A misconception regarding libertarians I run into a lot is that we are "anti-government". That isn't necessarily true. The root of the matter is that libertarians are pro-liberty, and since government is generally anti-liberty it makes us appear, to some observers, to be anti-government. The burden of opposition actually lies with the other side.

You can be anti-government without having the slightest libertarian leanings, and there are plenty of libertarians who still think it is possible to increase liberty through guiding government in "the right direction". I happen to disagree, based upon observation and experience, but I'd enjoy being proved wrong.

But as far as "anti-government"- I have known a lot people over the course of my life who could be described as anti-government. The funny thing about the vast majority of them is that they usually have no problem with the concept of government as long as it is doing what they want done. They are frequently enthusiastic cheerleaders for government coercion and theft, until it is directed at them. At that point they suddenly discover they are "anti-government", until the situation changes once again. That isn't libertarian at all. It is aimlessly "anti-government without any guiding principles". And I think it is dangerous.

If there could exist a hypothetical government which never claimed or enforced a monopoly on force, never sought to finance itself through the twin thefts known as "taxation" and inflating away the value of the currency, never used coercion as a tool against individuals who were not stealing or attacking anyone, and never violated any individual's rights, most libertarians would probably not mind that government. Personally, I would still have no use for it, but I wouldn't spend much effort opposing it.

Because, you see, it's not the government libertarians oppose; it is the unethical behavior they all depend upon in order to exist that we oppose. The same behavior we oppose no matter where it occurs, and no matter who is engaging in it.

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Put one foot in front of the other...

No one wants to believe they are a bad person. Even when they admit they have done something bad they tend to believe they had no choice in the matter, but only did what they "had to do".

I also think that is why so few people change from being a bad person to being good. Justifying their bad behavior by blaming circumstances becomes a habit that is hard to break.

The Winter Warlock learned to put one foot in front of the other in his personal quest to stop being "bad"*, according to the old Christmas TV special. One step at a time. But, first he had to see that what he was doing was wrong, and had to admit it was a choice that he could change.

Funny how often we can learn something from such a trivial source, isn't it.

(*Assuming that he didn't actually own the land that was being crossed by the young Mr. Kringle... If he did own it, he wasn't being very neighborly, but was well within his rights to use force against the trespassers. But, that's another lesson right there. Right up there with the fact that Scrooge was also within his rights before the "ghosts" scared him into changing.)

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Wrong again! (I mean me)

After the Christmas meal had been devoured, and the after-meal stupor had given way to the games, a relative happened to mention the recent jail cell suicide of a suspect in a child abuse case. Her opinion was that his death was a good thing and had saved the "taxpayers" money.

Instead of keeping my mouth shut (wouldn't you just love to have me at your family gatherings) I said that I believe, and the evidence shows, too many innocent people are arrested (and convicted and executed).

She then said "Well, I think if a suspect kills himself it is an admission of guilt." I agreed.

But then I thought about it.

I was wrong.

In the current US Police State a suicide could also be the result of the realization that, even if you are innocent, your life is over once you have been dragged in to the "justice" system by an accusation. Even if you are innocent and are set free by a jury, you will still have the cloud hanging over your head that says that The State thinks you did something bad. Too many State worshipers believe that you wouldn't have been arrested if you didn't do it. And, that's enough to make some people choose death instead of a lifetime of being suspected of getting away with something. In fact, I suspect the innocent might be more inclined to kill themselves after an arrest than people who really don't care.

And, that's also assuming that a suicide is really a suicide, rather than a murder by the kidnappers or their jailhouse "brothers".

Just my thoughts.

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Merry Christmas- Happy (late) Solstice!

Merry Christmas. Yuletide greetings. Happy Zagmuk. Happy Festivus. Happy (late) winter solstice- which is the real "reason for the season".

Here's my "deep thought" for the day:

The whole Christmas myth of Santa Claus illustrates why central planning is always a failure. For one individual to visit hundreds of millions of homes in one night, even adjusted for a 24 hour night moving around the planet, would be impossible. Yet, it apparently happens.

How? Santa wouldn't work as a "top down program" administered by one person from one spot, but works pretty well as a "bottom up" deal where each family is responsible for their own little corner of the world- IF they choose to participate. No coercion, no rules. Not perfect, but possible.

Just like every other facet of reality.

Now, enjoy this musical interlude:

Two "deep" questions

There are two different quotes that touch on the same question, and they have both been going through my mind a lot recently.

 One is "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" 

The other is "What is it you want the most?"

 And I don't have an answer for either one.  What does it say about me that I can't answer those questions, and that I have never been able to?

Seriously, I want to be able to answer both of those, and I have been trying to as long as I can remember- even long before I had ever seen the questions in front of me.  More than anything else, that is the reason I quit college after 2 years, having never chosen a "major".  Am I trying to keep my options open?  Or, is that just justification to avoid... something?

And, does it even matter?

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Coercion no way to win support

Coercion no way to win support

(My Clovis News Journal/Portales News-Tribune column for November 18, 2011)

When you decide your house needs a new roof how do you go about getting it done? Do you either try to use your insurance policy or find a way to pay for it yourself? Or, do you go to your neighbors and demand, at gunpoint, that they pay for all or part of it on your behalf?

Only government can consistently choose the latter option and keep getting away with it.

There are a lot of things I think I really "need". Things that would be good for me and probably be good for everyone in my life, but things that cost more than I can possibly afford on my own. There are also things I think would be good for "the community", which I can't do alone.

However I am not under the impression that just because some things would be good, and would arguably benefit a lot of people, I am justified in forcing you to pay for them, even if I can see no other way. I can describe what I want, and try to convince others to pitch in. I could even whine and plead and cry. As long as I don't use coercion- or delegate someone else to use coercion for the cause- I am doing nothing wrong. Annoying, perhaps, but not wrong.

It is also why I would not impose a libertarian paradise on you without leaving you a simple way to opt out.

Just as soon as I use violence, or even skillfully veiled threats of violence, to get my way, I have crossed the line from right to wrong. It doesn't matter what the money was for, or how many people it might benefit. I have de-legitimized my cause by giving up on convincing others to help voluntarily and lowering myself to the level of the common crook.

So, is there something you think should be done that you can't afford to do by yourself? Then start telling others why you believe it is important and convince them to go along with you. Don't turn to coercion, not even through the enforced opinions of a voting majority, to accomplish your goals. That just shows you couldn't sway enough people to voluntarily help you accomplish your goal, but were only able to convince enough who believe coercion is OK and are willing to use force against people who don't want to participate. It means you failed. Don't fail.

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Changing the past or embracing it

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of what was probably the worst day of my life. I won't go into details.

Almost everything about my life today is a direct result of that one day. And the pain is still almost unbearable at times.

But, because of the pain of that day I sought out like-minded individuals and, instead of simply reading what others were saying about individual liberty, I began speaking out about it. I stood to be counted with the good guys. I felt I had nothing more to lose, and that made me "brave".

Would I change anything if I could? My answer is "no" only because of my daughter, who I would have never had almost 4 years later if that day had gone differently. But, everything else I'd trade away in an instant.

This is reality, and reality says the past can't be changed anyway (even while it can be discovered to all be a lie written to support the current Rulers). So, I accept the current conditions that the past made happen. I'm not so sure I'd say I embrace any of it.

Life goes on, and I have discovered that monumental change comes when you least expect it, so never get too comfortable with life. The next monumental change may just be wonderful.


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"The Political Bible" by Rich Rubino

I've been reading The Political Bible of Little Known Facts in American Politics by Rich Rubino. It is dedicated to "political junkies", one of which I most assuredly am not.

However...It is a very fascinating book. Once I got past my initial bewilderment over why politicians and their oddities are more worthy of a book than are janitors or doctors I found myself enjoying the book.

You can read about things future presidents did before they entered organized crime. Among other things. You can also read about state-level politicians, and congresscritters. And you can read facts about the "founding documents". Seriously, this book is just filled with short snippets that cover the spectrum. Odd things, funny things, sad things.

Since this is a "plotless" book, it is an excellent bathroom book. You can read just a few of the brief entries at a time and never lose your place.

I did enjoy it- in fact, I still am enjoying it. I also know some people I intend to loan it to- but I want it back.

So, thanks, Rich, for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy your obsession.

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