Nature of government no shocker

(My Clovis News Journal column for November 6, 2015)

I’m not a political libertarian. I don’t believe it’s possible to change government in any helpful way with political action, including voting. Political libertarians believe they can change government by becoming government. If this works, let’s all rush to join the Islamic State and the KKK so we can change them from the inside, too.

Swim in a cesspool and see if you change it more than it changes you. I don’t believe you can clean a cesspool by adding a bucket of fresh water, either. Especially if you have to pollute that water to make it “fit in better” before you add it.

Government is corruption, theft, and aggression. Whether it is a city council, state legislators, or a national government. Being shocked when a government acts true to its nature seems as odd as being shocked when red ants sting.

Constitutions can't prevent governments from being true to their nature any more than posting a note beside an anthill can change the nature of the ants. The ants might notice the shadow it casts, and may change course to avoid the note. But they will still be red ants, behaving like red ants. They will still sting.

Maybe the situation would have been different had the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, come with a penalty clause to discourage violations, with swift, sure punishment for government employees. If you allow government employees to interpret the Constitution and hand out the punishment for breaking it, you are handing the fox keys to the hen house. You're back to where you didn't want to be. Any punishment would have to be immediate; beyond the control or reach of any government employee. Government calls this "insurrection" or "revolution".

This isn't to say government never changes. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are always small shifts toward something less horrible in limited areas, while the general direction is toward more control and snooping. It's the nature of government, and can't be altered.

Is it "defeatism" to accept reality? No. It is a call to change how you view government, and how you respond when its nature is exposed. Don't be shocked or saddened. It's expected. Remember this when anyone suggests raising "taxes" (money government is permitted to steal), or says "there oughta be a law". How do you really believe that will work out? It's not defeatist to live with reality; it's self-defeating to ignore it.

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Equality

No two people are truly equal.

However, everyone has equal and identical rights which don't depend on your gender, where on the globe you were born or where you live, how much melanin is in your skin, or what kind of hair grows out of your head.

It also doesn't depend on which god you worship or believe in.

For this reason feminism bothers me (it is now usually just a way to legitimize misandry). As does misogyny. And racism. And borderism. And religionism.

It doesn't matter who has been oppressed by whom in the past. The past doesn't matter in this regard. Once you start claiming that someone gets (or deserves) more "rights" than someone else, for any reason, I part ways. You are on your own, then.

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Tribalism

People are always saying humans are tribal. It's why they claim you can't get rid of "national borders"- they don't notice the absurdity of that claim.

If someone is an aggressor/property violator, they are not of my tribe. I don't care too much what happens to them. Maybe that's not nice, but aggression comes at a price.

If someone lives minding their own business, not initiating force or violating property, I'll bend over backwards to help and support them. I don't care what color they are or what language they speak, or where they were born. They are "my people". My tribe.

This is the only form of tribalism I can relate to. Anything else is contrived and artificial and meaningless.

You can't put borders around this tribe, because it isn't geographic. It is spread out all over the planet. Among those of the enemy tribes. Any attempt to place borders around this tribe would be as ridiculously harmful as "national borders"; clumping people together who have too little in common to be forced together. Forcing people together in spite of opposing principles, goals, values, and drives. Dividing true tribes and mashing the fragments together with enemy tribes. It's precarious and a recipe for disaster.

But, go right ahead- just remember when your chickens come home to roost: you were warned.

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"Safetyness" is no life to live

Let's make a law that requires everyone to wear an anvil on their chest. Because, you know, an anvil would stop a bullet. Maybe later we can address the loophole that doesn't require a second anvil to protect the back.

Then we'll hire anvil enforcement officers empowered to stop people at random to make certain they are wearing their anvil. If they are found in violation, the officers can imprison them, confiscate their property, and shoot them if they resist. For their own good, and the common good, of course. If you oppose this proposal on the grounds that it would harm people or be inconvenient and uncomfortable, then you just don't care about saving people from being shot.

Or, let's make everything illegal that has ever resulted in an injury or death. Just think how much it would help the economy to hire enough people to enforce that one! You can't seriously oppose laws against things that could hurt or kill people, could you? Do you want people to hurt and die? Well, you're no better than a murderer in that case! You probably are one, but haven't been caught yet!

As ridiculous as this sounds (I hope you think it sounds ridiculous), this is how I see drunk driving "laws".

The guy who killed my daughter was living under all sorts of "laws" which are imposed and enforced to (supposedly) protect the innocent. That they failed doesn't mean the "laws" killed her, but they failed to protect her. And they damaged her Rightful Liberty all her 24 years. That's not an acceptable trade-off.

Just an hour or so before I found out she had been killed, I had posted a Facebook status which said in part:

Do I "like" the act of drunk driving? No, not one bit. But I hate the checkpoints, "laws", and enforcement imposed to supposedly fight it even worse.
...
Rightful Liberty will solve any problems the best possible way without violating anyone.
Statism never can.

It is still as true now as when I wrote it, not knowing how ironic my post was.

So, no. I don't blame the "laws" for her death. I don't even blame them for failing to prevent her death- "laws" are powerless in that regard. What I blame them for is cheapening life by destroying liberty and property, and by making responsibility a quaint notion in this day of "legal, or not?"

I hate the culture of "safetyness" and cowardice that has taken root and bloomed. I want to see people live their lives boldly, living their liberty in spite of "laws". It's your life; make it count. You never know when or how it will end. You can comply and cower and avoid breaking counterfeit rules, and you'll still die. Reject "safetyness". Refuse to wear the anvil. Do dangerous things, with open eyes. Take responsibility, accept the consequences, and make your life mean something.

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Alien in an alien land

Am I living in an alien culture or am I not?

On one hand, I have almost nothing in common with those around me. I can't even relate to the fears that drive so much of their reactionary and statist behavior. And, even when I can relate to those fears, I see their response to be, well, insane- leading to more of the very things they fear.

On the other hand, no one generally initiates force against me nor violates my property- except through "government". People behave libertarian without even knowing what the word means or intending to.

I guess the truly alien part of this culture is that they honestly can't see that how they choose to live their personal lives is contradicted by how they choose to live their "political" lives. It goes beyond blinders. They can't even see what they are doing to themselves.

Yeah, I'm tired of being an alien. But other than being an example that might (might) inspire some change, I don't know how to change it.

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A disturbing lack of patience

(Previously posted to Patreon)

I should probably avoid Facebook. At least on days like today. It can angry up the blood.

That may be true all the time, but I admit to getting lots of inspiration from things I find posted there. Horrible things, beautiful things, and everything in between. Yes, most is mindless, but there are well-thought out jewels if you look.

I would like to believe that I post a few of those jewels.

I do post things on occasion to see where they might lead. To use them as test balloons; to see how they are reacted to; to see if I get any deeper insights.

But, when I am feeling down and stressed, as has been the case recently, and anti-liberty bigots are posting their demands for "common sense gun regulation"... well, I should probably just stay away.

But I'm not that smart.

Here are a few of the things I posted today:

My patience for those who support or advocate "laws" that get innocent people killed is at historic low levels.
Rightful Liberty is the best solution. Your anti-liberty "laws" only cause more grief and death. Much more than would otherwise happen. So, yeah, you are siding with the murderers. Against me. Against people I care about. You are threatening us. Over and over again. And being smug about it.
If you really want to come kill me, which is what advocating "laws" always comes down to, come in person. Stop trying to hide behind lies. Don't be a pathetic coward and send government employees to kill me on your behalf. Come in person. Because as far as your anti-liberty "laws" are concerned, I will not comply. Period.
Your move.

Uncivilized barbarians.
Some use guns.
Some use swords.
Some use clubs, hands, or knives.
But most use governments and "laws".

You can pull out charts and statistics and whatever other pro-rapist propaganda you can find that "prove" how "beneficial" rape is... and it doesn't change the evil of the act.
Same for anti-gun "laws".
If you support them, you are advocating pure evil. Period.

I'm just really tired of mass-murder cheerleaders calling for more of what empowers mass-murderers. And pretending that their position is "reasonable". Enabling mass murder through "gun control" (population disarmament) is NOT reasonable. It is barbaric. The death toll which results makes the death toll from freelance thugs pale in comparison- over 200 million in the 20th Century alone. Real civilized, anti-liberty bigots. Real civilized.
You think this makes me angry? You bet it does. I am opposed to mass murderers and those who coddle them.

It's not easy enough for people who are determined to defend themselves and others to get- and carry- the proper weapons.

"Gun control" is a lie.
Supporting it is empowering murder.

As you might imagine, the anti-liberty bigots pulled out all their guns- pun intended. I answered them for a bit, but then realized I was likely to get angrily personal. So I made the choice to walk away. Others stepped up, although I stopped reading any of the back and forth. Neither side will budge, and I know it. Some people are too brainwashed to accept that more "laws" isn't the answer to any question other than "How can you destroy a society and kill lots of people?" And I'm not going to quietly accept added tyranny. So, there we stand.

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Shooting in the news

To save effort each time a "newsworthy" shooting happens in one of those places where these things always happen, I offer this adaptable template. Simply choose the word/phrase inside the brackets that best fits:

Another [multiple/mass] shooting has occurred.

As always, in a place where [politicians/administrators/control freaks/foolish business owners/anti-liberty bigots] have [forbidden/rationed/complicated possession of] guns. People bent on murder don't obey laws forbidding murder, and they will never obey [anti-gun laws/anti-gun policies/"no gun zones"] either.

Once again, it's not a case of [too many/the wrong kind of/easy access to] guns being the problem, but of making it too hard for decent people to be effectively armed so that they'll be sitting ducks for the bad guys. A case of too few guns in the right hands. When seconds count, police are (at least) minutes away- even ignoring the fact that they may shoot the innocent once they do show up.

That people expect police to come to the rescue when this happens just shows that even the nastiest anti-liberty bigot knows that the way to stop events of this sort is to send in people with guns.

These shootings will continue to happen as long as Rightful Liberty is violated and treated as part of the problem instead of as the clear solution.

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The right stuff

Sure, you might be able to accomplish something using the wrong or inferior tools.

You can change a tire on the side of the road, possibly even with damaged tools and missing parts. But it can be done faster, easier, and better in a garage with better tools, proper equipment, and redundancy.

You can build a society using government and laws, but it can be done better using the proper tools: liberty and respect for individual property rights.

Why handicap yourself right off the bat?

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Positive action always good idea

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 30, 2015)

There are things you need to avoid doing if you don’t want to be a terrible person. Don’t use violence (including laws) against people who are not harming anyone else, and don’t violate the property rights of others.

It’s simple to not be awful.

If you stop there, no one can have any legitimate problem with you. But, why limit yourself? Beyond this bare minimum, I believe it's a good idea to do things which tip the balance in the other direction, toward actually doing something positive. If it accomplishes nothing else, you will at least be happier. And there is always a chance you could change someone's world for the better.

Where to start? One piece of advice I read recently said a good way to do this is to "be useful".

I try to do this whenever I see the chance. I don't believe writing to convince people to extend their generally civilized behavior to their dealings with people they don't know or don't like, is enough. I also try seeing anyone in need and doing what I can to help them. Or notice something which needs to be done and do it. Sometimes I fail, then I try to determine how to do better next time. There is always room for improvement.

I think most people like to feel useful. Some prefer to work behind the scenes, while some are outgoing and will walk right up to someone to offer a hand. Exactly what you do or how you do it doesn't matter, but some other things do.

Some people might believe advocating government programs and handouts is being useful, but it's the opposite. You can't be generous with money which isn't yours to give, and if you are forcing others to help someone, the resentment which results will cause everyone to lose in the long run. Being useful is a personal act. It is you stepping up, not sending others on your behalf. Sometimes you simply aren't the one who is able to help, and that's OK. It's just the reality.

Sometimes you also have to walk away. Like it or not, you aren't being useful if you don't let someone say "no" to your offer of help.

There is also a big difference between being useful and allowing someone to use you. The difference hinges on consent. Are you doing what you do voluntarily, or do you feel violated?

Choose to be useful when possible. You'll enjoy the feeling.

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Childish whining

Today is one of those days where I'm tempted to let feelings control me. I mean, more than they are already.

Emotionally, I am not doing well today. So many things piling up on me that I can't really control. I've been trying to stay busy- and keep my mind occupied- with "normal" stuff, but even the normal things seem oppressive. And I have things coming up that I am dreading. I know "dread" is stupid and I should just get over it.

I feel desperate, cornered, sad, and overwhelmed. If I let feelings control me I would probably run off somewhere and change my identity. But I can't escape myself.

I'm not going to post this one to any (other) social media, because I don't want the people I know "in real life" to know I'm not handling things well today.

Consider this a whine.

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The uselessness of pacifism and aggression

I am not a pacifist.

Violence isn't necessarily wrong, and can sometimes even be right. Aggression is the problem, not violence. Not all violence is aggression.

I have no problem with a bully having his head blown off by his victim. This would be an example of good violence. Pacifists who would decry this outcome disgust me. They empower the bad guys.

I am a fan of violence, properly applied.

But I do not initiate force. Period. I have no right to do so, and neither does anyone else.

I don't care if you believe aggression to be necessary or pragmatic. Or foolish to refuse to engage in under "some circumstances".

If you don't do what's right, what's the use of you?

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Open letter to Vincent Heredia

I wanted to send a letter to Mr. Heredia- the man who crashed into and killed my daughter, Cheyenne. From what I've found out, I shouldn't contact him directly, I guess, because of "legal" stuff that's going on (none of which involves me in any way).

But, I still need to say this, so here's the letter I had written to him. Maybe he'll see it- maybe not.

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Dear Mr. Heredia,

Your bad choices led to the death of my beloved daughter. But I don't hate you, and I hope this tragedy serves as a wake-up call for you. I would like to see you turn your life around.

I am not going to add my voice to the chorus of people calling for your head on a pike, or a lifetime in a cage. Punishment isn't justice- although most people have come to confuse the two. Justice involves restoring the violated person back to how they were before they were hurt. Nothing you could do, and nothing anyone could do to you, would ever bring my daughter back and heal the emptiness in my heart. Nothing can replace my ex-wife's daughter, my parents' and ex-in-laws' granddaughter, my grandsons' mother, my son's and daughter's sister.

Besides, "an eye for an eye" is nothing but revenge, and is barbaric. I don't blame people for feeling that way when tragedy strikes, but it still isn't right in my mind.

I don't believe in "laws", including the War on Politically Incorrect Drugs. I don't "believe in" police, or prison, or "even" government. Those things infest our lives, and yet didn't stop your actions or save her.

What I do believe in is restitution. However, there are some debts which can never be paid. This is one.

If you want my forgiveness, you have it. That doesn't eliminate your debt, though.

The one thing you might do, in an attempt to pay this debt you've taken upon yourself, is to never again choose to drive under the influence of anything. In fact, you would need to make it a personal commitment to never again commit any violence against the nonviolent, and to never violate the property of any person. That means no government "job" financed through taxes, even if it were allowed in your future, but instead an honest job where you bring actual mutual benefit to yourself and those you serve, voluntarily. You can try to contribute monetarily to my grandsons' future, but the absurdity of "laws" is such that, due to those fleeting moments which led to my daughter's death, you'll probably be prevented from ever being in the position of having money to spare for the rest of your life. You aren't a Kennedy, after all.

I hurt for myself, my family, my daughter who won't get to watch her children grow, and for my grandsons. I also feel sorry for you, and if I could go back in time to divert you from the course which resulted in my daughter's death and the situation you now find yourself in, you know I'd do it. I just wonder if you would have listened to me if I'd had the chance to speak to you beforehand.

Sincerely,
Kent McManigal

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Equality for everyone?

I really feel sorry for "liberals".

They believe they are sounding so reasonable when they say all they want is equality for everyone. I don't think they understand what it is they are asking for.

If they mean for everyone to be equal in every ability, they are being absurd.

If they mean for everyone to be treated the same, it's never going to happen.

If they mean for the "law" to treat everyone the same, that's never going to happen, either, because the "law" is applied by humans who will never treat everyone equally.

If they mean everyone having equal and identical rights, everyone already does and always has. And it isn't the "liberals" who act upon that fact, it is those like me: the AVAL. Yet they fight us as "the enemy". This is stupid of them.

They don't see the irony in using that which violates people the most unequally to impose punishment on those they believe are being "unfair". Reality doesn't work like that and never will.

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When I grow up, I want to be heroic

I want to be heroic. I know that's dangerously self-important.

But, the opportunities are rare, because villains are actually pretty rare. Only a couple of times in my life have I been at the scene of a crime- and the one that sticks in my mind the most does so because I hesitated and failed to help. I will never forgive myself.

In fact, almost all crimes I witness are committed by bullies calling themselves "government". I see roadside robberies committed by cops doing "traffic stops". I see people having "taxation" committed against them and their property. I see people having their property devalued through "code enforcement".

Being heroic and striking against those bullies is- in the current society- suicidal. I want to be heroic, not a martyr.

A real superhero would be spending the majority of his or her energy fighting against State bullies, because they outnumber the freelance bad guys hundreds (or more) to one, and do so much more damage. I am not a superhero.

Blogging and writing are not heroic. The desire to be heroic can lead people to do the wrong thing for the "right" reasons... if their principles are not really strong. I never want to fall in that trap. But I still want to be heroic.

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"Stockholm Syndrome for everyone!"

People are always pointing out the Stockholm Syndrome "suffered" by statists, concerning their love for their chains. I put sarcastiquotes around the word "suffered" because I think most of them enjoy it.

But I'd say there is also Stockholm Syndrome involved keeping some liberty lovers tied to "conservatives".

"Conservatives" are NOT friends of Rightful Liberty. They are just as bad on that front as the "liberals"/"progressives"- but choose to violate Rightful Liberty in different ways. Sure, there is a little overlap- some places where our desires meet. Even the Communists of the Soviet Union probably had some things in common with liberty lovers. Maybe just as many as do the "conservatives".

But, if you believe more government, more "laws", or better enforcement is ever the answer, you are spitting on Rightful Liberty. I hope you'll eventually see that truth.

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It could happen...

Most cops are probably nice.

If they quit the police department and never again initiate force or theft, then- in time- they might even become good people.

It could happen, and I'll always hope.


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School shower issues

All this hoopla over who is allowed- or required- to shower with whom!

No, I wouldn't want my daughter to be in a communal shower with anyone she felt uncomfortable being around. Male, female, or Other. But, this is where collectivism leads.

You could eliminate the appearance of a problem by getting rid of "boys" and "girls" bathrooms and showers, and just having restrooms and showers with no gender designations at all, but that isn't (to me) a good solution at all.

Better would be getting rid of government schools- the fountain of collectivism- which is where things like this become an issue. You don't see invented issues like this in the real world. Abolishing kinderprison is striking the root instead of worrying about the shadows the leaves cast.

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Immigrants go where welcome

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 23, 2015- inspired by a blog post from over a year ago.)

Does it not seem completely bizarre to you that people who seek to live somewhere without first getting permission from a gang of bullies — permission that is getting more difficult to obtain — would be an issue around which people would base their choice for new supreme slavemaster?
I mean president.

“Conservatives” yapping about “illegal immigrants” sound as ridiculous as “liberals” droning on about “reasonable” anti-gun laws.

"Conservatives" say they oppose the migrants because they are being brought in to become "new Democrat voters". Well, who do you think they'd vote for? The people who are "welcoming" them with hatred, calling them "illegals", claiming they are rapists and murderers, and waving the Federal flag in their faces? Or people who actually want to let them live where they choose and aren't treating them like pariahs? Even if the latter is only a political tactic.

Sure, it would be better if the new migrants, and the rest of us, refused to play the political game at all. It would also be better if there were no welfare for anyone to become dependent upon, and no "offices" into which one could elect parasites and bullies. But until people wise up and change this archaic and destructive system, you get what you get.

Consider who immigrants are inevitably going to identify with after being exposed to both reactions. It's not going to be the "conservatives" of the Republican Party.

If you want new immigrants to become more like you, treat them with respect. If you don't want them to slip into the arms of your ideological enemies, stop driving them there. Give them a chance. Encourage them to be independent and self-reliant. Lead by example, with kindness. Be accepting of them even while you show them why certain ideologies are harmful to them and their loved ones. Explain which behaviors you will defend yourself from, and recognize they have all the exact same rights you do.

Marginalizing them is guaranteeing an outcome you claim to fear. It's a self-fulfilling prediction. And unless you are deeply in denial, you have to see how much of the responsibility is yours. Immigration control has been a "progressive", government extremist notion from the beginning.

Republicans are using migrants as a common enemy to unite their voting constituency. Democrats are also using them, of course, but I suppose if everyone were trying to use me to promote their agenda, I'd still prefer those who use me in a way which doesn't portray me as subhuman.

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I’ve changed a lot from teen years

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 16, 2015)

Recently a friend from my late teenage years commented on a Facebook post. He expressed his opinion that I have changed a lot since then.

It wasn’t clear whether he meant this to be complimentary or not.

My first reaction was to get defensive. Fortunately, before responding I realized how wonderful it was I have continued to grow beyond my teenage knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes. How tragic would it be to fail to mature?

He has also changed from the person I knew. Our paths have diverged about as radically as possible. We all grow, learn, and change.

Most of my changes over the years have been due to recognizing inconsistencies in my views and striving to rid myself of them. Inconsistencies are never desirable. Being consistent doesn't automatically mean you are right, of course- you can be consistently wrong- but when you are inconsistent it's a clear sign you are definitely wrong about something. It isn't possible to be inconsistent and right.

If you've already realized this, congratulations. This took years for me to figure out for myself, especially because of the inconsistencies I liked keeping around.

In those days I was "conservative" and wrong in the normal ways "conservatives" are consistently wrong. Yes, I appreciated liberty, but only within certain arbitrary parameters. In other words, I didn't understand what liberty actually was.

Back then my enthusiasm for liberty tended toward the "liberty for me, none for thee" variety. Especially for anyone whose sexual orientation differed from mine, those who sought to self-medicate with substances the government had declared off limits, or anyone whose non-coercive choices I didn't understand. Now I understand liberty is the freedom to do absolutely anything which doesn't violate any other person or their property.

I was never a fan of government, but unlike today I couldn't have explained why. Because of my inconsistencies, anytime government was used against those whose liberty I didn't care about, I could look the other way without a second thought.

Had I stagnated I would fit in better today, but I would still be wrong in those areas where I was inconsistent. I'm glad I changed.

I expect I will continue to change into the future as I learn, consider, expose and strip away any lingering inconsistencies I haven't yet noticed. I look forward to each and every step along the journey. I hope many years from now people will still comment about how I have changed.

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The futility of the Police State

(Previously posted to Patreon)

I wouldn't have expected to have so many people complimenting me for my response after my daughter Cheyenne's death. I will say that has been the strangest result.

The thing is, I really believe what I write. I have no choice but to believe reality. Pain and sorrow don't alter it even a little.

I don't believe "laws" would have saved her- there are already "laws" against drugged driving- they can't stop anyone. There are "laws" demanding we all wear seat belts- which she did. There are "laws" which force car manufacturers to install air bags- and they worked as designed in her new car. There are cops flooding our streets to make sure all those "laws" are enforced.

And, yet, Cheyenne still died.

Given the same end result, I would have preferred she lived her 24 years in a free society, unmolested by these "laws". I'm not sure what she would have preferred- she did pretty much as she wanted anyway. Whether she would have admitted it or not, she and I were a lot alike- for good or bad.

So, don't be amazed that I haven't changed my mind about prohibition, or check points, or cops, or prison. Pointless things remain pointless, and things which whittle away at Rightful Liberty are still harmful. They were harmful to Cheyenne, whether she realized it or not, and they did nothing to protect her. And they are harmful to my surviving kids.

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