Sunday, December 11, 2016

Elections result in America losing

(My Clovis News Journal column for November 9, 2016)

 Presidents don't really matter (my chosen headline)

By the time you are reading this, the presidential election will be history. Which I suppose is better than hysteria, which is what it has been for well over a year.

Perhaps there are some "electronic voting irregularities"-- this year's equivalent of "hanging chads"-- casting a shadow over the results. Many will doubt the legitimacy of the results, suspecting the election was rigged. Actually, I can guarantee it's rigged, because "abolish the office" and "keep your filthy government off my life" are never among the options offered.

Be that as it may, I already know the results of the election, because they never change: America lost; politics won.

Yet, politics only matters to the extent you believe it matters.

Presidents have never been leaders. If you believe a president is leading you, look around. A leader strikes off on a path, right into danger if necessary. You either follow of your own free will, or not. If you don't follow, there is no punishment.

Presidents are rulers who sit in safety, sending others into harm's way. Either talking them into it, or having hired goons "encourage" them to go. At gun point, if necessary. Most rulers wish to be seen as leaders.

Live your life, taking responsibility for yourself and those around you who accept your help, and you'll be fine regardless of which tyrant sits on the throne.

You can keep shopping at the same stores, pursue the same hobbies, and keep the same friends-- if you didn't let the absurdity of electoral politics drive you apart. The fact is, government will keep dreaming up new "laws" to try to limit all your choices and liberties. How much you allow their legislated opinions to affect you is totally up to you. I suggest: little to none.

Don't stress over politicians. As author Robert A. Heinlein said: “I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

All governments follow the same path-- toward ever more control, until their lust for control destroys them. I don't know how much longer this power-hungry government has. It doesn't matter to me. Even when the US government dies, America will go on to the extent you keep living your life by the principle of "live and let live". The future is yours, not any president's.
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(Steemit link)

Anarchy already works

Do you only refrain from attacking people and stealing their stuff as long as someone is pointing a gun at you to stop you?

No?

Then anarchy already works.



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(Steemit link- upvote, if you want. I think I'm about to give up on Steemit if something doesn't start happening there.)

Saturday, December 10, 2016

No pressure...

... but if you are able, and want to, I could sure use some donations/subscriptions.

Thanks.

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"Helping"

If you helped government (the State), you probably didn't do the right thing. No matter what you did.

Yeah, it's like this... only dumber:



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(Steemit link)

Friday, December 09, 2016

Poor, fumbling statists

Mostly, I pity statists.

The same way I pity people I'm watching who can't manage to do something I could easily do, after they have rejected my offer to help.

I watch them fumble and stumble, and get frustrated and angry, but still they just keep doing it wrong.

Stubbornness drives them onward, into ever more painful error. And I know I could prevent it. But I won't force myself on them.

I hurt for them, but they chose this path even after knowing there's an alternative.

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(Steemit link)

Thursday, December 08, 2016

For your own sake- just don't

If you hate (or fear) someone so much that you feel the need to advocate government to deal with them, you may not be on the side of liberty.

I see some do this with "immigrants", "drug" users or dealers, bigots, etc.

You probably ought to realize that the State is a bigger threat than anything you might want to use it against. It's like aiming a shotgun at your own head because you want to kill the fly on the other side of you. Using the State may seem like the only way, but it is ultimately suicidal in every case. Just don't.



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(Steemit link)

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Seasonal foolishness that makes me smile

It's not essential, but...

If anyone out there would like to chip in to help me with December birthday gifts and/or Christmas/Solstice/Festivus gifts, it would be appreciated.

And, if not, that's fine, too.

I'm not looking to give anyone a new AR-15 or ounce of gold (probably no one on my list would appreciate the value of those items like I would, anyway), and the bizarre overpriced toy my daughter wants most seems to be unavailable around here in any case, but a little extra coin would be really nice right now.

I have already spent more than was prudent, but that's my mistake, not yours. You have no obligation to help out.

But, if you were considering a one-time donation in the near future anyway, this would be a great time to pull the trigger. Various links to Paypal and Bitcoin are located over on the right side of this post.

In either case, thank you.

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Tuesday, December 06, 2016

"Law people"



Don't be "law people". I'm not even talking about lawyers, cops, judges and such- I am talking about normal, every day people who really have nothing to do with "laws", but who choose to worry about them anyway.

Those are the people who hate something and think it's wrong because it's illegal. The ones who oppose Cannabis but not aspirin, due to the different ways the "law" treats the substances.

"Law people" ask "Is that legal?" before doing something. Or, say "But that's illegal!" when someone else starts to do something.

"Law people" disgust me.

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(Steemit link)

Monday, December 05, 2016

The joy of being wrong


You know what? It's actually kind of exciting and fun to be wrong.

I don't usually learn too much from being right- other than how others will react to it. That's kind of boring.

But, when I'm wrong, it opens up a whole world of possibilities to learn from. How can that not be thrilling?

Some of the times I have discovered I was wrong have led to some of the best things I've experienced. Some of the most mind-blowing revelations.

How can other people seem to not feel that way about the chance to learn more?

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(Steemit link)

Sunday, December 04, 2016

Dependence on state an addiction

(My Clovis News Journal column for November 2, 2016)

Don't live a life of dependence (my chosen headline)

Sometimes it seems we live in a culture of dependency. Some people are dependent on drugs, while others are dependent on prohibition. Some people are dependent on other people; some are dependent on distractions-- electronic or otherwise. And more and more people today are dependent on government.

Being dependent is the opposite of being mature; of being responsible for yourself and accountable for your behavior.

Dependence on government, or its laws, is very similar to drug addiction. The long-term solution is the same, as well. Even if drugs are all around you, the choice of whether to partake is yours. You must personally make the move to take the drugs or to use the state, regardless of what anyone else is doing. Don't blame others' bad choices for your own. Even if everyone around you is an addict, you won't be unless you make the first move.

Don't imagine this will make you immune to the mess surrounding you; you just won't be making it worse. Being surrounded by government junkies will always be unpleasant.

Don't confuse dependency with necessities. You naturally rely on oxygen, food, water, and shelter. You can't live without those things; it's not an addiction. I suspect this natural dependence gets used as justification for pretending people require other, less helpful things as well. Becoming dependent on something unnecessary or harmful is tragic. It diminishes your life in ways you won't understand until you break the addiction. Don't trust those who claim relying on government is anything other than an unhealthy dependency spawned by weakness-- they are lying.

Once you realize you are dependent on something harmful, the smart move is to begin breaking the addiction. Start now. Ask for help if you need to. Don't wait for a free society, where government has been abolished, to take responsibility for yourself and get sober. Let your new realization give you motivation to begin exercising self reliance. If you can't go cold-turkey, begin weaning yourself.

Maybe you can even help others avoid the addiction, or get clean if it's too late to avoid. To be of any help, you must take care to not let yourself fall into the same trap. How can you expect to help others if you can't keep your own life in order?

Government is coercion, and is always inferior to voluntary action. Break free of any dependence on inferior ways of getting through life. You're better than that!


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(Steemit link)

How do you see reality?


Dilbert's Scott Adams says our brains are not good at seeing reality, but only at seeing a "movie" in our minds that is good enough to keep us alive long enough to reproduce. I'll assume that's true.

It's why different people see the same thing in such different ways.

Well, that's great but the "movie" playing in the heads of statists is incompatible with the movie playing inside healthy minds. Yes, it keeps them alive long enough to reproduce, so it "works".

I would be perfectly fine leaving statists alone to play their statism game, but they can't bother to return the favor. They are uncivilized brutes who demand everyone play the game their way or die. That just won't work.

I don't care what "movie" they see as long as they don't put it into action by archating, and when they do initiate force and violate property rights, it doesn't matter that the reason they do is because of the way they see reality. Anyone still has an absolute right to defend their life, liberty, and property from anyone seeking to violate it, for any reason.

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(Steemit link)

Saturday, December 03, 2016

No one believes they do wrong



Everyone always believes they are doing the right thing.

Even as they murder, kidnap, govern, rape, steal, and trespass- as they archate.

If they truly believed they were doing wrong, they would stop. You aren't going to convince them that what they want to do is wrong-- except in exceptional cases. They have excuses and justifications for what they want to do handy and rehearsed.

So... what to do about it? (Short of killing them all, I mean.)

The best strategy I've found is to live by the Zero Aggression Principle. You may have other ideas.

(I'm adding random pictures to the posts for a while to see if it helps visibility. Feel free to ignore them.)

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(Steemit link- just in case you'd like to blow it up to help me out)

Friday, December 02, 2016

All governments are vermin

The bigger a government is, the more powerful it will be.

However, the closer to you the government is, the greater will be its impact on your day-to-day life.

That's why, in practice, the town council is probably equally harmful as a one-world government.

Notice, I'm not saying either is preferable. Both are vile and evil.

This is why nationalism is as sick as globalism, which is as sick as the desire to such up to the bullies in your state capitol, county courthouse, or city hall. All are vermin.



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(Steemit link)

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Blind faith in States

People sure have a lot of blind faith in the States of the planet.

They seem to believe the States are the only things keeping humans from killing each other. They seem to believe people are one whim away from mass murder- and only the State keeps us from carrying it out.

What about the State does this? Its ability to punish? Its ability to watch everyone all the time? Or some other even more mystical property?

How do these people act when no employee of the State is present? Do they either cower in fear, or start running amok? Or, is it all an act on their part? A comfortable lie?



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(Steemit link)

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Statist "flaggotry"- no, not Trump's

As a little bonus, for amusement purposes, (if you have Facebook, check this out: link)

Here is all that has been posted so far. I may or may not update- you get the gist:

My original post was this...

If I'm dumb enough to waste money on a Holy Pole Quilt, it is mine and I can burn it or bury road kill wrapped in it or do whatever I want with it.
In the same way, you are free to worship any Holy Pole Quilt you own, in any way you wish to worship it.
You are NOT free to dictate what others do with their pole quilts, and if you archate against anyone because of what they do with their pole quilts, you are the bad guy. And, if you get grumpy over what people do with their own pole quilts, you have upside-down priorities.


D B: I totally disagree that just anyone should be allowed to own an American Flag... and at one time this was true....

Me: "Allowed"?

D B: Right...the American Flag should not be 'for sale'...so that any PUNK can buy it and desecrate it... I am FOR severe PENalties levied for any PUNK that desecrates our Flag...

Me: Who would you have enforce that prohibition, and what sorts of aggression would you use to back it up?
(Plus, it isn't the "American flag", it is "the US flag")

D B: Schematics... and who in the hell do you think enFORCEs our laws?

Me:  "Our laws"? I have no "laws" other than the laws of physics which don't need to be enforced.
I do follow the Zero Aggression Principle, which is simply a promise from me to you that I will not initiate force or violate your property- and may defend myself from those who violate me or my property- but it isn't something like a "law" that I can impose on you and force you to follow.

D B: In 1968, Congress approved the Federal Flag Desecration Law after a Vietnam War protest. The law made it illegal to “knowingly” cast “contempt” upon “any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon it.”

D B: I don't know who the hell you think you are but if you live and work in These United States, you must follow our laws or PAY the consequences...

Me: Human invented legislation isn't law. And writing up some counterfeit rules doesn't make them legitimate.(Also, I believe you meant "semantics" above... but maybe not.)

D B:  It IS law, violate it and you are a CRIMINAL that needs to be PENalized....
Me: Everything has consequences. If I don't comply with the rapist, there will be consequences. Your "laws" are just the demands of a gang of rapists writ large.

D B: When I don't agree with a law, I work to get it changed..I don't just IGNORE it and do what I want...that is the mindset of a criminal.....

Me: I am proud to be an outlaw, because the "law" is counterfeit. You would be one to insist that the "Black" slaves stay slaves until the "law" changed. That is evil.

D B:  Think whatever you want but burn our flag in public and you will go to prison and I for one will be on board with it. BTW, if you want to burn the flag inside your own home...go for it...just don't do it in PUBLIC...

D B:  You have the mindset of a criminal and I bet your pipe is full of whacky weed.. lol

Me: You would be wrong. I guess to you anyone who is able to tell the difference between "Legal" and "right" is a criminal. That's the mindset of a slave.


___________________________
Then, under a different thread:


D B:  Btw, Kent....if I see anyone burn our Flag, I will not ALLOW them to get away with it... understand me, boy??

Me: You and I don't own a flag in common, but OK.Yep. Threats of violence- just what I expect from statists.

D B:  Shove your labels where the sun don't shine and I don't make threats, I speak FACTS...

Me: A statist is a person who believes that governing others is a legitimate human endeavor. If that doesn't apply to you, then please say so, clearly.
And, yes, apparently you do make threats- and then lie about it. If what you say above doesn't qualify as a threat, then nothing does. I guess you are lucky I don't believe in "laws", or I'd be using them against you right now. LOL

D B: Like it or not, whilst on American Soil, you will follow OUR laws or be arrested, prosecuted and hopefully put away where you belong.. I like to see the accused make their case to a jury and get a Jury Nullification on bad laws but a law against our national flag burning is one I stand for.. for all the men and women who spilled their blood so our flag can still stand...

Me: There is so much nonsense in that I don't even know where to begin. You are deep into the cult.

D B: YOU are the non-sensible one who beLIEves you can pick and choose what laws you want to follow or not... grow up, boy... actually, I don't care what you do, you are destined for a cage IF you practice what you preach which I doubt...a computer warrior who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk... or you would be in jail.. lol

D B: A threat is a person or thing likely to cause damage or danger.....Your own actions create the damage or danger ...but so typical of a criminal mindset to blame others...

Me: So, you believe you are "law abiding"? (You aren't.)
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-you-commit-three-felonies-a-day-2009-9
A threat is also a statement of intention to harm someone- which you did. You are a criminal- in the worst sense of the word- in more ways than one.

D B: I am law abiding to the best of my ability... I do not go about with the INTENT to break laws... understand the difference, boy? You have a very juvenile way of thinking...and as I said, if I don't like a law, I work to get it changed whilst lazy azz punks like yourself just go about violating our laws and spew Freeman on the land, Natural Man, sovereign citizen BS... lol

Me: You're silly. But it's amusing to watch you try to wiggle out of the pit you have dug for yourself.

D B:  LOL You call this 'wiggling'?? I've danced with far more nefarious punks than you...

Me: See what I mean? LOL

D B:  NO... you and I are on the same page but we have far different ways of achieving our goals..


Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Surviving in a statist world, sanity intact

I often see two different views on how to live "libertarian" in this statist world:

"Don't try to change the world to be more libertarian. You can't change anyone other than yourself, anyway."
Or...
"For the sake of your own liberty-- and that of your children and grandchildren-- you should do what you can to spread the message of Rightful Liberty any chance you get."

Those may sound like opposing views, but I don't think they really are.

I think most of us go back and forth from one to the other, withdrawing into their own little world when the exhaustion gets too much, and then striking out again when they've rested and re-energized.

I know some days I don't have the energy to do anything but live my own life the best I can. But other days, I can also talk to those who are curious about how their own lives would be improved by dropping the lust to control everyone else.

I'm not going to criticize either approach- both have their time and place, and both are useful.

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Monday, November 28, 2016

Craving trouble?

(Previously posted to Patreon)

Judging by movies, TV shows, video games, and other forms of entertainment, humans crave conflict and excitement. Even war.

I also see a lot of people who create drama and conflict in their personal lives even though it takes effort to do so. Things going well must bore them.

I realize the reality of day-to-day getting on with life doesn't make good entertainment, but why do people confuse "good entertainment" for "good life"?

Maybe that's why they don't want to believe a voluntary society is possible- they think it sounds boring. The conflict created by politics is much more exciting, even though it is unnecessary and ultimately harmful.

The same old, same old has been done to death. It's time for a new chapter. Or, even a new book. Not a reboot or "re-imagining", but something truly new.

Personally, I can see many opportunities for new thrills in a free society, not including the inevitable conflict with those broken individuals who will continue to want to take the lazy, evil way out. I really wish more people would join me for this adventure.

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(Steemit link)

The evil, lazy way to get what you want

Archation works. It often gets you what you want-- at least in the short term.

It gives you power, dominance, or unearned property. I would be an idiot to not see that it works.

You still have no right to commit it. Not if you are freelance and not if you are working for a gang (government).

Archation includes theft, trespassing, rape, murder, fraud, trying to control other people's private property, prohibition... basically anything that a common thug or government employee would do.

Because it works, you aren't going to stop evil, lazy people from doing it. The best you can do is to refuse to lower yourself to their level, and to defend yourself from them.

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(Steemit link)

Sunday, November 27, 2016

No reason to fear liberty

(My Clovis News Journal column for October 26, 2016)

 Don't be scared of liberty (my chosen headline)

Real liberty can be scary. It feels safer to hand your responsibilities to someone else.

Don't educate your children; hand them over to be schooled instead. Don't protect yourself and your property; live as a distracted lamb and let the police protect you. Don't watch yourself and your surroundings as you drive; depend on checkpoints, traffic signs, signals, and "laws" to catch all the dangerous people so you can drive around in a daze. Don't think for yourself or observe the world and come to difficult conclusions; let the authorities tell you what they want you to know, and how you should feel about the information you are fed. Feel better yet?

Very few people realize this is how they are living. They believe anyone pointing this out is being outrageous or extreme.

But, you can do it! There's no reason to be scared. You can live in liberty while respecting the liberty of those around you. All the supposed protections and services you believe you are getting by handing over your rights, property, and responsibilities are inferior to those you could provide for yourself. Often, the results are the opposite of what you are told you are getting for the tax money and compliance, anyway. You can do better, or find better providers, on your own.

Observe what goes on and draw your own conclusions. Humans have been doing so with varying degrees of success for a very long time. Be willing to let go of bad ideas and false beliefs-- especially the ones with real-world bad consequences-- and accept the truth even when it upsets you. You will be fine. At least as fine as you would have been if you continued on your previous path of dependency. There are never any guarantees, either way.

Even if you don't want the responsibility for your own life, no one will force you to give up your comfort. They can't force you to be free, nor can you continue to force them to be your slave. Live and let live, in mutual consent.

If you have trouble there are people who will lend a helping hand. Surround yourself with good people who understand liberty against that day. The aggressors and thieves support one another against the outside threat of liberty to their gangs' activities; how much more helpful do you think those who actually support each other against the bad guys can afford to be?

Don't be scared. Take the first step now.

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Not all "minorities" are innocent

One thing that bothers me is that, in their zeal to protect minorities from violation by the majority (or, more often, from the minority with political power), some people protect archators.

This is terribly misguided.

If someone archates, they need to face the natural consequences. Otherwise, they'll never learn better. It doesn't matter why they archate.

If you archate for "social justice" or any other reason you are just as wrong as someone who archates because he wants your property or your body.

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