Gear post: Belt bag

Click to enlarge

This is my main belt pouch. It holds my wallet and many other things. You can see the spyglass pouch to the right of the pouch in the top view. Looking at the backside you can see the sheath which holds the Kershaw knife. The belt bag and the knife sheath (dated 2000) are riveted together. You may notice the spyglass pouch is tied in place. That keeps it and the belt bag from wandering but keeps them removable.

I made the pouch in the early 1990s, but didn't sign and date it like I do some other things. I attached the Kershaw's sheath sometime in the past 5 years or so, even though it had been riding in that same spot for many years. 

The bag is about 6" X 6", give or take a little. It is about 3" thick, including the knife behind it. It is made of thick vegetable tanned leather, with no decoration.

The button is one I made of bone. The leather loop which goes around the button was extended long ago. The contents were straining it, so I made it longer with a cut loop of leather to take the strain off. 

I have varied the contents some over the years, depending on what I thought I needed at the time. Below are the contents of the pouch. 

Included are extra or rarely used keys plus a "peanut" lighter, my wallet (also made by me), A bow-drill socket made from a brass dog tag on a piece of leather, and a pocket made of a sword scabbard's tip, The sword scabbard pocket holds the bits above it: a mini screwdriver for eyeglasses repair and tightening, a P-38 can opener (one of several I carry), Allen wrenches, a small file, tweezers, and a (gun) bore gauge.

Back when everyone else was wearing a fanny pack, this was on my hip. It has been mistaken for a gun holster many times. Maybe it keeps people polite in my presence.

Tangent time: I don't wear my belt through belt loops. In fact, I remove the belt loops from my jeans and put suspender buttons on them instead. My "Old West" pants don't even come with belt loops. I wear the belt slung lower than the loops would allow, so it doesn't rest on my hip bones. Much better for me that way. Years ago my bony hips were always bruised and hurting from my belt digging in. I had to cinch the belt so tight to keep my pants up that it really got to be painful. That was before I even carried much on the belt (other than a knife or two). My "Old West" pants didn't have loops, so I wore suspenders and discovered that was much more comfortable. So I adapted.

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Reminder: I could really use some help filling the wallet in my belt pouch with funds.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Interface

I've signed up on Interface by WhenHub.

Truthfully, I'm not yet sure how it works, or how to tell you to find me on there. If there seems to be an interest in it, I'll dig in more deeply and see what I can figure out.

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Free will

Is free will a real thing, or is it not?

Statists like to believe in free will because that way they can feel OK with imprisoning and murdering people for the crimes they commit. Even many statists who admit they don't believe in free will say that to govern they have to pretend it exists-- otherwise, no one could really be accountable for his actions; they are predetermined. I see that as a cop-out.

People who view the Universe as deterministic-- where each particle interaction affects other particle motions in ways which are predictable according to the laws of physics-- mostly believe free will is an illusion.

I believe they are forgetting a critical branch of physics.

Quantum physics, with its fuzziness and indeterminacy, seems (to me) to leave room for free will.

So, yes, I believe in free will, even while acknowledging that the laws of the Universe acting on every atom in our bodies (including in our brains) can push us toward certain actions. Embrace your quantumness and reject archation. You do have the choice.

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Reminder: I could really use some help, but you have free will in the matter.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

There's no way to know everything

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 30, 2019)

It's a bitter pill to swallow, and one many people can't accept, but you and I can never know everything.

This means if you want to act politically, you'll come from a place of ignorance whether you mean to or not.

I can't know the ultimate reality about Anthropogenic Global Climate Change-- commonly called "Global Warming".
I can't know all the possible consequences of building a new "Berlin Wall" between America and Mexico.
I can't know how a total gun ban would affect actual aggression statistics.
I can't know all the consequences of adopting fully socialized medicine in America.
I can't know exactly what my life would be like without police, government schools, taxation, laws, and all the rest of the socialistic things I would like to see go away.

And it doesn't really matter.

It's enough to know when something violates other people's rights and liberty; to understand I have no right to violate others even if I can't know with certainty how things would go if no one violates them. This knowledge-- that I have no right to violate others-- is sufficient and essential.

There are people who are arrogant enough to believe they can know it all. They may claim the reason you don't know it all is because you won't research it for yourself, or you're just not smart enough. They are dishonest.

They don't know it all. They only know enough to be satisfied with the position they've taken; a position which justifies their favorite violations of life, liberty, and property. If your research leads you to a different opinion, they'll claim you don't know enough until you agree with them.

They expect to use government against those who don't agree with them on whatever issue they care most about. They'd like to have you on their side; superior numbers, expressed through a vote, to gang up and force others to go along with what they believe. Yet, even if they are right in their beliefs, they aren't right about how to carry them out. No one has the right to use government violence to force you to go along with them. Such a right has never existed and can't be invented.

Accept that no one can know everything and that no matter what you know it can't give you the right to govern others, nor to select people to govern them on your behalf. This knowledge will liberate you. That's one thing I can know for certain.

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Statism is malware

The statist brain is a malfunctioning machine.

At a minimum, it has been infected with malware (often intentionally downloaded in government schools) which makes it unable to ask certain questions, especially if the answers would expose the malfunction.

It is unable to process certain answers; can't even be aware of them in many cases.

The malfunction makes the statist brain resistant to repair. It keeps redirecting back to the malware rather than allowing the virus to be quarantined and removed.

When the malfunction causes a person to commit evil acts, individuals (and ultimately society) are harmed. The statist brain is harmful to the individual who possesses it and to all those the malfunctioning individual encounters.

Can this malfunction be repaired? If so, how? Yes, "kill them all" would end the statist brain malfunction (assuming it's not a signature of the malfunction), but fewer brains doesn't seem optimal.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Spreading the message of liberty

One thing I have to keep reminding myself: my newspaper column is not about the money, which is extremely minimal for the amount of work that goes into it. It's about exposing people to the message of liberty-- people who would never otherwise be exposed.

For that reason, it continues to be worth it as long as I am allowed to keep writing them.

I admit, though, that coming up with topics every week for the column is a killer. It's something which occupies a lot of my time, every single day.

The paper would prefer to focus on local concerns, and not so much on national or international stuff. But so little that happens locally inspires ideas. Or, the things which do happen drag on for years, and I don't need to keep rehashing them. Otherwise, it's just the same old things happening, over and over again.

A lot of things just don't interest or inspire me. I generally don't care much what some politician says or does. I'm not that interested in their "laws". The evil deeds of the cops are too commonplace to rail against every time they get exposed.

I would rather not do too many philosophy columns, but without idea-inspiring events, that's where I tend to go.

So, if you have any constructive ideas, let me know.

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Reminder: I could always use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Liberty is not an "ideology"

I saw a headline recently, which read in part, "Ideologies clash..."

It turns out one side simply wants to exercise liberty (open a brewery), while the opponents want to violate the first side's liberty for "reasons". The reasons include religion, fear of negative consequences of letting people control their own lives, and prohibitionism.

One side is an ideology, the other isn't.

Liberty isn't an ideology. It is the acceptance of the reality of self-ownership. From this acceptance flows certain principles. It doesn't matter to the existence of liberty whether people accept it or not-- it just is, to be respected or violated.

Yes, there will be consequences for exercising liberty. Everything has consequences. But slavery's consequences are worse than liberty's. And you're the bad guy when you choose slavery over liberty, no matter what "reasons" you come up with.

This is why governing others is never a valid form of interpersonal interaction. It allows people to violate the liberty of others too easily, and without the risk which should come along with such anti-social behavior.
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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Divided (artificially) by government

This town in which I reside straddles the state line between Texas and New Mexico. So, it is "officially" considered two towns. But why?

One town, artificially divided by arbitrary government lines, with different rules... and so the residents can be robbed for the benefit of different gangs of archators. And with different government handouts (of stolen money).

Business-wise, it is one town. The businesses here compete with each other regardless which state they might be in. The differing "tax" rates probably artificially manipulate the market somewhat, but it's not noticeable to me when I'm shopping.

Socially, it is one town. People go to church across the line. They have friends across the line. There's one newspaper. It has one yearly parade and government worship festival.

It is only two towns when you have to take government into account. And then it is also two counties and two states. And two time zones, on top of that.

Government lines are silly.

And this particular line isn't even very consistent. It's supposed to be a straight north-south "border", but depending on where along the hundreds of miles of it you happen to be, the "official" state line is randomly east or west of other parts, based (I suppose) on historical assumptions or something.

Maybe there should be a wall!

This is the border marker. Can you see the state line?

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Going along to get along vs. Lines in the sand

I understand why people tend to go along to get along. I do the same when I can. But there are lines I won't cross.

I won't perform the pledge of allegiance.
I will not worship with a national anthem.
I will not honor cops or troops.
I won't pretend any form of political government is legitimate.

I just won't.

For that matter, I avoid places and events where these rituals are likely to occur. It just makes it easier, because I simply won't participate no matter what.

But there have been times I was caught by surprise and got dirty looks.

Most of the time I say nothing to anyone doing any of those things in my presence. It's none of my business what they worship. If only they would be as courteous toward me.

But they can't.

Anyone not performing the rituals must be confronted. Even threatened. Which makes me dislike their rituals even more.

I want to get along with most people. I'll even go along with some things that don't seem too important in the long run. It's a balance. I have no illusions I get it right, but I try.

But don't try to shove me across one of my lines in the sand.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Gear post: Spyglass

This is the antique spyglass I wear on my belt. I bought it in a consignment shop in Grand Junction, Colorado in the mid-1990s. I believe I paid $75 for it.

I don't know the place or date of manufacture, but something I once found online said these were sold by Sears Roebuck around the year 1900.
It's a 3 draw telescope. I'm not sure of the magnification power, but it's better than my modern binoculars.

It is made of brass, leather, and glass.

Extended length, 16.75".
Closed length 6.25".
Large end diameter: 1.5"

It has no identifying markings.

The large tube has a leather wrap, which has worn badly over the years since I've been carrying it. I believe the eyepiece once had a little "door" to close, but it has never had that since I've owned it.

I originally started wanting a spyglass because I wanted to get a better look at girls across the street from the pet store where I worked. I have since discovered it is great for a lot of reasons. Birdwatching, reading signs in the windows of stores from the parking lot, astronomy, and just general "what is that?" uses.

I've gotten a lot of use out of it (even though it embarrasses people I'm with when I whip it out). I even wore it with my buckskin gear.

I occasionally disassemble it and wipe off the lenses. Especially the eyepiece. I lightly oil the leather wrap every couple of years. I have also cleaned the brass draw tubes when they've gotten a little "sticky" and won't slide easily.

I carry it in a leather pouch I made for it, on my left side just behind my belt pouch.

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Here's a general overview of my EDC as of January 2015. Some things have changed a bit since then. Someday I might do an update.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

'Deep state' isn't what you think

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 23, 2019)

You've probably been hearing about the "deep state" recently, with some pundits saying it's a danger and others saying it doesn't even exist.

It's real, but it's not the conspiracy theory some would have you believe. Its reality shouldn't be controversial; it's there for everyone to see and experience.

The "deep state" is, in simple terms, the government bureaucracy. It is all those parts of government which don't change from one presidential administration to the next.

When presidents change, the new president hires new people to run the various government agencies, but most employees in the massive agency keep their job. The new boss depends on the experience of those who have been in the job through multiple administrations to keep things running.

Since their jobs are safe they get entrenched, and in some positions, feel invulnerable because of their experience and years in the job. When no one else even understands or knows for sure what they do, how can they be replaced?

Thus, you have a "deep state".

Some people want to turn this recognition of reality into evidence of paranoia.

Sure, when you involve powerful agencies such as the CIA and FBI, opportunities for abuse are probably irresistible. It's likely that some will come to see themselves as the real power behind the scenes and see the elected officials as figureheads to be tolerated as long as they don't upset the status quo too much. Some of them undoubtedly act on this power.

Scenarios of "deep state" presidential assassinations and other undemocratic schemes are thrilling, but the majority of the damage is done to your liberty by the everyday governing which goes on openly, in front of microphones and cameras.

The state, both deep and broad, has been tightening the noose around the necks of Americans almost from the beginning.

The state has been preventing the people from choosing to uncouple from an out-of-control federal government since Mr. Lincoln's war to repeal the Declaration of Independence. It has been violating the Second Amendment since at least 1934. The state keeps the tax records which are used to entrap and enslave the people. It steals, compiles, and stores your private data. All in the name of governing you.

Yet people worry about what the mysterious parts of "deep state" might do to other parts of this enemy organization? This seems like displaced concern to me.

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Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

Special People and their bad opinions

Hollywood types almost always seem smarter before they open their mouths.

The fastest way for me to lose respect for someone is for them to express a political opinion. I know it's not polite to point out that opinions can be wrong, but they can be.

Saying tea is better than coffee is an opinion. There is no rightness or wrongness to it-- it's subjective. But to advocate slavery is wrong, even if that's your actual opinion. And these Hollywood people open their mouths to promote these kinds of things so often it's become routine. They pretend they're promoting something social justicy, but they aren't. It's anti-social and unjust.

There are so many ways to be wrong; so few ways to be right. It's entropy of a sort. Chances are if someone expresses a political opinion it's going to be a bad one. One that exposes them as an ignorant anti-liberty bigot. If they express this opinion innocently, that's one thing. Maybe they can be educated. If they express it with an air of superiority, I'm not going to be impressed.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Wilson's temper

Wilson had a bit of a temper, which I experienced a few times as his target. Fortunately, most of the time he was upset at someone or something else-- not me.

I would be sitting at the fire out by my riverside wikiup and he'd drop by ranting about something. I'd invite him to sit. We'd talk for a while about whatever was bugging him, and if he was still worked up I would suggest we go shooting. It was his therapy.

I've mentioned before how stingy he was with his ammo, but just the act of heading out to one of the local shooting spots was usually enough to calm him down. The whole process usually took a couple of hours from the time we left the house until we got back-- with driving time and all. He needed the release, even if it only involved firing off 3 or 5 rounds.

If that hadn't been an option, like the anti-gun bigots seem determined to bring about, then I don't know what would have happened. It couldn't have been good.

Everyone needs that pressure release valve, whatever form it may take. You take that away from people at your peril. I saw for myself how it could help an agitated person regain his composure. The more tightly you try to control people, "for their own good", the more people will eventually "pop".

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Don't follow a sick society

The more insane the majority of individuals in a society get, the more anti-social the sane people will appear to be.

At least that's my story.

When everyone's "solution" involves more archation, I'm going to reject their "solution" and seek my own path.

When I'm required to pretend people with mental issues are empowered to dictate the words I use, I'm going to seem unkind. Because I won't comply.

If you believe the "climate change" debate centers around what government should (or shouldn't) do about it, I'm going to reject your proposals. They are without validity, even if they would "work". Nothing can trump natural human rights. Not even "necessity".

I'm not going to pretend a political "solution" to anything is legitimate. Not "laws", not bans, not anything.

I'm fed up with the clamor to find ways to count yourself a victim. Micro-racism, "misgendering", microaggressions, cultural appropriation, and all the rest. I'm fed up with being told that violating me is the only way to solve some problem, whether real or imaginary.

I reject your control tactics. I reject your collectivism and your "intersectionality". I reject your politics. It's all BS.

If everyone wants to be a victim, they'll find some way I'm victimizing them no matter how I try to bend over backward to accommodate them. So I'm not going to bend. They can take their victimization and choke on it.

I will not archate. I will not support those who do. I will try to defend those who are targets of archation. But I'm not going to pretend fantasy is reality to make crazy people feel better about themselves.

If that makes me "anti-social", so be it.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Under the hammer of the State

It doesn't matter if you have the best idea in the world-- if you try to implement it using government violence, it's not ethical. It can't be.

There is nothing I want badly enough to advocate using government violence against you-- not even if I believe you are deserving of self-defensive violence.

For example: Let's assume that I'm right and that more guns in individual hands is a good thing. Would I advocate a "law" to require everyone to own guns? No way.

Once you add aggression, including government violence in the form of "laws", to your idea, your idea is crap.

If your idea depends on theft ("taxation"), it's wrong.

If your idea relies on being imposed by "laws", your idea can't stand on its own.

If your idea needs government, then you need to let it go and find a different idea.

When you allow yourself to use the anti-social hammer of government, everything looks like a nail.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Gear post: Kershaw 1030 Deer Hunter

This is the fixed-blade knife I wear every day, everywhere I go. My dad gave it to me when I was 12. (That was about 43 years ago, for the mathematicians out there.)

It's a Kershaw 1030 Deer Hunter.
Fixed blade.
Overall length, 8".
Blade length 4".
Edge length, 3".

My dad says he paid $40 for it (new) back then. They are a bit pricier now if you can find them.

The handle has a very nice feel to it. The finger grooves are just right and feel nice in the hand.

The edge is thicker than most other knives I use, which made it a little tougher to sharpen well the first time. But sharpening knives is the one thing I feel I do a good job at so I was up to the challenge. I can shave with it now.

It originally came with a leather sheath, but that bit the dust decades ago. I was never thrilled with the sheath's design. The handle was too heavy and the knife would try to turn upside down on my belt and the whole contraption would flap around. Not good for how I lived. It needed a strap around the handle. I did add one, and that worked until the sheath wore out.

Now it resides on the back of my belt pouch, left side, edge forward, in a custom sheath I made for that position.

It has been a really good knife. At first I thought the blade would be too short, but it works for almost anything. I actually use my little lock blade more (maybe I'll do a gear post on that one sometime), but I like having this one available for when I need a beefier blade.

It has been a good knife and has survived an awful lot with me. (Although I didn't carry it while in buckskin clothes and "period" gear. That was a different set of gear.)

I would recommend this knife for a general purpose fixed blade.

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Here's a general overview of my EDC as of January 2015.

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Reminder: I could always use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Politicizing climate

Some would characterize me as a "climate change denier", which I'm not.

I simply oppose the politicization of AGCC. Just as I oppose the politicization of all science, self-defense, human rights, property, and life.

Politics is evil. When you politicize anything you contaminate it and destroy the thing you politicized. Science + politics = politics.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Time to break government addiction

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 16, 2019)

When an addict's supply is cut off, it's usually an agonizing journey through withdrawal to the other side of the addiction; where the poison finally loosens its grip on the person, giving him a new chance at life. I'm not talking about a chemical dependency this time, but a far more deadly condition: government addiction.

If you are feeling effects from this imaginary government "shutdown", even as simple as having noticed it, you are most likely somewhat addicted to government.

Do you feel as though you are suffering because you don't have enough government? Are you buying into the hysterics coming from the government extremists wanting the shutdown to end? 

Other signs of addiction can include a desire to see taxes increased, a call to build border walls, the obsession to outlaw tools of self-defense while saying that's what police are for, and many other things.

Those aren't the cravings of a healthy mind or spirit.

If you've ever wanted more government than you currently have, you are addicted and on a self-destructive path. Are you suffering any discomfort or emotional distress at all? If so, you are feeling the effects of withdrawal caused by your government addiction.

I'd love to help you kick your habit. You may think I'm joking; I'm not.

Like all addictions, breaking the addiction to government is going to hurt. Withdrawal is never fun. It is so much easier to chase after one more hit; one more law to ease the pain for the moment. If someone offers you a hit of government, and you take it, you've fed your addiction. You've kicked the can down the road. You've delayed healing rather than facing the problem and dealing with it in a responsible manner. It's your choice.

Addicts are responsible for their choices. No one is obligated to bail them out or save them from themselves. Yes, it is hard to watch someone hurt themselves. Worse, irresponsible behavior always has innocent victims; those who never asked to be a part of the sickness, but who get dragged down with the junkie.

This unique chance to break your addiction won't last forever. When it ends, and someone offers you a hit of your old vice, I hope you'll be strong enough to say "no". To say you don't need the poison anymore. If you need someone to talk to, to help you through the pain of withdrawal, I'm here for you. I'm completely serious.

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Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

Hierarchy

Hierarchy is one of those concepts I see underinformed people bash pretty often.

A politicized hierarchy is bad, not because of the hierarchy, but because of the politics.

Hierarchy is the recognition that some people are better at some things than I am. I learned to make fire with the bow drill from Burnt Spoon because he knew more and had more experience than I did. Larken Rose is better at explaining liberty than I am. To deny those facts, just because I don't want anyone in the hierarchy "above" me, would be insane and unhelpful.

If an employee doesn't listen to a supervisor just because he doesn't want to be "lower" on the hierarchy than the boss, he may mess up. The employee may lose his job. Yes, he might be right, and it might be worth it to defy the boss, but it's not automatically oppression to defer to someone else who knows more about something than you do. Any legitimate hierarchy is a hierarchy of competence.

But, as with anything else, once you add politics to the mix your hierarchy is probably no longer based on competence, but on power and imaginary "authority". This kind of hierarchy is illegitimate and you have no obligation to submit to it.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.

Defending scoundrels

Years ago I encountered a wise quote:

"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." ~ H. L. Mencken

The more experienced I become, the more important-- and wiser-- that quote seems to be. To me, personally.

Over and over I have to step up and defend the natural human rights of people I don't like. I understand it's just as wrong to violate my enemy as it is to violate my friend. Or me.

Defending these people causes other people to sometimes get angry at me. They claim I'm taking the bad guys' side. I get chided and scolded and even lied about.

Yet it's worth it. If you can keep the counterfeit "laws" off the scoundrels, there will be fewer counterfeit "laws" used against the rest of us.

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Reminder: I could really use some help.

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Writing is my job.
YOU get to decide if I get paid.