Saturday, February 06, 2021

Scott Adams: King of the Straw Men


Scott Adams is adept at setting up straw men to take down.

For example--

When people observe that the pandemic (if real in the way it is being presented by politicians and their lackeys) is being used to condition people to be compliant, he misrepresents this by saying they are arguing that there was a meeting between politicians from all over the world where they hatched the plot to create the pandemic and use it to train compliance into the populations. 

He changed the argument being made, regardless of whether the original argument was reasonable or not.

He's arguing against something that exists only in his own mind, because he probably can't argue convincingly against the actual observation which has been made. (Although, I'm not saying there's no one who believes this happened; there probably is.) This is a textbook example of the straw man argument.

He does this with guns, with trans"gender" issues, with copsucking, with the Constitution, and with any topic where he can promote government-supremacism. He simply takes whichever position increases government power. He doesn't do so by honestly addressing the criticisms, but by constructing flimsy straw men he can tear apart-- without acknowledging the actual argument against his side. Is he doing this just to prop up his own fragile belief system? It sure looks that way.

I still listen to him because when he's right, he's right. But when he's wrong it's because he's taking the government-supremacist side, almost without exception.


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Friday, February 05, 2021

A little bit of good doesn't justify evil


Over and over again I am stunned to see the lengths people will go to so they can keep believing in political government.

No matter what it does, no matter the actual results, they defend its existence in the face of 5000+ years of evidence. Even if they admit government sometimes commits great evil-- more than any other group has ever managed to commit-- they won't face the flawed premise it is built upon: that wrong isn't wrong if enough people sanction it.

They seem to imagine that any potential good justifies the very real evil.

I don't accept that, even as I'm able to recognize the "good" that can be sometimes accomplished (though never justified) by committing evil.

I accept that sometimes government does the right thing-- even government's gang of thugs occasionally does something worthwhile. Sometimes government gets good results. Where I part ways with the government-supremacists is that I recognize that good results or even sometimes "doing the right thing" doesn't excuse the institutionalized theft and/or coercion required to get there.

Doing wrong and having it turn out well anyway never excuses doing the wrong thing.

Was any medical knowledge gained by the Tuskegee Syphilis "study"? Probably, but that doesn't justify it. It was still evil.

Might mask mandates and forced shutdowns slow the spread of a virus? It doesn't matter because it's still wrong to do those things. Even if you are really scared of the virus.

Might draconian "border security" and "immigration" control prevent some problems? Probably, but that doesn't make it right-- get rid of the root cause of the potential problems (v*ting, welfare, and anti-defense legislation) instead of thrashing at the leaves.

It's entirely possible you could find some innocent individual who is still alive because of some specific anti-gun legislation. Even if there weren't a trade-off with lives lost as a result of such counterfeit rules, it's still wrong to violate the natural human right to own and to carry weapons.

Yet because people keep asking the wrong questions (because they either don't like the right ones or don't even know what to ask) they keep getting the wrong "answers". And this allows them to keep believing that somehow, some way, political government is something other than a cancer.

Responsible people who have worthwhile principles have to accept that they have no right to violate others just because they have (or believe they have) a good goal in mind.



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Tuesday, February 02, 2021

Privileges-- loaned-out rights


I've heard some people argue there are no such things as rights; only privileges. But if rights don't exist, neither can privileges.

A right is something you can do just because no one else has the right to prevent you from doing it. Something you can do because you were born human. (Which is everything that doesn't violate the equal and identical rights of anyone else.)

A privilege is when someone else lets you use their right in some limited way. Basically, they let you appear to "violate" their right-- with their permission-- for a set time, often in exchange for something they want, like money or information.

If they didn't have a right, they couldn't loan it to you.

Since rights can only be individual, not collective, and government can therefore have no rights, government can't even grant privileges. And they certainly don't have the "right" to ration or otherwise violate the rights of human beings in any way.

Even every argument against rights only destroys the justification for political government even harder.


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Monday, February 01, 2021

President* Biden


The most suspicious point in favor of there having been election funnybusiness (a safe euphemism?) on a large enough scale to change the outcome is how desperate those on the "winning" side are to sweep the idea under the rug. To make it an off-limits topic. To ban the topic from the conversation in any way they can get away with.

It looks to me as though they already know and are afraid others will figure it out.

And do what, exactly? 

At this point, the most that would happen is for Biden's presidency to come with an asterisk in future fringe history books. He still has the power to do all the damage he can think of while he occupies the office-- just like those who came before him, whether any of them were legitimately [sic] elected or not.

Of course, I don't believe in or advocate mob rule. There has never been a legitimate election and there never will be. So I'm not the kind of person they need to keep in the dark. It's all those they want to keep playing the rigged game. Those people have got to keep believing, because if they were to become like me, the whole tower of Dunder Mifflin complaint forms would collapse in a jumbled heap.



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Sunday, January 31, 2021

Up to you to make 2021 better

 (My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 30, 2020)



Was the year 2020 not to your liking? Do you want 2021 to be better? Then make it better. It's mostly up to you.

There will be things beyond your control, but you can choose how you feel about them and how you react to them.

You can be stampeded over a cliff by those who gain power from your fear and compliance, or you can be responsible for yourself.

You can act on the science promoted by political hysterics, or on the science which shows there's no need to panic and zero reasons to give up liberty. The calmer path has never backfired on me.

I'm more than ready to take back the liberty which was trampled and stolen over the past year. "No" is a powerful word; one which should be used more often. It won't make you popular, because standing firm isn't popular with those who'd prefer you go along and not make a fuss, no matter what's being done to you.

You don't have to make a scene over every ridiculous demand. Pick your battles. If you don't have a clear line in the sand-- a line you won't be pushed across-- you need to find where yours is. Then stick to it no matter the cost.

As many have pointed out, if you won't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

It'll be hard if you're on your own. If others see you making a stand, maybe they'll be inspired to join you. If not, it's still better to do the right thing alone than to go with the crowd doing the wrong thing. Or allowing the wrong thing to be done to you and others.

I'm on your side as long as you aren't violating the life, liberty, or property of any other human being. So, I'm probably not on your side if you're using politics-- government and legislation.

If your great-grandkids were to ask you what you did when liberty was on the line back in 2021, wouldn't you rather be able to answer with your head held high, saying you refused to help politicians and politicized "experts" destroy America, or would you rather admit you didn't speak out but went along because it was safer? I'd be ashamed to have to give this answer. I can do better.

If 2020 wasn't the best year, look in the mirror to see who's responsible for making 2021 better.


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When statists get stepped on by the State



"Some government regulation is necessary, but this time it has gone too far."

This is what a statist who has been harmed by the state says.

How often do you see this statement, or something similar? Pretty much every day, right?

No, government regulation-- by legislation or by edict-- is not "necessary". Let the market regulate, instead. If regulation is actually necessary, it will happen organically without coercion.


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Saturday, January 30, 2021

End the FAA

Here, Elon. Print out and fill in your permit.

I don't like any agency of the feral government, but right now I especially hate the FAA (almost as much as I hate the ATF, IRS, DEA, etc.). 

I enjoy following the SpaceX Starship development down in south Texas. I'm excited to watch the next test flight. After several weather delays, it was scheduled to launch Thursday. Then the FAA decided to interfere.

The low-down slimy FAA pulled their flight permit (or whatever it is called) at the last minute; the morning of the planned test flight. And refuses to issue another one until their demands are met.

How does the FAA imagine they have "authority" to be issuing or withholding permits to anyone for anything? Wow, I hate that kind of arrogance.

They've demanded more info from SpaceX on the flight. As if they couldn't have asked earlier, before the flight was scheduled. (The individual bureaucrat responsible needs to be sued as an individual for the entire cost of the preparations that were wasted.) 

Obviously, the FAA is staffed with useless bureaucratic piles of crap throwing their weight around. They have no legitimate "authority" over anyone. But they'll murder you to keep up the pretense if that's what it takes.

The FAA went from being a useless bureaucratic annoyance to a threat to the future of the human race. An enemy of every human being.

If anyone can take them down, it's Elon Musk*. I doubt it will come to that, but if it does I don't think it will go the way they imagine. I can think of several things he could do-- but I'll let him come up with his own ideas which would undoubtedly be even better.

At a minimum, SpaceX needs to drop the fawning "and thank you to the FAA for..." that they recite at the end of each launch broadcast. Why thank your mortal enemy?

Abolish the harmful FAA. Use its ruins as a toxic waste dump-- oh, wait, it's already worse than that! No free country would put up with such a monstrosity.

-

*I understand the valid criticisms leveled against Musk's cronyism, and I agree with it all.



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Friday, January 29, 2021

The same question, phrased differently


Consistency scares people. Some people claim that consistency means you're stuck in a rut. If you believe one answer fits every problem, you aren't being rational. You could be a cultist. I agree with that to some extent.

But these same people also keep asking questions that are really the same question phrased differently, so in that situation, one answer does apply. It has to.

Isn't "taxation" necessary? No.
Should government regulate guns? No.
Should government be able to mandate masks and shutdowns? No.
Isn't it OK for cops to shoot people who refuse to cooperate? No.
Isn't security more important than liberty? No.
Aren't business licenses necessary? No.
Should government make up rules to help some people at the expense of others? No.
Should government bail out banks/corporations/Wall Street? No.
Should Bitcoin be regulated? No.
Doesn't government have the right to control the border? No.
Drugs have to be regulated, right? No.
But don't you agree government has to license drivers? No.

I could go on and on.

But those aren't really different questions. All of those "different" questions come down to "Do I (or does government, on my behalf) have the right to archate?", so the answer is always going to be the same. It's always going to be "No" as long as you keep asking the same question.

Those questions are dressed up to look different to people who aren't too bright. Or who have been brainwashed into government-supremacism.

You could rephrase the above questions so the answers would always be "yes"; "Is taxation theft?" for example. But the direction remains the same. No one has the right to archate, and saying "it's the law" can't change that fact.

Yet some government-supremacists would make the claim that I'm not "credible" unless I make exceptions where I say it's OK to archate; to rape, murder, kidnap, etc. as long as I call it something else and it is being done by government employees. They'll claim that unless you make these exceptions, you're not part of the adult conversation. Who thinks this makes sense?


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Thursday, January 28, 2021

Dogecoin

I would like to get in on Dogecoin, since... why not? So, if anyone is interested in donating some as an alternative to donating dollars or Bitcoin:

D6Wiw75gJbe9hzLEG7PeY22VRdVn2qfjPZ


I just set up this wallet and haven't tested it yet, so if you send some, let me know so I can check to make sure it came through.

Thanks.

UPDATE: I figured out that I could trade a little Bitcoin for some Dogecoin directly through my wallet, so I'm set if Dogecoin goes "to the moon" now. You can still donate if you want, though.


Bullies and government-supremacists


Who are these people whose opinions I don't care about even a little? Bullies. Statists/Government-supremacists. Anyone who wants to use aggression against others: Archators. Those who refuse to recognize that the "right" to archate can not exist.

I run into them everywhere; I'm sure you do, too. Most don't even realize they are the bad guys. Some see themselves as heroes, when nothing could be further from the truth. 

I recognize that ignoring their toxic opinions, or even daring to refute them, can cause them to attack me, either individually or through the violence of the state. But I can't stand to see them attacking someone who isn't going along with their cultish agenda. Sometimes I step in, even though I'd rather ignore them, knowing I will only attract their wrath, just because I can't let their attack go unanswered. 

Otherwise, I'll do what I can to avoid this or defend myself if avoidance fails, but I still don't care about their ignorant and wrongheaded opinions.

Why would anyone? 

They are petulant toddlers with illegitimate power. Let them throw their tantrums and try to stay out of their reach. But don't concern yourself with what they think of you. They are just not credible, rational, or sensible. 


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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Care what some people think; not what everyone "thinks"


Part of exercising your liberty comes down to not caring what everyone else thinks. Hopefully, you are able to do this in a way that doesn't come off as rude to observers, but sometimes it's not possible.

You should care what some people think. It's probably not healthy to not care what anyone thinks. You'd be a psychopath or something if that were the case. But most people "out there" aren't really worth coddling.

These people will try to bully you into doing or saying what they want. It's going to probably seem rude to them when you refuse. But how would it feel to you if you caved in? How would it look to others who see you comply with something you (and they) know isn't right? Which is worse?

I usually try to find a way to refuse to go along that isn't confrontational. Often I simply ignore them-- they aren't worth the effort. Sometimes you're not left that option. Sometimes to refuse is to be confrontational. In that case, it helps if you don't get too wrapped up in the opinions of those who are trying to bully you.

If I cared too much about what others think-- when they do not have my best interests at heart-- my liberty would be destroyed. One person at a time, they'll destroy everyone's liberty. Don't let them. Stop them at your liberty, and stop them if you see them targeting someone else. Refusing to be bullied is not the same as imposing your will on them.


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Monday, January 25, 2021

Time's Up flags-- my review


I was apprehensive about the new flags. Specifically, I was concerned about the quality. So I ordered one for myself. It (finally) arrived today.

I'm pleasantly surprised. 

No, they aren't as high quality as the original batch-- but they also cost half as much as those did, almost 15 years ago, so I didn't expect them to be. 

They are better than I had anticipated and I think they are worth the price. If I didn't think they were, I would tell you. I'm much more enthusiastic about them now than I was before seeing one in person.

If you bought a flag, feel free to send me your own review (good, bad, indifferent) and let me know whether or not I can post it.





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Yes, V*ter, you were lied to and used. Did you learn anything?



I'm kinda liking how so many who supported Bad'un are now realizing that he was never on their side. Don't they understand how politics works? (They may now.) Did they really imagine it was to benefit them?

This is a lesson I learned when I was still in my early 20s. Maybe most of those who seem surprised by recent developments are around that same age. Other than the slow learners...

They are feeling used, and the smarter ones realize they were lied to. 

"His campaign promises aren't already Law? It can't be!

"There were unintended consequences to the promises he has carried through on? Why didn't he tell us this was the case?"

"I'm getting the feeling we were used." Yeah, you were.

How many of them will still believe in the same old process next time? Most of them. Hope springs eternal and gullibility is almost bottomless.

But it can be amusing to watch it happen to them. I just wish you and I could stay out of the crossfire.


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Sunday, January 24, 2021

Is vaccine really worth celebrating?

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for December 23, 2020-- This is one of those headlines that makes me go "Huh?", but such is life.)


As soon as a Covid-19 vaccine was announced, the debate began over who should get it first. To me, the answer was obvious: Give it to the politicians first. They want to be called "leaders"; let them lead for once.

This win/win solution should make everyone happy.

People who love government are generally going to be the people most likely to trust the vaccine. They probably believe politicians are valuable. They'd believe using the vaccine on the politicians first would be safe and would protect them.

Those who aren't as fond of government and politicians are probably not going to trust the vaccine as much. They'd probably be glad to see politicians used as lab rats.

If the vaccine is safe, the politicians survive and others can then try it. If it turns out the vaccine was a bit rushed, and not as safe as initially advertised, no real harm done. You can always recruit more politicians later-- if you must.

If this past year taught us anything, it taught us to not trust experts when politics is involved. If you are not skeptical about this first-ever vaccine for any kind of coronavirus, which was rushed through the process, then you haven't been paying attention to the history of pharmaceuticals. I want to see what happens over time to those who took it before I decide if I'm going to. Especially if it becomes mandatory.

I'm not anti-vaccine, but I'm anti-"mandatory" every time.

I'm not interested in seeing famous people getting vaccinated on television. How do I know that's really the vaccine and not glucose? Who makes decisions based on what famous people do? Most of them didn't get famous for being smart or making good decisions. If you follow the examples of famous people you're probably in serious danger. If they are famous for being politicians, it's even worse.

I suppose the cat's out of the bag now, though. It's too late to let politicians go first.

Now we are being told the vaccine may only be effective for a couple of months, and having been vaccinated doesn't mean you can dispense with the face mask and the anti-social "social distancing", nor will it mean the end of the shutdowns. So what's the point? Will this vaccine raise the survival rate from 99.6% up to 99.7%? I'm unconvinced.

Whatever happens, I wish you a very merry healthy Christmas!

-

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The truth can change


There are things which are true that you (and I) don't want to be true.

The pragmatist just says "Oh, well. That's how it is", but smart people see it as an opportunity to change what is true. Change it for the better.

It was once true that humans were denied the experience of powered flight. That's not true anymore (although the nasty TSA tries as hard as they can to make it true again).

It is true that I currently have a piece of metal (accidentally) superglued to my right index finger, making it harder to type. I'm hoping this truth will change in the next few days.

Maybe it's true that humans always impose political governments on themselves and others. If so, work to change that truth into something healthier.

Truth shouldn't be a prison. If there's a truth you don't like, do what you can to make a new truth. Make the old truth a lie going into the future.


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Saturday, January 23, 2021

Flag news (shipping rate increase imminent)

Just a heads up that I was informed by the flag manufacturer that the USPS is increasing their shipping rates on Monday (January 25, 2021) so the shipping cost per flag will go up an additional 60 cents. Not a big deal, but if you want to avoid the price increase, order before then.

I guess the USPS is doing such a great job they decided to give themselves a raise.

It seems that my profit margin will also decrease by a dollar, but I'll see how that goes. I already know I'm not going to get rich off of this. Maybe it won't be a big deal.


Recycled criminals


It seems to me that each new administration's government is largely composed of nasty government criminals recycled from previous administrations, plus some new blood to train to be nasty government criminals for future administrations to pick from for recycling.

I admit I may be cynical about the whole nasty circus.


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Friday, January 22, 2021

Covid wrap-up

Even the bushes are scared of The Corona

Now that it's the era of Bad'un-- you know, the "Bungle Backward Badly" guy-- the coronavirus is either effectively gone (since it has served its purpose) or it's such a big deal we'll all be ordered to wear masks all the time for 100 days (or much longer) and there'll be lockdowns for everyone. Depending on which of the random nonsensical paths is taken.

Here's my current thinking on the subject of Covid-19.

Yes, the virus probably exists. I have no way to know for sure since I don't have the equipment to see/isolate it; I'm forced to take someone else's word about it. I still think it's somewhat more likely that it is a real virus-- at least of some sort-- than that the virus doesn't even exist.

So there probably is a pandemic... in the same way that there's a pandemic of E. coli. It's probably widespread, but not a real problem except in a small percentage of cases. How much concern and tyranny is appropriate for something that is everywhere but not usually a big deal? I choose none.

I trust the science, but I do not trust politicized science interpreters. Nor do I trust their numbers even a little bit. When you count every death where the virus was present as a death caused by the virus, the numbers are going to look scarier than they really are. But it's good propaganda. Scared people are compliant people.

Instead of people questioning whether they should be scared or whether government should be controlling them, they debate how scared "we" should be and how much government should be controlling us. They ask if mask mandates and lockdowns and economic shutdowns "work" instead of realizing that no one has the right or the imaginary "authority" to be imposing them.

I still believe the government response to Covid harmed vastly more people than the virus did. Emotionally, physically, psychologically, socially, and more. Without even factoring in the economic harm.

I just can't cooperate with such people. If truth is illegal, I'll still be an outlaw.



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Thursday, January 21, 2021

Variety bag special offer


I have a variety bag for one lucky reader.

I mentioned that I was sent a replacement item from Wazoo Survival Gear-- after the USPS fumbled the delivery-- but then eventually received the original order. Well, I paid for it and now I'm selling the extra. 

It is a Wazoo bushcraft necklace.

The grab bag includes the necklace plus 2 Time's Up patches and 2 original-style Time's Up stickers (for indoor use only, and not available elsewhere anymore). 

$30.00 (Paypal or Bitcoin) for all-- free shipping to the "lower 48" (elsewhere, we'll work it out).

Just contact me-- first one to tell me they want it gets it.

-


Don't forget to buy a Time's Up flag while they are available!

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Gun stuff


This was a bad year to be broke. It makes me almost wish I had been on the "stimulus" list because if I had, I know what I'd be spending the magic money on. As it is, I've been stretching and contorting my budget in uncomfortable ways.

What I've been doing is trying to get some gun-related stuff. While I still can-- while it is still available and "legal". 

I made one Big Purchase (with Bitcoin!), which will be seen later-- maybe in a month or so (but you'll have to be paying attention because I won't be specifically talking about it).

But mostly I've been trying to get extra standard-capacity magazines, in preparation for a 10-round limit. I still have an old Ruger magazine from the Cigar Willie years; crippled by an oversized "floor plate" to hold only 10 rounds. It's an abomination.

I did get one 10-round magazine, though. To return a rifle to its original configuration. This magazine was at a really cool western junk (and guns) store I like to browse, and I got it for $5. Awesome! There was another magazine in their parts bin, but I can't tell for sure if it fits my Ruger-- it looks like it might. I might ask the price anyway next time I go to town.

Now there's just one thing I really lack. I would like to get more ammo, but I haven't been able to. It's not readily available, and really expensive when I do find it. I feel I need more 9mm-- especially a box or two of self-defense rounds. And more .45 ACP.

I'm always wanting more .32-40 and .45 Long Colt "cowboy loads", too, but those aren't as critical. Another couple of cans of FFg black powder wouldn't be bad, either.

Is there anything of this nature you are stocking up on? You don't have to answer that rhetorical question; it is only asked to give you something to think about.

-

Don't forget to buy a Time's Up flag (so I can afford ammo) while they are available!