Don't send government to deal with it on your behalf. Government that those who disagree with you are forced-- at gunpoint-- to fund, against their own interests.
Using government violence to impose your wishes on others is twisted.
On Twitter, over the past couple of days, I watched as a religious war raged between those who treat abortion as their religion and those who treat embryos as gods. I'm not impressed; it makes me question the future of the species.
The issue is perfectly crafted to enhance statism's power.
Both sides are political about it.
Both sides say it's The Most Important Issue EVER!
Both sides seem to be trying to drive me to support the opposite side as hard as they can, with each argument they make.
Both sides seem dishonest to me.
Then both sides blame me for not siding with them.
I can't. Both make me sick.
Someone who kept making bad arguments to convince me his side is correct asked if this meant I'm contrarian or just a fence sitter. I could be both. But I can't come down on his side of the fence based on that interaction.
It's why I'm totally pro-liberty.
I dislike both sides in the abortion fight very VERY much. My dislike grows stronger every year.
(part 2 here)
But...
None of the politicians who say things you like should have any power over your life, either. They are also all authoritarians. That includes libertarian (and Libertarian) politicians.
No libertarian should have power over your life,
No anarchist should have power over your life.
No one should have power over your life...
With one notable exception: YOU should have power over your life, no matter whether you're an authoritarian, a libertarian, an anarchist, or anything else. You're the only one who should. You're the most qualified for the job, even if you're an idiot. You're still a better choice for the job than any politician.
If you force someone to defend themselves or their property from you, you're giving someone else power over your life. Don't be dumb-- don't do that.
They can't.
It's not that anyone violates their liberty more than anyone else's liberty is violated, but that the irresponsible people prevent themselves from experiencing liberty.
By doing things they have no right to do-- things which violate the equal and identical rights of others-- which is a big part of irresponsible behavior, they are cheating themselves out of the best thing about being human. They are cheating themselves out of living in liberty for a little temporary freedom.
That's pitiable.
Maybe it's my upcoming medical tests-- I've been dreading May. Maybe it's the possibility of escalating problems with Russia and the supply chain. Maybe it's the lack of rain in this area. Maybe it's because everything I've tried to accomplish recently has ended in disaster. Maybe it's other things. Maybe it's a combination of multiple things.
Whatever it is, it's getting to me.
I'm about as prepped as I can be with the funds I have available. I still haven't gotten my garden going-- we had some late freezes that delayed me past the time I was gung-ho to get going. My fault, I know.
I'm stocked up on food and other necessities and conveniences. I'm somewhat stocked up on pet foods-- I could do better on that. The supply chain (and Russia-- short of nuking me) won't have an immediate effect on my quality of life. They could make things interesting in a non-optimal sort of way.
The medical stuff, I don't really know how to be prepared for that. If civilization collapses in the next couple of weeks, at least that will be off the table. A bright silver lining...
The lack of rain here is an ongoing problem. This is always a dry area, but it does seem worse than I've seen it. My parents had small sand dunes developing on their front porch last week. I haven't looked for them on my property, but they are probably starting to grow here, too. Most days the weather around here is either "Partly smoky" or "Mostly dirt". This evening we supposedly have a chance at "severe storms"-- with more strong winds, of course. The last time the weather forecast called for thunderstorms, we didn't get a drop-- they all developed east of here. That's typical.
Anyway, I hope I start feeling better about things soon. This isn't fun.
I've never understood those people, and I've known too many over the years.
Now, I don't want to see someone find happiness through harming others, but otherwise... be happy with whatever you can.
I like for people to have nice things happen to them-- as long as it doesn't come at the expense of others.
And if it does come at the expense of others...
Since I'm not a fan of punishment/revenge I'm not really interested in seeing those who enjoy hurting others suffer. Unless that's what it takes to make them stop. If their actions lead to their suffering-- they spun the wheel and won the prize. That's why I don't care when a cop shoots and kills an actual bad guy in the act, nor when a cop is shot and killed while enforcing unethical legislation. They both knew what they were getting into. It was a choice.
Not caring isn't the same as making me happy, though. I'd be happier if people didn't choose to be thugs or scum. If they'd choose a voluntary life, I'd love to see it work out and make them happy. I want more happy people in the world. There's no way that wouldn't be better for everyone.
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| No, really, it's Florida's outline with cartoon mouse ears. I swear! |
I used to love Disney entertainment, but as their w0keness increased, my interest declined.
I've never had any love for any government.
So I can't side with either one, but side against them both. I want them both to lose in a painful way.
There should be no such thing as government-employed "teachers". If there is anyway, those "teachers" shouldn't be discussing their sexuality-- or sexuality in general-- with the kids, especially not with little kids (pre-pubescent children). Anyone who feels different about this is someone I wouldn't want anywhere near my kids or anyone else's kids. That's creepy.
There's no such thing as legitimate legislation, even legislation that is supposed to do things I agree with, such as preventing government employees from discussing sexuality with little kids.
When someone lies about something, such as dishonestly portraying such legislation as "Don't Say Gay", for example, they automatically put themselves on the other side from me. Those who are on the ethical side don't have to lie.
Corporations equal government equals corporations. Rights are individual, not collective, so neither corporations nor governments have any rights.
I don't want any corporation to "pay" any taxes, not because I love the corporation, but because I don't want government to be funded. So I would rather Disney not be taxed by government-- they should keep their own money to fund their own expenses.
I also don't want government to have the power to give or deny permission to corporations' business decisions, nor to shield corporations from paying restitution when they harm someone's life, liberty, or property.
This fight is just between nasty collectives that want to violate you in some way. I hope there's some way for both of them to lose.
I didn't buy anything at either show. Prices on ammo were higher than the prices I've seen in stores lately, and guns were priced similarly-- and out of reach. Am I dreaming, or didn't I used to go to gun shows to find good deals? If so, maybe those days are over.
Was I disappointed by the shows? No!
I hadn't been to a gun show in several years, and the last few I went to had almost no guns. They had coins, jewelry, baked goods, toys, and one or two tables of guns in the whole place. Not worth the price of admission, nor really worthy of being called "gun shows".
These two were probably 80% gun-related and maybe 10% knives (still OK). More like the good old days and a welcome change. There were even a couple of politicians trying to convince gullible people to v*te for them, based-- I guess-- on setting up a booth at a gun show to show their "pro-gun" creds, Easy enough to ignore.
I had a good time at both shows.
As my son said yesterday, "Pretty good way to spend a morning".
I bought a full-tang Bowie knife blade blank-- really just a blade-shaped slab of steel-- from Dixie Gun Works. Turned out, it was pre-hardened for some reason, and files had no effect on it. Someone my dad knew offered to soften the steel, grind it into shape, and re-harden it for me. So I let him do so. He ground it "roughly" which turned out to be a little rougher than I would have preferred, but it worked out well in the end. He put a false edge on the top point-half. He also installed a brass guard on it, after asking if I would like him to do so.
When I got the blade back, I took the old broken hickory (I believe) handle of a grubbing hoe that had belonged to my paternal grandfather and made handle slabs from it. The wood was so hard, having seasoned for somewhere around a century, that it burned up a couple of drill bits (and made a ton of smoke) trying to drill it for the rivets. Trying to saw, carve, and sand that rock-hard wood was a nightmare and took far longer than I imagined it would. But it has been sturdy!
Eventually, I got the wood shaped, drilled, and sanded. I used Liquid Nails and some cutler's rivets to attach the handle scales.
More about the knife after the pictures...
The knife is 15 3/8" overall, with a 9 13/16" blade. The blade thickness is 3/16".
It has no maker's marks on it but has plenty of identifiable scars from years of hard use.
I made a leather sheath, tacked together with brass-headed tacks. Then I covered the leather with some brain-tanned deerskin. A red "white-heart" bead hangs from the sheath, near its throat.
It has been unchanged since I completed the project about 6 months later-- other than sharpening as needed. It holds an edge very well. It can shave hair, even after chopping wood without sharpening it between tasks.
I carried it daily for years, and used it to cut down small trees, chop and split firewood for campfires, flesh deer and elk hides, and just general camp chores. I've used the butt as a hammer, too. About the only things I avoided doing with it is digging holes or using it as a throwing knife. It was my most-used tool, by far.
I'll never sell this knife, and probably wouldn't ever give it away while I'm alive.
The knife should outlive me by centuries. I post this story, and the photos, in the belief that the internet may survive us all, and if someday, someone is in possession of this knife and wonders about it, maybe they'll find this post and be able to use the photos for positive identification and to know its origin.
Of course, I live right on the Texas/New Mexico line, and on the Texas side, the politicians are falling all over themselves to "inform" the people how extraordinarily dangerous Cannabis has recently been discovered to be. Sounds like a retread of "Reefer Madness" to me.
But, just over the state line, a building was quickly erected recently. Everyone wondered what it was going to be. Well, a couple of weeks ago, when the new rules took effect, a sign went up and declared it a weed store.
Here's a picture of it from the Texas side of the line. The concrete pylon between it and me is the "official" state line marker.
I expect the Texas legislation enforcement gangsters are watching the cars that leave the store and drive east. Targeting them for molestation. What's stopping these thugs? They've already threatened to do so. I really despise them, for so many reasons.
Next, of course, I'd like to see the "tax" part of "legalize and tax it" abolished, but it won't be. Not until the Age of Government ends-- which can't come soon enough for me.
Actually, I'd like to see marijuana and gun vending machines. But then, I value liberty over everything.
No.
There is no such thing as a legitimate "law" against gun possession, not "even" in Washington D.C. and not even if the criminal in question is Joe Biden. All anti-gun legislation and rules are BS. Government doesn't have the authority to forbid it. Don't fall for the trap.
If I had known and had time to prepare and warn my regular readers, it probably wouldn't have been as bad. But, even then, only those who visit every day would have been expecting it, and I'm not sure how many that is. I know many (if not most) of my readers seem to visit a few times per week at most.
As long as I keep on blogging, I expect the numbers to rise from where they are now. And, since I largely write to help myself think things through, the blog serves a purpose whether it gets read by large numbers or not.
It is still appreciated when you share links to these posts with others on social media or in emails. Might as well not be content to sit in the dark talking to myself.
