Musk may help end liberal narrative

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for May 4, 2022)

My Twitter account was shut down during the dark days of censorship, but I made a new account a month or so ago. Just in time to see all the fun and drama over Elon Musk's buyout of the platform.

The celebrations on multiple sides, and the meltdowns on one side, were entertaining. The melodramatic handwringing-- over fears of Musk doing to "their side" what they've supported doing to everyone else for years-- was great comedy.

Elon Musk became their new Donald Trump.

Modern so-called liberals have turned on one of their own because he still values the formerly liberal cause of free speech. What a mixed up world. This is how you know they aren't liberals anymore.

"Liberal" is supposed to mean open and generous. They are the opposite. They are authoritarians, just like the worst of the "conservatives".

Musk has warned everyone that he's not a conservative and will do things which anger conservatives. He explained that he only seems conservative now because the leftists moved so far left while he stood his ground. This left him closer to conservatives than to his former allies.

In some ways, Elon Musk leans libertarian. Not in enough ways, though. He's still better in this regard than most famous people, even many who call themselves "libertarian", but he has a long way to go.

Elon could be a libertarian if he'd stop pandering to the state-- to political government and the politicians who dwell within it. I get it, though. To run a successful business-- or three or four-- there are things you have to do to keep from being violently shut down, robbed blind, and caged by armed legislation enforcers and other government agents. He plays the dangerous game because it's how he stays in business. It's part of the reason he's a multi-billionaire and I'm not.

There's a twisted side of me, of which I'm not proud, which loves seeing the people who have relied on censorship and bullying to keep the opposition in check watching as their control of the narrative slips away. They may get it back-- I hope not.

I despise censorship of any kind, so I don't want them censored or bullied, either. I want their narrative exposed to the light of day so everyone can see how thin and worn it is. I want it to rip to pieces, and it looks like Elon Musk might just help this happen.

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Rights or power?

Government-supremacists would like you to believe there's no such thing as rights, inalienable or otherwise. Only power. 

Scott Adams recently made this argument again on his podcast. As I've said before, when he's right he's right and when he's wrong it's because of government-supremacism.

Because if that's the case, on what basis would he criticize Hitler? He did what he had the power to do. If there are no rights to violate, he did nothing wrong. 

Which is part of the reason I recognize and respect rights. 

Even when someone has the power to violate rights and get away with it (at least temporarily), like Hitler, Trump, Trudeau, and Biden, those rights still exist unchanged. Either political criminals are right in everything they do because there are no rights to be violated and they are just doing what they have the power to do, or government supremacists are wrong.

If someone says rights don't exist, it's probably because they want government to do things that would obviously violate someone's rights (like anti-gun legislation) but they don't want to feel like they are the bad guy.

Government does have the power to violate rights. This invalidates the argument that government is necessary or good, not the concept of rights. Without rights, try to have a functioning society.

If power is all that matters, then government needs to have its power taken away. All of it.

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Kitten fundraiser: https://www.givesendgo.com/G3AR7

A glimpse into the inclusive future

I just got back from a trip into the future, timed so I got back only a second after I left so I wouldn't be missed.

Anyway, I got a sneak peek at the future "pride" flag. 

Quite a sight, isn't it.

Actually, they had tried to level up the inclusivity even more, but from a distance, it just looked white and the w0kies balked at flying a white flag for multiple reasons, so they stepped it back a little to this version. 

I think we can agree this flag says-- and celebrates-- it all.

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Kitten fundraiser: https://www.givesendgo.com/G3AR7

Not a prediction, just an observation

The Democrats need to get rid of Biden. Some might argue against that assertion, but I think it's obviously true.

Authoritarians want more excuses to go hard against gun ownership-- the bigger and more shocking the excuse, the better for their anti-liberty cause. 

One stone; two birds.

If you imagine that anti-gun bigot political criminals wouldn't do something like that if they believe it will advance their cause, you haven't been paying attention. They are probably grooming a patsy right now.

Biden ought to be very suspicious of his own side right now. I would not want to be him.

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It's heading right for us

It looks like hard times are coming. And I don't only mean hard economic times. It looks like full-blown tyranny, in the form of anti-gun rules and other things, is on its way. The political criminals-- those terrorists in Congress and elsewhere-- feel emboldened by the acts of some of their soulmates.

They can't stop the signal, but they can kill a lot of the messengers. Remember what happened to Mr. Universe.

Which brings a question to mind.

What's the best way to deal with what's coming? Stand and resist, or hunker down and weather the storm? 

I wish I knew the answer. 

Maybe the answer depends on each individual's situation and temperament.

I'm not going to criticize either choice today. I don't know which choice is right, smart, or... better. I don't know which choice will save liberty for a brighter day sometime in the future. Do you?

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Kent's kitten rescue project

After much thought, and a lot of begging from my daughter, I decided to start a fundraiser for the porch kitten. And maybe for the others, too. I think some TNR is in order for the neighborhood strays.

Here is the link: https://givesendgo.com/G3AR7

Copsuckers are out of excuses

If you still imagine the police are the good guys and will protect you from bad guys, you are delusional and in denial. After Uvalde, there's simply no excuse for this belief anymore.

No, I don't want or need cops. Neither do you. But those who want a police state do.

What I do need from them is for them to stay out of my way. Let me do what needs to be done without getting in my way and they can just go eat donuts or something. They need to stop being a force for bad. They need to be abolished.

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Open letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Governor Abbott,

It's obviously time to tighten Constitutional carry in Texas. Every "except" and exemption needs to be immediately stricken from the legislation.

The Constitution doesn't allow any exceptions, especially for government-controlled property such as post offices, federal buildings, state buildings, and local government facilities. Including government schools (which the Constitution also doesn't allow). 

The Bill of Rights doesn't give anyone any rights, it places our natural human rights off-limits to government rules. It's non-negotiable.

That's the deal those who established the US federal government agreed to. They need to be held to their end of the deal. If they won't be, no one has any obligation to continue to unilaterally uphold the bad end of a broken bargain.

More anti-gun rules are a deal breaker and can't be tolerated. If the federal government tries to impose even the slightest new anti-gun restrictions or continues to illegally enforce those already on the books, it is time (it is long past time) for Texas to secede and be independent again. 

When a relationship has become so abusive that staying in it does more harm than good, it's time to let it go. The United States government needs Texas more than Texas needs that harmful institution. Don't allow nationalism to cloud your judgment and keep you from doing what you know is right.

Of course, this means that Texas would no longer be bound by the US Constitution. That's fine. We can do better. Texas could actually be what the US failed to be. This means no gun restrictions whatsoever, but it also means so much more. Some of which will be hard to accept for people fooled by the belief that government can be a good thing and is the same thing as society.

It's time to side with those who understand liberty and against those who believe authoritarian tyranny is a solution. Will you have the courage to do it?

Sincerely,
Kent McManigal
[Redacted], Texas

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Be cure to government's disease

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for April 27, 2022)

Joe Biden has done us a favor. One he didn't intend to do and one his supporters probably haven't noticed and wouldn't like if they did. If America can survive Biden, in his mentally degraded condition, then it's clear the office of president is unnecessary to the well-being of Americans.

I would say it is obvious this truth can be extended to the rest of government as well, from every branch of the feral federal government down to city councils.

Things which are necessary and good can be done without government, and the things "only government" can do aren't just unnecessary, but are harmful.

Recently, Elon Musk has shown that NASA is unnecessary for human spaceflight, and that the FAA is a threat to the future of the human species since it is doing all it can to hamper his Mars program and keep the tax slaves on Earth. Musk is working to ensure the survival of humanity while government agencies are making themselves our enemies. It's a stark contrast.

Musk is now also fighting to restore free speech while his opponents are fighting for censorship; another contrast which puts him on the better side.

This doesn't mean Elon Musk is above criticism-- he's not-- but he doesn't have the power to steal your money and throw you in a cage if you resist. This makes him better than any government.

If you imagine something can't be done without the power to steal other people's money to pay for it-- the power to tax-- you've been tricked. If it's necessary, it can and will be done anyway, and if not, it probably shouldn't be done at all.

If you see something you believe needs to be done, what's stopping you from stepping up and doing it? If it's a lack of money, convince others it's a good idea and collect the money, voluntarily, to give it a try. If you can't get people to chip in, maybe the idea isn't as good as you believe it is.

If money isn't what's standing between a good idea and making it a reality, it's probably government rules stopping you. Rules put in place to protect political cronies, to protect government monopolies, or to enrich and empower politicians. None of which helps the people.

Government is not on your side and is an unnecessary disease many seem unwilling to cure. Don't be like them. Be the cure.

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Choose your adventure

If we are living in a simulation, I would like to be able to choose to live in a sub-simulation where there are no restrictions on guns. None. Zero.

I'd be perfectly happy to let others choose some other option as long as they had no influence over, or effect on, my life. 

I don't care who would be less safe or who would be safer because safety is an illusion and a lie told by tyrants. I value liberty over life, anyway.

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Yes, it is bigotry

Good people are caught between the rare evil losers who commit mass murder and the-- unfortunately-- all too common anti-gun bigots who want to help the evil losers by making sure no one can effectively fight back.

The whiny anti-gun bigot who didn't want to face his bigotry posted this definition of "bigotry" to prove he isn't a bigot:

So I answered, "Anti-gun bigots suffer an obstinate AND unreasonable attachment/belief to the opinion that guns are evil (and that legislation against gun owners will fight crime).
'In particular' doesn't mean 'exclusively', but anti-gun bigots are particularly bigoted against gun owners."

I'm still waiting for a response as of writing this.

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Politicians and their drooling groupies have, through constant repetition, programmed most people to fear liberty. This isn't good for civilization. It's easy and popular to say anti- liberty things, but it's wrong to impose them.

Is living in a backwater good or bad?

I live in an insignificant town in the middle of nowhere. 

Sure, this is the county seat, even though it is on the very edge of the county (on the state line) and there's a much bigger town in the center of the county that many feel would make more sense as the county seat. This town's county seat designation is a relic left over from soon after the turn of the last century; one I think it should happily give up. 

Regardless, I doubt invading troops-- whether foreign or US-- will ever march down our local streets unless they've already completely defeated the places that matter to them.

So, no matter how well armed I and my neighbors are, would it really make a difference? Would it be too late to turn the tide by the time any invaders (other than the embedded local government employees) got here? I suspect so.

I'll stay ready, willing, and able anyway.

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How to win any argument, no matter how badly you're doing

When you're scared you might be losing an argument, just reference the Dunning-Kruger Effect and say the other person is an example of it. This will show everyone how smart you are and scare away anyone who might have been inclined to disagree with your stunning intellect. 

I can't tell you how many times I've been put in my place by people using this technique.

They might even be right-- how would I know?

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More gun thoughts

• Gun owners hurt for the innocent victims of evil losers, but then we have to brace for the political criminals (and their ignorant supporters) who immediately start attacking us and plotting to enslave everyone with new illegal legislation. I'm sick of it.
  
  
• Demanding more anti-gun legislation after a mass murder is like hitting the gas instead of the brakes when parking in front of a convenience store, then being shocked when you crash through the front window. You're doing the opposite of anything that will help anyone.
  
  
• Texas is a constitutional carry state... except in those places allowed to violate the Constitution and prohibit guns anyway. Guess where the evil losers choose to strike.
  
  
• Even if some new anti-gun legislation prevented one murder or mass murder, it's going to cause others. It's inevitable and is not a net gain. The "if it saves one life" excuse is a lie.I don't care how popular the anti-gun bigots are, they are wrong, and they are the mass murderers' best friends.
  
  
• I hate anti-gun bigots and their orgasmic delight in mass murder-- and the legislation they plot which will inevitably make things worse. With a white hot passion. They want you to have to stand by, helpless, while evil losers kill the innocent. No!
  
  
• An anti-gun bigot whines to me that you can't be bigoted against an object. Sure you can! I'm bigoted against loud cars. The difference is that I don't hallucinate that I have the right to forbid people from owning them.

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A reminder

Anytime and every time you see a sign anywhere that says "no guns", what it is telling you is this:

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The statist obsession with control

There's another way of statist-think that I hadn't encountered.

I was familiar with the "You won't let me control you so you're controlling me" tactic. but now I've been confronted with the "You don't want to control other people so you're apathetic" angle.

What is it with these people and their obsession with control? Do they really imagine they are helping anyone?

You control you, even if you don't do it well. I'll do the same for myself. If you need help, ask. Anything else is uncivilized.

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On a completely different tangent... If I had the money and the temperament for it, which I don't, I would start a cat rescue in the area. So many strays and so many kittens doomed to a hard feral life. It really bothers me. There's a litter of 6-week-old kittens and their mom on my porch and one of the kittens is sick. But I just couldn't handle it emotionally, even if I could afford to rescue and try to find homes for them all. There is no rescue group in town-- the local cop will come pick up strays and destroy them if someone calls. I'm not doing that. Ever. But my heart hurts for them.

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"Common sense" is vulgar reasoning

So many people seem to imagine some legislation is "common sense". It "makes sense" to them, and they believe it "makes sense" to most others-- in common-- too. 

Which raises the question, what is "sense" in this context? Well, checking the dictionary, it means "what is reasonable". So, if it "makes sense" to them, they imagine it aligns with what is reasonable. In this case, common sense would mean a majority of people (or maybe, just v*ters) imagines something is what is reasonable.

Does it really seem reasonable to use legislative violence to violate natural rights? Yes, unfortunately, to most people it probably seems like it is reasonable. If they are scared of some rights and wish they'd go away, it makes sense to them to use government to violate those rights. 

It can't make it right, though.

It is never right to violate natural human rights-- not as an individual nor as a corporation/government.

Maintaining the "institution" of slavery was once "common sense". Most people believed it was reasonable to do so. Many couldn't imagine doing without it.

But it was never the right thing to do. Just as it is not the right thing to do to go with "common sense" to justify violating natural human rights today, no matter how many people might agree with it.

"Common sense" just means the common, ignorant, unethical majority believes it is reasonable. It's no coincidence that a synonym for "common" is "vulgar". Imagine being so evil you'd pander to that demographic to maintain power.

So, the next time some political criminal says "common sense", hear "vulgar reasoning". That is what they're talking about.

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Tolerance pushers most intolerant

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for April 20, 2022)

Tolerance has a proper time and place, but this time and place isn't all the time nor is it everywhere. Nor does everything have to be tolerated. Even the most tolerant person won't tolerate everything.

I was always a fairly tolerant person. I was never too interested in making someone conform to what I thought they "should" do. As long as they didn't try to force their ways on me or on my friends, I didn't try to stop them from doing whatever they were doing even if I thought it was "icky".

As I've gotten older, I've grown even more tolerant. "You do you"... as long as you give others the same respect.

And this is where I draw the line: "as long as you give others the same respect". Those who won't respect others won't consider me very tolerant.

There are certain things which shouldn't be tolerated; things which are wrong to tolerate. Violations of life, liberty, and property are behaviors I am unwilling to tolerate no matter who is committing them.

As I've aged. I've grown more tolerant of most things but less tolerant of some others. With each passing year, I grow less and less tolerant of those who bully others with any form of violence or threats of violence, including threatening others with government and its legislation. I simply have no use for such people. Trying to control the peaceful, mutually consensual behavior of others is a disgusting habit.

This bullying includes censorship, whether committed by government, corporations, or an individual. To me, freedom of speech is non-negotiable. The freedom to learn from unpopular speech is why speech must be free. The censors can spout all the justifications they want, but limiting what people are allowed to read or hear isn't a noble thing to do.

The strangest thing I see about tolerance these days is how those who push for tolerance the loudest are the most intolerant. Not intolerant of things which actually harm others-- things no one should tolerate-- but intolerant of mere opinions they don't like. They commonly use threats and censorship to prevent anyone from hearing opinions or facts they don't like. This is how you know they know they are wrong. They can't allow the other side to be heard or their narrative collapses. Censorship exposes the weakness of their position and they seem to believe you won't notice. But you will now.

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Too w0ke to survive?

I like electric cars. I always have. I still don't hallucinate that they solve all environmental problems (or even any of them).

But that's basically what some people have been claiming for decades.

Then, suddenly, the most successful electric car company ever is their enemy. Just because the guy who started the company stood up for free speech and then said some (truthful) things they don't like to hear.

Imagine being so partisan and blind that you'd reject what you've been declaring to be the solution to what you've been claiming is the biggest problem ever just because the entrepreneur isn't w0ke enough for your tastes.

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