Does this mean I'm old?

My Spirit Animal?

I was wondering recently why I'm feeling a bit angry at the world. Then I realized I'm not feeling angry. Not at all. I'm just sick of certain things-- politics, mostly.

Politics makes people stupid. 

A nationally influential Libertarian got snippy with me when I was supportive of throwing those oath-breaking anti-gun politicians in Tennessee (if I remember correctly) out of office. He had some "democracy" reason that he thought it was an awful, unlibertarian thing. He was wrong.

If you violate the terms of the agreement that allows you to hold an office, he believes you should be allowed to stay in power? I guess so. 

When I responded that I want every politician kicked out of office when they violate liberty (which would get rid of all of them), he was paternalistically dismissive. I wasn't playing his political con game, so I was irrelevant. Politics made that Libertarian stupid. I've seen more cringe-worthy tweets from him since then-- mixed in with some reasonable things, too, so he's not always wrong. Only when he mixes politics into his attempt at thinking.

Then there are all these people who see a problem, either real or imagined, and start calling for government to fix it with legislation. Or stricter enforcement of existing legislation.

So many issues, called out by so many political people. Ban this, mandate that, punish them. Wow, it's stupid.

This is political thinking and it always leads you astray. Legislation is never the right (or ethical) way to solve a problem. Be smarter.

No one has the right to use the political means against anyone. This imaginary "right" can't exist. And I'm sick of pretending doing so is legitimate, or even just holding my tongue in the face of such nonsense.

I get it: some people love politics. But it's not much different than loving to mix powerful unknown chemicals in a basement under a room full of children. Even if you say you're doing it in self-defense because someone else is doing the same to use against you. It's at least irresponsible, maybe worse. My patience for it all has worn very thin.

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Help me cover the expense of the surgery. Help however you can. Thank you!

The Bud Light silliness

The Bud Light manufactured controversy is something I can't seem to care much about. Mostly, it seems slightly amusing.

I don't drink beer and I find Dylan rather silly. Dylan's more like a clown than a serious threat. Although I can understand why some might disagree, I think they are giving him more credit than he is due. I don't feel threatened in the least.

He's an adult, and I doubt many people look at him and say to themselves "Oh! I want to be just like him!", and those who do would probably find inspiration somewhere no matter what. At least he's not as evil-clown-scary as those government libraries seek out to read to little kids.

Kids and teens are particularly gullible to manipulation and brainwashing, but I worry more about their "idols" who take themselves seriously and engage in bullying. Or worse.

I don't really believe anyone thinks of Dylan as a girl or woman. I doubt he even thinks of himself this way in his innermost thoughts, although there's no way I could know. Not that it matters one way or the other.

Fame is fleeting. He's found a niche and he's using it to his advantage while he can. Whatever works. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

I just see him as a comedy act. Comedy is subjective. His style of comedy isn't really my thing, but if someone enjoys it, it's not my problem.

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Help me cover the expense of the surgery. Help however you can. Thank you!

A freer world worth a little pain

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for March 12, 2023)

Almost no one enjoys pain. Humans spend a lot of time, effort, and money avoiding it or trying to avoid it. Often, pain is unavoidable and sometimes it's necessary. Occasionally, pain leads to something better in the future.

When it works out, it's always worth it.

It might hurt to achieve a freer world. Getting rid of the obstacles to "liberty for all" will be unpopular with a lot of people. There are probably even some anti-liberty things you want to hold on to. They need to go. And it is going to hurt-- temporarily.

A freer world is worth it in the long run.

If you won't suffer a little pain now in order to improve your future situation, why would you ever go to a dentist? Why would you dig a splinter out of your finger? If you say it's because those things are causing pain now, but you don't realize all the pain violations of liberty are causing, you might be in denial.

Some of the things standing in the way of liberty can be replaced with better, voluntary alternatives. Others don't need to be replaced with anything. If you have a cancerous tumor removed you don't worry about what you'll put in its place. At least, not if you're smart.

If you could suffer a little today, knowing that because of this pain, you would be free tomorrow, would you? Or are you more like a slave who is afraid of what freedom might mean-- responsibility and uncertainty-- so you'll keep your chains? Not only your chains-- worse, you'll help forge the chains your children and grandchildren will be shackled with. All because you weren't willing to go through the pain of gaining unfettered liberty.

I respect the slaves who took the risk and fled from those who pretended to own them much more than those who accepted their condition. Even those who killed their supposed masters in order to escape were right to do so. Liberty is built on the pain of those willing to pay the price. And it is worth any price because liberty is more valuable than life. A life without liberty is worse than death.

If you've been brainwashed into accepting less liberty than is your human birthright, it's time to embrace the pain it will take to change the situation.

Are you willing? If not, why not? What are you so afraid of?

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Also, I was otherwise engaged last week and didn't repost that column in full like I was supposed to, so here it is.

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Liberty is not up for discussion

Evil losers have been busy. I don't care "why" they did it-- evil losers will do evil things.

Of course, half of the political types are screaming that it's because of the guns and the other half is blaming the evil losers' obvious mental illness. Yes, anyone who chooses to be an evil loser qualifies as mentally ill, no matter what else is happening between their ears.

But, really, these mass shootings happen because the evil losers are given the opportunity. They don't face enough armed targets in the places they choose to attack. Nothing...NOTHING... will make things better until this changes. New "laws" aren't needed; bad anti-liberty "laws" need to go away.

I can't take anti-gun bigots seriously. They are dangerous clowns. They'll do and say anything to avoid embracing the only thing that can help.

The other side is just as bad, in its own way. Mentally ill people have the same rights as anyone. You have no right to stop them from exercising their rights, but you have the right to defend yourself if they choose to attack. The same goes for anyone else.

I don't care who you're talking about or what justifications you use. Government has no right or imaginary "authority" to decide they aren't allowed to own the proper tools for self-defense. And that's what it all comes down to: Government has no rights or "authority" to do anything. Even if you wish it did and think this is dangerous. You'll need to find a different approach.

Liberty is simply not up for discussion.

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Help me cover the expense of the surgery. Share wherever you can.

Back in the sa... soft, cushy chair

I am untethered! And sore! But freedom from the catheter is worth the increased soreness I got from the car trip. I'm actually now the most sore I've been since the day after the surgery. It'll get better.

I'm SO GLAD this isn't a week ago!

So, where was I?

I didn't pay much attention to things going on in the world over the past week, unless I saw it on Twitter-- and I doubt most of that. But, if half of what I saw is even partly true, the world got lots closer to utter insanity while I was mentally away. I guess that's the case in any random week, it's just more obvious to me, having been checked out for a bit.

What is there to say about any of it? I don't know. I'm sure I'll have something to say, though.

It's good to be back.

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Help me recover from the expense of the surgery. Share wherever you can.

I’m home

I’m home resting, but also trying to walk to get rid of the laparoscopic gases that are causing most of my pain. In my shoulders.

The surgical area is sore but not so bad. 

The catheter is a major pain and annoyance, but I have prior experience- which is why it freaked me out so bad when I was told I would have to have one for a few days. 

Anyway, here I am. I may or may not post for a few days, other than the newspaper column on Sunday.

Thank you all for your support and concern. It makes a difference.

Update 2

 I should be discharged today. Here’s hoping. I’ll have to come back Monday to see the urologist and get the catheter out, which is annoying. If I lived closer it would be much less inconvenient, but I don’t like big cities.

I’m doing really well. I did get some pain meds today (so excuse me if I sound stoned), but it’s for my back which started hurting early this morning. The surgery site doesn’t hurt much. The pain in my shoulders from the laparoscopic gases is pretty intense. But only if I use my arms. 

The nursing staff here has been awesome. It’s been like a vacation where someone sticks you with a needle every couple of hours.

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Left versus right rivalry political lie

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for March 5, 2023)

The whole "conservative" versus "liberal", "Left" versus "Right", rivalry is a lie.

In the ridiculous political world where most people view each idea as either "conservative" or "liberal" (or whichever word the political left prefers at the moment), those who love liberty confuse everyone.

In the real world, though, there is only liberty versus authoritarianism. The rest is a diversion.

Often one part of the political divide supports me on one topic while disagreeing with me on another. As a consequence, I continually get slandered as both a "far-right extremist" and a "bleeding heart liberal". Often on the same day. Yes, it's a crazy world.

The reaction depends entirely on the views of the person who is trying to discredit me. When you see everything through the distorting lens of politics, you aren't seeing clearly and will misjudge what you think you are seeing.

I value liberty, so I oppose anything which chips away at it. Some of those things are endorsed by conservatives while others are favored by liberals. 

The supporters and detractors may switch sides from one topic to the next, but I won't participate in silent acceptance of any sort of authoritarianism. This confuses people.

I don't believe government has any political authority to ban or regulate anything-- not guns, drugs, speech, or anything else. I consider corporations to be inseparable from government-- not "private companies" as some characterize them. So censorship, from a corporation or government, is something I will always oppose.

Yet, those on the Left have accused me of thinking corporations should run the world since I deny the authority of government to do anything. It's a delusional misrepresentation.

In a similar way, the Right accuses me of neglecting private property rights and the right to lock the doors on your own home when I point out that government has no ethical or constitutional authority to control the movement of people across imaginary government borders-- called "immigration" by politically brainwashed people. Again, this characterization isn't even close to true.

People who have been trained to only see things in the dim light of Left or Right are missing most of reality. Instead of reflexively siding with their team, they would benefit from thinking for themselves. If you treasure liberty and respect the right of everyone to do whatever doesn't violate the equal and identical rights of anyone else, you'll free yourself of the political blinders.

This is what liberty looks like.

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Update 1

Things went pretty well and I’m not even in much pain. They say the only pain meds I’ve gotten were those they gave me during the surgery. I feel loopy, but that might be due to lack of sleep. Had the leave the house at 3:45 this morning to make the appointment so I got about 2 hours of sleep after two months of not sleeping well at all.

I’m going back to sleep now.

(Posted poorly from my phone)

Today's the day

I'll do my best to let you know how it went as soon as I can.

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Help

It's the day of the surgery.

Not really fine

Tomorrow is the day.

I feel like the "This is fine" dog... if he was in a state of panic.
Hopefully, the flames are an illusion and this really is fine, or will be if I stop panicking.

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Help

Tomorrow's the surgery.

Panic and pain

Today's visit to the urologist who is assisting in the surgery (complications due to a childhood injury) was one of the worst, most painful experiences of my life. It brought the childhood injury back to mind and triggered my phobia etc.

I just don't know how I'm going to get through this.

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Stopping ALL mass shootings

Assume "they" got rid of every semi-automatic weapon and every firearm that was owned by someone who isn't a government employee who is armed as a condition of his "job". (Impossible, but let's pretend.)

Even all cops are only armed with revolvers or pump-action shotguns.

Would that stop mass shootings?

Nope.

One cop who snapped could kill dozens of unarmed people with his revolver, because who could do anything about it? You think that wouldn't happen? How cute.

There is no way to completely end mass shootings. The best approach is to make certain any potential mass shooter faces armed resistance. And, again, anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted around children.

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I'm in the last week before the surgery.

Acts of an evil loser... Same song, different verse

The response to the evil loser in Nashville has been predictable in just about every way.

Including the observation that the only way to stop these things in their tracks is armed people among the things you want to protect. Children and employees, in this case.

And the outcry from the anti-gun bigots is the same as always. "A gun did this and you want more guns? You want to arm teachers instead of taking the guns away from everyone?"

I'll just say what I've said in response: If you don't trust someone with a gun, you shouldn't trust them with your children.

If I don't trust someone with a gun, I don't trust them. Period.

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I'm in the last week before the surgery.

Prohibition fails every time it's tried

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 26, 2023)

Drug abuse is stupid, but prohibition is evil.

The surest way to guarantee a market will become dominated by criminals who are willing to steal, kidnap, and murder to protect their market share is to criminalize a product.

You saw what happened with toilet paper and eggs when they became harder to buy. Why would you imagine the same economic factors don't apply to substances you don't want people to have access to?

Yet, toilet paper and eggs were temporary shortages, not permanent government-imposed shortages. No one believed toilet paper and eggs were going to have to become black market items. What do you think would have happened if everyone did believe this, or if government had actually banned those products? Soon the market for those items would have looked exactly like the market for politically incorrect chemicals-- it would have been violent and dangerous to the customers and innocent bystanders.

I understand-- you don't think people should be "allowed" to abuse drugs. Maybe you don't believe people should even have access to them at all, regardless of whether they will use them responsibly or abuse them. You might even be under the illusion that it's not possible to responsibly use the drugs you want banned. You'd be demonstrably wrong, but it doesn't matter.

Plus, in the case of drugs, prohibition guarantees the product gets smaller and easier to hide over time-- this means it is stronger. It's easier to transport a soda can-sized package containing thousands of doses of fentanyl than to hide the same number of doses of cocaine. So guess which one is safer to ship into enemy territory where your customers live. Guess which one it is then easier to fatally overdose on.

Drug prohibition has been the excuse used for most of the worst violations of our liberty since the end of the most violent parts of alcohol prohibition. Liberty isn't a decorative trinket to be ripped off and thrown away just because it tolerates some things you don't like. It is the foundation of any worthwhile civilization, to be protected from all who would chip away at it, no matter what you think it costs.

Do I want people to abuse drugs? No. I lost a daughter to someone who did. My personal pain doesn't change reality. Prohibition not only fails every time it is tried, it makes things worse. Prohibition is evil.

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How my doctor appointment went

Not as well as I would have liked. That seems to be the theme.

I learned I have to go to another appointment-- another 180+ mile round trip-- on Friday, to meet with a doctor who will be assisting the main surgeon (due to a unique medical history complication). I begged for an alternative. There is none I can live with.

This trip was a monumental mess. I N-10-slee dislike medical stuff, and I hate bureaucracy-- maybe nearly as much. Tuesday was a glorious mix of the two-- I felt like Philip J. Fry swimming in Chunks, the 2-headed goat's, pool. 

And, of course, now the insurance problems begin. I'll see if they get resolved or get worse.

I'm terribly frustrated right now. I'm (unwisely?) taking some of my frustration out on Twitter-- if it doesn't get me banned. I won't be surprised if it happens this time.

Thank you for sticking with me through this. I know this isn't what you come here to read about.

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Help

I'm in the last week before the surgery.

Define "exciting"...

Today I'm heading to the hospital for my pre-registration stuff. 

With all the recent and current stressors, I didn't come up with anything topical to write. Not even with the Nashville evil loser's mass murder event.

I'll do better.

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Help

I'm in the last week before the surgery.

RIP Kirby

Kirby and Tobbles

Kirby, last summer's rescue kitten, and friend of Tobbles, lost his battle with FeLV today. 

He would have turned 1 on April 7, 2023-- just a week and a half from now.

He had a rocky, hopeless start. I did all I could, but the deck was stacked against him. At least I hope he was happy and comfortable most of the time he lived with me.

I buried him under the redbud tree next to his friend Tobbles, who I buried there last July 3.

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Ban TikTok?

I do not believe government should ban TikTok. Government has no rights and shouldn't have the power. That would be censorship. 

Yes, even if it comes down to one government banning another government's app.

I also don't believe anyone should have TikTok on their phone, or use TikTok. I've never used TikTok, so I freely admit I hate it out of ignorance. 

However, from the outside looking in, TikTok is obviously harmful. It brainwashes the young and the weak-minded into beliefs that hurt them and, when used to influence politics, it hurts all of us. But censorship hurts us all, too.

All social media is harmful in the same way, to lesser or greater extents. Don't ban any of them.

I understand the arguments for banning it, I just don't agree.

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Help

I'm in the last few days before pre-payments are due.

Statism is dumb... even if some statists aren't

Seeing all the really dumb stuff justified by one brand of statist or another, I think it can be said with certainty that statism has jumped the shark, nuked the fridge, AND nuked the shark. Probably jumped the fridge, too.

Some days I don't even know what to say-- the statist stupidity from every direction just seems so ridiculous all I can do is shake my head and (try to) put it out of my mind.

I never thought statists were statists because they are "so smart"-- I realize some are smart; their evil overtakes their smarts, but I just don't see it in most of them. 

But even if some statists are smart, statism itself is still dumb. It's like a genius who arranges his life according to a horoscope.

But most statists aren't evil geniuses. Just evil imbeciles.

Most don't seem able to add 2 and 2 without trying to find a political angle that supports their preferred kind of slavery.

It doesn't matter, I suppose. Stupid or evil, the results are the same. Be ready to defy and avoid.

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Help

I'm in the last week before pre-payments are due.