Don't trust government with what matters

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 29, 2023)

I could never be talked into sending my daughter on a cross-country trip with a stranger. Or worse, with an acquaintance I couldn't trust because of a history of dangerous or unethical behavior. If I did, and something tragic happened, how could I live with the guilt? I know better.

For this same reason, I would never entrust anything I value to government's control. Government has a history, stretching back thousands of years, of dangerous and unethical behavior. I can't trust it and am shocked at anyone who seems to. You may as well hand your child off to a junkie driving a stolen car.

Being under the influence of political authority-- government-- is worse than being under the influence of any chemical intoxicant such as drugs or alcohol.

Anything that matters-- science, the economy, security, safety, health, education, food supplies, and more-- is something I can't trust government to have control or influence over.

I want everything I love kept beyond the reach of government, but this doesn't mean I want government to meddle in things I'm opposed to or not interested in. Someone values those things and I'm not petty.

Space exploration thrills me. The worst situation possible for this essential endeavor is to allow government to license and regulate it.

Wildlife and wilderness; pets; firearms and self-defense-- they'd all be better off separated from government's "help".

Justice is nearly impossible with government courts. They dole out a weak substitute-- punishment-- without distinguishing between mala in se (actual crimes with individual victims) and mala prohibitum ("illegal" because government says so, although there is no individual victim).

I can't think of a single thing I value which needs government involvement; anything I would entrust to government. This goes triple for liberty.

Governments have proven over and over again that they can't be trusted to protect the rights or the liberty of those they rule. They invariably become the worst threat to the liberty of those they are tasked with protecting.

Constitutions haven't worked; even when explicitly listing rights government is not allowed to touch. Politicians find excuses, and the people have no real power to do anything substantive about it. So they vote, instead. Some even side with government, begging it to violate natural human rights they don't like. It's a failed system.

Why would I ever trust government, something I know to be completely untrustworthy, with anyone or anything I love?

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Thankless jobs?

There's probably no such thing as a truly "thankless" job.

If you're getting paid, you're getting thanks. 

If you expect additional thanks on top of being paid, maybe you're asking for too much.

Even worthless "jobs" like those the pathetic BATFEces thugs do, are paid. Even though their "job" is a negative for society. I'd rather they be charged than paid. But political crooks thank them for harming society by paying them. Yet, I've heard (from a relative of one) of them whining that they aren't appreciated enough. They have no clue.

Maybe if you do hard volunteer work, and no one cares that you are making the world a better place, you might argue that you have a thankless job. (But is it a job in that case?) Otherwise, appreciate whatever form the thanks takes. Don't be greedy.

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Archation culture

Some cultures are based on archation. I don't like or support those cultures.

Police (and other gang) culture, cultures that are overtly political, and any culture that calls for the destruction of "others" are all based on archation. They are not a net positive for the world.

You get what you dish out. It's often called self-defense.

If you are part of one of those archation-based cultures and anyone encourages others to fight back against your initiated violence or property violations you really can't complain. Or, I guess you can, but I won't take your complaints seriously because you're asking for it with what you dispense or support. My sympathy is going to be greatly limited by what you do.

A robber who gets killed in the act of mugging someone has reaped what he was sowing. Good.
Gang-bangers who get shot when they've spent years putting others in peril with their acts of aggression aren't going to get a tear from my eye. 
I don't care about a cop killed "in the line of duty" when that "duty" involves violating the rights of people on a daily basis. Live by archation; die by archation.
The same goes for politicians who've spent decades imposing legislation designed to crush liberty. Good riddance to smelly garbage!
If you're a member of a cultural group known for killing anyone who isn't a member of your in group, don't be too surprised when I'm not enthusiastic in my condemnation of anyone who decides to strike back. Even if I don't support the way they strike back. You chose sides and you chose poorly. You chose a culture of archation over cooperation and mutual respect, so how can you demand cooperation and respect?

I don't support archation culture, and I am not sympathetic when its bloody chickens come home to roost.

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Uncanny Valley in politics

I see a couple of cases where I believe the "Uncanny Valley" phenomenon plays a role in politics. Where those who haven't been hypnotized by a particular political agenda aren't as sympathetic to a point of view as those who have been would like them to be.

It's not a "Left vs Right" thing, since I see a pretty clear example on each side: people trying to present as "transgender" (or "non-binary") and human fetuses.

Think past any of your own biases and I suspect you'll at least partly agree. 

I'm sure there's some subjectivity as to the precise location of the edges or lowest point of this "valley", but the overall effect seems to be universal to the human mind. Deny it at your peril.

It's not a case of how people should feel about either issue; it's a harsh reality of human psychology. You might as well be fighting against gravity. Addressing this inherent reality might be necessary to get more universal support for either cause. 

Or you can get mad at the messenger, but that's not going to change the truth.

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Wouldn't it make sense?

Doesn't it seem like the after-Thanksgiving special deal emails would be more effective if they went to family and friends of the person who was interested in those sales and had signed up with the businesses? 

This isn't the time of year I take advantage of the great sale prices on AR magazines (for example) because I'm focused on getting gifts for other people. People who are getting the deal offers I need to see so I can get better prices on gifts for them.

Of course, if the advertisers figure out a way to do that, they will be (at least) a hundred times more intrusive.

And, I suppose some people probably are buying stuff for themselves now. So maybe this works well enough,

After Christmas or after my birthday-- times when I may have gotten some money to spend-- would be the best time for me to get special price offers. Not before Christmas, and certainly not right after Thanksgiving!

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Politics = lies

I am stunned at the tsunami of lies overrunning society. The most damaging ones are mainly political, or have a political reason for being pushed.

It has become clear to me that if it's political, it's a lie, and that if it's a lie, it's probably being used politically in some way.

No realm is immune: science, religion, justice, etc. And, of course, ALL of politics from top to bottom. All are being filled with lies to serve political agendas. Many are told "for your own good"-- at least that's the justifying lie. 

I hate it.

The more political things you hear or read, the more lies you'll consume.

If it's political it's probably pointless to ask if it's a lie. Better, accept it's a lie and figure out why it's being told. Who is it targeting, and why? What's the truth?

It's not that one side is guilty and other sides are innocent-- even though it does appear that the side with the most power is generally the worst side. The side with the most power tells the biggest lies and tries to force everyone to pretend they aren't lies. That's probably just a result of having power. Which is why political power is illegitimate.

It's one thing to be told lies constantly. That's ordinary politics. It's a whole new level of evil to try to force people to repeat the lies as if they are true, and punish them when they won't buy in. Of course, for the same reason, inconvenient truth must be punished. 

That's a line I won't tolerate, won't cross and won't forgive. I'm tired of it and it makes me angry. And it's the apparent main goal of the political liars all around us.

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Does "your" v*te count?

I want to believe... but I don't.

In v*ting, I mean.

I recently saw someone again promoting the idea that you have to v*te to protect your rights from government. They were repeating the idea that "your v*te counts".

I'm not saying v*ting never works, just that the chance of that working when nothing else would work better is pretty small. Government usually does what it wants, no matter how many times it has to have the peasants v*te on it before getting the outcome it wants. Or, it will just ignore the results.

"Your" v*te counts as long as it serves the interests of the regional political power.

Otherwise, it counts about as much as your opinion on the weather. And has the same effect, if you’re lucky.

"Your" v*te is diluted by the v*tes of people who don't like you, are scared of your rights, don't understand what rights are, and believe they have a "right" to ask government to control you on their behalf. The Ignorinati.

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Learn difference between right, wrong

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 22, 2023)

Someday you may have to stand up for something you know is right, or against something you know is wrong, when it appears the whole world is against you.

You may not believe you’d change your position in that situation.

There was a social experiment where test subjects were told to choose from three choices the line which was the same length as another line. The experiment was designed so the correct answer was obvious. Only one person in the group was actually a test subject, though. The others were actors instructed to choose the wrong line. Many of the subjects-- one-third of them-- went along with the crowd even when they were giving an answer which was clearly wrong.

What happens in society when the right answer isn't so obvious? Well...

In recent years we’ve seen this effect over and over. We are shamed if we don’t go along with the experts, who have been politicized to the point of zero credibility. Then, to seal the deal, actors reading the script-- usually sanitized government press releases-- on television news programs tell you which answer to choose. Politically biased accounts on social media chime in with the same chant. They scold you to "Trust the experts."

They seem determined to convince you wrong is right, war is peace, and slavery is liberty. I wish only one-third of the public fell for the trick!

When those conducting the experiment claim to have the magical quality they call "authority" the fraction of the public susceptible to the manipulation seems even larger.

In the Milgram experiment, test subjects were instructed by a person in authority to give electric shocks as punishment for wrong answers to a person they didn't know was an actor pretending to experience pain. Most-- 65%-- turned the dial all the way up to what they were told was a potentially fatal voltage. This shows how far people will go toward abandoning what they know is right if someone in authority tells them to.

Mark Twain once observed, "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

The majority isn't always wrong, but it's wrong more often than you may suppose. If you need proof, just look at the outcome of elections.

If you can't tell right from wrong, learn the difference. Then choose right and reject wrong even when everyone is against you.

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Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for YOU.

Vice signaling

Most of what is called "virtue signaling" these days seems like the opposite. I guess that could be called vice signaling.

It's not even like they are necessarily supporting traditional vices, but their support of certain things and groups who act in certain ways-- and the way they signal that support-- is a vice.

Not disavowing climate activists who destroy property and threaten life and liberty is vice signaling. As is going along with the pronoun clowns and pulling your ads from X because some political thugs-- who embody the opposite of what they claim-- told you to. Pushing ESG, DEI, CRT, and all the other racist, sexist, and antisocial programs is vice signaling. So is support for the Palestinian government.

But so is unwavering support for the military and police and what gets mistaken for "patriotism" these days. As well as support for the Israeli government.

Be glad when someone vice signals. They are telling you who they are and what sort of sickness they are willing to embrace.

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"It's a constitutional right!"

Declaring something to be a constitutional right doesn’t mean it’s actually a right. It just means that’s the current opinion of the regional political criminals. 

They could be right or wrong.

Just like if something that is a natural human right isn't "protected" [sic] by the Constitution. It's still a right, just the same.

This is why it's dangerous to focus too much on documents and what government is, or is not, willing to acknowledge as a right.

If government gets it right, go with that. If they get it wrong, ignore their opinion.

"When in the course of human events" > "We the People", every time.

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If you had to choose only one…

Often I’ll see people discussing which *something* they would choose if they had to “choose only one”. Frequently this is on the topic of guns, but I think it applies to just about anything. Cars, knives, friends, flashlights, shoes, clothes... it seems this is an almost endless rabbit hole.

What I suspect might be a better question is, could you make do with whatever you find yourself left with?

Using firearms as the convenient example, if you didn’t have a choice, but found yourself in a bad situation with only one of those you already own, could you make it work? Even if it weren’t the one you’d have chosen for the present situation.

If not, maybe you need to work on that.

That might mean trading off some that wouldn't work and getting some that would. Or it might involve honing your skills with everything you have available-- who knows which will be at your disposal in an emergency?

When TSHTF we often don’t get to choose what’s in our hand, pocket, or otherwise with us. I’ve been there and you probably have too. Can you use what you’ve got or will your world come tumbling down while you pine for what you wish you had instead?

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Any war is always a criminal act

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 15, 2023)

"War is a racket."
-- Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler.

I'm not a good subject for war propaganda. I see the atrocities committed on all sides, going back through history. I also can't ignore or accept civilian casualties-- "collateral damage"-- under any circumstances. It's non-negotiable. One innocent person harmed means you've done wrong, no matter what justification you use. Blame politicians, not populations.

I condemn any new attack, but there's no such thing as an "unprovoked" attack. Every government, or group that acts like a government, is guilty of provoking attacks back and forth. It's an eternal pendulum of revenge.

In war, there's no "right side"; only two or more wrong sides. Every politician and every military pawn sent onto someone else's property is guilty. Even when one side seems more barbaric in the current situation than others. The blood of war is on the hands of those who govern and those who obey orders.

War is always a criminal act.

There are lessons to be learned from this greatest of all crimes.

The idea that there are "rules" in war is infantile. War is a complete breakdown of rules. To expect people who are murdering and destroying property to abide by rules is worse than insanity. You'll get more of what you tolerate, and imagining militaries will follow rules makes war more tolerable. Governments hope you fall for this useful lie. Recognizing that in war there are no rules can let you see what governments are doing to people.

While war is criminal, individuals defending their homes and neighborhoods from invaders isn't war. Shooting enemy troops coming down your street is self-defense against a criminal gang. You'll need the right tools for the job. It won't stop bombs and missiles, but it will make occupying your town too costly. Become unoccupiable.

Any government which makes it difficult for the population to own and carry weapons of war is inviting invasion and defeat. Ukraine learned this lesson. Israel is learning this lesson now. The lesson will be forgotten as soon as it no longer serves the interests of politicians to respect this natural human right. The US governments-- local, state, and federal-- have been lucky so far, routinely violating this right without too many disasters. Their luck will run out, and no one knows when.

War is the health of the state. Governments and their co-conspirators hope to brainwash you with war propaganda. Don't let them.

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Retina update

I had a follow-up appointment with the retina surgeon yesterday (Friday the 17th). It went well.

The retina is healing like it should. I'm still on an eye drop, but only twice a day for the next three weeks. All restrictions are lifted and I got rid of the medical alert wristband.

The gas bubble had disappeared from my eye Wednesday afternoon, between 4:30 and 4:45-- which was a HUGE relief and improvement to my vision. I still can't see clearly out of my left eye, but it is much better than it was, and the surgeon said it will continue to improve until it gets to the point that the cataract (which will be accelerated by the surgery) becomes the limiting factor.

I am supposed to go back to see this surgeon in March, just so he can take one last look at things. Then he told me he'll help me find a good cataract surgeon, in my insurance network-- when I'm ready to have that taken care of.

I'll be glad when I can see the laptop screen with both eyes again, but until then I can make do.

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Blocking traffic is an act of aggression

Maybe I'm unreasonable, but I've always considered being intentionally blocked in traffic to be a threat to my life. Yes, that would include cops doing it-- but in that case, I would probably be outgunned.

This is why I made the statement that got me banned for life from TwiXXer. They can punish me, but they can't make me believe I'm wrong. Because I'm not.

If you are blocking the road and I don't see a safe way past you, you may as well be holding a gun to my head and to the heads of everyone else in my vehicle. I will take this perceived threat seriously.

It doesn't matter if you are protesting climate change, protesting a murder by cop, or just demanding "equity". It could even be a protest against some new anti-gun legislation. Even if I would otherwise be on your side, when you trap me you're going to get a response you're not going to like. And I'll see you as the threat that needs to be dealt with. With as little force as necessary, but that's up to me to determine once you make the threat. I will do my best to escape.

I wouldn't block traffic unless it was necessary to defend life, liberty, or property and I was ready to back it up with deadly force. So that's what I'm going to assume of anyone blocking me in.

I do what I can to avoid places where this sort of nonsense is likely. I don't look for trouble. Funny how trouble doesn't always avoid people who don't seek it, though.

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What is "progress"?

According to Dictionary.com, progress is: 

1. a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage:the progress of a student toward a degree.

2. developmental activity in science, technology, etc., especially with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.

I'm not opposed to actual progress on principle, although I don't think it's always necessary. If I consider it an improvement, I'm probably all for it.

Political "progress", as embraced by "progressives", is usually movement to a lower stage; a backward movement toward a backward goal. Less than the alternative path.

Censorship to spare people from having to hear the truth-- or even lies-- is not a worthwhile goal, nor is it a higher stage.
The same goes for anti-defense rules. Barbaric and backward, not progress.

More slavery-- less liberty-- isn't a move in the right direction, no matter what your excuse might be.

I'd say that any new legislation always results in the opposite of progress.

To me, it is only progress if it moves closer to respecting the equal and identical natural rights and liberty of ALL humans. It involves removing government influence from all facets of life, not imposing more of it.

But, of course, to avoid thinking actual thoughts using words ("word-thinking"), you can call it what you want when someone wants more authoritarian control (backed with government violence) over your fellow humans.

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Pots and kettles

One of the most common flaws humans exhibit is criticizing someone for doing something we are also doing.

This is easy to see in others; harder to see in ourselves. I'm sure I do it, even though I don't often notice.

One example I run across all the time is on Scott Adams' live stream. Anytime he doesn't like someone else's point, which he can say is based on trying to win with a definition, he calls out their "word-thinking". Then he usually immediately does the exact same thing. But it's OK then, because he's making a point he likes. It's glaring to me when this happens.

I've seen him do this with the words "war", "woman", and others, where he criticizes the word as used by others, saying it doesn't mean anything; it's just a definition. And then he'll define some related word to make his own point. Recently he was harping on the word "war" and then, in trying to brush aside any comments using that word, used another word that his argument hinged on. (Sorry I don't remember the specifics at the moment.)

And I'm sure he doesn't realize what he's done and would block anyone who pointed it out.

Knowing I'm human and flawed is one reason I don't block people for pointing out my flaws and errors.

It does make me wonder though, I think in words. Sometimes supplemented with mental images, but always with words. Yes, I have an internal dialog that never shuts down; it's how I think. 

Do others not do the same? Is there any other kind of human thought that doesn't rely heavily on words and what they mean?

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Why complicate matters?

Going back to yesterday's post, I believe people complicate things when they don't want a solution.

The solution would either bring about an outcome they are opposed to, or it would eliminate the excuse for their "job".

Either way, they are desperate to not find a solution, no matter how simple or obvious it might be to the rest of us.

So here we are. Thanks to people addicted to the political means; people who should never have any say in anything society does, or any power over the rights of others.

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Is it constitutional?

To decide whether a gun “law” is or is not Constitutional is a very simple, two-step process.

1. Is the “law”, rule, or policy made up by, or enforced in any way by, employees/cronies of government?
2. If so, does the rule apply to weapons in any way?

If so, it is unconstitutional.

That’s it. There is nothing more to consider.

It doesn’t matter if the Supreme Court tries to complicate the matter or is scared to do the right thing. If they decide in any other way, using any other criteria, they are wrong. Since they probably know better, they are lying.

Why do they try so hard to confuse the issue? Because they are crooked.

This is why you never trust your rights to anyone affiliated with any government. Never!

But it doesn't matter to the big picture: No one has the right to disarm anyone who isn't a current credible threat or committing archation. Such a right doesn't exist and can't be created. The natural human right to own and to carry weapons isn't subject to the opinions and wishes of politicians, and can't be eliminated by ignoring or abolishing any part of any document.

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Government shutdown imaginary threat

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 8, 2023)

Someone recently asked me if the "government shutdown" had happened yet, and I didn't know. I didn't care enough to find out at the time.

Later I learned, purely by accident, that Congress had delayed it for a month and a half with some procedural hi-jinks. Instead of doing the responsible thing and shutting it all down, they kicked the can down the road.

Calling it a "shutdown" is dishonest, anyway. The truly harmful parts of the federal government-- the FBI, CIA, BATFE, TSA, Congress, etc.-- will keep on doing the anti-American things they always do. There's no shutdown there because no one would complain if life kept going as usual but free of the interference of those gangs. If you believed the lie about "safety" you've played right into their hands.

I suspect that if you can feel an imaginary government shutdown affecting your life, you've allowed government to have too much influence over you. If you waste any time worrying about whether a promised government shutdown will happen, you need to distance yourself from anything which would hurt you if it shuts down.

This may be hard. The shutdowns are more like a hostage situation than a real shutdown. The only things the federal government will stop doing are things it hopes will make you uncomfortable enough to complain. They want the shutdown to hurt you so you'll be fine with them passing more rules (hidden in the spending bill) you otherwise wouldn't want them passing. They are trying to hold you hostage so you'll let them get away with things they shouldn't be doing.

It's why they shut down things they hope will inconvenience you. Maybe you won't get checks. Maybe you won't get government permission to do something you already have a right to do, but which government likes to ration. Often they shut down places you want to go-- like forests and restrooms. Why anyone asks government permission to go into a forest baffles me, and anyone can relieve themselves responsibly in forests and other wild areas without federal help. I neither need to be babysat nor to have them provide toilet facilities.

Don't play their game by their rules.

The best response to government shutdown theater? Call their bluff. Tell them you're okay with shutting the whole thing down and you hope they never open again. I can say this and I wouldn't be lying.

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