Political drama – equally bad positions

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 16, 2025)

Half of the world thinks America has become a fascist state. Half of the world thinks America has finally turned away from fascism. Almost none of them can define "fascism". And I know all government is fascist at its foundation, no matter how it's set up or who's in charge of it.

Around half of the voters think the 2020 election was rigged; the other half thinks the 2024 election was rigged. I know all elections are rigged so government wins and individual liberty loses. As long as "None of the above; eliminate the office" isn't the default on every ballot, the election is rigged in government's favor.

Half of Americans will get in your face to tell you Donald Trump is the worst thing to ever happen to America, while half of them will scold you that he's going to save it. I think he's reversed course on some really bad policies, instituted other really bad policies, and that government shouldn't be allowed to have policies at all. Or exist.

This is why it's hard for those who believe there's an imaginary right to govern to have a useful conversation with those of us who know no such right can be created.

I don't believe in giving bad people the opportunity to prey on us while hiding behind a veil of legitimacy labeled "government". These are the people most attracted to government power. Human nature means the smartest bad people will choose to commit legalized crime, where they can steal from and molest their fellow residents using the law as their excuse. It's safer for them. It would be silly to deny human nature.

People are invested in their political team. They don't want it pointed out when their team, Left or Right, is on the wrong side, as they are at least half the time. Libertarians can see both the good and the bad. It's often more fun to focus on the bad- it may also be more useful since it's frequently more important to immediately stop doing the wrong thing than to start doing the right thing.

Most political drama is between equally bad positions. It's dangerous to get involved; you risk being pigeon-holed into a side where you don't belong. But it may be unavoidable for principled individuals.

Without someone bringing principles into the conversation, America would go off the rails even worse. Having worthy principles won't win you friends, though.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

Solving the crime problem

Solving crime would be simple.

But, one side can't break their cop addiction, and the other side can't shake the anti-gun habit. So crime thrives.

The answer isn’t more legislation or police. Those things increase crime.

First, you’ve got to stop calling mala prohibita acts “crime”. That would take a big bite out of crime all by itself. Every new "law" makes more crimes out of things that weren't crimes before, thus, more crime.

Next, you’ve got to respect the natural human right to defense of life, liberty, and property, and the right to own and carry the proper tools with which to engage in effective defense.

Then you have to stop making exceptions for government when it violates rights- they are criminals, subject to the same consequences as any other criminal. They don't have extra rights.

These are all hard for "lawnodor" drones to accept, as they are hard for "fairness" nuts, but they are essential. Unless you actually like crime and want more of it.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Swimming upstream

Conservatives love government, cops, the government's military, and deadly order more than they love liberty.

"Liberals" love government, self-flagellation, the false sense of safety, and self-destructive "fairness" more than they love liberty.

It's an uphill battle; swimming against the current. But liberty is the correct choice anyway. Every time, in every situation.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Another conservative's opinion

The conservative thought he had a gotcha when he said, "Libertarians will look you dead in the eyes and tell you these are law abiding citizens who should be able to own guns".

No. I will look you dead in the eyes and say no one has a right to forbid them (or anyone else) from owning weapons. They are able to own guns, regardless of what your rules say. No "law" will physically prevent it. Believing otherwise is exposing your superstition.

If they are bad guys, as he indicates he believes they are, they won't obey the "laws" he wants to impose on us all, anyway.

As someone else pointed out, any "laws" he would want enforced against them would be turned against him. And you and me. It's always that way. This means that the bad guys will still have their guns, but the stupidly compliant good guys will be disarmed and helpless.

Conservatives are dumb. About as dumb as their Leftist opposition. They are being political and politics makes people stupid.

I will also tell you that if the above-referenced individuals use their weapons to archate, I hope they get Darwinized without mercy.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

"Law & order" or liberty? Choose

Here's how a normal conversation with a typical "pro-gun [sic] law & order" conservative goes...

Me: The cops who are enforcing this anti-gun "law" are criminals.

Him: While I agree, it doesn't stop corrupt [sic] government from arresting and prosecuting people for exercising their rights despite unconstitutional laws.

Me: Criminals do criminal things. That’s what makes them criminals. Criminals will always exist- they’re a fact of life.

Him: You're welcome to carry an AR-15 into DC openly and see where that gets you. Bet it won't end well, though.

Me: Because the local criminal gang (Blue Line Mafia) will molest or kill me. I’m not arguing that they won’t. If you believe I am, you’re hallucinating.
They are enforcing a counterfeit "law".

Him: Whether or not it is counterfeit doesn't matter at this point. The law in DC is "no concealed carry without a permit and no open carry". Do either and get caught, you will be prosecuted. If you want to do something about it, then get off the internet and get into city hall, where you can actually voice your concerns and be heard.

Me: I’m not going to act as though their counterfeit “laws” are real laws (they are crimes), nor do I ever have any reason to set foot in DC.
But v*te harder or beg the criminals to change their ways if you think that’s helping.

Him: Take it up with the lawmakers. I don't get why you think arguing with random people on the internet is gonna change anything.

Me: I agree. Arguing with random people online won’t change anything. To change things, stop asking permission from political criminals and their henchmen to exercise your liberty. Once you act as though your rights are subject to their opinions, they’ve beaten you. Legislators and courts don’t matter at that point. You’ve handed them everything they crave.

Him: Whether you like it or not, you will be jailed if you try to exercise those rights in certain jurisdictions. Lucky for me, I live in a Constitutional carry [sic] state, so I don't have to worry about what laws DC chooses to enforce. But by all means, go ahead and test the fences.

Me: Again, I don’t disagree. Criminals do criminal things. I wouldn’t expect the Blue Line Mafia to act in an ethical way because they are criminals. Criminals kidnap, rob, and murder because it’s their nature, whatever excuse they use.

Then there's the other conservative path...

Me: You shouldn't support criminals (the cops enforcing the anti-weapons "laws").

Him2: I don't (right after arguing that it's right to arrest people for carrying without a permit).

Me: If you’re supporting those enforcers targeting/arresting people for carrying firearms, you do.

Him2: I support law enforcement. Permits are required to carry in DC.

Me: Those permit requirements are illegal. Imposed and enforced by criminals who ignore the law. If you support them, you’re supporting criminals. Period.

Him2: Challenge them in court, then.

Me: You would have supported slavery until the “laws” changed, then. Good to know.

Him2: Injecting race is a Democrat talking point. ("Don't inject even one marijuana or race!")

Me: Seeing that as racial is hilarious.

And these exchanges demonstrate, yet again, why I can't be conservative. I don't like the taste of boot polish enough. Nor can I get my mind to twist that hard.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Do the death-slap

Funny jokester.
Rights aren't transferable between species.
Exercise your right to defend yourself and your blood. With violence, when necessary.
Just the same as you have the right to do if those were people, who are obligated to not violate you.

I'm so glad mosquitoes find me unpalatable. It has made me the envy of companions (who were covered in mosquitoes) on several occasions.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

The Nobel Prize in Internet Reasoning goes to...

I guess it’s part of, or related to, the Dunning-Kruger effect, where the less someone knows about a subject, the more confident they are of their competence, but I've noticed they are also less aware of when they decisively lose an argument. They'll just keep going and strutting and crowing about how great they are, and calling the smarter person insulting names.

Also, it may appear to average observers that they really did “win” because the person who knows what they’re talking about can be stunned into silence, and the audience doesn't understand any of it. I understand the stunned silence. 

I mean, what can you say to someone who is obviously missing the whole point, but is acting like they just won a Nobel Prize in internet reasoning?

I've watched this from the sidelines many times. Rarely getting involved beyond a "like" because there's no point. But it almost makes my head swim sometimes. 

There are a couple of great debaters- dare I call them Master Debaters?- on X that I love watching totally destroy those who (try to) argue against them. It's shocking how often the one who has been destroyed declares themselves the "winner" and seems to honestly believe it. It's kind of funny, but it does prove Unfortunate Truth #1.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

We need to outlaw government slavery

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 9, 2025)

Note: This is NOT the headline I would have written for this.

Defenders of government like to pretend government isn't slavery. They also pretend government is necessary and ethical; without it, humans would not survive and would have never advanced beyond the Stone Age.

Supposedly, government ended slavery. Government also legalized and enforced slavery for thousands of years. Now, because of rules which replaced the old rules, individual humans can no longer pretend to own other individual humans, but we are all required to act as though we are owned, collectively, with government as our master.

Our money isn't ours until government scoops its percentages out of the middle. Then it skims off more of our money every time we make a trade- and sometimes, like with property taxes, into perpetuity because someone bought property in the past.

Laying claim to the fruits of another's labor is a defining feature of slavery. Your body isn't your own, and the value its work creates is claimed by someone else. In this case, the "someone" isn't an individual who can be defended against, but a spectral collective which is nowhere, yet everywhere at once.

Government tells you what you mustn't put into your body. It forbids certain medications, and requires you to seek its permission for many more. Your body isn't your own, and government doesn't want you damaging its property.

Government would prefer you not have the most effective modern tools for defense. Not necessarily because it sides with criminals (it does), but because its employees fear you might come to realize that you need to defend your life, liberty, and property from their legalized daily assaults and theft more than from the occasional freelance thug.

Abolitionists of the 19th Century faced the excuse of "Without slaves, who will pick the cotton?" Abolitionists of today are asked, "Without government, who would build the roads?". Or invent new technology, fund science, keep a record of who owns which property, settle disputes, or dozens of other things government currently does, no matter how poorly.

Is government really necessary for these things, or have you been blinded to reality by government and its childhood indoctrination centers called "public schools"? Has this crippled your ability to think of alternatives to having the cotton picked by slaves?

If you can't figure out a way to accomplish great or mundane things without letting someone or something assert ownership over human beings, you shouldn't be making decisions about the future.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

Violating norms

I saw a strange criticism from someone who ought to know better. He complained that Trump is "violating political norms". 

Basically, for doing more of what his predecessors were doing. The argument is that this has threatened the traditional "truce" between the factions. 

Have you seen what passes for "political norms"? They need to be violated, torn down, shredded, and burned.

Politics should have never been normalized. It's criminal. It's cheating. 

Using government against your enemies, whatever lipstick you put on it, is evil. Whoever you are and whoever your enemies might be. To expect that this won't be turned against you at the next opportunity is spoiled-toddler-level stuff. Now some of those spoiled political toddlers are crying that it's their dirty diapers in the crosshairs. Before you know it, the roles will reverse again, and the whining will continue.

I don't want a truce between the bad guys. I just want the rest of us to stay alert and avoid the crossfire.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

"Insider trading"

"Insider trading" can never be a real crime. It shouldn't be a crime at all. It isn't for congressvermin, and the same standard should apply to everyone. All humans have equal and identical rights, after all.

I understand the excuses for making it a "crime", but to criminalize it in any way just gives criminals, like congressvermin who made up the rule, an advantage.

Everyone can have extra knowledge and information about a specific stock or industry. It's not wrong to take advantage of that, unless you're a congressvermin who is able to do things with legislation that manipulate (disrupt and damage) the market. Which they do all the time.

If it's to be criminalized at all, it would make more sense to criminalize it for congressvermin only. The exact opposite of the current situation. But since there's never a way to single someone out without hurting the innocent, government just needs to keep its filthy hands off.

Legislation makes things worse every time it is tried. So just don't.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Is it a curse?

To be able to see both sides sometimes feels like a curse.

Even though I can usually see both (or more) sides doesn't mean I think both sides have equal validity. One side is usually more right than the other. Usually. Not always.

Often one side is completely lacking any principles whatsoever. Or they are operating from a broken and worthless morality. The other side may have flawed principles and a sketchy morality, but still be slightly more right than their opposition. Or sometimes one side may be operating from bad information or a misunderstanding that's not completely their fault.

I can normally see their side, though. Especially if I can see why they believe what they believe.

Acknowledging the point of one side doesn't mean I think they are the good guys. It may simply be that the others are a little worse. Either way, I often get accused of agreeing with those I don't agree with. This is why it feels like a curse.

I can live with it.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

"The lottery is a tax on people who are..."

If I won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone, but there would be signs:

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Looking to the future

If, hundreds of years from now, my frozen corpse is found in a glacier (or floating in interplanetary space), I give my consent for it to be studied and displayed in a museum, along with whatever EDC is on it, for all to see. Even to gawk at and mock, if they want. 

My descendants have no claim on it and can be ignored if they demand that it be destroyed and lost to science out of misplaced notions of "respect" or any superstitious reasons.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

The subtle change

"...Over time, and apparently without the slightest shred of self-awareness, they traded the swastika for nose rings, brightly colored hair, and truly stunning amounts of projection."
   ~ History lesson of the future

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Don't be afraid to exercise your liberty

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 2, 2025)

Your liberty- your freedom to do everything you have a right to do- doesn’t hang in the balance, weighed against someone’s fear of what you may do with it. No one has a right to prevent you from using your life, liberty, or property as you wish as long as you don’t violate any other individual’s equal and identical rights. Their fear isn't your problem, unless they choose to make it your problem- which they have no right to do.

Government preys on the fears of those who don't want you living in liberty. Fear is like winning the lottery for government, so it fans the flames of fear at every opportunity. Don't play. Don't be afraid, but if you can't help being afraid in the moment, don't let fear control you.

Never let government use your fear as justification for striking against the liberty of others. This is what happened after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when government's political criminals took on the job they claimed the terrorists wanted to accomplish. Government hates you for your freedom, so they destroyed much of what was left of it. Given the chance, they'll do it again. Don't give them that chance.

Everyone feels fear. Bravery is being afraid and doing the right thing anyway. If you can't help but be afraid, find your brave inner hero and respect liberty in spite of the fear. Don't allow government to use your fear as an excuse to put "common sense" limits on natural rights. It's never common sense to violate the rights of individuals. You don't gain real security by giving up liberty.

Government will always try to bully you into thinking of your rights as privileges, subject to its political criminals and their legislation. This is a lie. It's a way to make you hesitant in doing all you have a right to do. It's the basis behind every license, permit, and tax levied on a right.

There's no need to be timid in exercising your rights. You're not violating anyone. You're not doing anything wrong. Those trying to scare you out of living your liberty to the fullest are the ones in the wrong. Every time.

Be brave. Be bold. And, if it gets too dangerous to exercise your rights openly, be sneaky. The good people- those doing the right thing- were the ones hiding Jews in the attic and lying to law enforcement about it. So will it always be.

-

Thank you for reading.
I would appreciate your support.

A hunger for competence

I want to be capable of anything I need to do, and I want to be good at the things I value.

It's hard to admit when I'm not good at something- but if you've been reading this blog for a while, you've seen me admit to many things I'm not good at, or in some cases, apparently incapable of. Just know I hate admitting it.

YouTube- as much as I hate their draconian and hidden policies- has helped me do many things I didn't think I was capable of doing. Saving hundreds of dollars for me and for my parents (I have repaired more things than I can count for them- they just pay for the parts).

I have learned I'm able to do more things than I thought. Often, when I really can't do something, it's a lack of the proper tools or an inability to find the parts. It's not me!

Saturday, while I was grieving a feline friend I wasn't able to fix, my parents' car- which my sister was depending on while she got her car repaired (or not- the dealership service department is famously incompetent and is going to have to try again)-developed a problem that made it unusable.

But, with the help of Grok and YouTube, I was able to diagnose the issue and make a temporary (maybe?) fix that saved the day- or the week. And saved my parents hundreds of dollars, at least for now.

Long ago, I worked with a girl who shocked me one day when she told me she had replaced the fender on her car over the weekend, all by herself. These days, I shock myself by doing things I never imagined I could do.

I would still pay someone else to do most of these things if I had the money, but I'm glad to have options. It's nice to feel a little more competent all the time.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

It's been a rough few months

Boots.

7-22-2012 to 8-2-2025

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

I must have missed that news

There's some serious nonsense in the world.

You have probably heard of Dexter Taylor, who is being held prisoner (for 10 years!) by the New York rulers for manufacturing his own firearms in his own home. Something he and everyone else has a natural human right to do, regardless of the opinions of regional political criminals.

At Taylor's show-trial, "judge" and political criminal Abena Darkeh explicitly told his lawyer that he could not use the Second Amendment in his defense. She said, “Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom. It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York.”*

My question is, when did New York secede? Because that's the only way a political criminal like her could truthfully claim the Second Amendment "doesn't exist" in New York. (Even if that were true, the natural human right would still exist just the same, as it does anywhere there's a human being. Rights don't hinge on a document recognizing them.)

And, aren't the other government supremacists always telling us that states can't secede because the question of secession was settled by Lincoln's war crimes? That the feds have F-15s and nukes to force the states back into the cracked "union", just like they can impose their anti-gun rules on individuals? I must have missed all the news about the secession of New York and the ongoing war to bring it back into the fold.

No legislation can erase the natural human right to own, carry, buy, sell, or manufacture weapons. Anyone who tries to pretend it can is a criminal of the worst sort. Worse than most mass murderers or serial rapists. Equal to the very worst of them.

That "judge" apparently doesn't know or understand the law. Or, if she does, she's willfully breaking it. Just to impose her authoritarian preferences on her victims. This "judge" is a criminal.

*This also shows that the "judge" knows the Second Amendment means what it says, and that she's breaking the law.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip?

Boldness is interesting, too

Besides beauty, another thing I find interesting is when people clearly say what they "see", even when I disagree with them. Is it bravery or boldness or a touch of craziness? On their end or mine?

I've found a few people on X who consistently tell it like they see it. Consequences be damned. It's interesting, and I respect it, even if they appear (to me) to be hallucinating. Even if I'm sure they are wrong- which can make them even more interesting. At least they aren't boring.

I like it the most if I think (or suspect) they are right. Then it's really interesting. Made more interesting by observing the reactions to them. It shows me the tiger traps to avoid, if nothing else. So, no, I won't be listing examples. Nothing good lies that way.

Although, a historical example would be Philip K. Dick.

Some of them have been canceled for what they've said. Some just get a lot of hate. Either way, they are interesting.

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.

I find beauty interesting

Society likes to swing from one outrage to another. Outrage is like an engine that drives modern society. Was it always thus?

There may be different outrages for different parts of society on different days, but it's always something. 

Right now, part of society is outraged that a beautiful young "white" woman is appearing in an advertisement. I saw someone complaining that there are millions of beautiful "black" women, so it's a racist disaster that the company chose to hire a "white" woman this time. One ad. Out of millions of ads that show people of almost every description imaginable. And this is a problem? Oh, please.

I saw one guy even claiming that it's a sign we're heading for racist lynchings and genocide of "brown" people. Such drama! Over an ad.

A couple of years ago, a different segment of society was outraged that a particular man was in a different company's ads. Again, millions of ads, with all sorts of approaches, and this one ad campaign was worth getting mad over? I think not.

The most useful ads are interesting in some way. They get attention by being interesting rather than boring. Don't be boring. 

Interesting is good. Find interesting people (or things) you believe will help your brand. "Interesting" doesn't have a "race" or a type. I always loved the Clydesdale beer ads, which were beautiful and interesting. To me. And this ad segment is one of my all-time favorites for reasons I can't quite explain. It hits me in the funny bone, and it's interesting to me because it cracks me up. I laugh every time I watch it. Yeah, I'm weird.

Beauty, which is subjective, is also interesting. Looking at beauty makes me feel better than some other kinds of "interesting" do. People who rail against beauty are pathetic and have bigger problems they need to address before they worry about who appears in ads.

I'm not sure how well ads work, though. I'm sitting here not drinking any beer or wearing any mall-brand clothes (unless I coincidentally picked them up in Goodwill).

-

Thank you for reading.
Leave a tip.