Round numbers

It's been ten years.

I hate that the arbitrary fact of a round number makes it feel more important and more painful.

Those files

I have almost no interest whatsoever in "The Epstein Files". Shocking and unique, I know. I'm supposed to care. Deeply! But I don't.

I assume all political criminals are scum in every possible way. The only thing those files might do is show a lack of evidence that one of them isn't scum in one specific domain. Maybe. An absence of evidence is never evidence of absence.

I assume any file that was important in showing guilt has been wiped, deleted, shredded, burned, and scattered to the winds. Or doctored to either show guilt or to cover it up.

It's better to assume they are all scum and work from there.

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Be a hero

Government makes everything worse

I was going to list real-world examples of how government makes everything worse; how adding some government control or oversight ruins everything.

But the list got too long. Basically endless. So many specific examples came to mind that I was overwhelmed.

I can't think of anything that has been improved by giving government control over it. Can you?

Give me an example, if one comes to mind, and I'll consider it.

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Could you? Would you?

War is politics

War is politics. Maybe slightly extreme politics, but still politics. It's politics in full bloom.

Anyone who uses politics against me is someone who I believe would hurt me in other ways if they had the opportunity. They're simply going about it dishonestly.

This is the kind of person who will go to war with others if in a position of power, even if they lie about what they are doing and try to give it Orwellian euphemisms- like "peacekeeping".

If you make a habit of using politics against others, don't complain if it comes back on you tenfold. You may find yourself in a war you didn't realize you were starting; a war you're not going to win. I have no sympathy.

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I dare you

Non-functional

Through the years, I have seen some very pretty non-firing firearms replicas. The "non-firing" part completely ruins them for me.

A large part of the beauty of a firearm comes from knowing it functions as it's supposed to function, which includes sending a projectile downrange at high speed. Even the airgun replicas of real firearms are better than the non-firing replicas because of this. 

And blank-firing guns are all noise and disappointment.

That's kind of how I feel about "libertarian-leaning" people. They may look nice, but they fail to function correctly. By insisting on hanging on to some statism, for pragmatic or other reasons, they don't work right.

They might make a nice display piece, or a lot of noise, but they won't save the day when the chips are down. All because they're unable to let go and trust liberty.

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Go crazy

Government failing at its only job

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 8, 2025)

Much of the conflict over government stems from different ideas about what its job is— or should be.

If we strip away all the nonsense and propaganda- all the excuses- there's only one justification for government that holds water; it's there to protect the life, liberty, and property- the fundamental human rights- of the people forced to live with it. A job it seems unwilling or unable to do. Anything else it does is a direct betrayal of this purpose.

So much for the notion of a "night watchman" government.

If government were capable of fulfilling this purpose, it might be worthwhile to keep one around. Since government is the main problem we are likely to encounter in our daily lives, it's not worth the expense or the risk. Government is the wolf at the door, demanding you let it in so it can protect you from wolves.

So-called "safety net" programs- welfare, subsidies, and other handouts- are often sold as government's duty, but it's a trick. Every cent funneled through these schemes must first be stolen from the rightful owners through taxation. If government's job is to protect property, picking your pocket to hand the loot to me is a contradiction. You can't protect property by stealing property. You can't protect rights by violating rights.

No one needs bureaucrats taking their money and then deciding who to give it to. Charity is better at filling real needs while correcting for mistakes or scams. Stealing money through taxation, then giving it away (even if they aren't trying to buy votes with it) isn't generosity. It doesn't make for a kinder society. It breeds dependence and resentment, and it undermines the foundations of society. If there were any such thing as a "social contract", this would break it.

If you assume people can't run their own lives, and treat them as if they can't, they'll prove you right. If you try to remove the cost of being irresponsible, no one has any incentive to be responsible. If you insist on governing them, they'll never learn to govern themselves.

If government is to be tolerated, it must stick to its job of protecting your rights. Not violating you in the name of what someone pretends is a right. Not being a nightmarish nanny or a parallel universe Robin Hood who steals from the people to give to the state.

It can't do this, so why put up with it?

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Truth in labeling

I recently watched the movie Soylent Green. It was made in 1973 (“based on” a 1966 novel) and set in 2022.

The movie was not nearly as shocking as I'd been made to think it would be. Which doesn't say good things about how dystopian the world has been turning since the early '70s, or how callous I may be.

It seems to me that the core problem in the movie is a truth-in-labeling issue. Turning a massive glut of corpses into food seems a good use of resources (protein) under the fictional overpopulation scenario depicted in the movie. 

I can't imagine that the people of that world- seeing what they have become accustomed to tolerating- would really have that big an issue eating the processed remains of their fellow humans. 

Maybe Thorn was acting like it was a big deal, but no one else cared. That is where the movie ended, after all. He screamed the truth, the cameras shut off, and people shrugged and went on about their miserable lives, with bigger problems to worry about.

Come to think of it, that feels like the response to most uncomfortable truths about government and lost liberty that I feel people should care about.

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You're a King

What's better than "No Kings"?

Everyone a king or a queen. Everyone the sovereign individual they were born to be.

8 billion+ kings/queens is better than none. 

If there are none, slimy political criminals will call themselves something else while they take on the king's role and assert illegitimate "authority" over your life. Don't leave a power vacuum; wear your crown- or not. It's your decision as King.

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Are you not entertained?

Socialist politicians take note

Any "affordability" that doesn't take the cost of taxation and regulation into account is a lie.

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The experimental life

One thing that distinguishes me from the people I know is that I’m always, constantly experimenting.

Looking for better ways to do things. New ways; different ways. 

Even with things that I’ve settled on, if someone suggests another way that seems interesting or possibly better, or if I think of something different, I’ll nearly always try it. 

Maybe it’s a reflection of my lifelong love of science. Or my lack of belief in authority as the final word. Or some combination of the two, or something else entirely.

I don’t personally know anyone else who does this- at least not to the same extent I do. I'm sure there are plenty of people like this, I just don't know any.

I'm also not sure this is a good thing. It seems like it should be, but then I see how content the people who don't feel this need seem to be, and then I'm not certain.

One thing I know for sure is that the liberty to experiment is absolutely essential, not just for me, but for the entire species.

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Long-range economics from a non-economist

October 12, 2017, mBTC price

I feel bad. I’ve been begging friends and family to get precious metals for many years, and to get Bitcoin for the past few years. Most of them have ignored me. Or even laughed at me.

One did finally get some silver and a very small amount of gold about 10 years ago, and a few dollars of Bitcoin about 5 years later. He’s glad he did. The rest are oblivious to what they missed. They still dismiss my suggestions, thinking US fiat dollars are the only money that counts.

They may even feel smart when they hear that Bitcoin is "collapsing". Again. As it regularly does before (and after) hitting new all-time highs. Like is happening now. The reality is that Bitcoin is on sale for a limited time.

The US dollar will eventually collapse, too, and when it does, it won't rebound. It will be worth nothing (some would argue it's already most of the way there). I don't know if it will happen in your lifetime, but it's guaranteed to happen. If it does happen in your lifetime, are you ready? Do you have contingency plans?

I don't have nearly enough of either metals or crypto; I'm not even convinced "enough" is a thing- but at least I understand the importance of having some.

The US dollar's long-term trend is only downward, seeking its intrinsic value of zero. This is the path it has been on since 1913, and it shows no signs of stopping its downhill slide.

I think, with Bitcoin, that the long-term direction will be forever upward. Yeah, there will be bumps and dips, but over the course of decades, if you have even one Bitcoin, you'll be set. Maybe I'm wrong and it has hit its peak, or quantum computing will destroy it, and it will be worthless in 5 years, But I doubt it.  If only I'd trusted it more in the beginning... but let's not think about that! 

Also, food for thought, if the price of Bitcoin increases as much in the next 8 years as it did in the 8 years since the screenshot above was captured, it will be worth somewhere around $1.7 million. Each.

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Destroying their own argument

One thing statists constantly do in any discussion is destroy their own argument- and not realize they've done so. Not even when shown what they did. You can hold their hand in some cases, but they'll see nothing that doesn't agree with their preferred superstition.

I encountered one who didn't like what I had to say about "just following orders". I said it didn't work, and he said it worked as long as you were on the winning side. I had to give him that one, but I said it doesn't cut it for me.

His comeback argument was that you have to use the power of government because your enemies will use it against you. I said that, yes, evil works, but you don't need to be evil because you can ethically shoot the bad guys in self-defense.

His rebuttal was, "Power is not evil, it’s just the ability to decide. If you don’t win, you don’t get to decide on anything. 'self defense isn’t evil' is 'I was just following order' in that it’s decided by those in power. A leftist judge and jury will give you 40 years for 'pew-pew' no matter how justified you feel." (He kind of lost me there, with the grammar problems or dropped words, but I think I got the gist of it.)

The sad thing was, he didn't realize what he had just done to his own argument.

I pointed out that such a judge, and his power to harm someone for engaging in self-defense, are evil. This confused him. I don't expect him to ever get it figured out. I know he believes he's being pragmatic- which is another problem, but such is life.

So much discussion with statists is like trying to discuss the color green with someone who insists it's orange, and calls you the problem for not going along.

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Don't be puppet for government

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 1, 2025)

If you change your behavior strictly because of what someone you dislike thinks you should or shouldn't do, you are their puppet.

Last week, when government came out with the cautionary advice to not take Tylenol (Acetaminophen) during pregnancy- advice which actually agrees completely with Tylenol's published advice- there were reports of pregnant women on the political Left going against this advice and taking the medicine to spite Robert Kennedy Jr. and President Trump. Some made videos of their act of defiance, just to do the opposite of what the current regime told them they probably shouldn't do.

Again, advice that Tylenol's manufacturer has been giving for years.

That's not rational behavior.

I've also seen people on the political Right do dumb things as a reaction just because the Democrats in power advised them against doing it. Or mandated them to do it.

I knew someone who littered because the "environmentalists" on the Left told her not to. Truthfully, I've known two people who did this- and I picked up after them when I could, because I'm not an irresponsible idiot who is easily manipulated by politics. It's not smart to soil your own nest, even if someone you dislike tells you it's a bad idea.

There are people on the Right who now refuse any vaccinations just because the sketchy Covid shots made vaccinations a Democrat virtue.

This is no more rational than what the Left was apparently doing last week. Truth is truth, no matter who says it.

Long ago, someone pointed out to me that if I alter my behavior for no reason but to defy someone, they are controlling me as surely as if I were obeying their every command. I don't want to be a puppet.

Wouldn't you feel stupid if you ended up damaging your health, the health of your child, or costing yourself extra money simply because you wanted to do the opposite of what some politician told you?

It's smarter to weigh everything someone tells you to do. If it makes sense and is good for you, do it. If it seems like it would be bad for you, do something else. Check with sources you trust- the less political, the better. You might even be wrong sometimes. Make your choices and accept the consequences. Never put yourself in danger for no better reason than to figuratively spit in the face of a politician. Be smarter. Think for yourself.

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"... similar to Communism in how it ignores reality"

Statists love to equate libertarianism and anarchism with communism. They believe this comparison gives them an automatic win. Far from it.

Some guy got upset that I said "ALL government is The Ancestral Enemy" (in response to an eye-patched political criminal). He thought he had squeezed out a gotcha with his quip that "Libertarianism is anarchy with extra steps", and went on to try to associate it with communism, as they so often try to do.

I asked him to explain. This was his attempt.

"When you decentralize a society and implement what is de facto mob rule, you will always have chaos and crime. Libertarian principles will never save the day, because order must be enforced. The solution is centralized authority, which is why it always comes back in the end."

That's an awful lot of straw men and assumptions in one paragraph.

Let me break it down bit by bit.

"When you decentralize a society and implement what is de facto mob rule, you will always have chaos and crime."

How odd that he believes decentralization is "de facto mob rule". What, like v*ting leads to? He's the one promoting someone ruling others, not me. I want everyone to rule himself. I know some wouldn't, just like they don't under government now. There's an ethical solution to that: defense of life, liberty, and property from all violators.

No matter what, there will always be chaos and crime. Always. Regardless of the "system" you implement. I've never seen an example of a government that doesn't have (or promote) chaos and crime. Not one. An argument that fails this hard shouldn't keep being dredged up. But it's one of their favorites, so they can't let it go. I’ve never heard of even one libertarian who expected liberty to result in Utopia; this is strictly something statists demand of it. And something they would never expect of their own “system “.

"Libertarian principles will never save the day, because order must be enforced."

Non sequitur, and it's wrong anyway.

Libertarian principles save the day all the time. Without them, there's no such thing as society. They provide just the right amount of order- not too much and not too little. 
They work for me every day, in every way. I've never encountered a situation that could be improved by violating libertarian principles.

Do they make life perfect? No. Nothing does. Including government. This is an attempt to excuse violating others just because the alternative you don't like isn't perfect.

Some order must be enforced, yes. Within limits. Too much order is just as deadly as too little. There is a balance, and that balance is anarchy- or libertarianism, if you prefer. Why does he believe a criminal organization that exempts its members from the rules it imposes on the rest of us is the proper way to enforce order? Why is he so addicted to order? It is each individual's responsibility to protect life, liberty, and property- to enforce ethical order. That statists try to abdicate this responsibility to government doesn't change anything. Not a single thing. 

"The solution is centralized authority, which is why it always comes back in the end."

That sounds an awful lot like the communism he was trying to smear libertarianism with. When I mentioned this, he claimed it is a "false equivalency".

"Authority" is The Most Dangerous Superstition. The reason it "comes back in the end" (or has so far) is that humans are superstitious and have been brainwashed to believe in it. But your superstitious beliefs don't obligate me. You do what you want, but I know your "authorities" are nothing more than criminals with a 12+ year indoctrination program to fool people into seeing them as something they aren't. You can't make me believe in the false legitimacy of the illegitimate, no matter how you try to frame it. Even if your thugs murder me, I know they are nothing but criminals.

It's amusing to me how often (like, every single time) their objections apply equally to the "system" they believe they are defending from scary liberty. Dolts.

It seems that they ignore reality to keep believing what they believe.

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Space invaders

The right of association is an essential human right; this means you can exclude anyone from your space for any reason, or on a whim. Any "law" saying otherwise is a violation of your basic human rights.

It's a bad feeling to be excluded. I've experienced it and I didn't like it.

It doesn't matter.

People have a right to their exclusive spaces. They can base them on any criteria they choose, or it can be totally arbitrary, based on "I don't like how you look".

Those who have been excluded from some space have the right to establish their own spaces and exclude those who excluded them. Or not.

It doesn't bother me that I am not allowed in a women's dressing room or restroom. I can imagine an emergency situation where I might invade a women's restroom- but I would know I am doing something I have no right to do, and I would be as respectful and contrite as possible. I wouldn't act entitled, but I would be extremely apologetic. If someone punched me for being in there, I would deserve it.

If people of some particular "race" wish to have a club for only "their own people", I would respect that wish. Even if I really wanted to participate. If I liked their club idea, I might establish a similar club for myself and those who want to join- I can't imagine excluding anyone because of something as trivial as "race". Anyone who didn't enter and try to archate would probably be welcome. If they smelled really bad, I might ask them to address that issue before coming back- unless stinking was fundamental to the purpose of the club.

I have never understood those who want to invade other people's spaces. Why insist on being where you aren't welcome? So often, they then ruin those spaces, making them into something even they don't want to be a part of anymore. It's just dumb.

Respect the right of association. If you want to join, try to earn an invitation. If you can't, move on. You'll be OK.

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Collectivist "thinking"

I’ve noticed an epidemic of collectivist hatred among too many people who otherwise appear to lean toward liberty. It’s their obsessive hatred of Jews. I'm running into this in places where it has no bearing on the topic; where it seems some ignorant people just feel the need to insert it everywhere, just so you'll see their opinion. Some openly advocate the discredited socialist swastika cult.

It’s wise to hate countries and governments, but not to nurture a blanket hatred of people who share nothing in common about their behavior. I hate behaviors, not generic people. Individuals' behaviors.

I dislike the Somalis who move to America and become politicians, not because they are from Somalia, but because I dislike politicians. Everywhere, no matter who they are or where they were born. Politicians aren't good people because they seek power over others. I am not anti-Somalic; I am pro-liberty.

It's the same with Jewish people. I dislike the ones who seek to rule others, whether as part of an Israeli government or as a US politician. Not because they are Jews, but because they are archators. Jewish people who aren't archators are perfectly fine by me. And that's the vast majority of them- the political element is a small minority of any group (other than the self-selected group comprised of politicians, bureaucrats, and other political parasites). They are the bad apples.

It's smart to be biased against individuals who violate others, and against individuals who choose to join a group based on violating others, but not based on their genes or accidents of birth. Actions are all that matter.

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Food as a human right

To be clear:

• You have the right to hunt, gather, and grow your food. Any government rules that make this difficult or impossible violate your human right to acquire food.
• You have the right to barter or buy food from others who hunt, gather, or grow food. Any government rules that make this difficult or impossible violate your human right to acquire food.

Food is a human right. 

Having others provide you with food is not a human right. That’s slavery.

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Obeying their lizard brain

I used to see welfare recipients as thieves, but I eventually came to see many of them as victims. They just don't know they are victims, or they imagine some other victimhood. 

Victims who'll blame those who aren't victimizing them when the handouts stop.

I blame those politicians and bureaucrats who steal and redistribute, not the saps who fall into the scam. I can't get too angry at people who are told, "Here's some free stuff- take it", for taking what they are offered. 

Part of this lies in my low estimation of the intelligence of the general population. 

Most people aren't aware enough to see it as a scam; they just hear "free stuff!" without the necessary awareness to realize there's no such thing as "free". Someone always pays, and there's a cost to the recipients, too.

The thieves who steal and redistribute are buying loyalty, and maybe even v*tes.
Those who receive the stolen money are only doing what their lizard brains tell them is good for them.

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Fatal involvement

The looming food stamp riots show one thing clearly: Government shouldn't be involved. In anything. It doesn't matter what the topic is.

Government shouldn't be involved in food distribution. When it is, look what happens.

That's not all, though.

Government shouldn't be involved in healthcare, justice, security, business/economy, money, making rules, education, transportation, arbitration, defense, or any of the other things government tries to involve itself in.
Even more dangerous are the things which government decides to enforce its artificial monopoly over.

Central planning is always a flop. Every time it is tried, it fails. If you believe it didn't fail in some instance, it's because government got involved in (and destroyed) education.

Also, I have no objection whatsoever to anyone decisively ending a food thief who believes they are entitled to the food in a store. That person can choose whether or not to be a thief, and if that's the choice they make, I have no pity when that choice has deadly consequences. There is ALWAYS a better option than theft.

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Best to reject politics in all forms

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 24, 2025)

One of the main reasons I can't be conservative or "liberal"- Right or Left, Republican or Democrat- is that all of them trust government to some degree. I don't trust it because I can't.

They trust government with different issues; their specific degree of trust depends on which political party holds the most offices this week. I trust government with nothing- based on its actions, not its promises, and its perpetual failure to fulfill the bare minimum justification for government throughout history.

Each political faction also has areas where they doubt government, but I distrust it entirely- especially in critical matters like life, death, ethics, or natural rights. Handing those to government was a mistake.

They believe government can protect them from their fears: "immigrants", guns, disease, poverty, crime, or even their own mistakes. It can’t. It doesn’t try. Being controlled like livestock isn't safety, unless you believe the danger comes from predators outside the fences, while the biggest danger is from those planning to profit from your body and your labor without your consent. Not through mutually agreed-upon deals like civilized people would pursue, but by robbing you of the fruits of those consensual arrangements.

They believe government will provide for them. It won’t, not for long anyway, and always with a catch. Government can only give you what it takes, by force or threats, from others. That’s its nature, and it won’t change.

Government has an enduring history of violating rights.

Both of the mainstream factions push for government censorship against the other side. Either directly or through pressure on licensed platforms. Whichever side has the power uses it, and the other side screams in protest, pretending they didn't do the same when they had control. This is the best argument for abolishing obsolete agencies like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); government has no business licensing anyone's rights.

The Left has become the most hateful side, but the Right's calls for censorship are wrong. It can sometimes feel good to make the other side play by the rules they've been using against you. On the other hand, Republicans Abraham Lincoln and Joseph McCarthy both had a hand in setting this censorship table long ago, and political people are going to do what political people do when given the opportunity.

This is why I reject politics entirely. Trusting government, no matter who’s in charge, is a dead end.

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