Is "The Jerk" a Christmas movie?

This guy, parked on the street in front of the library during the Clovis, NM Christmas parade, is a jerk.

My little group of four tried to stand behind his vehicle (between it and another vehicle), and he said, "We're going to have a lot of people here. You can't stand here. You have to move."

We moved. It's not worth having some ignorant jerk shoot you for being where he doesn't want you to be, but he is a jerk.

We (and he) were on the crowded street. In a public place, Not on his property. We were not going to crowd him more than anyone else. We were no threat to him. But he decided to be a jerk. I noticed later that he didn't have any more (or fewer) people there than any other spot, plus it looked like the jerk had given up trying to assert his counterfeit property rights over the side of Main Street.

And here we are.

UPDATE:

Apparently, other people encountered this jerk as well, including a 14-year-old male he shoved out of the way. I've seen several reports from others who were there. Eventually, he's going to confront or shove the wrong person, and then be shocked at the consequences he reaps.

Relationship rules

I originally got this idea from the LP of Louisiana, and then I modified it a little. 

I used to print it out, fold it up, give it a little pocket wear and tear, and then casually drop it in public places. I don't know if anyone ever picked a copy up and read it, or what effect it had if they did. But I found it funny to think about. Maybe I'll start doing that again. Anyway, here's the note...

Our Relationship Rules: 

* You will not make money without telling me. 

* If you trade, you can only do so with my permission. 

* You will not own anything I don't approve of, or I'll lock you in a cage. 
* You will pay me a large percentage of your income, or get locked in a cage.

* If you do not pay me whatever I demand, you will get locked in a cage. 

* I will take your money as I see fit and spend it as I want. My friends will get a cut. 

* You will not leave my property without my permission. 

* If you attempt to leave my property after getting my permission, I will grope you while bystanders watch before I decide if I'll allow you to go. 

* If you want friends to come over from another place, they must get my permission first. I will grope them. If they are someone I don't approve of, I may put them in the cage or send them back home without letting them see you. 

* You will let me listen in on your phone calls, texts, emails, or any other communications. You will let me bug your computer and watch you and listen to you through its camera and microphone, even if you're not using it. 

* I will monitor your every movement by tracking your cell phone. 

* I will ask you to publicly show your approval of me from time to time. If you don't, my friends will visit you at home and confront you in public, demanding you make this show of loyalty. If you don't do so to my satisfaction, I may put you in the cage.

* If you try to defend yourself from my henchmen, they will kill you- or put you in the cage if you survive.

* If you resist being locked in the cage, I will kill you.

* I will change these rules in my favor whenever I feel like it, and there's nothing you can do but beg me not to. 

* If you complain about any of the above, it's a sign you don't love me, and I may lock you in the cage to teach you to respect me. 

Your loving companion,
The Federal Government of the United States of America

Here are the state-level rules and the local rules.

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Toss a few million dollars my way- I won't tell.

Using the wrong tool for the job

Nothing is solved with a stricter government response. 

At best, the problem just gets shifted sideways. A new problem is created that distracts from the old problem, without making the old problem any better. This gives pro-government extremists a new excuse to impose a government response to this problem.

Government is the wrong tool for the job of solving problems. Every time. Without exception.

Can you see why it's an endless cycle? Can you see what the only rational response is? Hint: It's not a government crackdown or a new "war on ... whatever".

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Legal orders vs Ethical orders

Statists are very concerned about whether orders are "legal". They are somewhat less concerned about whether orders are ethical (or "lawful" in the historic sense).

I don't care a whit whether orders are legal. I only care whether they are ethical.

Many great evils are legal. 

If you follow legal orders, you're as likely to be committing wrong as right.
If you follow only ethical orders, you may be in legal trouble, but you're not the bad guy in the dispute.

Political criminals write legislation (which they'll call "laws"), making evil "legal", and then give orders to their minions based on those evil rules. That doesn't make the orders right, nor does it make following those orders ethical. It means if you follow those orders, you're committing evil alongside those who wrote the legislation and those who gave the orders. They are the bad guys and you are assiting them in doing wrong.

Don't do that, regardless of where your political loyalties lie. That's a doomed path.

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This isn't way things have to be

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 29, 2025)

I've discovered that telling people what kind of world you want to live in doesn't get through to anyone. It's not enough to describe a world where everyone is free to live in liberty without waiting for permission from sociopaths who imagine they have the right to run your life. This doesn't resonate.

Perhaps it would be better to describe the world I don't want. The world I'm not willing to tolerate.

I don’t want to live in a world where the government isn't afraid of the people. I don’t want to live in a world where police are allowed to act like the masters over a population of slaves who either comply instantly or face death. I don’t want to live in a world where politicians are able to do whatever they want and the people feel they must obey them.

I don't want to live in a world where politicians and their enforcers decide what rights we have, and how those rights can be limited, rationed, or licensed. Where we are expected to thank them for not doing worse.

I don't want to live in a weird upside-down world where governments pretend to have rights; where individuals are only allowed to have privileges as long as they don't scare or inconvenience the politicians and bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, this is the world we have been dealt.

What can be done about it?

First of all, realize this is backward. Nearly every political question has been turned on its head. It's not possible to get things more wrong. This can't be an accident. Someone has done this on purpose, and they are not on your side.

Second, don't pretend this is the way it has to be; the natural order of things. It's not. It's artificial and harmful. It makes society sick by harming individual liberty. Things can be better.

Third, know you don't have to put up with it. You have the rights, the authority, and the ethical foundation- everything they lack. Let them know you know. Tolerate them only as long as they are tolerable. Ignore them when they aren't. Defy them when they leave you no choice.

It will be costly, but not as costly as continuing to let them control and consume your life. Plus, no matter what it costs today, it will cost more tomorrow if allowed to continue. If you value liberty, this is your mission.

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Observing feral humans in the wild

I have a sockpuppet X account that does nothing but serve as a backup in case I get banned again. I don't follow people on it, nor do I post or comment. I just use it to observe.

What I observe has taught me some things.

First, it has taught me that no matter how bad the political Right is- and they are bad- the political Left is orders of magnitude worse.

Since I don't interact, I get a good sampling of posts and comments from all ideologies on that account; my "for you" is almost entirely Leftist posts. The Left is far and away the worst people among a nasty crowd. 

They can't talk about something important without lying. Even if I'm inclined to agree with them in principle, they ruin it by lying. They threaten anyone who dares to disagree with them. They are far more aggressive, on average, than the Right. They are ruder than the Right.

Sure, there are exceptions, and this is my subjective observation based on what I end up being fed by the mysterious algorithm.

Again, the Right are often wrong, but they generally seem to be nicer people than those on the Left- until you figure in their cop/military worship. Better adjusted, less angry, and less crazy. I kind of wish it weren't so, because I want to side with the Left when they point out ways in which the Right is wrong. And, I still do, but it feels icky when I see what kind of people they are beyond that one dimension. Sure, it sometimes feels the same way to side with the Right when they point out how wrong the Left is. Neither side seems able to see beyond their politics into what's true and right.

It's simpler if I can just see them all as statists who hate/fear liberty. Which they are. But it's also delusional to not notice the differences, subtle and overt.

It has also taught me how much of a bubble my real X account is in. I'm protected from many of the most toxic statist "opinions" by who I follow and who I choose to interact with. This makes it more enjoyable, but it gives me a false sense of the world. Just a quick visit to the silent account breaks the illusion.

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Toss a pile of doubloons my way.

Who is the problem?

 

Jews are not the problem. 

“Blacks” are not the problem.

“Immigrants” are not the problem.

"White" men are not the problem.

Landlords are not the problem.

People who choose to violate life, liberty, and property are the problem, no matter what category one might place them in.

If anyone chooses to continue to be a part of any group that is based on violating others, as a condition of belonging, even if they don’t personally participate, they are the problem. This could be a career, a religion, or a culture.

If someone is trying to make someone else the problem, based on something besides individual behavior, they are not helping. They are making the problem worse by causing a distraction.

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Toss a few million dollars my way- I won't tell.

The symptoms cluster and lead to a diagnosis

People who believe Americans own "too many guns" are usually the same people who believe the Covid lockdowns "saved millions of lives". It isn't a coincidence.

You really can't communicate with people that stupid (or brainwashed). The best you can accomplish is to point it out to observers.

And, isn't it strange how these beliefs cluster together? You already know which other baseless beliefs such a person is highly likely to hold. They are all symptoms of a political disease: Leftism.

The political disease of Rightism has its own cluster of symptoms; you know what they are. 

Of course, one lone symptom isn't enough for a diagnosis, but if you get two or more, you can extrapolate to know what the problem is with stunning accuracy. It works nearly every time.

On the other hand, maybe the Rightism and Leftism are only symptoms of the disease of Statism; each with its own cluster of sub-symptoms.

Self-responsibility is the cure, but it looks unappealing to the chronically ill sufferers who would benefit the most from a big dose.

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Statism is a tragedy

Many of the events that attract media attention are simply gang warfare, gang vs. gang, and since I belong to neither gang, I don't really care. None of them are "our" teammates.

I don't want innocent people hurt or killed or otherwise violated, but innocent people don't violate life, liberty, or property (fundamental human rights). Many times, I don't see an innocent person where others seem to. 

Often it's a matter of consequences: Do certain things, and you increase the likelihood of certain bad outcomes. Crying about it afterward doesn't change anything. If you don't like getting zapped, don't stick your tongue in a light socket.

I wish the gangs would keep it between themselves and leave the rest of us alone. But they can't seem to do that. They will lie and claim to be on my side, but I know it's a lie. This is why I can't get too involved in the drama surrounding some of these events that I'm told are VERY IMPORTANT for me to get worked up over.

Statism is a tragedy. It would be weird if it didn't lead to more tragedy every time it is applied.

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Toss breadcrumbs to me.

Magic (tariff) Money

Sending out another round of stimulus checks, even if you call it a tariff windfall or something like that, would be incredibly irresponsible and economically ignorant. So... par for the course.

Just as I warned people back before the pandemic stimulus that it would cause inflation and make everything more expensive, I’ve tried to warn people this time.

They still don’t listen. They still don’t care. All they hear is “Free money!”

But TANSTAAFL.

At this point, I say send the money. Send some every month. Every week! Drive right off the cliff.

Sometimes you’ve got to stand aside and let people get what they want. Good and hard. No matter what the consequences. Yes, it will be another blow to the economy. At this point, does it matter?

Just do what you have to do to protect yourself. If you can find a niche to profit from the collapse, go for it.

For me, I think I’m done spending Bitcoin. I’ve done my part in working to make it spendable money. I think I’m going to HODL from now on. I was just about to spend $400 or so before the recent crash. I decided to wait until the price went back up, but I’m not inclined to spend any now. The economy looks too precarious at the moment. Maybe if things improve in a few years, I will reconsider.

And, if the checks do come, don't waste it. Get stuff that's going to help you through what's coming. Preps. Metals. Bitcoin. Guns and ammo. You won't regret it.

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Thank you for reading.
It's Blech Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am forever thankful for YOU! And to you!

I asked Grok to draw a traditional Thanksgiving meal. (Specifically, I wrote: Show a traditional Thanksgiving meal, with a roasted turkey as the centerpiece.) I got the nice picture above. 

Then, to be funny, I asked it to give the turkey four legs. That was a nightmare-inducing mistake. The results reminded me of something out of Kurt Russell's The Thing.  It was downright Lovecraftian!
Horrors incomprehensible to the human mind. Perhaps suited for the most terrifying Halloween meal, but not for Thanksgiving. I stopped before something worse happened. You're welcome to try it yourself and see what Grok serves you.

Be Thankful I spared you from seeing that! You're welcome.

It's true: Democracy is mob rule

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 22, 2025)

There is no such thing as a "right to vote".

This may be shocking, but it's true. No one has the right to impose politicians or policies on others; to govern them. Not by being king nor by voting.

Democracy is mob rule, even with the weak guardrails of a republic under a constitution describing which lines are never to be crossed, no matter how many voters approve. It didn't work; legislation violating the limits laid out by the Constitution is routinely imposed and upheld. None of the responsible lawmakers or legislation enforcers ever face repercussions for these illegal acts.

Might through superior numbers can't turn wrong into "right". Alternative ways of governing others are no better, in case you misunderstand my point.

The only legitimate use of a vote is as a privilege of club membership, not as a right. Those who aren't in the club don't get to vote on club matters. Further, the results of a vote can't be binding on those who didn't vote or on those on the losing side; only on those who voted in favor of the particular question.

If you vote for a tax, you bear the expense. Those who didn't vote for it don't pay it, nor do they get the privilege of using the product or service that the tax funds. For something like garbage collection or a water utility, providers can charge a user fee or allow people to opt out or find their own alternative. It's unethical to force others to go along just because you outnumber them.

For something you believe will benefit those who vote against it without them contributing, take this into consideration before voting. Maybe you can make your argument and persuade them to join you. Or if this fails, maybe you'll change your vote in this case, as is your right.

To argue in favor of a near-universal right to vote just because people live in a particular place is like saying I have the right to tell a church in my neighborhood how it will operate and spend money. Just because of where I live, whether I choose to join it or not. I am not that arrogant or entitled.

There's no "right to vote", but neither is there an obligation to abide by a vote which goes against your rights or preferences, nor a right to use something you aren't willing to pay for.

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The War Between the Statists

The War Between the Statists is heating up. 

Do you see it, too?

They don't realize how much alike they are. Statism is statism, and it's all socialism/fascism. It's all authoritarianism. But they are at each other's throats over the minor details. They want this variety and not that one. They want this loophole of liberty closed, and their opponents want that other loophole of liberty shut down. Working together, they try to crush any possibility of liberty.

I admit I occasionally do things just to aggravate them if they are being particularly nasty in their statist advocacy.

But, you don't have to intentionally poke them to make them go crazy after "the other side", although it can be amusing. It's like watching one of those cat videos where a cat baps another cat on the head, but the victim flips out on a third cat who was minding his own business. That's statists for you.

Stay safe as they go after each other. Stupid people can be a danger to those around them.

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Pirates, but the lame kind

US Customs and Border Protection [sic] posted on X, bragging about stealing someone's money. They got dragged for their efforts, but that didn't return the stolen money to their victim.

They even admitted that it wasn't "illegal" to carry the cash, but pretended it was somehow "wrong" to not inform them that you're doing so. If not a crime, it's still something they'll use as an excuse to harm you. Typical government nonsense.

By their actions, they've illustrated why people are right to want to hide their money from theft gangs like the CBP.

"We just want to know about it". Yes, I'm sure you do, Scumbags. I'm sure all muggers would like to "require" potential victims to provide a list of any valuables they're carrying. It makes theft more efficient; you won't waste effort on people with nothing worth stealing that way.

These thieves are pirates, but they aren't the cool kind of pirate with eye patches and swords. They are the loser kind with badges, just like those cops who pose behind a table covered with stolen guns, money, and drugs. They are all spiritual clones of Somali pirates- no charisma, just thievery and aggression.

There were a few disgusting copsuckers who said stuff like "Yeah, like they got that money honestly. LOL" Or some variation of the bootlicker mantra, "Thank you for your service". But all the thinking, ethical people were on the same side of this. The side that opposes thieves.

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Toss a life raft my way.

Smart about politics

Most people who believe they are smart about politics are really just pragmatic statists without principles. 

That doesn't look smart at all. 

It looks useful to the rulers.
It looks handy for the criminals.
It looks profitable for the lawyers and bureaucrats. 
It looks like a jobs program for fake economists and other "experts".

But "smart"?

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Gold, Silver, and Bitcoin are nice tips.

"Refuse orders"

Some reflexively anti-Trump people got together and made a video asking the military to refuse to obey any unconstitutional orders coming from Trump.

I'm in complete favor of this.

But...

Haven't we been told that such oathkeeping is a crime? Domestic terrorism or sedition or something? Haven't people had their lives completely destroyed for promoting this entirely ethical message? 

But now that the orders could be coming from "the other side", suddenly these clowns are in favor of it.

Welcome to the party, Pal.

And why only "troops"? Why not cops and other armed government thugs who spend their lives enforcing unconstitutional orders (legislation)? Could it be because these activists like the unconstitutional "laws" being enforced? 

It seems more like it's only about the illegal orders these government supremacists don't like. Continue to obey all the rest. Right? I'm sure that has something to do with it.

I think either pardons are in order, or some consequences need to be incoming. The double standards- even when I agree in principle with the message- are sickening.

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Toss a few cents my way.

My parasites or yours?

I end up disappointing or confusing people all the time. 

When I criticize the particular government they are burdened with, some of them think it’s a gotcha to say something equally critical about the government that I’m burdened with.

It bewilders them when I agree. 

That's because they are coming to the conversation in the middle.

When I say all governments are evil and all cops everywhere are scum, I mean ALL. They aren’t expecting that- they expect me to defend the ones that bother me, personally. Nope. I dislike those much more than I dislike the ones that molest them. Context.

I still want them unburdened by the regional goons who violate their liberty, even if I'd rather flush the ones who violate mine even more.

Liberty is big enough to accommodate us all.

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Toss a few cents my way.

Envy is Ugly

Envy. It’s really disgusting to me.

I’ve never been envious or jealous of wealthy people. That’s why socialism/communism has never been appealing to me. I want other people to do well.

Yes, I wish I had "more" like they do. It's mostly my own fault that I don't (and I sometimes thump myself in the face over some bad choices). Although government has contributed much more than I'd like to the situation.
I don't blame rich people for being rich- as long as they didn't use politcs/crime to get that way.

I understand it takes wealthy people to create businesses and jobs for most of us. And the products we want and need. If you tax away their motivation to keep going, they might stop. That's not going to help things. "Free stuff" doesn't appear out of the quantum foam.

What I don't like is when rich people use government against the rest of us. Or when they act as a de facto government with their business- spying, controlling, and cheating us. That's (apparently) government's "job" and it doesn't need help!

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Let's shut down government for real

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for October 15, 2025)

Recently, everyone has been up in arms over a supposed government shutdown. The same way they were over the last few and will be when the next regularly scheduled shutdowns roll around. Some act as if this hasn't become normal political theatrics. I'm not sure which rock they've been hiding under for the past few decades, but it must be a remote one.

These same people are trying to decide who's to blame. Blame?

Instead of assigning blame, if there were a government shutdown, I would suggest proudly claiming credit for the accomplishment. Blame belongs to those who want to end the shutdown and open government back up, not those who keep it shut down. Even if I oppose them on everything else they do, shutting down government is heroic. Shutting it down permanently would be an improvement.

Of course, there is no government shutdown, nor has there ever been one in modern America. Government shutdowns are a hoax, and too many fall for it every time. There's too much government still happening to call it a shutdown.

As long as your paycheck is being taxed, grandmothers are being groped at airports, and gun purchase background checks are being committed, government is still open and violating you.

Political criminals only shut down, or scale back, the few things they hope will make the public whine and beg to have government turned back on. They'll never shut down something if it would neuter government's power to bother you.

I want a real shutdown.

I want the political parties to compete to see who can shut down government the best. Let them jockey to shut it down the most often, the most completely, and keep it shut down the longest. Trying to blame each other for a government shutdown is like people condemning each other for not mugging you. It's nothing to find fault with; it's the right thing to do.

Any fault is found in not shutting down enough of it, or in giving it a chance to come back... with back pay for all. Just let it go. Have you tried unplugging it and NOT plugging it back in?

As long as people entertain the illusion that there is such a thing as the right to govern others, they'll keep doing the wrong thing. They'll fight to reopen government. The occasional shutdown theater is nothing but a distraction from reality.

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Aversion therapy

It's disturbing that there are some truths that even Libertarian / Abolitionist / Voluntaryist / Anarchist people have allowed the statist narrative to make too dangerous to debate. Or even speak. 

To act as though the statist position is valid and beyond examination.

I've waded into that mire myself a few times, and it isn't fun. It trains a person to stay silent in the face of certain topics where statists are objectively wrong, by every rational standard, but have had such a heavy influence that even most of those who aren't in their camp simply accept the narrative without question- and often pile on if anyone dares to question it.

This just shows there's a lot of work to do, both as individuals and together, to free society from statism. There will be a lot of resistance, though, from all sides.

Some days I'm willing to face the arrows; most days I'm not. So I guess that means the tactic is effective.

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Does anyone even notice this anymore?