|
Freedom and Privacy: R.I.P. I
recently decided what I want to be when I grow up. I always knew that
decision could only be made when I was finally ready, after years of
pondering, reflection, and introspection. I determined that all of the
roads I have traveled have led me to the same destination, a very
natural selection, and the only one that makes sense for me. I am going
to be a retired, invisible pirate. This may appear as an odd assortment
of things to be, but in fact, these three traits fit very well together,
when properly defined, understood, and implemented. Retired What
does this get you? Freedom. No boss, no alarm clock, no schedule, no
commuting, no dressing for “success,” no rat race, no slaving away
for worthless pieces of paper, no endless meetings, and no mind-numbing
same-old, same-old. Retirement enables you to finally have
a life of your own instead of being a wage slave for the State. Invisible What
does this get you? Privacy. Being invisible is the only way to live due
to our Police State, Big Brother, the Patriot Act(s), and the You
too can be invisible, but it requires making some lifestyle changes,
doing your homework, and following a few basic rules for the rest of
your life. Read J. J. Luna’s How
To Be Invisible (Revised Edition) and Frank M. Ahearn’s “Three
Steps To Disappearing.” Pirates The
pirate’s motto: “Take all ye can carry, give nothing back.” Pirates
are (and always have been) the only truly free men in the world. Why?
Because they play by their own rules and they pay tribute to no one.
Everyone would like to be a pirate, whether they admit it or not. You
might think that the days of pirates are over, but you would be wrong.
In some areas of the world sailing is inherently dangerous solely due to
marauding pirates. For those of you who don’t believe me, set up a
Google Alert for “pirates” and see for yourself. They still exist
throughout the world and they are very active, on a daily basis. Does
this mean that I intend to take to the high seas, steal a parrot, wear a
funny hat, and start raiding other vessels? Not hardly. Traditional
pirates of yesteryear typically didn’t live very long. Most of them
were hunted down, captured, tried, convicted, and hung. For almost all
of them, retirement was not an option. Since retirement is a primary
goal for me, this type of piracy will not work. Traditional
pirates display traits that doom them; they are too visible and too high
profile, thereby making themselves very tempting targets for State
agents. This type of behavior must be avoided at all costs, as Luna
explains in his book. An
invisible pirate can accomplish the same results as a traditional
pirate, while living much longer. Invisible pirates have it made because
they enjoy all of the benefits of piracy without suffering any of the
drawbacks of traditional pirates. A
retired, invisible pirate could have multiple incomes, from
different sources, with enough to support his chosen lifestyle, without
working. The objective is sufficient cash flow, not a large cash reserve
that presents a tempting target for State agents. Of
course, there is more to consider than this, but nothing that is
insurmountable. A
prudent, invisible pirate would ensure that his income(s) derive
from legal sources, maybe even from State agencies that are highly
regarded by a majority of Americans. There are many choices available,
but some are better than others. Choose wisely. A
smart, invisible pirate would live in a low cost area to minimize
expenses and allow early retirement, maybe several times, if
necessary. Naturally, this area would not have a state or local income
tax. A
serious, invisible pirate would plan well to minimize taxable
income as much as possible. Since pirates pay tribute to no one, the
goal is to remain below the federal income tax bar, which is currently
rising. A
mobile, invisible pirate would be a very difficult (and
expensive) person to locate and essentially lawsuit-proof. Living in an
RV with a laptop and a satellite dish, moving around slowly, and paying
cash could get you there, if done properly. A
savvy, invisible pirate would use all of the following privacy
tools: pre-paid calling cards, strong encryption, secure email, and a
truly anonymous, offshore proxy server. If you simply must have a cell
phone, buy a disposable one and pay cash. Keep it turned off when not in
use, use it for outgoing calls only, give your cell phone number to no
one, and throw it away when you run out of minutes. This
is not about breaking the law, running or hiding from the
discuss this column in the forum Joe
Blow
is the pen name of a freelance writer currently living on the left
coast.
|
