Joe Blow's Columns

The Invisible Pirate - Privacy Update

By Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #11

By Joe Blow.

 

The Cost of Living Is Cheap

"Still, I highly recommend early retirement to everyone I know; it allows you to change the scenery, travel, start over, make new friends, move overseas, or all of the above."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #10

By Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #9

Column by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #8

By Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #7

"Modern slave traders convince people (and nations) to take on debt until they become just like the serfs of the Middle Ages. They do this by convincing individuals (one at a time or a state at the same time) to borrow money that they don’t have to buy things that they cannot afford and don’t need anyway."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #6

Column by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #5 

Getting started in gold bullion, by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #4

By Joe Blow.

 

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Joe Blow updates "The Wizard of Oz" to 2006.

 

The Ultimate Stash?

"The only real problem with an ultimate stash is if you don’t have one when you need it."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #3

By Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop #2

A new edition by Joe Blow.

 

Pirate Poop

"Up until they are proven correct, or even prophetic, the true mark of a Pirate is that he is a square peg, an eccentric, an odd duck, and a misfit toy."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

info_dude ©

"No overhead, no partners, starting small, and affordable fees all ensured the financial success of this small, invisible business, as Luna recommends."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Push the Blue Button

"Once they understand that there is nothing from keeping the Fed from pushing its blue button as often as it wants, the rest is easy."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Think Like a Pirate!

A follow-up to "Strategic Self-Preservation" by Joe Blow.

 

Strategic Self-Preservation

"This method does not require any of the following: an attorney, an accountant, keeping records, years of study, mental gymnastics, spreadsheets or charts, a computer or web connection, a bank account, a physical address, or a Social Security number."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

The Perfect Storm

"Bush is powerless to control what is about to happen to this nation. While he still thinks that he can manufacture his own reality, he is about to receive another object lesson in humility. Reality therapy, isn’t it great!"  Column by Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Big Brother on Steroids

"The State, in its never-ending zeal to save us from ourselves, just opened a Pandora's box of personal information abuse, unauthorized disclosure, and malfeasance by those entrusted to keep your personal information private. Rest assured that when these inevitable events occur, the State will attempt to 'fix' this law with yet another one, just like always."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Anonymous/Secure E-Mail Services

Privacy tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate -  Privacy Tweaks for Firefox

Privacy tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Tracking PCs

"Get the picture? Big Brother will remotely and covertly track a specific computer's fingerprint."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Defeating Spyware

More tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Stealth Surfing for Dummies

Tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Information Security

Info security tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate - Surf Anonymously

Surfing privacy tips from Joe Blow.

 

The Invisible Pirate

E-mail privacy tips from Joe Blow.

 

Freedom and Privacy: R.I.P.

"This is not about breaking the law, running or hiding from the IRS , consorting with unsavory types, or ending up in prison. This is about living as a free man simply by choosing to be a retired, invisible pirate."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Privacy and Freedom Cost $100

Recommended  "When you finally get fed up with the socialism, rising fascism, the falling U.S. dollar, the $7.44 trillion-and-rising national debt, the annual federal deficits, your 40%+ tax load, perpetual wars, lying politicians, the welfare State, the Social Security time bomb, unaffordable health care and prescriptions, the house of cards that is our economy, the Federal Reserve’s inflation and creation of fiat 'money' out of thin air, and the inevitable return of the (soon-to-be gender neutral) draft, your passport will come in very handy."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Get a Life

"Thoreau was right: Simplify, simplify. Your life is your own. If you don’t currently have a life, get one."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Trust No One

"After waiting in two lines, paying $75, providing proof of insurance, filling out a form, and speaking with four different State agents, from three different agencies, in four different locations, spread across 12 miles and 90 minutes, on two different days, I was finally ready to mail my signed fix-it ticket, to avoid being forced to also take a day off of work next month for a court appearance 90 miles away, to explain to a judge in another county why my vehicle registration expired last April. What’s wrong with this picture? "  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Democracy and Schutzhaft

"What we could be seeing is the rise of dual judicial systems in America , just like in Nazi Germany. One for political prisoners and the other for common criminals."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Time, Distance and Shielding

Joe Blow's follow-up to his last column "Identities and Aliases."

 

Identities and Aliases

"Sometime, somewhere a police officer may approach you, detain you, and ask you to identify yourself. What will you do? What will you say?"  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Dubya: Herbert Hoover II?

"Odds are good that history will record Bush as the man who finally broke the bank of the world’s richest nation."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Tribalism: Child of Diversity

"Some who flee will cross state lines to search for a group that thinks like they do. They will build their own tribal enclaves by moving out of the cities and into fly-over country. The Free State Project is just the first of many such collective endeavors that frustrated citizens will attempt in an effort to flee, but they will all fail miserably because the State cannot and will not allow them to succeed."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Uncle Mike

Recommended  "All heads turned toward her as the incredulous class enquired about this oddity. She explained that her uncle Mike used to be a bounty hunter. They voiced their approval. Uncle Mike also used to work for the mafia. They roared even louder. Uncle Mike didn’t pay attention to any laws, he simply ignored them all and went about his business as he saw fit. Now the class was standing and cheering. They all wanted to meet uncle Mike."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

The Brian Finkel Case

"He legally killed over 30,000 unborn babies, but he is now headed to prison for touching women inappropriately in the process. Violently killing an unborn child is a State-approved medical procedure, but woe unto the State-approved killer who touches a woman inappropriately in the process, for that is a serious crime."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Congress to Jump-Start the IRS?

"Maybe 2004 will be the year when the slaves figure out that they can control their futures and finally choose liberty over slavery by withdrawing their support of the State and the agency that is uses to enslave them — the IRS.  If you want peace and freedom, stop paying for war and tyranny."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Wal-Mart: Immoral Monster?

"Some sheeple are up in arms again, this time over low retail prices on everyday goods. If one listens to their pleas, you will hear that Wal-Mart is an immoral monster and all of its stores should be run out of town on a rail yesterday, if not sooner. Lower prices, great selection, ready availability, pervasive presence, a state-of-the-art ordering, delivery, and payment system, and a no-questions-asked return policy are evil. They all have to go."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Rise of the American KGB

"...DNA database networks will soon be the de facto national ID card system. This proposed law, in addition to PATRIOT I, bodes ill for what remains of our justice system. It opens a brand new door to abuse by State agents."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Skype: Sliced Bread or Snake Oil?

"Skype...provides secure, encrypted communication using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), also known as Rijndael. AES is strong, 256-bit, end-to-end, world-class encryption, making all of your voice and text messages totally secure."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Chains of Slavery

"Hitler was among the least likely of individuals to rise to power when he did. He was unimposing, a poor student, flat broke, and a failed painter. He lived like a bum for months on the streets of Vienna and he had no special gifts, other than an ability to speak in public. If not for the NSDAP, he would have gone nowhere. It was a political party that enabled Hitler to rise to power."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Fascists Everywhere

"What voting gets you: The tyranny of special interest groups and politicians that pander to them."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

1984 or Brave New World?

"Both novels envisioned States with similar traits: socialist and totalitarian. Orwell’s dictatorship was based on punishment, but Huxley’s oligarchy was based on pleasure. Which would you choose as the more accurate prophecy? My answer may surprise you: both."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

New American Empire: Before the Fall

"The 16th Amendment marked the end of our constitutional republic, the rise of a de facto democratic welfare/warfare State, and effectively repealed the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery in America. Even medieval serfs only forfeited 33% of their incomes, yet the average American taxpayer now forks over 40% or more of their gross to the King and his minions. Indentured servitude by any other name is still slavery."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Whither Free Will?

"These slaves are deluded and unconcerned and they just can’t wait to vote again to guarantee even more of the same in the future. Just like punch-drunk boxers, they continue to crawl back into the ring, oblivious to the fact that their tenacity only ensures more abuse by the State. "  Column by Joe Blow. 

 

SOCOM: The New Waffen-SS?

"For anyone who reads the news, the parallels are obvious and ominous. SOCOM isn’t quite there yet, but who knows what the future holds for this nation? Much like the Waffen-SS, SOCOM is already the national special operations force, it is growing, it must be prepared for any and all special tasks that may be required, and now the War on Terror is causing massive changes in its structure and purpose."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Storm Clouds of the State

"While searching for good material recently, I couldn’t help but notice the storm clouds of the State as they thundered across our nation and around the world, creating havoc and criminals, drowning taxpayers in seas of red ink, while diluting our liberty and sinking our freedoms."  Column by Joe Blow.  Don't miss the scary e-mail he received from a reader.

 

DNA Database Networks Will Be National ID Card System

"Your DNA profile will be digitized, stored, and uploaded onto a smart card that will be required for almost everything you buy, use, or consume: alcohol, books, groceries, drugs, sex toys, cigarettes, ammo, birth control pills, and medical services. You will need your smart card for welfare benefits, traffic stops, buying a home, cashing a check, or buying a gun. The system will be sold as part of the Total Information Awareness program and federal law will require it in the name of national security."  Column by Joe Blow.

 

Quantum Leap in State Socialism

"The American Law Institute recently concluded its ten-year study of family law and has concluded that what America needs today is a quantum leap in State socialism."  Column by Joe Blow.

Voting = Status Quo

"Voting only results in more of the status quo: more empty promises, more taxes, more government, more spending, more entitlements, more hegemony, more global policemen, more wars, more expensive 'solutions' to nonexistent and/or induced problems that only Leviathan can devise and impose on its citizens forever."  Column by Joe Blow.

D.C. Sniper: The Good News

"The State is now seen—daily, live, and in color—for what it truly is: bloated, overrated, expensive, inefficient, ineffective, and utterly helpless against a dedicated individual who refuses to play by Leviathan’s rules."  Column by Joe Blow.

It's Time to Vote, With Your Feet

"Removing yourself from the political marketplace is not only morally right, it is also spiritually and emotionally liberating. Highly recommended. There’s no time like the present to join the growing body of former voters who have abandoned the State’s support system of feigned legitimacy."  Column by Joe Blow.

Slavery Is Alive and Well

"They are being trained as future citizens, willing and subservient to the almighty State. The unstated message is very real: you can get something for (almost) nothing, but only if you play the game by surrendering your freedom first."  Column by new Root Striker Joe Blow.