"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H.L. Mencken
Recent comments
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoAn Open Letter to Statists EverywhereWeb link WesternerdMark, you certainly did Strike the Root in this comment. I wonder if Sheldon Richman slipped this old Read article in The Freeman to see how many were paying attention. I enjoy Leonard Read as a writer. But he scuffed up the boot on this one. Sam
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoLibertarians Are Nothing SpecialPage Paul BonneauPaul, I always look forward to your essays. You have the capability to calm the h2o even while stirring up the troops. Flag-wavers, religionists, conservatives, liberals -- none present a threat to us when our own houses are in order. Seems the ambience of libertarianism has to do with presenting our message of liberty without ourselves being rude or unkind or combative. Plenty of time (we hope) for many of those who fit the above categories to turn around and pursue freedom and liberty and put their hands out to us for help. When that occurs I want the hand of our fellowship to be there for them. Sam
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoNatural LawWeb link SerenityNatural Law Submitted by Serenity on Mon, 2012-06-04 01:00 in Anarchism I second the accolation submitted by Suverans2. Spooner had the ability200 odd years ago to truly "strike the root", and I'm a believer in working with the basics when my head gets all confabbed with the stupidity of the day. Example: yesterday's US supreme court "decision" ("foregone conclusion" is the better term, since we all know those berobed nerds know who supplies the oats for their nose bags). "...Honesty, justice, natural law, is usually a very plain and simple matter, easily understood by common minds. Those who desire to know what it is, in any particular case, seldom have to go far to find it. It is true, it must be learned, like any other science. But it is also true that it is very easily learned. Although as illimitable in its applications as the infinite relations and dealings of men with each other, it is, nevertheless, made up of a few simple elementary principles, of the truth and justice of which every ordinary mind has an almost intuitive perception. And almost all men have the same perceptions of what constitutes justice, or of what justice requires, when they understand alike the facts from which their inferences are to be drawn..." Spooner had in his time what platform virtuosos today can only wish for. Thanks, Serenity. And good to see you posting, Suverans2. Sam
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Mark Davis 11 years 42 weeks agoAn Open Letter to Statists EverywhereWeb link WesternerdThe comment I posted at FEE is copied here: "This raises a whole series of related questions about how you see the nature of government and what you’ve learned, if anything, from our collective experiences with it. I see the ideal government as America’s founders did—in the words attributed to Washington, a “dangerous servant” employing legalized force for the purpose of preserving individual liberties. As such, it is charged with deterring violence and fraud and keeping itself small, limited, and efficient. How can you profess allegiance to peace and nonviolence and at the same time call for so much forcible redistribution?" Indeed Mr. Read, what is the lesson here? When I saw the title I first thought that the article would be a principled stand against the state, but, alas, it is just a utilitarian argument against a bigger state. The state is a monopoly on the use of force, which is institutionalized violence. This barbaric system can not be used for benevolent purposes, as expressed well above, yet you then still fall back on the old canard that it must be used for “preserving individual liberties”. What?! Why? How? We need to set of a system based on tyranny to protect us from tyranny? What is left to “preserve”? Wishing and hoping that somehow, someday, the democratic process will result in high-minded, selfless leaders that won’t be corrupted getting elected to wield this “fire” is utopian, at best; I’d say hopelessly naïve. Throwing out the popular myths about the “Founding Fathers” reinforces my belief in the naivete of that position. When society is organized based on the principles of non-aggression and equal freedom, voluntary institutions must evolve based on competing providers of security, dispute resolution and protection of property rights. Preaching to statists (that the free-market can take care of the needs of society when it comes to food, shelter, health care and all other goods and services) will fall on deaf ears for good reason as long as you insert the Big But (security and judicial services). Free-market principles apply to all goods and services, including “preserving individual liberties”. That’s why it’s a principle. Once you compromise it, all bets are off trying to put the Genie back in the bottle.
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoLibertarians Are Nothing SpecialPage Paul BonneauJohn: "...I'm coming to believe that people learn only when they're willing to learn, and that it's useless or even counterproductive to try to convince them of something they aren't ready to accept..." I'm in full agreement on that score, John. I try to always remember the old childhood jingo-jangle: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still". Sam
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdFrom Dr. Mercola's article: "...I strongly urge you to invest the time to educate yourself about the potential benefits and risks of each vaccine prior to vaccination, and to make educated decisions based on what you conclude is likely to be the best course of action for your child..." As I attempted to analogize from my experience some years ago: "...vaccinations are a lot like snake bites. If you survive the snake bite you may have developed an immunity from venom poisoning. But you'll probably never know for sure, because the learning experience you gained from the snake bite will have taught you to stay out of the woods without snake boots, and you'll never stick your hands into places you can't see clearly." In that sense we might conclude that vaccinations might work, or they might not work. We'll never know for certain. Sam .
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roark1979 11 years 42 weeks agoLibertarians Are Nothing SpecialPage Paul BonneauDear Paul, The ruling class does not rule without at least tacit popular support. Your neighbor is at least partially responsible for oppression. As far as the "voluntaryists" are concerned on facebook, what aspect of the non-aggression principle have they failed to respect? Is it their inability to communicate why the NAP should be adhered to? Last that I checked, no violence had occurred. I say make 'em feel guilty for wanting others to steal from you for their government cause of the day.
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Samarami 11 years 42 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdAlthough I'm not an ardent fan of Mercola, here's a link from his website quoting an article you won't find a trace of in mainstream media: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/25/mmr-vaccin... Sam
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Suverans2 11 years 42 weeks agoNatural LawWeb link SerenityNatural Law Submitted by Serenity on Mon, 2012-06-04 00:00 in Anarchism "in Anarchism", the perfect place for this "Classic by Lysander Spooner", since a true anarchist has no human ruler; he is a natural person[1] not affiliated with a man-made government, who, as a consequence of his political status, (or lack thereof), may enjoy his natural rights[2] and his natural liberty[3], provided that he obeys the natural law, the science of justice. ___________________________________________________________________________________ [1] NATURAL PERSONS. Such as are formed by nature, as distinguished from artificial persons, or corporations, formed by human laws for purposes of society and government. Wharton. ~ A Dictionary of the Law (Black’s 1st c. 1891), pg. 802 [2] Natural rights are those which grow out of the nature of man and depend upon personality, as distinguished from such as are created by [human] law and depend upon civilized society; or they are those which are plainly assured by natural law (Borden v. State, 11 Ark. 519, 44 Am. Dec. 217) ~ A Dictionary of the Law (Black’s 2ND c. 1910), pg. 1038 "Among the natural rights...are these: first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can." ~ Samuel Adams [3] Natural liberty is the right which nature gives to all mankind of disposing of their persons and property after the manner they judge most consistent with their happiness, on condition of their acting within the limits of the law of nature, and so as not to interfere with an equal exercise of the same rights by other men. Buriamaqui, c. 3, § 15; 1 Bl. Comm. 125 ~ A Dictionary of the Law (Black’s 1st c. 1891), pg. 716
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Suverans2 11 years 42 weeks agoNatural LawWeb link Serenity"The natural law is, in essence, a profoundly “radical” ethic, for it holds the existing status quo, which might grossly violate natural law, up to the unsparing and unyielding light of reason. In the realm of politics or State action, the natural law presents man with a set of norms which may well be radically critical of existing positive law imposed by the State. At this point, we need only stress that the very existence of a natural law discoverable by reason is a potentially powerful threat to the status quo and a standing reproach to the reign of blindly traditional custom [common law/judicial decisions] or the arbitrary will of the State apparatus [statute law/positive law]. In fact, the legal principles of any society can be established in three alternate ways: ...by slavish conformity to custom [common law/judicial decisions], by arbitrary whim [statute law], or by use of man’s reason [natural law]". ~ Murray N. Rothbard A true "strike [at] the root". Thank you for reviving this, Serenity.
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Glock27 11 years 42 weeks agoE-Prime and FreedomPage Craig RussellSince I am nothing special, and never have been since I left home 50 years past, and been to college, and earned a Masters in Learning Disabilities, and, and, and so on. I have to say, since I have been a member of this site, I am learning stuff I would never have expected. All I must accomplish now is to learn how to read, not just look at the words. Thanks.
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Sir William Bla... 11 years 42 weeks agoHoly Scripture: The United States ConstitutionPage Entito SovranoYou're right, the founding father worshipers are obsesive, however those do not substitute as arguements against the Constitution itself; I point that out because that was the main topic of your paper, at least as far as I could tell. The example of the Constitution being trampled on by the Alien and Setition Acts was interesting, because it was nullified by two states because of their Constitutional authority. It was populary opposed and led to a lot of bums being thrown out, and the government went back to normal. It's also interesting how you point out that there were many failures of the government under the Constitution. This is true, but there are problems with every government, it is government after all. Can you come up with a more successful system government that lasted for hundreds of years though? It seems to me that if there were no Constitution, tyranny would still would've resulted just as much. I don't mean to attack you by the way, I too am a lover of freedom, it's just that this article doesn't make sense to me. I'm open to hearing your views however.
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John deLaubenfels 11 years 42 weeks agoLibertarians Are Nothing SpecialPage Paul BonneauWatch out, Paul, or you'll get purists like Per Bylund on your case! But perhaps he's moved on to greener pastures; I haven't seen much from him here lately about how anyone who admits that there MIGHT be justification for a small government should be shunned. I've wrestled for some time with the issues you raise. On a train trip not long ago I sat at dinner with three other people, all of them pleasantly spouting what I consider to be statist nonsense. For some reason I didn't feel moved to put forth even a mild objection to their assumptions, and afterward I berated myself for not doing so. But more and more I'm coming to believe that people learn only when they're willing to learn, and that it's useless or even counterproductive to try to convince them of something they aren't ready to accept. Of course we should not be silent at all times, but it's a judgement call, with considerations not easily quantified, as to when it's productive to speak up. And definitely you're right in saying that it's silly to write off people with whom we have philosophical objections: that road leads only to isolation and marginalization.
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Glock27 11 years 42 weeks agoDEA’s Michele Leonhart: If Science Disagrees, We’ll Shut Down ResearchWeb link Melinda L. SecorExcellent point. I have chronic pain and have been on narcotic pain meds for about 7 years now. My body has acclimated, but the need is still there as it does continue to help some. My Dr., just this past week lowered my dosage by one per day. That's 30 pills gone. I had a hard time with the 6 per day. I asked why, he said it came from DEA. I discovered he is a F*&%ing lier. Contacted my Fed House Rep. They said DEA has no legal right to tell a doctor how to treat their patients or how many pills they can or can't perscribe. I do hope that Dr. get the temerity to do as you suggest, but it's not gonna happen.
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KenK 11 years 42 weeks agoDEA’s Michele Leonhart: If Science Disagrees, We’ll Shut Down ResearchWeb link Melinda L. SecorIf the medical practitioners that specialize in pain management and research had any balls they'd pull a Galt and just announce that until the DEA and the rest back off they'll refuse to treat or medicate any cops, feds, narcs, DAs, prison hacks or their families until they do.
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Jim Davies 11 years 42 weeks agoDickens, ReconsideredPage Jim DaviesThank you, John. Discipline in the household, reinforced by a cane, yes; but that was not unusual for the time and place. And the day when complaints by small boys about bossy big sisters can be classified "psychological abuse" will be the day the world's psychiatrists dance in the streets.
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Mark Davis 11 years 42 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdThere is no reliable scientific evidence showing that vaccines work, much less do more good than harm. The pharma-state complex has done a masterful job selling the myth of drugs and vaccines while capturing fully its state regulatory bureaucracy. Don't show me government statistics rigged to tell you what they want you think. I mean a real scientific study. Isn't one. The Polio Vaccine promotion was a very successful scam. By first expanding and then contracting the definition of polio (changing the names of similar inflictions), these slick shysters make billions while herding generations of children through their shot mills; the harm done was swept under the rug. Blasting babies, with weak developing immune systems, all at once full of poisons is criminal.
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rita 11 years 43 weeks agoLegal Drugs Are No Different Than IllegalWeb link mhstahlAnd actually, there's a huge difference between legal drugs and illegal ones -- legal drugs don't list "paranoia" and "a criminal record" as possible side effects.
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rita 11 years 43 weeks agoLegal Drugs Are No Different Than IllegalWeb link mhstahl"Drug abuse" is a legal term, not a medical one. By labeling all illegal drugs "drugs of abuse," the drug warriors have succeeded in labeling all users "drug abusers," less than human, our lives not worth living and therefore suitable for destruction.
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Glock27 11 years 43 weeks agoHoly Scripture: The United States ConstitutionPage Entito Sovrano"The clear failure of the Constitution" I presume statements of this nature implicates the idea that the Russian or Chinese, or South African (as R.B. Ginsberg applauds) would be the perferd choice maybe. "Enabled usurpation" If that were true this Nation would already be a tyranny or a monarchy which Adams desired. "No one today is suppose to approach their Brilliance..." From my stand point this is a very accurate statement. Would you call the president more brilliant than Jefferson, and etc. Among the common mass they were and are and will continue to be. Now. They were not perfect and I have noted each in one way or another have made this clear. And my G_D look at Biden, Reid, Pelosey, then there are some dumb assed Republicans too. They could not hold a candle to these old gentelmen. "...founders trampled document way back then." Can't argue that--anyway, I am not arguing, just making observations. However, the abuse today is far worse than it was in the beginning. I get the impression that you and a few others are far smarter than the framers. I am not convinced of that. What I am seeing from you are emotional knee jerks to the Constitution "...handfull of might than a bag full of right.." This seems to tag you as an aggressive anarchist. If you have a gun in your hand you have all the right you want. You have argued the Constitution is flawed and maybe even bad, that even the founders started to deflower it, yet you offer nothing. I don't hear anything from anyone here who has anything to offer in its exchange except good old Ruth Bader Ginsberg. What I see are some of the most ignorant pricks running for office and know little to nothing about the Constitution and the the sheep vote for these morons. I believe the Constitution has a solid foundation that could work, and seems to work up to a point. If the social animals would be honest and abide by the Constitution, it might honestly work the way it was intended to work. The current president and his bozo are amatures. You blame the Constitution, I blame the sheep and the pricks. Every society has some form of guidelines for the pack. Every pack will have a leader either througs concent or by force. Since I recognize this, and know that we are going to have a government come hell or high water, I want it by concent, not by force. Please note. I am merely making observations because I am neither a libertarian nor an anarchist, though I do have somewhat of a bent towards anarchist points of view. Too frequently we see, but do not observe. I think Sherlock Holmes said something like that.
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Paul 11 years 43 weeks agoFreedom in the 50 StatesWeb link strikeSorens had asked me to help with his 2009 version of this study, presumably because I had worked with him in the Free State Project state selection spreadsheet. I declined for a variety of reasons, some personal. One reason was the immense amount of work required, which I certainly respect with these studies. Another though, was that I had become a bit disenchanted with the notion of grading states with a spreadsheet. Some things are just hard to quantify. Liberty is more than just laws on the books; it is also whether those laws are vigorously enforced. It is "horizontal" enforcement. It is how bad the jails are once you are unfortunately caught in the system. And there are other such things. Montana for example often comes out poorly in such studies, but I "feel" pretty free when I am there. Maybe I just don't see that many cops, and the few I do see are respectful. How do you quantify respect among police? So I think these studies can be used as rough guides; I believe New York and California really are bad, and South Dakota and New Hampshire really are good. But I am doubtful about drawing too fine a conclusion from them. Another problem is that the studies reflect the things that the authors think important. In the FSP spreadsheet users got to weight the factors themselves, according to what they thought were important. Here, that is not so. I'm guessing weights come from those participating in the study. For example, not too many of them are gun nuts, I'd wager.
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GregL 11 years 43 weeks agoHoly Scripture: The United States ConstitutionPage Entito SovranoI had to look up "heteronomy", but nice article.
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John deLaubenfels 11 years 43 weeks agoNewt's LetterPage Jim DaviesI'm sure you're right in saying that congressional bozos want to forbid mere citizens from communicating in any way that they (the bozos) can't intercept and comprehend. In the late 1990's, Newt was smarting about the fact that the government had failed to indict Phil Zimmermann, the author of PGP, for "exporting munitions". The issue died down some between then and now, but I have no doubt whatever that government thugs still want to have a back door into everything we do, and that a law mandating such access will be passed in the next few years. When that happens, I'll probably start giving away the steganography programs I've written. Let the bozos prove there's data hidden in the photo or music file I send you!
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KenK 11 years 43 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdThe point I tried to make is that there is no reliable scientific evidence linking autism and vaccines. Lancet (the English medical journal that started all this BS in 1998) retracted their article publicly some time ago. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/02/the-lancet-retracts...
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Samarami 11 years 43 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdWhenever I hear someone use the term "debunked" I wonder if they have a clue as to who might be the debunker, and who would be the debunkee. I know this: I ceased cow-towing to the parasites who chirp the vaccination slogans ("have you had 'your' tetanus shot?" -- Why they feel it's a better sale by using the second person possessive I know not). Last shot(s) I had was in the military 60 years ago and I almost died from them. I got kicked out of an emergency room for refusing to dutifully take "my" tetanus shot -- then two docs got into almost a fist-cuff and the second one took me back in and sutured my injury. Of my 7 kids, only 2 are "believers" and force their children to have "their" shots. The other 5 have had various confrontations with those who believe everybody should be vaccinated (under threat of violence). If one of my grandchildren even has a sniffle in the presence of sociopaths who push coerced inoculations the parents understand they will face dire consequences from the governmentalists/medicalists/pharmacologists and their czars. But that's a risk they're willing to take for health and freedom. They're homeschoolers, so aren't as egregiously exposed to enforced medicine; but there are always some who try to enforce their will upon others (even though logic would tell you that if the enforcers are "immunized" they shouldn't have a worry in the world from exposure to my grandchildren. Logic doesn't fit that school of thought). I did become immunized once, I should add. I carelessly let myself get snakebit and my arm and neck swelled up to the size of my leg. But the doc afterward told me I was now immune from snake bites almost killing me. So all immunizations ain't bad. Just the enforced ones, and it's hard to argue with rattlers. I just leave 'em be. Sam
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Samarami 11 years 43 weeks agoLet Go, Live FreeWeb link Westernerd"...Stop asking for permission! The state is just a large criminal organization, you do not need its permission to do anything. Of course, you will have to avoid their henchman from time to time but it is mostly in the west where the state really has much power and people actually adhere to their extortion and edicts..." Jeff pinpointed the crux of the problem and he gave us the solution in just three short sentences. But he needed an essay. The pay for three sentences is not as good as the pay for an essay. Ever hear of Sameria? I thought not. I'm the only inhabitant. But I'm free. I am a free, sovereign state, as a matter of fact. And I did not have to move to Cambodia or Thailand or New Hampshire or to a floating platform out in the Pacific (I can only imagine what a tyrannical nightmare "The-Government" out there might develop into once a few sociopaths get themselves settled in and start to manage and control their neighbors). Wherever on this earth I move, my freedom will depend solely upon what's between my ears. Liberty is not the purveyance of parasites who make up the local governments around the earth. If it's gonna be, it's up to me. Sam
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KenK 11 years 43 weeks agoMore Evidence That Vaccines Cause AutismWeb link WesternerdThis bullshit has been debunked for a long time now. The "vaccines cause autism" crowd has now taken their place among the rest of the sad assortment of anti-modernists. Welcome to the gang: Flat earthers, creationists, Elvis lives, JFK murder conspiracies, 911 truthers, UFO-ologists, just to name but a few. And if these dumbasses are really willing to subject themselves to the deadly consequences of polio, and other deadly virus vectored diseases please, let's encourage it. The sooner the ignorant bastards die off the better IMO.
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Jim Davies 11 years 43 weeks agoGary Johnson: StatistPage Scott LazarowitzExcellent analysis, Scott. There may be some argument for the LP to nominate a "star" likely to attract media and voter attention even though his libertarian credentials are less pure than one would like, but Johnson is not even stellar. A few months ago I took a quick look at the other candidates running, and found only Lee Wrights of any interest at all. He did come in second in the poll, a long way behind the winner. This is, as you say, a direct and damning reflection on the Party. In any case, it is false logic to suppose that participating in force can ever abolish force. Even Rothbard got suckered on that one. An anecdote: years ago, I took part in a Town anti-tax group and we paid a visit to the mayor of a nearby town who had won election on a platform of chopping taxes. We complimented him. Within five minutes, however, we realized we'd been naive. He made it clear that this time, an anti-tax platform had been his winning strategy but that next time if the wind blew from the opposite direction, he would gladly campaign to raise them. He had no principles at all, except to win. And, due respect to John, but how does any politician "create jobs"? - if he does it by slashing taxes and regulations so that investment money can flow more freely and so stimulate business and the hiring that may come with expansion, fine - but let's compliment him on the slashing, not on the creating. They claim that ability, but let's not give the claim any legitimacy - it has none. The best they can possibly do is to undo damage previously done. They create nothing; only the market does that.
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Mark Davis 11 years 43 weeks agoBlack and White (Are You Experienced?) - Part IIPage Mark DavisThank you for the kind words and keen observation dhowlandjr. State courts/prisons are a pox on society.
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dhowlandjr 11 years 43 weeks agoBlack and White (Are You Experienced?) - Part IIPage Mark DavisHi Mark, I really enjoyed your article. It resonates with me. Your conclusion really sums it up eloquently and succinctly. I personally would not have written "second degree murder and should go to jail", but would have tried to opt for a phrase that communicated that justice should be done without implying that the state's edicts are legitimate or that imprisonment is what a free society would choose as a remedy. But that's just a small observation, I'm really commenting here mostly because I think the article is very well written and a propos. Thank you for a great read!
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AtlasAikido 11 years 43 weeks agoIf Cops Can't Taze a Pregnant Woman, The Terrorists Will WinWeb link SerenityJune 18, 2012 'Roid-raging Cop Shoots Up Neighborhood: Get Ready for more "Gun Control" Posted by William Grigg on June 18, 2012 10:34 AM http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/113799.html If Roid "Klementovich" had snapped and committed an act of violence against an innocent person while on duty, he most likely would be on “administrative leave” – that is, paid vacation – while his police union provided him with expensive legal help and unqualified support. The fact that he was able to walk away from the standoff, rather than being killed in a full-force military onslaught, is itself an illustration of the privileged position Klementovich continues to occupy: If he had been a mere Mundane, he would almost certainly be dead.
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Paul 11 years 43 weeks agoCongestion Pricing for Road Finance: Time to Replace Gasoline Taxes?Web link GuestInside-the-beltway libertarians are willing to turn America into a surveillance state, merely to get a little more government efficiency. They've been peddling this crap for years.
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Darkcrusade 11 years 43 weeks agoThe God QuestionPage Jim Davies''If nothing exists, there can be no consciousness: a consciousness with nothing to be conscious of is a contradiction in terms. A consciousness conscious of nothing but itself is a contradiction in terms: before it could identify itself as consciousness, it had to be conscious of something. If that which you claim to perceive does not exist, what you possess is not consciousness.'' LOL,Thank you for pointing out the Triune God of the bible is the wellspring of all that is. It is neat how the Scriptures anticipates (and smashes)the attempts of 'higher critics.' A God small enough for your mind,would not be big enough for your need. The Father,The Son,The Holy Spirit,are complete in and of themself,and are preexistence outside of and before creation. Each absolute loving and honoring of the other. Do a little research on the nature of The Triune Godhead,if you are true to yourself ,you will be surprised. (this could be the most importent subject for the saved individual. Christ did not sacrifice to make bad men, good.He died to give dead men life.)
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AtlasAikido 11 years 43 weeks agoIf Cops Can't Taze a Pregnant Woman, The Terrorists Will WinWeb link SerenityJudicially Authorized Rape: The Newest Weapon in the Prohibitionist Arsenal by William Norman Grigg http://lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w262.html
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AtlasAikido 11 years 43 weeks agoIf Cops Can't Taze a Pregnant Woman, The Terrorists Will WinWeb link SerenityNow THIS is an excellent presentation....: Eeeek, an Anarchist! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdDCaGQAU9U
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Samarami 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauI'm with you, John. The entire "problem" with the bullying phenomenon seems to be centered around the existence of collectivist government ("public" ha ha) schooling. Those institutions are necessary for predators of state to sustain the farce that is affectionately referred to as "consent of the governed". So "bullying" is a natural outcropping of the incursion of minions of state into "education", which is a natural outcropping of their need to continually legitimize the state. Like the "war on terrorism" is in truth a pseudology to camouflage the real terrorists (agents of state), the "issue" of bullying prevents the unwashed masses from identifying the man behind the curtain who is pulling all those strings. Clowns in state costumes with tin "badges" who are dangerously armed are the real "bullies". Solution? Homeschool the kids. Keep them away from government school yards. Teach them that the policeman is NOT their friend, but that they do not need to fear monopoly police or any other state agents. State predators are like any other criminals -- steer clear of them whenever possible, but don't give them the satisfaction of fearing them. Your above tactic might be an excellent defense against predation. Teach them the art of self-defense. That art definitely includes this "when-all-else-fails" tactic: RUN!!! Sam
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John deLaubenfels 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauIn order to resist thug cop bullies, new tactics will be required. I'm thinking of a group of like-minded people forming a cooperative, and when any one of them is stopped by an abusive cop, s/he speed-dials the rest and they arrive, armed, to confront the bullying thug. I'm not advocating violence, except in defense, but am advocating letting the cop know on no uncertain terms that his/her bullying behavior will not be tolerated.
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauI guess I would have to agree with that perspective, dodge ball has become an art form of bullying and now is not allowed in many schools, but some tof the bullying that goes on is to the extremes wherein some kids die by the hand of the bully or by their own hand. With an instant brain fart I guess that criminals are nothing more than extended bullies, but yes, just being kids I think has gone to the wayside and has evolved into another whole different animal. There are a lot of places to go with just the concept of "Bully". When I was once a young kid I was bullied to a point that I was forced into the decision that it had to stop and for me at that time all I could do was find an equalizer in the battle and that was a 6 inch blade pocket knife I kept with me everywhere I went.
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AtlasAikido 11 years 44 weeks agoIf Cops Can't Taze a Pregnant Woman, The Terrorists Will WinWeb link SerenitySlovaks, on the other hand are becoming increasingly free with their distance from communism and increasingly disrespectful of governmental authority. Disrespect of the most prominent symbol of government authority could be seen three weeks ago in Bratislava – on Obchodna Street. I can't imagine a scene like this fifty years ago in Slovakia, nor even ten years ago in Slovakia. Slovakia is a rapidly changing society. Excerpted from A Healthy Disrespect of the Police by Allan Stevo http://www.lewrockwell.com/stevo/stevo18.1.html Reference Context: See posting May 27th regarding Police seen as Bullies and Sociopaths by Russian govt official admission de facto and de jure--following the tide of individuals/communities who refuse to sanction their own victim hood (consent) and who have taken the direct alternative of taking security matters into their own hands.
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoDriver's Licenses Do Not Make Roads SaferWeb link mhstahlYa know. This also applies to a Concealed Carry. In Michigan you must have 9 hours of gun safety, shooting and laws regarding carring a pistol and the law regarding shooting in self-defense. (Actually I have no problem with that because I want to know that the carry person knows gun safety.) In my class we had one old fart that kept waving a revolver around and pointing it at others. After the third incident the instructors informed him that one more episode of unsafe firearm handeling he would be asked to leave immediately. Yes they informed him on each occassion, but one warning should have been all that was needed. Carrying a firearm in public places a grave responsibility on the individual and cannot be taken lightly. Gratefully the Mihigan House of Representatives just passed legislation that you no longer have to go to the nearest police station, take a test on gun safety, pay $10 and have 10 days to purchase the firearm. If not you have to repeat the process. Now you just go to the dealer and purchase the firearm and take it home. Concealed Carry Laws still remain in effect.
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Paul 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauInteresting post. Is that really what is going on, or just a scenario you presented? If the former, do you have some links? I found this one but it was written in 2006: http://www.article2.org/mainfile.php/0504/244/
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Paul 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauI must disagree with the notion that it is better to go to authorities first to get the legalities out of the way, at least for school children (there might be an argument for adults in this litigious society). As to the notion that the bully is himself a victim of bullying and he is just repeating that, it may be true. One chicken pecked in the barnyard will sometimes go find another chicken lower on the pecking order to peck. However that's no excuse for putting up with it. Finally I have to clarify something. I wrote, "Much of what we today consider bullying behavior is actually an attempt by the “bully” to find others worthy of his respect." Part of what I am saying here, is that I think the definition of bullying has been expanded in recent years, so that half the behaviors we see can be called that. A while ago it might have just been called horsing around, or whatever. It's particularly this expansion that I am talking about. Boys horse around to figure out who is worthy to be in the group. As to "classic" or "true" bullying, there may be another dynamic going on, so even fighting back does not yield friendship or respect, although self-respect and that of others might of course still be there. I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist. All the above is just a guess. Those in the psych professions may have their own axes to grind...
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoAmendment DonePage dubhub9If our voting or not voting means nothing to those operating the state, then why do they spend so much money to get elected to the position? That's the puzzeler to me. Can anyone out there illucidate my feeble mind?
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoBlack and White (Are You Experienced?) - Part IPage Mark DavisI anxiously await your reply. Just take your time. These machines seem to have a mind of their own. Are you lap topping it from your truck?
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauGreat point Tzo. To make an observation, I have noted this kind of conduct at this site and others, verbal bullies, unless I misconstrue what I read here.
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauSeen this all too frequently Mass.
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauReverend, bullies have a problem, and treating them as you suggest I could not agree with. They need help basically because they are being abused in their own homes or by close family members. I find it very disturbing that you would suggest this to anyone. I taught my son that if he was having problems ask the kid to stop. If that fails go to the teacher, if that fails go to the counciler, if he fails go to the principle. If he fails then he (my son) must solve the problem. This way he has performed everything legally and when he beats the s*%@ out of the other kid then the upper brass can't do squat. Unfortunately for me he never took my advice and beat the s*%@ out of the kid anyway and got in trouble despite the history the kid had as a bully. I also taught him that he had a moral and ethical responsibility to protect younger and defensless persons from the assault of others whom were bigger. When I was at a fun time of my life I had problems with various bullies my age and older. After a few rounds of this I decided I would not deal with it anymore and began carrying a gravity knife with me and use it on occassion to divert the bullies desire. I guess I feel sorry for bullies. They are hurting and need some serious intervention that will help them become better people.
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Glock27 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauAn observation that lifts my heart. However, I disagree with open carry only because open carry presents a very dangerous situation (dependent upon location). Open carry gives another advance strategy of approach and disarm. Concealed carry is far better because the element of supprise. In Michigan 1 in every 20 citizens carry concealed. I was stunned to discover this, so when I am out carrying I know there are others carrying but I don't know who. The mind set of firearms really needs to be overcome and the anti-gunner bullies need their butts kicked every chance the opportunity arises. Paul is right about us old guys, we'll just pull our gun and.... well I don't want to say something that could be misconstrued at a later date.
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Thunderbolt 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauI think Paul Bonneau is correct. The issue is respect. Let us presume that you live in Bangladesh. The police there are brutal. They taser pregnant women and pepper-spray protestors. They fatally club mentally-handicapped men who have not aggressed against anyone. They use 4000 teams of thugs in black costumes to invade homes and kill humans and dogs without restraint. They murder a young hand-cuffed man in their subway. There is no recourse for their citizens. Everyone lives in fear of these goons. Their politicians are forever creating wars to enrich their masters. They even have a few drones to keep an eye on their slaves. Enter "Black Market Reloaded." Someone in Bangladesh can now hire a hit-man to revenge injustice. The contract-killer does not know who hired him and the plaintiff does not know the killer. An anonymous digital currency is used for payment. Suddenly, the police in Bangladesh are dropping like flies; politicians too. A politician there wants to restrict guns. Mysteriously, he is shot dead, while driving home. Tax agents of the dreaded S.R.I. begin dying at the rate of thirty each week. The people of Bangladesh find that they can eliminate not only the barbaric thugs, but all of their hated government. The police become very polite.
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tzo 11 years 44 weeks agoThoughts on Bullying and RespectPage Paul BonneauMy impression is that bullies at school are kids who are themselves bullied, primarily at home by parents, and feel powerless. At school, they want to emulate those that have power over them at home—because apparently the world is made up only of those who bully and those who are bullied—and so they imitate those that control others through sheer force. The bullied kid who fights back is a shock to the bully. He certainly can't fight back against his parents, and so what does this resistance mean? This doesn't fit in with the bully/bullied dichotomy, and so he either 'makes friends with' or ignores the self-defender and seeks out an easier target. I don't disagree with the idea that boys and men tend to compete with each other in order to earn respect, and that can go from sports right on up to fighting, but I think that somewhere there is a line between making someone 'prove' themselves worthy of respect and just lashing out because of feelings of inferiority. But as I think about it, it is very difficult to figure out where that line may be. We are funny little creatures.
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