Kent's "Hooligan Libertarian" Blog

>Message to the control freaks and enforcers

kentmcmanigal — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:16:00 +0000

>“We don’t need you.

We don’t want you.

We don’t respect you.

We won’t tolerate you much longer.”

Will Grigg gets it right again.

>My pledge to the people of Farwell

kentmcmanigal — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:44:00 +0000

>Supposedly someone here in town went to the police about me over something they didn’t like. It was nothing wrong- no aggression; no theft or fraud; not even any trespassing. The report passed on to me may or may not have been true.

Yet, someone else, upon hearing of my experience, expressed the hope that the cops will go after all the other people in town who could be punished for the exact same thing.

Absolutely, positively NOT!!! If what I did deserves no punishment, and it doesn’t, why would I want punishment applied to others for the same thing?

That’s the difference that makes a libertarian better- more ethical- than “conservatives” or “progressives”.

So, in the spirit of doing the right thing, here is my pledge to the people of Farwell:

I will never, NEVER, report you to the police for doing things that initiate no force or theft; even things I find personally distasteful. I will never cooperate in any way with any investigation of you by any government agent, “authority“, or official for those things either.

I consider this to be a logical extension of living by the ZAP.

The coin has another side, though. If you do initiate force or commit theft against any innocent person, you had better hope that in doing so you don’t make me mad enough to lose my mind, even temporarily, because if I do, and that condition is severe enough that it causes me to violate my principles, going to the police could be one of the things I might do in my distraught and irrational condition.

You know… it would be nice to see more people willing to make this pledge to the people around them.

>Weekend thoughts of a random nature

kentmcmanigal — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:37:00 +0000

>Are humans the only animal to feel revulsion? Like I do when watching someone (usually a kid) eating boogers. Or when watching TSA goons molesting a child. Does any other critter get disgusted?

Eventually in a feud one side must grow up and be the one to stop. In the case of a feud that has been going on more than a few generations there is no innocent participant anymore. Someone has to be the one to grow up and back away; to be the one who goes home and refuses to do anything other than defending his own property from the other, no matter the taunts, insults, or whatever. To be the one who will not violate the property rights of his enemy any more. In the case of the US vs the Middle East, who will be the adult? Considering both sides are composed of governidiots, I have my suspicions.

The real tragedy is that government, at best, exists as a mechanism for introducing coercion in order to impose a prevailing opinion on the minority. At worst; as a mechanism to impose the will of a dangerous minority onto the whole of society, one individual at a time. Be careful, because there is no guarantee you will not be the person forced to live by someone’s edicts that you find unbearable; all because you supported the system as long as it seemed to benefit your goals. There is only one way to ensure things never get to that point. Liberty is always the solution.

Video piracy might be wrong but there is nothing legitimately “criminal” about it. For the FBI to actually threaten to enforce IP seems a severe over-reaction to me.

Governments everywhere want to have internet “kill switches”. I have a better idea: a government kill switch. In a crisis let the internet become a kill switch that suspends all government, including paychecks to the employees, until the crisis is over. No one in government has any say on when the kill switch is used, or in allowing government back-up.

If you violate the rights of some people for the common good you are just gonna pay later. You go into debt by violating rights and the bill eventually comes due. Like the economy educating the Federal Reserve. Blowback.

It is worse to do something wrong than to do something illegal.

All government is evil but not everyone who fights the government is good. Some are just as evil.

Who’s the world’s greatest magician? Nigh Neil Evan. He changed everything, or so they say. How did he do it? The debate still rages. Smoke, mirrors, misdirection, lies, or simply taking advantage of an over-reaction? My guess is all of the above.

>Fund raising

kentmcmanigal — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:44:00 +0000

>I need some money. Desperately. Donations have dried up and Time’s Up things aren’t selling fast enough to help at this moment. So, I am going to sell 5 ounces of silver. They will be like either this bar or the other design from the same mint… I don’t remember exactly what I have, designwise.

If you want some of it before I put it on eBay, let me know.

>Solutions shouldn’t limit liberties

kentmcmanigal — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:11:00 +0000

>Solutions shouldn’t limit liberties

My weekly CNJ column.

And, speaking of cars that drive themselves: link

>Liberty Lines 4-14-2011

kentmcmanigal — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:17:00 +0000

(First published in The State Line Tribune)

I’m sure you have seen the shiny new signs you paid to have placed around the schools. “The use of a wireless communication device is prohibited in the school zone.” That makes me think of another quote which suggests that the ultimate answer to kings, or small town governments for that matter, is a belly laugh. Those in government, at every level, give me opportunities to laugh at their absurdity on a daily basis.

Obviously the sign doesn’t really mean what it says. I assume what it is trying to wirelessly communicate to those who read it is that the use, by drivers, of cell phones and other things of that sort is prohibited while passing through the school zone. Maybe it is also intended to be interpreted as prohibiting the students from using cell phones in the school zone before, during, and after school, as well.

But that is not what the sign says.

If the sign were taken literally, it would mean books, blackboards (or their modern equivalent), and the human voice are now prohibited in the school zone, including in the classroom. That would effectively shut down the schools. While I agree with that course of action, I seriously doubt that was the intent.

If the sign were taken literally, it would mean that those of us who live in the school zone would be prohibited from using any wireless communication device in our homes. I think any attempt to enforce that one might be unpopular with more than just the rare libertarian.

(I self-censored this paragraph from the column, but in light of recent events I should have left it in to embarrass the parasites.) It would also mean the local law enforcement officers would be prohibited from texting or talking on the phone while cruising around the school- and that can’t possibly be true since I have seen them do it regularly!

The sign is a humorous reminder of the reactionary nature of would-be rulers. It is an attempt to hold back the tsunami of technology with a sign backed up by a law. That hasn’t ever worked in the past, and I doubt this will be the first time it will succeed. Responsibility, by drivers and pedestrians alike, is the only thing that will work, and that can’t be legislated. Yes, the best reaction to any government is a good belly laugh.

>Liberty Lines 3-10-2010

kentmcmanigal — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:13:00 +0000

(First published in The State Line Tribune. I waited to put it here for a while so it could be “exclusive” to them. They have no website.)

Recently I have heard a lot of people worrying about the economy. That’s understandable. A lot of people are beginning to wake up to realities that only libertarians seemed concerned about just a few short years ago.

The most obvious clue for most people is that the price of gasoline is taking a leap. This will soon translate into higher prices on everything. Of course, you should understand that these things are not actually becoming more valuable; the dollar is simply getting closer to the point of worthlessness due to run-away Federal Reserve counterfeiting.

I can’t tell you for certain what will happen with the economy in the near future, but I won’t lie to you like those in Washington DC, who are causing the problems, will.

There may or may not be a crisis coming, but there are things you can do that will benefit you regardless of whether America dodges yet another bullet or whether the piper gets paid this time. If no economic collapse occurs, you have done nothing that can harm you in any way; if it does, you will be ready. So, how can you protect yourself and your family in case of an economic crisis?

First of all, remember that US dollars are not real money, but merely a substitute. If they stop buying what you need, stop accepting them as payment for anything- paychecks included. Insist on either concrete things you need in order to survive (food, water, clothing, shelter, medicine, fuel, or ammunition), or things which will retain their value over time which you can then trade for the things you need for survival. Gold, silver, and copper come to mind, as do some durable necessities that you may not personally need, but know that others will. Dollars don’t even make the list, since they are less valuable with each passing day, like blackening bananas.

Second, stock up on some things now before they are out of reach. Think of things that you wouldn’t be able to do without if store shelves were suddenly empty for weeks at a time. Do you require prescription medicines? Do you have enough food stored, food you will actually eat, and that will last if the electricity goes out for several days? Do you have alternate ways of heating food, and even of opening cans? Do you have a supply of water and a way to make “iffy” water safe to drink? What about toilet paper? What does it hurt to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best?

>Time’s Up stuff in stock

kentmcmanigal — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:09:00 +0000

>
I’m well-stocked in all “Time’s Up” items now. Order some today!!

Illustrated is the 12″ X 18″ “rally” flag. They are very affordable at $7.00 each.

>%$#@&*!!!!

kentmcmanigal — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:08:00 +0000

>Make my day better, please.

>Adaptability

kentmcmanigal — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:32:00 +0000

>One of my strengths is that I am very adaptable. It isn’t that I don’t have preferences; just that I can make-do with less than I’d prefer, or in situations that are novel and strange.

Once upon a time, I would never dream of expressing my opinions if they differed from what I supposed were the opinions of those around me. I was afraid people might not like what I had to say. They might say mean things about me. Now, I still don’t like it when they do say mean things, but that’s not gonna keep me from speaking up.

Once upon a time I would have rather died than speak in front of people, much less sing! Then I got taken to karaoke and fell in love with singing to an audience (even though I don’t get to do that anymore). People from my past who found out couldn’t believe I would ever do that- it just wasn’t me. But, it was.

There have been more adaptations. Some big and some small, some painful and some easy.

Each of these adaptations occurred because of some change in the conditions of my life. My old ways ran against a wall, and something had to change. I can only change me. When things I like get ripped away, my old life ends and I am forced to find a new life. It has happened many times in the past, and probably will happen again. I feel confident that I will adapt, without compromising.