2021: In defense of free speech

Posted on 2022-05-04 by TPOL Nathan

The recent creation of the Disinformation Governance Board should prompt us to again consider this basic and essential human right. Was this prompted by Musk’s terrorizing the world by buying Twitter? Was it caused by more and more people calling the Ukrainians, Europeans, UK and US bald-faced liars about the war and the causes of the war in Ukraine? Or are we simply seeing planning done in advance and now being launched because these things provide better opportunities to ram them down people’s throats?

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Some thoughts on gun-owner databases

Posted on 2022-05-03 by TPOL Nathan

Greg Taggart’s commentary on central gun-owner databases (CGODB) addressed many excellent issues regarding gun registration.

All of these arguments, including his examples, are valuable to use in persuading people who favor gun-control and registration the error of this twisted little piece of government policy so beloved of the hoplophobes and hoploclasts. (But he misses some important things: read on below!)

Using the info to teach about liberty

One of the best ways to use these things is the so-called Columbo gambit (named for the long-ago TV series detective). Ask questions – nice innocent questions – of someone, rather than stating our own position and letting them attack our reasoning.

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Why are gun owners opposed to gun registration?

Posted on 2022-05-02 by TPOL Nathan

Guest post by Gregory K. Taggart, courtesy of Slow Facts. Some editing by TPOL.

Question: “Why are gun owners against a central gun-owner database, also referred to as “Gun Registration”?

At its root, the concept of a central gun-owner database is closely related to “Universal Background Checks” which is a necessary mechanism to build such a data base. The premise is essentially that it is a “good idea” for the Government to know who owns the guns.

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Economic news – is it real?

Posted on 2022-04-30 by TPOL Nathan

This last week, the American stock market seems to have taken a beating. Especially the Dow, as Market Watch reports: Up-down-up-down – a thousand points:

From MarketWatch

It was an especially bad week for at least ONE billionaire: Jeff Bezos’ fortune dropped by $13 billion in just hours after Amazon shared its first quarter results. Bezos, the world’s richest person after Elon Musk, was already the fourth-biggest wealth loser this year, with his fortune dropping by $23 billion through Thursday. Amazon posted a loss of $3.8 billion this week and predicted sluggish growth for the second quarter. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, if the loss continues, Bezos will be worth $155 billion — down from a 2021 peak of $210 billion. (According to LinkedIn).

My heart bleeds for him: imagine having your net work shrinking by 25% in just a year, with over of tenth vanishing in a single week!

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Countdown to failure and more war

Posted on 2022-04-29 by TPOL Nathan

“In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war … So it is written in Warhammer AD40,000.

Jesus of Nazareth told His disciples: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.”

A few days ago, Reuters had this story, about foreign weapons destroyed by Russia in an attack on Odessa, the last Ukrainian port open on the Black Sea. The foreign weapons were, of course, being provided to Ukraine by the US, UK, and other, European powers.

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Uncle Joe lies again: the ghost gun episode

Posted on 2022-04-28 by TPOL Nathan

As we here in the States (and around the world) enjoy yet another episode of the second-season of that great “reality show” featuring dear old handsy Uncle Joe, think about this!

A “ghost gun” – Really?

A few days back, the DC establishment, with “suitable” grandiose pronouncements, announced yet another set of regulations in their war on self-defense (guns). In the announcement of these regulations, VP Kammie said that “ghost guns pose an especially grave threat to the safety of our communities.” She was parroting the statement her boss, Uncle Joe, made that “[ghost] guns are weapons of choice for many criminals.” Both those claims are completely and demonstrably bogus. Yet another example of elected officials lying to everyone. (Including, no doubt, themselves. They KNOW better.)

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The end of neutrality in a world going nuts

Posted on 2022-04-27 by TPOL Nathan

Neutrality has been a big thing for decades and decades for three little known countries: the Suomen tasavalta, the Konungariket Sverige, and the Confoederatio Helvetica.

Or maybe not so “little-known.” Read on.

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Death of a city?

Posted on 2022-04-26 by TPOL Nathan

Hopefully. I also hope that the suburbs of the City of Houston experience a MASSIVE building boom as hundreds of businesses close up shop in this pitiful perversion of a government. Especially in Texas.

Why? Apparently (according to this ABC news story) the City Council of this urban monster voted 15-1 to mandate a large number of businesses (including establishments that serve alcohol AND convenience stores) to install surveillance cameras at their own expense AND to provide the recordings to the police on demand, within 72 hours without a warrant. And if they don’t? The business will be fined $500 per day.

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“Let people live their lives”

Posted on 2022-04-25 by TPOL Nathan

That simple statement explains so much of what is wrong with today’s society – with world society and our so-called civilization. “Live and let live” used to be a popular American slogan, both in the biggest and most crowded of urban cores and out in the wild, wide-open frontier areas of the American West.

But now? It seems to be anything but…

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Guest column: The five universal laws of human stupidity

Posted on 2022-04-22 by TPOL Nathan

The Five Universal Laws of Human Stupidity

Note from TPOL: One of the strongest arguments against mandatory, coercive human government is the existence of stupid people. Especially since the synergy of stupidity is a factor of multiplication and not merely addition! This article by Corinne Purtill reminds us of why that argument is so strong.

We underestimate the stupid, and we do so at our own peril.

By Corinne Purtill

a person is thrown into the air by a bull

Not just a danger to themselves. Photo by Reuters/Susana Vera

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