Myths and misconceptions

Posted on September 16, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

A generally libertarian social media poster recently featured this cartoon on an email.

Okay, at first (and later) glances, it is funny.

But is it true?

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Looking back: Democrats and Republicans show up rather badly

Posted on September 15, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

Yeah, “rather badly” is a strong understatement. But read on.

Certainly not excusing any libertarians, natural law, constitutionalists, or even democratic socialist politicians and activists, the GOP and Democrats have a highly undesirable record of their actions going back as long as those parties have existed.

And they simply replaced other parties: other political groups and philosophical comrades, who did the same thing. It is all part of what we (sometimes laughingly) call human civilization. Systems of organizing society that divide people. Into the rulers and the ruled. Into the haves and the have-nots. Into the state and the enemies of the state. The parasites and predators, and their prey.

Today, with the horrors of the last few weeks, we think that what we are seeing is far worse than what we have been through in the past. That is wrong. And not just in foreign lands, or among distant people: here in the States, here in our cities, our communities, our families’ lives.

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Guest commentary: are the drums of war beating louder at home?

Posted on September 13, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

From a brother in Christ, who has a knack for seeing to the bottom of the pond, polluted or not. TPOL’s comments are in [brackets and italics]. His comments are addressed to christians – but they apply to any and all lovers of liberty.

We learned without a shadow of a doubt this week that a significant chunk of our country wants to see conservative Christians killed, and another significant chunk—including many Christians—will refuse to call them on it or will even give semi-justifications for it.

These centrists call people like me divisive, but we’re not the ones shooting at people we don’t like. THAT is where the divide comes from. Pointing it out isn’t divisive. It’s honest. Get it through your head: if you believe in Biblical morality, THEY THINK YOU SHOULD DIE.

That’s why calls for unity are so useless right now. You can’t unite with people who want you silenced at best and dead at worst. [How many times do we have to learn that lesson?]

Too many preachers spent this week saying nice words like “unity” without having a clue what they mean or how they work. The church was called to unity with one another. We were never called to unite with a world that hates us. “What fellowship has light with darkness?” “Do not be surprised when the world hates you.”

Whether it’s naïveté or cowardice, I don’t know, but neither one inspires confidence.

This is what you absolutely must understand:

The only way this ends is with one side winning. Christ, or chaos. [Liberty or tyranny – closely tied with God and the abyss.]

I can hear the pearl clutching and handwringing now. “Gasp! He said the ‘W’ word!” Yeah, we’re here to tear down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). And yeah, our fight is not against flesh and blood—but the demons and ideas we’re fighting come out of human mouths and pens, and so that’s where we engage.

And one or the other is going to win, because warring ideologies can’t coexist. Our experiment with pluralism and “tolerance” is over. Read up on the Russian Revolution or the Spanish Civil War… I guarantee you, you want our side to win. Charlie Kirk is a mere drop in the bucket of what will happen if we don’t. [Need more convincing? Look up the Khmer Rouge. Or Mao’s Great Leap Forward. Or even what Chavez and Maduro are doing in Venezuela – living people, and not all just old people – can tell you.]

In those conflicts, the Marxists burned churches, killed children, and raped nuns. That was not 500 years ago. Some of it was in living memory. If you didn’t know before, this week made it clear that the people we’re dealing with are their ideological successors.

So, to all the pacifists, Lipscombites [a reference to David Lipscomb, a 19th century pacifist in Tennessee – look him up], third-wayists, above-it-allists, I want you to stop reading right now, look your wife in the eye, and tell her that you truly believe God wants you to let that happen to her and your kids rather than you getting your hands dirty, taking a side, and jumping into the culture war. Go ahead, I’ll wait. [Too many people think that Jesus and His apostles taught total pacifism, and they didn’t. What they did teach was those who do not take care of their own families are worse than infidels. And to pick and choose your battles, but remember that ultimate victory is possible – but not if you give up.]

You have no idea how bad it can get, and how bad it will get, if a line is not drawn in the sand. I pray we never find out. I pray we can live in a September 12 kind of world someday. But the only way that happens is through Christianization of the culture from both the bottom up (individual conversions) and the top down (Romans 13 governance and cultural saturation).[he is not talking theocracy or dominionism or garbage like that, but what John Adams said about a moral people: people who understand and live in liberty, which includes responsibility and holding government accountable to simple “christian” (godly) morality; the Golden Rule (Zero Aggression Principle, if you prefer). We may have to go to war to defend outselves, but conversion by the sword ultimately fails.]

It’s time to realize what world we live in, how we got here, and how we’re going to get out.

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Schools, educrats, and guns

Posted on September 12, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

The killing of Charlie Kirk continues to have massive effects nationwide. We’ll talk about that more in a later commentary.

For now, consider this. Many people are highly negative towards Mr. Kirk. And vicious towards those who are alarmed and saddened over his killing. One tactic is to compare the response to Kirk’s death to other incidents in recent days and weeks. They claim that those upset over Charlie Kirk’s death (whom they label as “rightists:” not “Progressive” nor “liberal”) are hypocritical – even racist. Why? Because they are making much ado about Mr. Kirk’s killing, but supposedly have not over the death of others.

(Oddly enough, the brutal killing of a young Ukrainian immigrant is not mentioned by these critics. Many on the “left” also moaned over the negative response to the woman’s killer. Why? Perhaps because the narrative is wrong for their purposes.)

But the truth? There has been as much (or more) outcry, but the talking heads are willing to pretend that is not the case.

While the outcry over Kirk’s death is far greater than the reaction to the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska (and has overshadowed it), the shocking nature of the deed, the failure of other people to come to her aid, and other matters related to it did result in a significant response. Even though at least may on the Woke side seemed to dismss it. Ask them, why are they not repeating the screams of outrage about the death of George Floyd? Is it antipathy to cops, or favoring of people based on skin color?

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Civil war looming?

Posted on September 11, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

The assassination yesterday of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah, has stunned people. Among other things, that and work in other fields by us here at TPOL meant we didn’t get an issue out yesterday.

Charlie Kirk was not a libertarian; he was a christian-type, perhaps libertarian-leaning, conservative. He had too much trust in human government, despite his apparent love of the Lord and dedication to fighting against tyranny (in some forms). Of course, he was not alone in this: many Libertarians and libertarians are minarchists. And have a mental dissonance: thinking that loyalty to God and to government both was and is possible.

Many have already expressed the idea that this killing, together with dozens of other events, herald an actual civil war: violent action on a much broader scale than killing a Ukrainian immigrant, conducting “peaceful protests” in Occupy X zones to protest the death of criminals, attacking and cancelling people (sometimes physically) for saying “All lives matter” and similar things.

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The evil we face in the States (and world) today

Posted on September 9, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a monster says something more troubling than ever.

Senator Timothy Kaine of Virginia recently posted an incredible comment on X.

Kaine wrote:

The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities. And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling.

It was, of course, a Virginian who penned the Declaration of Independence, which stated that fact. So he is equating Tom Jefferson with Iranian ayatollahs – and of course any other Islamist disciple.

We think this justifies calling the former governor of the once-great Dominion of Virginia a monster. A monster that, sadly, enough people in Virginia have elected to political office multiple times. To rule over them.

(And we realize this should come as no surprise: just heartache and a commitment to fight this evil.)

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Justice and accountability

Posted on September 8, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

A friend and correspondent recently shared several views of how both appointed judges (federal and State) and grand juries have constantly favored some politicians and political opinions and parties over others. She pointed out correctly that the two concepts are linked. Nothing else is possible.

It is important to note that the Lord has warned us multiple times in the Bible about wicked judges and perverted justice. Even many who identify as atheists and reject the Bible as the Word of God the Creator recognize the wisdom found in both the Old and New Testaments. Judaism and Christianity are not the only religious systems that recognize the need for moral actions. And the deadly nature of immoral actions, especially on the part of those who have any kind of authority in society.

This is not just a few judges, but the entire system of law enforcement. It is not just judges that are corrupt, but the system to select juries (including grand juries) that is corrupted. Until the judges and the legislators are truly held accountable, the corruption will grow worse. Immorality contaminates all parts of society and every action. It rots society. It may take decades or even centuries, but ultimately the effects are irreversible.

We realize this is not a universally accepted truth. And that corruption and immorality are part of the very foundation of human government. But history demonstrates the truth. And points out what could be solutions, applicable even if mandatory human government is finally rejected.

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RIP The Donald?

Posted on September 5, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” That old saying no doubt has to be updated, “If wishes were Harleys, wannabe bikers would ride.” Or something.

Clearly that is what a lot of never-Trumpers (of whatever political allegiance they claim) should consider: they wish Trump would roll over and die. And clearly, a fairly large number of people would like to see that happen and even provide some assistance.

We are referring to the articles that keep claiming that Trump is dying, has some incurable disease, or has galloping dementia. Various people – including wannabe doctors and some actual medical types have gotten fifteen seconds of fame by claiming that they have proof that the guy is losing his grip.

Like the rumors (or urban legends?) about Obummer and Michelle, the stories just don’t die: we keep hearing more outrageous tales. The mind boggles.

A lot of really bad habits and characteristics of people appear, as we saw during the terms of office of multiple POTUS. It is a very common theme back almost to the founding of the Republic: we would no doubt find the Presidents of Congress back in the days of the Confederation were both vilified and claimed to be at death’s door. Clearly due to their own failings, and sometimes attributed to a “just God.”

Usually, though, in the past, that was during the election campaigns, both first time and running for reelection. We see it done to Jefferson, to Jackson, and many others. Sometimes the fears and claims were true: Honest Abe was a tyrant.

It does appear that the rhetoric is ramping up, the deeper into the 21st century we go. Presidents are far from the only targets of such predictions, expectations, or hopes, of course. And now and then we have some madman who tries to fulfill the prophesies by their own actions.

Barring a successful assassination attempt or a carefully-scripted “accident,” it is unlikely that Vance will ascend to the Oval Office. But the never-Trumpers can definitely hope.

As for we who are lovers of liberty? A pox on all their houses. A just God is willing to forgive even the most evil of men – even politicians and government leaders. But it requires a little thing called repentance on their part: turning away from the evil deeds that have put them into power.

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Political correctness – fighting crime? really?

Posted on September 4, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

With these last four unacceptable (“banned”) words from the highly intelligent and very wise folks at ThirdWay.org, we conclude our series on Political correctness. (We are being, of course sarcastic. Really.)

Third Way itself tells us, these words say: “The criminal is the victim. The victim is an afterthought.” Since that does seem to be the mindset of most Regressives – the Woke – these are clearly going to be hard for the Woke to stop using. Even though it may make sense from their point of view.

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The tragedy of our British cousins’ loss of liberty

Posted on September 3, 2025 by TPOL Nathan

We first learned about Graham Lineham’s arrest from Tom Woods. A detailed discussion of his ordeal on his return from the United States can be found at The Blaze.

He was met at Heathrow Airport on deplaning by five – get that, five British bobbies. Armed bobbies. Why? Because he posted three tweets on X (while in the States, not even in imperial or royal jurisdiction) that were critical of transexual activists.

As both Tom and The Blaze point out, this is just one of many cases in the United Kingdom where freedom of speech has been exercised and rewarded by arrest, charges, and in some cases trials, conviction and punishment. A recent example is a woman harassed and arrested for singing gospel songs outside a church building or church grounds, and apparently without “approval” from a church. No doubt, a licensed, registered church.

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