The Free Cheese

By MamaLiberty

First light, 5:58 AM, Mountain Standard Time in Newcastle, Wyoming. The sky is clear to the East, and the temperature is a balmy 22 degrees. The usual early February warming spell so frustrating to gardeners and others who just want spring to get here, but know that we’re only half way through winter.

An almost full moon soars toward the west, and it takes a practiced eye to see the sliver missing this morning. Little by little, the glowing silver and white disk will be replaced with more slivers of darkness until it vanishes – as it does each month – to reappear again when the dark slices disappear one by one, as they always do.

And so it goes also with the endless political cycles, regardless of all the “end of the world” weeping and whining by those with a vested interest in keeping their particular slice of the darkness enshrined permanently. Which, of course, is just not ever going to happen. But ignoring the light, they work tirelessly to hang onto their sliver of the evil darkness, hugged to their breasts in ecstasy because control of other people and their property is their highest goal. And they’ll fight each other to the death over which slice of evil will control the rest!

What an incredibly horrific waste of human potential, and just about everything else. Unfortunately, the will and even desire to destroy anything and everything for this evil goal is not only found among the so-called leaders and politicians, of course. There is an element in every city, town and wide spot in the road, which gathers itself into “governments” of one kind or another, with the absolute purpose of controlling the lives and property of all those it can claw into it’s power. And the majority of those in its clutches actually approve, more or less, at least when it isn’t their own lives and property confiscated or destroyed. But by then it’s usually too late for THEM, and the rest of the controllers manage to justify it or ignore it.

There’s always free cheese in the mousetrap.

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Is El Neil burning his bridges?

By Nathan Barton

L. Neil Smith’s recent column ending his commentary cycle on the recent election and elevation of a new Massa for the FedGov on The Libertarian Enterprise may come as a bit of shock to some people.  In particular, the fact that he voted (#1) and voted for Trump (#2) in the State of Colorado, is sure to arouse the anger of many.  Not that El Neil cares: it is part of his life and business plan.

And he makes a good, sound argument for voting for Trump and Pence, if not for voting for candidates in general (which he does not address in this article).  But it is a contrarian position, indeed.

And one I understand and fully support. Call it defensive voting, together with a strong sense of revulsion at voting for Johnson and what he has become – to say nothing of Weld.

I disagree with Neil, quite often.  He knows that, and it does not bother him.  Nor do some of his positions bother me in as far as friendship and political philosophy go.  His rather militant atheism, for example, and his stand on intellectual rights.  Both grate on my nerves and I most sincerely believe him to be dead wrong on both.  But he is my brother in liberty. Continue reading →

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The heartbreak of government-run tax-funded schools

By Nathan Barton

Recently, Vicki E. Alger a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, a libertarian-conservative think tank, in Oakland, California, published a new book, Failure: The Federal “Misedukation” of America’s Children.

I’ve not been able to read the book yet, and I missed her on-line talk at the Heartland Institute on Wednesday, the 1st.  However, Heartland has this to say of her book:

“Education policy has long been mired in controversies, often with opposing sides missing the mark. Failure helps us step back from the skirmish du jour and redirects our focus to the big picture, showing what’s gone wrong over the decades and why. It also offers a bold blueprint for returning the federal government to its constitutional role and for cultivating an educational system based on school choice that meets the needs of students and parents, rather than bureaucrats.

“Concerned citizens of every stripe will benefit from Failure’s history of federal education policy, its brutally honest report card for the Department of Education, its look at education systems across the globe, and its ambitious policy recommendations. Failure might even succeed in re-framing the way the federal education establishment thinks about education policy.”

Assuming this is accurate, it seems as though she is missing the point.  She is speaking of the “Reformation” of schools, when what is needed is the “Restoration” of truly independent schools: an education system by and for and of the parents and the students themselves. Continue reading →

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Fifth Column

By Nathan Barton

As we are in the third week of the Trump Era (however long that may last), it is clear that there are enemies within and without.  Not just within and outside the Fifty States, but within and outside the FedGov.  Especially the executive branch.

More and more stories are coming out of bureaucrats working directly against the White House and sneaking around to work around and undermine, weaken and betray the man elected in accordance with the Constitution.  There are clandestine Tweets and Facebook accounts, whispered leaks and outright refusal to carry out lawful orders. They are whispering and screaming about the evil illegality, the lack of compassion, the lack of constitutional sanction of the new regime.

All good, really.  Whatever their motives, they are preaching and encouraging and promoting and aiding the weakening of government, and destroying its credibility and the confidence of the people in government.  A lack of confidence which, coming on top of eight years (or even sixteen … or twenty-four…) of distrust and betrayal, is that much more powerful. Continue reading →

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Hypocrisy – environists and liberals and politicians

By Nathan Barton

Fresh news from North Dakota, that the acting Secretary of the Army may issue a record of decision as soon as Friday the 10th of February, which will allow the DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) to be completed has people in a tizzy.  The pipeline’s completion and use will destroy and permanently damage identified sacred-land (so recently identified that it was not known to exist when the environmental assessment was done just a couple of years ago). (I’m being sarcastic.)  AND it is guaranteed to irreparably pollute Lake Oahe and the entire Missouri and Mississippi Rivers downstream to the Gulf and thus destroy the water supply for millions of people (including several thousand Lakota).  Never mind the other several dozen pipelines that have existed under the river (upstream and downstream), many for decades, that have not done so.  DAPL is the straw that will break the camel’s back.

But the horror has already begun. Continue reading →

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Europe’s fall continues

By Nathan Barton

Things are not going well in Europe these days. A point of which we are made freshly aware when an Islamist warrior attacked a French military patrol near the Louvre in Paris itself.  As reported by Stars & Stripes, there are several matters of concern.

At the same time, another Islamist, accused of plotting a bomb attack on the USAF’s Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was arrested in Austria, again reported by Stars & Stripes. The story also reports a series of arrests of more Muslims – presumed Islamists – in Germany, including one accused of planning a bomb attack in Frankfurt, a major western Germany city.  The Austrian teen said he planned the attack because he hated the German military for attacking Muslims, apparently not appreciating the irony of attacking an American base in Germany, rather than a German base.

Meanwhile, American troops are pouring into Poland, joining those already in the Baltics.  Reportedly, “neutral” Sweden is ramping up civil defense measures, concerned (or so it is reported) about Russian activities.  German unrest about Muslims is increasing, rumors (apparently untrue) that Switzerland is banning all Muslim immigration are widespread, and – gasp – the House of Commons has voted to sustain the referendum by which the subjects of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. And in Catalonia, a trial has led to protests which may becoming active rebellion as it seeks independence from Spain, and apparently is rejecting both the Spanish monarchy and the Tranzi paradise that Spain has become. Continue reading →

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Disappearing from the American landscape: why?

By Nathan Barton

When researching the column on “Disappearances: American Style?” (some time ago) I did find a few interesting articles about disappearances that are of interest but distracted from the point of that commentary. Still worth looking at and talking about, and asking “Why?”

Here are some examples:

Jobs for males are disappearing (according to the NY Times) as a major economic crisis grows worse. Other people just point out that a LOT of jobs, male and female, are disappearing as we enter the sixth year of the Crash of 2009.  Especially the “good jobs” that pay more than minimum wage and a couple of dollars over.  And many of us have jobs (or operate businesses) where the amount we earn has, in dollars, not changed in 10-20 years, even while the dollar has melted down.

North America’s rest areas are disappearing, it is claimed.  But never fear, we don’t need them, we are told, as more and more fast food places and convenience stores pop up on highway exits.  (Architecture News Daily)  Well, idiots, try traveling in the REAL America, where dozens of Interstate exits are ghost towns: abandoned service stations and fast food places and convenience stores killed back in the 1970s and 1980s are still abandoned, and where even newer places are closing down, and see if we can do without rest areas.  And THEN go to the REAL highways, NOT the Interstates, but the highways that move the wheat and corn and cattle and sheep and sugar beets that feed America (and much of the world) and look at the abandoned towns and fuel stations and even saloons and trading posts…  I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in North America since the early 1970s, and seen the rise and fall of the system and the economy. Continue reading →

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Ramping up and strawmen

By Nathan Barton

A few weeks ago, Freedom News Daily, which touts itself as the “freedom movement’s daily newspaper” featured these two articles in the “news” and “commentary” sections.

Trump to launch “major investigation” of his voter fraud fantasy : Source: The Hill “President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will launch a ‘major’ investigation to look into voter fraud in the country. ‘I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and …. even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time),’ the president tweeted Wednesday morning.” (01/25/17)

Why Trump is doubling down on the voter fraud fraud: Source: Garrison Center by Thomas L Knapp “Voter fraud is not a strategy used by candidates and campaigns to move the needle on election results. Why? Because it’s just about the most expensive, burdensome, unreliable and risky way imaginable to do that. A successful voter fraud operation on any scale would require rounding up a whole bunch of people, trusting those people to cast the votes desired instead of just voting however they wanted to vote, and risking any or all of them getting caught (or sprouting a conscience) and blowing the operation. Too many co-conspirators and too many ways for things to go south fast and hard. If we remove the letter ‘r’ from the end of ‘voter,’ things make more sense. Yes, elections are sometimes rigged. But they’re not rigged the hard way, by impersonating voters.” (01/25/17) Continue reading →

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Escape

By Nathan Barton

It seems to happen every four years, and we heard it a lot in 2016.  “If SO-AND-SO gets elected, I’m going to migrate to Outer Upper Snowland.”  Those are almost always some kind of Tranzi celebrity.  Usually the kind that has to borrow a brain-cell from a slavish follower to have two of them to rub together.  But they are NOT the only kind of people who talk about escaping.

Can we?  Should we?  Some pretty hardcore libertarian types – not the political kind – are urging American lovers of liberty to escape: perhaps to somewhere in Central or South America.  Or maybe to one of the East Asian places (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia) which are rated as being high on personal and economic liberties.  Some even go back to old Europe and places now rated high (Switzerland, Norway, Estonia).

And many are opting, once more, for a Free State – either Wyoming or New Hampshire.  Or just one of the states rated on the opposite end of the spectrum from California, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

But does it make sense? Can we really escape? Or are we just finding a different wing of the prison to call home? Continue reading →

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Ground Hog Day

By MamaLiberty

No true “first light” yesterday, and it’s snowing this morning so I don’t expect one today. Just a gradual increase of diffused light that reveals the deep cloud cover and the snow all around. It can be beautiful in its own way, of course, but my soul longs for the sun.

Not a word in the mainstream “news” this morning about Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog in Pennsylvania that has predicted the spring weather for 131 years.

From the official website:

  • On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob – in front of thousands of followers from all over the world – to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
  • According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Sadly, the “news” today is much the same as it has been for months. People all over who have decided, for whatever reason, to riot, burn, loot and even kill in the name of “protest” and disagreement. Not content with controlling their own lives and property, they seem to think that their destructive “protest” will – or should – cause everyone else to give them what they want. Even when they don’t seem to know just what it is they want.

And this, at least partially, grows out of the growing entitlement mentality where whatever they want or believe they “deserve” becomes a “right” to be extracted from any and everyone else. The fact that someone else’s right to life, liberty and property is infringed on to obtain their wants most likely doesn’t even occur to most of them. They have been indoctrinated by the “schools” that all these wonderful things they want can – and must be  granted by their benevolent government.

And that, of course, includes the idea that their government can and must “keep them safe” from all risk and harm – or even feeling unhappy. They don’t seem to understand the risk and harm dished out by the government, and become confused and angry when it affects THEM instead of all the others who disagree with them.

It will be interesting to watch the “powers that be” deal with this, and so much else, but I don’t expect real freedom to break out any time soon. Are people in general starting to understand their own need for liberty and justice? Are they starting to question the bogus “authority” of the non-voluntary government? Remains to be seen, of course.

An old Indian saying tells us that cutting off one end of a blanket and sewing it on the other end solves nothing. Instead of making the blanket longer and better, it is now shorter and looks like hell.

OK, I made up the “Indian” part…

 

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