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Of course, theoretically, all libertarians should be eagerly participating in this fun but important activity. Constantly, everywhere. Sadly some do not – instead being selective, and accepting way too much human authority. That is, any human authority.
It is very easy to fall prey to the temptation to accept pronouncements of those in authority regarding the facts of the matter. What matter? Anything. Consider the recent American attacks for New Year’s, in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
Almost immediately, the Feebs issued the solemn pronouncement that “this was not a terrorist attack” only to have to backwater. First off, someone found an inconvenient ISIS flag. And other people found a whole lot of postings about ISIS and wanting to kill people. So the Feebs have now stated that this was a terrorist attack!
But was it? Or did someone plant that evidence? Question authority. Was that really this guy, who was conveniently killed in a gunfight with NO cops? Or did someone set him up? Supposedly, family members have now come out to say he was radicalized. Was he? Or were they pressured into saying that?
In the Lost Wages case, there are even more questions. Photos were published on the Tesla truck bed showing an odd mix of devices and scraps. Well and good. Elon Musk has publically stated the perp was stupid because the way his trucks are made contained the explosion and most of the force went up, instead of the Oklahoma City-type vehicle-sized bomb. (And the photo shows an awful lot of intact items for the middle of even a minor explosion.) Once again, the FBI is questioning whether or not this was terrorism or something else. In this case, no one except the perp (claimed perp? suspect? “person of interest?”) died or was seriously injured.
But this guy was an E-9, with about 19 years military service, including about half of that in Special Forces (Green Berets). He should have, would almost certainly had, the knowledge to know that all these devices (fireworks mortars, for one) would not be sufficiently powerful enough to turn that truck into a bomb. And he certainly would have had the ability and wherewithal to get and use fuel oil and ammonium nitrate and enough of an initiator to build a real car bomb. One that could have blown up the entire Trump International in the same way as the Oklahoma City federal building.
And we are told that the corpse was found with a bullet hole in the head and a handgun on the floorboard! Hmmm. And for this, he bought (legally) two long arms? So that he could off himself with a pistol after setting up a timer to set off his fireworks? Or did he survive the failed explosion and suicide afterward? Question authority!
Or was he somehow coerced into doing some of this and then killed by someone else setting up the show? There were initial reports that he, too, had embraced Islam and ISIS, though those seem to have disappeared after a few hours.
A new (recycled) Massa is not going to change the need to constantly question, challenge, and confront authority. At all levels, from the dogcatcher and animal pound up to that gaggle of idiots on the east side of Manhattan. But especially the denizens of the District of Criminals.
The Price of Liberty 
Your 1.27 billion dollar memorial for Jimmy Carter
Today, 9 January 2025, is the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.
So of course, “citing tradition,” all “non-essential” Federal employees are given the day off. There are (per Google search) over 3 million of them: roughly 1 for every 108 Americans (not sure if that includes border jumpers and green-card/visa tourists).
The average FedGov employee salary is a staggering $106,000+ which works out to about $423 per 8-hour day. Sweet, eh?
And that means that for $1,270,000,000 taken out of taxpayers’ wallets (or stolen from the future as the Federal debt continues to balloon), the taxpayer gets … nothing. No work done. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Assuming that the 3 million + federal workers actually do productive work. And we admit that some do: FAA, for example. (Well, at least the air traffic controllers.) National Forest and National Park Rangers: at least those who help people and pick up litter. and USFS and NPS maintenance workers. The guys and gals that run the big powerhouses at the various dams (like the Missouri mainsteam dams: Oahe, Fort Peck, etc.). At least some of the folks at the nice, big national museums in DC and elsewhere. And many of the US Postal Service mail sorters and deliverers. (Even though their deliveries consist of more and more junk mail and take more and more time.) And a few more.
But we here at TPOL suspect that (1) most of the productive work (if not all) done by fedgov employees can be done better, at fewer costs, by private businesses and workers, and (2) probably a good half of that 3 million + are not really doing productive work: they are shuffling needless paperwork (electronically, these days, admittedly) and creating problems, not solutions, for the nation and the world. And lording it over Americans, to boot.
So today, just think about this. As the people in all those offices we HAVE to deal with to stay out of trouble or get things done didn’t answer their phones or emails today. (And we would bet that a lot of them take a personal day of leave tomorrow (Friday) for yet another 4-day weekend. They had time to think about and appreciate a 100-year-old man who spent 4 years in the White House. A “peanut farmer” who was really a Navy officer and a nuclear power engineer who gave up a working, productive career to be a public parasite (political activist and politician in elected office) and then tried to make amends by a 40-year retirement (admittedly still on your tab) of good deeds. (James Earl Carter was not totally bad, and maybe even better than some Massas in DC, but his list of misdeeds is long.)
The government employees didn’t have to work today so they could ponder the life of Jimmy Carter. While you continued to slave today to, among many other things, pay their salaries. What an honor
Aren’t you blessed?