What is going on in YOUR backyard?

As we here in the Great Plains and especially the Black Hills recover from truly historic wind storms, information is coming out about what other storms have been flowing across and damaging our regions and States. (See our afterword.)

We have to deal with natural disasters as part of life. Constantly. Despite the climate-change fearmongers, humans have little or no ability to prevent them: we can only prepare for them and respond to them.

When it comes to human-caused, especially government-caused, disasters, it is a different story. Humans could (and should) prevent them. Preparation is often ignored, many times intentionally. And the response is even more difficult and very much subject to limits. Limits that are often imposed by the very government officials who caused the disaster in the first place.

Here is such a disaster:

For the States of the Great Plains, this simple chart describes a manmade disaster of catastrophic proportions.

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Making the younger generation(s) resent you and go Woke

A good brother, friend, and correspondent shared this with us. Although it has two more items than our usual “Baker’s Dozen” ™ reasons and ideas, we thought that all fifteen are worth sharing.

Our publication today is late, courtesy of a 12+ hour power and communications outage caused by unusually high winds across the Black Hills. We will share that in a commentary soon, with our understanding and thoughts of why such things happen.

Lovers of liberty need to educate and recruit people of all ages and backgrouds, but younger generations are (or should be) a significant target for recruiting efforts and are key subjects for teaching about liberty, prosperity, peace, and the real characteristics of government.

15 Foolproof Ways to Make Younger People Resent You

1. Tell them their problems aren’t real, or that they’re spoiled for complaining about a world wrecked by mass immigration, DEI, and the collapse of cultural Christianity

2. Insist the world really hasn’t changed that much, or that—if anything—it’s actually even better than it was

3. Ignore the advantages your forebears left for you and insist your successes were 100% the result of bootstrap-pulling

4. Use the youth’s laments as an opportunity to explain how much smarter, harder working, and better you were at their age

5. Have Hezekiah’s “At least I got mine” attitude (2 Kings 20:19)

6. Refuse to take any responsibility for your generation raising the generations that are allegedly dumber, lazier, and worse than yours

7. Make money and status the highest goods in life, turning them into outmatched competitors rather than successors

8. Mock them for not knowing the things your generation stopped teaching (cursive, stick shifts, etc.)

9. Mock them for accepting the participation trophies your generation invented for them

10. Don’t patiently listen to them and offer wise, Scriptural counsel, but rather tell them every story about yourself you can think of

11. Insist that the highest moral good is maintaining the status quo and not rocking the boat, no matter how bad the status quo is

12. Team up with your enemies to oppose the young when they rock the boat in an effort to fix the cultural decline

13. Insist that the way you’ve always done things is the only way things can be done, regardless of the results

14. Chide them if they want to get married young and have more kids than you did

15. Refuse to train them to take your place someday, especially when it comes to letting them have input on decisions

Although our anonymous correspondent and contributor addressed this to a christian audience, this applies to lovers of liberty and political matters for anyone of any faith. But only for people who truly believe in the value and fundamental nature of the non-aggression principle. Unless we have and practice a fundamental moral stand that embraces that concept, we are not going to solve the political and social problems facing the world, the Union, and our individual States. Rather, we will be part of the problem.

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More tyranny in our northern neighbors

NOTE: We are referring to our cousins in Canada as “neighbors” and not the singular here at TPOL. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Their provinces are more autonomous (in practice) than our own familiar States, and as in the States, the differences between the provinces are growing and their FedGov (“Ottawa”) somewhat weaker and yet growing in power.

A while back, we published a commentary about new anti-religion laws in Quebec Province.

Things are getting worse quickly. That Quebec bill proceeds: opposition from various people (such as hospitals, childcare providers, and private schools) is being brushed aside (as reported by Canadian government propaganda outlet CBC). Indeed, the bill has been amended (and endorsed by the opposition party in committee) to criminalize religious speech considered “hate speech.

But it is not just Francophone Quebec that is imposing more and more tyranny.

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Do I have to? Urrgh!

We here at TPOL generally like Whoopi Goldberg … as an actress when she played Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

That was a long time ago. But the good will from her appearances has long since evaporated, except for what she gets that we provide to any human being. Regardless of their faults. Including what we are tempted to say one of Goldberg’s greater ones: an inability to understand simple English declarative statements, combined with a firm belief that her political enemies are all monsters.

So we are placed in a quandry: for once we agree with her.

Whoopi Goldberg is recently reported as saying, ‘I’m not gonna let Secretary Kennedy tell me what vaccines to take.”

Amen… we here at TPOL are totally agreement with Whoopi Goldberg. The government should not be telling us what we can put into our bodies.

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Holiday wars at full blast, eh?

The news this last weekend show that the end of 2025 is no better than the rest of the year. We aren’t talking about the traditional holiday wars on what decorations can be put where, and what people can use as greetings for the season. Or even what songs can be sung or broadcast. Nope, we are talking about shooting, knifing, and other ways of killing people.

A quick summary:

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The Law of the Sea and stateless vessels

A guest commentary by Mark Hayward. Your reaction and serious thoughts are solicited. The recent nonsense about war crimes and accusations of naval forces engaging in piracy themselves is seriously flawed. The claims are made even by people who should know better. The problem, it appears, is not least in the hypocrisy and projection demonstrated by both sides (both old parties and the Trumpista/Never-Trumper conflict). How to deal with those branded as “narco-terrorists” is something that must be properly and thoughtfully addressed in courts, elections, and debates and discourse. This includes precisely why there is an international trade in illegal drugs and why those drugs are illegal. But in the meantime, unfounded accusations of crimes and a misunderstanding of the actual situation on the water just confuse the issues and delay their resolution.

We note that in pointing this out, and providing this guest editorial, The Price of Liberty is in no way endorsing the “War on Some Drugs” or accepting that governments have any legitimate claim to aggression against others, stateless or not.


A boat in international waters that is not running a national flag is categorized in international law the same way a pirate is. Such boats have absolutely no national or international protections, and you cannot commit a war crime against them.

A vessel in international waters is required under UNCLOS [UN Convention on the Law of the Sea] to sail under the flag of a specific nation. If it does not, it is legally considered a stateless vessel. A stateless vessel has no right to the protections normally afforded to ships under a national flag, including immunity from interference by other states.

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Minnesota failing – what next?

For many people, the State of Minnesota is a whole stewpot full of “lessons that need to be learned.” In recent days, a whole lot of scandalous information is leaking out. Since often this is being put out by various political factions, we are trying to sort things out, and share with our readers.

First off, understand, there are a lot of fraud cases being claimed involving Minnesota, the State’s political leaders (including elected officials), the bureaucracy, and especially (but not only) the immigrant community (especially the Somali one).

Tim’s Walz’s national standing, and his less than stellar reputation (in the eyes of many) is also a factor.

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Orange man bad. Really, really bad.

The Donald is not (in our opinion) a particularly likeable person. He has significant personal faults, can be very irritating, and does not appear (to us) to be a strong advocate for liberty and freedom. He has compromised on many things. So we here at The Price of Liberty are no great fans of The Donald. He is boastful and arrogant, has many other character faults, and (like others who have held his office) he fails to understand the nature of human liberty and the proper role of human government. He has made a lot of mistakes, not just in his first term.

But we recognize that while he is bad, relative to those people who were the alternatives? He is definitely the least of two evils. (We are talking Obama, Clinton, Biden, and especially Harris.)

But we can all learn from them. And from Orange Man.

We recognize that there are many libertarians who are strongly never-Trumpers. We recognize that there are many, many Americans who see him as evil incarnate. Far more than those alternatives. Far more than the usual run of presidents. And we admit that there are quite a few people who would cheerfully unload a full tube of 12-gauge shotgun rounds into his head.

You can see this every day – indeed, every hour – online and on the cable and broadcast television and radio stations. Sometimes it is merely the tone, or a particular turn of phrase. Other times it is the most raw and virulent of rhetoric blasted at The Donald.

We find much of that obnoxious, and deeply offensive to us. Of course, we support the right of people to say that about him. People have the right to be stupid and say stupid things – even lies – even if what they say is hurtful and triggering.

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Trashing presidents (well, their statues)

The City of Rapid City, the eastern gateway to the beautiful Black Hills, likes to style itself the “City of Presidents.” For years, private donations have been paying for statues of US Presidents (you know, POTUS) to be put on street corners in downtown Rapid City.

This is, of course, tied to the fact that Rapid is the major city nearest Mount Rushmore with its giant carvings (in living stone) of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. It adds yet another tourist attraction to give tourists a bit of pleasure (and no admission or parking fee!) as they visit the Black Hills. And Rapid City mostly considers itself a patriotic sort of place. Among other things, Ellsworth Air Force Base is nearby and both a source of pride and of massive employment, and income for the region.

They started of course with the “big four” and then working their way up: Adams, Madison, etc. Now they are commissioning statues during the actual term of office of recent POTUS: Clinton, George W Bush, Obama (Obummer he shall always be to us here at TPOL), and…

Recently, the statue of The Donald was completed: it had been commissioned (and paid for by private donations) during his first term, before Uncle Joe. The statue was installed a few weeks back.

A lot of people predicted that statue (on a public street corner) would absolutely be an irresistible temptation to all sorts of people.

They were right.

Someone (still to be identified, though apparently there were cameras in use) spray painted the statue’s face blue a couple of days ago.

We can assume that it is someone who was never-Trumper did this. As you can imagine, even in a “red state” like South Dakota (and especially West River where Rapid City is), there are a great many cries of outrage but a lot justifying the vandalism.

So let’s have open house:

Those who are “LandBack” types and related can trash the statues of Abe Lincoln (remember who was in charge during the Dakota War of 1862 and hung all those warriors), and of course, US Grant (president during the Black Hills War and Little Big Horn).

Of course, they will have to work it out with those who sympathize with the Confederacy and the South, who also will want to vandalize Abe’s and US’s statues.

Those who are in support of southern AmerInd tribes can go for Andy Jackson’s statue.

Those in support of northern tribes can go after Willie Harrison’s. (Remember Tippicanoe!)

Those who are upset about the WW2 internment camps for Nisei can do FDR’s.

Those who think Spain and Cuba got a raw deal can go after McKinley’s and Teddy Roosevelt’s.

Those who hate the Federal Reserve, the Income Tax, and helping France and England in the Great War can vandalize Woody Wilson’s.

Those who think that Tricky Dick was nasty can get his statue.

Those who think that LBJ was part of the conspiracy that killed JFK can spray-paint his statue. (LBJ’s not JFK’s)

Those who think Barry wasn’t a US citizen and/or hate ObummerCare can get his statue.

Those who think we should never have broken up with the UK will get to “have fun” with any or all of George Washington’s, the elder (John) Adams, Tommy Jefferson’s, Jimmy Madison, that other Jimmy (Monroe), and maybe even Johnny Q (Adams’) statues.

If you don’t like Texas or Texans, then defacing Tyler’s statue is for you (he was in office when Texas joined the Union).

Those who don’t like Hillary can settle for Bill’s mug.

Gee! Who’s left?

Guys and gals, this is supposed to be satire! Smile, laugh, get a life!

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When push comes to shove…

Peace is preferable.

In Europe, new drums are beating, joining those drums of war already present in Eastern Europe. The Russo-Ukrainian War drags on, despite efforts by The Donald and a few others to negotiate at least a longer-lasting ceasefire. To believe the news stories on mainstream media sources, both Russia and Ukraine are bleeding themselves dry. According to many (whom we once viewed as rational, neutral, and observant commentators), Russia has failed, is doomed, and Putin and his entire regime are toast.

Now, it is possible that the character of the Russian people has changed in 80 years. It could be that decades of Communism destroyed their spirit. It could be that the Ukrainian people have taken on that mantle of the Russia that Kievan Rus birthed, and now have the dogged determination that was such a dominant feature of the Russian community: White, Red, Czarist, and even in the expatriate community across Europe and America.

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