NOT a free market, is it? Licensing and permitting

Posted on 2022-12-14 by TPOL Nathan

What could we all do with less of? Government, of course. Specifically government meddling (“intervention”) in our daily lives, in the activities of our businesses, our institutions (like churches), and everything else.

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Anarchy, tyranny, and liberty

Posted on 2022-12-13 by TPOL Nathan

Too many of us get confused on the basics of life, the universe, and everything. Especially these three concepts. Let’s dive in.

Many of us find ourselves defining key concepts in a lot of different ways. All three of these words: anarchy, tyranny, and liberty, are examples of that.

Consider Doug Casey, a well-known libertarian writer and advocate of finding freedom offshore from the States. His definition of anarchy is, “The absence or non-recognition of authority.” Another definition he present is, “The absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual.” Doug goes on to explain that what these definitions represent, therefore, is, “leave me alone to live my life as I choose. As long as I don’t aggress against others, my liberty should be respected.”

This is, of course, very different from both the dictionary definition and the popular understanding of anarchy. But as with other libertarian/classical liberal authors, we need to sort out a bit: which of these makes the most sense? Which can best be applied to our daily lives? And to politics?

The Oxford dictionary tells us this:

  1. a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority or other controlling systems.
  2. the organization of society on the basis of voluntary cooperation, without political institutions or hierarchical government; anarchism.

Merriam Webster is more complex, if not complete:

1. a – absence of government, b – a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority, c – a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government
2. a – absence or denial of any authority or established order b – absence of order: DISORDER

The popular understanding? To most people, it’s just a synonym for chaos and violence. This concept is pushed by many politicians, academicians, and of course, the mainstream media. And of course, to the various groups like Black Lives Matter, the Occupy movements, and followers of Mikhail Bakunin and Pierre Joseph Proudhon. AND definitely governments and their agencies and agents. Like the FBI: “What is anarchist extremism? Anarchism is a belief that society should have no government, laws, police, or any other authority. Having that belief is perfectly legal, and the majority of anarchists in the U.S. advocate change through non-violent, non-criminal means. A small minority, however, believes change can only be accomplished through violence and criminal acts…and that, of course, is against the law.” 

All things concerned, we here at TPOL think that Doug does better with his third one: “leave me alone to live my life as I choose. As long as I don’t aggress against others, my liberty should be respected.”

I propose it isn’t so much that there should be no government, but that there should be no coercive government. Yes, true anarchists believe in voluntary cooperation. But we generally have no problem with police, political institutions, or even hierarchies in their proper place.

The problem is, these entities do not ever stay in the proper place. Voluntary cooperation becomes coerced cooperation, police become jackbooted thugs, and hierarchies no longer function at the behest of those they supposedly serve. Rather the intities seek more and more power and privilege.

Although dictionaries do not consider them opposites, I believe that the opposite of anarchism is tyranny.

Merriam-Webster has a workable definition: “oppressive power, especially : oppressive power exerted by government.” Lots of definitions of tyranny speak of “sole rulers” and cruel acts and other things that distract us from the basic truth. While there are certainly degrees of tyranny, any coercive government is a tyranny. Even tyrants – whether individuals or groups or even democracies and republics – can be compassionate, kind, wise, and helpful. But what they have is still a tyranny.

Darkwing recently explained that in a TPOL comment: “I have the right to own anything I want and the government has no right to stop me. When governments tell me I cannot own something it is all about control.” Tyranny is not about what you do with the power, but that you have the power.

But it is in governments’ own interest to portray both anarchy and tyranny in extreme, negative terms. They want to be seen as the middle road, the top of the bell curve.

Doug points this out: “Not surprising then, that they [government] do all they can to discredit not only the anarchist, but the very concept of anarchy. To the American founding fathers, the anarchist was respected for his reasoning and his courage. … the anarchists of today are equally worthy of our respect. They represent the voice of Liberty just as much as they did in 1776.

Unfortunately, for all their wisdom, the Founding Fathers were short-sighted and lacked faith (enough faith: both in God and in ordinary people). They thought, taught, and practiced the mistaken idea that liberty needed government to protect it. In this, they accepted John Locke’s writings far too much, and we, nearly 250 years later, are paying the price for their shortcomings. Not in the manner the regressives claim, with their nonsense about 1619 and the evils of dead white people, but because they failed to properly understand the lust for power and wealth.

Liberty, therefore, suffered through American history and does so today.

Your thoughts, dear reader?

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Free trade? Free speech? Of course, but…

Posted on 2022-12-12 by TPOL Nathan

Remember when Americans were sold on all the “free trade” agreements like NAFTA and the TPP and how the European Union would be a vast free-trade zone to increase prosperity and increase freedom? Oh, provided that we all followed hundreds of thousands of words of regulations and agreements, all to promote “free trade” and be good little economic citizens?

Now consider “free speech.” Hmmm.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “free trade” as

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Resisting tyranny in our northern neighbor!

Posted on 2022-12-09 by TPOL Nathan

Breitbart reports that at least four of the provinces to our north have made it clear to the guy who hides in basements in Ottawa that they will NOT cooperate in his gun grab. The provinces so far include Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and … an outlier New Brunswick.

Although their justice ministers (note, not their premiers) give different reasons for doing so, it may be more a matter of Canadian politeness than any willingness to compromise. A shortage of people, a shortage of funds, a concern for tourism and people’s livelihoods sound nice and reasonable. But there is a concern about pesky matters like human rights and self-defense and that sort of nonsense.

As is the case with Ukraine, perhaps this little fascist twerp may have to ask Canada’s allies for assistance in putting down yet another insurrection. (And apparently some Canadian truckers are pushing for version 2 of their insurrection over COVID lockdowns and supply train woes.)

Of course, Fidel’s adopted son has an easier time of it than Zelenskyy. After all, Canada is a founding member of NATO with all the rights and privileges and duties thereof. And this would be a cause near and dear to the heart of Uncle Joe, the godfather in his basement in Delaware or DC. After all, he has made it clear in recent days that he wants to outlaw, ban, round up, and confiscate all those nasty old assault weapons, especially those with more than 8 bullets in a round. (Clearly he’s changed his opinion about the utility of shotguns for home defense.)

So will the next Marine or Airborne deployment to “defend democracy” be to Regina or Calgary or even Fredricton? Or will he find many of those troopers doing a “Russian” and refusing to go? Of course, since most of those folks are already deployed to back up Ukraine and half the countries surrounding China (yes, I know that Taiwan is not “a country”), maybe Uncle Joe will have to find substitutes? Maybe he could hire starving North Korean soldiers? Or offer amnesty for the warriors of the Mexican cartels? Or even those same Russian deserters? Or just open it up to recent border jumpers: a quickie two-week combat course should work just to deal with the Canadian softies, right?

But meanwhile, short of the Ami invasion, perhaps El Jefe Justin might have to back off his plans until BC and Ontario and the other Maritime provinces get their act together and, like Chicago, scream all the guns are coming from those provinces that aren’t cooperating. And of course, from the evil Fifty States, where werewolf Trumpistas still control many States. Oh my, oh my.

Perhaps we lovers of liberty here in the States can start doing what people have been accused of (and BATFE did) with Mexico: exporting guns (not just stolen cars and raw materials to cook meth) to our friends and neighbors in those (and probably more) provinces: they all have borders with American States.

After all, if we can arm “freedom fighters” in Ukraine and Afghanistan and Mesopotamia, why not our next-door neighbors?

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Smoking guns – and preserving the status quo

Posted on 2022-12-08 by TPOL Nathan

The partial release of Twitter internal correspondence burying the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the days before the 2020 presidential election is viewed by many as a smoking gun. Although Musk and Taibbi have only released some of the data, it is enough in many people’s eyes to condemn the 2020 defeat of The Donald by Uncle Joe as fraudulent. (Along with many other things, of course.) Like Obummer before him, Uncle Joe’s regime is a farce, a perversion, and a rejection of the democratic rule they so boast of when they talk about “American democracy.” When combined with much other evidence, and the refusal of corrupt courts to even allow that evidence to be examined, with the pathetic claims that 06 JAN 2021 was a coup or insurrection seeking overthrow of constitutional government? It is even more damning to many people.

If these Fifty States were instead some Asian or African or Latin American “democracy” there would already be dozens of plots within government agencies to overthrow a corrupt and illegitimate regime. It has happened with far less evidence, dozens of times. In other countries, courts might have frozen matters and demanded restoration of constitutional rule.

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Guest commentary: Why have an AR-15?

Posted on 2022-12-07 by TPOL Nathan

By Scott Dismukes, with thanks! Editor’s note: Scott answered the title question very well a few months ago and his answer deserves wider distribution.

Why do gun owners need AR-15s? If they want to defend themselves, a handgun will be enough. If you want to hunt, there are rifles for hunting. Why would they want a deadly, war-like weapon?

Scott’s answer, with pictures! So is this a war-like weapon?

Or this?

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More thoughts on election reform…

Posted on 2022-12-06 by TPOL Nathan

The entire business of “election reform” continues to bounce back and forth in the States, as issues in Arizona (the Senate race) remain in the news and many local elections remain undecided nearly a month after the official election day.

(We started discussing this again on Saturday and several readers posted comments and links that are well worth visiting.)

Why do people cheat? Because they want to win. Sometimes it is a purely mercenary matter: someone pays someone (an insider, usually) to cheat, but mostly it is that politicians, their supporters and their controllers want to win. The motives can vary: ideological, fear, or just a lust for power.

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A Baker’s Dozen ™ Reasons that Regressives claim people are racists

Posted on 2022-12-05 by TPOL Nathan

To modern Regressives (who call themselves Progressives or Liberals), the epithet of “racist” is even more condemning than calling someone a “Nazi” or a “fascist.” We hear it a dozen times a week on news shows, at protests, and even from politicians.

But of course, they need to have SOME reason for making the accusation – and making it stick at least among their own kind. Even if the reason(s) are far-fetched and not amenable to logic or reason.

Not all of these factors are, of course, shared by lovers of liberty (libertarians and free-market anarchists). But enough are to make it a foregone conclusion that ANY lover of liberty is condemned by Regressives as being virulent racists.

Here’s a list!

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Self defense or not?

Posted on 2022-12-04 by TPOL Nathan

What are your feelings about eating meat?

An interesting decision by a California DA has riled quite a few people. In a robbery of a convenience store, one of the two robbers shot and killed the clerk. The DA, though charging the wounded robber with various crimes, is NOT charging the man with murder. The argument is that because the store clerk defended himself by pulling out his own gun, he continued chasing and shooting at the two robbers after they left the store and the property. So, the DA reasons, the armed robber shooting back at the armed clerk was self-defense. The robber had, so I understand, the right to defend himself with deadly force against the victim of armed robbery because the robber did not initiate violence (force) against the clerk. The robber had clearly threatened the use of force but did not actually start the shooting. And the clerk, obviously no longer in personal danger (but riding for the brand) chased and shot at the criminals.

Now, hopefully, dear reader, you are asking what does the question about eating meat have to do with the DA’s refusal to seek charges against this criminal who is a killer?

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Is election reform possible?

Posted on 2022-12-03 by TPOL Nathan

There have been more and more claims, particularly over the last election cycles (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and now 2022), of massive fraud and corruption.

Both old parties claimed that happened several times before 2016, but that year it really took off. The claims exploded even more in 2020, and have ramped up still stronger after the somewhat surprising results of last month.

The methods of fraud claimed seem tied very much to the political opinion and position of the person or group making the claims. For example, Democrats seem to scream most loudly about attempts to suppress voters by denying ballot access, requiring voter ID, purging voter rolls, reducing polling places, prohibiting vote collection by third parties, reducing opportunities for registration, and other tactics which they attribute to the GOP, especially the Trumpistas.

The GOP types point to various forms of cheating, such as tainted ballots, counterfeit votes, counting delays and other games, and allowing the dead and border jumpers to vote, as well as fraudulent registration. Indeed, many of the proposals made by GOP and conservative political activists are the very actions that Democrat and “woke” regressive activists claim are part of the fraud.

And of course, the Democrat operatives call for reforms that just increase the potential and opportunity for what the GOP decries.

Given that deep divide, it is very hard to believe that compromise and any kind of consensus is possible. Indeed, the two old parties, many other political parties, and political activists of all stripes seem to be unable to share any semblance of a worldview. So nothing really gets done and the dialogue gets more and more vicious. Indeed, so nasty that it seems a miracle that there has not been any significant violence in voting and counting venues.

Yet, they still try, both in the lobbies and the floors of the State legislatures and Congress, and in the courts at all levels, and in the media. Screams of outrage, proposals for greater or lesser new laws to clean up elections, and more.

Some proposals go back a century or more, immediately following up on the “reforms” embedded in the Constitution through amendments: the direct election of Senators and the national Suffrage amendment. Note that both of these had the effect of taking aware the powers of the various States. State legislatures could have provided for direct election (and some did). States could have allowed women to vote and many did, from the time they were admitted to the Union or before. But political propaganda and demagogues swayed the electorate and the legislatures to steal away power from the States and concentrate more in federal hands.

The same thing is being attempted today, by both Uncle Joe’s regime and various factions in Congress and the legislatures. But not all attempts to “reform” are using that tried and true approach (which frankly, proven to damage liberty then and now). Some are seeking reforms State by State.

We here at The Price of Liberty have been informed about just such an effort. It is being pushed by people who are predominantly Republican and conservative in orientation. (Though their definition of “conservative” may be a bit fuzzy.) But with at least some backing and input and support from lovers of liberty. (And decided opposition by many others.)

Model legislation is being shared with the Fifty States – even those dominated by Democrats – in the hopes of creating both interest in the various legislatures and among the public – the electorate and the street mob. It comes across as more of a “restoration” of what had once been done than a “reform.” Which can be a good thing. It seemingly seeks to take action to satisfy both of the old parties. (Though we here at TPOL fear that is an impossible dream.)

What may be expected is that Red States may glom onto it and pass it – while Blue States will reject it outright, and Purple States will find yet another way to muddle their situation. But perhaps we are wrong?

We’ll right about this more later, but for now, dear readers, what do YOU believe would restore (or even) reform a voting system – on a state-by-state basis, that is hated and condemned by virtually all sides. At least for public consumption?

Let us know!

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