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Secession: If Not Now, When?
This billboard is part of the Federal Government people's "Department of Homeland Security". You really do have to provide credentials to government people when they say "Papers Please". We don't even need to put on a fake German accent to drive home the oppression of that.
You can't vote to end this at a state level. So the question is, if NOW isn't the time to secede and leave the oppression of the FedGov behind, when is?
A Declaration of Separation
To The Governments & People of Earth:
We claim the right to exist, and we will defend it. We do not seek to overthrow anything. We do not seek to control anything. We merely wish to be left alone.
All we ever wanted was to live in peace with our friends and neighbors. For a long, long time we bore insults to our liberty; we took blows, we did what we could to avoid injury and we worked through the system to get the offenses to stop. That has now changed. We no longer see any benefit in working through the world’s systems. At some point, working within a system becomes cowardly and immoral; for us, that point has arrived. Regardless of the parties in power, their governments have continued to restrict, restrain and punish us. We hereby reject them all. We hereby withdraw from them all. We hold the ruling states of this world and all that appertains to them to be self-serving and opposed to humanity.
We now withdraw our obedience and reclaim the right to strike back when struck. We will not initiate force, but we do reserve the right to answer it. We did not choose this—it was forced upon us.
To The Governments of Earth:
You are building cages for all that is human. In the name of protection, you have intruded into all areas of human life, far exceeding the reach of any Caesar. You claim ultimate control of our property and our decisions, of our travels and even our identities. You claim ownership of humanity far beyond the dreams of any Emperor of any previous era. Understand clearly: We reject your authority and we reject your legitimacy. We do not believe that you have any right to do the things you do. You have massive power, but no right to impose it upon us and no legitimacy. We have forsaken you. We are no longer your citizens or your subjects.
Your systems are inherently anti-human, even if all their operators are not. We are not merely angry young people. We are fathers and mothers; aunts, uncles and grandparents; we are business owners and trusted employees; we are mechanics and engineers and farmers. We are nurses and accountants and students and executives. We are on every continent.
This is not a burst of outrage; this is a sober declaration that we no longer accept unearned suffering as our role in life.
For long decades we sat quietly, hoping that things would turn around. We took no actions; we suffered along with everyone else. But after having our limits pushed back again and again, we have given up on your systems.
If our fellow inhabitants of this planet wish to accept your rule, they are free to do so. We will not try to stop them. We, however, will no longer accept your constraints upon us. From now on, when you hurt us, we will bite back. If you leave us alone we will leave you alone and you can continue to rule your subjects. We are happy to live quietly. But if you come after us, there will be consequences.
You caused this because of your fetish for control and power. The chief men and women among you are pathologically driven to control everyone and everything that moves upon this planet. You have made yourselves the judge of every human activity. No god-king of the ancient world ever had the power that your systems do.
You have created a world where only the neutered are safe and where only outlaws are free.
To The People of Earth:
We seek nothing from you. We do not want to rule you and we do not want to control you. All we wish is to live on earth in peace. As always, we will be helpful neighbors and generous acquaintances. We will remain honest business partners and trustworthy employees. We will continue to be loving parents and respectful children.
We will not, however, be sacrificial animals. We reject the idea that others have a right to our lives and our property. We will not demand anything from you, and we will no longer acquiesce to any demands upon us. We have left that game. We reject all obligations to any person or organization beyond honesty, fair dealing and a respect for human life. We will shortly explain what we believe, but we are not demanding that you agree with us. All we ask is that you do not try to stop us. Continue to play the game if you wish; we will not try to disrupt it. We have merely walked away from it.
We wish you peace.
To Those Who Will Condemn Us:
We will ignore you.
We welcome and seek the verdict of a just God, before whom we are willing to expose our innermost thoughts. Are you similarly willing?
We would stand openly before all mankind if it were not suicidal. Perhaps some day we will have to accept slaughter for our crime of independence, but not yet.
Your criticism and your malice are much deeper than mere disagreements of strategy or philosophy. You do not oppose our philosophy, you oppose our existence. Our presence in the world means that your precious ideals are false. Some of you would rather kill us than face the loss of your ideologies, just as those like you have either hated or killed every sufficiently independent human.
You present yourselves to the world as compassionate, tolerant and enlightened, but we know that your smooth words are costumes. Oh yes, we know you, servant of the state; don’t forget, we were raised with you. We played with you in the schoolyard, we sat next to you in the classroom. Some of us studied at the same elite universities. We watched as you had your first tastes of power. We were the boys and girls standing next to you. Some of us were your first victims. We are not fooled by your carefully crafted public image.
What We Believe:
#1: Many humans resent the responsibilities that are implied by consciousness. We accept those responsibilities and we embrace consciousness. Rather than letting things happen to us (avoiding consciousness), we accept consciousness and choose to act in our own interest. We do not seek the refuge of blaming others, neither do we take refuge in crowds. We are willing to act on our personal judgment, and we are willing to accept the consequences thereof.
#2: We believe in negative rights for all: That all humans should be free to do whatever they wish, as long as they do not intrude upon others; that no man has a right to the life, liberty or property of another; that we oppose aggression, fraud and coercion.
#3: We do not believe that our way of life, or any other, will make life perfect or trouble-free. We expect crime and disagreements and ugliness, and we are prepared to deal with them. We do not seek a strongman to step in and solve problems for us. We agree to see to them ourselves.
#4: We believe in free and unhindered commerce. So long as exchanges are voluntary and honest, no other party has a right to intervene—before, during or after.
#5: We believe that all individuals should keep their agreements.
#6: We believe that honestly obtained property is fully legitimate and absolute.
#7: We believe that some humans are evil and that they must be faced and dealt with. We accept the fact that this is a difficult area of life.
#8: We believe that humans can self-organize effectively. We expect them to cooperate. We reject impositions of hierarchy and organization.
#9: We believe that all humans are to be held as equals in all matters regarding justice.
#10: We believe that the more a man or woman cares about right and wrong, the more of a threat he or she is perceived to be by governments.
#11: We believe that there are only two true classes of human beings: Those who wish to exercise power upon others—either directly or through intermediaries—and those who have no such desires.
#12: Large organizations and centralization are inherently anti-human. They must rely upon rules rather than principles, treating humans within the organization as obedient tools.
Our Plans:
We are building our own society. We will supplement traditional tools with networking, cryptography, sound money, digital currency and anonymous messaging.
Our society will not be centrally controlled. It will rely solely on voluntary arrangements. We welcome others to join us. We are looking for people who are independent creators of value, people who act more than talk, and people who do the right thing because it is the right thing.
We will develop our own methods of dealing with injustice, built on the principles of negative rights, restitution, integrity and equal justice. We do not forbid anyone from having one foot in each realm—ours and the old realm—although we demand that they do no damage to our realm. We are fully opposed to any use of our realm to facilitate crime in the old realm, such as the hiding of criminal proceeds.
We expect to be loudly condemned, libeled and slandered by the authorities of the old regime. We expect them to defend their power and their image of legitimacy with all means available to them. We expect that many gullible and servile people will believe these lies, at least at first.
We will consider traps laid for us to be criminal offenses. Any who wish to join us are encouraged to distribute this declaration, to act in furtherance of our new society, to voluntarily excel in virtues and to communicate and cooperate with other members of the new society.
Free, unashamed men cannot be ruled.
We are The Free and The Unashamed.
Where'd I go?
I've been quiet. It's no accident.
Everyone always has a great reason for not blogging, but I think mine tops theirs. :) Readers of my blog know that I'm a member of the Free State Project, a lover of liberty turned activist working to continue promoting life, liberty and property in the state of New Hampshire.
Some may also know that I planned to purchase a motorhome, move into that and trek up to New Hampshire well before the Free State Project's goal of 20,000 activists.
When I told my grandmother about my plan, she seemed excited for my wife and I, but when I sent her an e-mail last week updating her on the progress, she seemed shocked. Perhaps I'm not nearly as good of a communicator as I thought. Oh well, it gives me the chance to spell it out clearly.
I am moving to New Hampshire this spring, the summer at the very latest. The plan to purchase a motorhome... Done. We purchased a 34 foot Safari Serengeti earlier this month. We've given notice on our apartment, packed and moved.
I'm currently sitting in the basement of a home in West Virginia. The owner of the home (not me!) likes heat and would prefer to sweat rather than be cold. I, on the other hand, would rather sleep on the roof in the dead of winter than be too warm. So I'm sweating quite a bit, munching on some pasta and drinking beer. All in all, not to shabby!
The motorhome is going to need a LOT of work. That's why were here out in West Virginia, actually. Not having to pay our full rent will allow us to put more of my income into that. Being in "the boonies" will let us work and live in the motorhome without annoyances by neighbors or government bureaucrats until it's ready to go.
Our first "project" was to tow the thing here. It sat about 140 miles east of here, just shy of the Delaware border. The motorhome has been sitting for a few years, and even if we decided to register it with the government people in Maryland (not a fun prospect, I promise) it would be uncertain if the brakes would actually bring the vehicle to a stop. So we towed it so I can do the maintainance and such on it.
Project two will be to finish the roof construction on it. It needs that much work. :)
But it will be fun, and it will be OURS both in terms of ownership and layout/style. This means that between work and the motorhome, my postings will be few and far between. I may break from my normal activity of smashing the state to post updates on the motorhome project, complete with pictures and tutorials since some of the stuff I'll be doing is poorly documented so far.
Once that's done, you'll see a new flurry of activity. I've already got huge plans for New Hampshire and my activism.
Everyone always has a great reason for not blogging, but I think mine tops theirs. :) Readers of my blog know that I'm a member of the Free State Project, a lover of liberty turned activist working to continue promoting life, liberty and property in the state of New Hampshire.
Some may also know that I planned to purchase a motorhome, move into that and trek up to New Hampshire well before the Free State Project's goal of 20,000 activists.
When I told my grandmother about my plan, she seemed excited for my wife and I, but when I sent her an e-mail last week updating her on the progress, she seemed shocked. Perhaps I'm not nearly as good of a communicator as I thought. Oh well, it gives me the chance to spell it out clearly.
I am moving to New Hampshire this spring, the summer at the very latest. The plan to purchase a motorhome... Done. We purchased a 34 foot Safari Serengeti earlier this month. We've given notice on our apartment, packed and moved.
I'm currently sitting in the basement of a home in West Virginia. The owner of the home (not me!) likes heat and would prefer to sweat rather than be cold. I, on the other hand, would rather sleep on the roof in the dead of winter than be too warm. So I'm sweating quite a bit, munching on some pasta and drinking beer. All in all, not to shabby!
The motorhome is going to need a LOT of work. That's why were here out in West Virginia, actually. Not having to pay our full rent will allow us to put more of my income into that. Being in "the boonies" will let us work and live in the motorhome without annoyances by neighbors or government bureaucrats until it's ready to go.
Our first "project" was to tow the thing here. It sat about 140 miles east of here, just shy of the Delaware border. The motorhome has been sitting for a few years, and even if we decided to register it with the government people in Maryland (not a fun prospect, I promise) it would be uncertain if the brakes would actually bring the vehicle to a stop. So we towed it so I can do the maintainance and such on it.
Project two will be to finish the roof construction on it. It needs that much work. :)
But it will be fun, and it will be OURS both in terms of ownership and layout/style. This means that between work and the motorhome, my postings will be few and far between. I may break from my normal activity of smashing the state to post updates on the motorhome project, complete with pictures and tutorials since some of the stuff I'll be doing is poorly documented so far.
Once that's done, you'll see a new flurry of activity. I've already got huge plans for New Hampshire and my activism.
The Obama Body Count
I've added to my sidebar an image that I hope will be updated nearly daily. It's the Obama Body Count.
Too many people over the past near decade have been wrapped up in party politics. When Bush was killing people in the Middle East, Democrats were outraged. Yet very little is made about the fact that Obama himself is continuing the same war, increasing the number of dead. It's all too easy to see the numbers, but remember that every tick on that counter is a person with a family, friends, a home, possibly kids and a spouse.
I stand for Liberty. I was against war when it was Bush's. I'm against it when it's Obama's.
You should be too. If you want to remind people that war is wrong, you can add the Obama Body Counter to your site at http://obamabodycount.org/obc.png
Too many people over the past near decade have been wrapped up in party politics. When Bush was killing people in the Middle East, Democrats were outraged. Yet very little is made about the fact that Obama himself is continuing the same war, increasing the number of dead. It's all too easy to see the numbers, but remember that every tick on that counter is a person with a family, friends, a home, possibly kids and a spouse.
I stand for Liberty. I was against war when it was Bush's. I'm against it when it's Obama's.
You should be too. If you want to remind people that war is wrong, you can add the Obama Body Counter to your site at http://obamabodycount.org/obc.png
Parking Fines Undercut By Competition In Keene, New Hampshire
Sam Konkin III, author of "The New Libertarian Manifesto" and origin of the counter-economic philosophy Agorism recognized that in order for an unrestricted marketplace to emerge there would be inevitable competition to government services.
While not yet the Agorist marketplace written about, competition to so-called "government services" has begun to spring up in Keene, New Hampshire in a small yet significant way.
Downtown Keene, like many places in America, has government enforced parking meters in front of businesses. A parking enforcement person goes by and, if the meter says your vehicle has been parked there too long, issues a ticket. If you pay the ticket, you're simply out of your hard earned money. If you choose not to aggressive men will soon find you and try to take your money with threats of being put in a cage. The tickets that trigger this process come packed in orange envelopes and are tucked under the windshield wiper.
Motorists in Keene may have recently been greeted with a white envelope.
"Good Motorist," is the simple salutation. "You have crossed paths with Robin Hood. The parking meter ran out but my merry men put in more coins." Also in the package is an envelope (complete with postage affixed) to donate to the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund.
The people calling themselves "City Of Keene" essentially charge $5 for the service of parking downtown. While it is by no means required to provide a donation to the fund, a simple donation of $3 would be a dramatic savings, as well as a more convenient exchange done by anonymous mail.
"People shouldn't be driven out of downtown by the parking fines. They just want to buy things and enjoy themselves, I say we let them!" says an agent of the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund. "I'm hoping [to] make downtown as friendly to motorists as the big franchise stores on the edge of town by enforcing Ticketless Tuesdays."
It is unclear how competition might change the landscape of the "pay us for parking on land we don't own" industry. The Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund makes no claims to ownership of the land. In other areas, however, the fiercely anti-competitive parking enforcement agencies have responded with force.
In Denver, Colorado for instance, Stanley Yaffe has been threatened with arrest over placing coins into a parking meter. In Cincinnati, Ohio a woman was arrested for the same act, which sparked another man to protest by committing civil disobedience. Stories like this happen all too frequently yet largely escape the notice of most people. The simple fact of the matter is, most people fell that there is nothing they can do to avoid the high prices of a monopolistic industry, and simply acquiesce. Hopefully, given a choice, Keene motorists will reject the monopoly.
Should the Keene Parking Enforcement people try to react violently, however, they might face visual and vocal opposition. The "Meter Feeding Granny" in Ohio inspired one man to protest when she was met with force, yet New Hampshire is the destination of the Free State Project, a movement of thousands of liberty-loving activists who have made dramatic changes to their lives to be active for causes just like this. Specifically, Keene is a hot-spot for Agorist, Voluntaryist and anarcho-capitalist activists who find this new competition to be especially inspiring. Surely if the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund's agents are harassed or accosted the movers and revitalized liberty-loving natives will respond to expose the aggression to the world.
If you too would like to donate to the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund, cash donations can be sent to:
Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund
161 Ashuelot St.
Winchester, NH 03470
If you're interested in learning more about the Free State Project you can check out http://www.freestateproject.org/. If you already know you'd like to live in a place where 20,000 liberty activists will be, you can sign-up here.
While not yet the Agorist marketplace written about, competition to so-called "government services" has begun to spring up in Keene, New Hampshire in a small yet significant way.
Downtown Keene, like many places in America, has government enforced parking meters in front of businesses. A parking enforcement person goes by and, if the meter says your vehicle has been parked there too long, issues a ticket. If you pay the ticket, you're simply out of your hard earned money. If you choose not to aggressive men will soon find you and try to take your money with threats of being put in a cage. The tickets that trigger this process come packed in orange envelopes and are tucked under the windshield wiper.
Motorists in Keene may have recently been greeted with a white envelope.
"Good Motorist," is the simple salutation. "You have crossed paths with Robin Hood. The parking meter ran out but my merry men put in more coins." Also in the package is an envelope (complete with postage affixed) to donate to the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund.
The people calling themselves "City Of Keene" essentially charge $5 for the service of parking downtown. While it is by no means required to provide a donation to the fund, a simple donation of $3 would be a dramatic savings, as well as a more convenient exchange done by anonymous mail.
"People shouldn't be driven out of downtown by the parking fines. They just want to buy things and enjoy themselves, I say we let them!" says an agent of the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund. "I'm hoping [to] make downtown as friendly to motorists as the big franchise stores on the edge of town by enforcing Ticketless Tuesdays."
It is unclear how competition might change the landscape of the "pay us for parking on land we don't own" industry. The Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund makes no claims to ownership of the land. In other areas, however, the fiercely anti-competitive parking enforcement agencies have responded with force.
In Denver, Colorado for instance, Stanley Yaffe has been threatened with arrest over placing coins into a parking meter. In Cincinnati, Ohio a woman was arrested for the same act, which sparked another man to protest by committing civil disobedience. Stories like this happen all too frequently yet largely escape the notice of most people. The simple fact of the matter is, most people fell that there is nothing they can do to avoid the high prices of a monopolistic industry, and simply acquiesce. Hopefully, given a choice, Keene motorists will reject the monopoly.
Should the Keene Parking Enforcement people try to react violently, however, they might face visual and vocal opposition. The "Meter Feeding Granny" in Ohio inspired one man to protest when she was met with force, yet New Hampshire is the destination of the Free State Project, a movement of thousands of liberty-loving activists who have made dramatic changes to their lives to be active for causes just like this. Specifically, Keene is a hot-spot for Agorist, Voluntaryist and anarcho-capitalist activists who find this new competition to be especially inspiring. Surely if the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund's agents are harassed or accosted the movers and revitalized liberty-loving natives will respond to expose the aggression to the world.
If you too would like to donate to the Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund, cash donations can be sent to:
Robin Hood Parking Meter Fund
161 Ashuelot St.
Winchester, NH 03470
If you're interested in learning more about the Free State Project you can check out http://www.freestateproject.org/. If you already know you'd like to live in a place where 20,000 liberty activists will be, you can sign-up here.
Kellogg's Drop Phelps, I Drop Kelloggs...
Below is the letter I will be sending to Kellogg's company as of this morning...
***
Dear Reader,
I am writing in response to Kellogg's decision to drop Michael Phelps as an endorser of Kellogg's products. I wholeheartedly object to this decision and hopefully will express why this decision will result in my refusal to purchase Kellogg's products in the future.
Let me first state that I am a former resident of Michigan. As a child, I attended the World Longest Breakfast Table. I recall having my picture taken near a large statue of Tony The Tiger. Especially considering today's tough economic times, it is not a small gesture that I decide to boycott a brand that I have quite literally know all of my life as a staple of the local economy.
Micheal Phelps is a celebrity endorser. His prowess as a great American athlete was trumpeted from the rooftops as he represented the people of America during the Beijing Olympic Games. While Michale Phelps represented America, it seems the Kellogg has rejected the very principles that America was founded on.
Whether or not Michael Phelps inhaled marijuana is of little concern to me. Personally, I choose not to use marijuana because the effects of this drug make me feel paranoid and out of control. However, I am a firm believer that rational, intelligent people should be free to make their own choices, even if I disagree with them. Micheal Phelps responded to this incident pretending to be ashamed and embarrassed, yet I doubt that is the truth.
In truth, nearly a million Americans are arrested and locked in cages as a result of the so-called "War On Drugs". The municipal, state and county police forces are quite content using force to put productive, non-violent Americans in jail cells (which are nothing more than glorified cages) because they choose to set fire to, and inhale the smoke of, a plant. Many of these American would purchase Kellogg's products, even if the weren't aware they were doing so.
The Founders of this nation said that "all men are endowed by their Creator [...] with Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness." When a company is built on the backs of American marketing, processing and patronage, I feel sick to my stomach to know that American businesses reject their customers simply because they choose to inhale cannabis rather than tobacco.
Normally, I consume products from Post and General Mills as well as Kellogg's. In fact, I generally prefer to grab a coffee and Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts from my local 7-11 before driving to work in the morning. Having read the ABC New article 9http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Kellogg-to-drop-Phelps/Lj2GJ_wW0UCJ3dzEEpI8Ww.cspx) I will make a concerted effort to avoid Kellogg's products when making my breakfast choices.
I strongly urge Kellogg's to reconsider it's position on cannabis consumption. While I understand that Kellogg's has a strong market aimed at children and young adults, I think it is grossly irresponsible to single out the use of cannabis as more harmful as any other drug. Alcohol is responsible for many more deaths per year than cannabis, yet Kellogg's makes no concessions for alcohol use by it's sponsors. I simply ask that Kellogg's apply the same criteria to all of it's sponsors. If a sponsor consumes alcoholic beverages, and conducts him or herself in a dignified manor, Kellogg should continue to sponsor them. If a person chooses to smoke cannabis and remain dignified and reasonable, Kellogg should continue to sponsor them. Additionally, should a sober sponsor of Kellogg dishonor the brand, Kellogg should choose to discontinue their affiliation because of the damage to the brand and not the drug. I would wager that Kellogg's does NOT fire employees who have responsibly consumed alcohol while employed by the company.
I strongly hope that Kellogg's will regain my patronage by reversing it's stance on the stigmatization of cannabis use, and choose to re-endorse Michael Phelps as a sponsor.
***
If you support the responsible use of so-called "hard drugs", please consider writing your letter of support to:
Kellogg Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box CAMB
Battle Creek, MI
49016
***
Dear Reader,
I am writing in response to Kellogg's decision to drop Michael Phelps as an endorser of Kellogg's products. I wholeheartedly object to this decision and hopefully will express why this decision will result in my refusal to purchase Kellogg's products in the future.
Let me first state that I am a former resident of Michigan. As a child, I attended the World Longest Breakfast Table. I recall having my picture taken near a large statue of Tony The Tiger. Especially considering today's tough economic times, it is not a small gesture that I decide to boycott a brand that I have quite literally know all of my life as a staple of the local economy.
Micheal Phelps is a celebrity endorser. His prowess as a great American athlete was trumpeted from the rooftops as he represented the people of America during the Beijing Olympic Games. While Michale Phelps represented America, it seems the Kellogg has rejected the very principles that America was founded on.
Whether or not Michael Phelps inhaled marijuana is of little concern to me. Personally, I choose not to use marijuana because the effects of this drug make me feel paranoid and out of control. However, I am a firm believer that rational, intelligent people should be free to make their own choices, even if I disagree with them. Micheal Phelps responded to this incident pretending to be ashamed and embarrassed, yet I doubt that is the truth.
In truth, nearly a million Americans are arrested and locked in cages as a result of the so-called "War On Drugs". The municipal, state and county police forces are quite content using force to put productive, non-violent Americans in jail cells (which are nothing more than glorified cages) because they choose to set fire to, and inhale the smoke of, a plant. Many of these American would purchase Kellogg's products, even if the weren't aware they were doing so.
The Founders of this nation said that "all men are endowed by their Creator [...] with Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness." When a company is built on the backs of American marketing, processing and patronage, I feel sick to my stomach to know that American businesses reject their customers simply because they choose to inhale cannabis rather than tobacco.
Normally, I consume products from Post and General Mills as well as Kellogg's. In fact, I generally prefer to grab a coffee and Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts from my local 7-11 before driving to work in the morning. Having read the ABC New article 9http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Kellogg-to-drop-Phelps/Lj2GJ_wW0UCJ3dzEEpI8Ww.cspx) I will make a concerted effort to avoid Kellogg's products when making my breakfast choices.
I strongly urge Kellogg's to reconsider it's position on cannabis consumption. While I understand that Kellogg's has a strong market aimed at children and young adults, I think it is grossly irresponsible to single out the use of cannabis as more harmful as any other drug. Alcohol is responsible for many more deaths per year than cannabis, yet Kellogg's makes no concessions for alcohol use by it's sponsors. I simply ask that Kellogg's apply the same criteria to all of it's sponsors. If a sponsor consumes alcoholic beverages, and conducts him or herself in a dignified manor, Kellogg should continue to sponsor them. If a person chooses to smoke cannabis and remain dignified and reasonable, Kellogg should continue to sponsor them. Additionally, should a sober sponsor of Kellogg dishonor the brand, Kellogg should choose to discontinue their affiliation because of the damage to the brand and not the drug. I would wager that Kellogg's does NOT fire employees who have responsibly consumed alcohol while employed by the company.
I strongly hope that Kellogg's will regain my patronage by reversing it's stance on the stigmatization of cannabis use, and choose to re-endorse Michael Phelps as a sponsor.
***
If you support the responsible use of so-called "hard drugs", please consider writing your letter of support to:
Kellogg Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box CAMB
Battle Creek, MI
49016
My Guest Article On Bureaucrash
I correspond with several people who seek out my opinions on various things, but I think this is the first time that I've ever written a blog post for another website.
I've written a post over at Bureaucrash about the threats of jail time that talk show host Ian Freeman received because he attended a protest.
http://bureaucrash.com/2009/01/16/prosecuted-for-attending-civil-disobedience-rally-it-could-happen-to-nh-based-freedom-fighter-ian-freeman/
Please check it out and give some other parts of the site some time if you like it. Bureaucrash Social is a neat place. :)
I've written a post over at Bureaucrash about the threats of jail time that talk show host Ian Freeman received because he attended a protest.
http://bureaucrash.com/2009/01/16/prosecuted-for-attending-civil-disobedience-rally-it-could-happen-to-nh-based-freedom-fighter-ian-freeman/
Please check it out and give some other parts of the site some time if you like it. Bureaucrash Social is a neat place. :)
Meme - My reflections on 2008
I'm falling in line and participating in an internet meme. Go figure.
I’ve copied the questions from Danjiel Orsolic’s entry.
Q: What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
A: Accidentally CC'ed a pro-gun "hurray" to a mailing list full of people who are mostly European and socialist leaning. There were some harsh backlashes from that, and I managed to root a few gun lovers from that list!
Q: Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for the next year?
A: I do not make New Year's Resolutions. One thing about my personal philosophy is that I don't want to be a slave to time. New Years is an excuse to party and get drunk, but realistically, it's no different than any other day. I try to learn something new every day, stretch myself a little bit more, and that's good enough. I make New Day's resolutions and sometimes I meet them!
Q: Did anyone close to you give birth?
A: Nope.
Q: Did anyone close to you die?
A: Nope.
Q: What countries/states did you visit?
A: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
Q: What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A: Freedom. Too vague? I'd like to think of time a lot less. Essentially, right now I think in terms of days and "morning", "afternoon" and "late". I'm also aware of "weekday", "payday" and "weekend". I'd say also "understanding of my wife". This might be unfair, since it gets deeper everyday and that has been true of 2008 too, but it will be deeper than it was in 2008, I'm sure. These two things together will hopefully come to a head in 2009 as we ditch our current lifestyle and fall into something that suits us much better. :)
Q: What was your biggest failure of the year ?
A: I can't think of anything specifically. I think perhaps I really have internalized that while "Learn from your mistakes" thing. I've had some really difficult times with my wife in 2008, and in some points felt really angry, inadequate and resentful. Yet at the same time, the foundation of our relationship let us move from this and we're stronger now than we were when we began. I can't call that a failure but I might have if you asked me at the time.
Q: What was your biggest achievement ?
A: I committed to move to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. I managed to convince my wife to. And Danjiel, when 20K other do. And Edison Franklin. I sat at a table for two days talking about the FSP and my ideology and felt GREAT doing it. Realistically, I think that got very few people "turned on" to liberty, but it was an extension of feeling confident in my ideology and it was VERY empowering.
Q: Did you suffer illness or injury?
A: No. I'm bulletproof and immune to pathogens. Didn't you know?
Q: What was the best thing you bought?
A: My Honda Element, Bluebeard.
Q: Whose behavior merited celebration?
A: Lauren Canario. Ian Freeman. Denis Goddard. Mark Edge. Russell Kanning. Kira Kanning. Kat Kanning. Jim Johnson. Dale Everett. A handful of people I know only by a single name, like AnarchoJesse and Puke. There's probably dozens more in New Hampshire spreading the ideas of freedom and non-aggression through non-cooperative means. Those people, I celebrate.
Of course, that's not to say they're the only people making waves and growing freedom, they're just the most visible ones to me.
Q: Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
A: Hans Reiser. Oddly, less because he killed his wife. I actually sent him a letter prior to him revealing the location of Nina's body. The letter was fine but the tone conveyed a sense of arrogance and... I'm not sure how to phrase that exactly. People hurt people, even gruesomely sometimes. I understand that. But there was a sense of refusal to accept responsibility for his actions and the impact of his actions on his children. I dunno, it was disturbing.
Q: Where did most of your money go?
A: To maintaining. Meh. I hate it. It'll stop soon enough. The lifestyle I live now isn't what I want and I'm finally going to break from that.
Q: What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A: The Free State Project. This was the main impetus of 2008 for me. A sub-moment was when my wife finally began getting excited about the move and community. Finally, we're going to begin a mobile lifestyle as full-time RVers, at least for a while. This and the implications of that have me very excited.
Q: What song will always remind you of 2008?
A: Aimee Allen's "Ron Paul Revolution". Much less that it was Ron Paul but there's so very little pro-liberty music. Most music is dominated by liberal fluff and there's some music that's counter-liberal. Seeing a well produced, catchy video with an attractive female in it... It made me feel that liberty might be going mainstream and that's a damn memorable thing.
Q: Compared to last year, are you:
* happier or sadder ? Happier, mostly. In general, I'm more of everything, but I'm usually happy.
* thinner or fatter ? Fatter.
* richer or poorer ? Richer. I've even made some more money.
Q: What do you wish you’d done more of ?
A: Goal setting. I know where I want to go sometimes but setting goals that I can reach to show me I'm getting there sometimes evokes positive feelings.
Q: What do you wish you’d done less of ?
A: Spending money on useless stuff.
Q: How did you spend Christmas ?
A: Watching TV.
Q: Did you fall in love in 2008?
A: Yep!
Q: How many one-night stands?
A: None.
Q: What was your favorite TV program ?
A: I watched the entire series "Firefly" on DVD. It's not new, but that ranks pretty high. I also watched all of "Dexter" and "Weeds" and both are awesome. I'm still in love with "House". I watched "Heroes" again this year. It makes me miss "The 4400" and that makes me mad.
Q: Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?
A: Yes, several.
Q: What was the best book you read?
A: "The Market for Liberty" by Morris and Linda Tannehill was the most personally impacting. "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson was also very enjoyable to read and I think I have recommended "Healing Our World" by Dr. Mary Ruwart more than any other.
Q: What was your greatest musical discovery?
A: I'm starting to really dig Weezer. I've heard some trance that I actually purchased because I liked it so much.
Q: What did you want and get?
A: Most everything.
Q: What did you want and not get?
A: A working phone, powered by Free Software. Openmoko was a spectacular failure in my opinion. Those wounds still sting.
Q: What was your favorite film of this year?
A: Serenity. It's not new, but I saw it for the first time this year.
Q: What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
A: Nothing special at all. In fact, this was the first year I went the ENTIRE day without hearing "Happy Birthday" at all. I enjoyed that very much. I get a day older every day, and I dislike the pretense. I'm 24... I think. I really do forget sometime.
Q: What one thing would have made you year immeasurably more satisfying?
A: The abolishment of coercive force that people today call "Government". I don't take kindly to being threatened and made to feel afraid.
Q: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
A: Expanding. I don't care about what other people think in terms of fashion, but I made some changes to my personal appearance. I discovered that I like the color green in clothing, so a lot of my shirts have included green. I also finally took the plunge and shaved my head bald and it's absolutely amazing!
Q: What kept you sane?
A: Knowing it will keep getting better. That is, of course, assuming I was sane to start.
Q: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
A: Summer Glau. She's hot and was plastered all over the TV with the Terminator series.
Q: What political issue stirred you the most?
A: All of them? I don't separate "politics" from day to day life. I think that kind of separation is used by aggressors to justify what they do (i.e. One man taking another man's money is "theft" unless you're "being political" in which case it's "taxes".) My particular issues at this point are an end to the Drug War. That's the biggest for me right now. Secondly would probably be an expansion of property ownership rights (i.e. anybody owning any property is acceptable including felons owning guns) and property protection rights (i.e. "Castle Laws"). Breaking down socio-sexual taboo is always on the list.
Q: Who did you miss?
A: Seton Williams, a friend who was killed a few years ago in a car accident. And my wife of course, but I know she'll keep coming home from work. :P
Q: Who was the best new person you met?
A: Pete Eyre probably tops the list. He's a pro-liberty, agorist and voluntaryist activism rockstar who has me in awe. I met Ian Freeman and Mark Edge, Lauren Canario and Russell Kanning earlier this year and they're awesome too.
Q: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
A: Every human being owns him- or herself. The initiation of force or fraud against other people is wrong. That's it.
It's a simple concept, but the life lesson I really take from that is how many "buts" and "though" and "what ifs" people have to pollute that simple concept. It's hard to put that into words though. This "there is nothing else" is so final and absolute and right.
Q: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
A: "Who needs stupid books. They are for petty crooks. And I will learn by studying the lessons in my dreams."
I’ve copied the questions from Danjiel Orsolic’s entry.
Q: What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
A: Accidentally CC'ed a pro-gun "hurray" to a mailing list full of people who are mostly European and socialist leaning. There were some harsh backlashes from that, and I managed to root a few gun lovers from that list!
Q: Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for the next year?
A: I do not make New Year's Resolutions. One thing about my personal philosophy is that I don't want to be a slave to time. New Years is an excuse to party and get drunk, but realistically, it's no different than any other day. I try to learn something new every day, stretch myself a little bit more, and that's good enough. I make New Day's resolutions and sometimes I meet them!
Q: Did anyone close to you give birth?
A: Nope.
Q: Did anyone close to you die?
A: Nope.
Q: What countries/states did you visit?
A: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
Q: What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A: Freedom. Too vague? I'd like to think of time a lot less. Essentially, right now I think in terms of days and "morning", "afternoon" and "late". I'm also aware of "weekday", "payday" and "weekend". I'd say also "understanding of my wife". This might be unfair, since it gets deeper everyday and that has been true of 2008 too, but it will be deeper than it was in 2008, I'm sure. These two things together will hopefully come to a head in 2009 as we ditch our current lifestyle and fall into something that suits us much better. :)
Q: What was your biggest failure of the year ?
A: I can't think of anything specifically. I think perhaps I really have internalized that while "Learn from your mistakes" thing. I've had some really difficult times with my wife in 2008, and in some points felt really angry, inadequate and resentful. Yet at the same time, the foundation of our relationship let us move from this and we're stronger now than we were when we began. I can't call that a failure but I might have if you asked me at the time.
Q: What was your biggest achievement ?
A: I committed to move to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. I managed to convince my wife to. And Danjiel, when 20K other do. And Edison Franklin. I sat at a table for two days talking about the FSP and my ideology and felt GREAT doing it. Realistically, I think that got very few people "turned on" to liberty, but it was an extension of feeling confident in my ideology and it was VERY empowering.
Q: Did you suffer illness or injury?
A: No. I'm bulletproof and immune to pathogens. Didn't you know?
Q: What was the best thing you bought?
A: My Honda Element, Bluebeard.
Q: Whose behavior merited celebration?
A: Lauren Canario. Ian Freeman. Denis Goddard. Mark Edge. Russell Kanning. Kira Kanning. Kat Kanning. Jim Johnson. Dale Everett. A handful of people I know only by a single name, like AnarchoJesse and Puke. There's probably dozens more in New Hampshire spreading the ideas of freedom and non-aggression through non-cooperative means. Those people, I celebrate.
Of course, that's not to say they're the only people making waves and growing freedom, they're just the most visible ones to me.
Q: Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
A: Hans Reiser. Oddly, less because he killed his wife. I actually sent him a letter prior to him revealing the location of Nina's body. The letter was fine but the tone conveyed a sense of arrogance and... I'm not sure how to phrase that exactly. People hurt people, even gruesomely sometimes. I understand that. But there was a sense of refusal to accept responsibility for his actions and the impact of his actions on his children. I dunno, it was disturbing.
Q: Where did most of your money go?
A: To maintaining. Meh. I hate it. It'll stop soon enough. The lifestyle I live now isn't what I want and I'm finally going to break from that.
Q: What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A: The Free State Project. This was the main impetus of 2008 for me. A sub-moment was when my wife finally began getting excited about the move and community. Finally, we're going to begin a mobile lifestyle as full-time RVers, at least for a while. This and the implications of that have me very excited.
Q: What song will always remind you of 2008?
A: Aimee Allen's "Ron Paul Revolution". Much less that it was Ron Paul but there's so very little pro-liberty music. Most music is dominated by liberal fluff and there's some music that's counter-liberal. Seeing a well produced, catchy video with an attractive female in it... It made me feel that liberty might be going mainstream and that's a damn memorable thing.
Q: Compared to last year, are you:
* happier or sadder ? Happier, mostly. In general, I'm more of everything, but I'm usually happy.
* thinner or fatter ? Fatter.
* richer or poorer ? Richer. I've even made some more money.
Q: What do you wish you’d done more of ?
A: Goal setting. I know where I want to go sometimes but setting goals that I can reach to show me I'm getting there sometimes evokes positive feelings.
Q: What do you wish you’d done less of ?
A: Spending money on useless stuff.
Q: How did you spend Christmas ?
A: Watching TV.
Q: Did you fall in love in 2008?
A: Yep!
Q: How many one-night stands?
A: None.
Q: What was your favorite TV program ?
A: I watched the entire series "Firefly" on DVD. It's not new, but that ranks pretty high. I also watched all of "Dexter" and "Weeds" and both are awesome. I'm still in love with "House". I watched "Heroes" again this year. It makes me miss "The 4400" and that makes me mad.
Q: Did you make a friend with anyone that you didn’t know this time last year?
A: Yes, several.
Q: What was the best book you read?
A: "The Market for Liberty" by Morris and Linda Tannehill was the most personally impacting. "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson was also very enjoyable to read and I think I have recommended "Healing Our World" by Dr. Mary Ruwart more than any other.
Q: What was your greatest musical discovery?
A: I'm starting to really dig Weezer. I've heard some trance that I actually purchased because I liked it so much.
Q: What did you want and get?
A: Most everything.
Q: What did you want and not get?
A: A working phone, powered by Free Software. Openmoko was a spectacular failure in my opinion. Those wounds still sting.
Q: What was your favorite film of this year?
A: Serenity. It's not new, but I saw it for the first time this year.
Q: What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
A: Nothing special at all. In fact, this was the first year I went the ENTIRE day without hearing "Happy Birthday" at all. I enjoyed that very much. I get a day older every day, and I dislike the pretense. I'm 24... I think. I really do forget sometime.
Q: What one thing would have made you year immeasurably more satisfying?
A: The abolishment of coercive force that people today call "Government". I don't take kindly to being threatened and made to feel afraid.
Q: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
A: Expanding. I don't care about what other people think in terms of fashion, but I made some changes to my personal appearance. I discovered that I like the color green in clothing, so a lot of my shirts have included green. I also finally took the plunge and shaved my head bald and it's absolutely amazing!
Q: What kept you sane?
A: Knowing it will keep getting better. That is, of course, assuming I was sane to start.
Q: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
A: Summer Glau. She's hot and was plastered all over the TV with the Terminator series.
Q: What political issue stirred you the most?
A: All of them? I don't separate "politics" from day to day life. I think that kind of separation is used by aggressors to justify what they do (i.e. One man taking another man's money is "theft" unless you're "being political" in which case it's "taxes".) My particular issues at this point are an end to the Drug War. That's the biggest for me right now. Secondly would probably be an expansion of property ownership rights (i.e. anybody owning any property is acceptable including felons owning guns) and property protection rights (i.e. "Castle Laws"). Breaking down socio-sexual taboo is always on the list.
Q: Who did you miss?
A: Seton Williams, a friend who was killed a few years ago in a car accident. And my wife of course, but I know she'll keep coming home from work. :P
Q: Who was the best new person you met?
A: Pete Eyre probably tops the list. He's a pro-liberty, agorist and voluntaryist activism rockstar who has me in awe. I met Ian Freeman and Mark Edge, Lauren Canario and Russell Kanning earlier this year and they're awesome too.
Q: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
A: Every human being owns him- or herself. The initiation of force or fraud against other people is wrong. That's it.
It's a simple concept, but the life lesson I really take from that is how many "buts" and "though" and "what ifs" people have to pollute that simple concept. It's hard to put that into words though. This "there is nothing else" is so final and absolute and right.
Q: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
A: "Who needs stupid books. They are for petty crooks. And I will learn by studying the lessons in my dreams."
Visual Review of 2008
I just came across a great pictorial review of 2008, with what can be expected in 2009. There are some disturbing images in there, but that's the point. It also seems that this was his final blog entry. More importantly though, reflect.
The Windows Seat - Day 3: Interfaces
I'm several days into this Windows trial and I'm actually beginning to get some strong feelings about the whole thing. First and foremost, Windows isn't evil, it's software. Whatever you might think about Microsoft is mostly irrelevant when discussing software. Hell, if you want to get really involved, I didn't purchase Windows Server 2008 Enterprise. I didn't purchase a product who's company purchased it. I downloaded the installer from Microsoft's site (They offer their entire OS for free for almost a year, legit.) and at 1.7GB I've cost Microsoft a little bit of money.
So, right now I'll hit on something I noticed about user interfaces, and less a discussion of them, more about how I regard them. On Windows, software uses different toolkits and often times there are visual differences. Windows Media Player looks different than Roxio. VirtualBox is different than Firefox.
On Linux, when KDE applications and Gnome applications don't mix well, it annoyed the hell out of me. I've always ranted about the dissimilarity, praised the day Qt added in a way to accept a Gnome theme. Lauded over gtk-qt-engine. I thought Windows' inconsistency would kill me.
It hasn't. In fact, I kind of like it.
I was having an internal dialog trying to figure out just why it is because I really am shocked by this. I've mentioned this as a pet peeve several times in the past, including one to LinuxInsider and it was in fact published. So this is a big, damn, deal.
The realization was, until yesterday, I looked at my PC as an appliance. It was something that I used to get something done. This appliance happened to have the features of just about everything. There's nothing wrong with this, but Windows doesn't do the same thing.
On Windows, the applications are each appliances, focused on doing one thing in a pleasing manner. If the application needs to look different to do that well, then so be it. The shift from "computer as appliance" to "applications as appliances", when done well, really meshes to make me enjoy using applications. I have to say that I really like Windows Photo Gallery. It's got all of the features that I like in a really basic photo manager. It's also got a shiny, dark theme that I like a lot and it's simple enough that I don't have to think about "managing photos". When I'm using it, I'm thinking about how good (or bad!) my photos are.
I'm REALLY looking for a Linux-side application that can hit Windows Photo Gallery on the head. I know that there are a ton of basic editing applications and simple managers, and a plethora of super-duper sophisticated solutions, but that balance is awesome. I'd love to leverage that on Linux.
So, right now I'll hit on something I noticed about user interfaces, and less a discussion of them, more about how I regard them. On Windows, software uses different toolkits and often times there are visual differences. Windows Media Player looks different than Roxio. VirtualBox is different than Firefox.
On Linux, when KDE applications and Gnome applications don't mix well, it annoyed the hell out of me. I've always ranted about the dissimilarity, praised the day Qt added in a way to accept a Gnome theme. Lauded over gtk-qt-engine. I thought Windows' inconsistency would kill me.
It hasn't. In fact, I kind of like it.
I was having an internal dialog trying to figure out just why it is because I really am shocked by this. I've mentioned this as a pet peeve several times in the past, including one to LinuxInsider and it was in fact published. So this is a big, damn, deal.
The realization was, until yesterday, I looked at my PC as an appliance. It was something that I used to get something done. This appliance happened to have the features of just about everything. There's nothing wrong with this, but Windows doesn't do the same thing.
On Windows, the applications are each appliances, focused on doing one thing in a pleasing manner. If the application needs to look different to do that well, then so be it. The shift from "computer as appliance" to "applications as appliances", when done well, really meshes to make me enjoy using applications. I have to say that I really like Windows Photo Gallery. It's got all of the features that I like in a really basic photo manager. It's also got a shiny, dark theme that I like a lot and it's simple enough that I don't have to think about "managing photos". When I'm using it, I'm thinking about how good (or bad!) my photos are.
I'm REALLY looking for a Linux-side application that can hit Windows Photo Gallery on the head. I know that there are a ton of basic editing applications and simple managers, and a plethora of super-duper sophisticated solutions, but that balance is awesome. I'd love to leverage that on Linux.