Friday, March 31, 2006

Snubster Me - Isolator Me - Just Don't Ignore Me

I annoy a lot of people.

I've been told I'm arrogant, elitist, and I make folk's brain itch.

You now have a couple of ways to retaliate.

One is isolator - a self proclaimed ASNS (anti-social networking service). You can't call me names there yet - but you will get a face full of fun FAQ.

Up and running is snubster, a chance to send me to the penalty box - or even write me off entirely. You can even tell folks what about me annoys you.

For those of you that want to write down my name - just so you can draw a line through it - there is a way to do it at your computer.

Share the annoyance with Wallace (STAWW).

Snubster me.

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This Is A SheepleTest

You will probably fail.

Most sheeple have already stopped reading.

The vast majority of sheeple read only information that agrees with them.

Sheeple refuse to read something that does not align with their viewpoint.

I did a post recently on how alarmists gain funding by screaming about the panic du jour.

Here then is the test.

Are you willing to follow this link to a short article that disagrees with what alarmists have been shouting?

Most sheeple are not honest enough to listen to the other side.

Statistically over 90% of you will ignore even compelling evidence that contradicts sheeple beliefs.

I'm not even convinced the other 10% will listen - if they do they may be willing to consider an alternative view however.

(by the way the article is not compelling evidence - it just contradicts the majority view.)


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Tuesday, March 28, 2006

An Extremist Position

I know you love your country - so this must be for all the other countries out there.

A natural basis of relationship is family and tribe , a tribe acting as an extended family. Normally these relationships operate under known rules that are accepted by the group's members.

As group size increases, rules are created that support the dominance of the few. An early stage might be a city state - we can use Rome as an example. Some families will dominate - rules to support and perpetuate that dominance are put into effect.

When Rome first expanded beyond to include local conquered groups it afforded them the opportunity to join with Rome under their rules. As growth continued oppression increased with each new victory, the increasingly harsh rules at the edges of empire enshrined the ruling class of Rome.

Beyond a certain size groups will be inherently unequal. Democracy changes the structure but does not change the facts, the majority is now the ruling class making rules to their benefit. Consider three lions and one sheep voting on what is for dinner.

My view is that government originally sprang from roving tribes of criminals that stole from early agrarians. These bands eventually settled down and stole in one convenient location - offering "protection" in exchange for support. A government would then be the first form of organized crime, one reason it fights all other organized crime that tries to muscle into its territory.

Into this admittedly extreme position I will, with apologies to the author, insert a quote by a brilliant man - who I am reasonably sure did not expect to have this quote applied in this manner.

"Look at the tyranny of party--at what is called party allegiance, party loyalty--a snare invented by designing men for selfish purposes--and which turns voters into chattles, slaves, rabbits" - Mark Twain


I regard this as what it appears to be - a condemnation of ignorantly and automatically supporting your vastly extended political tribe in elections.

But since Samuel Langhorne Clemens is no longer here to defend his hard work, I will paraphrase it and put it to my own uses.

Look at the tyranny of country--at what is called patriotic allegiance, patriotic loyalty--a snare invented by designing men for selfish purposes--and which turns citizens into chattles, slaves, rabbits.


allegiance can be a virtue.

Supporting and defending yourself, your family, and your friends when they are in the right is both natural and to be applauded.

Commitment to a just cause is a hallmark of rational beings.

Connection with a local team or institution can enrich your life. Cheering for a team is a harmless identity projection.

However -- following a faction or group of loosely defined causes without reservation is ignorant tribalism.

Roving criminals still exist, and will settle into any group that folks follow blindly. From a position of authority they will then abuse power and seek to perpetuate their dominance.

The good news is that society is changing - technology is empowering thoughtful individuals to reclaim their personal freedom.

It may not happen soon enough for you, unless you take control for yourself.

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Thursday, March 23, 2006

Americans - Vote For Any Third Party

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When was the last time
your party paid attention to your views?

It was probably when there was a strong third party candidate.

A Ross Perot or a Ralph Nader gets real debate going, and activates the single democratrepublican party to accomplish something. It even moves the extremes of that single party a bit further apart.

There can be an argument made that in some states, Florida and Ohio in the last election, there is some logic in voting for the lessor of two evils that are your primary choices.

In all other cases, for instance New York or Texas, the results are known before the election.

"The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled, each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly on what should be said on the vital issues of the day." -- Theodore Roosevelt

As I've said elsewhere the American two party system is "like professional wrestling, but throwing sound bites instead of chairs. Both parties scream, moan, groan, and shout to keep ignorant party faithful convinced they are fighting a righteous battle."

Vote for someone that represents you, not for someone that is already sold out to the existing system of abuse.

"Look at the tyranny of party--at what is called party allegiance, party loyalty--a snare invented by designing men for selfish purposes--and which turns voters into chattles, slaves, rabbits" - Mark Twain

Not voting is not a protest, it is submission to those that will rule over you to their own ends.

Vote, but don't vote for the big two.

"Not voting is just as bad as voting for evil men because it allows evil to succeed by default. Take a stand with people who support what you really support. Stop cowering and merely complaining about America's pending demise and act in such a way as to truly make a difference." -- Tom Ambrose

Vote for any third party.


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Friday, March 17, 2006

Why Not You?

I subscribe to a daily quote service that comes in my email.

On Fridays they send an inspirational story or poem rather than a short quote.

I remember Jimmy Carter, the ex-president of the USA, saying he rearranged his life to seek success when someone told him to ask himself something like "Why not me? Why not my best?"

This weeks story was a short essay Why Not You?

I have copied the whole of Why Not You? - including the author information - into the Partner Charity site.

By the way I have also sent an email to the author, Steve Maraboli, telling him I would remove the piece if he objects to this use. he wrote it - he owns it - it is reasonable to both acknowledge his effort and respect his authorship. The Internet is frequently awfully sloppy about that type of respect.

If he does object - I will remove it.

We have the same relationship with those creative doers that have designed Master's Courses at Bastiat Free University. We will change or delete the class any time they request.

We are allowed to study what helped form these wonderful successes by their assistance - they deserve the respect of control. It is worth our flexibility to be able to study an international financier like Jim Rogers or a serial entrepreneur like Dottie Walters. To succeed - study successful people.

We all need inspiration to get us going - and motivation to keep us going - sometimes we need a lot of it.

You may be at a point where reading Why Not You? and spending some time thinking about - why not - may help you to profitably rearrange your life.

This has been the long way around to ask you to go and read Why Not You?

It is well worth your time.

Of course you may want to sign up for the free daily inspirational quote service sponsored by BFU while you are at Partner Charities.


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Monday, March 13, 2006

Business Is A Self Sovereignty Issue

"Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains." - Thomas Jefferson



Jefferson seems to have said the above out of admiration.

In similar fashion the Internet does not care where you live; it offers an approach to liberty that empowers all of us within it's reach.

Personally empowering Technologies may well signal the end of those huge artificial tribes, the nation states.

A much more manageable governmental structure may develop, perhaps city states competing for valuable citizens.

Develop a business that can move with you. Mobility may be a key to personal success.

Governments will change as information technology continues to shrink the size of an organization required for efficiency. Society no longer needs to carry the expensive burden of remote central planners.

We don't know when the four bigs will deflate or implode; inevitable is not the same as immediate.

The change that is coming to the world could be very messy in some spots. Perhaps it is time to consider preparing to change spots.

Our origin as members of small nomadic tribes, frequently moving to where life had the potential to improve, may also be our future.

Mobility may also be a key to personal survival.

The netcohort already exists as protean teams opportunistically forming for specific ventures. They will likely provide the more efficient solutions we need to move into a more abundant future.

You are your business - Join the Netcohort.

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Saturday, March 11, 2006

The Police - A Private Market Solution

When folks talk about why we need government - one of the first arguments is - to provide services.

We have seen over and over again, education comes to mind, how private enterprise solutions are less expensive and produce better results. Of course in the case of education, bureaucrats are not willing to give up their control and their profiteering just to benefit students.

It is the same with other services. Arbitration works better and cheaper in many cases than the court system - yet remains under used.

In many cases private solutions would work better, but are so subject to regulation that they end up even more inefficient than government. Electrical service is one example. In California the government had screwed up power supply so bad they pretended to privatize it. They left power under so many rules and regulations they could claim privatization failed and then take it back after some fixes were applied. Private enterprise never had a chance.

Here is one to think about.

competition for policemen and police forces.

The pressure to provide good service, and not use excessive force, would impel competing teams to provide balanced protection. The best teams would get the best contracts, and seek to be even better.

Poor police teams, violent teams, and arrogant teams would not keep their jobs. The best officers would be sought for competing teams - and without tenure would strive to stay the best.

The biggest problem would be in who gets to choose and oversee the teams. Politics is a corrupting influence. There are remedies for political corruption, such as term limits, that go beyond this discussion.

Of course politics is corrupt without police team competition already. Over time many police departments develop their own subculture of corruption. It would be nice to be able to toss them both out and start over.

There are answers out there - most begin with less regulation and smaller government. Private solutions can be created to keep control out of the hands of the four bigs.

To stand this argument on end I will quote Harry Browne - a hero of the efficient government battle. Harry died March first and will be greatly missed for many reasons, his insight into personal freedoms is one.

Read Harry Browne's books if you can find them, How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World, is one - a classic well worth the high used book prices. Maybe your library has a copy.

Harry asked a question that went something like this:


"Would you give up your favorite government program to pay no taxes?"




I doubt if police departments are many people's favorite government program.

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Sunday, March 05, 2006

I'm Not Republican Or Democrat - you can leave now

I almost made this a comment on a political blog.

It is too versatile to waste for one comment that would probably be deleted anyway.

The sad part is - all the comments made to the blog agreed with the one sided absurdity posted.

My comment would have been deleted or ignored - it did not meet their party's doctrine.

Republicans write for republicans - recycling the same biased message. Democrats write for democrats - and are applauded for slanted rewrites of moot issues. They won't read each other - the purity of their political religion might be defiled.

The USA is a theocracy.

The religion is the single party - Democratrepublicanism.

Here is my comment, left here as a general garment - see if it fits your blog
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I'm not republican or a democrat.

I'm sure you have noticed that only people that agree with you read this tripe.

I'm equally sure they would not read something balanced.

It says something about those folks that only seek to reinforce their probable error.

The ignorant eagerly sharing their ignorance - but only with those equally and agreeably ignorant.


I read a blog the other day where they author bragged she could tell if a blog was the other party in the first sentence - and she would read no further.

My guess is she was proud that her political faith was pure.

It also indicates any position slightly different than her position was "the others," - strangers, and enemies.

That is willful ignorance.


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Saturday, March 04, 2006

An Arab Woman Takes A Risk

Just a quick post about freedom and violence.

Considering the way the world is now - this intelligent woman takes a huge risk for civilization.

I have written about the conflict between ignorance and civilization several times - most recently here at the Sovereign Speculator and also at a soon to be general investment site.

The Uncommon Sense blog has posted a similar - but very different - video by a woman that takes an extreme risk to share her viewpoint on an Al-Jazeera news show.

This is well worth the few minutes it will take to watch it.


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Thursday, March 02, 2006

The Magna Carta - The Rebirth Of Freedoms

The Magna Carta was created in 1215 AD and was an important limitation on governmental oppression.

The liberties that became part of the western world were founded in this first step of individual freedoms. In part:

No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, or in any way destroyed, except by the lawful judgment of his peers.

Please join me in a moment of sadness that these liberties for which the west was once famous have joined the Magna Carta as a historical footnote.




More recently we received this warning:

"The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist." - Winston Churchill

If you are thinking you are not part of the problem because your party is pure as driven snow; this is not a Conservative vs. Liberal issue - it is a totalitarian vs, freedom issue.


Be part of a solution
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One final quote:

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson


- Including your freedom.



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