The biggest threat to my liberty and safety are not Muslims, nor even radical Muslims. In fact, the biggest threat to me are statists. A statist is someone who believes in political authority, that some people are entitled to rule, that is, to wage war against the self-interests of others using any means necessary (compulsory…
Category: Two Cents
On Violence
Why do people act? Ultimately, to remove felt uneasiness. This is the basic need behind every other need that human life (at least) entails. When the means to achieve this end aren’t available for peaceful acquisition, people will employ violence. People will employ violence. I repeat that for effect. Ideas and ideologies are not and…
On Perpetuating Ignorance
I witnessed recently a busy grandmother telling a toddler “no, no” when the latter was trying to grab at a curious looking empty drinking glass. The toddler persisted, which caused the grandmother to threaten a time-out. Aside from the obviously silly threat of punishment for being curious, the greater crime committed by the grandmother in…
On Self-Interest
A powerful question that I have been grappling with the last few years is: Who am I living for? I’ve been grappling with this ever since I’ve begun considering the possibility that this life is all we get. The answer that I have settled on for now is: myself. When I think about what it…
On Social Obligations
Elders in every age complain about the rising “disrespectfulness” of the coming generations. “Kids these days” don’t show the same respect for others, including their elders, as kids used to, or so it goes. What is called “disrespect” seems to me more often than not the willful disregard for social obligation. It is “disrespectful” to…
On Big State Libertarians
When libertarians argue that because we live in a statist society we should advocate for the state to perform functions that private owners would in a stateless society – things like border control and crime prevention – what they are in essence advocating is the growth or enlargement of the state apparatus. There is absolutely…
On Closed-Border Libertarians
Closed-border libertarians, such as Lew Rockwell and Hans Hoppe are in essence arguing that because the State can’t or won’t keep the loot its stolen out of the hands of immigrants, we should call on the State to send its murderous goons to secure its imaginary border. Further, such a call is a de facto…
On “Illegals”
Undocumented immigrants only reside in their new home illegally if the laws against their being there apply to them. How can we say that they do? What evidence is there that so-called immigration laws apply to any immigrant? First it must be established on what basis immigration laws exist. Supposedly, they exist on the basis…
On Surveillance
Thinking about little microphones and cameras all over your house and neighborhood is a creepy and enraging thing; this idea that someone may be recording my every noise and move for current or future viewing. Raise your hand if you find something like that unjustifiably invasive, unethical, and, dare I say, evil. Does it even…
On Social Concepts
While it might be unpopular to say, I feel I must say it: in my thoughtful opinion, social concepts like property, justice, law, and rights are not really what volumes written about them say they are, rather, they are simply whatever concerned people agree they are. When people come together to negotiate and agree on…