The idea of protecting our kids from the harm of school certainly crossed our minds while deciding to help our daughter attend pre-school. Our son went to the same pre-school (in a government elementary school), and had a lot of fun and still chose to come home for Kindergarten, and continues to choose home. He’s…
Category: Two Cents
On Back to School
My almost-5-year-old daughter asked us recently if she could go to school. When we asked her why, she responded, “Because I’ve never been. I just want to check it out.” As our children have complete liberty to chart their own course in life, we couldn’t very well prevent her from going to preschool without coming…
On Intervention
A friend recently analogized the US Government intervening in a foreign dispute (Iraq, for example) with me intervening in a mugging. This is a poor analogy. In the latter, my willingness to intervene depends greatly on not only the power I wield, say a gun, but also the costs of intervention, ie. the potentialities of…
On State Misconduct
I’m skeptical that state misconduct, whether in the form of state spying or police abuse, is any sort of modern phenomenon. The incentives on behavior of those who enjoy a monopoly privilege on the production of some good or service are timeless. What is not timeless, however, is the technology we use to expose state…
On the State
The state claims a monopoly on the provision of law and order, of government. Monopolizing the provision of law and order gives one the pseudo-authority to claim what is or is not legal, and the pseudo-authority of enforcement. Theoretically, any conceivable action we could take can be made illegal by the state. Therefore, any conceivable…
On Mass Murder III
One of the first steps toward wisdom, it is said, is calling things by their real name. Weapons of Mass Destruction are necessarily destructive toward criminally-innocent people and their property, because they can’t be pinpointed. Therefore, anytime, say, an atomic or nuclear bomb is used, the result is the intentional killing of innocent people and…
On “I Liked School”
It’s not very common, but I’ve heard other adults tell me that they liked school growing up in response to my saying that I, and most people I knew, hated it. I’m sure they did like school, or at least, liked it better than the alternatives, which likely did not include staying home and pursuing their…
On Aggression
To initiate aggression (uninvited property boundary crossing) is to become a predator, and predators are estopped from objecting to predation. Attack me or my property all you want, but your actions will justify my defending myself and attacking you back. You can’t justify your predation, but I can justify my self-defense and retaliatory aggression through…
On Power
Without regard to intentions, what one is seeking when he is seeking political office is power. Whether it’s for dismantling the state or expanding it, power is seen by the office-seeker as necessary to obtain. They want something done that they are currently powerless to do. They believe that with enough power, they can finally move…
On Something Therapeutic
I just thought I’d share something I’ve found therapeutic when browsing Facebook and other bastions of online discussion. When somebody says something where your first instinct is to respond either knee-jerk or with passion, type out your response, get it all out, let the passion flow. And then hit Ctrl-A, then Delete. I do this…