Episode 446 has Skyler giving his commentary on a quote by Bertrand Russell on the idea that some questions and opinions aren’t open to discussion; by Thomas Jefferson on disobeying unjust laws; by Francis Mahaffy on the concept of “social justice” and the damage it does to justice; and by Mahatma Gandhi on the inhumanity that is the use of coercion.
Tag: justice
The “Democratic Centralism” of COVID
The anonymous author of the satirical “Homeless Camping in Austin: A Modest Proposal” has also sent me this more serious guest post. The title is mine. “Democratic centralism,” you may recall, is the Leninist practice of demanding strict loyalty to a party line after a (usually perfunctory) debate. Printed with the author’s permission.
Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?
President Donald Trump should pardon Edward Snowden. Who? I know, it’s embarrassing—Assange, Manning, Snowden… Who did what?
Protection or Pain Treatment: Choosing Between Your Gun and Medical Marijuana
If you’ve ever filled out a Form 4473, you’re familiar with the Question 11e: “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or other controlled substance?” In case you thought there was any ambiguity with regard to medical marijuana, you were wrong.
Aaron W. Returns, Leaving California for Texas, & Child Protective Services Ordeal (57m) – Episode 435
Episode 435 welcomes back Aaron White to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: leaving California and the many reasons for doing so such as living expense, new Democrat Party supermajority in local politics, and the charter school crackdown; moving to Texas, specifically the Dallas / Ft. Worth metro area; social justice and woke ideology verse unschooling and free schooling principles; he and his family’s recent experience with California’s Child Protective Services; why every lawyer he talked to advised him to comply with CPS as thoroughly as possible, the opposite advice they give when dealing with police officers (ie. keep your mouth shut); how child protective services may exist in a free society and the question of “skin in the game” for these kinds of allegations; and more.
The Most Dangerous Thing About Marijuana
I’m writing this column as an open letter to my state’s US Senators (Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott). I encourage you to write to yours as well, and if you like any of the language herein, feel free to “steal” it. Dear Senators Rubio and Scott, On December 4, the US House of Representatives … Continue reading The Most Dangerous Thing About Marijuana
Shepard’s Journey, Former Cop, Voluntaryism, & Spreading Liberty (59m) – Episode 426
Episode 426 welcomes Shepard the Voluntaryist to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: knowing Carl Watner intimately and his work at Voluntaryist.com; Watner introducing both Skyler and Shepard to Stoicism; his discovery of Ron Paul, and then Murray Rothbard, Walter Block, Larken Rose, et al; his 10 year career as a police officer, 2 of which were as a prison guard; capitalism versus corporatism; growing up with the Mennonites, but later becoming an atheist; Marc Stevens’ method of challenging state jurisdiction; the wisdom in avoiding the cops; why the BLM protests over the some had the wrong grievance about injustice; a story of a prison inmate getting beat up for flushing a toilet, and how asking about why this happened to a fellow prison guard got him ostracized; why spreading the ideas of liberty, planting seeds, is a very slow process; fun strategies to repel cops; and more.
Special Children, Prison Bail Inequality, & Disney Princesses as Role Models (36m) – Episode 424
Episode 424 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/unpopularopinion: MassLax writes, “We HAVE to stop telling kids they’re special.”; tarababygirl writes, “Being able to pay your way out of jail shouldn’t be a thing.”; and ShinyAwesomeYT writes, “Disney princesses are terrible role models for children”.
New Problems in Other Directions
How long have people been voting “for” one candidate, for the sole purpose of voting against another one, while saying, “at least it’s a step in the right direction”? I’ve even seen some people who call themselves anarchists doing this. But no, it’s never a step in the right direction. At best, it’s a step in a different wrong direction.
America in Transition: Two Things Donald Trump Can Do to Burnish His Legacy
If Joe Biden is locked in as the next president of the United States, Donald Trump has more than two months remaining in office. During that time, there are several steps he can and should take to burnish his legacy and set himself up to be remembered more kindly than his first four years and ten months in office might otherwise merit. Here are two of them.