I oppose the death penalty. I oppose incarceration. I oppose involuntary commitment. I oppose fines paid to the state. The only “penalty” I support is making restitution to one’s victims in the case that they suffered real and articulable harm as a direct result of one’s actions.
Tag: peace
The Value of the Reformation: Reply to Somin
My friend Ilya Somin has written a detailed critique of my doubts about the Protestant Reformation. Here’s my reply.
Statism’s Foundation
Statism is based on lies. Without lies it evaporates like a single drop of water skittering across the hot surface of a wood stove in January. Not just the classic Orwellian “War is peace” lies, but lies most people don’t even notice.
True Humility is Leaving Others to Live in Freedom (7m) – Peaceful Anarchism 026
Peaceful Anarchism 026, “Humans are not mathematical equations. They are sentient beings with free will. They must be respected as such. One cannot assume to know what another sentient human being considers valuable or prioritizes. That is committing the fundamental folly of the violent ruler who rules by force and coercion.”
Christian’s Journey, Future Unschooling Dad (1h10m) – Episode 091
Episode 091 welcomes Christian Vander Veur to the podcast for a chat with Skyler. Topics include: voluntaryist dating, Republican Mormon upbringing, post-mission blues, religion and atheistic agnosticism, the possibilities of an afterlife, his plans to unschool his future children, many of Skyler’s experiences with unschooling his kids, peaceful parenting, and more.
Rights – Reciprocal or Absolute?
First off, let’s get this out of the way: if rights are imaginary, then no one has any rights, including the right to rule, so that gets rid of the specter of “legitimate government” (among other atrocities) right off the bat. Go in peace and do what you’re going to do– subject to what others are willing to put up with.
Creating the Elegance of Simplicity & Focus in Your Work Day
Our days can feel like a crazy sea of distraction, stress, busyness and overwhelm. We can get lost in that sea, and it’s hard to figure out how to find mindfulness and focus in the middle of it all. The answer, I’ve repeatedly found, is in the pure elegance of simplicity.
The Voluntaryist Constitution, an Oxymoron?
Trey Goff had an interesting article published at Mises.org outlining what he is calling a “voluntaryist constitution.” Can such a thing even exist? I don’t believe it could exist as anything more than an ideological creed. I thought it’d be fun to scrutinize the so-called voluntaryist constitution from my particular voluntaryist perspective.
Humans are Capable of Both Peace and Violence
People like to debate whether humans are born with either the natural inclination for peace or for violence. I believe this is a false dichotomy. I think history has proven that humans are born with both the natural inclinations for peace and for violence.
The Incredible Progress of Daily Practice
Lately in my life, I’ve been repeatedly reminded of the power of practicing something regularly. Daily is best, I’ve learned, but several times a week works well too. You’d be surprised how much progress you can make with even a small amount of practice, applied regularly.