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 THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 501, January 11, 2009 "Complaining won't get you anywhere, so the question really is: what are you doing about all this?"
Send Letters to editor@ncc-1776.org
Re: "What Libertarians Believe" L. Neil Smith and Rylla Cathryn Smith wrote: "Everything that libertarians believe, everything that they propose flows from the Zero Aggression Principle. "Although there seem to be many historical sources, it's unclear who first thought of this extremely simple yet revolutionary formula." It seems to have been implicit in customary (stateless) legal systems going back thousands of years. The ZAP has a very venerable lineage. Kevin S. Van Horn
Thermal Depolymerization Ken, Some time back Neil wrote an interesting article on thermal depolymerization, I have since read more about it, and indeed think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Unlike ethanol, this process just might have some positive effect on our energy needs. Alas, there has been no mention of it at all from the MSM. Has the process proven inefficent or has it just fallen out of favor with the powers that be? Thanks, Tom Curtis
[A search using "thermal depolymerization" from our main page (third column, right under "About Us") will reveal quite a number of articles we've published on this. No doubt a search on google.com or search.yahoo.com would turn up the latest MSM news, if any.—Editor] Congress screws us again Ken, Have you heard of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act? This outlaws the sale of any clothes, toys... anything for kids under 12 unless tested for lead and certain chemicals. For lead it seems to be retroactive, meaning all clothes, toys... anything will not be able to be sold. So all those thrift stores that sell kids stuff will be forced to give up that part of their business which for many of them will be the end of their business. This will also crush the small toy makers, the stay-at-home crafter mom who sells this that or the other, the boutique baby clothes store, and the budding entrepreneur like my youngest daughter who decorates hair clips and sells them to her friends for 50 cents or a dollar. If it is true that used products are going to have to be discarded then that will mean millions of used stock will disappear from the market. I see this as a big win for the big toy and clothes companies who will be able to spread the cost over millions of units. Of course that extra cost does not matter if you are going to making more money anyway because you are forcing your competition (both smaller manufacturers and the resale industry) out of business at the point of a gun. Millions of people struggling to make ends meet and congress decides to make everything that new parents and those raising pre-teens more expensive. Warren Tilson
Congress screws us again Re: Think We're Free? (For those that still think we might be), by A. R. Salyer Dear A. R. Might depend a lot on where you are and what you choose to do: Think we're free? Try sending your child to your local government indoctrination camp (public schools) without paperwork confirming their latest round of vaccines. Why would anyone interested in freedom want to send their children to government schools for any reason, regardless of vaccines? That's a no brainer. Think free: teach them yourself or make other arrangements. Think we're free? Try to open a bank account without having to show your government issued "papers". Why have a bank account in the first place? I don't want or need one. I have no desire to support fractional reserve banking or any of the other abuses. I keep my money at home or invested privately. Think we're free? Try making "too many" withdrawals from you savings account during a month and see what happens. I can make as many "withdrawals" as I please, since I don't depend on a bank. Think we're free? Try telling the policeman at the next road block you stop at you refuse to show your government issued "papers" based on your 4th Amendment rights. At least so far, we don't have "roadblocks" here in Wyoming. Why live in an area filled with gestapo and their "laws?" Vote with your feet. At the same time, KNOW your true rights, KNOW the law and don't be stampeded into doing stupid things if you are confronted with the police. Think we're free? Check your paystub and see how much you "contribute" to the government. I don't work for anyone, and pay no income taxes. I earn what little I need by free exchange with others around me. Not everyone can do this, of course, but the more we do of this, the more we starve the parasite state. Think we're free? Walk into a courtroom carrying a modern military pattern battle rifle and a sidearm and try telling them it is well within your 2nd Amendment rights to do so. Again, it depends a lot on where you live. I openly carry my .45 ACP on my belt at all times, including the courthouse, police station and every single business in the state. The only place I'm "not allowed" to carry is the post office (or other Federal building). I leave to your imagination just what that means to me. Rather than simply complaining about all this, we must take the bull by the horns and DO something about it, even if that means leaving our familiar surroundings and friends for places where freedom still lives, and doing those things to thwart the intrusion and theft of the state where ever we live. Complaining won't get you anywhere, so the question really is: what are you doing about all this? Sincerely,
A.X. Perez says in "Reasonable, Common Sense Regulation" "First of let me state clearly that about the only weapons civilians shouldn't be allowed to own are thermonuclear explosives exceeding five megatons[.]" Sadly, making any consession about what people "should" or "shouldn't" be "allowed" is just an excuse for saying they agree with government. Mr. Perez needs to take a good, hard look at his own preconceptions. Curt Howland
Ken, I have to come down on the side of Manuel Miles ("Of Irony, Ideology and Vocabulary"). And that's even though I myself do not adhere to any particular creed, theist or atheist (that I know of). I used to be more like Neil, handing out gratuitous whacks to religionists left and right whenever the irritation level (of their constantly looking at the world as if God had something to do with it—the nerve!) got too high. Then I got older and, I hope, a bit wiser. I read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". I calmed down. Most importantly, I learned to let the expression "Praise God" (and any derivative thereof) roll off my back with a smile. As Miles points out, Global Warming IS science. Science is a human institution, and therefore far, far from perfection. I say this as someone with some familiarity, having a degree in a scientific "discipline". It is rather silly to put faith in a human institution, although admittedly certain scientific ideals may be a bit more reputable. But the same is true of certain religious ideals. Anyway, one has to ask the question, "who benefits from religious strife?" The answer is the same as the answer to "who benefits from racial strife?" The ruling class benefits. It behooves us not to fall into this trap, and not to unnecessarily alienate potential friends. The main reason to stop, though, is that it was good for me, and it would be good for Neil too. Life is much better when you stop looking down your nose at other people who are not harming you. Better for YOU, not only for the people you are sneering at. Neil wrote, "I don't care about anybody's religion as long as they keep it in their pants.". What a strange thing to say. I'd counter, "Let them say what they want, think what they want. That's freedom for you. It harms me not at all." In fact I enjoy when my friends feel they can talk this way without expecting a sneer from me for it. It draws me further into their company and their good will. And I like that. Paul Bonneau
FWD: Sign > I placed a sign in my front yard.
Anson Macdonald
Obama Body Count In the spirit of the banner Scott Bieser and I created to go with L. Neil Smith's There's No Such Thing As "Goodminton", I have created ObamaBodyCount.org. It provides two web counters, suitable for inclusion on your web site. One counts non-combatant deaths in Iraq since Obama's election, using the numbers published by IraqBodyCount.org. The other counts coalition forces deaths in Iraq since Obama's election, using the numbers published by icasualties.org. Click one of the "how to put this on your web site" links, below the counter images on the site, for HTML code you can copy and paste. Bill St. Clair
Dear Neil, I told you a few days ago that my friend, Richard Blake, was having a new novel published on the 5th February this year. I now discover that Marian Halcombe has obtained an advance copy of the novel and has reviewed it at some length here. I have promised Mr Blake that I would ask everyone I knew to make links to this review from whatever blogs or mailing lists to which they had access. Best regards, Sean Gabb
Linkedin Details: www.linkedin.com/in/seangabb
FREE download of my book—Cultural Revolution, Culture War: How Conservatives Lost England, and How to Get It Back Re: "Spinach and Martial Law", by Manuel Miles
I do hope that works, Manuel. Unfortunately, most rapists don't respond well to "NO, STOP!" And when shouting "STOP" doesn't help, the logical thing for a gal to do is pull her gun and shoot the bastard. I'm afraid that we've run out of non-violent, reasonable, rational arguments with these bastards and will have to be prepared to shoot whether we like it or not. It is long past time for self defense. I'm all done demonstrating, writing letters and complaining about it after more than 40 years trying to "work within the system." I've withdrawn from contact with the bastards as much as possible. They can either leave me alone or attempt the rape. Their choice. I've already made mine—and so have a lot of other people. I carry a gun openly, all the time. The chance that a non-government rapist would consider me a suitably helpless victim is pretty remote. Unfortunately, those of us who are actually prepared to resist in a meaningful manner are few in number, so there isn't much deterrent value yet, but we will never allow ourselves to be disarmed. I don't think there's any chance the government can be talked out of trying to do just that. There will be NO "massive" demonstrations or boycotts, simply because the majority of people are happy to be slaves and sheep, with the nanny state to keep them "safe." By the time they realize it has all been a lie, it will be too late for them to do anything except die like all the other helpless—DISARMED—sheep in history. Susan Callaway, Editor
Currently Cold Steel (a knife maker) is running a joke of the week promo. I have submitted two jokes to them. I have won one combo marker/yarawa (A Sharkie) and a knife (a Kudu). Apparently my jokes are so horrid I need to be armed to defend myself if I tell them in public. Actually they were the prizes offered for jokes. Anyhow Cold Steel is offers a wide variety of kitchen, working and fighting knives and other sporting and self defense items (I'm sure most of you know this but there may be one or two people this letter is addressed to that aren't knife people at all.) Check out their web site (coldsteel.com) and order either directly from them or from Cutlery Shoppe (cutleryshoppe.com) or buy at a local retailer. Over the years I've gotten good service from their products and I guess it won't hurt to plug them to my friends, seeing as they're giving me free stuff. A.X. Perez
[El Neil and I (and Dangerous Pat) are fond of Cold Steel products.—Editor]
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