Jeffery Small

Syllogism:
* Freedom is the absence of force.
* Force is the absence of freedom.

----------

Individualism is the philosophy that embodies the pursuit of freedom.

Authoritarianism is the philosophy that embodies the naked use of force.

Pragmatism is the philosophy that states that it is pursing "freedom" through the use of force. It is merely a lie used to attempt to conceal a preference for force over freedom.

----------

Endless hours of debating endless topics can all be reduced down to the simple formula stated above. Ultimately, you either come down on the side of freedom or force. The choice is an absolute: freedom prohibits the initiation of every form of force while any application of force immediately destroys freedom. There is no "pragmatic" middle-ground.

Pick your side and then be honest about it -- both with yourself as well as with others.

And for anyone who chooses freedom, let's please stop providing intellectual cover for others who advocate the use of force, regardless of the context. Call them out on their position, identifying the means they choose to employ and leave it at that. Debating the use of force under any circumstance only provides an unearned intellectual veneer for what is always plain old thuggery.

On Guy Fawkes Day, let's remember what V said:

"People should not be afraid of their government.
Government should be afraid of their people."
--
V for Vendetta

On election day, I thought it was appropriate to point out a significant error that I see cropping up in most political discussion, by people advocating for liberty.

To put it simply and directly, people argue far too often about removing or blocking an issue or policy that affects rights, focusing, on the harm done to the individual, where I would argue that the focus should instead be on the government power that is being used to implement the abuse in the first place.

For example, one of many libertarians favorite issues is to argue that drug laws should be eliminated -- focusing on the restrictions to freedom of choice they represent. I would argue that the real problem is that the government has the power to implement such laws in the first place and the issue isn't drugs, but a government that has gone far beyond its proper purpose of protecting the rights of the people. The focus of the drug arguments should shift to restricting government reach rather than asking for a repeal of a restriction that should never have been able to be enacted in the first place.

Or consider the hot topic of boys being allowed to play in girl's sports and use girl's restrooms, locker rooms, etc. The focus of most people is on the harm being done to the children and argue to change the specific policies. I strongly suggest that the important issue is that government shouldn't be involved in education in any manner whatsoever. This is where the real problem lies and the full thrust of efforts should be to limit government from entering the educational arena in any capacity. Were this the case, the problem, if it ever came up, would be a limited and local one that could and would be addressed by parents directly.

The same applies to issues involving healthcare, energy, transportation, welfare, and so much more. These are areas of serious government overreach and it is the government, as the source of the problems, that should be curtailed, not the impossible tactic of trying to wack down an unending series of bad policies that multiply faster than could ever be addressed.

It may seem that addressing the problem of putting government back into its proper constitutional straitjacket that limits it capacity to act outside of strictly defined boundaries is too big a problem and it's better to deal with specific policies where there is a chance of change. Well, look at the history of government over the past 100+ years and see what that approach has wrought. I suggest that it is precisely because citizens have abdicated the fight for individual rights and a strictly limited government that the leviathan has been allowed to grow to what we see today. It is time to start playing the long game and work to restore government to what was properly expressed in the Declaration of Independence:

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men"

Welcome to the healthiest day of the year, when circadian rhythms that have been disrupted for eight months, causing no end of harm and deaths, are finally released from their prison and returned to the wilds where they can once again roam free. Minds that were being constrained can now function properly and the average IQ in the US just increased by 14 points!*

Just don't tell anyone that there is still a one hour sunlight difference between the eastern and western ends of each and every timezone, as that will disrupt more than circadian rhythms! :-)

Another good one! :-)