(Originally published in 2014)
I was recently involved in a day of meetings with small business owners in the American Midwest. It was both encouraging and sad at the same time. Continue reading “A Report from Middle America”
(Originally published in 2014)
I was recently involved in a day of meetings with small business owners in the American Midwest. It was both encouraging and sad at the same time. Continue reading “A Report from Middle America”
The Armenian Genocide was a systematic extermination that occurred during World War One, mostly in 1915. The killers were Ottoman Turks: agents and soldiers of that government, as well as eager civilians. Continue reading “The Forgotten Holocaust”
Humanity stands about halfway between gorillas and gods. The great question that looms over us, is this: “Which will we incorporate into our lives? Primate things or God things?” Continue reading “Are You a Gorilla or a God?”
(Originally published in October of 2013)
You may have heard that Silk Road – the truly free online market – was taken down today, by the FBI. In response, the price of Bitcoin crashed 24%.
Yet here I am – just a few hours later, feeling very optimistic. Why? Because the philosophy of freedom just showed itself to be massively stronger than statism and its “don’t think, just obey” philosophy. Continue reading “This Is Why Bitcoin Couldn’t Be Stopped”
Several years ago I received a jury summons. And while I detested the barbaric “show up or else” aspect of it, I did appreciate juries as a last ditch measure against tyranny. (Years ago I spent some time with Larry Dodge, the founder of the Fully Informed Jury Association, and I’ve been a fan ever since.) Continue reading “Why Juries Get Verdicts Wrong”
As I look back on my early work, I see too many cases of trying to accommodate hostile opponents… too much effort spent on making my arguments unassailable. And I see that it was wasted effort.
It’s time to unchain ourselves from apologetics. It’s time to accept that we are right and to act like it. We’ve already explained ourselves quite publicly and quite well. Those who want to know will know; those who prefer not to know will maintain their shells. Continue reading “We Must Stop Apologizing”
(Originally published in 2013.)
“There is a lot of ruin in a nation,” wrote Adam Smith, and what he meant was that it takes a long time for nations to fall, even when they’re dead on their feet. And he was certainly right.
America took its fatal blow in 1913, one hundred years ago; it just hasn’t hit the ground yet. This is a slow process, but it’s actually fast compared to the Romans. It took them several centuries to collapse. Continue reading “The Blow That Ended America 100 Years Ago”
I was downtown last Thursday and ended up with an hour to kill before my train home, so I went down the station’s back stairs and around the corner to Jay’s Bar. It was almost six o’clock, so the crowd was a mix of corporate suits buying expensive vodka, tradesmen enjoying decent beer, and jobless neighborhood guys drinking cheap beer. I ordered something inoffensive and watched to see if any of my old Cypherpunk pals would show up. Continue reading “The Fascist’s Guide to Business Success”
In any negotiation, the one with power is the one who can walk away. If you can’t walk, you have no power and you won’t get what you want.
I bring this up because a couple of billion people have entered relationships in which they have no power at all, and who are being intentionally used. More than that, this relationship carries a chemical component, making it an addiction. Continue reading “The 21st Century Addictions”
There has been no more important teacher in human history than Jesus of Nazareth. Not only was Western civilization (the civilization that eliminated slavery, spawned science and unleashed production) based upon his teachings, but more than two billion people still look to him as the most crucial man ever to have lived.
And yet, this must be said… Continue reading “The Jesus Challenge”