Humanity Crucified on a Cross of Iron

CrossIronA few people remember President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, where he warned Americans about the rise of a military-industrial complex… a warning that was stunningly accurate and almost fully ignored.

What almost no one remembers was Eisenhower’s speech in 1953, when he said that under the pressures of fear and war spending, humanity was “hanging from a cross of iron.” Continue reading “Humanity Crucified on a Cross of Iron”

Just For One Day

NewDayMost people fail to appreciate the fresh opportunity that each day brings them. Their programming requires them to snort derisively at any positive description of humanity. After all, the systems of this world are built upon the assumption that mankind is weak, stupid, and generally inadequate to a moral existence. As a result, most people have become addicted to bad news. Continue reading “Just For One Day”

More Revolutionaries Are Coming

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
– Princess Leia, Star Wars



Assange, Ulbricht, Manning, Snowden… we’ve seen a slow stream of revolutionaries over the past decade or so, a few of whom became well-known. More will be coming.

Revolutionaries(Originally posted in May of 2018.)

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

– Princess Leia, Star Wars

Assange, Ulbricht, Manning, Snowdenwe’ve seen a slow stream of revolutionaries over the past decade or so, a few of whom became well-known. More will be coming. Continue reading “More Revolutionaries Are Coming”

Justice Condemned: The Ross Ulbricht Case

RUJustice(Originally published in May of 2018.) 

I’ve been in and around the US justice system for most of my life. I’ve always had relatives and friends who were lawyers, and I worked as an expert witness for more than 30 years. And however much I may disregard the state as an institution, I hold great regard for the common law, upon which the US justice system was based.

So, when I tell you that Ross Ulbricht’s prosecution shocked me, please understand that this is not the judgment of an antagonist or a neophyte. Continue reading “Justice Condemned: The Ross Ulbricht Case”

The Blessings of Panarchy

Whatever complaints we may have about the US Constitution, it’s hard not to appreciate this phrase in its preamble:
[to] secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…
The problem of course is that the word “liberty” has been so abused that it no longer has a clear meaning. It’s used as a “hooray for us” term and not a great deal more.

PanarchyWhatever complaints we may have about the US Constitution, it’s hard not to appreciate this phrase in its preamble:

[to] secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…

The problem of course is that the word “liberty” has been so abused that it no longer has a clear meaning. Still, I like the phrase, and so I’d like to substitute a fresh term for liberty: panarchy. Continue reading “The Blessings of Panarchy”

ROSC 20: A Storm Warning

rosc20I walked into Jay’s expecting to find Johnny being his usual, gregarious self. And he was, so long as he was greeting people at the bar. Once we sat by ourselves in the restaurant, however, he changed.

I had never seen Johnny scared before. I’d seen him angry, disgusted, and irritated, but not scared. We were barely through the usual “How’s your family?” stuff before he jumped into crypto. Continue reading “ROSC 20: A Storm Warning”