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The end of the line is: the government has a legitimate concern regarding public health. It does have a moral authority to require the minimum of protective measures in situations that merit it. Outside, masks probably ain’t doing much, but in a crowded bus or airplane? Masks are probably a good idea. Can the government over-reach and step over the bounds of this authority? Sure, and they do it all the time. We are privileged in this country to be able to push back and say, “No, this is too much.” I’m constantly told by many people, mostly moderates, about how the government is helpful, the government is necessary, and that our government (being at its core a democracy) has faults but is “the best way.” I don’t think it is the best way. I really don’t. I don’t believe in unfettered democracy for everyone where everybody gets to decide anything. I’m not alone; when pressed, most people actually don’t. Yet, at the same time, all these government apologists often turn their heels when it comes to an issue that upsets them, that inconveniences them, like wearing a mask. Suddenly, it’s a whole different issue, and if I were to tell them the same advice they tell me, well, it’s just different, alright! ... [Read More]

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[Mr. Biddle] (you) propose[s] that religionists and secularists alike can form a unified reason-based movement in support of freedom. But they can’t, as anything that finds its foundation in the religion of the religionists is irrational, thus they can’t be reason-based. The idea is and has always been, to move people to abandon the faith-based concept and embrace the reason-based concept. Religionists, being religionists, by definition won’t do that (lest they not be religionists). This idea of a “unified front” is contradictory and unachievable, and it [hinders] advocacy. “Religionists,” being those that are not just theists, but support a particular religion, are referred to as “religionists” because they are characterized in everything they say and do by their chosen religion. Just like you might be characterized as an Objectivist because everything you propose here is supposedly founded in Rand’s philosophy. ... [Read More]

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You do NOT have to register your domain with a “search engine registration” company to be listed on most major search engines. There is no such actual service. Search engines do NOT rely on these companies for information whatsoever (to my knowledge) as they go to great lengths to develop their own software that finds and indexes sites. As stated, be wary of any “search engine” (not necessarily a directory) that requires you to have to pay to be listed. As well, be VERY wary of ANY site that asks for a SIGNATURE. Your mileage may vary. UPDATE: Name Cheap, Moniker Online Services, and the host of this alleged scam Host Key have been notified of this alleged scam. They have done NOTHING to stop it. I am confident in my opinion that any investigation into this would reveal it as a scam, as it has historically been determined. I have notified them repeatedly via social media and the proper abuse forms and I have gotten almost no response. They refuse to do anything about this alleged scam, and I can only surmise they don’t care that their services are being used to allegedly scam people. Despicable. ... [Read More]

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At the beginning of their relationship (and eventual marriage), my well-read father told my mother there were certain books that she should read if she wished to understand his inner person. One of them was Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Others may have included Atlas Shrugged and The Seth Material, but these are ambiguous and unconfirmed. I went on to also read all of these and more, including most of Rand’s works and the entire Jane Robert’s/Seth canon. Earlier in his youth, my father also became a big fan of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame. This appreciation stuck with him for the rest of his life. I think, in many ways, it served as a sort of nostalgic link to the past. It’s no surprise then that I spent hours listening to Tull through casual exposure and intent exploration. I think that Jethro Tull and Rammstein were probably his two favorite bands, as he’d listen to the latter while reloading ammunition in the basement during his alone time. On a side note, we had no idea until less than a year before his death that he spoke German fluently. Such was the man. ... [Read More]

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There is no cultural “debate” or position I personally find more absurd and trivial than the alleged “War On Christmas” within the United States, my current and native residence. It was obtusely packed to the brim with the now sadly familiar demagoguery and misinformation we’ve come to expect daily. I feel it really reached its peak and actually piqued my interest again with a 2015 “viral” video starring Joshua Feuerstein (more on him in a moment). Joshua proclaimed that Starbucks had “caved” to “political correctness” and virtually eliminated the mention and celebration of Christmas from its demesne and forbade employees from wishing anyone a “Merry Christmas!” This was a sign of things to come and was a development that didn’t escape my attention. Many people ignored it, laughed at it as dumb, and thought these types of yahoos were just as frivolous as the very grievances they were making up. Undoubtedly it was foolish; with war, famine, slavery, and other tragedies occurring worldwide, we’re worried about a Starbucks cup? However, as I had been trying to point out to those who would listen from approximately 2002 onward, this controversy really should’ve been opening people’s eyes. ... [Read More]

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We went to this H & R Block during the pandemic to file our 2019 taxes which included a joint filing because of a marriage, and an LLC to be taxed as a Partnership. We provided all paperwork, including my independent contractor papers, ahead of time to Marty Powers. When we arrived Marty hurriedly stepped through the filing without asking many questions, and I had to remind her upon review of the screen that *I* also had income and should be part of the filing. I had my contractor tax forms that she handed back to us in my hand, and had to show her that it was my name. These were forms she had two weeks to review. This was a sign of things to come. Upon review of the screen and the initial papers, we had no real reason to believe that our LLC was being filed incorrectly as a sole proprietorship. We are also not the tax experts in this situation, and for example, didn’t even know that partnerships had to be filed a month earlier. Turns out Marty, having asked no questions, filed our LLC partnership paperwork incorrectly. ... [Read More]

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The core of assholery is that in some way, spiritually, mentally, or behaviorally, the asshole is an egotist as opposed to an egoist. An egoist holds their life and fulfillment as the prime value, whereas an egotist sees their life and existence as the only possible value. An egoist recognizes others as like themselves and appreciates their virtues as they reflect his/her own. An egotist sees others as alien entities to either align with or conquer, reward or punish, and step on or serve on their perceived path to greater power, happiness, enlightenment, or salvation. An egoist pursues the retention and expansion of these values, being people and their wealth, against time’s attrition. To an egotist, everything is disposable, as nothing exists beyond their aggrandizement, and so he/she continually uses, abuses, and ultimately destroys. An egoist has no reason to skirt the benevolence of the principles of respect and esteem for themselves or others and acts accordingly. The egotist has no goodwill, only convenient facades fashioned by their loyalties, partisanship, and their flattering support of themselves. The only way an egoist remains at the peak of their actualization is by tending to and strengthening the foundation. In contrast, the egotist must tear anything in reach down so that he/she remains the tallest. The evolution of an egoist is an expansion of grace protected by an equitable rage against injustice. Egotists are like statues, never growing and continuously endeavoring towards greater rigidity lest their frail structures crumble. ... [Read More]

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And that’s the story of The Clasheerian Order and the disaster that was On Being Different. The sweat and tears, the sadness and the joy, the frustration, and the pain, the mental illness, it’s all there in one incredibly ugly-beautiful boom that lasted a couple of years. Twenty-plus years later, I’m astonished that any of it happened at all. I wasn’t in a city; I didn’t have a large population to pique interest, I had absolutely no social media, yet I amassed about 45-50 people. I created a movement, albeit microscopic, in a place you wouldn’t imagine simply because I acted on an idea. I look back on all the joys, fun, and terrible anger and arguments because I followed an idea. Stuck in a mundane, quiet mountain town, I dreamed that I could reach different worlds. I traveled so far in my imagination and tried so very, very hard. Eventually, I laid an egg that was beautiful and fun but eventually exploded, embedding shrapnel in all of us. And this was all because I wasn’t satisfied with what was around me and had an idea. One idea of mine turned into all of that. ... [Read More]

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The mission for Chraki is as follows: Provide a consistently effective modeling environment for experiential reality, via fundamental abstract organizational processes, that allows for maximum (not optimal) expressive power and freedom in an aesthetically unique and engaging way that celebrates unconventionality and individualism. Due to part of the mission being “maximum … expressive power” we have the following guideline for design: Expressiveness – The first and by far most important design principle to adhere to is one of expressive power. Simply because Chraki can be used for “dry” practical purposes does not preclude it from being nuanced and detailed in its varied expression. This is the guiding principle that drives such decisions as making every “codification” (word) able to be used in any form (adverb, adjective, verb, etc.) I interpret this to mean: even if something may be nonsense, one should still be equally able to construct it. This isn’t groundbreaking. You can construct nonsense using just about any language although you may have to break a few grammatical rules. This is an important distinction though. Once you expect or know that a codification may fall into any lexical category it will influence how you might go about its definition. Likewise, a writer/reader may find new meaning in using a codification in an unexpected way. This may not be as easily expressed in more standard language construction. This separation also serves to drive home the philosophical ideology that abstract thought occurs without the allegedly necessary language (the signifier). This is opposed to the other way around. ... [Read More]

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Let’s get back to Zoltan. This man is making a presidential bid on a platform of what he calls “transhumanism.” I look forward to the transhuman future where I will once again be more than human. But, it turns out that within only a smattering of Facebook posts on his page, Zoltan has ended up deserving such companions as those found in Ayn Rand International. I don’t pretend to know Zoltan’s full career or his entire twenty-point plan for the country (maybe someday I’ll post about that specifically). I actually don’t want to know, as it would be a waste of time insofar as these posts illustrate his thought process. The following exchanges on Facebook will help make clear what I mean. ... [Read More]