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Can we discuss some core principles of justice and liberty? The following strike me as the most rational basis for measuring crime. I'm sure there are issues that are incredibly complicated, but this seems to me the best foundation for resolving them. Source If there is no victim, there is no…

One of my first posts here was A Day in the Life of a Mobile Librarian. I have since returned to a job at a more normal library, but I still have one monthly outreach delivery. I am writing this post to honor the passing of one of my library patrons, an octogenarian who resided at the assisted…

I have been on a significant history binge for a few years now. By no means do I claim to be a scholar, and I admit my skimming of history has been broad rather than deep, but it has been sufficient to help me see how shallow the school system's version has been. As a home-schooled student, I was a step ahead of my peers on scholarly matters already, but even then, it conveyed an understanding so scant as to be hardly useful at all. As I write this post, the latest podcast episode from Our Fake History is entitled, "Is the Renaissance a Myth? (Part 1)." The host, Sebastian Major, discusses…

Do you not find it strange that everything in life is expected to occur under government supervision? We are told we must gain permission to travel, to build on our property, and to get licenses from the State to practice many professions despite the complete ignorance of the political class…

Michael's had a sale on beads for President's Day, so I picked up a few new items. Some of them went into these projects. Ioffer my apologies for the poor quality of cell phone snapshots in bad lighting. Left: steampunk charms on a chain. I thought the keys needed some embellishment, so I used the…

Stretching the Definition of "Home-Made" I recently made pizza using a store-bought crust and store-bought pesto along with my usual non-dairy cheese substitute. Pesto-based pizza is a new experiment. I usually use a tomato sauce base, but experimenting at home means I can try whatever crazy ideas…

Hmm. An aluminum can containing a stout from an Oregon microbrewery with hops as the logo. This could be an over-hopped nightmare. Dare we give it a go? The stats: 30 IBU, 7.7 ABV. The pitch: Look up Our ode to starry, starry nights. Hints of vanilla, coffee & nutty flavors with a smooth, creamy…

The other day, I decided to make a special trip over to Post Falls, Idaho to tour the Buck Knives factory and check out some other outdoors-related stores nearby. The Buck reception area is quite nice. A huge fireplace dominates one wall, and there is a cozy seating area between the fireplace and…

This is a combination of two earlier posts on Steemit. They created considerable uproar from veterans who were outraged that I would dare imply even the slightest possibility that veterans fought for freedom. So what am I doing here? Doubling down by editing the two columns together and reposting it somewhere else, of course! Most military veterans claim to have "fought for my freedom." Many claim to still stand ready to defend it today, and the current (2019/2020) dispute over firearm freedom in Virginia includes a lot of veterans who say they're ready to fight for freedom there.

I learned in school that governments were, "...instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,..." as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. I have also been told that this obligates everyone to submit to the restrictions imposed on us by…

In the simplest definition, a consequence is the effect of an action or the result of a choice. There are consequences to everything we do. In fact, one of the defining aspects of humanity is that we apply our ability to reason so we can choose actions in order to achieve desired consequences or…

Why doesn't anyone ever see the collapse coming in Communist countries? There are always red flags everywhere! Jokes aside, I want to make a distinction between totalitarian regimes and communist anarchists. I think there is room for a clear separation of the concepts, regardless of my opinions…

The principles of individualism and liberty are not complicated, and the benefits are readily demonstrated, but people still cling to the religion of The State despite all reason and evidence. Why is their indoctrination so effective, and what cognitive dissonance do we need to help them overcome…

The original MacGyver show from the 1980s was cheesy, and had a loose and tangential connection to scientific reality most of the time. But it had a certain charm despite its many and deep flaws. The new show does not have that charm. It basically just ticks all the trope boxes as fast as it can…

I recently started playing Sunless Sea, and I think it's one of the most amazing games I have ever tried. It's on par with Portal, although it is a completely different genre. Sunless Sea is a bit hard to describe. It's an exploration game with elements of role-playing.

Gun ownership is not an unusual thing where I live. Many people here will gladly discuss what firearms they own, and most of the rest just figure it's none of anyone else's business and keep it to themselves. There are a fair number of Californians and other out-of-state immigrants who adhere to…

In an emergency, who is really the first responder? It is those facing the emergency. It is not the cops, firefighters, or paramedics. It could be you. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand in your home and car. Learn CPR and first aid. Study self-defense. Carry a gun if you can.

The library where I work is next to the town's elementary school, and on every school day at 3:05 PM we are swarmed with kids. Most are more interested in accessing our wi-fi for their tablets, or using our computers to play Minecraft, but some are also after homework space or reference materials…

One of the regular visitors at the library where I work is The Girl Who Knocks. She seems bright, and has an interest in a wide range of topics, often asking us to request books from other libraries on odd subjects. However, she also has some quirks. The most obvious is her habit of loudly…

Patrick F. McManus is an outdoorsman and humorist hailing from the northwestern United States, and his column was a regular feature for forty years in Outdoor Life and Field & Stream, two popular nationwide hunting and fishing periodicals. I cannot recommend his short story collections highly…