Due to the disaster in the Four Corners (massive flooding and destruction), everyone associated with The Price of Liberty is going to be tied up for the next 8-10 days working to get as much done as possible.
Therefore, we do not expect to publish any commentary during that period, due to both time and access challenges: many areas that we will be working in do not have power or even cellular service.
Please do what you can to help the people down in that area of CO, NM, AZ, and UT.
To most Americans, Kim Jong Il is a clown: his suits, that haircut, his boasting and petty games all make him an object of ridicule and laughter. The people he surrounds himself with are another reason, as seen in the picture below. The elderly senior military leaders, always shown as subservient to him, in their oversized saucer caps, chests full of ribbons, and obvious shows of puffed-up confidence come across as a satirical parody of a real military. You understand, like the US or UK, Iran, or China. A modern version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.
At the same time, we recognize that the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) all but worship him and his family as gods. And are under virtually total control of him and his apparat. Indeed, the younger soldiers do, in the sense of the Greek words translated “worship” (to pay homage and to serve). Whether they are the athletic female troops marching in their swirling micro-skirts or the short, skinny grunts in utilities uniforms that seem to date from the 1950s, they are clearly devoted and willing to kill and die for “Communism” and Kim.
Continue readingWell, we hope so, and probably will be the end in most States and localities.
But…
It is with disgust that we are STILL seeing political ads on line both late last night and this morning.
Time zones, a subject we’ve discussed recently, were invented by the railroads (not government) to help schedule rail traffic. But then, along came the automobile and freedom from rails. And from effective monopolies in many areas, because of the complexity of railroads – and their cost. But times change. Automobiles, like horse-drawn wagons, could and did do more than just serve an area around a railroad station. They began to go long distances.
And then… well, read on.
Kudos to the LP of PA! Reprinting their Facebook posting, with our added comments.
On this day, October 31st, 1913, the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway spanning the continental United States, was dedicated. The project was driven largely by private initiative and voluntary cooperation among businesses and communities seeking better roads for commerce and travel. It demonstrated how private effort can create major infrastructure without centralized federal control.
The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania praises this private infrastructure and critiques modern state projects that often suffer from inefficiency, cost overruns, and political distortion. We advocate for greater reliance on voluntary and market-driven solutions for transportation and infrastructure. Let’s encourage private innovation rather than dependence on government programs.
It wasn’t just Fedgov control that wasn’t needed: it also didn’t really need centralized State control, either. It could be done on a county or even township level, truly local government but also with just private and voluntary efforts. And it was, until governments discovered how much control and revenue they could generate, as well as “good will” by selling their propaganda about how it required tax-supported action and central control.
Prior to the Lincoln Highway’s designation, there were many privately-funded, -built and -operated roads. Not just the railroads, but roads for horses, wagons, and cars. They were made possible by tolls and voluntary contributions. The Lincoln Highway and many other cross-country and local roads were developed voluntarily and with little governmental interference at any level. (This was before such other evils as Sign Codes and the like were invented.) Today, that private and voluntary cooperation could be reestablished. We have a tremendous menu of mechanisms for funding, management, operations, and generating reasonable profits from providing a service that did not exist in 1913.
But the big impediment to that? The vast wealth taken and controlled (and dipped into) by government agencies and their business partners.
Something to ponder.
Our thanks to David M for sharing this with us!
Now, most of us here at TPOL don’t drink coffee. (Just one pour misguided soul, pun intended. And she is converting to tea.) But we understand. A couple of us live in a household with three children (4, 2, and just turned 1) and four cats (no dogs). So this last weekend has been… painful.
Continue readingWe just published a commentary a few minutes ago, but were reminded again that Halloween is right now, as litttle monsters go from house to house (in cities, apparently from apartment to apartment, floor by floor) begging for treats.
Despite its origins, we are told by various and sundry religious people that it is not the “Devil’s Holiday.” And that therefore, everyone should have their house (or meetinghouse) lights on to tempt people (especially children) to come beg and, if we understand it right, be willing to visit again on other occasions. Maybe…
But it reminds us of this cartoon (courtesy Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily):
How appropriate for just three days before “the most important election of our lives,” eh? (We wonder who has the trademark or copyright on that phrase: at a dime per use on radio, social media, etc., they must be competing with Elon Musk for wealth.)
Anyway, we also note that tomorrow the sun will rise and set an hour earlier. Or so our digital clocks and phones and screens will tell us. The reality is that the sun will rise and set when it always does this time of year. We just pretend that human clocks make it change.
Well, some human clocks. What a mess! More and more people in the States, and more and more States, want to go to permanent “daylight saving” time. (Of course, Arizona has always rejected that (except for that part of the State that the Navajo run) and use “standard time” all year. And we here at TPOL just recently learned what a mess DST and Standard Time are in our neighbors to the north. You know, Canada. Where every province and pieces of some have different rules about changing the clocks.
Again, all courtesy of government. An incredible mess. So we also share this image from another correspondent:
Government is even worse.
Many will say that surely lovers of liberty should not endorse nor support candidates unless they truly are anarchists or strict minarchists. In the same way, it is stated that congregations should not endorse candidates, nor sponsor or finance their campaigns. And individual christians should not become so involved in politics that they neglect other God-given duties. But should christians refuse all involvement in any issues that surround modern politics and elections? Through the centuries, many have rejected any part.
Continue readingThis week came interesting (and worrisome) news from Brazil, the colossus of South America.
Its Election Court determined that Lula, the socialist woke regressive, defeated Bolsonaro, a “moderate” (conservative by Brazillian standards). Bolsonaro refused to concede. He wants the election annulled.
Three weeks ago, he led the first round by 2.2 million votes. On Sunday, he lost the runoff by 4.3 million. No Brazilian candidate had lost round one and won round two since 1989. At 80 years old, Lula just did it.
Now, we don’t think that lovers of liberty should be big partisans of the likes of Bolsonaro. But compared to the Soros-like Lula, he would be far more welcome. It is the manner of his election in this runoff, and actions taken immediately afterward, that makes us like Lula even less. But however much we disfavor them both, what we see is the massive corruption of government. It never stops, indeed, it never really slows down.
Continue readingElon Musk, currently the world’s richest man, is generally not known for his morality, certainly not on a personal level.
So for many, this latest controversy around Musk and his many enterprises may be a surprise.
Ukraine has a far worse government than many places, if not necessarily worse than Russia. In their “defensive war” against Russia (opinions vary), they have pushed the use of drones and systems for controlling drones as they use them to attack Russian troops and cities.
To do that, they need very advanced and capable communications systems. Today, that means space-based systems to allow Ukrainian operators to control the deadly unmanned aerial vehicles. And in 2026, that means using tools like StarShield and StarLink. Systems and services provided by SpaceX. That is, Elon Musk.
Continue reading
Guest cartoon #1
While we are fighting the ravages of floodwaters…
Note: Lovers of liberty know that it isn’t just socialism – it is government overall. Whatever it calls itself. Socialism? Just a greedier, more deceptive form. Democratic socialism: two wolves and… no election: just gnawed bones.