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"...it risks losing its meaning"? "Freedom is man’s power to exercise his own faculties [abilities] as he chooses as long as he prohibits no other man from doing the same." ~ Dr. Milton R. Wolf What?!?! I perceive that the meaning of freedom is already lost, to you, Milton, if that is your definition of the word. How about this one, Milton? Freedom. The power of acting, in the character of a moral personality, according to the dictates of the will, without other check, hindrance, or prohibition than such as may be imposed by just and necessary laws and the duties of social life. ~ A Dictionary of Law (Henry Black's 1st edition, c.1891) page 520 Or this one: Freedom. The power of acting, in the character of a moral personality, according to the dictates of the will, without other check, hindrance, or prohibition than such as may be imposed by just and necessary laws and the duties of social life. ~ A Dictionary of Law (Henry Black's 2nd edition, c.1910) page 523 Or this one: Freedom. The power of acting, in the character of a moral personality, according to the dictates of the will, without other check, hindrance, or prohibition than such as may be imposed by just and necessary laws and the duties of social life. ~ Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition (c.1991), page 664 Imagine that, Milton, it didn't change, by even one word, in ONE HUNDRED FRICKEN YEARS! And, do tell, what is wrong with it? Wondering what the phrase, "in the character of a moral personality" means? Let us see if these clarify, for you, what that means. Natural liberty, consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature. It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life. ~ Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language Natural liberty is the right which nature gives to all mankind of disposing of their persons and property after the manner they judge most consistent with their happiness, on condition of their acting within the limits of the law of nature, and so as not to interfere with an equal exercise of the same rights by other men. Buriamaqui, c. 3, § 15; 1 Bl. Comm. 125 ~ A Dictionary of the Law (Black’s 1st c. 1891), pg. 716 NATURAL LIBERTY. The power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, unless [except] by the law of nature. 1 Bl. Comm. 125. ~ A Dictionary of the Law (Black’s 1st c. 1891), pg. 801 [Bracketed information added] "In the character of a moral personality" means, acting in harmony with the law of nature, i.e. the natural law of man, Milton, which are the only "just and necessary laws and the duties of social life".

As an old draftee of the Korean era, I often forget to be thankful to have come to "see the light" and recognize the depth of the problem of "war". The nature of state is the cause of war. The natural tendency of slaves who come to adore, worship and support their masters is the cause of war. Voting (and not recognizing the gang-mentality of "democracy") is the cause of war. From the Army Times article: The war in Afghanistan is dampening support for Obama. Support for his handling of the war has dropped significantly since the last Military Times survey in January 2010 Last time I voted was 1964. I stomped the roads and highways of Texas trying to get Barry Goldwater elected -- much like the Ron Pauliens of today (including many of my own children and grandchildren). When Lyndon Johnson trounced Goldwater I became gravely disillusioned. I had, however, not yet become an anarchist. I don't think I had even acquired the term "libertarian" in my vocabulary. I suppose I was what today we might call a "non voting statist" -- I knew there was something wrong with "My-Country", but I could not place my finger upon the problem. I was still a long way from becoming exposed to Murray Rothbard. http://mises.org/easaran/chap3.asp "Cognitive dissonance" is a term bandied about by psychiatric types today, along with "PTSD". I believe for me and a few of us here that caption could describe that space of time in our habitué when we had dipped our toes into the cold h2o of "true libertarianism", but had not yet plunged into the icy waters of anarchy -- the understanding that all political authority will always lead "we the people" into war. And the subtle distance from friends, family and colleagues resulting from their suspicion we had joined some weird political/religious "cult". Agents of state (I've quit using the reification "The-Government") are afraid of returning veterans. They know many of them are becoming like us -- "unpatriotic" types who will no longer lend support to them. Anarchists!!! Be kind to the returning vets. Sam

I can't help but think of what happened when the Yippies tossed dollar bills onto the stock exchange--

Gary North: "...Here it is: Keynesianism's bait and switch. Usually, it is applied to thrift. It is called the paradox of thrift. If everyone saved more, we are told, it would cripple the economy. But the point of the free market is that individuals decide. They do not make the same decisions at the same time... http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1032.html

Posted twice. my bad.

He can probably kiss his political aspirations good-bye with statements like that. "To the man who tells the truth, give a fast horse; he will need it to escape on."

Very constructive advice, Paul Bonneau. Because I am outside the system and have had no affiliation with any governments, (hence no numbers, ID's, or licenses of any kind), for well over ten years, I have had to work myself into the "underground economy". For those who may eventually withdraw from membership in man-made governments, i.e. secede, it has been easier than what I first envisioned; (I originally thought I might not be able to survive as a non-member). And, as Paul Bonneau stated, "reputation" has played, perhaps, the most important part in it; (word-of-mouth is still the best advertising). I am paid in cash, usually on a daily basis, sometimes weekly. One fellow, who I did work for, for a short period of time, insisted on writing a check, made out to an assumed name, arranged for his bank to cash it without any "acceptable identification"; (he "introduced" me to the bank employees). To say the least, it has been an interesting journey. Oh, and to KenK, the collectivist troll, I have provided 100% of the "family nut" for well over ten years; my wife has not been a "wage-slave" since we left "the system".

Paul, this is excellent! The mind-set of people in this country MUST change if we're to see any improvement, and mind-set CAN be the difference between getting a job and languishing in the unemployment line. The independent mind-set that helps one create an honest income also helps one see the truth of the State -- although its not a one-to-one correlation, unfortunately. Finding out what problems an employer has and just walking in and offering to solve them, showing the employer how you could actually improve their business or eliminate a problem they're having to deal with, is a far better way of gaining employment than searching the want ads or Craigslist, I suspect.

Paul you left unstated how much of your family's monthly nut you provide with your "off the grid" efforts and how much your wage slave wife kicks in. None of my business of course but it's a major consideration about how valid the rest of your advice is. Being a libertarian philosopher is probably way easier when you're with a partner who is regularly employed.

This may be yet another example of why historians must have a grasp of economic theory in order to do this sort of analysis: http://blog.mises.org/18371/murphy-replies-to-david-graeber-on-menger-an...

SH*T!! The PTB don't want to "track prepaid debit cards", they want to track those who use them. The "real losers", at least from our point of view, may be Individual Secessionists, people without the "mark of the beast", i.e. those who don't possess, or use, any gubbermint "tracking number", i.e. those who don't possess, or use a Taxpayer Identification Number (U.S.). The WALMART MoneyCard website already states this at the bottom of their home page: "Federal law requires us to obtain, verify and record information that identifies you when you open up a Walmart MoneyCard. We will use your name, address, date of birth and other information (including Social Security Number for U.S. citizens) for this purpose." And, the UPside Card this: "The USA PATRIOT Act is a Federal law that requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. You will be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. You may also be asked to provide documentation as proof of identification. Card issuance is contingent upon successfully passing this mandatory identification confirmation."

And don't forget zenarchism.

I'd be interested in seeing this Slate article, being loosely affiliated with Free Staters and Keeniacs myself. Got a link?

"That needs to be looked into by the STATE POLICE and others." ~ Alex Jones You want the fox that guards the hen house to look into it, Alex?

I really was hoping that piece at Mises was a joke. Unfortunately, no. Then again, there are plenty of raving left-anarchists on the 'net with precisely the opposite position. Mention anything even remotely "propertarian" (even mutualism) at reddit/r/anarchism, for example, and prepare to get downvoted in to oblivion. I really hope that all of this "The world isn't big enough for more than one ideology/social experiment" is a symptom of the state, and in its absence would wither.

If the truth were known (and the truth, when it comes to imperial machinations, is never known), all the items she outlines were in the planning stage awaiting a "911" event to bring them into fruition. I tend not to be a "conspiracy theorist" (I submit ALL government organizations are ALWAYS ongoing conspiracies -- especially including the weird maneuverings and gigantic expenditures required to present to the serfs those bread-and-circus affairs called "elections" to maintain the illusion of legitimacy of state); but I have difficulty believing that a phenomenon that so greatly benefited agents of state were not brought about BY agents of state in one way or another. The highest detention rate on earth (indeed, in the HISTORY of the earth) is a byproduct of empire building. Sam

I've been telling people for years that homeschooling is easy. It's only hard when parents try to force the learning, instead of working with the child's interests. Kind of like pushing to open a door when it says to pull. ;) As an offshoot to a free book I wrote about our early homeschooling experiences (which was intended to help homeschoolers relax and have more fun), I have been collecting interviews from homeschooling parents answering 4 simple questions and putting them on a blog. I have about 96 interviews up now and it's interesting to see how parents make homeschooling work for their individual families. Here's the link: http://homeschoolingisfreedom.blogspot.com/ Oh and I'm always looking for more, so Paul maybe you can tell your Oregon friends about it too.

Really good stuff, Paul. I don't know that homeschooling is the best option, but I suspect it is by far better than government schooling when done in a disciplined manner. I would just add that there is still a place for learning from the masters and ideally that would be under the guidance of a parent paying for the tutelage. From a purely economic point of view, what parents pay for (for coerced "education") compared to what they get is laughable if it weren't so destructive to the moral and cognitive abilities of our children altered by government schooling. An option like what Mr. Ludlow is proposing is very appealing indeed. Thanks for your efforts and support out here in the parenting minefield.

That will work until the next CIA-backed coup.

This is terrific, Paul, and really good news as well. I'm sending it to a mom I know in the midwest who is currently spending good money sending her kids to a decent private school -- don't know if this will change her mind, but I am certain that with more and more people not working (thus, home to provide homeschooling) and with budgets ever-more cramped, homeschooling is due for an upswing. Hearing that it probably is LESS difficult than dealing with traditional schooling (not to mention how much better it is for the kids) is bound to make that transition more likely for many.

Most Libyans have become unmanageable and are no longer wanted in a peaceful oil producing nation. Without government support they will relocate to Algeria,Egypt,Tunisia, and Niger. The sooner the better.

This may seem off topic, but it seems an appropriate place, in my opinion, to point out some interesting things. First, Christ, is not Jesus'[sic] last name. Second, he was not Jesus[sic] Christ of Nazareth, he was Jesus[sic], the Christ, Nazarite, i.e. the anointed nazarite. And, what is a Nazarite? H5139 נזר נזיר nâzı̂yr nâzir naw-zeer', naw-zeer' From H5144; separate, that is, consecrated (as prince, a Nazarite; hence (figuratively from the latter) an unpruned vine (like an unshorn Nazirite) ~ Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary The italicized, blue words in the above definition are the closest English synonyms Dr. James Strong could find for the word Naziyr/ Nazarite, i.e. separate, prince, unpruned For we have found this man [Saul, of Tarsus] a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the NazaritesG3480 ... G3480 Ναζωραῖος Nazōraios Thayer Definition: Nazarite = “one separated” ~ Thayer's Greek/English Lexicon of the New Testament Yahushua [JESUS] was, arguably, the first "individual secessionist", teaching "individual secession". "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

The war on terror hasn't been very well liked, and the CIA's extraordinary rendition program hasn't helped matters. According to the Guardian, it has proven rewarding for certain United States businesses. A case names some businesses that contracted to transport terror suspects to torture centers. See it here: CIA extraordinary rendition aid linked to private US companies.

"The mayor of Filettino [Luca Sallari] has loftier aspirations: He wants his town in the hills east of Rome — population 598 — to become an independent state under a monarch." ~ Luca Sallari, the current mayor of Filettino Gee, I wonder who the first "monarch" would be? “It’s everyone’s dream to be a prince.” ~ Luca Sallari And, who, exactly, would be a "prince", "in a state under a monarch"? MONARCHY, n. [Gr. See Monarch.] 1. A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single person. ~ Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language PRINCE, n. prins. [L. princeps.] 1. In a general sense, a sovereign; the chief and independent ruler of a nation or state. Thus when we speak of the princes of Europe, we include emperors and kings. (Ibid.)