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I should have also mentioned that the problem is not limited to dirty electricity generated at its source. It is also generated by many of the modern "devices" we use. It arises when the devices do things to interrupt the flow of electricity. So part of the solution to these problems is going to involve changes in how technology is designed or utilized. But this is unlikely to happen until there is a greater awareness of the significance of the problem.

In your article, Saul, you mention Mr Milham's finding that health has been significantly impacted by spikes in high-voltage electricity. Are such spikes unavoidable in electrical grids?   If so, it's curious that Sweden, a country in which electrification took place faster and several decades earlier than perhaps any other, has a life expectancy four years longer than the USA. It also has had socialized medicine since 1955. Correlation, of course, does not prove causation.

"Might you agree, though, that licensure inhibits improvement in health, rather than absolutely decreasing it?" I do not think that such a statement is true in all cases. There have been numerous instances of medical practice regressing and I think that a lot of them are due to the existence of a medical cartel which was promoting its own interests at the expense of patients' health. It is difficult to draw conclusions about the relationship between life expectancies and the performance of the health care system, because there are many other factors which have a bearing, and frequently a decisive one. The primary reason for the large increase in life expectancy during the 20th century for the U.S. was the decline in mortality from infectious disease. And that decline is largely attributable to improvements in sanitation. Life expectancy is also affected by levels of prosperity, which have generally increased since 1900. I recently wrote this article which discusses life expectancy, among other things, and you may find it to be of interest. https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/05/d-saul-weiner/diseases-of-civilization/  

That is absolutely true. Licensing is about restricting knowledge and information. Restricting the trade to a select few determined by the State and its Institutions. Elimination of liberty. not the enhancement. people die at a rate that should be alarming but for reason it is ignored. Thousands of people every year die at the hands of the medical establishment and the legal drug industry. This isn't about protection. it is about elimination of choice. Taking away people's ability to decide for themselves. Today, In fact , people are forced to use ''Licensed'' Doctors. The procedures those Licensed professionals decide upon are frequently forced on their willing victims at the point of a gun.  Rarely do these professionals cure a disease or illness. They don't make money with healthy people. They need a sick people to 'treat'. Licensing gives them the legal right to do this to people. Licensing has eliminated health by destroying choice and giving power to people who should never have it.

Paul, Fear is one way that your Rulers can obtain the consent of their subjects, but consent can be more effectively engineered and/or purchased; and perhaps it shouldn't even be called consent if it has been obtained through intimidation or deception.

Larken's book is magnificent, and as you may have noticed, I selected it for recommendation on almost every page of the QuitGov site. But to suggest that he is so complacent as  "not to spend time or angst in attempt to change others" is a serious misrepresentation. Why do you suppose he wrote the book?   Having become convinced that government is a dangerous superstition, it is clearly of paramount importance to end its miserable existence at the earliest opportunity. Otherwise, it will certainly destroy us, or our children and theirs. I love my family, so want to terminate it A.S.A.P.   At the end of my Blog today, I asked this question, which seems appropriate here: "Some say [that] cannot be done, the task is impossible, or that it will take centuries. To those, I pose the question 'What, then, are you doing here, wasting your time on an impossible dream?'"  

Another fine article, Paul. Fear is certainly how today's rulers gain "consent", but back when the FedGov began was there not a different factor in play: deceit?   What I mean is that the 39 lawyers and politicians who set things in motion fooled the people into thinking that this new country would be run by representatives of the people themselves. Hence the opening words, "We the people..." Hence their echo today, the oft-heard "We are the government."   Reality was quite different, especially if one accepts my theme in 1789 - that from the get-go, it was always planned that ultimate power would reside in the judiciary.

Cops have always been robbers they are paid from stolen monies.

Interesting!  That's cool you're a welder.  You may have read my previous piece here?  :-)   http://strike-the-root.com/light-metal-shadow-freedom-of-welding    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtgKRpjVXSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQqySz8Ihho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kasiov0ytEc

Having been enslaved in my youth by a group of psychopaths hiding under the gigantic superstition called "government" (the religious doctrine: "drafted into US Army"), I've spent 70+ years coming out from under the xenophobia that besets youngsters when so directed by groups of "leaders" who make up the military religion. Therefore, I've refrained from comment on Mark's nice essay regarding the strip of islands they're calling "Japan". I don't know what to say. Mark is the only member of STR I've had the pleasure of meeting in person -- in an all-too-brief breakfast we shared in April of this year. Mark invested that couple of hours in face of a 500+ round-trip business venture he needed to complete the same day. I look to Mark as a genuine leader. I feel deeply honored at his willingness to cut into that grueling schedule to meet and become acquainted with me. Too often I think it's tempting for "libertarians" to overlook the dichotomy between ordinary folks going about their daily activities, and that group of lunatics who proclaim to be "leaders" to those folks. And, sadly, long as there is a demand for "security" there will be a supply of psychopaths to make security seem viable. That's why I've become so adamant about use of language. I never say "...Japan went to war with Korea...", etc etc. I believe what Mark said in an essay some ten years ago: "...if you're going to be free, you need to start acting free..." (don't have his exact words with me at the moment). Japan doesn't exist. People exist. Japan has never attacked Korea. I strongly suggest a reread of "The Most Dangerous Superstition". I'm at the library compooter and don't have a link to the free pdf and/or text version(s) available to anybody who googles 'em. Larken Rose slays the dragon in the first 20 or 25 pages, then spends the next 100 or so beating him to a pulp; but it's worth examining again. Sam

Paul, you're right to deplore relative moral standards, but I'm surprised you commend the Christian moral compass instead of the anarchist one.   There are some remarks about the latter in my STRticle Ethics, Religion and Freedom. I think it's a greatly superior standard. The old Christian one tolerated, for example, the great evil of government; the idea that one group of people can properly rule another.   You also deplore transgenderism, if I read your article correctly. Might you also oppose homosexuality? If so, it might be worth revisiting the matter. I'm reluctant to use the word "gay" because those who are homosexual by nature often do their utmost to break free of it and are deeply unhappy with their lot; that seems to me the opposite of "gay." But whether the bias is inbuilt or freely chosen, the individual is his or her own sovereign, and does not deserve belittlement by anyone else - least of all, by libertarians.

Thanks for the link on the fighter pilots ramming planes, I learned something new. But here is what I was referring to: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/test-pilot-reitsch-pitches-su... I couldn't find the original article I read about it, I know that the V2 was a rocket, but it mentioned these test pilots and early jet planes that were essentially rockets with wings. They were going to adapt left over V1s that had even worse guidance than the V2s which couldn't hit targets WAD.

Jim, The purpose of this article was to inspire Americans to reflect on where we have gone wrong in abandoning the parts of our culture that helped make us a free, harmonious and prosperous people by using the Japanese culture as an example of a people who have better maintained those core principles (hard work, thrift, saving, manners, social consciousness, sacrificing for others, etc.) such that virtue, honor and dignity are valued. That does not mean that I think Japanese culture is perfect and without fault. I don't think humans are capable of perfection, but some do better than others - and I think it is helpful to consider why that is. 1. The Japanese were forced to open their borders and trade to foreigners by colonial powers who were at the time carving up "Spheres of Influence" in China in the mid to late 1800s. The Japanese elite responded to this humiliation by adopting Western-style state institutions including mercantilism and colonial possessions. This elite posturing led to an “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” argument that “suckered” many into believing that their survival depended on it. They learned more from losing WW II, along the lines you mention, than the US did winning it. They are more skeptical of politicians and state power today than they were 75-100 years ago. 2. Stories about cruelty to POWs written by the side the POWs came from are typically filled with atrocities. This is especially true of stories from the side of the victors when the losers near the end of a war are short on food, medicine, troops and patience. And, again, my observations are of today, not 75 years ago. Still, the Japanese seem to respect perseverance at all costs and do not respect those who give-up without a fight. 3. Suicide-missions are not uncommon among militaries the world over. Even the Germans had suicide pilots (including at least one woman) training to fly one-way V2 rocket planes to England near the end of the war, but ran out of rockets. Desperate times lead to desperate measures. I don’t think you could get many Japanese today to do such a thing. 4. I thought I was pretty clear in delineating between 1) voluntary hierarchies where leaders are followed based on their respect-worthy actions that inspire confidence in those that chose to cooperate and follow them and 2) coercive hierarchies where the threat of violence is the modus operandi for forcing obedience. Leaders are not only a natural social arrangement, but a necessary one if a group is to be successful in attaining common goals for mutual benefit. For example, the Captain of a football team doesn’t rule anybody, but his leadership skills are crucial to the success of the team. 5. I think that, today, Japanese culture relies more on social power than political power in comparison to the USA; certainly the trend favors the Japanese in that area. However, they still have a number of barriers to trade with non-Japanese actors, especially labor, as they are very protectionist which lowers their score in such rankings. I also think that a much higher proportion of Americans have come to rely more heavily on state mandates, hand-outs and guidance than on social networks. The Japanese still value family, neighbors, business networks and community more than state functionaries. If the state went bankrupt tomorrow the Japanese wouldn’t miss a beat while Americans would freak out and likely come apart. That is how states (especially democracies) typically fail and dissolve: bankruptcy. When humans evolve beyond the barbaric state apparatus used by elite to control the peasants, it will be a mixture of American ideals and Japanese social constructs that lead the way.

Thank you, Mark, for a very informative article. Impressive indeed that Japanese culture can peacefully absorb several religions without violence, for example. A few questions arise.   1. How was it that this peaceful society was suckered into letting its government run strident, aggressive military adventures in China and Mongolia in the 1920s and 30s, which in turn gave FDR some excuse to intervene and let the entire US Press Corps characterize Japanese as little yellow rats, and worse?   2. In WW-2, the Japanese military did consist of ordinary Japanese men, yet its treatment of PoWs was viciously cruel. How do you reconcile that fact with the cultural values you describe?   3. Famously, towards the end of that war many Japanese pilots committed murder-suicide in a last ditch attempt to postpone defeat, so bringing the word "kamikaze" into worldwide use. Such fanatical loyalty to the State seems hard to reconcile with your portrait of a gentle culture. What gives?   4. Why do you think "the set of conditions that lead to my ideal society must include a functional hierarchy"?  A "hierarchy" means a structure of command, and my ideal society will have none of that whatever. Either individuals rule themselves, or someone else does; to have both is not possible.

Hearty agreement with your opening statement. The purpose of virtually all newspapers is to obscure, rather than to present, news. To enhance the overall social engineering. I’ve not subscribed for many years. Nor have I owned or watched television, for that reason. Obfuscation emerges as the primary axiom in the science and practice of rulership. ”…the persons, as well as the property, of individuals are not under their control, but the control of the rulers, to whatever extent they desire.” Read this: http://www.strike-the-root.com/61/nonentity/nonentity2.html An old 2006 STR essay. (Wherefore art thou, NonEntity???) Nobody on this forum really questions the fact that the white man has introduced conflicting “laws”, such as would make it “illegal” to possess a flask of whiskey at one time, “legal” at another. Same for gold coin. Anyone who attempts to find a degree of logic or consistency in the white man’s practice of rulership (including his constitutions and his bills of “rights”) will be duly frustrated. (Those who know me will recognize that I will always use “white man” in lieu of “the-rulers”. They might be your rulers, but they are not my rulers. Many are black as the ace of spades sofar as skin color is concerned. Racism is not my intent). Am curious about your scenario: “suppose you are seated at one end of a table, and government is seated at the other..." Of course, “government” is an abstraction. “It” does not exist. Human beings exist. So, here I sit. Am I here (sitting at the table with "government") through the trickery called “voluntary compliance”? Or am I sitting with “Mr Gov” (yes, that brainless abstraction) because gentlemen with guns have escorted me here -- under penalty of violence or death were I to resist or refuse the encounter (subpoenaed)? Because if I volunteered to attend said meeting, knowing and fully understanding the nature of “Mr Gov”, I no doubt deserve to lose “…my wallet, the deed to my home, title to my car, and all other assets I own” sitting out on the table. Judgment proof status is a primary requisite for freedom in an unfree world. And if you plan to volunteer, better Jack the Ripper (or your local free-market thug) than “Mr Gov”. Sam

The word is derived from the Latin imperāre; to impose, order, command.   An associated noun was imperator, meaning commander or, later, Caesar. It led to the English Emperor and empire. So the word is heavily infused with authority and compulsion. Something is important and crucial because it has been commanded from on high.

"The first step to political rape prevention is the fundamental realization that you are getting screwed." Roger that, over.

One woman, who is often referred to as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, supposedly claims to own more land than any other woman or man on this planet. Her world is probably cluttered with a lot of stuff and things. But I'm sure she readily accepts the idea that she can own all that land and can reign over all the people who live on her land.

The sexes do tend to complement each other nicely, most of the time, which is a good thing for survival and reproduction. And the family may indeed be the only viable governing unit and legitimate "jurisdiction". Parents can certainly “speak the law” and attempt to enforce some rules, but – perhaps just to prove that action speaks louder than words – children can certainly find ways to test the rules (although most adults may have been trained to stop doing this). Families can generally be cohesive groups because individuals can often exhibit a favourable bias towards (genetic) relatives; and from a purely biological perspective we might only seem to be disposable vehicles for self-replicating molecules (those “selfish” genes!), but every human organism can also tend to be fairly self-interested (or “genetically self-interested”, since each person is his/her own closest relative). People probably make choices and take action on the basis of some measure of costs and benefits, and families can certainly provide examples of governing units that can be mutually beneficial, with some sharing of risks and expenses – even without the express consent of the governed.

Nice essay, Paul! And astute in observing also! I read once that women owned 79% of the earth's real property that can be entitled. But if they were so blamed brilliant they could own the other 21% too :-( I've said for years that there is one, and one only "jurisdiction": the family unit. All others are coercive interlopers, sustained by massive superstition and augmented with force of arms. Sam

Sounds like a great place to visit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iEgED_g65I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Z2O9Nwt6c

Wow! Terrific discussion of the fascinating Japanese culture contrasted with the rotting Marxist Mush of our own. You make good points, naturally, and I especially enjoyed the details about Japan and Japanese society. Japan might be the most interesting modern nation on Earth; weird and wonderful in many ways. You didn't get into the topic of the US pushing nuclear power on Japan or Fukushima and other related problems, but I wonder to what extent we've destroyed the country we helped rebuild after WWII. At any rate, I hadn't given much thought to how Japanese culture, strangely, was helping to protect  early-American values in Japan. Thanks, Mark.

Most people who die from accidental drug overdose in this country die because the drugs they're using are illegal. This is not an accident. We, as a nation and as a society, have enough experience with drug prohibition to know that the one guaranteed effect that prohibition has on drug use is to make it more dangerous. Blame BiG Pharma and over-prescribing doctors for getting us all addicted; blame unscrupulous drug dealers for adulterated drugs; blame the sick/elderly/handicapped guy down the street who just, for Christ's sake, wants a little relief from pain. But these are not the people who are driving Americans to heroin, they're not the ones allowing tainted drugs to be sold on the streets, who leave our children to die, alone and abandoned, when their experimentation with drugs goes horribly wrong. (Or did you think the only addicts overdose?) No, credit for this so-called "crisis," rests solely at the feet of our own government. Anyone who says differently is either a liar or a fool.