The True Vision of Satoshi Nakamoto
I had planned to write about the philosophy of Satoshi Nakamoto, based upon his writings. Recently, however, I’ve heard about food fights in the Bitcoin Cash camp, centering on “Satoshi’s Vision.” One thing I’m certain about is that Satoshi would not want to be the subject of fights.
The Plague of Superfluous Intellectuals
Recently I was drawn into the consideration of intellectuals by reading Eric Hoffer’s The Ordeal of Change. I thought parts were dated (it was written almost 60 years ago), but many of his insights interest me. And then, over the past few days, I realized what was happening with intellectuals in our time. What we have in the West is a plague of superfluous intellectuals: college graduates who’ve been trained …
Demolishing the Warren Report with two Images from CBS News
One of my entertainments, from time to time, has been the Kennedy assassination… John Kennedy’s, that is. I’m not particularly a fan of mysteries, but occasionally one of them intrigues me, as this one did. What I’m going to show you today are two images from a CBS News special report from 1967, created because so many people failed to believe the Warren Commission Report. CBS’s images make the Warren …
Israel, Zionism, and the (((Jews)))
I didn’t want to write about this. I don’t want to write about this. But circumstances give me little choice. The ancient poison has been spreading, and the last major pogrom (this one industrialized) ended 73 years ago. The pogrom cycle is coming around again. Most people, thankfully, are no longer susceptible to the poison. But others still are, and they are being openly encouraged. I can’t be sure how …
Perpetual Abuse in the Catholic Church
Before I get to details, let me be clear that I am not trying to destroy the Church, and I’m certainly not criticizing individual Catholics, most of whom are decent human beings and good neighbors. (And the victims in this as well.) The Church has a problem… a huge problem. Furthermore, the problem is very old and will never go away until its cause is removed. So long as the …
Adolph and the Free Sh*t Model
I really don’t like invoking Adolph, and I don’t like “swear words,” especially in headlines. But today I’m hard pressed to avoid either, and so I’ll just go with it. I can’t avoid Adolph because he said something more clearly than anyone else I’m able to quote. Here’s the passage: I have not come into this world to make men better, but to make use of their weaknesses. And that’s …
The Separation of Righteousness and Politics
“Righteousness” is a seldom heard word in modern life, but the concept is still very much with us. In fact, political arguments all through the West focus on shows of righteousness. So, how does someone show themself to be righteous without ever coming near the word? It’s done with a simple trick that you’ll recognize immediately: Rather than declaring ourselves righteous, we show ourselves to be the enemy of unrighteousness, …
Alex Jones, Big Tech, and the Deep State
They finally got to it. Alex Jones has been banned from Facebook, YouTube, iTunes, and I’m not sure what else… all within 24 hours or so, as I hear it. And he was not alone – others have been banned too. What I want you to understand is this: There’s only one reason this was done now: because they might get away with it. I see very little of Mr. …
Good Things in the Bible
The Bible has been loudly, publicly, and repetitively criticized for a long time, and it’s most vocal defenders have been those who demand that it be treated as a divine oracle. In other words, the public has been given a binary choice: Either the Bible is horrible, or else it’s divine and you’ll go to hell if you don’t think so. I think that’s a silly choice, but it’s the …
RIP Andrea Rich
I’m sorry to report that Andrea Millen Rich, proprietor of Laissez Faire books and many other things (see here) has died. More or less every obituary you’ll read about Andrea will point out that she helped unknown people get a decent start. This is true, and I was one of them. When I was finished with my first complete draft of A Lodging of Wayfaring Men, I sent it to …
The Monopolization of Heroes by the State
Television and movies are full of heroes. Drama could hardly exist without them of course, but have you noticed that nearly every hero in modern dramas is associated with the state?
Here are dramas playing on TV in my town tonight, with the heroes following: Hawaii Five-0 – Police; Blue Bloods – Police…
The West Has Lost Its Sense of Meaning
Please consider the wall hangings in this photo from a remote village in Belarus: And please note the plaque over the door in this painting of a home in Delft, in 1658: In both of these cases we see people inserting meaning into their lives. This is something very few people do in the modern West, and it illustrates a fundamental change in our civilization. Consider, as a further illustration, …
The Eruption of the Shills
shill: A person paid to endorse a product favorably, while pretending to be impartial. If ever you wanted confirmation that ruling structures are biased toward conflict, you got it over the past two days. If ever you wanted confirmation that public intellectuals jump to obey power, you got it over the past two days. As much as I avoid the bullhorns from New York and DC, I couldn’t escape them …
Humanity Crucified on a Cross of Iron
A few people remember President Dwight Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, where he warned Americans about the rise of a military-industrial complex… a warning that was stunningly accurate and almost fully ignored. What almost no one remembers was Eisenhower’s speech in 1953, when he said that under the pressures of fear and war spending, humanity was “hanging from a cross of iron.” Bear in mind, this was said by Dwight David Eisenhower, …
Why Does the Law Not Warn?
Everyone who has children, or even nieces and nephews, understands that you have to warn a child before punishing him or her. If not, you teach the child a rash of bad lessons, like these: Punishment can rain down upon you at any time, with no warning. The world can’t be predicted. There are two kinds of people: those who order and punish and those who obey or suffer. The …
How Cryptoanarchy Saved the World
The things that actually change the world are very often kept out of view. The stronger the mainline culture, the more the things that will change it are portrayed as weird, stupid, naive, and even dangerous. And so it has certainly been with cryptoanarchy. But however much ignored, cryptoanarchy has already changed the world and will continue to change it. It is, in fact, the future taking root. For those …
A New Day, a New Chance to Be Wonderful
Most people fail to appreciate the fresh opportunity that each day brings them. Their programming requires them to snort derisively at concepts like the one above. After all, the systems of this world are built upon the assumption that mankind is weak, stupid, and generally inadequate to a moral existence. As a result, most people have become addicted to bad news. Nonetheless every day is a fresh start, a situation …
The Foolishness of a Consumer Society
Do custom-embroidered powder room towels actually make your life better? If you think so, and if you’re not of the very few who care about towels as an art form, you’re getting your kicks from other people being impressed by you. You’re buying the approval of others… and you’re all being foolish together. Quality food makes your life better. A reliable car makes your life better. Good medicine makes your …
Bitcoin and the Beatles
I’ve been involved with cryptography since the mid-1990s. That’s when I had my “aha” moment and realized that cryptography creates a terra nova the lords of force can’t penetrate. Progress, however, was disturbingly slow. We had great ideas, brilliant people, and even some impressive projects. But nothing really stuck. Disheartened, most of us gave up on our world-changing dreams. Then, to our great surprise, Bitcoin stuck. And now, finally, I’m …
9/11: The Greatest Gift the Status Quo Ever Got
I’m not saying that 9/11 was anything but a sick, evil disaster. Nor am I placing blame for it on any person or group; I’m not interested in wasting time in that quagmire. What I am saying is that the status quo in America – compliance without question, shutting our eyes to abuse, and forever finding reasons to believe – was aided by the 9/11 event more than anything else …
