Is Civil Government the Only Form of Government?
When you hear the word “government,” we usually think of the state; the civil government. The State holds a monopoly of terms today; in the politically correct language of the modern day, “government” always refers to the civil government. However, a new line of thought has broken through the programming and mind-control, coursing through and into the minds of men and women all around the world; “Is Civil Government the only form of government?”
A government, or any institution, has five main points:
- Sovereignty: Who is in charge?
- Authority: To whom do I report?
- Law: What are the rules?
- Sanctions: What will happen if I obey or disobey those rules?
- Succession: Will this outfit have a future?
Thus, there are several cultural institutions that have these five points in working order; the individual, the family, and the church. These institutions have their own rules, their own guidelines, for their members…
View original post 340 more words
The Franks and the Transfer of Power
After the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire, missionaries from the Roman Church spread out everywhere, converting the barbarian kings and their people to Christianity. Many tribes did so, and one of the leading ones were the Franks. However, this conversion was not very sincere; after the death of Clovis, political disorder and killings were rampant, and the pagan sacrifices were carried out as well, as if they (the Franks) had not even been converted to start with.
At this time, the Merovingian family was in power over the Franks. An ancient family, they bore a lot of prestige, but their name was tarnished by the killing of one another and the general disorder, and the incompetency of the reigning kings. Because of this, the Carolingian family came into power, taking over the office of Mayor of the Palace, and thus held the power of king without…
View original post 145 more words
New Blog!
I finally have a separate school blog! This means that all of my required Ron Paul Curriculum Essays will be published on that site, but I’ll still re-blog some of them here. I will continue to publish “cool stuph” like thoughts on Christianity, Parkour, Politics, and I’ll still post my Random Cool Pics. May the Truth be with you all!
Gollum Plays Minecraft! -GollumCraft
For all of you Minecraft fans, or even if you just like Lord of the Rings, this is a must see video!
Men O’ War
A video from Isaac Botkin that I watched years ago. Recently found it again, and it brings back memories. Have fun!
Ronnie Shalvis Parkour – Gym
Some of you know my fascination with Parkour. Ronnie Shalvis, professional parkour/free-running athlete and gymnast takes some local gyms to task with a friend. Enjoy! 🙂
Is the Calvin Cycle a Light Dependent Reaction?
The Calvin Cycle is said to not be dependent on light because it can occur with or without light. However, the fact is, it actually needs light because the molecules that go into the Calvin Cycle and make it happen are formed previously in the light dependent reactions. So, is the Calvin Cycle directly dependent or indirectly dependent on the light dependent reactions?
I’d say it is. First, it would be able to get the molecules it needs to finish creating energy for the plant. On top of that, the plant is dependent on the Sun to provide heat and light to decompose nutrients and molecules to make up the plant to start with. Also, the warmth from the sun makes some areas warmer than others (places in shade will be cooler) making the air move around. This movement may keep the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels normal. Without the sun, plant life would not exist, nor would the carbon cycle.
The Four Freedoms of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt in a speech in 1941, stated that there were four freedoms that we should fight for; freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. For years, these “freedoms”, or, “rights”, were used to rally pubic support for war. FDR wanted America to become an “arsenal of democracy” for the Allies in WWII, and he listed the Four Freedoms after the lend-lease bill giving weaponry to Britain.
It sounds good, and it sounds like some noble cause, but, it isn’t. It, instead, is the goal of every statist; to determine what the Four Freedoms mean. They get to legislate this, and then impose through violence and armed force what they have determined to be freedom on other people. Thus, the Empire that America has today, and the corruption and destruction we have at home. Obama-care determines to give everyone healthcare; the government has determined that healthcare is something that everyone has a “right” to, and they’re going to make sure we have it.
Though the end result of the Four Freedoms is what I just mentioned, the proper way to interpret and act upon them would be to see them as true; we all do deserve to take back these freedoms. Our ancestors in America took back the right of free speech, though it is being quickly curtailed by political correctness on every side. They also took back the right to freely take care of ourselves and our wants; not have them provided expensively and poorly by the state (socialism). They also took back the right to not have someone dominate and exert power over and instill fear in them through threat of violence; yet, steadily and slowly, these liberties are being stolen, one by one. We must defend our freedoms, and thus open the way for others to earn theirs, or there will be none left.
George W. Plunkitt and His Money
“I seen my opportunities, and I took ’em.” George W. Plunkitt
George W. Plunkitt; New York politician made infamous by his own biography (Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, written by William I. Riordon), where he openly admitted where and how he earned his money; through “honest graft.” As an example; he’d get tipped off that the state legislature was planning to build a bridge, and he would buy up all the land around the possible areas to build the bridge, and sell it for a profit when the government went to build the bridge. The land was worth nothing before, now its value has gone way up, and he benefits from the increase, tax-payers lose. As he said, why would a politician go for dishonest graft when there is so much “honest graft” to be had?
Why would someone like Plunkitt write such a book, which was so open about his use of “honest” graft? The answer might be the fact that he was defeated an election or two before and also three weeks after the autobiography was published. He seems to have been trying to defend himself by having Riordon write the biography. It apparently didn’t work, as, even though it was a success, as it was only ammunition for his opposition immediately after.
Augustine and the Christian Church
Augustine of Hippo, also known as St. Augustine or St. Austin, was born in the city of Hippo in North Africa. In his early years, he was influenced by Manichaeism, then became a skeptic, then shortly after disproved that whole philosophy by saying, “I doubt; therefore, I am.” This statement was made famous by Descartes, who quoted it as, “I think; therefore, I am.” He afterwards became interested in Neo-Platonism. He was also a teacher of Rhetoric, and taught in Hippo, then Rome and then ultimately Milan.
After rejected Neo-Platonism, he became a Christian, after the long prayers of his mother, St. Monica. He then began to find and found a system of Christian philosophy. Shortly after his conversion, he wrote the book Confessions, a book written in praise of God, which is still read today.
In his life as a Christian, he wrote prolifically. He wrote in response to every heresy of his day. He also disproved Manichaeism, saying that there were no two gods, one good, one evil, battling it out; but that evil was not a created thing, being an absence of good, just as darkness is not a thing but a removal of light, or a lack thereof.
His book, The City of God, is probably one of the things that makes him most famous as a Christian writer. In the the book, he responds to haters who said that Christianity is to blame for the fall of the Roman Empire. He says that the real drama of man is the strife of the City of God and the City of Man, and saving souls, not the rise and fall of Empires. Empires would come and go, he said, but Gods great purpose never would.
All in all, even though I believe that Augustine had some things wrong, I do know that he was a great and brilliant writer, preacher, and Christian, who had a lot of good to say. His influence on the modern Christian church is indisputable, his books, notably the Confessions and The City of God, have been an encouragement to many,thus he contributed much to Western Civilization and Christianity as a whole.
Rome and Western Civilization
Rome. A mighty civilization, Rome bore the weight of the world for hundreds of years, conquering, establishing laws and creating order throughout the Mediterranean coastline and deep into Europe, Africa, and Asia. They built roads; they had every type of government, and sometimes none; they developed the greatest army the world had yet seen, and preserved and developed Greek culture. But, how specifically does Rome continue to influence Western Civilization, and why should we know about it?
Roman literature continues to be a powerful bedrock to modern literature. Virgil and the Aeneid, Seneca, Cicero, the many historians and other writers continue to make their mark on the minds of the modern individual. They also, with their complex system of libraries, kept thousands of manuscripts from decay, including Homer’s works and more. Roman art is everywhere, and inspired the paintings, statues, and sculptures, during and after the Renaissance. Roman style art is to be found in palaces and homes to this day. Roman architecture is also present everywhere. The columns of both Roman and Greek style ornament some of the wealthy’s homes, as well as government and judicial buildings. Arches, a definite contribution of Rome to architecture, are also to be found in abundance in doorways and bridges. Some of the aqueducts of Ancient Rome are still in use today!
Scholars and philosophers developed the Roman concept of law, and also touched on natural law. Even though they didn’t discover it all, their foundations in the writings of the Greek philosophers from before, they did popularize the ideals of a common law for everyone and all peoples. Rhetoric (public speaking) was studied by the Romans in detail, and Aristotle’s rules of logic are still in practice to this day.
Throughout the Empire, Rome and her armies built hundreds of roads throughout the Empire, in order to enable messages and troops to move quickly around the vast territories in Rome’s possession. Because all of this territory was under Roman subjugation, those who were educated would know either Greek of Latin. This enabled the gospel to be spread far faster then ever, and, with the Roman army keeping the barbarians at bay, missionaries like Paul and Barnabas were able to spread the good news far and wide, without having too many language barriers.
Though the Empire had a lot of flaws, and their people were pagan, it developed and handed down many useful arts and sciences, like logic and philosophy, for the church to build upon, and develop what we now call Western Civilization.
Can a Political Minority Ever Become the Majority?
Not too long ago, when Ron Paul first ran for President, those in the freedom mindset were in a minority, made fun of and politically destroyed. Ron Paul ran in 2008, and took off. Why? Because, he received opposition. Those who receive opposition attract the attention of many people who would never of noticed if the person had just been talking to the wall. This opposition took him to the debates, and in those debates, he publicly crushed the fake, conservative, status quo candidates before millions.
A great example of this would be Thomas E. Woods book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. It would of been one of those awesome books that would only have been read by some bookworm professors, if at all, and totally ignored. Instead, it was “debunked” by pointing out that it was different. All this did was make it a New York Times bestseller, awakening many to the strange, but true, facts of history.
Now, freedom, nullification and Austrian Economics are more popular now then they ever were. Why is it that the minority view, held by a small remnant, the view that once ran against the status quo, though true, has received more attention now and is now nearly the majority view? Perhaps because people get tired of hearing half the truth, or none of the truth in some cases, and are starving for truth. When they hear it, they grab onto it. “Buy the Truth, and sell it not!” (Proverbs 23:23).
God and his Remnant
For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. (2 Kings 19:31)
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9)
For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. (Isaiah 10:22)
All throughout the Bible, there is a remnant mentioned. The word used, remnant, according to dictionary.com means; “a remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like.” The Remnant of Gods people, now those under the New Covenant, have been a minority for a long time. Truth has long been the minority, and the question arises; will God’s minority triumph?
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (1 Kings 19:10)
This brings to mind the testing of Elijah. He was so depressed by the fact that the wicked Queen of Israel, Jezebel, was trying to kill him, that he fled far into the desert and begged God to let him die. Gods response?
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18)
What is God saying? He’s saying that he has preserved, or, left, seven thousand that have not bowed to Baal. Notice how he preserved his remnant. This is a promise to us, that he will not allow his Truth to go away. His Holy Word, which is all Truth, will not be defeated, not even if some petty Jezebel or Ahab comes seeking to destroy and kill those who profess it. God will work, and use his people to triumph over the instruments of the Devil here on this Earth. He never fails us!
Western Civilization: A Christian Stronghold
Christianity was born into a world full of sin and suffering, pain and death. Ancient Rome was a pagan stronghold, and into this hostile world, Christ came to give the Good News, now passed down to us in the four Gospels. The world responded by killing him and thousands upon thousands of his followers; still, following their Savior, the Christian church was victorious, and “turned the world upside down,” laying the groundwork for the future Reformation.
Christ died and gave us principles that, when put into practice, have totally reformed society and given us Western Civilization.
Now, Christianity, the force that has turned this world right-side up, was faced with a society that had many values that were opposite to that of Christ’s teachings. The Roman Empire subsisted off of conquest, and conquest is never carried out without bloodshed. Thousands of civilians and soldiers of both sides, the oppressor and the oppressed, gave their lives to give prosperity to the Roman Empire, and the slaves captured in these conquests gave a public display of the bloodshed continually in the many arenas spread across the Empire, fighting men and wild beasts to the death.
Christianity represented and required a 180 degree change from the very principles that made the foundation of the long-lived bloodthirsty Empires of the past. (more…)
I-Pencil
A short video that explains the beautiful evolution of the Pencil. Astonishing as it might seem, there is no one person who governs which materials go into the pencil, and which don’t, and who gets what. It almost makes itself, thanks to free market prices and cooperation.
Based on the essay I, Pencil, by Leonard E. Read. Enjoy.
Message to Statists Everywhere: Diocletian Failed!
Message to Statists everywhere; which refers to anyone who wants to have the state control everything in society, from production and prices to wages and who works at what job; this if for you! And, it can be summed up in one statement: Diocletian Failed!
The 51st Emperor of the Roman Empire, Diocletian, ruled Rome from 20 November 284 – 1 April 285 as sole Emperor, and for much longer as the “Augustus of the East.” Diocletian was a stern, haughty Emperor who took his role as supreme lawgiver seriously. He demanded to be called a god (reminding everyone that he had the power of a god), and took the Empire to task, decreeing reforms right and left. He reigned for a while and then retired, but, in his wake, he had started the feudal system which would last for centuries to come, down through the Middle Ages, until the Reformation broke the bonds of the common everyday person and set them both physically and spiritually free.
For years the Empire had been debasing its currency as a silent tax upon the population. The valuable metal was replaced by base metal, and used to fund the Empire without having to increase taxes, but having the same effect. Sound familiar?
How did Diocletian fail? He tried to enact price controls, job controls, and restore “stability” to the economy. What I’m going to focus on is his trying to stop “price gouging”, or, more accurately, “price increases causes by the states inflation or debasing of the currency and taxation.” His response is critical, and proves that the idea of price controls is as old as the state itself. Here is a quote from Mises.org (click here to read the rest of the article, its amazing!):
In 284 A.D. the Roman emperor Diocletian created inflation by placing too much money in circulation, and then “fixed the maximum prices at which beef, grain, eggs, clothing and other articles could be sold, and prescribed the penalty of death for anyone who disposed of his wares at a higher figure.” The results, as Schuettinger and Butler explain, quoting an ancient historian, were that “the people brought provisions no more to markets, since they could not get a reasonable price for them and this increased the dearth so much, that at last after many had died by it, the law itself was set aside.”
In order to ensure that the above law (which included the death penalty for non-compliance) was enforced, a literal army of bureaucrats were hired by the Empire to make sure merchants followed the rules decreed by the Emperor. A good example of this would be the current situation in the U.S., without the famine, due to a large Welfare State backing it up.
The State cannot regulate prices, jobs or production of goods, or how they’re produced, or anything for that matter, with any longer term success. They can only hamper the market, and use that one tool of the state, violence, in order to maintain their immoral laws and regulations. The Roman Empire tried it, along with dozens of other civilizations, price controls being interwoven deeply in the ancient Code of Hammurabi. Stop trying. You’ve already failed. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. The Federal Reserve has only been debasing the currency for a hundred years; we’ve already had the Great Depression and the housing crash of 2008, and it is about time it quit. Only the truly free, unregulated market has had any long term success. It is governed by human action, and human action cannot, and will not be denied. “Diocletian Failed!” And so have you.
Space Glasses: The Scary Future of Computers
Here’s my overview of what I know of Space Glass; Space Glass is a technology incorporated into a pair of glasses, that enables the viewer to digitally enhance his environment. It has 15x as much lense area as Google Glass, and, as of when this post was published, is better than Google Glass.
Just imagine when everyone is no longer staring at a flat-screened device. Instead, they’re looking at the display of a trendy, colorful set of glasses that adds a digital edge to the real world around you.
No longer do you have to be introduced to people; your glasses immediately searches an online database and prints out who the person is, and what he does, and possibly if he has a criminal record, and his social standing (Facebook followers, etc;)
Lets just hope that this technology is wide-spread (not just in the hands of the nation state, or a few, large corporations), and instead has hundreds of providers producing better, more encrypted versions of this technology, and that we don’t all get forced to turn into cyborgs to have a job or be socially acceptable.
I’m not saying that I don’t like technology; far from it! I’m just saying that I don’t like the potential for evil constantly present when faced with growing technology. This potential is heightened when you have a few people in control of the technologies, those technologies including Facebook and other Social Media, facial recognition, drones, and more.
Read more about Space Glasses here:
May the Truth be with you!
Prokaryotes – Incredibly Diverse
Prokaryotes are amazing diverse creatures. They can live in almost any habitat, create and receive their energy in many different ways, and much more. Some are even predators.
First, I will talk about their habitats. They live in many different habitats; some live in extremely salty conditions (9% for one), and many live in extreme heat, such as black smokers (more detail here), and geothermal vents (more detail here). They also create biofilms on your teeth (plaque) and on medical equipment. Some can only survive in areas with no oxygen, and others require oxygen to live. Others live on animals and people, helping the host through symbiosis to carry out its body functions, such as digestion.
Prokaryotes can obtain nutrition multiple ways. First, it could wander around and eat dead cells or even prey on live ones, but this method is in the minority. The most common method is the creation of usable energy through photosynthesis or the use of other minerals, like sulfur, to create usable energy for the prokaryote.
I’m not even scratching the surface; there is so much info and data out there on prokaryotes and all forms of cells. Without them, we would probably not be around today, as we depend so much upon them for food and the ability to get food from the environment.
RIP Star Wars Expanded Universe
RIP Star Wars Expanded Universe. So, the new Star Wars movies are going to start long after the current films and the extended universe. So much for all the wishful thinking. More detail in the link!
Which is the Greater Promoter of Personal Responsibility?
Which is the greater promoter of personal responsibility? The Free Market, or the Welfare State?
“So it begins. The great battle of our time.” Fought over and over again. For Centuries.
First, lets give the seeming pros of the Welfare State. We take from the Rich (theft) and give it (some, at least) to the poor (usually). The “benefits of this might include seemingly making the rich come to a more even level with the poor, and bring “balance to the Force” in a manner of speaking. This, however, is not the case. It’s more of a bribe. While the rich are crippled, making it so that they cannot take power from the few, top elite, the poor are bribed into continuing the welfare state, until the system collapses. The producers no longer have the capital or the money to produce anymore, and more and more is being drawn in by the state. The system continues to trail along, funneling all available wealth into the hands of a few, until there is none left in the hands of the people. We see this repeated in history; the Romans, all throughout the Medieval Ages, the Soviet Union and the modern day era. This is happening even the United States, slowly, but surely, as people desire the “benefits” of the Welfare State.
The Welfare State gets an F… again.
Now, about the advantages of the Free Market. First, people don’t have “free” money handed down to them, which means that they must earn a living for themselves, which means that there is a large population needing jobs. Without government, or state, interference, the market will create jobs for these people, because, to get a job, people will be willing to work for less. Thus, more money and capital is freed to open up more jobs.
(Note: Like, lets say there is a demand for bicycles. There are people working cheaply at the bicycle factory, and the profits are invested into a young inventors wallet, and he’s just invented the car. Now, there is a bicycle factory, and a car factory. People are hired for more, but quickly, competition between newer car factories opens up, and competition from all the lower paid (compared to the beginning higher wages for the car factory) workers trying to get a job creates more jobs at lower wages between jobs. A company is willing to hire someone for more, and another worker comes in and says he’ll work for less. In the end, it balances out. Bicycles become more expensive because less people want them, and cars become cheaper because more and more people want them. Wealth has just been created that wasn’t there before!)
So, overall, the Welfare State causes less jobs and less creativity, and certainly less personal responsibility. The Free Market can prevent that, but only if it is allowed to work; if it is truly free. So long as that is the case, the Free Market wins out every-time!
Booker T. Washington and the Future
Booker T. Washington had amazing success; so much success, he had an entire college (Tuskegee College), with hundreds of students, was given an honorary degree from Harvard, and had the President (President McKinley) come visit his college. In his autobiography, Up From Slavery, Mr. Washington had a vision; for blacks to have the same opportunities as whites, or any other race, and that all races can one day be equal, and any individual could aspire, by their own physical labor, make something out of their lives. Even though it took over 50 years for his dream to begin to come true, I believe that his view of the future is similar to mine. I hope a future where there will be no race, no group of persons, no one person dominating over any other race or persons. I, like Mr. Washington, have faith that this will one day be reality.
Cool Stuph 
Recent Comments