After nearly three years and 700 posts (nearly a book’s worth!), I’ve decided to put blogging aside for other efforts. It has been a wonderful opportunity to express myself, and in the process, to improve my writing and the composition of my arguments. However, my audience has always been, and will likely remain, tiny. To the 50 or so people who make up our readership, thank you so much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. I will continue to share my opinions, plus items of interest, on our Facebook page. I hope you will visit there, and perhaps join and contribute.
Hit and Run added a couple of good posts recently, concerning projects to create islands of liberty in an authoritarian world. The first examines the status of efforts to create charter cities in Honduras -
” (chief of staff to President Porfirio Lobo, Octavio) Sanchez says he isn’t worried that the latest attempt will again be derailed by the Supreme Court, because the original opinion was legally flawed, and four members of the constitutional chamber that first overturned the law “were removed from office by Congress because of gross ignorance.” Non-Hondurans involved in the process think the Supreme Court decision was more a matter of internal politics and an expression of opposition to the president of Congress, the free cities supporter Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was (and still is) running for president. While another legal challenge is possible, even likely, Sanchez and others involved say the new law will be carefully crafted to be as bulletproof as possible.”
“The libertarian influence already has paid some dividends in governance. In 2007 the New Hampshire legislature voted to block implementation of a national ID card system in the state. The battle against REAL ID was lead by Joel Winters, the first member of the Free State Project to win a statewide representative seat. Winters, a Democrat and Floridian, ran for office on a platform focused on civil liberties and privacy just two years after he moved to New Hampshire.
Winters, who is a building contractor by trade, notes that other Free State legislative victories are less conspicuous, because they involve stopping bad laws before they start. “There’s always proposals to expand licensing requirements, and we’ve helped stopped those,” he says, ticking off thwarted gun restrictions and seat belt regulations as examples.”
It is a cold fact that the coercive state is under unceasing, blistering attacks on all fronts. Under such a withering assault, it cannot hope to survive.
At some point, autonomous vehicles will create traffic that will be simply beyond the ability of human reflexes to negotiate. Long before that occurs, people will be prohibited from operating vehicles in most places. I wasn’t much bothered by that, until I put my motorcycle back on the road for this season. The thought that people won’t be able to commute by motorcycle makes me a little sad. But, the market delivers, and perhaps autonomous vehicles will be so much fun that they will somehow more than make up for whatever we have to give up.
How have I not heard of this film! Here’s the synopsis -
“Based on true events and laced with wry humour, STILL MINE is a heartfelt love story about an 89-year-old New Brunswicker (James Cromwell) who comes up against the system when he sets out to build a more suitable house for his wife (Geneviève Bujold) whose memory is starting to go. Although Craig Morrison is using the same methods his father, a shipbuilder, taught him, times have changed. Craig quickly gets on the wrong side of an overzealous government inspector, who finds just about everything unacceptable, including the unstamped wood Craig has milled from his own trees. As Irene becomes increasingly ill and amidst a series of stop-work orders Craig races to finish the house. Hauled into court and facing jail, Craig takes a final stance.”
This just has ‘libertarian’ written all over it! It’s showing in Victoria, which means it might be showing in your town, too. Is it any good? I can’t say, but the reviewers at Tribute.ca love it. If you’ve seen it, please comment and let us all know.
