Author: The Marginal Non-Hermit

Categories
Political Video Link

Beware the Bully Pulpit

The “bully pulpit” describes when some person or group in a position of authority uses that authority to make its desires clear to the public. When the executive branch of the government uses it, it is an extremely dangerous tool that can have serious negative consequences.

In the past, it was used to keep wage rates above market and exacerbated the Great Depression. Right now, it’s being used to attack the rights to free speech, expression, and press.

This is a clear threat to free discourse and it should be loudly opposed whenever possible.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Update: Now also available on YouTube.

Categories
Economics Video Link

Weird Ideas About Welfare and Minimum Wage

The minimum wage is one of the dumbest, most short-sighted policies there is. It is worse than other price controls because human labor is almost universally required for the production of all goods.

Yet so many people have weird ideas about wages and how they are determined that the vast majority of people think there is nothing wrong with this highly destructive policy.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Update: Now also available on YouTube.

Categories
Economics Political Uncategorized Video Link

The Blindness of Fanaticism

There are those who will make themselves willfully blind to ensure their viewpoints cannot be challenged. These people forget how important it is to consider secondary effects from any policy choice.

The good analyst, the good economist, looks at the long-term effects on groups that a policy indirectly affects as well as the direct, intended effects.

And subjugating liberty toward safety is a hole with no bottom.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Categories
Political Video Link

You Are Not Non-Essential

A short rant about Covid lockdowns. You are not Non-Essential, and the government has no right to tell you that you, your job, your business, your religion, or even your hobbies are.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Categories
Culture Creation Gaming Political Video Link

Our Hobbies: We’re Taking them Back

I’m a big gamer, mostly video games, but a little tabletop here and there. There’s been a wonderful movement recently for those of us who believe in liberty–and therefore are not welcome in the socialist hellhole communities of a lot of games–to make our own games, materials, and communities as a counter.

I’m in favor of this. Let’s create stuff and make a flanking maneuver on the forces of political correctness and take our hobbies back!

Video available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Categories
Political Video Link

Three Cheers for Self Defense

Self-defense is one of the most important rights we have, a corollary of the right to life.

Here’s a short video that stems from the Kyle Rittenhouse case and explores some of the principles behind the right to self-defense, including application to the state, and the tools to self-defense.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Categories
Book Review Political Video Link

Book Recommendation: “No Quarter: the Ravings of William Norman Grigg”

I highly recommend reading the book “No Quarter: the Ravings of William Norman Grigg,” published posthumously by the Libertarian Institute. I hadn’t finished it when I made this video, but I’ve finished it now, and it’s worth a look.

It’s a great book by a great guy who only got greater later in life. His incisive criticism of police misconduct and his strong antiwar stance, coupled with his amazing presentation style make for fun reading.

You can pick it up here.

This review is available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Update: The video is now also available on YouTube.

Categories
Political Uncategorized Video Link

Secession, Inertia, and Liberty

I’m frankly surprised that this is becoming a viable topic. Secession is a hugely important part of liberty–it’s the ability of a person or a group to separate itself from a government that is not serving its purpose.

Yet at the same time, we need to be aware of inertia as a political force. If secession occurs in the U.S., we can expect that change to encourage some of the worst in government to seize as much power as possible.

Therefore, we need to support secession consistently (meaning even after a hypothetical U.S. national divorce) and work to avoid rapid polarization.

Anyway, this video is a short discussion on that topic.

Available on Odysee and Bitchute.

Categories
Book Review Political Uncategorized Video Link

Book Review: “Springtime for Snowflakes,” by Michael Rectenwald

Michael Rectenwald is an interesting guy who spent most of his life as a devout Marxist, only to turn over to the side of freedom quite recently. He spent a little time incognito as the “Anti-PC NYU Professor,” only to be outed and suffer a huge backlash.

He’s written a few books since then, and this is my short review of his book “Springtime for Snowflakes,” which is mostly autobiographical, but with a dash of flavor to introduce a few important topics, like Critical Theory.

Video also available on Bitchute and Odysee.

Categories
Political Uncategorized Video Link

Murder by Any Other Name…

…would still be just as vile.

What kinds of horrible things can the state get away with? Well, state agents can kill innocent people and get away with it. And if they declare some specific area a “war zone,” they can do it a lot, and the public doesn’t even usually care.

That’s why it’s up to those of us who love freedom to call them out for it, whenever they do it.

Here’s the article discussed in the video:
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-admits-airstrike-kabul-killed-innocent-aid-worker-children-2021-9?op=1

This video is also available on Odysee and Bitchute.