algernonsidney

Perhaps, the worst road I've ever traveled was outside of Iquitos, Peru. It was just a bumpy, uneven dirt road.

In many poorer countries, roads are not built well or maintained well. Even paved roads aren't paved as much.

On 8/25/2022 at 9:39 AM, Ellen Stuttle said:

On the evening of March 2, 1950, I drove my old La Salle down Mulholland Drive and into the San Fernando Valley, heading toward Chatsworth and an address that had been the target of my thoughts for a week: 10,000 Tampa Avenue.

This reminds me of Archie and Edith Bunker singing: "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great...."

Michael loves his Rand-McNally world atlas.

This is also typical of his histrionics. Is it any wonder that nobody in New Zealand could stand him? Ron DeSantis is "killing people with Covid."
 

Jim is still putting out lots of nonsense:
 

Amber Heard did have a girl friend for a while.

I'd love to hear what Diana Brickell has to say about Amber Heard.

On 6/7/2022 at 5:59 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Chris,

I imagine it is.

I read while skimming on Facebook that you know Amber, or you know someone who knows her, or sumpin'.  

So, obviously, you feel loyalty.

But here's a question. Is that loyalty reciprocated, are you even on the radar with Amber, or is it a story you tell yourself? A fantasy you want to live?

 

Here's the other side of that coin from my own lived experience. 

I had a glamorous girlfriend once. Not anywhere near Amber's success, but somewhat famous in Brazil for a time (although she was American). We lived together for almost one year. From what I saw and read of the Johnny-Amber trial, Amber reminded me of her. My ex was an ex-Playboy bunny when we got together. In fact, even recently, I looked one day and, lo and behold, she was one of Bill Cosby's accusers (and, by the way, she did not age well). 

Life with her was at the edges. Drugs and alcohol, of course. Lots of 'em. Constant parties, too. But, emotionally, there were only extremes. Lots of heaven and lots of hell. She also battered me, really nasty wallops and constant threats, until one day I exploded and gave her a black eye right back. Even then, the scar on my forehead (which required about 6 stiches at the time) came from that night. And that gash came before I hit her. (She never hit me again, though.)

In one of the early sessions where she exploded on me, she took a motorcycle, a neighbor's motorcycle, in the parking area of the building we lived in, literally picked it off the ground and tried to throw it on top of me. This was right after she threw her high-heels at me and everything she could get her hands on. There was shit all over the garage.  

After an explosion, after she cooled off, generally after a few hours when we had gone in separate directions, she would almost always fall to the ground, wrap her arms around my ankles, cry her heart out and beg me not to leave her. Then I would end up taking out that big fat lollipop labeled sucker and start slurping.  

What a fucking trainwreck. And I'm not just talking about her.

We had good times, though. She like to live in her fantasies much the same way Amber does. One day when we were dancing, I spun her around in a perfect Fred Astair-like moment (although I'm far, far, far from Fred Astair). As she was coming back to me on a cloud, I pretended to slap her in an exaggerated, playful manner. I said, "Bayaamm." She burst out laughing and must have busted a gut for a solid half-hour. She was deep into her fantasy while dancing and my horsing around knocked her completely out of it. All she could do was laugh. And then she couldn't stop.

Most of the time, though, I didn't know whether I was coming or going. Life was a daze and all I remember was bliss or agony punctuated with stretches of insanity. There was no middle.

Sometimes she would hide my glasses from me (I'm badly nearsighted) and I would spend the day in a blur. She was always doing shit like that. But the love-making was out of this world great. High. Low. High. Low. High. Low. My nerves were shot.

I don't know if I would do it all over if I could. Maybe not. What's better? Not knowing and always wondering about a woman like her for me, but not having had my soul stretched to the limits on a rack run by sadists, or having lived through all that and survived? If suffering provides wisdom, I sure as hell am wise. Except I don't feel wise when I think about her.

 

This is why I am not as sympathetic to Amber as I could be. Johnny doesn't look like any paragon of rationality I ever saw.  But what I see in Amber is way too close to what I lived to feel much empathy for her. And the Ayn Rand part doesn't even register on my radar.

 

In Amber's defense, I suppose you have to be part crazy to go for the big time when young. My ex (who was going for a pop singer career) was not the only crazy bitch I ever met in show biz. In fact, there are oodles of 'em.

Here's a tip if you ever want one. Don't worry about feminism, MeToo and all that crap. Go into producing. Then hone in on one to your liking and devote most of your producing to her. Tell her she is great and do things to show you mean it and off you will go.

Don't be surprised by what you find, though. The fantasy has nothing to do with the reality. Oh, you get the beauty and glamor and all those people envying you and the highs and all that. But you also get a dumpster full of insecurities and insanity just ready to be set on fire. One doesn't come without the other with crazy bitch pop entertainers. Maybe there are exceptions, but I've never seen one.

Michael

The topic is emotional because of my experiences at the seminars in 1995 and 1996 and the events in between. What I've seen in the Objectivist movement is consistent with Amber's behavior. For one, most Objectivist women are always looking to trade up. So, they will dump a guy who makes a million dollars a year for a guy who makes two million dollars. It doesn't matter if they have had kids. Of course, couples with kids are already rare enough.

Add this narcissism to the feminist narrative. Feminism holds that men have no purpose other than to rape women and throw women down the stairs. Men are not protectors, providers, partners, or anything worthwhile. Of course, Objectivist women still get horny now and then, so they still need a guy to fulfill that. So, a man serves as an occasional sex toy. Objectivist women will also use men for other things, like money and status. I suspect Amber was trying to use Johnny to gain status in Hollywood.

Considering all this, I'm kind of shocked that I've never met any Objectivist lesbians. That would be much more consistent with their narcissism and their misandry.

On 5/21/2022 at 9:19 AM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Chris,

Jim and I keep a distance from each other.

He has never bothered me on anything and I believe he is as smart as a whip. We once talked for hours on a phone call (the only one) and we went around to several places together over a couple of day when I met him in LA for Barbara's memorial service. On a one-on-one face-to-face bases, I found him to be genial and fun-loving.

I may have had the impression of him in the beginning. We hung out quite a bit at Free Minds in 2009. He is a smart guy. I asked him about South Africa and how the system came to be there, for example.

Quote

But I know he has a dark and harsh side. In fact, I disagree with him on several issues. Since I have learned he is not the kind of person who responds well when people disagree on issues he feels strongly about, I simply don't discuss those issues with him. His good friend Sharon Presley is the same.

That is my impression. I haven't been around Sharon Presley. Did Sharon also totally embrace corona tyranny like Jim did?

Quote

Here's what I mean. I find Jim is more aligned with a deep-seated hatred and suspicion of all things Christian. Ron Paul falls within that category since Ron has lots of Christians around him--Southern Christians, too, which seem to be the brand Jim hates the most. Any libertarian who supports Christianity is poison to him, so Ron Paul is poison. I sense it in that direction. 

I have had good interactions with most Christian libertarians over the years. I was a libertarian for several years before I left the church. I get long with Christian libertarians better. Do I think Jesus was a libertarian? Hell, yes, I do.

I get the impression that Jim hates anybody who is friends with Christians, even if that anybody is not Christian. Unfortunately for Jim, most in the liberty movement have accepted that they will have to work with Christians to get anything done.

Do you have a theory on why Jim has become an apologist for corona tyranny? I'm not sure I can ever forgive this.

On 5/25/2022 at 7:51 AM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Chris,

Your remark kept coming to mind unbidden, so I thought it through. Here's what I came up with.

1. There is no connection between Ayn Rand and what Amber Heard is going through with Johnny Depp. They are airing their drug-and-alcohol-fueled Hollyweird bickering as a couple to the whole world. I can't imagine Rand in any kind of situation comparable to what Amber is doing and/or going through.

Hell, even Rand's affair with Nathaniel Branden was top secret for years. The idea of airing dirty laundry like that is almost at the level of spiritual death for Rand. Think of her short story, "The Husband I Bought," or Dagny falling to pieces after she admitted her affair with Hank on the radio.

2. Rand's heroic women and men were high-end achievers. Amber was not building skyscrapers, running a railroad, changing the technological world. She was not even putting on a brilliant soul-elevating acting performance. She was just checked out of reality and faking things as the stories unfolded and piled up.

3. There is a special martyrdom resonance that just won't leave me alone. I see a lot of people do the victimization thing using Rand. This usually takes the form of a martyr story. ("Don't let the bastards get to you," and so on.) The person is heroically sacrificing himself or herself for a moral high ground. From what I have seen with Amber's proceedings with Johnny Depp and all that cruddy MeToo stuff, I don't seen any moral high-ground anywhere with either of them.

 

So while I am glad she likes Ayn Rand, I get the impression she still has a lot to learn to implement the lessons from Rand's life and writings. I just don't see any correspondence, much less causality, with her current situation.

Michael

I would call Amber a high-end achiever. She quit school to become an actress. She made it work. I have heard that only about 3% of actors make a living, and that is just making a living. Amber has not only made a living--she got famous. I have gotten this same impression of many women who like Rand--give them a job, and they will likely do the job very well.

I don't know Amber's financial situation. I do suspect that she has set herself up for life though.

Love, marriage, and romance are completely different. Combine all this with the toxicity of modern feminism. Many who like Rand also exhibit some of the worst attitudes of the modern feminists. This is an extremely emotional topic for me. After meeting women at the seminars back in 1995 and 1996, I was never able to look at women the same way again. It also took my years to figure out why. That was my red pill.

Jim actually blocked me from commenting on his page for the Moorfield Storey Institute. He also Tweets under the same name.

Basically, Jim just takes a contrary position to any position taken by Ron Paul and anyone who likes him. Ron Paul thinks corona virus is a scam, so Jim loves all the anti-freedom stuff in the name of fighting a virus.

When I met Jim at Free Minds in 2009, I felt sorry for him when he told me about losing his life in New Zealand. Now, I totally understand why they wanted to get rid of him.

He would be a joke if he wasn't so pathetic. He hardly has any friends at all. He is probably the most marginalized person in the history of the liberty movement. Jim hates Peter Schiff. Jim hates Adam Kokesh. 

That being said, he's already finding new friends though. It's mostly other fake libertarians who hate Ron Paul and basically just hate everybody in the liberty movement. The  corona virus exposed a lot of fake libertarians.

Amber is a big fan of Ayn Rand. Based on other experiences with women who like Rand, this does not surprise me at all.

Michael, did George say anything about the events of 2020 and 2021? Did he say anything about all this corona insanity?

Thanks for those insights. I can understand the feelings of betrayal here. I don't know everything that happened between them. I do think men have a tougher time moving on from betrayals than women do. Women seem to have a period of lows and then they move on.

Wendy doesn't really talk about it much. I don't remember many details about what she shared with me. I do remember these words: "That man needs a hobby."

I really wonder how George reacted to all the events of 2020. I can't find anything about this online anywhere. It would have been interesting. As far as I'm concerned, Cato totally sold out in 2020. I can't imagine George endorsing any of this corona bullshit.

It doesn't seem that we even know for sure if this is George Smith.

Did George every write or say anything about all this corona silliness anywhere? I honestly can't see George believing in any of this nonsense.

When I heard about George's death, I felt the urge to peruse this thread again. Was George doing anything else for the  last 25 years of his? Or did he just spend every waking moment bitching about Wendy?

Well, he also gave us plenty of details about his sex life.

The board said that George posted 431 times in this thread alone.

On 5/18/2022 at 12:31 PM, Peter said:

“Which Way You Goin’ Billy” by the Canadian group, Poppy Family and written by Terry Jacks is a good listen from 1969.

Yes, I know that song. It means that Terry Jacks is NOT a one-hit wonder.

On 6/25/2011 at 7:03 AM, Xray said:

This was really strange.

On 6/15/2011 at 2:10 PM, caroljane said:

You are right - didn't Young Lenny P. walk all the way to Los Angeles, or something?

I don't know of Konkin but my impression of the Brandens is that they escaped not from, but to-- towards their ideal which happened to be in the US. The Winnipeg of the 50s and 60s had a unique intellectual and social subculture which Barbara (I vaguely remember from PAR) found stifling, but which produced many notable artists, thinkers and writers.

Anyway you can escape Canada, but being Canadian you are stuck with unless you escape very, very young. "Choosing to be American" was fine for Ayn Rand and other unique souls who can transcend nationalism. The rest of us are just mired in our tribalism and collectivism.

This will always be Winnipeg's greatest contribution to world culture--Terry Jacks:
 

They will do a tribute to libertarians who have died at LP National next week. This will be anyone since the last LP National. I submitted some good libertarians who may not have been involved much with the LP, like Walter Williams. I am wondering if I will submit George.

I did a search on the funeral home's site and found nothing there. I naturally wonder who was around George. This is a very sad story if that is the case. Were his friends around? What about family? Who was with George?

This is though because a name like George Smith is common as dirt.

I am sorry to hear this. George's  book Atheism: The Case Against God is one of the best arguments for atheism out there. He also wrote some  good articles about what was right and wrong with Objectivism.

At the same time, I will never understand why he maintained a feud with Wendy McElroy. Wendy has long been a friend, so I do want to take her side.

George also made some very arguments and posts on this board. He was a good contributor to this board.

Does anyone know what George thought about the last two years? I can't find any writings from him on the situation.

Merlin Jetton has died at 79. Chris Matthew Sciabarra memorialized him here:
 

Stephen Boydstun remembers him here:
 

Recent events have brought Anthony Johnson and his convention back to my attention. He apparently had invited Roman McClay to speak at his event in 2020. Of course, the world went nuts in 2020, so I have no idea if he actually spoke there. Three days ago, Roman went on a shooting rampage in the Denver area.

Former speakers at 21 Convention--Rollo Tomassi and Rian Stone--talk about it here:
 

Bitcoin is hardly the only cryptocurrency out there right. Other cryptocurrencies have actually been doing better than Bitcoin since the bottom of mid- March 2020. Some are:

Cardano (ADA)

Celsius (CEL)

Polkadot (DOT)

Ethereum (ETH)

Binance Coin (BNB)

The era of cyrptocurrency is much like the era of wildcat banks. This was from Andrew Jackson to the Civil War. It was also arguably the greatest period of economic growth in American history. I would also argue that in the NORTH it was the most capitalist time.

Bitcoin has to stay honest because of the competition, although there are plenty who want to corrupt. If people lose faith in BTC, they will go elsewhere. ETH is a solid #2 right now in market cap--currently about 1/2 of BTC. There is somewhat of a horse race for the #3 crypto.

We've already seen the US Government try and fail to destroy one cryptocurrency. That is Ripple (XRP). It has made a great comeback since January, even though it was taken off US-based exchanges.

ETH actually has a good shot at overtaking BTC. In the middle of July, there will be a change that will reduce the number ETH token produced per day. It will go from about 13,000 per day to about 2,600 per day. Don't be surprised if ETH takes over BTC in market cap.

By the way, at the bottom of the Corona dip in March 2020, ETH was about $100; and BTC was about $4,000. ETH has now peaked at over $4,000; while BTC only made it to about $60,000. I'm sorry I didn't buy them. That's about 40 times versus about 15 times.

Cryptocurrency tokens are not like stocks. You can part of one token, so you can buy part of a Bitcoin if you don't have enough for a whole one.

There are well over 6,000 cyptocurrencies out there. Well over 5,000 are scams. Many are doing very interesting things, and they are making good efforts to change the world. That is also many more than Linux distributions.

The sad truth is that cryptocurrency is where the only good guys in tech are left. There are no good guys at Google, Microsoft, Fuckbook, or Apple.

Unlike big tech, there isn't any easy way to consolidate cryptocurrency. Chase can buy a small-town bank or even a smaller chain of banks. American Airlines can buy US Air, TWA, and other airlines. Microsoft can buy Great Plains. Bitcoin can't buy Ethereum. Ethereum can't buy Polkadot or Cardano.

I don't see how cryptocurrency can be corrupted at this point.

It's a year later, and Jim is still embarrassing himself. He accuses Sweden of "narcissistic authoritarianism":

https://medium.com/the-radical-center/narcissistic-authoritarianism-failed-sweden-and-killed-people-1612334945f5

Jim is one of the most narcissistic people I have ever known. For years, he has portrayed himself as an arbiter of libertarian purity. In spite of this, he loves Milton Friedman and went full-blown corona zombie in 2020.