Morality101.net

This Morality webpage should have been the very first, but it was long delayed by secondary considerations which I have allowed to distract me.  Even today, expect that I shall continue to enhance and fine-tune this page.

To myself, morality is very simple, but the objective of helping others to grasp, contemplate, accept and adopt as the principles by which one may have and build a life with happiness and prosperity — that requires example and elaboration.

“Morality” and “Philosophy” seem hugely daunting and intimidating words, but true morality is neither intricate nor complex, despite that the subject has inspired the penning of countless books, billions of words, has consumed the entire lifetimes of some and the never-ending diatribe of many, seeming to demand far more time and effort than most humans care to endure.

From our USA Declaration of Independence, which states … “All men [have] certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These few words contain the essence of true Morality. Your rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are absolutes — they are not negotiable.  For You to compromise even any small part of those rights is immoral unto yourself, and unto your world.

Contrary to common belief, the above words are NOT contained within our Constitution. The Constitutional Amendments serve to partially correct that amazing oversight, but the sum of those Amendments fails to encompass the full meaning, and some contradict the meaning of that original phrase within the Declaration of Independence. Anyway, while the essence of morality is contained within that simple phrase, it seems that far too many do not bother to consider those words and thus cannot relate those to lives of true freedom.

Your RIGHT TO LIFE is an entirely personal and individual right, which cannot exist except that each person OWNS their life and all, which is necessary and thus proper, to sustain and enhance Life.  “Life” necessarily encompasses the entire spectrum of the components of Humanity.

Far beyond the basics of merely continuing to breathe, of having a beating heart, Human Life means not only the instincts necessary for survival, which are merely characteristics of all animals. Only Human life necessarily includes the the Mind and the ability to apply the human capability to Reason based upon all that is observable by one’s Senses, and to use one’s Reason to abstract and conceive of things beyond — innovation, improvement, expansion, and creation.

The only valid Morality is necessarily based upon our knowledge of that which Exists — those things which are known and knowable — which therefore can be perceived by our senses of vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Our senses proved our means of perceiving that which exists, and our mind can consider, expand upon and organize those perceptions, and by use of Reason can draw conclusions which necessarily conform to the knowable Existence, and/or provable by logical and scientific process.  Animals cannot Reason.  Reasoning is the unique, special and most precious characteristic of Humanity.

• Your life belongs only to YOU, which means… it does NOT belong to anyone else.
• Who has the right to your life? Only YOU!
• Who has the right to control or manipulate your Life? Only YOU!
• Who determines the level of quality of your Life? Only YOU!
• Who then is Responsible for your Life?  Hmmm, would that be YOU?
• Further, you are also responsible for the family which you have chosen, but no others.
• And in return your family is equally responsible for you.You may Choose to assume responsibility for others whom you value, but…
• The extent and longevity of responsibility for those others is strictly your Personal Choice.

Right to Life: Of course you have the right to life and therefore that life belongs to You.  If anyone else were to take your life, You would not exist, having neither Life nor any need or even desire for Life.  It sounds so elementary, doesn’t it?  Therefore, each of us must have our personal right to life.  To sustain and enhance that life is our primary duty to ourselves, for without life we are nothing.  Did I say something wrong here?  I think not,

which brings us to Your…
Right to Liberty: Most of us seldom think deeply about Liberty or Freedom – it’s just a word, something we’re supposed to have, and if “They” tell us we have Liberty, we tend to take “Them” at their word.  We truly do need to think about Liberty, each and every time we make choices affecting our Lives,  We need th consider whether we are truly Free to make those choices, or whether “They” have already made or limited those choices without your consent.

How is your Life sustained and enhanced?  With Your…
Property: — which is everything you own, hopefully because you earned it!  Property  includes your money, your income, your home, your earned assets, , your investments, even your wristwatch, your food and clothing.  But most importantly, Life includes Your Mind,  all Your Mind creates and does to enable your continuing survival and gain happiness and comfort for yourselves and your personal Circle.  Would you allow others to steal your property?  Of course not, for earning and accumulating and using your property is necessary to sustain and enhance your Life!  If you cannot and do not sustain your life, and if you fail to insist up your Right to do so, you die.  Being dead, you are unable to help your family, your friends, or your freely chosen charitable choices.  Once dead, how do you accumulate property to sustain and enhance the life of yourself and your loved ones?

Might you use your…
Mind? Would you use your mind to weigh the pros and cons of your every move, to make the best decisions toward your better Life?  Or would you cede your Mind for such  decisions over to someone else?  Who knows better than you what will be the best choices for your personal Life?  Would you turn your choices over to your neighbor, or to the criminal on another street, or to your mayor and council, or your governor, or your congressman, or your president?  Who can know better than you what is best for your personal life?  Who knows best of your circumstances, your desires, and your abilities?  Whose mind is really superior to Yours?

Which leads right into the necessity of having…
Personal Choice: Our choices are ours alone to make.  We can make good choices and reap the rewards, or we can make poor choices for which we will pay the price of decreased prosperity and happiness, or even cause loss of  Your Life.  If You turn your personal choices over to someone else, will that someone somehow care less about their own life, or will they be too busy making their own personal choices?  Can you really trust them to somehow make better choices for You than you can make for yourself?  This is not a rhetorical question!  If You will cede your Mind to another, then are you Human, or are you merely an animal, an entity without the unique  human ability to Reason?

Pursuit of Happiness. So long as you are alive and able, your property is yours with which to pursue the happiness you have earned, for yourself, your family and your chosen friends.  Happiness is not given, it is earned by your effort and your virtue.  It is to be treasured, and is not to be diminished by being stolen from you by neighbors, or governments or other criminals.  Happiness may be enhanced by sharing with those you treasure.  Even your charity via gift or effort may increase your happiness.

In furthering your Morality, realize that You are entirely responsible for your own Life.  You are also equally responsible allowing all others the same equal Right to Life.

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Original post found at:  http://townhall.com

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Our Problem is Immorality

by Walter E. Williams

Most of our nation’s great problems, including our economic problems, have as their root decaying moral values. Whether we have the stomach to own up to it or not, we have become an immoral people left with little more than the pretense of morality. You say, “That’s a pretty heavy charge, Williams. You’d better be prepared to back it up with evidence!” I’ll try with a few questions for you to answer.

Do you believe that it is moral and just for one person to be forcibly used to serve the purposes of another? And, if that person does not peaceably submit to being so used, do you believe that there should be the initiation of some kind of force against him? Neither question is complex and can be answered by either a yes or no. For me the answer is no to both questions but I bet that your average college professor, politician or minister would not give a simple yes or no response. They would be evasive and probably say that it all depends.

In thinking about questions of morality, my initial premise is that I am my private property and you are your private property. That’s simple. What’s complex is what percentage of me belongs to someone else. If we accept the idea of self-ownership, then certain acts are readily revealed as moral or immoral. Acts such as rape and murder are immoral because they violate one’s private property rights. Theft of the physical things that we own, such as cars, jewelry and money, also violates our ownership rights.

The reason why your college professor, politician or minister cannot give a simple yes or no answer to the question of whether one person should be used to serve the purposes of another is because they are sly enough to know that either answer would be troublesome for their agenda. A yes answer would put them firmly in the position of supporting some of mankind’s most horrible injustices such as slavery. After all, what is slavery but the forcible use of one person to serve the purposes of another? A no answer would put them on the spot as well because that would mean they would have to come out against taking the earnings of one American to give to another in the forms of farm and business handouts, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and thousands of similar programs that account for more than two-thirds of the federal budget. There is neither moral justification nor constitutional authority for what amounts to legalized theft. This is not an argument against paying taxes. We all have a moral obligation to pay our share of the constitutionally mandated and enumerated functions of the federal government.

Unfortunately, there is no way out of our immoral quagmire. The reason is that now that the U.S. Congress has established the principle that one American has a right to live at the expense of another American, it no longer pays to be moral. People who choose to be moral and refuse congressional handouts will find themselves losers. They’ll be paying higher and higher taxes to support increasing numbers of those paying lower and lower taxes. As it stands now, close to 50 percent of income earners have no federal income tax liability and as such, what do they care about rising income taxes? In other words, once legalized theft begins, it becomes too costly to remain moral and self-sufficient. You might as well join in the looting, including the current looting in the name of stimulating the economy.

I am all too afraid that a historian, a hundred years from now, will footnote America as a historical curiosity where people once enjoyed private property rights and limited government but it all returned to mankind’s normal state of affairs — arbitrary abuse and control by the powerful elite.

digg story

It’s a good video to show where the money goes, but…

But “take your money back” ?? Good luck, once you have paid it, it’s gone and “it ain’t never coming back”. If you don’t pay your money for taxes along with your purchases, you’re not gonna be able to buy much to maintain your life — it is all taxed multiple times before you even see it. Try getting your cart-full out of Walmart without paying the taxes.

We must first understand the morality of true unfettered freedom and personal choice, which means refusing to accept for force imposed by collectivism, Think “refuse”, “strike”, “revolt”.

Building anything begins with a proper foundation, which in life is a rational moral code. America is lost because objective morality is set aside in favor of the immorality of Force. That’s why we have Governments, to apply force and theft by taxation which is “legal” only via Goverment.

By purporting to make our decisions for us, Government denies the sanctity of the individual mind, usurping that to whom? Some OTHER individual? Those Other Individuals join into gangs called Congress, Legislature, Board, Council, each with a “Leader” called President or Governor or Chairman or Mayor.

All supported by Taxes, taken by Force right from your pocket.

Morality101 is here to offer alternatives.  Look around while you’re here.

Okay, folks, it’s time to get real.  Actually, it’s been that time for many years, but today it has all caught up with us.  Let things continue this way, and this next election will be our last, if we even survive until November!

Americans are concerned over rising prices.  Are they asking their DemoReps to explain why our national debt is beyond control?  NO!  Are they asking to eliminate anything of the causes?  NO!  Are they asking why our dollar is rapidly becoming worthless?  NO!  Are they wondering why they no longer have choices except the lesser of 2 or 3 evils?  NO!  All this noise about yes, a really stupid war. but are they asking that we just admit the mistake and quit right now?  NO!

Libertarians are disjointed over their convention nominees.  Are we going to work for those we’ve chosen, or are we just going to extinguish our candle?  We might have made choices from amongst “more pure” libertarians, but we didn’t.  Barr wasn’t my preference either, but he is a savvy politician who can help put us back on the map, and Root may help with philosophical balance for that team.  Sorry to see it, but Ron Paul saw the light and won’t carry our torch, but at least he’ll be in Congress.  Sticking with Dr Paul for president is surely a wasted vote even if it makes a small point.  We don’t have 4 more years; splintering won’t buy the USA or the libertarians any more time.

I probably missed some, but I’ve seen only C-span even mention the Libertarians.  Our presentation wasn’t the best, and C-span didn’t cover it all that well, but at least they did.  I didn’t see CNN or Fox or xxNBC or any other even acknowledge the LP convention, nor are they including us in their “news”, the tiresome and boring debate over trivia.

There is but one real issue, which is being studiously avoided by the DemoReps and by the media.  That issue is our economic collapse, along with the underlying immorality which has caused it.  If Libertarians are to survive as a political party, we must seize upon this issue in this moment and bring it to the forefront.  This is our last opportunity.  Barr said we have 163 days… now it’s 162, 161, 160…

Economic collapse is a tough issue, perhaps impossible, but keeping our heads in the sand cannot change the scenario.  We may be entering the new Dark Age without even a flashlight.

Okay, will try to make this short ‘n sweet, but there’s a lot to say!  If you just don’t get this, perhaps you need to study other pages here on Morality101 and participate in this blogger!

Without doubt, this collapse will wipe us out. The unfunded tax refund payout in May, along with current tinkering by the Federal Reserve Board, increases the money supply as it increases the debt, and thus promises only to increase the rate of inflation, not the rate of prosperity and freedom.   If the Fed soon  strives for deflation, the resulting depression merely makes a different path to the bottom; 1929 will seem like a lark. As they say, “bring it ON!”.

So the collapse is inevitable anyway, and will trigger the same world-wide. Pulling the 2nd trigger on this shotgun will be done by China, OPEC, and the host of others will follow whenever they finally can no longer accept our worthless dollars and that the USA is in unrecoverable default. We’re all ahead just to acknowledge our fate, bite the bullet, move thru this as quickly as possible, and re-start from the bottom with a system based on the morality of freedom and individual rights.

Revolution  has no hope of success and, sans a moral alternative to the current insanity, offers no relief. A moral society, assuming somehow such may become possible, cannot include force amongst it’s premises.

There are  few politicians, with the knowledge, courage and desire to correct this course to disaster. Even a libertarian president cannot unravel this mess alone, it being necessary to find consensus amongst a congress comprised almost entirely of politicians whose main objective is not morality, it is re-election.

The loss of our rights and freedom, property and choice (thus life) can be ended only by withdrawing our support for this nonsense. That present support is our taxes, taken by force from a citizenry which has neither political alternative nor recourse. A TAX-STRIKE seems the only possibility and the only moral alternative. A taxstrike is an individual choice, not requiring an organization nor another useless political party nor even publicity which would increase one’s exposure to “the law”.

There be considerable wasted debate about whether the tax law and codes are enforceable. What on earth does that matter? We’re collapsing NOW, for goodness sake! There’s no more time for debate, it is time for action (or is that inaction?)! We have a moral obligation to resist the wrongs at hand. Without active resistance like the Tea Party, would the USA ever have come into existence?

So go on strike — DO IT NOW!! Cancel your withholding or just quit your employer if you can. Never file another 1040. And never accept force, not now, now ever again! Be prudent, strike quietly, but do it! Encourage those you trust to do the same. It seems to me that the gestapo is much more interested in pursuing fraud (under-reporting, etc) than chasing down a simple missing 1040. They won’t even notice it for a year! The jails are already overflowing anyway, where would they put us, and how would they feed us and pay for our incarceration? Each tax striker will probably cause the unemployment of one politician or bureaucrat or enforcer — they won’t stay long without paychecks — think about it! And think of the extra money you’ll have to fulfill the desires of the of the future.

And now, of course, we come to the verbiage we all love to ignore. Nothing in this blog, or anywhere on this Morality101.net website, shall be in any way construed as legal advice. All of us are on our own, taking our chances with this tax-strike strategy.   We are all responsible for our own personal actions. While I believe this website is ‘secure’ in not revealing subscriber information, and certainly I will not release any of the little information I have, I can’t prevent the gestapo from digging deeper, and am telling you that the tracks cannot be completely obscured from such – they would claim to have the law on their side, right?

Source: http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

The Outstanding Public Debt as of now is:

The estimated population of the United States is 304,030,136
so each citizen’s share of this debt is $30,784.92.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$1.49 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
Concerned? Then tell Congress and the White House!

Okay, it’s great to find a clock like this — if it doesn’t update, go to the source.  But, “tell Congress…?“.   Congress already knows, should never permitted allowed this, and should have ended it long ago! It is now so bad that as candidates they avoid the subject.

Larry Edelson writes: Not many people noticed, but on May 17 the folks in Washington upped the country’s national debt limit to $9.815 trillion . That’s a whopping $1.635 trillion increase in less than three years.

As of today there are exactly zero “viable” presidential candidates who are addressing the real issues surrounding this Debt.  Even if Ron Paul or perhaps another libertarian were somehow scramble to the top this November and declare an end to this game, the Congress must cooperate.  Do you really believe that possible?

Our options?  Nadda; it’s time to withdraw from this system, not to foolishly continue to support the collapse of our once-great nation.  All the background for this concept is published here on Morality101, so follow the links and make the tumble a bit easier on yourself, family & friends.

Tax day is now near. We’re seeing some rather lightweight efforts for protests that day at the Federal Buildings and Post Offices. That alone won’t accomplish all that’s needed, but at least there’s a bit of noise being made.

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pol/625161622.html blogs:

“If you read Clause 1 from Article 1, Section 8 of The Constitution it states that “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States”

The 16th Amendment of the Constitution states that “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”  However, there is much disagreement as to whether the 16th Amendment was properly ratified, something which you can research if you wish.  There is also the argument that the above Article 1, Section 8 does not include taxes on income, which has won in court cases against the IRS.

Again, don’t consider this legal advice, merely a quote. But “legal”?  Just because a majority of congress passes a bill which is not the will of the people doesn’t mean it is either legal (under the Constitution) or moral (as conforming to true autonomy and choice of the individual).  When we see our world collapsing around us because of taxation “for the greater good, it becomes time to refuse.  To continue supporting the force of a collectivist society when no options remain to correct the wrongs, is both immoral and foolish.

Withdrawing our support for the immorality, by not filing tax returns, nor by paying taxes nor by not allowing withholding, seems the only alternative.  The USA economic collapse continues to get worse with each regulatory or bailout “solution” attempted.

Tax Strike is not only about this April 15th, it’s about from this day forward.

definition: Miriam-Webster

• 1: the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality reported by mystics
• 2: the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)
• 3a: vague speculation : a belief without sound basis
• 3b: a theory postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of ineffable knowledge or power

definition: BrainyQuote

• Obscurity of doctrine.
• The doctrine of the Mystics, who professed a pure, sublime, and wholly disinterested devotion, and maintained that they had direct intercourse with the divine Spirit, and acquired a knowledge of God and of spiritual things unattainable by the natural intellect, and such as can not be analyzed or explained.
• The doctrine that the ultimate elements or principles of knowledge or belief are gained by an act or process akin to feeling or faith.

Hundreds of different definitions. Okay, so much for the muddle-minded.
Striker’s definition: Belief and faith in the unknown and unknowable.

adherents.com lists largest 22 religions; 33% Christian, 21% Islam, 16% non-religious. 14% Hindu…22% Jewish ranks #12. Seems that there’s a plethora of differing thought.

So how is mysticism related to morality? It depends greatly on one’s definitions. of morality, true? Objective morality requires that we rely upon rationality; upon reasoning based on that which we KNOW. A mystic’s true test of Faith might be diving out of an airplane without a parachute, believing the spirits will bring a safe landing. An objectivist, knowing better, would use the parachute.

Here in the USA, we have freedom OF religion (/mysticism), but not freedom FROM religion. Thus we are embroiled in endless diatribe which result in laws for marriage, divorce, abortion, gay rights, blue laws, holidays for Christmas & Easter, drugs & alcohol & tobacco, and so much more. Then comes the dysfunctional mystical idea that we are our Brother’s Keeper, Brother being all humankind, rather than simply our families.

Such Ideas without rational basis cannot find universal acceptance. But the mystics have found the way via Democracy and the Guilt Trip. With Democracy it takes only a simple majority to force any idea, bad or good, upon everyone. The Guilt Trip is used to intimidate everyone, thus those candidates who survive the weeding-out process become our legislators, governors and the president, all obligated to pacify the mystics if they are to survive the next election. So now universal acceptance is no longer necessary. Now politicians claim a “mandate” to pass Laws, whether rational or not, and we citizens long ago ceded our rights to government by bestowing the powers of Law and the Duty to en-FORCE those laws. Rationality becomes irrelevant!

So the government becomes our Brother’s Keeper (now Welfare and Health Care and Licenses and …) in a myriad of ways. It is a great opportunity for those with power-mentalities to make friends with the Politicians and become Bureaucrats sworn to uphold and enforce the Law. But there’s a problem – all these Government people think they should be Paid, and have Offices and Cars and Buildings with Bathrooms and Computers and Desks and Telephones.

Therefore, toward the best interests of the mystics, we have Taxes which also used to pay for Wars. We don’t pay for Wars these days, it’s put on-the-cuff and called the National Debt. And we have the Minimum Wage which has helped so many people in China while making US manufacturers less competitive in the world markets.

Conclusion? Mysticism is both a waste of time and IM-moral.

I’m not interested in carrying on debate over this subject, so it’s closed to comment.

Morality101.net is about the USA collapse, headed for the worst imaginable scenario, which will quickly extend to devastate all mankind and it’s governments.

The cause is irrational morality, forcing the sacrifice of freedom for the ‘greater good’. We have ceded our minds to the mystics and our freedom to Big Brother. Following generations of insidious mysticism, the reasons for this collapse are largely lost amongst the ‘masses’, yet so obvious to the few. Irrationality reigns, and only our refusal to accept this immorality can regain freedom and restore the dignity of mankind.

The effects are myriad, with hyperinflation being primary. Perhaps one-half of Earth’s population will die from starvation and plague. Other secondary effects will be looting, rioting,  economic chaos, force via dictatorships &  martial law.  Revolution cannot succeed except by replacing one set of dictators with another.  It will take generations or even centuries for mankind to regain rationality, assume responsibility for their own lives, and establish a free society based on objective principles.