When I try to imagine the modern United States under libertarian governance I do not see something that looks good, or even particularly desirable despite its faults. In another time, I think things could be different. But now? I have grave doubts about the success of an ideology that demands personal responsibility on the part of every individual. Does this mean that working toward a libertarian futures is a bad thing to do? I’m not sure. The problem is that political action and getting libertarian candidates in office and libertarian philosophy to the masses won’t be enough. It cannot be enough, for the reason stated earlier. It will not work, just as the Founding Fathers’ vision of a republic has not worked. We have not a moral, educated, or thoughtful citizenry, on average. How can the degenerate factions in society be managed without resorting to violence?

As has ever been the case, the human element is the downfall of all things. Our government is corrupt because of it. Our society suffers from profoundly broken metaphysics because of it, and our culture caters to our most base hedonistic impulses while ridiculing those who seek to do better by breaking free of the bread and circuses.

What does a ‘just’ society look like? How is that compatible with a libertarian utopia in which every hedonistic impulse is being catered to and actively exploited by a completely free capitalist market? I’m not sure that it is. Here is the thought that’s hardest to utter: Maybe limited violence employed to maintain some level of order and decency is better than a society that permits every debauchery but follows the NAP. Which does more harm to more people? To be clear: I’m using “harm” very broadly, to include not just the physical but also the spiritual.

I am currently of the opinion that what good we still have in our society is the fading shadow of the Christian society we (not just the US, but the West in general) used to be. Without a return to that, the descent will continue. Religious life didn’t used to be a separate thing. It permeated every aspect. That’s not to say that everything was rainbows and unicorns – people were still broken, sinful creatures – as they are now and have been since the Fall. Society was structured in a way that centered it around God. Today, God is shoved into a hour or two long box on Sunday morning and largely ignored outside of that, at best. At worst, He’s actively fought against, with His followers mocked, ridiculed, insulted, and cancelled.

I don’t see a political answer to the woes facing society.

I don’t think one is possible.

Politics is the realm of sociopaths, sycophant, and satanic influences.

We can’t fix society until we fix ourselves.

We can’t fix ourselves without help.

Stop going to the ballot box.

Start going to church instead.

Center your life around Christ, as your ancestors did.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from JM Atoms. He’ll be bringing additional posts to this series over the coming weeks. While his views are generally inline with my own, his posts appearing on this site should not be considered endorsement of opinions expressed herein. This is not sponsored by Brave, we get no income from them. JM is just a big fan.

Do You Even Need an App at All?
Before getting into recommended apps in my next article you should first determine, of the apps you have installed, if the standalone app is needed in the first place.  Most services have a web browser interface that functions almost completely like the app itself.  Many of the most popular apps like YouTube, Gmail, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Dropbox, OneDrive, any app in the Microsoft Office Suite, and countless others all have fully functional websites.  PizzaHut, Dominos, Wayback Burgers, and most restaurants, even a small local restaurant near me, all have websites that you can order ahead online. Reservation sites like OpenTable, Expedia, Priceline, Kayak, and all the others all work through a browser rather than an app. Click any of the links above for a screenshot preview. There are some apps that do not support a web browser at all like Snapchat, and some streaming services like Spotify do not support using a mobile web browser.  Its worth noting that when you tell Pandora to load as a desktop site it will stream as expected.

Why the need for an app at all?  Maybe convenience?  Maybe its prettier?  Maybe there is a bit more functionality?  Maybe the UI just won’t work in a browser?  In my opinion some of these reasons don’t outweigh the app’s secondary reason for being on your phone; and that’s data collection.  You’ll find that the first thing many of these sites do when you visit them via a browser is to tell you they have an app.  Why do they so fervently want you to install their app when they have a perfectly good website?  When you first install an app and launch it you may get some prompts that it needs access to certain parts of your phone.  These things include, among others, your contacts, location, camera, microphone, and photos/videos. 

Have you ever stopped to think why an app that has nothing to do with messaging might need access to your contacts?  Why does the Facebook app want access to your microphone? Why does a food app want access to your photos?  Typically, there is a small function within these apps that seems harmless and otherwise legitimate, so you allow it.  Facebook needs access to a microphone for its voice message functionality.   Though once you’ve given Facebook access to your microphone, they’re going to listen.  Have you ever had a conversation about something completely random and then you start getting ads for it?  Have you ever wondered why people with whom you have no common friends are showing up as friend suggestions? This is true for all apps, and for all additional permissions they request.  Their secondary purpose after providing you the service is to collect information about you.  Period. They’ll deny it and claim to be offering a better experience but their end goal is to entrench their brand into your life as much as possible. After all sites like
Facebook have CEO’s who have lied while giving testimony to congress. That same CEO claims that you, the user, is a “dumb f***” for providing them with as much data as you do.

Take Control of Your Phone Immediately.
Go through the list of apps and first determine if you can get the functionality you need through the app’s website rather than the app itself.  First decide if it lacks some of the aforementioned items like functionality, UI display, convenience, etc… and if its something you’re willing to deal with. If you decide the functionality is adequate, remove the app and add a bookmark to the site in your browser.  You’re using Brave, right?  You did read Chapter 1 of this series?  If you haven’t, go HERE to check it out.  At the end of the day, what good is using a privacy-centered web browser when you use the Facebook app on your phone?  You’re negating all the protections a browser like Brave affords you. 

You’re Probably not Missing Out
You may be worried about missing notifications.  Many sites can send your web browser notifications.  However, also many do not.  Though I don’t completely view this as a negative when we consider how much time we spend on our electronic devices.  If we’re honest with ourselves I’m willing to bet that many people (myself included) spend too much time on their phones.  This can help alleviate that and its something I’ve welcomed into my life.  In Brave’s settings you can configure per-site notification settings if the site supports it.

Brave has some functionality built it to make getting to the website of the app easier.  There is a home screen widget which will show you a scrollable list of your bookmarks.  Add the Brave bookmark widget, remove the apps, bookmark the site, and edit the bookmark so that the title is more friendly.  The bookmark widget remembers where you’ve left it, even through phone restarts and shutdowns.  The bookmarks can also be organized into folders.  When combining these two things you can have multiple widgets on your screen organizing all the links so that they’re at your fingertips immediately.  You can also customize the new tab screen with Brave so that it will show you (depending on the resolution of your phone, mine is 4) the sites you visit most often. 

My current setup on my Pixel 2 is to have multiple Brave bookmark folders added as desktop widgets. While admittedly not as elegant, it’s just as if not more functional. Many of the apps I used to have on my phone load slower than just launching it’s link to the mobile website. I’ve also noticed an improvement in battery life since removing all these apps. I no longer wake up in the morning with a depleted battery. This alone should tell you there are active things in the background on your phone.

This is an exercise in seeing what, if anything, you’re willing to sacrifice in the name of privacy and removing yourself from advertisement and revenue steams of the tech companies that have worked together to control the internet and flow of information across it. To many this may not be an option or just can’t be bothered to take the hour or so set it all up. If you’re one of these people at least go into the settings in your phone and review the permissions you’ve given your apps.  Reduce them as needed.  There are some vidoes HERE for Andriod users and HERE for Apple users.

If the things in this article are going to be too difficult to do, there is a chance that future articles may not be for you.  Next article will be covering email and instant messaging services, and the ones I recommend.  The jury on social media is still out so I cannot make a recommendation at this time. Your email address is incredibly tedious to change.  Its not hard by any means, it just takes time and involves a lot of work.  For instant messaging apps your biggest challenge won’t be using it yourself, but rather getting other people you know to use them.  What good is an instant messaging app if nobody uses?   Whatever the case, I hope you stay tuned.

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If you’re here, there are two things I assume you’re interested in: privacy and censorship.  The first thing we’ll dive into is privacy.  Privacy should be addressed first as it’s the foundation for virtually everything else to follow.  I assume you’re already familiar with the “if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about” vs “I may or may not, but it’s none of your business regardless” arguments.  Perhaps I’ll write up something more in-depth later.

The biggest leak to our privacy is the phone we carry in our pocket.  It listens to you. It listens to the people around you.  It knows where you’re going based on text messages and emails you write.  It tracks and keeps a history of where you’ve been.  Using the unique ID of your Bluetooth antenna it can keep track of all other people you come in proximity with. Your Bluetooth antenna can also be used to track your precise whereabouts in a building while your WIFI and cellular antennas can reveal your location across the rest of the world.  There have even been reports that compromised phones have been found to still have components active while mimicking a powered off state.  That’s not an all-inclusive list, there are other ways.  In the words of Frank the Tank, there are probably other ways that are “really cool I don’t even know about”.

The first step to turning off the faucet of privacy leakage is your web browser.  Chances are you’re still using the web browser that came with your phone, or you used Internet Explorer/Edge to immediately download Chrome.  According to recent numbers Chrome itself is responsible for displaying 2/3 of all page views across the globe.  Is anyone old enough to remember when Internet Explorer dominated the market that much?  Do you also remember the lawsuit filed against Microsoft for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows?  Those times have changed.

Uninstall Chrome immediately from your phone (if you can) and computer; instead download the Brave browser. There are three reasons to use Brave. The main reason to use Brave is based on privacy.  To some credit (not much) Chrome does block some cross-site trackers and cookies while browsing.  Chrome will never block them all, and especially not the ones detrimental to Google’s business model.  

Brave blocks ads by default.  This may not always be a good thing.  Some websites and content creators depend on the revenue from ads to maintain their site and livelihood.  However, you can choose to turn off the ad-block functionality on a per-site basis using the Brave lion icon next to the address bar.  That icon will also let you know how many of each type of tracking mechanism it’s blocked, letting you know which sites are at least attempting to track you the most.  All of these things are done by default, right out of the box after install.  No need for additional configuration.

The second reason to use Brave is because while maintaining your privacy is important, what good is it if the browser doesn’t work?  I suppose you could argue that you don’t need privacy if your browser wont even load a site.  TapsForeHeadMeme.gif.  Brave is built off Chromium, which indeed shares the same foundation as Google’s Chrome browser.  The browsers are very similar in many ways.  Brave even touts that it’s up to three times faster than Chrome.  If you’re familiar with Chrome you’ll be right at home with Brave.  All extensions and add-ons will likely work with Brave if they work with Chrome.

Don’t let the part about Brave using Chrome’s backend worry you.  The Chromium project/toolkit is one of the better things that Google has done.  Its code is open source which means anyone can review it to see what’s in it and what it’s doing.  The difference is that browsers can be created using this project, but additional things can be added to them.  Google Chrome was based on Chromium, with extra things added, which makes the browser itself not open source.  You cannot review most of Google Chrome’s code.  You can review and inspect all code with Brave. As a matter of fact, if you’re so inclined and possess the know-how you can view it here. 

The last reason to use Brave is the ability to make or spread around a little bit of money.  It may be a little contradictory, but Brave can serve you ads which in turn at the end of each month results in the accumulation of the cryptocurrency Basic Attention Token (BAT).  It by no means is anywhere near enough money to quit your day job.  However, the accumulated BAT can be “tipped” to other people including websites and content creators whose ads you’ve been blocking should their site be configured to accept it. The ads that it shows you are not intrusive.  On mobile they appear as notifications that you click, and a website opens.  On Windows desktop, they appear as a system notification, like the one that appears when you connect to WiFi, which then opens a webpage.  BAT is an excellent way to introduce people to cryptocurrency.  These notifications and BAT accumulation can be turned off at any time.

On a side note, writing the last section sent me down memory lane.  Back in the late Windows 95/98 days there were some companies that offered to install a bar at the bottom of your screen that you’d leave running to display ads.  You’d make money just having the bar loaded.  We invited that garbage into our lives so early.  In two years, it raised nearly $200 million and had 10 million users.  That’s frighteningly impressive for a marketing company in 1999.  Anyhow…

This series will eventually get discuss alternate social media and communication platforms that are not Twitter/Facebook.  These platforms will struggle to compete against the social media that is already well established and could use the extra support that BAT tipping provides.  To you the BAT you collect will likely be minuscule.  Collectively, thousands of people can make a difference and could very well ‘make or break’ it for a lot of these competitors.

Lastly, many will want to recommend FireFox, and to me it is a very valid backup to Brave, should it not display a webpage properly.  It is very privacy focused as well.  However, the interface isn’t as similar to Chrome that you’re familiar with.  It tends to be slower than Chromium based web browsers.  And lastly there is no accumulating BAT with it.  Though as mentioned, a very viable backup to Brave.  I recommend installing both.

The next installment in this series will cover communication starting with email and then messengers.  Once your browser is no longer spying on you directly, it’s time to get your data, and all future data off not only Google’s servers, but virtually all other platforms as well. 

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When Judge Barrett becomes Justice Barrett the Supreme Court will have a solid 6-3 conservative majority. This terrifies many of those who identify as liberals. They see it as the end of Roe v. Wade, the end of Obamacare, the end of gay marriage… the end of their progress. I say to this, good riddance.

The foundation of the United States government is the US Constitution. That document was written with the express purpose of restraining the national government. It outlines which authorities the government is permitted. The 10th amendment leaves everything else to the states, and the people. So-called Progressives have built their big government empire on a foundation of judicial malpractice. Past and present Supreme Court justices who failed in their duty to interpret the supreme law of the land as it was written invented new meaning and conjured up justification for laws that would not have been permitted under the Constitution otherwise. Over the years a mountain of this corrupted case law has piled up and been the foundation for numerous progressive programs and government actions. Finally, the Supreme Court is poised to have a majority of jurists who will interpret the Constitution as the Founders intended it to be read – as a binding chain on government, not a blank check to do nearly anything it wishes.

The bottom line for the people who find themselves scared right now is that they have been cheating at the game of government by reinterpreting the rules to allow them to do as they please. Both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of this. Now they are faced with a Supreme Court which may actually do what it was intended to do – enforce the rules as written. Want to make abortion a right? Do it at the state level, or pass a constitutional amendment. Want socialized healthcare? Do it at the state level, or pass a constitutional amendment. These are the rules. Do they make sweeping government actions difficult? Yes, and that’s the point. The federal government should be small. It should serve the states, and the people, not the other way around. That’s why its power is limited and amending the Constitution is difficult. If you want to have massive welfare for example, it requires a constitutional amendment. Anything not expressly permitted to the national government needs an amendment permitting it. And that doesn’t happen. Proponents of unconstitutional programs are happy to defend the outcome without regard for the means, and thus find themselves scared to death that the rules might actually be enforced. I feel no pity for them. They should have done it right the first time instead of building their house on sand and hoping it wouldn’t shift.

This country was envisioned as a collective of small nations united in the values of individual freedom – not as a uniform collective of 350 million people. We are too large and too diverse to be governed primarily by a centralized national bureaucracy. Our diversity as individuals should be mirrored in the diversity of our communities and our local and state institutions. The proper place for the vast majority of legal and policy decisions is at the state and local levels. We have 50 states, we should have 50 diverse choices in governance. Taking power back from the national government could allow more people to live as they wish. Hopefully a Supreme Court that will uphold the Constitution as written will help undo some of the damage and begin to restore our nation to the federalist republic it was designed to be.

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Unfortunately, I’m finding that the increased stress and angst is bringing the worst out in some people. Our society has been unduly politicized. Seemingly non-political topics have taken on a stereotyped political identity. State governments across the country have enacted emergency declarations, taking on special powers to dictate personal behavior in response to the pandemic. The governor can now decree which businesses may operate, and how they must operate upon threat of government sanctions. Some states have ordered all citizens to wear a face covering when outside of their homes. Research indicates that face masks and “social distancing” are effective in reducing the spread of germs. I don’t dispute this. I do take issue with it being mandated, and I take issue with the toxic, politically motivated response. This is a discussion I’ve tried to have on social media a couple of times, but it’s just not a good venue for getting my thoughts in order.

Predictably, like everything else, mask wearing immediately became a left/right dichotomy. Those on the “right” see it as an infringement on personal liberty (I believe the mandate is), and taunt and ridicule the “sheep” who comply (I personally don’t, and disagree with doing so). Those on the “left” see it as a social responsibility to follow the rules to protect ones neighbors and castigate those who don’t wear a mask as uncaring, inhuman and unintelligent.

Both sides are wrong – at least in part.

The “right” are correct to buck against the mandate as it is an infringement of personal liberty. However, they are wrong to dismiss masks as useless or to fall for some cockeyed conspiracy theory. Individuals of a conservative or libertarian persuasion generally agree that personal liberties are legitimate until they come into conflict with those of someone else. This applies to mask usage as much as anything. If the individuals you wish to interact with have a preference for mask usage, you should meet them on an even footing and wear one. If you choose not to, you have no right to compel them to engage with you. Granted, the mandate muddies this. Instead of free individuals choosing what is best for themselves in commerce with one another, government intrusion makes this an awkward negotiation to navigate.

The “left” is correct in their insistence that mask usage slows the spread of pathogens. However they are wrong to dismiss the concerns of government overreach. They are wrong to equate mandated mask usage with virtue, and they are wrong to seek to force others to do what they believe is correct.

Those who embrace mask usage seem to see it as a virtuous, selfless act for the benefit of the rest of society, since it’s billed as protecting others – not yourself. At the same time, they take the self-interested position of demonizing those who do not wear masks because they believe those people are putting them at risk. The result is an attempt to force compliance with their own “virtuous” mask-wearing behavior.

Can an act be virtuous if there was no choice in it? Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics argues that virtue is a state of character specifically dependent on choice. In fact, he defines virtue as a “mean” – the point of balance – between extremes. Our ability to make the virtuous choice has been taken from us by mandate, while the very same mandated behavior is being sold to us as virtuous. This incongruity bothers me. This is the point at which some readers will lose patience with me (assuming they made it this far). “What does it matter? Just wear a mask!!” Well, it matters because I believe it is the duty of each of us to strive after what will make us the best we can each be. I believe in the pursuit of virtue and of the virtuous – or “good” – life. Further, I believe we can only step closer to that goal by having the choice to do what is counter to it. When my agency is taken from me, and I am left with no choice to make, or at least my well of choice is poisoned, it does not count toward this end goal of virtue. Doing the virtuous thing is not virtuous if it is forced. Granted, the end result may be the same vis-à-vis protecting others from germs, but an important component has been lost; the desire and conscious choice to do what is right. Forcing individuals to do right actions does not make them good. Individuals choosing the right action does, or at least is a step on that path.

This isn’t a new struggle for me. I have this same indictment against all attempts to force virtuous behavior on individuals, whether it’s in the form of “sin” taxes, “blue laws”, prohibition of sex work, or drug use. Any prohibition of a potentially self-damaging behavior is a missed opportunity to act virtuously and become a better person.

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As I get older I have found that meaning has become very important to me. I want depth. I want to think and be challenged. I want the story behind things. I don’t have patience for frivolities that fail to offer meaning or depth. This becomes particularly obvious during the Christmas season when there seems to almost be a tug-of-war between the meaningful, and the meaningless. On one side is the Christian tradition of Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ, and on the other is the sickeningly consumerist “I want” culture and it’s fat, white-bearded, red-clad mascot.

The modern Santa Clause had been exorcised of much of his historical substance and meaning. Today, he’s a symbol of rabid consumerism, childhood greed and Big Brother lite. Everyone likes to complain about society is going down the tubes, but few consider the possibility that it might stem from lying to our children, telling them that a magical fat man and his army of elf slaves are going to bring them whatever they want for free. And oh-by-the-way, Santa is “always watching” to see if they’ve been “good” or not. Nothing like preconditioning them to live under an all-seeing government which will give them whatever they want for “free”. It misses the most important part of the Christmas season: giving. You can’t give unless you have something to give. It has a prerequisite that requires work and some measure of self-sacrifice to produce or buy a gift to give to someone else.

I’m very much a capitalist, and I realize that there is some inherent consumerism involved with that. However it is our individual responsibilities to buy thoughtfully. Buy the nicest, best quality gifts you can (and note that that doesn’t mean the most expensive). Don’t buy your kids those Chinese-made plastic poop toys or any of that other plastic garbage that they are going to play with for a week and then never touch again. Buy a rocking horse. Buy books. Buy building blocks. Make something. Give a gift of real worth. If you can’t afford to buy or make something, make memories.

Be thankful for what you have and find joy in it. Give thoughtfully and receive graciously. Give thanks and above all find meaning in this holy season even if you are not religious.

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