This week we want to introduce everyone to a guest contributor, Pharos. They are a great friend to the cause of liberty, and we are honored to have them write something for us. It is important to recognize those around us who dedicate themselves to this cause. It is also important to show that we are not alone in this cause. Feel free to contact us if you ever want to find other outlets for liberty or if you have any ideas/suggestions for future writing and projects. Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Don’t be discouraged.

Liberty is not an easy path. It comes with many responsibilities, some of which may seem inconvenient or unnecessary at times. You will be mocked, threatened, and despised for desiring to go down this path. You may even feel as though you are alone on this path.

But you are not alone. No amount of mocking, threatening, or hate will ruin the benefits of liberty. And all of the responsibilities, overwhelming as they may seem, will be worth it. The ability to act and be as one pleases is more precious than gold. Cherish it, and be not discouraged.

-Pharos

Hello everyone! Sorry for the short post today, but I feel like there’s not much more that needs to be said. Thank you for the continued support!

There is a lot of change in the world. Sometimes it seems that you just can’t escape the evolution of life around us on the day to day. While many changes are minuscule and rarely noticed, others can be life altering. And in those moments where it seems that nothing will ever be the same again, it can be hard to stay true to yourself. Often, we let those changes take over. We feel left behind when everyone jumps onto a new trend or out of touch when the accepted “right” constantly shifts. The key, as I see it, to stay grounded through all of the turbulence of the world is to remember that some things never change. Just like a dancer is told to focus on one point as they spin at a dizzying pace, so must we put our focus on the truth while everything surrounding us swarms around. No matter what the public may say, there are universal truths that do not change no matter what way you look at it. But even more important, there is one source we can always look to as a steadying force. There is something eternal that guides us. He is the same before and after a worldly shift. No matter what happens on earth, no matter what is said, and no matter what anyone thinks, He is constant. And He is there to help you through. Because He sees the end result before you’ve even started on the path. And whether you believe that that eternal presence is person or spirit or simply a “force” of the universe, you can not deny that something is guiding you along. The universe does not change just because someone on earth decides it does. So when you feel lost and confused by the innovations and evolutions around you, just remember that there is something unchanging to focus on. And if we set our eyes on that point, no matter how fast the world is spinning around us, we will not fall. 

Yours Truly,

Publius

In story after story covering the recent tragedies in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton, commentators are just clever enough to hide behind the semantical skirts of some people and insist that Donald Trump bears some of the blame for these murders.

Demonstrations of this sort of yellow journalism at a time when families are mourning are reprehensible and should be labeled as such by all legitimate news sources.

There is no political bent that of its own device or influence could ever convince someone to commit murder in cold blood. The very premise is laughable. Such acts are the result of mental instability and are the product of a perversion of purpose inscrutable to most, regardless of the virulence of their political or social associations and activities.

Moreover, even the most discerning minds in the fields of medicine and psychology are now and are likely to remain woefully ignorant of the vortex of abnormalities that combine in ones mind to produce such anti-social behavior. Inside every cranium there is a universe and no explorer has successfully navigated the myriad spheres of influence that orbit therein.

While the attempt is noble, the presumption that there are explanations to be found in a killer’s mad online scribbling or self-aggrandizing videos is naive at best and purposefully misleading at worst.

Unfortunately, the prevailing cultural zeitgeist is one of reality television where titillating production precedes performance and predicts ratings.

In the sentient world we all occupy, however, there is no logical way to inculpate the sale of firearms or ammunition clips in the murders committed over the past few weeks.

The ready availability of guns is no more responsible for this or any other such massacre then an all-you-can-eat buffet is responsible for obesity.

Temperate appeals to right reason will instruct the thoughtful person that a propensity for such an act is not born of opportunity, but of instability.

Let us not dishonor the memory of those killed by allowing partisan fealty or the purposefully bellowed passions of faction to indict the innocent — or the inert — as co-conspirators of the murderers.

I’ll close with the wise words of Cesare Beccaria from his influential Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1764):

“The laws of this nature, are those which forbid to wear arms, disarming those only who are not disposed to commit the crime which the laws mean to prevent.

Can it be supposed, that those who have the courage to violate the most sacred laws of humanity, and the most important of the code, will respect the less considerable and arbitrary injunctions, the violation of which is so easy, and of so little comparative importance?

Does not the execution of this law deprive the subject of that personal liberty, so dear to mankind and to the wise legislator; and does it not subject the innocent to all the disagreeable circumstances that should only fall on the guilty?

It certainly makes the situation of the assaulted worse, and the assailants better, and rather encourages than prevents murder, as it requires less courage to attack armed than unarmed persons.”

Yours truly,

Publius

America has been faced with multiple terrible tragedies in the recent days. But perhaps the worst tragedy of all is the exploitation of lives lost into the political field. Every time havoc is wreaked upon our country, suddenly it is as if lines have been drawn in the sand. The days that follow are filled with remarks from both “sides” of the playing field and countless responses over and over until it seemingly fades out of mind. Then another tragedy occurs, and it starts all over again. Both parties claim to be wanting the best for the people, yet they express their grievances in the most politically correct way they can. They use these events to push their platforms and remind everyone of the proposals seemingly lost in space after the last tragedy. If we really want to help people moving forward, we need to stop making everything a political issue. These are humanitarian problems that affect the country as a whole. We cannot fool ourselves any longer. The more we split into factions and create dueling sides in our country, the more people feel obligated to pick a side and the more conflict is created because of those divisions. Every time we make and issue about which side is right or wrong, we are encouraging people to defend their side. And some people, who aren’t in the right head space, will defend it with violence. We, citizens of America, are creating the monsters that plague our society. Someone I know recently said that we need to focus on kindness in wake of these tragedies, and I can’t agree more. Let’s shift our focus from fighting for what we are told is right moving forward, and let’s put effort into doing what we actually know it right: helping our neighbors and caring about our country. Why is it that the day after chaos, we see the need to fight it out online and on the house floor? How does that help anyone? Don’t contribute to the flames being fanned by those who seek to shine the brightest. Because if we combine all of our lights together, they will never come close to outshining us.

Yours with love,

Publius