Frontiersman, September 2000

Notice:
This issue of the Frontiersman contains contact information that is out-of-date. For current contact information, click here.

Frontiersman, September 2000

Paths of Righteousness,
Death of Liberty,
For His Name's Sake
Sam Aurelius Milam III
I'll admit that it probably wouldn't hurt non-Christians to tolerate a Christian prayer at a football game. Non-Christians don't have to listen. I also insist that it probably wouldn't hurt Christians to tolerate so-called pornography on the internet, and elsewhere. Christians don't have to look. If Christians think their children might be "harmed" by exposure to sexual material, then they should learn how to control, discipline, and educate their own children. Raising their children is their problem. They shouldn't expect the rest of us to live under prohibitions imposed for the "benefit" of their children. Furthermore, maybe some people might believe that exposure to explicit sexual information would be beneficial for their children. They should have as much right to raise their children according to their beliefs as Christians do to raise their children according to Christian beliefs. However, if people try to do that, they're liable to be punished and lose their children, because Christian beliefs have been imposed upon all of us by legislation. On the other hand, if we try to use the legislatures to impose our beliefs upon the Christians, like the Christians have imposed their beliefs upon us, then the Christians whine about the separation of church and state.
Actually, I really don't care if Christians want to pray in the public schools. I'm just tired of their arrogant imposition upon me of their narrow Christian "morality", using legislation as their weapon of choice. What if, while the Christians are praying in the classroom (and the non-Christians don't have to listen) somebody else in the classroom wants to discuss X-rated movies, nudist internet websites, or even (gasp!) advocate premarital sex? The Christians wouldn't allow it. They'd be horrified. They can bring their own personal beliefs into the schools, but others can't. What if, after that prayer at the football game, somebody wants to take the microphone and read a few dirty jokes? The Christians don't have to listen, right? Just like I didn't have to listen to their prayer. What if I want the hang a Playboy pinup alongside their Ten Commandments? I'm as entitled as the Christians. Right? Don't kid yourself. They'd have it removed. The fact is that this isn't about prayer in schools, or freedom of religion, or even separation of church and state. It's about intolerance. It's about Christians refusing to tolerate the exercise by others of different beliefs, preferences, and life choices. It's about forcing others to comply with Christian beliefs. Christians (as well as dozens of other intolerance groups throughout the country) are using the government as a weapon by which to impose their beliefs upon other people, who don't share those beliefs. The members of such intolerance groups don't actually want to solve an alleged problem. That might deprive them of their agenda, and then they might actually have to mind their own business for a change. Rather, each of these activists wants his particular faction to dominate everybody else and impose his own preferred behavior on other people, using the worthy cause as the excuse and the government as the weapon.
I can just hear all those Christians now, saying, "but it ain't me what's doin' it, it's them other guys!" Here's the way I see it. Most Christians are either actively engaged in destroying our liberty for the sake of their belief system or passively allowing it to happen. I don't see many that are actively opposing it. That's what they'll have to do if they want to avoid complicity in the demise of liberty — oppose the use of their belief system as an excuse to destroy our liberty. Otherwise, as far as I'm concerned, they're all guilty.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
— attributed to Edmund Burke

Frontiersman@ida.net

Frontiersman, 479 E. 700 N., Firth, Idaho 83236
Also see The Pharos Connection at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/

September 2000

Page 1

Learning from Auto Emissions
Sam Aurelius Milam III

A long time ago, I owned a Ford Courier that I called Larapin Truck. I don't remember the exact year of the truck, but it was of the late 70's vintage. It was quite a good little truck, but as time went by, the various anti-emissions devices that had been added to its design failed, one by one. They were all vacuum controlled, and each time one of them failed, I disabled it by inserting a small steel ball into the vacuum line that operated that particular device. Eventually, I re-routed the appropriate vacuum lines in such a way that I re-created the old-fashioned vacuum advance system of years-gone-by. That is, the distributor timing was advanced when the engine was under load. It worked quite well.

One year, a new law was passed in California which required a thorough and professional emissions inspection as a prerequisite to renewal of the vehicle registration. The changes that I had made were, of course, invisible. All of the anti-emissions equipment was still there, and all of the hoses were still connected. The only problem was that none of the stuff worked any more. Therefore, it was with some trepidation that I took the truck to be inspected. At the authorized inspection station, the mechanic inserted the probe into the tailpipe, attached various wires to the engine, reved it, and watched his tester. When he was done, he straightened up from under the hood, turned around, and said, "It's runnin' real good! Real Clean!"

Well, I don't know. Maybe the test was flawed. Maybe the anti-emissions equipment isn't really necessary, and auto emissions aren't really the problem they're supposed to be. I do know that my Ford Courier passed the authorized emissions test with all of its mandatory anti-emissions devices disabled. It does make me skeptical of the coercive legislative agenda of the anti-emissions activists.

Learning from Environmental Pollution
Sam Aurelius Milam III

I lived for about 20 years at the residence that eventually came to be known as Mere Keep. During the first 10 or so of those years, I did a lot of car repairs on the patio. Eventually, cars got so complicated that I gave up in disgust. It's probably just as well, because cars are now so complicated that I think the designers must be insane. Anyhow, during that period of time I did a lot of car repairs on the patio.

There was a narrow strip of soil, about 35 feet long and about 4 inches wide, between the edge of the patio and the fence. It was just about impossible to get in there and cut the grass that grew in that strip of soil. That grass was a real nuisance. It grew across the patio and accumulated dirt and bugs, and just really made a mess. One day, early in my career as a patio mechanic, I decided to solve two problems at once. After that, I dumped all of my used automotive chemicals on that little strip of soil. I dumped dirty gasoline, cleaning solvent, brake fluid, transmission fluid, antifreeze, anything that I couldn't recycle. When I decided to stop doing car repairs on the patio, I stopped dumping chemicals on the little strip of soil.

By the time I left Mere Keep, about 10 years after I stopped dumping chemicals on the strip of soil, I couldn't tell that any chemicals had ever been dumped there. The grass was strong and healthy. Just like before, it grew across the patio and accumulated dirt and bugs, and just really made a mess. In retrospect, it occurred to me that during the entire time that I had been dumping chemicals on the strip of soil, I'd never seen them have any visible effect at all on the other side of the fence, just scant inches away.

Well, I don't know. Maybe chemical waste isn't the problem that it's supposed to be. The chemicals that I dumped, in heavy concentrations over a considerable period of time, didn't seem to have any lasting effect. It does make me skeptical of the coercive legislative agenda of the anti-pollution activists.

Kynes' Warning
from Dune, by Frank Herbert

Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.

September 2000
Page 2

Frontiersman, 479 E. 700 N., Firth, Idaho 83236
Also see The Pharos Connection at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/

Frontiersman@ida.net

National Missile Defense System
Sam Aurelius Milam III

Does anybody remember the Distant Early Warning system of the 50's and 60's? My father was highly scornful of it. He used to say, "The only warning we'll ever get from one of those stations is when we suddenly lose all contact with it!"

What's the first thing that the NATO thugs do when they want to bomb some little second-rate nation? They destroy its defensive radar installations.

The most amazing thing about the proposed National Missile Defense System is that anybody believes that it will actually be useful. I'll echo my father. Maybe I'm not as sure as he was, but I still expect that the first indication of an impending attack that anybody is ever likely to receive from one of those installations is when they suddenly lose all contact with it.

Waco Investigation a Whitewash?
A reprint from KHouse eNews for The Week of 7/24/2000, http://www.khouse.org, forwarded by Lady Jan the Voluptuous

Judicial Watch's Larry Klayman has said that the Waco investigation headed by special council John Danforth amounted to a whitewash of the incident. He predicted this outcome last year when the investigation began. Klayman claims that Danforth released his incomplete investigation in order to be available to be considered as vice-presidential running mate to George W. Bush. According to Judicial Watch, "Danforth was plucked from a huge mega-law firm with huge corporate interests intertwined with the Clinton-Gore Administration through government contracts and other perks."

<http://www.judicialwatch.org/media/preleases/2000/072100d.htm>

Idaho County Petitions Appeals Court to Rehear Ruby Ridge Manslaughter Case
A reprint from KHouse eNews for The Week of 08/01/2000, http://www.khouse.org, forwarded by Lady Jan the Voluptuous
Boundary County, Idaho is once again requesting a federal court to rule on whether or not federal agents can be prosecuted for use of excessive force when engaged in their duties. During the 1992 standoff between federal agents and Randy Weaver at the Weavers' cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, Mr. Horiuchi fired a single shot killing Vicki Weaver as she stood at the cabin door holding their 10-month-old infant. Mrs. Weaver was unarmed. Horiuchi also wounded family friend Kevin Harris.
The issue in question is whether federal agents can be prosecuted for manslaughter when use of deadly force is unjustified. The courts have issued contradictory rulings to date. Boundary County maintains Horiuchi was "mindlessly shooting to kill on sight, firing blindly a 200-yard shot through a door ... Mrs. Weaver was killed by a wild-headed government sniper in violation of our Constitution, and still is dead."

Catholic Charities Seek Exemption
A reprint from KHouse eNews for The Week of 08/01/2000, http://www.khouse.org, forwarded by Lady Jan the Voluptuous
Catholic Charities has filed a lawsuit against the State of California, seeking to prevent the state from requiring Catholic hospitals to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees. A state statute passed last year contains such a requirement for all employers who provide prescription drug plans, but contains a very narrow exemption for religious employers. However, Catholic Charities argues that the statute intentionally excludes Catholic hospitals by means of definitions.
At stake is the ability of the state to define what a "church" is. The statute's exemption for religious employers "defines" what is or is not a religious institution. Any ministry that primarily serves the general public rather than its own members is excluded from the exemption. This, of course, would ultimately prevent many ministries from executing their missions while retaining their exemption status.

Letters to the Editor
Frontiersman,

In your article, "Jerusalem: An Opportunity", [August Frontiersman, page 3] your first paragraph seems to be the strongest argument against your proposal in the second paragraph. How does introducing another faction help to resolve the situation?

— Sir James the Bold; Sacramento, California

I believe that none of the factions involved is willing to surrender control of Jerusalem to any other presently existing faction. My hope is that each faction will be willing to surrender control of Jerusalem to a secular, civil, municipal government. The only other alternatives appear to be perpetual war or the sort of international protectorate that was proposed by the Pope.

— editor

Frontiersman@ida.net

Frontiersman, 479 E. 700 N., Firth, Idaho 83236
Also see The Pharos Connection at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/

September 2000

Page 3

Frontiersman
479 E. 700 N.
Firth, Idaho 83236

HATE shouldn't be a crime.
If hate can become a crime,
then any unapproved
attitude can become a crime.
Just because a thing is bad
doesn't necessarily mean
that it should also be illegal.

Buck Hunter Shoots Off His Mouth
Dear Buck

What's self-effacement?

— Listening to the Grownups

Dear Listening to the Grownups

That's when a woman does her own makeup.

Acknowledgments
• My thanks to Sir John the Generous http://www.jwebster.com/, and Sir Donald the Elusive for their contributions.
• My thanks to The Affiliate, http://www.the-grand-barn.com/, of Vankleek Hill, Ontario for regularly printing reviews of the Frontiersman.

— editor

Fitness Perspectives
Source Unknown — forwarded by Kathy, of Idaho Falls, Idaho
•     My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 now, and we don't know where she is.
•     The only reason I would take up jogging is so I could hear heavy breathing again.
•     I don't jog. It makes the ice jump out of my glass.
•     I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently, you have to show up.
•     I have to exercise early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.
•     I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

Frontiersman

Cancellations — If you don't want to keep receiving this newsletter, print REFUSED, RETURN TO SENDER above your name and address, cross out your name and address, and return the newsletter. When I receive it, I'll terminate your subscription. You may also cancel by letter, e-mail, carrier pigeon, or any other method that gets the message to me.

Back Issues — Back issues or extra copies of this newsletter are available upon request.

Reprint Policy — Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this newsletter in its entirety or to reproduce material from it, provided that the reproduction is accurate and that proper credit is given. Please note that I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other publications. For that permission, you must go to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material.

Submissions — I solicit letters, articles, and cartoons for the newsletter, but I don't pay for them. Short items are more likely to be printed. I suggest that letters and articles be shorter than 500 words, but that's flexible depending on space available and the content of the piece. I give credit for all items printed unless the author specifies otherwise.

Payment — This newsletter isn't for sale. If you care to make a voluntary contribution, you may do so. The continued existence of the newsletter will depend, in part, on such contributions. I accept cash and U.S. postage stamps. I will accept checks or money orders only by prior arrangement. I don't accept anything that will smell bad by the time it arrives or anything that requires me to provide ID or a signature to receive it. In case anybody is curious, I also accept gold, silver, platinum, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.

— Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor

September 2000
Page 4

Frontiersman, 479 E. 700 N., Firth, Idaho 83236
Also see The Pharos Connection at http://www.ida.net/users/pharos/

Frontiersman@ida.net

Back to the Frontiersman Directory

Back to the Beginning of This Issue