Frontiersman, May 2026

—Article I, Section 8, clause 18
U.S. constitution

Thus, the Congress has the power to enact any “necessary and proper” legislation, and gets to decide for itself what’s “necessary and proper”. Neither the Executive Branch, the Judicial Branch, nor the elections, have been able to prevent that legislation from becoming increasingly more intrusive and oppressive.

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or law of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

—Article VI, clause 2
U.S. constitution

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

—Article VI, clause 3
U.S. constitution

Consequently, congressional legislation is a part of the supreme law of the land. It’s equal in status to both the U.S. constitution itself and the treaties. It supercedes the legislation or constitutions of any state. The judges, the senators and representatives before mentioned, the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, are officers of the government of the United States. They’re all bound by oath or affirmation to support the U.S. constitution and, presumably, the congressional legislation and the treaties. In effect, the states are merely departments of the government of the United States.

Step Three

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States....

—from Amendment 14, Section 1
U.S. constitution

Subject to means “under the control, authority, or domination of”. Jurisdiction means the geographical or legal extent of power and control.

Additional Reading
•

First Flaw, in The Supreme Flaw of the Land Essays
http://pharos.org.uk/Flaw_of_the_Land_Essays/Flaw_Essays.html#First_Flaw
•

The Supreme Flaw of the Land Essays, in Pharos
http://pharos.org.uk/Flaw_of_the_Land_Essays/Flaw_Essays.html
•

Contracts of Nations, in Pharos
http://pharos.org.uk/Contracts_of_Nations/Contracts_of_Nations.html
•

Essays About Liberty, Sovereignty, and the Doctrine of Social Contract, in Pharos
http://pharos.org.uk/Social_Contract/Social_Contract.html
•

A Convincing Description, in the April 2026 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/2026/2026-04/2026-04.html#Description

Population Studies
http://frontiersman.org.uk/Population/Curve.html

Letters to the Editor
Sam,
... I think that there is a fourth category [Referring to A Convincing Description, in the April issue]. The main one, ignored behavior.

—R. G., of Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Thank you for your comment. Can you suggest an example of behavior that is neither required, prohibited, nor regulated?

—editor

Dear Sam,

... Thank you for your current Frontiersman [March 2026]. Your article “Travelogue”, boy, your description are “days gone by” for sure. Traveling across the country used to be so interesting. Do your memories recall all the weird, road side attractions you would see, bill boards for like, the dinosaur RV park in Arizona, or seeing a live tiger in someone’s barn in Texas, or the world’s largest non-stick frying pan in Illinois, etc.

I remember, in my teens, I used to buy cheap, used autos, you would find parked about everywhere, and I hardly ever found a car whose mileage was over 100K. Nowadays, 100K isn’t shit, thanks to “efficient freeways”. And like you said, traveling is so bland now, it isn’t worth the drive.

In your “letters to the editor” the elusive one, and your response hits the nail on the head in describing Donnie Chump’s gestapo, I.C.E. brigade. Here’s the fucked up part though. “New” leaders don’t “give power back”, meaning, after Chump is gone, whoever replaces him, Republican or Democrat, will continue to push the envelope of the invasion of our rights. Also, not many people know that police kill more unarmed whites than blacks or Hispanics, like three time more than blacks. I guess the killing of whites isn’t “provocative” news.

—S. H., of Bakersfield, California

Many kinds of shootings appear to be overreported. It’s sufficient to report that a shooting happened, and maybe when and where, but the seemingly endless parade of details is a waste of everybody’s time. Joe Six-Pack’s life history, or why he shot Bob Pool-Cue, aren’t of much actual relevance as news. Such overreporting appears to be mostly intended to boost the ratings of the news agencies and might also promote a mindless acceptance of government presence, allegedly in the name of security. On the other hand, shootings by cops are underreported and, regardless of the races of the victims, the circumstances of such shootings, and the underreporting of them, are always important.

—editor

Brush Wars
Sam Aurelius Milam III

Back in the 1970s, I started trying to write science fiction. I recall one short story that I started, but never finished. I placed the story at about 80 or so years in the future. In the story, I postulated a situation in which most of the nations of the world were fighting little wars with each other. I called them brush wars. The main thing that I remember from the story is a comment that, by way of the brush wars, the warring nations of the world were depleting the world’s remaining energy resources by fighting over their dwindling remains. That was about 50 years ago, so my prediction might have been off by about 30 years. Even so, it sure seems like a good description of the situation in the world today.

Additional Reading
•

Stories That I Finished
http://sam-aurelius-milam-iii.org.uk/Stories/Stories.html

Amazing
Sam Aurelius Milam III

It’s amazing to me that allegedly intelligent and well-educated scientists could believe something as stupid as The Big Bang Theory. It’s even more amazing to me that so many of them believe it. Of course, they can prove any theory that they want to prove if they select their assumptions carefully, and discard all of the inconvenient data. Those same scientists mindlessly accept the stupid notion that the Earth began as a molten glob.

Additional Reading
•

Earth Changes and Extinction Events, June 2025 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/2025/2025-06/2025-06.html#Earth_Changes
•

Mysterious Origins, September 2025 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/2025/2025-09/2025-09.html#Mysterious_Origins
•

Essays About Math and Science, in Pharos
http://pharos.org.uk/Essays_About_Math_and_Science/Math_and_Science.html

Disposable Planet
Sam Aurelius Milam III

I saw on the TV recently that they’re now selling smoke detectors that don’t have replaceable batteries. They have permanent batteries. When the battery dies, you throw away the entire smoke detector and buy a new one.

I recently tried to replace a failed ballast in one of my shop lights. I discovered that a replacement ballast isn’t available. My only option was to throw away the entire shop light, and get a new one. I couldn’t even get a new one with replaceable bulbs. I had to buy one that had “integrated LEDs”. When the “integrated LEDs” in the new one fail, then I’ll have to throw away the entire shop light, and buy another new one.

From an altitude of about 1,200 miles, or maybe higher, to an ocean depth of about five miles, or maybe seven if we include the Challenger Deep, we’ve turned our entire planet into a garbage dump. Even so, we still keep finding more and more ways to make things disposable. If there are scientists on this planet a million years from now, of whatever species they might be, then maybe they’ll discover a thin layer of strange chemicals in the geological record, and be puzzled by it.

Additional Reading
•

Another Challenge, in the December 1994 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/1994/1994-12/1994-12.html#Another_Challenge
•

A Better Choice, in the March 2020 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/2020/2020-03/2020-03.html#A_Better_Choice
•

Legacy, in the February 2025 issue
http://frontiersman.org.uk/2025/2025-02/2025-02.html#Legacy

Spin Doctors and Medicine Men
Sam Aurelius Milam III

Many years ago, before traveling became a regulated privilege to which I no longer have access, I was riding from Texas to California on the Sunset Limited. I rode for a while across the aisle from a woman who was reading a book. When she finished the book, she asked me if I would like to have it. She said that she didn’t want it anymore. I happily took the book but was disappointed to learn that the offer hadn’t been for the purpose of introducing us to one another. As soon as I took the book, she picked up her things and moved to a different car. I never saw her again. I never even learned her name.

I read the book. It was many years ago and I no longer remember the name of the book or the name of the author, but I do remember that it was about some of the indigenous people of this continent, prior to the arrival of the Europeans. A main character in the story was the son of the tribe’s medicine man. He’d been in training for his entire life to become the medicine man, after his father. One of the procedures that he’d learned was the rain dance. Partway through his studies, he noticed that his father never performed the rain dance unless there were thunder clouds in the distance, upwind. He challenged the practice, and suggested that it was dishonest to do the rain dance only when it seemed likely that the rain would come anyway. His father professed a different view. It would offend the gods, the father explained, to ask for rain when the gods were clearly not in the mood to provide it. One asked for rain only when it could be seen that the gods would be happy to provide it.

I suppose that spin doctors have existed in every human society, on every continent, for as long as there have been human societies.

2 + 2 = 5
Sam Aurelius Milam III

In true Orwellian fashion, people believe that the permission to do something is the same thing as the freedom to do that thing. They believe that a privilege, granted by the government, is the same thing as a right. They believe that indoctrination is the same thing as education. They believe that being subjected to surveillance and control is the same thing as being secure.

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. Big Brother is watching you.

Additional Reading
•

Comments from 1984, by George Orwell, in The Sovereign’s Library
http://sovereign-library.org.uk/Main_Directory.html#1984
•

2 + 2 = 5, in The Sovereign’s Library
http://sovereign-library.org.uk/Main_Directory.html#1984

The true patriot scrutinizes the actions of his own government with unceasing vigilance. And when his government violates the morality and rightness associated with principles of individual freedom and private property, he immediately rises in opposition to his government.

—attributed to
Jacob G. Hornberger

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Cancellations — If you don’t want to keep receiving printed copies of this newsletter, then return your copy unopened. When I receive it, I’ll terminate your subscription.

Reprint Policy — Permission is hereby given 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. I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other sources. For that permission, you must apply to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material.

Submissions — I consider 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.

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— Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor