pufferfisherpowder

joined 2 years ago
[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 days ago

Libertarian police

I was shooting heroin and reading “The Fountainhead” in the front seat of my privately owned police cruiser when a call came in. I put a quarter in the radio to activate it. It was the chief.

“Bad news, detective. We got a situation.”

“What? Is the mayor trying to ban trans fats again?”

“Worse. Somebody just stole four hundred and forty-seven million dollars’ worth of bitcoins.”

The heroin needle practically fell out of my arm. “What kind of monster would do something like that? Bitcoins are the ultimate currency: virtual, anonymous, stateless. They represent true economic freedom, not subject to arbitrary manipulation by any government. Do we have any leads?”

“Not yet. But mark my words: we’re going to figure out who did this and we’re going to take them down … provided someone pays us a fair market rate to do so.”

“Easy, chief,” I said. “Any rate the market offers is, by definition, fair.”

He laughed. “That’s why you’re the best I got, Lisowski. Now you get out there and find those bitcoins.”

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m on it.”

I put a quarter in the siren. Ten minutes later, I was on the scene. It was a normal office building, strangled on all sides by public sidewalks. I hopped over them and went inside.

“Home Depot™ Presents the Police!®” I said, flashing my badge and my gun and a small picture of Ron Paul. “Nobody move unless you want to!” They didn’t.

“Now, which one of you punks is going to pay me to investigate this crime?” No one spoke up.

“Come on,” I said. “Don’t you all understand that the protection of private property is the foundation of all personal liberty?”

It didn’t seem like they did.

“Seriously, guys. Without a strong economic motivator, I’m just going to stand here and not solve this case. Cash is fine, but I prefer being paid in gold bullion or autographed Penn Jillette posters.”

Nothing. These people were stonewalling me. It almost seemed like they didn’t care that a fortune in computer money invented to buy drugs was missing.

I figured I could wait them out. I lit several cigarettes indoors. A pregnant lady coughed, and I told her that secondhand smoke is a myth. Just then, a man in glasses made a break for it.

“Subway™ Eat Fresh and Freeze, Scumbag!®” I yelled.

Too late. He was already out the front door. I went after him.

“Stop right there!” I yelled as I ran. He was faster than me because I always try to avoid stepping on public sidewalks. Our country needs a private-sidewalk voucher system, but, thanks to the incestuous interplay between our corrupt federal government and the public-sidewalk lobby, it will never happen.

I was losing him. “Listen, I’ll pay you to stop!” I yelled. “What would you consider an appropriate price point for stopping? I’ll offer you a thirteenth of an ounce of gold and a gently worn ‘Bob Barr ‘08’ extra-large long-sleeved men’s T-shirt!”

He turned. In his hand was a revolver that the Constitution said he had every right to own. He fired at me and missed. I pulled my own gun, put a quarter in it, and fired back. The bullet lodged in a U.S.P.S. mailbox less than a foot from his head. I shot the mailbox again, on purpose.

“All right, all right!” the man yelled, throwing down his weapon. “I give up, cop! I confess: I took the bitcoins.”

“Why’d you do it?” I asked, as I slapped a pair of Oikos™ Greek Yogurt Presents Handcuffs® on the guy.

“Because I was afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Afraid of an economic future free from the pernicious meddling of central bankers,” he said. “I’m a central banker.”

I wanted to coldcock the guy. Years ago, a central banker killed my partner. Instead, I shook my head.

“Let this be a message to all your central-banker friends out on the street,” I said. “No matter how many bitcoins you steal, you’ll never take away the dream of an open society based on the principles of personal and economic freedom.”

He nodded, because he knew I was right. Then he swiped his credit card to pay me.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago

I'm fairly certain it's too "flood the zone with bullshit", straight out of the Steve Bannon playbook. It's so ridiculous that this is what we're wasting our time on. Instead of discussing all the other real insane things.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think you misunderstood what "the dumbest person in the room means". It doesn't mean to be literally dumb, it means to pretend to not know anything and boil down the conflict to facts instead of perception of what the other party wants. It takes fucking skill and experience to steer the conversation in a constructive way and to keep two opposing parties in check, steering the conversation away from conflict to understanding each others viewpoint.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Could be a group chat but we all know they're a twat

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

As much as you can buy a smartphone for life - Samsung Galaxy S21? Had it for years, abused it to no end. It doesn't break, battery isn't great but good enough. Most importantly though anytime I thought about buying a new phone I just .. didn't see the point? The S21 is just the right amount of good enough. I bought a new phone almost every year before that.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago

I made the mistake of scrolling through her posts. It's, 5 in the morning and already I'm done with humans. What is even happening??

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

I only go down on a rabbit's hole ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

That's what I don't get. Like, why can't we just all get on with our lives, help those you have it worse than us, and work together on a better future for our children?

But no, there's a bunch of narcissistic assholes amassing wealth and convincing the other wannabe narcissists that everyone is out to get them.

I have a small kid and have no clue how to explain to him what the fuck was going on in right now when he's old enough to ask. I just don't get it. It makes me sad, and helpless, and anxious, and I just don't want to have anything to do with the rest of society. And I don't even live in the USA but am solid upper middle class in Scandinavia.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Right or wrong (it is wrong in my opinion), supporting Israel and letting them do whatever the fuck they want while shoving weapons down their throat and no one daring to fuck beyond with them beyond words because you're backing them is an extreme show of the extent of your soft power I would argue.

Pulling support from a former ally in open war against your historical arch nemesis because your leader feels like they didn't thank them enough is the opposite. It tells everyone else that your words mean nothing. What about Taiwan tomorrow? Did they thank Trump enough to be protected from Chinese aggression?

That's the literal opposite to unwavering support of your ally even if that ally behaves like a lunatic (read: genocidal maniac).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Did something change in Austria recently? It used to be more or less the same prices as Germany about a decade ago.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I mean he's probably lying. But with enough money and enough lack of morality you can still make money pumping and dumping shit coins, I'm sure.

 

You put the CO2 in this bad boy, you put the CO2 in the drink and bottoms up we save the planet! Why is big soda trying to ruin the planet??

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