Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr.'s Blog, page 2343

The Man Who Changed American Folk Music

On December 13, 1917, Walter Boyd was charged with murder. He was in a jail near Caddo Lake in NW Louisiana.

Possibly the night before — the records are silent — he had been involved in a shooting in a black tavern. These taverns were known as sukey joints. Authorities arrested him for having shot and killed a friend, Will Stafford. Boyd denied the charge, but he was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Caddo Lake covers the Texas side of the border. Boyd was sent to p...

Moral Values and Customs

I’m approaching my 82nd birthday, and my daughter will occasionally suggest that modernity is perplexing to me because I’m from prehistoric times. As such, it points to one of the unavoidable problems of youth — namely, the temptation to think that today’s behavioral standards have always been. Let’s look at a few of the differences between yesteryear and today.

One of those differences is the treatment of women. There are awesome physical strength differences between men and women. To create...

AI Brain Implants That Can Change a Person’s Mood

The US military has begun testing AI brain implants that can change a person’s mood on humans.

These ‘mind control’ chips emit electronic pulses that alter brain chemistry in a process called ‘deep brain stimulation.’

If they prove successful, the devices could be used to treat a number of mental health conditions and to ensure a better response to therapy.

The chips are the work of scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a branch of the US Department of Defense w...

The Dirty Magic Trick

In 1791, the first Secretary of the Treasury of the US, Alexander Hamilton, convinced then-new president George Washington to create a central bank for the country. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson opposed the idea, as he felt that it would lead to speculation, financial manipulation, and corruption. He was correct, and in 1811, its charter was not renewed by Congress.

Then, the US got itself into economic trouble over the War of 1812 and needed money. In 1816, a Second Bank of the United...

How To Be Well-Spoken

In the pursuit of becoming a better man, becoming well-spoken is a task that should not be overlooked. How you speak is a huge component of the impression you make on others, and thus your potential influence on them. People will form judgments about your education, intelligence, background, and personality simply based on the sound of your voice and the language you use to express yourself.

Being well-spoken encompasses a lot of traits:

Creating well-formed sentences Being articulate Having...

Quiet Please!

One of the most denied of all human rights is that to silence. I do not mean by this the right to remain silent when accused of a crime, though in Britain at least this has effectively been abolished. I mean, rather, the right not to be assaulted everywhere by extraneous and unnecessary noise.

Silence has become a luxury that very few can afford. An Italian artist was once asked why he had moved from his native country to the wilds of the west of Scotland, not at first sight an exchange that...

Elon Muskian Welfare

Welfare used to be about government cheese. Today’s it’s about grafting thousands of dollars to rich people so as to “encourage” them to drive around in electric cars.

Few seem to mind because electrics are the cablinasians of the car world; affirmative action/diversity hires whose merits must not be questioned – and their deficits never mentioned.

Well, congressional Republicans did exactly that – a startling thing, given the GOP’s usually reliable penchant for bringing-up-the-rear acceptanc...

30 Year NSA Employee Shares Why They Are Watching You

William Binney is a former high ranking intelligence official with the National Security Agency (NSA). He is one of the highest placed intelligence officials to ever blow the whistle on insider NSA ‘knowings.’ He made headlines when he resigned in 2001 after 9/11, having worked more than thirty years for the agency. He was a leading code-breaker against the Soviet Union during the Cold war, and was repelled by the United States’ massive surveillance programs.

He’s had quite the go, starting i...

NRA-GOP Bill Makes it Easier for Feds

On Wednesday, the Republican controlled house voted to further federalize gun laws in this country. While Ryan McMaken has noted the danger in further centralizing gun legislation, there is another deeply troubling aspect to this bill: it expands the ability of the Federal government to restrict Americans’ right to bear arms.

During the legislative process, the NRA supported merging the bill aimed at nationalizing concealed carry permits with another piece of legislation aimed at “fixing” the...

The Socialist Phenomenon

The Socialist Phenomenon, by Igor Shafarevich

Igor Shafarevich has written this book as an examination of socialism, from antiquity to the present age.  Who is Igor Shafarevich?

Igor Rostislavovich Shafarevich (3 June 1923 – 19 February 2017) was a Russian mathematician who contributed to algebraic number theory and algebraic geometry. He wrote books and articles that criticize socialism, and was an important dissident during the Soviet regime.

Shafarevich’s book The Socialist Phenomenon, wh...