Michael Jarrell

Sunni: [laughs] A friend recently reminded me of some R-rated ramblings I did on that subject. Are my comments there too far off the mark?

Michael: Seems an entirely too dangerous method for cooking. Too many hot or sharp things around the kitchen for that particular gauge. [laughs] I prefer to use the muscles between my thumb and forefinger, then touch the joints. Your method would just lead to burned burgers! [laughs]

Sunni: [laughs] Well, to clarify and in my own defense, I didn't mean that one needed to have, umm, that particular gauge to hand. Because, yeah, the food cooking would come to a stop. [laughs] One of the things I like best about your Uncivil Defence blog is that you cover such a wide range of subjects very well. From getting free—in three installations so far—to vanishing states' rights—to spreading pro-freedom memes in new ways—and especially your ongoing, wonderfully metaphorical commentary on gardening, you offer a lot of substance in every post. How do you manage to maintain such high standards?

Michael: Oh, man. I don't know how much my ego can stand. [laughs] I don't know that my standards are high; I just write what comes to me and what I need to get out. Sometimes I just have something to say, so I jump in and say it. Sometimes it gets wordy and I am seldom completely satisfied with it.

Sunni: I'm glad you don't let your lack of satisfaction keep you from posting. Have you been checking in on the Dropping Knowledge site since your last post on it? How does it seem to be doing, in your opinion?

Michael: I do stop in to see what questions are being asked and what some of the answers are and things are progressing pretty much along the lines I figured they would. Lots of folks with touchy, feely questions and answers who want the State, in one form or another to solve things. Very few of the questions and answers would suit those of us interested in more freedom for individuals. There's a great amount of socialism going on there. There are also some rather interesting dialogues concerning humans in general that I find interesting.

Sunni: I'll confess that I did look at it after reading that entry of yours, but decided not to get involved. [pauses] It struck me as a potentially significant time investment with a low probability of payoff. Maybe it was just the questions I looked at, or my psychologist training showing, but it seemed to me that individuals were mostly asking questions that allow them to maintain their current belief structures, rather than genuinely wanting to be challenged.

Michael: The payoff in this case would be low, based upon the current questions. I am interested in seeing where this goes a year from now. You are right, though. Few of the questions asked are of the sort that would challenge their perceptions of the world. That might well be a nice a hit and run tactic to try out.

Sunni: I inferred from a recent post on the upcoming elections that you vote. Is that correct?

Michael: Sometimes. I am getting better, though! I skipped this year's primaries and may well skip the elections, given the current state of affairs. It seems rather futile given the direction that many libertarian candidates are choosing to go in.