Melissa McWilliams

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My thoughts exactly. I was horrified when I heard this song for the first time. I have a friend who needs help... I'll be posting about her later. I just found your YouTube channel and am enjoying more of your videos. Thanks for your great work!

Save your soul. Save your mind. Get out of school. I'm in California and I took the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) in Nov 2012, which is basically a get-out-of-jail-free card for high schoolers in 10th grade onward. I don't know which country/state you're in-- have you looked into the possibility that an equivalent of the CHSPE might be available to you?

Thank you, Stef! The new video plays perfectly. Donated That's weird; I was able to open it just fine. Here's the direct link, if it helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEGpuQIPVt8

I'm in NorCal, but I'm looking to move to the Carson City area and get out of Commiefornia in a couple years. (That's why my avatar only shows a 10-round magazine.) I've been there a couple times within this year, and I've done a little research on overall cost of living, but don't know much else. How do you like it there? Pros, cons?

Listeners are having trouble getting the newest YouTube podcast to play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b_2EKk71r4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUC3L8QaxqEGUiBC252GHy3w Thanks! Melissa

I just finished listening to it again to give you some feedback. I liked it, and I especially liked the point that if the NAP and property rights are true principles, then they can be taken to the fullest extent possible-- rather than being stopped at some arbitrary breaking point called the government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki9QiPw7gB4

If you are truly interested in learning about the causes of the American Revolutionary War, come to a Project Appleseed event. Shoot rifle all weekend, learn to shoot unsupported in three different positions, and hear the story of the day the war began told as the "Three Strikes of the Match", and the causing events leading up to it. http://appleseedinfo.org/ Here's a slideshow of pictures we snapped at one of our events in California (Aug 17-18 2013). We have events all across America (including AK and HI) as well as parts of Canada. Just 80 bucks will get you an entire weekend's worth of shooting and history from early morning to mid-late afternoon. If you don't have a rifle, a shooting mat or a GI sling (the only gear you'll need aside from appropriate weather clothing), our instructors usually have spares to loan you. We also have occasional LibertySeed events, which just tell the history over the course of an afternoon and are free of charge and open to the public (but it's much more fun to shoot...): http://libertyseed.org/ (I'm an Appleseed instructor, mostly at Sacramento Valley Shooting Center; we're a 501©3 nonprofit, and all of our events are 100% volunteer run and organized by individual groups of volunteers.)

Thanks, Kevin!

Thank you guys so much!! Kevin, that is great to hear. Thanks for the pictures, Wesley-- glad it turned out good! Update about HomeGrownRebel: because eBay's decided to charge me $42 for a $19.95/mo basic store that looks terrible, I've decided to go for a free market style boycott and set up my own damn store.

@Ovi Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply... and again, I'm sorry for the delay in getting back. Been quite busy lately, but that's no excuse to give the cold shoulder to someone who's put time and effort into providing an answer. I'm very glad to hear that! That is fantastic, and in my situation I seem to have circumstances that would allow the same thing. (I have a satisfied client who is also an artist, and also a good friend who is incredibly good at concept sketching, which I myself could be better at.) Thank you very much, and I will. That is a premise I operate on-- that chronology has little to nothing to do with being able to design and do commerce. Thanks! I've heard of 99 Designs; I'm part of a similar website called LogoMyWay. I might switch over to 99 Designs if they have a "blind phase" during the contests, in which designers can't see each others' work (since I have a big problem with people always copying my work). I've been on LogoMyWay for quite some time, and while it is a good source of extra cash, it is by no means reliable and not always enjoyable; I'm looking to move on. Wow... thank you so much. As of right now, my biggest problem is hugely undervaluing my work, since all I can see in it is one flaw or another. I'm working on getting the idea in my head that my work is worth it-- if it wasn't, then I wouldn't have the number of clients that I do. Your words are very kind and inspirational and much appreciated. That is very sound advice. I just finished building my graphics design site, WingspanGraphics.com; I'm offering website design as just something extra, since I not only enjoy print more, but also am much better at it. I can build a simple website with Wordpress (as I did for Wingspan) that looks fairly good and works, but not much else. I'm also trying to focus my work and market to a specific need, rather than spread myself too thin. And I wish the same to you! Melissa

Sorry for the delay, Kevin; I'd been at a long distance Appleseed shoot all weekend up in Hat Creek and am getting back into my usual workflow. That is awesome, and thank you for sharing your knowledge and your experience! It seems to me that using WYSIWYG editors would not only serve as a temporary crutch while I learn HTML, but will also serve to teach me a thing or two about it, if there's an option to be able to see the underlying coding and watch what happens while I work with the site. I'll definitely be entwining my graphic and (soon-to-be) web design skills, in hopes of being able to work for a graphics design firm someday (and simply providing a profitable and high quality service for now). Dribbble looks good too... thanks again for all your help!!

@Kevin That looks like a very cool site. Thanks; I'll look into that! @xelent I appreciate your kind and inspirational words. Awesome; I'll look into that too. Thanks! @actions Goddamn, that is BRILLIANT! Thank you so much for sharing your strategy!! Absolutely. All I can say is that I agree 100%, and I definitely think you're more than onto something there. It seems to me, though, that at market price I should also be able to offer web design in addition; I'm pretty good with using the GoDaddy platform and have put together a couple small sites with it, but I know next to nothing about from-scratch HTML coding (I'll be taking web design next college semester). I can make cool little GIF links like the ones in my signature (wheee!), but that's about it. I'm curious to know if people will generally pay for a "graphic and web designer" who doesn't use HTML, but instead uses a "point-and-click" builder (assuming that's a secondary service to graphics design, and not in the forefront of what I offer)? Thank you all for your time and your very helpful responses!

Thank you so much, Kevin! I appreciate your support!

@xelent I agree. The powers-at-be claim to be doing me a service, by intentionally holding me back, by claiming that they're keeping me free from the stress and the hard work of the free market, by attempting to subvert me in every last way they can. It's blatantly obvious that they know fully well how destructive and oppressive their policies are, and that their claims are just a sugarcoat over the poisonous truth of their real intentions. Wow... congratulations! This is one of so many reasons why I wish I was born a few years earlier, but there's no use lamenting what can't be changed. C'est la vie. It's rare that I ever see a 16-18 year old actually working, and if I do, they're usually stuck with a few minimum wage hours a week in a fast food kitchen (a job which, at this point, I would flat-out pounce on if it were offered to me). Thanks! I've found that the internet is an incredibly useful "under-the-table" tool for doing commerce freely, and that graphics design is quite possibly one of the least regulated industries in existence. I suppose that's one upside to having been born when I was: if not, then I wouldn't be able to connect with the clients I have (most of whom are outside of the US). Really? That's great to hear! I'd love to contact a few of these companies and see if I can be of any service to them. If you don't mind, do you know of any in particular? That sounds wonderful and I'll be looking into that. Unfortunately, at this point my family is nowhere near in a position to support such a decision, and personally the thought of international travel is strangely terrifying to me. But for a long-term plan (or perhaps a SHTF bug-out plan for myself and my family), you might be onto something. I have! I've been with an organization called the Revolutionary War Veterans Association (RWVA) since November of 2012, helping to teach people the skill sets of rifle marksmanship and spreading the word of American history. I've put it on my resume and it certainly is challenging work, though immensely rewarding. You can read about it here: http:appleseedinfo.org. Thank you very much for your detailed reply and your advice, and I wish you all the best as well! @PhilipJ That looks great! I'll look into it... thanks! @Kevin Oooooooooooof course it is! Don't be foolish, Comrade Citizen, your children are safest when they're held bound to the loaded guns of the state. I agree; my main goal is to achieve financial independence and ultimately happiness, which I'll reach sooner the earlier I can begin working. That's a great idea! I actually plan to send logos to companies "in need," and I've offered my services to companies such as Calguns and Liberty Maniacs. Maybe the Freedomain Radio store needs a super cheap or volunteer designer? That show looks interesting; thanks for the link. I agree. When I step back and look at the "big picture," it never ceases to amaze me that people should have this inherent desire to dominate and ultimately destroy others.

Thanks, Philip! The RWVA (Revolutionary War Veterans Association) is a 501©3 nonprofit organization based all over the US and parts of Canada; we're basically one giant group of volunteers who teach Revolutionary-era rifle marksmanship and stories from American history over the course of a weekend or a week. We welcome anyone and everyone with a respect for founding American values to participate in our events. My role in the program as an instructor mainly includes teaching the skill sets of shooting and history, and also some administrative roles. Check out http://appleseedinfo.org/ for more info.

Thanks, Kevin! Really? Does the 13+ law in AZ only apply to government institutions, or does it also apply to private businesses? If indeed they're still forcing 13-15 year-olds out of independent jobs, then the irony is glaringly ridiculous... but it's good enough for government work, I suppose. Thanks again, and I hope you're right. I'm just trying to keep that work ethic going, to keep applying and re-applying for jobs, and to keep finding ways to make money outside of employers. Absolutely. Melissa

Beauty! How much do you want for a hat? Also, I can give you my contact info if you need a fast, super-cheap laborer for graphics design work. In the name of life and liberty, Melissa McWilliams

*Update...check below Our government has committed literally countless unforgivable crimes against us and continues to do so every moment of every day, from outright theft of our hard-earned property to open slaughter of innocent civillians, domestic and overseas. One of such crimes is intentionally, fiercely barring ambitious young people like me from entering the workforce. First, a bit of background on myself: I am very thankful and lucky to have been born and raised by a functional, peaceful family. I was privately educated at VanDamme Academy (one of the best, most expensive schools in California, run by objectivists) until I had to drop out of 7th grade due to administrative problems with the school. My mother half-homeschooled, half-unschooled me, allowing me to choose my areas of interest, until 10th grade when my enthusiasm in academics quickly began to wane as my attention turned to starting work and making money. I graduated high school at age fifteen in order to start working, in hopes of attaining personal and financial freedom earlier in my life. Since mid-2012, I've run my own freelance graphics design business online, serving clients daily all over the world. I began entering international logo design contests to get more business. I became a volunteer instructor for a rifle marksmanship and American history program, RWVA Project Appleseed, in November of 2012. Over this past year, I have gained enough experience to attain confidence in myself as a potential entry-level employee and put together a pretty good-looking resume. However, in an interview I had at a retail store last week, my whole view on entering the workforce took a turn for the worse. A Voluntaryist by heart and mind, I have come to recognize ANY business or trade regulation as a gross violation of our natural property rights. The government has NO right to decide who may and may not make an honest living, how much or how little we may make, what we do with the fruits of our labor, etc. Child labor laws are one of these regulations. I knew they were bad... but little did I know that they are half as bad as they truly are. The hiring manager who was interviewing me didn't realize that I am still legally considered a "minor" until about halfway through the questionnaire. It was then she mentioned that the state of California has a law that prohibits people under eighteen years of age from working any more than 8 hours a day on the weekends, and 3 hours a day on the weekdays. Not just given by one employer, but any and all employers I may have. This is obscene. Here I am, out of school and looking for work. I want to get off my parents' backs; they've supported me long enough. And yet-- assuming I'm making the minimum wage that businesses are forced at gunpoint to pay me, even if I don't deserve it, and I work every last hour that I'm allowed to-- I'm tied down to only being able to earn less than $250 a week for the next two years. Add in the fact that, as a minor, I am now a legal liability to the company. I probably wouldn't be much use to a company at this point, because businesses are forbidden from letting me operate any machinery labeled "dangerous" (that includes dishwashers, stoves, grinders, heat presses... stuff that makes the world go 'round). With this weight around my neck, how can I possibly make enough to purchase a car and pay for gas and insurance myself, and eventually move out of California and live on my own within these next few years, keeping up with my rent, utilities, insurance, food, healthcare, you name it-- even if it's a bare subsistence lifestyle which I'm willing to live? In other words... how can I bypass the laws, so to speak, in order to make more than the state allows me to? Thank you for your time, and for putting up with one long-arse rant. In the name of life and liberty, Melissa McWilliams PS: If you're a business in the Lincoln/Rocklin/Roseville area of CA, I'll send you my resume for your records.

Hi all, I'm a freelance graphics designer, RWVA instructor and art student looking for ways to spread the word of liberty. I have two online stores which sell pro-liberty merchandise, and I'm trying to get my ventures up and off the ground! Check out HomeGrownRebel.com for top quality $17.76 Pro-Liberty T-shirts, including 2nd Amendment, Liberty or Death / DTOM, and Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers! Also, check out zazzle.com/RiflemansCadence for a great selection on Pro-Liberty t-shirts, including Anarchist, Peaceful Parenting, 2nd Amendment, Civil Rights & more... I also create custom designs for single or bulk T-shirt & other merch orders. PM for details. Thanks for looking! In the name of life and liberty, Melissa McWilliams