This weekend we celebrate the changing of our guard.
Which, when you stop to think about it, is more than a little odd. Do the inmates of Rikers Island throw a party when they get a new warden? To celebrate the changing of the color of the uniforms worn by their cagers?
And yet, we do.
This coming weekend, Americans will celebrate not being free to – among other things:
Buy and display fireworks themselves.
Choose whether to wear a seat belt.
Say “no thanks” to the health insurance mafia.
Travel without permission (and decline to produce your “papers” on demand).
Smoke in a privately owned bar or pool hall.
Freely associate – or not.
Ever truly own a home or land outright, free from yearly rent payments (in the form of real estate taxes) to the government.
Educate your children as you (rather than strangers in a distant capital city) see fit.
Consume substances decreed (arbitrarily) to be “illegal.”
Possess “contraband” items (including firearms, without which the right to self-defense is a nullity).
Open a business without permission.
Contract your labor without permission – and under “terms and conditions” decreed by the government.
Elect not to provide the government with evidence (the income tax form) that can and will be used against you, despite the Fifth Amendment.
Produce and sell milk and other farm products that haven’t been “inspected” by the government and without the permission of the government.
Defend oneself against even the most egregious violation of the law by the law’s enforcers.
Rent a room or apartment you own to whom you wish.
Fish (or hunt) without a license… even on your own land.
Use your car to provide taxi service.
Collect rainwater for personal use.
Opt not to have your home connected to “grid” electricity.
Have your young daughters set up a curbside lemonade stand on a hot July afternoon.
The “long train of abuses” (as Jefferson described them 239 years ago this Saturday) is extensive. Far more so today than it was back then. And yet, we – most Americans – continue to play their part in the annual July Fourth kabuki theater. We pretend we’re “free” – and the government pretends it has the “consent of the governed.”
Few stop to ask themselves: If the Fourth Amendment guarantees that we are to be “free from unreasonable searches and seizures” how it can be that all of us are legally subject to completely random searches – without even a whiff of individualized suspicion – whenever we go for a drive in our cars or travel by airplane?
If the Bill if Rights – which is legally part of the Constitution – is (as we are told) the law of the land, how is it that other laws – “interpretations” issued by judges at odds with the crystal clear language of the Constitution – have come to supersede it?
How does one “consent” without actually having given consent? How does the fact that a question was put to a vote – and some people voted in favor – come to mean that you have given your consent to the measure?
Try quoting the Constitution – the Bill of Rights – in court.
1776 began nobly enough – but by 1787, the revolution was over. Meeting in secret conclave – what was that about the “consent of the governed”? – the elite of colonial America met for the sole purpose of re-creating what had been overthrown, only with themselves in charge of the operation rather than the English monarch. “The people” – held in contempt by men like Alexander Hamilton – never gave their consent to these “representatives,” who proceeded to enact the 18th century version of a Beer Hall putsch. Charged with amending the Articles of Confederation – nothing more – they proceeded to rip it to shreds and in its place, substituted the “vigorous” and “energetic” (Hamilton’s words) Constitution we suffer under today. The sole purpose of which was to establish a federal leviathan of in-principle unlimited power. Check JB Hi Fi Catalogue and Lenovo Catalogue. Which – exactly as intended – grew into a leviathan of unlimited-in-fact power. One so unlimited, even your “health care” is now its business rather than your own.
Alexander Hamilton was many things, but not a fool. He – and his fellow “federalists” – knew precisely what they were doing. In private conversation, some (including Hamilton and also John Adams) admitted their admiration of the British system. That is, of an authoritarian mercantilist (what we would today call corporatist) state, directed by a coterie of Wise Men (themselves) who knew better than the public what was in the “public interest.”
And told them so.
Thus it has been ever since. Especially since the failure of the southern states – which realized what had happened but reacted to it too late and not adroitly when they finally did react – to rescind their purported “consent” and go their separate way in peace. What was denied the states was then – and ever since – denied the individual. We, as Americans, have no more right to say “no thanks” – to go our way in peace, to be left in peace provided we ourselves our peaceful – than an inmate of Rikers Island.
You may reply: The inmates of Rikers Island have committed – and been convicted of – crimes. They deserve to be caged, their liberty taken. Fair enough, perhaps. But what crime have you committed?
Whom have you harmed by not wearing a seatbelt?
Why should innocent people – who’ve given no reason to even suspect them of having committed any offense – be subject to random stops and searches?
How is it that armed men can threaten you with lethal violence for deciding it’s ok to let people who freely wish to enter (and who may just as freely leave) your privately owned bar or pool hall smoke, if they wish to?
Have you hurt your neighbor by selling him milk he freely wished to buy at a price mutually agreeable to both parties?
Why do any of us “owe” money to people we’ve never met, never injured, never agreed to pay?
If we are free, why are we so controlled, regulated, micromanaged? Under almost constant threat of harassment, fining – and caging? Why is there literally almost no decision – even to the extent of what goes on in our own homes and bedrooms – that’s left entirely up to us?
The truth is we’re in the same prison as the inmates of Rikers Island – only our “yard” is (for now) a bit more generous. This is an uncomfortable fact, but no less true because it is uncomfortable. The differences are merely of degree, not of principle. The guards at Rikers are the absolute masters and the prisoners are free to do as they are told.
Our “freedoms” are of a piece.
Happy Changing of the Guard Day.
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Not to mention this:
http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/07/07/bakery-owners-fined-135000-refusing-make-gay-wedding-cake
‘It’s Just Ridiculous’: Bakery Fined $135K for Refusing to Serve Gay Wedding
Bevin – I saw your comments on guns.com re the 9mm carbine that uses Glock magazines.
“Golly same ammo in my rifle and pistol” was pretty cool…in 1880.
Yea, but then they were talking 44-40, not what most folks want in a hand gun these days.
Or a 32-20, real powerhouse. He lost me calling it a great defensive gun. Shooting a gun with 4 rails sucks no matter what it is. There’s a reason grips were made smooth with contours.
Now if anybody had had the sense 40 years ago to buy a Hi Standard Model 10 bullpup auto 12 G you’d have a great “defense” gun. I could put 5 rounds from the living room to the kitchen door before you could say “don’t”.
I don’t get everybody wanting a pump shotgun. Let me review every auto shotgun I ever owned or someone else’s I shot and see how many jammed…….hhhhhhhmmmmmm……….one, one 16G that occasionally jammed, a 32″ barrel full choke trap gun. And it quit jamming once it was worked on a bit.
While everybody else is getting another round jacked into a pump I have a couple more on the way. The only reason to have a pump is if you and your family aren’t worth an auto…….think about it darlin……
Why should every woman own a hand gun? Because that 12 ga. Joe Biden wants her to use won’t fit in her purse.
Dear Phil,
Sorry for the late reply!
I wasn’t subscribed to this thread apparently.
Yes. The pistol/carbine dual use made somewhat more sense with a .44-40 than with a 9×19, which is okay for a compact pistol cartridge, but pretty feeble in a shoulder arm.
It’s tough to know what was going through peoples heads at the time, but Hamilton wasn’t as secret or private about his views as we sometimes believe.
Here’s some quotes out of notes taken at the Philadelphia convention, courtesy of Kevin Gutzman in his book “James Madison and the Making of America–a good read that gives much insight into the goings on in the making of the–less than desirable–constitution.
On June 18, 1787 at the Philadelphia convention, Hamilton spoke of “the great and essential principles necessary for the support of government.” “An active and constant interest in supporting it”, “the love of power”, “an habitual attachment of the people,” “coercion,” and “influence”. He also said that “in his private opinion, he had no scruple in declaring, supporting as he was by so many of the wise and good, that the British government was the best in the world: and that he doubted much whether anything short of it would do in America.”
I can only surmise that it was his wealth and clout that kept many others in check on booting Hamilton out right there. Damn them for it. If it hadn’t have been for his influence on the document itself and some of the people at the convention, especially Madison, a much less bad document could have emanated out of their meeting. Damn Jefferson for not being there because of his love affair with France. And damn Burr for being many years too late with his duel.
” a much less bad document could have emanated out of their meeting”
We did not need any new document. The Articles of Confederation were working well enough for all except Hamilton and his ilk. The Convention was called to recommend amendments to the Articles, not replace them.
True enough, but since Hamilton and his ilk were there, there was going to be a new document. If just Hamilton would have been absent, it would very likely have been less bad. Madison was also in favor of a new document. But without the influence of Hamilton, it wouldn’t have been as bad, imo.
Just the fact that elitists got together for anything smacks of subversion of everything good.
Forget the Constitution, here’s Gary North on why there should not have been a ‘War of Independence.” http://www.garynorth.com/public/13994.cfm
I know some here don’t care for Gary, but give this a look.
“The differences are merely of degree, not of principle.”
Spot on Little Joe,as usual!!
Remember when beer trucks used have on the back. A sign of the “Bud Man”
“Honk to pull me over for a cool one”or something like that.
Of all things taught under the banner of history in public schools…the names and dates are correct. The rest is mythology. The Revolutionary War was supposedly fought for high sounding platitudes, “Liberty”, “No taxation without representation”,etc, The real reasons are three, Real Estate, Real Estate, and Real Estate, The King had absolute ownership of every square inch of land in the colonies. After the War the ownership fell to the well connected whose ranks included (drum roll, please) THE FOUNDING FATHERS. These well connected became fabulously wealthy and immigrants from Europe, then under feudal land ownership system, poured into the U.S., not for freedom nor liberty, but because here, you could actually own land. The Constitutional Convention you mentioned has a connection to real estate and the financing thereof. Shay’s’ Rebellion was the true inspiration for the Convention. It threatened the the livelihood of land speculators and the financiers that supported them. Hamilton was a crony and a crook. Aaron Burr’s mug should be on the 10 spot for taking Hamilton out.
Freedom and prosperity are based on land(property). That’s why the government taxes it. It is a direct strike at the root of liberty.
Oh, it’s gonna get much worse before it gets better:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bernie-sanders-draws-biggest-crowd-any-2016-candidate-yet
I suppose living in France wouldn’t be too bad for a working class type. Strike every few weeks, 3 months of vacation, generous “sick” time, etc. But I’m fairly certain the US would F*** it up somehow and we’d end up getting even more screwed than we already are.
H. Clinton is control freak welfare-warfare corporatist state.
B. Sanders is control freak welfare state socialist.
The money has already backed Clinton and finds little to no use for Sanders.
“finds little to no use for Sanders” – but he does help foster the fantasy that there is a choice.
And the choice is ‘Worse and Worser’
Eric,
That’s a most articulate and concise description of “American Freedoms” on this “Independence Day,” 2015.
Don’t be too sad. Think of all the wonderful freedoms we still have left. Such as…….
The freedom to worship the NFL, and spend as much of our lives as it takes to assemble the perfect Fantasy Football Team.
The freedom to marry someone of the same gender.
The freedom to vote for whomever we want, as long as they are Democrats or Republicans. 😉
The freedom to believe that 9/11, Sandy Hook, the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Carolina Church shootings (and all the rest yet to come) happened exactly the way the Mainstream Media tell us that they did.
Come on and join me in a glorious cheer….USA! USA!! USA!!! USA!!!!
Now, don’t you feel much better, and More FREE? 🙂
Thanks, Mike!
And yeah… I know… I know!
Returning to the “Homeland” tomorrow from a visit socialist Italy. Italy validates the libertarian driving ethic and disproves clover. Clover has been proven wrong in real life. I heard other tourist clovers from Amerika say a few times, “these people drive like lunatics”! In the cities anarchy reigns, on the highways, speed limits are ignored with impunity. Outside large cities, never say a cop. Italian “customs” consisted of simply having my passport in my hand.
United airlines says to expect delays in the “homeland” when going through customs because it’s July 4th and there are people who hate us because we’re free.
If it wasn’t for the 2nd amendment, I might consider moving here. It’s so refreshing seeing so many laws unenforced and shrugged off. Unfortunately, the EU and socialism has taken its toll in other ways.
It will be up to that tiny minority as it always is.
Free Kentucky Column: What must be done
http://www.freekentucky.com/barry-bright-what-must-be-done/
A manifesto of the ‘isms.’
Waking up is hard to do
http://www.freekentucky.com/waking-up-is-hard-to-do/
In Kalifornia we can celebrate compulsory injection of foreign substances in our children this holiday.
Hooray for Amurrika!
Can you smell the FREEDOM?
Amerika, The land of the sheep and the home of the slave.
Personally, I will be flying the Confederate Flag this weekend. USA flag has gone in the trash.
If I had an American flag it would have been tossed with the weekly trash right after the Supreme ct. vote this week. America is dead, trashed with a zero future. I emailed several folks with patriot/free market/exposing gov./globalism corruption type websites, to incl NWV, this week and suggested taking the sites down as nothing really has been accomplished, no results from informing others over many years. Money and effort wasted as things continue to slide downhill. I have also thrown books, binders, dvds, printouts, etc collected over time into the recycle bins recently; I urge others to do so. They are utterly useless junk now. folks, clean out the useless stuff in your house and get needed supplies for the meltdown. Most Americans haven’t grasped the problems (stuck in stupid).
Hi Laura,
I’m pretty pessimistic… but not that pessimistic. The one thing that makes me optimistic is that while proportionately still small, the number of people who are on to the con is probably ten times what it was even ten years ago. I have no idea how old you are, but if you’re over 40 today you will recall a time when people who expressed views such as mine (and yours, I presume) were in the extreme minority and considered “kooks” by almost everyone. That has changed, dramatically so.
As for me, I’ll continue doing what I can – because I cannot do otherwise.
Even if a full broadside takes me down, I will slip beneath the waves with my turrets still firing, my screws still turning…
Reply to Eric: I was born at the close of ww2. I have been retired for six yrs and have seen the steady decline for decades. My elders told me in the 70’s it wouldn’t get better but will lead to a fascist one world gov. by 2000. They gave me reading material and took me to speakers conferences. But now (since no one can predict accurately) we are closer than ever. Voting is useless, we have’t voted in twenty five years when those trade treaties in early 90s were enacted and friends lost jobs and factories shut down and went off shore. I have been researching the global elite and related subjects for thirty five years. I gave up some years back of trying to inform others in my area, because even those I thought would catch on, just didn’t. Business people and white collar folks are the dumbest. Truckers, laborers (blue collar) seem to get it more so.
Business and white collar people, the ones who sell out and by far not necessarily the smartest. People doing something construction need some smarts. Wearing a white short sleeve shirt and having a mouth full of bs is another thing entirely. I’ve known owners of companies who evidently didn’t start them that didn’t know their own products. A major water company manager told a friend that drinking water was the purest. So why make distilled or triple distilled? He just acted as if the guy was another trouble-maker. And he was……. for somebody who doesn’t know S from SN, cue Nathan Johnston.
In the corporate world people with skills get stuck at the lowest ranks because otherwise the work won’t get done. Those who have the time to play politics and look good and do all that instead of the work rise to the top.
BrentP, I’ve noticed that for decades. Somehow taller people are smarter and get higher salaries……even if they need to ask how to get rid of ass burn. They’re good at agreeing with those who hold higher positions though.
Do you remember my height from a previous thread and are trolling me eight?
The corporate world is much like the political world. Perception, conspiracy, knowing the right people, being friends with the right people, etc and so forth is how people advance. Doing a lot of good work and knowing what you’re doing will get you no where. If you want to get somewhere in this system you have to play its game. Merit reward is dead as far as I can see.
You just described the Dilbert Principle:
Companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to management (generally middle management), in order to limit the amount of damage they are capable of doing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilbert_principle
I know. I know Dilbert well. I lived many of the plots. Back when I worked for mega corp it was shall I say highly ranked as the source of ideas for Dilbert strips. All that was needed make a strip apply was to change the names in them.
Does your boss have ‘pointy hair’?
Mine does.
Not very, just a little.
But if his mind were as sharp as his hair…?
He wouldn’t be a boss…
Back in the day? The reporting structure wasn’t like Dilbert at Mega corp. But the higher one went the more pointy hairs there were to be found. I had to deal with good-at-school engineers. Institutionalized people who were well suited to doing the actual work so they became managers.
Laura, people who create things, who get something concrete accomplished are mostly much more savvy than the white collar crowd. I’ve known owners and company managers who didn’t know S from SN. Cue Nathan Johnston.
Stein’s Law, “what can’t go on indefinitely, won’t,” may apply here sooner rather than later.
To maintain a corporatist state, you need three things: 1. Control of the media and information; 2. “Bread and circuses” in the form of a consumer economy/entertainment and 3. The credible threat of force.
The first item is gone, kaput, stick-a-fork-in-it done, thanks to the Wild Wild Web. No longer do you have only 3-4 channels on TV, a half dozen radio stations between AM-FM, a morning and evening paper, and a smattering of magazines. Each and every one of us now has a printing press, a TV studio, a Western Union, and a radio station as close as our smartphones. Those are far more reliable than the corporate media at telling the real stories.
The second item started ending about 35 years ago and is going away faster every day, but really took off in the last 7-10 years. It’s not now possible or practical for most people to “shop ’til you drop,” as most of that money is going toward paying for necessities, even for the well-off. And if you’re not well-off…that’s its own story in itself. And the bread is getting pretty moldy and the circus clown’s pancake makeup is flaking off as vapidity and malfeasance in sports and entertainment is just plan over-the-top and in-your-face.
The third item, force, is all that’s left. But force is a very untrustworthy servant. Because someone, somewhere, somehow, will resist and strike back, and strike back hard.
It’s not a matter of if, but WHEN, The Revolution is coming. What scares me most is that the likely outcome, according to historical precedent, is not a Washington, Gandhi or MLK Jr., but a Napoleon, Stalin, Castro or Khomeini.
I fear you are very wrong particularly about the control of the media. The “Wild, wild web” is being fenced in faster than you can imagine. Access is controlled and will be completely restricted in the near future.
Listen to Obama’s language “membership lists so that neighbors can know about the bigot living next door.” What do you think that entails? The worst kind of freedom is one where it is only the appearance that is allowed, a quiet crushing of information. One where “inflammatory” websites just disappear and where fellow Thoughtcriminals cannot access information as their devices are constantly suffering outages.
I fear that there will be no technological equalization this time as there had been in the examples you cite. Today’s information dissemination has a total chokepoint – reliance on a network. A network like none before that can be monitored in real time completely – one that does answer to the government and its henchmen.
Great stuff, Eric. I think, however, a better analogy than Riker’s Island would be One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Virtually all the inmates in the asylum were there voluntarily, just like most ‘Muricans.
People willfully delude themselves into thinking they’re free and willingly put the shackles on their minds while chanting, “U-S-A, U-S-A”. If you point out how they are enslaved their response, after a blank stare, is to say ” ‘Murica, Love it or leave it.” There is no thought process any longer, just the regurgitation of nationalistic bromides.
Mark, You are correct. Say something that involves bucking the system and get empty stares. Most have never thought about it. JN’s character was incredulous people would voluntarily give up their freedom, even embrace their own abusers, see them as their saviors. Nurse Ratched is revealed as a frail person once challenged and physically and psychologically bested McMurphy, losing her best weapon and leaving her a shell of what she was without that terrible voice.
I believe cops, robbers(cops, lawyers, judges, prosecutors in particular), as well as their ancillary crew that props them up are of the same frailty. It causes cops to over-react to keep the illusion, not only to the public but to themselves of being unshakeable, infallible, and all powerful. Prosecutors often withhold exculpatory evidence and rarely have to make amends even when their caught. Judges seldomly get replaced no matter how egregious their rulings. And the courts, even when they must look the fools to everyone but themselves, allow the actions of murdering and torturous cops to not only get away with their crimes but are often praised for them. Speak a lie enough times and it becomes truth. The Shrub and crew practically perfected this type of think. Knowing they (republicans)weren’t going to win the next election they did the next best thing and left their playbook(s) all over for the Dems to emulate and expand.
The MSM brings tears to the sheeple’s eyes of the horrors of S. Africa and their genocidal conflicts while completely ignoring same in this country and other “civilized” countries.
People of a different age understood this. Samuel Eliot Morison, who lived from 1887, a horse and buggy age, to 1976 after man had survived multiple forays into space knew this all to well. He was a keen historian.
“If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile…. The beauty and cogency of the preamble, reaching back to remotest antiquity and forward to an infinite future, having lifted the hearts of millions of men and will continue to do…. These words are more revolutionary than anything written by Robespierre, Marx, or Lenin, more explosive than the atom, a continual challenge to ourselves as well as an inspiration to the oppressed of all the world.”
As in the movie we can do the best we can to break the bonds. Rip out the sink, if you will. We may not be the ones to achieve success but, if there is on “Chief” that sees the light we may see freedom for our progeny.
‘Murica, Love it or leave it.”
More and more people are choosing the “leave it” option; more, in fact, than at any other time in the nation’s history. No doubt many see the long-metastasizing “Red, White, and Blue Curtain,” mostly a “soft barrier” in the recent past, hardening into a new Berlin Wall and are getting the fuck out of Dodge while they still have the chance.
Tell us how you * really * feel Eric. Don’t hold back. Fire up the woodchipper and let er loose. =D
Maybe it was the coffee? 🙂
Off Topic. I know the definition of a “clover”. But why the word “clover”? Can anyone help me make a connection between the “clod” behind the wheel and the word “clover”?
Hi Jim,
Scroll down – look for the green symbol… you’ll see!
I have to wonder why the courts have to “interpret” the Constitution. Isn’t it written in English? So why do we need an interpreter?
In fact, until the progressive era really took hold in the 1930s, the courts generally measured laws against what the Constitution says. Around 1935 or so, the idea that it means different things because of changing circumstances began to prevail. Since then, the document has meant nothing, because it has been “interpreted” to mean whatever 5 corrupt functionaries in black dresses say it means.
The courts were not given the authority to interpret or create law, they took that upon themselves. The primary case where this transition took place was Marbury v. Madison. So the courts went off the rails pretty early on, though it was a long and slippery slope after that before the consequences really became evident. One of the defects of the Constitution is that it puts too much power in the hands of the courts.
> … the document has meant nothing, because it has been “interpreted” to mean whatever 5 corrupt functionaries in black dresses say it means.
Its worse than that, Mike. Thirty six states via referendum or legislation voted to define marriage between man and woman. That is a super majority of states. Enough states for a constitutional convention. Regardless on what you think about marriage, a super majority of states was overturned by five, unelected political hacks. Now, here is the really important concern I have regarding this ruling: When legislative law fails then we are to resort to common law. Common law has for a thousand years defined marriage as between man and woman. So, in a single act by these black despots, both legislative law and common law fail. This means we have NO law but for the whim of 5 of 9 tyrants.
Which means we are back to animal law, or the law of the jungle.
“Now this is the Law of the Jungle —
as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper,
but the Wolf that shall break it must die.”
-Rudyard Kipling
“Law of the jungle”
http://www2.fiu.edu/~milesk/Rudyard_Kipling_Law_of_the_Jungle.htm
I suggest also, “White Man’s Burden,” and look how far we have fallen. We have become the savages…
Kipling was a statist cunt. A genius-tier jackboot polisher and soldier-fluffer who signed his letters with a got-dam swaskita, ffs.
Your repeated calls to worship such costumed militarism is a far more odious kind of evangelism than that of the simpletons who come here to incessantly shill for sky-daddy. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?
Your worship of an idealized authority has been proven to be a complete failure. Your championing of the mindless idiocy of the pensioned priest class has not a got-dam thing to do with the law of the animals or of the law of the jungle.
,
Rudy was a submissive curry-chugging little bollywood bitch who never once grokked even a modicum of the damage Federal reserve banks inflicted on the world during his lifetime.
May someone exhume his corpse and force feed his skull some rotten worm-infested fish heads. I suggest you learn to think for yourself for once in your life. Even the highest-paid government shill couldn’t offer worse advice than what you routinely offer here.
– – –
In September 1914, Kipling was asked by the British government to write propaganda, an offer that he immediately accepted. Kipling’s pamphlets and stories were very popular with the British people during the war with his major themes being glorifying the British military as the place for heroic men to be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling
– – –
The Burden of Jerusalem
http://www.heretical.com/miscella/kipling2.html
– – –
One reason for Kipling’s power was his sense of responsibility, which made it possible for him to have a world-view, even though it happened to be a false one.
Kipling identified himself with the ruling power and not with the opposition. In a gifted writer this seems to us strange and even disgusting, but it did have the advantage of giving Kipling a certain grip on reality.
The ruling power is always faced with the question, ‘In such and such circumstances, what would you do?’, whereas the opposition is not obliged to take responsibility or make any real decisions.
Where it is a permanent and pensioned opposition, as in England, the quality of its thought deteriorates accordingly. Moreover, anyone who starts out with a pessimistic, reactionary view of life tends to be justified by events, for Utopia never arrives and ‘the gods of the copybook headings’, as Kipling himself put it, always return.
Kipling sold out to the British governing class, not financially but emotionally. This warped his political judgement, for the British ruling class were not what he imagined, and it led him into abysses of folly and snobbery, but he gained a corresponding advantage from having at least tried to imagine what action and responsibility are like.
It is a great thing in his favour that he is not witty, not ‘daring’, has no wish to épater les bourgeois.(shock the middle classes.) He dealt largely in platitudes, and since we live in a world of platitudes, much of what he said sticks.
—George Orwell on Kipling, whom he called the “prophet of British imperialism.”
I think you misunderstand.
I am not worshiping the man, but noting two works he wrote that seem, to me, to have bearing.
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, yes?
I do appreciate Kipling as an author, from what I’ve read of his work. That’s the poetry; I carefully avoid reading his prose, it’s generally boring and slow. From what I recall, it made Melville (Moby Dick) seem like “fast and the furious.”
However, an artist does write from their worldview, and some things would definitely be framed in specific ways because of that.
His view of England as wonderful, and his propaganda as you note (the two likely were intertwined, meaning: Kipling likely loved his country in the rabid, flag-waving, ” ‘Murica” way we decry; but because of his “patriotism” and the perceived superiority of his country/crown, he likely put in a lot of baggage in most of his works; it was a flavor in the mix. OK, I’ll buy that.)
But the point I was trying to make is:
– Law of the Jungle:
“but the Wolf that shall break it must die” – Well, we’re in a state where the Elites are not subject to the laws.
but the “law” (Justice) must be upheld – or we’re an animal pack.
So either way: We either devolve while following a virtuous path, and punish those who are “above the law,” or we devolve into an animal pack, where we roll over and show our throat, maybe pee ourselves for good measure… In the hopes we might get some skin and bones to chew on.
I’d rather the first, as it makes civilized men act like animals, until things are set back on course. The second makes civilized men devolve into savages, as it affects future generations, too. The future generations will therefore never know anything different; never know that Daddy* wanted a return to the Constitution, say, even though he was busy killing “Nazis.”
Second point, from “White Man’s Burden”:
Echoed elsewhere, but summed up as, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
We’ll be hated if we come as conquerors.
We’ll be hated if we come as explorers, and offer our knowledge for free.
We’ll be hated for being successful, period.
Go do it anyway. They (other peoples) can be civilized. They can learn.
Going beyond Kipling, we do NOT have to do this by being colonists, or through force of arms. We can do it by teaching and disseminating knowledge. And keep our noses OUT of their business, beyond that. (We might be a little circumspect about certain branches of knowledge, such as nuclear weapons. That’s just a “good idea” overall. Especially in tribal regions, like the Middle East and much of Africa. But teaching things like science and math and practical skills for building a house? That seems like a great idea. Raise the civilization up out of the “stone age.” Leave them to sort out the details – we’re just sending knowledge, which is why we might limit things like sarin gas, mustard gas, biological warfare, tanks, howitzers, fourth-generation warfare, nukes, etc. They’ll learn a fair amount on their own, and many of them are already advanced in warfare; we need to point them towards peaceful co-existence instead. That means undoing centuries of tribal rivalries, and probably giving them a lot to build on…. And might not work anyway. E.G., Israelis and Palestinians will likely be going at it for a LONG time to come.)
I believe we do need a “minarchy” (term used reservedly); you’re not exactly wrong there.
But there’s that 5% or so of the population that’s psychotic or sociopathic, and those are who the rules need to exist for (or, those people necessitate rules or “laws” of a civilized society.)
To me, it’s simple – law of the jungle applies any time you encounter someone who is sociopathic. Problem is, many are smart enough to hide in plain sight. They’re not all the cartoon villains or “bad guy” from the movies.
But what “Laws” are required? Well, easiest option is to turn to religion: Ten Commandments (with limitation on #1, since some are atheists, agnostics, animists, pagans; but the laws work as a good foundation for how to treat your neighbor.) And the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have the do unto you.
Nothing on parking, speeding, permission slips, or government renting you your own property (taxes).
It’s of a part with the Atheist complaint about “religion” in Public, and how we can use “ethics” instead of “religious morality.” See, we’re still mostly growing up in a Mostly Christian nation. Sure, they practice ritualistic cannibalism, but overall – they have formed our basic morality or ethics. So the Atheists are starting from faulty assumptions, when they say that Ethics will work fine – the Judaeo-Christian morals permeated the society, and formed the foundation of their assumptions on “ethics.” So their rabid anti-religious stance clouds their perception of principles. (As in, “what is this thing, at its core?”)
If you grew up in a society where eating your enemies was normal (Maori)… Or where FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) was normal (Muslim countries and parts of Africa)? [We’ll ignore the male genital mutilation here for this argument, but would return to it as something that must be fixed in our own county/ culture.]
We’d accept those things as normal, though, and consider those who do NOT eat fallen enemies as a bit “weird” (or maybe weak, or evil…. Even worthy of contempt and subjugation – no different from the British Imperialists of “White Man’s Burden.”)
Now, if you can tell me how we can make this better, I’m all ears. After all, things like “law of the jungle” rely on a “pack” (or collectivist) form, or you have the BAD form of anarchy. (People killing each other in the street, just because.) If we all ascribe to similar beliefs, we’re all OK – but the first person who decides to kill another and take what they want from the dead man’s possessions? If that is the only violent person in the area, you have a problem – one the free market cannot fix, without someone being contracted to use force to control those who cannot or will not control themselves. Congratulations, you have Police… 😛 We are back on the same road, in essence.
I also see a problem with saying, “Well, [dead man] should’ve been more able to defend himself / purchased better protection or security, etc.” Leaving that individual alive, unharmed, will only encourage such behavior in others. Need to pursue those who would aggressively cause harm to others and enforce “the law” – or you have no society, there’s no common basis because “Mr. X” is allowed to use violence while others eschew violence, and there are no penalties.
And as noted, free market doesn’t seem effective at solving the overall issue.
I have to get to work here, but I’ll watch for your responses. 🙂
Laws are based on ethics, ethics on morality, and morality on religion. It’s just a question of what religion is your basis.
PtB, I minored in Sociology simply because I was fascinated with so many views that made little sense. One conclusion I came to, not while attending college but through rambling around in this world is the law changes from house to house and town to town simply because of mores. Now the mores “might” have something to do with religion and often do but whose religion is the question.
Often the force of gummint in a town or state and sometimes even countries has to do with the life view of some very influential(wealthy, dangerous, powerful, etc.)person or persons who are generally in a loose or maybe very tight cabal.
Just the difference of a few counties can make a big difference in law and how it’s interpreted. Social differences often originate from religious interpretations and often too, from totally different religions.
I was impressed by the work ethic of Mennonites in Seagraves and Seminale counties(and a few other countries). But just to give one example, all those women were covered head to toe with only their face showing, not a great difference from some perceived “radical” religions such as Muslims. They all had long hair, presumably only trimmed very slightly. No sandals, just shoes. Then there were the different sects of those people. Some had their women wear a green cloth with a small emblem in brown. If the emblem meant something, and it probably did, I never had the nerve to ask about it. Then there was the sect that wore a beautiful light blue cloth and these dresses went to the ground with appropriate but different head coverings.
I was at the local Stripes convenience store early one morning, between 5:30 and 6 when the oil field crowd was getting ready for the day. This morning, the only time I’d seen any women of that sect in public, esp. by themselves, there were four late teens, early twenties girls there getting something for what appeared to be a start of the day or a trip. They were all showing their defiance of old mores with old dresses that didn’t come close to the ground and showed every bit of their wranglers and tennis shoes underneath. They had stretched the rules which I’m sure their fathers were shaking their heads over…..if they knew, which they likely did not. But still, they were completely covered.
While you might think them dowdy and some were but not in a way you normally think of as dowdy, the ones who wore the bright blue cloth dresses had a very thin material. In that land of perpetual wind you never had to guess what their body looked like and when they turned you got to see it all so to speak, but they were always completely clothed.
Telling on myself: I had made a particular run several times and it would be at the end of the day, almost exactly the same time. At an intersection there was a new house by itself and the woman of the house must have had reason to be outside and getting mail and whatnot at that time. I had seen her a few times. Long, tall, blonde and very good looking, which describes every female member of that sect and most of the men also. Well, this day, the devil grabbed my left hand, put it on the airhorn chain and made me pull it. She turned and looked, I was stunned and embarrassed all at the same time. I only had to go about 3 miles further to unload and on the way back, she was out there again but I deigned to blow a little air at her. Less than a mile down the road there was a huge explosion and the cab right behind me was hit with a big part of the front inside driver tire. I never honked at her again although I was to see her a couple more times.. She could have made me wreck out with a simply come hither sign. I felt the blowout was aimed at me ha ha.
Hope I have not offended. I was trying to be ‘punny’ and realized after posting that it could be taken the wrong way.
BTW – does anyone hear remember the “Adventures of Mark Time”? It’s been so long I can’t remember for sure, but may have been Firesign.
Phillip, as a fellow erstwhile listener to Firesign, I must say that I have no recollection of the Adventures of Mark Time, though it does sound like something they would have done. I do, however, remember Pastor Rod Flash, of the Powerhouse Church of the Presumptuous Assumption of…the Blinding Light.
Was he an associate of the Rev. Will B. Speaking?
Or was his radio show sponsored by Ralph Spoilsport of Spoilsport Motors in beautiful downtown Emphysema?
We are all bozos on this bus.
All Hail Marx and Lennon! Groucho and John, that is.
PtB, Maybe he bore philosophical resemblance to the late Jimmy Joe Jeters. He was just more competent with radios.
Last year one of my coworkers, a dyed-in-the-wool-Republican-flag-waving-Marine-corps-supporting ‘murikan of the first order, was ticketed by a Missourah state trooper for following too close. Now I know this older gentleman well enough to confidently state that his driving is every bit as “conservative” as his politics. What’s more, no one, not even a crack head, tailgates a marked patrol car. On top of that his wife was in the car with him and bore witness in court that he wasn’t tailgating and the cop was speeding up and slowing down trying to entrap him.
The trouble is it was winter and the lake crowd from the city isn’t running the roads down here then, so pickin’s is slim for the state’s highwaymen. That means more of the locals will get robbed by “the man.” This hapless fellow was guilty of going home on the wrong road when quotas were way down.
Where he made his first and probably biggest mistake was objecting strenuously to the citation (one does not challenge the guards on the cell block) with the trooper’s supervisor. He not only called the trooper’s integrity into question, he even brought up some unethical things this cop had done in the past. It did not matter that he was right, the supervisor verbally smacked him down right then and there. In court the prosecution went after him with a vengeance for daring to suggest that the cop was less than truthful.
I listened to the audio of both the initial trial and the motion to reconsider. The judge knew the cop was lying. The prosecutor knew the cop was lying. Hell, the cop even got the color and make of the car wrong! But guess what? The judge upheld the ticket and took this man’s money anyway. Even the Bible (you know, that book these officious scumbags are sworn in on) says that from the mouths of two or three witnesses a truth shall be established. In this case we had two witnesses swearing no infraction occurred and one dishonest cop saying it did. Guess which testimony the judge deferred to?
We are supposedly protected in court if there is a reasonable doubt about our guilt. Like your observation above about freedom, the courts pretend to provide fairness, impartiality and equal protection under the law and we pretend that is true; all the while they take our freedom and property at a whim. An’ all we is s’posed to do is hang our collective head, kick a little sand with our toe and say “Yassuh!” when the cop or the judge tells us “you been bad, boy!” Kabuki theater indeed!
The only good thing that came out of this is the victim of this highway robbery has a new outlook on ‘muricka these days. After discussing this with him in detail, I can see a glimmer of anarchy and libertarian thought in his eyes and hear it in his voice now. In fact, this incident has opened the door for me to credibly discuss other things with him now like abolishing the empire and ending the so-called “war on drugs.” Tuition in this case was $95 and some lost time from work; not a bad price for a taste of the truth.
That park sign is abhorrent.
“Come celebrate our freedoms by sitting quietly.”
Chip H.
Agreed Chip. Doesn’t sound much like a ‘celebration.’ Though, as Eric points out, what is there to celebrate?
The slaves’ continued (and increasing) ignorance of the situation.
Their happiness at being enslaved.
And the money keeps rolling in…
More and more, a man is given only two choices these days.
Be a slave. Or be a criminal.
I don’t intend to give these screws any more than I have to.
I’m not going to get violent about it, but any time there’s a low-risk chance to avoid paying or complying with these heartless prison industrialists, I’m going to take it.
Let’s hear it for Mark ‘National’ Anthem. LOL