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Title: Anti-Authoritarianism Starts Within
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URL Source: http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/anti-authoritarianism-starts-within/
Published: Apr 11, 2012
Author: -
Post Date: 2012-04-11 21:00:26 by Eric Stratton
Keywords: None
Views: 184
Comments: 16
Mainstream “conservatism” gets no traction because it’s often so obviously hypocritical. It provides the shells necessary for the authoritarian opposition (they like to call themselves “liberals,” which is sort of accurate in that they are very liberal with other people’s money) to shellac the conservatives at will and make them look ridiculous – and mean spirited – which they often are. For instance: Attend a Tea Party event and you’ll almost certainly hear hearty critiques of “wasteful government spending” – including spending on “welfare” for the indolent underclass. This is easily (because accurately) parsed as not-too-subtle complaining about government handouts to blacks and other minorities, who are the disproportionate beneficiaries of this form of “wasteful government spending.” But the tables are very quickly turned when liberals point out – correctly – that these (mostly) middle-aged and older white people are fiercely protective of their dole – that is, of Social Security payouts. Or the dole given to (hack) “defense” contractors – a form of “wasteful government spending” that constitutes a raging torrent of taxpayer dollars down the proverbial sh!tpipe relative to the handful of dollars doled out to the EBT set. These same “conservatives” will tell you how much they are for individual liberty – while rah-rahing the “war” on (some) drugs – you know, the drugs they don’t use – even as they chug down another beer… They also like “family values” – that is, their family values. If your family is not like their family, why then all of a sudden they are much less in favor of individual liberty. And so on. Thus, the fundamental (and narrow-minded, petty) hypocrisy is exposed – and thus, the moral argument against the authoritarian thing-in-itself is utterly discredited. Which explains why “conservative” politics gets nowhere fast. It is a con – a pretense, a pose. It is as opportunistic, as fundamentally false – and at its core, every bit as authoritarian – as the “liberal” variety. Robert Heinlein, the great science fiction writer – and political philosopher – divided humanity into two basic categories: Authoritarians and anti-authoritarians. Which are you? You are not a Republican or a Democrat. Or a “liberal” or a “conservative.” You are either someone who wants to control other people, to compel them to behave and live as you believe they ought to – or you are someone who believes everyone else has the same right to live their life as you’d like to be free to live yours. That is, to be left in peace to make your own choices, according to your own judgment or simple personal preference – no matter how non-conforming or oddball others may consider those preferences – so long as you’re not causing someone else a demonstrable injury. Live – and let live. And leave others alone. It is pretty straightforward. You can very quickly and accurately cleave the authoritarian types from the anti-authoritarian types using this standard. And you might begin by using it to categorize yourself. If you would prefer not to be subject to arrest for enjoying a cold brew while you watch the game in the privacy of your own home – causing no harm to anyone, even if you end up passing out on said sofa before halftime – then you must object to the idea that your next door neighbor’s door is subject to being kicked in (and your neighbor carted off to jail) simply because said neighbor happens to enjoy partaking of a different drug – even though his partaking, as such, causes no harm to anyone else any more than your partaking of the legal drug does. If you do not object, then you have lost any moral authority to object to authoritarianism as such. Because you yourself have endorsed authoritarianism. It is either-or. There is no middle ground, no exceptions. You either are – or you are not. Likewise, government handouts. That is, money taken by force from one person in order to give (some of) it to another person. You either support this – or you do not. Which means, you cannot make a claim to Social Security without losing any basis to object to the claims made by the EBT underclass to their dole. The fact that you were robbed in the past (your “contributions”) does not make robbery in the present (your “benefits”) morally justifiable. You either oppose using the government to provide benefits to other people by threatening to imprison or even kill them – or you do not. If you make an exception for one, then you have lost any basis for objecting to the exceptions demanded by others. Either-or. If you want to be left in peace you must be willing to leave others in peace. If a restaurant owner wishes to allow his customers to smoke inside his restaurant – or to serve only adults, or even only white (or black) adults or only men or only women or whatever – then you must be willing to tamp down your personal feelings and leave him be to do as he wishes with his property. If not, you have surrendered any basis for complaining about laws that threaten you with lethal violence if you fail to use your property as directed. If you expect to have the benefit of due process – to not be incarcerated without formal charges having been presented and proved – then you must object when anyone is deprived of due process, irrespective of their “looks” or the nature of their supposed offense. If you do not object, then you should not be surprised when you are dragooned off into the night. Much less object to it. Americans used to understand that when any single individual’s rights are trampled on, then everyone’s rights are trampled upon. Perhaps not immediately – but always inevitably. The Gadsden Flag – Don’t Tread on Me – used to be the appropriate symbol of that rapidly receding America. The new flag – which might read Tread on Me (and Let Me Tread on Others) is the flag of the new America. An America of morally compromised control freaks who never look into the mirror. Perhaps because what they’ll see there is too upsetting. Regards, Eric Peters Anti-Authoritarianism Starts Within
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#1. To: Eric Stratton (#0)
Bullshit. One had their money stolen to pay for SS. One is simply reclaiming what was stolen from them. It's their money. It is not robbery to recover ones own property. The lifetime EBT crowd contributes nothing. They just take. -------------------------------------------------------- deleted
The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” —Samuel Adams America: Israel's Handmaiden
Yes, I'm sure it did. If it is my money, I have every right to get it back. That's not robbery, like he claims it is. The author is an authoritarian himself. He limits choices to his personal picks. Screw that. Who is he to tell me what I can and can't do? The author picks on 'mainstream conservatism' as being hypocritical. There is plenty of hypocrisy to go around. But the tables are very quickly turned when liberals point out – correctly – that these (mostly) middle-aged and older white people are fiercely protective of their dole – that is, of Social Security payouts That is not a 'dole'. They paid into it, they have every right to get that money back. I suppose that the authoritarian prick that wrote this believes they don't have that right. -------------------------------------------------------- Lol......that was the OJ defense when he broke into the pawn shop. He was convicted of not only burglary but also kidnapping. " If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11 "Life's tough, and even tougher if you're stupid." --John Wayne
The Newt family values gif is precious. : )
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11 "Life's tough, and even tougher if you're stupid." --John Wayne
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” —Samuel Adams America: Israel's Handmaiden
me. and everyone else that has a job (except maybe for the self-employed?) and actually contributes something beneficial to society. It's not my fault that the money goes into the general fund and not a 'trust fund'. It was stolen from me, before I even saw a penny of it, and I want it back. I see SS as an entitlement in the true sense of the word. EBT and other giveaways are not entitlements. -------------------------------------------------------- The Federal Reserve. "You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul." Mahatma Gandhi
Wrong - it's not your money - the "notes" and all credit belongs to the Federal Reserve. It's the greatest crime ever committed in the universe. "You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul." Mahatma Gandhi
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” —Samuel Adams America: Israel's Handmaiden
That's their racket. I don't care about their racket. I don't care about them. Well, I care about them only enough to desire their total destruction, but that's all. If I work for something, it's mine. It might be only a FRN, but it still buys goods and services. It's the only game in town, for as long as it lasts. And I can think of greater crimes than this. -------------------------------------------------------- Jewsus fucking christ. I didn't say "go rob a fucking bank and get your money back". Collecting SS is not robbery, when one has paid (voluntary or not) into that system. That is what I said. -------------------------------------------------------- If you participate in a system the rules of that system apply to you. You're entitled to believe whatever you wish but that doesn't make it so. The fact that 99% of Americans operate their daily life based upon a set of false assumptions, like they're free or they actually own something, doesn't make the fiction in their mind into fact. If you owned your car you wouldn't pay fees, be forced to purchase insurance, or need a license (permission) from Uncle Sambo or one of his STATE servants to do so. If you owned your home you wouldn't have to pay property taxes on it in order to keep the government from seizing it. Fact versus fiction / red pill vs. blue pill / acceptance of fraud vs. truth. The latest health care law is really telling the people that they don't even own their own self. EDIT: Slaves in whatever society they have existed in believed their condition was the only game in town. "You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul." Mahatma Gandhi
What you say it true. I didn't say that I agree with what they are doing. But living in this world means we have to deal with it. Some of us can deal with it more creatively than others but we still deal with it. That is, until that worldwide systems are destroyed; namely the political, financial and religious systems. IMO that is happening now, and those 3 systems are what put people in bondage. Now the question is, can they handle freedom? I don't know. But Rome wasn't built or destroyed in a day. It took time. -------------------------------------------------------- I concur - but might add that ignorance and apathy enslaves people. "You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul." Mahatma Gandhi
Agreed. But to me those are self-inflicted "qualities". They have nothing to do with 'elites' or a 'NWO'. They might encourage these things, but they can't make anyone ignorant and apathetic. What 'they' do, imo, is prey on peoples tendency to assume their beliefs are both right and permanent. Believe or burn forever. It takes some balls to go against that. --------------------------------------------------------Which means, you cannot make a claim to Social Security without losing any basis to object to the claims made by the EBT underclass to their dole. The fact that you were robbed in the past (your “contributions”) does not make robbery in the present (your “benefits”) morally justifiable.
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#2. To: PSUSA2 (#1)
#3. To: Eric Stratton (#2)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#4. To: PSUSA2 (#1)
It is not robbery to recover ones own property.
#5. To: Eric Stratton (#0)
#6. To: PSUSA2 (#3)
#7. To: Eric Stratton (#6)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#8. To: Eric Stratton (#6)
What is the source of the money that pays out SS?
#9. To: PSUSA2 (#7)
me. and everyone else that has a job (except maybe for the self-employed?) and actually contributes something beneficial to society.
#10. To: noone222 (#8)
#11. To: noone222 (#9)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#12. To: abraxas (#4)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#13. To: PSUSA2 (#11)
(Edited)
If I work for something, it's mine. It might be only a FRN, but it still buys goods and services. It's the only game in town, for as long as it lasts.
#14. To: noone222 (#13)
(Edited)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
#15. To: PSUSA2 (#14)
That is, until that worldwide systems are destroyed; namely the political, financial and religious systems. IMO that is happening now, and those 3 systems are what put people in bondage.
#16. To: noone222 (#15)
Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible. The preachers dare not, because they would be driven from their pulpits. Professors in colleges dare not, because they would lose their salaries. Politicians dare not. They would be defeated. Editors dare not. They would lose subscribers. Merchants dare not, because they might lose customers. Men of fashion dare not, fearing that they would lose caste. Even clerks dare not, because they might be discharged. And so I thought I would do it myself... Robert Ingersoll
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