The Essential Rules Of Liberty
Brandon Smith
Source
There is nothing worse in this world than an enslaved man who naively believes himself free, except, perhaps, trying to explain to that same man his predicament. You can lay truth after truth before his feet. You can qualify your every position with cold hard irrefutable data. You can plead and scream and raise veritable hell, but before he will ever listen, he must first become aware of his own dire circumstances. As long as he views himself as “safe and secure”, as long as he imagines his chains to be wings, he will see no reason to question the validity of the world around him, and he will certainly never invest himself into changing his own deluded destiny.
Unfortunately, there are many such men crawling and scraping about here in what was once a land graced with a self sufficient and independently minded public majority. The great lie that has been perpetuated in this country over the past several decades is that we can defer our responsibilities of vigilance and place our well being and our futures into the hands of others for the sake of “collective efficiency”, or leisure. We have been conditioned to live in a state of constant indifference, a society which prizes compromise over principle and steadfast resolve.Those who refuse to compromise that which is honorable for the sake of ease and comfort are indicted as “extremist” or even criminal. The idea of personal revolution is treated with discomfort, and all we claim to stand for becomes muddled in a fog of inaction and cynicism.As Americans, we have forgotten what it means to earn and protect our own freedoms. We have forgotten that in liberty, there are standards that must be defended.
This, however, does not mean we cannot yet again remember ourselves. The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage and self destructed long ago. This is not the case. Stretching under the surface of our superficial force-fed mainstream culture are the roots of something real, and honest. Simmering beneath our so called “civilized” veneer, many Americans are finally rediscovering their wild and defiant origins. In the recent past we have been taught to feel ashamed of our rebelliousness. Now, we are learning to hold it quite dear.
For those of us who are awake, and for those who are on the verge of understanding, certain rules come into play that strengthen our stance and shield us from folly. Liberty is not a self perpetuating social condition. It requires guidelines, and effort, and sacrifice. Liberty will not survive without our willingness to maintain it. If you are not ready and willing to fight for your own independence, then you are not truly free.
Let’s examine some of the inherent laws and guidelines of free will and free action that will allow us to not only win back our self determination, but to keep it for generations to come. You want liberty? This is what it takes…
Rule #1: Never Take Anything For Granted
A lot of people today seem to have serious issues with expectation and assumption; what we in the alternative media often refer to as “normalcy bias”. We have grown used to the idea of abundance and relative safety. So much so, that we fail to notice when our abundance and safety begin to disappear. We assume that the condition of the world today will be the condition of the world tomorrow, and for all time. In the U.S., we have even come to expect not only that our prosperity and our freedom are inevitable, but that they will also increase exponentially with each passing generation. This is a relatively new and narrow cultural mindset likely caused by the explosion in industrial growth after WWII which seemed to erase all memory of the Great Depression in our society, leaving us with the belief that surely, our circumstances would never become so desperate again.
Those who are truly independent realize that nations, no matter how affluent, can self destruct at a moment’s notice, especially when they fail to recognize their own weaknesses and confront their own demons. Never suppose that that which is good and just will remain without your own initiative. Never wait for others to fix those problems which you could just as easily solve yourself. Never expect that freedoms won cannot also be easily lost. Always prepare for the worst outcome, and strive for the best outcome.
Rule #2: Educate Yourself
Never become a useful idiot, or a waste of oxygen. Being a part of the herd is nothing to be proud of. Strive for knowledge, and thirst for the truth every moment of every day. Many of the things we deem “important” in modern society are in the grand scheme hollow attempts to fill our lives with distraction, only wasting time until we finally bite the dust filled with regret.Pretending to further the depth of one’s life is not the same as actually doing so. I can’t think of anything more horrifying than becoming a man who rushes around frantically every waking moment, but ultimately accomplishes nothing.
Do not assume that you already have a tangible grasp of the truth, especially if all your knowledge has been handed to you. Instead, research that knowledge for yourself. Put that which you have been taught to the test. Only in this way will you finally learn. Expand your horizons. Learn something useful. Remove unnecessary distractions for at least part of your day and focus on increasing your awareness of the environment you live in. There are very few things in this world more important than this, and self education should take precedence over everything else except your family. “Lack of time” is no excuse for ignorance. Make time! The ignorant are led. The knowledgeable lead themselves.
Rule #3: Don’t Be A Pansy
Liberty is not for the faint of heart. Emotional courage is paramount to freedom, and it can be expressed to incredible effect by even the most unlikely heroes. I’ve seen children with more courage and tenacity than some full grown men.
If one recognizes the gravity of the situation we face as a people, if one understands the considerable danger involved in the fall of a Republic to the depths of fear and autocracy, but still does nothing, that person has not only failed the world, he has also failed himself. “Making waves”, or drawing the ire of “authority”, is the least of our worries. If you have utilized an objective eye, and know you are right in your position, then there is no reason to fear criticism from anyone.
Sociopolitical action, nonconformity, noncompliance, and self defense, are unavoidable aspects of a society that wishes to maintain its freedoms. There is no way around it. If you are not willing to stick your neck out and expose yourself to risk, you remove all chance of possible gain. If you are a self proclaimed activist that refuses to sacrifice, that refuses to struggle, then you have failed before you even began. Talk must lead to balanced action. Never thumb your nose at the devil without being ready to trade punches as well, or all is lost.
Rule #4: Stop Waiting For Others To Tell You What To Do
Independent people not only consider and implement the solutions of others, they also work on their own. Complaints abound lately in the Liberty Movement;
“When is someone going to do something!? What are YOU going to do about our predicament!?”
This is the question of a slave, not a free man. A free man asks, “What am I going to do about this predicament? What is MY solution to the problem?” Therein is the key to liberty; decentralized leadership and movements based on fluidity and spontaneity of action, instead of a great mass of people standing around stiffly waiting for orders on high, or a self styled messiah to engineer their world view. As soon as you place your very initiative under the control of others, you have lost the fight. Always consider the solid strategies of intelligent people, and adopt them if they are useful, but do not remain idle because you are too frightened to exert the effort to solve problems bigger than yourself. Spectators only witness history, they do not make history.
Rule #5: Cast Off What Is Unnecessary, Keep What Is Effective
Yes, I stole this rule from Bruce Lee, but it is just as applicable to social movements and economic stability as it is to the martial arts. Invasive debt creation, for instance, is a tool for subversion, and no people forced to bear the burden of liabilities they can never repay is free.Therefore, exorbitant debt must be avoided, or cast off completely.
In our personal lives, how many useless goods do we accumulate on a daily basis, instead of useful items that we may one day desperately need? How much of our life is spent accumulating garbage in order to keep up with “socially acceptable” levels of consumer behavior? How many of us cling to careers we hate in order to service our needless consumption? The ability to prioritize must become a virtue once again, and, we all need to shut off the cable television…
This rule also applies to governments. If a government no longer fulfills its sworn duties to the people, and no longer serves the purposes to which it was originally intended, then it too must be cast off and replaced with one that does serve the people, or, it must be forced to return to its inherent foundations. Today, this kind of talk is often referred to as “extremism”, or insurgency, no matter how correct it might be, which brings us to our next rule…
Rule #6: Ignore Establishment Labels
Tactical name calling is only effective if we actually care what other people think of us. Labels like “homegrown terrorist”, “extremist”, “doomer”, or “conspiracy theorist”, are designed to shame people into self censorship. That is to say, they pigeonhole movements and their participants into categories of public shame, causing said movements to fear social reprisal.They are also meant to forcefully assign “outsider” or “fringe” status to particular political positions in order to marginalize and weaken the resolve of those who hold them. Never mind that almost every powerful and honorable cultural movement in history once started out as “fringe”.
Early in our lives, we are taught that it is far better to be accepted, and to avoid standing out, even at the expense of our individualism. Unfortunately, many adults never outgrow this childish belief, and thus become vulnerable to tactics as absurd as simple ridicule. At bottom, being slandered by a thieving bureaucracy infested with soulless parasites bent on centralization at the expense of innocent human life is a bit laughable (this goes for you too, SPLC). Globalists, along with their media cronies and their think-tank sock puppets, will say ANYTHING to get what they want. Empty words and false labels cannot stop the truth, or a movement driven by the truth.
Rule #7: Cynicism Is The Path To Defeat
It is good to be critical, but not to the point of nihilism. America’s past is riddled with mistakes, bad judgments, horrible crimes, and downright stupidity; that doesn’t mean that the principles on which this country was founded are any less vital. We hear often from cynics that humanity has become too stupid and complacent to do what is right. However, stupidity and complacency are not inherent qualities. That’s an elitist fantasy with no basis in fact. Stupidity and complacency are learned behaviors, and they can be unlearned. What IS inherent is our ability to choose what path we will take. For adherents of liberty, we need only remind people that they have this choice. We can whine and cry all day long about how nobody pays attention and how there is no hope, or, we can exhaust all options before throwing in the proverbial towel. We don’t need to “like” society the way it is, but we do need to recognize the underlying potential of all people to become something much more than what they currently are (I can’t stand blind ignorance either, but I’m certainly not ready to accept it as a fact of American life). Remember, no fight is over until it is over.
Rule #8: True Authority Is Derived From Respect That Is Earned, Not Bought, Or Taken
A corrupt politician is just a criminal conman in a nice suit. A law enforcement officer who refuses to follow Constitutional Law is just a petty little tyrant in a black uniform. An economist who knowingly skews data to fit his own political bias or to serve the political biases of men above him is just a liar or an inept buffoon with an embossed piece of paper from an expensive university. A lab scientist or doctor who flubs experimentation to support the interests of the corporate world rather than the needs of the public is just a quack in a white coat. All too often, though, we find ourselves taking these cretins seriously all because they talk the talk and wear the costume. They are just people, and if they cannot do their jobs honestly, then they are useless people, who deserve our disdain, not our respect. We should never allow such men to wield positions of authority over us.
Rule #9: Take It Personally
When someone tries to steal from you, hurt you, or enslave you, unless you are some kind of nut, you take it pretty personally, right? Why should it be any different when a government commits the same grievances? Americans should be furious over the destruction of their economy, their currency, their infrastructure, and their Constitutional freedoms! They should be enraged over the endless wars overseas that are bankrupting the nation. They should be bellowing to the rooftops over the cooption of their political system by a slimy brood of corporate bankers. Is this “extremist” behavior? Who cares!? If your anger is not visible then it is not worth a damn. Don’t just get active, get emotional! This is about your life, and the lives of those you love. That’s not to say that we should take out our frustrations randomly and haphazardly, but if we can’t at least make known our anger over the misdeeds of government, then what the hell is the point of calling ourselves free?
Rule #10: You Are The First And Last Line Of Defense
Like it our not, this is our job. We have inherited a country on the verge of disaster, and we are tasked with cleaning it up, otherwise, there will be little left to pass on. We do not get to bask in illusory prosperity for the rest of our days. We do not get to feed off the entitlement program trough until we are fat and contented. We are not going to retain our rights without blood, sweat, and tears. We will not be building magical floating cities in the clouds or skyscrapers on Mars.We will NOT be remembered fondly as members of some fantastical “golden era”.
We have been thrust into the muck and the mire. We are being molded as the lost children of an age better forgotten. We have been slapped in the face with a dilemma so volatile and so incredible it may one day be called the greatest crisis of all time. We have drawn the short straw.
This could be viewed as some terrible doom. It could be held as a star crossed act of ferocious fate. We could fall to our knees and lament with despair, overcome with woe at our unbearable lot. But, this would be in violation of rule #3, and nobody wants to be a sobbing pansy. On the contrary, every “bad luck generation” is only so if they refuse to see the great fortune at their fingertips; if they refuse to seize the moment and conquer the giants of their day. The greater the hardship, the greater the enemy, the greater the heroes. We are faced with possibly the most unrelenting antagonists and the most treacherous obstacles in recent memory, or even distant memory. In the same spark of confrontation, we are also presented with unparalleled opportunity to change the course of the world forever. Whether or not we succeed, is entirely up to us.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Year The President Defied The Israeli Lobby - And Won
By Michael Hoffman
Rense
Ronald Reagan is in the news again, this time in connection with a statue the British have erected in his honor, but actually for services rendered to the financial system of usury which Britain helped to perfect in the eighteenth century, with the ascendance of the Bank of England and London's own version of Wall Street, the financial district known as The City.
How could super-conservative Reagan, the alleged paladin of Christian Civilization, have merited laurels from the utopia of usurers? Reagan's free trade doctrine and open borders disguised as the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, neutralized authentic conservative Christian principles and policy initiatives in the decade of the 1980s. Reagan became the agent of the Money-Power, justified by his image as poster boy for anti-communism.
Americans have a bad habit of adoring their executioners while turning a cold shoulder toward their statesmen. In the latter case we are reminded of Dwight Eisenhower, who is only taken out of mothballs nowadays when there is a World War II commemoration. His eight years as President of the United States during the fabulous Fifties are as obscure as the hula-hoop.
Eisenhower's finest hour was the Suez Canal crisis, when he faced down Britain, the Israelis and their lobby in the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir declared Reagan to be the greatest friend of "Israel" ever to occupy the presidency. He could not say the same about Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike headed a Republican Party which for most of the twentieth century, until 1968, had been the party of peace and non-intervention.
Much of this revisionist history is recounted in a new book by David A. Nichols, Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis Suez and the Brink of War (Simon and Schuster, 346 pages).
Andrew Bacevich, in his review of Eisenhower 1956, reminds us of how different was the people's attitude toward foreign wars in the mid-20th century: "That somewhere like Afghanistan might be worth the life of even a single American would have struck residents of Des Moines in the 1950s as preposterous."
The cast of villains which Eisenhower faced in 1956 was similar to the dramatis personae of 2011. Fifty-five years ago the president was hard-pressed to beat back "demands from Congress to give Israel whatever it wanted."
Bacevich: "If Eisenhower continued to deny Israeli arms requests, Ben-Gurion told one American diplomat, the US would be 'guilty of the greatest crime in our history.' Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson and other leading Democrats, along with Republicans such as Jacob Javits, concurred, denouncing Eisenhower for his refusal to supply Israel's army.
"Eisenhower's medical problems provided (Secretary of State John Foster) Dulles with his opening. After suffering a serious heart attack in September 1955, the president underwent surgery the following June to remove an obstruction in his small intestine...By the time of the second medical crisis, Dulles had persuaded the president to abandon Alpha for a new plan, codename Omega. Rather than expend political capital on attempting to satisfy Egypt, the US would tilt towards Saudi Arabia. Egypt possessed next to no oil; Saudi Arabia had oil in abundance. Egypt appeared to threaten Israel's existence; the militarily weak Saudis did not. Omega aimed at ensuring US access to oil, the lifeblood of Western prosperity, while insulating Eisenhower from election-year attacks by the domestic pro-Israel lobby.
"...The secretary of state fancied that he had maneuvered (President Gamal Abdel) Nasser into 'a hell of a spot'. He miscalculated. A week later, to cheering crowds in Alexandria, the Egyptian president announced his intention to nationalize the Suez Canal, with construction of the Aswan Dam to be financed by profits from the canal's operation. 'The money is ours and the Suez Canal belongs to us,' he declared. 'We shall build the High Dam our own way.' This caught Washington totally by surprise. Yet it was Britain and France, not the United States, that were most affected by Dulles's failed gambit. In Israel, meanwhile, opportunists glimpsed an opening.
"London and Paris viewed seizure of the canal as cause for war. Anthony Eden, another ailing politician, saw it as 1938 all over again: a new Hitler was on the march. This time, though, there would be no appeasement. Preserving Britain's claim to Great Power status required Nasser's elimination, even if that meant using force. An Anglo-French invasion force assembled in the Mediterranean, disregarding concerns expressed by Eisenhower, who was now back in command of US policy. Judging the Egyptian action (by Nasser) to be perfectly legal, the president chided Eden for 'making of Nasser a much more important figure than he is'. Eden was undeterred. Although professing that he was willing to resolve the crisis peacefully, he remained adamant for war.
"Military intervention in Egypt would constitute an act of naked aggression, violating the United Nations Charter and recalling the worst days of 19th-century European imperialism. It would also hand a propaganda victory to the Soviet Union, self-professed supporter of Third World countries aspiring to throw off the yoke of colonialism. To create a veneer of legitimacy for the planned invasion, Britain and France invited Israel to join their conspiracy. The proposition was audacious: in return for the promise of French armaments and while claiming to act in self-defense, Israel would launch a surprise attack against Egyptian forces in the Sinai Peninsula and punch through towards the canal. Under the pretext of defending a waterway of crucial importance to the international community, British and French forces would then enter Egypt proper. Once established on the ground, the invaders would accomplish the operation's real purpose, which Eden privately described as 'the removal of Nasser and the installation in Egypt of a regime less hostile to the West.' Within a day of receiving this proposal on 1 September, (Israeli Prime Minister David) Ben-Gurion accepted it enthusiastically. The countdown to war had begun.
"...British, French and Israeli officials blatantly lied to their gullible American counterparts in the best diplomatic tradition. As a result, the beginning of hostilities on 29 October one week before the American elections again caught the administration completely by surprise. Eisenhower was outraged and directed particular anger at Eden, now castigated as a feckless double-crosser...
"Wasting no time...[P]resident (Eisenhower) impressed on his former allies the price to be paid for acting without Washington's assent... To block the canal, Nasser had ordered the sinking of ships filled with rock and cement, thereby cutting Europe's oil lifeline. Eisenhower now refused to draw on (then plentiful) US domestic reserves to make up the difference. He also put the squeeze on the British economy, declining to prop up the pound, which had come under assault. And when France and Britain vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning their actions, the president threatened to take the issue to the General Assembly.
"In the midst of this commotion, Eisenhower angrily declared his intention to do the right thing, the implications for his re-election be damned...the president repeatedly asserted his commitment to equality before the law as the basis of peace. 'We cannot,' he insisted, 'subscribe to one law for the weak, another law for the strong; one law for those opposing us, another for those allied with us'...
"Faced with American displeasure, the British and French quickly caved in. Declaring a ceasefire and promising to withdraw their forces...
"When their partners in crime folded, the Israelis had little choice but to do the same...With the inadequacy of Britain and France as patrons now evident, Israel turned again to courting the Americans, an effort that paid off handsomely in the following decade, when the Democrats regained control of the White House."
Rense
Ronald Reagan is in the news again, this time in connection with a statue the British have erected in his honor, but actually for services rendered to the financial system of usury which Britain helped to perfect in the eighteenth century, with the ascendance of the Bank of England and London's own version of Wall Street, the financial district known as The City.
How could super-conservative Reagan, the alleged paladin of Christian Civilization, have merited laurels from the utopia of usurers? Reagan's free trade doctrine and open borders disguised as the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, neutralized authentic conservative Christian principles and policy initiatives in the decade of the 1980s. Reagan became the agent of the Money-Power, justified by his image as poster boy for anti-communism.
Americans have a bad habit of adoring their executioners while turning a cold shoulder toward their statesmen. In the latter case we are reminded of Dwight Eisenhower, who is only taken out of mothballs nowadays when there is a World War II commemoration. His eight years as President of the United States during the fabulous Fifties are as obscure as the hula-hoop.
Eisenhower's finest hour was the Suez Canal crisis, when he faced down Britain, the Israelis and their lobby in the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir declared Reagan to be the greatest friend of "Israel" ever to occupy the presidency. He could not say the same about Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike headed a Republican Party which for most of the twentieth century, until 1968, had been the party of peace and non-intervention.
Much of this revisionist history is recounted in a new book by David A. Nichols, Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis Suez and the Brink of War (Simon and Schuster, 346 pages).
Andrew Bacevich, in his review of Eisenhower 1956, reminds us of how different was the people's attitude toward foreign wars in the mid-20th century: "That somewhere like Afghanistan might be worth the life of even a single American would have struck residents of Des Moines in the 1950s as preposterous."
The cast of villains which Eisenhower faced in 1956 was similar to the dramatis personae of 2011. Fifty-five years ago the president was hard-pressed to beat back "demands from Congress to give Israel whatever it wanted."
Bacevich: "If Eisenhower continued to deny Israeli arms requests, Ben-Gurion told one American diplomat, the US would be 'guilty of the greatest crime in our history.' Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson and other leading Democrats, along with Republicans such as Jacob Javits, concurred, denouncing Eisenhower for his refusal to supply Israel's army.
"Eisenhower's medical problems provided (Secretary of State John Foster) Dulles with his opening. After suffering a serious heart attack in September 1955, the president underwent surgery the following June to remove an obstruction in his small intestine...By the time of the second medical crisis, Dulles had persuaded the president to abandon Alpha for a new plan, codename Omega. Rather than expend political capital on attempting to satisfy Egypt, the US would tilt towards Saudi Arabia. Egypt possessed next to no oil; Saudi Arabia had oil in abundance. Egypt appeared to threaten Israel's existence; the militarily weak Saudis did not. Omega aimed at ensuring US access to oil, the lifeblood of Western prosperity, while insulating Eisenhower from election-year attacks by the domestic pro-Israel lobby.
"...The secretary of state fancied that he had maneuvered (President Gamal Abdel) Nasser into 'a hell of a spot'. He miscalculated. A week later, to cheering crowds in Alexandria, the Egyptian president announced his intention to nationalize the Suez Canal, with construction of the Aswan Dam to be financed by profits from the canal's operation. 'The money is ours and the Suez Canal belongs to us,' he declared. 'We shall build the High Dam our own way.' This caught Washington totally by surprise. Yet it was Britain and France, not the United States, that were most affected by Dulles's failed gambit. In Israel, meanwhile, opportunists glimpsed an opening.
"London and Paris viewed seizure of the canal as cause for war. Anthony Eden, another ailing politician, saw it as 1938 all over again: a new Hitler was on the march. This time, though, there would be no appeasement. Preserving Britain's claim to Great Power status required Nasser's elimination, even if that meant using force. An Anglo-French invasion force assembled in the Mediterranean, disregarding concerns expressed by Eisenhower, who was now back in command of US policy. Judging the Egyptian action (by Nasser) to be perfectly legal, the president chided Eden for 'making of Nasser a much more important figure than he is'. Eden was undeterred. Although professing that he was willing to resolve the crisis peacefully, he remained adamant for war.
"Military intervention in Egypt would constitute an act of naked aggression, violating the United Nations Charter and recalling the worst days of 19th-century European imperialism. It would also hand a propaganda victory to the Soviet Union, self-professed supporter of Third World countries aspiring to throw off the yoke of colonialism. To create a veneer of legitimacy for the planned invasion, Britain and France invited Israel to join their conspiracy. The proposition was audacious: in return for the promise of French armaments and while claiming to act in self-defense, Israel would launch a surprise attack against Egyptian forces in the Sinai Peninsula and punch through towards the canal. Under the pretext of defending a waterway of crucial importance to the international community, British and French forces would then enter Egypt proper. Once established on the ground, the invaders would accomplish the operation's real purpose, which Eden privately described as 'the removal of Nasser and the installation in Egypt of a regime less hostile to the West.' Within a day of receiving this proposal on 1 September, (Israeli Prime Minister David) Ben-Gurion accepted it enthusiastically. The countdown to war had begun.
"...British, French and Israeli officials blatantly lied to their gullible American counterparts in the best diplomatic tradition. As a result, the beginning of hostilities on 29 October one week before the American elections again caught the administration completely by surprise. Eisenhower was outraged and directed particular anger at Eden, now castigated as a feckless double-crosser...
"Wasting no time...[P]resident (Eisenhower) impressed on his former allies the price to be paid for acting without Washington's assent... To block the canal, Nasser had ordered the sinking of ships filled with rock and cement, thereby cutting Europe's oil lifeline. Eisenhower now refused to draw on (then plentiful) US domestic reserves to make up the difference. He also put the squeeze on the British economy, declining to prop up the pound, which had come under assault. And when France and Britain vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning their actions, the president threatened to take the issue to the General Assembly.
"In the midst of this commotion, Eisenhower angrily declared his intention to do the right thing, the implications for his re-election be damned...the president repeatedly asserted his commitment to equality before the law as the basis of peace. 'We cannot,' he insisted, 'subscribe to one law for the weak, another law for the strong; one law for those opposing us, another for those allied with us'...
"Faced with American displeasure, the British and French quickly caved in. Declaring a ceasefire and promising to withdraw their forces...
"When their partners in crime folded, the Israelis had little choice but to do the same...With the inadequacy of Britain and France as patrons now evident, Israel turned again to courting the Americans, an effort that paid off handsomely in the following decade, when the Democrats regained control of the White House."
Monday, July 4, 2011
My Prayer for America--Souls of Glass and Hearts of Stone
Brandon Dean
for waronyou.com
July 4th, 2011
"We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a feather bed."
--Thomas Jefferson
Independence Day is here once more. The united States has been here for 235 years. I would like to extend holiday wishes to those who fought and died for the formation of this country. This is not to those who died in the Civil War, or World War I, or World War II, or any of the other wars we've fought in our bloody history. Far beyond rolling in their graves, the founders of this country would disown us completely if they saw what has become of their posterity. They have become caricatures of themselves, caricatures which get hauled out of their mothball storage for convenience and frivolity. The reverence of their sacrifices is lost on most Americans. Respect for the principles of independence seem to have gone the way of the praise of intellect.
True independence is a rare quality in man. The formers of this country knew it took leaders of principle to wrest their freedom from the most powerful country on Earth. Without this leadership, the common man NEVER would have joined the cause of revolution. The common man spiritually begs for leadership and guidance. Without this leadership, his mind festers and grows cynical.
Long ago I personally pledged my life, fortune and sacred honor to the cause of freedom, and it has cost me dearly in many ways. A life of solitude and scorn in the land of Babylon was my gift for idealism. But I know the most noble fight is the fight you know is hopeless, yet you fight because it's the only RIGHT thing to do.
In a world of utter corruption, idealism is a stone chained to your foot. Freedom is there, staring us down with opportunity every second of every day. Yet convenience, the god of the idle, is like a drug which incapacitates our reasoning faculties. We are tempted by convenience to stumble in confusion and to worship forced vicissitude. We praise our destruction every time we press the power button on our remote controls, attempting an escape with our meager pittance of convenience.
But take comfort in the fact that happiness can only be obtained in giving--giving to others who go without the great mental treasure of creativity which comes naturally to a true leader. The apathetic will look for any excuse to not follow the correct path; they will tear you down in pursuit of their convenience given the slightest provocation. Those who preach freedom, but live in slavery, do more to destroy the cause of freedom than the worst tyrants. Lead by example, because THAT is what the common man is waiting for: lack of hypocrisy, as opposed to vain lip service.
There is little hope of paradise on Earth in the form of ANY country, but my prayer is that the contest for freedom presses on regardless of an assurance of victory. My prayer is that those with the potential to lead get off their lazy asses and do something about it.
This day should not bring joy, but anger. What is so happy about being enslaved to a ruthless bureaucracy which grinds our souls of glass into tiny shards, then serves it on a platter and calls it "apple pie?" Where is the room for creative progress in a heart of stone? If one is terrified of freedom for fear of financial retribution, how could one be expected to lay down his life for the same? Our freedoms have transmogrified into toys which we covet in the way the founders of this country coveted the creative process.
With every crime committed by our wily yet terrified overlords, my conviction grows stronger. With every example of apathy in the American populace, my resolve becomes more solidified. I will not fail in my covenant with destiny and freedom. This is my prayer. God bless all true lovers of freedom. To the rest--enjoy your beer and barbecues while you can. You are no countryman of mine.
©Brandon Dean, 2011
for waronyou.com
July 4th, 2011
"We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a feather bed."
--Thomas Jefferson
Independence Day is here once more. The united States has been here for 235 years. I would like to extend holiday wishes to those who fought and died for the formation of this country. This is not to those who died in the Civil War, or World War I, or World War II, or any of the other wars we've fought in our bloody history. Far beyond rolling in their graves, the founders of this country would disown us completely if they saw what has become of their posterity. They have become caricatures of themselves, caricatures which get hauled out of their mothball storage for convenience and frivolity. The reverence of their sacrifices is lost on most Americans. Respect for the principles of independence seem to have gone the way of the praise of intellect.
True independence is a rare quality in man. The formers of this country knew it took leaders of principle to wrest their freedom from the most powerful country on Earth. Without this leadership, the common man NEVER would have joined the cause of revolution. The common man spiritually begs for leadership and guidance. Without this leadership, his mind festers and grows cynical.
Long ago I personally pledged my life, fortune and sacred honor to the cause of freedom, and it has cost me dearly in many ways. A life of solitude and scorn in the land of Babylon was my gift for idealism. But I know the most noble fight is the fight you know is hopeless, yet you fight because it's the only RIGHT thing to do.
In a world of utter corruption, idealism is a stone chained to your foot. Freedom is there, staring us down with opportunity every second of every day. Yet convenience, the god of the idle, is like a drug which incapacitates our reasoning faculties. We are tempted by convenience to stumble in confusion and to worship forced vicissitude. We praise our destruction every time we press the power button on our remote controls, attempting an escape with our meager pittance of convenience.
But take comfort in the fact that happiness can only be obtained in giving--giving to others who go without the great mental treasure of creativity which comes naturally to a true leader. The apathetic will look for any excuse to not follow the correct path; they will tear you down in pursuit of their convenience given the slightest provocation. Those who preach freedom, but live in slavery, do more to destroy the cause of freedom than the worst tyrants. Lead by example, because THAT is what the common man is waiting for: lack of hypocrisy, as opposed to vain lip service.
There is little hope of paradise on Earth in the form of ANY country, but my prayer is that the contest for freedom presses on regardless of an assurance of victory. My prayer is that those with the potential to lead get off their lazy asses and do something about it.
This day should not bring joy, but anger. What is so happy about being enslaved to a ruthless bureaucracy which grinds our souls of glass into tiny shards, then serves it on a platter and calls it "apple pie?" Where is the room for creative progress in a heart of stone? If one is terrified of freedom for fear of financial retribution, how could one be expected to lay down his life for the same? Our freedoms have transmogrified into toys which we covet in the way the founders of this country coveted the creative process.
With every crime committed by our wily yet terrified overlords, my conviction grows stronger. With every example of apathy in the American populace, my resolve becomes more solidified. I will not fail in my covenant with destiny and freedom. This is my prayer. God bless all true lovers of freedom. To the rest--enjoy your beer and barbecues while you can. You are no countryman of mine.
©Brandon Dean, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Price They Paid
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced tomove his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery,Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived inforests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
Contributed by Garry Hildreth - Erie, PA
They gave you and I a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects atthat time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed through the second amendment for everyone to be armed.
Frankly, I can't read this without crying. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn't. - Garry Hildreth
Source
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced tomove his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery,Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived inforests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
Contributed by Garry Hildreth - Erie, PA
They gave you and I a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the revolutionary war. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects atthat time and we fought our own government! Perhaps you can now see why our founding fathers had a hatred for standing armies, and allowed through the second amendment for everyone to be armed.
Frankly, I can't read this without crying. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted. We shouldn't. - Garry Hildreth
Source
Independence Day for Whom?
Publisher’s Note: The tenth anniversary of this editorial about July 4th Independence Day rings even louder today. SARTRE Commentary maintains a consistent and vocal message that is timeless. When you read the essay - Independence Day for Whom? - You celebrate the uniqueness of the American Revolution. Written before the September 11, 2001 transmutation of the country into a despotic police state, the excuse of a fake homeland security threat is used to destroy the foundation of individual civil liberties. The indisputable fact of the last decade is that America is no longer a nation of free citizens and a Republic government of public servants, accountable to the people. The injustice of the British Crown has only been substituted for the iniquities of the Amerika Empire. Reflect upon this editorial and pass it on.
The celebration of the Nation's birthday sometimes gets people confused. This day is much more than another holiday from work. It is a recognition of who we are as a People. What it is not is a saint's day for a Government. When the Nation and the Government are spoken in the same breath, most believe they are interchangeable. How mistaken and easily mislead, the public can become.
Yes, a revolution was fought to establish a Free Republic, but that was well over two centuries ago. Articles of Confederation were formed to establish a working relationship among sovereign States. Later a Constitution was ratified that placed specific, distinct and enumerated limitations on the authority to rule of a central government. Functions not named, were left to the individual States. And finally, Bill of Rights Amendments were added and approved that codified guarantees for the protection of the citizen from abuses of that newly created central government.
Up to this point, who would not want to attend the party? Well, the theory is fine; but the acting out of the play, has caused the show to be canceled. Why was the American Revolution fought? The reason was not originally accepted by the public that a new country was the purpose for the conflict. Many sought to negotiate a settlement with the Crown and remain loyal Englishmen. Only a small band raised the banner for self determination. Tories and neutrals were in the majority. Uncertainty prevailed with the gallows the reward for failure. The motivation to dare all was for an idea, not a lust for power. Most of the rebellious vanguard were established leaders and held authority within their circles. But they risked their sacred honor, more precious than their lives for the sake of LIBERTY.
Out of this caldron of fire, the world witnessed the first attempt to create a society that could be governed by principles of constitutional law, as opposed to EQUITY at the discretion of the magistrate. That was the 'shot heard round the world'. Those first slugs at Concord Bridge were the aftermath. This is the singular significance of the American Revolution. It was born out of the eruption and the explosion that caused the demise of the old order.
So what went wrong? For those who doubt that it has gone amiss, go off to your picnic or watch the tube. But for those who know in their heart that the tyrant that was King George III, was a mild despot, compared to the federal apparatus in foggy bottom; let us celebrate another anniversary. Our festivity will not recognize the central government as its legitimate steward, nor will we invite agents within their employ. Honored guests will be restricted to those who understand the nature of the American Experience and are willing to pledge their allegiance to that cause. Their Nation will profess the principles of universal sovereignty of the individual and will require strict limitations and comprehensive accountability upon those who administrate the public trust. Our gathering will bear the resemblance of our Founding Fathers home, for we are their posterity.
So when your neighbor invites you over to have a cup of English Gray, remember your ability to smell its aroma and sip its flavor, is built upon the debris of tea casks from that Boston Harbor soiree. America is unequaled because its king is the individual citizen. The sheriff serves the former serf, who is now a freeman. And the crown is worn on the head of every man.
This ideal deserves a true celebration, even if the reality has fallen so short. Our task is to restore the goal, and institute the means to make it genuine. If our Nation was created by men of honor, it can be reinstated with brothers and sisters of similar courage and integrity. Are you one of this new breed that seeks LIBERTY? Or are you content on bowing to a dictator of a depraved empire? We all must choose! Who's birthday will you celebrate . . . Your own as a 'son of liberty', or a master who you continue to pay homage.
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