themselves, and remaining silent. In exchange,
they pay for the privilege of driving, and of being regulated by armed
enforcers. Beyond the drunk driving example, the pattern of repression
continues throughout our society.
In
general, there are three categories of behavior in the United States:
required behavior, prohibited behavior, and regulated behavior. If
someone is caught failing to engage in required behavior, then the government
will punish him. If someone is caught engaging in prohibited behavior,
then the government will punish him. If someone is caught engaging
in regulated behavior without permission, then the government will punish
him. If such a person refuses to submit to the punishment, then the
government will initiate the use of force against him. If he tries
to resist the use of force, then the government will escalate the use of
force against him. If he continues to resist, then the government
might kill him.
People
don't seem to realize the danger in the relentless prosecution of alleged
violators of some reformer's pet peeve. Such prosecution contributes
to a larger agenda of behavior control via brainwashing, mind conditioning,
prohibition, regulation, and licensing. The various reformers are
playing into the hands of the government by providing agendas that the
government uses to ratchet up the repression ante. The situation
has come about for various reasons. People are ignorant, they've
made bad assumptions, they've believed misinformation, they lack understanding.
They don't understand probability and risk. They don't understand
liberty. They don't understand that voluntary participation equals
endorsement. They don't understand that cooperation with illegitimate
authority legitimizes the authority. They don't understand that authority
and truth are not the same thing. They don't understand the differences
between freedom and permission, rights and privileges, currency and money,
sin and crime, God and religion, law and legislation, brainwashing and
education. They don't understand that working within the system supports
and strengthens the system. They don't understand that compromising
with a police state is just a slower way to lose their liberty. They
assume that unpopular behavior necessarily leads to harm and that it should
always be prohibited, that anything bad should be a crime. They assume
that the government has a legitimate mandate to prevent all possible harm,
by any means necessary. They believe that the government should be
able to punish people for their capabilities, their plans, their possessions,
or even their thoughts.
The Search for a Remedy
I
believe that the present U.S. government can't be fixed, although it might
eventually collapse under it's own weight. Maybe it could be overthrown,
but that would be a waste of effort. Every successful revolution
has only established yet another bad government, thereby defeating it's
own proclaimed agenda. People are so easily deceived and manipulated
that they don't even notice. They're not able to control or even
to understand a government.
I
suggest that seekers of liberty should abandon government entirely.
They should divest themselves of obligations to governments, and become
undocumented. If that does become somebody's goal, then he should
first arrange for a lot of help, and find other ways to satisfy his needs.
Abandoning government without first positioning oneself is a recipe for
failure. Driving, owning a house, getting medical treatment, having
bank accounts, and so forth, will not be available to such a person.
I've been undocumented since the 1980s, and it has required a lot of sacrifices
and a lot of help. My experiences have suggested to me that most
people won't bother. They'd prefer to be safe and comfortable, rather
than to be free.
Abandonment
isn't a new idea. Various versions and approximations of it have
been around for a long time. The Nazarene provided an example when
he advised a certain ruler to sell what he had, give it to the poor, and
follow him. So far as I'm aware, such teachers have never accomplished
much more than to be misunderstood by their followers. Today, the
Nazarene's followers advocate meek submission to an absolute, all-seeing
ruler. The penalty for disobedience is eternal punishment.
It's the ultimate police state. I don't think that's what the Nazarene
had in mind. The failure of his followers is a lesson. Seekers
of liberty should not be either followers or leaders. They should
be students. Pharos
is a good source of information but nobody should unquestioningly accept
the information that I've presented there. Each person should study
for himself, and decide for himself what is right and what to do.
As always, caveat lector.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
February 2016 |
Frontiersman,0c/o
4984 Peach Mountain Drive, Gainesville, Georgia 30507
http://frontiersman.org.uk/ |
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