Why Wait? Put Me in Jail Now

So, on Christmas Eve, at a time when most people were paying no attention to the shenanigans going on in Washington, DC, the Senate of the United States of America pushed forward with its health care agenda that puts the health care of America in the hands of politicians rather than physicians. No surprise there. It seems to me that most really terrible, tyrannical, intrusive big government collectivist legislation is passed in the dark of night on the sly with as little fanfare as possible, like the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. Either that, or legislative monstrosities are rushed through after a horrific event while the people are still in shock like the Patriot Act was. Either way, these bills are more and more often hundreds or thousands of pages long, intrusive, and unpopular and so the congress critters that want them passed for the benefit of their high level friends rather than for the people try to pass them with as little publicized dissent as possible.

So it is with the health care bill. Who knows what little secretive controls have been put into this tome they call a law? Do you remember the Patriot Act, how many freedom violating usurpations were written into it? Do you remember the bailouts, how much control was taken from private hands and handed to government? It’s not enough for the authoritarians at the top of the government hierarchy to control the major industries and banks in this country. It’s not enough for them to create the ability to know every little electronic communiqué the ordinary folk send to each other. They must also control the way we go about seeking health care. They must make certain that each and every one of us pays their fair share to the health insurance industry so that Caesar can more easily collect his tribute. They want to be certain that no longer can a patient pay his doctor directly without a third party connected to government getting their hands in on what should be private business. They will go so far as to make it a crime for anyone to seek health care without insurance.

I remember growing up and learning that one thing that made America such a great place as compared to other nations was its lack of political prisoners. That’s simply not true anymore. We are all political prisoners. We are prisoners of a system that doesn’t care. Certainly those who rot in prisons and jails across this nation of ours who were sent there for victimless crimes are political prisoners. Those who refused to pay the extortionists the taxes they demanded, those who decided to use a medicinal plant that was not on the AMA approved list, those who simply refused to obey a police officer’s unlawful command, these people did not harm anyone nor did they damage or steal anyone’s property. They did not violate another’s rights, and yet they have their own rights violated by the state. They are imprisoned for defending their inalienable rights and therefore they are political prisoners. The United States of America is no longer a nation of free men. The United States of America has become that which it used to fear.

As the federal government continues trouncing more and more of our natural human rights, as it hides behind the iron security curtain to excuse itself when arresting and silencing those whose only crimes were to question the legitimacy of federal law, how long before they start to arrest even the most unobtrusive blogger for having an opinion? They need not wait until 2014 when I still won’t buy their crappy health insurance to arrest me. They don’t need to wait until 2014 to start letting everyone know that they are in charge and we will do as they say, buy and sell as they want, or else. It is already happening. Instead of passing “health care reform” that puts yet another economic sector in total government control, why not just start arresting everyone who disagrees with government mandates right now and be done with it? Why not just declare unending economic and security crises and use those as excuses for complete and total government takeover of all human activity?

Of course, the corporate political elite want to do this as stealthily as possible. They want to keep people from thinking for themselves, just as they’d like to keep them from conducting their own business when it comes to health care, or anything else for that matter. They strive to create an entitlement mentality in the populace and they’ve been quite successful at promoting this mindset, at least during my lifetime. The more people who are dependent on the federal government, the more power the federal government can laud over the public, the better off the corporate political elite are. The less people think for themselves, the more they let the federal government regulate their day to day lives and businesses, the more dependent on the corporate elite they become. It’s a vicious circle and if they move too quickly the people may suddenly be forced to think for themselves and the circle will be broken. That’s why so many of the corporate political elite feed the monstrous entitlement mentality of the public.

It was Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md) who said a couple weeks back that she felt it was immoral to vote against the current health care reform we are presently being burdened with. Who is this woman to talk about morality? Indeed, on close examination it becomes obvious that it is immoral to vote for this reform, as well as for so many other bills that have been forced through congress the last few decades. It is never moral to forcefully redistribute wealth. It is never moral to force one group of people to work for another group. Free people conduct business on a voluntary basis with each other and decide for themselves where to spend their money. Free people can determine on their own what products and services are worth and how much time and effort should be put into acquiring said products and services. If one has to mandate certain aspects of a business and force people to engage in that business under the threat of imprisonment than the true value of the product or service cannot be known.

The immorality of Senator Mikulski and all who voted for this “health care reform” becomes even more obvious when one realizes there were free market reforms that could have been enacted which would have lowered the cost of health care insurance for all and helped remove the hand of government from the industry. After all, nowhere in the Constitution has the congress been granted power to regulate health care. That would be left to state governments under the tenth amendment. The simplest answer to the problem of the cost of health insurance would have been to allow the citizens of one state to buy health insurance from another state and we would have seen the cost of insurance go down and the quality go up as the insurance companies were forced to compete with each other for business and the states were forced to ease regulations to keep the insurance businesses in their jurisdiction. But these reforms wouldn’t have allowed the federal government to grow and so they weren’t considered by the control freak leaders of the corporate power elite.

The charade of government health care control becomes even more evident when we look back at even recent history. It was the free markets that gave this nation a health care system that was the envy of the world. It wasn’t until regulations were put in place that the system began to falter. It was the regulations themselves that have brought the system to its knees and created the crisis (if indeed there is a crisis) that we experience at present. More government is not the answer to our nation’s health care woes, it will be the cause of more and greater woes. The immorality of voting for such socialistic health reform becomes even more egregious when considering such trends.

This health care bill has failed to address neither the concerns of those in favor of personal liberty and free markets nor the concerns of those who wish a total collectivist scheme to ensure access to health care by those least able to afford it. Instead, politicians have tried to compromise and as such have given more power to those who caused the problems in the first place. That seems to be what government does best, cause a problem, then take freedom from those who can fix the problem and give more power to those who caused it so they can cause bigger problems. Security failed on 911 and we gave the security industrial complex more power with the Patriot Act, and they continue to fail. The Economy failed in 2008 and we gave the banks more power with the bailouts and they continue to fail. Now the claim is made that the health insurance industry is failing and the answer is to give the health insurance companies more power by legislating into a law a monopolistic health care system paid for by higher taxes and backed by the threat of fines and imprisonment? When are we going to learn?

I don’t plan on taking part in this charade anymore, so they may as well arrest me now. I know of at least one doctor who plans on leaving the country if this bill passes and moving to Poland, of all places. She has her choice of the US, Canada or Poland, she’s a citizen of all three, and for now she chooses to live and work in the US, but if this bill becomes law she will chose to move to Poland. That should make you think. I don’t know how many other doctors feel like her, but I hope that for those trapped in the US the spirit of civil disobedience and non cooperation rises. Bad law does not need to be obeyed. Perhaps when they are forced to arrest good, decent people for not buying health insurance the masses will be shaken from their slumber. If that is what it takes to restore this nation’s founding principles, then so be it, though I do hope that this drive toward socialism is reversed long before 2014. I do pray that mass civil disobedience begins soon, before the power of the central planners is consolidated.

HHO Tek, Energy Conservation Available Now

Quite often I write about my doubts about the validity of human driven climate change. Some people seem to think this means I don't care about the environment. They seem to think I believe that mankind has no impact on the natural world. This is, of course, untrue. I am, in fact, very concerned about the environment, pollution and the conservation of resources. I simply don't believe that carbon dioxide in the amounts we produce is the villain the politically driven scientists and one world government advocates have made it out to be. I simply don't believe in the “one size fits all” solutions proposed by the central planners. I believe there are much better ways to go about finding solutions to these problems, some of which are technologies that are already available. I don't believe that forcing people into a monopolistic carbon credit trading scheme will accomplish anything beyond the further enrichment and a lock on the economic power of a few already privileged elite individuals.

As I've stated in the past, the climate change fear mongers aren't worried about the climate, or even about the environment, they're worried about money. They want to keep you dependent on them so that they can continue to extract your wealth through their controlled mechanisms. The best way to fight this is to find the products and services that will help you claim your own independence by saving you money and helping you to save your real wealth for better things. The best way to fight this is to buy products from entrepreneurs who really do care about the earth. This is true with the people at HHO Tek.

HHO Tek sells a simple device called the platinum fuel saver which attaches to the engine of your car to help gasoline burn cleaner, improving your gas mileage. They’ve been selling these products to individuals and fleets for years. They also sell a hydrogen heater for your home, a solar heating device and other energy saving devices for the home. They offer many technologies of tomorrow right now. These are products and devices that are currently available, that people can use today to not only help conserve energy and save money, but to help themselves become less dependent on the big corporations that have grown due to the growth of big government. The more money one can keep in one’s pocket, the less he needs to use the energy provided by the corporations, the better off we will all be in the long run.

The folks over at HHO Tek not only offer products to save you money and help ensure a greener world, they appreciate the freedom message I often write about. They believe in a free market because they believe in their products. They are ready to take on the competition because they believe their products are the best and the free market will bear that out. They believe so much in this message and in free markets that they offered to support me and my writings. You can see all their products on their website at http://hhotek.com. If you decide to order do so through this link http://hhotek.com/Szandor.php and I will receive a commission. If the link does not work please copy and paste it to your browser’s URL window. Call the number provided to order by phone, mention the name Szandor Blestman and you will receive a special discount. I have been writing articles for nearly four years now and I have not made one dime. In this way, I have been able to provide honest, independent commentary on events and concerns that affect us all. Sponsorship is one way I can continue to provide this service. By ordering through this link http://hhotek.com/Szandor.php and mentioning Szandor Blestman when ordering, you will find that you are not only purchasing quality products that will help save you money, but you will be supporting me and an American company that cares about freedom and the environment. And remember when you mention my name, Szandor Blestman, you will also receive a special discount. Thank you.

2009 Continental Congress: The Final Document

The quest for individual liberty has not ended. For ten historic days in November, 2009, from the 11th to the 21st, delegates from forty eight of the fifty states met in St. Charles, Illinois to discuss the unconstitutional usurpations of the federal government of the United States of America and peaceful methods available to hold accountable those responsible for constitutional violations. These were ordinary people for the most part, not professional politicians, not rich elitists, not well known activists, but ordinary middle class folk from a variety of backgrounds as diverse as you could find in any community in this great melting pot we call the United States of America. They gathered together because, like most of us, they have come to the realization that something is wrong with this nation of ours. They, like many of us, wish to do something to correct the problem, something that does not involve violence. The Continental Congress 2009 looked to be a solution worth attempting. There’s nothing wrong with demanding elected officials obey the laws they swear an oath to uphold and until and unless we the people raise up and apply the pressure necessary the abuse will continue and nothing will change.

There are some in this world who claim the Constitution is irrelevant, that it is an old document meaningless in the modern world. They claim that it’s a quaint, passé relic written at a time when technology consisted of horse and buggies, sail ships, manually operated printing presses and breech loading rifles. They claim that in the modern world men have too much freedom, that individuals need to have their rights “attenuated,” that individual rights should be surrendered for national security reasons and the general welfare. They even go as far as to claim that the current financial problems we face are a result of freedom rather than government intrusion. These people wish to surrender their own power, along with everyone else’s, and entrust it to some nebulous, unaccountable bureaucracy so that they can wrap themselves in an imaginary security blanket and relinquish all personal responsibilities for their lives to the surreptitious surrogates merely claiming to know best.

To those who would argue such points I answer “Bullshit!” The nature of man has not changed despite the advancement of technology. Men and women still try to exercise power and force their will upon others, even those others they do not know and have no empathy for. Who does anyone think they are to tell me how I should run my life? Who does anyone think they are to tell me how to best conduct my business affairs? And then to have the gall to force me under threats of violence and imprisonment to pay them to manage my life, an activity I think I could have done a better job at for free? You can’t have too much freedom and no one else’s will should ever be forced upon another in such a way. Such monopolies are inherently repugnant to freedom loving people. Our forefathers who moved to this continent seeking freedom and better lives for themselves understood this, but somehow in the ethers of time we seem to have forgotten these principles which make the spirit strong and we became comfortable in our servitude.

There are others in this world who claim the Constitution is irrelevant because it either allowed the present tyranny or was powerless to stop it. I would remind those people that of course the Constitution is powerless to stop corruption, just as laws against violence are powerless to stop violent crime. The Constitution has no power, the people do. Words on paper have no power to do anything except convey ideas from one mind to another. It is up to those minds to develop methods to implement these ideas. It is up to human beings to exercise the powers inherent in their nature to take control of their lives. It was not the Constitution that allowed the present tyranny to develop, but the people who ignored it or questioned its relevancy. It was not the Constitution that was powerless to stop the present tyranny we experience today, but the people who refused to enforce the ideals it expressed and remain true to its principles.

The Constitution is but a tool to constrain those who wish to engage in government service to the people of this nation. It is a tool to be used when those serving begin to believe they are better than the rest of us and wish to laud power over the masses. The hammer will do nothing to the nail that sticks its head up from the board until someone picks it up and uses it to strike the nail. While it might be true that there have been occasions in the past where some have tried to nail down the federal government using the Constitution and failed, that doesn’t mean you throw away the hammer. The more often the hammer is swung, the more likely that the nail will be struck.

So it was when over a hundred delegates from forty eight of the fifty states gathered together in St. Charles, Illinois for ten days last November. These delegates decided to take up the hammer and use it. These were average Americans from all walks of life selected from members of the “We the People Foundation” who sacrificed their time and set aside their lives for those ten days because they felt that honoring the Constitution and trying to hold elected officials accountable to do the same was an important enough cause to commit to such a sacrifice. They are not asking anyone else to do nearly as much.

These men and women gathered together and worked their butts off to create the documentation that details the constitutional abuses and usurpations that government, and federal government in particular, has engaged in. To me it speaks volumes that so many ordinary people can see the growing police state, the encroaching socialism, the loss of individual liberty and the collapse of our constitutional form of government and wish to reverse course. Things did not run as smooth as silk at the conference and there were many boisterous and contentious moments of disagreement as to all that should and shouldn’t be addressed in the document. The document they created can now be found at http://cc2009.us as a pdf file.

It is now up to the freedom loving American people to do the rest. Please make an attempt to read the document. If you agree with it and the principles it expresses, please show support for the document and those behind it. Even if there are parts you disagree with, but agree with most of it, as is inevitable with some people, show your support for the work and provide feedback. If you believe in the concept of holding elected officials accountable for their actions, making sure they adhere to the Constitution, or would simply like to see the growth of government stopped or reversed, your support for this effort is important. If you think government is too big, too coercive, and/or too intrusive, your support for this effort is important. If you’re angry about the path this nation has taken and would like to see some real change, your support for this effort is important. This has become a game of numbers now. The more people who voice their opposition to big government solutions and support efforts to shrink government, the more pressure can be put on politicians to make these efforts into reality. We can show them that we are not a nation of collectivists like communist China, the former USSR and other socialist countries, but a nation of individualists who still honor the ideals put forth by the founding fathers.

There is much work left to be done, in my opinion, and this is only the beginning. I don’t believe this document went far enough in its demands on the federal government, but it is a good start. There are likely many who would agree with me. If you would like to get involved, then support this document and the groups that sponsored it. Provide them with feedback. Unlike the federal government, they will listen to you, show due consideration for your ideas, and appreciate your involvement.

The Young Green Fascists

Man made climate change is not a scientific debate. Al Gore declared it so. He declared that the science was in and the debate was over. Many others have followed suit. Politicians parrot his work to try to make themselves look heroic as they claim they wish to “save the planet” by taxing carbon dioxide, a natural gas produced by life. The media uses his work to try to create a fear and hysteria perhaps in hopes this will help their sagging ratings, and possibly their politically connected friends. The elite hail Mr. Gore’s work, raining upon him accolades and awards such as an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, a Nobel Peace Prize and others which has made me wonder as to the significance of these awards. One can wonder as to why anyone should listen to Al Gore about such matters as global warming. He is, after all, not a career scientist, not a career documentary film maker and not even a career writer, but a career politician. You know what they say about politicians whose lips are moving. To me, the integrity of these awards are now in question.

Still, manmade climate change is not a scientific debate. It has become a political debate. It has become an issue to be used as a weapon by control freaks who want to control your life. It has become a pet issue to be used by a certain faction of elitists to move forward with a frightening agenda of centralized power and unprecedented control of activities that each and every one of us partake in on a daily basis. Do not believe for a moment that if a worldwide carbon credit system is put in place it will not affect you as an individual. You will pay, no matter how poor you are, in some form or another, and you will give your money, your labor, or something else of value to a class of wealthy elites who care nothing for humanity.

Long ago, as a Geology major at the University of Illinois, I learned about climate change and interpreting it through the geologic record. Climate change has been happening on this planet for hundreds of millions of years, long before mammals evolved, let alone man. There is much more to climate change than carbon dioxide or methane, much that is beyond man’s control. The problem with this, for politicians, is that they can’t have this kind of thinking going on. If climate change is beyond man’s control, there’s no way they can levy taxes or otherwise convince people to let them exercise control of their activities. This is completely unacceptable to the control freaks as their lives are entirely pointless unless they have total control of every little aspect of everyone’s life.

For such efforts to work, the ruling elite need to sell the general public on something that isn’t necessarily true. To do this, it becomes necessary to silence any dissenting points of view. For years they’ve managed to do this by exercising their influence over the mass media and ignoring or marginalizing legitimate scientists who disagreed with the global warming priests. Lately, however, with certain developments and facts coming to light, the anthropogenic climate change crowd is finding itself more challenged than ever, so much so that they have resorted to using strong arm tactics to silence dissent.

As the Copenhagen climate change summit ends, we can look back on it with greater clarity and analyze events that took place and what this means for humanity. Lord Christopher Monkton was accosted a couple of times during his stay in Denmark. The first time was during a private speech where a group of young people took over the event, unfurled banners, chanted mindless slogans and would not allow him to speak. He retaliated by calling them Hitler youth, which some were quite offended by. When they approached Lord Monkton asking for an apology, he refused to back down, which I was happy to see. They used the same techniques fascists have used in the past to silence dissent and Lord Monkton called them on it. Personally, I am tired of hearing people apologize, right or wrong, for expressing their opinion.

Had these young people, who claimed to be representing the majority of young people in America, had they wished to protest there are more acceptable ways of going about it. They could have listened to what Lord Monkton had to say and then challenged him in a question and answer session after his speech was finished, as those who question the science behind manmade global warming have done for years. They may have been surprised because likely Lord Monkton would have answered their questions rather than ignoring them or having them escorted out as usually happens when one of the manmade climate change propagandists is challenged or questioned.

That was just the beginning, however. Lord Monkton, despite being accredited to the conference, was not allowed into the conference during the final days and was turned away along with many others when they tried to enter, the bureaucracy having failed to inform them that they were no longer welcome. It was, of course, bad enough that their voices should be silenced so, but to add injury to insult Lord Monkton was assaulted by a Danish police officer, knocked to the ground and quite cut up according to reports. This was done despite his social standing and his involvement in government. Imagine what disregard these “keepers of the peace” would have for the rights or safety of a commoner.

Anyone who dared question the legitimacy of anthropogenic climate change while at Copenhagen was quickly silenced and ushered away or otherwise dealt with. One reporter, Phelim McAleer, was pelted with an object during a live interview on Fox, causing the interview to be cut short over concern for his safety. These people can’t stand to have their belief systems questioned. They can’t accept that there are thoughtful, reasoning people who don’t think as they do and look to alternative reasons other than mankind as to what drives climate change, such as little things like the sun. They will quickly point to their now questionable science and data sets, but don’t want to accept that there are other science data sets available that show results contrary to their claims. They remind me of a little child who puts his fingers in his ears and screams la, la, la when told something he doesn’t want to hear, only these people will resort to violent actions so they don’t have to be burdened with contrary facts and having to think.

The actions at this year’s Copenhagen conference show that scientific debate over anthropogenic climate change has indeed ended, at least in the eyes of those who believe mankind is to blame for all the world’s climate woes. The powerful ruling elite who long to establish an authoritative world government based on “carbon credits” continue to shut down as best they can any meaningful debate. They use most of the mainstream media to promote their agenda and ignore any evidence that may harm their position. They use their police forces to chill any dissent and frighten any peaceful common folk that might otherwise consider protesting. They even stoop so low as to use well meaning, impressionable young people who believe they are helping the world as the new green enforcers and encourage them to violate the principle of respecting others’ rights. One might wonder, is this the face of things to come?

As predicted by Lord Monkton days before it happened, Mr. Obama showed up in Copenhagen and at the last minute salvaged an agreement between the United States, India, China, and others. Their dream of a one world authoritarian government has not died, and it may not be long before anyone who doesn’t think world government is a good idea and voices that opinion gets the same treatment those who disagree with anthropogenic climate change got in Copenhagen. Fascism seems alive and well at the world governance level and it doesn’t seem too hard to find young ruffians to hire to keep dissenters quiet as long as the cause is wrapped in green.

Mr. Obama gave another one of his “inspiring” hypnotic speeches to sooth the masses, make the faithful swoon and instill a belief that all is well before this agreement was reached. In it, he suggested that those who didn’t agree with anthropogenic climate change were condemning the world to disaster by creating conditions that would make it impossible for mankind to ever do anything about climate change. Nature, in all her majesty, has already seen to that. Right now, it appears as if natural forces are at work to bring us a period of global cooling. We as a species would be much better off concentrating on ways to adapt rather than putting our faith in other humans who only wish to promote their own welfare, their own egos, their own agendas and to control others for their own benefit. We would be better off allowing free people to freely innovate rather than forcing all to comply with devastating taxes that only serve to enrich a few and stifle innovation.

Christmas Time and the Dream of Peace

At this time of year, as the cold wraps its fingers around the Midwest and coats it in a blanket of snow, one is inclined to reflect on past events and give thanks for past accomplishments. One can also reflect on failures he may have had and make plans for the future that will hopefully correct past mistakes and attempt to correct said failures or move in a different direction. Depending on one's present situation, this is likely not as important in modern times as it was in the past. In these days of abundance, where we live in heated buildings, have plenty of food stocked on store shelves and enjoy many modern conveniences, it is much more likely we will be able to survive and bounce back from failure then it was in the past when such things could have easily led to death. This time of year, being the coldest and darkest time, must have been a tough time for ancient man, especially if he was unprepared. If the harvest had been good, one was likely able to relax and enjoy a well earned respite, if not then there would be a struggle to survive until the spring.

Is it any wonder ancient peoples planned celebrations for this time of year? In those days the celebrations occurred after the winter solstice to welcome the sun back. They had made it through the darkest days of the year and looked forward to a time when the sun would be high enough in the sky to once again warm the earth. They likely wished to let those closest to them know how much they appreciated their company and how loved they all were. These were celebrations of life, light and love that still echo in our collective consciousness.

Winters were likely a time of peace. In keeping with the natural cycle of things, mankind would rest as much as possible at this time, perhaps reaching a state close to hibernation. Conserving energy would have been key to survival. Remaining sheltered and warm would have been of utmost concern. The things ancient man did in the spring, summer and fall would determine if he'd make it through the winter. Saving what could be stored for later consumption was important. All things considered, this would have been the best time of year to take the time to dream, and that remains in our collective psyche to this day.

Religion was another important aspect in these people's lives. One can imagine the world they lived in, a world in which so much was beyond their control. Such things could mean life or death to these people. They would, of course, do what they could to ensure their survival in the areas where they could do something, but there were many aspects to their lives they were helpless to do anything about except pray to their gods and ancestors. It may have seemed at times as if the natural world was at war with them. It may have at other times seemed as if the natural world was comforting and nurturing. Likely the dreams of these people consisted of ways to stabilize their world, to increase prosperity, and to make their lives more predictable so as to increase their chances of survival.

Despite all our modern day conveniences, the wealth we've built, and the progress we've made, many of the dreams of our ancestors have not come to pass. I still need to dream of peace because there is so much war and violence in this world. I still need to dream of freedom because my opportunities have been limited by powerful forces operating in this world to prevent potential from being realized. I still need to dream of liberty because of an oppressive system that taxes the productive common folk and gives to an unproductive elite. Yes, we live in a more prosperous society than we've ever seen in recorded history, but we can ask ourselves how much more prosperous would we be if an elite ruling class was not hording the wealth created by the common people and squandering it on wars and other programs not necessarily in the best interests of human kind?

There seems to be a magic in the air at this time of year, more so than at other times. There seems to be a door that opens up, a connection, so to speak, with the dreams we have and the reality we seek. Perhaps that is one of the reasons this time of year becomes so special to so many. It's a time of giving and a time of receiving. Its a time of generosity. Sometimes, its a time when miracles occur. It's a time when we show others how much we appreciate them. It's a time when dreams have the chance to become a reality. In my opinion, the dream of peace goes hand in hand with the dream of freedom, for a freeman is more likely to be a peaceful man.

A couple thousand years ago a man walked this earth who dreamed of bringing peace to mankind. He was a great teacher who tried to impart upon us that we should be nice to each other. He tried to tell us that we should treat other people as we would want to be treated by them. Perhaps the masses weren't very good students. He was a radical for his time, teaching the common folk that they were as important as the ruling class. It takes everyone to help create reality. It takes legions to make war. It's not just the ruling class who are at fault, but also those who mindlessly obey them. So long as we have those who wish to force their rule upon others and those who without question enforce the will of the rulers, we will not have freedom and we will not have peace.

The answer is simple. That man who walked the earth two thousand years ago was right. Peace begins in the heart. That is where the dream begins and where it flourishes. Tap that peace and bring it into the world and you become that which you dream. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Respect the choices your neighbor makes as you would want him to respect your choices. Allow others to make mistakes so that they may learn from them. And if someone tells you this isn't so, if you are ordered by someone in “authority” to steal from another, or to do harm to someone who hasn't harmed or wronged another, or to stop exercising your rights, or to harm or help keep another from exercising their rights, then just say no. Disobey. Realize the dream of peace through peaceful civil disobedience. Support others who do the same. Speak out against the wrongs perpetrated by the state and by agents of the state. Let others know how you feel. Let everyone know you're tired of being kicked around and ignored. Let all know you prefer liberty to tyranny and cast off the chains that bind you to an immoral state. The more of us who raise our voices, the more likely it is our voices will be heard. It is not enough to simply dream anymore, it is time to act upon the dreams and bring them to reality.

I wish for everyone the happiest of holidays at this time of year, no matter which holiday one celebrates. I wish upon the entire population of the earth much peace and joy. I realize that for many this may not be possible. I realize that for many powerful forces seek to disrupt their lives and refuse to just leave them be. I hope that they will take comfort in the dream. I pray they never lose the dream, for when the dream dies than darkness may settle on the soul and this is the time of year when creating light, especially spiritual light, is more important than ever.

Chartarum Movie Teaser Trailer

Back in September I was involved as an extra in a movie entitled "Chartarum." The teaser trailer is now up at Youtube. Here's a link:
Chartarum teaser trailer
I hope everyone gets a chance to see it when it comes out. I will let all know as information becomes available. Enjoy.

The Camera Really is the New Gun

Judge Andrew Napolitano likes to say that the camera is the new gun. He is more right than even he may know. Cameras in the hands of ordinary citizens are something that most bureaucrats have a deathly fear of. They are more afraid of a common man with a camera than they are of giant hairy spiders. To a bureaucrat, a common man with a camera is more frightening than a million zombies converging on them. More seriously, they are likely more afraid of one common man with a camera than they are of a man with a gun. Government types are terrified of several common folk armed with cameras, perhaps more so than they are of an entire constitutional militia. One who is inclined to thoughtful reflection might wonder why this should be.

Government, by its very nature, is a violent organization. They need to use force, intimidation and coercion in order to exist. They have, in fact, claimed a monopoly on the use of force. If you were to try to try to do the same things these people do everyday you'd be arrested in a heartbeat. For instance, if you were to go to a local business and demand money, under the threat of imprisonment, for protection against extremist terrorists, you'd be quickly arrested and charged with extortion. Even if you had hired a group of men and planned on shipping them off to a far distant land to root out the terrorist demons, you'd still be arrested and charged with criminal offenses. You can't threaten people and force them to pay you money for services they don't want, at least not with impunity, but the government can. When you do it it's called a crime, when the government does it it's called taxation.

But the government doesn't want you to think about them in this way. They want you to think of them as benevolent. They don't want you to think of them as thieves, they want you to think of them as charitable angels saving the under privileged. They don't want you to think of them in terms of generating revenue for their own self interests, they want you to think of them in terms of providing public safety. They don't want you thinking of them as cheaters who won't follow their own rules, they want you to think of them as more knowledgeable than you, superior to you, and better able to determine what is best for you. And one way or another you'll pay them to do so. They don't want you to think of them as violent thugs violating the rights of innocent humans which they supposedly took an oath to protect, they want you to think of them as super humans who never make a mistake, never arrest an innocent, and instinctively know when someone has victimized another human being. They want you to believe that their good intentions make the wrongs they do okay.

They want you to believe these things so much that they start teaching them to you at a very young age. Of course, they are a little more subtle about it. They may do it under the guise of public education, but what they are really doing is forcing the vast majority of the populace to spend a large portion of their day at federally funded government indoctrination centers. They then teach us that this is the greatest nation in the world due to government rather than due to lack of government, faith in the free markets and the ability for the people to control their own destinies. They force children to recite a pledge that was written by a socialist flag salesman, Francis Bellamy, instilling a sense of necessity to defend government even when its actions may be questionable or indefensible. They teach obedience to authority rather than the axiom to question authority and to hold them accountable for their lies, misrepresentations and lack of respect for the laws they swear an oath to uphold. We are taught to memorize the facts they want us to memorize. We are taught their version of events, their version of the facts. We are never taught to explore other versions, other points of view and to evaluate them to determine which version is the closest to actuality or how the different versions could mesh to create another version even more likely to have occurred.

This type of learning can make it difficult to point out problems the system might be suffering. It makes it difficult to convince some people of the reality of an event or situation. If it isn't seen, or isn't reported on, then it must not be true, particularly if it goes against the dogma of great governance that the populace has been brainwashed to believe in since childhood. This is when the camera can be so important. The camera's eye doesn't lie. When it records the violence that the state engages in, those who continue to sing the praises of the state and believe in an innate goodness of government that isn't there do so at their own peril. Those who wish to believe these examples don't occur that often, that they are the exception instead of the norm, will find it harder and harder to maintain that stance as more and more occurrences are videoed.

Government agents are far more frightened of video cameras than they are of guns. They know how to handle guns. Common folks threatening violence against statist criminals may find it difficult to succeed in their efforts. The only thing the state knows is violence. It only knows enforcement. It wouldn't surprise me to find many of the tax bottom feeders chomping at the bit to get a chance to exercise that which they know best. Common folk armed only with cameras, however, that's another story. The statist criminals are going to find it very difficult to beat such efforts, as all options should eventually lead to their demise.

Cameras are something these people have been using against the general public for years. We have red light cameras, speeding cameras, public security cameras, all kinds of cameras in different areas set up to make sure we don't break a myriad of victimless laws they've created for revenue generation. When anyone complains about it, about the lack of privacy or violating rights, their standard reply is “if you're not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.” Well, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Why are they so afraid of cameras if they're doing nothing wrong? Why would they have laws against operating video in courtrooms and other venues where they supposedly work for us? If they are doing nothing wrong, what do they have to hide? Think about that the next time you hear about mindless police automatons asking legitimate protestors and political activists to put away their cameras on public property. Don't believe the security excuse. The only security they're worried about is their own. They do have secrets to keep and things to hide, and they don't want the general public to find out, mostly because they are doing something wrong, and likely they know it.

The camera can expose all this. It can provide proof of wrongdoing. It can provide a tool to help hold accountable those who break their own rules, and the rules they expect the common folk to obey. Most of all, it can help change the way people think about our government servants and how they behave. It can help create an overwhelming righteous indignation toward arrogant government agents who feel they are better than the common man and above the law. The camera may, in effect, be a weapon far superior to the gun, for it is a weapon that helps win the hearts and minds without causing significant blowback. When one is not physically harming another, revenge is less likely to be sought.

Government agents are afraid of the camera, and with good reason. After all, one of the hardest thing for a human to do is to confront the monster in the mirror. Documenting the rise of the police state on video, exposing the cheating and corruption, publicizing the violations of human rights by government agents, etc., holds a mirror to society and forces us to ask if this is the road we wish to take. It can also help the individuals involved evaluate their own behavior. The camera is the new gun not because it is a weapon that kills, but because it is an effective weapon that defends human rights and has the potential to heal. We should all be armed and ready to use it wherever we see wrongs being committed, and we should be allowed to carry one whenever we have to deal with our government servants, including and especially in courtrooms, if only for our own protection and the protection of all involved in such a situation.