Saturday, June 30, 2012

Porcfest, Government Infiltration and Provocateurs

I doubt very much that you could find a more peace loving group than the folks that make up the Free State Project. Though you will see them openly carrying firearms that does not mean they are itching for a fight as some nambi-pambi liberals might believe. It simply means that they believe in exercising their rights, not merely paying them lip service and allowing them to be violated because some people might be frightened by the sight of a gun. They believe in the right to self defense, that's self defense right now and not just when some police officer decides to show up to defend the unarmed. The likelihood that they will ever have to use the firearm for self defense is slim to nil, but it is good to know that the capability exists.

I saw several people open carrying while at Porcfest. Not once did I feel threatened. In fact, I feel extremely safe when I'm around Free Staters who are open carrying. I knew there was help nearby if the bear decided to forsake the camp dumpsters and explore the campsites a little more closely. These people are peaceful and I don't feel nervous when I see one in my rear view mirror.

One of the conversations I engaged in at Porcfest was a discussion on the feds infiltrating the movement. It was more or less agreed upon that there were federal agents in the ranks of The Free State Project. It's sad to think that agents of the federal government feel they have to infiltrate such a peaceful group. Of course the message of individual liberty that permeates that group is a threat to their power structure. They can't let people think they can take care of themselves. That would mean we don't need them. They can't let that happen, so they have to do something about it.

It wouldn't be bad if federal agents merely infiltrated the group and joined in the festivities. They might even enjoy themselves and find that the ideas of freedom are pretty good. They might even find themselves agreeing with such ideas. The problem is that it is their job to demonize such groups. They apparently believe in their collectivist idealism so much that they are willing to go to great lengths to make those who advocate different ideologies look criminal. To them it's all perception management, and they don't care who they hurt in the process.

There have been incidents where federal agents have asked people to spy for them. They want trusted individuals to report back suspicious activity to them. Some have been approached and asked to engage in violent activity. Of course, all those I'm aware of have answered "no" to these provocateurs. I'd naturally like to think that people who think like I do are too smart to fall for such antics, but who knows? In such large groups there is nearly always someone who can be talked into doing something they would not normally or otherwise do.

We have seen this type of thing before. Most of the terrorist cases over the last few years have involved federal agents directly involved with the terrorists, sometimes even providing explosives to these supposedly dangerous people. There was once a name for this kind of activity. It was called entrapment. Entrapment was illegal. Perhaps it still is, and it certainly should be, but it most certainly does not seem to be enforced anymore. Entrapment turns otherwise peaceful people who would not have hurt anyone and likely have no means to do so into someone the public will perceive as a blood thirsty lunatic. They do this without caring about the life or lives they destroy in the process. This, to me, is where the real criminality lies. They are able to break the law and engage in immorality with impunity while you and I are expected to sheepishly go along to get along and say nothing or even treat the feds as heroes.

One might ask why the feds would do such things to peaceful people. The answer, to me, is fairly obvious. The system does not understand peaceful interaction. Perhaps individuals within the system do, but the system itself simply cannot comprehend this concept. Why would I say such a thing? Just look at how the system operates. It does so from the top down. It tells us what to do and backs its mandates with the threat of force. You must pay taxes. You must go to the state run school. You must not consume certain substances. You must consume only our approved substances. You must get permission to take certain medications. You must get permission to gather together and associate with one another to voice a collective opinion or demand a redress of grievances. You must buy the health insurance we want you to buy. Etc., etc., etc.

The system only understands force. As a result, it is paranoid. It always thinks someone is trying to violently overthrow it, or arrest it, or otherwise force it to do something it doesn't want to do or restrict it from doing something it wants to do. That's how it acts towards us and so it feels we will act that way towards it. Basically it is trying to protect itself by locating those who may have thoughts of violence. They prosecute thought crimes and claim they are stopping violence before thoughts turn into action. If you or I made such a claim we would be thrown in prison.

Fortunately this method doesn't seem to be working so well for the feds any longer. People seem to be catching on to what they are about. Perhaps it's the combination of their inability to adapt and change their methods and the honest reporting one can find in the alternative media, but more and more the average person seems to be figuring out the lies and deceptions government has engaged in for decades if not centuries. Maybe when individuals within the system can somehow be held accountable for their immoral, if not illegal, actions the system itself will begin to change. Maybe at that point the system itself will begin to learn how to peacefully interact with the general populace.

As it stands now, people of principle trapped within the power structure of the system find themselves held back if they practice principled behavior. Those who know how to lie, deceive and otherwise manipulate are rewarded by being put into positions of leadership and power. These are the people perpetuating the paranoia and violence inherent in the system. They are the people who fight tooth and nail to hold onto their power and convince others they are needed. They are the ones who hold onto the status quo while the rest of the world changes with the times.

Fortunately for us, as time rolls on, the incredulous nature of these power hungry little Caesars becomes more obvious. Their little games that ensnare the innocent only serve to show how illegitimate they have become. Their inability to change or listen to critique, regardless of who is elected into power, shows the disdain they have for those they are supposed to serve. While many are seething with anger at the bureaucratic impudence they are constantly exposed to, violence toward the system is not the answer. That is playing into the strength of the system. It is more important we remain peaceful. We should ignore them when possible. We should peacefully disobey when necessary. Most of all, we should withdraw our consent. Consent of the governed still seems important to them. When enough of us speak out and let it be known with no uncertainty that we do not consent to their heavy handed ways, they will listen. Perhaps then we can begin to reclaim the rights that they now feel can be violated with impunity.

My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.

For a time my books will be available exclusively at Amazon.com from Kindle Direct Publishing. Keep an eye out for special offers. In the meantime, I do need sales in order to support my habit of eating. These are great, well written books that I'm sure you'll find entertaining. Here are the links to all my ebooks so you can purchase and enjoy them:

The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Edge of Sanity (a Matthew Wayne novel)

The Ouijiers (a Matthew Wayne novel)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Michigan State House Vagina Dialogues

So, this Michigan state congress woman said the word "vagina" on the floor of the Michigan state house while debating new regulations on abortion in that state. Because of this, she was banned from speaking on that floor anymore. It seems when I´m on the road or otherwise out of touch, that´s when the real important things happen. Goodness, a Michigan state representative saying the word "vagina" during a floor debate about abortion, how awful! How could they let this happen? Oh, the humanity of it all! Something like that needs to be broadcast over all the worldwide news networks so that it can be shown that Michigan Republican lawmakers will not tolerate the use of such a word in a debate about the regulation of females´ reproductive organs!

It was reported that many Republican congressmen were "offended" by the use of the word "vagina" by the congress woman Lisa Brown. They felt the use of that word was inappropriate. I guess this was because she personalized it and said, "Finally, Mr. Speaker, I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina, but no means no." Now anyone who might think that personalizing legislation makes speaking about it inappropriate please keep in mind that if the legislation directly affects you then it is personal. This kind of legislation does indeed affect all females and therefore Ms. Brown had every reason to make it personal since she is a woman.

As she pointed out, one wonders if such offense would have been taken had she said "elbow." But then, that wouldn´t have made much sense. I wonder if there would have been such offense taken if she somehow managed to work in the word "penis" in a debate about abortion. Perhaps not, after all many of the Republican lawmakers that were offended by the use of the word "vagina" are probably much more familiar with a penis than with a vagina. Hmm, that might have come out wrong.

What´s so wrong with the word "vagina" anyway? It seems like a fine word to me. It´s so warm and inviting. Just say it real slow. Vah-gi-nah. See, it´s not a bad word. What word was she supposed to use? Was she supposed to refer to it as a who-ha? Of course, if one is a puritanical, sexually repressed authoritarian the idea of a vagina might offend you even if you´re talking about regulating them. They wouldn´t want the scientific term brought out to point out the personal nature of the legislation. One might wonder what they´re really trying to repress when they claim to be so offended. One might wonder exactly who they're trying to silence when they prevent a representative from representing.

While this didn´t happen at the federal level, one might wonder what the hell the Republicans in the state of Michigan are thinking to allow such a thing to happen. As the economy continues to slump they have a real chance to wrest power from the Democrats. All they have to do is keep from looking stupid in the public´s eye by saying something stupid like they are offended by the word vagina. All they have to do is keep from becoming oppressive authoritarians, or at least keep from looking like they´re oppressive authoritarians. So what if she referred to her vagina in a speech on the floor about abortion legislation? Just let it go. You only do yourself harm by making such a big deal about so inconsequential a thing.

Not that it matters to me one way or another what statist party has power, either in Michigan or at the federal level. They´re all big spending, big government power grabbers. None of them have done a thing to scale back government. Not one of them has done a thing to repeal unconstitutional laws. Not one of them has done anything to correct the corruption that runs rampant through the public sector. They´ve done absolutely nothing to restore the balance between the public and private sectors and to help restore sanity to the economy. This isn´t about whether a certain word is appropriate to say on the floor of a state house, or whether someone is offended or not, this is about control, pure and simple. This is about power, authoritarian power. This is about trying to legitimize the violation of natural human rights.

Do you want to know what offends me? It offends me to hear that some old curmudgeons were offended by what one of their fellow representatives said on some state house floor. It offends me that those who were offended hold any power over the lives of others. It offends me that they let innocuous words hold such sway over their emotions. It offends me that there are people who would tread upon the right of a person to speak her mind freely in a venue where speaking freely should be of the utmost importance. It offends me even more that such a violation would be brought to bear upon a person who supposedly represents more people than just herself. It offends me that this was reported on when there´re so many more important things happening in the world. It offends me that such stupidity was even brought to my attention.

What´s even more offensive to me are the innocents that are dying over in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries due to drone attacks by our federal government. It offends me that so much tax money went into bailing out the big banks and the super wealthy that didn´t need cent one from the American middle class. It offends me that the government of the people, by the people and for the people no longer cares what the people think. State governments should be offended by the power the federal government exercises over them, not by some word spoken by an elected official on the floor of the house during the course of a legislative debate. They should be worried about protecting their citizens from the overbearing federal government, not about becoming overbearing themselves. There are simply so many more important things to be offended over than the word vagina.

My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.

The wait is finally over. I am overjoyed to announce that, after 16 years, "The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy" and "The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy," have finally been released as ebooks. Get yours today! Complete or purchase the set. "The Legacy of the Tareks" is also available at Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and Diesel. For those of you who have not yet read "The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade trilogy" it is still available at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and Diesel. Here is a list of my works by Matthew Wayne at different web retailers for your convenience. "The Edge of Sanity" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, and Diesel. "The Ouijiers" at smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Diesel. Here are links to my book "The Blessings of Freedom, Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century" serialized version: Chapter 1. Chapter 2 and chapters 3 and 4. I thank you for your support.