Do you know what's good for you? Have you personally studied various
cures, potions and concoctions to figure this out, or are you taking
someone else's word for it? Do you have any personal experience with
certain substances, medications or procedures when treating your
disease, or are you trusting someone else that they know better which
will work and which will not? Are you using an allopathic physician, a
naturopath, some other alternative practitioner, or maybe a combination
of all these? Are you sure the physician you use has told you all the
alternatives you have to choose from? Are you sure you know what would
work best for your particular circumstance?
Chances are you might think you do, but that you do not. The simple fact
may be that there are just too many treatment choices for any one
person to know them all. Yet, sadly, in this nation of supposedly free
people, we don't have access to nearly enough of those treatments. The
FDA has already decided for you that many of those treatments are
unworthy of your time. They have done so despite evidence from other
parts of the world that some of these work for some (or even most)
people who try them. One might ask why an agency charged with
determining the safety and efficacy of food and drugs would prevent
proven cures from coming to market in the US, and one would be right to
ponder this question long and hard and look into the matter deeply.
The answer, however, is really simple. The FDA doesn't care about you.
It doesn't care about safety. It doesn't care about food safety and it
doesn't care about drug safety. If it did, aspartame would not be
allowed as an ingredient in food products. If it did there would be more
complete and comprehensive studies on drugs and vaccines before they
became available on the market and those studies would be done by an
independent laboratory with no financial conflict of interest. If they
did, then they would report in great detail on a variety of health care
approaches rather than just blowing off every approach other than
allopathic. If they did, then there'd likely be a lot less processed
food on our store shelves and consumers would be more educated as to the
dangers such foods present to your health. If they did, then there
wouldn't be this epidemic of prescription drug deaths taking place in
our nation.
Some would like to blame this on incompetence. They like to point at the
size and scope of the FDA and claim that it is too big and cumbersome
to do an effective job. I don't believe that. I believe that, at least
at the top, the FDA knows exactly what it's doing. I believe these
people are malicious and dangerous. They don't care about your safety
because they do care about the profits of some very large and
influential multinational corporations. They care about large
agricultural corporations and the large chemical corporations (Monsanto,
et al.) that provide them with herbicides and pesticides. They care
about the large pharmaceutical corporate entities. They care about large
medical interests like the AMA. They don't care about what makes you
sick or about what makes you well because you don't supply their
political cronies with the money necessary to stay in power.
You can't tell me the people at the top of the FDA are stupid or
incompetent. In fact, I think they're probably pretty smart and that
they know exactly what they're doing. There is plenty of scientific
evidence out there to support my point of view that they have approved
dangerous food and drugs for consumption. I somehow doubt very much that
all this evidence has escaped their notice. They simply choose to
ignore it. Worse than that, they choose to prevent everyday working folk
from understanding it. It's not enough to allow their corporate buddies
to produce food and drug products that poison the bodies of decent,
hard working Americans, they allow the use of propaganda to poison the
minds of those same Americans to make them think that such food and drug
products are healthy and safe. They abuse the trust that has been
instilled in their institution so that the poor fools who still listen
to them will continue to believe that we have the "safest" supply of
"healthy" food and the most advanced medicine in the world. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The trust has been broken. All so that a
few people at the top of a few corporations can reap a harvest of
obscene wealth from the seeds of human suffering they have sown.
Making sure your food and drug supply is dangerous and poisoned is just
one way the elite ruling class makes sure the sick of this nation don't
get well. They also do their best to try to prevent drugs and natural
cures known to be safe and effective from being sold in the United
States. Marijuana is perhaps the best known for this. For decades we
have been told that marijuana had no medicinal effects. The FDA even
declared that testing could not be done in the United States so that
science could not find differently. We of course now know better. Anyone
who still believes that marijuana has no medicinal uses is so far in
denial as to be beyond hope that the light of reason will ever penetrate
the darkness that has warped their mind. Either that or they're
involved with the drug war and on such a terrible power trip that they
have no empathy toward the sick and dying and perhaps even enjoy the
pain and suffering they cause.
Why would these people still work to prevent access to medical marijuana
even after it has helped so many and so much evidence has been
presented that it does, indeed, have medical uses? The answer is again,
money. There is more profit in marijuana if it is kept illegal. By
keeping drugs illegal, governments with their monopolies of legitimized
force are better able to control the drug trade. Look into the evidence
that the CIA is one of the biggest drug trade organizations in the
world. You can continue to hide your head in the sand and believe that
intelligence agencies have only the best interests of the public at
heart or you can open your mind and at least look over the information
and admit that the possibility exists that some people just might be in
it for the wealth and power. Once it is legal to grow and it is removed
from the black market, the risk (of death and imprisonment) has been
lifted and more people will compete to grow it leading to a fall in
prices and a reduction of profit margins. At that point those involved
in the black market will have to look elsewhere to make the kind of
profits they now enjoy.
But it's more than that. It's more than marijuana and illegal drugs. The
FDA prevents proven cures from coming to market, especially natural
cures. Cancer cures, for instance, have been around for years, but they
would have you believe that cancer is some mysterious disease that
baffles the medical establishment and will likely never be cured. Look
into alternative cancer cures. Look into essiac tea, Royal Raymond Rife,
Dr. Simoncini and his baking soda cure, "The Cure for All Cancers,"
dietary cures, etc. All these have been available for some time and
there are thousands of case studies where they've worked. I've even
heard from a personal source whom I trust implicitly that there is a
cancer vaccine that has been shown to be effective available in other
countries but not yet here. Yet these cures remain elusive to Americans
who are suffering from such disease. They are not widely known to the
general public. The FDA and the government has done more than just keep
knowledge of such cures from the people, they have actively prevented
doctors from treating patients even to the point of arresting them and
destroying their research and notes no matter how many people they have
helped and how much suffering they have relieved.
Why would the FDA and other government agencies want to prevent such
cures from being known? Why would they want to crack down on doctors who
are helping patients using these methods? Why would they imprison
people engaging in voluntary business interactions with one another? The
answer is again simple. Money, power and influence have everything to
do with it. How many people need to die before something is done about
this injustice? How much suffering has to occur before people realize
that those who were entrusted to alleviate such suffering are actually
condoning the practices that cause it due to their own greed and lust
for power?
Neither the pharmaceutical industry, the medical industry, nor the
financial industry want to see cures for many diseases come to market
when they can make so much more money by treating the patient's
condition for years. The pharmaceutical industry makes billions selling
expensive drugs such as chemotherapy drugs and the like. The medical
industry makes billions selling expensive treatments that take long
periods to complete such as radiation treatment. Researchers make
billions from government grants and charitable donations looking for
cures that always seem to show promise and yet never seem safe or
effective enough to come to market. The financial industry makes
billions selling health insurance to a populace that is frightened of
coming down with a disease that is expensive to treat and without
insurance will likely result in their financial ruin. This is even more
true today now that government has mandated insurance for everyone under
pain of fines for those who do not comply.
The FDA, like so many other federal government agencies, has failed
utterly. It does not protect the public, it harms individuals that trust
it to make decisions for them. It has abused the power granted to it by
helping to enrich the ruling elite that already have too much wealth,
power and influence. It has helped dumb down the people of this nation
by fostering a false belief that their organization is looking out for
everyone's best interests and no one need take responsibility for their
own healthcare decisions. The FDA needs to be declawed. It needs to be
made into an advisory bureau only, with no method available to it to
enforce its will, if it is to exist at all.
Mostly, people need to be made aware of its foibles and start educating
others as to its true nature. People need to take responsibility for
their own healthcare and the healthcare of their families and friends
who still wish to believe in the magic of government and trust its
agencies. People need to demand that government stay out of their
private business as well as their private lives. People need to deny
consent to be ruled even by the alphabet agencies supposedly set up to
protect them. After all, if I wish to listen to the advice of someone,
is it right for someone in power to force me to listen to the advice of
someone else? Is it right for someone to force me to do business with
someone I do not wish to do business with? No one should have that kind
of power, no individual and no group of individuals. I own my own body
and they do not. It is my decision what I put in it and no one should
have the power to prohibit me from doing so or to force some substance
or treatment upon me which I do not wish to take.
I am proud to announce that my latest book "Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom."
by Szandor Blestman is now available at smashwords.com. Also available
exclusively at smashwords is the latest installment of my next book "The
Blessings of Freedom; Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." Chapter
5 of the serialized version is available here.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help
me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews
if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Energy and Currency Cartels, the Economy and Your Life
When I express my views on energy and the future of humanity I am oft
times labeled a dreamer. I am sometimes told the technologies I speak of
are too expensive and are therefore not worth it for homeowners to
install. I am told that homeowners would be better off financially if
they continue to pay the low prices charged by energy companies with
their coal burning and nuclear power plants. I am told that cars can't
make the change over to battery power because the technology simply
isn't there. I don't believe any of that is true. I think that
technologies have been developed that are far ahead of anything many of
us might imagine. I believe that the power elite I often talk about are
preventing these technologies from getting out simply so they can
continue to control your life.
The key to the above is control. It is not money. It is not profit. It is a way to maintain control over you and your life. It is a way to control everything, everywhere. As long as you are paying a certain percentage of your income to someone else so that you can power your refrigerators, televisions, computers and other electronics, you are dependent on their technologies and their aptitude. As long as that's the case, they'll be able to cut your power, for whatever reason they please, whether you like it or not. I'm not saying they will, or that you'd give them any reason to do it, but these are uncertain times we live in. We are dependent on oil and its supply can be interrupted for a variety of reasons.
The energy cartels are tied into another, more powerful cartel. They are tied into the currency cartel. This is a group of financial elites who supply the western world with its currencies, including the US dollar (in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, or FRNs) and the European Union's euro. It could be said that this really took hold when Nixon nullified the Bretton Woods agreement by decoupling the dollar from gold. He then went on to strike a deal with the Arab world that they would only sell their oil for dollars, hence creating the petrodollar and at the same time making the FRN the world's reserve currency. So should the need for oil as an energy source be greatly reduced or eliminated, some very powerful corporate interests would lose a great deal of their power and influence. This makes for a huge incentive for both the currency and energy cartels to make sure this doesn't happen.
Oil drives the economies of the Western world. Imagine a world where all modern devices are no longer able to operate. Imagine a world where cars and trucks no longer operated. How would product come to market? How would your electronic devices work? How would we communicate? Your iphones and ipads would be worthless collections of silicon and metal alloys. Your televisions, light bulbs, electric heaters and air conditioners would become relics of a bygone era. How long until all the modern processed food emptied from store shelves? In such a world one would soon either adapt or die. You could either learn the old ways, or we could develop new ways.
I don't like to sound like a gloom and doomer, but at the same time I don't want my positive nature to cause me to turn a blind eye to reality or history. The reality is that the energy and currency cartels have a tremendous amount of power and influence over our federal government and the senators and congressmen who claim to represent the people. History has shown that our "lawmakers" will make laws beneficial to these powers rather than laws beneficial to the economic under classes or protecting individual rights. The reality is that we've been going through a long economic depression. History shows that often times hard economic times end in massive and very destructive wars. History also shows that the same energy and currency cartels benefit greatly from those wars. Here's an interesting lecture on how all wars can be tracked back to private central bankers as the initial fomenters of events leading to war called "All Wars are Bankers' Wars" by Mike Rivero. I urge everyone reading this to listen to it all the way through.
Who are these men to make such monumental decisions? Who are they who feel they can threaten the most powerful governments on the planet? They threaten more than governments when they make such threats, they threaten you, your way of life, your children and grandchildren's future, and everyone's economic security. Who are they who feel they can decide the fates of millions? Who are they who would cause such human suffering to try to sate their own insatiable lust for wealth and power? Are these men gods? Are they demons? What magic do they hold over otherwise good men to cause them to turn against their fellow human beings?
These men are not gods or demons, though they might fancy themselves to be. They have no power over other men, but these other men let greed and lust for power rule over their judgment and corrupt their principles. They excuse their immorality by claiming it necessary for the "greater good," but in their hearts of hearts they know the greater good is not served and a great evil is perpetrated. Those they have corrupted claim a higher purpose, but they have been lowered to the basest of levels and seek to do the same to all mankind. These men are the central bankers. These men are the influential corporatists. These men may live amongst all the finest luxuries this physical world has to offer, but their souls are black as coal and their spirits reside in the depths of the deepest, most stagnant, most fetid marsh imaginable.
Money is not wealth, but those entrusted with its creation use it to enrich their own selves. Money is not power, but those who create it use it to influence those who have obtained positions entrusted with certain powers. Money is not energy, but those who create it have used that power to corner the market on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not the only sources of energy, but those who produce them would like to keep everyone dependent upon them. The way to break the cartels is to break the cycle of dependence. The way to break the cycle of dependence is to stop using the products they offer. As hard as it sounds, we must each personally make an effort to do what we can to stop using fiat currencies and to stop using the fossil fuels the cartels provide.
It is important that we strive for independence. It is important that we honor individual property rights. It is important that we do our best to become self owning individuals who decide for ourselves which other individuals or groups of individuals we want to do business with and which individuals or groups of individuals we don't want to do business with. In this way we can shun those who would wage wars on others. In this way we can shame those who would bring harm to others. In this way we can decide with our dollars who deserves our money and who doesn't. In this way we can decide for ourselves who we associate with and who we don't. In this way we can deny our consent to be governed. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to do business with them. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to associate with them. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to let them violate your natural rights or suffer catastrophic consequences. It is only when everyone has the power to say "no" to these individuals or groups of individuals without fear of retribution that mankind will be truly free. It is only then that we will truly prosper. It is only then we will be allowed to become the best humans we can possibly become.
I am proud to announce that my latest book "Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom." by Szandor Blestman is now available at smashwords.com. Also available exclusively at smashwords is the latest installment of my next book "The Blessings of Freedom; Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." Chapter 5 of the serialized version is available here.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
The key to the above is control. It is not money. It is not profit. It is a way to maintain control over you and your life. It is a way to control everything, everywhere. As long as you are paying a certain percentage of your income to someone else so that you can power your refrigerators, televisions, computers and other electronics, you are dependent on their technologies and their aptitude. As long as that's the case, they'll be able to cut your power, for whatever reason they please, whether you like it or not. I'm not saying they will, or that you'd give them any reason to do it, but these are uncertain times we live in. We are dependent on oil and its supply can be interrupted for a variety of reasons.
The energy cartels are tied into another, more powerful cartel. They are tied into the currency cartel. This is a group of financial elites who supply the western world with its currencies, including the US dollar (in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, or FRNs) and the European Union's euro. It could be said that this really took hold when Nixon nullified the Bretton Woods agreement by decoupling the dollar from gold. He then went on to strike a deal with the Arab world that they would only sell their oil for dollars, hence creating the petrodollar and at the same time making the FRN the world's reserve currency. So should the need for oil as an energy source be greatly reduced or eliminated, some very powerful corporate interests would lose a great deal of their power and influence. This makes for a huge incentive for both the currency and energy cartels to make sure this doesn't happen.
Oil drives the economies of the Western world. Imagine a world where all modern devices are no longer able to operate. Imagine a world where cars and trucks no longer operated. How would product come to market? How would your electronic devices work? How would we communicate? Your iphones and ipads would be worthless collections of silicon and metal alloys. Your televisions, light bulbs, electric heaters and air conditioners would become relics of a bygone era. How long until all the modern processed food emptied from store shelves? In such a world one would soon either adapt or die. You could either learn the old ways, or we could develop new ways.
I don't like to sound like a gloom and doomer, but at the same time I don't want my positive nature to cause me to turn a blind eye to reality or history. The reality is that the energy and currency cartels have a tremendous amount of power and influence over our federal government and the senators and congressmen who claim to represent the people. History has shown that our "lawmakers" will make laws beneficial to these powers rather than laws beneficial to the economic under classes or protecting individual rights. The reality is that we've been going through a long economic depression. History shows that often times hard economic times end in massive and very destructive wars. History also shows that the same energy and currency cartels benefit greatly from those wars. Here's an interesting lecture on how all wars can be tracked back to private central bankers as the initial fomenters of events leading to war called "All Wars are Bankers' Wars" by Mike Rivero. I urge everyone reading this to listen to it all the way through.
Who are these men to make such monumental decisions? Who are they who feel they can threaten the most powerful governments on the planet? They threaten more than governments when they make such threats, they threaten you, your way of life, your children and grandchildren's future, and everyone's economic security. Who are they who feel they can decide the fates of millions? Who are they who would cause such human suffering to try to sate their own insatiable lust for wealth and power? Are these men gods? Are they demons? What magic do they hold over otherwise good men to cause them to turn against their fellow human beings?
These men are not gods or demons, though they might fancy themselves to be. They have no power over other men, but these other men let greed and lust for power rule over their judgment and corrupt their principles. They excuse their immorality by claiming it necessary for the "greater good," but in their hearts of hearts they know the greater good is not served and a great evil is perpetrated. Those they have corrupted claim a higher purpose, but they have been lowered to the basest of levels and seek to do the same to all mankind. These men are the central bankers. These men are the influential corporatists. These men may live amongst all the finest luxuries this physical world has to offer, but their souls are black as coal and their spirits reside in the depths of the deepest, most stagnant, most fetid marsh imaginable.
Money is not wealth, but those entrusted with its creation use it to enrich their own selves. Money is not power, but those who create it use it to influence those who have obtained positions entrusted with certain powers. Money is not energy, but those who create it have used that power to corner the market on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not the only sources of energy, but those who produce them would like to keep everyone dependent upon them. The way to break the cartels is to break the cycle of dependence. The way to break the cycle of dependence is to stop using the products they offer. As hard as it sounds, we must each personally make an effort to do what we can to stop using fiat currencies and to stop using the fossil fuels the cartels provide.
It is important that we strive for independence. It is important that we honor individual property rights. It is important that we do our best to become self owning individuals who decide for ourselves which other individuals or groups of individuals we want to do business with and which individuals or groups of individuals we don't want to do business with. In this way we can shun those who would wage wars on others. In this way we can shame those who would bring harm to others. In this way we can decide with our dollars who deserves our money and who doesn't. In this way we can decide for ourselves who we associate with and who we don't. In this way we can deny our consent to be governed. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to do business with them. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to associate with them. No individual or group of individuals should have the power to force you to let them violate your natural rights or suffer catastrophic consequences. It is only when everyone has the power to say "no" to these individuals or groups of individuals without fear of retribution that mankind will be truly free. It is only then that we will truly prosper. It is only then we will be allowed to become the best humans we can possibly become.
I am proud to announce that my latest book "Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom." by Szandor Blestman is now available at smashwords.com. Also available exclusively at smashwords is the latest installment of my next book "The Blessings of Freedom; Creating Prosperity in the 21st Century." Chapter 5 of the serialized version is available here.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Respect and the American Presidency
There's a famous radio talk show I listen to. Actually, it's on late at
night and so I listen to the podcast. The host will occasionally have a
guest on who will speak about the Obama administration and many times
these guests will refer to the president simply as Obama. The host
believes that proper respect should be shown and the top executive
should be referred to as "president Obama." He thinks that even if one
doesn't respect the man one should respect the office. I happen to
disagree. I think proper respect is earned, and in my eyes Mr. Obama has
not earned my respect. In my lifetime no one who has ever obtained the
office of POTUS has earned my respect, with perhaps the exception of JFK
but I was only three when he was killed. It is therefore extremely
difficult for me to respect even the office itself.
In fact, most of these politicians running for office have earned my disrespect. It's so easy to see them trying to deceive. I see them making promises I know they won't keep. I see them saying they'll vote or act one way while doing the exact opposite. I see that they don't care what the people think, that they are more concerned with some agenda behind the scenes. I can tell that they are working toward something that resembles the old Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. I can see through their ruse. They are habitual liars. They are powdered conmen paraded in front of the fawning masses by complicit media outlets engaging in propaganda. They are the worst type of criminals for they try to legitimize their crimes and force the masses to go along without protest. I hold no hope that any of that will change for the better anytime soon.
I would have more respect for a mob boss than I do for the president. At least they don't try to pretend they're something they're not. At least you know when you pay them their extortion money that you're being extorted. They don't try to tell you that your money is going to a good cause. They don't try to convince you that those they kill were terrorists who deserved it. You know that when you pay the mob their extortion money that you're paying them to leave you alone. At least the mob will do that. When you pay your taxes, the government will still intrude on your life and tell you how you should run your business.
I was brought up being taught to respect the president. He held the highest office in the land and supposedly had to be of the highest caliber in order to do so. When I look back on it and see the men who have held the office in my lifetime, is it any wonder I hold no respect for the office any longer? Johnson was a cold hearted power monger who deepened our involvement in Vietnam. Nixon was a crook who wanted to be remembered differently. Ford was the only president ever to hold that office who was not elected in any way, shape or form. He was appointed to the office of vice president after Agnew resigned and to the office of president after Nixon resigned. Cater was, well, Carter. He might have been well intentioned, but he seemed so inept. Reagan showed promise, but his actions never lived up to his words. Bush the elder was a war mongering liar whose lips could not be read. Clinton, though entertaining, was of dubious character. It's a little more than simply strange how many people he had business dealings with ended up murdered or suicided. Bush the younger was perhaps the most criminal, the worst war criminal, the most treasonous of all, or so I thought until this current administration. Bush's use of imprisonment and torture was sickening and inexcusable. Obama has surpassed all that I just mentioned in terms of audacity, a sick disrespect for morality and human life, and far reaching criminality.
Now it has come to the fore that this administration has been assassinating its own citizens without due process of law. Now the Congress is finally investigating how it came to pass that a natural born American citizen and a sixteen year old American boy were killed by remote control drones piloted by CIA operatives. Now we see executive level memos expressing an opinion that the president has the "right" to kill American citizens if certain poorly defined conditions are met, conditions that when loosely interpreted could net me a death by drone sentence.
After all, I am a Ron Paul supporter and that could make me a terrorist according to the MIAC report. I am quite vocal about it and that could make me a leader in a terrorist organization. I have even voted for Ron Paul and that could be interpreted as plotting terrorist activity against the establishment. You see the slippery slope we're on? And just because something like this hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it can't or won't happen. After all, if you give a man the power to do something, it's only a matter of time before he uses that power.
And I am asked to respect such a man simply because he holds a powerful office? Indeed, I disrespect him even more for succumbing to the temptation to use and abuse such awesome power. I disrespect the office even more for having usurped and centralized such power in the first place when it was meant to be spread out evenly between branches of government. That usurpation was criminal to begin with and the first president to use such unconstitutional powers should have instead refused to use them and insisted they be removed from the office of president and then placed back in the hands of the people where such power belongs. By accepting such power and trying to legitimize its use, the office of president has become illegitimate in my eyes, and should be illegitimate in the eyes of anyone who respects the Constitution of the United States of America.
No president of our nation should be granted the legitimate use of such power. It is not a power of the president of the United States. It is a power of the Fuhrer. It is a power of the Premier. It is a power of the Chairman. It is a power of the tyrant. To use such power is to be a tyrant. To use such power is to discard what it is to be American. To use such power is to violate the basic principles that made this nation the shining beacon of liberty it once was. To have and to use such power helps turn our constitutional republic into an authoritarian dictatorship. This is not how it's supposed to be.
I don't respect Hitler. I don't respect his office of Fuhrer. I don't respect Stalin. I don't respect his office of Premier. I don't respect Mao. I don't respect his office of Chairman. I no longer respect the office of President of the United States. I don't respect it if a Republican holds it and I don't respect it if a Democrat does. This office disrespects me, it disrespects humanity, why should anyone respect such a disgusting tribute to ultimate power? If I am ever to respect the office again, or the individual who holds the office, than that office must be occupied by someone who reflects the values I hold dear. It must respect individual freedom. It must respect honesty. It must respect integrity. It must respect peaceful statesmanship. And so must the individual who holds said office. When I see a person whose actions exemplify such qualities holding the office, then I will once again respect that person. When I can one day go to the polls and vote for a greater good rather than a lesser evil, then I will respect the office. Until such a day, the powers that be do not have my consent to rule over me.
Personally, I think the President of the United States of America has been a puppet of an elite ruling class for a long time now. I think he is just following the orders of a secret government. I will respect the president when he stands up to those who control the office. I will respect him when he says "no" to the military/industrial complex. I will respect him when he speaks out against the central banking and energy cartels. I will respect him when he moves to restore the Constitution to the place of honor it deserves.
Until such a day, I think we should be careful as to where we place our respect. Placing respect in an office or a person who hasn't earned it helps to legitimize the corruption of that person and that office. Respecting such a person or such an office regardless of whether that respect is earned only helps to embolden that person or that office to continue and expand its corruption. It is tantamount to condoning actions that should not be condoned. It is only when we show them the disrespect they deserve and turn our backs on them for their misdeeds that we will see change in a positive direction.
I am proud to announce that my latest book "Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom" is now available at smashwords.com. Please follow the link below if you wish to sample and/or purchase it:
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
In fact, most of these politicians running for office have earned my disrespect. It's so easy to see them trying to deceive. I see them making promises I know they won't keep. I see them saying they'll vote or act one way while doing the exact opposite. I see that they don't care what the people think, that they are more concerned with some agenda behind the scenes. I can tell that they are working toward something that resembles the old Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. I can see through their ruse. They are habitual liars. They are powdered conmen paraded in front of the fawning masses by complicit media outlets engaging in propaganda. They are the worst type of criminals for they try to legitimize their crimes and force the masses to go along without protest. I hold no hope that any of that will change for the better anytime soon.
I would have more respect for a mob boss than I do for the president. At least they don't try to pretend they're something they're not. At least you know when you pay them their extortion money that you're being extorted. They don't try to tell you that your money is going to a good cause. They don't try to convince you that those they kill were terrorists who deserved it. You know that when you pay the mob their extortion money that you're paying them to leave you alone. At least the mob will do that. When you pay your taxes, the government will still intrude on your life and tell you how you should run your business.
I was brought up being taught to respect the president. He held the highest office in the land and supposedly had to be of the highest caliber in order to do so. When I look back on it and see the men who have held the office in my lifetime, is it any wonder I hold no respect for the office any longer? Johnson was a cold hearted power monger who deepened our involvement in Vietnam. Nixon was a crook who wanted to be remembered differently. Ford was the only president ever to hold that office who was not elected in any way, shape or form. He was appointed to the office of vice president after Agnew resigned and to the office of president after Nixon resigned. Cater was, well, Carter. He might have been well intentioned, but he seemed so inept. Reagan showed promise, but his actions never lived up to his words. Bush the elder was a war mongering liar whose lips could not be read. Clinton, though entertaining, was of dubious character. It's a little more than simply strange how many people he had business dealings with ended up murdered or suicided. Bush the younger was perhaps the most criminal, the worst war criminal, the most treasonous of all, or so I thought until this current administration. Bush's use of imprisonment and torture was sickening and inexcusable. Obama has surpassed all that I just mentioned in terms of audacity, a sick disrespect for morality and human life, and far reaching criminality.
Now it has come to the fore that this administration has been assassinating its own citizens without due process of law. Now the Congress is finally investigating how it came to pass that a natural born American citizen and a sixteen year old American boy were killed by remote control drones piloted by CIA operatives. Now we see executive level memos expressing an opinion that the president has the "right" to kill American citizens if certain poorly defined conditions are met, conditions that when loosely interpreted could net me a death by drone sentence.
After all, I am a Ron Paul supporter and that could make me a terrorist according to the MIAC report. I am quite vocal about it and that could make me a leader in a terrorist organization. I have even voted for Ron Paul and that could be interpreted as plotting terrorist activity against the establishment. You see the slippery slope we're on? And just because something like this hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it can't or won't happen. After all, if you give a man the power to do something, it's only a matter of time before he uses that power.
And I am asked to respect such a man simply because he holds a powerful office? Indeed, I disrespect him even more for succumbing to the temptation to use and abuse such awesome power. I disrespect the office even more for having usurped and centralized such power in the first place when it was meant to be spread out evenly between branches of government. That usurpation was criminal to begin with and the first president to use such unconstitutional powers should have instead refused to use them and insisted they be removed from the office of president and then placed back in the hands of the people where such power belongs. By accepting such power and trying to legitimize its use, the office of president has become illegitimate in my eyes, and should be illegitimate in the eyes of anyone who respects the Constitution of the United States of America.
No president of our nation should be granted the legitimate use of such power. It is not a power of the president of the United States. It is a power of the Fuhrer. It is a power of the Premier. It is a power of the Chairman. It is a power of the tyrant. To use such power is to be a tyrant. To use such power is to discard what it is to be American. To use such power is to violate the basic principles that made this nation the shining beacon of liberty it once was. To have and to use such power helps turn our constitutional republic into an authoritarian dictatorship. This is not how it's supposed to be.
I don't respect Hitler. I don't respect his office of Fuhrer. I don't respect Stalin. I don't respect his office of Premier. I don't respect Mao. I don't respect his office of Chairman. I no longer respect the office of President of the United States. I don't respect it if a Republican holds it and I don't respect it if a Democrat does. This office disrespects me, it disrespects humanity, why should anyone respect such a disgusting tribute to ultimate power? If I am ever to respect the office again, or the individual who holds the office, than that office must be occupied by someone who reflects the values I hold dear. It must respect individual freedom. It must respect honesty. It must respect integrity. It must respect peaceful statesmanship. And so must the individual who holds said office. When I see a person whose actions exemplify such qualities holding the office, then I will once again respect that person. When I can one day go to the polls and vote for a greater good rather than a lesser evil, then I will respect the office. Until such a day, the powers that be do not have my consent to rule over me.
Personally, I think the President of the United States of America has been a puppet of an elite ruling class for a long time now. I think he is just following the orders of a secret government. I will respect the president when he stands up to those who control the office. I will respect him when he says "no" to the military/industrial complex. I will respect him when he speaks out against the central banking and energy cartels. I will respect him when he moves to restore the Constitution to the place of honor it deserves.
Until such a day, I think we should be careful as to where we place our respect. Placing respect in an office or a person who hasn't earned it helps to legitimize the corruption of that person and that office. Respecting such a person or such an office regardless of whether that respect is earned only helps to embolden that person or that office to continue and expand its corruption. It is tantamount to condoning actions that should not be condoned. It is only when we show them the disrespect they deserve and turn our backs on them for their misdeeds that we will see change in a positive direction.
I am proud to announce that my latest book "Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom" is now available at smashwords.com. Please follow the link below if you wish to sample and/or purchase it:
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Caged in America: A Collection of Essays Celebrating Freedom. By Szandor Blestman
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Epiphany of a Cog in the Machine
As a writer and a blogger, I do occasionally correspond with some of my
readers who my writings have touched. Sometimes I am exposed to
interesting stories about their lives and maybe some epiphany they might
have had. Such is the case with Howard who recently emailed me with a
personal story about an interaction he had with what he described as a
liberal/socialist on facebook. He now faces a dilemma many others who
have discovered the message of freedom face, the dilemma of extricating
themselves from a system they find repugnant without starving to death.
What happened was that the socialist pointed out to him that he was a hypocrite because he works for a defense contractor that supplies food to soldiers in Afghanistan. The money he was earning through his labor was coming from tax payers. Therefore, he was just as much of a tax feeder as anyone else who earns money through government. He was just as responsible for legitimizing big government as most anyone else. He argued that he worked for a private company and had no control over where his employer got money from, but when he went to bed that night and had a chance to think about it, he began to think that maybe the socialist was right. This thought disturbed him greatly.
Let me say now that I commend Howard, and anyone else who may be have had a similar epiphany. It's easy to criticize others, it's much harder to look inside yourself or at your own way of life and see the same or similar flaws. It's easy to maintain a state of denial and blame the woes of the world on others. It's harder to see how you, yourself, might be contributing to the misery.
Good German soldiers were just doing their jobs guarding the gates of the concentration camps. Good German citizens were just doing their jobs driving the trains to those same camps. They were just doing their jobs making clothes for the soldiers. They were just doing their jobs providing food to the guards. They were just doing their jobs shuffling paperwork and making sure all the proper forms made it to their superiors. They were just being good citizens doing their civic duty by reporting their neighbors' suspicious activities to the proper authorities. Like so many who testified at the Nuremburg trials, they were all just following orders. They were all just doing their little part to make sure the tyranny was well oiled and running smoothly.
And yet, how were they supposed to stop it? How were they, tiny cogs in a huge bureaucratic machine, supposed to bring the system to a grinding halt? Especially in a time of war? Especially when the people of Germany were surrounded by enemies and battling for their very survival? How were they supposed to worry about the freedoms of a few "undesirables" and "misfits" when they were so worried about their own fates? Well, any act to help those targeted by the Nazi regime, including merely pointing out the tyranny, would have taken tremendous courage.
It starts by recognizing that there is a problem. This is more difficult than it may sound when one considers that most people are brought up inundated with statist propaganda. Think about it for a minute. Do you think that German school children in the 1920s and 30s were being taught that their country was bad? Do you think they were taught that their system was no good? Do you think they were taught to question authority? I doubt it. Likely they were taught that theirs was one of the most advanced systems in the world. They were, after all, a modern industrial democracy, just like us. They were likely taught to accept the will of the majority, to respect and obey authority figures, especially those elected to high office, to find their niche, do their jobs, pay their taxes, and to just go along to get along. As adults they were likely faced with a barrage of propaganda aimed at keeping them from thinking too deeply. They were but a tiny entity in a greater collective. The security of the fatherland was paramount, all else was inconsequential.
So, at least Howard recognizes that there is a problem. He has admitted it to himself. He even recognizes that he is part of the problem. The socialist he was chatting with on Facebook might not even recognize that much. He might think the system is a good thing. He might think that extortion is fine as long as they call it taxation and use it for the betterment of all mankind. As long as the mob doing the extortion calls itself government. The socialist might think that slavery is fine as long as the slaves are doctors and they are forced to service sick people with no money. He might not see it from this perspective, or he might refuse to believe such terms are appropriate in these cases. Worse still is the socialist who does see it in the terms described above and still makes excuses for criminal behavior.
Once the problem is recognized and the individual's part in it is seen, the question becomes what to do about it. While our modern society might not have devolved to the point that German society in the 1930s did, there's no sense in waiting that long. We certainly don't want to revisit that dark time. So what can be done before it's too late? What can be done before dissenters are being handcuffed and dragged off to prison for speaking their minds? What can be done before those with power start abusing it in ways no one wants to think about?
As I said at the beginning of this article, it can be difficult to extricate one's self from the system without starving to death. It's not your fault if you're stuck in the system, the system has been designed to entrap. You were born into this system, you didn't design it. Part of being free is having the ability to design a system that works for your life, and part of tyranny is making sure that you are unable to do so. It is your fault, however, if you recognize the inherent evil and corruption in the system and you do nothing to try to overcome it. It is your fault if you willfully just go along to get along, head down, saying nothing, just accepting it, doing your job without protest and making sure the wheels of tyranny remain properly greased. It's your fault if you consent, either silently or with a clear voice, to being ruled over in such a manner.
Certainly if one has the means one should step out of the system. If one is able one should try to start a farm and work to provide organic food to those who are demanding it, which is something I would like to try. One should do their best to claim that they own their own property and owe nothing to anyone unless they voluntarily use services that are provided. One should do their best to advertise the claim that they own the product of their labor, the money that they've earned, and that they owe nothing to those who would try to enslave them by claiming a portion of that income. One should, if one has the means, do their best to convert debt notes into precious metals and find others who will be willing to trade goods and services for said precious metals. In short, if one has the means, one should do their best to participate in alternative markets and economies rather than just bending to the will of those who make laws proclaiming monopoly privileges on currency and economic activity.
But not everyone has those means. Some people need to stay inside the system to survive. These people should strive to do what they can to change the system from within. They can complain, deviate and educate. They can bring these subjects up, try to explain to others the principles of freedom and why we are not, as a nation, adhering to those principles. There is strength in numbers and the more people who understand the more likely it is that positive change toward the lofty goal of achieving liberty will be made. Just because you do a job doesn't mean you have to like doing it, and it doesn't necessarily mean you have to condone the activity and the corruption. But you should do your best to find some way to disempower the established practices and empower alternatives. Let it be known that you do not consent, even if you begrudgingly participate.
People can do what I do. They can blog about these things. The more people discussing such philosophies, the better. They can use social networking to voice agreement with principles of non aggression and freedom. These are powerful modern tools that weren't available a couple of decades ago. The more people expressing these ideas, the better. In this way we can become a force to be reckoned with. Remember, freedom is a uniting idea. It might seem counter intuitive, but the ideals of individualism actually unite while collectivist ideals have the tendency to be divisive. That's because most everyone understands the concept of having the ability to make their own decisions for their own lives. They want others to respect their choices, so they should respect the choices of others in return. Collectivism, on the other hand, moves toward a one size fits all solution across the board and removes choices, disrespecting your ability to make choices for your own life. It divides people into two or more camps, each camp vying to have their solution made into the one size fits all solution the collectivist government will adopt.
I'm sure there are other ways to express one's preference for freedom principles. There are as many ways to express them, as many ideas for moving toward a more free society, as there are people on the planet. We all have likely been hypocritical some way or another in our lives. We've all likely been in a situation where our principles may have been set aside for some reason or another. Life is imperfect and it is likely that nothing is exactly how one would have it if one were in charge. The important thing is that once one is awakened, one participates in waking others. All one can do is try to peacefully inform those who whose minds are open and try to open those minds that are trapped in the jail cells created by indoctrination and propaganda. All one can do is strive to live as best one can without interfering with others' rights to do the same.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
What happened was that the socialist pointed out to him that he was a hypocrite because he works for a defense contractor that supplies food to soldiers in Afghanistan. The money he was earning through his labor was coming from tax payers. Therefore, he was just as much of a tax feeder as anyone else who earns money through government. He was just as responsible for legitimizing big government as most anyone else. He argued that he worked for a private company and had no control over where his employer got money from, but when he went to bed that night and had a chance to think about it, he began to think that maybe the socialist was right. This thought disturbed him greatly.
Let me say now that I commend Howard, and anyone else who may be have had a similar epiphany. It's easy to criticize others, it's much harder to look inside yourself or at your own way of life and see the same or similar flaws. It's easy to maintain a state of denial and blame the woes of the world on others. It's harder to see how you, yourself, might be contributing to the misery.
Good German soldiers were just doing their jobs guarding the gates of the concentration camps. Good German citizens were just doing their jobs driving the trains to those same camps. They were just doing their jobs making clothes for the soldiers. They were just doing their jobs providing food to the guards. They were just doing their jobs shuffling paperwork and making sure all the proper forms made it to their superiors. They were just being good citizens doing their civic duty by reporting their neighbors' suspicious activities to the proper authorities. Like so many who testified at the Nuremburg trials, they were all just following orders. They were all just doing their little part to make sure the tyranny was well oiled and running smoothly.
And yet, how were they supposed to stop it? How were they, tiny cogs in a huge bureaucratic machine, supposed to bring the system to a grinding halt? Especially in a time of war? Especially when the people of Germany were surrounded by enemies and battling for their very survival? How were they supposed to worry about the freedoms of a few "undesirables" and "misfits" when they were so worried about their own fates? Well, any act to help those targeted by the Nazi regime, including merely pointing out the tyranny, would have taken tremendous courage.
It starts by recognizing that there is a problem. This is more difficult than it may sound when one considers that most people are brought up inundated with statist propaganda. Think about it for a minute. Do you think that German school children in the 1920s and 30s were being taught that their country was bad? Do you think they were taught that their system was no good? Do you think they were taught to question authority? I doubt it. Likely they were taught that theirs was one of the most advanced systems in the world. They were, after all, a modern industrial democracy, just like us. They were likely taught to accept the will of the majority, to respect and obey authority figures, especially those elected to high office, to find their niche, do their jobs, pay their taxes, and to just go along to get along. As adults they were likely faced with a barrage of propaganda aimed at keeping them from thinking too deeply. They were but a tiny entity in a greater collective. The security of the fatherland was paramount, all else was inconsequential.
So, at least Howard recognizes that there is a problem. He has admitted it to himself. He even recognizes that he is part of the problem. The socialist he was chatting with on Facebook might not even recognize that much. He might think the system is a good thing. He might think that extortion is fine as long as they call it taxation and use it for the betterment of all mankind. As long as the mob doing the extortion calls itself government. The socialist might think that slavery is fine as long as the slaves are doctors and they are forced to service sick people with no money. He might not see it from this perspective, or he might refuse to believe such terms are appropriate in these cases. Worse still is the socialist who does see it in the terms described above and still makes excuses for criminal behavior.
Once the problem is recognized and the individual's part in it is seen, the question becomes what to do about it. While our modern society might not have devolved to the point that German society in the 1930s did, there's no sense in waiting that long. We certainly don't want to revisit that dark time. So what can be done before it's too late? What can be done before dissenters are being handcuffed and dragged off to prison for speaking their minds? What can be done before those with power start abusing it in ways no one wants to think about?
As I said at the beginning of this article, it can be difficult to extricate one's self from the system without starving to death. It's not your fault if you're stuck in the system, the system has been designed to entrap. You were born into this system, you didn't design it. Part of being free is having the ability to design a system that works for your life, and part of tyranny is making sure that you are unable to do so. It is your fault, however, if you recognize the inherent evil and corruption in the system and you do nothing to try to overcome it. It is your fault if you willfully just go along to get along, head down, saying nothing, just accepting it, doing your job without protest and making sure the wheels of tyranny remain properly greased. It's your fault if you consent, either silently or with a clear voice, to being ruled over in such a manner.
Certainly if one has the means one should step out of the system. If one is able one should try to start a farm and work to provide organic food to those who are demanding it, which is something I would like to try. One should do their best to claim that they own their own property and owe nothing to anyone unless they voluntarily use services that are provided. One should do their best to advertise the claim that they own the product of their labor, the money that they've earned, and that they owe nothing to those who would try to enslave them by claiming a portion of that income. One should, if one has the means, do their best to convert debt notes into precious metals and find others who will be willing to trade goods and services for said precious metals. In short, if one has the means, one should do their best to participate in alternative markets and economies rather than just bending to the will of those who make laws proclaiming monopoly privileges on currency and economic activity.
But not everyone has those means. Some people need to stay inside the system to survive. These people should strive to do what they can to change the system from within. They can complain, deviate and educate. They can bring these subjects up, try to explain to others the principles of freedom and why we are not, as a nation, adhering to those principles. There is strength in numbers and the more people who understand the more likely it is that positive change toward the lofty goal of achieving liberty will be made. Just because you do a job doesn't mean you have to like doing it, and it doesn't necessarily mean you have to condone the activity and the corruption. But you should do your best to find some way to disempower the established practices and empower alternatives. Let it be known that you do not consent, even if you begrudgingly participate.
People can do what I do. They can blog about these things. The more people discussing such philosophies, the better. They can use social networking to voice agreement with principles of non aggression and freedom. These are powerful modern tools that weren't available a couple of decades ago. The more people expressing these ideas, the better. In this way we can become a force to be reckoned with. Remember, freedom is a uniting idea. It might seem counter intuitive, but the ideals of individualism actually unite while collectivist ideals have the tendency to be divisive. That's because most everyone understands the concept of having the ability to make their own decisions for their own lives. They want others to respect their choices, so they should respect the choices of others in return. Collectivism, on the other hand, moves toward a one size fits all solution across the board and removes choices, disrespecting your ability to make choices for your own life. It divides people into two or more camps, each camp vying to have their solution made into the one size fits all solution the collectivist government will adopt.
I'm sure there are other ways to express one's preference for freedom principles. There are as many ways to express them, as many ideas for moving toward a more free society, as there are people on the planet. We all have likely been hypocritical some way or another in our lives. We've all likely been in a situation where our principles may have been set aside for some reason or another. Life is imperfect and it is likely that nothing is exactly how one would have it if one were in charge. The important thing is that once one is awakened, one participates in waking others. All one can do is try to peacefully inform those who whose minds are open and try to open those minds that are trapped in the jail cells created by indoctrination and propaganda. All one can do is strive to live as best one can without interfering with others' rights to do the same.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Sunday, January 20, 2013
The Nature of Evil and Collectivism
One of mankind's deepest, longest asked questions is "Why is there
evil?" It is a valid question to be asked. I'm not sure if anyone has
the correct answer, or if there even is a correct answer, or if there is
an answer at all. Certainly many theories have been proffered, and many
reasons given even by those who create evil in the world, but do any of
these truly answer the question of why it exists? There are
explanations as to why it becomes physically manifest, but how far does
it stretch into the metaphysical? As a writer of both fantasy and
horror, a study into the nature of evil is essential in helping me to
create good fiction. It can also help explain why it exists and how it
can be conquered.
When studying any subject it helps to start with the basics. In this case, one might want to define evil. What, exactly, is evil? Does one know how to define it, or is it like pornography, tough to define but one knows it when one sees it? Well, I suppose one can define evil as something that is done against the wishes of another. Of course, that's a rather over simplistic way to look at it and it can be easily argued that sometimes one has to do something against the wishes of another for that other person's own good. So, for this essay, I will define evil as something done against the wishes of others which is detrimental or causes harm to some even though it might be to the benefit of others, and which somehow benefits those carrying out the harmful behavior.
Evil is as evil does. In other words, evil doesn't just sit there in the world looking, feeling, sounding or smelling ugly, evil is evil because of its behavior. Thoughts and feelings are not evil. Fear, hatred, anger, envy, greed, et al. aren't necessarily evil, but they are more likely to lead to evil behaviors. Conversely, courage, love, passivity, generosity, et al. are more likely to lead to good behaviors. All the thoughts and emotions described above, however, can lead to either good or evil behaviors, depending on how they're channeled. The key lies in expressing freewill, and most importantly in allowing others to do the same.
Evil, by its very nature, subverts the freewill. This can be done either overtly or covertly. When done overtly, fighting it is easy. Of course the easiest way to subvert freewill is to take the life of anyone who would exercise it. The evil of this behavior is obvious and self evident. The evil is just as self evident when one resorts to brute force, threats, bullying and other such methods to subvert freewill. Men of power who resort to such methods often come to a violent and untimely demise. Their evil is so manifest the people see it clearly and rally to depose it. It is for this reason that men of evil designed systems that would perpetuate their evil under the guise of doing good. The less resistance they encountered, the easier it would be for them to subvert individual freewill. And if they couldn't accomplish this in their lifetimes, then they wanted to be sure their progeny would be able to complete what they started.
Evil in its subtler forms can lead to evil in its more overt forms. This happens because a few might start to recognize the evil that is being perpetrated. They may try to point out that the good intentions of the many subvert the freewill of a few. This isn't readily accepted by the many, or by the powers that be, and so they move to silence those who speak the truth. They will ostracize these people, keep them from speaking in a public forum, shout them down, censor them, call them names, question their sanity, whatever it takes to discredit them or keep them quiet. If the powers that be think someone's message is dangerous enough or if they worry that too many people may be listening, they can use the power of authority to make someone's life a living hell, even to the point of causing the death of that person, again either overtly or covertly.
Then there is power, and the lust for it. People like to be in power. They like to have power over others. They like to be idolized and adored by the masses. They like it so much so that many will stop at nothing to obtain such power. Even if it means subverting the freewill of those who would oppose them. Even if it means engaging in evil behavior. They may not want to admit this is what they are doing, they may not want to look at themselves in the mirror and think of themselves as evil, and so they will put on the mask of claiming that what they are doing is for some elusive greater good.
I don't believe in the idea of a Utopia. Those who would try to sell that idea are usually doing so for their own benefit. A collectivist society claiming authority to do the greatest good is also capable of doing the greatest evil. By allowing individual freewill to flourish as much as possible, any evil that may occur is mitigated because it will only have the power to flow through the individual. It will not be able to flow through the powerful collective as a whole. In this way evil does the least amount of damage possible.
In modern society, political debates have come to the forefront involving prohibitions against certain goods and services. What are prohibitions if not an attempt to subvert freewill? People on both sides of the issues point to this statistic or that scientific study to make their points about building a better society through prohibition, but politics is not about science. Most politicians aren't scientists. Politics is about philosophy. Politics is about who is going to control your life, and the lives of others, who is going to pay for it, and how much are they going to pay. Politics is about forming a collective with enough power to subvert the freewill of anyone who questions the motives of that collective. Government has become about forcing everyone else to submit to the will of that authoritative collective.
Evil may have come into being because of the desire to do good. It may have come into being because of a desire to keep others from harm. Those who have been through the school of hard knocks may wish to keep others from experiencing the same pain and disappointment as they've experienced. While explanations and the way of gentle persuasion is fine, restrictions subverting the freewill of the individual are not the way to go about teaching. This is not how humans learn. The freewill of others needs to be respected, as you would want others to respect your freewill. We must allow for mistakes to be made. We must allow for failure if genuine learning and human growth is to take place.
From the drug war to the war on the second amendment, from free speech zones to TSA warrantless searches, from the monopoly on currency creation to the corporate cartels dominating world trade, the evil in the system has become obvious to anyone who cares to look. You can turn your eyes away from the ugliness and claim it doesn't exist, or you can make the claim that these are "necessary evils," but denial and excuses aren't going to solve the problems faced by modern society. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. A necessary evil is still an evil. Until we as a society recognize this and stop tolerating the subversion of freewill, evil will exist because we want it to exist, because we believe it can be tamed and domesticated.
Evil will likely always exist. There will always be those who wish to control others, who wish to subvert the freewill of individuals for their own benefit. The trick is to minimize the effect these people have on the rest of us. This is done by dissembling centralized institutions of power and decentralizing government. This is done by creating a voluntary society where there is no ruling class claiming authority to steal from a working class. This is done by creating a system that does not allow for force to be used against the individual, unless that individual is somehow harming or stealing from others. This is done by condemning the ideals of collectivism and exalting the ideals of individualism. This is accomplished when the governed refuse to give consent to those who would govern them.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
When studying any subject it helps to start with the basics. In this case, one might want to define evil. What, exactly, is evil? Does one know how to define it, or is it like pornography, tough to define but one knows it when one sees it? Well, I suppose one can define evil as something that is done against the wishes of another. Of course, that's a rather over simplistic way to look at it and it can be easily argued that sometimes one has to do something against the wishes of another for that other person's own good. So, for this essay, I will define evil as something done against the wishes of others which is detrimental or causes harm to some even though it might be to the benefit of others, and which somehow benefits those carrying out the harmful behavior.
Evil is as evil does. In other words, evil doesn't just sit there in the world looking, feeling, sounding or smelling ugly, evil is evil because of its behavior. Thoughts and feelings are not evil. Fear, hatred, anger, envy, greed, et al. aren't necessarily evil, but they are more likely to lead to evil behaviors. Conversely, courage, love, passivity, generosity, et al. are more likely to lead to good behaviors. All the thoughts and emotions described above, however, can lead to either good or evil behaviors, depending on how they're channeled. The key lies in expressing freewill, and most importantly in allowing others to do the same.
Evil, by its very nature, subverts the freewill. This can be done either overtly or covertly. When done overtly, fighting it is easy. Of course the easiest way to subvert freewill is to take the life of anyone who would exercise it. The evil of this behavior is obvious and self evident. The evil is just as self evident when one resorts to brute force, threats, bullying and other such methods to subvert freewill. Men of power who resort to such methods often come to a violent and untimely demise. Their evil is so manifest the people see it clearly and rally to depose it. It is for this reason that men of evil designed systems that would perpetuate their evil under the guise of doing good. The less resistance they encountered, the easier it would be for them to subvert individual freewill. And if they couldn't accomplish this in their lifetimes, then they wanted to be sure their progeny would be able to complete what they started.
Evil in its subtler forms can lead to evil in its more overt forms. This happens because a few might start to recognize the evil that is being perpetrated. They may try to point out that the good intentions of the many subvert the freewill of a few. This isn't readily accepted by the many, or by the powers that be, and so they move to silence those who speak the truth. They will ostracize these people, keep them from speaking in a public forum, shout them down, censor them, call them names, question their sanity, whatever it takes to discredit them or keep them quiet. If the powers that be think someone's message is dangerous enough or if they worry that too many people may be listening, they can use the power of authority to make someone's life a living hell, even to the point of causing the death of that person, again either overtly or covertly.
Then there is power, and the lust for it. People like to be in power. They like to have power over others. They like to be idolized and adored by the masses. They like it so much so that many will stop at nothing to obtain such power. Even if it means subverting the freewill of those who would oppose them. Even if it means engaging in evil behavior. They may not want to admit this is what they are doing, they may not want to look at themselves in the mirror and think of themselves as evil, and so they will put on the mask of claiming that what they are doing is for some elusive greater good.
I don't believe in the idea of a Utopia. Those who would try to sell that idea are usually doing so for their own benefit. A collectivist society claiming authority to do the greatest good is also capable of doing the greatest evil. By allowing individual freewill to flourish as much as possible, any evil that may occur is mitigated because it will only have the power to flow through the individual. It will not be able to flow through the powerful collective as a whole. In this way evil does the least amount of damage possible.
In modern society, political debates have come to the forefront involving prohibitions against certain goods and services. What are prohibitions if not an attempt to subvert freewill? People on both sides of the issues point to this statistic or that scientific study to make their points about building a better society through prohibition, but politics is not about science. Most politicians aren't scientists. Politics is about philosophy. Politics is about who is going to control your life, and the lives of others, who is going to pay for it, and how much are they going to pay. Politics is about forming a collective with enough power to subvert the freewill of anyone who questions the motives of that collective. Government has become about forcing everyone else to submit to the will of that authoritative collective.
Evil may have come into being because of the desire to do good. It may have come into being because of a desire to keep others from harm. Those who have been through the school of hard knocks may wish to keep others from experiencing the same pain and disappointment as they've experienced. While explanations and the way of gentle persuasion is fine, restrictions subverting the freewill of the individual are not the way to go about teaching. This is not how humans learn. The freewill of others needs to be respected, as you would want others to respect your freewill. We must allow for mistakes to be made. We must allow for failure if genuine learning and human growth is to take place.
From the drug war to the war on the second amendment, from free speech zones to TSA warrantless searches, from the monopoly on currency creation to the corporate cartels dominating world trade, the evil in the system has become obvious to anyone who cares to look. You can turn your eyes away from the ugliness and claim it doesn't exist, or you can make the claim that these are "necessary evils," but denial and excuses aren't going to solve the problems faced by modern society. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. A necessary evil is still an evil. Until we as a society recognize this and stop tolerating the subversion of freewill, evil will exist because we want it to exist, because we believe it can be tamed and domesticated.
Evil will likely always exist. There will always be those who wish to control others, who wish to subvert the freewill of individuals for their own benefit. The trick is to minimize the effect these people have on the rest of us. This is done by dissembling centralized institutions of power and decentralizing government. This is done by creating a voluntary society where there is no ruling class claiming authority to steal from a working class. This is done by creating a system that does not allow for force to be used against the individual, unless that individual is somehow harming or stealing from others. This is done by condemning the ideals of collectivism and exalting the ideals of individualism. This is accomplished when the governed refuse to give consent to those who would govern them.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Monday, January 14, 2013
Iceland, the Mouse is Still Roaring
I had a dream the other night. I stood on the shore looking across a
calm ocean. From the east I heard a strange noise. It sounded like the
distant roar of a mighty beast. It was quiet on the wings of the wind,
but as it passed the ocean suddenly started to roil. Before too long the
still waters were undulating wildly and the silence of lapping ripples
had become a cacophony of crashing waves. I wondered at what could have
fomented such a drastic change. I awoke before I could find out.
What is this beast that can cause so much noise and yet no one seems to hear it? What creature could roam this world with such ferocity and yet no one seems to see it? What animal is announcing its presence to the world in such a powerful way and yet no one dares to report it? Why this entity is the little country of Iceland, and it's showing the rest of the civilized western world what it truly means to be economically free. It's showing us all that we don't need to be under the thumbs of central banksters, and we don't need to bail them out. They're showing us that we needn't worry about the too big to fail should they fail, we only need to worry about them if we keep allowing them to control our economic blood flow.
Back in March of 2010 I published an article entitled "Iceland, the Mouse that Roared." In it I explain what the people of Iceland were doing to keep control over their infrastructure and to maintain their sovereignty. I applauded the Icelanders at the time for challenging the status quo and refusing to give into the bankers. I stated that I wished the people of the United States would be so brave. Nearly three years later my wish has not come true. Neither the people of the United States nor their corrupt politicians have stood up to the international bankers. Neither have the people of the United States stood up to their corrupt politicians who enable these banksters. The people of Iceland, however, have continued their stance against the establishment.
The United States of America, along with most of the rest of the technologically advanced western countries, continues to remain in the economic doldrums, despite what the mainstream media would have you believe. It's tough to be unemployed or under employed and have faith in what the mainstream news is telling us lately. What happened to all the well paying high tech jobs we were supposed to be enjoying? What happened to all the well paying high tech manufacturing jobs? What happened to all the even mediocre private sector jobs? What happened to all the jobs we could get to make enough to support our families and create a halfway decent lifestyle? I'll tell you what happened. The moneyed elite decided they could no longer stand to share the wealth with an industrious, prosperous middle class and so they designed a way where they could end up with all the real wealth. Such is the power of a fiat, debt based, fractional reserve currency system.
What has Iceland done since its fiscal collapse in 2008? How has its economy fared since it decided not to bailout the bankers, but to jail them? Well, according to this clip from "The Young Turks" the economy of Iceland is doing better than most. The difference is Icelanders stood up to the banking elite. The difference is they stood up to their corrupt politicians. They indicted their prime minister, something I'm pretty sure would be akin to us indicting the president, or maybe the speaker of the house. They arrested the chief executives of their three biggest banks. They sentenced one to solitary confinement. They did not listen to the experts and the politicians, they listened to their hearts and did what they felt was right. They did not let the criminals go unpunished to continue their lives of privilege.
Sure, the Icelandic economy went down the first year after their actions. Something like that is to be expected. But just look at what their economy is doing now. It almost regained all its losses in two years and now it's poised to be one of the strongest economies in the world. If the American people had said "no" to the bailouts in 2008, imagine where we could be today. We, too, would have had a down 2009, but likely our 2010 and 2011 would have made up for it. We could be enjoying a robust economy right now if our politicians had only had the courage to stand up to the bullying banking elite, or we had had the courage to stand up to the political class in Washington, DC.
Iceland's economic story is one that should be being reported far and wide. Financial news networks ought to be wondering at the resilience of the Icelandic people. We won't hear anything about it in the mainstream media, however, because the same elite class that own the politicians also own the major media sources. They don't want you to hear about Iceland. They don't want you to know that you can be free of the international bankers' influence. They want you to believe their propaganda. They want you to believe that without them the economy would collapse. They are afraid of what might happen to them should you believe otherwise.
We can still follow Iceland's example. We can still do as the Icelanders did. Sure, we might have a down 2013 if we did, but the ensuing years would quickly make up for it. There are some who say it's too late, some who would make the claim that we're in too deep, but I say it's never too late to do what's right. Even if the economy were to suffer, we should not allow criminals to continue to get away with their criminal activities, especially when these criminals are the ultra wealthy elite living in ivory towers they consider impregnable.
We have heard a mouse that roared. It is still roaring, if only we listen. We can be the eagle that screeched louder than the blaring angels' trumpets. We can soar into the sky on wings of silver and gold. It will take some testicular fortitude, but it can happen. What worries me is that it is more likely we're going to simply be the chicken that quietly clucks. What worries me is that this could be the last egg laid before the farmer comes to take us to the chopping block, chuckling all the way. We could be something great, a free society prosperous beyond all imagination, if only we follow the mouse's example, but it looks more and more like we're being set up to be someone's supper every passing day.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
What is this beast that can cause so much noise and yet no one seems to hear it? What creature could roam this world with such ferocity and yet no one seems to see it? What animal is announcing its presence to the world in such a powerful way and yet no one dares to report it? Why this entity is the little country of Iceland, and it's showing the rest of the civilized western world what it truly means to be economically free. It's showing us all that we don't need to be under the thumbs of central banksters, and we don't need to bail them out. They're showing us that we needn't worry about the too big to fail should they fail, we only need to worry about them if we keep allowing them to control our economic blood flow.
Back in March of 2010 I published an article entitled "Iceland, the Mouse that Roared." In it I explain what the people of Iceland were doing to keep control over their infrastructure and to maintain their sovereignty. I applauded the Icelanders at the time for challenging the status quo and refusing to give into the bankers. I stated that I wished the people of the United States would be so brave. Nearly three years later my wish has not come true. Neither the people of the United States nor their corrupt politicians have stood up to the international bankers. Neither have the people of the United States stood up to their corrupt politicians who enable these banksters. The people of Iceland, however, have continued their stance against the establishment.
The United States of America, along with most of the rest of the technologically advanced western countries, continues to remain in the economic doldrums, despite what the mainstream media would have you believe. It's tough to be unemployed or under employed and have faith in what the mainstream news is telling us lately. What happened to all the well paying high tech jobs we were supposed to be enjoying? What happened to all the well paying high tech manufacturing jobs? What happened to all the even mediocre private sector jobs? What happened to all the jobs we could get to make enough to support our families and create a halfway decent lifestyle? I'll tell you what happened. The moneyed elite decided they could no longer stand to share the wealth with an industrious, prosperous middle class and so they designed a way where they could end up with all the real wealth. Such is the power of a fiat, debt based, fractional reserve currency system.
What has Iceland done since its fiscal collapse in 2008? How has its economy fared since it decided not to bailout the bankers, but to jail them? Well, according to this clip from "The Young Turks" the economy of Iceland is doing better than most. The difference is Icelanders stood up to the banking elite. The difference is they stood up to their corrupt politicians. They indicted their prime minister, something I'm pretty sure would be akin to us indicting the president, or maybe the speaker of the house. They arrested the chief executives of their three biggest banks. They sentenced one to solitary confinement. They did not listen to the experts and the politicians, they listened to their hearts and did what they felt was right. They did not let the criminals go unpunished to continue their lives of privilege.
Sure, the Icelandic economy went down the first year after their actions. Something like that is to be expected. But just look at what their economy is doing now. It almost regained all its losses in two years and now it's poised to be one of the strongest economies in the world. If the American people had said "no" to the bailouts in 2008, imagine where we could be today. We, too, would have had a down 2009, but likely our 2010 and 2011 would have made up for it. We could be enjoying a robust economy right now if our politicians had only had the courage to stand up to the bullying banking elite, or we had had the courage to stand up to the political class in Washington, DC.
Iceland's economic story is one that should be being reported far and wide. Financial news networks ought to be wondering at the resilience of the Icelandic people. We won't hear anything about it in the mainstream media, however, because the same elite class that own the politicians also own the major media sources. They don't want you to hear about Iceland. They don't want you to know that you can be free of the international bankers' influence. They want you to believe their propaganda. They want you to believe that without them the economy would collapse. They are afraid of what might happen to them should you believe otherwise.
We can still follow Iceland's example. We can still do as the Icelanders did. Sure, we might have a down 2013 if we did, but the ensuing years would quickly make up for it. There are some who say it's too late, some who would make the claim that we're in too deep, but I say it's never too late to do what's right. Even if the economy were to suffer, we should not allow criminals to continue to get away with their criminal activities, especially when these criminals are the ultra wealthy elite living in ivory towers they consider impregnable.
We have heard a mouse that roared. It is still roaring, if only we listen. We can be the eagle that screeched louder than the blaring angels' trumpets. We can soar into the sky on wings of silver and gold. It will take some testicular fortitude, but it can happen. What worries me is that it is more likely we're going to simply be the chicken that quietly clucks. What worries me is that this could be the last egg laid before the farmer comes to take us to the chopping block, chuckling all the way. We could be something great, a free society prosperous beyond all imagination, if only we follow the mouse's example, but it looks more and more like we're being set up to be someone's supper every passing day.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
Below is a list of all my works available at smashwords.com. Please help me by purchasing one or more of my ebooks and writing favorable reviews if you like them so that others might also enjoy them.
Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective. A Collection of Opinion Editorials. By Szandor Blestman
Galaxium. A screenplay By Matthew Ballotti
The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy. By Matthew Ballotti
The Edge of Sanity. By Matthew Ballotti
The Ouijiers By Matthew Ballotti
Friday, January 11, 2013
Guns, Lies and Statistics
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Mark Twain
The gun debate rages on. What a waste of time. It was settled over two hundred years ago. One would wonder what else is going on in the world where we need to focus on such a divisive issue. What's going on that the powers that be need us paying attention to this issue, yelling and screaming at each other, rather than something of real importance? What issue are they trying to hide from us while our focus lies with the gun issue? I don't know. I know the economy is bad. Some say it's about to implode. I know the Federal Reserve continues its fraudulent practices. Is something about to happen on that front? Are they finally going to arrest the bankster criminals? Are we about to see rampant hyper inflation? Is World War III about to be launched? Are they getting ready to unleash hell upon this world? I hope not. Still, I think this debate might be some kind of distraction.
Why would I say that? Well, for one thing, the mainstream media allowed Alex Jones to go on live television with Piers Morgan. That's right, we all got to see AJ have a meltdown on national TV, scream and yell, and challenge Piers Morgan to a fight. It wasn't the prettiest sight to see and the gun grabbers that saw his performance can now make the argument that by his example gun owners are all violent, mentally unstable people.
Of course, you and I know that's not true. Anyone who listens to AJ knows his schtick. He gets passionate about his rights and he's willing to fight for them. I guess I can't really blame him for that. But those people are the choir. People listening to Alex Jones already likely understand the principles of freedom and why we need to exercise our rights. Alex had a chance to get on the TV and win over some hearts and minds. I respect Alex for the work he's done, but in my opinion he failed miserably with his performance the other night. I doubt very much that he changed one anti 2nd amendment person's mind with his performance, and he may have even shifted some people who were on the fence over to their side.
Now, I think Alex had the right idea, but his presentation was less than stellar. Piers, with his statistics and his calm demeanor, was trying to frame the debate in such a way that he couldn't loose. Alex wanted the debate framed differently. But when Piers asks the question about the number of gun murders in Great Britain and Wales, to come back with a question about monkeys dancing on the head of a pin just made Alex sound nonsensical and cartoonish. Then his ranting and raving solidified his appearance of being insane. He should have calmed down. I think he could have been better prepared.
Now, I can't say that I would do any better, it's easy to be critical sitting at home, but I'll tell you one thing, I would always try to answer any question about statistics with the above quote by Mark Twain. What would have made it even better in this case is that Mark Twain attributed it to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, so Piers Morgan should have respect for him to. I would go on to say that statistics are oft times manipulated, used bolster weak arguments and used to divert attention away from the real issue, in this case the issue of what the founders intentions were when they included the 2nd amendment in the Bill of Rights and whether or not people have the right to self defense regardless of what the government says or whether or not there even is a 2nd amendment. There is a larger, more philosophical argument here of whether or not we own ourselves and whether or not we can make our own decisions on how to protect ourselves and our families.
Then, after finding out how many gun murders there were in the UK last year, Piers says there was 35 but other sources say 59, I would have asked Piers how many lives were saved by guns last year? How many children's lives were saved by guns last year? I don't know the answer to those questions. I doubt that he would have known the answer to those questions. I would have told him I don't even know if they keep those statistics. I don't even think there is a way to keep those statistics because there's no way of knowing how many lives were saved when a killer is stopped. How many others would a killer have killed if the person with the gun didn't stop them when he or she did? But I would bet that there were more lives saved in the United States last year because of guns than there were killed by guns in the UK.
That's a statistic you don't hear much about. As it turns out, according to Ben Swann of Reality Check, there was 260 justifiable gun homicides by private citizens last year. That's at least 260 lives saved. But we don't really know how many lives were truly saved because we don't know how many others would have fallen victim to the now dead criminal. And that's not counting the criminals who were stopped by guns but not killed and were later jailed. How many lives were saved because they were taken off the streets? How many rapes were stopped? How many other violent crimes were stopped? And how many crimes weren't even committed because criminals were afraid their would be victims might have guns? The numbers keep growing. Where are the statistics for those situations?
Now here's where I put the final nail in Piers Morgan's arguments. Oft time those who wish to force social order upon everyone through force of law make the claim that the law is worth it if just one child's life is saved. It's worth having laws forcing people to wear seatbelts if just one child's life is saved. It's worth going through airport porno scanners or having a TSA agent sexually assault you if it prevents just one terrorist attack or saves the life of just one child. Well then, isn't it worth preventing the government from violating our 2nd amendment right if such a prevention will save the life of just one child? Think about it. It might not matter to Piers Morgan, but it will matter to that child.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
I have recently collected all my Ron Paul opinion editorials and put them in an ebook entitled, "Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective" available at amazon.com and other fine ebook outlets.
Mark Twain
The gun debate rages on. What a waste of time. It was settled over two hundred years ago. One would wonder what else is going on in the world where we need to focus on such a divisive issue. What's going on that the powers that be need us paying attention to this issue, yelling and screaming at each other, rather than something of real importance? What issue are they trying to hide from us while our focus lies with the gun issue? I don't know. I know the economy is bad. Some say it's about to implode. I know the Federal Reserve continues its fraudulent practices. Is something about to happen on that front? Are they finally going to arrest the bankster criminals? Are we about to see rampant hyper inflation? Is World War III about to be launched? Are they getting ready to unleash hell upon this world? I hope not. Still, I think this debate might be some kind of distraction.
Why would I say that? Well, for one thing, the mainstream media allowed Alex Jones to go on live television with Piers Morgan. That's right, we all got to see AJ have a meltdown on national TV, scream and yell, and challenge Piers Morgan to a fight. It wasn't the prettiest sight to see and the gun grabbers that saw his performance can now make the argument that by his example gun owners are all violent, mentally unstable people.
Of course, you and I know that's not true. Anyone who listens to AJ knows his schtick. He gets passionate about his rights and he's willing to fight for them. I guess I can't really blame him for that. But those people are the choir. People listening to Alex Jones already likely understand the principles of freedom and why we need to exercise our rights. Alex had a chance to get on the TV and win over some hearts and minds. I respect Alex for the work he's done, but in my opinion he failed miserably with his performance the other night. I doubt very much that he changed one anti 2nd amendment person's mind with his performance, and he may have even shifted some people who were on the fence over to their side.
Now, I think Alex had the right idea, but his presentation was less than stellar. Piers, with his statistics and his calm demeanor, was trying to frame the debate in such a way that he couldn't loose. Alex wanted the debate framed differently. But when Piers asks the question about the number of gun murders in Great Britain and Wales, to come back with a question about monkeys dancing on the head of a pin just made Alex sound nonsensical and cartoonish. Then his ranting and raving solidified his appearance of being insane. He should have calmed down. I think he could have been better prepared.
Now, I can't say that I would do any better, it's easy to be critical sitting at home, but I'll tell you one thing, I would always try to answer any question about statistics with the above quote by Mark Twain. What would have made it even better in this case is that Mark Twain attributed it to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, so Piers Morgan should have respect for him to. I would go on to say that statistics are oft times manipulated, used bolster weak arguments and used to divert attention away from the real issue, in this case the issue of what the founders intentions were when they included the 2nd amendment in the Bill of Rights and whether or not people have the right to self defense regardless of what the government says or whether or not there even is a 2nd amendment. There is a larger, more philosophical argument here of whether or not we own ourselves and whether or not we can make our own decisions on how to protect ourselves and our families.
Then, after finding out how many gun murders there were in the UK last year, Piers says there was 35 but other sources say 59, I would have asked Piers how many lives were saved by guns last year? How many children's lives were saved by guns last year? I don't know the answer to those questions. I doubt that he would have known the answer to those questions. I would have told him I don't even know if they keep those statistics. I don't even think there is a way to keep those statistics because there's no way of knowing how many lives were saved when a killer is stopped. How many others would a killer have killed if the person with the gun didn't stop them when he or she did? But I would bet that there were more lives saved in the United States last year because of guns than there were killed by guns in the UK.
That's a statistic you don't hear much about. As it turns out, according to Ben Swann of Reality Check, there was 260 justifiable gun homicides by private citizens last year. That's at least 260 lives saved. But we don't really know how many lives were truly saved because we don't know how many others would have fallen victim to the now dead criminal. And that's not counting the criminals who were stopped by guns but not killed and were later jailed. How many lives were saved because they were taken off the streets? How many rapes were stopped? How many other violent crimes were stopped? And how many crimes weren't even committed because criminals were afraid their would be victims might have guns? The numbers keep growing. Where are the statistics for those situations?
Now here's where I put the final nail in Piers Morgan's arguments. Oft time those who wish to force social order upon everyone through force of law make the claim that the law is worth it if just one child's life is saved. It's worth having laws forcing people to wear seatbelts if just one child's life is saved. It's worth going through airport porno scanners or having a TSA agent sexually assault you if it prevents just one terrorist attack or saves the life of just one child. Well then, isn't it worth preventing the government from violating our 2nd amendment right if such a prevention will save the life of just one child? Think about it. It might not matter to Piers Morgan, but it will matter to that child.
If you enjoy my writings, please visit szandorblestman.com to make a donation.
I have recently collected all my Ron Paul opinion editorials and put them in an ebook entitled, "Ron Paul's Wisdom, A Layman's Perspective" available at amazon.com and other fine ebook outlets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)