Welcome to "Notes From Occupied America." This is the first in what will hopefully be a very brief foray into the blog sphere. I say ‘hopefully brief’ for two reasons. First, I believe there are a finite number of things one person can say without becoming tedious or redundant, and, second, it is my hope that the spirit of liberty will be reawakened in my fellow Americans, which will render my message superfluous. It is my sincerest wish, however, that this blog will help to fill in a few gaps in the current political debate, win new friends for the cause of liberty, strengthen the arguments of those who are already friends of liberty, and earn me a few more enemies among those who hate, fear, and despise liberty.
In answer to why I chose the name "Notes From Occupied America" for this blog, it is intended to serve as a double entendre. The first meaning stems from my belief that America is currently under occupation by an ideology which is foreign to American values and principles. Americans are, by nature, rugged individualists. You can find a greater variety of examples and methods of expressing individuality here in America than in any other culture in the world. We customize our cars and motorcycles, and we buy vanity plates. We customize our cubicles at work, and even our cell phones. Musically, we invented Jazz, Country, the Blues, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. America is a nation of pioneers, cowboys, explorers, entrepreneurs, inventors, and general risk-takers. Our ancestors left the comfort and familiarity of their homes, communities, families, and friends on other continents to face the unknown, because they valued OPPORTUNITY more than SECURITY. Americans invented the telegraph, the telephone, the phonograph, motion pictures, the steam engine, interchangeable parts, the assembly line, the airplane, the electric light, the artificial heart and numerous other inventions that make our lives better.
In spite of our heroic heritage, there is a malignant and alien ideology that is creeping like a cancer over the nation. That ideology goes by the names of liberalism or progressivism. Regardless of what this leftist ideology is called, progressivism is nothing more than a recycled variation of collectivism or socialism. It is completely antithetical to American values. Progressivism is an ideology of cowardice. Socialism plays upon the fears of those who lack the courage to take responsibility for their own lives and their own decisions. It is characterized by an endemic avoidance of responsibility. According to the progressive ideology, the individual is too weak to take care of himself and too stupid to make her own decisions. Like peasants in the Dark Ages, leftist citizens want to be able to beg protection from all ills, real or imagined, at the foot of their lord protector. In modern terms, that lord protector is the state. Do not dare to do anything for yourself. According to progressives, you are too incompetent. When predatory criminals threaten, do not attempt to defend yourself, you are incapable. Instead, run to the nearest government law enforcement agent for help. You are far too foolish to manage the financial planning for your retirement. Not to fear; the government will provide Socialist Security for you.
Under the progressive ideology, individuals no longer have any meaningful rights. A progressive has no concept of “inalienable rights.” All rights emanate from the government and what any entity may give you, it may also take away (see the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, Article 29 for an example).
Additionally, the most important rights, according to progressives, are those vested in selected groups. Progressives only concern themselves with ‘women’s rights,’ ‘gay rights,’ ‘Hispanic rights,’ 'African rights,’ ‘workers’ rights,’ ‘animal rights,’ etc. If you do not fall into a protected group, you have no meaningful rights. Hate speech codes trump free speech, and anti-discrimination laws trump property rights in the progressive world view.
This is not to say that Americans are incapable of collective action. Americans have a long history of working together. From Colonial militias and Committees for Public Safety, to homesteaders forming wagon trains and neighbors gathering for a barn-raising, Americans have always known how to work together. This is still seen today in many organizations like Habitat for Humanity, neighborhood watch groups, local church charities and veteran’s organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. It is also seen among less formal groups like motorcycle clubs that hold toy runs, and numerous other collections of citizen volunteers who gather, ad hoc, to improve their communities, provide charity, and help others. The point is Americans can and do work together, and they work best when they form voluntary organizations.
The second meaning of the title of this blog stems from the fact that Americans are "occupied" (or, more correctly, preoccupied) by an obsession with the trivial. It is a new spin on the old Roman practice of keeping the masses quiescent by plying them with 'bread and circuses.' We care more about the outcomes on reality television and more about how our local sports teams are faring this season than we do about the legacy we are bequeathing to our children. Our minds are “occupied” with questions of the most insignificant sort. Will the Bulls “three-peat”? Who got kicked off of “American Idol” this week? Instead, we should be worrying about things like how much less freedom our children will enjoy than we do, and how much lower their standard of living is going to be due to the massive Federal debt and the resulting currency devaluation. We know more about the private life of our favorite actor or rock star and more about the statistics for our favorite professional athlete than we do about the political alliances and voting record of our congressman. When we can be bothered to pull ourselves away from the game long enough to go and vote, if we pay attention to the issues at all, it is only to see what is in it for us. We vote for a representative based not on his dedication to protecting our liberties and abiding by the Constitution, but rather on his ability to bring Federal dollars back to his district or on his dedication to increasing our entitlements. Like Esau, we are despising and selling our birthright (liberty), for a mess of pottage (entitlements). Even more despicably, the entitlements we gain are purchased by picking our neighbor's pocket, and we are selling our children into debt peonage in order to provide for our own comforts now.
Again, welcome, and here's to being a thorn in the side of the liberty-haters!
Evil 9,
The Liberty Guerrilla
