It’s a little disturbing that one of the most common web searches bringing people to this blog is, “Give me hope, please.” But what really worries me is how many people are typing, “violence” and “revolution,” to end up here.
My fellow Americans, what are you thinking of?
What is violence going to accomplish that your votes did not? You got what you voted for. You want something else?
What?!?
I have nothing to say to “centrists.” These human dandelion seeds have no senses, apparently; and just float the prevailing wind. I wish I did have words that’d shake them down. But I’ve never had any luck with people who think it’s reasonable to split the difference between Hitler and Stalin.
And true socialist/authoritarians are twisted, ruthless monsters who know that their violence and oppression is self-serving to the elite group to which they feel they belong. They probably know what I’d like to say to them, but they’d happily have it tortured out of me anyway.
However, most people of the so-called “left” are not those socialists, and they’re not hopelessly foolish. They don’t understand that politics/government is violence, so they simply don’t know that they are invoking, promoting and unleashing violence upon their fellows.
The multiply-pierced, tattooed but still smiling Obama fan you see at Whole Foods really does want a peaceful society; he just hasn’t thought any more deeply about politics and market economics than he thought about that ring in his nose. He doesn’t know that his free-love-and-world-peace dreams drag us all into Stalinist nightmares. But so far, I’ve found it rewarding to talk to these people.
Sadly, most of the so-called “right” are much more difficult to work with. Perhaps they’re worse in hypocrisy and idolatry, and thus inoculated and steeled against reason. So while many righties seem to pray to God, they put their hands on their hearts and promise to obey a symbol instead (really; think about that).
While the word “constitution” invokes wonderful, abstract imagery to them (Norman Rockwell paintings, Bob Hope, and of course, flags), they have no idea what the constitution is for, let alone what it really says. Just like the lefties, they advocate bigger, costlier, more intrusive government – but they deny it! They’re just as opposed to individual liberty – but they deny it! They tear up the constitutions and stomp on them – but they deny it!
Frankly, I’d rather hang out at Whole Foods than listen to self-righteous ignorami spouting off about the “coming revolution,” or even secession. Far-Righties are maybe not as bad as centrists, but their rising mood of undirected, goal-free violence is certainly not helpful.
What do they suppose a revolution is going to do if they don’t even VOTE for what they say they want? And what would secession accomplish if it creates only a self-deluded clone of our current mess?
After years of trying to find ten Republicans who know what it is that they want, I’m hard pressed to see any difference between the “right” and the “left” other than the aforementioned tattoos, piercings…and the type and degree of hypocrisy.
Well, actually, I like Whole Foods. The one near my work in Houston has a great selection of Belgian beers. The GOP has nothing like it.
Of course, now that they’ve given up their catbird seat, and there’s no expectation of them actually doing anything substantial, the GOP talks (almost) like Ron Paul.
But when they held the reins of power, they did only evil, and then chose John McCain to lead them into more of the same.
They had a chance – a very good, record-breaking, youth-energizing chance – to set things right according to the words they speak from their mouths. But their voting arms, inexcusably, chose otherwise.
And now they complain? Inexcuseable. Shameful.
Even so, I think we’re seeing that even Republicans can come to their senses in sufficient numbers to shake the centrism tree. The so-called “Tea Parties” may exemplify this.
We all know we have enemies and problems. But the question in battle is never so much what to attack, as what to defend.
What do you want? Please don’t say you want “American Exceptionalism” unless you can explain to even yourself what that really means.
How do you want to live? Please don’t tell me “with American Values.” We’ve all seen plenty of American Values, and I think that’s why we’re all so hopeless, disgusted, and crying for revolution.
On these pages I’ve said that I want my rules written down, and that’s true. I don’t think we can live in peace without some hard and fast rules.
Good fences make good neighbors.
But if I were to paint my picture of The Good Life, here’s what it’d look like:
- Citizens can do whatever they want to do as long as they don’t harm anybody else, or take what’s not theirs.
- We’d have no more government than necessary to maintain #1.
- We write this down in plain speech and call it law.
- We invite others around the world to emulate our success, but otherwise leave them the heck alone.
So caveat emptor would replace the FDA, FTC, FDIC, FCC and a zillion other F’agencies. Common sense, competition, voluntary associations, charity and free market options galore replace union/corporate monstrosities, Medicare, Social Security, lobbyists, regulations, litigation and price controls. And because of the preceding, you get to keep what you earn, buy what you like (smoke it if you’re fool enough – and as long as you don’t blow it in my face), and live however and with whomever you want…as long as you leave others, and their stuff, alone.
That’s all.
Is that really so bad? Could you live with that?
Because you know that the alternative plan is not working, right?
