Credit The Libertarian Enterprise

Imagine this for a moment. You are a young man, totally indoctrinated in your religion. Anyone who doesn't follow your religion is evil and is condemned to hell. Those who seem to follow that religion, but are called by a different name are worse than almost anyone else. Got all that?

Now, suppose that your country is invaded by the country that your preachers and leaders have told you is worse than anyplace else on Earth, where they don't understand, or want to understand your religion, your culture, your history or your society. The invaders depose your elected leader, who has been accused of being a war criminal, and install a government that favors the invader. The invader can't understand why this would tick people off, and instead of trying to work with and understand the people, goes to towns where the unrest is at its highest, shells the towns with heavy artillery, forces all the people to leave their homes, and arrests hundreds of young men, simply because they're young and from that town. Perhaps one of these young men is your brother, or your cousin. While your relative is in jail, his family is suffering. He isn't available to help with chores, or to bring in money for food or medicine. While your relative is in jail, you have no communication with him. Suddenly, you see pictures of the invaders torturing and humiliating these young men, pictures that are spread all over the world. You hear rumors that some of these young men have been sent halfway around the world to stand trial, and you don't understand why this should be.

Now suppose your name is John Smith, the country is the US, and the invader is China or the UN.

What would you do?

Would you sit there idly and watch your country subjugated?

Or would you make improvised explosive devices and plant them to go off when enemy convoys were going by? Would you try to destroy your enemy and his puppet government? Would you set off bombs in public places, in order to try and kill some enemy troops and puppet officials? Would you try to kidnap and kill those who have destroyed your country and your society? Would reprisals make you back off, or would you just be sneakier, make it harder to find specific individuals and groups to blame? Would you stop at anything to free your country?

Once you can honestly answer this question, then you can look at US behavior in Iraq and Afghanistan and understand that the war there will never end, not so long as one US troop is there. Our political masters know this. They know that the 'temporary' measures they have instituted, for the 'duration of the war' are permanent. The only purpose of these various acts and temporary measures is to solidify power in the hands of the federal gooferment. Guess what? Soon (as in it's already happening) you will have to have ID to step outside of your house. You will be stopped for any or no reason and asked to show your 'papers.' Unless this crisis is curtailed, there will eventually be rationing of gas, oil, or other 'resources vital to national security.' Unless this crisis is curtailed, at some point the paranoid imbeciles in power will use some excuse to declare martial law, just so they feel secure in their power. This might be a 'terrorist attack.' It might just be something like 'we have credible evidence that a terrorist attack will occur.' It might be another major storm, like Katrina. The excuse would be; 'oh, we're making sure the failures of agencies during Katrina won't be repeated, therefore all emergency response will be centralized out of one office.' It doesn't really matter what the excuse is, at some point, some event will arise that will serve.

Wake up, people! The country we all grew up in is DEAD! It was killed by grasping, scheming politicians and corporations and other special interest groups. The illusion of freedom is long gone, buried under a morass of laws designed to crush our spirits. All that's left is the decaying corpse of an ideal, an ideal that many people still believe in. Hell, I believe in it myself! Unfortunately, the only ones who profit by continuing the ideal are the maggots in positions of power, feeding off what's left of our freedoms.

That doesn't change the fact that unless we begin to take active steps to bring the ideal back to life, we are condemned to live in a police state for the foreseeable future. Worse, our kids and grandkids will have to face that as well. And they won't even have the memory of what once was to hearten them.

What can we do? Get loud! Let the politicians know you're mad as hell. If you vote, vote against every incumbent. Write letters to the editor of your local paper. If you do this, make sure your arguments are reasoned, calm, and rational. You don't want to come across as a wild-eyed revolutionary or commander of the tin beany brigade. Don't make comparisons to Hitler. It doesn't matter how apt such comparisons may be, too many people automatically shut off their thinking processes when they hear that. (The old "It Can't Happen Here" syndrome.)

Can we make a difference? I really don't know. I do know that it is unconscionable to not make an effort. I honestly fear what may happen in the near future under the current Chimp-in-chief and his minions. I fear that they may lead us into a conflict that will not end until it results in such a catastrophe as has never been seen before in living memory on this planet.

For all of us. For your kids and grandkids. For yourself. Make the effort.

Please.



