"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H.L. Mencken
Washington's Walking Dead
"Life itself is a danger zone. It’s not possible to live in total safety and security. So any system that aims to offer that, even for one phenomenon, and then feeds off the very opposite, should be open to question. Certainly, sacrificing things that have long been considered important to American life for protection from the rare and random chance that you might be injured or die is a decision that should be rethought from time to time. In this case, however, it seems that we can no longer imagine what life without a looming national security state might be like."
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Feel like I'm whispering to myself any more whenever I visit STR. But that's probably just as well.
Because I'm getting bored to tears of "libertarian" whiners like Tom Dispatch wailing and gnashing teeth over malfeasance of "the government". I truly believe those types simply cannot see "the government" as a mindless abstraction, a group of psychopaths, who are simply acting out their indoctrinations.
"...More tax dollars consumed, more intrusions in our lives, the further militarization of the country, the dispatching of some part of the U.S. military to yet another country, the enshrining of war or war-like actions as the option of choice -- this, by now, is a way of life. These days, the only headlines out of Washington that should surprise us would have “narrowing” or “less,” not “broadening” or “more,” in them..."
And what, dear friend, would one expect from a "District of Collectivism"? The whining and nagging is simply affirmation of the lunatics of state's proclaimed "jurisdiction" -- same as political "voting".
I'd better get back on my bike and shut up -- beautiful "January thaw" in this barren north country. Sam
I hear you Sam and agree with you about the whining, but can't really offer any actionable solutions as an alternative. I can only promote peaceful patience and deliberate preparation for the state's inevitable implosion. I appreciate your diligence and energy.
Thanks, Mark. And I truly appreciate the inspiration you've been to me over the years -- and to the Hale Bobbers (or what's left of 'em since they moved over to "facebook"). Sam