Saturday, December 15, 2012

Fear vs. Fear Not

By, Chris Rossini
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What is the role that a libertarian should play during a crisis?

Unfortunately, the State lives and breathes on crises, fear, catastrophe, war, etc. It is during these times that the power of the State tends to expand rapidly.

The number of things that the State wants you to fear is almost limitless:

  • You have to fear foreigners and people with different religions.
  • You have to fear bird flu, swine flu, and Pterodactyl flu.
  • You have to fear the businessman and management.
  • You have to fear raw milk, non-FDA approved treatments, fast foods, salts, saturated fats and big bad cholesterol.
  • You have to fear people who take drugs.
  • You have to fear people with guns.

The State capitalizes on your fears, by promising to fix life's problems, but at a very steep price: your freedom.

Freedom is the currency used when dealing with the State and crisis. Once you hand any freedom over, getting it back is hell.

We've sunk so low that we're now getting our breasts and genitals felt up by government perverts. Shaking this sick behavior off is proving to be quite the challenge. 

And it matters not that the State doesn't fix the problems. Binding contracts are not a part of their lexicon. You can't go back, once it fails, and ask for your freedom back. To do so is considered very antiquated and fringe-like behavior on your part. When the State fails, the Harvard-educated thing to do is hand it even more of your freedom.

So...since the State thrives on "Fear", it is the responsibility of the libertarian to preach "Fear Not". This doesn't mean you shouldn't fear things. Fear serves a very valuable purpose. But what you shouldn't do is fear to the point that you're willing to hand over your freedom to an institution that can only make things worse.

During a crisis, the State stands there with open arms waiting for you to hand your freedoms over. The libertarian must convince people not to do it. Don't fall into the trap. Think things through.

Bob Wenzel has posted a fabulous article on what the ramifications would be if Americans handed over their right to defend themselves from criminals (who will always have guns). If that right is ever given up, getting it right back will be even harder than shaking off the airport perverts.

As libertarians, we must tell our family and friends to not give into the fear, and not give into the State, no matter what propaganda they throw. And then, like Bob did in his article, explain to them why. 

6 comments:

  1. LMAO! "Pterodactyl flu." Chris Rossini, poetic genius!

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  2. But to be fair and balanced, you must admit the state also tells us not to be afraid;

    1) Don't be afraid of fluoride in water.

    2) Don't be afraid of HFCS in all your delicious processed food.

    3) Don't be afraid to take your pharmaceutical medications, from lipitor to psychotropics.

    4) Don't be afraid of State power, NDAA, patriot act, etc. It's only there to protect you.

    5) Don't worry about the value of your life savings. The central banks are there to protect it.

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  3. "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived".

    From an old movie I really enjoyed. I prefer to live my life with joy in my heart, even if it does make me an outsider freak.

    Now if you really want to unleash the paranoia, you might wonder if this becomes an opportunity for TPTB to start clamping down on and marginalising the intelligentsia. Everyone knows the intellectuals are the biggest danger to a control state, which is why they're routinely the first rounded up by those who want power.

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    Replies
    1. Strictly Ballroom! Great movie!

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  4. “...not give into the state.” As Pelosi says: “Are you serious? Are you serious?” At best you can have a little fun, e.g. One doctor's office rejected SS# 123-45-6789 because another patient already had it, but 987-65-4321 worked. Mostly, I see no option but be good and stay out of the way. Object when you can of course, but its like trying to hold back the tide – oh, you can delay sometimes like a thick walled sand castle.

    Regs are written by unseen, unelected bureaucrats – Justice Scalia pointed out how convenient for the politicians to avoid blame. Your politician assures you he will work to fix it, send money. And you have little voice with politicians. I tried a phone meeting and the politician completely changed my question answering her altered version saying she agreed with me, we need single-payer healthcare – I don't call anymore. The local paper's blog censors comments – they won't allow a discussion about the $2.6T SS trust fund, too sensitive I guess. I don't comment there anymore.

    We are property of the state which is why, unlike most nations, we must report and pay taxes on income earned in foreign lands. We can be killed, held forever without trial or access to lawyers or family and apparently tortured. Nearly all criminal cases are now settled by plea bargain based upon “fess up, guilty or no” or risk much greater damage. And we have the highest rate of incarceration, probably greater than the old USSR and the police (now domestic military units), & prosecutors have immunity. SCOTUS has ruled innocence is no defense.

    So, it's no surprise we have no property ourselves. They can tax you over 100% – They slapped some penalties on Joe Lewis and took it all. While he was world heavyweight champion earning millions they took 100% and every year raised his balance due. Sometimes income (e.g. imputed) never received is taxed all the way to bankruptcy. SCOTUS says they can take our property if the state is enriched giving it to others. In AL they have a method to deduct from compensation the cost of demolition of homes taken by eminent domain. We can use property and call it ours under many rules that we can inadvertently break and forfeit said use. In asset forfeiture they take property because it committed a crime – the feds and the domestic military units often squabble over the split. When we die they take whatever they currently claim and heirs get to use the remains. Years ago, two states claimed a dead guy's citizenship and the combined claims (Fed + 2 states) exceeded 100%. Forsake your citizenship and they take their current rate and allow you the remains, though maybe the remains will finally be yours. Only a couple of other countries have exit taxes. In the cold war the US had none and an exit tax was an evil of the USSR and Cuba. Sand castles.

    We have no right to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness nor any security in our property, papers, correspondence or even whereabouts and you want us to “...not give in to the state.” How, citizen?

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