Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Political Disengagement Is For The Virtuous

By, Chris Rossini

As the "American System" of paper money and empire continues its decay, the number of American citizens who are losing faith in it appears to be growing. I come to this conclusion based on the burgeoning number of commentaries that I see from people who comprise what is known as the class of "respectable opinion".

Today, I came across yet another plea that without politics, life itself would grind to a screaming halt.

Kathryn Jean Lopez seeks to remind everyone that reads National Review, that "political disengagement is not an option". In other words, you were born into a system where robbing your neighbor, and using force against your neighbor, is your only option. Seeking to live peacefully by not taking part is simply not a choice for you to make.

Lopez writes:
If we start thinking that we are above politics, we need to remember that if we don’t get our hands dirty paying attention to who it is we are electing, and to policy and pending decisions, we are shirking a responsibility. Disengagement is dangerous. Engagement is our civic duty.
Peace and non-aggression is "above politics". Standing in line (like cattle) at a voting booth does not mean that you're paying attention to anything. The person that you are electing is not bound to anything. They do not have to (nor do they) tell the truth in order to get your vote. This should be obvious by now. It's not like this charade started yesterday.

The person you vote for has no idea that you specifically voted for him/her. How on Earth can you possibly be "responsible" for what the politician does? As hard as it is for many to come to grips with, you are responsible for your actions.

Disengagement is dangerous?

How so?

Lopez doesn't say.

Her job is to make sure people keep believing. The fact that she's writing on this subject means that the believers must be going through a phase where their faith is being tested. That darn Internet must be making them second guess a few things.
Cynicism about politics can be seductive, too. The media thrive on conflict and scandal, and so it’s often the worst of political life that we focus on. But politics is necessary. “Politics is,” [Charles] Krauthammer explains, “the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.
Oh sure it's the media's fault. They just focus on the worst.

Politics is the worst. For it the use of violence and force to settle your disputes. It's a never-ending struggle to gain control of the monopolistic use of violence. If you don't control it, someone else will, and they'll beat you over the head with it.

And Lopez wants us to believe that "politics is necessary"?

One can see why those who control The State would want you to think its necessary; and why they would want to keep everyone "Rocking The Vote". But mankind's long history of failed governments has proven that for 99.999% of everyone who has ever lived, politics is poison.

Finally, is Lopez really trotting out a quote for Charles Krauthammer? This is a man who never saw a bomb that he didn't want dropped on some non-American. And he's the voice who is to tell us that without politics "barbarians" will take over and "everything burns"?

Governments have killed so many hundreds of millions that it's impossible to keep count anymore. No other group of organized individuals could possibly accomplish such a feat.

It's time to stop buying into the stories of the real barbarians. It's imperative to celebrate when people "politically disengage". For it can possibly a sign that people are becoming more virtuous.


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5 comments:

  1. Chris
    There is no hope of political activity fixing the current mess. Obama 2012 is the siren call of more Socialism. Simple math says that we cannot win via the ballot box. In America there are:
    108 million on transfer payments
    101 million fulltime workers
    21 million government workers
    The rest are children and elderly. The elderly have a vested interest in two big programs : Medicare and Social Security. Simple math says that we cannot overcome the mass that gets a lot and wants more from the government. Obamacare will distort the above figures even more.The fact is that we cannot win politically. What we can do is withdraw our funding of the government. By working less and structuring your activities you can essentially pay little or no tax thereby depriving the Evil State of its food. This is going Galt but with the difference that it is the middle class going Galt whereas in the book it was the rich (some of them) going Galt. Since consumption is 66 - 70% of the economy even a small cut back would collapse it and deprive the government of revenue. As Boetie said "Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed"

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  2. Now if only you guys would stop writing about politics and I would stop reading your political posts then we can both get on to something productive.

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  3. Disengagement from the state/politics is a great idea. Christians for the first three centuries refused to participate in the state. It wasn't until the men of the Church made a deal with Caesar Constantine that Christians officially began to participate in the state.

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  4. Great write up Chris.

    "Disengagement is dangerous?

    How so?

    Lopez doesn't say."

    What she meant to say is that disengagement is dangerous for those reliant upon the established order.

    :)

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  5. Chris,

    Once again, great analysis. You're hitting your stride!!

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