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Guest Post: The Essential Rules Of Liberty
Submitted by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market
The Essential Rules Of Liberty
There is nothing worse in this world than an
enslaved man who naively believes himself free, except, perhaps, trying
to explain to that same man his predicament. You can lay truth after truth before his feet. You can qualify your every position with cold hard irrefutable data. You
can plead and scream and raise veritable hell, but before he will ever
listen, he must first become aware of his own dire circumstances. As
long as he views himself as “safe and secure”, as long as he imagines
his chains to be wings, he will see no reason to question the validity
of the world around him, and he will certainly never invest himself into
changing his own deluded destiny.
Unfortunately, there are many such men crawling and
scraping about here in what was once a land graced with a self
sufficient and independently minded public majority. The
great lie that has been perpetuated in this country over the past
several decades is that we can defer our responsibilities of vigilance
and place our well being and our futures into the hands of others for
the sake of “collective efficiency”, or leisure. We have
been conditioned to live in a state of constant indifference, a society
which prizes compromise over principle and steadfast resolve. Those
who refuse to compromise that which is honorable for the sake of ease
and comfort are indicted as “extremist” or even criminal. The
idea of personal revolution is treated with discomfort, and all we
claim to stand for becomes muddled in a fog of inaction and cynicism. As Americans, we have forgotten what it means to earn and protect our own freedoms. We have forgotten that in liberty, there are standards that must be defended.
This, however, does not mean we cannot yet again remember ourselves. The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage and self destructed long ago. This is not the case. Stretching under the surface of our superficial force-fed mainstream culture are the roots of something real, and honest. Simmering beneath our so called “civilized” veneer, many Americans are finally rediscovering their wild and defiant origins. In the recent past we have been taught to feel ashamed of our rebelliousness. Now, we are learning to hold it quite dear.
For those of us who are awake, and for those who
are on the verge of understanding, certain rules come into play that
strengthen our stance and shield us from folly. Liberty is not a self perpetuating social condition. It requires guidelines, and effort, and sacrifice. Liberty will not survive without our willingness to maintain it. If you are not ready and willing to fight for your own independence, then you are not truly free.
Let’s examine some of the inherent laws and
guidelines of free will and free action that will allow us to not only
win back our self determination, but to keep it for generations to come. You want liberty? This is what it takes…
Rule #1: Never Take Anything For Granted
A lot of people today seem to have serious issues
with expectation and assumption; what we in the alternative media often
refer to as “normalcy bias”. We have grown used to the idea of abundance and relative safety. So much so, that we fail to notice when our abundance and safety begin to disappear. We assume that the condition of the world today will be the condition of the world tomorrow, and for all time. In
the U.S., we have even come to expect not only that our prosperity and
our freedom are inevitable, but that they will also increase
exponentially with each passing generation. This is a
relatively new and narrow cultural mindset likely caused by the
explosion in industrial growth after WWII which seemed to erase all
memory of the Great Depression in our society, leaving us with the
belief that surely, our circumstances would never become so desperate
again.
Those who are truly independent realize that
nations, no matter how affluent, can self destruct at a moment’s notice,
especially when they fail to recognize their own weaknesses and
confront their own demons. Never suppose that that which is good and just will remain without your own initiative. Never wait for others to fix those problems which you could just as easily solve yourself. Never expect that freedoms won cannot also be easily lost. Always prepare for the worst outcome, and strive for the best outcome.
Rule #2: Educate Yourself
Never become a useful idiot, or a waste of oxygen. Being a part of the herd is nothing to be proud of. Strive for knowledge, and thirst for the truth every moment of every day. Many
of the things we deem “important” in modern society are in the grand
scheme hollow attempts to fill our lives with distraction, only wasting
time until we finally bite the dust filled with regret. Pretending to further the depth of one’s life is not the same as actually doing so. I
can’t think of anything more horrifying than becoming a man who rushes
around frantically every waking moment, but ultimately accomplishes
nothing.
Do not assume that you already have a tangible grasp of the truth, especially if all your knowledge has been handed to you. Instead, research that knowledge for yourself. Put that which you have been taught to the test. Only in this way will you finally learn. Expand your horizons. Learn something useful. Remove
unnecessary distractions for at least part of your day and focus on
increasing your awareness of the environment you live in. There
are very few things in this world more important than this, and self
education should take precedence over everything else except your
family. “Lack of time” is no excuse for ignorance. Make time! The ignorant are led. The knowledgeable lead themselves.
Rule #3: Don’t Be A Pansy
Liberty is not for the faint of heart. Emotional courage is paramount to freedom, and it can be expressed to incredible effect by even the most unlikely heroes. I’ve seen children with more courage and tenacity than some full grown men.
If one recognizes the gravity of the situation we
face as a people, if one understands the considerable danger involved in
the fall of a Republic to the depths of fear and autocracy, but still
does nothing, that person has not only failed the world, he has also
failed himself. “Making waves”, or drawing the ire of “authority”, is the least of our worries. If
you have utilized an objective eye, and know you are right in your
position, then there is no reason to fear criticism from anyone.
Sociopolitical action, nonconformity,
noncompliance, and self defense, are unavoidable aspects of a society
that wishes to maintain its freedoms. There is no way around it. If you are not willing to stick your neck out and expose yourself to risk, you remove all chance of possible gain. If
you are a self proclaimed activist that refuses to sacrifice, that
refuses to struggle, then you have failed before you even began. Talk must lead to balanced action. Never thumb your nose at the devil without being ready to trade punches as well, or all is lost.
Rule #4: Stop Waiting For Others To Tell You What To Do
Independent people not only consider and implement the solutions of others, they also work on their own. Complaints abound lately in the Liberty Movement;
“When is someone going to do something!? What are YOU going to do about our predicament!?”
This is the question of a slave, not a free man. A free man asks, “What am I going to do about this predicament? What is MY solution to the problem?” Therein
is the key to liberty; decentralized leadership and movements based on
fluidity and spontaneity of action, instead of a great mass of people
standing around stiffly waiting for orders on high, or a self styled
messiah to engineer their world view. As soon as you place your very initiative under the control of others, you have lost the fight. Always
consider the solid strategies of intelligent people, and adopt them if
they are useful, but do not remain idle because you are too frightened
to exert the effort to solve problems bigger than yourself. Spectators only witness history, they do not make history.
Rule #5: Cast Off What Is Unnecessary, Keep What Is Effective
Yes, I stole this rule from Bruce Lee, but it is
just as applicable to social movements and economic stability as it is
to the martial arts. Invasive debt creation, for instance,
is a tool for subversion, and no people forced to bear the burden of
liabilities they can never repay is free. Therefore, exorbitant debt must be avoided, or cast off completely.
In our personal lives, how many useless goods do we
accumulate on a daily basis, instead of useful items that we may one
day desperately need? How much of our life is spent accumulating garbage in order to keep up with “socially acceptable” levels of consumer behavior? How many of us cling to careers we hate in order to service our needless consumption? The ability to prioritize must become a virtue once again, and, we all need to shut off the cable television…
This rule also applies to governments. If
a government no longer fulfills its sworn duties to the people, and no
longer serves the purposes to which it was originally intended, then it
too must be cast off and replaced with one that does serve the people,
or, it must be forced to return to its inherent foundations. Today,
this kind of talk is often referred to as “extremism”, or insurgency,
no matter how correct it might be, which brings us to our next rule…
Rule #6: Ignore Establishment Labels
Tactical name calling is only effective if we actually care what other people think of us. Labels
like “homegrown terrorist”, “extremist”, “doomer”, or “conspiracy
theorist”, are designed to shame people into self censorship. That
is to say, they pigeonhole movements and their participants into
categories of public shame, causing said movements to fear social
reprisal. They are also meant to forcefully assign
“outsider” or “fringe” status to particular political positions in order
to marginalize and weaken the resolve of those who hold them. Never mind that almost every powerful and honorable cultural movement in history once started out as “fringe”.
Early in our lives, we are taught that it is far
better to be accepted, and to avoid standing out, even at the expense of
our individualism. Unfortunately, many adults never
outgrow this childish belief, and thus become vulnerable to tactics as
absurd as simple ridicule. At bottom, being slandered by a
thieving bureaucracy infested with soulless parasites bent on
centralization at the expense of innocent human life is a bit laughable
(this goes for you too, SPLC). Globalists, along with their media cronies and their think-tank sock puppets, will say ANYTHING to get what they want. Empty words and false labels cannot stop the truth, or a movement driven by the truth.
Rule #7: Cynicism Is The Path To Defeat
It is good to be critical, but not to the point of nihilism. America’s
past is riddled with mistakes, bad judgments, horrible crimes, and
downright stupidity; that doesn’t mean that the principles on which this
country was founded are any less vital. We hear often from cynics that humanity has become too stupid and complacent to do what is right. However, stupidity and complacency are not inherent qualities. That’s an elitist fantasy with no basis in fact. Stupidity and complacency are learned behaviors, and they can be unlearned. What IS inherent is our ability to choose what path we will take. For adherents of liberty, we need only remind people that they have this choice. We
can whine and cry all day long about how nobody pays attention and how
there is no hope, or, we can exhaust all options before throwing in the
proverbial towel. We don’t need to “like” society the way
it is, but we do need to recognize the underlying potential of all
people to become something much more than what they currently are (I
can’t stand blind ignorance either, but I’m certainly not ready to
accept it as a fact of American life). Remember, no fight is over until it is over.
Rule #8: True Authority Is Derived From Respect That Is Earned, Not Bought, Or Taken
A corrupt politician is just a criminal conman in a nice suit. A law enforcement officer who refuses to follow Constitutional Law is just a petty little tyrant in a black uniform. An
economist who knowingly skews data to fit his own political bias or to
serve the political biases of men above him is just a liar or an inept
buffoon with an embossed piece of paper from an expensive university. A
lab scientist or doctor who flubs experimentation to support the
interests of the corporate world rather than the needs of the public is
just a quack in a white coat. All too often, though, we find ourselves taking these cretins seriously all because they talk the talk and wear the costume. They
are just people, and if they cannot do their jobs honestly, then they
are useless people, who deserve our disdain, not our respect. We should never allow such men to wield positions of authority over us.
Rule #9: Take It Personally
When someone tries to steal from you, hurt you, or
enslave you, unless you are some kind of nut, you take it pretty
personally, right? Why should it be any different when a government commits the same grievances? Americans
should be furious over the destruction of their economy, their
currency, their infrastructure, and their Constitutional freedoms! They should be enraged over the endless wars overseas that are bankrupting the nation. They should be bellowing to the rooftops over the cooption of their political system by a slimy brood of corporate bankers. Is this “extremist” behavior? Who cares!? If your anger is not visible then it is not worth a damn. Don’t just get active, get emotional! This is about your life, and the lives of those you love. That’s
not to say that we should take out our frustrations randomly and
haphazardly, but if we can’t at least make known our anger over the
misdeeds of government, then what the hell is the point of calling
ourselves free?
Rule #10: You Are The First And Last Line Of Defense
Like it our not, this is our job. We
have inherited a country on the verge of disaster, and we are tasked
with cleaning it up, otherwise, there will be little left to pass on. We do not get to bask in illusory prosperity for the rest of our days. We do not get to feed off the entitlement program trough until we are fat and contented. We are not going to retain our rights without blood, sweat, and tears. We will not be building magical floating cities in the clouds or skyscrapers on Mars. We will NOT be remembered fondly as members of some fantastical “golden era”.
We have been thrust into the muck and the mire. We are being molded as the lost children of an age better forgotten. We
have been slapped in the face with a dilemma so volatile and so
incredible it may one day be called the greatest crisis of all time. We have drawn the short straw.
This could be viewed as some terrible doom. It could be held as a star crossed act of ferocious fate. We could fall to our knees and lament with despair, overcome with woe at our unbearable lot. But, this would be in violation of rule #3, and nobody wants to be a sobbing pansy. On
the contrary, every “bad luck generation” is only so if they refuse to
see the great fortune at their fingertips; if they refuse to seize the
moment and conquer the giants of their day. The greater the hardship, the greater the enemy, the greater the heroes. We
are faced with possibly the most unrelenting antagonists and the most
treacherous obstacles in recent memory, or even distant memory. In
the same spark of confrontation, we are also presented with
unparalleled opportunity to change the course of the world forever. Whether or not we succeed, is entirely up to us.
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well when 20 men have the drop on you, what do you do? i say surrender so you can perhaps fight again some other day. there is such a thing as suicide by cop.
No thank you, I'd rather die behind the chemical shed.
Well GM in that case yes, I would give them the principal, but they've got another thing coming if they think they're getting any interest.
You want liberty? Follow my rules!
See the problem?
indeed, smartass-ism is a problem. seek help.
The rules are easy:
1. Don't initiate force
2. Don't defraud
---
For children:
1. Don't start a fight, always finish it
2. Don't lie or steal
I gotcha covered Medea:
"And now we recite the Non Conformists' Oath:
I promise to be different!
All:I promise to be different!
I promise to be unique!
All:I promise to be unique!
I promise not to repeat things other people say!
All: laughter
Good!" -Steve Martin
A Blessing!
Ah well,
"...the air in here is pretty thin; I think I'll step outside"
Who is John Galt?
vsmm?
This is my personal Rubicon in the context of the above "guest post":
When they come for my family, my guns, my gold, or my land without the due process demanded by our Constitution then I am ready to die immediately in the defense of any or all.
It is really simple. You must be ready to die for freedom. And if enough of us have that ingrained within us, (and state it forcefully as I do here), it is less likely that it will be necessary.
PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO THE MFERS!!!
And when you "minders" tag this post be sure you get my coordinates right. I will be waiting for you whenever you get bold enough to try to usurp Liberty on this planet for the next several centuries, (at the very least).
Its not coming for guns and gold that really scares me. Its the incremental stuff, like groping me at the airport or requiring me to buy "state" approved health insurance.
+1
I stopped flying planes as soon as the TSA grope game was announced.
I'm free...but I'm not cheap. Or easy.
It ain't easy bein' cheesy...
:)
It seems it's ok to talk about the subject online and with friends and family, but once you get on a podium and develop some followers, your odds of ending up with concrete shoes increases greatly. It feels like one of those "let's all jump off the cliff together" moments. Who's gonna stop in their tracks before the edge? The millions on the .gov tit. I'm ready, my friends are ready, but there are those who can not see what is coming and there is no way I can show them. You can not be told what is coming, you have to see it for yourself, as the great Morpheus claims.
This is nothing a beer summit cannot fix, especially if it's backed up with a healthy dose of hope and change.
Dope and Strange.
Better than bread and circuses!
"Rule #9: Take It Personally When someone tries to steal from you, hurt you, or enslave you, unless you are some kind of nut, you take it pretty personally, right? "
====
So you want to tell me that J was a Nut?
======
Another load of crap article..
==========
"You Are The First And Last Line Of Defense"
- yes, COWBOY, you are.!!!
====================================
You are not free, because you are poor and you are poor,
because you are stupid Period.
End of story.
2nd addition:
And you are dumb, because you are keep shorting
stocks, which are clearly going up and that's
because you are stupid again!!! :)))
Ohh, man :)))) It's a circle... :)
We need to get off our asses & get on the ball. Everybody. Including me.
+
it's game time bitchezzzzzzzzzzz
This post was mellifluous in it's wording, creative in it's drafting, sophisticated in it's architecture.
It left out one thing.
There is a self-evident axiom associated with liberty that I think most Americans refuse to realize. You have to want to be free, and wish for the freedom of others. That does not exist in the America I live in.
Just to use one example (though I have examples ad infinitum). Let's take this hyper liberal leftist green movement. There is a group of people out there, so extreme, that they are trying to make a certain type of light bulb mandatory in the United States. That means they are trying to force me to buy a certain type of light bulb by making all other light bulbs illegal. They want this because it's better for the environment. Well, what if I want a cheaper light bulb? Their ideological perceptions are influencing my ability to make a choice by making less energy efficient light bulbs (but cheaper) against the law to manufacture. So in this one instance, you have one group, intentionally separating me from my liberty to choose what type of light bulb I want to purchase.
This type of behavior is prevelant and widespread across a broad spectrum of industries both large and small, from a lemonade stand to building an oil pipeline. There is a large cross-section of US citizens that want the government to regulate and tax them to death. I don't particularly understand it myself, but it's definitely there.
"You have to want to be free, and wish for the freedom of others. "
==================
Excuse me, can you elaborate what you mean by "wish for the
freedom of others" ? Like bombing Every f*cking Country out there
on the Map supposed to mean "wish for the freedom of others"
Killing "nuclear free population" to export "American Freedom" ???
F*ck YOU! try to bomb China, assholes, if you don't like communist
Party!!!
I don't think we should be bombing, nor occupying any other countries. I don't believe meddling in the affairs of other countries falls under the purview of the US Constitution.
Indeed, Thank you, that's clear enough ;) A+
So...you tell Bob "F... you!", then turn around and thank him with a winky smile?
The most respected commentors here on ZH keep their cool and don't throw insults that leak water, Greeny.
OTOH, "...and stupid stuff, it makes us SHOUT! (It's educational)"
I bought a lifetime supple of 100w, 75w and 60w bulbs..........cases of them, and this is where freedom lies; fuck the "laws" that enrich the corporate conglomerate and support the aristocracy in D.C. Make your own freedom, and don't stop with light-bulbs. Your assertion that one must "want" to be free is quite correct, which is why the majority always ends up paying $50 for one fucking light bulb.
Amen to austerity ! Farmland with water, few head of cattle, couple of roosters and hens, comfy bird huntin blind.....yep, that about covers it for my taste. Even dry your clothes in the wind, wash em in the creek bed. All good for character dammit ! Just don't expect the woman to sign up for the drill.
Therein lies the dilemma.
Sincerely,
Stuck in suburbia
Women love austerity, you just have to make them understand.
-DSK
Yeah, they tend to be a little too results oriented.
Women are every bit as tough as men- the problem is, most of them aren't women, they're little girls that never got over being Daddy's little princess.
Keep your eyes peeled, and it's possible to find a good one. The trick is to be a man, and not a metrosexual.
Women are every bit as tough as men- the problem is, most of them aren't women, they're little girls that never got over being Daddy's little princess.
Keep your eyes peeled, and it's possible to find a good one. The trick is to be a man, and not a metrosexual.
uh, and isn't it a man who encourages them to be Daddy's little princess?
My little princess would whack you upside the head if you said that to her. : )
Just sayin'.
Right on, brother. I stocked up on a lifetime's supply of mercury to give my kids when they're constipated or in case I get syphilis. I have a few thousand gallons of leaded gasoline buried under my barn.
You and me and Eazy-E, nigga. Fuck da police.
+ ∞
it's game time bitchezzzzzzzzzzz
Does the author fail to realize that liberty itself has been divided so that it can be conquered. The new libertarian paternalists believe they know best for you and your family. They align with Isaiah Berlin's Two Concepts of Liberty which is the basis for the progressive movement. In truth there is no freedom FROM or freedom TO... only Freedom With. Dave Harrison www.tradewithdave.com
Does the author fail to realize that liberty itself has been divided so that it can be conquered. The new libertarian paternalists believe they know best for you and your family. They align with Isaiah Berlin's Two Concepts of Liberty which is the basis for the progressive movement. In truth there is no freedom FROM or freedom TO... only Freedom With. Dave Harrison www.tradewithdave.com
Stop putting money in banks, stop voting, stop paying taxes, stop being slaves....that should begin to stop them.
Excellent article....thank you
Activist Post: 10 New Year's Re-Solutions For Non-violent Rebellion
Fuck that shit! you fucking hippie fucks had the last 40 fucking years to smoke weed with the Bankers and to talk them into being reasonable human beings! now its time to hang them on the White House Lawn! All of them!
Fucking Talking Does NOT! Solve Shit with Bankers / Government / Lobby!
40 years of hot air and NOTHING! unless you count quality of life sliding backwards something!
ALL of YOU! that Post join a Group and Talk About it! are Fucking Government Plants!
it is time to Hang the Fucking Scumbags! for TREASON! from the Tallest Tree on the White House Lawn!!
JW, you never surprise me with your panicked shotgun responses.. Get off your perch and DO something useful you hot bag of air!
p.s. I marvel at your venom against the healthy actions in that post. Did you even read it through? Or are you the fucking plant here...
So, let's picture this, JW. You hang around outside Goldman Sachs, and manage to shoot a fraud (that's the collective noun) of bankers coming out the lobby.
Then what?
You wind up dead, or in prison, and the dead bankers are just replaced with their next-in-line.
Until enough people are on our side, such semi-random acts of violence by individuals are utterly useless. And when enough people are on our side, then such acts won't be necessary, because we can still change the system democratically.
Of course, if we lose the vote, all bets are off...
Great link. That list is a great start - at least while we wait for the numbers needed to do as JW suggests and start dragging those fucks out into the street to be publicly held accountable.
Thank you! Seems we need more people to do the same
The number who are is growing. Even JW may come around to growing a pair and give this 10 step middle-finger to TPTB. ;)
What we need now is a peaceful revolution. Where are those damn hippies when you need them?
Oh, that right, they became the boomer generation that got us in this mess.
I remember "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley from the 80's. The line "Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac". How The Summer of Love of the 60's and its hippies became the yuppies of the 80's.
If everyone just did like Irwin Schiff, the problem would solve itself.
Wesley Snipes did.
Free Wesley.....make room for the next circus victim..Roger Clemens
Hands down, the finest guest post I have ever read at ZH. I'm gonna print it and post in my breakroom and require everybody I pay to read it. Fuck, this dude nutted it!
Many of you have probably noticed that I often post a link to the Southern National Congress (www.southernnationalcongress.org ). I do this because I keep hearing folks wishing that there was something they could do to prepare for the collapse of the American Empire. I know - most figure it to be a pipe dream. Okay, maybe all of our work will come to naught. Then again...if nothing else, it's one heck of a stimulating intellectual exercise. Have you ever considered all of the problems to be dealt with in becoming a sovereign nation?
There are many groups out there dealing with similar opportunities and challenges. Find one you can support and GET BUSY!
thanks for that link !
.
financialization is not about alternate means of production
but about stripping assets and their value to be used as
the basis for further shadow financialization, which is then used
to procure further assets through imbalances in leverage at local
levels. that is , we are doomed under this economic model, by design
and the needs of the shadow financial power usurpation scheme.
support it at your peril.
.
[KR162] Keiser Report – Europe’s Neo-Feudalism
Posted on July 7, 2011 by stacyherbert| 7 Comments
We interview Michael Hudson!
.
http://maxkeiser.com/2011/07/07/kr162-keiser-report-europes-neo-feudalism/
.
The Federal Government is Guilty of Treason.
The Intelligence Agencies are Guilty of Treason.
The Lobby is Guilty of Treason.
Most AAA Rated Corporations are Guilty of Treason.
Today in America if You Mention the Constitution of the United States of America it will be used against YOU! as probable cause to search you! You will be considered a Home Grown Extremist! Dont mention the Bible (just the end) and dont mention Gold or Silver!! and please! dont be prepared for a flood / storm / tornado of any kind.. because you are a hoarder!
This is what "The Land of the Free" and the "Home of the Brave" has become!
A Police State! None of us want to admit our Country is well on its way to a 3rd World Police State (with a service economy to drive GDP, courtesy of the Lobby and Lobby Whores!)
America has been Gutted by the above, 50,000 jobs a month have been shipped to China alone and.. AND!! the Lobby successfully negotiated Tax Breaks for those Companies moving jobs off shore!!
***** “Over the last ten years, China has mounted the biggest challenge to the U.S. manufacturing sector ever seen, threatening producers of steel, chemicals, glass, paper, drugs and any number of other items with prices they cannot match. Not coincidentally, the United States has lost an average of 50,000 manufacturing jobs every month during the same period.” *****
http://blogs.forbes.com/beltway/2011/02/14/intelligence-community-fears-u-s-manufacturing-decline/
"We the People" paid AAA Corporations to gut our manufacturing sectors!
"We the People" paid AAA Corporations to gut our Tax Base!
Corporations dont pay Taxes in America!
Top 10 corporations which paid no taxesHere is Sen. Sanders’ list of the 10 worst corporate incometax avoiders:
1) Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009. Exxon not only paid no federal income taxes, it actually received a $156 million rebate from the IRS, according to its SEC filings. (Source: Exxon Mobil’s 2009 shareholder report filed with the SEC here.)
2) Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, although it made $4.4 billion in profits and received a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion. (Source: Forbes.com here, ProPublica here and Treasury here.)
3) General Electric made $26 billion in profits in the United States over the past five years and, thanks to clever use of loopholes, paid no taxes.(Source: Citizens for Tax Justice here and The New York Times here. Note: despite rumors to the contrary, the Times has stood by its story.)
4) Chevron received a $19 million refund from the IRS last year after it made $10 billion in profits in 2009. (Source: See 2009 Chevron annual report here. Note 15 on page FS-46 of this report shows a U.S. federal income tax liability of $128 million, but that it was able to defer $147 million for a U.S. federal income tax liability of negative $19 million.)
5) Boeing, which received a $30 billion contract from the Pentagon to build 179 airborne tankers, got a $124 million refund from the IRS last year. (Source: Paul Buchheit, professor, DePaul University, here and Citizens for Tax Justice here.)
6) Valero Energy, the 25thlargest company in America with $68 billion in sales last year, received a $157 million tax refund check from the IRS and, over the past three years, received a $134 million tax break from the oil and gas manufacturing tax deduction. (Source: the company’s 2009 annual report, pg. 112, here.)
7) Goldman Sachs in 2008 only paid 1.1 percent of its income in taxes even though it earned a profit of $2.3 billion and received an almost $800 billion from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury Department. (Source: Bloomberg News here, ProPublica here, Treasury Department here.)
8) Citigroup last year made more than $4 billion in profits but paid no federal income taxes. It received a $2.5 trillion bailout from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury.(Source: Paul Buchheit, professor, DePaul University, here, ProPublica here, Treasury Department here.)
9) ConocoPhillips, the fifth largest oil company in the United States, made $16 billion in profits from 2006 through 2009, but received $451 million in tax breaks through the oil and gas manufacturing deduction. (Sources: Profits can be found here. The deduction can be found on the company’s 2010 SEC 10-K report to shareholders on 2009 finances, pg. 127, here.)
10) Carnival Cruise Lines made more than $11 billion in profits over the past five years, but its federal income tax rate during those years was just 1.1 percent. (Source: The New York Times here.)
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2011/04/30/top-10-corporations-who-paid-no-taxes/
How about Subsidies??
Top 10% of America's farms collect 75% of federal farm subsidies http://www.ewg.org/farmsubsidies
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/matt-hadro/2011/06/29/anderson-cooper-again-hits-bachmann-over-farm-subsidies-lead-segment-cnn
For the second night in a row, Anderson Cooper opened his regular news cast Tuesday touting a story about Michele Bachmann's hypocrisy in benefitting from federal agriculture subsidies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvf_vXrLZGs
Rockefeller Gets Farm Subsidies From Taxpayers
They lied & people died.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/06/issa-grassley-blast-holder-in-letter-after-secret-meeting-with-atfs-ken-melson/++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
those assholes dont know a good guy from a bad guy.
Actually its much deeper than that in my view.
You will recall Mexican President Calderon taking to the floor of our House and attacking our rights.
I have not forgotten, nor will I ever.
I got onto this rant because of that speech and Hillary's bullshit gun statistics...I will not let it go unremarked on. You don't buy anti tank weapons or grenades or full auto M16's from Mom & Pop gun stores when you can get them wholesale ;-)
Many of the guns of the governments "Fast & Furious Operation" were used to kill among others, Mexican lawyers and activists battling the gangs of the failed state of Mexico and our own Border Patrol agents.
This was a contrived device of two completely corrupt governments to provoke public outrage in order to restrict gun ownership here.
Period.
Are you saying that ATF Agents were Ordered from the VERY! TOP!! to stand down and let Dangerous Weapons Leave the Untied States!
Are you saying that at the VERY! TOP!! Levels of Government that the United States ATF Helped ARM!! known Drug Dealers and Death Merchants??
NoOOOOooooOOooooOOOoooo!! it cant be!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/03/eveningnews/main20039031.shtml
Enjoy the Link Ya'll!
as an after thought everyone knows the strongest gang in Mexico is made up of ex-Mexican Drug Police / Military.. right?
Los Zetas Cartel is a criminal organization in Mexico dedicated mostly to international illegal drug trade, assassinations, extortion, car theft, and other organized crime activities. This drug cartel was founded by a small group of Mexican Army Special Forces deserters and now includes corrupt former federal, state, and local police officers, as well as ex-Kaibiles from Guatemala.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Zetas_Cartel
Special Forces just walks off the Job??? sure they weren't following orders?? hmm? all the special forces guys that I know of are pretty committed to the job and it aint the money that got them to the top of the heap. So the top guys in Mexico, who are not money driven.. left for the money? I dont buy it. Ever since Iran Contra.. I just dont believe shit the Government says when it comes to the drug trade.
I take time at every opportunity to ask people about the economy and then talk about how Washington and Wall Street are stealing from them. I tell almost every person I meet on any regular basis to vote to unelect Washington.
Unelect isn't a word. It should be.
I have also stopped giving national donations. I give to my state people and I do in fact express my opinion to them.
The rest of my time I create jobs ... one at a time ... some times small groups. And not one penny from the elite.
I don't own any Wall Street stock. I am a geographicaly restricted angel venture capitalist.
The next time you buy gold ... you might think about making an investment in your community instead. There are better mouse traps and there are certainly better business models.
I'm putting my money where my mouth is.
How's the underwriting guidelines on subversives?
Joke..
+1
Luddites all. Looking backwards to what was. Not forward to what is to come. The rules sufficient for 1776 are nowhere near sufficient for 2015. You won't ever get it back. No one ever has. Study history. You don't recreate the past. You only morph to the future. And we are definitely morphing.
And of course there is enough space and clean water for all 50 million of us to have our own farm and disconnect from the grid.
Luddites all.
+1000
The teatards see the future of America as a bunch of Waco like compounds full of angry boomers that lived the the most prosperous years the country has ever seen and to hell with everybody else.
True revolutionaries. Don't tread on them!
The younger generations that have been fucked the most don't want that! Or at least I don't, fuck going back to the dark ages.
You're so full of shit I don't know where to begin.
We need to Round! Up!! the Scum Bags that have Gutted OUR! Country and Hang them for Treason on the White House Lawn!
Prosecute Government / Lobby and AAA Rated Corps! for the Treason they have Committed against the Country!
Make sure we have all the 24 hour a day news crews there to video the whole thing.. and the Lobby / Whores will NOT! soon get out of hand again!
and Fuck all of you Federal Law Enforcement Porn watchers who want a real sweet Private Security Job! after you let them fuck us over!!
FBI suck a dick!
CIA suck a dick!!
NSA suck a dick!!!
ad whomever I skipped _________________ and you fuckers can suck dick too!
Hear, Hear! But I'm afraid in a post 9/11 U.S. there is no such thing as treason anymore.
My Rope doesn't believe you.. sorry.
Its been awhile for me sir, so forgive me if I stumble a bit.........FUCK YOU! Go back and read the declaration of independence - those men gave us everything we need. Fucking pussies like you and "the soverign man" can go run away. Morphing - this ain't the matrix?! And yeah, there's plenty of room for everyone who has the stones to see it through - I believe I heard your boarding call for the HMS Runaway.....feels good to be back though. Don't go away mad, just go away.
We are not governed by the Declaration of Independence but by the Constitution. I'm sure you are aware the the Constitution has morphed quite a bit since it was written. To the surprise of no one, it will morph further going forward. Some folks claim that is what it was written to do - be interpreted by the age that is looking to it for guidance. No one in the court system looks at the Constitution through 1776 eyes today. Nor will they tomorrow.
No one is going to turn this country back to 1776, or even 1900. No one is going to break the system, and the system is not going to break. But it will change. The best you can hope to do is to help influence how it changes. But you are not going to accomplish anything by continuing to call for folks to disconnect from the grid. No significant number of people are going to do that. (Universal you, not treemagnet specifically.)
Bunny-Uli doesn't believe in anything.He's a Nihilist.
Dude-Ahh. That must be exhausting.
OT/
What is up with the Babes for dates ads? Are ZH'ers suddenly horny? Gold/Silver/financial stuff...ok.
If I wanted to surf porn...EASY.
I have http://www.audemarspiguet.com/s/royaloak-offshore/?utm_source=Halogen_Network&utm_medium=MPU&utm_content=Animated&utm_campaign=ROO44
and..
Prudential and Netjets.. but I have seen the Philippine girls for sale!
The Ukrainians were looking real good, but then I am just an ol' boy from a neighboring state. ;-)
pretty sure the ads are generated/targeted based on your cookies files.
might want to clear your browsing history, too.
Fuck, not just my wife, but ZH too?!
someone once referred to something akin to this, but psychological, as, "the emotional realization of the horror of the situation."
So help me if you can.
I have been rallying for
1. money that has no usury attached to it
2. those with the tools of the money are transparent.
Why does everyone on YouTube think I am a nut?
IAMSLATTERY
The world is lost. You are not. Help others find the way. You will be nailed to the cross but dont give up. People WILL come around. They secretly know something is very very wrong but are frightened and afraid to turn their whole world upside down.
You must be rallying for this then:
www.bitcoin.org
My second post
Today Obama Twitter'ed 'Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asqR6fDQw8s
Back at the ranch, LaGarde had her first IMF press confession. Do watch. Just keystroke to IMF site, posted the live feed this morning.
EU-IMF Program
http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2011-07-05.146.0
7 flagship initiatives
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/tools/flagship-initiatives/index_en.htm
*** The New Stability and Growth Pact*** <<<READ
Lastly, their planning has been exposed time after time. All we can do is point you to the playbook of facts that you will never read until it effects your personal financial life. To make change, it takes only one mouth breather to understand the scam.
Understanding Euroland Economic Statistics - September 2004<<<<< Read
http://www.scribd.com/doc/55807666/93/The-Stability-and-Growth-Pact-SGP-%E2%80%93-The-Stability-Plans
Nighty, night ZH .
We have drawn the short straw.
I relate. Mine doesn't reach deep enough into any trough/tranche of real value. Wasn't born on third, don't have the connections to assimilate as if I did.
Don't have one of those custom, long-reach blood funnels.
Maybe having a short straw is a badge of honor, however, given what hell can come by having and using the opposite?
Anyone who clings to the historically untrue — and thoroughly immoral — doctrine that `violence never settles anything’ I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.
-Robert Heinlein
I couldn't agree more. It always makes me laugh when I hear politicians saying how we don't need to resort to violence as this is a democracy which was founded on peaceful deliberations. The truth is, is that those seeking freedom always find a politician at the end of a bloody spear before claiming liberty.
Nothing about this country was founded on peaceful deliberations. The freedoms we briefly were exposed to were through the diaphanous curtain of violence. The roots of liberty are always thoroughly ensconced in the vigors of war and bloodshed.
Liberties are fought for, never given to, and always exist in the minds of those whom have none.
Yeah I only cling to my guns and religion...oh yeah and PM's bitchez!
Unfortunate, but true.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
~ Thomas Jefferson
We've all heard this, but what if it really does come to it? What if only a portion of the country falls first in an economic crisis, such as New York City or Los Angeles? The cops and military would circle the wagons and attempt to contain, shooting anyone who defends themselves with a personal firearm. Would any of us be joining the cause for "liberty" then? It's easy to say it if we're talking about a total meltdown in which the whole nation goes to poo-poo and the cops/military is vastly outnumbered by the zombie hordes, but if only a single state or major city gets out of hand and is squashed...
...hmmmm.
III
There is no hmmm. We have long since passed the time when any single group of people could take on the state with weapons and win. The Feds would back up the state under attack with everything needed to squash the attackers.
Maybe I have lived in Kalifoornya too long but I would like to think that when the time comes for the "Feds" to send troops in here, (and the time will come again, just like 1992, rest assured), that maybe some of those "forces" might be inclined to say "I didn't sign up for this, I am outta here". Maybe I am smoking some serious shit but I do not think the newly minted private in the US Army from some back county in Georgia between Savannah and Columbus is gonna think that he as any "dog" in this fight. Maybe even some of the joes from Kalifoornya might think it is high time liberty was reborn and might just quit altogether. Like I said, maybe it is a pipe dream and those results might be more likely in some of the more liberty minded states like Idaho or Montana. I know when I was on active duty if they had said to me ok we are going to invade and restore order to St. Louis or something I would have been like "Do you got a mouse in your pocket or something?!", consequences be damned!
No troops needed. Plenty of drones available.
The context of Jefferson's quote is worth remembering - Shay's Rebellion (financial crisis, debtor's prisons & debt relief, sedition accusations, armed disgruntled US veterans returning home ... not exactly issues relegated to the dustbin of history). The anti-federalist Jefferson was one of TBTB so was the federalist Washington. What came out of Shay's was the US Constitution which was a compromise between the two sides, but an erosion of the more anti-federalist Articles of Confederation, which unfortunately has continued rather unabated for several hundred years.
Gimme some love, bitches.
I just sent an email threatening the Federal Government of the United States with lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Yes, really, no shit. They are hypocrites and I am calling them on it.
If what they just pulled on me is common, there is some lawyer out there who could be looking at billions if they class action this shit.
The Feds are going on fishing expeditions through people's medical records to find a reason to not hire them, even if your doctor clearly states you are, in fact, capable to do the job.
Imagine how this will turn out once all records are electronic.
This government is in violation of the very laws it is enforcing on business and the states.
You think it's just medical records they are fishing for? Credit, psychological profiles, criminal records. In this market they can pick and choose whoever they want.
You should be careful, they have blacklists nowadays.
Every other check, I am golden.
I am willing to be the goat staked out for the lion. I am sick of corrupt federal government.
Do you think I could find a sympathetic reporter in Austin?
Alex Jones might let you on, but I doubt he will run with it. Good luck with your lawsuit. I've been hearing some strange things they have been doing with disabled vets. Giving them these new patches with new kinds of drugs in them. Totally doping them up.
If nothing else, I'll pat myself on the back for challenging these hypocrites.
I'll probably starve to death, but I will feel all righteous.
Good luck, sincerely. We can't let even the little things go anymore- every single one of us needs to stand up and say no at every opportunity.
Had a friend that had a house under contract last week. FNMA house. Inspection said AC was shot. He called licensed contractors for estimates and sent them to FNMA. FNMA hired illegals to put an AC in below market prices. The rules do not apply to them.
Gimme some love, bitches.
Is this the same guy who said our taxes are funding his (mental) disability checks and if we don't like it, tough shit?
Now he wants a government job to leech off us even more?
And he wants OUR help suing the govt to get that job?
JW n FL .....for Prez.....
"Ahhhh Yes, my work is complete!!" -Alexander Hamilton
.
The concepts of Anarchy and minarchy have been around since the 1800's. They have found expression in Europe and in America, but they have never been granted acceptance.
Originally, the writers thought it was a natural progression for man to move from government to liberty- they saw it as our future. This was the result of civilization and progress.
Funny, how merchantilism and feudalism, via the banks and corporations have chosen a different path for us.
There is much we can do and much of it has been posted above. The article is an excellent call to action. However, you cannot change a person's mind with argument. People must see you live liberty and make a conscious choice to do likewise.
The dictators of the western world are not all powerful. They require legitimacy (your approval and support) and they require that you play their game. Your participation is essential- through markets, economic participation (eschewing black markets), using their currency, standing at the national anthem or reciting the pledge of allegiance. They need you to support their laws and pay your taxes and fees. They need your children in their schools. They hope you watch their endless parade of police, law, military and medical shows and movies. They need you to emotionally invest in the heroes they have selected.
The most powerful weapon you hold is your ability to discriminate and choose to question and even defy authority. Your visible disgust in social discussions that glorify the government. People are always curious about what causes rebellion in people they respect. Being a caring, charitable neighbor has incredible cache. Whereas, always spouting aggression and reckless taunts only weakens your argument.
Education is essential, but it has personal value only. How you live your life, the values you hold precious, the leadership and integrity you model can do more to bring about liberty and change than any other thing you can do.
I still say you can't get a concensus with a philosophy like Libertarianism. I have a theory that all "isms" are merely Christian heresies. Because, since the great falling away prophecied by the Apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 2:3, having taken place from about 1890 to the present, we have lost any Christian conscensus in America and the world at large.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that Day [the Great Tribulation, 7 yrs of wrath] shall not come except there come a falling away first.."
So you've got all kinds of heresies happening in the 20th c., Communism/Socialism/Naziiism, Republicanism ad infinitem most of which were horrific. And you even had to name freedom and call it Capitalism. But it became something less than that. The big banks arose in the 1800s. Everything is falling short of the mark, in a kind of reductionism. And the church has become fractured denominationalism.
See Schaeffer's film on our times, especially on the Roman period.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=francis+schaeffer+how+should+we+then+live&aq=1&oq=francis+schaeffer
I agree. Having been a half-hearted libertarian for some decade or so, it grossed me out when I realized the point.
"Libertarianism" is basically: "you all have to agree when I say I OWN this shit. In fact, we're going to build a government around the concept: MINE, BITCHEZ!"
Good luck with that.
++
This is my very first post.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tyler.
You have said so eloquently what everybody needs to hear. I couldn't agree more. Its a royal stinkin mess and I feel badly about having been a part of creating it, but what's done is done. However, history has proven that these are the times that make or break a nation, and the outcome hasn't yet been determined. It could destroy us or we could come out stronger, more cohesive, and more resilient than ever. It only depends on what we make of the situation. I have the utmost faith that if we keep our eye on the goal, we can make it through this with flying colors.
A copy of this shall be sent to each of my 20-something children.
Welcome, Lucy.
Just keep your arguments tight, your language clean, and your skin thick. Don't worry about the occasional cynical replies and junks from trolls.
Arguments TIGHT √
SkinThick √
Cynical replies (guilty)
Junks from Trolls √√
Language Clean (oh shit...)
'B+'? Can I get a breakdown of that rubric's weighting? Any bonus marks for eliciting lulz?
FWIW, I didn't junk you
A copy of this shall be sent to each of my 20-something children.
You have more than 20 children? No wonder you've lost count.
Welcome to ZeroHedge :-)
Rule 1: The only rights you have are those you can successfully defend (like in a courtroom).
Rule 2: If you let government get too big you can forget about rights and liberty.
Rule 308
Rule 270
GS:
Oil set to fall further
Goldman Sachs: Oil set to fall further http://t.co/406EsFE
i have been told repeatedly that i must give up my faith--kill God. Without my understanding of the American Constitution and "what the framers intended" i would have succumbed long ago. That's the only freedom that matters to me: my ability to practice my faith as i see fit. It was behind the wheel of truck a week ago--i will find another place, another "space" or "form" from which to practice. The framers asked us to believe in our faith--how else to believe in them? And of course we have been invaded by the most evil of faiths--masquerading as faiths but believing only in the tenets of nihilism and the folly of faith itself. To say it manifests itself in "the media" of course is the grandest of understatement. It is the media itself that demands those of faith kill God. From whence our Rapture I think to myself? From whence our Joy? It is to America's credit that we "soldier on" since there is no goal of true happiness, true love today (though it may be found of course!) All that is asked is "that we be willing to watch" and all that we want will come before us. But that is not the freedom from whence the Constitution itself came from. That freedom was one of what they called Providence--God's hand guiding them to this place when they never knew where they would end up when they began. Since we can never know what tomorrow will bring to be asked of an American to give up his faith is the most malevolent of crimes. Somehow "Old Europe" in all its pseudo Roman/we kill Christians glory simply will never leave us be over here. Always "imposing a criminal will" in their sick, psychotic faithlessness not on the unsuspecting but on the true believers for their-in lies the only true threat. All I have of course is a flower--edelweiss--to offer them. It's all any of use should have. Always with demands and nothing more are they not? Then a flower it shall be...
Thank you for sharing ...Thank god for zerohedge and you tube and all the others bloggers out there that are awake.
so who controls the police?
police refuse direct order by mayor and remove speaker from public meeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ihl1yMWKkE&feature=player_embedded
Excellent article. Thank you.
I do have to take issue (politely, of course) with a few of the earlier posters who feel that women can't get on board w/this school of thought. Some of us are on board, reading/studying, taking action, we're stocking food and ammo just in case - concerned about our childrens' futures, etc. In the past few years I've taken on some incredible battles = starting with some corrupt local and a state "officials". Some of that was just nuts - but it was sure an education. That was just the beginning. I'm no longer who I once (happily naive) due to these experiences but glad to have had my eyes opened for these current times (I've earned an honorary degree in "how stuff really seems to work"). Anyway, without rambling further - I am SO on board. I may look like a petite little "flower" vs. a "pistol" but let me assure ZH readers - Not all of us are out shopping at the mall and care about little else.
You are of course correct, not all women are uninterested in politics and economics.
But in my experience, far fewer of them are than men, sadly.
"We have been conditioned to live in a state of constant indifference, a society which prizes compromise over principle and steadfast resolve."
"If you have utilized an objective eye, and know you are right in your position, then there is no reason to fear criticism from anyone."
....principles before personalities.
"At bottom, being slandered by a thieving bureaucracy infested with soulless parasites bent on centralization at the expense of innocent human life is a bit laughable (this goes for you too, SPLC). Globalists, along with their media cronies and their think-tank sock puppets, will say ANYTHING to get what they want. Empty words and false labels cannot stop the truth, or a movement driven by the truth."
"A lab scientist or doctor who flubs experimentation to support the interests of the corporate world rather than the needs of the public is just a quack in a white coat."
Ayn Rand has a good take on the roles here that you mention in this gem of an interview. She has a way of pulling covers with surgical precision...
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/170069-1
Brandon...There is allot to chew on here and I appreciate what you have written and I believe much of what you have shared. Thank you.
Which reminds me..there are three kinds of people in this world..
Those who make it happen...those who watch it happen...and those who wandered what the hell happened..
Couldn't have said it better myself. BTW, are you Glen Beck in disguise?
Well done.
Thank You.
Acting on #1 through #10.
I see one rather tragic flaw in the article. While it mentions what should not be compromised or what must be sacrificed in pursuit of liberty, it ignores the truth that liberty is founded on compromise, as is any social contract voluntarily entered into by the citizenry. The entrenched powers have always relied on the divisions of within the opposition to maintain their power, a modern example would be false dichotomy of the democrat/republican divide. However, the schisms between the original 13 colonies dwarf those of today. For example, the founding fathers disagreed about slavery- they weren't troglodytes, and the schism THEN was as great then as it would be TODAY, if it still existed. Yet they found common cause and compromise, first in 1776 and again in 1787. Disagreement over whether a man has legal ability, much less the right, to own another man as tangible property from its birth to its death would seem to dwarf most schisms about what the government should or is obligated to spend or collect revenues on or what services it should provide and to whom.
There is no such thing as a social contract.
#9 is most important!
I agree with every word, amazing! Thank you from the other side of the atlantic!
It's amusing seeing how many here on ZH seem ready to resort to armed conflict to "get their rights back", "restore liberty in America", "take the nation back", etc.
Of course we know it's just talk. Empty talk. Pompous posturing.
Everybody waits on someone else to start the ball rolling. We see comments asking when SOMEONE ELSE is going to get the ball rolling.
It'll never happen. Not in America. If an armed revolution was going to happen it would already have happened. Government is way more oppressive now than it was in the 1770s and 1860s when armed revolutions DID happen.
300 million guns in America? So what. Big deal. Who cares. Not the government. They have way more guns, bigger guns, fully-automatic guns against our puny single-shot guns, plus body armor, and tasers, and tear gas, and armored vehicles, and tanks, and a few MILLION loyal mercenaries (aka police) ready and willing (and wanting) to use those superior weapons against the people.
While people sit around blabbing about some sort of "revolution", wishing for it, dreaming about it, asking who might start it, government has been preparing for such an event ...and they're way ahead of any preparations people blabbering about some sort of "revolution" are making. They're far more ready to squash it than people are to wage it.
Many here believe in peaceful protest. Like peaceful protest is going to accomplish something. Like peaceful protest is going to make government listen and act.
It never has worked and never will work. A million-person peaceful protest in front of the Whitehouse would simply be ignored. Protesters would eventually figure it out, lose interest, disband, and go home.
Unarmed protest facing heavily-armed police forces NEVER works. It accomplishes NOTHING.
America has become a full-blown POLICE STATE. Just like Russia. Just like China.
Dissenters and protesters are being labeled terrorists, enemies of the state.
Enemies of the state. That's the key. It's no longer about the people. It's about the STATE now. It's about the GOVERNMENT now. GOVERNMENT is the only thing that matters now.
It's just like Russia. It's just like China. No difference.
Americans never learned how to defend their rights in a courtroom, the ONLY place rights can be defended ...short of armed revolution.
Americans hope lawyers and attorneys will go to bat for them in a courtroom and defend their rights ...while they sit there in ignorance and fear.
Lawyers and attorneys couldn't care less about your rights. Some of you are starting to see that.
You want America to go back to the Constitution ...when you don't even know what it says. (But you know the latest sports scores I suspect.)
You want your rights protected ...when you don't even know what they are ...much less how to defend them. (But you know all about your favorite sports team I suspect.)
You want someone else to defend your rights ...just like you want someone else to start that revolution.
You're pathetic. You deserve no rights. You deserve no liberty.
Go back to your sports ...sheep.
since we can't sue the .gov we are forced to 'petition the Government for a redress of grievences' (1st Amendment)
Now all we need is a consensus of the grievences.....daunting task since the list is so long!
All y'all know that the tax-parasites are a tiny sliver of the population, right?
All y'all know that their stormtrooper-meets-VillagePeople swaggering SWAT retards don't wear kevlar at home, right?
There is no need for 'serried ranks' confrontation - that shit is so old - not to mention totally suicidal (ask Jose Guerena if teh SWAT-tard type has any qualms about opening fire on a 'fellow citizen'). No, no - the way to get these fucktards off our backs is to raise the price (to them) of continuing to perform their parasitism.
Find a way to contribute to #AntiSec and other Anonymous operations: although the 'fun stuff' gets all the headlines (mostly because MSM-reading UStards have been brain-drained down to the intelligence of some snark-cunt from Gawker), #AntiSec now has the full support of some quite talented phyles, and is doing some wicked serious, jagged-edged motherfucker level shit. TERABYTES per DAY, bitchez.
Tear their secrets out of their infosafes. Unmask them before the world.
We're past "first they ignore you": we got their attention.
We're past "then they mock you": that was real short, and now is limited to know-nothing bootlickers. HBGary and company now know how much your ass stings when you get on the wrong side of this movement.
We're in the first stages of "then they attack you". If global hacktivism (which is now consolidating so fast it is posing co-ordination issues) decides to cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war, it already has the capability to shut off .gov pretty much everywhere.
Then, you win.