How can we, to quote Harry Browne, live free in an unfree world?
Is it, to restate Claire Wolfe’s question, time to shoot them?
Now in February 2022, the world seems to be blowing up in our face: Stateside, Mexico, Canada!, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Taiwan, Korea, and who knows where else. And stateside? New York, Minnesota, California, even Texas and Florida all are seeing weirder and weirder things, and threats or actions to push further.
So, can we live free in a seemingly more and more unfree world?
Last time we touched on this subject, we referenced The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell, first published in 1962, part of which was the 1951 short story “And Then There Were None.” It explained that (as libertarians have for 50 years, that in a truly free society NO ONE may coerce another person in any manner. At any point, a person may simply say, “I won’t” and that answer must be accepted as valid. Russell’s tale describes a planet of people who have taken to this concept wholeheartedly.
Now, approaching two years of the Pandemic Panic and madness? Enduring the massive growth of government meddling in our lives minute-to-minute? Suffering under the incredibly inept and incompetent rule of public health officials and the Congress and White House? (And their equally intolerable equivalents in other nations?)
I think we are seeing more and more people subscribing to the “F=IW” Eric Frank Russell concept.
There has always been a lot of that. We here in South Dakota were spared most of the lockdown and the insane mandates – except for the 8% or so of us who live on the Reservations or near them. And except for those who are wage-slaves (employees) of local, regional, and national chains of business who are willing slaves of government and fear being cancelled.
But my associates and I have traveled into other States and seen both the mandates, the Lockdown, and all the other nonsense at first hand. AND we have seen the many, many folks and companies who did indeed say “I WON’T” sometimes softly and other times very loudly. Today? That number is growing to include, dare I say, a LARGE majority of people.
More and more people – not just the self-appointed and elected “elites” – are simply refusing to obey the “laws.” No masks, no vaccines (if not for themselves, then for their children), no social distancing, And less and less cowering. And they’ve stopped believing the politicians, the public health experts, the mainstream media, and the celebrities!
As we wrote back over a year ago, people will scream this is anarchism. (Yes, so?) Many WILL try to force people to do something, and therein lies the greatest difficulty in implementing such a system: you have to get most (not all) people in a community to agree to do so. YES, there are parts of our society and economy that are SO centralized, SO dominated by government edicts, that it will be hard – and HURT. (An example is the fascist edict of the Canadian dictator about banks and financial institutions.
But clearly, the powers-that-be are fearful of the mass rejection. Enough so to threaten more cops and actual TROOPS. Well, as far as Canada is concerned – Canadian Armed Forces don’t do too well at “peacekeeping” operations for their precious UN occupation duties around the world. I suspect it will do far worse at “keeping the peace” in Canadian provinces where the people finally DO see that their only hope is armed rebellion. Especially considering that Canadian police (including the once-respected RCMP) are starting to shed officers like a cat sheds hair in the spring.
Now, we can and should pray for a nonviolent resolution and restoration of liberty. BUT the choice will not be those who love and stand up for liberty. It will be our “masters” who (and are) resorting to not just threats, but violence. Still, more and more peaceful refusal to obey CAN work very well against government IF enough people in a jurisdiction tell the thugs and their masters (jack-booted or not), “I won’t.” And even a little bit more “I won’t” can certainly help us and our community, as it already has.
As to Claire’s question? As we wrote before, that ties in with Browne’s. IF others refuse to accept your refusal to do what they tell you to do, and try to force you to do so, you have a right (given by GOD) to defend yourself. And others who are also saying “I won’t.” Give them a personal, specific warning, of course. (Not that Harry and Claire haven’t been warning them for decades.)
It IS time – to shoot back. To respond to violence WITH defensive violence. Not for everyone, because not everyone is being attacked, abused, and beaten before being jailed. But more and more are seeing exactly that. Violent defence (Canadians, note!) is necessary but must be carefully applied. And the potential for success evaluated very carefully.
Time has run out.
Time’s Up!
(PS: Several point out that Canadians are disarmed. True, many are. But there is good reason to believe that many are NOT. And folks, it is a LONG border – there aren’t enough border guards on EITHER side of the border, wet or dry, to stop smugglers. And there are MANY Americans who can and will be charitable about giving (or lending) a few firearms and a fair amount of ammo. To say nothing of all sorts of other ordinance. And there are a fair number of Canadians who still remember how!
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.
The Price of Liberty 
Taking another look: Is it time yet? Freedom = I won’t
About a year ago, I asked the same questions:
Now in February 2022, the world seems to be blowing up in our face: Stateside, Mexico, Canada!, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Taiwan, Korea, and who knows where else. And stateside? New York, Minnesota, California, even Texas and Florida all are seeing weirder and weirder things, and threats or actions to push further.
So, can we live free in a seemingly more and more unfree world?
Last time we touched on this subject, we referenced The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell, first published in 1962, part of which was the 1951 short story “And Then There Were None.” It explained that (as libertarians have for 50 years, that in a truly free society NO ONE may coerce another person in any manner. At any point, a person may simply say, “I won’t” and that answer must be accepted as valid. Russell’s tale describes a planet of people who have taken to this concept wholeheartedly.
Now, approaching two years of the Pandemic Panic and madness? Enduring the massive growth of government meddling in our lives minute-to-minute? Suffering under the incredibly inept and incompetent rule of public health officials and the Congress and White House? (And their equally intolerable equivalents in other nations?)
I think we are seeing more and more people subscribing to the “F=IW” Eric Frank Russell concept.
There has always been a lot of that. We here in South Dakota were spared most of the lockdown and the insane mandates – except for the 8% or so of us who live on the Reservations or near them. And except for those who are wage-slaves (employees) of local, regional, and national chains of business who are willing slaves of government and fear being cancelled.
But my associates and I have traveled into other States and seen both the mandates, the Lockdown, and all the other nonsense at first hand. AND we have seen the many, many folks and companies who did indeed say “I WON’T” sometimes softly and other times very loudly. Today? That number is growing to include, dare I say, a LARGE majority of people.
More and more people – not just the self-appointed and elected “elites” – are simply refusing to obey the “laws.” No masks, no vaccines (if not for themselves, then for their children), no social distancing, And less and less cowering. And they’ve stopped believing the politicians, the public health experts, the mainstream media, and the celebrities!
As we wrote back over a year ago, people will scream this is anarchism. (Yes, so?) Many WILL try to force people to do something, and therein lies the greatest difficulty in implementing such a system: you have to get most (not all) people in a community to agree to do so. YES, there are parts of our society and economy that are SO centralized, SO dominated by government edicts, that it will be hard – and HURT. (An example is the fascist edict of the Canadian dictator about banks and financial institutions.
But clearly, the powers-that-be are fearful of the mass rejection. Enough so to threaten more cops and actual TROOPS. Well, as far as Canada is concerned – Canadian Armed Forces don’t do too well at “peacekeeping” operations for their precious UN occupation duties around the world. I suspect it will do far worse at “keeping the peace” in Canadian provinces where the people finally DO see that their only hope is armed rebellion. Especially considering that Canadian police (including the once-respected RCMP) are starting to shed officers like a cat sheds hair in the spring.
Now, we can and should pray for a nonviolent resolution and restoration of liberty. BUT the choice will not be those who love and stand up for liberty. It will be our “masters” who (and are) resorting to not just threats, but violence. Still, more and more peaceful refusal to obey CAN work very well against government IF enough people in a jurisdiction tell the thugs and their masters (jack-booted or not), “I won’t.” And even a little bit more “I won’t” can certainly help us and our community, as it already has.
As to Claire’s question? As we wrote before, that ties in with Browne’s. IF others refuse to accept your refusal to do what they tell you to do, and try to force you to do so, you have a right (given by GOD) to defend yourself. And others who are also saying “I won’t.” Give them a personal, specific warning, of course. (Not that Harry and Claire haven’t been warning them for decades.)
It IS time – to shoot back. To respond to violence WITH defensive violence. Not for everyone, because not everyone is being attacked, abused, and beaten before being jailed. But more and more are seeing exactly that. Violent defence (Canadians, note!) is necessary but must be carefully applied. And the potential for success evaluated very carefully.
Time has run out.
(PS: Several point out that Canadians are disarmed. True, many are. But there is good reason to believe that many are NOT. And folks, it is a LONG border – there aren’t enough border guards on EITHER side of the border, wet or dry, to stop smugglers. And there are MANY Americans who can and will be charitable about giving (or lending) a few firearms and a fair amount of ammo. To say nothing of all sorts of other ordinance. And there are a fair number of Canadians who still remember how!
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.