By Nathan Barton
As this commentary is posted, “election day” is just hours away. That is increasingly meaningless, as more and more people use early and absentee voting procedures to cast their vote. And as hacking methods improve to “massage the vote” as those in power (whichever the wing of the “boot on your neck” party) want.
Still here are a few things to think about as we get ready to pay attention to see who is going to be the shills for Massa and the ruling class from 2019-2021.
By Nathan Barton
In just a few days, on 11 November 2018, we will observe the 100th anniversary of the armistice taking affect at 1100 hours (Central European War Time) of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, which “ended” the hostilities of the Great War. Which we now call the First World War.
Or did it? The wholesale slaughter of soldiers and civilians along the Western Front pretty much stopped: although there are records of attacks and deaths occurring just minutes before the official end of hostilities, on the Western Front: that horrific area of destruction stretching from the Swiss Frontier all the way to the North Sea. But fighting, wounding, and deaths continued for weeks and months, around the world. In a bitter and terrible withdrawal, German Imperial troops pulled back, from those portions of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg which had been occupied during the war. Dogged by vengeful French, British, and American troops. And still further back, to east of the Rhein, giving up (at least temporarily) vast lands and vast numbers of people and resources.
The fighting and wounding and killing would continue around the world, but especially in Europe, for years and decades. Some historians simply call the Great War the First Phase of the Global War of the 20th Century. It ended with the collapse of three major empires (German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman (Turkish), the transformation of one (Russian into Soviet), and the expansion of three: French, British, Japanese, and foundation of a fourth (American).
The Second Phase of the Global War included:
These in turn led to the Third Phase, which included:
This phase ended the German Empire and the Japanese Empire, weakened the British and French, and again killed millions. The conquest of Germany and “liberation” of Italy (conquest), and their eastern European allies, and the surrender of Japan, in turn led to the Fourth Phase, between the winners of the various fronts of the previous Phase:
However, the Fourth Phase ended with the collapse of the bi-polar world balance, because of the collapse of the Soviet Union and therefore of the Russian Empire, or at least its transformation. The Fifth Phase, beginning in 1991, is often considered to extend into at least the first decade of the 21st Century, and included:
It is not a pretty sequence of events.
Many historians like to trace it back to the assassination of an Austrian Royal in Serbia. They place the blame (as did the propagandists of 1914 and since) on Imperial Germany. But, some do point out that it was really the intervention of the United States in a primarily European conflict that really produced the worst results. The 1918 Armistice was just a pause and rearranging the props.
So, can we really celebrate what quickly led to more, massive war that killed even more millions? For most of a century? That led to exponentially increasing the power of government – not just in the so-called totalitarian governments of national and international socialism, but in the entire world?
Not unless we learn and apply the lessons we can learn from that eleventh hour… in defense of liberty.
By Nathan Barton
Well, actually, by Tom Knapp. Tom beat me to the punch this morning or last night by writing an EXCELLENT commentary about the way that The Donald is being treated by politicians and others at all levels and on all sides for visiting Pittsburgh to meet with families of victims after the Synagogue killings.
By Nathan Barton
Wow, the Donald has a way of riling people, doesn’t he? His latest “gaff” seems to demonstrate he’s not lost any skill in angering and upsetting people. And is willing to do so regardless of mere things like mass murder or upcoming invasions or elections.
(By the way, don’t think I’ve heard anyone call him “The Donald” for some time now. Not even when they cuss about him.)
I am of course referring to his planned use of executive orders to get rid of that cherished American institution, birthright citizenship.
(Warning, I will no doubt tick off a lot of people. Be prepared.)
By Nathan Barton
By Nathan Barton
I’ve forgotten who said this:
“And here is the difference between the Libertarians and the Authoritarians: the latter have no confidence in liberty; they believe in compelling people to be good, assuming that people are totally depraved; the former believe in letting people be good, and maintain that humanity grows better and better as it gains more and more liberty. If Libertarians were merely to ask that liberty be tried in any one of the other fields of human expression they would meet the same opposition as their pioneer predecessors; but such is their confidence in the advantages of liberty that they demand, not that it be tried in one more instance only, but that it be universally adopted.”
It is a frequent topic of discussion on-line, and in various political venues. It is a matter which crosses over into religious questions as well, and into parenting and business management. Let’s discuss at least one part of this.
By Nathan Barton
Too many people laud and honor the formerly United States of America and its Federal Government as being a “democracy.” This error goes back generations. Those politically-minded may recall that the Founding Fathers pretty much despised the entire concept of “democracy.” They considered it a devolution of a republic eventually ending in tyranny and dictatorship. If, indeed, a democracy was not already a tyranny of the majority.
Let us explore this idea for a moment, with the help of a couple of recent news stories. As we near the 2018 elections, both for officeholders and for ballot issues, it is worth some discussion. Is democracy really what we want? Or is it yet another bad idea for government? Continue reading
By Nathan Barton
I recently found this fascinating quote.
I don’t see any justification for the federal government owning land, other than the Statue of Liberty and maybe a few parks, maybe a few refuges. But to just own land to do nothing with it I think is a disservice to the Constitution. – Don Young
By Nathan Barton
Eric Holder, that wonderful paragon of government service “to the people” and incredible example of strict adherent of the rule of law, has condemned the Nazgul, questioning the body’s legitimacy in the wake of adding Kavenaugh to its august membership. His attack is echoed by thousands of other talking heads. Among other things, it seems the first bill which will be introduced by the inevitably Democratic-majority House of Representatives will be to impeach the man. Based on what might, by then, be all of twelve or thirteen weeks of work. Work which is unlikely to have resulted in a single SCOTUS decision, based on their usual schedule.
Others have declared the “death” of American democracy, the demise of the Supremes as a viable institution, and worse. Mobs continue to roam the halls and streets of DC, seeking victims for their ire. Once again, it seems that the world is doomed.
(To listen to the screams of protest, I wonder if progressive women are not hurriedly getting pregnant so that they can enjoy another cycle of rite by getting an abortion before he locks up their uterus.)
Election day blues, redux
By Nathan Barton
It’s only been three days, so we are all still digesting the election results.
But it is clear, whomever and whatever measures DID win. In the 2018 national and local elections, generally, liberty lost.
I understand that the LP and others are spinning otherwise, but…
There were a few contrary-wise results. I know cannabis won in three states, including (somewhat to the surprise of many) Utah. But in everyone of those, the way it “won” was by giving government MORE control, and more money. But the most libertarian measure, in North Dakota, would have made cannabis about as government free as soda or coffee. And it went down.
In South Dakota, a really nasty “anti-corruption” bill that would have established an awful control regime for citizen lobbyists and another politically-appointed board with super-powers to find and punish “corruption” was killed by citizen votes. As was a tax increase on tobacco. And a political ally of Bernie Sanders and the Minnesota accused woman-abusing Muslim Keith Ellison was kept out of Pierre. (Because he is handicapped physically as well as mentally, no doubt there is mourning of his defeat by some.)
Again, we are blessed (as a nation and many individually) that the effective outlawing of oil and gas drilling also was defeated in Colorado. Ending oilfield development in Colorado would have been bad for the economy and for tens of thousands of people: those working in the industry and those buying its products. And Coloradoans defeated tax increases and more debt. But the election still leaves a now-progressive-dominated State government in Denver to come up with more ways to “protect the environment” and crippling the industry – just not as baldly. Colorado is increasingly becoming another California.
Perhaps the best news from Tuesday is that we may “enjoy” two years of gridlock in Congress. Without having to have our stolen money used to finance a reality show called “Impeach the President.” There will no doubt be a lot of nasty legislation that does NOT get passed because of the intense hatred and loathing so many Democrats (and not a few Republicans) have for Trump. (And Trump’s disgust for the new Speaker of the House, the wicked witch of the west coast, Pelosi, will no doubt also be a factor.
There is a downside to gridlock, of course. First off, there is (now and then) some legislation that is useful – especially legislation to roll back government mandates and cut spending. I know, it is a forlorn hope, but you can be sure that the House under Demo domination, will keep it from happening. Second, the gridlock will be a major issue to whip up the fervor of their partisans for the 2020 elections. (Which campaign, I suppose, started on Wednesday.)
But those are barely the glimmer of a half-dozen fireflies in a 40-acre field.
Scant consolation for all the states that continue to elect people that want to steal more money and more liberty, and want to get more and more power as they do so.
But that is the way of elections.
The cynic remembers a quote that supposedly came from Mark Twain:
(Snopes, by the way, for what IT is worth, claims he didn’t write it. Or say it.)
But the real danger of “democracy” is that people can vote themselves “security.” No, not physical security, although too many of us trust in government forces to protect us, our families, and our property from “bad people.” Even though bad people include many law enforcement types and even more bureaucrats.
I’m referring to financial security: individual welfare benefits, government contracts which are corporate welfare, massive government spending that amounts to subsidizing companies and workers, professional monopolies and restraint on trade by government licensing and more mandates by government. And more: government-mandated (and funded) insurance for banking institutions, government-controlled interest rates for savings and much, much more. Voting their pocketbooks NOT to keep from being taxed, but to keep the “free government goodies” coming.
People can vote themselves big bucks from government, which either steals money from taxpayers today, or from future taxpayers (by borrowing). It is voting in your own “self-interest” but it is a very unenlightened self-interest. Call it the grasshopper mentality: everything now.
It is the alliance of the parasites with the controllers. Again (as expected) to dominate our land for the next two years.
To finish, let me quote Mark Twain a couple more times. Think about this, next time you talk to someone religious, whether they are a conservative or a liberal:
If Christians should vote their duty to God at the polls, they would carry every election, and do it with ease. They would elect every clean candidate in the United States, and defeat every soiled one. Their prodigious power would be quickly realized and recognized, and afterward there would be no unclean candidates upon any ticket, and graft would cease.