Antidote to Anarchy

As a libertarian, I am familiar with the oft-stated complaint that my views represent a yearning for anarchy. If the critics are suggesting that I wish to reduce government’s role to a very minimalist level or to limit the federal leviathan to its enumerated constitutional functions, then I plead “guilty.” I do so with vigor and glee. If those same critics believe that self-determination is the equivalent of social anarchy, I say “bring it on.” I do not fancy myself a fool who has been compromised by some misguided dream of Walden Pond. No, I am a wounded realist who has witnessed the oppressive growth of government and its suffocating nature. I have been battered and beaten by too many “good ideas” initiated by others who believe that I am incapable of making life-affirming choices.

My over-extended line of reasoning has led me to conclude that if I err and do not harm or damage others’ lives or property, then I must suffer and recover from the consequences of my faulty decision-making. If government assumes the power to choose for me and missteps, the entire nation….or a significant portion of it…will be harmed. Suffice it to say that I respect you and your preferences too much to want you to be damaged on my behalf. In other words… self-reliance, self-determination and individual sovereignty are the ultimate expressions of concern for others and their well-being. If my stupidity or naiveté lead me to the pits, why should you be forced to share my misery and pain? For those of the Christian faith…. Christ took the sins of humankind to the cross so that we could be spared eternal estrangement from Father. While each of us has his own cross to bear, we are not forced to endure that agonizing reconciliation for all.

The individualistic impulse is imprinted into our very nature. We seek to forge our own pathways and follow our personal compasses. We want to be free, but… at the same time some of us seek to escape the consequences of our frivolity and foolishness. There are those among us who believe that our better natures can be molded and manipulated into paragons of passivity leading to a level of hum-drum happiness and contentment. Perhaps … but not for all of us. If a significant number of us seek the succor and sustenance of government, it must by its twisted mission, force all of us to comply with its mendacious mandates. The lies of big government deceive us by luring us into a false security. Its enveloping arms of comfort become restrictive bands of tyranny. Those of us who long for liberty are compelled to resist by whatever means available. Resistance is messy. Reaction to resistance can ratchet the conflict upward and into chaos. Suppression and oppression often yield anarchy when the smoke has cleared.

The greatest antidote for anarchy is freedom. A free people have no compulsion to dismantle the infrastructure of the state. Their liberty and the government’s limitations provide an environment for prosperity and personal development. As our Framers envisioned it, one of the primary obligations of the federal government is to protect and defend the individual liberties of the nation’s citizens. The wise and learned crafters of our republic understood that liberty cannot be constrained for extended periods because the people will either cease production or openly rebel. A free people have no need to resist or subvert the government. When a government illegitimately over burdens its people with a bevy of laws, rules and regulations that are designed to constrict their individual opportunities for self-fulfillment, the citizens or a surly portion of them will vigorously react.

Because tyrannical regimes restrict the means and the resources for people to mount a resistance movement, the anti-government liberty effort will necessarily be ragtag and disjointed. If the citizenry successfully dislodges the offending government, the resultant outcome will lead to a number of liberty-minded groups vying to install their respective versions of a free and wholesome society. Under such a scenario there are two overwhelmingly likely end games. One is that a new round of repression would ensue in order for the victors to solidify their gains. The other is that the leadership and organizational structure of the successful groups would be quite diffuse and disorganized resulting in broad based anarchy across the land. The challenge would be for each region to design and re-establish some element of government and order that honors the freedom of its residents. Fortunately there is an excellent model from the late Eighteenth Century that has been enhanced by two and a quarter centuries of experience.

In essence an oppressive government is one that forcefully and unnecessarily squeezes a tube of toothpaste. If its tyrannical behavior incites an insurrection, it remains for the survivors to place the product back into the tube.

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Littlestuff Weekender-2-25-2012

So was the CNN-Mesa debate the final one of the primary/caucus season? Are more than 20 enough to inform the voters? Apparently not because the polling suggests that support is broadly diffused among the four remaining candidates with no one solidifying a solid majority or even a significant plurality. With Michigan and Arizona scheduled to decide on Tuesday their results may have an impact on Super Tuesday, March 6^th. However….each of the candidates has selected their most favorable Super Tuesday states for concentrated campaigning suggesting that the outcome may be even more fractured than it is today. The race is on……

http://youtu.be/H9b2zB3HwOM

Following the 9-11 murders, I enthusiastically supported the military action in Afghanistan to seek and destroy Al Qaeda. Our Special Forces, air power and the coalition with the Northern Alliance dislodged the terrorists and forced them to run for cover to the badlands of the Pakistani-Afghan border region. Then…..things began to go sour as our bureaucracy, political leaders and political correctness seized control of the mission. For the past several years our troops have been fighting the locals (Taliban) rather than the foreign fighters, our “Rules of Engagement” have hamstrung our men and women, our mission has become blurred and indistinct, and our allies in the region, particularly Pakistan, have undermined our efforts. Afghanistan is a 13^th century tribal society with 21^st Century technology….think of Fred Flintstone with a laptop and laser-guided munitions. Their society is corrupt and bigoted. Our efforts at nation building are resented and thwarted by tradition, mullahs and a tribal culture. Bring our people home.

http://youtu.be/nZ8sQfzuZnE

Here at my Little Pat-Ch of Paradise in Northwest Ohio it has been an amazingly mild winter…..so far. The good news is that we haven’t had to shovel or move much snow, and our utility service has not been interrupted. On the other hand the lack of sustained freezing and the standing water suggests that we may have some pest issues with the gardens this season. We’ll deal with it. Our “skeeters” will probably be the size of crows when they finally hatch, but there will be plenty for the birds to consume. It’s difficult to believe that March will be upon us come Thursday.

Gasoline prices are rocketing upward as the value of the dollar declines. We could all switch to those high-cost electric cars except for that fact that a number of power-generating plants are going off-line because of environmental concerns and inefficiencies. Even the most elemental form of transportation may be difficult to acquire because the USDA has resumed inspecting horse butchering facilities. You will now be competing with foreign food markets and dog food companies for a one-horsepower people mover. Every candidate talks about the need for an energy policy, but the bureaucratic briar patch created by our big government politicians has severely limited our capacity for exploiting known reserves of fossil fuels. Meanwhile….the green agenda funnels more and more of our borrowed dwindling resources into crony businesses that are unable to compete in the open energy market. We’d better pray that global warming is a reality because our current energy policies will doom many to freezing to death if our winters become too severe. Government will never learn the law of unintended consequences because it has no brain.

Sometimes I feel like picking up my toys and going home. Trying to get politicians to face reality and act courageously is similar to butting my head against a wall. It seems for most of them that if you’re vain enough to attempt to sway people to like you, you are too self-centered to be a true representative for your constituents. Maybe we should consider changing eligibility standards for political office….cloistered nuns, friars or mystics couldn’t be any more out of touch than our current crop of “servants,” and they would be much more thoughtful. Perhaps we should empower and elect recluses and hermits while providing them with wi-fi and laptops. They wouldn’t be tainted by the glamour or seduced by the power. Their payroll needs would be much lower, their staff requirements would be non-existent, and their commuting costs would be minimal. Yes…I can see it now ……… Homeboys for Hermits.

Elizabethtown, Kentucky is the site of the annual Libertarian Party of Kentucky (LPKY) annual convention, and I’m honored to be the keynote speaker on Saturday afternoon (the 25^th). The topic is “Why Liberty, Why Now?” Yes even hard core Libertarians should be reminded that The Issue is Liberty. Fiscal and economic problems arise when government overspends. Big government consumes our liberties. If we restore our inalienable rights, government will be constrained in its constitutional box. When dealing with an oppressive community or a government, The Issue is always Liberty. Re-read the “Lord of the Flies.” Even the extreme of liberty, anarchy, can be oppressive (see the French Revolution). The essence of freedom is personal sovereignty granted by God. For any person, group or government to undermine that relationship is immoral.

Have a great weekend. We’ll be back on the air Tuesday night from 6:00-7:00pm on the Talk of Toledo 1370 WSPD. www.wspd.com

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

  

Minority Rights

When you saw the title of this column, you probably made an assumption about its subject matter. You were wrong. As a third-party candidate for statewide office, I have become painfully aware of the double standard the media use when covering politics. Only rarely are those of us who represent smaller parties or points of view covered by those who engage in “serious” print or broadcast journalism. Frequently when an esteemed member of the Fourth Estate does lower herself/himself to seek our views, they do so with an aire of “gotcha” in place. For example, one so-called writer, editor, bottle washer and copy-machine-fixer of an online news source sought to get my opinion on one of those “when did you stop beating your wife” questions. It involved a member of our party (Libertarian Party of Ohio, www.LPO.org ) who was heavily involved in a protest outside of a congressman’s home following the passage of the Healthcare Travesty. This particular congressman had been a member of the infamous Stupak coalition of pro-life Democrats, but just like his group leader, had caved and voted for the bill on the fraudulent pretense that the President’s executive Order would trump the legislation. Our member is a candidate for the office that is currently held by the lily-livered, cowardly fraud. Our member and his cohorts staged a protest on the sidewalk outside the home of the aforementioned spineless congresscritter. It was legal. It was a valid expression of the First Amendment.


Would I personally protest at a politician’s home rather than his office? No, I would not, but that does not alter the fact that as long as the protesters obeyed the law and remained on the public sidewalk, and did not harm or threaten the person, the property or the family of the congressperson, then they had every RIGHT to do so. Our party is fundamentally based on three primary principles: smaller, Constitutional government; lower taxes resulting from smaller government; and more personal freedom. The writer wanted me to condemn our member for protesting on the sidewalk near the politician’s home because he believed it was tasteless. Maybe it was tasteless, but the First Amendment does not address the issue of taste…particularly when political speech is involved. So, the writer wishes for me to condemn the protester/member and undermine the principles of my party. That I refused to do so automatically slotted me into the category of tasteless rube with no standards of decency. If those two options are the only ones available, then I plead guilty to the latter.

Having studied the elements of victimology for several decades, I understand that if the media were to treat my party as a bona fide minority (which we are until Election Day), then they would provide every imaginable justification for our shortcomings and failures. Instead of being a pesky afterthought when they seek pithy quotes about important matters, we would be at the top of the Rolodex as a protected political minority. I am not insisting that we be given the same level of deference as Jesse Jackson or Michael Moore. Call me anything you want, O’ all-knowing journalist, just call me. Our voice may be tiny, but it is a voice that represents thousands (maybe even millions) of freedom loving people in the Buckeye state. Keep on doing your tired old sound bites and quotes from the old duopoly, but give the champions of liberty a voice…a chance.

If Affirmative Action were in place for the previously stated conundrum, then we would be the first to be sought when something profound or confrontational was needed for the newscast, the column or the article. Personally, I don’t want the affirmative action remedy. I do not mind going last in the quotation roundup. You see, our adversaries are so predictable and non-committal, that its fun to follow them and kick-up some dust. So, minority rights are fine with me. I don’t require special treatment. I merely want treatment.

Email or comment:  earl4sos@gmail.com

Fighting the tide

In a column I wrote for another venue (Buckeye Libertarian, LPO.org due in February), I used a beach/tide metaphor to describe the present political environment in the United States. Now that I have become fully infatuated with nautical metaphors, I want to develop another one to illustrate the differences between Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians. It’s not a perfect metaphor, but if it were perfect, then it wouldn’t be a metaphor, it would be what is. I once worked with a corporate training company that sought to teach supervisory personnel how to communicate using word pictures. The theory was that some people are visual learners and some retain information better from an auditory source, therefore word pictures should be an effective tool for both of them.


Imagine a small island. We’ll name it Freedom Island, and it sits in the bay a couple of miles from the mainland. It’s a tropical island that is rich in natural resources that are sufficient for everyone to survive and thrive. Some people might think of Freedom Island as utopian because of the bounty that’s available. Others aren’t so sure. They believe that because the residents of Freedom Island have to climb the trees to pick the fruit, to till the rich soil to raise the crops or to hunt and fish for meat, then the island lifestyle is unnecessarily demanding. They whine that not everyone is capable of climbing, farming or hunting with a high level of skill. They complain that some trees are more productive than others. They bemoan the fact that some residents awaken before others in order to acquire the best farmland or fishing hole. They call an island-wide meeting, and insist that all the crops, housing, water and meat be pooled and distributed equally. Fortunately for Freedom Island the true believers in redistribution were few, and their demands were defeated. In a huff, the Complainers decided to leave the island and go to the mainland. They hysterically demanded that “the island” provide them with a boat for the journey, and chose a 16 footer with the only two motors to make the trip. Seeing that they would be left behind without a boat with motors, and feeling some pity for the complainers, another group of residents asked for a boat to follow the Complainers to the mainland. We’ll name them the Followers. Those who remained on the island called themselves “The Doers,” and they wished the others good fortune as they cast off for the journey to the other side.

The Complainers revved the engines wide open as they streaked across the water to the promised land of equality and fairness. The Followers left shortly thereafter with all eight members rowing in unison as they trailed the speeding Complainers. It was an incoming tide to the mainland and both boats made remarkable progress. The Complainers arrived on the mainland and joyfully celebrated their escape from Freedom Island. The mainland was barren and harsh, but everyone there was equal. The Followers were rowing as diligently as they could, but their arms, backs and shoulders were aching. The tide stopped. The waters became calm, and the Followers could go no further. They were halfway between the island and the mainland, and they called for help. Meanwhile, their boat began to leak…slowly sinking into the water. Their cries were more frantic, but the Complainers couldn’t hear them because their joyous celebration drowned out the pleas for help. One Doer on the island shore heard the distant voices and sprang into action. He jumped into the only remaining boat and rowed toward the Followers. He noted as he rowed that the Followers boat continued to slowly drift toward the mainland, but he discerned that their craft would sink before they reached the shore. He rowed on without stopping.

Finally, the diligent Doer reached the Followers’ foundering boat. He helped them into his tiny watercraft. Because the boat would be overloaded, he had them discard their excess baggage. The only gear permitted on the little was the bare essentials. The Doer began to row back to the island as the Followers thankfully expressed their relief about returning to Freedom. It took a long time for the Doer to steer the tiny heavy craft across the bay to Freedom Island, but when they finally arrived, the Followers kissed the soil and exclaimed that they never really wanted to leave. The only reason for their abandoning Freedom Island, they claimed, was because so many other people wanted to go to the mainland. End of story.

Unless you are a complete dolt, you understand that the Complainers are Democrats/ Progressives, the Followers are Republicans/Conservatives and the Doers are Libertarians. Dump the excess baggage. Turn this boat around. Row against the tide for freedom. The left is racing toward a socialist/fascist state while the right is drifting just behind them. The Right doesn’t turn it around. It merely slows down the drift to tyranny. Only by supporting and electing someone whose principles are smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom can we turn the tide. I hope that we aren’t too late. I hope that the boat doesn’t sink before we can save the republic. It’s the principles that matter. The people are incidental.

Please comment or email: cnpearl@woh.rr.com

What if?

What if….


Conservatives, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Federalists, Tea Partiers, Sons of Liberty, Liberty First, Smart Girls, Freedom Works, Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Express, Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and other advocates for a smaller, accountable federal government assembled in a room around a circular table? Perhaps they could agree to band together for just one national election in order to promote thoroughly vetted, totally reliable coalition candidates for president and vice president of the United States of America. They could unite under one principled banner—to reduce the size of the federal monstrosity and implement stringent measures to assure accountability (e.g. recall measures, term limits, whatever). Each party or organization would retain its autonomy for local, state and congressional campaigns, but would support the top-of-the-ticket candidates. The name of the merged group could be RPO coalition—meaning the radically P. O’d assembly of citizens. So, can we get it done in time for 2012? Maybe. I must stop now because the Tooth Fairy is leaving, and Santa Claus is coming.

What if…frogs had wings?

What if…

The men in leadership of the Republican Party grew onions as big as some of the ladies of the GOP seem to have? Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn are not afraid to challenge the socialist monkeys with blunt talk, meanwhile Boehner and McConnell use D.C.-speak to protest the Dem’s roughshod behavior. Even the lady pundits are more straightforward. Malkin, Coulter, Ingraham, Cupp and others tell it like it is. As a reformed politician, I’ve known the type for years: Perfectly coiffed hair, steel-strong starched collar, top-grade suit and vague, non-committal language…and no guts. If I went into battle with most of those guys, I certainly wouldn’t want them behind me.

What if…

In lieu of raising the debt ceiling to 14 Trillion dollars, Congress had simply distributed the amount among the populace? A tidy sum of 46, 666 dollars would have been available for every woman, man and rug rat in the country. The spending surge would have generated a tsunami of economic activity that might have overcome some of the dislocations in the federal balance sheet. Just imagine, The Duggars with their 19 little Duggars would collect $979, 986. Wow, one more kiddling and they could have more than a million. The wife and I could have taken our 93 grand and donated some to Harry Reid’s campaign fund…maybe not. I know this is a pipe dream (even pipes have more realistic dreams than this). Plus, I don’t want Washington to take my money, skim it and shrink it, and send some loose change back. I want to hang on to it and decide how to spend it myself. I believe that I would do so more effectively…and more compassionately than Big Brother. I might not be so hostile to government spending if it were done with accountability and sensibility…and if they weren’t consistently spending more than they collect. So, once again our government is in the hole. Whaddya say…let’s fill in the hole and close it? Let’s bury those suckers once and for all…just like they have burying us under an avalanche of debt for all these years.

What if…President Obama got a clue? I know, won’t happen.

Comments are welcome.  cnpearl@woh.rr.com