Posted on 04/09/2010 11:29:45 AM PDT by fascistsoup
"…The more terrifying the occasion for defense, the closer will become the organization and the more coercive the influence upon each member of the herd.
War sends the current of purpose and activity flowing down to the lowest level of the herd, and to its most remote branches. All the activities of society are linked together as fast as possible to this central purpose of making a military offensive or a military defense, and the State becomes what in peacetimes it has vainly struggled to become—the inexorable arbiter and determinant of men’s business and attitudes and opinions…" -Randolph Bourne
Dear readers,
I am a former member of the US military that has served time in the Persian Gulf and I have done counter narcotics operations in the Caribbean. I am familiar with warfare and I’m not afraid to stand up in defense of the nation should the need arise. However, I’m also not afraid to confront what psychologists call “cognitive dissonance.” Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling one gets when holding two contradictory ideas at the same time. Wiki describes it thusly, “The anxiety that comes with the possibility of having made a bad decision can lead to rationalization, the tendency to create additional reasons or justifications to support one’s choices.”
I’ve spent quite a bit of time recently resolving the cognitive dissonance that arises from justifying the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with my strong limited government view points. On this subject, I have reached the conclusion the nation’s founding fathers reached centuries ago: War is the health of the State. Ultimately, if one holds that government is a coercive and dangerous institution, one must reject all wars that are not defensive in nature and that do not involve the stake of national sovereignty.
Washington had it right when he said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! It is a dangerous servant and a terrible master.” There is a reason why the Constitution does not establish a standing army. In fact, the Constitution mandates that the Congress review the need to even have an army every two years if one should ever be created. Congress has the power “To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;”
You see, a truly free people don’t even need an army. Ladies and gentlemen we have over 65 million gun owners in this nation at last count. China’s entire military only numbers around 3 million active and reserve troops. It is impossible that any nation on this earth could ever invade and conquer us when so many of us own guns. The Constitution says we should have a standing Navy to defend our trade routes and our shores, but an army is an entirely different matter.
The nations of Afghanistan and Iraq are not threatening our national sovereignty. There is no invasion force of armed jihadists looking to land on our shores and conquer New York. The hijackers that attacked us on 9/11 were Saudi and could easily have been trained or funded anywhere on this planet, even on our own shores. The threat of terrorism can not be solved through warfare.
The nation has spent well over a trillion dollars fighting the multiple wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The results to-date have been somewhat disappointing. While we can look at Afghanistan and Iraq and say we have created and installed governments favorable to us, we also must look at the damage we have done to ourselves if we are to be fair.
A trillion dollars taken from the public and spent on the machinery of the State is a trillion dollars less the public has in their pockets. The government has no money. It has your money. The wars have massively expanded the State. I find that it is irreconcilable to hold the view that government is an evil institution of force that must be limited, while at the same time holding the view we must wage war to install favorable governments in foreign nations.
The founding fathers felt that warfare should only be engaged in to save the nation from tyranny. That armies should only be created when absolutely necessary to defend against an invasion of such tyranny, that standing armies are a direct threat to liberty. Jefferson was quoted as saying, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” And while this may indeed be true, the last part of the phrase is just as telling as the first. Jefferson himself viewed a standing army as something to be feared.
I personally fear the government more than I fear terrorists. I have a gun and I can defend myself from terrorists. It is impossible to defend oneself from a coercive domineering government. We should be looking at ourselves as the defenders of this nation, not government. I do not need rough men standing ready in the night to protect me. I need the freedom to protect myself.
Ultimately this cognitive dissonance must be faced by each and every one of you that support the tea party while also supporting the wars. The tea party movement has grown from the basic distrust of government instilled in us by the natural rights of man and the founders of this nation. If you support the tea party and what it represents, in order to be in agreement with your position, you must ultimately reject foreign wars where the sovereignty of the nation is not at stake.
Westwood or Mikelson??
Sunday morning.
Mickelson’s been there. Westwood, as good as he is, is the contender between the two. And his record is spotty in majors compared to Mickelson. I pick Mickelson.
Tiger, of course, looms in the background. But both Mickelson and Westwood would have to faulter for Tiger to win. Possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Can’t recall a half-hour of excitement like we had yesterday. Can it be surpassed today? Oh, boy...
“Mickelson’s been there. Westwood, as good as he is, is the contender between the two. And his record is spotty in majors compared to Mickelson. I pick Mickelson.”
So do I, and for no other reason that Mikelson is cool, calm, collected and confident.....the sign of a winner!
LOL
what a whiny little b@#!$
When Mickelson had his back-to-back eagles yesterday, Westwood faltered. He recovered and survived, but that shows the pressure he’s under. Having not been this close to a major win, there will be far more pressure on him today. And Mickelson’s coolness, as you note, may well be the deciding factor.
The guy's also soliciting funds for the sale of an email telling the contributor how to lead their life.
Invest In the Suede Personal Government ProgramI’m pleased to announce the formation of a new type of private and personal government that the masses can afford!
It’s called the SPGP or (Suede Personal Government Program).
Here’s how it works:
Step 1. You send me as much money as you can afford through the pay pal link located here: [PayPal Link]
Step 2. I send you an email back that tells you how to live your life. Occasionally I may make additional rules or order you to do something you absolutely hate, but you will have no choice in the matter. If you fail to comply with my orders, I will order you into a prison that you build and pay for with your own labor and money.
It’s that simple!
You can have your very own personal government without all the hassle and aggravation of lengthily tax returns, IRS audits, police brutality, or the occasional genocide.
As your anointed leader, I pledge the following to you:
* All money I take from you will be used to further enrich my life as I see fit.
* The bulk of the money I take from you will be used to purchase ammunition, firearms, storable food, gold, and other survival necessities.
* I will not spend a dime of your money on fascist or communist agitprop; however I will probably blow large portions of it in a casino, strip club, or on libertarian activist organizations.
I reserve the right to stop ordering you around at any time should I become bored with you.
Not only a troll, but a huckster troll.
Delusional.
Well, that's what it takes to be a huckster at this level.
I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.
Where do we send the money?
Can we send cash in an envelope or does he take PayPal?
It’s at the link, if you’re so inclined...
Ah, a ceep selling snakeoil cures.
Gotta love the shysters out there.
And he thought we weren’t going to catch him?
His butt has a hurt, and he has keyboard with which to whine about it.
He seriously thought nobody was going to look and see what a shyster he is?
“I’ll sell you n e-mail!”
I have a bridge to sell him if he’s so inclined.
They all do. *sigh*
Which amuses us in some cases.
Oh, the best cognitive dissonance yet: He trolls US and claims we’re trolling HIM.
ronpaulites often use lib tactics like that.
I supposed you missed the sarcasm in my post...
I’ve noticed.
It because they’re libs at heart.
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