To fully understand oligarchy (the "Establishment"), read John Adams

[cotton1706]

Over the past several years, the term "the Establishment" has been frequently used. The Republican Establishment, the Democrat Establishment, etc.

The "Establishment" is nothing more than the ruling oligarchy, "the few" who have consolidated power within themselves and pass it around amongst themselves (witness the Bushes, the Clintons, the Romneys, the Cuomos, the Kennedys, etc.).

And witness the means that congressional leaders select and elect only their own types for power (the NRSC, NRCC, DNSC, DNCC and the oligarchs that fund them).

There is nothing new in this. In fact, it is quite common in world history.

And there is no better means to understand the history of governmental power and how it works than John Adams' masterful work A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America.

The first and third volumes of this work explain and illuminate government and power in a way no other work has, before or since (the 2nd volume, while interesting in its history of Italy, can be skipped).

As the people work to seize back their power from the ruling oligarchs, the works of John Adams, in freshly published volumes, can once again serve to enlighten them.

[cotton1706]

[patro]

Thank you for this. This will be my next ‘assignment’ after I finish reading the Federalist Papers. According to the late Antonin Scalia, the Federalist Papers are not well known, but are just as important as our other founding documents, and are meant to compliment them.

[seowulf]

According to the late Antonin Scalia, the Federalist Papers are not well known, but are just as important as our other founding documents, and are meant to compliment them.

Read the Anti-Federalist Papers too.

They seem almost prophetic in predicting what our government would eventually turn into.

[patro]

10-4. Thank you.

[cotton1706]

I found reading Adams’ work much easier than the Federalist Papers, which were very lawyerly. Though Adams was an erudite lawyer himself, he had a much more down-to-earth style of writing, though he can go off into lengthy tangents.

And the two works were written for totally different purposes and audiences.

[cotton1706]

And Seowolf is right about the Anti-Federalist papers! Very enlightening!

[aquila48]

Does Adams say how the people should go about getting power back from the establishment? Because that is the issue today.

The constitution is no longer any help, since it is interpreted and enforced by the oligarchs, so it has become whatever suits their needs.

Electing the “right people” has proven to be a failure too, as shown by the situation today. Even well intentioned individuals sooner or later get coopted and corrupted by the system.

So is manning the pitchforks the only remaining answer?

[faithhopecharity]

The use ( or misuse) of power influence money money money propaganda ( fake news) and religion to control the masses and keep control - goes way back. At least to the Flavian etc in the Roman Empire. (We still have their vestiges today)

[faithhopecharity]

Absolutely look at federalist and anti- federalist paper’s. Critical info and insights! How the founders foresaw so much of today’s couuption greed tyranny and general misuse of govt power is amazing!!