“It would be a dangerous delusion were a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights; that confidence is every where the parent of despotism; free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence….”
Thomas Jefferson (1798)
To follow up on what I said yesterday about the feds’ anti-disinformation crusade (which is itself disinformation), I figured the best way to begin would be with that Jefferson quote — “free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence.”
Although we don’t know specifically how the new “Disinformation Governance Board” will work, we can predict that it’ll operate mostly in secret, breaking cover only to issue threats and impose sanctions. With a certified demagogue at its helm, this Ministry of Truth will pursue political and ideological retribution.
For a little more insight, we can look at CISA’s current “Disinformation Stops With You” campaign. It instructs soft-headed masses to trust only official, verified, authoritative sources (read: government). It describes (correctly) the three types of false information.
And then it lists three sources of disinformation — foreign states, scammers and extremist groups. Just three. That’s it.
Notice what’s missing?
The biggest source of disinformation in American life and culture is our own government. That’s beyond credible dispute. Even if CISA omits it from the infographic, we should include it.
In fact, the Permanent State belongs at the top of the list. No entity on Earth devotes more resources to domestic propaganda than does the federal government of the United States of America. For evidence, look no further than the daily drumbeat of disinformation that accompanied the WuFlu “pandemic.” It continues to this day.
I find it interesting, by the way, that “Disinformation Stops With You,” published less than three weeks ago, borrows heavily from the “We’re In This Together: Disinformation Stops With You” infographic produced in June of 2020, which clearly meant to tamp-down anything that ran counter to the official WuFlu narrative. Neither campaign has been distributed widely — an Internet search for the new document generated 400 hits, the older one just 12.
If CISA’s slick infographics can serve any useful purpose, it would be for citizens to apply the methods they describe to analyzing our own government’s propaganda, exposing disinformation crafted to manipulate the People.
Jefferson urged us to be suspicious of government. He advised that it’s proper to “[fear] for the safety of our rights” but a mistake to assuage those fears by placing trust in the State.
Distrust is vital to preserving Liberty.
(I haven’t linked to federal websites, and — because I fundamentally distrust government — I won’t. I acknowledge, however, that some readers may want to take a closer look at the CISA document I’ve been talking about. And while I could’ve told you to find and fetch it yourself, I decided to upload it to Ubi Libertas Blog. The six-page pdf is resident on this site, and I’ve removed all properties that could be scrubbed. To download the file, click here or on the image above.)
I can sit down and stand up without reaching for handholds and pushing off the furniture (about half the time, anyway). I’m walking relatively upright and I’ve slept laying down (instead of sitting up) the last two nights. The occasional cough or sneeze doesn’t bring tears to my eyes.
I may have turned a corner.
There’s something counter-intuitive about getting something for nothing, achieving without effort — in this case, healing by not moving. And for me, especially with so much that needs to be done these days, it’s positively maddening to be stationary.
Getting better hasn’t been entirely a passive undertaking, As much as I despise depending on any kind of medication, at bedtime I’ve been taking 400mg of ibuprofen. Three times I’ve stooped to popping 5mg of prescription cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril®) offered by Deb. The first few days post-injury I applied ice to my back; yesterday I began using a brand-spankin’-new heating pad.
The reward is less pain. The result is optimism.
Now, as I’m a bullheaded old fart, the trick will be not pushing my luck. After all, that’s how I ended up in this fix (coming back too soon, I mean). I also need to get better at asking for help.
I know that if I don’t do both — exercise patience and work smarter, with help — I risk doing more and permanent soft-tissue damage. Beginning my retirement that way sure would suck.
Anyway, please pardon the navel-gazing. It’s just what’s going on here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB
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