We’re all familiar, I think, with bloggers, vloggers, pundits and people in general who strike a bold stance, make an unequivocal argument or take a justifiably strong position, only to short-arm their case with caveats. Of the many variations on that theme, these two are the most common:
“This is all hypothetical, of course.”
“I’m not encouraging anyone to break the law.”
Failing to issue that hot-coffee dislaimer has consequences, and no one wants to lose their platform or end up in court, right? Institutional repression of free speech has much to do with that. The rest can be chalked up to a cultural aversion to civil and criminal risk.
I’ve done it myself. We rationalize. We compromise. We congratulate ourselves for being clever.
And whether or not we want to admit it, we sabotage what we claim to advocate. We capitulate to The Holy Narrative, the status quo.
In the land of the free, we sentence ourselves to The Box, as defined by The Rules.
Our individual Liberty is being regulated away. Citizens must secure official permission before acting, whether that blessing comes from the State or from pseudo-State actors and proxies — rackets like industry associations, licensing cabals and the like.
Seriously, try to think of an ordinary, everyday thing that can be done without paying a tax, getting a permit or interacting with someone who’s been formally approved to provide a good or a service.
Build, plumb and wire a house. Sell raw milk or harvest rainwater. Generate electric power with solar panels or a wind turbine. Get a massage, a manicure or a haircut. Buy and spread fertilizer on your own land. Buy meat, dine at a restaurant, or open a food truck. Run a business from your home. Sell real estate. Clean houses.
Own a gun. Fire a gun. Buy a gun. Sell a gun.
Grow trees. Cut trees. Dig a hole. Fill it in. Drive a car, ride a motorcycle or go for a hike.
Let your lawn grow tall. Plant a vegetable garden in your front yard.
Manage your own health. Marry the person you love. Home-school your kids. Own a dog.
I could go on. Some places are worse than others.
I won’t bullshit you — it can’t be reversed. Only the individual can break out of The Box.
And how do you do that? By breaking The Rules.
No caveats. This is not hypothetical. And when I allude to “The Rules,” I mean laws (or myriad regulations enforced as if they were).
I encourage you to exercise your birthrights. Do what’s not allowed, or do what’s allowed but without permission. Do business with those you choose and trust, regardless of whether or not they’re licensed. Exchange goods and services privately, person-to-person.
Barter. Build. Create. Teach. Do.
Live as if neither the State nor any man owns your choices and your actions — because they don’t.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB