Be Thankful for America

Yes, Be Thankful for America. Even with all of our problems, growing tyranny, and societal decay, America is still one of the best, if not the best place to live on our planet. I know, I know, the American government is curbing our liberties, and are building a police state. As I have stated in my previous posts, we must fight the ruling political class, and reclaim the concept of America and what it means to be an American. We must reclaim the ideals of the American Revolution. I still believe all of that, but I am going to be a little more positive in this post. I am going to list some of the things that we should be thankful for being Americans. Here goes:

A lack of starvation among the populace
freedom to travel without restriction within the US
freedom to disappear and start a new life
The Internet and the ability to use it unrestricted
freedom to buy and read whatever books one wishes to
freedom to worship or not worship a god or gods
freedom to operate a motor vehicle
no standing army occupying our cities
mild poverty compared to the rest of the world ( since even our poorest have cars,TVs and
cell phones)
in some states, the freedom to own firearms
access to the best technology in the world
the freedom to speak out against the government
the right to own private property
the right to have an attorney when arrested
the right to a jury trial ( in most cases)
the right against self incrimination

Now this list is not all encompassing, and does not take away
from the fact that these rights are under attack daily. Even so,
we are much freer than any country in Africa, South America, Europe
Asia, or Australia. Many of those places are literal hell holes full of
disease, poverty, war, and tyrannical government. This list is just a little
reminder to us all that we need to fight for this great republic and
the classical liberal and radical ideals that brought it into being.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Rule of the Political Class

In my last post, I told people to WAKE UP!!! In this post we are going to expose the ruling class of American society. Karl Marx was right about ruling classes. He just missed the mark a bit. It is not an economic class alone that rules a nation, but a combination of an economic elite and a political elite. Many times they are one in the same. Let us examine the current ruling class of the USA.

Let's draw up a list.

1) Corporations. Regardless of what some misguided libertarians believe
corporations are linked indissolubly with government. They bribe officials through "campaign donations", lobbying,large government contracts such as military technology, or the health care industry . Some will say that corporations are forced to do this out of self defense.Maybe so, but most executives of corporations could care less about liberty, freedom or a free market. Sadly, current interpretations of the 14th Amendment( by an 1896 court) consider the corporation a "person" with rights. This ruling has caused enormous damage to the cause of liberty. Frankly, corporations are legal fictions of government that were not trusted by America's Founding Fathers. nor should they be by us.

2) The Military Industrial Complex. I like to call this wedding of government and private industry the "national security state". This national security state is a paranoid, authoritarian, anti-liberty, greedy
group of whores for fat cats and politicians to conquer other nations in the name of money and power. I like to refer to them as the heavy metal band Black Sabbath did as "War Pigs". These people profit off of death, murder, genocide and conquest. Sickening.

3) The Political Class. Members of Congress, state legislatures, county governments and cities. Politicians are a separate, corrupt class all to themselves. They deny citizens government funded health care, but literally have the best in the world ( as in the case of Congress). Total hypocrisy. Politicians are also the masters at meddling in the lives of their citizens. Their main motto is "There outta be a law.." They also give themselves fat salaries and large paid staffs. Most politicians are drunk with power.

Of course they consider themselves above the law. Several Presidents, Clinton and Nixon are recent ones, have used the IRS to target political opponents. This portion of the ruling class is the most dangerous. Why?
First they hold the purse strings of government, second they have the ultimate authority of armed agents to carry out their orders. Government has no rival. A battle against an unjust, unconstitutional law, or immoral one will result in heavy fines, prison, and sometimes death.

The ruling classes also send young men to die in useless wars across the globe. All of these wars further solidify the power of the economic and political elite. Most brain dead and thoughtless citizens rally to support the most corrupt and incompetent government when threatened. The press is used to lie, manipulate, and control the masses through mass propaganda.Just listen to the cries of "support the troops!", "support your government", "support the President" or more frightening "your President". Why does this happen? Ignorance? Stupidity? Well, probably a combination of both. Dumbed down education in public schools, harsh laws, TV, conservative radio, all of these things contribute, but are not the cause. The main cause of the lack of resistance to criminal government is apathy. Most people could care less about politics and politicians. Because of this morons elect the Clintons, Bushes, Guilianis, etc. Truly tragic.

The ruling classes are destroying what is left of the republic. Like Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars( although not as intelligent) George Bush has presided over the end of democracy in the USA. By the end I mean the last 25 years or so of republican government. Oh, the forms may remain: Congress, Senate, etc, but Like Palpatine's empire in Star Wars, only to rubber stamp the directives of the executive.

Let us hope liberty can survive. It always manages to in one form or another. As I related in my last post, we need to WAKE UP!!!. If we don't we have no one to blame but ourselves.

WAKE UP!

This is not going to be a positive post. I am angry. I am sad. Why? I am angry and sad because the American Republic is dead. I am angry and sad because the US Constitution has been discarded in favor of a military industrial-corporate state. This corporate state has been created over the last 50 years by the left and right alike. A perfect example is the US government's support of the use of mercenaries like Blackwater USA in, not only Iraq, but in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. All the while the drooling morons that infest the neocon and right wing Christian zealot wings of the Republican Party support the eradication of over 800 years of Anglo-American principles of liberty. The Democratic Party is no better with it's nanny state leftists who love government when it plays the role of mommy or daddy, or who demand that everyone be supported by a huge bureaucracy. All the while the US Constitution fades away. It sickens me.

Both political parties are frauds. Both love government power and domination over others. A man like Ron Paul is a true hero. His consistent support for the principles of liberty is wonderful in such dark times as these. Let us hope he can wake some people up. Unfortunately, the US press is a tool of the ruling political class and has absolutely no interest in being fair or evenhanded in it's coverage of Dr. Paul.

What is frightening is that we are witnessing the end stage of republican government. Here are a few of the signs:

Church and state wedding together to support war and death(Iraq)
Cruelty and oppression ( torture of suspects)
Intolerance towards others different from you
abolition of the rule of law
the massive increase of power and centralized government
massive consumer and government debt
recession or depression
fiat money
militarism

Now I know these are very generalized, but I encourage you to look around. Look around and WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP before it's too late!

Preparation for the Coming Dictatorship

Be wary of the future. The Bush Administration and it's globalist allies have something planned for America and the world: Dictatorship. Martial Law is coming. Ominous signs are in the news everyday. In this essay we will review these signs and their implications.

The continuation of the Iraq war, the abolition of habeus corpus, the arrest of protesters at the President's speaking engagements, etc, all point to a growing police state mindset that is rapid devouring any remaining respect for the US Constitution or the precepts of Anglo-American libertarian principles. Should another terrorist attack occur in the United States, especially one with mass casualties, the USA will become a dictatorship similar the one in Burma. Military law and occupation will be the result, all in the name of "protecting" Americans from "terrorists". The real terrorists are the politicians who support these fascistic policies, the neoconservatives fanatics, religious zealots in the Republican Party, and the cowardly leftist Democrats who are either unable or unwilling to fight for liberty in America.

Look at our country: we have the highest prison population of any nation on Earth, we have daily reports of police brutality and a creeping mindset that the military can do no wrong. This mindset is ruining our republic.

My advice to you, dear reader, is prepare yourself. The dictatorship is coming, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.

Freedom of Speech...Absolutely

Recently I purchased a wee little book called "The FBI vs The First Amendment" by ACLU attorney Robert Criley. Criley was also one of the leading left wing opponents of HUAC- The House Un-American Activities Committee. This committee is a black mark on the American Congress and shameful assault on America's Revolutionary ideals and principles. I am not concerned with the fact that HUAC was fighting socialism or communism. What I am concerned about is the national security state that rose out of the Cold War and the lunacy and hysteria that accompanied it. Joseph Mc Carthy, J. Edgar Hoover, LBJ and other enemies of liberty were men of paranoid and dark minds. What I fear, and what this essay is about, is the recreation of this near demonic, fear driven society due to the "War on Terror". The men with dark and paranoid minds are the neoconservatives and fascistic conservatives who are attempting to further saddle the American people with a police state.

Roots on the Right

As I have touched on above the roots of this police/national security state lie in the 1950's and 60's and the increasing power of the federal government. J. Edgar Hoover, a vile and evil man, was at the forefront of not only increasing his personal power, but the power of the FBI and the US government. Hoover, a hero to the lunatics in the John Birch Society, took the FBI, once an inept and tiny investigatory bureau and turned it into a first class domestic spy agency. Hoover held a lifetime of power from 1924 to 1972 and it showed. Due to this near life tenure he amassed an enormous amount of detailed information on individuals, usually referred to as a dossiers, which were used to destroy the lives of those he believed were "communists", "socialists" and as he called them "dissenters". Hoover hated any dissent against the federal government. All dissent was treasonous in his mind, and all dissent must be crushed. Hoover was no fan of the principles of American Liberty and the American Revolution. As I have pointed out in earlier essays the American Revolution was a radical, violent, and powerful libertarian upheaval. I would venture to say if Hoover had been alive during the American Revolution he would most assuredly have been a Tory.

The Creation of COINTELPRO

In 1956 Hoover created COINTELPRO a domestic spy and surveilence unit within the FBI. Hoover, and the FBI, had never been friends to freedom, or constitutional liberties. COINTELPRO was used to infiltrate, spy, and use agent provocateurs to destroy organizations that Hoover deemed "subversive". COINTELPRO was used to spy on various left wing groups from it's creation in the 50's right up until it's disbandment in the 1980's. The FBI frequently engaged in criminal acts, like illegal wiretapping, burglary, and other police state crimes worthy of a communist dictatorship. FBI agents also allowed their own undercover agents to commit crimes and allow them to take place. COINTELPRO was used against any and all perceived "enemies" of the US government: Black Panthers, SDS, Weathermen, Hippie and antiwar groups, etc. Supported by fanatical anticommunist organizations the John Birch Society, Young Americans for Freedom, and other conservative-fascist organizations, the FBI was able to amass a huge groups of secret informers, spies, and snitches, ready and willing to destroy constitutional liberties to "fight communism". This mentality exists today, except the enemy is not communism, but "terrorism". Terrorism is the new enemy. Despots and enemies of liberty always need an enemy. This enemy is not only terrorism, but antiwar groups, leftists, libertarians, and average everyday people like Cindy Sheehan. This, as Lew Rockwell so eloquently calls it, is really "Red State Fascism". Red State Fascism is a military-industrial-statist mindset masquerading as freedom loving enemies of "Islamic Fascism". This group of Red State Fascists is made up of the following elements: fanatical zionist neoconservatives, christian fundamentalists with an "Armageddon" complex, economic fascists ( men like Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al) who are CEO's of large politically connected industries, officers in the military aristocracy, propagandists in the government-media complex ( O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh)
and unfortunately a large number of average, run of the mill, middle class Americans. This Red State Fascism will destroy the American Republic if not exposed and stopped.

Assaults of Freedom of Speech

The Propagandists at FOX, CNN, and other politically connected media organizations are currently in cahoots with government agencies and Bush Administration fascists to destroy freedom of speech in America. Many in the federal government, with the support of fascists like Bill O'Reilly want bloggers, like myself, regulated by the FCC! The First Amendment means nothing to the fascist. All "enemies" of the state must be crushed. Calls by conservatives to "regulate" the Internet and imprison opponents of the Iraq War who dare to print their opinions are now heard every day. Fanatical Zionist and neoconservative Micheal Savage calls for the federal government to arrest newspaper columnists, editors and all opponents of American foreign policy towards Israel as "anti-Semitic". These calls for the suppression of free speech is noting new for conservatives. Remember one thing: conservatives love the state. They believe men to be stupid, factious, corrupt and incapable of self government. This always applies to their opponents, but never themselves.


Sean Hannity calls all who oppose the Iraq War and the President "traitors", and enemies to America. Men like Mr. Hannity remind me of Joseph Goebbels, constantly using demagoguery and imagery to destroy people's faith in free government and to fool them into believing that by destroying free speech we are somehow , more free. Recently "conservative" Ann Coulter gave a very un-American speech in which she denounced freedom of speech in the most brazen of terms. This fascist woman has no more respect for American "values" or ideals than did Mao tse Tung. In her speech Coulter called for censorship of "liberals" and the banning of free speech. These ideas are not new, and they are also at total variance with Anglo-American libertarian theory.

Establishment Enemies of Free Speech and Thought

The United States government has always been an enemy to free speech, and the First Amendment. Now they have new enemies: Anarchists, leftists, libertarians, antiwar groups amd other "anti-government" folks are now the focus of the new Surveillance State. J. Edgar Hoover, LBJ, Richard Nixon and other Cold Warriors are the architects of this surveillance society. Hoover believed all Americans should be monitored and files kept on them to measure whether they were "subversives". Both LBJ, and Nixon, used Hoover and his FBI to monitor, spy and repress their political enemies. Presumably Hoover had serious dirt on both men and used it to his full advantage. Now the current President, George W. Bush has used the new Cold War, the "War on Terror" to his advantage. Free speech zones, roving wiretaps, sneak and peak searches, computer spying with programs like the FBI's Carnivore and the NSA's Echelon have begun to create a nation of spies and the spied. At the pinnacle of all this is the FBI. Although Hoover is dead and gone his evil spirit lives on in the bureaucratic mindset of of the FBI's agents and managers. Every year the FBI comes to Capitol Hill to request more and more power. Their failures, mistakes and outright lawbreaking mean nothing to Congress, who generously gives the agency more and more. Such CHUZPAH by the Bureau is rewarded and the American people are not only less safe, but less free.

The Destruction of the Anglo American Libertarian Tradition

The Administration of George W. Bush and his propagandists in the government-media complex have done more to destroy the Anglo-American libertarian tradition. Free speech zones, arrests of peaceful protesters, banning of anti-Bush signs at rallies, etc are all an attempt to undermine and eventually annihilate the freedom of speech in the United States. This proud tradition beginning with the English Levellers, Cato's Letters, by Trenchard and Gordon, Locke, Sidney and the American Revolutionaries is now being shunted aside for the tyrannical ideals of modern day Marxists with "hate speech", and conservatives with their near worship of the state and the President. Soon Americans will find that the vaunted and glorious tradition of liberty and free speech our ancestors left us will be gone and a surveillance state set up in it's place.

The destruction of liberty in American will only herald the destruction of liberty throughout the Western World. Although America is not perfect, and has not always been perfect ( who has?) it is still the last best hope for freedom and liberty on Earth. With all of it's warts, the American Republic brought into the world by America's Founders is still the beacon for people who love liberty to rally around. Reject the police state! Support free speech, free thought and free institutions! Reject the tyranny of right wing and left wing despots before it's too late.

Reject "Conservative Libertarians" !

Over the last several years I have noticed a disturbing trend within the libertarian movement: conservatism. Several otherwise excellent libertarian websites, newsletters and periodicals seem to have libertarians holding many "conservative" views. Many of these views are downright anti-libertarian and a rejection of the radicalism of the classical liberal and modern libertarian concept. Although I am a fan of Lew Rockwell and his site LewRockwell.com, I am greatly disturbed by many of his "paleo-conservative" writers and associates. Gary North, a Christian reconstructionist zealot, Patrick Buchanan, a right wing Catholic, are just a couple of the conservative types on Rockwell's site that come to mind.

I have also read several articles that show many libertarians praising conservative feudalists like Edmund Burke while rejecting the natural rights radicalism of men like Thomas Paine, Joseph Priestley, Richard Price and Thomas Jefferson. These men, not Burke, are our intellectual forefathers. Burke stood for monarchy, state sponsored religion, feudalism, primogeniture, aristocracy, and permanent tradition. That is not radical, nor part of our "tradition". If one wants to know what Burke and other intellectual prescriptive rights "libertarians" stood for read Reflections on the Revolution in France. If you are believer in true liberty you will see Burke for what he is: monarchist, statist, and worshipper of authority. Don't fall into the trap that he was against the French Revolution so that should make him a lover of liberty. On the contrary, his opposition to the French Revolution was during it's early classical liberal period and not during the "Terror". This shows Burke true hatred of natural rights and republican government. With all of it's flaws, the French Revolution, along with the American and English Revolutions helped pave the way for modern society and ushered in the Industrial Age. The world before these revolutions was one only a statist could love: absolute monarchy, theocracy, serfdom, feudalism, sanguinary punishments, and constant war. This is the world of the Dark Ages, before the Age of Enlightenment. This is where the roots of conservatism lie.

As a radical libertarian I urge you to be wary of wolves in sheep's clothing. Many people, both secretly liberal or conservative, will portray themselves as libertarians. As the old adage goes, "Look before you leap". There are many out there. Thomas Woods, Jr, a contributor to Lew Rockwell, claims to be a paleoconservative, but when examined closely is more of a religious conservative masquerading as a libertarian. Another is neoconservatives like Neil Boortz, a man who claims to be a libertarian, but shills for the war machine in Washington, and who supports the unconstitutional actions of the Bush regime: wiretapping, Patriot Act, etc. One I mentioned above, Gary North, is a Christian Reconstructionist, and fanatic who parades himself around as a libertarian or paleoconservative. North actually believes in a theocratic state with stoning, theocracy, and dictatorship. He would send us back beyond the Dark Ages to the most primitive of times, the times of the Bible. This was a time when men thought the Earth was flat, that the Earth was the center of the universe, human sacrifices were common, and men lived in the most abject poverty and suffered the most horrific oppression. How can a man in the modern era, especially our era of technology embrace such a worldview? How can Lew Rockwell, an otherwise excellent paleoconservative, support such a man on his site? I do not know the answers to those questions, but it does make me question the judgment and motives of Rockwell.

Beware of people who claim to be libertarians, but continue to endorse the religious view that people are depraved, stupid, and in need of religion, monarchy, or some other freedom destroying organism to run their life. Another of these types of people is Professor Hans Hermann Hoppe, an anarcho-capitalist. Strangely, this "anarchist" supports monarchy and yearns for the times of chivalry and feudal lords. Huh? What kind of libertarian is that? Kings, the feudal structure and organized religion were used as a sledgehammer on the rights of men. Outside of royalty and nobility the lives of people in a monarchical society were one of abject poverty, religious superstition, violence, intolerance,and a caste system. Kings and nobility fleeced their populations through enormous taxation, tithing, forced labor, poor laws,
game laws, and hereditary government positions. This world that Hoppe pines for is at total variance with the ideals of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was an earth shattering event. The ideals of republicanism, freedom, individual liberty, equality under law, abolition of royalty and feudal impositions, freed the American people from tyranny and spread the ideals of the rights of men to the world. The American Revolution was the most radical in a series of revolutions that rocked the Western world. It began in England with the radical "Puritan" Revolution of the 1640's, the "Glorious" Revolution of the 1680's, continuing on to the American Revolution and ending with the French Revolution. Of all these, the American Revolution was by far the most radical. Monarchy, royalty, aristocracy, theocracy, the caste system of aristocrats and commoners, all fell in America. Today, we see the spectacle of supposed "libertarians" advocating ancient despotism's like feudalism, property qualifications for voting, and in Hoppe's case, monarchy. Amazing.

My advice to my fellow libertarians is: BE WARY of supposed "allies". It is my belief, and my belief only, that many of the people in the libertarian movement are either agent provocateurs at some levels of government, or men and women who truly desire to turn back the clock to the Dark Ages, pining for a dead past in which people were enslaved and dominated by government. Keep your reason sharp and your guard up, liberty needs you.

LIbertarianism-A Life Centered Philosophy

Libertarianism is the only political life centered philosophy. Pure and simple. Forget conservatism, liberalism, and all other "isms" which are nothing more than statist-collectivist delusions. The choice for any society is clear, it is between liberty and statism. Any philosophy that places individual liberty secondary or beneath the "common good", "society" or "culture" is one based on statism. Let's look at the aspects that make Libertarianism a life centered philosophy.

1) Primacy of Individual Rights. Libertarian philosophy holds the individual as sacred. Once born, a human being is entitled to freedom by his very nature of being human. Libertarians believe that all individuals have the right to their own life and the management of it. The paragraphs below will add to this.

2) Economic Liberty-This is paramount to a free life. The right to trade or not to trade, the right to own, possess, and dispose of private property, is an absolute necessity to freedom. As Ayn Rand so eloquently put it ,without property rights, a man has no rights. If one is forbidden to own private property, how can he have any other rights? If one can be deprived of a place to live by the state, without any due process he is a slave.

3) Personal Liberty- The right to associate, or not associate with others, for any reason, the right to speak one's mind freely, without coercion from government, the right to publish one thoughts, the right to worship or not worship a god, the right to remain silent and not incriminate oneself to government authorities, and the right of self defense against private individuals or tyrannical government. These rights are as Jefferson put it, unalienable, natural rights.

4) The Right to freely Emigrate- This is a Jeffersonian belief that one did not have to remain in a nation where "chance, not choice" had placed one. All human beings have the natural right of free movement to remove themselves from a place they do not wish to be to one more conducive to the life they wish to lead.

5) The Right to be free of Coercion- This sounds radical to the statist or average person unaccustomed to true liberty. The Libertarian principle of non-intitiation of force is a natural right. No one, not a nation, state, city, town, mob, gang, or individual has a right to initiate force against another human being. To do so is to commit a crime of violence. Crime, taxation, conscription, and the worst of all war, are all manifestations of coercion. Most initiated coercion is based on human emotions like greed, bigotry, hatred, rage, and ignorance.

These five points are the essence of Libertarian philosophy. I am sure there are more, but these five sum it up. Embrace libertarian philosophy, reject statism, and despotism. It should be the goal of all people who believe in liberty to spread the message far and wide. We must make the 21st century a century of liberty. I am willing to do it, are you?

Debt Slavery, Part II

In this essay, we will examine the methods we as individuals can get out of debt slavery. We will also examine how we can stem the tide of government debt and return not only our country, but our personal lives to prosperity. Let's start with government debt.

1) Stop the bleeding of deficit spending. How? Abolish the welfare/ warfare state budget. It's simple, the US government must stop spending more than it brings in in taxes, period.

2) Sell off all uneccessay federal property. Harry Browne in his excellent book " The Great Libertarian Offer" shows that selling off all unconstitutional and uneccessay federal property, the US government could gain 10 Trillion dollars. This is just enough to pay the federal national debt.

3) Reduce the US government's functions down to it's constitutional functions. A constitutional government will not need a 2.3 trillion dollar budget, which President Bush has proposed for FY 2008.

4) End all subsidies to industry, and open US markets to free trade. Not the phony NAFTA, CAFTA managed trade nonsense. True free exchange between citizens of the world's nations. This will unleash productivity and prosperity throughout the world.

5) Enact a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution. No exceptions, no loopholes for "emergencies", etc.

6) Abolish the income tax. Once abolished the productive energies of the American people will be unleashed.

The last, and most common sense of the proposals: stop spending more than you take in!

Now for private debt. I am no stranger to personal debt. I, like many Americans, have learned the hard way. Here is what I have found works:

1) Stop the bleeding immediately. Stop using credit cards. Cut them up, shred them, do whatever you must , but stop debting.

2) Pay off all debts. Have a useful, yet reasonable plan with a timeframe for financial freedom.

3) Build up a personal savings. Experts say to put at least 6 months of your take home salary in a savings account. Although it sounds difficult, it may save your bacon in a depression or other financial disaster: job loss, etc.

4) Have a Spending plan, not a budget. Have a plan that allows you to enjoy life while paying off debt. If you are miserable, you will be more likely to debt. Have money to spend and enjoy life. After all, that is what money is for, provide the means to live. Fun is part of living.

5) Lower your taxable income. Invest in a 401K or other tax deferred plan. Reduce the amount of money the state can extort from you. Donate to the charity of your choice. Don't let the government take more of your hard earned money for the welfare/ warfare state.

Is it really this simple? I believe so. Common sense and commitment are absolutely necessary to redeem our nation's finances and our own. I must warn you, though. The longer we keep electing corrupt Democrats and Republicans, and the longer we permit their lobbyist whores to bribe and manipulate our government, the harder it will be to liberate ourselves. If we do not liberate ourselves, economic disaster will be followed by ruin. The time is now, before it is too late.

Debt Slavery

The United States government is bankrupt, period, end of story. Our political class has bankrupted the USA, and squandered our future and the future of our children. In this essay we will examine not only government debt, but the debt slavery the American people have gotten themselves into through consumerism, fast credit, and massive personal debt.

Government Debt: a Cancer on the Body Politic

Right now the US Government is roughly 10 TRILLION dollars on debt. This debt, a product of the two party fraud, continues to grow through every administration, Republican or Democrat. This debt is a ticking time bomb that will eventually bring down the American Empire. When this debt defaults, and it will, it will bring down catastrophic consequences for the what is left of freedom and democracy in America. Some say it will bring down the American Empire. Maybe, maybe not. It could very well be the glue that seals the fate of liberty and freedom in American forever. This depression will cause a worldwide depression that will rock this planet the likes that have never been seen. The Great Depression of 1929 will look like a minor economic disruption compared to the coming catastrophe. And it is COMING.

Government Entitlements: A Ticking Time Bomb

One of the main reasons the US Government is bankrupt is the large, bloated welfare/ warfare state. Massive Defense Spending, Social Security, Medicare, AFDC, Disability Insurance, corporate tax loopholes, and government agencies of every conceivable type are feeding at the public trough. Sadly, most Americans do not realize that these"entitlements" are increasing their taxes, and mortgaging their future and the future of their children and grandchildren. The more debt, the more taxes there will be to feed the bureaucratic beast. The more taxes, the bigger and more powerful the IRS and other tax agencies will be. The more debt that accumulates, the more the American people will be selling themselves into bondage. These entitlements are a ticking time bomb. To fund Medicare and Social Security massive tax increases will be necessary. Tax rates will skyrocket, and the government will also borrow more money. Some day, in the near future, the American people will be either unwilling or unable to pay the taxes needed to support the US welfare/ warfare state. When that time comes, the end of the Republic as we know it is near.

Consumer Debt: A Cancer on the American Family

Along with the massive government debt there is also a gigantic rise of consumer debt. Credit cards, refinancing of homes, Home equity loans, education loans, etc are a noose around the neck of the American family. Most families in America must have two incomes to sustain life due to massive debt loads. These debt loads are a form of bondage that sucks the enjoyment right out of life. Life is spent worrying, fretting, and complaining to keep afloat. Hours are spent worrying about the next bill or debt coming due. This cancer destroys families, and is a major contributing factor to the high divorce rate in the US. As the American family structure breaks down, calls for more government intervention in family life is heard. As the government creeps into family life, the sanctity and liberty of family life is lost. This massive consumer debt will wipe out millions of peoples fortunes in the coming crisis.

All of the above examples are part of the larger picture of Debt Slavery in the USA. The piper must be paid sometime, and when he demands his money our future will destroyed. The next question is what do we do to solve this tremendous problem? Is it insurmountable? The answer, in my opinion is no. Actually it's "HELL NO!" Now how do we do it? We will examine our way out in the next essay. To assist the reader in seeing the truth our our government debt, I have added a debt clock with the actual debt to the second. Very enlighening, and frightening.

Next week: How we solve our problem.

Republican Fascists

I am convinced that the current Republican Party has transformed into a fascist political movement. Forget about their prattling about "limited government", "freedom", and "individual rights". The Republican Party no longer supports these ideals nor are they working to " conserve" the Republic for our children. They are supporters of empire, war and a police state. The only good Republican is libertarian Ron Paul of Texas, a true Jeffersonian. Here is what the current group of Republican fascists has in store for us:

1) Eternal war, as Dick Cheney stated could go on " forty years".

2) Massive Debt and Borrowing. George Bush and his minions have increased the national debt by 4 TRILLION dollars. The total debt is now approaching 10 TRILLION dollars. This sum means bankruptcy for the Republic and our children and grandchildren. Some "conservative"!

3) Empire: Invasion, occupation, and destruction of other nations while acting in our "interest". Interest? Is war, death, and destruction in our "interest" or even desirable? Maybe if you are a sociopath or fascist. Our interest should be "Peace, Commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."

4)Police State: IN the name of freedom, liberty must be destroyed here at home. We can't have Americans expressing their "freedom" when the powers that be are conquering the world! Wiretaps, surveillance, militarization of the police, and attacks on free speech are going to turn America into a gulag in the next 20 years.

5) Part and parcel of the number above, destruction of all Constitutional rights. The 1st, 4th, and 5th amendments will be a shell of their former selves, as their true meanings are manipulated, and outright denied.

The list could go on and on. Recently, the Democratic Party seized control of Congress. Oh, there was so much hope among many Americans that things would change for the better. The truth is much darker. Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, who is now running for President, and the other gangsters in the Democratic Party WILL NOT change a thing. We will have more statism, war, and internationalist/ interventionist foreign policy. The debate is no longer liberal vs conservative, but statism vs libertarianism. There is no middle ground!

Statism, both left and right, brings nothing but war, poverty, oppression, and dictatorship. We, as libertarians, and all lovers of liberty, must unite to promote the Worldwide Libertarian Revolution. All the masses of the world yearn to breathe free, and the United States, a nation born in liberty, should be leading the way. Right now the fascists in the Republican Party are in control of the US government. They, like all conservatives, despise freedom. They believe people are too stupid, depraved, and worthless to govern themselves. They are true believers in original sin. We must battle this nonsense. Men have a NATURAL RIGHT to be FREE! If we continue to promote the "two party system" the fraud will continue.

We must also be careful of conservatives in libertarian clothing. Many conservatives masquerade as libertarians, like Drug Warrior Bob Barr, who recently infiltrated the LP. Although I am a fan of some of the articles on Lew Rockwell.com, many conservatives, like contributor Gary North are religious fanatics and statists. North, an advocate of "Biblical Law", condones a police/religious terror state that an Islamic fundamentalist would be proud of. I am not saying that a former conservative cannot become a libertarian, far from it. What I am saying is beware. Beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing.

We must keep plugging on. We must continue to promote the classical liberal ideals of the Founders, along with modern libertarian theory. We must, not only the future of our country, but the world is at stake.

The Tao of Liberty

Almost 2500 years ago, Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, or in English, the "Book of Changes". This book provides deep philosophical insight into the Tao, or "Universal Mind", "Force" etc. Regardless of whether you are an atheist, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, the Tao Te Ching can provide tremendous enlightenment. One of the main themes of Taoism is the philosophy of liberty and the structure of the best form of government for mankind. In the I Ching we find Lao Tzu's libertarian prescription for society.

Violence begets Violence

One core teaching of the Tao is the Yin and Yang, opposites that balance the universe. When this balance is upset, there is chaos, confusion, aggression, and of course violence. Violent acts encourage and perpetuate additional violence. A good example is the United States, The Soviet Empire and other tyrannical regimes continue to use violence to acheive wealth, power and status for their ruling elite. When this happens liberty and all of the concomitant ideals that go with it, are destroyed.

Lao Tzu, Taoism's founder, was a believer in betterment of the individual. He was a proponent of limited and non-despotic government. Tyrannical government is a destroyer of the individual and enlightenment. Only individuals can be enlightened. Without knowing the "Tao" or the nature of the Universe, no freedom is possible. Violence is the instrument of tyrannical governments and disaffected, anger filled people. In the United States today we see the results of tyrannical government and see how it creates a aura of imbalance and extremism.

Imbalance in The Republic

In Taoist philosophy striving for balance is essential. Balancing one's emotions, actions and realizing that actions do create equal and opposite reactions, sometimes with terrible results. Let us examine how the American Republic is out of "balance".
In America today we have the largest prison population in the world. Over 3 million people are in prisons across America. Most of our prison population is in prison for non-violent drug offenses. Of course there are people who deserve their lot such as violent offenders, rapists, child molesters, and murderers. No rational person would argue that these people should escape punishment. Unfortunately we are creating a private prison industry that continues to rapidly build "correctional" facilities and jails across the USA. Conservatives, liberals and other nihilists cheer on the burgeoning prison state we are creating. Showing they are "tough" on crime, and imposing mandatory minimum sentences seem to be the norm today.

Another imbalance is propaganda machine called the mainstream media. Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc are all cheerleaders for the corporate police state called the federal government. Sycophants like Bill O' Reilly, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Wolf Blitzer, and Chris Matthews are all shills for the war machine and the elite. Public opinion today is arguably the most brainwashed, and ignorant populace, the USA has ever known. On daily basis you can hear people parrot the latest drivel and lies about Iran, North Korea or some other "enemy" that the powers that be have plucked off the map. You hear conservatives prattle on and on about the "liberal" media and how the "Commander in Chief" is being picked on by "liberal" reporters. Utter nonsense can be seen in tabloid magazines that prop up the lives of wealthy movie stars and musicians and give in depth gossip about their lives. You hear the term "Hollywood Royalty" further appealing to the hopes and insecurities of the weak minded and depressed who look forward to the "latest" on their favorite star.

Rudeness and Lack of Compassion

Another sign of imbalance in American life is the increase in rude behavior among people. The lack of manners and civility is so widespread most people are surprised when they encounter an exceptionally polite person. Anger, cruelty, and despair seem to pervade our communities. Liberty, tolerance and kindness seem out of fashion and are at times outright ridiculed. A perfect example is the vitrol that many fascistic conservatives have for anti war mother Cindy Sheehan. Ms. Sheehan is painted as a "leftist", and I have heard many so-called "Christian" conservatives say they "hate" her and that she should just "get over it". Another favorite line is that her son "joined" the military and that death is "part of the job" of being a solider. First, whether Ms Sheehan is a leftist or not to me is irrelevant. She is a very sad and grieving mother. Her son is DEAD. "Volunteer" or not, he is GONE, FOREVER. She also happens to believe that this "volunteer" died in a economically motivated war based on lies and propaganda. I would be upset also. As for the hate espoused by supposed "Christians" I am not surprised. The modern day conservative Christian movement is a movement full of hate for their supposed enemies. Homosexuals, liberals, anti-war protesters, leftists,libertarians, etc fill their minds like a poison. This poison of hate contributes to cruelty, despair and unkindness like a cancer throughout America. Jesus Christ instructed his followers to "turn the other cheek", and "love" their enemies. These doctrines are frequently forgotten by right wing relligious hate mongers. Instead religion is used as it always has been, to control, dominate and surpress society by the elite.

Imperialism

Imperialism is another sign of imbalance and encroaching despotism. The United States has over 700 military bases across the globe. This amazing number is in direct conflict with the reccommendations of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, both of whom cautioned against ruling the world or getting involved in empire building. Lao Tzo also warned men to stay away from injuring others and imposing tyranny. He constantly exhorts the reader of the I Ching to renounce worldly, outward power and cultivate the power within. This inner change allows one to change themself before attempting to change the world. Bombs, invasions, and conquest are the path to the dark side of humanity. This dark side destroys republican government, annhilates liberty and causes endless suffering. Does anyone in their right mind truly believe that eternal war, or as the neocons call it " The war of civilizations, will stop terrorism? Violence, hate and aggression lead to more of the same. The current US elite have totally renounced the ideals of Jefferson, and our Founding Fathers. The Tao of Liberty is foreign to their minds. With a mind full of hate, aggression, despair and malice, one can never have peace with one's self or others. This in the political realm leads to tyrannical ideologies like Communism, extreme corprate capitalism, and Facsism. These philosophies are based on greed, lust, craving and power. None of these qaulities leads to peace, freedom and liberty.

The Devolution of the American Mind

The American people over the last 40 years have seen their minds turned to mush by our imperial government. The destruction of what was once the greatest public education system in the world is now in tatters. Now schools are zones of gang violence, reactive adminstrators, and interest groups attempting to foist their version of religion or pseudo-science on our children. Television, right wing hate radio, left wing political correctness, and tyrannical religion are all contributing to a mindset of slavery. Book reading, critical thinking, questioning of authority and government policy, and defending one's rights are now considered taboo. Most Americans would rather toss the Bill of Rights in the trash can, stay on the government nipple and have our "leaders" take care of us. All of this leads to a people that are rapidly becoming incapable of not only knowing what liberty is, but not even caring to know. Sadly, most people today have no idea they are slaves. When they think of slavery they think of black slaves on a southern plantation, not realizing their is a much worse slavery than the chattel slavery described above. This slavery is the slavery of the mind. It is the slavery of thinking that you are free when in reality you are not. Thomas Jefferson stated it best " If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

Restoring the Tao of Liberty

How do we we restore the Tao of Liberty? Is it still possible to recover our minds, hearts and souls from the anger, fear, and hate? I believe it is, but we must enlighten our own hearts first. In your personal life practice compassion, kindness, love and strive to do no harm to others, unless in self defense. If, along with quietness, serenity, you do these things it will help you light the way to liberty and freedom. We must free ourselves on the inside first before we can free our fellow citizens and human beings who reside with us on this planet. Embrace the libertarian principle that from Lao Tzu to Thomas Jefferson, to the modern movement for liberty, has espoused: non-aggression, and the non intitiation of force against others. That is the Tao of Liberty. Let others live their lives without interference from government, religious fanatics or left wing zealots.