As we look back on the horrors of the dictatorships and autocracies of the past, one particular question consistently arises; how was it possible for the common men of these eras to NOT notice what was happening around them? How could they have stood as statues unaware or uncaring as their cultures were overrun by fascism, communism, collectivism, and elitism? Of course, we have the advantage of hindsight, and are able to research and examine the misdeeds of the past at our leisure. Unfortunately, such hindsight does not necessarily shield us from the long cast shadow of tyranny in our own day. For that, the increasingly uncommon gift of foresight is required…
At bottom, the success of despotic governments and Big Brother societies hinges upon a certain number of political, financial, and cultural developments. The first of which is an unwillingness in the general populace to secure and defend their own freedoms, making them completely reliant on corrupt establishment leadership. For totalitarianism to take hold, the masses must not only neglect the plight of their country, and the plight of others, but also be completely uninformed of the inherent indirect threats to their personal safety. They must abandon all responsibility for their destinies, and lose all respect for their own humanity. They must, indeed, become domesticated and mindless herd animals without regard for anything except their fleeting momentary desires for entertainment and short term survival. For a lumbering bloodthirsty behemoth to actually sneak up on you, you have to be pretty damnably oblivious.
The prevalence of apathy and ignorance sets the stage for the slow and highly deliberate process of centralization. Once dishonest governments accomplish an atmosphere of inaction and condition a sense of frailty within the citizenry, the sky is truly the limit. However, a murderous power-monger’s day is never quite done. In my recent article ‘The Essential Rules of Liberty’ we explored the fundamentally unassailable actions and mental preparations required to ensure the continuance of a free society. In this article, let’s examine the frequently wielded tools of tyrants in their invariably insane quests for total control…
Rule #1: Keep Them Afraid
People who are easily frightened are easily dominated. This is not just a law of political will, but a law of nature. Many wrongly assume that a tyrant’s power comes purely from the application of force. In fact, despotic regimes that rely solely on extreme violence are often very unsuccessful, and easily overthrown. Brute strength is calculable. It can be analyzed, and thus, eventually confronted and defeated. Thriving tyrants instead utilize not just harm, but the imminent THREAT of harm. They instill apprehension in the public; a fear of the unknown, or a fear of the possible consequences for standing against the state. They let our imaginations run wild until we see death around every corner, whether it’s actually there or not. When the masses are so blinded by the fear of reprisal that they forget their fear of slavery, and take no action whatsoever to undo it, then they have been sufficiently culled.
In other cases, our fear is evoked and directed towards engineered enemies. Another race, another religion, another political ideology, a “hidden” and ominous villain created out of thin air. Autocrats assert that we “need them” in order to remain safe and secure from these illusory monsters bent on our destruction. As always, this development is followed by the claim that all steps taken, even those that dissolve our freedoms, are “for the greater good”. Frightened people tend to shirk their sense of independence and run towards the comfort of the collective, even if that collective is built on immoral and unconscionable foundations. Once a society takes on a hive-mind mentality almost any evil can be rationalized, and any injustice against the individual is simply overlooked for the sake of the group.
Rule #2: Keep Them Isolated
In the past, elitist governments would often legislate and enforce severe penalties for public gatherings, because defusing the ability of the citizenry to organize or to communicate was paramount to control. In our technological era, such isolation is still used, but in far more advanced forms. The bread and circus lifestyle of the average westerner alone is enough to distract us from connecting with each other in any meaningful fashion, but people still sometimes find ways to seek out organized forms of activism.
Through co-option, modern day tyrant’s can direct and manipulate opposition movements. By creating and administrating groups which oppose each other, elites can then micromanage all aspects of a nation on the verge of revolution. These “false paradigms” give us the illusion of proactive organization, and the false hope of changing the system, while at the same time preventing us from seeking understanding in one another. All our energies are then muted and dispersed into meaningless battles over “left and right”, or “Democrat versus Republican”, for example. Only movements that cast aside such empty labels and concern themselves with the ultimate truth of their country, regardless of what that truth might reveal, are able to enact real solutions to the disasters wrought by tyranny.
In more advanced forms of despotism, even fake organizations are disbanded. Curfews are enforced. Normal communications are diminished or monitored. Compulsory paperwork is required. Checkpoints are instituted. Free speech is punished. Existing groups are influenced to distrust each other or to disintegrate entirely out of dread of being discovered. All of these measures are taken by tyrants primarily to prevent ANY citizens from gathering and finding mutual support. People who work together and organize of their own volition are unpredictable, and therefore, a potential risk to the state.
Rule #3: Keep Them Desperate
You’ll find in nearly every instance of cultural descent into autocracy, the offending government gained favor after the onset of economic collapse. Make the necessities of root survival an uncertainty, and people without knowledge of self sustainability and without solid core principles will gladly hand over their freedom, even for mere scraps from the tables of the same men who unleashed famine upon them. Financial calamities are not dangerous because of the poverty they leave in their wake; they are dangerous because of the doors to malevolence that they leave open.
Destitution leads not just to hunger, but also to crime (private and government). Crime leads to anger, hatred, and fear. Fear leads to desperation. Desperation leads to the acceptance of anything resembling a solution, even despotism.
Autocracies pretend to cut through the dilemmas of economic dysfunction (usually while demanding liberties be relinquished), however, behind the scenes they actually seek to maintain a proscribed level of indigence and deprivation. The constant peril of homelessness and starvation keeps the masses thoroughly distracted from such things as protest or dissent, while simultaneously chaining them to the idea that their only chance is to cling to the very government out to end them.
Rule #4: Send Out The Jackboots
This is the main symptom often associated with totalitarianism. So much so that our preconceived notions of what a fascist government looks like prevent us from seeing other forms of tyranny right under our noses. Some Americans believe that if the jackbooted thugs are not knocking on every door, then we MUST still live in a free country. Obviously, this is a rather naïve position. Admittedly, though, goon squads and secret police do eventually become prominent in every failed nation, usually while the public is mesmerized by visions of war, depression, hyperinflation, terrorism, etc.
When law enforcement officials are no longer servants of the people, but agents of a government concerned only with its own supremacy, serious crises emerge. Checks and balances are removed. The guidelines that once reigned in police disappear, and suddenly, a philosophy of superiority emerges; an arrogant exclusivity that breeds separation between law enforcement and the rest of the public. Finally, police no longer see themselves as protectors of citizens, but prison guards out to keep us subdued and docile.
As tyranny grows, this behavior is encouraged. Good men are filtered out of the system, and small (minded and hearted) men are promoted.
At its pinnacle, a police state will hide the identities of most of its agents and officers, behind masks or behind red tape, because their crimes in the name of the state become so numerous and so sadistic that personal vengeance on the part of their victims will become a daily concern.
Rule #5: Blame Everything On The Truth Seekers
Tyrants are generally men who have squelched their own consciences. They have no reservations in using any means at their disposal to wipe out opposition. But, in the early stages of their ascent to power, they must give the populace a reason for their ruthlessness, or risk being exposed, and instigating even more dissent. The propaganda machine thus goes into overdrive, and any person or group that dares to question the authority or the validity of the state is demonized in the minds of the masses.
All disasters, all violent crimes, all the ills of the world, are hoisted upon the shoulders of activist groups and political rivals. They are falsely associated with fringe elements already disliked by society (racists, terrorists, etc). A bogus consensus is created through puppet media in an attempt to make the public believe that “everyone else” must have the same exact views, and those who express contrary positions must be “crazy”, or “extremist”. Events are even engineered by the corrupt system and pinned on those demanding transparency and liberty. The goal is to drive anti-totalitarian organizations into self censorship. That is to say, instead of silencing them directly, the state causes activists to silence themselves.
Tyrannical power structures cannot function without scapegoats. There must always be an elusive boogie man under the bed of every citizen, otherwise, those citizens may turn their attention, and their anger, towards the real culprit behind their troubles. By scapegoating stewards of the truth, such governments are able to kill two birds with one stone.
Rule #6: Encourage Citizen Spies
Ultimately, the life of a totalitarian government is not prolonged by the government itself, but by the very people it subjugates. Citizen spies are the glue of any police state, and our propensity for sticking our noses into other peoples business is highly valued by Big Brother bureaucracies around the globe.
There are a number of reasons why people participate in this repulsive activity. Some are addicted to the feeling of being a part of the collective, and “service” to this collective, sadly, is the only way they are able to give their pathetic lives meaning. Some are vindictive, cold, and soulless, and actually get enjoyment from ruining others. And still, like elites, some long for power, even petty power, and are willing to do anything to fulfill their vile need to dictate the destinies of perfect strangers.
Citizen spying is almost always branded as a civic duty; an act of heroism and bravery. Citizen spies are offered accolades and awards, and showered with praise from the upper echelons of their communities. People who lean towards citizen spying are often outwardly and inwardly unimpressive; physically and mentally inept. For the average moral and emotional weakling with persistent feelings of inadequacy, the allure of finally being given fifteen minutes of fame and a hero’s status (even if that status is based on a lie) is simply too much to resist. They begin to see “extremists” and “terrorists” everywhere. Soon, people afraid of open ears everywhere start to watch what they say at the supermarket, in their own backyards, or even to family members. Free speech is effectively neutralized.
Rule #7: Make Them Accept The Unacceptable
In the end, it is not enough for a government fueled by the putrid sludge of iniquity to lord over us. At some point, it must also influence us to forsake our most valued principles. Tyrannies are less concerned with dominating how we live, so much as dominating how we think. If they can mold our very morality, they can exist unopposed indefinitely. Of course, the elements of conscience are inborn, and not subject to environmental duress as long as a man is self aware. However, conscience can be manipulated if a person has no sense of identity, and has never put in the effort to explore his own strengths and failings. There are many people like this in America today.
Lies become “necessary” in protecting the safety of the state. War becomes a tool for “peace”. Torture becomes an ugly but “useful” method for gleaning important information. Police brutality is sold as a “natural reaction” to increased crime. Rendition becomes normal, but only for those labeled as “terrorists”. Assassination is justified as a means for “saving lives”. Genocide is done discretely, but most everyone knows it is taking place. They simply don’t discuss it.
All tyrannical systems depend on the apathy and moral relativism of the inhabitants within their borders. Without the cooperation of the public, these systems cannot function. The real question is, how many of the above steps will be taken before we finally refuse to conform? At what point will each man and woman decide to break free from the dark path blazed before us and take measures to ensure their independence? Who will have the courage to develop their own communities, their own alternative economies, their own organizations for mutual defense outside of establishment constructs, and who will break under the pressure to bow like cowards? How many will hold the line, and how many will flee?
For every American, for every human being across the planet who chooses to stand immovable in the face of the very worst in mankind, we come that much closer to breathing life once again into the very best in us all.
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written by Clorox Cowboy , July 29, 2011
I think you've cut to the heart of it. One question I have about the current situation: How would an eventual peak oil scenario affect a nation's descent into tyranny? Would Big Brother be unable to effectively rule without enough oil or would the Gooberment simply confiscate all the supplies for "National Security" purposes?
written by Happy Harry , July 29, 2011
Peak Oil like Global Warming are tools to scare the public. Simple rule: if it's an important story, the official version is a lie.
written by Ted long , July 29, 2011
I have heard that the US sits on the biggest oil reserve in the world ( I can't remember where) but all we hear is that we have oil shortages because of the emerging economies; China and India... The gummint already has the oil to squash an uprising by the welfarites or the libertines.
written by mark mchugh , July 29, 2011
Brandon,
You're insight is extraordinary. I really loved this one. Great work!
written by TorchFire , July 29, 2011
From one who shares your gift of foresight let me say this: Brandon you are doing exactly what you were born to do. Fully optimized with a capacity for instructive articulation of the most nebulous of issues. Thanks for your dedication to the cause of Liberty.
written by Lee Oswald , July 30, 2011
It is time to overthrow them
written by Kuhl , July 30, 2011
You capture their playbook perfectly. Everythnig this government is doing aligns with your points in the article. Time to take the country back.
written by Retroactive , July 30, 2011
Great job on dumbing it down for the masses Brandon. In school most of us were taught about oppression of the past but in experience it was lost on most of my classmates. If one can not see that every major sign-post Brandon pointed out we have already seen in America we are in major trouble.
This is about the point people will come out to say 'things like this haven't happened in America yet'... Only proving that even this article and the information therein was lost on them.
written by steven , July 30, 2011
This information hits a home run for those that are awake to the evil thats around us. let liberty rein
written by Ron McCafferty , July 30, 2011
Capitalism has fueled not just America's rise to Imperialism, it has also bought and payed for the best enemies money can buy. In the guise of communism, fascism, violent Islamic terrorists. All just to keep us afraid and compliant with what ever our government does in the name of National Security (read corporate interests through capitalism). No conspiracy, just the result of corporate greed and their masters of the universe attitude.
written by PugnaciousPatriot , July 30, 2011
My life is inundated & surrounded by idiots & cowards who kowtow to tyranny in the workplace & all of society. That provides a perfect grid upon which a govt. tyrant can walk unimpeded.
Big tyranny arises when the grid of small tyrannies is as thick as grass blades.
The splendidly explained ingredients of a tyranny, put forth by Brandon, are inherent everywhere. When they are pygmies in the workplace, neighborhoods, homes, & city/state govts. they are ignored. It seems that only when the tyrants are giants does an outcry arise.
written by aNT bANKS , July 30, 2011
Mr. Smith, this article was simply a "home Run" in articulation and information. Please allow this one to stay up for a while. Amazingly put and described; this article explains everything that has been released on this country now. The Republicans and Democrats as well as the Tea Party represent the illusion of democracy and opposition.
"VOTE RON PAUL...VOTE RON PAUL....VOTE RON PAUL
written by chipster , July 30, 2011
No need to eblaborate [sic]but fine work Sir. Little if any ego showing through in the measurements of this offering. Thanks from the heart for simply telling the truth. More of this and less of the lesser stuff that revisits revisitation This One's not a voter but if there is a political hope He Ron Paul is.
written by PS , July 30, 2011
The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket massacre or Haymarket riot) was a demonstration and unrest that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square in Chicago.
It began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting.
The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers, mostly from friendly fire, and an unknown number of civilians.[4][5]
In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder.
Four men were convicted and executed, and one committed suicide in prison, although the prosecution conceded none of the defendants had thrown the bomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair
written by QuietBear , July 30, 2011
Vote Ron Paul! Vote Ron Paul Vote Ron Pau Vote Ron Pa Vote Ron P Vote Ron Vote Ro Vote R Vot Vo V...
When you register to vote, you give up all of the rights that are guaranteed/verified by the Constitution... Have you ever even read the voter registration form, completely? Have you ever looked up the meaning of the word, "register", and where it comes from?
If you are a voter, you are part of the problem... You play into 'their' game...
If you pay income tax, you are funding those who control you... This makes you the source of the problem...
Thomas Jefferson did not tell people that every twenty years or so, that government had to be voted out and replaced by new criminals... He said that the Tree of Liberty had to be watered by the blood of Patriots & tyrants...
You are never going to achieve your stated goals of freedom & liberty, by voting in a new gang of thieves... You will never win at their game... It is rigged by them to always win, no matter what 'side' wins, because they own both sides...
Like for instance, the Consumers for Food Safety who are supposedly battling monsanto in the courts to stop the spread of the poisonous gmo frankenfoods... Now we find out that they are funded by the freakin' rockerfellers... Go figure.
It's the same with the pol parties... Different sides of the same coin... All paid from the same coin... All controlled by the ones who flip the coin...
Stop voting. Stop paying income taxes. Stop paying fines. Stop getting registered, for anything. Stop buying their licenses to do anything. They are one large corporation... They feed off of you... If you stop feeding them, they wither up and blow away, just as any business does if it loses all of its customers...
Life will not end without them controlling you... In fact, you will find that life is much more enjoyable and enriching when you are not being controlled by a bunch of fascist corporations posing as governments... The Founding Fathers knew the outcome with a large centralized federal government running things... They knew that only small local forms of governance were the truest form of cooperation betwixt peoples... They understood that peoples can work things out amongst themselves without a bloated bureaucratic central federalized government telling them what to do... And we can...
Where the hell do you think they get the funding to do all of the things listed in this article, people? They get it from You! You are feeding the wolves that are attacking us on every front... Stop it.
You are the ones with the power... Start acting like it!
Yes, this is a very well written article... It lists all of the things being foisted upon us in a very clear and concise manner... And yet, as I read it all, I couldn't help but realize that it is all happening through and because of the apathy of the people in this country/corporation... No one thinks the bad things are going to happen to them... No one thinks the jack booted thugs are gonna be jacking their boots up their asses...
All I can say to anyone who feels this way is, Good Fuckin Luck with That!
No. The solution is not to 'vote the bums out'... The solution is to bleed them dry by depriving them of that which feeds them... That being, your money/power that you willingly give to them through paying your taxes like a good little citizen, buying their crap like a good little consumer and toeing the line like a good little slave...
It is time to opt out of their game... It is time to live simpler lives and learn what it's like to truly be free of all their machinations and game play...
The solution, is you... Each individual one of you... It is not in expecting & waiting for someone else to do something to 'fix' this system... It is time for us to create a new and more workable system... One based on giving to others, knowing we live in an abundant universe, rather than taking from each other as we've been programmed to do by the lie that we live in a world of lack and limitation...
A system based in freedom and fairness for everyone, yet focused on it at a local, community based level...
I opted out of their game, quite some time ago, so I am not suggesting anything that I have not lived... I walk my talk by being the change I want to see, rather than waiting for anyone else to do something about all of the bullshit going on in this world of ours...
I work for changes and new ways of looking at things here, in my local community... I operate a small organic farm and I show people that eating the poisons being sold to them as food, are killing them slowly... I show how big government & big corporations are controlling them and choking them out of their life giving freedoms... And they are starting to listen... People are beginning to understand they have been lied to and they're making new choices about what happens here to them locally...
Be the solution you are looking for...
It is your right to live free and to prosper... No one is going to give it to you... You have to demand it through your actions...
I did and I do...
Will You?
written by tiburon , July 30, 2011
"Peak oil" is not simply a supposed phenomenon for those of you streaming the infowars radios show 24/7 to reject based on your own baseless assumptions. It is, in fact, a broad mathematical concept -- one which throws a boot into the gears of our non-renewable paradigm. It does not mean that's there's no more oil. Yes, there are plenty of untapped oil reserves. However, the rate of extraction/processing can and will not meet the demand for supply, and it will no longer be cost-effective to mine for it. You know what all of that machinery runs on? I'll give you a three-letter guess.
How's about instead of assuming that every single thing that confuses and/or threatens you is the result of some nefarious scheme (not to say that MANY things are not), you actually take the time to educate yourself as to the nature of the conundrum? Perhaps the petroleum industry lies to us about supply AND it's becoming exponentially less practical (and more expensive) to depend on a finite resource?
written by Brandon Smith , July 30, 2011
@J. Do
I am very well aware of the nature of collectivism, being that I have ten years background study in Jungian Psychology and I even made a film on the subject. However, you seem to be confusing collectivism with community. Collectivism is what happens when our inherent need for intrapersonal connection overrides our inherent need for individualism, often because of circumstances engineered by those in power. Collectivist societies demand that we sacrifice our independence and even identities for the sake of the "greater good of the greater number"; such a thing does not exist, being that groups are entirely subjective concepts.
Our need for connection must be balanced with our need to remain free and sometimes separate from the group. The healthy form of this idea would be community, or, a "collective of individuals".
Elitism, on the other hand, is indeed a system, and a very unnatural one at that. The desire for masochistic domination and the thirst for power at the expense of inborn conscience is an anomaly, a mental disease. Elitism is an artificial class structure rooted in this very psychosis and is designed to promote and sustain it. Elites see themselves as separate and superior to the rest of humanity and they build elaborate subcultures to make their delusions feel more "real".
written by peter 11 , July 30, 2011
The problem is we pay the taxes they demand. And they never stop demanding.
The role of government has become bloated out of all proportion to what is required or desirable.
Yes life is risky, don't try and deny it, don't take that away.
The state should stick to roads, water, light, justice and things like that, and do that right. Leave the rest to that man in the street.
We will fight the good fights, defend the country etc. We will not fight for you mr. politician, and your grand delusions. Live and let live. Stuff the bloated state.
written by Opa Locka , July 30, 2011
It's time to call the French. We need to borrow their guillotines.
written by Leonidas , July 31, 2011
This article describes exactly the situation in Greece right now.
written by BobtheGrape , July 31, 2011
Unfortunately, I believe that we are already there.
written by Lovinearth , July 31, 2011
This sums it all up! Im asking myself after reading this, how would someone break free and create their own community? It seems even that would be considered illegal on some level, and so it seems impossible! I sometimes say to myself,"there is nowhere to go,the whole world will be affected by all of this,there will be no place for me to live life the way I believe life should be lived."
written by Brandon Smith , July 31, 2011
@Lovinearth
Making the right and good thing "illegal" changes nothing. "Illegal" is just a word, and defiance of an unjust law is every honorable person's duty.
written by J. Do , July 31, 2011
"I am very well aware of the nature of collectivism, being that I have ten years background study in Jungian Psychology..."
I disagree with your definition of collectivism. In sociology, collectivism, which does not necessarily have to do with systems of government, is generally defined as a social tendency where the community takes responsibility for problems rather than individuals being expected to take care of everything themselves, which is unrealistic. That sort of situation is imposed on us by capitalism, which has more or less atomized society. I also see that it's still missing from your list, so maybe you should add it.
written by Tyranny Watcher , July 31, 2011
(I'll leave the door open that for whatever reason, I missed you covering this one, in case you did)
Rule of tyranny #8: Infiltrate the loyal opposition
Cass Sunstein wrote a paper titled "conspiracy theories", and page 14 is the one you'll want to focus in on, but it's certainly not the only one.
He advocates infiltrating them in “chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups.”
I'm sure they'd send 'boots on the ground' as well.
Hey, didn't Woodrow Wilson do things like this using his 'boy spies of america' and other groups?
Great article! I'm passing it along!
written by Brandon Smith , July 31, 2011
@J. Do
The parameters of sociological academia are nowhere near adequate in describing what collectivism is. For that, you need to understand the psychology of the individual, who is on many an occasion required to "take care of everything himself" regardless of whether you believe that is realistic or not. Again, what you are describing is community, not collectivism. Of course, you are welcome to your own opinion.
As far as capitalism goes, ANY human system is prone to corruption. Also, being that neither you nor I have ever lived under a true free market capitalist system (unless you are over a hundred years old) it is a bit silly to blame all our ills upon that one long abandoned economic ideology. However, I will say that I have more faith in the concept of a true free market system than one micromanaged and centralized under the purview of the government, like socialism, or communism. At least under free markets, the power to decide the course of the economy is decentralized.
written by Keep it simple , July 31, 2011
A very clearly written piece. From my own experience in the antinuclear movement, I also would add #8 about infiltration.
You use the term autocrat. Do you think the current corrupt powershift is administered by only one person? I'd think it would have to be a oligarchy to be so powerful and successful as it is.
Also Brandon, if you think we are slipping deeply into a autocracy, who is the top tyrant?
written by Brandon Smith , July 31, 2011
@Keep it Simple
I used autocracy as an example of tyranny, not as an absolute of our current situation. That said, almost every so called "oligarchy" is built upon a pyramid structure, meaning there is usually someone at the top. Who that is will have to be discovered in due course.
written by DurangoKid , July 31, 2011
Collectivism works best when it comes naturally from the masses and is not imposed by elites.
written by Canusee , July 31, 2011
Wow. Best I have read in a long time! I was directed here from a site that had a link here: http://polination.wordpress.co.../#comments
Glad Pistol Pete from PoliNation included this piece in the Sunday Grudge. I find this particularly helpful, "Elitism, on the other hand, is indeed a system, and a very unnatural one at that. The desire for masochistic domination and the thirst for power at the expense of inborn conscience is an anomaly, a mental disease. Elitism is an artificial class structure rooted in this very psychosis and is designed to promote and sustain it. Elites see themselves as separate and superior to the rest of humanity and they build elaborate subcultures to make their delusions feel more "real"."
Also, the civil discourse going on here is refreshing and am adding to my list of 'Must Read Daily' (which also includes http/www.polination.wordpress.com/ )
written by Winston , August 01, 2011
Reminds me of Obama's tactics in the US
written by Peak Oil is a LIE , August 01, 2011
To the Dumbass pushing the peak oil crap. Its not real, just a scam to scare you. Look up Abiotic Oil production, there is no such thing as peak oil, it doesnt really come from fossils, there is no peak oil.
PS i work in the oil business and actually know what i am talking about, whereas you listened to some MSM shithead and repeated the nonsense, way to fail fucker.
written by headshot , August 01, 2011
Just wanted to confirm what you heard about Our domestic oil resources. I am terrible with remembering details but I believe The Bakken Formation qualifies as the third largest in the world and that the potential in Alaska is also among the top three. Please don't quote me on the specifiic ranking. Web search " Bakken Formation" and US Geological Survey. You can get the facts there. North Dakota is Drilling full tilt, here in Montana, environmental concerns/groups and onerous state regulation are slowing up the process but we are drilling.
Brilliant post Mr. Smith. Naomi Wolfe also published a book on the ten steps to tyranny(not the exact title); which closely mirrors this article.
written by ken , August 04, 2011
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
- Voltaire.
written by Dr. Sanford Aranoff , August 05, 2011
Excellent article! I just wish to add something. It is a terrible lack of rational thought. See the new book Rational Thinking, Government Policies, Science, and Living. Rational thinking starts with clearly stated principles, continues with logical deductions, and then examines empirical evidence to possibly modify the principles. In addition to the above suggestons, I suggest we work hard on educating people on rational thought, and fight hard pointing out bad logic.
written by Cris Wise , August 05, 2011
A well-written and informative article. Thank you. We all need to be mindful of what is happening, but it is more important to know how to stop it at every step. Before his election, Obama spoke of his plan for the jackboots, his "Civillian Army". Be prepared for them in 2012.
written by nmgene , August 05, 2011
We have an enemy, traitor, illegal in the white house. If you read his books you will see what his mission is. He is doing everything he can to destroy our country and congress and the senate are letting him get away with it. Hopefully we will find someone to lead us in the war against the government that is coming. Be prepared to either give up all of your rights or be prepared to fight.
written by Rocket Man , August 06, 2011
This is exactly the process that is brainwashing government employees and entitlement groups. They feel completely inept to function on their own and will do anything to keep the statist quo.
written by Sturgeon UK , August 07, 2011
This is an excellent summation but perhaps lays to much responsibility at the feet of the populace. Those regimes alluded to (Stalinism/Nazism) were predicated upon fear and terror. Can we blame those who stand in the carpet of little weeds, when to stand aside from the carpet is to face death? Those regimes solicited compliance through torture, the reification of the figurehead, a common destiny in a climate of fear where informing even on family members was considered as fulfilling the duty of the state. Of course we are not subject to such a regime and have the privilege if being able to postulate about how people ought to have behaved. Many never had the choice. Of course there were those that did and I see that in the west today where free thought is permitted (up to a point) we should stand up. Let's be realistic though. We don't know we're born - to coin a patronising phrase - if we compare the current age to those presided over by tyrannical despots of the past 100 years. Let's ensure we don't allow the same leaders to proliferate and to this extent Brandon's educational piece is apposite and clear.
written by -dan z- , August 25, 2011
You offer space for "Liberty minded" advertisements, yet you use PayPal. Are you aware that the parent company of PayPal, eBay, is strongly anti-gun?
written by JustCurious , September 28, 2011
"Many wrongly assume that a tyrant’s power comes purely from the application of force. In fact, despotic regimes that rely solely on extreme violence are often very unsuccessful, and easily overthrown."
It sure would be nice if tyrannies borne out of naked force were not obviously the most oppressive and most enduring of all of history.
Mhm-hm. Yep.
Did we, say, miss all those colonial states managed very successfully in exactly that fashion, like the Spanish Empire or Congo Free State? You know, the very worst regimes in history by almost any sane account? The ones that actually strengthened their grasp as they went - in a sharp contrast to ideological tyrannies - since they killed so many of their subjects? Or are we ignoring them because they were privately run?
This smells like the sort of apologism you get from hippie lefties whenever the USSR comes up, and deserves the same response - don't presume to lecture about something you know nothing about, kid.
written by Socrates , October 01, 2011
Wow, he just accurately summed up what is happening in the US now. Your more likely to get hit by lightning than to be hurt by terrorists. Is it our generation that will give up all the freedoms so many Americans died for? The govt cant even run the DMV yet they can accurately tell us of threats to us? The worst part is no one has the moxy to stand up for these rights that were not easily endowed upon us.
written by prime suspect , November 05, 2011
There's one very important rule you missed: Keep them unarmed. Tyranny and genocide are almost always preceded by strict gun control. After all, to keep control of the masses, you must remove their ability to fight back. http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/deathgc.htm
written by KishinD , January 23, 2012
this sentence: "Tyrants are generally men who have squelched their own consciences."
Even more frequently, they are men who have never had a conscience to begin with. Sociopathy/psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder affects between 1 and 4% of the human population. These are human beings who literally have no capacity for love or empathy, and therefore feel no moral obligations that arise from affection (that is, conscience). To them, people are objects, pawns, machines, tools to be manipulated. They do not take responsibility for their own failings, nor do they ever experience remorse or guilt - sounds like a lot of politicians, right? (Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain spring to mind). Thus, they are born liars, because they have no hint of guilt or shame to give away the lie.
When Gingrich said of his first wife, "She's not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the president", he was revealing his true nature to his campaign treasurer. He is incapable of caring about others.
I would like this sentence to read: "Tyrants are generally men who have squelched their own consciences, or who never had one to begin with."
Fantastic article.
